Annabelle was heading toward the shower room when she almost bumped into someone in the hallway, her head down. She was about to apologize, but when she saw that it was Kendrick, she immediately sighed in relief."I was just about to shower," she said.Before she could finish, Kendrick grabbed her wrist, his expression filled with coldness."Looks like Anna’s gotten bold enough to use me as a bet?"Annabelle froze for a moment, feeling guilty as she scratched her head and gave a nervous smile. "Did you hear it from Trey?"That’s the only way he would know about her bet with Ariana, right?"I saw the live stream.""Live stream? What live stream?"She looked confused, and Kendrick narrowed his eyes. It seemed she didn’t know about the live stream. It must have been Cael who started it without her permission.Kendrick was furious, but he wanted to have a proper talk with her first. He took out his phone, opened the live stream video, and showed it to Annabelle.It was the video he had ju
The lounge here wasn’t just a semi-open room but a tatami tea room, quite elegant and serene. As soon as Annabelle saw the arrangement and decor of the room, she guessed that this must be Grandpa’s private tea room. She quickly said to Kendrick, “I’m still wet, I’ll get Grandpa’s tatami wet!”Kendrick raised the corner of his lips. “It’s fine, I’m dry now. You can sit on me.”Annabelle’s face flushed immediately.Without another word, Kendrick scooped her up and sat her down on the tatami, kissing her.His warm and large hand pressed gently on the back of her neck, making it impossible for her to move. She could also feel that he was already on edge, but he was holding back.It was probably because this was Grandpa's tea room, or perhaps because her health check results hadn’t come out yet, so they weren’t sure whether they could be together in that way.Even without going that far, Kendrick’s kiss was already overwhelming for Annabelle.Because he wasn’t just kissing her lips...Afte
Half an hour later, Annabelle walked out of the shower, her face flushed, trying to forget everything that had happened in the bathroom. Kendrick, however, had a wicked, victorious expression on his face, making Annabelle punch him lightly.He chuckled, grabbing her fist and planting a kiss on it.From a distance, Trey watched the couple being affectionate with each other, a satisfied smile on his face. It seemed that Kendrick finally woke up; Grandpa might soon be holding his great-grandchild!After the shower, Annabelle returned to their suite. After swimming in the afternoon, she felt exhausted and decided to take a nap. Kendrick stayed with her for twenty minutes, and when she had fallen asleep, he went to his study to handle work.Annabelle slept until evening, and when dinner was almost ready, Kendrick woke her up. She hurriedly dressed and went downstairs with him.In the dining room, Grandpa and Colten hadn't arrived yet. Only Marvin's mother was there, chatting with Ariana an
"No, I actually feel like I’ve gained weight," Annabelle responded with a smile.Ariana also smiled, subtly nudging Cael with her elbow.Cael looked surprised for a moment, his gaze fixing on her face.He then nodded, as if signaling for her not to rush.He set down his chopsticks, took a sip of wine, and casually asked Kendrick, “By the way, aren’t you two planning to have a baby?”Ariana immediately cleared her throat exaggeratedly, serving Cael some vegetables, urging him to enjoy his meal. She also said, “Kendrick, brother, whenever you want to have a child, it’s definitely planned. Don’t worry about it.”But the mention of children caught Grandpa’s attention.The elderly man looked at Ariana and Cael’s vague behavior, raising an eyebrow.“Ariana, why not let young Yang ask?”“Oh, no! It’s just that I thought sister-in-law didn’t want children, so I didn’t want to bring up something like that,” Ariana quickly responded.Annabelle, listening to Ariana’s reply, pursed her lips. This
After hearing Annabelle’s explanation, Grandpa nodded. "Today's journalists are too fond of sensationalizing things."Annabelle smiled. "Being a journalist must come with a lot of pressure. They’re just trying to make a living. I don’t really like this kind of shameless reporting, but I can understand their position."She felt a little guilty as she said it.But with Ariana going back on her word, losing the swimming bet, and still trying to target her, Annabelle was irritated.Ariana wanted Grandpa to dislike her, right? Well, Annabelle would show her whether her little tricks would work.As expected, after Annabelle finished speaking, Lydia couldn't help but praise her: "It's rare for Annabelle to think this way!"Grandpa also agreed, smiling as he said, "Annabelle is just too kind. She should be more cautious when dealing with others."Annabelle felt pleased by the compliment but also a little guilty. She wasn’t as innocent as she made herself seem, though.Just as she was thinking
