LOGIN"Oh, alright. Actually, I played chess with my dad after dinner and ended up losing track of time," Stephanie explained.In reality, Owen didn't want to play chess, but she'd insisted on playing a round with him.She rubbed her head affectionately against Adrian's chest. "I know I promised I'd be back before 10:00 pm, but this was just an unexpected situation. So, can you forgive me just this once?"Although she was the one who had lost track of time while playing chess, she called it an "unexpected situation".Nevertheless, after seeing the way she was acting, Adrian couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh to her. He hadn't really been mad anyway. Besides, it'd be very thoughtless and immature of him to get angry that she was playing chess with his future father-in-law.But just as he was about to speak, Stephanie kissed him again and murmured even more sweet nothings to placate him. That didn't feel bad at all.Adrian had intended to drag it out a little longer, but he had
Jack let out an awkward chuckle before saying tentatively, "Well, you could just ask Mr. Whetman that yourself."Aleysha chuckled coldly. "Do you think I'd ask you about it if I wanted to ask him instead?""Well…"Jack didn't know what had happened between them and didn't dare speak carelessly."I'm Pierce's girlfriend. It's natural for me to want to know where he's been," Aleysha said. "Even if he finds out later on that you've told me, he won't hold it against you. But if you don't answer my questions now, I'll be very unhappy."Jack broke into a cold sweat. He recalled how tender and protective Pierce had seemed while escorting Aleysha home tonight. It looked as if there was a high chance she'd be the future Mrs. Whetman.Although the future was still undecided, Pierce clearly liked Aleysha a lot right now. If Aleysha went to Pierce and told him that Jack had made her unhappy, it would put him at risk of losing his high-paying job."Alright. I'll tell you," Jack relented. "Th
Pierce was acting the same way he did before, as if the unhappiness over the last two days had never even occurred.Aleysha was still a little dazed. Smiling, Pierce gently patted her on the back. "Why are you still standing there? Are you not hungry?"She snapped out of her reverie. As she looked at the smiling face in front of her, her heart slowly relaxed. It was still the same Pierce who loved her and doted on her."I…" She grabbed the front of his shirt. He immediately held her hand and comforted her, "It's alright. It's all in the past. From now on, we'll be fine."Aleysha finally let out a sigh of relief. She lifted her face and smiled. "I'll go wash up first. Wait for me.""Okay."She went into the lounge attached to Pierce's office, which had an ensuite bathroom. As she stood at the sink washing her face, she couldn't help but think about the look on his face just now and the words he had said.What did he mean by that?But she decided to stop dwelling on it. No matt
Pierce was seated, but anyone who took a closer look could see that his hands were trembling slightly, and his eyes were gradually turning red."I baked some cupcakes." Aleysha lowered her gaze, looking down at the small box she was holding. "I promised you I'd make some for you."She stepped forward and placed the box on his desk.Pierce didn't speak. He just stared at her.Aleysha felt uneasy. Although she guessed that Pierce still had feelings for her, the way he looked now made her feel uncertain.Just as she was about to pull her hand back, he suddenly grabbed her wrist."Why?" he finally said, but his voice was hoarse.Aleysha hadn't planned on crying, but her tears suddenly fell the moment she heard him ask her that."Because… I promised to make you cupcakes." She choked on her words. "Even though you don't want me anymore, I still wanted to bake them one last time for you.""I never said I don't want you anymore." Pierce's grip tightened."But you chose to break up wi
Well, there were two exceptions—last night, and the night at the hot springs.Adrian kneaded Stephanie's waist with his hands, his lips brushing over her ear as he said, "But Stephanie, I've grown a lot greedier now."He wanted more time with her—to hold her as they fell asleep and to wake up in the morning to see her lying next to him.His voice melted Stephanie's heart. She couldn't bring herself to tease him any further. "Alright, I'll come back after having dinner with Grandma."She was an adult, and her engagement to Adrian had been confirmed. Even if she stayed out overnight, her family would likely turn a blind eye to it.After she said that, she could clearly sense that Adrian's mood lifted considerably. He kissed her cheek, smiling. "Okay. I'll wait for you to come back tonight."Stephanie gripped his hand and laced their fingers together. "It's a little hot out here. Let's go inside. I want a drink.""Okay."…The sun was setting as Aleysha walked into Whetman Group
Stephanie got out of bed and washed up before heading into the walk-in closet. She was greeted by rows of clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories, all prepared for her.She got the feeling Adrian had been plotting to trick her into moving in with him here from the start. After changing into some loungewear, she left the bedroom and went downstairs.Greta swiftly came up to her. "Ms. Ford."She was a woman in her 40s and had a friendly, good-natured face that made her seem rather amiable."Greta," Stephanie greeted with a smile—one so dazzling that Greta nearly fell into a daze.She'd seen Stephanie when the couple returned last night, but even now, she couldn't resist marveling over the fact that such a beautiful woman truly existed.But as a professionally trained butler, she was able to swiftly snap out of it and ask respectfully, "What would you like to have for lunch, Ms. Ford? Mr. Hawke has specifically hired a chef, a pastry chef, and a barista, who are all accomplished in t
Naturally, Tyler looked down on Jonathan.So what if he was born into the Thorn family, one of the Four Powerhouses? He was still nothing more than an idle playboy. His siblings were the ones who would inherit the Thorn family business in the future.As for Jonathan, he probably had a life of idle
The response Pierce got was, "You haven't dated anyone before, Pierce. That's why you don't get it."While Pierce was busy fuming, Adrian and Stephanie were relaxing on the plane, watching a movie together.The flight attendant served them a fruit platter and some fresh juice before retreating.A
Soon, Stephanie said her goodbyes to Wynette at the restaurant's doorway. The moment she got into Adrian's car, he handed her a small bouquet of freesias. They had beautiful pastel yellow petals, and they came with a light fragrance.After accepting the bouquet, Stephanie asked smilingly, "Why di
If the Fords had accepted the Thorns' proposal back then, Stephanie would most likely be Jonathan's fiancee now.After all, his oldest brother, Gabriel Thorn, was infatuated with nothing but work. He was never interested in women, so he wouldn't have agreed to marry Stephanie, to begin with.That







