"Here I come," Annabelle replied, and asked Jaime, "Is there anything else?"
Jaime quickly said, "Madam, when did you come back? The president wanted to drink the soup you cooked!"
"I'm not sure, maybe in the afternoon. I have something to do, so I'll hang up first."
In the ward.
Kendrick's face was gloomy like a stormy day.
Busy? Busy with making the bed and putting that kid to sleep?
Although Kendrick believed that Annabelle and Fabian were innocent, it was hard to say when a man and a woman were living together alone.
Jaime sighed and said to his boss, "Sir, don't mind me speaking out of turn, but if you're really worried, why don't you personally make a phone call and ask the madam to come back, or I can take you there to pick her up."
Is face really that important? Now my wife is about to be taken away by someone, President!
Jaime felt that he really worried a lot.
"You don't understand, this is called playin
Annabelle's face darkened slightly, "What did you find?"Fabian looked at her, caressed the back of his phone. He could have flipped the screen right now to show Annabelle what he had truly discovered in his investigation, but after hesitating for a moment, he continued to keep the phone face down on the table."He had been away from the Gregory family for two years. During those two years, everything about him was a blank. No one knew where he had gone or why he had suddenly disappeared for two years."Annabelle pondered for a moment and asked, "What are you worried about?"Fabian leaned forward, looking at her with concern, "You don't know Kendrick, there are too many mysteries surrounding him. I'm worried that you will get more and more involved and get hurt in the future."Annabelle breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She had long known that Kendrick had some stories she was unaware of, so she thought Fabian might be overreacting.
Annabelle's support for Fabian, as well as her portrayal of herself as a bad person, made Kendrick's heart ache.Was Fabian really more important in her heart?But no matter what, she was his wife now, so she had to go home with him!Kendrick grabbed Annabelle's arm.Annabelle, on the other hand, gasped in pain, as if it was too much for her to stand straight.Fabian immediately pushed Kendrick's hand away and supported Annabelle's shoulder, asking, "Still hurting?""Ouch!"Annabelle said with red eyes.The pain in his voice brought Kendrick back to his senses, if only for a moment.Annabelle's clothes were intact and she had neatly tied her hair behind her head, as if she hadn't just experienced that kind of thing.While she had a pained expression on her face, she was clutching her shoulder and gasping for breath.Her injury... was on her shoulder?Did Fabian just treat her injury?Kendrick
Kendrick ignored Fabian and turned to her, saying, "Anna, are you going back or not?"Annabelle was taken aback, "No, I won't go back."Fabian said that he would take her to his studio tomorrow. She thought it would be more convenient for both of them to leave from here tomorrow.Furthermore, Annabelle was still a little upset with Kendrick.Kendrick nodded, "Alright, then I won't go back either."After speaking, he immediately sat back on the sofa."But there's no place for you to stay," Annabelle said. Did he still want to share a room with her?Kendrick looked around and saw that the room was a two-bedroom, two-living room layout.That was her and Fabian, each having their own room, and her so-called husband naturally couldn't stay in her room."It's okay, I slept on the couch."Annabelle was speechless and finally managed to squeeze out a few words, "... Whatever."After saying that, she turned around a
Annabelle was shocked and whispered to Kendrick, "How did you get in? Get out quickly!""I didn't."Kendrick spoke, then he flipped over and firmly pressed Annabelle onto the bed.Annabelle was wearing a little nightgown, and she was pressed tightly against him, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed."Aren't you afraid that I will shout? Fabian is right next door, and he is very good at fighting."Her whispered threat sounded like a joke to Kendrick.He laughed and said, "I could beat him, you know. And I know you wouldn't dare to call for help, right?"In the dimness, cunning lights flickered in Kendrick's deep eyes.Annabelle bit her lip and could only glare angrily at this scoundrel.She really didn't want to wake Fabian up.What would Fabian think if he saw her hugging Kendrick like that?She had previously said that she wanted to divorce Kendrick and promised not to fall in love with him, but she sudden
Annabelle glanced at the screen and, to her surprise, it was a photo of her and Fabian returning to the apartment together!"Who sent it to you?"Seeing her nervous, Kendrick subtly raised the corners of his lips.I didn't expect that Jax took this photo, and it had this purpose."Anonymously, in order to extort me, they said that if I don't give them money, they will expose this photo, and tomorrow the whole Elfhedge will know that I have been cheated by you."Annabelle's mouth twitched.She didn't expect this consequence."Did you give the money?""Of course I gave it, otherwise, once this news is exposed, not only will I be mocked by others, but the outside world will also speculate that our relationship is breaking down and we are on the verge of divorce. The collaboration between the Sanchez family and the Gregory family will also not last long, which will definitely have a big impact on the Sanchez family and also affect
Kendrick's kiss was oppressive, suffocating, and completely passive for Annabelle.Soon, she felt herself severely lacking oxygen, feeling dizzy and her body starting to weaken.And it seems like Kendrick hasn't stopped yet.She had to pat Kendrick's back.Kendrick caught her restless little hand and lifted it above her head, pressing it onto the bed, and continued kissing her.Annabelle couldn't bear it anymore and let out a painful whimper.Kendrick then raised his head slightly and whispered, "This is the price that makes me jealous, remember?"Annabelle pouted her mouth, feeling wronged and on the verge of tears.She felt like the fish on the chopping board, Kendrick could chop and eat her however he pleased."Remembered."Annabelle was scared of this guy and didn't dare to be tough anymore. She had to soften her tone and asked him.Kendrick finally gave in to the little woman and lay down on his side,
Annabelle had completely lost her temper. When faced with a rascal, if you couldn't be even more rascally than him, you could only admit defeat.The two of them had breakfast and went out together. Kendrick was driving the car, and Annabelle was sitting in the passenger seat."Don't you have to go to the hospital for an infusion today?"Annabelle noticed that he had dark circles under his eyes and his complexion wasn't very good. She estimated that he hadn't slept well on the sofa last night, and combined with the fact that he had been poisoned before, she couldn't help but worry about him a little."No need, you promptly took me to the hospital and it didn't cause any serious damage.""So you have to thank Gauge."If it weren't for someone driving Kendrick over at three o'clock in the morning, the situation wouldn't have been so optimistic.Kendrick glanced at her and smiled, "Isn't this just to personally come and say thank you?"
The car stopped outside the Murphy's residence, and after Annabelle got out, she went to the front gate with Kendrick.Kendrick rang the doorbell, and soon a man in his fifties came out to open the door."Good morning, Mr. Gregory and Mrs. Gregory! I am Kim Reid, the butler of the Murphy family. Sir is currently on a phone call in the living room, so I apologize for not being able to personally greet you. Please follow me."Annabelle was a little surprised and glanced at Kendrick.She thought she would come today just to meet Gauge, say thank you, and then go back. She didn't expect to also have a meeting with Gauge's father. Is it going to be this formal?Kendrick noticed her confusion and leaned in closer to her, whispering, "By the way, let's talk business."Annabelle nodded and didn't ask any more questions, following the butler into the house.Under the guidance of the butler, the two of them walked through the entrance hall and
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