“I was not thinking anything like that!”Julissa hurriedly denied it, then reached up to touch her face.Whoa—hot as a little furnace.She grew even more flustered and muttered, “Anyway, you go ahead and shower. If there’s a problem…”But then she thought, even if something did go wrong while he was in there, it’s not like he could call her in for help. So she added quickly,“If there’s a problem… you’ll just have to deal with it yourself. I’m leaving now.”And with that, Julissa practically fled the bathroom.Scott couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her flushed face.She always acted so bold and easygoing, sometimes even daring to tease him first—but now, she was completely shy and flustered.At the end of the day, she was still a kid at heart.Meanwhile, Julissa had returned to her bedroom.Lying on her bed, she couldn’t help but wonder—this wasn’t the first time they’d stayed under the same roof, so why was she acting so shy just because he was visiting her home?Though “shy”
Scott turned around, his eyes dark and intense, and asked in a low voice,“Are you sure?”There was a teasing, ambiguous note hidden in his tone.Julissa blinked and tried to cover up her true thoughts with a clumsy excuse:“It’s just… I haven’t seen you in a few days. I wanted to talk to you…”“You’re not worried your parents might find out?”“It’s fine… the door’s shut. They won’t hear anything…” she mumbled.Scott then pulled her directly into his arms, lifted her chin, and asked with a smirk,“So, what is it Julissa wants to talk about?”At that moment, even if she did have something important to say, Julissa had completely forgotten it.“Uh…”Before she could finish, Scott already leaned in and kissed her.At first, she was tense, worried that they’d wake up her parents—but soon enough, all those thoughts faded away.By the time the kiss ended, she realized they were now both lying on her tiny bed.Julissa stared at the man in front of her.In the dim light, his eyes seemed even
Julissa thought about it—after all, he had bought the dessert for her—so, although reluctant, the stingy little Julissa grudgingly handed another piece to Scott.But as she picked it up, she noticed something odd.There was something else hidden under the oil paper lining the box.The bottom of the box clearly wasn’t flat. It looked like there was a small box and some soft items tucked underneath.Julissa looked at Scott in surprise—only to see him watching her with a smile.She immediately realized it—there was something fishy about this dessert box he gave her.Carefully, she lifted the remaining pastries, wrapped them in a clean napkin, and set them aside on the nightstand. Then, she removed the layer of stiff greaseproof paper beneath them.Sure enough, underneath was a small, palm-sized box tied with a ribbon—obviously the real gift Mr. Nichols had prepared for her.Julissa instantly took out the box and excitedly untied the bow, gently opening the lid.Inside was a bottle of per
Julissa didn’t ask too much and decided to check what else was hidden in the box first.Underneath the perfume box, there was a small paper pouch. She squeezed it—it was soft, like fabric.A scarf? Julissa thought, but quickly dismissed the idea.Scarves are one-size-fits-all, and Scott had said he wasn’t sure about the size—so it couldn’t be something like a scarf or handkerchief.Clothing, then?But what kind of clothing fits into such a tiny pouch?Julissa already had a vague suspicion. She glanced at Scott and saw, under the soft glow of the nightlight, his face was cast in a layer of shadow… filled with teasing ambiguity.His eyes, too, were unmistakably laced with desire.Her heart started beating faster, her cheeks warming. She bit her lip and opened the pouch, pulling out the contents.It was a black lace lingerie set.Her face instantly flushed red-hot.“Scott, you—how could you…”How could he give her something so intimate?But deep down… Julissa liked it.Compared to food o
Julissa quickly pressed a hand against Scott’s chest—trying it on in front of him? That’d be like wrapping herself up with a bow and offering herself straight into the lion’s den!“You go back to your room right now. I’ll let you know after I try it on,” she said firmly.“What if I just turn around and face the other way?” Mr. Nichols offered half-heartedly.Julissa glared playfully. “As if I’d believe you wouldn’t sneak a peek. Go! If my parents find out, we’re both dead.”Only then did Scott reluctantly get off the bed and allow himself to be pushed out the door.After he left, Julissa closed the door and quietly changed into the lingerie he’d gifted her.It fit… perfectly.Seriously?Scott’s judgment is this accurate?Her cheeks grew warm again.No matter what, she really loved these gifts. And thank goodness she hadn’t discovered the surprise earlier in front of her parents. That would've been so awkward.But then again… if she had found it earlier, Scott probably would’ve come up
Julissa spit out the toothpaste foam and immediately walked out of the bathroom.Liam was standing at the entranceway and turned to look at her. Surprise and joy flickered in his eyes.“Julissa, you’re home.”“Mm, just for the night,” she mumbled, her words unclear due to the toothpaste in her mouth. Her gaze quickly shifted toward Scott’s bedroom door.Scott appeared soon after, dressed casually.When Liam saw him, his eyes were filled with shock—and a flicker of pain. The smile that was just starting to form vanished instantly.Scott’s expression was neutral. He gave Liam a small nod, then turned to greet Mrs. Hickman politely:“Good morning, Auntie.”Mrs. Hickman smiled and nodded back, “I’ve made breakfast. You and Julissa can eat before you go.”“Okay,” Scott said, then turned to Julissa.“Done with the bathroom?”Julissa blinked in confusion and shook her head. “Almost.”“I’ll dish out breakfast then,” he said.As he passed by the entrance, he casually asked Liam,“Have you eate
Scott seemed perfectly normal—but underneath that calm surface, something was clearly off.Like how he deliberately looked away after their brief eye contact. Or how he wore a faint smile, but there wasn’t even a hint of warmth in his eyes.It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about it right now, so Julissa swallowed her unease and headed to the dining room.Soon after, Scott returned as well, freshly washed up. They had breakfast together, then changed into work attire and got ready to leave for the office.Just as they were about to head out, Mrs. Hickman called Julissa back.From the look on her face, she clearly wanted to speak to her alone. So Julissa told Scott to go down first and start the car—she’d be right behind him.Once he was gone, her mom asked, “Does Scott know about you and Liam?”“He knows… a bit.”Back when she and Liam had just broken up, she met Mr. Nichols. He had even comforted her during that time.Although thinking back now, it was likely that Scott alread
“God of Food?” Scott chuckled. “That actually suits you.”“It’s not that kind of god…” Julissa waved her hand. “It’s a term from the Chinese zodiac and five elements thing—never mind, I can’t explain it well. Just go with the vibe.”Scott clearly wasn’t interested in diving into astrology. He simply gazed at her up close.“So, you’re not marrying into their family anymore, and you’re still eating their eggs. Is that appropriate?”Julissa suddenly recalled her mom’s earlier warning—sure enough, moms do know best. Her mom had predicted that Scott would be feeling a little off about it.So Julissa explained seriously:“My mom already returned the favor. She gave Mrs. Zamora some wild veggies and seafood, so the eggs are totally fair game. Besides, Mrs. Zamora is like a real aunt to me—she’s watched me grow up. Even if I’m not going to be her daughter-in-law, that relationship won’t change.”After that, she tugged on Scott’s sleeve pitifully.“Don’t overthink it, okay?”Scott stared at he
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