Julissa briefly imagined what it would be like — getting involved with Scott, starting an office romance?Her heart thumped nervously at the thought.But she quickly shook her head, realizing that if she really became his woman, she might just end up as unpaid labor, without even the prospect of overtime pay. After all, capitalists were bloodsuckers, and Scott didn’t seem inclined to treat her any differently. Why else would he deduct half her salary just because she skipped work once?Thinking about that still made her wince.As for how she’d respond to Scott, Julissa had yet to decide.Sure, every time she saw him, her heart raced.But his status made her hesitate.They came from completely different worlds. She feared that even if they got married, their vastly different backgrounds would lead to constant clashes — from their families to their social circles.And what scared her the most was the thought of throwing herself wholeheartedly into the relationship, only for it to end in
After Annabelle finished paying for the perfume, Julissa followed her curiously.Seeing that Anna had bought two bottles, Julissa asked with a grin, “Is there a discount for buying two?”Anna chuckled. “One’s for you. I thought you’d like it.”Julissa often treated her to meals without letting her pay. Even though they were close friends, Anna still felt a bit guilty about it. Buying a little gift like this was her way of showing her appreciation.Julissa happily sniffed the scent from the test strip, her eyes lighting up. “You know me so well! Mwah!”She puckered her lips playfully and leaned toward Anna, pretending to give her a kiss. Anna laughed and dodged.“Hey, don’t pull this stunt in front of Kendrick, okay?”“Would he even get jealous over that?”Anna nodded seriously. “You never know.”“Well, let him be jealous then. With you on my side, he wouldn’t dare do anything to me!” Julissa grinned, linking her arm with Anna’s.Anna smirked mischievously. “Of course, he can’t touch y
Annabelle didn’t think much of the commotion at first — after all, she wasn’t a big celebrity.But when she overheard the mention of reporters, she instinctively grew wary. Lately, journalists had been relentless in their attempts to corner her.She had hoped that a short trip to the Maldives would help divert their attention. Yet, even after returning, the paparazzi still loitered outside her school, waiting to pounce.Frustrated, Annabelle had no choice but to take her classes remotely from home, avoiding unnecessary exposure.Surely this crowd isn’t for me, she thought, though the unsettling feeling lingered.Curiosity got the better of her. Setting down the store magazine, she walked to the entrance and peeked outside.A sharp-eyed reporter immediately spotted her.“There she is! It’s Annabelle!”Her heart sank. The swarm of people surging toward her was far greater than the usual group at her school. Among them were not just journalists but also bystanders, likely drawn in by the
Ada lowered the car window halfway — a considerate touch for the incoming paparazzi. After all, they would need a clear shot for their scandalous photos.Closing the door behind her, she gave the man a curt nod. “You know what to do. Make it quick — the reporters will be here soon.”The man grinned wickedly, pinning Anna’s wrists together with one hand. With the other, he slapped a strip of black tape over her mouth.“Heh, such a beauty. No way I’m taking it slow,” he sneered.Ada’s lips curled into a triumphant smirk.“Enjoy the ride, Mrs. Gregory.”Ada, in her high heels, walked away briskly, her steps light with satisfaction.She could already picture tomorrow’s headlines, ready to be spun however she pleased:Gregory Family's Young Mistress Caught in a Parking Lot Tryst with Her Lover — Shocking Car Affair Exposed!New Lin Jewelry Ambassador Annabelle Spotted Fleeing from Paparazzi, Escapes into Lover’s Car for a Passionate Encounter — Busted On Camera!Kendrick's Wife Caught Chea
The car door was locked, and Julissa couldn’t open it.But thanks to Ada’s foolish move of lowering the car window earlier — intending for the reporters to get a clearer shot — it also made it easier for Julissa to reach inside and unlock the door.The moment she yanked it open, she saw a man attempting to assault Anna. Fortunately, the cramped space of the car and Anna’s fierce resistance had prevented him from succeeding. His panic and frustration were evident.“You bastard! Get your filthy hands off her!”Without a second thought, Julissa swung the fire extinguisher with all her strength. She hit whatever part of the man she could reach — his back, his side, and even his rear. The man yelped in pain, clutching his bruised body, cursing under his breath as he finally released Annabelle’s hands.“Julissa!” Annabelle’s voice trembled with both relief and fear. She quickly tore the tape from her mouth, yanked open the other door, and jumped out of the car.But Julissa wasn’t finished.