Annabelle chatted with her grandfather for a while about her endorsement of Lin's Jewelry. Grandpa Gregory reminded her to work hard but not to overwork herself. He also told her that, in the workplace, she would inevitably encounter all kinds of people. Even though everyone knew she was the young mistress of the Gregory family, there might still be some people plotting behind her back. If she ever faced unfair treatment, she shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for herself.His careful advice made Annabelle feel a little emotional. In her grandfather's eyes, she was still a child without much social experience. But since she was ten, she had lost her family's protection. If she hadn’t learned how to protect herself, she might not even be alive today. The current her was no longer the Annabelle who could be easily bullied."Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll take care of myself," she reassured him.Grandpa Gregory nodded in response. Just then, the head chef brought out a new dish. Grandpa invited
Cael stood up first, pulling Ariana's chair back for her and gently guiding her out of the dining room. He looked every bit the gentleman.Charlotte also got up, adjusting her skirt and lowering her head. She shot a shy glance at Cael, her lips pressed together.As Cael passed by her, he boldly reached out and pinched Charlotte’s bottom.Annabelle saw the whole thing.This man was absolutely outrageous!Though she knew there were good and bad men in the world, seeing it firsthand was an entirely different matter.Should she warn Ariana?She debated for a moment. Ariana was engaged to Cael, but she had been pining for Kendrick even after that. Cael and Ariana were both equally at fault in their relationship, so maybe she shouldn't interfere.But as she thought about it, Annabelle felt she couldn’t stay silent. Regardless of her personal grudges with Ariana or whether Ariana was truly in love with Cael, she couldn’t watch another woman marry a man like that without doing something about
The sounds of the couple’s intimacy outside were enough to make Annabelle feel so embarrassed she wished she could just disappear into thin air. What startled her even more were the words Cael had said.It turned out that he and Ariana weren’t really in a romantic relationship, and he had already been secretly involved with Charlotte earlier in the afternoon. Ariana knew about it as well. In other words, there was no need for her to warn Ariana after all.The conversation outside only grew more obscene, with Cael saying things that made Annabelle cover her ears in discomfort. "Why, God? Why must I be forced to witness two shocking incidents in a single day?"Should she go out and interrupt them now? Annabelle felt she would burst from the awkwardness. Should she just wait until they were done? That would surely drive her mad.She needed a way out. After a moment of thought, she took out her phone, cranked the volume up to maximum, and began playing a funny video.Sure enough, as soon
The car’s interior wasn’t small, but for someone as tall and broad as Kendrick, it still felt a little cramped.The only comfortable way was for him to sit on the seat while letting Anna sit on his lap.After another round of intense kissing, both were panting heavily. Kendrick’s hand slid to her waist and moved toward the button of her jeans.Annabelle instantly understood his intention.“Not here…” she pushed against his chest firmly.This was an underground parking lot. Although it was nearly empty at this hour, Annabelle was too shy and timid about such things—there was no way she’d dare do anything here.Kendrick gently caressed the back of her neck, as if trying to ease her wariness. “You don’t want to try it in the car?”Annabelle blushed deeper. “No. What if someone sees us…”Technically, it was just the two of them in the car, and the outside was silent. Still, being curled up in the backseat like this made her instinctively whisper.The big boss's eyes darkened. “You sure?”
Kendrick headed straight to the underground parking lot, met with Jax, and handed over Anna’s car keys.Jax was there to take Anna’s car to have the spare tire replaced with a new one. He popped the hood to check the engine, then inspected the exhaust and the other three tires.“Boss, nothing stands out. You think this accident was man-made?”“Better to be cautious.”A sudden flat on a smooth road with a perfectly fine tire—too suspicious to ignore.If it *was* man-made, Kendrick’s first suspect would be Ryan. But Ryan was also the least likely person to actually hurt Anna.Still, it could be like what happened last time in North City—when Ryan had someone spike his breakfast. It wasn't intended to harm Anna, but maybe a subordinate made a mistake or took action on their own. She almost ended up poisoned.This time might be something similar.And since the car had been parked in an open lot while Anna was away in North City, it wouldn't have been hard for someone to tamper with it.
