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Yes 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 450618561113218 Read next chapter👉 She signed the divorce papers and left without taking her phone. He checked her phone and got floored at the message: Please come tomorrow for another prenatal care checkup!<br /> =============<br /> <br /> Chapter 1 Ex-girlfriend Returns<br /> <br /> Raegan Hayes was a little absent-minded at the moment. <br /> <br /> All she could think of since this afternoon was the doctor&#039;s words. &quot;Congratulations! You are going to be a mom.&quot;<br /> <br /> Suddenly, Mitchel Dixon pinched her arm. His low voice came the next second. &quot;Come back to earth. What are you thinking about?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was her husband. They had been married secretly for two years. He was her superior at work, the president of the Dixon Group. <br /> <br /> Everything had happened so fast. She was newly employed in the company when they unexpectedly got married. <br /> <br /> At that time, Mitchel&#039;s grandfather fell seriously ill. It was then he proposed a fake marriage just to fulfill his grandfather&#039;s dying wish. <br /> <br /> They signed a prenup, agreeing to hide their marriage from the public. Their union could be terminated at any time. <br /> <br /> It was an unconventional thing to do. However, Raegan only considered herself lucky at that time. <br /> <br /> Never in a million years did she think she would ever get married to the man she had a crush on for eight years. She delightfully agreed. <br /> <br /> After their marriage, Mitchel was very busy. He spent most of his time working. <br /> <br /> Raegan wished she could spend more time with him at home. However, she was rest assured because there hadn&#039;t been any rumors or scandals about him with women in the past two years. <br /> <br /> Except for his mild indifference, Mitchel was a perfect husband. <br /> <br /> Raegan had mixed feelings as she stared at the medical report. <br /> <br /> In the end, she decided to tell Mitchel this news. <br /> <br /> She also wanted to tell him that she hadn&#039;t learned about him for the first time two years ago and that she had been crushing on him for many years before then. <br /> <br /> Just then, Mitchel’s phone rang. He went to the balcony and answered the phone. <br /> <br /> Raegan checked the time and found that it was already midnight. <br /> <br /> She felt a little uneasy. Who would call Mitchel at this hour? <br /> <br /> Mitchel spent a few minutes on the balcony. Thereafter, he returned and changed into formal attire. His handsome face which had a clear outline made him look dignified. <br /> <br /> He was something to see now. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t wait up for me. Good night,&quot; he said finally. <br /> <br /> What? He was on his way out? At this hour? <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s grip on the report tightened as she stared at him in disappointment. Unconsciously, she withdrew slightly. After thinking for a while, she blurted out, &quot;It&#039;s already so late.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s fingers froze on his tie. With a faint smile, he pinched her earlobe and said, &quot;Be good, okay? There&#039;s something I have to do. Don&#039;t wait up.&quot;<br /> <br /> With that, he headed for the door. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan quickly ran and caught up with him. <br /> <br /> Mitchel turned around and looked at her seriously. <br /> <br /> &quot;What&#039;s the matter?&quot;<br /> <br /> There was a tinge of coldness to his voice. An icy cloud hung over them as they stared at each other. <br /> <br /> A little distressed, Raegan asked in a low voice, &quot;I would like to visit my grandma tomorrow. Can you accompany me there?&quot;<br /> <br /> Her grandmother always wanted to see her. As a result, Raegan wanted to take Mitchel there to assure her grandma they were happy. <br /> <br /> &quot;Let&#039;s talk about it tomorrow, okay?&quot; Without agreeing or declining, Mitchel left in a hurry. <br /> <br /> Several thoughts were threading Raegan&#039;s mind. She couldn&#039;t sleep a wink. <br /> <br /> After tossing and turning for a long time, she went to the kitchen and made herself a warm glass of milk. <br /> <br /> A few notifications from some online blogs came into her phone. <br /> <br /> However, she wasn&#039;t interested in them. She was about to swipe them away when one of them caught her attention. The familiar name made her click on it. <br /> <br /> The news read, &quot;Famous designer, Lauren Murray was spotted at the airport with her mysterious boyfriend earlier today.&quot;<br /> <br /> Lauren was wearing a bucket hat. The man&#039;s figure was vague, but the outline of his body was enough to show that he was dashing. <br /> <br /> Raegan zoomed in on the picture. The next second, her heart dropped. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was the man in the picture! <br /> <br /> So, he canceled the afternoon meeting just to go pick up his ex-girlfriend from the airport? <br /> <br /> This realization settled like a boulder in Raegan&#039;s gut, rendering her flustered. <br /> <br /> Her hands trembled. Subconsciously, she dialed Mitchel&#039;s number. <br /> <br /> The dial tone brought her back to her senses. Just as she was about to hang up, the line connected, and a voice came from the other end. <br /> <br /> &quot;Hello!&quot;<br /> <br /> It was a particularly gentle woman&#039;s voice. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a second and then threw the phone away. <br /> <br /> She suddenly felt sick in her stomach. Covering her mouth, she ran into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet bowl. <br /> <br /> The next morning, Raegan went to work on time. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had tried to get her to stop working after they got married. Stubbornly, she insisted on making her own money. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t kick against her decision, but he asked her to work as his assistant, helping him with the daily chores. <br /> <br /> The head assistant, Matteo Jenkins was left to take care of the major affairs Mitchel had. <br /> <br /> Matteo was the only Dixon Group employee who knew about their marriage. <br /> <br /> Since inception, only male assistants were hired for the president&#039;s office. Reagan was the first and only female. Her employment broke the protocol. As a result, other workers couldn&#039;t help but wonder if she was involved with Mitchel. <br /> <br /> It took a while before they realized that Mitchel never gave Raegan special treatment. Strangely, this made them despise her even more. <br /> <br /> After all, no one would last long in anything while taking advantage of their looks.<br /> <br /> At this time, one of Raegan&#039;s colleagues handed her a document and ordered her to take it to Mitchel&#039;s office. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t return home last night. Raegan was so worried that she didn&#039;t sleep at all. <br /> <br /> All she kept thinking about was the woman who answered his phone when she called. What was her relationship with Mitchel?<br /> <br /> Raegan already knew the answer to that, but she was still in denial. <br /> <br /> It was difficult for her to come to terms with that fact. <br /> <br /> Raegan tried to remain calm now. She reasoned that no matter what happened, she deserved a result that would be rewarding for all the years she spent loving Mitchel. This couldn&#039;t be all for nothing, right? <br /> <br /> She pressed the elevator button calmly and went up to the president&#039;s office. Before she walked out of the elevator, she smoothed her hair to make sure she looked good. <br /> <br /> She had arrived at the office, only to see that the door was ajar. A man&#039;s voice came. She halted instantly. <br /> <br /> &quot;Come on, man! Do you have any feelings for Raegan or not?&quot;<br /> <br /> The voice belonged to Luis Stevens, a childhood friend of Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean exactly?&quot; Mitchel asked in a cold voice. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know exactly what I mean!&quot; Luis clicked his tongue impatiently and added, &quot;I think Raegan is a good girl. Isn&#039;t she your type?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Do you want me to hand her over to you?&quot; Mitchel asked carelessly. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know what, forget it!&quot;<br /> <br /> The scornful laughter of Luis sounded particularly harsh in Raegan&#039;s ears. <br /> <br /> They were talking about her as if she were an object. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the document. <br /> <br /> Soon, Luis&#039;s voice was heard again. <br /> <br /> &quot;By the way, I saw the gossip news about Lauren&#039;s mysterious boyfriend this morning. That was you, right?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Well, well, well! That woman still has you wrapped around her little finger. You always want to please her.&quot;<br /> <br /> Luis sighed and continued to tease Mitchel. &quot;As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Tell me, did you two...&quot;<br /> <br /> Their conversation was like a thunder exploding over Raegan&#039;s head. <br /> <br /> Her face turned pale and her body was as cold as ice. <br /> <br /> The woman was indeed Lauren! <br /> <br /> Absence made the heart grow fonder! <br /> <br /> Every word drove a knife into her heart. <br /> <br /> Several whispering voices filled her head at this time. She suddenly felt light-headed. Her vision became blurry. <br /> <br /> She held the wall and took a step backward. Suddenly, the door was opened from inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 2 One-sided Love<br /> <br /> Luis was the one who opened the door. It appeared he was on his way out. <br /> <br /> Raegan balled her hands, turned to him, and nodded. &quot;Hey, Mr. Stevens!&quot;<br /> <br /> Without waiting for him to respond to her greeting, she walked past him and entered the office with the document. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was seated behind a large luxurious desk. In an expensive suit and matching tie, he looked particularly handsome. <br /> <br /> Raegan noticed it wasn&#039;t the same suit he had on when he left home last night. How did he get changed? <br /> <br /> With her eyes lowered, she swallowed that question and said instead, &quot;Mr. Dixon, this is from the Marketing Department. Please sign it.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was expressionless as he signed the document at a glance. <br /> <br /> Raegan walked out the door as soon as he handed the document back to her. Luis was still standing at the threshold. <br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until she went out of sight that Luis turned to Mitchel and said in a hushed tone, &quot;Do you think she heard us?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s appealing eyes were expressionless at the moment. Obviously, he wasn&#039;t paying attention to what Luis was saying. <br /> <br /> To Mitchel, Raegan had always been docile and never felt jealous of anyone. <br /> <br /> Her strict obedience was all Mitchel demanded from her in exchange for treating her well. <br /> <br /> In the elevator. <br /> <br /> Raegan held her breath just to hold back her tears. Unfortunately, it didn&#039;t work. <br /> <br /> She had thought two years would be enough for Mitchel to realize how much she loved him and reciprocate her love. <br /> <br /> Now, it turned out that was just a pipe dream. <br /> <br /> She realized she would always play second fiddle to Lauren, Mitchel&#039;s true love. <br /> <br /> Reagan wiped her tears when the elevator halted. Save for her pale face, she looked normal when the doors opened. <br /> <br /> She dragged herself to the break room, intending to make herself a cup of tea. <br /> <br /> Several employees were chatting inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Guys, have you heard? Lauren Murray is back.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;And who is that?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, my! You don&#039;t know her? Lauren is the heiress of the Murray Group as well as a world-class designer. Most importantly, she&#039;s the only girlfriend Mr. Dixon has ever shown off in public. She&#039;s his first love!&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Why is her return such a big deal? Isn&#039;t it rumored that there is something between Mr. Dixon and Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan? She&#039;s nothing to Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon never admitted that he was dating her. And that is no surprise to me. After all, look at her. She&#039;s not even that beautiful. Yet, she behaves as if she&#039;s already Mrs. Dixon. What a fool!&quot;<br /> <br /> Standing at the door, Raegan smiled with self-mockery as she listened to them. It turned out everyone else saw the truth except her. <br /> <br /> The love was one-sided. <br /> <br /> &quot;Ha-ha, have you finally woken up from your wild dream, Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> A voice of mockery suddenly came from behind. Raegan turned around to see Tessa Lloyd, Mitchel&#039;s cousin, who had always despised her. <br /> <br /> Tessa must have also heard the employees gossiping. <br /> <br /> The last thing Raegan wanted to do now was argue with Tessa in the company. She turned to leave, but Tessa blocked her way. <br /> <br /> With a cup of coffee in her hand, Tessa uttered sarcastically, &quot;Lauren is back now. Do you think Mitchel will still give you any attention?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan said nothing to that. <br /> <br /> Seconds later, Tessa continued the ridicule. &quot;Maybe it’s time for you to seek out another man, you pathetic fool.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan clenched her fists and said coldly, &quot;Ms. Lloyd, if you are interested in that kind of thing, feel free to pursue it yourself.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s retort made Tessa&#039;s face change. <br /> <br /> The next second, Tessa raised her hand and emptied the cup of coffee on Raegan. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t think for a second that Tessa would do something so crazy. She held up her arms just to block the liquid from her face. In no time, the coffee drenched her clothes. <br /> <br /> Raegan frowned. &quot;What did you do that for? Are you out of your mind?&quot;<br /> <br /> It was lunch break and many employees were free to watch the drama. Tessa was even more complacent when she saw growing onlookers. <br /> <br /> She put on a mean-girl look as she said, &quot;What makes you so smug every day, huh? Do you seriously think that others don&#039;t know you are just an orphan? The nerve of...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa was silenced by Raegan’s shove. <br /> <br /> Her jaw dropped to the floor. She had never expected that Raegan, who was so quiet and timid, would shove her. <br /> <br /> Tessa stuttered, &quot;You... You pushed me? How dare you!&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan eyed her and replied, &quot;Yes, I did! It seems you need to be taught simple politeness.&quot;<br /> <br /> Indeed, she lost her parents when she was a child. But that didn&#039;t mean she would allow someone to walk over her for it. <br /> <br /> Wrinkles appeared on Tessa&#039;s face as she frowned in anger. As Mitchel&#039;s cousin, she was used to being fawned over and respected. This was the first time she had been treated like this. <br /> <br /> Tessa charged at Raegan like a raging bull, poised to retaliate. <br /> <br /> This time, Raegan was fully prepared for what was coming. She grabbed Tessa&#039;s wrist so that the latter couldn&#039;t move another inch. <br /> <br /> Tessa was shorter than Raegan. As a result, she struggled like an octopus that had one of its tentacles stuck in a fishing trap. <br /> <br /> Tessa cursed angrily, &quot;How dare you put your hands on me? Who do you think you are?&quot;<br /> <br /> These harsh words attracted more people to the break room. <br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s enough!&quot;<br /> <br /> Out of the blue, a baritone came from behind. Mitchel had left his office and ran into this hullabaloo. <br /> <br /> The entire room fell silent. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel?&quot; Tessa&#039;s blood ran cold at the sight of Mitchel. She had always been scared of him. Her mother also warned her against provoking him. <br /> <br /> But when she remembered that Raegan humiliated her, she put on a pitiful expression and sobbed. &quot;Mitchel, she bullied me.&quot;<br /> <br /> The sunlight from outside fell on Mitchel&#039;s handsome face. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt so grieved all of a sudden, and lowered her head to look at her clothes which were soaked with coffee. <br /> <br /> Their gaze met in the air. With a deep frown, Mitchel looked at Raegan and said, &quot;Raegan, have you forgotten the rules of the company?&quot;<br /> <br /> His ruthlessness made Raegan&#039;s breathing cease. She couldn&#039;t believe her ears. <br /> <br /> No one dared to make a sound at this moment. <br /> <br /> Raegan just stood straight there with her slender figure. <br /> <br /> When she got employed here, Mitchel had told her that the Dixon Group wasn&#039;t a place for her to mess around and that he would not tolerate her making any mistakes. <br /> <br /> Raegan could understand why he took this stand. <br /> <br /> However, at this moment, she was desperate to know whether Mitchel had heard those hard words Tessa scolded her or he was just pretending not to have heard because he agreed to those words. <br /> <br /> Was she truly insignificant to him?<br /> <br /> Scared to death by Mitchel&#039;s rage, the crowd soon dispersed. A few employees were bold enough to peep from a distance, unwilling to miss the good show. <br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s cold eyes made Raegan shiver from head to toe. <br /> <br /> Raegan pinched her palm to suppress her emotions as she looked at Tessa. <br /> <br /> &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Ms. Lloyd. As an employee of the Dixon Group, it was wrong of me to have offended you.&quot;<br /> <br /> Eyeing Raegan, Tessa raised her chin complacently. &quot;Humph! Don&#039;t think you&#039;ll be let off the hook just by making a simple apology. I don&#039;t buy...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;The offence has nothing to do with the company. Personally, I refuse to apologize to you. Now, if you&#039;d excuse me,&quot; Raegan chimed in. <br /> <br /> She then walked past Mitchel without sparing him another look. <br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa&#039;s face turned blue after hearing what Raegan said. <br /> <br /> Never in her years of being alive had she been so humiliated. She was always the bully, not the victim! <br /> <br /> The humiliation was so much that scolding Raegan wouldn&#039;t appease her anger. <br /> <br /> Pointing in Raegan&#039;s direction, Tessa shouted, &quot;Mitchel, did you hear what that woman just said? She humiliated me, yet she&#039;s still so arrogant. Call her back. I have to teach her some manners!&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel, staring at Raegan&#039;s thin back, had an ambiguous expression at this moment. <br /> <br /> &quot;Enough!&quot; he said coldly, raising his hand. <br /> <br /> As someone who lived and breathed drama and cruelty, Tessa didn&#039;t think Mitchel was partial to Raegan just now. She assumed that Mitchel didn&#039;t care about Raegan at all. <br /> <br /> Tessa gritted her teeth and said viciously, &quot;Next time, I&#039;ll get someone to teach her a lesson.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Tessa!&quot; Mitchel&#039;s tone and squint made it a reproof. <br /> <br /> Tessa trembled at once. <br /> <br /> With a somber face, Mitchel said, &quot;I&#039;ll only say it once. Forget about what happened here today. Leave Raegan alone.&quot;<br /> <br /> The aura he exuded made her tongue go dry. All the vicious ideas she had in store against Raegan disappeared in an instant. <br /> <br /> She stammered, &quot;Ok... Okay, got it...&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel cast a cold glance at her and spoke to Matteo. &quot;Irrelevant people wouldn&#039;t be allowed in here from today onwards.&quot;<br /> <br /> Without catching the drift, Tessa flattered Mitchel. &quot;Nice call. This is a top company. Not everyone gains access in here.&quot;<br /> <br /> Matteo nodded to Mitchel and then walked over to Tessa. He gestured to the exit. &quot;Ms. Lloyd, this way, please.&quot;<br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until this moment that Tessa realized that she was the irrelevant person Mitchel just mentioned. She tried to speak to him, but Matteo blocked her way. The security guards then escorted her out. <br /> <br /> They showed her no mercy. Her struggle was useless. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Raegan got changed when she returned to her office. <br /> <br /> Her heart was filled with sadness as she thought of how Mitchel looked at her minutes ago. <br /> <br /> Closing hour soon rolled by. <br /> <br /> Raegan took her bag and headed for the exit. However, Matteo stopped her. <br /> <br /> He said, &quot;Mr. Dixon has something urgent to deal with, so he asked me to drive you home.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan declined the ride without thinking twice. <br /> <br /> She was blind before, but now she could see through the situation. <br /> <br /> In Mitchel&#039;s eyes, she was just a nobody. <br /> <br /> How could Mitchel agree to accompany her to visit her grandmother when he didn&#039;t even care about her? <br /> <br /> Upon arriving at the hospital, Raegan saw that the nurse was about to feed her grandmother dinner. Raegan took the job over and did it by herself. <br /> <br /> All her life, her grandmother had been living in the countryside, enjoying a quiet life. Everything changed last month when her routine medical checkup showed that she was in need of medical care. Raegan insisted on bringing her to the city for better treatment. <br /> <br /> Her grandmother wasn&#039;t aware of her marriage to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> Raegan had planned to surprise her today. But as it turned out, that was no longer necessary. <br /> <br /> Raegan waited for her grandmother to fall asleep before she left. She walked out of the hospital and waited for a taxi. <br /> <br /> In the distance, a black luxury car pulled into the entrance of the hospital. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s eyes lit up when she saw it. She recognized that car as Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> Did he come to pick her up? <br /> <br /> At this moment, she forgot all the pain she had been feeling. <br /> <br /> Were her thoughts about him all wrong? Did he care for her, contrary to the gossip? <br /> <br /> The door of the driver&#039;s side opened and Mitchel got out. <br /> <br /> Raegan started walking toward him with her heart brimming with joy. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had just walked over to the other side and carried a woman out of the car. <br /> <br /> Worry and compassion were written all over his handsome face. <br /> <br /> This wiped the smile on Raegan&#039;s face. Her heart sank. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Let&#039;s Divorce<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s tall and straight figure got closer and closer to Raegan. And then, without saying a word, he strode past Raegan. <br /> <br /> It was hard to tell if Mitchel saw Raegan or just ignored her. <br /> <br /> Regardless, Raegan noticed that the woman in his arms was the same one who had been photographed with him yesterday. <br /> <br /> She was Lauren. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s shoes felt like they were made of lead as she walked away. <br /> <br /> She lost all awareness of her surroundings. She got into a taxi absentmindedly. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, the driver uttered, &quot;Ma&#039;am, where to?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan was stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t want to go back to Serenity Villas. It was only a matter of time before that place stopped being her home. <br /> <br /> After a while, she replied, &quot;Please take me to Crystal Bay.&quot;<br /> <br /> She had purchased an apartment at Crystal Bay after getting married to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> At the time, she had hopes of bringing her grandmother to the city, so she bought the apartment on mortgage. It wasn&#039;t that big, but it had more than enough space for two people. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t understand why she wanted to buy an apartment. He offered to give her a bigger one, but she declined. <br /> <br /> Looking back now, she realized that buying that apartment was the only wise decision she had ever made in the last two years. <br /> <br /> When she arrived at the apartment complex, Raegan sat in the park alone, trying to cool herself down. <br /> <br /> The memories of the past two years were bittersweet. <br /> <br /> Two years had passed in the blink of an eye even though it was more than seven hundred days and nights. <br /> <br /> Love could move mountains, they said. <br /> <br /> Yet, her love didn&#039;t move that stone of a man. She finally realized what a fool she had been. She had been making herself a laughingstock in front of everyone. <br /> <br /> It was already late in the night before Raegan finally decided to go into her apartment. <br /> <br /> As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Mitchel standing in front of the door. <br /> <br /> His sleeves were rolled up casually, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, which revealed his long neck and part of his collarbone. He was leaning on the wall by the door, his handsome face straight. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a moment. <br /> <br /> Why was he here? Didn&#039;t she see him at the hospital with Lauren? What brought him here? <br /> <br /> Their eyes met. With his coat draped over his arm and one of his hands in his pocket, Mitchel squinted at her. <br /> <br /> &quot;Why didn&#039;t you answer the phone?&quot; he asked, sounding a little grumpy like someone who hadn&#039;t slept in a long time. <br /> <br /> Raegan took out her phone and saw she had accidentally put it on DND. <br /> <br /> There were five missed calls from Mitchel. <br /> <br /> This marked the first time in their two-year marriage. <br /> <br /> Mitchel blew up her phone because he couldn&#039;t find her? Surprising! <br /> <br /> Before today, she would have been overjoyed by this. People would&#039;ve thought she won the lottery. <br /> <br /> But now, she just threw her phone back into her bag, folded her arms, and said in a hoarse voice, &quot;I didn&#039;t hear it ring.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel raised his hand to check the time on the watch, and said impatiently, &quot;I&#039;ve been looking for you for two hours.&quot;<br /> <br /> After arranging everything for Lauren, he returned home to find an empty house. He looked for Raegan everywhere. When he couldn&#039;t find her, he asked Matteo to check the surveillance footage of all the roads that led away from the company. <br /> <br /> He later found out that Raegan went to Crystal Bay without telling him. <br /> <br /> &quot;Next time, tell me when you are coming here, okay? Let&#039;s go home now.&quot; After that, Mitchel walked toward the elevator without sparing her another glance. <br /> <br /> He meant to go back to Serenity Villas. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t move an inch. She just stared at his broad back and pondered reluctantly. <br /> <br /> Would they have a future? <br /> <br /> Mitchell turned around, only to see that Raegan hadn&#039;t taken a single step. He frowned and asked, &quot;Can&#039;t you walk? Do you want me to carry you instead?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light in the corridor illuminated his face, making his side profile almost impeccable. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and said, &quot;Let&#039;s divorce.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s voice was cold, and his handsome face changed immediately. <br /> <br /> &quot;I want to move into my own place. After all, we will be strangers soon.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan forced a smile, but her heart was aching as if someone was tearing it apart bit by bit. <br /> <br /> &quot;We will be strangers?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel smiled coldly. &quot;Raegan, what do you think our relationship is now?&quot;<br /> <br /> His questioning left Raegan stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had made it very clear to her from the very beginning. This facade of their marriage had happened by mutual agreement. There was no love. In the eyes of others, they were nothing more than just a superior and a subordinate. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was quite the catch in Ardlens. Many young ladies longed for his love and were even willing to throw themselves at him. <br /> <br /> His question just now reminded her of that fact. Was he afraid that she wouldn&#039;t let him go that easily? If that was the case, he couldn&#039;t be more wrong... <br /> <br /> After biting her lower lip to conceal her bitterness, Raegan said, &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Mr. Dixon. I was giving it too much thought. Anyway, please leave me alone from now on. You don&#039;t have to come here again.&quot;<br /> <br /> After saying that, Raegan couldn&#039;t help but burst into tears. <br /> <br /> How could she not be sad when she was cutting ties with the man she had loved for a decade? It was such a long time. <br /> <br /> Regardless of how difficult it was, she knew it was time to let go. <br /> <br /> It was high time she stopped being a fool. <br /> <br /> Strangely, the light in the corridor began flickering. <br /> <br /> The deathly stare Mitchel was giving Raegan right now made the atmosphere seem like the moment before an attack in a horror movie. <br /> <br /> Although he understood that Raegan sometimes could throw a tantrum, he felt that she had just crossed the line now. <br /> <br /> His eyes shone like blazing torches at this moment. But when he saw the tears in her eyes, the rage inside him extinguished in an instant. He said in a low voice, &quot;If this is about what happened between you and Tessa, I...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No, this isn&#039;t about her. Mr. Dixon, please leave now.&quot;<br /> <br /> A lot of things happened between them. And the incident with Tessa didn&#039;t come close to any. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt exhausted. She passed by Mitchel and was about to open the door. <br /> <br /> Yet, Mitchel was displeased with her stubbornness. <br /> <br /> He loosened his tie irritably. He then took a step forward and grabbed her wrist. <br /> <br /> &quot;Stop this, will you?&quot;<br /> <br /> A second later, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. <br /> <br /> He instantly realized that she was burning up like someone who had been set on fire. <br /> <br /> &quot;You have a fever?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan felt dizzy. She rested her head on his chest weakly. <br /> <br /> This made the whole situation complicated. <br /> <br /> Reagan was slow to catch that. When she finally realized that her body was too close to his, she put her hands against his chest and tried to pull back. <br /> <br /> Before she could escape, Mitchel pulled her back and held her by the waist. With a cold face, he said in a low voice, &quot;Where do you think you are going?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light flickered again. Out of the blue, Mitchel lifted her up. <br /> <br /> He then headed for the elevator. <br /> <br /> In a daze, Raegan asked softly, &quot;What are you doing?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What does it look like I am doing?&quot; Mitchel remarked. &quot;Taking you to the hospital, of course.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No way!&quot; Raegan cried out in surprise and seemed to regain more strength. <br /> <br /> Mitchel might find out about her condition if they went to the hospital.<br /> <br /> Raegan struggled to get out of Mitchel&#039;s arms. However, his tight grip made her efforts fruitless. