Inside the tent, Shelly swatted a mosquito, and Hayden handed her a wet tissue to clean her hands. After Shelly wiped her hands clean, she asked if he had any trash for her to throw away on her way out. Hayden silently watched her without saying a word. Shelly did not know what he was thinking, so she sat there without moving. She had a feeling that something was about to happen and felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness. From her understanding of Hayden's character, she did not think he was the proactive type. Growing up, he had easily obtained whatever he wanted, so there was never a need for him to take the initiative. Shelly herself was not particularly proactive either, but when faced with enough temptation, she could throw caution to the wind, just like how she did the first night she met Hayden. After a moment of hesitation, Shelly leaned in and kissed Hayden. His lips were slightly cool and carried the faint scent of toothpaste. Once their lips touched,
Hayden mentioned building a family together in a really subtle way, but she liked that about him. "I think you're right," she agreed. If Hayden was confident of their compatibility, she would certainly place her confidence in it as well. Since he needed a wife and a mother for his children, she would be a good wife and a good mother. Even if it was not for Hayden's sake, Shelly would strive for a better life, work hard to find her own happiness, and be a good wife and mother to her children. However, by choosing to be with Hayden, she had even more reason to live a fulfilling life. Soon, Hayden's breathing became rhythmic and Shelly carefully climbed off him, feeling hesitant as to whether she should stay or go. She knew that Hayden would not be against her leaving, but it would be embarrassing if someone saw them. However, she quickly realized that the focus should not be on how others saw or thought of them, but on her own feelings; her feelings were simple and straightfor
Hayden tapped Shelly on the shoulder and told her to put her blanket away. Shelly immediately hurried back to her tent while Hayden walked toward his Vice President. Everyone instantly stopped giggling when they saw Hayden approaching. "What are you all laughing at? I'm dating Shelly, so is it that weird that we slept in the same tent?" Hayden asked sharply. Everyone was shocked by his honesty. "Mr. Tate, you never said that you two are dating," the Vice President said. "I thought you two were just messing around!" "I won't mess around with her," Hayden said. "Besides, I don't sleep around either." "That's true. Do you two intend to marry, then?" The Vice President asked. "All our employees saw you together and you will be crushed by scandals if you two break up." "I don't care about what others think of me. Since I've brought her here with me, I naturally have marriage in mind," he said, before noticing that Shelly was waiting for him by her tent and walking over. Ha
"What do you mean, I don't have any self-control?" Hayden protested, feeling that he had great self-control. "I will ask Aunty Avery to be the judge of that." Shelly did not want to argue with him and decided to get Avery's opinion instead. Hayden chuckled. After breakfast, everyone gathered their tents and moved on to the next location. The morning activity was rock climbing, and since Hayden's hand was injured, he could not participate, so Shelly stayed with him. After a while, Eliam asked them to leave. "Mr. Tate, since you can't participate, you can take Shelly out on a date." Shelly felt that it would be inappropriate for the CEO to leave and said, "It's fun to watch them climb." Hayden knew that Shelly was being considerable and decided to take his assistant's advice. "Let's go first! We only bought a gift for my mom yesterday, and I haven't bought anything for anyone else. Let's go downtown," Hayden said to Shelly. Shelly nodded. "Okay! I still need to buy gift
"Layla, Robert will only be in grad school for a maximum of two years. If he wants to pursue philosophy, let him!" Ivy spoke up for Robert. "Maybe he's not mentally prepared to assist Dad right now. Who knows, after two more years of studying, he might mature a lot!" Ivy's words eased Layla's mood considerably. "That's true. Robert has always been spoiled, and since he hasn't experienced any hardships, he is slow to mature," Layla chuckled. "You're much more mature than him." "Layla, Robert is actually great. He just has a more lively personality compared to us." Ivy continued advocating for Robert. "Do you really have no intention of going to grad school?" Layla asked. "Actually, it's good for girls to pursue higher education. If you decide not to, believe me, a bunch of people will immediately start introducing potential boyfriends to you. Ivy, I don't want you to get married too quickly. You haven't fully enjoyed life yet, and I don't want you to enter into marriage premature
"Ever since Aiden joined our family, I guess our parents have gotten really busy, huh?" Layla asked. "Yeah. Aiden is still little and needs to be taken care of. Mom and Dad still care a lot about me and remember when I have classes and when I don't!" "I only want one child," Layla said. "Having too many children feels tiring. Our parents have four and can never stop worrying." "Just focus on giving birth to the baby, Layla. Worrying about your kids is one thing, but one would also feel happy by being a parent." Ivy peeled an apple and cut it into smaller pieces for Layla. Just then, Eric stepped out of the kitchen and walked toward them with a pot of chicken soup for Layla. "Layla, why don't you give it a try?" Eric placed the tray on the table and handed a bowl to Layla, then passed another bowl to Ivy. "Ivy, you should try it too." Ivy smiled as she took the bowl of soup. "Thank you, big brother-in-law. This soup you stewed is so delicious and nourishing. If I keep drinki
Shelly's furrowed brows eased at her mother's words, and she turned to Hayden. "Hayden, do you want to take a shower now?" Hayden was crouching next to the couch. He was playing with Audrey. He immediately got up to shower when he heard Shelly's question. Once Hayden walked away, Mrs. Taylor immediately grabbed Shelly's arm with a smile. "Did you and Hayden... get intimate?" "No, Mom." Shelly blushed. "We did get closer after this team-building event. He said he needs a wife and I'm willing to marry him, so I think we are probably going to get married." Tears welled in Mrs. Taylor's eyes. "Shelly, you've made us proud! I've never thought you would marry such a great man! If word of this gets out, you will be the pride of our entire town!" Shelly fell silent. She had never thought about becoming the pride of the entire town and only ever wanted to live a good life for herself. "Mom, please don't spread the news about me and Hayden. Let's wait until we're actually married t
Mrs. Taylor glanced at her daughter. "Are you going out barefaced like that?" "Mom, I'm going to Hayden's house, not somewhere else. I often go to his place without wearing makeup!" Shelly did not want to change her lifestyle just because Hayden and her were now in a relationship. She knew that he had chosen her irrespective of whether she wore makeup or not. "Mrs. Taylor, Shelly looks beautiful even without makeup," Hayden said. Mrs. Taylor laughed and felt happy for her daughter. "Hayden, I know that you chose Shelly because of the children. I'm not boasting about my own daughter, but she's really great. She has always been obedient and responsible. Although our family is ordinary, we live righteously and contentedly..." "Mom, please stop." Shelly blushed in embarrassment. "Hayden already knows about our family." "Alright, as long as you two are doing well and raising the two children together, that's all we can ever wish for," Mrs. Taylor said contentedly, and she put an