Forty minutes later, the car smoothly entered the the Murphy Group's underground parking lot.Annabelle thought Kendrick would drive her car and leave right away, but instead, he turned off the engine and got out with her."Aren't you going to your business meeting?""My wife's more important."Annabelle glanced at him amused. "I'm already here. What else could happen?"Besides, Uncle Simon and Gauge were both around—they’d look after her.Kendrick simply smiled and said nothing.Since he insisted on coming along, Annabelle didn’t stop him. After all, it was his own work being delayed. Kendrick wasn’t the type to lack ambition—she doubted he wasn’t anxious about it.They entered the elevator together.As it rose, Annabelle grew more uneasy.Because of her, the entire team’s schedule had been delayed, especially the photographer’s itinerary. Her colleagues were likely displeased with her—some might even think she was pulling a diva stunt.She couldn’t help but glare at Kendrick again—t
Annabelle bit her lip and glared at him. “So can you change the tire now?”Kendrick sighed. “But you're still mad at me.”Annabelle tried to suppress the fire in her chest—but she failed.“Kendrick, if you don’t help, neither of us can go back. You’ll miss your contract meeting too. It’s not just my schedule being messed up—it’s yours too.”Kendrick chuckled. “It’s fine. I’m the client anyway. Being late isn’t a big deal.”Annabelle nearly coughed up blood. How could someone be so shameless?!Unwilling to argue with him anymore, she marched to the back of the car and popped open the trunk.If he wouldn't help, she’d change it herself!Worst case, she’d follow the instructions step by step. She didn’t believe she couldn’t manage without Kendrick.But after a few minutes, she’d made barely any progress.The instructions were clear enough, but trying to figure it out while fumbling around meant it might take her two hours at this pace.During those few minutes, Kendrick stood on the road
Annabelle found her little white car in the outdoor parking lot.The moment she sat down, Kendrick opened the passenger door and got in too.Annabelle frowned. “Kendrick, don’t you have your own car?”Kendrick cleared his throat. “Jax drove off with it. Jaime’s car is full.”“Then get a cab. I’m going to the Murphy Group, and it’s not on your way.”Kendrick sighed. “I was wrong before. I’m apologizing. Are you really planning to ignore me for the rest of your life?”Annabelle looked at him for two seconds. Alright, this guy is being shameless again. There’s no reasoning with him. Fine, she wouldn’t speak to him at all.She started the car.Kendrick fastened his seatbelt and gently reminded her, “Babe, seatbelt.”“...”Annabelle took a deep breath, stomped the brake, fastened her belt, and then stepped hard on the gas, speeding angrily out of the lot.Why was she so mad? Because this old fox had gone too far this time. She had to set some rules with him, or he’d just keep acting howeve
Julissa practically jumped up in relief, quickly getting dressed.The two of them left the sports hall together. As she walked behind Scott, Julissa reflected on her life choices. Why couldn’t she learn to keep her mouth shut? If she weren’t so quick to speak, she wouldn’t end up getting “bullied” by him every time.She suddenly understood why Anna had decided to take self-defense classes. Honestly, it was a necessity—especially when living with such a predatory alpha CEO. One wrong move and you’re flattened like a pancake. Totally defenseless.Yeah, maybe it was time to team up with Anna and sign up for taekwondo or kickboxing classes.Grumbling to herself, Julissa followed Scott into the first-floor restaurant, where they picked a quiet corner to sit.Her stomach had been growling for a while, but when faced with the menu, she froze—everything looked so good, she couldn't decide.She looked helplessly up at Scott.He chuckled. “Want me to choose for you?”She nodded seriously. She l
Scott chuckled and couldn't help but pull her onto his lap. “Aren’t you shy, hmm?”As he spoke, he ruffled her hair.Julissa pouted and smoothed her hair, clearly displeased. “You’re the one who asked, why mess up my hair?”Looking into her eyes, Scott’s gaze softened. “Because you’re adorable.”Julissa pressed her lips together but couldn’t hide her smile. She finally laughed out loud, genuinely happy.Then, Scott asked curiously, “If I had actually gone on a blind date with another woman today behind your back, what would you have done?”Julissa blinked, then raised her fingers in a scissor gesture, eyes sharp with mock fury. “Snip you.”“…You’d really go that far?”“You won’t even sleep with me anymore, what’s left for me to be sentimental about?”Scott rubbed his forehead with a laugh. “Didn’t expect such a feisty little thing.”“Hmph! So you better watch out, Mr. Nichols. When women get ruthless, they don’t care about consequences!”Scott didn’t say anything, but his hand slipped
About ten minutes later, Julissa was weak as a kitten, feeling like her soul had left her body.Scott had no intention of letting her off easy—he only gave her a short breather."Now tell me, how did you sneak in?" he asked.Julissa answered in a broken, breathless voice, "Isn't it because you're so ruthless? Charging five million for a membership card! I just happened to run into Liam, so I asked him to bring me in..."The moment she mentioned Liam's name, Scott bit her lip hard, making her gasp in pain.She knew he hated hearing that name—jealous of her past with Liam."But you were the one who asked...""Next time something happens, come to me," his voice was hoarse but firm.Julissa buried her flushed face in his chest and nodded obediently.The lights in the venue finally came back on.Scott, shirtless, sat lazily on the sofa smoking a cigarette.Julissa draped in his suit jacket, picked up a bowling ball and tossed it down the lane with an elegant stance—only for it to roll stra
As Scott hoisted her over his shoulder, Julissa pounded on his back, yelping and flailing like a startled kitten as they passed a seething Heather in the hallway.Heather stood frozen, jaw clenched so tightly her face twitched. She stomped hard on the marble floor, but even that wasn’t enough. With a guttural growl, she ripped a decorative painting off the wall and smashed it against the ground.A passing male staff member rushed over in alarm. “Miss, please calm—”Before he could finish, Heather slapped him across the face with a resounding smack.“Get lost!” she barked, her eyes bloodshot.The staff member clutched his cheek, stunned and humiliated. “Ma’am, you can’t just—”Just then, three men in black suits briskly approached.“Young Lady,” one of them said respectfully, “we’re here to escort you home.”Heather exhaled sharply, adjusted her outfit, and marched forward. Two of the men flanked her like a high-security VIP. The third paused, walked over to the staff member, patted hi