LOGINBefore Margaret could refuse, Millie turned to Eliza and called out loudly, "Eliza, you must be thrilled to have me sit next to you, right?"Eliza didn't know whether to smile or not, especially with everyone's eyes on her.Left with no choice, she forced a smile. "Of course. Come sit. I'd be delighted to have you next to me."Millie took a seat anyway, ignoring Eliza's reluctance. She had come uninvited that night with no good intentions.If the people who had looked down on her and bullied her daughter-in-law were miserable, then she was happy.After Millie sat, Margaret went to greet other guests, but before turning away, she shot Eliza a meaningful look. Eliza caught Margaret's signal and nodded.Millie noticed their exchange. Once the meal began, Eliza spoke casually. "Millie, you look beautiful today. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the birthday girl."Millie wasn't surprised at all. She smiled at Eliza. "That brain surgery really did wonders for you, Eliza. Yo
After Connor sneered at Cecilia, he left.At the entrance of the Lane residence, Julian supported his mother, Eliza, as they slowly made their way inside.Margaret saw Eliza and hurried forward with concern. "Eliza, are you feeling better?"Eliza smiled and placed her hand on Margaret's. "Yes, much better."Margaret said, "Oh, I feel terrible making you come all this way.. How can I accept this?"Eliza turned to look at Julian. "Julian, give Margaret the gift we brought."Julian handed the gift to Margaret. "Happy birthday, Margaret."Margaret's face lit up with a smile. "Thank you, Julian. You and your mother should take your seats. I'll join you both after I finish greeting the guests."Julian nodded. "Margaret, carry on. Mom and I will head inside."Margaret nodded and called a maid to escort them in. William arrived soon after. After exchanging some pleasantries, he also entered the party venue.When Julian helped Eliza to her seat, he deliberately avoided the table where
Margaret took the gift, though she looked confused.After taking it, she scoffed with displeasure. "That jinx didn't even bother coming back for my birthday. She really thinks she's the lady of this house, doesn't she?"Christian listened to Margaret's complaints about Talia but didn't respond.Guests kept arriving, and Margaret couldn't afford to show her displeasure in front of them. She turned her attention to Christian instead. "What about Yvonne? Why didn't she come?"Christian explained, "Yvonne has school tomorrow, so I let her rest early. She told me to wish you a happy birthday."Margaret's eyes reddened as she listened. "At least my son is devoted to me."Christian smiled but didn't respond. After standing at the entrance for a while, he walked toward the evening party on the lawn.Cecilia saw Christian arrive and hurried over. "Chris."Christian glanced at Cecilia and smiled slightly. "Have you lost weight?"Cecilia sighed. "Medical students never have it easy. Look
When Quentin said "I love you", the words felt strangely heavy.Talia buried her face against Quentin's neck. She could feel the stubble on his jaw and smell the faint scent of his body wash mixed with cigarette smoke.Everything about him seemed to carry some kind of magic, pulling her down with irresistible force. But inside, she felt nothing but panic.Right now, she felt like a thief who'd stolen someone else's happiness. This love he felt for her should have been Monica's.Talia didn't make a sound. His emotions gradually settled, too. He still didn't lift his head, gently nibbling on her ear. "Honey, I'm tired.""Okay, go to sleep." Talia didn't lift her head either.Quentin rested his chin on top of Talia's head, his voice rumbling. "Tomorrow after your surgery, I promise that the first person you see when you open your eyes will be me."Talia answered him softly. "Okay."Quentin nuzzled her hair. "Honey, you smell so good. I want to hold you like this forever."Soon, Q
Quentin squeezed onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Talia possessively. Talia tried to push him away, but she couldn't move him. So, she had no choice but to give in.Quentin held her tight, pressing her back firmly against his chest. He rested his chin in the hollow of her neck, his warm breath against her ear.His voice was rough and magnetic. "Are you scared?"Talia paused, then asked, "Scared of what?"Quentin said bluntly, "Your surgery is tomorrow."Talia said, "No, I'm not scared."But the truth was, she felt at least a little anxious. Even though she was a doctor herself, she understood the risks of surgery all too well.Every surgery carried risk, especially one like hers that had required breaking and resetting bone. Just thinking about it made a cold sweat break out across her skin.Quentin sensed Talia's fear and held her tighter. "It'll be okay. I'll stay with you the whole time. When you come out of the operating room, I'll be the first person you see."Tal
Henry dragged Jerry into the stairwell, where Jerry yanked his hand free.Jerry was furious. "Why did you drag me out here? I can't stand watching him gloat like that. What does he have that you don't?"You're one of the top doctors in the field. You've got patents, and you make more than enough money to keep her comfortable for life. What are you so afraid of? Even if that Playboy has money, how is he better than you?"Henry stood by the window, letting the cold wind ruffle his hair. His mind was a mess, like something heavy was pressing on his chest.He felt like he couldn't breathe. The image of Quentin leaning down to kiss Talia kept replaying in his mind, impossible to shake.After a long while, he finally exhaled heavily. "Jerry, it's not his problem. It's mine."Jerry stepped forward and grabbed Henry's shoulder. "What problem?"Henry looked lost, his eyes even beginning to glisten. "Jerry, I can't learn to fight and compete like him. I can't learn to be aggressive and do
Christian was leaning against the restroom wall when Talia hung up on the call before he could finish speaking.As he stared at his now dark phone screen, an inexplicable frustration crept over him. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.Just as the lighter's flame flickered to life, Julian stepped
Quentin pulled the blue blanket around himself, clutching its corner as he deeply inhaled Talia's unique scent. It was as if he could never get enough of it.Talia frowned. Her face was tightly scrunched under the light. "Quentin, my brother is right next door. If I call out, he'll come immediately
Talia used to be warm and full of smiles for Christian, always checking in and caring for him. But now, she didn't even bother calling him anymore. When she did, it was only about Yvonne.Christian felt that something was seriously off with her lately. Was she really involved with Quentin?…In J
Nancy lowered her gaze, and her face instantly flushed crimson.Standing outside the door, Talia saw everything that unfolded inside.Since Yvonne and Christian liked Nancy, that fondness was even extended to Jennifer. They even went so far for Jennifer's sake.But when it came to Talia's family,







