Serena stepped forward. "Good day, Ms. Lowe. I'm Serena Judd."Emma surprised her when she said, "I know you. Jacob and Wilson told me about you the last time they visited me."She smiled at Serena. When she heard that Wilson had fallen for someone, she'd wondered about the kind of woman who could win his heart. Now that she had seen Serena for herself, she understood.Willow said, "Ms. Lowe took care of Wilson when he was a kid, so they're close."Serena and Willow chatted with Emma for a while before the latter left to buy something. As Serena made herself comfortable beside Emma, she couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Lowe, did Mr. Quade have a rough childhood?""Yes. He had a tough life growing up," Emma confirmed, staring at the calm surface of the lake. "When I was forced to leave the Smith family with Jacob, we fled to Macer. I got a job as a scullery worker and raised Jacob on my own."One day, he came home with a boy who was badly bruised up. That boy was Wilson. I'd heard bits
Willow led Serena into a high-end Pernch restaurant. No sooner had they gone through the doors did they spot Leonard sitting at the round table in the center of the room.He was hard to miss. The man was clad in a white suit. His hair was greased and combed back, and he wore a chunky, diamond-encrusted watch. He stuck out in a bad way.Willow reached the table with Serena in tow, then plopped down in the seat across from Leonard. He checked the time on his watch and snapped, "I see you've finally made it, Willow! You're 15 minutes late! Have you no sense of time?""Please, did you expect me to leave the house in the first thing I grabbed from my wardrobe? Unlike you, I need time to doll up. It's only normal that I'm fashionably late," Willow retorted.Leonard bristled at her words. She was dressed casually in a loose blouse and trousers, and she barely had any makeup on. Clearly, she hadn't put much effort into dolling up at all!His gaze suddenly darted to Serena, and he demanded
Willow cracked a small smile. "To hell with your mom.""You should probably change—" Leonard broke off, incredulous when he realized Willow had been cursing at him.He was about to throw a raging fit when Serena said, "Mr. Jones, I'm afraid Lo can't and won't agree to the engagement.""What do you mean?""She's in love with someone else," Serena explained.Leonard chuckled. "Who is it, Willow? I'll teach that punk a lesson for trying to steal my woman!"Frankly, he couldn't care less about who Willow was in love with. After all, their marriage would be one of convenience. All that mattered was that he married a socialite who would make a good trophy wife.Willow was pretty, well-educated, and came from a prestigious family. Besides, Leonard was confident he would win her over with his manly charms once they were married.Serena answered with a straight face, "She's in love with me."Leonard's grin vanished as he demanded, "W-What was that?""Why did you think she brought me h
Serena sensed someone staring at her. She looked up from her food to meet a familiar pair of bedroom eyes. Her hands trembled slightly, and she instinctively looked down as she greeted Wilson meekly, "Mr. Quade.""Eye contact is crucial, Ms. Judd. Last I checked, I wasn't under the table," Wilson quipped.Rendered speechless, Serena reluctantly lifted her gaze to WIlson's. He grew exasperated just from watching her heroic effort."Continue with your meal, Ms. Judd," he said flatly as he and Desiree walked toward the table by the window.Only then did the knots in Serena's stomach loosen. She realized she wasn't freaking out as much during her recent run-ins with Wilson. At least this time, she didn't feel like throwing up the moment she saw him.Perhaps their frequent run-ins made it easier for her to cope with his existence. Should she see him more often and learn to overcome her fear of him?Serena glanced at the handsome couple seated by the window and changed her mind. She sh
Wilson said, "Go ahead.""I know you have feelings for Serena. I can be your wingman," Arthur offered."What's in it for you?" Wilson narrowed his eyes."Nothing," Arthur replied. "Except that I kind of feel the same way about Willow, and I hope you'll back me up whenever necessary."Wilson seemed surprised. "You have feelings for Willow?""Yeah," Arthur said frankly."That's fine with me, but… If I find out you're only toying with her, I won't hesitate to hunt you down and make you pay," Wilson warned darkly."You won't have to worry about that," Arthur promised, grinning as he extended his hand toward Wilson. "I look forward to our collaboration."Wilson did not take his hand. "Spare me the niceties. It's not like we're close."Unfazed by Wilson's brusqueness, Arthur withdrew his hand and ducked to get into his car.…Candice wore a satin nightgown as she lounged on the couch at the Farrow residence. She was savoring a sweet treat as she scrolled through her phone.The nu
Lara reassured Candice, "Don't worry. I paid him 100 thousand dollars to back off. He won't bother you again.""That's good to know," Candice said as she heaved a sigh of relief.When she first climbed into Justin's bed in hopes of getting him to sleep with her, he'd been so drunk he wouldn't even touch her. To trick him into believing he had knocked her up, she slept with Thomas Garcia, her former classmate. Everything worked out for her when she discovered she was pregnant.After Candice learned she was pregnant, she racked her brain for ways to get Thomas off her back. Unfortunately, Thomas was stubborn and refused to break up with her. He even hounded her parents about this.Candice had been worried that Thomas would ruin her plans, but now that he was out of the picture, she could finally relax.Lara asked fretfully, "Candice, what if Jenna wants to run a DNA test to confirm the baby's lineage?""I'll take care of it, don't worry," Candice said."Alright, then… I still thin
