Julissa froze for a second. Was Scott teasing her?
Sure enough, men who were usually so reserved had a hidden mischievous side.
Wasn’t this a form of workplace harassment, though?
She decided to play dumb—after all, Scott was her employer now, her "bread and butter."
"I was just looking at that painting," she said, taking a step back and subtly pulling her arm away.
Scott casually slipped his hands into his pockets, unfazed.
"Well then, come up and have a closer look."
He started up the stairs first, and Julissa, reluctantly, followed him.
As she walked behind him, heading toward his bedroom, the feeling of being “taken advantage of” intensified.
He had already shown a flirtatious side before, and now it seemed like he had finally decided to make his move. Was this the moment he was going to take advantage of her?
What if someone walked in and caught them? The office door wasn’t locke
Not long after she participated in the competition, she had the car accident, and since then, she hadn't been able to return to the stage.Julissa gazed at the painting of herself, feeling a sense of fate between her and Scott. At the same time, her heart was filled with a strong desire—she longed to be that little swan on the stage again.But she knew it was no longer possible."I remember Assistant Hickman used to dance ballet. Do you know this dancer?" Scott asked, gazing at her profile."...No," her voice was hoarse, tinged with a slight nasal tone.She didn’t want Scott to know that she was the one in the painting. If he found out, it would be terribly awkward for her. He might think it was embarrassing—how could he hang a picture of his assistant on his wall? He would probably take it down.Julissa sniffed and smiled at him. "Mr. Nichols, your time is valuable. Let's get on with the coffee brewing lesson."Righ
Julissa felt the pressure of his gaze, her scalp tingling as if she had been caught daydreaming in class and was suddenly called on by the teacher.She stammered, "You... you just said to put the coffee grounds on the filter paper..."Scott pressed his temple. "Did I really need to say that?"Julissa realized she had just said something pointless. She wiped the cold sweat from her brow and continued, "Then you don’t need much water at first, just wet the coffee grounds, and then... wait a moment?""That step is called blooming. Continue.""Oh, blooming... then we add water!"Scott sighed in exasperation. "The scale has a timer. Remember, the blooming time is 30 seconds."Julissa nodded quickly. "Oh, got it! Then we add water, using the pour-over kettle in a spiral motion, just like you're doing, right?""160 ml of water, add it in two stages. Once the first batch of water has fully filtered through, begin the second." He
Julissa couldn’t help but wonder if Scott had also held Linda’s hand, guiding her on how to pour the water in circles just like he did with her.She stared at his face, waiting for him to respond.Scott, however, remained indifferent. "I usually have her make instant coffee or buy coffee from downstairs. If I want pour-over, I make it myself."What?Why was he so lenient with Linda, but so harsh with her, Julissa?A surge of dissatisfaction bubbled up inside her, though she didn't dare to voice it strongly."Then why did you want me to learn?" she asked, trying to keep her tone neutral."Sometimes I just want to be lazy," he replied, raising an eyebrow and looking at her. "You said you really like learning new things and challenging yourself, right?"Julissa: "..."At that moment, Julissa felt like Scott was deliberately toying with her.She remembered how she had been docked half her salary for being late due to
Ariana had been worried that Kendrick might suddenly back out and not attend the engagement party. After all, their relationship was no longer what it used to be, and she could feel his deliberate distance.But seeing him arrive, Ariana immediately felt at ease, silently cursing herself for being overly anxious. Brother Kendrick had always kept his word, and if he had promised to come, he would definitely show up.Moreover, their relationship hadn’t reached the point of no return. Kendrick would still attend her engagement party out of respect for their past friendship.However, something felt off. Ariana couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with Kendrick today. His brows were furrowed, his expression cold, as though he were angry.Annabelle, walking next to him, looked equally indifferent.They were walking side by side, yet there was no hand-holding or arm-linking.Ariana, ever observant, picked up on these small
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ariana called over a waiter to take Annabelle’s coat.When Annabelle had arrived, she was wearing a coat that hid the outfit underneath. The only thing Ariana had noticed were her shoes. They were cheap, nothing special.Ariana figured that the dress Annabelle wore today probably wasn’t very expensive either.Wearing something so shabby to an event like this was embarrassing, especially when she was in the presence of her "brother Kendrick." But the more Annabelle embarrassed herself, the more Ariana felt satisfied.After all, her engagement dress was designed by a world-renowned designer. The contrast between her and Annabelle would be stark. Their tastes would be clearly evident, with Ariana’s standing out far more.Kendrick, a man of refined taste, would never be interested in a woman like Annabelle, who clearly lacked any sense of style.As Ariana watched Annabelle remove her white coat, revealing her dress, she was momentarily taken aback.
Annabelle responded with, “Who asked you to care?” She stubbornly chose to wear the dress anyway.Beauty is every woman's nature, and besides, she thought Kendrick didn't want her to wear the dress because it highlighted her figure. She didn’t want to let him feel possessive over something like that.From then on, the two of them were silently upset with each other as they made their way to the hotel.It wasn't until Kendrick helped adjust her earring that he spoke up, saying, “Still not talking to me? Did Annabelle force me to make up with you in such a way?”Annabelle blushed, and slapped him lightly, calling him a dirty pervert. That finally broke the awkwardness between them.Now, as they entered the venue, Annabelle still looked upset.Kendrick sighed inwardly and decided to completely soften his stance.Surrounded by so many men eyeing her, he felt an overwhelming sense of urgency. He didn’t want to upset his little wife and risk her being swayed by another man.He took her to a
It had been three years since they last met, and she never expected to run into him here.He still looked as handsome as ever, his posture tall and straight. Even in a banquet hall full of sophisticated and elegant men and women, he stood out as a unique presence, making it hard to look away.Memories flooded Julissa’s mind, and she couldn’t help but feel her eyes grow red. She eagerly wanted to greet him, to ask where he had been all these years and what he had been up to.However, Scott grabbed her wrist.“Where are you going?”“I saw an old friend. I want to say hello,” Julissa replied excitedly.Scott followed her gaze and his eyes landed on the man in the distance. His brow furrowed slightly.She really did have many friends, didn't she? It seemed like she could run into familiar faces everywhere. But who was this pretty boy, and why did he make her so excited? He seemed to make her more thrilled than that Liam guy.“I’ll go with you,” Scott said, buttoning his suit and looking q
While Julissa enjoyed her dessert, the engagement ceremony on stage officially began.She still hadn’t seen her best friend, Annabelle, and she felt a little disappointed.Now that the ceremony had started, it wasn’t easy to walk around freely. So, she stayed in place, observing the so-called high society engagement party.She didn’t know the couple getting engaged today, nor was she interested in the ceremony itself. The process was the same everywhere: the matchmaker spoke, the bride and groom greeted their elders and offered tea, and then exchanged tokens.Julissa couldn’t help but think—whether in high society or the common people, these secular rituals were pretty much the same. The only difference was the grandeur of the venue.As for the guests being so distinguished or refined? Perhaps a little, but there were definitely people who didn’t quite fit the high-society image.There were greasy men sneaking peeks at the women’s chests, some people who had already had too much to dr
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