جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 1000

Scott had told her before that his mom had to reschedule her flight due to some matters, and that instead of coming to Elfhedge this week, she’d postponed her visit until the end of the month.So… how did it not get postponed, but actually moved up?And Scott’s mom—she looked so young...Then she glanced down at her current state. It was the first time meeting her future mother-in-law, and she looked like this—hair messy, legs bare, just his oversized shirt on.The embarrassment was off the charts. Right now, Julissa wanted nothing more than to bury her face in a hole and disappear.Her steps grew heavy. She tugged on Scott’s sleeve and whispered, “What’s going on?”“Julian ran into some trouble, so my mom came early,” he replied casually.As he spoke, Scott took her hand and began leading her toward the kitchen.Julissa hesitated after a few steps and asked in a hushed voice, “Should I… change into something proper first?”“She already saw you. You can change later.”…Fair enough.Ju

Scott raised an eyebrow. “So, being liked by Miss Hickman is the greatest blessing of my life, huh?”“Of course. I have very high standards,” Julissa said with a cheeky smile.He laughed—genuinely amused. In front of him, she was the only girl bold enough to be this confident… borderline shameless, even. But somehow, it suited her.After a moment, Julissa brought up something that had been lingering in her mind.She confessed her thoughts about what Scott’s mother had said earlier. That “let’s talk properly another day” didn’t sound like a sign of acceptance—if anything, it felt like a polite rejection. She couldn’t help but wonder… Was it because of how messy she looked today?But no, it didn’t seem that simple.Scott took a sip of red wine and replied calmly,“No matter what my mom meant, it won’t change anything between us. So stop worrying about it.”His tone was serious, even a little stern. Julissa could sense that he wasn’t pleased.He seemed… angry at his mom.As the saying go

That night, that man had also been drinking.The faint smell of alcohol on his lips—so similar to what she’d just felt from Scott—not unpleasant at all.That man seemed to have the same broad shoulders… the same firm waist and toned abs… and the same fiery passion.And back then, she… had been surprisingly forward.Julissa quickly forced herself to stop thinking.How could she be thinking about another man while lying in Scott’s arms?That’s basically emotional cheating!She shook the thoughts away, refusing to let her mind wander anymore.Once everything was over, Julissa was completely drained. Curled up in Scott’s arms, she quickly drifted into a deep sleep.But even in her dreams that night—she saw him again.The man from that night.And this time… she seemed to recall more of the details.Almost like her memory had come back.But no matter how vivid the dream was, she still never saw his face.Perhaps deep down, she didn’t want to remember the face of a stranger.The next morning

Julissa took two deep breaths, trying to cool her overheated brain.Since Scott wasn’t coming home tonight, why not ask Anna out for dinner?It had been a while since the two of them properly hung out, and now Anna was dealing with all that online hate. No matter how well Kendrick handled things, she must still be feeling pretty awful inside.A dinner date, some heart-to-heart chatting—maybe it could lift her spirits a little?So, Julissa sent Annabelle a message, asking if she had time for dinner that evening.…At that moment, Annabelle was still training in the posture studio, completely unaware that she’d gone viral online.She did notice, however, that Ms. Maria was unusually gentle with her today—less criticism, more encouragement.She was a bit confused.Since when did Ms. Maria turn soft?Maybe it’s because the showcase is coming up and she doesn’t want to stress me out too much?She didn’t overthink it. Whatever the reason, she stuck to her training routine, completely tuned

Annabelle turned around and looked at Kendrick, patting her chest.“You move so quietly! You scared me half to death.”Kendrick kissed the back of her neck and looked at her soft profile.“What were you thinking about? So focused.”“Nothing really… I was just thinking about what I should say when the reporters ask questions at the launch event.”He hadn’t expected that to be on her mind. After a moment’s thought, Kendrick said,“If you don’t want to do the interview, I can talk to Uncle Simon. He can skip the reporter Q&A part, or at least have them submit their questions in advance so you know what to expect.”Annabelle turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest.Seeing her like this, Kendrick chuckled.“Just that was enough to move you?”Curled up in his arms, her muffled voice came out,“Kendrick, aren’t you spoiling me a bit too much?”Kendrick gently stroked her back.“No way. I’m still not doing nearly enough.”He wasn’t just being h