“Mom, can we not bring that up again?”Talking about the night he got Annabelle drunk gave Marvin a headache. He regretted his moment of impulsiveness, which had completely wiped out all the goodwill he had painstakingly built with her.But Lydia insisted. She earnestly explained to her son that for women—especially conservative ones like Annabelle—once they had shared intimacy with a man, their perception of him would never be the same. Physical closeness created emotional ties, making it impossible for her to see him as just a friend again.And if he left behind some evidence, Annabelle would have no choice but to listen to him.The first time was always the hardest, but after that, things would naturally fall into place. The more time they spent together in such an intimate manner, the stronger their bond would become—so much so that even if she wanted to leave him, she wouldn’t be able to.And once her relationship with Kendrick fell apart, wouldn’t that mean she was his for the ta
The next morning, Annabelle woke up feeling sore all over. It was a struggle just to move her fingers, and her legs felt like jelly. This was partly due to falling into the water last night and, of course, partly due to the person responsible for it.She opened her eyes, turned her head, and shot a glare at the man lying next to her. But when she looked at him, her irritation softened. He’d seemed genuinely concerned last night, hadn’t he?She remembered the complicated look in his eyes when he carried her back to the room. He seemed both frustrated and self-blaming for not saving her in time. He always treated her like she was a child, constantly looking after her.Annabelle bit her lip, reaching out to gently touch his eyebrow bone. She had to admit—this guy was handsome, really handsome. He took after both his parents' best traits.But then she started getting irritated again. Being this handsome was a curse! He’d be attracting all sorts of attention!Just as she was lost in her tho
Annabelle thought to herself, *I've already given myself to you, and you're still asking me this question? You're really getting a bargain and still acting coy.* In the past, she had thought she shouldn't accept these red envelopes as a fake daughter-in-law, and she planned to return them all when they divorced. But after being so intimate with Kendrick, she had unknowingly accepted the role of the Gregory family's young mistress. Her mindset changed, and for issues that weren't major, she no longer cared too much. For example, the New Year red envelopes… "You did say that what’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine," Annabelle said with a smile. "Ugh—why didn’t I notice you’re such a little money grabber?" "I’m just curious," she replied. She still hadn’t told him that she really wanted to buy a little wooden box to store her favorite jewelry in. She was afraid that if she told him, he'd just buy it for her—after all, that amount of money meant nothing to him. But Annab
Annabelle fell into deep thought. While she hadn't learned music to please others, under the circumstances, she decided to bend a little for the big red envelope. "Well, when we get home today, how about I play you a song?" Kendrick curved his lips, lifting her chin, and said with a mischievous smile, "It better sound good." "Of course." Annabelle thought to herself, *Even though my physical skills are practically nonexistent, I can still play the piano!*Last time, when she played a piece for Kendrick during the school anniversary, his reaction showed that it was pretty good. Besides, she had plenty of pieces she was good at, so this wouldn’t be hard for her. Thinking that, she found herself looking forward to getting home sooner. However, Kendrick said they had to wait until after lunch on New Year's Day to head back, so Annabelle spent the morning with Trey in the little garden, trimming the plants as a way of ushering in the new year. Annabelle had never trimmed such
Hmm? She has no intention of compensation at all. This guy is just looking for reasons to tease her...Annabelle muttered to herself, giving him a glare, whispering, "Did you grow four kidneys or something?"Kendrick chuckled softly. "If you really think that way, Annabelle, you might just turn into a bad girl.""..."Annabelle inwardly sighed in exasperation. Why is she always being teased, no matter the situation?Just when she thought most of the guests had arrived and were chatting in the living room, Annabelle planned to sneak back to her room. But just as she was about to enter the elevator, a middle-aged woman, whose exact relation to the family was unclear, grabbed her wrist."Annabelle, come, come, don't go yet! Let me tell your fortune! The first fortune of the new year is always the most accurate."As she spoke, she tried to pull Annabelle towards the sitting room.This enthusiastic woman, plump and dressed in a purple dress, with her hair elegantly styled and heavy makeup,
How strange—she was clearly just a harmless little rabbit, yet it seemed like everyone was trying to trip her up.But Annabelle couldn’t just leave in a huff, especially now that she held the title of "Mrs. Gregory." She decided to let them look—after all, she was curious to see if the fortune the old Taoist had predicted all those years ago would actually be true.So, with Aunt Emma’s guidance, Annabelle sat down, took the coins she was handed, and tossed them six times.Aunt Emma watched intently, and after the sixth toss, she paused for a moment before saying with a serious expression, "Annabelle, your fate is very unique, quite rare."Annabelle thought to herself, "A 'Heaven's Doom Star' is unique and rare, right?"Just then, Lydia, Marvin's mother, walked into the room from a nearby sitting area, just in time to hear Aunt Emma telling Annabelle's fortune.Lydia was quite into fortune-telling herself, and she wanted to know what kind of fate the girl her son had chosen had. If her
