Meanwhile, after the date, Michel held Laura's hand and suggested, "Laurie, why don't you stay over tonight? After all, our families know and approve of our relationship."Laura was excited. However, she restrained herself. "Michel, I do want to take our relationship one step further and be more intimate with you. But I still think we should get married first. It'll be more meaningful once we tie the knot."I've been looking forward to being your bride for so long. I want to pick the most important day to give myself to you." A blush spread across her cheeks as she spoke, while her clear eyes brimmed with sincerity and determination. Michel, somewhat disappointed, replied, "It's just a marriage certificate. You're usually very open-minded, aren't you? Why are you so hesitant today?"Although Laura appeared carefree and unrestrained around the people she was close with, she was a woman with boundaries. She knew precisely what should and should not be done. In other words, she
"Um…" Michel said with difficulty, "I doubt this will succeed. It's a major project that requires massive funding. Your dad won't just agree to it."My parents have tried talking to him several times, but he seems fixated on collaborating with that company this time. Unless…"Laura pressed on, "Unless what?"Michel uttered each word deliberately, "Unless we know the offer for this project. That way, my family can gain the upper hand. "And we can only obtain those details from your dad's computer. Do you… understand what I'm saying?"His eyes gleamed with intense determination. To Laura, it felt like staring into a vast black hole, pulling her into its depths and causing her to lose her rationality.After hesitating for a long while, Laura asked, "Are you suggesting I steal the bidding documents from my dad's computer?""Laurie, this isn't stealing, it's helping. After all, the Jensens and Scotts are in-laws. We'll be a family in the future, and only families won't harm their ow
Laura felt a surge of panic and hastily pressed the mute button. She then dashed out of the study, terrified of being caught. The feeling of sneaking around like a thief was truly unbearable.Back in her room, she realized it was a call from Jennifer, and only then did she heave a sigh of relief. Laura lowered her voice before answering the call, "Jennifer, why are you calling me in the middle of the night? You nearly gave me a heart attack.""Laurie, I… There's something I need to tell you," Jennifer said, "I've thought about it all night and decided you should know.""What is it? Why so serious?" Laura inquired with confusion. Jennifer paused momentarily. Then, she told her friend the truth. "I was out shopping yesterday and saw Michel with another woman. They were buying clothes together. Maxwell saw them, too."Laura froze, unable to speak for a long time. Finally, she asked, "Are you sure it was Michel?""How could I not recognize Michel? I even asked him at lunch tod
If Michel was truly seeing someone else, why would he stay with Laura?Laura was overwhelmed with distress. Numerous questions weighed heavily on her heart, making it hard to breathe.Michel quickly noticed her unease and asked tentatively, "What's wrong, Laurie? Is something bothering you? If it's about the project, don't worry, I can always think of something else. Don't let my issues ruin your mood."Laura found it hard to believe that such a reasonable man would cheat on her. Hence, she decided not to beat around the bush and confront the situation head-on.Laura broke free from Michel's embrace, stared at him solemnly, and said, "Jennifer told me she saw you with another woman that day. You two seemed to be all chummy. Is this true?"Michel had anticipated that Jennifer would tell Laura. He calmly answered, "Jennifer asked me about it at lunch yesterday while you were in the restroom. I told her everything. Didn't she tell you?"That woman is my client. My secretary acci
After hearing Michel's words, Laura dared not act on her own. So, she replied, "Alright, I'll follow your lead."With that, Michel sent her back to the Scott residence before rushing to the office. He threw the USB flash drive onto the desk and let out a disappointed sigh. To Michel, Laura was more of a liability than an asset. He thought he had made her happy for no good reason. However, to be safe, he still plugged the USB flash drive into his computer to check.To Michel's surprise, everything he wanted was copied onto the USB flash drive. In other words, Laura had already plugged it into Harry's computer. But unbeknownst to her, this USB flash drive was different from the others. It was custom-made and contained chips from a prestigious foreign electronics research company.As soon as the USB flash drive was connected to the computer, it could immediately retrieve all the data from that computer.Michel was extremely excited, and his eyes sparkled with intensity. He resem
Laura recognized the woman immediately. She was Sabrina Fletcher, Cadmus' daughter.At that moment, she gripped the steering wheel tightly. Laura felt as though every fiber in her body had frozen in place. She wanted nothing more than to floor the accelerator, crash the car into them, and bring an end to it all. However, her rationality made her abandon such frightening thoughts.Laura had no idea how she managed to get out of the car and stand before them. She knew she must have appeared rather pathetic to them. Nevertheless, she needed to question Michel and demand an explanation.Sabrina cast a disdainful glance at Laura before saying to Michel, "Mic, Mr. and Mrs. Jensen are getting worried. Let's head inside and not waste time talking to irrelevant people."Michel's gaze was still as gentle as ever, reminiscent of how he used to look at Laura. Yet, he treated Laura like she was invisible while holding Sabrina's hand and saying, "Let's go in."Laura stood frozen in place, h