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t be so stubborn. You are sick, so you must see the doctor,&quot; Mitchel said firmly. <br /> <br /> He walked to the elevator with her in his arms. At this moment, Raegan&#039;s heart was thumping so hard that it could jump out of her chest. She flailed in protest. <br /> <br /> &quot;Put me down! I don&#039;t want to go to the hospital!&quot; LEARN_MORE https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-fb_contact-e 159129143942156 Hello reading https://facebook.com/61552535188096 43,118 1 321,935,214,323,164 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Learn more 0 Hello reading 120213956475250091 fbweb.moboreader.net NONE image https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-fb_contact-enj57-1125-core1.html?adid={{ad.id}}&char=124213&accid=798859118295947 2024-07-09 23:08 https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450485501_1648787345959708_1162374388750809157_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=-mvhJvosJ-AQ7kNvgGbAOQX&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AYCyoTSCT-iffO5_8t0a0Yt4fEYAq5Kp8ci4ySbMc9g5iA&oe=6696F4C0 person_profile 0 moboreader https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450402805_306127082491663_384151221259959798_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=-eC9kDdGcOsQ7kNvgG7jzjb&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYCMksXwuEyG2kG7yq72vD086txensqX2NcIrL8et7iNEQ&oe=66971F1D 0 3 Hello reading 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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Yes 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 336722922817890 Read next chapter👉 She signed the divorce papers and left without taking her phone. He checked her phone and got floored at the message: Please come tomorrow for another prenatal care checkup!<br /> =============<br /> <br /> Chapter 1 Ex-girlfriend Returns<br /> <br /> Raegan Hayes was a little absent-minded at the moment. <br /> <br /> All she could think of since this afternoon was the doctor&#039;s words. &quot;Congratulations! You are going to be a mom.&quot;<br /> <br /> Suddenly, Mitchel Dixon pinched her arm. His low voice came the next second. &quot;Come back to earth. What are you thinking about?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was her husband. They had been married secretly for two years. He was her superior at work, the president of the Dixon Group. <br /> <br /> Everything had happened so fast. She was newly employed in the company when they unexpectedly got married. <br /> <br /> At that time, Mitchel&#039;s grandfather fell seriously ill. It was then he proposed a fake marriage just to fulfill his grandfather&#039;s dying wish. <br /> <br /> They signed a prenup, agreeing to hide their marriage from the public. Their union could be terminated at any time. <br /> <br /> It was an unconventional thing to do. However, Raegan only considered herself lucky at that time. <br /> <br /> Never in a million years did she think she would ever get married to the man she had a crush on for eight years. She delightfully agreed. <br /> <br /> After their marriage, Mitchel was very busy. He spent most of his time working. <br /> <br /> Raegan wished she could spend more time with him at home. However, she was rest assured because there hadn&#039;t been any rumors or scandals about him with women in the past two years. <br /> <br /> Except for his mild indifference, Mitchel was a perfect husband. <br /> <br /> Raegan had mixed feelings as she stared at the medical report. <br /> <br /> In the end, she decided to tell Mitchel this news. <br /> <br /> She also wanted to tell him that she hadn&#039;t learned about him for the first time two years ago and that she had been crushing on him for many years before then. <br /> <br /> Just then, Mitchel’s phone rang. He went to the balcony and answered the phone. <br /> <br /> Raegan checked the time and found that it was already midnight. <br /> <br /> She felt a little uneasy. Who would call Mitchel at this hour? <br /> <br /> Mitchel spent a few minutes on the balcony. Thereafter, he returned and changed into formal attire. His handsome face which had a clear outline made him look dignified. <br /> <br /> He was something to see now. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t wait up for me. Good night,&quot; he said finally. <br /> <br /> What? He was on his way out? At this hour? <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s grip on the report tightened as she stared at him in disappointment. Unconsciously, she withdrew slightly. After thinking for a while, she blurted out, &quot;It&#039;s already so late.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s fingers froze on his tie. With a faint smile, he pinched her earlobe and said, &quot;Be good, okay? There&#039;s something I have to do. Don&#039;t wait up.&quot;<br /> <br /> With that, he headed for the door. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan quickly ran and caught up with him. <br /> <br /> Mitchel turned around and looked at her seriously. <br /> <br /> &quot;What&#039;s the matter?&quot;<br /> <br /> There was a tinge of coldness to his voice. An icy cloud hung over them as they stared at each other. <br /> <br /> A little distressed, Raegan asked in a low voice, &quot;I would like to visit my grandma tomorrow. Can you accompany me there?&quot;<br /> <br /> Her grandmother always wanted to see her. As a result, Raegan wanted to take Mitchel there to assure her grandma they were happy. <br /> <br /> &quot;Let&#039;s talk about it tomorrow, okay?&quot; Without agreeing or declining, Mitchel left in a hurry. <br /> <br /> Several thoughts were threading Raegan&#039;s mind. She couldn&#039;t sleep a wink. <br /> <br /> After tossing and turning for a long time, she went to the kitchen and made herself a warm glass of milk. <br /> <br /> A few notifications from some online blogs came into her phone. <br /> <br /> However, she wasn&#039;t interested in them. She was about to swipe them away when one of them caught her attention. The familiar name made her click on it. <br /> <br /> The news read, &quot;Famous designer, Lauren Murray was spotted at the airport with her mysterious boyfriend earlier today.&quot;<br /> <br /> Lauren was wearing a bucket hat. The man&#039;s figure was vague, but the outline of his body was enough to show that he was dashing. <br /> <br /> Raegan zoomed in on the picture. The next second, her heart dropped. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was the man in the picture! <br /> <br /> So, he canceled the afternoon meeting just to go pick up his ex-girlfriend from the airport? <br /> <br /> This realization settled like a boulder in Raegan&#039;s gut, rendering her flustered. <br /> <br /> Her hands trembled. Subconsciously, she dialed Mitchel&#039;s number. <br /> <br /> The dial tone brought her back to her senses. Just as she was about to hang up, the line connected, and a voice came from the other end. <br /> <br /> &quot;Hello!&quot;<br /> <br /> It was a particularly gentle woman&#039;s voice. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a second and then threw the phone away. <br /> <br /> She suddenly felt sick in her stomach. Covering her mouth, she ran into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet bowl. <br /> <br /> The next morning, Raegan went to work on time. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had tried to get her to stop working after they got married. Stubbornly, she insisted on making her own money. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t kick against her decision, but he asked her to work as his assistant, helping him with the daily chores. <br /> <br /> The head assistant, Matteo Jenkins was left to take care of the major affairs Mitchel had. <br /> <br /> Matteo was the only Dixon Group employee who knew about their marriage. <br /> <br /> Since inception, only male assistants were hired for the president&#039;s office. Reagan was the first and only female. Her employment broke the protocol. As a result, other workers couldn&#039;t help but wonder if she was involved with Mitchel. <br /> <br /> It took a while before they realized that Mitchel never gave Raegan special treatment. Strangely, this made them despise her even more. <br /> <br /> After all, no one would last long in anything while taking advantage of their looks.<br /> <br /> At this time, one of Raegan&#039;s colleagues handed her a document and ordered her to take it to Mitchel&#039;s office. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t return home last night. Raegan was so worried that she didn&#039;t sleep at all. <br /> <br /> All she kept thinking about was the woman who answered his phone when she called. What was her relationship with Mitchel?<br /> <br /> Raegan already knew the answer to that, but she was still in denial. <br /> <br /> It was difficult for her to come to terms with that fact. <br /> <br /> Raegan tried to remain calm now. She reasoned that no matter what happened, she deserved a result that would be rewarding for all the years she spent loving Mitchel. This couldn&#039;t be all for nothing, right? <br /> <br /> She pressed the elevator button calmly and went up to the president&#039;s office. Before she walked out of the elevator, she smoothed her hair to make sure she looked good. <br /> <br /> She had arrived at the office, only to see that the door was ajar. A man&#039;s voice came. She halted instantly. <br /> <br /> &quot;Come on, man! Do you have any feelings for Raegan or not?&quot;<br /> <br /> The voice belonged to Luis Stevens, a childhood friend of Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean exactly?&quot; Mitchel asked in a cold voice. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know exactly what I mean!&quot; Luis clicked his tongue impatiently and added, &quot;I think Raegan is a good girl. Isn&#039;t she your type?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Do you want me to hand her over to you?&quot; Mitchel asked carelessly. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know what, forget it!&quot;<br /> <br /> The scornful laughter of Luis sounded particularly harsh in Raegan&#039;s ears. <br /> <br /> They were talking about her as if she were an object. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the document. <br /> <br /> Soon, Luis&#039;s voice was heard again. <br /> <br /> &quot;By the way, I saw the gossip news about Lauren&#039;s mysterious boyfriend this morning. That was you, right?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Well, well, well! That woman still has you wrapped around her little finger. You always want to please her.&quot;<br /> <br /> Luis sighed and continued to tease Mitchel. &quot;As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Tell me, did you two...&quot;<br /> <br /> Their conversation was like a thunder exploding over Raegan&#039;s head. <br /> <br /> Her face turned pale and her body was as cold as ice. <br /> <br /> The woman was indeed Lauren! <br /> <br /> Absence made the heart grow fonder! <br /> <br /> Every word drove a knife into her heart. <br /> <br /> Several whispering voices filled her head at this time. She suddenly felt light-headed. Her vision became blurry. <br /> <br /> She held the wall and took a step backward. Suddenly, the door was opened from inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 2 One-sided Love<br /> <br /> Luis was the one who opened the door. It appeared he was on his way out. <br /> <br /> Raegan balled her hands, turned to him, and nodded. &quot;Hey, Mr. Stevens!&quot;<br /> <br /> Without waiting for him to respond to her greeting, she walked past him and entered the office with the document. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was seated behind a large luxurious desk. In an expensive suit and matching tie, he looked particularly handsome. <br /> <br /> Raegan noticed it wasn&#039;t the same suit he had on when he left home last night. How did he get changed? <br /> <br /> With her eyes lowered, she swallowed that question and said instead, &quot;Mr. Dixon, this is from the Marketing Department. Please sign it.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was expressionless as he signed the document at a glance. <br /> <br /> Raegan walked out the door as soon as he handed the document back to her. Luis was still standing at the threshold. <br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until she went out of sight that Luis turned to Mitchel and said in a hushed tone, &quot;Do you think she heard us?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s appealing eyes were expressionless at the moment. Obviously, he wasn&#039;t paying attention to what Luis was saying. <br /> <br /> To Mitchel, Raegan had always been docile and never felt jealous of anyone. <br /> <br /> Her strict obedience was all Mitchel demanded from her in exchange for treating her well. <br /> <br /> In the elevator. <br /> <br /> Raegan held her breath just to hold back her tears. Unfortunately, it didn&#039;t work. <br /> <br /> She had thought two years would be enough for Mitchel to realize how much she loved him and reciprocate her love. <br /> <br /> Now, it turned out that was just a pipe dream. <br /> <br /> She realized she would always play second fiddle to Lauren, Mitchel&#039;s true love. <br /> <br /> Reagan wiped her tears when the elevator halted. Save for her pale face, she looked normal when the doors opened. <br /> <br /> She dragged herself to the break room, intending to make herself a cup of tea. <br /> <br /> Several employees were chatting inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Guys, have you heard? Lauren Murray is back.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;And who is that?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, my! You don&#039;t know her? Lauren is the heiress of the Murray Group as well as a world-class designer. Most importantly, she&#039;s the only girlfriend Mr. Dixon has ever shown off in public. She&#039;s his first love!&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Why is her return such a big deal? Isn&#039;t it rumored that there is something between Mr. Dixon and Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan? She&#039;s nothing to Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon never admitted that he was dating her. And that is no surprise to me. After all, look at her. She&#039;s not even that beautiful. Yet, she behaves as if she&#039;s already Mrs. Dixon. What a fool!&quot;<br /> <br /> Standing at the door, Raegan smiled with self-mockery as she listened to them. It turned out everyone else saw the truth except her. <br /> <br /> The love was one-sided. <br /> <br /> &quot;Ha-ha, have you finally woken up from your wild dream, Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> A voice of mockery suddenly came from behind. Raegan turned around to see Tessa Lloyd, Mitchel&#039;s cousin, who had always despised her. <br /> <br /> Tessa must have also heard the employees gossiping. <br /> <br /> The last thing Raegan wanted to do now was argue with Tessa in the company. She turned to leave, but Tessa blocked her way. <br /> <br /> With a cup of coffee in her hand, Tessa uttered sarcastically, &quot;Lauren is back now. Do you think Mitchel will still give you any attention?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan said nothing to that. <br /> <br /> Seconds later, Tessa continued the ridicule. &quot;Maybe it’s time for you to seek out another man, you pathetic fool.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan clenched her fists and said coldly, &quot;Ms. Lloyd, if you are interested in that kind of thing, feel free to pursue it yourself.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s retort made Tessa&#039;s face change. <br /> <br /> The next second, Tessa raised her hand and emptied the cup of coffee on Raegan. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t think for a second that Tessa would do something so crazy. She held up her arms just to block the liquid from her face. In no time, the coffee drenched her clothes. <br /> <br /> Raegan frowned. &quot;What did you do that for? Are you out of your mind?&quot;<br /> <br /> It was lunch break and many employees were free to watch the drama. Tessa was even more complacent when she saw growing onlookers. <br /> <br /> She put on a mean-girl look as she said, &quot;What makes you so smug every day, huh? Do you seriously think that others don&#039;t know you are just an orphan? The nerve of...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa was silenced by Raegan’s shove. <br /> <br /> Her jaw dropped to the floor. She had never expected that Raegan, who was so quiet and timid, would shove her. <br /> <br /> Tessa stuttered, &quot;You... You pushed me? How dare you!&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan eyed her and replied, &quot;Yes, I did! It seems you need to be taught simple politeness.&quot;<br /> <br /> Indeed, she lost her parents when she was a child. But that didn&#039;t mean she would allow someone to walk over her for it. <br /> <br /> Wrinkles appeared on Tessa&#039;s face as she frowned in anger. As Mitchel&#039;s cousin, she was used to being fawned over and respected. This was the first time she had been treated like this. <br /> <br /> Tessa charged at Raegan like a raging bull, poised to retaliate. <br /> <br /> This time, Raegan was fully prepared for what was coming. She grabbed Tessa&#039;s wrist so that the latter couldn&#039;t move another inch. <br /> <br /> Tessa was shorter than Raegan. As a result, she struggled like an octopus that had one of its tentacles stuck in a fishing trap. <br /> <br /> Tessa cursed angrily, &quot;How dare you put your hands on me? Who do you think you are?&quot;<br /> <br /> These harsh words attracted more people to the break room. <br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s enough!&quot;<br /> <br /> Out of the blue, a baritone came from behind. Mitchel had left his office and ran into this hullabaloo. <br /> <br /> The entire room fell silent. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel?&quot; Tessa&#039;s blood ran cold at the sight of Mitchel. She had always been scared of him. Her mother also warned her against provoking him. <br /> <br /> But when she remembered that Raegan humiliated her, she put on a pitiful expression and sobbed. &quot;Mitchel, she bullied me.&quot;<br /> <br /> The sunlight from outside fell on Mitchel&#039;s handsome face. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt so grieved all of a sudden, and lowered her head to look at her clothes which were soaked with coffee. <br /> <br /> Their gaze met in the air. With a deep frown, Mitchel looked at Raegan and said, &quot;Raegan, have you forgotten the rules of the company?&quot;<br /> <br /> His ruthlessness made Raegan&#039;s breathing cease. She couldn&#039;t believe her ears. <br /> <br /> No one dared to make a sound at this moment. <br /> <br /> Raegan just stood straight there with her slender figure. <br /> <br /> When she got employed here, Mitchel had told her that the Dixon Group wasn&#039;t a place for her to mess around and that he would not tolerate her making any mistakes. <br /> <br /> Raegan could understand why he took this stand. <br /> <br /> However, at this moment, she was desperate to know whether Mitchel had heard those hard words Tessa scolded her or he was just pretending not to have heard because he agreed to those words. <br /> <br /> Was she truly insignificant to him?<br /> <br /> Scared to death by Mitchel&#039;s rage, the crowd soon dispersed. A few employees were bold enough to peep from a distance, unwilling to miss the good show. <br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s cold eyes made Raegan shiver from head to toe. <br /> <br /> Raegan pinched her palm to suppress her emotions as she looked at Tessa. <br /> <br /> &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Ms. Lloyd. As an employee of the Dixon Group, it was wrong of me to have offended you.&quot;<br /> <br /> Eyeing Raegan, Tessa raised her chin complacently. &quot;Humph! Don&#039;t think you&#039;ll be let off the hook just by making a simple apology. I don&#039;t buy...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;The offence has nothing to do with the company. Personally, I refuse to apologize to you. Now, if you&#039;d excuse me,&quot; Raegan chimed in. <br /> <br /> She then walked past Mitchel without sparing him another look. <br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa&#039;s face turned blue after hearing what Raegan said. <br /> <br /> Never in her years of being alive had she been so humiliated. She was always the bully, not the victim! <br /> <br /> The humiliation was so much that scolding Raegan wouldn&#039;t appease her anger. <br /> <br /> Pointing in Raegan&#039;s direction, Tessa shouted, &quot;Mitchel, did you hear what that woman just said? She humiliated me, yet she&#039;s still so arrogant. Call her back. I have to teach her some manners!&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel, staring at Raegan&#039;s thin back, had an ambiguous expression at this moment. <br /> <br /> &quot;Enough!&quot; he said coldly, raising his hand. <br /> <br /> As someone who lived and breathed drama and cruelty, Tessa didn&#039;t think Mitchel was partial to Raegan just now. She assumed that Mitchel didn&#039;t care about Raegan at all. <br /> <br /> Tessa gritted her teeth and said viciously, &quot;Next time, I&#039;ll get someone to teach her a lesson.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Tessa!&quot; Mitchel&#039;s tone and squint made it a reproof. <br /> <br /> Tessa trembled at once. <br /> <br /> With a somber face, Mitchel said, &quot;I&#039;ll only say it once. Forget about what happened here today. Leave Raegan alone.&quot;<br /> <br /> The aura he exuded made her tongue go dry. All the vicious ideas she had in store against Raegan disappeared in an instant. <br /> <br /> She stammered, &quot;Ok... Okay, got it...&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel cast a cold glance at her and spoke to Matteo. &quot;Irrelevant people wouldn&#039;t be allowed in here from today onwards.&quot;<br /> <br /> Without catching the drift, Tessa flattered Mitchel. &quot;Nice call. This is a top company. Not everyone gains access in here.&quot;<br /> <br /> Matteo nodded to Mitchel and then walked over to Tessa. He gestured to the exit. &quot;Ms. Lloyd, this way, please.&quot;<br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until this moment that Tessa realized that she was the irrelevant person Mitchel just mentioned. She tried to speak to him, but Matteo blocked her way. The security guards then escorted her out. <br /> <br /> They showed her no mercy. Her struggle was useless. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Raegan got changed when she returned to her office. <br /> <br /> Her heart was filled with sadness as she thought of how Mitchel looked at her minutes ago. <br /> <br /> Closing hour soon rolled by. <br /> <br /> Raegan took her bag and headed for the exit. However, Matteo stopped her. <br /> <br /> He said, &quot;Mr. Dixon has something urgent to deal with, so he asked me to drive you home.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan declined the ride without thinking twice. <br /> <br /> She was blind before, but now she could see through the situation. <br /> <br /> In Mitchel&#039;s eyes, she was just a nobody. <br /> <br /> How could Mitchel agree to accompany her to visit her grandmother when he didn&#039;t even care about her? <br /> <br /> Upon arriving at the hospital, Raegan saw that the nurse was about to feed her grandmother dinner. Raegan took the job over and did it by herself. <br /> <br /> All her life, her grandmother had been living in the countryside, enjoying a quiet life. Everything changed last month when her routine medical checkup showed that she was in need of medical care. Raegan insisted on bringing her to the city for better treatment. <br /> <br /> Her grandmother wasn&#039;t aware of her marriage to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> Raegan had planned to surprise her today. But as it turned out, that was no longer necessary. <br /> <br /> Raegan waited for her grandmother to fall asleep before she left. She walked out of the hospital and waited for a taxi. <br /> <br /> In the distance, a black luxury car pulled into the entrance of the hospital. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s eyes lit up when she saw it. She recognized that car as Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> Did he come to pick her up? <br /> <br /> At this moment, she forgot all the pain she had been feeling. <br /> <br /> Were her thoughts about him all wrong? Did he care for her, contrary to the gossip? <br /> <br /> The door of the driver&#039;s side opened and Mitchel got out. <br /> <br /> Raegan started walking toward him with her heart brimming with joy. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had just walked over to the other side and carried a woman out of the car. <br /> <br /> Worry and compassion were written all over his handsome face. <br /> <br /> This wiped the smile on Raegan&#039;s face. Her heart sank. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Let&#039;s Divorce<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s tall and straight figure got closer and closer to Raegan. And then, without saying a word, he strode past Raegan. <br /> <br /> It was hard to tell if Mitchel saw Raegan or just ignored her. <br /> <br /> Regardless, Raegan noticed that the woman in his arms was the same one who had been photographed with him yesterday. <br /> <br /> She was Lauren. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s shoes felt like they were made of lead as she walked away. <br /> <br /> She lost all awareness of her surroundings. She got into a taxi absentmindedly. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, the driver uttered, &quot;Ma&#039;am, where to?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan was stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t want to go back to Serenity Villas. It was only a matter of time before that place stopped being her home. <br /> <br /> After a while, she replied, &quot;Please take me to Crystal Bay.&quot;<br /> <br /> She had purchased an apartment at Crystal Bay after getting married to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> At the time, she had hopes of bringing her grandmother to the city, so she bought the apartment on mortgage. It wasn&#039;t that big, but it had more than enough space for two people. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t understand why she wanted to buy an apartment. He offered to give her a bigger one, but she declined. <br /> <br /> Looking back now, she realized that buying that apartment was the only wise decision she had ever made in the last two years. <br /> <br /> When she arrived at the apartment complex, Raegan sat in the park alone, trying to cool herself down. <br /> <br /> The memories of the past two years were bittersweet. <br /> <br /> Two years had passed in the blink of an eye even though it was more than seven hundred days and nights. <br /> <br /> Love could move mountains, they said. <br /> <br /> Yet, her love didn&#039;t move that stone of a man. She finally realized what a fool she had been. She had been making herself a laughingstock in front of everyone. <br /> <br /> It was already late in the night before Raegan finally decided to go into her apartment. <br /> <br /> As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Mitchel standing in front of the door. <br /> <br /> His sleeves were rolled up casually, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, which revealed his long neck and part of his collarbone. He was leaning on the wall by the door, his handsome face straight. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a moment. <br /> <br /> Why was he here? Didn&#039;t she see him at the hospital with Lauren? What brought him here? <br /> <br /> Their eyes met. With his coat draped over his arm and one of his hands in his pocket, Mitchel squinted at her. <br /> <br /> &quot;Why didn&#039;t you answer the phone?&quot; he asked, sounding a little grumpy like someone who hadn&#039;t slept in a long time. <br /> <br /> Raegan took out her phone and saw she had accidentally put it on DND. <br /> <br /> There were five missed calls from Mitchel. <br /> <br /> This marked the first time in their two-year marriage. <br /> <br /> Mitchel blew up her phone because he couldn&#039;t find her? Surprising! <br /> <br /> Before today, she would have been overjoyed by this. People would&#039;ve thought she won the lottery. <br /> <br /> But now, she just threw her phone back into her bag, folded her arms, and said in a hoarse voice, &quot;I didn&#039;t hear it ring.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel raised his hand to check the time on the watch, and said impatiently, &quot;I&#039;ve been looking for you for two hours.&quot;<br /> <br /> After arranging everything for Lauren, he returned home to find an empty house. He looked for Raegan everywhere. When he couldn&#039;t find her, he asked Matteo to check the surveillance footage of all the roads that led away from the company. <br /> <br /> He later found out that Raegan went to Crystal Bay without telling him. <br /> <br /> &quot;Next time, tell me when you are coming here, okay? Let&#039;s go home now.&quot; After that, Mitchel walked toward the elevator without sparing her another glance. <br /> <br /> He meant to go back to Serenity Villas. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t move an inch. She just stared at his broad back and pondered reluctantly. <br /> <br /> Would they have a future? <br /> <br /> Mitchell turned around, only to see that Raegan hadn&#039;t taken a single step. He frowned and asked, &quot;Can&#039;t you walk? Do you want me to carry you instead?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light in the corridor illuminated his face, making his side profile almost impeccable. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and said, &quot;Let&#039;s divorce.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s voice was cold, and his handsome face changed immediately. <br /> <br /> &quot;I want to move into my own place. After all, we will be strangers soon.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan forced a smile, but her heart was aching as if someone was tearing it apart bit by bit. <br /> <br /> &quot;We will be strangers?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel smiled coldly. &quot;Raegan, what do you think our relationship is now?&quot;<br /> <br /> His questioning left Raegan stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had made it very clear to her from the very beginning. This facade of their marriage had happened by mutual agreement. There was no love. In the eyes of others, they were nothing more than just a superior and a subordinate. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was quite the catch in Ardlens. Many young ladies longed for his love and were even willing to throw themselves at him. <br /> <br /> His question just now reminded her of that fact. Was he afraid that she wouldn&#039;t let him go that easily? If that was the case, he couldn&#039;t be more wrong... <br /> <br /> After biting her lower lip to conceal her bitterness, Raegan said, &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Mr. Dixon. I was giving it too much thought. Anyway, please leave me alone from now on. You don&#039;t have to come here again.&quot;<br /> <br /> After saying that, Raegan couldn&#039;t help but burst into tears. <br /> <br /> How could she not be sad when she was cutting ties with the man she had loved for a decade? It was such a long time. <br /> <br /> Regardless of how difficult it was, she knew it was time to let go. <br /> <br /> It was high time she stopped being a fool. <br /> <br /> Strangely, the light in the corridor began flickering. <br /> <br /> The deathly stare Mitchel was giving Raegan right now made the atmosphere seem like the moment before an attack in a horror movie. <br /> <br /> Although he understood that Raegan sometimes could throw a tantrum, he felt that she had just crossed the line now. <br /> <br /> His eyes shone like blazing torches at this moment. But when he saw the tears in her eyes, the rage inside him extinguished in an instant. He said in a low voice, &quot;If this is about what happened between you and Tessa, I...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No, this isn&#039;t about her. Mr. Dixon, please leave now.&quot;<br /> <br /> A lot of things happened between them. And the incident with Tessa didn&#039;t come close to any. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt exhausted. She passed by Mitchel and was about to open the door. <br /> <br /> Yet, Mitchel was displeased with her stubbornness. <br /> <br /> He loosened his tie irritably. He then took a step forward and grabbed her wrist. <br /> <br /> &quot;Stop this, will you?&quot;<br /> <br /> A second later, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. <br /> <br /> He instantly realized that she was burning up like someone who had been set on fire. <br /> <br /> &quot;You have a fever?