Paul froze; the pub manager froze; everyone froze.Jonathan Warrick curled his lips upward and stared right at Paul while still talking to the officer on the phone.The officer spoke for some seconds before Jonathan hummed, "I'll be in the station before the end of the day. Thank you for your help."A tense silence set into the room as he ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket.Realizing Jonathan refused to be reasoned with, Paul's eyes clouded over and he snorted arrogantly, "Do you really think you are big enough to go against the Michigan family?"Jonathan didn't know when his eyes darted to Ethan before he hurriedly retracted them and shrugged his shoulders calmly."Of course not. I'm a mere thug to begin with. No sane person would side with a thug who's up against a top-tier family like the Michigan family.""But that's even more reason why the public and police will believe me; because I'm a thug who will do anything for money."Paul's nose flared seeing sense in h
Chloe stood in front of the big building with the words "Pearl Hotel" written boldly and a gigantic carved pearl attached to it.She stared at the five-story building for a long time before she glanced down at the résumé in her hand.From the list Ethan had compiled and kept on her desk, this was the only place left for her to apply to for employment. The other places she applied to all rejected her for one reason or another.Their reasons, of course, made no sense, but who was she to question them?Pearl Hotel was the number one hotel in Springdale and had maintained its position for so long.Since the other places, which were small in comparison to Pearl Hotel, had rejected her, Chloe didn't have much hope that she'd be accepted.However, she promised Ethan she'd apply to each and every one of them. She has to keep her promise. If Pearl Hotel didn't accept her, she'd just have to think of something else to do.Chloe walked into the building and straight to the reception. She handed o
One of them leaned back in his seat and sneered mirthlessly. "It's not a crime to have a poor husband, but it is a crime to come to your highschool reunion with the cheap things he bought you. If you don't respect yourself, at least respect the people you'll be meeting." Rose Goldberg exhaled calmly, a smile tugging the corner of her lips as she folded her hands underneath her bosom and rebuked the male classmate. "That's too much too say. I think the right thing to say is to at least borrow something decent. You don't have to show the world you're married to a pauper and living a miserable life." "I can't exactly remember where I heard it before, but it did say to keep asking and you'll receive. Chloe William, don't tell me you left the house dressed this way so you can beg us for alms." One of the male classmate who had welcomed Chloe turned to her and questioned."Huh? Is your family really lacking? You should say something if you're in need. Most of of us here, if not all of
Chloe squinted as she closely examined the car's license plate number and furrowed her brows in surprise."Ethan?" She wasn't surprised he found her, but she was taken aback by how quickly he had arrived at the Pearl Hotel, especially since it was closing time at Honey's and he had made it his duty to pick her up to and from school every day.Unless Claire called him, and instead of going home, he drove straight to Pearl Hotel with Honey.Chloe glanced down at her covered thighs and fidgeted with her fingers, her heart easing knowing Ethan was here.She hadn't realized it yet, but she felt more at peace whenever he was with her."Huh? Leonard, weren't you driving a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class just a few days ago? How is it that you're driving such a sleek and stylish sports car today? When did you get it?""Woah, Leonard! This looks really expensive! I don't need to ask how much you paid for it to know it must've cost a lot!""I would kill to ride in your car, Leonard. Please, let me dri
Claire was walking out of her room when she bumped into someone, causing her phone to call.She straightened up and gasped upon seeing Chloe. Then she quickly placed a hand on both of Chloe's shoulders and quietly scrutinized get from head to toe."Chloe, you're back. How did the reunion go? Hope you didn't let anyone walk all over you as usual? Your hair isn't wet. That's a good sign things weren't half as bad as I imagined them.""What are you doing?" Chloe asked, pulling on a faint smile while trying to hide the fatigue in her eyes.Claire stared into Chloe's eyes in relief."Making sure you're fine. I begged Ethan to come for you, but Honey wouldn't let him leave the house without her.""It's just a reunion between former high school classmates, and I knew it'd definitely be weird if your husband and daughter showed up in search of you. You'd stick out like a sore thumb.""I mean, who brings their husband and daughter to a high school reunion? So I just asked Ethan to stay while p
"Mom, that's such a bad way to talk to your daughter, especially in front of your granddaughter," Claire couldn't take it any longer and threw her chopsticks on her plate."What? I only call it as it is. If I don't, how will her daughter know what kind of mother she has?" Matilda huffed, not feeling a tinge of remorse.Claire leaned back in her seat and folded her hands underneath her bosom."And why would you say Chloe quit because of a little harassment? A man was trying to use his position to sleep with her. It's only right that she felt uncomfortable and didn't want to have anything to do with him, which was why she called people's attention to it.""Even if everyone is bashing her for not doing what he wanted her to do, as her mother, you should be on her side. After all, she's your daughter."Matilda raised her eyes and shot back at Claire, pointing her chopsticks in her face. "One of the sisters I play cards with has a daughter who works as a teacher there too. She pointedly sa
Very early the next morning, Ethan was resting on the balcony with his phone pressed against his ear and humming to everything Josiah Haworth was reporting. "The Wellington family have confirmed that you're back to Springdale, but they don't view you as a threat. But your half-brother is intent on crushing you.""He's quite unpredictable. He hasn't made any move yet, but I have a feeling he'll soon do so. From what I've gathered, I'm not the only one he has keeping eyes on you." Ethan's mouth curved into an "Oh," and he said nothing else. "Daddy?" A sleepy voice belonging to a child called out.Ethan turned to see Honey still in her pink astronaut pyjamas yawning and rubbing her eyes sleepily. His hard eyes softened and he turned to her, forgetting he was on a call. He glanced at the time and squatted in front of her worrieody. "Today is not a school day, baby. You can sleep as much as you want." Honey lowered her hands to her side and pouted cutely. "Honey wants to go somewhere
The place was silent for a moment before some members of the William family quickly went over to help Lewis up.Adam William fully walked out of the conference room with a pale face and barked furiously at Chloe when he saw her standing beside them."What is this? Have you no shame? Standing aside while your loser husband beats up your cousin! What kind of person are you?""Cousin...?" Chloe's dull eyes instantly lit up. She had expected the worst on their way here, and she didn't even expect Adam to speak to her.Even though he was furious at her and wasn't using the best of words with her, she was glad he still remembered she was Lewis' cousin.If he no longer saw her as his granddaughter and didn't want her to be near him anymore, he would never make a mistake like that.Nervous that Ethan would do something else to anger Adam more, she quickly turned to him and began slapping him on the arm while yelling in a loud voice."Why did you hit Lewis? I knew tagging along with me was a b