Laura had fallen in love with the wrong person. As a result, she lost her home and her father's company. As she sat by the roadside, her usual air of elegance had vanished. Instead, she resembled a homeless child. Laura thought of reaching out to Jennifer for help. She wanted to tell Jennifer that it was her own foolishness that had allowed Michel to take advantage of her. In this moment of utter helplessness and despair, Laura did not know who else to turn to. Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts, Jennifer's phone remained unreachable.…Meanwhile, Jennifer was already on a flight to Erihal."Maxwell, why do you insist on taking our wedding photos in Erihal?" Jennifer looked at Maxwell with confusion. "I think Haven City has plenty of great wedding photography studios."After all, he had never mentioned wanting to go abroad to take their wedding photos. However, the day before, he suddenly revealed that he had booked tickets to Erihal as a surprise for her. So, Jennifer
Laura stared at Simon in astonishment. Though his words were calm and devoid of profanity, she felt her face flush with humiliation. It was as if someone had slapped her several times.Not only did Simon accuse Harry of being a thief, but he also treated Laura as such. She lightly clenched her fists and asked with her head down, "Then I'll head back and wait for you. Could you send me a message when you're free?"Simon chuckled upon hearing that, his demeanor calm yet frosty. "Ms. Scott, it looks like you've never asked for a favor before. The most crucial aspect of begging is sincerity."Laura caught on to his meaning immediately. With her fists held gently, she humbly answered, "Okay, I'll wait for you outside the law firm."And so, she stood in the biting winter winds, clad in only a thin jacket.Simon, on the other hand, sat comfortably in his well-heated office. He meticulously attended to his tasks, seemingly completely forgetting about the woman waiting outside.After th
A sharp pain pierced Simon's chest. In the next instant, he held Laura tightly, as though trying to shield her from the cold. But still, she trembled uncontrollably. Without hesitation, he rushed to fill the bathtub with warm water and slowly placed her into it.Simon stroked Laura's pale face, then gently instructed, "Stay in the bath for a while. I'll make you some peppermint tea. If you start running a fever later, we might need to go to the hospital."Having said that, he turned to leave the bathroom. But as soon as he closed the door, he heard her crying.Simon froze in his tracks, then turned and rushed back in. He quickly undressed and stepped into the tub before pulling her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Laurie. I'm so sorry I came home so late," he apologized in a hoarse voice. "I-I didn't know they would—""Go away! Don't touch me!"Laura shoved him away with all her strength. Her voice broke as she screamed, "While you were happily spending time with your family, I was
As soon as Simon finished speaking, he froze. He had repeated what Laura had told him that day, almost exactly.He was a lawyer. Yet, his response was far from professional. Laura's words and actions had crept into his thoughts without him even realizing it. The realization unsettled him, leaving him feeling irritated.Meanwhile, William avoided Simon's gaze, guilt written all over his face. "Why are you bringing this up again? I've already told you. Those people came from some poor countryside. They don't deserve one million dollars."Besides, who in the right mind would complain about having too much money? If I can settle this with 200 thousand dollars, why should I pay a million? Didn't you say you found evidence to clear Brooks Group of most of the responsibility?"Simon had indeed found such evidence. That crucial piece meant Nick's family couldn't demand much compensation. Yet, a tightness gripped his chest, as if something unseen was pressing down on him. For some reaso
Fiona fixed her gaze on Simon, then replied, "Tell me honestly. Do you really only see Laura as the daughter of our enemy? If so, why do you keep putting off your engagement to Hailey?"Is there something else on your mind? Let me warn you. If you've developed any sympathy for that bitch, I'll end my life right in front of you!"Simon's heart sank as he heard that. He could clearly see the unwavering determination in her eyes. He would never doubt Fiona's words. After all, it was Harry who had caused Anthony's death, and that had shattered her life completely.The humiliation and torment Fiona had once endured flooded Simon's mind. He clenched his fists, unwilling to dwell on it any longer.He knew that Fiona would never accept Laura. The incident was something Fiona could never get over. Suddenly, she became agitated and grabbed Simon's arm tightly. Her voice was desperate as she demanded, "Tell me now. Do you have feelings for that bitch? Answer me!""Mom, calm down. I promi