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan felt dizzy. She rested her head on his chest weakly. <br /> <br /> This made the whole situation complicated. <br /> <br /> Reagan was slow to catch that. When she finally realized that her body was too close to his, she put her hands against his chest and tried to pull back. <br /> <br /> Before she could escape, Mitchel pulled her back and held her by the waist. With a cold face, he said in a low voice, &quot;Where do you think you are going?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light flickered again. Out of the blue, Mitchel lifted her up. <br /> <br /> He then headed for the elevator. <br /> <br /> In a daze, Raegan asked softly, &quot;What are you doing?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What does it look like I am doing?&quot; Mitchel remarked. &quot;Taking you to the hospital, of course.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No way!&quot; Raegan cried out in surprise and seemed to regain more strength. <br /> <br /> Mitchel might find out about her condition if they went to the hospital.<br /> <br /> Raegan struggled to get out of Mitchel&#039;s arms. However, his tight grip made her efforts fruitless. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t be so stubborn. You are sick, so you must see the doctor,&quot; Mitchel said firmly. <br /> <br /> He walked to the elevator with her in his arms. At this moment, Raegan&#039;s heart was thumping so hard that it could jump out of her chest. She flailed in protest. <br /> <br /> &quot;Put me down! I don&#039;t want to go to the hospital!&quot;<br /> <br /> &amp;13&amp; LEARN_MORE https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-FB_CONTACT-E 159129143942156 Hello reading https://facebook.com/61552535188096 43,118 1 411,810,375,155,078 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Learn more 0 Hello reading 120212338454260091 fbweb.moboreader.net NONE video https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-FB_CONTACT-ENJ57_8-Core1.html?adid={{ad.id}}&char=124213&accid=798859118295947 2024-05-09 08:15 https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/441246275_1625662124900946_5595023424329066585_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=1_K4K7rBFTcQ7kNvgFjWQih&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYAJTlEurD2Tv7CwP2k4Ebr37JOiq1KlhcnQGD_z7N6zvw&oe=6697137E person_profile 0 moboreader https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/441241151_1469867830287435_8437326350750370919_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=RIJKTxHAPJcQ7kNvgH-bDBQ&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYDUSFwVaH3xDN5pPaKDNlEdALQVTqD9IH8PbW9tHTq12Q&oe=669716CD 0 3 Hello reading 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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Yes 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 1518435292122654 Read next chapter👉 She signed the divorce papers and left without taking her phone. He checked her phone and got floored at the message: Please come tomorrow for another prenatal care checkup!<br /> =============<br /> <br /> Chapter 1 Ex-girlfriend Returns<br /> <br /> Raegan Hayes was a little absent-minded at the moment. <br /> <br /> All she could think of since this afternoon was the doctor&#039;s words. &quot;Congratulations! You are going to be a mom.&quot;<br /> <br /> Suddenly, Mitchel Dixon pinched her arm. His low voice came the next second. &quot;Come back to earth. What are you thinking about?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was her husband. They had been married secretly for two years. He was her superior at work, the president of the Dixon Group. <br /> <br /> Everything had happened so fast. She was newly employed in the company when they unexpectedly got married. <br /> <br /> At that time, Mitchel&#039;s grandfather fell seriously ill. It was then he proposed a fake marriage just to fulfill his grandfather&#039;s dying wish. <br /> <br /> They signed a prenup, agreeing to hide their marriage from the public. Their union could be terminated at any time. <br /> <br /> It was an unconventional thing to do. However, Raegan only considered herself lucky at that time. <br /> <br /> Never in a million years did she think she would ever get married to the man she had a crush on for eight years. She delightfully agreed. <br /> <br /> After their marriage, Mitchel was very busy. He spent most of his time working. <br /> <br /> Raegan wished she could spend more time with him at home. However, she was rest assured because there hadn&#039;t been any rumors or scandals about him with women in the past two years. <br /> <br /> Except for his mild indifference, Mitchel was a perfect husband. <br /> <br /> Raegan had mixed feelings as she stared at the medical report. <br /> <br /> In the end, she decided to tell Mitchel this news. <br /> <br /> She also wanted to tell him that she hadn&#039;t learned about him for the first time two years ago and that she had been crushing on him for many years before then. <br /> <br /> Just then, Mitchel’s phone rang. He went to the balcony and answered the phone. <br /> <br /> Raegan checked the time and found that it was already midnight. <br /> <br /> She felt a little uneasy. Who would call Mitchel at this hour? <br /> <br /> Mitchel spent a few minutes on the balcony. Thereafter, he returned and changed into formal attire. His handsome face which had a clear outline made him look dignified. <br /> <br /> He was something to see now. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t wait up for me. Good night,&quot; he said finally. <br /> <br /> What? He was on his way out? At this hour? <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s grip on the report tightened as she stared at him in disappointment. Unconsciously, she withdrew slightly. After thinking for a while, she blurted out, &quot;It&#039;s already so late.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s fingers froze on his tie. With a faint smile, he pinched her earlobe and said, &quot;Be good, okay? There&#039;s something I have to do. Don&#039;t wait up.&quot;<br /> <br /> With that, he headed for the door. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan quickly ran and caught up with him. <br /> <br /> Mitchel turned around and looked at her seriously. <br /> <br /> &quot;What&#039;s the matter?&quot;<br /> <br /> There was a tinge of coldness to his voice. An icy cloud hung over them as they stared at each other. <br /> <br /> A little distressed, Raegan asked in a low voice, &quot;I would like to visit my grandma tomorrow. Can you accompany me there?&quot;<br /> <br /> Her grandmother always wanted to see her. As a result, Raegan wanted to take Mitchel there to assure her grandma they were happy. <br /> <br /> &quot;Let&#039;s talk about it tomorrow, okay?&quot; Without agreeing or declining, Mitchel left in a hurry. <br /> <br /> Several thoughts were threading Raegan&#039;s mind. She couldn&#039;t sleep a wink. <br /> <br /> After tossing and turning for a long time, she went to the kitchen and made herself a warm glass of milk. <br /> <br /> A few notifications from some online blogs came into her phone. <br /> <br /> However, she wasn&#039;t interested in them. She was about to swipe them away when one of them caught her attention. The familiar name made her click on it. <br /> <br /> The news read, &quot;Famous designer, Lauren Murray was spotted at the airport with her mysterious boyfriend earlier today.&quot;<br /> <br /> Lauren was wearing a bucket hat. The man&#039;s figure was vague, but the outline of his body was enough to show that he was dashing. <br /> <br /> Raegan zoomed in on the picture. The next second, her heart dropped. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was the man in the picture! <br /> <br /> So, he canceled the afternoon meeting just to go pick up his ex-girlfriend from the airport? <br /> <br /> This realization settled like a boulder in Raegan&#039;s gut, rendering her flustered. <br /> <br /> Her hands trembled. Subconsciously, she dialed Mitchel&#039;s number. <br /> <br /> The dial tone brought her back to her senses. Just as she was about to hang up, the line connected, and a voice came from the other end. <br /> <br /> &quot;Hello!&quot;<br /> <br /> It was a particularly gentle woman&#039;s voice. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a second and then threw the phone away. <br /> <br /> She suddenly felt sick in her stomach. Covering her mouth, she ran into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet bowl. <br /> <br /> The next morning, Raegan went to work on time. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had tried to get her to stop working after they got married. Stubbornly, she insisted on making her own money. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t kick against her decision, but he asked her to work as his assistant, helping him with the daily chores. <br /> <br /> The head assistant, Matteo Jenkins was left to take care of the major affairs Mitchel had. <br /> <br /> Matteo was the only Dixon Group employee who knew about their marriage. <br /> <br /> Since inception, only male assistants were hired for the president&#039;s office. Reagan was the first and only female. Her employment broke the protocol. As a result, other workers couldn&#039;t help but wonder if she was involved with Mitchel. <br /> <br /> It took a while before they realized that Mitchel never gave Raegan special treatment. Strangely, this made them despise her even more. <br /> <br /> After all, no one would last long in anything while taking advantage of their looks.<br /> <br /> At this time, one of Raegan&#039;s colleagues handed her a document and ordered her to take it to Mitchel&#039;s office. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t return home last night. Raegan was so worried that she didn&#039;t sleep at all. <br /> <br /> All she kept thinking about was the woman who answered his phone when she called. What was her relationship with Mitchel?<br /> <br /> Raegan already knew the answer to that, but she was still in denial. <br /> <br /> It was difficult for her to come to terms with that fact. <br /> <br /> Raegan tried to remain calm now. She reasoned that no matter what happened, she deserved a result that would be rewarding for all the years she spent loving Mitchel. This couldn&#039;t be all for nothing, right? <br /> <br /> She pressed the elevator button calmly and went up to the president&#039;s office. Before she walked out of the elevator, she smoothed her hair to make sure she looked good. <br /> <br /> She had arrived at the office, only to see that the door was ajar. A man&#039;s voice came. She halted instantly. <br /> <br /> &quot;Come on, man! Do you have any feelings for Raegan or not?&quot;<br /> <br /> The voice belonged to Luis Stevens, a childhood friend of Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean exactly?&quot; Mitchel asked in a cold voice. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know exactly what I mean!&quot; Luis clicked his tongue impatiently and added, &quot;I think Raegan is a good girl. Isn&#039;t she your type?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Do you want me to hand her over to you?&quot; Mitchel asked carelessly. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know what, forget it!&quot;<br /> <br /> The scornful laughter of Luis sounded particularly harsh in Raegan&#039;s ears. <br /> <br /> They were talking about her as if she were an object. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the document. <br /> <br /> Soon, Luis&#039;s voice was heard again. <br /> <br /> &quot;By the way, I saw the gossip news about Lauren&#039;s mysterious boyfriend this morning. That was you, right?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Well, well, well! That woman still has you wrapped around her little finger. You always want to please her.&quot;<br /> <br /> Luis sighed and continued to tease Mitchel. &quot;As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Tell me, did you two...&quot;<br /> <br /> Their conversation was like a thunder exploding over Raegan&#039;s head. <br /> <br /> Her face turned pale and her body was as cold as ice. <br /> <br /> The woman was indeed Lauren! <br /> <br /> Absence made the heart grow fonder! <br /> <br /> Every word drove a knife into her heart. <br /> <br /> Several whispering voices filled her head at this time. She suddenly felt light-headed. Her vision became blurry. <br /> <br /> She held the wall and took a step backward. Suddenly, the door was opened from inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 2 One-sided Love<br /> <br /> Luis was the one who opened the door. It appeared he was on his way out. <br /> <br /> Raegan balled her hands, turned to him, and nodded. &quot;Hey, Mr. Stevens!&quot;<br /> <br /> Without waiting for him to respond to her greeting, she walked past him and entered the office with the document. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was seated behind a large luxurious desk. In an expensive suit and matching tie, he looked particularly handsome. <br /> <br /> Raegan noticed it wasn&#039;t the same suit he had on when he left home last night. How did he get changed? <br /> <br /> With her eyes lowered, she swallowed that question and said instead, &quot;Mr. Dixon, this is from the Marketing Department. Please sign it.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was expressionless as he signed the document at a glance. <br /> <br /> Raegan walked out the door as soon as he handed the document back to her. Luis was still standing at the threshold. <br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until she went out of sight that Luis turned to Mitchel and said in a hushed tone, &quot;Do you think she heard us?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s appealing eyes were expressionless at the moment. Obviously, he wasn&#039;t paying attention to what Luis was saying. <br /> <br /> To Mitchel, Raegan had always been docile and never felt jealous of anyone. <br /> <br /> Her strict obedience was all Mitchel demanded from her in exchange for treating her well. <br /> <br /> In the elevator. <br /> <br /> Raegan held her breath just to hold back her tears. Unfortunately, it didn&#039;t work. <br /> <br /> She had thought two years would be enough for Mitchel to realize how much she loved him and reciprocate her love. <br /> <br /> Now, it turned out that was just a pipe dream. <br /> <br /> She realized she would always play second fiddle to Lauren, Mitchel&#039;s true love. <br /> <br /> Reagan wiped her tears when the elevator halted. Save for her pale face, she looked normal when the doors opened. <br /> <br /> She dragged herself to the break room, intending to make herself a cup of tea. <br /> <br /> Several employees were chatting inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Guys, have you heard? Lauren Murray is back.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;And who is that?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, my! You don&#039;t know her? Lauren is the heiress of the Murray Group as well as a world-class designer. Most importantly, she&#039;s the only girlfriend Mr. Dixon has ever shown off in public. She&#039;s his first love!&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Why is her return such a big deal? Isn&#039;t it rumored that there is something between Mr. Dixon and Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan? She&#039;s nothing to Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon never admitted that he was dating her. And that is no surprise to me. After all, look at her. She&#039;s not even that beautiful. Yet, she behaves as if she&#039;s already Mrs. Dixon. What a fool!&quot;<br /> <br /> Standing at the door, Raegan smiled with self-mockery as she listened to them. It turned out everyone else saw the truth except her. <br /> <br /> The love was one-sided. <br /> <br /> &quot;Ha-ha, have you finally woken up from your wild dream, Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> A voice of mockery suddenly came from behind. Raegan turned around to see Tessa Lloyd, Mitchel&#039;s cousin, who had always despised her. <br /> <br /> Tessa must have also heard the employees gossiping. <br /> <br /> The last thing Raegan wanted to do now was argue with Tessa in the company. She turned to leave, but Tessa blocked her way. <br /> <br /> With a cup of coffee in her hand, Tessa uttered sarcastically, &quot;Lauren is back now. Do you think Mitchel will still give you any attention?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan said nothing to that. <br /> <br /> Seconds later, Tessa continued the ridicule. &quot;Maybe it’s time for you to seek out another man, you pathetic fool.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan clenched her fists and said coldly, &quot;Ms. Lloyd, if you are interested in that kind of thing, feel free to pursue it yourself.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s retort made Tessa&#039;s face change. <br /> <br /> The next second, Tessa raised her hand and emptied the cup of coffee on Raegan. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t think for a second that Tessa would do something so crazy. She held up her arms just to block the liquid from her face. In no time, the coffee drenched her clothes. <br /> <br /> Raegan frowned. &quot;What did you do that for? Are you out of your mind?&quot;<br /> <br /> It was lunch break and many employees were free to watch the drama. Tessa was even more complacent when she saw growing onlookers. <br /> <br /> She put on a mean-girl look as she said, &quot;What makes you so smug every day, huh? Do you seriously think that others don&#039;t know you are just an orphan? The nerve of...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa was silenced by Raegan’s shove. <br /> <br /> Her jaw dropped to the floor. She had never expected that Raegan, who was so quiet and timid, would shove her. <br /> <br /> Tessa stuttered, &quot;You... You pushed me? How dare you!&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan eyed her and replied, &quot;Yes, I did! It seems you need to be taught simple politeness.&quot;<br /> <br /> Indeed, she lost her parents when she was a child. But that didn&#039;t mean she would allow someone to walk over her for it. <br /> <br /> Wrinkles appeared on Tessa&#039;s face as she frowned in anger. As Mitchel&#039;s cousin, she was used to being fawned over and respected. This was the first time she had been treated like this. <br /> <br /> Tessa charged at Raegan like a raging bull, poised to retaliate. <br /> <br /> This time, Raegan was fully prepared for what was coming. She grabbed Tessa&#039;s wrist so that the latter couldn&#039;t move another inch. <br /> <br /> Tessa was shorter than Raegan. As a result, she struggled like an octopus that had one of its tentacles stuck in a fishing trap. <br /> <br /> Tessa cursed angrily, &quot;How dare you put your hands on me? Who do you think you are?&quot;<br /> <br /> These harsh words attracted more people to the break room. <br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s enough!&quot;<br /> <br /> Out of the blue, a baritone came from behind. Mitchel had left his office and ran into this hullabaloo. <br /> <br /> The entire room fell silent. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel?&quot; Tessa&#039;s blood ran cold at the sight of Mitchel. She had always been scared of him. Her mother also warned her against provoking him. <br /> <br /> But when she remembered that Raegan humiliated her, she put on a pitiful expression and sobbed. &quot;Mitchel, she bullied me.&quot;<br /> <br /> The sunlight from outside fell on Mitchel&#039;s handsome face. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt so grieved all of a sudden, and lowered her head to look at her clothes which were soaked with coffee. <br /> <br /> Their gaze met in the air. With a deep frown, Mitchel looked at Raegan and said, &quot;Raegan, have you forgotten the rules of the company?&quot;<br /> <br /> His ruthlessness made Raegan&#039;s breathing cease. She couldn&#039;t believe her ears. <br /> <br /> No one dared to make a sound at this moment. <br /> <br /> Raegan just stood straight there with her slender figure. <br /> <br /> When she got employed here, Mitchel had told her that the Dixon Group wasn&#039;t a place for her to mess around and that he would not tolerate her making any mistakes. <br /> <br /> Raegan could understand why he took this stand. <br /> <br /> However, at this moment, she was desperate to know whether Mitchel had heard those hard words Tessa scolded her or he was just pretending not to have heard because he agreed to those words. <br /> <br /> Was she truly insignificant to him?<br /> <br /> Scared to death by Mitchel&#039;s rage, the crowd soon dispersed. A few employees were bold enough to peep from a distance, unwilling to miss the good show. <br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s cold eyes made Raegan shiver from head to toe. <br /> <br /> Raegan pinched her palm to suppress her emotions as she looked at Tessa. <br /> <br /> &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Ms. Lloyd. As an employee of the Dixon Group, it was wrong of me to have offended you.&quot;<br /> <br /> Eyeing Raegan, Tessa raised her chin complacently. &quot;Humph! Don&#039;t think you&#039;ll be let off the hook just by making a simple apology. I don&#039;t buy...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;The offence has nothing to do with the company. Personally, I refuse to apologize to you. Now, if you&#039;d excuse me,&quot; Raegan chimed in. <br /> <br /> She then walked past Mitchel without sparing him another look. <br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa&#039;s face turned blue after hearing what Raegan said. <br /> <br /> Never in her years of being alive had she been so humiliated. She was always the bully, not the victim! <br /> <br /> The humiliation was so much that scolding Raegan wouldn&#039;t appease her anger. <br /> <br /> Pointing in Raegan&#039;s direction, Tessa shouted, &quot;Mitchel, did you hear what that woman just said? She humiliated me, yet she&#039;s still so arrogant. Call her back. I have to teach her some manners!&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel, staring at Raegan&#039;s thin back, had an ambiguous expression at this moment. <br /> <br /> &quot;Enough!&quot; he said coldly, raising his hand. <br /> <br /> As someone who lived and breathed drama and cruelty, Tessa didn&#039;t think Mitchel was partial to Raegan just now. She assumed that Mitchel didn&#039;t care about Raegan at all. <br /> <br /> Tessa gritted her teeth and said viciously, &quot;Next time, I&#039;ll get someone to teach her a lesson.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Tessa!&quot; Mitchel&#039;s tone and squint made it a reproof. <br /> <br /> Tessa trembled at once. <br /> <br /> With a somber face, Mitchel said, &quot;I&#039;ll only say it once. Forget about what happened here today. Leave Raegan alone.&quot;<br /> <br /> The aura he exuded made her tongue go dry. All the vicious ideas she had in store against Raegan disappeared in an instant. <br /> <br /> She stammered, &quot;Ok... Okay, got it...&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel cast a cold glance at her and spoke to Matteo. &quot;Irrelevant people wouldn&#039;t be allowed in here from today onwards.&quot;<br /> <br /> Without catching the drift, Tessa flattered Mitchel. &quot;Nice call. This is a top company. Not everyone gains access in here.&quot;<br /> <br /> Matteo nodded to Mitchel and then walked over to Tessa. He gestured to the exit. &quot;Ms. Lloyd, this way, please.&quot;<br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until this moment that Tessa realized that she was the irrelevant person Mitchel just mentioned. She tried to speak to him, but Matteo blocked her way. The security guards then escorted her out. <br /> <br /> They showed her no mercy. Her struggle was useless. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Raegan got changed when she returned to her office. <br /> <br /> Her heart was filled with sadness as she thought of how Mitchel looked at her minutes ago. <br /> <br /> Closing hour soon rolled by. <br /> <br /> Raegan took her bag and headed for the exit. However, Matteo stopped her. <br /> <br /> He said, &quot;Mr. Dixon has something urgent to deal with, so he asked me to drive you home.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan declined the ride without thinking twice. <br /> <br /> She was blind before, but now she could see through the situation. <br /> <br /> In Mitchel&#039;s eyes, she was just a nobody. <br /> <br /> How could Mitchel agree to accompany her to visit her grandmother when he didn&#039;t even care about her? <br /> <br /> Upon arriving at the hospital, Raegan saw that the nurse was about to feed her grandmother dinner. Raegan took the job over and did it by herself. <br /> <br /> All her life, her grandmother had been living in the countryside, enjoying a quiet life. Everything changed last month when her routine medical checkup showed that she was in need of medical care. Raegan insisted on bringing her to the city for better treatment. <br /> <br /> Her grandmother wasn&#039;t aware of her marriage to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> Raegan had planned to surprise her today. But as it turned out, that was no longer necessary. <br /> <br /> Raegan waited for her grandmother to fall asleep before she left. She walked out of the hospital and waited for a taxi. <br /> <br /> In the distance, a black luxury car pulled into the entrance of the hospital. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s eyes lit up when she saw it. She recognized that car as Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> Did he come to pick her up? <br /> <br /> At this moment, she forgot all the pain she had been feeling. <br /> <br /> Were her thoughts about him all wrong? Did he care for her, contrary to the gossip? <br /> <br /> The door of the driver&#039;s side opened and Mitchel got out. <br /> <br /> Raegan started walking toward him with her heart brimming with joy. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had just walked over to the other side and carried a woman out of the car. <br /> <br /> Worry and compassion were written all over his handsome face. <br /> <br /> This wiped the smile on Raegan&#039;s face. Her heart sank. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Let&#039;s Divorce<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s tall and straight figure got closer and closer to Raegan. And then, without saying a word, he strode past Raegan. <br /> <br /> It was hard to tell if Mitchel saw Raegan or just ignored her. <br /> <br /> Regardless, Raegan noticed that the woman in his arms was the same one who had been photographed with him yesterday. <br /> <br /> She was Lauren. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s shoes felt like they were made of lead as she walked away. <br /> <br /> She lost all awareness of her surroundings. She got into a taxi absentmindedly. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, the driver uttered, &quot;Ma&#039;am, where to?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan was stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t want to go back to Serenity Villas. It was only a matter of time before that place stopped being her home. <br /> <br /> After a while, she replied, &quot;Please take me to Crystal Bay.&quot;<br /> <br /> She had purchased an apartment at Crystal Bay after getting married to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> At the time, she had hopes of bringing her grandmother to the city, so she bought the apartment on mortgage. It wasn&#039;t that big, but it had more than enough space for two people. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t understand why she wanted to buy an apartment. He offered to give her a bigger one, but she declined. <br /> <br /> Looking back now, she realized that buying that apartment was the only wise decision she had ever made in the last two years. <br /> <br /> When she arrived at the apartment complex, Raegan sat in the park alone, trying to cool herself down. <br /> <br /> The memories of the past two years were bittersweet. <br /> <br /> Two years had passed in the blink of an eye even though it was more than seven hundred days and nights. <br /> <br /> Love could move mountains, they said. <br /> <br /> Yet, her love didn&#039;t move that stone of a man. She finally realized what a fool she had been. She had been making herself a laughingstock in front of everyone. <br /> <br /> It was already late in the night before Raegan finally decided to go into her apartment. <br /> <br /> As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Mitchel standing in front of the door. <br /> <br /> His sleeves were rolled up casually, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, which revealed his long neck and part of his collarbone. He was leaning on the wall by the door, his handsome face straight. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a moment. <br /> <br /> Why was he here? Didn&#039;t she see him at the hospital with Lauren? What brought him here? <br /> <br /> Their eyes met. With his coat draped over his arm and one of his hands in his pocket, Mitchel squinted at her. <br /> <br /> &quot;Why didn&#039;t you answer the phone?&quot; he asked, sounding a little grumpy like someone who hadn&#039;t slept in a long time. <br /> <br /> Raegan took out her phone and saw she had accidentally put it on DND. <br /> <br /> There were five missed calls from Mitchel. <br /> <br /> This marked the first time in their two-year marriage. <br /> <br /> Mitchel blew up her phone because he couldn&#039;t find her? Surprising! <br /> <br /> Before today, she would have been overjoyed by this. People would&#039;ve thought she won the lottery. <br /> <br /> But now, she just threw her phone back into her bag, folded her arms, and said in a hoarse voice, &quot;I didn&#039;t hear it ring.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel raised his hand to check the time on the watch, and said impatiently, &quot;I&#039;ve been looking for you for two hours.&quot;<br /> <br /> After arranging everything for Lauren, he returned home to find an empty house. He looked for Raegan everywhere. When he couldn&#039;t find her, he asked Matteo to check the surveillance footage of all the roads that led away from the company. <br /> <br /> He later found out that Raegan went to Crystal Bay without telling him. <br /> <br /> &quot;Next time, tell me when you are coming here, okay? Let&#039;s go home now.&quot; After that, Mitchel walked toward the elevator without sparing her another glance. <br /> <br /> He meant to go back to Serenity Villas. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t move an inch. She just stared at his broad back and pondered reluctantly. <br /> <br /> Would they have a future? <br /> <br /> Mitchell turned around, only to see that Raegan hadn&#039;t taken a single step. He frowned and asked, &quot;Can&#039;t you walk? Do you want me to carry you instead?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light in the corridor illuminated his face, making his side profile almost impeccable. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and said, &quot;Let&#039;s divorce.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s voice was cold, and his handsome face changed immediately. <br /> <br /> &quot;I want to move into my own place. After all, we will be strangers soon.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan forced a smile, but her heart was aching as if someone was tearing it apart bit by bit. <br /> <br /> &quot;We will be strangers?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel smiled coldly. &quot;Raegan, what do you think our relationship is now?&quot;<br /> <br /> His questioning left Raegan stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had made it very clear to her from the very beginning. This facade of their marriage had happened by mutual agreement. There was no love. In the eyes of others, they were nothing more than just a superior and a subordinate. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was quite the catch in Ardlens. Many young ladies longed for his love and were even willing to throw themselves at him. <br /> <br /> His question just now reminded her of that fact. Was he afraid that she wouldn&#039;t let him go that easily? If that was the case, he couldn&#039;t be more wrong... <br /> <br /> After biting her lower lip to conceal her bitterness, Raegan said, &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Mr. Dixon. I was giving it too much thought. Anyway, please leave me alone from now on. You don&#039;t have to come here again.