Annabelle was still wondering how to explain their flash marriage. Technically speaking, she was the one who proposed the deal—she’d help Kendrick treat his migraines, and in exchange, they got engaged. But later, when they went to get the marriage certificate and ended up turning fake into real, that wasn’t her scheming. That was all Kendrick’s little tricks. Just as Annabelle was feeling a bit awkward, Kendrick walked in with a smile and said, “I fell in love with Annabelle at first sight. I was the one who proposed.” He had just finished chatting with a few uncles when he overheard the lively discussion on this side of the room. Glancing over, he saw his little bunny sitting inside. He was puzzled about why she hadn’t gone back to their room, but then he heard Aunt Emma talking about Annabelle’s destiny and instantly understood the situation. She had probably been dragged into this by Aunt Emma, who had a particular hobby—fortune-telling. Gregoryessing that his little bun
When Annabelle was placed on the bed, she panicked and immediately warned, “Kendrick, don’t you dare! Your relatives and friends are still waiting for you outside, and I haven’t fully recovered yet!” Kendrick merely chuckled and said nothing. The red sweater was the first to be tossed onto the soft, clean carpet, soon followed by a few more garments keeping it company. As for their little owner, she was completely at his mercy—like fish on a chopping board, left to be devoured by the cunning old fox however he pleased. Though she repeatedly protested against his actions, the old fox remained unfazed. Instead, he teased, “Anna, you might as well be a little louder. That way, anyone who’s had their eyes on you will hear loud and clear that you’re mine and give up already.” Annabelle’s face instantly paled. “Doesn’t your house have good soundproofing?” She had been resisting and whimpering just now, not exactly quietly, and her heart was now pounding anxiously. “It’s not th
Agatha’s face turned deathly pale. “Dereon, I didn’t!”Sid let out a cold snort. “At first, when we didn’t see Annabelle, you tried to seduce Kendrick directly. You wanted to sleep with him, then turn around and cling to him as his mistress, living a worry-free life, didn’t you?”Agatha shook her head in panic, glancing between Sid and Dereon. “No, I didn’t. That’s not true.”She anxiously grabbed Dereon’s arm. “Dereon, don’t listen to his nonsense. I was just thinking, if I could seduce Kendrick and sleep with him first, then when he dies, it would solidify the story that he forced himself on a waitress!”“If it were that easy, why would we wait until today to act?” Dereon stepped closer to her. “That Kendrick, like the young master, has long been bewitched by Annabelle and doesn’t even glance at other women. That’s why I arranged for you to hide in the room and fake the scene after he died.”Just mentioning Annabelle ignited a fire in Dereon’s chest.What Kendrick thought of Annabel
Annabelle walked out of the bedroom and came over to the dining table, standing in front of Kendrick.Kendrick was cutting into a plate of German sausage and hadn’t started eating yet. He looked up at her and smiled, “Why are you back again? Don’t want me to eat?”Caught red-handed, Annabelle felt a little embarrassed.Still, she reached out, took his hand, and set down the knife. “How about… you lie down with me for a bit first, and then I’ll eat with you?”Kendrick looked at her, amusement flickering in his eyes.His gaze made her face flush with heat, and even her breathing grew unsteady.“Anna, if you want the ox to work, you have to feed it first.”Her cheeks turned even redder. “That’s not what I meant…”Laughing, Kendrick pulled her into his arms, settling her on his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he said, “After sleeping in the same bed for so many days, if I still can’t tell what you want, wouldn’t that be a waste of all that sleep?”He whispered the last part again
Kendrick sighed against her shoulder, clearly reluctant, but still got out of bed, buttoned up his shirt, and went to open the door.Annabelle followed him out, intending to grab a glass of water.As the door opened, she glanced over—turns out it really was room service.A male staff member was pushing a food cart, and a female staff member stood in front of it, holding a dry-cleaned suit in her arms.“Mr. Gregory, sorry to disturb you. This is the breakfast you ordered, and your clothes have been cleaned as well,” the female staff member said in a gentle, soft-spoken voice.Annabelle couldn’t help but glance at her. The woman was wearing a red hotel uniform skirt set, with an alluring figure, good looks, and a refined demeanor—clearly more polished than the average staff member.Normally, Annabelle would appreciate a pretty girl with a quick glance and move on.But this woman made her frown—and made her stay in the living room instead of heading back to the bedroom after finishing he
