Kendrick hesitated for a moment. His grandmother asked him to help carry something heavy, and it was this small bottle?
"Grandma, what is this?"
Grandma smiled mysteriously and said, "I had prepared this for you and my daughter-in-law a long time ago. It can enhance fertility and make the child stronger. Both of you should take one small pill before bedtime every day. In less than two months, you will definitely conceive."
Kendrick rarely blushed, but his grandmother managed to make him do so.
"Grandma, this medicine, does it have any side effects?"
"Of course not, would grandma give you bad things? Back then, when your mother had been married for three years without a child, I made her eat with your dad, and look, she gave birth to such a healthy and smart child like you."
Grandma's approval made Kendrick happy. "Okay, then I will eat with Anna."
Although Kendrick is not sure now whether he will continue to be with Annabelle, since h
Ten minutes later, the two of them arrived at the foot of the mountain where the cemetery was located.Kendrick parked the car and the two of them walked along a stone path, heading towards the mountain.The mountain was not high, but the stone steps were steep. Annabelle climbed with some difficulty, and Kendrick wanted to hold her hand, but Annabelle shook him off."No need, I can do it."Kendrick shook his head helplessly and didn't insist on it anymore.However, just as Annabelle finished speaking, not even a minute had passed when her foot slipped on the slippery moss and she fell to the side.She exclaimed and finally fell firmly into Kendrick's arms."Rely on me a little, and I won't let you lose any weight."Annabelle, her heart pounding after nearly falling, casually said, "The people I have relied on, none of them have come through for me in the end."So everything had to rely on oneself.Kendrick glance
Annabelle was stunned. "Why would Master kill you? Besides, Master doesn't kill people."She had witnessed Master's mercy and gentleness, a man who would release even a mouse trapped on a wooden board. How could he possibly be capable of killing someone?"Kendrick, do you have persecutory delusion?"Kendrick suddenly laughed, never before had he been so happy after being completely shut down by her.Because of her candid gaze and all of her reactions, he could be certain that Annabelle didn't lie.Perhaps, Annabelle did intend to go with her Master, but she neither knew Master's identity nor knew that Master had once planned to assassinate him, nor had she been involved in Ryan's assassination.She was innocent, it was a misunderstanding on my part."Annabelle, actually he...""If you speak ill of him again, I won't go to the mountains with you," Annabelle said angrily.Kendrick pursed his lips and swallowed the second h
Kendrick hurriedly comforted, "What are you afraid of? The thunder is still far away, it won't strike you."However, as soon as the words fell, another lightning bolt struck, followed by the sound of thunder.The thunder and lightning came closer this time...Kendrick's face darkened as he silently glanced at his mother's tombstone, thinking to himself, "I am your own son, are you really going to betray us?"But there was no time to think further, as at that moment the two of them were on the top of the mountain, which was indeed very dangerous.If struck by lightning, tomorrow's news will be lively: the president of the Gregory Group, accompanied by his wife, was struck by lightning and died instantly..."We quickly descended the mountain."After Kendrick finished speaking, he took Annabelle's hand and walked quickly downhill.However, before reaching the foot of the mountain, a heavy rain poured down.The rain kept pou
"I didn't!" Annabelle said, then she arrogantly turned her head away and stopped looking at Kendrick.She wasn't lusting after his body, but rather, from a doctor's perspective, from a biological perspective, sincerely admiring his strong and well-proportioned physique, that's all."Really, you didn't think about anything?"Kendrick had arrived by her side, his warm and enticing masculine presence enveloping her instantly.Annabelle dodged backwards and leaned her body against the nearby stone wall. She placed her hand on his chest, but as soon as her fingertips touched his scorching skin, she quickly pulled back, as if she had touched a burning piece of iron.Annabelle's face suddenly flushed. "Who did you think everyone was like you?"She thought, "You've got sex on the brain all the time!""I won't give it a thought; we have to save our first time for a better place."Annabelle was very clever. When she heard him say this, s
Suddenly, in the distance, there came a loud rumbling sound, and the cave started to shake, as if the mountains were collapsing and the earth was splitting apart.Annabelle was shocked and immediately went to the entrance of the cave, looking towards the direction where the sound was coming from, breathing heavily in a hurry.However, in front of her was pitch black, and Annabelle couldn't see anything.She didn't know what the loud noise was, but she only remembered that when she was 13 years old, it was her third year at Springvale Temple. That year, there was a lot of rain, and a nearby mountain near Springvale Temple experienced a large-scale landslide.There was a loud noise at that time, just like just now!Kendrick had not come back yet, could it be...Annabelle couldn't dare to think further, and she couldn't sit still either. She turned on the flashlight on her phone and walked out of the cave.Following the same path as befo
Annabelle felt the cold rainwater on his face and also felt his burning hot skin.With the dim light of a weak flashlight, Annabelle saw Kendrick in front of her through blurry teary eyes. He was covered in mud and looked extremely disheveled.Unable to restrain her emotions any longer, she threw herself into Kendrick's arms and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck."Why did you go away for so long?""The nearby mountain had a landslide, so it caused a slight delay..."Where did he spend a little time, he went for two hours!During those two hours, Annabelle endured each second as if it were a thousand years, the time felt excruciatingly long.Kendrick followed along her back, soothing her emotions, "I also grabbed some food for you from the car, aren't you hungry?"He said as he gently pulled Annabelle's hand and opened the backpack.In the bag were grapes picked at grandma's house and two bottles of mineral water.