&quot;<br /> <br /> After saying that, Raegan couldn&#039;t help but burst into tears. <br /> <br /> How could she not be sad when she was cutting ties with the man she had loved for a decade? It was such a long time. <br /> <br /> Regardless of how difficult it was, she knew it was time to let go. <br /> <br /> It was high time she stopped being a fool. <br /> <br /> Strangely, the light in the corridor began flickering. <br /> <br /> The deathly stare Mitchel was giving Raegan right now made the atmosphere seem like the moment before an attack in a horror movie. <br /> <br /> Although he understood that Raegan sometimes could throw a tantrum, he felt that she had just crossed the line now. <br /> <br /> His eyes shone like blazing torches at this moment. But when he saw the tears in her eyes, the rage inside him extinguished in an instant. He said in a low voice, &quot;If this is about what happened between you and Tessa, I...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No, this isn&#039;t about her. Mr. Dixon, please leave now.&quot;<br /> <br /> A lot of things happened between them. And the incident with Tessa didn&#039;t come close to any. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt exhausted. She passed by Mitchel and was about to open the door. <br /> <br /> Yet, Mitchel was displeased with her stubbornness. <br /> <br /> He loosened his tie irritably. He then took a step forward and grabbed her wrist. <br /> <br /> &quot;Stop this, will you?&quot;<br /> <br /> A second later, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. <br /> <br /> He instantly realized that she was burning up like someone who had been set on fire. <br /> <br /> &quot;You have a fever?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan felt dizzy. She rested her head on his chest weakly. <br /> <br /> This made the whole situation complicated. <br /> <br /> Reagan was slow to catch that. When she finally realized that her body was too close to his, she put her hands against his chest and tried to pull back. <br /> <br /> Before she could escape, Mitchel pulled her back and held her by the waist. With a cold face, he said in a low voice, &quot;Where do you think you are going?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light flickered again. Out of the blue, Mitchel lifted her up. <br /> <br /> He then headed for the elevator. <br /> <br /> In a daze, Raegan asked softly, &quot;What are you doing?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What does it look like I am doing?&quot; Mitchel remarked. &quot;Taking you to the hospital, of course.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No way!&quot; Raegan cried out in surprise and seemed to regain more strength. <br /> <br /> Mitchel might find out about her condition if they went to the hospital.<br /> <br /> Raegan struggled to get out of Mitchel&#039;s arms. However, his tight grip made her efforts fruitless. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t be so stubborn. You are sick, so you must see the doctor,&quot; Mitchel said firmly. <br /> <br /> He walked to the elevator with her in his arms. At this moment, Raegan&#039;s heart was thumping so hard that it could jump out of her chest. She flailed in protest. <br /> <br /> &quot;Put me down! I don&#039;t want to go to the hospital!&quot;<br /> <br /> &amp;13&amp; LEARN_MORE https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-fb_contact-e 215069711684182 Late reading https://facebook.com/61554989897813 14,733 1 1,828,628,754,287,220 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Learn more 0 Late reading 120210239806190758 fbweb.moboreader.net NONE image https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-fb_contact-enj57-1125-core1.html?adid={{ad.id}}&char=124213&accid=791750052879575 2024-05-18 11:46 https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/444467979_1239513267010824_3872173598754583312_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=9MA5GM2hdwUQ7kNvgGp_Krw&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AYCkDZIdLWGK-kTZacQ6-qpASrFrBKkYMZYkN2LW_Axo0Q&oe=6696F638 person_profile 0 moboreader https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/444152423_1344583602877155_4260813490909789304_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=yO9xkd3iDwUQ7kNvgGcvnkj&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYAS4-3vyT51pnz9B1ed-Fi90qZkL3syLbetRzIeYeG9dg&oe=6697217D 0 3 Late reading 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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Yes 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 326327153865808 Read next chapter👉 She signed the divorce papers and left without taking her phone. He checked her phone and got floored at the message: Please come tomorrow for another prenatal care checkup!<br /> =============<br /> <br /> Chapter 1 Ex-girlfriend Returns<br /> <br /> Raegan Hayes was a little absent-minded at the moment. <br /> <br /> All she could think of since this afternoon was the doctor&#039;s words. &quot;Congratulations! You are going to be a mom.&quot;<br /> <br /> Suddenly, Mitchel Dixon pinched her arm. His low voice came the next second. &quot;Come back to earth. What are you thinking about?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was her husband. They had been married secretly for two years. He was her superior at work, the president of the Dixon Group. <br /> <br /> Everything had happened so fast. She was newly employed in the company when they unexpectedly got married. <br /> <br /> At that time, Mitchel&#039;s grandfather fell seriously ill. It was then he proposed a fake marriage just to fulfill his grandfather&#039;s dying wish. <br /> <br /> They signed a prenup, agreeing to hide their marriage from the public. Their union could be terminated at any time. <br /> <br /> It was an unconventional thing to do. However, Raegan only considered herself lucky at that time. <br /> <br /> Never in a million years did she think she would ever get married to the man she had a crush on for eight years. She delightfully agreed. <br /> <br /> After their marriage, Mitchel was very busy. He spent most of his time working. <br /> <br /> Raegan wished she could spend more time with him at home. However, she was rest assured because there hadn&#039;t been any rumors or scandals about him with women in the past two years. <br /> <br /> Except for his mild indifference, Mitchel was a perfect husband. <br /> <br /> Raegan had mixed feelings as she stared at the medical report. <br /> <br /> In the end, she decided to tell Mitchel this news. <br /> <br /> She also wanted to tell him that she hadn&#039;t learned about him for the first time two years ago and that she had been crushing on him for many years before then. <br /> <br /> Just then, Mitchel’s phone rang. He went to the balcony and answered the phone. <br /> <br /> Raegan checked the time and found that it was already midnight. <br /> <br /> She felt a little uneasy. Who would call Mitchel at this hour? <br /> <br /> Mitchel spent a few minutes on the balcony. Thereafter, he returned and changed into formal attire. His handsome face which had a clear outline made him look dignified. <br /> <br /> He was something to see now. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t wait up for me. Good night,&quot; he said finally. <br /> <br /> What? He was on his way out? At this hour? <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s grip on the report tightened as she stared at him in disappointment. Unconsciously, she withdrew slightly. After thinking for a while, she blurted out, &quot;It&#039;s already so late.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s fingers froze on his tie. With a faint smile, he pinched her earlobe and said, &quot;Be good, okay? There&#039;s something I have to do. Don&#039;t wait up.&quot;<br /> <br /> With that, he headed for the door. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan quickly ran and caught up with him. <br /> <br /> Mitchel turned around and looked at her seriously. <br /> <br /> &quot;What&#039;s the matter?&quot;<br /> <br /> There was a tinge of coldness to his voice. An icy cloud hung over them as they stared at each other. <br /> <br /> A little distressed, Raegan asked in a low voice, &quot;I would like to visit my grandma tomorrow. Can you accompany me there?&quot;<br /> <br /> Her grandmother always wanted to see her. As a result, Raegan wanted to take Mitchel there to assure her grandma they were happy. <br /> <br /> &quot;Let&#039;s talk about it tomorrow, okay?&quot; Without agreeing or declining, Mitchel left in a hurry. <br /> <br /> Several thoughts were threading Raegan&#039;s mind. She couldn&#039;t sleep a wink. <br /> <br /> After tossing and turning for a long time, she went to the kitchen and made herself a warm glass of milk. <br /> <br /> A few notifications from some online blogs came into her phone. <br /> <br /> However, she wasn&#039;t interested in them. She was about to swipe them away when one of them caught her attention. The familiar name made her click on it. <br /> <br /> The news read, &quot;Famous designer, Lauren Murray was spotted at the airport with her mysterious boyfriend earlier today.&quot;<br /> <br /> Lauren was wearing a bucket hat. The man&#039;s figure was vague, but the outline of his body was enough to show that he was dashing. <br /> <br /> Raegan zoomed in on the picture. The next second, her heart dropped. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was the man in the picture! <br /> <br /> So, he canceled the afternoon meeting just to go pick up his ex-girlfriend from the airport? <br /> <br /> This realization settled like a boulder in Raegan&#039;s gut, rendering her flustered. <br /> <br /> Her hands trembled. Subconsciously, she dialed Mitchel&#039;s number. <br /> <br /> The dial tone brought her back to her senses. Just as she was about to hang up, the line connected, and a voice came from the other end. <br /> <br /> &quot;Hello!&quot;<br /> <br /> It was a particularly gentle woman&#039;s voice. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a second and then threw the phone away. <br /> <br /> She suddenly felt sick in her stomach. Covering her mouth, she ran into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet bowl. <br /> <br /> The next morning, Raegan went to work on time. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had tried to get her to stop working after they got married. Stubbornly, she insisted on making her own money. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t kick against her decision, but he asked her to work as his assistant, helping him with the daily chores. <br /> <br /> The head assistant, Matteo Jenkins was left to take care of the major affairs Mitchel had. <br /> <br /> Matteo was the only Dixon Group employee who knew about their marriage. <br /> <br /> Since inception, only male assistants were hired for the president&#039;s office. Reagan was the first and only female. Her employment broke the protocol. As a result, other workers couldn&#039;t help but wonder if she was involved with Mitchel. <br /> <br /> It took a while before they realized that Mitchel never gave Raegan special treatment. Strangely, this made them despise her even more. <br /> <br /> After all, no one would last long in anything while taking advantage of their looks.<br /> <br /> At this time, one of Raegan&#039;s colleagues handed her a document and ordered her to take it to Mitchel&#039;s office. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t return home last night. Raegan was so worried that she didn&#039;t sleep at all. <br /> <br /> All she kept thinking about was the woman who answered his phone when she called. What was her relationship with Mitchel?<br /> <br /> Raegan already knew the answer to that, but she was still in denial. <br /> <br /> It was difficult for her to come to terms with that fact. <br /> <br /> Raegan tried to remain calm now. She reasoned that no matter what happened, she deserved a result that would be rewarding for all the years she spent loving Mitchel. This couldn&#039;t be all for nothing, right? <br /> <br /> She pressed the elevator button calmly and went up to the president&#039;s office. Before she walked out of the elevator, she smoothed her hair to make sure she looked good. <br /> <br /> She had arrived at the office, only to see that the door was ajar. A man&#039;s voice came. She halted instantly. <br /> <br /> &quot;Come on, man! Do you have any feelings for Raegan or not?&quot;<br /> <br /> The voice belonged to Luis Stevens, a childhood friend of Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean exactly?&quot; Mitchel asked in a cold voice. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know exactly what I mean!&quot; Luis clicked his tongue impatiently and added, &quot;I think Raegan is a good girl. Isn&#039;t she your type?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Do you want me to hand her over to you?&quot; Mitchel asked carelessly. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know what, forget it!&quot;<br /> <br /> The scornful laughter of Luis sounded particularly harsh in Raegan&#039;s ears. <br /> <br /> They were talking about her as if she were an object. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the document. <br /> <br /> Soon, Luis&#039;s voice was heard again. <br /> <br /> &quot;By the way, I saw the gossip news about Lauren&#039;s mysterious boyfriend this morning. That was you, right?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Well, well, well! That woman still has you wrapped around her little finger. You always want to please her.&quot;<br /> <br /> Luis sighed and continued to tease Mitchel. &quot;As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Tell me, did you two...&quot;<br /> <br /> Their conversation was like a thunder exploding over Raegan&#039;s head. <br /> <br /> Her face turned pale and her body was as cold as ice. <br /> <br /> The woman was indeed Lauren! <br /> <br /> Absence made the heart grow fonder! <br /> <br /> Every word drove a knife into her heart. <br /> <br /> Several whispering voices filled her head at this time. She suddenly felt light-headed. Her vision became blurry. <br /> <br /> She held the wall and took a step backward. Suddenly, the door was opened from inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 2 One-sided Love<br /> <br /> Luis was the one who opened the door. It appeared he was on his way out. <br /> <br /> Raegan balled her hands, turned to him, and nodded. &quot;Hey, Mr. Stevens!&quot;<br /> <br /> Without waiting for him to respond to her greeting, she walked past him and entered the office with the document. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was seated behind a large luxurious desk. In an expensive suit and matching tie, he looked particularly handsome. <br /> <br /> Raegan noticed it wasn&#039;t the same suit he had on when he left home last night. How did he get changed? <br /> <br /> With her eyes lowered, she swallowed that question and said instead, &quot;Mr. Dixon, this is from the Marketing Department. Please sign it.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was expressionless as he signed the document at a glance. <br /> <br /> Raegan walked out the door as soon as he handed the document back to her. Luis was still standing at the threshold. <br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until she went out of sight that Luis turned to Mitchel and said in a hushed tone, &quot;Do you think she heard us?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s appealing eyes were expressionless at the moment. Obviously, he wasn&#039;t paying attention to what Luis was saying. <br /> <br /> To Mitchel, Raegan had always been docile and never felt jealous of anyone. <br /> <br /> Her strict obedience was all Mitchel demanded from her in exchange for treating her well. <br /> <br /> In the elevator. <br /> <br /> Raegan held her breath just to hold back her tears. Unfortunately, it didn&#039;t work. <br /> <br /> She had thought two years would be enough for Mitchel to realize how much she loved him and reciprocate her love. <br /> <br /> Now, it turned out that was just a pipe dream. <br /> <br /> She realized she would always play second fiddle to Lauren, Mitchel&#039;s true love. <br /> <br /> Reagan wiped her tears when the elevator halted. Save for her pale face, she looked normal when the doors opened. <br /> <br /> She dragged herself to the break room, intending to make herself a cup of tea. <br /> <br /> Several employees were chatting inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Guys, have you heard? Lauren Murray is back.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;And who is that?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, my! You don&#039;t know her? Lauren is the heiress of the Murray Group as well as a world-class designer. Most importantly, she&#039;s the only girlfriend Mr. Dixon has ever shown off in public. She&#039;s his first love!&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Why is her return such a big deal? Isn&#039;t it rumored that there is something between Mr. Dixon and Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan? She&#039;s nothing to Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon never admitted that he was dating her. And that is no surprise to me. After all, look at her. She&#039;s not even that beautiful. Yet, she behaves as if she&#039;s already Mrs. Dixon. What a fool!&quot;<br /> <br /> Standing at the door, Raegan smiled with self-mockery as she listened to them. It turned out everyone else saw the truth except her. <br /> <br /> The love was one-sided. <br /> <br /> &quot;Ha-ha, have you finally woken up from your wild dream, Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> A voice of mockery suddenly came from behind. Raegan turned around to see Tessa Lloyd, Mitchel&#039;s cousin, who had always despised her. <br /> <br /> Tessa must have also heard the employees gossiping. <br /> <br /> The last thing Raegan wanted to do now was argue with Tessa in the company. She turned to leave, but Tessa blocked her way. <br /> <br /> With a cup of coffee in her hand, Tessa uttered sarcastically, &quot;Lauren is back now. Do you think Mitchel will still give you any attention?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan said nothing to that. <br /> <br /> Seconds later, Tessa continued the ridicule. &quot;Maybe it’s time for you to seek out another man, you pathetic fool.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan clenched her fists and said coldly, &quot;Ms. Lloyd, if you are interested in that kind of thing, feel free to pursue it yourself.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s retort made Tessa&#039;s face change. <br /> <br /> The next second, Tessa raised her hand and emptied the cup of coffee on Raegan. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t think for a second that Tessa would do something so crazy. She held up her arms just to block the liquid from her face. In no time, the coffee drenched her clothes. <br /> <br /> Raegan frowned. &quot;What did you do that for? Are you out of your mind?&quot;<br /> <br /> It was lunch break and many employees were free to watch the drama. Tessa was even more complacent when she saw growing onlookers. <br /> <br /> She put on a mean-girl look as she said, &quot;What makes you so smug every day, huh? Do you seriously think that others don&#039;t know you are just an orphan? The nerve of...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa was silenced by Raegan’s shove. <br /> <br /> Her jaw dropped to the floor. She had never expected that Raegan, who was so quiet and timid, would shove her. <br /> <br /> Tessa stuttered, &quot;You... You pushed me? How dare you!&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan eyed her and replied, &quot;Yes, I did! It seems you need to be taught simple politeness.&quot;<br /> <br /> Indeed, she lost her parents when she was a child. But that didn&#039;t mean she would allow someone to walk over her for it. <br /> <br /> Wrinkles appeared on Tessa&#039;s face as she frowned in anger. As Mitchel&#039;s cousin, she was used to being fawned over and respected. This was the first time she had been treated like this. <br /> <br /> Tessa charged at Raegan like a raging bull, poised to retaliate. <br /> <br /> This time, Raegan was fully prepared for what was coming. She grabbed Tessa&#039;s wrist so that the latter couldn&#039;t move another inch. <br /> <br /> Tessa was shorter than Raegan. As a result, she struggled like an octopus that had one of its tentacles stuck in a fishing trap. <br /> <br /> Tessa cursed angrily, &quot;How dare you put your hands on me? Who do you think you are?&quot;<br /> <br /> These harsh words attracted more people to the break room. <br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s enough!&quot;<br /> <br /> Out of the blue, a baritone came from behind. Mitchel had left his office and ran into this hullabaloo. <br /> <br /> The entire room fell silent. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel?&quot; Tessa&#039;s blood ran cold at the sight of Mitchel. She had always been scared of him. Her mother also warned her against provoking him. <br /> <br /> But when she remembered that Raegan humiliated her, she put on a pitiful expression and sobbed. &quot;Mitchel, she bullied me.&quot;<br /> <br /> The sunlight from outside fell on Mitchel&#039;s handsome face. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt so grieved all of a sudden, and lowered her head to look at her clothes which were soaked with coffee. <br /> <br /> Their gaze met in the air. With a deep frown, Mitchel looked at Raegan and said, &quot;Raegan, have you forgotten the rules of the company?&quot;<br /> <br /> His ruthlessness made Raegan&#039;s breathing cease. She couldn&#039;t believe her ears. <br /> <br /> No one dared to make a sound at this moment. <br /> <br /> Raegan just stood straight there with her slender figure. <br /> <br /> When she got employed here, Mitchel had told her that the Dixon Group wasn&#039;t a place for her to mess around and that he would not tolerate her making any mistakes. <br /> <br /> Raegan could understand why he took this stand. <br /> <br /> However, at this moment, she was desperate to know whether Mitchel had heard those hard words Tessa scolded her or he was just pretending not to have heard because he agreed to those words. <br /> <br /> Was she truly insignificant to him?<br /> <br /> Scared to death by Mitchel&#039;s rage, the crowd soon dispersed. A few employees were bold enough to peep from a distance, unwilling to miss the good show. <br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s cold eyes made Raegan shiver from head to toe. <br /> <br /> Raegan pinched her palm to suppress her emotions as she looked at Tessa. <br /> <br /> &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Ms. Lloyd. As an employee of the Dixon Group, it was wrong of me to have offended you.&quot;<br /> <br /> Eyeing Raegan, Tessa raised her chin complacently. &quot;Humph! Don&#039;t think you&#039;ll be let off the hook just by making a simple apology. I don&#039;t buy...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;The offence has nothing to do with the company. Personally, I refuse to apologize to you. Now, if you&#039;d excuse me,&quot; Raegan chimed in. <br /> <br /> She then walked past Mitchel without sparing him another look. <br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa&#039;s face turned blue after hearing what Raegan said. <br /> <br /> Never in her years of being alive had she been so humiliated. She was always the bully, not the victim! <br /> <br /> The humiliation was so much that scolding Raegan wouldn&#039;t appease her anger. <br /> <br /> Pointing in Raegan&#039;s direction, Tessa shouted, &quot;Mitchel, did you hear what that woman just said? She humiliated me, yet she&#039;s still so arrogant. Call her back. I have to teach her some manners!&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel, staring at Raegan&#039;s thin back, had an ambiguous expression at this moment. <br /> <br /> &quot;Enough!&quot; he said coldly, raising his hand. <br /> <br /> As someone who lived and breathed drama and cruelty, Tessa didn&#039;t think Mitchel was partial to Raegan just now. She assumed that Mitchel didn&#039;t care about Raegan at all. <br /> <br /> Tessa gritted her teeth and said viciously, &quot;Next time, I&#039;ll get someone to teach her a lesson.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Tessa!&quot; Mitchel&#039;s tone and squint made it a reproof. <br /> <br /> Tessa trembled at once. <br /> <br /> With a somber face, Mitchel said, &quot;I&#039;ll only say it once. Forget about what happened here today. Leave Raegan alone.&quot;<br /> <br /> The aura he exuded made her tongue go dry. All the vicious ideas she had in store against Raegan disappeared in an instant. <br /> <br /> She stammered, &quot;Ok... Okay, got it...&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel cast a cold glance at her and spoke to Matteo. &quot;Irrelevant people wouldn&#039;t be allowed in here from today onwards.&quot;<br /> <br /> Without catching the drift, Tessa flattered Mitchel. &quot;Nice call. This is a top company. Not everyone gains access in here.&quot;<br /> <br /> Matteo nodded to Mitchel and then walked over to Tessa. He gestured to the exit. &quot;Ms. Lloyd, this way, please.&quot;<br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until this moment that Tessa realized that she was the irrelevant person Mitchel just mentioned. She tried to speak to him, but Matteo blocked her way. The security guards then escorted her out. <br /> <br /> They showed her no mercy. Her struggle was useless. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Raegan got changed when she returned to her office. <br /> <br /> Her heart was filled with sadness as she thought of how Mitchel looked at her minutes ago. <br /> <br /> Closing hour soon rolled by. <br /> <br /> Raegan took her bag and headed for the exit. However, Matteo stopped her. <br /> <br /> He said, &quot;Mr. Dixon has something urgent to deal with, so he asked me to drive you home.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan declined the ride without thinking twice. <br /> <br /> She was blind before, but now she could see through the situation. <br /> <br /> In Mitchel&#039;s eyes, she was just a nobody. <br /> <br /> How could Mitchel agree to accompany her to visit her grandmother when he didn&#039;t even care about her? <br /> <br /> Upon arriving at the hospital, Raegan saw that the nurse was about to feed her grandmother dinner. Raegan took the job over and did it by herself. <br /> <br /> All her life, her grandmother had been living in the countryside, enjoying a quiet life. Everything changed last month when her routine medical checkup showed that she was in need of medical care. Raegan insisted on bringing her to the city for better treatment. <br /> <br /> Her grandmother wasn&#039;t aware of her marriage to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> Raegan had planned to surprise her today. But as it turned out, that was no longer necessary. <br /> <br /> Raegan waited for her grandmother to fall asleep before she left. She walked out of the hospital and waited for a taxi. <br /> <br /> In the distance, a black luxury car pulled into the entrance of the hospital. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s eyes lit up when she saw it. She recognized that car as Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> Did he come to pick her up? <br /> <br /> At this moment, she forgot all the pain she had been feeling. <br /> <br /> Were her thoughts about him all wrong? Did he care for her, contrary to the gossip? <br /> <br /> The door of the driver&#039;s side opened and Mitchel got out. <br /> <br /> Raegan started walking toward him with her heart brimming with joy. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had just walked over to the other side and carried a woman out of the car. <br /> <br /> Worry and compassion were written all over his handsome face. <br /> <br /> This wiped the smile on Raegan&#039;s face. Her heart sank. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Let&#039;s Divorce<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s tall and straight figure got closer and closer to Raegan. And then, without saying a word, he strode past Raegan. <br /> <br /> It was hard to tell if Mitchel saw Raegan or just ignored her. <br /> <br /> Regardless, Raegan noticed that the woman in his arms was the same one who had been photographed with him yesterday. <br /> <br /> She was Lauren. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s shoes felt like they were made of lead as she walked away. <br /> <br /> She lost all awareness of her surroundings. She got into a taxi absentmindedly. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, the driver uttered, &quot;Ma&#039;am, where to?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan was stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t want to go back to Serenity Villas. It was only a matter of time before that place stopped being her home. <br /> <br /> After a while, she replied, &quot;Please take me to Crystal Bay.&quot;<br /> <br /> She had purchased an apartment at Crystal Bay after getting married to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> At the time, she had hopes of bringing her grandmother to the city, so she bought the apartment on mortgage. It wasn&#039;t that big, but it had more than enough space for two people. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t understand why she wanted to buy an apartment. He offered to give her a bigger one, but she declined. <br /> <br /> Looking back now, she realized that buying that apartment was the only wise decision she had ever made in the last two years. <br /> <br /> When she arrived at the apartment complex, Raegan sat in the park alone, trying to cool herself down. <br /> <br /> The memories of the past two years were bittersweet. <br /> <br /> Two years had passed in the blink of an eye even though it was more than seven hundred days and nights. <br /> <br /> Love could move mountains, they said. <br /> <br /> Yet, her love didn&#039;t move that stone of a man. She finally realized what a fool she had been. She had been making herself a laughingstock in front of everyone. <br /> <br /> It was already late in the night before Raegan finally decided to go into her apartment. <br /> <br /> As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Mitchel standing in front of the door. <br /> <br /> His sleeves were rolled up casually, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, which revealed his long neck and part of his collarbone. He was leaning on the wall by the door, his handsome face straight. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a moment. <br /> <br /> Why was he here? Didn&#039;t she see him at the hospital with Lauren? What brought him here? <br /> <br /> Their eyes met. With his coat draped over his arm and one of his hands in his pocket, Mitchel squinted at her. <br /> <br /> &quot;Why didn&#039;t you answer the phone?&quot; he asked, sounding a little grumpy like someone who hadn&#039;t slept in a long time. <br /> <br /> Raegan took out her phone and saw she had accidentally put it on DND. <br /> <br /> There were five missed calls from Mitchel. <br /> <br /> This marked the first time in their two-year marriage. <br /> <br /> Mitchel blew up her phone because he couldn&#039;t find her? Surprising! <br /> <br /> Before today, she would have been overjoyed by this. People would&#039;ve thought she won the lottery. <br /> <br /> But now, she just threw her phone back into her bag, folded her arms, and said in a hoarse voice, &quot;I didn&#039;t hear it ring.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel raised his hand to check the time on the watch, and said impatiently, &quot;I&#039;ve been looking for you for two hours.&quot;<br /> <br /> After arranging everything for Lauren, he returned home to find an empty house. He looked for Raegan everywhere. When he couldn&#039;t find her, he asked Matteo to check the surveillance footage of all the roads that led away from the company. <br /> <br /> He later found out that Raegan went to Crystal Bay without telling him. <br /> <br /> &quot;Next time, tell me when you are coming here, okay? Let&#039;s go home now.&quot; After that, Mitchel walked toward the elevator without sparing her another glance. <br /> <br /> He meant to go back to Serenity Villas. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t move an inch. She just stared at his broad back and pondered reluctantly. <br /> <br /> Would they have a future? <br /> <br /> Mitchell turned around, only to see that Raegan hadn&#039;t taken a single step. He frowned and asked, &quot;Can&#039;t you walk? Do you want me to carry you instead?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light in the corridor illuminated his face, making his side profile almost impeccable. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and said, &quot;Let&#039;s divorce.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s voice was cold, and his handsome face changed immediately. <br /> <br /> &quot;I want to move into my own place. After all, we will be strangers soon.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan forced a smile, but her heart was aching as if someone was tearing it apart bit by bit. <br /> <br /> &quot;We will be strangers?