Meanwhile, Fiona had taken Hailey to Valor Law Firm, and they waited for Simon to finish work. Both of them knew that as long as he didn't return home, Laura would be left out in the storm.Even so, that wasn't enough to quell the hatred burning inside them.Simon had no intention of dining with Hailey, so he snapped, "How could you bring my mom out in this weather? The rain is pouring down. You're a doctor. Surely you know she can't be exposed to the cold with her condition?"Fiona quickly stepped in to mediate. "What's wrong with you? Why blame Hailey?" She scolded him gently."It's been a while since I last visited you at work. That's why I asked her to come with me. Besides, a friend gave me some premium truffles. Since you two are always so busy, tonight's the perfect chance for both of you to enjoy a good meal."Simon wasn't about to argue with his mother. Hence, he reluctantly agreed. "Fine. Let me wrap things up, and we'll head back."…Half an hour later, all three re
As she spoke, Hailey strode toward the balcony to check. She was sure she had seen a figure reflected in the glass door between the living room and the balcony. Laura had to be hiding there.Just as she was about to yank the door open and drag Laura out, Fiona stepped forward and locked it from inside. Then, she turned to Hailey and said with a smile, "Why are you so jumpy today? It's about to rain. The wind rattling things outside is perfectly normal, isn't it?"Fiona's actions made Hailey abandon her suspicion. After all, a thunderstorm was expected that night.With the door now locked, Laura was trapped on the balcony with no way back in. Hailey couldn't help but pray for the lightning to finish Laura off.The thought sent a wave of satisfaction through Hailey. "Alright, I trust you, Mom. Shall we head to Simon's law firm and then return to the Moore residence together?" she asked. "Sure! Having you two around makes me so happy," Fiona replied, patting Hailey's hand affectio
Violet hissed through gritted teeth, "Oh, it gets worse! That bitch Laura has moved into Simon's place! A friend at the police station told me Jonah caught them coming out of Simon's garage together. That was how he had those photos."Hailey clenched her jaw, her anger bubbling over. She had only been to Simon's house once, and even then, he had thrown her out. She couldn't believe that Laura had the audacity to move in. "I won't let that bitch get away with this! I'm holding back for now, but once I'm Mrs. Moore, I'll deal with her," Hailey declared.…Meanwhile, Laura returned to Simon's place after work. Without wasting time, she started packing her things.Now that Jonah had been arrested, the stalking nightmare was finally over. Hence, there was no reason to stay here any longer.Although moving back to her rented apartment wouldn't free her from Simon's control, at least it was her own place.When she finished packing, Laura glanced outside. The sky darkened as thick cl
Miguel sighed, cursing himself inwardly for his stupidity. How had it taken him this long to piece it all together? The last name "Moore" wasn't common to begin with. When Simon started appearing in his life again after all these years, he should have connected the dots sooner.If he had, Simon's obsession with his refusal to take Harry's case would have been obvious.Simon's piercing, oppressive gaze bore into Miguel as he closed the distance between them. "What do you know about my father's death? How much do you know? Tell me!" he demanded. His voice was low, but it carried a dangerous edge. For a split second, Miguel's mind went blank. But a moment later, he yelled, "I don't know! Stop asking! Simon, don't forget. I'm your mentor. No matter how successful you are now, this isn't how you talk to me!"But Miguel's reaction gave Simon all the confirmation he needed. Clearly, the former knew something about Anthony's death. Yet, infuriatingly, he still wouldn't talk.Simon le
Laura's face clouded with worry. "So, what do we do now?""That's not your problem to solve. It's his," Simon replied. "The stalker's been caught, so there's nothing for you to fear anymore. Just carry on with your life. Leave Jonah to me."Even so, unease lingered. But Laura didn't want to deal with Jonah anymore. She had explained things to him countless times, always trying to reason with him.She never imagined he would go to such extremes and frighten her like this. So, this time, she decided not to intervene. Simon was experienced in handling situations like these, after all.…The next day, Simon went straight to Miguel's law firm. He wasted no time delivering the news of Jonah's arrest and outlined the events leading up to it in detail.Miguel's face drained of color upon hearing that."This can't be true!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief. "Jonah has always been well-behaved. He'd never do something like this! Simon, there must be some mistake."Simon's t
Almost immediately, Laura pulled out her camera and snapped a photo of the couple on the field. She figured she could ask Britney to write a small feature about it to fill some space in the paper.The young man knelt on one knee, holding out a ring as he asked, "Will you marry me?"On the other hand, the woman was overwhelmed. Tears streamed down her face, and she couldn't even manage a coherent response.Around them, the crowd erupted with cheers. "Say yes! Say yes!" they chanted.Laura stood silently, her eyes glistening as tears clung to her lashes. She envied the woman. There was nothing more beautiful than being proposed to by someone you loved and knowing you were cherished. Unfortunately, that kind of happiness would never be hers.Her choice to be with Simon came with a cost—she had to keep their relationship hidden. She had willingly let go of any hope of a public future with him, of sharing their happiness openly. One day, perhaps soon, Simon would stage a grand pr