جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 230

During the entire exchange, none of the Stewarts looked Christian in the eye. His attitude was already quite good, yet not one of the Stewarts acknowledged him.Christian didn't push for anything. He simply turned to look at Talia again and said warmly, "I'll make it up to you when I have time. I need to go now."Talia raised her head to look at Christian. "There's no need."Christian frowned. "Be good."Talia still looked at him, about to say something more, but Christian had already turned and headed toward the cashier, clearly intending to pay.Just then, Quentin suddenly called out to stop him. "Mr. Lane, wait a moment."Christian stopped in his tracks.Quentin raised an eyebrow, smiling. "I just acquired this fondue restaurant. You don't need to pay, Mr. Lane. This meal is on me."Christian said nothing in response and quickly left the restaurant. Talia continued dividing the cake, then began handing out forks.Madeline felt sorry for her daughter, her eyes reddening as s

Talia sat by the bed and raised her hand to touch the roses. For some reason, her thoughts drifted to Christian.In their five years of marriage, Christian had never given her a single birthday gift. This was the first time Talia had felt someone's genuine care and effort.Even if Quentin had ulterior motives, what he'd done truly made her feel a sense of warmth.Just then, her phone rang.Talia thought it was Christian and immediately answered, only to hear Quentin's low, amused voice instead. "Sweetie, do you like the surprise I prepared for you?"After a few seconds of silence, Talia was about to say something, but Quentin spoke first. "Look out the window."Curious, Talia walked to the window with her phone. Quentin's voice came through again. "Look down."Talia lowered her gaze. Parked by the street beneath the sycamore tree was a pure black sedan. Under the cold moonlight, a figure cast a long shadow.Quentin leaned against the car door, his black trench coat hanging open

Christian wasn't sure what Talia wanted to talk about, but he had other matters to attend to. He said to her, "I still have a meeting upstairs. Wait for me for a bit."Talia frowned. "How long?"Christian thought for a moment before answering, "Half an hour."Even though she was frustrated, Talia could only agree. "Alright, I'll wait."She didn't want to drag this out any longer. The more she delayed this matter, the more exhausting it became.The group of people following behind Christian clearly didn't recognize Talia. They all looked at her, their eyes sizing her up.Talia ignored those unfriendly gazes.Christian took the executive elevator upstairs while Talia sat back down.She had been waiting for nearly two hours, and the receptionist hadn't even offered her a cup of water—not that it mattered, since she was only there to discuss the divorce.Talia was tired from sitting when she finally received a message from Christian. "I'll pick you up at the hospital tomorrow. Wha

After returning to Jubilee Manor, Yvonne had just finished freshening up and was lying in her bedroom.Christian knocked on the door from outside. "Yvonne, may I come in?"Yvonne responded from inside the room. "Come in, Daddy."After Christian pushed the door open, he found Yvonne holding her digital tablet and watching cartoons. She sat up on the bed and called out to Christian happily, "Daddy!"Christian sat by the bed and reached out to stroke his daughter's hair, his tone affectionate. "Are you sleepy?"Yvonne shook her head obediently. "I'm not."Christian pinched her little nose gently. "Then I have something I want to talk to you about."Yvonne said, "Okay! Go ahead, Daddy."Christian looked at his daughter's innocent and carefree expression, his heart aching uncontrollably.On the drive back, he had figured out how to broach the subject. But now that the moment had come, he didn't quite know how to say it.Yvonne saw Christian's conflicted expression, threw herself f

Franklin sat at the head of the table and ordered Connor, who was sitting in the corner, "Connor, get up and sing a birthday song for your sister-in-law."Connor was playing on his phone. Hearing his grandfather say this, he couldn't help but mock, "Grandpa, she's not a kid anymore. Why would we sing a birthday song?"Hearing him say this, Franklin became angry. "Fine, then I'll sing for my granddaughter-in-law myself." With that, Franklin raised his voice and was about to sing.Talia figured that Joseph and Margaret must have had a fight. Neither of them acknowledged the other, and Franklin didn't ask them to do anything either.Christian sat beside Talia, his head lowered as he looked at his phone, his fingers flying across the screen. He seemed to be messaging someone. Talia didn't know who he was contacting, but she guessed it was Nancy.As for Connor, after refusing Franklin's suggestion, he went back to playing on his phone. Of everyone there, only Franklin truly wanted to w