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel smiled coldly. &quot;Raegan, what do you think our relationship is now?&quot;<br /> <br /> His questioning left Raegan stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had made it very clear to her from the very beginning. This facade of their marriage had happened by mutual agreement. There was no love. In the eyes of others, they were nothing more than just a superior and a subordinate. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was quite the catch in Ardlens. Many young ladies longed for his love and were even willing to throw themselves at him. <br /> <br /> His question just now reminded her of that fact. Was he afraid that she wouldn&#039;t let him go that easily? If that was the case, he couldn&#039;t be more wrong... <br /> <br /> After biting her lower lip to conceal her bitterness, Raegan said, &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Mr. Dixon. I was giving it too much thought. Anyway, please leave me alone from now on. You don&#039;t have to come here again.&quot;<br /> <br /> After saying that, Raegan couldn&#039;t help but burst into tears. <br /> <br /> How could she not be sad when she was cutting ties with the man she had loved for a decade? It was such a long time. <br /> <br /> Regardless of how difficult it was, she knew it was time to let go. <br /> <br /> It was high time she stopped being a fool. <br /> <br /> Strangely, the light in the corridor began flickering. <br /> <br /> The deathly stare Mitchel was giving Raegan right now made the atmosphere seem like the moment before an attack in a horror movie. <br /> <br /> Although he understood that Raegan sometimes could throw a tantrum, he felt that she had just crossed the line now. <br /> <br /> His eyes shone like blazing torches at this moment. But when he saw the tears in her eyes, the rage inside him extinguished in an instant. He said in a low voice, &quot;If this is about what happened between you and Tessa, I...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No, this isn&#039;t about her. Mr. Dixon, please leave now.&quot;<br /> <br /> A lot of things happened between them. And the incident with Tessa didn&#039;t come close to any. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt exhausted. She passed by Mitchel and was about to open the door. <br /> <br /> Yet, Mitchel was displeased with her stubbornness. <br /> <br /> He loosened his tie irritably. He then took a step forward and grabbed her wrist. <br /> <br /> &quot;Stop this, will you?&quot;<br /> <br /> A second later, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. <br /> <br /> He instantly realized that she was burning up like someone who had been set on fire. <br /> <br /> &quot;You have a fever?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan felt dizzy. She rested her head on his chest weakly. <br /> <br /> This made the whole situation complicated. <br /> <br /> Reagan was slow to catch that. When she finally realized that her body was too close to his, she put her hands against his chest and tried to pull back. <br /> <br /> Before she could escape, Mitchel pulled her back and held her by the waist. With a cold face, he said in a low voice, &quot;Where do you think you are going?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light flickered again. Out of the blue, Mitchel lifted her up. <br /> <br /> He then headed for the elevator. <br /> <br /> In a daze, Raegan asked softly, &quot;What are you doing?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What does it look like I am doing?&quot; Mitchel remarked. &quot;Taking you to the hospital, of course.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No way!&quot; Raegan cried out in surprise and seemed to regain more strength. <br /> <br /> Mitchel might find out about her condition if they went to the hospital.<br /> <br /> Raegan struggled to get out of Mitchel&#039;s arms. However, his tight grip made her efforts fruitless. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t be so stubborn. You are sick, so you must see the doctor,&quot; Mitchel said firmly. <br /> <br /> He walked to the elevator with her in his arms. At this moment, Raegan&#039;s heart was thumping so hard that it could jump out of her chest. She flailed in protest. <br /> <br /> &quot;Put me down! I don&#039;t want to go to the hospital!&quot; LEARN_MORE https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-fb_contact-e 159129143942156 Hello reading https://facebook.com/61552535188096 43,118 2 1,953,943,698,388,178 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 0 1 0 Learn more 0 Hello reading 120209831697080302 fbweb.moboreader.net NONE video https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-fb_contact-enj57-1125-core1.html?adid={{ad.id}}&char=124213&accid=825458485857502 2024-07-03 01:28 https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/449529772_834352238214487_4117190147782028602_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=PsO2ELXVyuIQ7kNvgHFjgDN&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYBfzFwauGVyU_7OdITlZAam8AtSCuOL3MiRIvidFPF4UA&oe=66971FB1 person_profile 0 moboreader https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/449626581_3762232990658522_8915701680989242694_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=8T2OXd1SRgIQ7kNvgFLQZCJ&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYDCnKnOkyLrybx35a1TgPy2RUKQt6dSdxHHERPgg1LoYA&oe=66971428 0 3 Hello reading 0 0 2024-07-05 02:00 View Edit
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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 1879802002516178 $37 Complete Spinal Decompression Exam 👋 HELLO Council Bluffs area!!!!!<br /> <br /> Back pain, disc issues including bulges and herniations, sciatica, stiffness, fatigue, and other health issues are no fun! 😫<br /> <br /> I&#039;m Dr. Mark Mouw of Nerve &amp; Disc Centers of the Midwest here in Council Bluffs, IA!! 👏👨‍⚕️<br /> <br /> And I wanted to create a NO BRAINER opportunity for you to come meet us in person and get AMAZING chiropractic care!<br /> <br /> Click the &quot;GET OFFER&quot; button below and enter your info to receive your voucher NOW! ⬇️<br /> It includes:<br /> ✅Spinal Decompression Exam<br /> ✅Medical X-Rays (if necessary)<br /> ✅Doctors Report of Findings<br /> ✅Treatment Plan Recommendations<br /> <br /> &quot;I see so many people suffer from pain and never seek chiropractic care just because they didn&#039;t know how it could help them without the use of drugs and surgery...<br /> <br /> So I hope This Gets You Off The Fence and you give Spinal Decompression a try...&quot; - Dr. Mark<br /> <br /> Click the &quot;GET OFFER&quot; button below and enter your info to receive your voucher NOW! ⬇️<br /> <br /> Not ready just yet? Check out what our patients have to say 😁👇<br /> <br /> + 437 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<br /> <br /> &quot;I wish I could use Decompression every day! If I didn&#039;t come here and do this, I don&#039;t think I&#039;d have the quality of life I have now!&quot; - Melanie K.<br /> <br /> + 437 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<br /> <br /> &quot;I wish I could use Decompression every day! If I didn&#039;t come here and do this, I don&#039;t think I&#039;d have the quality of life I have now!&quot; - Melanie K.<br /> <br /> + 437 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<br /> <br /> &quot;The staff is great to work with. A very busy place but the Doctors take time to listen to you fully and hear you.&quot; - Paula A.<br /> <br /> Click the &quot;GET OFFER&quot; button below and enter your info to receive your voucher NOW! ⬇️<br /> <br /> Still not convinced? Keep reading... 😁👇<br /> <br /> + 437 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<br /> <br /> &quot;Really worth investing! Especially when others fail!&quot; - Carolyn P.<br /> <br /> + 437 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<br /> <br /> &quot;I can play alot more with my two daughters and there is no more pain! The staff has been very friendly and helpful.&quot; - Sarah P.<br /> <br /> + 437 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<br /> <br /> Click the &quot;GET OFFER&quot; button below and enter your info to receive your voucher NOW! ⬇️<br /> <br /> You may be wondering... 🤷‍♂️🤷<br /> <br /> ✅What is Spinal Decompression?<br /> <br /> - Spinal decompression is the relief of pressure on the spinal cord or on one or more compressed nerve roots passing through or exiting the spinal column.<br /> - Chiropractors use Spinal Decompression to adjust the body&#039;s alignment to relieve pain, improve function and to help the body heal itself.<br /> <br /> ✅How can Spinal Decompression help?<br /> <br /> - Back pain, sciatica, sharp leg discomfort, failed back surgeries, muscle spasms, herniated discs, leg numbness and shooting hip pain<br /> <br /> ✅I&#039;ve seen something like this before or maybe I already have a chiropractor... how do I know this is legit?!!<br /> <br /> - We hear you! You can read the reviews above and see what our patients have to say about that ;)<br /> - Or... We would love for you to come in and see how we are different for yourself!<br /> <br /> ✅Is Spinal Decompression safe?<br /> <br /> - Of course it is safe!<br /> - We use a gentle and effective method where you won&#039;t feel any pain at all!<br /> <br /> ✅Will Spinal Decompression break the bank?<br /> <br /> - We have very affordable care plans to fit your needs and what works for you!<br /> - We want to serve and help you, and we will find a plan just for you that will get you the care that you need.<br /> <br /> ✅How are there so many vouchers and how do the vouchers work??<br /> <br /> - We reset the number of vouchers every month because we can only see 27 new amazing patients every 30 days!<br /> - Just fill in your info below and then you can call us to schedule a time to use your voucher or we&#039;ll be in touch with you very soon!<br /> <br /> ✅Why is it only $37? What&#039;s the catch?<br /> <br /> - No catch! We believe that this is the best way for you to come in and try Spinal Decompression and experience the magic!<br /> - This is the perfect way for you to try it first and come meet us and our team in person!<br /> <br /> ... So you&#039;ve heard from our patients, learned about Spinal Decompression, and we have an amazing/no-brainer offer for new patients to come in and give us a shot! 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Yes 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 851155876342227 Después de un día duro, relájate viendo más vídeos~ #Para vengarme de mi ex, me casé con un desconocido# ¡Para vengarme de la pareja infiel de mi prometida, me convertí en la esposa de su tío! WATCH_MORE https://fbweb.moboreels.com/12476375-fb-spy5-0705- 272723359246567 Mo-TV https://facebook.com/61556983348059 3,906 1 1,666,889,884,135,898 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Watch more 0 Mo-TV 120209499793690331 fbweb.moboreels.com NONE video https://fbweb.moboreels.com/12476375-fb-spy5-0705-2-core1-video.html?adid={{ad.id}}&char=141683&accid=243380358820866&jump=1 2024-07-12 04:14 https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450939361_863492192305300_5003703882155540896_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=Cb5A3_pjN3YQ7kNvgEB2Okw&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYBtDUuFK7JZyhN9ub7tyACTHZoIIl4KN91VYIFGUG1Rbw&oe=66972265 person_profile 0 Mo-TV https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450919528_2353448318380290_3580705602876621497_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=T6-FTLzhagYQ7kNvgEKJqS1&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYD0gpvm63FpC50o8EpL1gD1uo11hIfN8VQ8qR6g-3Q6ww&oe=6696FF7E 0 3 Mo-TV 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 1009964873862017 🤩“The Invincible Warrior”😘---ALL chapters for Free!😍💕 Born a commoner and unremarkable, he stirred up storms, unrivaled in the world. His medicines cured terminal illnesses, and his acupuncture healed the healthy...<br /> ----<br /> “Handsome, would you like to have some fun with me?”<br /> At a bus station in Jadeborough, a scantily clad woman flirtatiously wrapped her arm around Jonathan Goldstein&#039;s.<br /> She was wearing a pair of hot pants and a tight-fitting tank top, the faint outlines of her nipples visible, as she was not wearing any underwear.<br /> Jonathan, smelling the overpowering scent of cheap perfume on the woman, subtly withdrew his arm.<br /> “No, thanks. I&#039;m busy.”<br /> “What is it that is so urgent? Why not spend some time playing with me first? I promise it won&#039;t cost you much,” the woman persisted.<br /> <br /> She was a prostitute, originally planning to find a wealthy old man nearby and earn a few hundred.<br /> <br /> Unexpectedly, she met Jonathan.<br /> <br /> The moment she laid eyes on Jonathan, she was captivated by his handsome face and robust physique.<br /> <br /> Drawing on many years of experience, she made a fair assessment of Jonathan in her heart that he must be quite impressive in bed.<br /> <br /> And so, she immediately engaged with him.<br /> <br /> After all, it was all about selling. Compared to fat old men, Jonathan was clearly a customer of better quality. Not only could she make money from him, but she could also enjoy herself in the process. Why wouldn&#039;t she be happy about this?<br /> <br /> Clearly irritated by the woman, Jonathan frowned and snapped, “Get away from me!”<br /> <br /> His voice was soft, as he was at a bus station and didn&#039;t want to draw too much attention.<br /> <br /> But precisely because of this, his refusal seemed somewhat unconvincing.<br /> <br /> The woman gave a faint smile. She had seen many customers like him who tended to behave the opposite of what they really wanted. They were just too proud to admit it.<br /> <br /> With just a little more effort, she reckoned she could easily lure him into bed.<br /> <br /> The woman persisted and moved closer again, smiling coquettishly. “Why are you so shy despite being a grown man? Could it be that you&#039;re still a virgin? Surely, you haven&#039;t just graduated from school, have you?”<br /> <br /> Jonathan really didn&#039;t want to deal with this woman anymore, but seeing her relentless demeanor, he felt annoyed, so much so that a surge of murderous intent welled up within him.<br /> <br /> However, he quickly suppressed those feelings, but the slightly ferocious smile on his face was enough to send chills down anyone&#039;s spine.<br /> <br /> He turned to the woman, a hint of bloodlust flashing in his eyes. “You&#039;re right. I have just graduated, but not from a school. The place is called North Bera!”<br /> <br /> North Bera!<br /> <br /> The two words seemed to carry some significance, striking the woman&#039;s heart and making her forget to breathe.<br /> <br /> Since the founding of the nation, the wars there had never ceased, especially in the past two years, where the soldiers fell asleep to the sound of gunfire every day.<br /> <br /> Not only was the frequency of battles unprecedented, but so was their intensity. In that place, none of the bodies of the soldiers who fell in battle remained intact.<br /> <br /> Soldiers who managed to return from there often struggled with mental issues. If they couldn&#039;t reintegrate into society, they could quickly become terrifying killers.<br /> <br /> Did I really just consider sleeping with someone like that?<br /> <br /> By the time the woman regained her senses, the man who had captured her heart was nowhere to be seen.<br /> <br /> A massive screen in the square was broadcasting a news. “Asura has annihilated three hundred thousand enemy troops in North Bera. The century-long war in North Bera is finally coming to an end! The country has decided to bestow upon Asura the title of &#039;Dragon King&#039;, a status equal to that of His Majesty! According to rumors in the military, Asura has officially announced his retirement and has decided to make a public appearance in Jadeborough a month from now!”<br /> <br /> “After three years, I&#039;ve finally returned!”<br /> <br /> Jonathan looked at the bustling traffic in front of him and couldn&#039;t help but sigh.<br /> <br /> Jadeborough was a third-tier city.<br /> <br /> In fact, it could not even be considered third-tier.<br /> <br /> Many people, as soon as they had money, fled from this city to the more prosperous and developed cities or a first-tier city.<br /> <br /> For Jonathan, however, Jadeborough was the place he had dreamed of countless times over the past three years.<br /> <br /> In this city, there was someone he dared not forget for his entire life—his wife, Josephine Smith.<br /> <br /> Four years ago, he was at his wit&#039;s end, framed by others. His company went bankrupt, and he was being hunted down.<br /> <br /> Just when he was severely injured, slashed by someone over a dozen times, and nearly died on the spot, Josephine saved him and even paid off all his debts.<br /> <br /> There was only one condition, and that was to marry her.<br /> <br /> He agreed without any hesitation.<br /> <br /> The Smith family was a prestigious family in Jadeborough. Given his company&#039;s bankruptcy and his penniless state, how could he possibly be worthy of marrying the young lady of the Smith family?<br /> <br /> Even his wife, Josephine, had never once offered him a smile, let alone allow him to touch her after their marriage.<br /> <br /> He only found out later that the reason why Josephine married him was simply to avoid becoming a sacrificial pawn in an arranged marriage.<br /> <br /> And he was just a pawn used by Josephine to turn down the arranged marriage.<br /> <br /> Even so, he continued to endure countless cold stares and ridicule, all to repay the kindness of Josephine, who had once cleared all his debts.<br /> <br /> But on a day, three years ago, he unexpectedly found himself the target of an assassination. Inadvertently, he stumbled into a military camp and was forcibly conscripted.<br /> <br /> He became a soldier who couldn&#039;t even hold a gun.<br /> <br /> From then on, he began to wage wars far and wide.<br /> <br /> From a soldier who was once humiliated, he gradually became Asura who commanded respect.<br /> <br /> And all of this was simply because he had once stumbled upon a secret technique known as the Ancient Sacred Dragon Technique.<br /> <br /> But it was only later that he realized the Ancient Sacred Dragon Technique he held in his hands was only half a volume. The whereabouts of the remaining half was unknown.<br /> <br /> “Josephine, three years ago, you were dragged down with me, losing face and becoming the laughingstock of the Smith family! Three years later, I have returned! I will repay you a hundredfold for what I owe you these past three years! From this moment forward, no one in this world will dare to mock you. I will make the world bow down to you!”<br /> <br /> Jonathan took a step forward, heading toward the Smith residence according to his memory.<br /> <br /> However, as soon as he stepped out of the bus station, he ran into an unexpected person. “Ysobel?”<br /> <br /> Looking at the sexy beauty before him, Jonathan seemed somewhat surprised. He didn&#039;t expect to run into an acquaintance so soon after his return, and he didn&#039;t feel happy about it.<br /> <br /> Ysobel Linney was Josephine&#039;s best friend.<br /> <br /> Ever since he became part of the Smith family, Ysobel had been constantly belittling him in front of Josephine. She had even resorted to spreading rumors, all in an attempt to force Josephine to divorce him.<br /> <br /> The relationship between Jonathan and her wasn&#039;t good because of that.<br /> <br /> Seeing the surprised expression on Jonathan&#039;s face, Ysobel couldn&#039;t help but mock, “I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but it really is you, Jonathan! Who would have thought that the person rumored to be dead for over three years would actually return... He&#039;s back and already visiting prostitutes. How disgusting!”<br /> <br /> As she spoke, Ysobel gave her phone a little shake, revealing a photo she had taken sneakily.<br /> <br /> The photo captured the very scene at the station where the prostitute was clinging onto Jonathan.<br /> <br /> Chapter 2 I Object<br /> <br /> Jonathan stared at her phone, his face gloomy.<br /> <br /> She was standing not far away when she took the picture. She must have seen me reject that prostitute. Clearly, she&#039;s trying to use this picture to slander me.<br /> <br /> Just as Jonathan suspected, Ysobel indeed wanted to frame him.<br /> <br /> From the day Jonathan married into the Smith family, Ysobel had never once looked at Jonathan with respect.<br /> <br /> After all, Josephine was the young lady of the Smith family.<br /> <br /> Countless young talents and wealthy heirs had pursued her, yet she had chosen Jonathan, a penniless man burdened with debt.<br /> <br /> Ysobel had been constantly trying to find ways to separate Jonathan from Josephine.<br /> <br /> She had thought that Jonathan was dead and Josephine was finally free. But unexpectedly, Jonathan, who had been dead for three years, had returned to Jadeborough and was set to be with Josephine again. This was something Ysobel could not tolerate.<br /> <br /> “Jonathan, how desperate are you? You just got back and you&#039;re already picking up chicks on the side of the road? You could go ahead and search, but why search for such junk? I suppose she doesn&#039;t even cost a hundred, right? Jonathan, you&#039;re truly disgusting! I advise you to back off immediately. Stop bothering Josephine!”<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m just passing by. I&#039;m not her customer!” Upon hearing Ysobel&#039;s increasingly unpleasant remarks, Jonathan couldn&#039;t help but frown.<br /> <br /> He didn&#039;t care if Ysobel slandered him.<br /> <br /> He simply didn&#039;t want Josephine to have any misunderstandings about him.<br /> <br /> “You can&#039;t even admit to what you&#039;ve done, Jonathan. How is it that after three years, you&#039;re still such a coward?” Ysobel completely ignored Jonathan&#039;s explanation. “Josephine must have been blind to have fallen for you back then! I will definitely tell Josephine about this. I will make sure she divorces you!”<br /> <br /> As soon as she said that, she turned and walked away in her high heels.<br /> <br /> Jonathan suddenly grabbed her arm, his voice as cold as ice as he demanded, “Where is Josephine? Take me to see her!”<br /> <br /> “See her? You think you&#039;re worthy?” Ysobel sneered. “You want to know where Josephine is, don&#039;t you? Fine, I&#039;ll tell you. She&#039;s at the Phoenix International Hotel, on a date with Mr. Langford! Do you know who Mr. Langford is? He&#039;s the only son of the Chairman of Langford Group, Alvin Langford. His assets are worth several hundred million! He pursued Josephine for a full three years, and Josephine is just about to divorce you and marry him!”<br /> <br /> “What did you say? Josephine wants to marry someone else?” Jonathan&#039;s face turned cold.<br /> <br /> After three years of absence, he had just returned, only to find out that Josephine was actually about to marry someone else.<br /> <br /> “You heard that right. Josephine has been waiting for you for three whole years. Isn&#039;t that kind enough of her? Do you really expect her to live as a widow for the rest of her life just for you?”<br /> <br /> “Take me to see her!” Jonathan had no patience for idle chatter with her.<br /> <br /> He just wanted to see Josephine as soon as possible.<br /> <br /> “Why?” Ysobel snorted. “To keep pestering her? To cling on to her desperately? Have you no shame, Jonathan?”<br /> <br /> Jonathan stared into Ysobel&#039;s eyes, his face expressionless. “I said, take me to see her!”<br /> <br /> Upon seeing his calm gaze, Ysobel couldn&#039;t help but shudder. She felt as if she was being stared at by a fierce beast, as if every cell in her body was warning her of danger.<br /> <br /> Ysobel took a step back in fear, unable to comprehend why she was scared of Jonathan, who everyone else saw as a good-for-nothing.<br /> <br /> She wanted to reject him to show her support for Josephine, but when the words reached her lips, she just couldn&#039;t say them.<br /> <br /> She had no choice but to nod reluctantly.<br /> <br /> She had a premonition that if she truly rejected him, something terrible might happen.<br /> <br /> Ysobel hailed a taxi, and without looking back, she commanded, “Get in!”<br /> <br /> She then said to the driver, “Phoenix International Hotel, please!”<br /> <br /> The hall at the Phoenix International Hotel was decorated in a warm and romantic manner.<br /> <br /> Men and women, dressed impeccably, turned their gazes toward the most eye-catching couple seated at the table at the center.<br /> <br /> Josephine, dressed in an exquisite gown and adorned with delicate makeup, seemed somewhat distracted at the moment.<br /> <br /> “Josephine, as long as you marry me, your family&#039;s crisis will naturally be resolved by the Langford family!” Alvin looked at her and pulled out the diamond ring he had prepared in advance. “Marry me, and you&#039;ll become part of the Langford family. Who would dare to bully you in Jadeborough then? Who would dare to bully the Smith family?”<br /> <br /> Everyone in the room, as rehearsed, chanted in unison, “Marry him! Marry him! Marry him!”<br /> <br /> “Mr. Langford, this...” Josephine looked at the huge diamond ring in front of her, seeming somewhat at a loss.<br /> <br /> “I object!”<br /> <br /> Before Josephine could even speak, the door of the restaurant was kicked open with a bang.<br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Let Him Stay<br /> <br /> The entire place fell into an eerie silence.<br /> <br /> The audience, who had originally rehearsed their cheers, stared blankly at the entrance.<br /> <br /> Fury blazed in Alvin&#039;s eyes as he glared at the person striding in through the door.<br /> <br /> Josephine, on the other hand, was stunned.<br /> <br /> Jonathan?<br /> <br /> He... He&#039;s still alive?<br /> <br /> After not seeing him for three years, she, too, began to gradually believe the rumors of Jonathan&#039;s death.<br /> <br /> “You object?” Alvin gave Jonathan a cold glance, a hint of contempt in his eyes. “Who do you think you are? Do you think you have a say in our marriage?”<br /> <br /> “I am her husband, so tell me, do I have a say in this or not?” Jonathan sneered, not even bothering to glance at Alvin.<br /> <br /> He strode toward Josephine.<br /> <br /> “Josephine, long time no see!”<br /> <br /> Jonathan?<br /> <br /> People finally recognized that the man standing before them was none other than Jonathan, who had disappeared three years ago.<br /> <br /> Didn&#039;t he die?<br /> <br /> “W-What are you doing here?” Josephine instinctively took a step back, a distant look in her eyes.<br /> <br /> “Today is your birthday. I have to be here, of course,” Jonathan said with a faint smile.<br /> <br /> The reason he had chosen to leave the Northern Crimson Prison today a year ago was for Josephine&#039;s birthday.<br /> <br /> He had waited a full three years for this day.<br /> <br /> “So, you&#039;re Josephine&#039;s ex-husband?” Alvin finally began to take Jonathan seriously at this moment, but when he saw Jonathan dressed in clothes that might not even total a hundred from a street stall, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. “The useless freeloader who lived off the Smith family for an entire year? Didn&#039;t you die three years ago?”<br /> <br /> Useless freeloader?<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at Jonathan, their gazes suddenly filled with a hint of mockery.<br /> <br /> Jonathan really lived up to that title.<br /> <br /> Even after three years, he still exuded an air of a total loser. The clothes he wore from head to toe probably didn&#039;t even add up to a hundred.<br /> <br /> Compared to Alvin, the only son of the Chairman of Langford Group, he was simply a piece of trash.<br /> <br /> In fact, describing him as a piece of trash was an insult to the trash itself.<br /> <br /> He... was a piece of cr*p.<br /> <br /> “Well, I&#039;m well and alive now, aren&#039;t I?” Jonathan looked at him coldly, then turned to Josephine. “Josephine, let&#039;s go. Let&#039;s go home!”<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m not leaving!” Josephine rejected him without any hesitation.<br /> <br /> The moment Alvin heard Josephine reject him, he immediately laughed. “Did you hear that? Josephine won&#039;t go with you, you useless fool. You&#039;d better disappear from my sight before I lose my temper! Otherwise...”<br /> <br /> Alvin waved his hand, and immediately, several bodyguards dressed in black suits stepped forward, forming a circle around Jonathan.<br /> <br /> Everyone watched with a sneer as Jonathan was surrounded by those menacing black-clad bodyguards and began whispering to each other.<br /> <br /> This kid dares to challenge Mr. Langford? He really doesn&#039;t know what&#039;s good for him!<br /> <br /> Jonathan&#039;s expression remained unchanged. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his lips.<br /> <br /> These so-called bodyguards might look intimidating, but in reality, they were not even as competent as the most ordinary soldier under his command.<br /> <br /> Just as Alvin was about to give his order, Josephine finally couldn&#039;t hold back any longer.<br /> <br /> “Stop!” Josephine looked at Alvin. “Mr. Langford, today is my birthday. Please do me a favor and let him go.” She then turned to look at Jonathan. “Jonathan, you should go.”<br /> <br /> Alvin&#039;s face turned gloomy. After some thought, he waved his hand, signaling his bodyguards to step back.<br /> <br /> There&#039;s no need to let a loser ruin my relationship with Josephine.<br /> <br /> Seeing that Alvin was willing to listen to her, Josephine breathed a sigh of relief.<br /> <br /> But to everyone&#039;s surprise, Jonathan remained standing, showing no intention of leaving at all.<br /> <br /> “Jonathan, what are you up to?”<br /> <br /> Josephine sounded somewhat anxious. Doesn&#039;t he know that staying would only get him beaten up?<br /> <br /> Jonathan chuckled. “I&#039;m celebrating your birthday. I&#039;m your husband. Why would I leave on your birthday?”<br /> <br /> “You...”<br /> <br /> Josephine did not know what to do.<br /> <br /> At that moment, Alvin suddenly laughed. He stared into Jonathan&#039;s eyes and said, “Josephine, since he doesn&#039;t want to leave, then let him stay. It&#039;s perfect timing for him to see the gap between us! I want him to understand that compared to me, he&#039;s nothing more than a piece of sh*t!”<br /> <br /> Chapter 4 A Fake Diamond<br /> <br /> “Everyone, quiet down!” Alvin stood up and waved his hand, showing off the diamond ring in his hand to everyone. The originally noisy restaurant suddenly fell into absolute silence. “Today is Josephine&#039;s birthday. I specially ordered Seraphic Star from overseas for her! There is only one diamond like this in the entire world, and it&#039;s worth eighteen million!”<br /> <br /> Eighteen million!<br /> <br /> The moment these words left Alvin&#039;s mouth, everyone was stunned.<br /> <br /> Oh my goodness!<br /> <br /> That&#039;s a diamond worth eighteen million!<br /> <br /> Alvin actually gave it to Josephine without any hesitation?<br /> <br /> Everyone in the room looked at Josephine with envious eyes.<br /> <br /> “Josephine, what are you still waiting for? Hurry up and accept Mr. Langford&#039;s gift!” Seeing that Josephine didn&#039;t move at all, someone beside her couldn&#039;t help but urge her on.<br /> <br /> “Huh?”<br /> <br /> Josephine snapped back to reality.<br /> <br /> Even she was taken aback by Alvin&#039;s grand gesture of a gift worth eighteen million.<br /> <br /> “Mr. Langford, this... this is too valuable. I can&#039;t accept it...” Josephine shook her head.<br /> <br /> However, Alvin didn&#039;t give her any chance to refuse. “Josephine, you can&#039;t reject me because this is my proposal gift to you! Only you are worthy of Seraphic Star!”<br /> <br /> As he spoke, Alvin cast a provocative glance at Jonathan standing nearby. Can you afford a diamond ring worth eighteen million?<br /> <br /> Alvin was anticipating that Josephine would take the ring from his hand with a touched expression, and then give him a passionate kiss in front of everyone.<br /> <br /> However, she did not do any of that.<br /> <br /> Josephine hesitated to take his ring and turned her gaze toward Jonathan instead.<br /> <br /> This made Alvin&#039;s face contorted even more.<br /> <br /> “Josephine, what are you waiting for? Aren&#039;t you going to accept his ring?”<br /> <br /> “If you don&#039;t accept it, Mr. Langford will get upset!”<br /> <br /> “You&#039;re aware of what happens when Mr. Langford gets angry, right?”<br /> <br /> “Josephine, you&#039;re not still hung up on that loser, are you?”<br /> <br /> “What right does that good-for-nothing have to compare himself with Mr. Langford?”<br /> <br /> “Who does he think he is to compare himself with Mr. Langford?”