This was the loudest, most piercing scream Annabelle had ever let out in her life. It nearly tore her throat apart, but at least it finally woke them up. With the help of the reporters, Julissa and Annabelle were rushed to the hospital together. Annabelle only had minor scrapes and didn’t require emergency treatment. She tried her best to relay clear information to the doctors about Julissa’s condition, hoping to shorten the examination time and increase her chances of survival. Then, Julissa was pushed into the emergency room. The reporters had already been cleared out of the hallway by hospital staff. Now, the corridor was eerily quiet—only Annabelle remained. She sat on a chair, hugging her knees, her empty eyes fixed on the floor. The "In Surgery" sign remained lit, and her heart clenched tightly with it. Julissa will be fine. She has to be… But Annabelle had seen her wounds—they were severe, dangerously close to the heart. She also remembered how weak Julissa’s pulse had
Annabelle sat in the corridor, repeatedly asking herself—there were so many bad people in this world, so why did it have to be Julissa? She was such a simple, kind girl. She had never harmed anyone. Maybe it was her own fate that was cursed. Otherwise, why did tragedy always befall those who got close to her? Kendrick kissed away her tears. His lips were cold yet soft, like a gentle breeze brushing against her face. He whispered countless words of comfort, calling her “baby,” his eyes filled with worry. It was as if he were trying to wake someone from the dead. Annabelle wanted to take his hand, wanted to pull herself out of the swamp of guilt and self-blame, but it was like being trapped in a dead-end alley. Unless Julissa was out of danger, she couldn’t find her way out. She didn’t know how much time had passed—every minute felt like a year. Then, Uncle Hickman and Auntie Hickman arrived. Annabelle saw Auntie Hickman sobbing into Uncle Hickman’s shoulder. She didn’t dare loo
"You’re awake?" Kendrick’s voice came from beside her. Annabelle turned to look—he was sitting at her bedside, watching her with worry."Julissa…""She’s fine. They managed to save her.""Are you lying to me?"Annabelle clearly remembered—the doctor had shaken his head.Kendrick gently cupped her face, smiling. "If you weren’t still hooked up to an IV, I’d carry you over to see her right now.""Julissa is really okay?" Annabelle was so overwhelmed that she tried to sit up, but Kendrick pressed her back down."When have I ever lied to you? She lost a lot of blood and underwent surgery, so she’s still unconscious and needs to be observed for another two days."To Annabelle, this news was like a drowning person gasping for their first breath of air."I want to see her."She tried to get up again, but Kendrick gently held her down."She’s in the ICU. You won’t be able to go in. Just rest for now, and once you’ve finished your IV, I’ll take you there."Hearing him say this, Annabelle final
The lighting in the home theater was dim. The plush double leather recliner could be laid flat to form a small double bed. But it wasn’t an actual bed—any movement on it caused it to creak.Annabelle didn’t dare to move much, but Kendrick was unbothered. Holding her by the waist and brushing his lips against hers, he chuckled lowly, “What are you afraid of? It won’t collapse.”She looked at him, the corners of her eyes still wet from tears shed during the movie. She was actually quite tired today. She also remembered explaining just last night that during their efforts to conceive, they shouldn’t be too frequent. But knowing he’d be leaving that night, she couldn’t help but hold him tightly—and soon stopped thinking about anything else.Afterward, Annabelle lay in Kendrick’s arms, a thin blanket draped over her.They lay in silence for a while before Kendrick gently stroked her arm and asked, “Feeling better now?”Annabelle smiled softly but then became suspicious. She half-sat up and
Annabelle nodded glumly. “Then at least message me when you land tomorrow.”“I will,” Kendrick said, patting her thigh gently. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep reporting in to my wife.”Annabelle quickly pushed his hand away. “Keep your hands on the wheel.”Kendrick withdrew his hand but gave her a long, affectionate look, a small smile playing on his lips.That night, after returning home, Annabelle stuck to the plan and made beef noodles.The beef had already been braised by Uncle Trey. All she had to do was boil enough noodles for two and pour the meat and broth on top.Even someone not too skilled in the kitchen like her could pull that off.Once the food was ready, Annabelle didn’t have much of an appetite. She only ate a few strands of noodles and sipped a bit of soup.Kendrick’s bowl, on the other hand, was much more lavish—noodles topped with generous slices of beef, two stalks of greens, and a fried egg she’d made just for him.Looking at the hearty meal before him, Kendrick grinned.