Annabelle thought to herself, "Kendrick, you are quite self-aware!""I was afraid that after you died, all those girls and sisters of yours would come looking for me, blaming me for poisoning and killing you."To be fair, she certainly wanted freedom, but she was not an ungrateful person, and she could see everything Kendrick had done for her.So, even if I hated him and he acted like a rogue and a scoundrel, I would never curse him to die.Afterwards, Annabelle took out the grapes and handed them to Kendrick, saying, "These grapes were grown by my grandmother, so they shouldn't have any pesticides. Mr. Gregory doesn't need to be so particular, just eat them directly to replenish your energy."Kendrick smiled and quietly ate a few grapes.Annabelle raised an eyebrow in surprise.I thought Kendrick would say something like not wanting to let her become a young widow or something like that, but to my surprise, he remained silent the who
Kendrick put on Annabelle's clothes, leaned against the stone wall, and indeed felt a bit more comfortable, but still shivered intermittently."Is it still cold?"Annabelle touched his forehead again, checked his temperature, and it seemed even hotter than before."I'm much better now." Kendrick couldn't bear to see her worry, so he lied and then reached out with his big hand, pulling Annabelle into his arms, letting her sit on his lap, leaning against his chest. "But this way would be even better."At that moment, Kendrick didn't think too much, he just felt sorry for Annabelle, after all, she was hardly wearing anything and would only be colder than him.Annabelle did not struggle, she knew that for Kendrick, she was just a little warm baby who could breathe now.Of course, this way she would also feel a bit warmer, truly huddling together for warmth."I don't know when the person who will save us will come," Annabelle worriedly loo
No one knew how long had passed before peace finally returned to the bedroom.Sunlight slipped through the curtains, casting soft rays across their bed.A thin blanket was draped over Annabelle, her bare shoulders and arms exposed.She had just woken up, already drained of energy, and now her entire body felt sore and weak—as if all strength had left her.Passion could make one forget their troubles for a moment, but once it faded, all those nagging worries returned, one by one.She lay quietly beneath the faint sunlight, watching the play of light and shadow on the bed, lost in thought.“Still upset about breaking the clay doll yesterday?” Kendrick murmured against her shoulder, planting a soft kiss there.Annabelle gave a slight nod, then shook her head.The doll, with its auspicious meaning, had been shattered—it felt unlucky. But more importantly, the incident made her realize something:She and Kendrick had been together for so long, yet they still didn’t have a child.“Why haven
Annabelle shook her head at the little boy. She could tell he hadn’t done it on purpose, so of course she didn’t blame him.At that moment, the boy’s mother arrived. She scolded her son for misbehaving—how could he run off like that before he’d even learned to stop properly?Then she turned to Annabelle and Kendrick, thanking them and apologizing for the broken item. She asked how much the figurines had cost so she could compensate them.Annabelle didn’t want to fuss over it. “It’s fine,” she said. But the woman insisted—her child had broken someone else’s things and she had to pay for it.The clay dolls weren’t cheap. Kendrick glanced at the mother and son, then casually quoted a price: “One hundred fifty.”The woman immediately transferred the money and even pressed her son’s head down, making him apologize.The boy then said again, “Sorry, uncle… sorry, sister…”The corner of Kendrick’s mouth twitched, and he replied coolly, “It’s okay.”Afterward, Annabelle and Kendrick crossed th
Annabelle suddenly realized that all those rapidly increasing follower counts on her social media—each number represented a real person. And the red bean cake vendor standing in front of her was clearly one of them. This unexpected kindness from a stranger warmed her heart, though it also made her feel a bit embarrassed. No matter what, she decided to pay for the cakes. But no matter what she said, the vendor firmly refused to take her money. There was a line of customers behind her, so she didn't want to keep holding up the queue. Instead, she quickly scanned the QR code, estimated a fair price, and transferred the money to the vendor before leaving with peace of mind. Yet before she’d walked a few steps, the young vendor chased after her, insistently stuffing two extra portions of red bean cakes into her hands. His face was even redder than before. He wanted to look at her, but didn’t dare, scratching his head as he said shyly, “I said I’d give my goddess a freebie, and I me
Linda paused. Marvin couldn’t help asking, “And then?”She snapped back to the present and continued, as if telling someone else’s story.“Luckily, my brother came back. He was a sophomore in college and had just returned home for summer break. He saw that bastard trying to hurt me, grabbed a kitchen knife, and slashed his neck. Blood sprayed all over my face.“He kept hacking at him until the guy couldn’t move anymore. Then he held me and said, ‘Linda, it’s okay now. He’ll never hurt you again.’“After that, my brother was sentenced to death. I was sixteen.“The day he was executed, my grandfather had a stroke and didn’t survive. After the funeral, my stepmother asked for a divorce, and my dad agreed.“The night before their divorce, my dad opened the gas valve. He and my stepmother died of carbon monoxide poisoning.“I spent a month in the hospital but survived. After that… I was on my own. I didn’t really ‘struggle’ in society—I just drifted. Took life one day at a time.“This job