<br /> <br /> “He has no money, no ambition, not even a proper job. He&#039;s completely reliant on the Smith family for his livelihood. Without you guys, he would have starved to death countless times!”<br /> <br /> “Besides, he&#039;s been gone for three years. Do you really think he still has you in his heart?”<br /> <br /> Josephine&#039;s girlfriends around her were even more anxious than her.<br /> <br /> “I... I...”<br /> <br /> Confronted with the relentless pressure from everyone, Josephine suddenly found herself at a loss.<br /> <br /> At that moment, Jonathan suddenly snatched the diamond ring in Alvin&#039;s hand and threw it to the ground. He said indifferently, “How shameless of you to propose to Josephine with such a piece of trash.”<br /> <br /> “Ah!”<br /> <br /> Jonathan moved so quickly that before anyone could react, they saw the diamond ring, worth eighteen million, bounce off the marble floor to a heartbreaking height, and then land next to Ysobel&#039;s foot.<br /> <br /> “What the hell are you doing?”<br /> <br /> Alvin could no longer hold back. He grabbed Jonathan by the collar and yelled, “Do you have any idea what you&#039;ve done? This is a ring that cost me eighteen million. Can you afford to pay for it if it shatters?”<br /> <br /> Jonathan casually brushed his hand aside and said in a nonchalant manner, “Isn&#039;t diamond supposed to be the hardest thing in the world? How can it shatter? If it shatters, can it still be called a diamond? Did you perhaps spend eighteen million on a fake diamond?”<br /> <br /> “No way! I have all the necessary documents and receipts. Do you think everyone is as inexperienced as you? If I could spend eighteen million, of course I wouldn&#039;t buy a fake! But kid, you&#039;ve got some nerve to throw my ring. It&#039;s quite gutsy of you!”<br /> <br /> Alvin took a few steps back, and his bodyguards advanced once again, intending to surround Jonathan.<br /> <br /> At this moment, Ysobel, holding the diamond ring she had just picked up, began cautiously, “Mr. Langford...”<br /> <br /> “What do you want?” Alvin glared at her menacingly.<br /> <br /> Ysobel&#039;s face turned pale with fright. She hurriedly said, “The diamond... It&#039;s shattered!”<br /> <br /> Chapter 5 Necklace<br /> <br /> “What? The diamond is shattered?”<br /> <br /> If it weren&#039;t for the clearly damaged diamond in Ysobel&#039;s hand, no one would dare to believe that it was true!<br /> <br /> In a fit of frustration, Alvin snatched the diamond ring from Ysobel, examining it meticulously to ensure it hadn&#039;t been switched.<br /> <br /> With a look of concern, Jonathan asked loudly, “Oh dear! How did it shatter so easily? Could it be that Mr. Langford actually bought a counterfeit?”<br /> <br /> The others couldn&#039;t help but whisper among themselves, “Right, isn&#039;t it said that diamonds are the hardest things in the world? How did it shatter?”<br /> <br /> “Could it really have been a scam? We&#039;re talking about eighteen million here!”<br /> <br /> Alvin hung his head low. Hearing the surrounding chatter, he felt his face flushed and paled alternately.<br /> <br /> At that moment, Jonathan raised his voice again. “Mr. Langford, should we call the police right away? It&#039;s ten million we&#039;re talking about, not a small sum!”<br /> <br /> Alvin could no longer hold back. He flung the diamond ring in his hand away, snarling, “Just eighteen million? I have plenty of money! What&#039;s this amount to me!?”<br /> <br /> Even though he said so, everyone present knew that he was bleeding inside!<br /> <br /> Alvin forcefully ignored the sympathetic yet mocking gazes from the crowd and said to Josephine, “Josephine, I&#039;m sorry. I&#039;ll make up for your birthday gift next time.”<br /> <br /> At this point, he was too embarrassed to bring up the matter of proposing again.<br /> <br /> Josephine quickly assured that it was no problem.<br /> <br /> Jonathan chuckled inwardly. The diamond is indeed real. It&#039;s just that these people lack discernment.<br /> <br /> Although diamonds are hard, they are incredibly brittle. If you drop one with force, it could very well shatter!<br /> <br /> However, Jonathan couldn&#039;t possibly tell them this.<br /> <br /> Seeing the unabashed smile on Jonathan&#039;s face, Alvin felt his mood worsened.<br /> <br /> At this point in the unfolding events, everyone was feeling a bit uneasy. It was safe to say that the birthday party was ruined.<br /> <br /> At that moment, Ysobel suddenly exclaimed, “Jonathan, didn&#039;t you say you came specifically for Josephine&#039;s birthday? You must have prepared a gift, right?”<br /> <br /> “Even though Mr. Langford was deceived, the money was genuinely spent on Josephine!”<br /> <br /> “Even the gifts we gave are the latest model smartphones, Chanel perfumes, and bags. What about you? As Josephine&#039;s ex-husband, what kind of gifts did you prepare for her?”<br /> <br /> The reason Ysobel said this was merely to cater to Alvin&#039;s feelings. Jonathan was someone she brought along the way. What kind of gift could he possibly be?<br /> <br /> “Exactly. Why don&#039;t you hurry up and show it to me?”<br /> <br /> A group of people were relentlessly mocking and ridiculing, and Alvin once again looked at Jonathan with a face full of disdain.<br /> <br /> I can&#039;t wait to see him become the laughingstock!<br /> <br /> “I&#039;ve had the gift ready for a while now!” With these words, Jonathan pulled out a plastic bag from his pocket. Inside it was a necklace that. At first glance, it seemed quite inexpensive!<br /> <br /> On the necklace, there was a piece of purple gemstone!<br /> <br /> At first glance, one might think it was a knockoff found by the streets for just over ten bucks!<br /> <br /> “Jonathan, is this the gift you&#039;ve prepared for Josephine?” The moment Jonathan presented the gift, the entire room suddenly burst into laughter!<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at Jonathan as if he was looking at a fool. “Where did you buy this from? A roadside stall? Did it cost you thirty or fifty?”<br /> <br /> “I bet it doesn&#039;t even cost a hundred, right?”<br /> <br /> “I made it with my own hands!”<br /> <br /> No matter how they mocked him, Jonathan remained unfazed!<br /> <br /> He couldn&#039;t even be bothered to pay them any mind!<br /> <br /> Thirty or fifty?<br /> <br /> Even if you&#039;re willing to spend thirty or fifty million, no one can hope to get this necklace from me!<br /> <br /> This necklace was his war trophy from North Bera, seized from the Northern Border&#039;s royal palace! And that purple gem was originally embedded in the crown of North Bera&#039;s emperor, forcibly plucked out by Jonathan!<br /> <br /> Moreover, this was a necklace personally crafted by him, the mighty Asura!<br /> <br /> Its value simply couldn&#039;t be measured in terms of money!<br /> <br /> “If it&#039;s handmade, then it&#039;s even less valuable!” Josephine&#039;s best friend sneered, “Who knows if you just picked up a broken beer bottle from some trash can, smashed it, and strung it onto a necklace?”<br /> <br /> She would never believe that Jonathan could afford to give a gemstone, even if it killed her!<br /> <br /> How can a good-for-nothing, who has been mooching off the Smith family for an entire year, afford to give a gem worth hundreds of thousands?<br /> <br /> “Exactly, consider Josephine&#039;s status...” Josephine&#039;s other best friend chimed in with a smirk, “Not to mention Mr. Langford, even the gifts we give are never less than ten thousand...”<br /> <br /> “Look at this shabby necklace of yours. It might not even be worth a hundred. Are you sure you want to give it as a present?”<br /> <br /> “Why not?” Jonathan was indifferent. “What&#039;s the big deal about the Seraphic Star worth eighteen million? Compared to this necklace, it&#039;s no different from trash! This necklace is worth a hundred pieces of Seraphic Star!”<br /> <br /> Lunatic!<br /> <br /> What a lunatic!<br /> <br /> When Jonathan uttered those words, the crowd couldn&#039;t help but roll their eyes!<br /> <br /> One is worth a thousand pieces of Seraphic Star?<br /> <br /> Is his shabby necklace really worth a billion?<br /> <br /> “Jonathan, enough is enough!” Finally, Josephine couldn&#039;t hold it back anymore.<br /> <br /> Before, she simply thought of Jonathan as a good-for-nothing, lacking ambition, no different from a loafer who only knew how to eat and wait for death.<br /> <br /> However, it was only today that she realized that Jonathan was not just a good-for-nothing, living off others and waiting for death, but he was also a vain, lying parasite!<br /> <br /> A necklace worth a billion?<br /> <br /> I can&#039;t believe he had the nerve to say that!<br /> <br /> Isn&#039;t he embarrassed?<br /> <br /> “Get out of my sight!” Josephine pointed at Jonathan as she thundered. “Come and see me again when you&#039;ve rid yourself of your annoying habits of boasting and lying!”<br /> ---<br /> Click below to read the full article“The Invincible Warrior”😘,ALL chapters for Free!😍💕 LEARN_MORE https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4 101035272554145 Interesting novel https://facebook.com/100083295431270 5,161 1 465,714,132,754,854 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Learn more 0 Interesting novel 120210807899510654 page.joyreadings.com NONE image https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4.html?lang=en&id=6347&brand=2&app=0&ppid=2650&pid=FBW2A&campaign={{campaign.id}}&adset_id={{adset.id}}&ad_id={{ad.id}}&utm_source=FBW2A&utm_medium={{placement}}&utm_campaign={{campaign.id}}&utm_term={{adset.id}}&utm_content={{ad.id}}&ori_campaign_id=120210807881390654&ori_adset_id=120210807894390654&ori_ad_id=120210807897760654 2024-07-12 02:20 https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450843665_802760098652285_3001001351132598225_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=5J1lMT0GJWgQ7kNvgFOnZ-g&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AYAT-s3d2BVH9z81Y7TdclN2c9FgQbfXF79Pv858f9CWrQ&oe=6696FB24 person_profile 0 0 3 Interesting novel 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 898747898757075 🔞🔥Click to Read more about📜<The Billionaire's Ex-Wife (Her Ex-Husband's Regret)>📜 💥💞Please, baby. Help me change Daddy&#039;s heart.<br /> <br /> I march towards my husband&#039;s office on the top floor of Steele Corp Building, carrying a present in my hand. It&#039;s our third anniversary and I thought I&#039;d give my husband a surprise. I just came back from the OBGYN. I placed my ultrasound photos inside a small box and wrapped it with a ribbon.<br /> <br /> &quot;Excuse me, Miss Carlisle. You need an appointment to see the CEO,&quot; Tara, my husband&#039;s secretary, blocks the entrance to my husband&#039;s office. &quot;Or do you want me to call your supervisor?&quot;<br /> <br /> She raises a haughty brow at me, acting like she&#039;s above me.<br /> <br /> Well, I suppose she is above me. She is the CEO&#039;s executive secretary, sitting in the office at the top floor, while I&#039;m just a graphic designer with a cubicle on the third floor.<br /> <br /> I have been married to Steele Corp&#039;s CEO, Kayden Steele, for three years. But sadly, no one in the office knows about it.<br /> <br /> &quot;Umm...&quot; I force a smile on my face. &quot;Mr. Steele called my extension and personally asked me to bring the present that arrived for him.&quot; I motion at the box in my hands.<br /> <br /> &quot;A present? From whom?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;His wife, maybe,&quot; I reply nonchalantly.<br /> <br /> Tara smirks. &quot;You know he&#039;s still single!&quot; See? Not even his secretary has a clue. &quot;Although, I wonder if it&#039;s from that woman he asked to be picked up at the airport.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What?&quot; Now, it&#039;s my turn to be surprised. &quot;What woman?&quot;<br /> <br /> Tara raises a skeptical brow at me again. &quot;That information is none of your business,&quot; she replies. Then she turns to open the door to Kayden&#039;s office. &quot;The graphic artist is here to see you, Sir?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Let her in,&quot; I hear Kayden say.<br /> <br /> As I walk past Tara, I can&#039;t help smiling at her smugly. If she only knew what I&#039;m carrying in my hands right now.<br /> <br /> This gift, this wonderful news, is going to bring my husband closer to me.<br /> <br /> This baby will change everything!<br /> <br /> I close the door behind me, and with wobbly legs and a big smile of anticipation on my face, I walk towards Kayden.<br /> <br /> He looks up from the papers on his desk as he watches me intensely. I almost lost my nerve as I remembered how devilishly handsome he was, with his midnight black hair, and blue-gray eyes. We&#039;ve been married for three years, but he still takes my breath away.<br /> <br /> &quot;Kayden,&quot; I call, my voice almost squeaking. &quot;I have... some news for you.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Before you say anything, I have something to say to you, too,&quot; he says in a voice laced with ice. When he speaks so coldly to me like that, I wonder if he&#039;s the same man who makes hot love to me at night.<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, okay. What do you want to tell me?&quot; I ask.<br /> <br /> He stands up from his seat. I cannot read the expression on his face as he stares back at me in silence.<br /> <br /> &quot;Kayden, what is it?&quot;<br /> <br /> He sighs heavily before turning away from me, as if he can&#039;t bear to look at me when he says what he needs to say.<br /> <br /> &quot;You see, when I was young, I vowed to marry someone,&quot; he mumbles. &quot;But unfortunately, I couldn&#039;t because...&quot; he trails off, heaving another sigh. &quot;But now, she&#039;s back in town. And I don&#039;t think I can do this anymore, Cassie.&quot;<br /> <br /> Wait, what did he mean by that?<br /> <br /> He turns around. His eyes look distant, devoid of any emotion. &quot;This is not working out for both of us. I want a divorce.&quot;<br /> <br /> Divorce?<br /> <br /> The word keeps ringing in my head like a deafening siren. Sure, this marriage was far from perfect. But in the years that I&#039;ve been married to Kayden, I tried to be the perfect wife. I made sure I gave him no reason to regret ever marrying me.<br /> <br /> &quot;But... why?&quot; Tears begin to brim my eyes.<br /> <br /> “Come on, Cassie. Did you really think this marriage was going to last?” he asks. His voice was ice cold, and his face almost stoic. “You know it wasn’t my choice to get married. You drugged me and threatened to expose my indiscretion the same week that I was going to be announced as CEO of Steele Corp! What was I supposed to do? Of course, I had no choice but to marry you!&quot;<br /> <br /> I shake my head. &quot;No, Kayden! I told you before that I didn&#039;t drug you. That night, somebody drugged me, too! I-I was framed. I don&#039;t even remember how I got to your room that night! Somebody made it seem like... like I staged it all!&quot;<br /> <br /> He sighs heavily. I doubt that he heard anything that I just said. Or maybe he did. He just doesn’t care. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I managed to gain control of my father’s company. Your family got whatever it is you wanted to gain out of this marriage. Maybe it’s better we walk away now, while we still can. Before we tear each other apart.”<br /> <br /> “I gave my life to this marriage, too, Kayden!” I tell him evenly. “I didn’t plan on marrying a stranger as soon as I graduated university! This was against my will, too. I also have dreams I gave up because of this marriage.”<br /> <br /> “How could I believe you? Your father was too eager to give you away. And his business suddenly boomed, didn’t it? I was desperate to gain control of my father’s company. And you just took advantage of my vulnerable situation.”<br /> <br /> I can’t believe I’m hearing this. In the three years that we’re married, I can hardly remember when Kayden showed me any affection. He’s always been reserved and indifferent. It wasn’t a perfect marriage, but I never thought he’d ask me for a divorce so soon.<br /> <br /> My hands tremble. The box I&#039;m carrying drops to the floor. My wonderful news, my little ray of hope, completely forgotten. &quot;Tricking you into marriage is the last thing I would do!”<br /> <br /> He scoffs. “But that’s exactly what you did, didn’t you? I dreamt of building a family for myself. On my own terms and at the right time. Marrying you felt like I wasn’t given a chance to choose what I wanted for myself.”<br /> <br /> I shake my head, unable to control the tears that&#039;s flowing from my eyes. I realize that no matter what I say or do, Kayden will never believe me.<br /> <br /> &quot;Is that why no matter how hard I tried to be the perfect wife... even after the many nights we made love, you... you never learned to love me?&quot;<br /> <br /> Kayden&#039;s face remains relentless as he stares back at me. &quot;Love? When you trapped me in this marriage, were you thinking about love at all? Your father bagged his biggest clients at the mere mention of my name, remember? It’s all about money and power. Of course, I could never love you!”<br /> <br /> I inhale deeply. It&#039;s painfully obvious now what the man I had desperately loved for three years thought of me: a gold-digging, scheming bitch!<br /> <br /> Looking back at that night, I know that somebody had spiked my drink, and somehow, I ended up in Kayden&#039;s penthouse. And the morning after, somebody had tipped the paparazzi and made it look like I blackmailed Kayden into marrying me. I know that somebody had set me up. I just don&#039;t know who.<br /> <br /> Kayden inhales deeply. “How could I love anyone who robbed me of my will?”<br /> <br /> &quot;You&#039;re wrong, Kayden,&quot; I sob. &quot;It seems that after all these years, you never saw me for who I really am.&quot;<br /> <br /> Kayden shakes his head. &quot;It doesn&#039;t matter now. My lawyers are already preparing the divorce papers as we speak. Let&#039;s do this as quietly as possible,&quot; he says. &quot;Anyway, there are only a few people who knew you were my wife.&quot;<br /> <br /> I nod, feeling numb. &quot;Yes. You did an excellent job keeping me a secret.&quot;<br /> <br /> That was his first request to me: keep quiet about the marriage. Thinking about it now, he must have been planning to divorce me since then. Why did he wait three years to do this?<br /> <br /> I wipe the tears on my cheeks as I struggle to compose myself. I know that when Kayden makes a decision, there&#039;s very little chance that he&#039;ll change his mind. &quot;An—anything else you want to say?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;One last thing,&quot; he replies.<br /> <br /> I look up at him, pretty sure that there&#039;s nothing he can say that would make me feel any worse than I do at this moment.<br /> <br /> He takes a deep breath and announces, &quot;I don’t want to see you around the office. You&#039;re fired!&quot; LEARN_MORE https://land.novelenders.com/share/middle/gawbuzqs 124627240725435 Lereader-Favorite novel https://facebook.com/61550573436554 1,441 1 963,420,172,131,458 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Learn more 0 Lereader-Favorite novel 120212553364420651 land.novelenders.com NONE video https://land.novelenders.com/share/middle/gawbuzqslewpmb4l5gkdmnht?ad_id={{ad.id}}&sid=120212553359370651&campaign={{campaign.name}}&adgroup={{adset.name}} 2024-07-12 02:16 https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450591272_444132325125803_3238842087348962161_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=ElpNn6-q8N0Q7kNvgGwfiJ5&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AYDeMHnzQ0brMiuqyZhkS7nB9eSPWdobi-NqDQ6wvu4QTg&oe=66971BFB person_profile 0 Lereader-Favorite novel https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450585751_1014418376696711_7375685991519136724_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=gI6rGh14sU8Q7kNvgH31hDL&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AYCvb3Wnttnat5sGMku2In0C5j8dIBlRYy1r19bCjFTJvA&oe=66972169 0 3 Lereader-Favorite novel 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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Yes 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 778148637545822 Step out of foot pain Do you struggle with foot pain? <br /> <br /> Are you sick of not being able to walk freely?<br /> <br /> Have you tried every insole going, and STILL you’re in pain?<br /> <br /> Check out Akusoli. The revolutionary new insole designed specifically to help reduce foot pain. <br /> <br /> They use acupressure technology to provide the exact cushioning and support your feet need. <br /> <br /> Even if you suffer with:<br /> <br /> ✅ Plantar fasciitis<br /> ✅ Pain from old injuries<br /> ✅ Arch pain<br /> ✅ Shin splints<br /> ✅ Heel and toe spurs<br /> <br /> You DON’T just have to accept foot pain. Try Akusoli today 👇<br /> <br /> <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fakusoli.com%2F%3Fvndr%3Dakufbpat&amp;h=AT1NzyAPiMRiI8uZ1RW-CDQBV_PpHh9thCkoOLMtdtH2-tuNGponSbSsSn1iAG7-PASLE49MSaPcOg904NWc4QysLoVXZd6dHg8_RY5NQJrYDq408kjG0OC4fEoDnjJBHet7apmngRb_xyerMWg90UtRDSq_fA" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy">https://akusoli.com/?vndr=akufbpat</a> LEARN_MORE https://akusoli.com/?vndr=akufbpat 307359715801970 Akusoli https://facebook.com/61560445000104 35 1 493,374,159,762,217 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 0 1 0 Learn more 0 Akusoli 120211792015800210 akusoli.com NONE video The easy solution https://akusoli.com/?vndr=akufbpat 2024-07-12 02:02 https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450897318_1001281004836584_6877931856581348224_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=1tWr3c1hg_AQ7kNvgGGvuOq&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AYAFAY85Y4p82hBvHmjXvkDmfeo2nztFyOnvxfYKEhTwyQ&oe=6696FD10 person_profile 0 Akusoli https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450302679_668864765444568_4562932027557865764_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=Oi3s4eCY3NsQ7kNvgHqq2Y4&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYCLZNlETJOPaeYJxvy_EZb6Q3cuYkpUL5jM2d3Vt4wcLA&oe=6696FEE6 0 3 Akusoli 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 411195931264681 📚💞《Mommy Daddy, Please Get Married! 》ALL chapters for Free!😍💕 The one who cured the tycoon&#039;s terminal illness turned out to be a three-year-old kid! <br /> The tycoon went mad and asked, &quot;Who is your mother?! Why do you look exactly like me!&quot;<br /> Chapter 1 Being Set Up<br /> The sunlight shone upon her tired face. She opened her eyes wearily, feeling weak and exhausted. The rays of the sun poured into her eyes, and she shut them quickly.<br /> Gradually, she opened her eyes gently, allowing them to adjust to the light. Where was she?<br /> She raised herself to a sitting position and tried to remember what had happened. Lifting the quilt, she was shocked to find herself naked. What had happened to her? Why was she here? When had she taken off her dress?<br /> She vaguely remembered that Sara had helped her into a room last night. She didn&#039;t remember anything else besides...<br /> <br /> Ah! Someone had taken advantage of her—she had been raped! She lifted the quilt again and checked herself.<br /> <br /> The hickeys, the bloodstains, and the pain of being torn only confirmed that she had been violated.<br /> <br /> She was married, and there was no way she could excuse herself or explain to Ethan Thompson that she had lost her virginity to someone else.<br /> <br /> She stood up quickly, picked up her dress from the floor, and dashed into the bathroom. <br /> <br /> Just then, Ethan Thompson walked in with his mother and Sara.<br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s right, she has really been taken. Take photos of the bloodstained bedspread and let&#039;s leave,&quot; Margaret Thompson, Ethan&#039;s mother, instructed.<br /> <br /> “I have enough reason to divorce her and marry the love of my life,&quot; Ethan chimed in, holding Sara close to his heated body and kissing her.<br /> <br /> &quot;Easy, my love. We will be married soon, and I will be yours fully. My sister has been pushed out of the way, ” Sara Blake said, sounding excited.<br /> <br /> Aurora Blake heard their words and couldn&#039;t believe her ears. Her husband and sister had connived against her?<br /> <br /> She waited until the sound of their footsteps had faded before walking out of the bathroom, dressed. She hurried out of the room.<br /> <br /> Hardly had Aurora left when Pascal Lee entered. He checked the room and found it empty.<br /> <br /> &quot;Hello boss, the woman is gone. But I have proof of her innocence,&quot; Pascal said and took photos of the bloodstains on the bed.<br /> <br /> Aurora Blake had always been a strong woman. She had married Ethan Thompson through an arranged marriage.<br /> <br /> They were only four months into their marriage. Though they didn&#039;t love each other, they had agreed to nurture their feelings before becoming intimate.<br /> <br /> But despite not having been intimate with him, she was still his wife. She couldn&#039;t imagine that Sara would set her up just to be with her husband.<br /> <br /> **<br /> <br /> Aurora Blake arrived home in a taxi and went into the house.<br /> <br /> As soon as Aurora Blake stepped into the sitting room, she was greeted by a ferocious stare from Ethan Thompson, his glare almost making her lose her balance.<br /> <br /> &quot;You whore,&quot; Margaret Thompson spat. &quot;You have no shame left, do you? Bringing those miserable feet of yours into this house!&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You&#039;re married and still sleeping around? Are you so cheap that you can&#039;t even recognize your own status?&quot; Ethan thundered.<br /> <br /> Hypocrites, Aurora thought. He pretends to be outraged, yet he knows everything. He was the one who brought her the drink that led to this.<br /> <br /> &quot;This marriage is over,&quot; Ethan declared. &quot;I can&#039;t ignore what you&#039;ve done. You&#039;re a loose woman and a slut.&quot; He eyed her with disgust.<br /> <br /> &quot;What right do you have to say such horrible things to me when you were the one who drugged me?&quot; Aurora snapped back. &quot;What kind of man drugs his own wife to trap her? Do you think I don’t know about your escapades with my sister? If you wanted a divorce, you should have just said so instead of creating a reason for it.&quot;<br /> <br /> Ethan was temporarily speechless. How did she know about him and Sara? Had they left a clue behind?<br /> <br /> &quot;How dare you accuse my son without evidence?&quot; Margaret Thompson shouted. &quot;A bitch like you should hide her face or better yet, go end it all. But here you are, pretending after spending the night with your lover.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;If you know what&#039;s good for you, sign the divorce papers and leave,&quot; Ethan threatened. &quot;Otherwise, I will make your life a living hell.&quot;<br /> <br /> Before Ethan could finish his statement, Aurora Blake walked past him and headed upstairs. Margaret Thompson hurried after her and grabbed her by the hair.<br /> <br /> Aurora&#039;s scalp burned as her mother-in-law dragged her around the room, shouting that her son couldn&#039;t wait on someone else&#039;s leftover.<br /> <br /> Aurora&#039;s body was already bruised and exhausted. Now, being dragged like this, she felt her strength ebb away. She didn&#039;t know how long it lasted, but her vision blurred and she blacked out.<br /> <br /> **<br /> <br /> When Aurora opened her eyes three days later, she found herself hooked up to an IV. She felt weak and disoriented. She remembered the last thing that had happened before she passed out but had no idea how she ended up in the hospital.<br /> <br /> No one was with her. Feeling the cruel sting of life, tears welled up in her eyes. She had been forced into this union despite the lack of chemistry between them.<br /> <br /> Her stepmother had insisted on the marriage to the Thompson family. Ethan Thompson, the second master of the Thompsons, was not the heir to the family enterprise. <br /> <br /> Her stepmother had made it mandatory for her to marry Ethan so that her own daughter, Sara Blake, could be the only girl in the Blake family and be chosen by the heir of the Drake family, one of the four richest families in Country Z.<br /> <br /> But things hadn’t gone as planned. The young master of Drakes returned from abroad with a woman he had married. His parents got infuriated and stripped all titles from him. He remained a member of the Drake family but could no longer be the heir.<br /> <br /> Aurora had no idea how or when her husband and Sara Blake became entangled with each other. <br /> <br /> She was lost in thought when a man in business suit walked into the hospital ward and stood before her.<br /> <br /> “Ms. Blake, I am Ethan Thompson&#039;s lawyer,” he said coldly, and pulled up a chair and sat down, opening his portfolio to pull out the divorce papers. <br /> <br /> “Please sign these papers and end your marriage with my client,&quot; he instructed coldly.<br /> <br /> Chapter 2 Divorce<br /> <br /> Aurora didn&#039;t know whether to laugh or cry. Ethan Thompson was truly a beast. He couldn&#039;t even wait for her to be discharged from the hospital before bringing the papers to her.<br /> <br /> &quot;What if I refuse to sign?&quot; Aurora asked, wondering what Ethan and his mother would do if she refused. <br /> <br /> Her marriage would remain intact, preventing Ethan from being with Sara Blake. He couldn&#039;t force her to sign, especially considering he was the one who had drugged her.<br /> <br /> &quot;Then you will force my client to take drastic action and go public with your so-called adulterous lifestyle. Remember, you are an illegitimate daughter, and your mother&#039;s past would be dug up,&quot; the lawyer replied with a sneer.<br /> <br /> Aurora felt her heart skip a beat. She had always tried to live her life in contrast to her mother&#039;s. Her mother was said to have had her out of wedlock. And when her parents finally decided to marry, her mother was hit by a reckless driver and didn&#039;t survive. Hence, she remained an illegitimate daughter.<br /> <br /> She was three when her father married Molly Blake, and they had Sara a year later. Aurora grew up under her stepmother&#039;s indifferent tutelage. <br /> <br /> While her father was alive, Molly managed to put up with her, neither showing affection nor outright hatred. They lived together and had no issues with each other until her father&#039;s death.<br /> <br /> When her father&#039;s will was read, revealing that he had divided his wealth equally between his two daughters, Molly Blake was furious.<br /> <br /> How could Dennis Blake have given Aurora the same share of his property as Sara? Aurora was an illegitimate daughter and she had been kind enough to accommodate her in the house and let her bear the Blake name.<br /> <br /> However, granting Aurora equal rights with her daughter was a step too far. She would never accept it. She was going to deal with Aurora until she was satisfied with her revenge.<br /> <br /> &quot;Ms. Blake, please sign the papers,&quot; the lawyer urged her. He seemed to be in a hurry and didn&#039;t understand what was making Aurora lost in thought.<br /> <br /> Aurora carefully adjusted herself to sit without disturbing the IV line in her hand. She collected the golden pen from the lawyer&#039;s outstretched hand.<br /> <br /> The document stipulated that she was never to return to pick a needle in her matrimonial home, nor does she retain any shares in her father&#039;s company.<br /> <br /> Her property was designated as compensation to Ethan Thompson for being cuckolded. Aurora&#039;s hands trembled when she read the conditions attached to the divorce papers.<br /> <br /> With a soft sigh, she steadied her breathing and signed the papers, sealing her fate—a life stripped of wealth and possessions, condemned to poverty.<br /> <br /> As the lawyer collected the signed papers and returned them to his portfolio, a faint smile graced his lips, the first since entering Aurora&#039;s presence.<br /> <br /> &quot;I wish you all the best, Ms. Blake. Have a good day,&quot; he said, rising from his seat and exiting the hospital ward.<br /> <br /> Aurora watched him depart, tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt utterly ruined, her life now devoid of meaning.<br /> <br /> She was empty. No parents, no husband. She thought she had a sister but alas, she was a green snake under green grass. <br /> <br /> Where was her home? Who were her people? Where did she turn for help?<br /> <br /> She wept until she could weep no more, left with nothing but the dress she wore, laid beside her on the hospital bed.<br /> <br /> When she changed out of the hospital gown, she found herself possessing only that single dress, her sole belonging in the world.