Serena hadn't expected Jillian to place another order through her online cake shop. This time, Jillian ordered a cake and cookies.Serena had been up since morning working on Jillian's orders, mixing dough, tempering butter, and baking the cookies. While she was baking, Bingo rolled around on the rug and occasionally bounded up to Serena to paw at her foot.It was an idyllic morning, and Serena realized she didn't mind the quietude.She made an extra batch of cookies for Willow. When she was done, she made her way downstairs with the cake and cookies, careful not to jostle them. Upon stepping past the gates, she was about to hail a ride when she spotted a familiar figure.Arthur cut a dashing figure in his tailored, light-colored suit as he leaned against his Maserati, appearing to be on a call.Serena stopped in her tracks. "Good morning.""Morning, Serena. Are you roomies with Willow?" Arthur asked pleasantly."Her apartment is across the hall from mine," Serena explained, gri
Jillian glanced at Serena before saying, "Have a seat."Serena sat down across from the older woman and asked, "How shall I address you, ma'am?""Madam Gallagher will do," Jillian replied, setting down her teacup. "Ms. Judd, I invited you over today because I think your baking is decent. A friend of mine will be holding a soirée soon, and I plan to recommend that she commission your baking for the event. What do you think?"Serena was a little surprised. "You want me to prepare desserts for her soirée? Will it be a large-scale event?""No, it's a private affair with just slightly over a dozen guests, but they're all bigwigs with acquired tastes when it comes to sweet treats." Having said all this, Jillian added for good measure, "Money won't be a problem, so name your price."Serena was honestly moved by the offer. She'd always wanted to set up a baking business, and this upcoming soirée seemed like a good place to start. "Madam Gallagher, I'm afraid I can't give you an answer rig
Jessica dared not linger in the office. She turned and staggered out the door.Justin pressed a palm against his forehead. He'd asked Zane to hire a new assistant, but the few candidates that turned up were not a good fit for the company. In the end, Justin found himself retaining Jessica.But he never expected Jessica to make such a catastrophic mistake or for her to blame others for it when he confronted her. It was despicable behavior, to say the least!Lila hooked her fingers around Justin's and asked, "Justin, is the company in trouble or something?""Hmm... It's a small loss, but nothing the company can't handle." Justin reached out to caress Lila's hair. "It's your birthday tomorrow. I've made a reservation at a restaurant to celebrate.""Okay." Lila's eyes sparkled, and she rose on her tiptoes to kiss him.…When Lila left Justin's office, she saw that Jessica had already packed up her stuff. All the blood had drained from Jessica's face, and she looked rattled. Lila e
Joanna gaped at Serena. "Huh?"Serena repeated, "Accept the order.""Oh…" Joanna was a little shocked. "But aren't you angry, Serena? It's like he's challenging you or something!"However, Serena made no reply. She knew Justin wasn't trying to challenge her, but to show that he had already moved on from her. If that were the case, she saw no point in getting hung up on the past.…Justin sat in his leather swivel chair in his office at Farrow Corporation, taking a few drags of his cigarette as a scowl etched on his face. Jessica stood before him, looking nervous. "M-Mr. Farrow, don't be angry… There'll be other opportunities—""Other opportunities?" Justin snorted. "We're talking about a project worth billions! Our tender was a shoo-in, but you messed up the date and rendered the whole proposal invalid!"Are you going to cough up billions in compensation for me? A careless mistake—how could an assistant of your rank make such a careless mistake?"Rage painted his countenance as
Overnight, the tables turned in favor of Serena and her patisserie.The deliveryman who had been in charge of delivering the strawberries to her patisserie formally and publicly apologized to Serena. He clarified that he had a personal vendetta against the fruit shop owner and contaminated the strawberries. He'd also confessed to the police in hopes of getting off with a lighter sentence.Ivana had quieted down as well, explaining she'd only used the E. coli breakout to justify her grudge with Serena. She apologized to Serena and paid compensation for the damage her earlier remarks and behavior had caused.Following the change in narrative, many wealthy folk in Nocturna spoke up in Serena's defense. They openly declared that they would continue commissioning Serena's and her patisserie's services for their upcoming parties.As the scandal died down, so did its messy consequences.The incident should have blown over once and for all, but word suddenly got out that the deliveryman f
