Bernard froze as he heard the man's angry shout from the other end of the line, and he glanced at his wife, who appeared equally mortified. "It's not what you think, Mr. Rothschild," Bernard quickly interjected, his flustered demeanor evident. "I can explain..." "You made me look like a fool in front of that insolent brat," Max reprimanded, still clearly annoyed. "I apologize. In reality, we haven't violated our agreement," Bernard began, attempting to clarify the situation. "How?" Max inquired. "Hailey is our eldest daughter," Bernard explained. "The agreement with your family was for the first daughter, and Cassidy is the second daughter. We didn't want you to think we were going back on our word. Honestly, we did it for your sake." Max remained silent for a moment, then sighed and asked wearily, "So, how reliable is this girl Hailey? Will she follow through with our agreement?" Bernard chuckled immediately, nodding vigorously. "Yes, sir. She will." "She better," Max warned.
The call connected quickly, and Bernard, thinking it was Hailey who answered, was quick to reprimand her. "You brat, how dare you hit your sister? Have you forgotten who you are, or do you simply think you can act arrogantly now that you're getting into a wealthy family?" The person on the other end of the line didn't respond to his words, which only served to infuriate Bernard even more. He was about to continue scolding when a thick, male voice with a rich accent sounded from the other side. "May I know what my wife has done that you needed to scold her?" Bernard was so shocked that the phone nearly slipped out of his hands. He called out slowly, doubtful and unsure, "Mr. Nolan Rothschild?" Nolan's voice was carefree. "Mr. Lincoln, I certainly do not appreciate you accusing my wife so baselessly. Although we are not married yet, it's only a matter of time before we do." Bernard struggled to regain his senses. When he finally did, he muttered, "Why is it you...?" Nolan's voice r
He paused in his steps, his grip tightening on the door handle. He had been staying in his study since Hailey's return, preoccupied with important meetings. That's why he hadn't realized that Hailey had been sleeping in his room. He recalled Mrs. June, the housekeeper, asking him where to put Hailey's luggage, and he had casually given her an answer to dismiss her. He hadn't expected her to place Hailey in his bedroom. Reluctant to sleep in any of the guest rooms due to his habits, he found it difficult to sleep anywhere other than his usual spot. He had barely slept in the past few days, engrossed in his work, and had only managed an hour or two of rest occasionally. So far, there hadn't been any problems. Feeling helpless, he sighed and was about to turn his wheelchair around and leave when Hailey's voice came from inside the room. "Nolan?" He had no choice but to pause and enter the room. She had already turned on all the lights, filling the room with brightness. He could see Hai
The sun's rays drifted into the room through the window blinds and landed on Hailey's fair face, pulling her out of sleep. Her eyelashes trembled as she struggled to adjust to the sudden light. Once she managed to get used to it and opened her eyes, she was shocked by what she saw. Right above her head, she found herself face to face with a clean-cut jaw and a pair of lips. Her head was resting on a toned and hard chest. Although stiff, she could hear the slow breathing underneath her ears, confirming that she was resting her head on a person. Hailey immediately flew out of bed like a hot potato, awed by the realization of what she had done. Sometime in the middle of the night, she had turned away from her side of the bed, along with the blanket, and landed on Nolan's side. She had even rested her head on his chest and held him like a pillow. She vaguely recalled waking up drowsily during the night, noticing that the pillow she rested her head on was a little hard, but she hadn't pai
Hailey contemplated in silence for a moment before speaking in a brooding voice, "I don't want to. But I have to." "Why?" Nolan seemed confused. "Not going will only allow them to weave more lies and schemes against me. I need to be present so that even if they try to ruin my reputation, it won't have much impact." She gave Nolan a meaningful look and added, "After all, I'll be marrying into your family, and all the socialites pay attention to that. I wouldn't want you to be judged because of me." Nolan remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "I don't mind. If you don't want to go, you can stay at home." Hailey was initially surprised by his response. She tilted her head slightly and asked curiously, "You don't mind?" Shouldn't he be the one concerned about his family's reputation the most? After all, everyone is always eager for news about the Rothschild family. It would be a surprise if they didn't seize upon the opportunity to criticize the young master's
‘Ha... He is,’ Hailey thought. ‘He was being very grumpy.’ But she shook her head with a smile instead. "No, he isn't. My stay here has been accommodating." "Hm. That's good. Where is Nolan?" Hailey was quiet for a moment, recalling how coldly she was ushered out just minutes ago. But she said, "I think he is in his bedroom. Maybe it would be best if you wait for him to come down?" When she said this, Max looked at her a little strangely. She couldn't tell why he looked at her that way, but she knew her words sounded a little ambiguous, as though she was the mistress of the house. "Ah, no... it's not like that. I just thought he might still be getting dressed." Actually, she was only worried that he would still be struggling to get himself into the wheelchair, and that Max would find him in such a position. She could imagine how embarrassing it would be for a proud man like Nolan. His teasing smile didn't go away; instead, it intensified. But thankfully, Hailey had thick skin an
“Let me tell you, you better behave in the Rothschild mansion. If a word gets out about how your sister was supposed to marry that disabled person, I’ll make your life miserable. It’s your luck that you have the opportunity to marry into such a family, so you better behave." He paused for a moment, catching his breath, before continuing. "You have to marry him whether you like it or not." Hailey stood there with her arms crossed and her chest held high as she watched him rant. She didn’t utter a word in reply, but her stance made her position clear. She had visited the Lincolns that day to retrieve her luggage because she needed her writing prompts. To her surprise, Bernard didn't even let her enter before he started ranting like a madman. He was annoyed by Nolan's reaction the other day and he believed Hailey must have said something derogatory about him. "Dad, don't be mad at her. You know sister just came from the countryside and doesn't understand how things work here in the ci
The corners of Hailey's mouth and eyes twitched when she heard this. She clicked her tongue and contemplated. Anyway, she was going to get married regardless, as she had a deal with Nolan, but she didn't mind ripping this family of hers along with it. Moreover, she had not heard of the inheritance until she was about to die, and from Nolan. She wanted to test the waters and see Bernard's reaction. According to Nolan, her mother had made a condition regarding her share of the inheritance. Probably, she knew what kind of person her husband was and that Hailey might be fooled into giving up her inheritance to him when she was younger. So she left a condition that Hailey must be married and twenty years old before she could take it over. Hailey simply chuckled and replied, "I can get married to him if you want me to." She spoke so casually and unexpectedly that Bernard did not immediately catch her words. But when he did, he called out in disbelief, "You will?" Hailey shrugged in reply