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, the lawyer exited the hospital and slipped into a tinted car where Ethan Thompson and Sara Blake awaited. &quot;She signed when I threatened her with her mother&#039;s past,&quot; the lawyer boasted.<br /> <br /> &quot;I knew you could make that bitch succumb. I&#039;ll add 10% to your fees,&quot; Ethan Thompson replied happily. Now he was free from the shackles of that bondage called marriage.<br /> <br /> Gosh,he didn&#039;t like that girl a bit. She disgusted him. He had to put up with her and pretend for the past four months. <br /> <br /> &quot;Baby, you&#039;re the best,&quot; Sara chimed in, resting her head on Ethan&#039;s shoulder and circling her hand around his arm.<br /> <br /> They kissed each other, feeling satisfied as the chauffeur ignited the engine and drove off.<br /> <br /> **<br /> <br /> For the next two days, no one checked on Aurora in the hospital. She ordered takeout and managed to eat. She was glad that he left her phone by her bedside.<br /> <br /> She had transferred what little money she had to a secret account. She couldn’t underestimate the extent to which Ethan Thompson would go. <br /> <br /> She was able to pay her bills and got discharged from the hospital. Since she couldn&#039;t return home, she had to go to her stepmother&#039;s place. <br /> <br /> At least that house belonged to her father as well. She could stay there for a while and found something meaningful to do with her time and life.<br /> <br /> She hailed a taxi, directing it to her stepmother&#039;s address. She can vouch for her stepmother. She wouldn&#039;t be in support of what her daughter had done.<br /> <br /> She may not have really loved her but at least she was the one who paired her forcefully to Ethan Thompson. She was to be blamed for forcing her with that idiot.<br /> <br /> If Molly Blake were to discover that her daughter had a hand in the breakdown of the marriage she had arranged, she would definitely be furious with Sara Blake.<br /> <br /> The taxi driver came to a halt at the address Aurora Blake had given him. He waited to see her alight but was surprised when the woman he carried remained in the car without the slightest intention of stepping out.<br /> <br /> He glanced at her from the rear view mirror and saw her teary eyes. She was shedding tears and at the same time seemed to be lost in distant thoughts.<br /> <br /> The taxi driver shook his head. Everyone had their battles. He couldn&#039;t fathom what could trouble such a beautiful woman, but it was clear she was troubled and lost.<br /> <br /> He had his own struggles too. He sighed softly before saying, &quot;Ma&#039;am, we&#039;re here.&quot;<br /> <br /> But Aurora Blake didn&#039;t respond. He repeated himself and even honked the horn. Finally, she snapped out of her reverie, looking embarrassed.<br /> <br /> How long had he been trying to get her attention? He had even resorted to using the horn.<br /> <br /> She wiped away her tears and quickly exited the car. After paying the fare, the taxi driver spoke up again. &quot;Ma&#039;am, I may not know what you&#039;re going through, but I want to encourage you to stay strong and not lose hope. Everything will be fine in time.&quot;<br /> <br /> He collected the money, and Aurora told him to keep the change. She thanked him with a smile before hurrying toward the house.<br /> <br /> But as she reached the threshold, she froze upon hearing voices from inside.<br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Toasting To Her Downfall?<br /> <br /> &quot;You got everything back. That girl shouldn&#039;t have been allowed in this home in the first place. But now, you’ve taken from her what was supposed to be my Sara’s,&quot; Molly Blake said excitedly.<br /> <br /> Aurora was shocked and rendered momentarily dazed. Her stepmother was part of the setup?<br /> <br /> She seemed to be in company of some people. Aurora never thought she would be involved in something so shady.<br /> <br /> &quot;Aunt, I told you to leave everything to me. I was going to strip her of everything she&#039;s got. I not only did that but also made her lose her first time to a hooker.<br /> <br /> Who&#039;s going to marry a girl who&#039;s poor and not innocent? Such a combination in a woman drives men far away like the West from the East,&quot; Ethan Thompson praised himself.<br /> <br /> &quot;Mum, I told you to have full faith in Ethan. He had proven himself competent to be my husband,&quot;Sara Blake said shyly.<br /> <br /> &quot;Absolutely Sara. Congratulations once again!&quot; Molly said and Aurora heard the sound of glasses clicking. <br /> <br /> They were toasting to her downfall? She tore the door knob and stepped in. The guests were surprised when they saw her, and none of them made a sound for the next few seconds.<br /> <br /> Aurora’s palm clenched into a fist. This was a conspiracy of conspirators. They had plotted against her, and she had unknowingly fallen into their trap.<br /> <br /> She looked at their faces one after the other. There were four of them. Molly Blake and her daughter Sara Blake. Ethan Thompson and his mother Margaret Thompson. These were the people who had dragged her into the mire.<br /> <br /> But one day, she would rise again and make every one of them pay for what they had done to her!<br /> <br /> &quot;Tsk tsk tsk, look who we have here? The adulterous wife. You still have the nerve to come back here? You&#039;ve actually thrown away the last bit of shame you had left?&quot; Molly mocked.<br /> <br /> She eyed Aurora from head to toe, walking around her before bursting into loud laughter.<br /> <br /> &quot;You&#039;ve heard everything we said, right? Well, let me tell you how it all started. I planned this a long time ago with my dear friend Margaret Thompson. <br /> <br /> We had her son help us execute the plans in exchange for marrying Sara. I forced you into the marriage so that we could get everything back later. <br /> <br /> That&#039;s why Ethan never touched you or had sex with you. He belongs to Sara and wouldn&#039;t waste his manliness on an illegitimate daughter like you.<br /> <br /> We organized the party solely for this purpose, and Ethan was the one who drugged you. You were hooked up with a man, and the rest you already know. <br /> <br /> This house is off-limits to you. Everything I&#039;ve done for you and the years I accommodated you are all you will have, and you can live with those memories,&quot; Molly declared without remorse.<br /> <br /> Aurora wanted to cry but held back her tears. She would not appear weak before these people; otherwise, they would mock her even more.<br /> <br /> &quot;What have I ever done to you to deserve this?&quot; Aurora asked. She wanted to know why they did this. Was it because her father divided his wealth between her and Sara? She was the eldest after all. Or was it because her parents didn’t get married before she was born?<br /> <br /> &quot;Because you are Dennis Blake&#039;s illegitimate daughter,&quot; Molly replied, eyeing her before drinking from her glass.<br /> <br /> &quot;Ethan and I are married, Aurora. We are happy,&quot; Sara said, raising her finger to show Aurora the golden wedding ring on her finger.<br /> <br /> &quot;Congratulations, Sara. I wish you both the happiness that you truly deserve,&quot; Aurora replied, and she saw Ethan squint.<br /> <br /> She wasn&#039;t wishing them well at all; she was actually cursing them, and Ethan understood. He couldn&#039;t say anything about what she said but knew Aurora Blake&#039;s heart held no goodwill for them, only retribution.<br /> <br /> He felt a little uncomfortable with the way Molly treated Aurora, but at that point, he couldn&#039;t go back on what he had done. He was pushed into this act by his mother with the promise that he would own the entire Blake business if he eventually married the legitimate daughter.<br /> <br /> What else was Aurora waiting for? She turned her back and left. <br /> <br /> As she opened the door and stepped out, she turned back to look at the house that held her childhood memories.<br /> <br /> Where her father carried her and Sara on his thighs or shoulders, and they played like a mother dog and her puppies. But today, that house was out of bounds for her henceforth.<br /> <br /> She let go of the door, and it slammed shut on its own. She walked briskly out of the vast compound, and the tears she had been trying to hold back seemed to be let loose, flowing down her cheeks uncontrollably.<br /> <br /> She wandered on the street, not knowing where to go. <br /> <br /> That was when she heard a loud honking sound. Her heart skipped as she spun around only to find a car closing in on her at full speed. <br /> <br /> She wanted to move, but it seemed like her limbs were frozen.<br /> <br /> Her life flashed before her eyes. Her mom, her dad. Her failed marriage...<br /> <br /> “Oh, god, I am going to die.” LEARN_MORE https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4 325231040681310 Read the world-3 https://facebook.com/61561778493802 5 1 1,654,054,632,085,848 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Learn more 0 Read the world-3 120209288424420046 page.joyreadings.com NONE video https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4.html?lang=en&id=1127&brand=2&app=0&ppid=4075&pid=FBW2A&utm_source=FBW2A&utm_medium={{placement}}&utm_campaign={{campaign.id}}&utm_term={{adset.id}}&utm_content={{ad.id}}&ori_campaign_id=120209288409600046&ori_adset_id=120209288410280046&ori_ad_id=120209288424130046 2024-07-11 21:11 https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450530861_866215285323653_6927389159276564807_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=slucfiXZATAQ7kNvgGn0drA&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AYDnHKwlkYk3924buHX_bO5P__Lwi6nT3RTaQ1_L0NP19g&oe=66970483 person_profile 0 Read the world-3 https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450749953_1026778125500449_4472665855862769196_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=k1-PGpZUnIMQ7kNvgHZEWYn&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYD16jEk-SyW1DQdfjROljGzBUIRqaZLEVeTj1yamHPxWw&oe=6696F45C 0 3 Read the world-3 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 799833682290703 “I’m sorry Ella.” My physician says gently. “I’m afraid you have very few viable eggs remaining. Frankly, I normally see these numbers in women ten or fifteen years your senior.”<br /> “What?” I murmur, not believing my ears. I’ve been trying to get pregnant for years. I’m only 30, I should have plenty of eggs left.<br /> “In terms of fertility, you have very little time left.” She continues. “If you want to conceive, you need to do so before your next cycle begins.”<br /> “My next cycle?” I repeat, my mouth hanging open in shock. I love kids more than anything, and though it might not be everyone’s ambition, I want nothing more than to be a mother.<br /> I have to get home and tell my boyfriend this news, and there’s not a moment to waste.<br /> I make it home in record time, bursting through the door and opening my mouth to call for Mike, but stopping dead in my tracks. As soon as I walk inside I see a pair of high heels and a handbag by the door – neither of which belong to me.<br /> I cock my ears towards the bedroom, and my stomach churns when I hear the unmistakable sound of moaning, accompanied by a steady thump thump thump, as the bed collides with the wall. Worse even than realizing that Mike is clearly in there with another woman, is realizing who he’s with. I know that handbag, and I know those shoes – they belong to my best friend, Kate.<br /> “Fuck, Ella is so stupid.” Mike laughs, “can you believe she actually expects me to have a baby with her?”<br /> Kate snorts, “she’s delusional. I don’t know how you put up with her for so long in the first place.”<br /> “If she wasn’t so beautiful I never would have given her the time of day.” Mike scoffs. “Thankfully daily doses of plan B kept her from ever conceiving.”<br /> “The morning after pill?” Kate asks, “how did you manage to give it to her without her realizing?”<br /> “I put it in her morning coffee.” Mike chortles, sounding far too proud of himself.<br /> My vision goes completely red as everything finally falls into place. Suddenly it’s clear why I’ve never been able to get pregnant, despite having unprotected sex multiple times a week for years. It’s even clear how I could have the eggs of a 45-year-old, if my despicable partner has been secretly feeding me emergency contraceptives every day – there’s no telling what other damage that might have done to my reproductive system.<br /> Before I can think better of it, I pull the smoke alarm on the wall, wanting to frighten and punish the pair in the bedroom so fiercely that I fear I might attack them when they emerge. Water immediately sprays down from the sprinkler system mounted to the ceiling as a shrill siren fills the air, and I hear Mike and Kate cry out in surprise.<br /> A few moments later they come rushing out of the bedroom, stopping in their tracks when they see me looming in the doorway. Mike’s eyes go comically wide, “What are you doing home so early?” The snake has the nerve to sound affronted that I surprised him, when he’s the one who’s been sneaking around behind my back for God knows how long. He seems to realize how suspicious it looks that he and Kate are standing there in their underwear and quickly adds, “Kate came to see me so we could plan a surprise for your birthday, but then we spilled coffee all over our clothes so we had to change.”<br /> Fire blazes in my veins, he must truly believe I’m an idiot if he expects me to buy such a feeble excuse.<br /> It’s a testament to their horrifically low opinion of me that they buy my act, and I vow to get my revenge one way or another. I can’t believe I wasted so many years – my best years – on this scumbag. And now he may have cost me my future too. As soon as the thought enters my head, I know I can’t afford to waste another moment on Mike, I have more important things to take care of.<br /> I make my excuses and rush across town for the second time that afternoon, running to the comforting arms of my surrogate sister, Cora. Not only did we grow up together in the orphanage, but she became an OBGYN and now works for the most exclusive sperm bank in the city. I’ve never gone to her before because I always imagined Mike and I would eventually conceive the natural way, but that clearly isn’t an option anymore.<br /> Even if I could find a man willing to have a baby with me in time, I’m not eager to trust anyone after Mike’s betrayal. I’m going to have to do this on my own, and I know Cora can help me. I don’t have much money, but I have enough savings to pay for the insemination, especially since I basically have one shot and one shot only.<br /> When I arrive, all my plans to lay out my situation for Cora clearly and concisely go out the window, because the moment I see my sister I fall to pieces. She hugs and kisses me until my tears subside, slowly extracting the story from me piece by piece. When she hears about Mike and Kate she swears up a storm, but that’s nothing compared to her reaction when I explain about my fertility.<br /> “That little shit! I’ll kill him!” She fumes, studying me with a worried expression. “Ella, if your doctor was right this means you only have one chance to conceive.”<br /> “I know.” I sniffle. “And if this is going to be my only baby, I don’t want to take any chances. I want the best donor we can find.”<br /> “Don’t you worry about that.” Cora assures me, “We’ve got donations from actors, models, scientists – it’s only the creme de la creme here.” She glances at the door and lowers her voice. “You didn’t hear it from me, but even Dominic Sinclair sent his samples here for testing.”<br /> “Dominic Sinclair? I repeat, “the billionaire?” I’ve seen the man around town, but we don’t exactly run in the same circles. He lives in the same neighborhood as my wealthy employer and often says hello to the children I nanny, but he’s always surrounded by bodyguards and is so intimidating I get goosebumps just thinking about him.<br /> “Oh my god!.” Cora slaps her hand over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you that! I don’t know what I was thinking. Apparently he’s no stranger to fertility issues himself, and he trusted us to handle his swimmers over every other lab in the country. I’ve got his sperm in the other room at this very moment.” She frets, “But Ella you can’t tell anyone, you have to promise me.”<br /> “Of course!” I agree immediately. “I know how important confidentiality is here.”<br /> “Thank you,” Cora breathes. “Now, I’m going to give you a dossier of our clients so you can pick a donor, and once you’ve chosen we’ll get you knocked up before you can even blink.”<br /> It’s not an easy decision, but eventually I choose a handsome surgeon whose photo practically makes me swoon. Cora leaves the room only long enough to prepare the sample, and though she looks a bit flustered when she returns, she quickly and professionally completes the insemination, holding my hand when the procedure is finished. “It’s all take care of now, Ella.” She promises, “You can come back in ten days to see if it worked.”<br /> Ten days. I think dazedly. Ten days to decide my entire future.<br /> If only I’d known that by the time those ten days were up, my future would no longer belong to me – but to Dominic Sinclair himself.<br /> <br /> Chapter 2 - Be Fired<br /> Six days to go. I think, staring at the date circled on my calendar. Six days until I find out if my dreams are finally going to come true… or if I have to figure out an entirely different plan for my life.<br /> I’ve thought about nothing else since Cora inseminated me last week, I’m so anxious to find out if I’m pregnant I haven’t even begun to process Mike’s betrayal.<br /> I’m trying to keep a level head, yet I can’t help but imagine my future with this new baby. Try as I might, I catch myself daydreaming about it constantly. I even find myself humming as I get ready for work in the morning.<br /> When I arrive at my employer’s estate in the most exclusive neighborhood in Moon Valley – which basically makes it the most exclusive neighborhood in the world, since Moon Valley is one of the most expensive cities on the planet – I’m immediately greeted by two little voices shouting my name in excitement. “Ella!”<br /> The next thing I know, 3-year-old Millie is hugging my legs while her older brother, Jake, wraps his arms around my middle. “Good morning love puddles!” I exclaim, returning their hugs. “Are you ready for the museum?”<br /> “Yeah!” They cheer, racing out the door without even stopping to put on coats. It takes a bit of wrangling to get them back inside and bundled up for the cold winter day, but before long we set out into the snow.<br /> Jake races ahead of Millie and I, impatient to get to the science museum and not seeming to notice that his sister’s tiny legs simply don’t move that fast. Chuckling, I lift Millie into my arms and settle her on my hip. “Goodness, you’re getting too big for this, munchkin.”<br /> “Nuh-uh,” Millie grins, “You’re justs too little.”<br /> She might have a point. At five foot one, I don’t exactly have the kind of build suited to heavy lifting. I’m in great shape, but I’ve never been particularly strong. “Smarty pants.” I tease, laughing with the little girl.<br /> When I look back towards Jake, I realize he’s stopped a few feet ahead of us. My heart skips a beat when I realize why. We’re in front of the Sinclair mansion, and its owner is currently standing in the middle of the sidewalk, his gaze searing me like a firebrand as I approach with Millie. Dominic Sinclair is just about the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, but he’s also one of the most terrifying.<br /> With dark hair and piercing green eyes, chiseled features and a body so muscular I could swoon, it doesn’t seem fair he gets to look so good and also be so rich. If I didn’t know better I might think it was his wealth or imposing height that makes him so intimidating, after all he’s at least six foot four, which means he towers over me and everyone else around him. However it’s neither of those things, there’s simply an indefinable quality about the man that I can’t put my finger on, one which screams danger. He gives off this energy that’s so raw and animalistic one forgets there’s anyone else in the room.<br /> Taking a steadying breath, I close the distance between us so Millie can say hello. When she greets him, Dominic drags his attention from me and offers her a smile so genuine that it tugs at my heartstrings. As I watch him talk to my two young charges, I remember what Cora told me about his infertility struggles. He clearly loves children, and I feel a wave of empathy for him. If anyone knows what it’s like to yearn for a family of their own, it’s me.<br /> Jake is currently showing Dominic his new toy airplane, pulling the matchbox model from his pocket and demonstrating how far it can fly. With a great heave, he sends the toy gliding through the air, only to land in the middle of the street. Before any of us can say a word, Jake races after it, right into the busy road.<br /> <br /> Click to READ more👉👉Title:Surrogate for Alpha Dom LEARN_MORE https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4 111188005041104 The world of read https://facebook.com/100085037466263 7,790 16 323,731,684,133,520 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Learn more 0 The world of read 120207938266940395 page.joyreadings.com NONE video https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4.html?lang=en&id=5747&brand=2&app=0&ppid=1637&pid=FBW2A&campaign=%7B%7Bcampaign.id%7D%7D&adset_id=%7B%7Badset.id%7D%7D&ad_id=%7B%7Bad.id%7D%7D&utm_source=FBW2A&utm_medium=%7B%7Bplacement%7D%7D&utm_campaign=%7B%7Bcampaign.id%7D%7D&utm_term=%7B%7Badset.id%7D%7D&utm_content=%7B%7Bad.id%7D%7D&ori_campaign_id=120212193836400036&ori_adset_id=120212193836460036&ori_ad_id=120212193836730036 2024-07-12 01:30 https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450918882_1795132871013163_7431180853643471893_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=HbgqzkIUI9YQ7kNvgE6ISiM&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYB65-iboyXkOHno347FRK55TuEtdlIg9UgmiBzH9Jn9ZQ&oe=669712F5 person_profile 0 The world of read https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450863741_1631985654202445_6989700799720667980_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=fF_m5L_btCUQ7kNvgFEM1Gf&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYBvclGvK_lhyBEwVQXtZZV5E_MMQkVK16DgUk5IIcREhw&oe=66971EE9 0 3 The world of read 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 884691573700823 📚《The Return of the God of War》ALL chapters for Free!😍 😭On the wedding night, he was imprisoned. Six years later, on the day of his release, he learned that his wife was remarrying. Unable to bear it any longer, he made a phone call and summoned three thousand of his subordinates, revealing his true identity...👊👊👊<br /> Chapter 1 The Return Of The God of War<br /> In Erudia, a private jet landed at North Hampton Airport, where all international flights experienced an eight-hour delay because of it.<br /> At the private passageway were five men in suits and leather shoes, standing as straight as a javelin.<br /> Every now and then, they would raise their wrist to look at the time, for a big shot was coming to town.<br /> The upper-class society of North Hampton had learned about his arrival, but no one had the capability to get an inch closer to the private passageway.<br /> Even the richest man in North Hampton who came to pay homage was chased away.<br /> <br /> Finally, there were movements coming from the passageway.<br /> <br /> “God of War!!!” the mass cried out, their eyes filled with awe and veneration at the sight of the undefeatable legend of Erudia.<br /> <br /> He, who was dubbed the God of War, was the one and only Five-Star God of War in the history of Erudia.<br /> <br /> Once, he&#039;d inflicted a crushing defeat on the strongest battalions in eighteen countries. He was an overbearing and formidable man.<br /> <br /> He who overwhelmed the world with his unparalleled power had even created the Five Great Wars Regiment, Cavalry Regiment, and many more.<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> Setting foot on his homeland, Levi Garrison was overcome with emotions.<br /> <br /> Once upon a time, he used to be an orphan who was abandoned on the streets of North Hampton and then adopted by the Garrison family.<br /> <br /> However, the Garrison family had never been fond of him.<br /> <br /> His adoptive parents, who had a tendency to beat and scold him, treated him like an outsider.<br /> <br /> As for the outsiders, they treated him as a nobody.<br /> <br /> But he didn&#039;t care a stiver. He had always been proud of his surname since he was a child, and he strived to bring glory to this family when he grew older.<br /> <br /> At last, Levi had established Levi Group, the largest dark horse in North Hampton&#039;s business community.<br /> <br /> With billions of assets, it ranked among the forefront of North Hampton, pushing the declining Garrison family to the top.<br /> <br /> However, not only did the Garrison family showed no signs of appreciation, they even harbored dissatisfaction towards him. Jealous of his success, they regarded him as a thorn in their flesh and coveted Levi Group.<br /> <br /> No matter his wealth and power, unless they were in control, he was just an outsider in the Garrison family&#039;s eyes.<br /> <br /> Eventually, on Levi&#039;s wedding night, the Garrison family plotted a frame-up against him by getting him drunk before tossing him onto his sister-in-law&#039;s bed. They wanted to create the illusion that he was doing something untoward to her and was caught in bed by his brother and adoptive parents.<br /> <br /> That night, the Garrison family had brutally broken his limbs and left him on the road like a wild dog.<br /> <br /> Not only was he handicapped, but he also had to take the flak for something he didn&#039;t commit.<br /> <br /> From an upstart in the business world, he had become the target of disdain overnight.<br /> <br /> And the next day, he had been punished for several crimes and sentenced to six years in prison.<br /> <br /> He could never forget the ruthless and sinister faces of everyone in the Garrison family and the ridicule of his friends, classmates, and business partners.<br /> <br /> More so, he could never forget the disappointment on his newly wedded wife, Zoey&#039;s face.<br /> <br /> He had regarded the Garrison family as his home and devoted himself to the family.<br /> <br /> Yet, they treated him like trash.<br /> <br /> It felt as if a knife was being twisted in his heart every time he thought about this.<br /> <br /> How he hated the Garrison family!<br /> <br /> But who would have thought that Levi had been secretly transferred away from prison to join the military?<br /> <br /> In a few years, he dominated the military world and became the one and only Five-Star God of War.<br /> <br /> Now that he came back, the Garrison family ought to stay on their toes.<br /> <br /> “How&#039;s it going, Azure Dragon?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> Azure Dragon, the commander of the Five Great Wars Regiment, took a step forward and said respectfully, “Sir, I&#039;m afraid your wife, Ms. Zoey Lopez will remarry at ten o&#039;clock tonight!”<br /> <br /> Ever since Zoey&#039;s husband was sent to prison on their wedding night, she had been living like a widow.<br /> <br /> Only God knew how much pressure she was put under.<br /> <br /> And right now, the person Levi couldn&#039;t wait to see the most was Zoey.<br /> <br /> After a moment of hesitation, Azure Dragon continued, “To add on, Sir, the Garrison family is holding a successful listing celebration banquet at the Crystal Palace Hotel tonight! Many people had invited the God of War just now, including the Garrison family, but I didn&#039;t accept nor refuse directly.”<br /> <br /> “What time?” Levi asked tersely.<br /> <br /> “Eight o&#039;clock, Sir.”<br /> <br /> “Okay. Tell the Garrison family I will attend the banquet!”<br /> <br /> Since the time for the two events didn&#039;t clash, Levi gladly accepted the invitation.<br /> <br /> The celebration banquet for the public listing of Garrison Group was held at North Hampton&#039;s Crystal Palace Hotel.<br /> <br /> With the help of Levi Group, they had become a rich and powerful family in one fell swoop.<br /> <br /> The hall was bustling with noise and excitement, and sounds of glasses clinking could be heard ringing in the air every now and then.<br /> <br /> “God bless the Garrison family,” said Joseph, the head of the Garrison family. “The younger generations are the stars among men. Garrison Group is now listed and has become an upstart in North Hampton!”<br /> <br /> Joseph&#039;s three sons and daughter welcomed their guests with bright smiles on their faces.<br /> <br /> The younger generation of the Garrison family was all the smugger and prouder because, after today, the Garrison family would become a powerful family, and they would become one of the top rich kids.<br /> <br /> Most of the guests who attended today&#039;s banquet were from the top circle in North Hampton.<br /> <br /> “Garrison, do you know what happened today?! Your celebration party is nothing compared to that.” They were gossiping about the major event that had happened today.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! I heard that a big shot has arrived in North Hampton!”<br /> <br /> “The richest man in North Hampton wanted to meet him but was shooed away. Apparently, he&#039;s not qualified enough!”<br /> <br /> “So? Jesse Nielsen had been waiting for five hours in advance at the airport!”<br /> <br /> Joseph nodded. “Yes, I know about that too. I even sent someone to invite this big shot to the celebration party!”<br /> <br /> “No way! Why would this big shot attend such a party?”<br /> <br /> No one believed it.<br /> <br /> In fact, as an upstart, Joseph was just trying his luck.<br /> <br /> “Dad!” shouted Jaycob, the second eldest son of the Garrison family could be seen running over. “The big shot has accepted our invitation to attend our celebration banquet! He&#039;s on the way!”<br /> <br /> “Jesus! God has indeed blessed the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> Everyone in the Garrison family could barely conceal their delight as this was their chance to reach the sky in a single bound.<br /> <br /> The grandchildren of the Garrison family gathered together, sunshine flooding their souls.<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s brother, Bryan, and sister-in-law, Victoria, smiled. “Well, it all starts with Levi&#039;s imprisonment that the Garrison family is at where we are today...”<br /> <br /> “Right, speaking about Levi, do you guys know today&#039;s the day that kid gets out of prison?!” somebody asked abruptly.<br /> <br /> “Really? Isn&#039;t that bad luck? Why did he have to be released on such a big day?!”<br /> <br /> “Please, please, please don&#039;t come back! He&#039;s the Garrison family&#039;s biggest disgrace!”<br /> <br /> Victoria&#039;s lips tugged into a sneer. “Speaking of which, Levi is the crowning glory of the Garrison family&#039;s status today.”<br /> <br /> “That&#039;s what he&#039;s supposed to do!” Bryan said. “He should contribute to the Garrison family for raising him, an orphan! His multi-billion Levi Group means nothing. To put it bluntly, he&#039;s just a dog raised by the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> Someone gave a chortle. “As a matter of fact, I&#039;ve been interested in Levi&#039;s wife for a long time now. She&#039;s still widowed, and I&#039;m so going to marry her!”<br /> <br /> The man&#039;s remark caused gales of laughter.<br /> <br /> “Everyone, stop what you&#039;re doing. I have an important announcement to make,” Joseph said and went on to announce that the big shot was coming.<br /> <br /> A thunderous applause was heard.<br /> <br /> But when the applause had died down, there was still someone clapping.<br /> <br /> The sound was loud and clear, approaching from afar.<br /> <br /> On the red carpet, a man came clapping, looking bold and energetic.<br /> <br /> His stride gave off a majestic and imposing aura, which made the mass hold their breaths.<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s Levi!” Bryan and Victoria exclaimed.<br /> <br /> Suddenly, all eyes were riveted on him.<br /> <br /> “I forgot this little brat got out of jail today!” Levi&#039;s adoptive parents spoke in unison.<br /> <br /> Ignoring the astonished gazes darted at his way, Levi walked step by step towards Joseph.<br /> <br /> “A little bird told me that the company is now listed. How are you feeling, Joseph? Are you happy?”<br /> <br /> Levi flashed him a meaningful smile.<br /> <br /> “How dare you show up here, you insolent brat! And what did you just call me?” Joseph&#039;s fury sprang to life.<br /> <br /> “Who let him in? Didn&#039;t you know he just got out of prison? How inauspicious!”<br /> <br /> Bryan rose to his feet. “What the hell are you doing here, Levi?”<br /> <br /> Levi sized him up. “Why can&#039;t I be here?”