LOGINWell, 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
The moment Tyler heard the news had reached Cyrenia, his first thought was what Stephanie would think if she heard it. Would she feel even the slightest twinge of sympathy or worry after finding out he got injured?He scoffed at how deluded he was being."Even if you can't move about too much right now, we have to get moving." Martha wiped her eyes.Tyler pounded his head in frustration. He didn't have time to wallow away in grief."Mom, call Hector. Get him to help us. Surely he can help us with a small matter like this, right?"Martha's face went pale. "Ever since we arrived in Emancia, I haven't been able to get in touch with him, not even with his subordinates. While you were unconscious, I tried calling them multiple times. No one took my calls or answered my messages."Tyler panicked. "What does he mean by that? Is he planning on leaving us on our own from now on? It's not like we're asking him to do anything particularly difficult! What about the money he promised us a whi
Tyler was annoyed to see that Martha was crying. "All I did was get into a fight. Why are you reacting like that?" "Ty!" Martha cried out in a grief-stricken voice. "Your legs…""Huh?" Tyler froze before it finally hit him.His legs! The men had pushed him to the ground, and a signboard fell right on top of his legs!Panicking, Tyler wanted to throw off the blanket to check his legs, but Martha stopped him. She said tearfully, "You must stay positive.""What are you trying to say? What's wrong with my legs? Tell me!" Tyler fumed."The doctor said… your legs were too badly injured," Martha choked out. "You might never walk again."Tyler looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. His already ashen face lost what little color it still had.Grabbing Martha's arm, he bellowed in disbelief, "What did you say? My legs don't work anymore? That's impossible! How could this happen? My legs!"He started howling in agony.Martha could only sob as she tried to console him. "Please, Ty…
Stephanie could hardly believe that the swoon-worthy Adrian was her fiance. Not wanting to distract him from his work, she had to resist the urge to kiss him.But Adrian suddenly leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Her eyes widened. "What…""I got the feeling you wanted to kiss me," he commented with a chuckle. "So, I decided to grant your wish."Wasn't he supposed to be working? How could he even sense that?Huffing, she deliberately pulled a long face. "Why aren't you focusing on your work?"Adrian ignored her question and nibbled on her lips again. Slowly, the kiss deepened.Feeling light-hearted, Stephanie almost forgot she was in his office and instinctively clung to him.Of course, that was when both their phones rang almost simultaneously.The sound snapped Stephanie back to her senses, and she hurriedly pushed Adrian away, so he finally released her.Her eyes had reddened from the kiss. Seizing this moment, she jumped off his lap and sprinted back to the c
Adrian didn't care at all. "So what if we are?"His gaze was still heated as he leaned down to resume the kiss, but Stephanie pressed her hand against his chest."Stop," she protested with a pout.It felt a little embarrassing to do this in the office.Sighing, Adrian settled on the couch and picked her up to let her sit on his lap. "But I missed you so much."Stephanie wrapped her arms around his neck, her nose nuzzling him affectionately. "I miss you too. See? I'm right here in front of you now, aren't I?"He looked at her in silence, which gave her the sense that he was feeling neglected."There, there." She pecked him on the lips. "Don't you still have work to finish? Hurry up and get it done so we can…"Her earlobes heated up as she whispered something in his ear that intensified the desire in his eyes. His hand tightened around her waist."I get the feeling you don't want to let me concentrate on my work." His voice was husky."No way!" Stephanie buried her head against
"Look at this, Steph!" Suddenly, Wynette thrust the tablet in Stephanie's face. A poster that was meant to advertise Andrew's art exhibition was shown on the screen.There was an incomplete portrait taking over the center of the poster. A rough sketch of a woman's side profile was drawn on the ca
"Didn't I tell you to never call me without my permission?" Kiara questioned harshly.Norman Robinson, the man who had called Kiara, sounded very meek upon hearing Kiara's angry question. "I… I know that, but you never responded to the messages I sent to you. You haven't talked to me in days, Kik
Owen snapped out of his thoughts at that moment. He soon smiled kindly at Stephanie."Go ahead.""Do you know the exact reason why Adrian left the country? He… He's not in any sort of danger, right?"Even though Adrian had already told Stephanie that he'd return to her safe and sound, the latter
S… That was the first alphabet of Stephanie's name, wasn't it?"Andrew Hawke…" Tyler frowned deeply, his tone icy. "That's Adrian's cousin, right?""Yup. Apparently, he's a genius painter." Kiara's tone became passive-aggressive. "I heard that he's put a lot of effort into organizing this art exhi







