River eyed the paparazzo. He was a young man holding his phone tightly.“I didn’t take pictures secretly. I’m not a paparazzo either.”That person defended himself. However, he was indeed a paparazzo. He spotted Mr. York from Crest Co. and Ms. Lafayette walking together by accident. One of them held a young boy’s hand, while the other carried a girl who appeared to be around a year old.The two children were adorable, and the four of them looked like a family. Were Mr. York and Ms. Lafayette not enemies?Why were they shopping together with two children whom no one had seen before?Whose children were they?Could they belong to River and Rosalie? Although they were competitors, they could have gotten married in secret.Those guesses shocked the paparazzo. If they were true, it could be sensational news.Unfortunately, he did not have his camera with him. Therefore, he took pictures with his phone.He did not expect River to have bodyguards with him and was discovered.R
Rosalie led River, Callia, and Heath to the opposite street. There were many stationery stores and toy stores.She led them to the biggest toy store on that street. Many people were inside, mostly parents who had brought their children to buy toys.“You can choose whatever you like, Heath. I’ll buy them for you and Callia.”Rosalie talked to Heath while putting Callia down to hold her hand instead.Heath looked toward his uncle. River smiled. “Why are you looking at me? If you like something, take it. Your Aunt Rose will be paying.“She’s rarely this generous. You should buy more toys.”Rosalie said, “I’m not stingy. I bought many things for the kids the last time I went shopping with you guys.”“Yes. You’re generous to them, but stingy to me.”River sounded jealous when he said that. Rosalie watched the kids walk away to pick their favorite toys. River had the nannies follow them. After they left, she said, “Aren’t you aware of what kind of relationship we have?”River ch
“You can take whatever you like. They’ll be my presents for you two.”Heath looked toward his uncle. Only when River nodded with a smile did he thank Rosalie, “Thank you, Aunt Rose. We’ll go have a look.”Buying the toys or not was a separate matter. Since Uncle River was coming along, he would probably pay for the toys. Heath also had money, but his mother had deposited it for him. She said he was too young to manage his finances.Rosalie told River, “If you want to shop for toys, this street doesn’t have many toy stores. It's mostly luxury brands. This street is famous for its branded stores in Solville.“You should go to the street opposite. Most of the stores there sell stationery, toys, and children’s clothes.”As a local, Rosalie was more familiar with all, if not most, of the streets and the stores of Solville compared to River. River said, “I rarely go shopping, so I don’t know which street has toy stores. Is it the opposite one? Let’s go.”He was telling the truth.
Rosalie bumped into her enemy again when she was shopping. River had brought his niece and nephew out to play. He had two bodyguards and two nannies behind him. They were all strangers. Rosalie thought River had hired the bodyguards and nannies to look after the children as they had come to Solville with Serenity. With his status and wealth, hiring nannies and bodyguards at the last minute was a simple task. River had washed off the lipstick stains on his face and changed his clothes. He met Rosalie just as he was exiting the toy store with the kids. They both stopped. River walked over with Callia in his arms and a smile on his face. “What a coincidence, Rosalie. We meet again. Don’t you think we share a special connection?”Rosalie thought he was spouting nonsense. However, she replied, “Solville isn’t very big. Our companies are close by. We can meet each other every day.“Don’t speak as if we haven’t met each other in a long time.”Indeed, Rosalie and River cou
Rosalie felt everyone around her was viewing her and River as a couple. She leaned against the car seat and felt angry. After sulking for some time, she even felt a twinge of pain in her chest.As she had told her grandpa, she and River could never be together.They were business competitors. Even if she left Summit Group and got married to him, would he be able to trust her and not suspect she would steal his company secrets?Besides, she could not leave Summit Group and her position for River. If she had to make such sacrifices, she would rather not get married. Her grandma, Old Mrs. Lafayette, had always taught her that girls had to be financially independent before or after marriage and never to ask for money. Even a young lady who married into a wealthy family would have to walk on eggshells if she did not have an income and had to rely on her husband. Old Mrs. Lafayette said she had witnessed the miserable post-marriage life of her mother-in-law, who was Rosalie’s
Christian asked nosily, “What happened? Did River want to get revenge?“Did he want you to take responsibility, or was it something else? Are you heading out now, Rosalie? Tell me the address. I’ll rush over now and give you a chance to treat me to a meal.”Rosalie said, “I’m about to head out. You said you weren’t free, so I thought I’d treat you another day. I’m going shopping to get River ten new suits. Since I dirtied his clothes last night, he requested I compensate him with ten new sets of clothes.“Why do I feel like you’re interested in this situation, Christian? Do you find my predicament amusing?”Christian smiled. “I’m interested, but I’m not gloating.“We can’t become lovers or husband and wife, but we can still be friends. We get along well and trust each other.“Friends care about each other. I care about you.”Rosalie replied, “We were going to take things further after our blind date. River suddenly acted that way and became your love rival, but I don’t feel any