Hayden ordered a cup of coffee and turned his attention back to Shelly."I don't like to owe others," he said. "Name a price!""You want to buy my son?" Shelly asked in confusion. "Are you trying to say that you won't let me see him again?""No. I can arrange it if you want to see him. I don't have the right to stop my son from seeing his mother.""Why are you offering me money, then?" Shelly asked. "I was the one who willingly gave birth to him and delivered him to you. You don't owe me anything!""You were pregnant for ten months and had to go through labor all alone. I'm offering to compensate you for the hardship you had to endure," said Hayden. "Oh... The pregnancy didn't really affect me that much because I worked during that time as well," Shelly said honestly. "If you want to compensate me in any way, just treat our child right.""Naturally, I won't mistreat my own son," Hayden promised."You aren't married yet, so I'm sure he won't be mistreated." Shelly was mainly co
Shelly chuckled. "Mr. Tate, your question makes me feel kind of uncomfortable, but I can tell you that I don't have any pursuers.""Why would you feel uncomfortable?""Because it's my private life that you are asking about."After receiving her response, Hayden was about to end the conversation when his phone rang.He took it out and realized that it was a call from Avery.Knowing that Avery was calling to check on him, he answered the call in front of Shelly."Hayden, have you met with the baby's mother? How's the conversation going? What's her name? What does she look like?" Avery fired question after question. "What is she like in person?""We met. The conversation ended. Her name is Shelly Taylor. She now works at a cafe. She looks alright."Shelly was rendered speechless by how insensitive Hayden was, talking about her as if she was not there. "She is quite decisive," Hayden added. "I wanted to pay her, and she turned me down. She isn't playing hard to get."Shelly had
"Woah! Shelly, I think he might like you. Why else would he get his mother to meet with you?" Courtney said. "His mother is no ordinary woman. Just search the name Avery Tate online and you will know that she is one of a kind.""I know." Shelly had done far more than research Avery; she had also looked into Elliot and Layla.Shelly could not possibly send her son off without knowing whether he would be well cared for.If Hayden's family were involved in countless negative scandals, she would have never sent her son to them. It was precisely because she did not find anything bad about the family that gave her the confidence to entrust her son to them."Hahaha! You still have a chance, Shelly! If you don't want to marry Hayden Tate, you should at least ask his mother for some money. If you want to marry him, though, you can turn down anything they offer you. You are pretty and young. On top of that, you give birth to two children for their family...""Courtney, do you know just how
"Haha. We can't possibly be appalled by you!" Avery noticed that Shelly was less wary and asked, "I heard that you are working at a cafe. Which cafe do you work for? My youngest daughter has a sweet tooth, so I want to get something for her."After a brief moment of consideration, Shelly nodded. "Aunty Avery, the cafe recently opened, so I'm not sure if the desserts fit your taste.""Is it yours?" Avery was slightly surprised."No. My friend invested in it, and I manage it," Shelly explained sheepishly."But you have shares in it, right?" Avery asked with a smile.Shelly nodded."Can you bake?" Avery continued."I can't, so we hired a pastry chef," Shelly said.Avery nodded. "Do you know about GD patisserie? Their cakes taste good."Shelly nodded frantically. "Of course. GD Patisserie is one of the most famous brands in the industry. I love their cakes as well, but they are a little out of my budget.""Yeah. I know their owner, so why don't I introduce you to her? If you want
An hour later, Avery bought a few cakes from Shelly's cafe and left.As soon as she left, Courtney darted out from around a corner. "Shelly, Avery is so nice to you! She even gave her the access card to her house! Does that mean that you have full access to their house from now on? You are practically on your way to becoming a part of their family!" Courtney said enviously. "Next time you go to their house, can you take some photos to show me? I'm so curious as to what the house of the truly wealthy people looks like.""I need to take care of my daughter during the weekend, so I can't possibly go to his house every week," Shelly said."Just take photos when you do!""I can't! There are bound to be a lot of people in their house. All I can do is take photos of my son and not their house," Shelly said."I will give you a video call, then. That way, I get a tour around the house.""Sure, as long as you aren't embarrassed about it." Shelly was in a good mood and agreed to her request
"It's alright." Hayden had tasted other cakes in the past, and the cakes from Shelly's cafe were only average in terms of taste. "Mom, you just think everything she does is great.""You are too picky," Avery said before turning to leave.During the weekend, Avery called the owner of GD Patisserie to her house, and once the appointment was made, Avery informed Shelly about it.It was the first time Shelly had been to Elliot's mansion.Avery had informed her family about Shelly's visit, so everyone looked forward to meeting her.Shelly was nervous and even lost sleep the night before her visit.The next day, she brought a fruit basket, and when Avery saw the basket, she immediately grabbed it."Why would you bring a gift with you? You didn't have to! You don't have to come with a gift next time," Avery said as she handed Shelly a pair of slippers.Shelly could feel her heart racing and marveled at how big the mansion was."Shelly, allow me to introduce my children." Avery brough
"That's nice! Aiden... what a cute name!" Avery was satisfied with the name. "Is that a nickname?"Shelly shook her head. "It's not. That's his name. You can make one up if you want to.""Hahaha! I used to have so many ideas when I named my own children! I didn't feel pressured because they are my children, but naming a grandchild is entirely different," Avery said. "Why don't you give it more thought when you get home?""Sure."Avery introduced Shelly to the owner of GD Patisserie, and after a brief introduction, the owner started to teach Shelly how to bake."A new cafe usually only requires one or two signature cakes at first, and that ought to attract enough repeat customers. Of course, apart from taste, service is important as well. I will teach you two types of cakes today. One is a cupcake that has been really popular for the past twenty years, and one is the newest product that we've launched..."Shelly paid full attention, and time flew.Soon, it was noon, and since the
Elliot was the first to snap out of it. "When was this?" He asked."On the night when Layla got married," Shelly said.He scowled. "Are you sure?!""Yeah. I'm sure you would have figured it out sooner or later because that's roughly when the baby was conceived. I had a friend who was working at that hotel, and they helped me slip into Layla's wedding. That was when I overheard someone plotting to drug Hayden in the washroom... I wanted to inform him about it but didn't get a chance. So I waited for him outside his room instead... That's pretty much the whole story. What happened between me and him was an accident. He isn't in love with me or anything."Layla's expression darkened. "Shelly, do you know who it was that drugged my brother?" Layla desperately wanted to find the person who had done such a thing to Hayden.Shelly shook her head. "I don't know them, but I'm sure Hayden knows who they are.""Okay. Thank you, Shelly. We didn't even know that something like that had happen