Jillian's answer was savage. "I, for one, am relieved that I did not invest in Desiree's studio. She has blood on her hands and has committed so many unspeakable crimes. If I'd been affiliated with her studio, it would have shaved years off my life!"Desiree argued angrily, "Those are rumors, Grandma! Serena was trying to launch a smear campaign against me!""I can judge whether it was a smear campaign or not! Now, you will stop the damage you've done to Serena's patisserie, and that's final!" Jillian snapped."No way!" Desiree refused outright. "I want nothing more than to see that bitch dead! I will never help her clear her name!"Looking thunderous, Jillian stood up and slapped Desiree hard across the face. An angry hand imprint formed on Desiree's snow-white cheek, and she fell into a daze.Gary was apoplectic. "Mom! What are you doing? You just hit your granddaughter!""I have no granddaughter as wicked and vile as her!" Jillian seethed."You've crossed the line! I'll—"Be
Jillian initially believed Desiree would not be as ruthless as Gary, who did not draw the line at hurting family.However, after Desiree's bullying scandal that led to someone's death and the incident today, Jillian came to realize that Desiree and Gary were both scoundrels.…Gary had a villa in Nocturna as well. Following her recent scandal, Desiree had confined herself within the villa. While nursing her bruised ego, she plotted against Serena.The media outlets she'd hired to write vicious articles about Serena were silenced. It wasn't hard to figure out Wilson was behind the gag order. Did he truly care about Serena that much? Desiree frowned. She was trying to devise new ways to torment Serena when she heard the maid say they had a guest."What guest?" No one had bothered coming to see Desiree since her fall from grace. Puzzled, she got up to see a silver-haired old lady approaching her with a steady gait, followed by her entourage.Desiree was surprised. "Grandma?"She
Serena uttered, "Wilson?""Do you need help?" Wilson asked.Serena admitted reluctantly, "Yes."She thought she heard him chuckle on the other end of the line. "Send me the address."She sent him the address of the fruit shop. Within 20 minutes, the rumbling sound of the car engine came from outside the shop.Wilson led his men into the establishment, rolling up the sleeves of his black shirt to reveal his expensive watch. His gaze swept over the people in the room before falling on the deliveryman."Is that the guy?" Wilson asked.Serena nodded. "Yes, but we can't get anything out of him. He insists that it's a personal grudge against the shopowner.""Leave the interrogating to the professionals, Serena," Wilson drawled as he gave Kayden a look. The latter got the hint and immediately dragged the deliveryman to the other side of the room.Serena asked in hushed tones, "You're not going to kill him or anything, are you?""Am I that cruel?" Wilson quipped.Serena eyed him spe
Joanna had only just made the announcement when a few uniformed officers entered the kitchen. After presenting their warrant, they informed Serena they had come to investigate her patisserie.Serena had no grounds to obstruct the officers' work, so she agreed. The officers took a few ingredient samples and looked into the hygiene conditions of the patisserie."The results should be out soon, Ms. Judd. Wait for our notice," one of the officers said."Alright."When Serena had seen the officers out the door, she stopped all business sales in the patisserie. She also took a few ingredient samples to have them tested.Joanna was distressed. "Our ingredients are fine, Serena. What are you worried about?""We can't be too certain," Serena pointed out.Whoever was behind this wouldn't have stirred up this much trouble without laying the groundwork. Serena figured she was better off safe than sorry.She didn't have any connections to ensure a rapid testing of the ingredients, so she we
Jessica waited until Justin left before turning to Lila. "What's your relationship with Mr. Farrow?""I'm indebted to him," Lila said."Look, I don't care how you managed to bewitch Mr. Farrow, but I expect you to do a good job as my assistant. I won't go easy on you just because you're involved with Mr. Farrow, got it?" Jessica warned."Yes. Uh, Ms. Hayes, is there any work you'd like me to do now?" Lila asked."You can start with tidying up my workdesk.""Alright." Lila immediately went over to the desk and got to work.A smile curved Jessica's lips. She might not have been able to boss Serena around, but she doubted Lila was a tough opponent. "When you're done with the workdesk, get me a cup of coffee.""Got it," Lila replied dutifully.Jessica was pleased by Lila's obedience and turned to walk away.While tidying up Jessica's desk, Lila spotted the docket set on one side. It contained a thick tender proposal. She stared at the proposal for a few seconds, then looked away.
After leaving the restaurant, Justin gave Lila a ride back to her place, which she rented. Upon entering the residential area, he remarked, "This neighborhood looks old and run-down. You should move someplace nicer."Lila replied slowly, "I should, but first, I need a new job."When Justin heard this, he was suddenly reminded of something. "Your manager mentioned you were in college, but then you quit halfway and started working at the club because you were in dire straits. Which college did you go to?""I was a student at Nocturna University, the local campus," Lila answered."That's a pretty good university." Justin was a little stunned. This was the first time he'd asked about her private life, and her answer surprised him. After some thought, he offered, "You should go back to college. I'll continue to sponsor you.""Really?" Lila's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Mr. Farrow—""Stop thanking me. You were supposed to have a brilliant life full of experiences, and you shouldn't waste