Annabelle’s face flushed bright red.What the VP was implying—any adult could understand.She could feel the ambiguous gazes of the others, making her even more embarrassed.Kendrick gave a cold “tsk” and glanced at his vice president. “If you can’t come up with a good idea later, I’m holding you responsible.”“lol, no problem!”he replied heartily.Kendrick looked at Annabelle and smiled. “Come on, I’ll take you to the room.”He took her hand and led her into the bedroom.Once the door closed, Annabelle hurriedly explained, “I didn’t know you were in a meeting—mmph…”Before she could finish, Kendrick had already pinned her against the door, capturing her lips in a deep, heated kiss.Annabelle couldn’t handle such intensity and felt like she was suffocating. She lightly patted his shoulder, signaling him to stop.Kendrick pulled back just slightly, his lips still brushing hers as he whispered, “Anna, I’m really happy you came to see me.”She lowered her head, biting her lip, but he gen
Dereon wore a black baseball cap, head down, looking rushed as he headed toward the boarding gate.He was about to board a flight to North City.His phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he answered, “Young Master, I’m about to board… understood…”At that moment, a familiar figure brushed past him. Dereon paused, frowning as he turned to look back.The crowd was bustling with passengers preparing to board. That fleeting figure was now nowhere to be seen. Had he imagined it?But even if it really was Annabelle, she was walking in the opposite direction of the boarding line, which meant she wasn’t getting on this flight.As long as she didn’t interfere, everything would be fine.He continued the call, “Yes, I’m listening, Young Master… Don’t worry. Tomorrow morning, just wait and watch the news.”After hanging up, he proceeded with the check-in process alongside the crowd.Dereon had booked an economy class ticket. Once on the plane, he turned off his phone and began mentally reviewing ev
Julissa curled herself into the blanket.For Scott, that bar was the place they first met—perhaps even where he fell in love with her at first sight. It was a beautiful memory.But for Julissa, it remained a grey area she had never managed to escape.Whenever she thought about how a stranger had taken her to a hotel that night, how she had lost her virginity there, and might have even been photographed or recorded, her scalp tingled with regret and dread.She used to want revenge on that gigolo, but now, the thing she feared most was encountering him again.She just hoped that incident would stay buried in the past, never to be mentioned again.She held up her left hand in front of her eyes, using the moonlight streaming through the window to look at the ring Scott had given her. She really liked him—loved him—and she hoped he would never find out about that foolish mistake she had made...After leaving the bedroom, Scott went to the dining room. He poured himself half a glass of whis
Julissa looked at him timidly, seemingly wanting to comfort him but not knowing where to start.She bit her lip and carefully asked, “Did you have a fight with Auntie?”“You heard something?”Julissa’s eyes became even more nervous. “Mr. Nichols, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Please don’t be mad…”Only then did Scott realize that he had sounded a bit harsh due to his anxiety, and it had clearly scared her.“Fool, I’m not blaming you.” He pulled Julissa into his arms. “What did you hear?”“I just heard you say that when Julian had a high fever as a child, you took him to get an IV and stuff…”Scott let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like Julissa had only heard the latter part.As long as she didn’t hear the earlier part.Earlier, when he arrived at the apartment building, he had deliberately tricked her, saying he wasn’t coming back, just to play a joke on her—but he ended up scaring her to tears.That’s when he realized that Julissa had been hurt before by Liam and lacked a sense of se
Julissa immediately said, “I’ve got a great memory, Mr. Nichols, so don’t you go back on your word.”“I won’t. I’ll give it to you in a bit.”Julissa had been eagerly waiting for so long, but he was still teasing her. She wasn’t happy about that. “Mr. Nichols, if your ‘little surprise’ isn’t worth at least a few hundred thousand, you’ll owe me big time for all this waiting.”Scott chuckled, “Isn’t that a bit low of a bar? Just a few hundred thousand is enough?”Julissa ignored him. To a capitalist like him, money was just a meaningless number—completely irrational. What she really wanted to know now was: what exactly was this surprise gift?Since he said he’d give it to her later, it had to be a physical item.“Mr. Nichols, just let me see it now, please? Why wait? I’ve been waiting all night!”But no matter how she pouted or pleaded, Scott stayed calm and composed. He simply said, “Be good. I’ll give it to you once we’re in bed.”Julissa started wondering—what kind of gift could only
Julissa cast a sidelong glance at the takeout bags. One large box of fried chicken, two cans of premixed peach cocktails—her favorite—and… a bowl of Frozen yogurt?Wait. Frozen yogurt?She remembered eyeing it longingly when they passed that shop on the way home. She hadn’t said a word though, especially once Mr. Nichols had already driven past. She hadn’t had the heart to ask him to turn back.But clearly, he’d noticed.Looking at Scott again, the fury in her heart had significantly waned.He pulled out the yogurt and looked at her with an arched brow. “Not eating, huh?”Julissa huffed and turned her head away dramatically.As if she'd surrender to the wicked capitalist for just a bowl of yogurt.Scott shrugged, “Guess I’ll eat it, then. Can’t let it melt. Would be a waste.”She rolled her eyes inwardly. As if he—Mr. Perfectionist—would ever stoop to eating something as common as a street snack.But then… he actually started eating it.Julissa's brows furrowed as she peeked at him. H