“You guys actually fought before?” Annabelle asked in surprise.Kendrick chuckled. “I was the one who beat him up.”He went on to explain that Sean was Uncle Trey’s little nephew. When Sean was in elementary school, no one looked after him during summer breaks, so Uncle Trey would bring him to the Gregory residence to stay for a couple of months. Back then, Sean was like a stubborn little ox. If Uncle Trey said one thing, he’d argue right back. One time, Kendrick happened to overhear and gave him a good beating. After that, he became much more obedient.Later, when Sean started middle school, he stopped coming around. Years passed, and Kendrick only heard from Uncle Trey in passing that Sean had opened a gym.Come to think of it, it had been over a decade since he’d seen the guy—no wonder he didn’t recognize him at first.Hearing all this, Annabelle couldn’t help but marvel at how small the world was, and how fate worked in strange ways. At the same time, she felt a sense of relief.S
Just thinking about her photo being stored on that man’s phone made Annabelle feel extremely uncomfortable.Especially when he said he’d “treasure” her photo with that flirty, ambiguous expression—it made her deeply irritated.God knows what he plans to do with that picture. She didn’t even want to imagine it.“Delete my photo. Now.”“Alright, alright, I’ll delete it when I get back,” Sean dodged casually. “Okay, I won’t tease you anymore. Go on and wait for your husband. I’m heading out.”He turned as if to walk into the rain, but suddenly paused and looked back at her.“Oh right—earlier this afternoon, I overheard a young model downstairs on the phone. She said something like, ‘I don’t want to go too far. After all, I have no grudge against Annabelle.’”Annabelle frowned. “Which model?”“Think her name was Dale.” Sean paused. “I don’t really know what she meant, but it didn’t sound good. Don’t you have that runway show tomorrow? Just be careful.”With that, he waved and jogged off i
“I didn’t!” Annabelle responded immediately.“Then why do you look like you just did something bad?”Annabelle didn’t expect him to see through her that easily. With no other choice, she confessed everything.“Really, it’s nothing. I just ran into the Young Master earlier, and he helped me out with something. I was afraid you’d be upset if I told you.”But she *definitely* didn’t do anything to betray him. Besides, she felt completely open and honest when facing the Young Master—nothing to feel guilty about.Kendrick’s gaze darkened slightly. “What did he help you with?”Annabelle sighed. Since she’d started explaining, she decided to tell him everything.“Some people were talking behind my back, and I overheard it. I wanted to confront them, but just then the Young Master showed up and stepped in for me.”Kendrick stared straight ahead, silent for a couple of seconds before asking, “How did he ‘step in’?”“He pretended to be my lawyer...”Annabelle recounted what happened, then cauti
Ryan lowered his hand, slid it into his pocket, and the smile at the corner of his lips gradually faded. He said calmly:"In the future, if you ever run into a situation like that again, be more careful. The corridor earlier had barely anyone around and was in a camera blind spot. If those girls really wanted to gang up on you, how could you handle the three of them alone?"Anna gave an awkward smile. "I was just too angry and acted impulsively. I didn’t think it through. Thank you for helping me earlier."Ryan gave a slight smile. "No need to thank me. We... are friends, after all."Anna nodded earnestly, then suddenly thought of something and said, "By the way, Young Master, I saw an old photo in a magazine just now. It was of a little kid, probably five or six years old, and he looked a lot like you."Ryan’s brows furrowed slightly. His fingers clenched tightly in his pocket, but he quickly forced a smile. "Really? Which magazine was it?""It was a finance magazine, right there on
The article described Ryan, the president of the the Whitney Group, known as "Mr. Whitney"—the latest heir of the Whitney family. Due to poor health in his youth, he was once sent abroad by his uncle to recover in a sanatorium.No one expected this seemingly forgotten heir to return with massive capital and directly replace his uncle as the new president of the the Whitney Group.To this day, this capable young president has never appeared in the public eye, nor has his appearance been revealed. Some say he’s ugly, others say he’s handsome. The mystery surrounding him only fuels more curiosity.Recently, someone obtained a childhood photo of him from his uncles. Judging by that photo, Mr. Whitney was likely a good-looking child.Annabelle stared blankly at the photo after reading the description. The boy in the picture looked about five or six years old. Though he wore a smile, his eyes were melancholic, and his expression was restrained—the kind of smile that felt heavy.What shocked
After Jaime left, Kendrick picked up his phone and left a comment under the most trending post:“I actually wish you wouldn’t try so hard. Rely on me a little more, and maybe you wouldn’t fall so many times. ”He tagged Anna’s account.This was his genuine reaction after watching the video compilations.The moment he posted it, it instantly became a hot topic.Although Kendrick rarely used his social media—mostly posting formal content about events or appearances—he was still a massive influencer with a huge following.His comment quickly gained thousands of likes and drew tons of replies from fans and netizens.“In a lover’s eyes, there’s no embarrassment, only heartache.”“She’s working so hard. Shame on the brainless haters!”“So what if she’s pretty and married to a rich, handsome guy? Not jealous at all! (fake smile emoji)”…Meanwhile, Annabelle was in the dressing room, waiting for the rehearsal to start.Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and saw one of the models
Annabelle turned back. "What is it?"Kendrick looked into her eyes. "Anna, you don’t need to be afraid of anything."Just that one simple sentence filled Annabelle’s heart with a warmth only he could bring.So, he had understood all those hidden feelings she hadn’t even voiced.She withdrew her hand from the door handle and bit her lip. "Sometimes I wonder… taking on such a major brand endorsement—am I overestimating myself?""Why would you think that?"Anna’s gaze drifted past the car window, through the hotel lobby’s glass facade, and onto the people inside."Look at them. All the girls sitting in there are exceptional. They’ve worked incredibly hard to get a spot at Lin’s press conference. And me… I’ve only had a little over a month of crash training..."Kendrick sighed, gently brushing his hand over her cheek. He told her those girls were excellent models. After all, only the best in the industry get to walk in a Murphy Jewelry show.But that didn’t mean they were fit to be the br