“No way!” Marvin spat out, his voice tight with disbelief. “Anna just finished a jewelry event last night—there’s no way she could be in North City!”“Maybe she flew over after the event?” the reporter offered weakly, desperation creeping into his tone. “Mr. Gregory, if your brother finds out I tried to dig into this… you’ve got to protect me.”“Enough already. I get it.” Marvin snapped, the edge of impatience slicing through his words.“Alright, alright. No time to chat—gotta push the story out before someone else scoops it.” The reporter hung up in a hurry.But he was already too late.Another outlet had already dropped part of the exclusive interview, cleverly holding back the juiciest bits to keep viewers hooked. Within twenty minutes, the full conversation with Kendrick and Annabelle was everywhere.In a private hospital room in Elfhedge, Marvin stared at the news reports, fury radiating off him like heat from asphalt. His phone met the floor with a sickening crack, screen shatte
Annabelle had long known that the reporters were fixated on this topic and would eventually bring it up again.Even though they were blocked from interviewing her at yesterday’s press conference, here they were today.She was just thankful that she wasn’t facing them alone.As for the real reason behind her and Kendrick’s flash marriage, it was simply because she didn’t want to marry a perverted old man, and Kendrick had agreed to marry her because she claimed she could help treat his headaches.Neither of those reasons could be made public. Otherwise, people would assume Kendrick was just a backup plan, and the fact that she knew medicine would be completely exposed.Kendrick might not mind being teased, but if people found out she had medical skills, things would get very complicated.Just imagining it—every time one of Kendrick’s friends or business associates (especially the ones she didn’t like) met her, they'd stick out their wrist without a word and ask for a diagnosis. That wo
After ending the call with Kendrick, Annabelle felt much better.Regardless of how her parents acted, her future was her own. With Kendrick by her side, always considering her needs, she already felt content with her life.Still feeling drowsy, she lay on the bed for a while and ended up falling back asleep. When she finally woke again, it was hunger that roused her.She planned to get up and find something to eat.Looking around, she couldn’t see where her clothes had gone. A white T-shirt, clearly Kendrick’s, was draped over the sofa beside the bed.She got out of bed barefoot and slipped the oversized T-shirt over her head.Kendrick was tall, so the shirt was long enough to cover her hips. Loose and casual.She walked to the dining area and spotted the lunch Kendrick mentioned. She was about to warm it up in the microwave when she suddenly heard commotion outside the door—lots of voices.She vaguely made out someone calling, “Mr. Gregory…”Was he back? She didn’t dare open the door
Annabelle's personal social media account was gaining followers at an explosive rate—so fast it could give someone high blood pressure.For her, this kind of media exposure was obviously a great thing.You could say that Alice had practically sacrificed herself to boost Annabelle’s popularity.Not only did the incident showcase Anna’s personal capabilities, but it also unintentionally promoted Murphy Jewelry—an unexpected wave of free publicity.Under this trending topic, netizens began checking out the pieces shown at Murphy Jewelry’s latest press conference.Many even tagged her: “Supporting Anna! Already bought it!”Similar comments were flooding in.Out of curiosity, Annabelle checked the e-commerce platform authorized by Murphy Jewelry.To her surprise, 80% of the newly released items from the previous night were already sold out.No wonder that last time, when she was being slammed online, Kendrick didn’t suppress the news but instead flipped the narrative and gained popularity
Actually, Kendrick had already grown suspicious when breakfast was delivered.The strange eye contact between the two servers caught his attention, especially the male server who looked somewhat familiar.Previously, when Kendrick was negotiating business with an important partner at a hotel in Elfhedge, Ryan launched a surprise attack. That was also when Anna took a tranquilizer dart for him.During that confrontation, Kendrick vaguely remembered a face just like this—handsome, with thick brows and big eyes. He looked honest and trustworthy, which was exactly the kind of appearance that lowered one’s guard.But Kendrick couldn’t be sure if it was the same person.The call he made to Jaime was to have him investigate the people who had just delivered the food.If it was the same person, then Ryan was making another move against him.As for whether the breakfast was actually poisoned, Kendrick had only suspected it at the time—he wasn’t certain.He also thought, if Ryan really wanted t