<br /> <br /> “Well, for starters, you&#039;re an orphan! The Garrison family has raised you, but you were ambitious and ungrateful. You had inordinate ambitions for your sister-in-law, and you wanted to take possession of the Garrison family! You&#039;d even tried to kill your parents when things go south! Have you no conscience? Do you have any sense of morality left in your heart?”<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve lost your reputation in North Hampton, and everyone knows that. Have you no shame to have the brass neck to come round here?”<br /> <br /> Chapter 2 Sinner In The Family<br /> <br /> “Everyone knows why you&#039;re back. You want to leech off the Garrison family; you want our money, isn&#039;t it?!”<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve long been expelled from the Garrison family, you ungrateful wretch! The Garrison family has nothing to do with you! Now, get lost!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s adoptive parents rose to their feet and pointed at his nose, hurling abusive remarks at him.<br /> <br /> The Garrison family&#039;s brazenness of distorting the truth was mind-bending.<br /> <br /> How disappointing!<br /> <br /> He had thought they would feel somewhat apologetic after six years, but they were unexpectedly more aggravated.<br /> <br /> They took everything from him, crippled him, and ruined his reputation, turning everything upside down and making everything his fault instead.<br /> <br /> The Garrison family didn&#039;t have the slightest bit of compassion to speak of.<br /> <br /> Bryan zipped towards Levi, assessing him condescendingly. “Hmph! Don&#039;t you just want money now that you&#039;re back?”<br /> <br /> Flap!<br /> <br /> Bryan threw a credit card to the ground and lifted his foot, shaking his leather shoe. “My vamp is dirty. Lick it clean, and the one million in this card is yours!”<br /> <br /> His words elicited a fresh burst of laughter as the crowd looked at Levi as if they were looking at a dog.<br /> <br /> “Oh my! One million? That&#039;s more than enough to cover his living expenses. I bet he&#039;ll lick it!”<br /> <br /> Victoria gave a wry look.<br /> <br /> “On your knees!” Bryan roared, seeing that Levi was glaring at him. “Now, lick my shoe!”<br /> <br /> Levi stared at him coldly and held his peace.<br /> <br /> “Kneel!!!”<br /> <br /> Bryan rushed to Levi and pressed his shoulders, forcing him to kneel, but the latter didn&#039;t budge.<br /> <br /> “I said kneel!!!”<br /> <br /> Bryan struggled to rivet him to the spot.<br /> <br /> “Drop dead!”<br /> <br /> Levi suddenly slapped Bryan in the face, sending him flying almost eight meters away.<br /> <br /> Silence engulfed the room; one could even hear a pin drop!<br /> <br /> Unbelievable!<br /> <br /> Everyone in the Garrison family was stupefied.<br /> <br /> What did Levi just do?<br /> <br /> Did he just knock Bryan to the ground with a single slap?<br /> <br /> Plod!<br /> <br /> Bryan was about to get up when Levi stepped on him, crushed him, and crossed over him.<br /> <br /> Looking at the approaching Levi, Joseph instinctively stepped back.<br /> <br /> Levi went up the stage and adjusted the microphone stand.<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at him, wondering what he was going to do next.<br /> <br /> “Listen up, everyone...”<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sure you remember what happened six years ago, yes? For the love and care I had received from the Garrison family during childhood, I&#039;m giving you one month to kneel before me for three days and three nights to repent your sins!”<br /> <br /> “Remember, that&#039;s everyone from the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> “If I don&#039;t see any shadow within a month, the outcome is simple—I swear I&#039;ll wipe off every single one of you here today!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s voice was low and deep.<br /> <br /> But as soon as he finished, the crowd was laughing like a drain.<br /> <br /> “Did prison life eat his brain or what? What conceited nonsense is he spouting?”<br /> <br /> “The Garrison family right now is a juggernaut in North Hampton. He&#039;s just a criminal. Isn&#039;t it a pipe dream to destroy the Garrison family?”<br /> <br /> “Did he knock his brain loose or something?”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “Bear in mind that I have limited patience. You only have one month! Of course, you may gather your strengths and connections to fight against me! I&#039;ll be waiting.”<br /> <br /> Levi then took his leave straightaway, disregarding the mockeries of the crowd.<br /> <br /> “Stop right there, you bastard! Did I tell you to leave?”<br /> <br /> Ben, Levi&#039;s adoptive father, wanted to stop him.<br /> <br /> “Ben, let him go!” Joseph said. “It&#039;s a big day today. I don&#039;t want to see bloodshed!”<br /> <br /> He was afraid about the impact that would bring about if the big shot saw this.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! There are so much more opportunities to take care of him!”<br /> <br /> “He&#039;s in luck that the big shot is on his way!”<br /> <br /> With that, Levi left the place under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people.<br /> <br /> After Levi had left, Joseph asked anxiously, “Jaycob, where&#039;s the big shot? Isn&#039;t he here yet?”<br /> <br /> Jaycob looked dazed. “According to the time, he should have arrived long ago. Let me ask...”<br /> <br /> After making a phone call, Jaycob blanched. “Dad, the big shot was here, but he left already.”<br /> <br /> “What? The big shot was here?”<br /> <br /> “The big shot said that the Garrison family are a bunch of unworthy stupid pigs!”<br /> <br /> “I get it. He must have left in a fit of rage after witnessing the ruckus that brat had created!”<br /> <br /> “He must have thought that the Garrison family disrespected him!”<br /> <br /> Joseph trembled with rage. “That brat will pay for this!”<br /> <br /> The multitude reacted accordingly.<br /> <br /> Levi has ruined the Garrison family&#039;s glorious event!<br /> <br /> He just pissed off the big shot!<br /> <br /> That&#039;s equivalent to cutting off the Garrison family&#039;s chance to reach the sky!<br /> <br /> Levi Garrison is indeed the sinner of the Garrison family!<br /> <br /> At that moment, the Garrison family wished to skin Levi alive.<br /> <br /> His adoptive parents, brother, and sister-in-law especially hated him to the bone. “Just you wait, Levi!”<br /> <br /> After leaving Crystal Palace Hotel, the next person that Levi was going to look for was his wife, Zoey Lopez.<br /> <br /> In this life, he owed no debt to the Garrison family, nor his friends and classmates, but Zoey.<br /> <br /> He had been imprisoned on the second day after the wedding, making Zoey lose her reputation. That even put her through six years of widowhood.<br /> <br /> This woman has carried too much on her shoulders for six years.<br /> <br /> But now that I&#039;m back, I&#039;ll hold your hand, and we&#039;ll conquer the world together!<br /> <br /> After hesitating for a long time, Levi pressed the doorbell.<br /> <br /> Thud!<br /> <br /> The young woman dropped her mobile phone to the ground as the door opened.<br /> <br /> Upon taking a closer look at Levi&#039;s face, Zoey broke down in tears.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, quick, just get the parcel and come in. It&#039;s almost time for the family banquet! Your grandfather is going to settle your marriage at the family banquet tonight. You can&#039;t get away from this!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Quickly get dressed! Your grandfather is going to set you up with someone else!”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s parents&#039; voices sounded from the inside.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, I&#039;m back!” Levi said excitedly, wanting to fling his arm around her, but Zoey slapped his hands away.<br /> <br /> “Why did you come back? I&#039;ve already forgotten about you...”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s voice was choked with sobs.<br /> <br /> Very soon after, Zoey&#039;s parents, Aaron and Caitlyn, came out, looking horrified.<br /> <br /> “How dare you have the nerve to come back? Do you know how much criticism my family has suffered because of you? Especially Zoey. Do you know how much she has suffered for the past six years?” Zoey&#039;s father, Aaron, reproached.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, her mother, Caitlyn, pushed and shoved Levi. “You should know that this relationship between you and Zoey is impossible in this life the moment you went to jail! You&#039;re a criminal! You&#039;re just a street rat in North Hampton! You&#039;re only putting Zoey in harm&#039;s way by coming to see her!”<br /> <br /> Naturally, Levi had known of Zoey&#039;s sufferings for the past six years, including her refusal to remarry because of him.<br /> <br /> Levi put on a serious face. “This time, I&#039;m back for good. I won&#039;t leave Zoey ever again. I will grant her a bright future and let her own the world!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s declaration had Aaron and Caitlyn hooting with laughter.<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve spent six years in jail. How are you going to give Zoey a future?” Aaron asked with a sneer.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! With your mouth?” Caitlyn chimed in. “There&#039;s a limit to talking big!”<br /> <br /> Nonetheless, Levi smiled. “Don&#039;t worry. I&#039;ll reclaim what I lost in those years! I&#039;ll destroy the Garrison family in a month!”<br /> <br /> “Levi!” This time, even Zoey couldn&#039;t bear to listen to his nonsense any longer. “Can we be more realistic? It doesn&#039;t matter if you just get out of prison. Can&#039;t you just be down to earth and start anew? I believe that you will make a comeback one day, but you can&#039;t just indulge in tall talk. Do you know just how powerful the Garrison family is right now? And besides, today&#039;s era is a far cry from what it was six years ago!”<br /> <br /> “Zoey, trust me,” Levi said earnestly. “I can make the Garrison family bow at my feet with just a word!”<br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Ten Billion To Sit At That Table<br /> <br /> Preposterous!<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s bravado nearly drove Zoey and her parents round the bend.<br /> <br /> Having been caged up for six years, did he finally lose his mind?<br /> <br /> “Fine. If you say so,” Zoey said, shoving her mobile phone to Levi directly. “Then prove it! I&#039;d like to see how you make the Garrison family bow their heads with just one word!”<br /> <br /> “I...”<br /> <br /> Levi was stunned.<br /> <br /> It was true that he could exterminate the Garrison family with his words, but he had given them one month; it would be too uneventful to destroy them now.<br /> <br /> “See, you can&#039;t do it, can&#039;t you? Then don&#039;t you ever talk big if you can&#039;t!”<br /> <br /> Zoey smashed the phone to the ground, marking her wrath.<br /> <br /> Following that, her parents pushed Levi away. “Go now. You&#039;re not welcome here. We&#039;ve got a family banquet to attend!”<br /> <br /> “No. Mom, Dad, let him in!”<br /> <br /> “What do you mean, Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “I won&#039;t remarry. My husband is back.”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn couldn&#039;t talk her round, so they could only let him in.<br /> <br /> After that, Zoey took Levi to her bedroom.<br /> <br /> “Since you&#039;re back, you&#039;re still my husband. I don&#039;t care about the gossips. Besides, I believe you&#039;re innocent, and anyone with discerning eyes can see that it was the Garrison family who&#039;d framed you!”<br /> <br /> Levi could feel the warmth in his heart.<br /> <br /> She trusted him, and that was more than enough for him.<br /> <br /> “But you must promise me to start from zero and be down to earth. I believe you will achieve something great with your ability! I&#039;ll give you five years!”<br /> <br /> “That&#039;s unnecessary,” Levi said. “Just give me one month. In a month, I&#039;ll de—”<br /> <br /> “Shut up! I don&#039;t want to listen to your nonsensical and unrealistic talks! Why can&#039;t we just be realistic?” Zoey shouted.<br /> <br /> “Even if you have nothing now, as long as you take one step at a time, I believe you&#039;ll get back on your feet!”<br /> <br /> Levi shut up obediently.<br /> <br /> “I bought you these six years ago.” Zoey took out a suit from the cupboard. “Change into it at once and follow me to the family banquet!”<br /> <br /> “Zoey, what is up with you?”<br /> <br /> Seeing Levi all dressed up, Aaron and Caitlyn were naturally dissatisfied.<br /> <br /> Zoey clung onto Levi&#039;s arm. “Mom, Dad, Levi is my husband now! I will make myself clear to Grandpa tonight!”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked daggers at Levi, sighing helplessly, “For Heaven&#039;s sake!”<br /> <br /> The Lopez family banquet was held at Golden Port Restaurant, where they contracted the entire restaurant.<br /> <br /> Naturally, the Lopez family was not as powerful as the Garrison family, but they were considered above average in North Hampton.<br /> <br /> When Zoey and her family arrived at the main hall, they were greeted with strange and jesting gazes.<br /> <br /> In the past, when Zoey and Levi had gotten married, Aaron&#039;s family status was the highest in the Lopez family.<br /> <br /> But after Levi&#039;s downfall, Aaron&#039;s family had experienced a seismic shift in life, and their status in the Lopez family took a nosedive as they became the subject of ridicule, especially during family events.<br /> <br /> “Look! Is that Levi beside Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! It&#039;s really him! He&#039;s released from prison already?”<br /> <br /> All eyes fell on Levi at once.<br /> <br /> Harry, the head of the Lopez family, snorted and turned a blind eye to the four of them.<br /> <br /> The old man&#039;s favorite now was Fabian, his eldest son, and his family.<br /> <br /> Mainly because Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, Samuel Robertson, was of mixed ethnicity who was born rich and had lived overseas.<br /> <br /> This time, Harry was going to set up Zoey with Samuel&#039;s younger brother, Chris, who had been casting covetous eyes on Zoey for some time now.<br /> <br /> With no one paying attention to them, Aaron and his family could only find a place to sit first.<br /> <br /> As they were about to take their seats, a voice was heard. “No, Aaron. You guys can&#039;t sit here.”<br /> <br /> It was a reminder from Henry, the second eldest son of the Lopez family.<br /> <br /> “What?”<br /> <br /> “There are sitting arrangements to the family banquet this time.”<br /> <br /> Aaron looked puzzled. “How so?”<br /> <br /> “There are four tables for the family banquet! And it&#039;s decided according to the family contribution!”<br /> <br /> “For example, the first table is given to the family who contributed over five million to the family in a year; a million for the second table, a hundred thousand for the third table, and less than a hundred thousand for the last table, or should I say no contribution at all!”<br /> <br /> Henry smiled smugly. “Our family has made good profits this year, and we&#039;ve contributed just about five million to the family. So excuse me, but this table here is ours.”<br /> <br /> “Of course, you can also sit at the first table without contributing. That is if your family has tens of millions of assets.”<br /> <br /> “Unfortunately, we couldn&#039;t be any clearer about your family&#039;s situation,” sneered Maddison, Henry&#039;s wife. “Now that there&#039;s an ex-convict in your family, I&#039;m sorry that you guys can only sit at the last table!”<br /> <br /> “Mom, Dad, as far as I know, Uncle Aaron and his family didn&#039;t contribute much to the family last year,” said Shaun, Henry&#039;s son, walking over with a glass in his hand. “Their company went bankrupt, and they even borrowed over two million from Grandpa. Clearly, it&#039;s a negative contribution. It&#039;s unfair to the relatives sitting at the fourth table! I say we add a fifth table for negative contributors!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah, I agree!”<br /> <br /> The rest of the Lopez family concurred.<br /> <br /> “Okay, we&#039;ll do as Shaun says! This shall motivate you people!”<br /> <br /> Harry gave his consent.<br /> <br /> “Hurry up and sit down. Don&#039;t just stand there and make a fool out of yourselves.” Harry glared at Aaron.<br /> <br /> With that, Aaron and his family walked over to the fifth table quietly.<br /> <br /> “Which table should a ten billion contributor sit at?” asked Levi suddenly, pulling Zoey&#039;s arm.<br /> <br /> Levi was the one and only Five-Star God of War, and wealth to him was just a number.<br /> <br /> In fact, he didn&#039;t know exactly how much he had, but he could still fork out ten billion casually for the family contribution on behalf of Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> As soon as Levi said that, everyone was stunned at his query.<br /> <br /> After a few moments of silence, the crowd blossomed into an enormous belly laugh.<br /> <br /> “Ten billion? You must be kidding me! Even the aristocratic Garrison family may not have that much money!”<br /> <br /> “This kid must have a loose screw in the head to come here and embarrass himself!”<br /> <br /> “Hey, Aaron. Did you know you have a son-in-law worth ten billion? Hahaha...”<br /> <br /> Sensing the jeering gazes and titter from the people around, Aaron and his family wished the ground could swallow them whole.<br /> <br /> This is embarrassing!<br /> <br /> Too embarrassing!<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s temper sparked, and her eyes blazed with rage.<br /> <br /> “Levi Garrison, is it not enough for you to talk big at home that you have to come here and embarrass me? Do you think you haven&#039;t done enough after all these years?”<br /> <br /> Zoey trembled as tears silently rolling down her cheeks.<br /> <br /> “But I do have ten billion!” Levi said helplessly.<br /> <br /> At this time, no one bothered to listen to Levi&#039;s sheer bull because the star of the day, Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, had arrived.<br /> <br /> Everyone, including Harry, went out to the entrance to greet him.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sorry to keep everyone waiting.” Samuel wore an apologetic expression.<br /> <br /> “Your flight was nearly ten hours late. What&#039;s up with that?” Harry asked in concern.<br /> <br /> Samuel smiled. “Grandpa, don&#039;t you know? A big shot has arrived in North Hampton, and North Hampton Airport was sealed off for eight hours.”<br /> <br /> What? Is there such a thing?<br /> <br /> “Who&#039;s this big shot to have the airport sealed off, Samuel?” Harry asked smilingly.<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s not just that. It&#039;s said that a hundred planes escorted the private jet of that big shot, and there were a hundred thousand people guarding at the airport.”<br /> <br /> “Damn!”<br /> <br /> “What?”<br /> <br /> The crowd gasped in shock.<br /> <br /> “He&#039;s the commander-in-chief of Nine Warzones, the God of War of Erudia. Haha, you may not believe it if I say this, but I met this great man when I was at a gathering abroad, and we even exchanged numbers. I didn&#039;t expect him to take up a post in North Hampton! I&#039;ll ask him out sometime in support of the Lopez family. That way, you&#039;ll gain a foothold in North Hampton in no time,” Samuel said loftily.<br /> <br /> “God! That&#039;s incredible! How did you even get to know someone like him?”<br /> <br /> “My brother-in-law is so cool!”<br /> <br /> “The Lopez family&#039;s son-in-law is one of a kind! Of course, except for one!”<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at Samuel with veneration; the old man was all the more impressed, Aaron and Caitlyn begrudged Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, and Zoey was envious as well.<br /> <br /> But she believed that in five years, Levi, too, could make her grandfather proud.<br /> <br /> Yet, unbeknownst to them, Levi was actually barely stifling in his laughter.<br /> <br /> This kid is quite something to know that I&#039;ve arrived.<br /> <br /> But his ability to make up nonsense is even more impressive.<br /> <br /> “You&#039;re saying you know the God of War?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> Samuel raised his head. “Yeah, we had a drink together. Is there a problem?”<br /> <br /> Levi chuckled. “Then why don&#039;t I recognize you?”<br /> <br /> Chapter 4 I Am The God of War<br /> <br /> “Huh?”<br /> <br /> Samuel froze, and so did the rest.<br /> <br /> What does he mean?<br /> <br /> Samuel frowned. “Are you saying that you&#039;re the God of War?”<br /> <br /> Levi smiled. “Yes, I am the God of War. But I never knew you.”<br /> <br /> The crowd burst into laughter; Samuel especially laughed his head off.<br /> <br /> Even old man Harry was amused as he had never seen such a sensationalist before.<br /> <br /> Clown!<br /> <br /> Levi is such a clown.<br /> <br /> “Gosh, Zoey, your husband is hilarious!” Melanie, Samuel&#039;s wife, derided. “He called himself the God of War, just to prove himself and save his pride! Do you even know who the God of War is? He&#039;s the commander-in-chief of Nine Warzones who can wipe off a clan with just his words! What? Is the prison a warzone? Jeez, Zoey, what a husband you have there. I feel terrible for you!”<br /> <br /> The others also tried to get a word in. “Don&#039;t bring him out in the future, Zoey. You might not think it&#039;s embarrassing, but we do!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah, don&#039;t ever let him attend any of our family banquet in the future. The Lopez family wants to preserve our reputation!”<br /> <br /> “Aaron, your family is really rotten. I&#039;m so disappointed in you.” Harry gave Aaron a dark look.<br /> <br /> “God! What sin have I committed in my previous life to deserve this?”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked down, their expressions ugly.<br /> <br /> This is the most humiliating day ever!<br /> <br /> Zoey sat in the corner. In the face of many insults and derision, she didn&#039;t utter a single word, but tears rolled down her cheeks silently.<br /> <br /> Never in her mind would she expect to be confronted by such humiliating moments.<br /> <br /> Zoey looked at Levi, feeling a little disgusted.<br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t mind that Levi was imprisoned, nor did she mind the stigma of him having gone to prison.<br /> <br /> All she cared about was Levi&#039;s attitude.<br /> <br /> Initially, she thought that he would start from scratch and live a practical life after he got out of prison, but the Levi Garrison right now was a bitter disappointment.<br /> <br /> He&#039;s so unrealistic! A sensationalist! Not to mention his damned pride!<br /> <br /> What a buffoon!<br /> <br /> Zoey didn&#039;t want to admit that this was her husband.<br /> <br /> “Okay, aren&#039;t you the God of War?” Samuel refused to let Levi off so easily. “There will be a welcome banquet tomorrow night in North Hampton, specially dedicated to welcome this big shot! I hope to see you there!”<br /> <br /> Samuel was up to date.<br /> <br /> Indeed, there was such a banquet.<br /> <br /> As Levi had decided to settle down in North Hampton, the higher-ups had assigned him as the deputy of North Hampton, which was more reasonable.<br /> <br /> After all, his purpose of being here was uncertain, and everyone was afraid of this big shot.<br /> <br /> It was easy to cause panic.<br /> <br /> For this reason, North Hampton had decided to host a welcome banquet.<br /> <br /> “Oh? Can you also attend such a welcome banquet, Samuel?” Harry couldn&#039;t help but ask upon hearing their conversation.<br /> <br /> Samuel squared his shoulders and smiled. “I just received two invitation cards!”<br /> <br /> In fact, Samuel had gone out of his way to buy two invitation cards for two million just to show off at the family banquet today.<br /> <br /> All those present looked at Samuel in awe.<br /> <br /> Now that&#039;s two million well spent! He thought to himself smugly.<br /> <br /> “Can you get any more of this invitation card, Samuel?” Harry asked cautiously. “If so, your father and I would like to expand our horizons!”<br /> <br /> Fabian gazed at Samuel with anticipation in his eyes.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;ll get it no matter what!”<br /> <br /> Samuel flat out agreed, although he could feel the burn in his pocket.<br /> <br /> That&#039;s another two million there!<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s just a matter of one phone call!”<br /> <br /> Samuel made a call and purchased two more invitation cards.<br /> <br /> “Say, Zoey,” Melanie said, scooting over to Zoey. “Will I see you at the banquet tomorrow? Hahaha...”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s face darkened, knowing that Melanie was embarrassing her on purpose.<br /> <br /> Not long after, a black car stopped in front of Golden Port Hotel, with a man in a suit walking in soon after.<br /> <br /> “Aren&#039;t you Riley, the secretary?”<br /> <br /> Harry quickly went up to greet him upon realizing who the visitor was.<br /> <br /> Riley, who came into contact with the upper management every day, was the secretary of the North Hampton Office Building.<br /> <br /> Surely, he had to show his respect.<br /> <br /> “Greetings, Mr. Lopez. I&#039;m here for one simple purpose—to send the Lopez family ten invitation cards for tomorrow&#039;s banquet!”<br /> <br /> After dropping off ten invitation cards, Riley left in a hurry.<br /> <br /> It was a mission assigned to him from the head secretary of North Hampton.<br /> <br /> At this moment, the head secretary of North Hampton was sitting in the car outside.<br /> <br /> He was afraid of meeting the legendary God of War.<br /> <br /> The words of his big boss echoed clearly in his ears, Every important family member of the God of War&#039;s father-in-law&#039;s family must attend tomorrow&#039;s banquet. He was to send out the invitations in a low-profile manner while keeping the identity of the sender unknown.<br /> <br /> Hence, he had assigned Riley for the task.<br /> <br /> Levi said nothing when he saw this scene.<br /> <br /> Samuel, however, was taken aback.<br /> <br /> What&#039;s going on?<br /> <br /> Didn&#039;t I just buy two invitation cards?<br /> <br /> Why did they send us ten cards at once? And who was it again? Riley, the secretary?<br /> <br /> “You&#039;re the best grandson-in-law, Samuel,” Harry guffawed. “To have the secretary from the office building send us ten invitations at once with just a word; the Lopez family is proud of you!”<br /> <br /> Fabian was all smiles.<br /> <br /> “Damn! You&#039;re amazing, Samuel!”<br /> <br /> Shaun regarded Samuel with admiration.<br /> <br /> “Melanie has indeed married a good man! You&#039;re surely the happiest woman in the world! Unlike Zoey, who married a criminal!”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sorry that my husband is too amazing, Zoey. Just say the word if you need our help in the future. But I dare not get too close to you, though,” Melanie paused. “Lest someone tries to jump his sister-in-law...”<br /> <br /> Zoey could feel her anger boiling up.<br /> <br /> It was obvious that Melanie was insulting her, but she couldn&#039;t do anything about it; Samuel&#039;s ability to have the secretary from the office building send the invitation cards in person with just a phone call was just too over the top.<br /> <br /> Besides, an invitation for a banquet of this level wasn&#039;t something the Lopez family could easily obtain.<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn, on the other hand, were even more envious.<br /> <br /> With a son-in-law like that, I bet we&#039;ll wake up with a smile every morning.<br /> <br /> Life will be all about counting money.<br /> <br /> Right, isn&#039;t Samuel&#039;s brother in love with our daughter?<br /> <br /> However, the couple couldn&#039;t change Zoey&#039;s mind, so they didn&#039;t muse out loud.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Samuel was completely flummoxed by the whole thing.<br /> <br /> Where in the world do I find connections in North Hampton?<br /> <br /> They must be mistaken.<br /> <br /> But since it&#039;s at this point now, I guess I should just go along with it.<br /> <br /> It&#039;ll make me look good, anyway!<br /> <br /> Samuel chuckled. “I&#039;m sorry, Grandpa. I could only get us ten invitations. After all, there aren&#039;t many places available for this kind of banquet.”<br /> <br /> Harry grinned from ear to ear. “You&#039;re the cream of the crop, Samuel! Here, let Grandpa give you a toast!”<br /> <br /> Upon seeing this, Aaron was green with envy.<br /> <br /> “Grandpa, why don&#039;t you distribute these invitations?” Samuel said.<br /> <br /> “Sure.”<br /> <br /> Harry had four children in total. Everyone received an invitation, all except for Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> The last few remaining invitations were given to Shaun and some of his favorite grandchildren.<br /> <br /> “Thank you, Grandpa!”<br /> <br /> Shaun and the others flourished the invitation cards in their hands before Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> Without a word said, Aaron&#039;s family bowed their heads and remained silent.<br /> <br /> In Harry&#039;s eyes, they were no better than the younger ones, and they acknowledged it. They could only blame themselves for being worthless.<br /> <br /> Just then, someone&#039;s voice broke the silence. “Why didn&#039;t we get an invitation?”<br /> <br /> It was Levi.<br /> <br /> Chapter 5 Proving Himself To His Wife<br /> <br /> Everyone laughed themselves silly at Levi&#039;s question.<br /> <br /> “Do you think your family is qualified to get an invitation? Have you guys ever contributed to the Lopez family?” Shaun retaliated directly.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Dream on! Can you guys be any more shameless to expect to receive an invitation?” Henry questioned unabashedly.<br /> <br /> Zoey and her parents had given up on all hope.<br /> <br /> They looked at Levi with nothing but disgust in their eyes.<br /> <br /> However, Levi let out a cold snort. “It&#039;s for my sake that this invitation is given to you! I intended to give them to my in-laws, and they were given to you passingly.”<br /> <br /> “Have some pride, Levi!” Fabian exploded. “Clearly, Samuel got these invitations through his connections. What the hell has it got to do with you?!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Who the hell do you think you are?” Samuel&#039;s anger mounted. “How dare you try to take credit for this?”<br /> <br /> Soon after, Henry pointed at Aaron. “Just look at your son-in-law, Aaron! Do something about him, and don&#039;t bring him to our next family banquet! We cannot tolerate such insolence!”<br /> <br /> Levi was about to say something when Zoey pulled him outside. “Come with me!!!”<br /> <br /> She couldn&#039;t stand him any longer as hot torrents of grief coursed down her face.<br /> <br /> “Levi, please, don&#039;t embarrass me anymore. I really can&#039;t hold on if you keep this up!”<br /> <br /> Levi wiped away her tears and asked, “Do you want to attend the banquet, Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “Who wouldn&#039;t want to? Didn&#039;t you see the look in Mom and Dad&#039;s eyes?” Zoey said grumpily. “But there&#039;s nothing we can do, even if we want to go. It&#039;s not like you can get us in, can you?”<br /> <br /> “I can!” Levi said decisively.<br /> <br /> This was too much for Zoey to handle. Her temper sparked, and she turned on her heels, trying to leave.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, why don&#039;t you trust me?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> “How am I supposed to trust you when you&#039;re behaving like this?” Zoey replied with a question of her own.<br /> <br /> Levi chuckled. “I&#039;ll definitely get you inside. I, Levi Garrison, am a man of my word!”<br /> <br /> Zoey nodded. “Okay, I&#039;ll trust you just this once! If you can&#039;t do it, we&#039;re over!”<br /> <br /> “Deal!”<br /> <br /> “Fine, I&#039;m going all out on this one!” Zoey said resolutely while wiping her tears. “I don&#039;t need this stupid pride! I&#039;m going to continue to attend this family banquet and tell everyone that my husband is capable of getting an invitation for tomorrow&#039;s banquet too!”<br /> <br /> “Okay, ladies first. Let me just make one call.”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “Azure Dragon, tell Jesse I&#039;ll attend the banquet he&#039;s hosting tomorrow,” Levi said once the call went through.<br /> <br /> “What? So you agree to attend the banquet? Thank God! The higher-ups were so worried that you won&#039;t give Jesse this honor!”<br /> <br /> “Yes, I&#039;ll attend. But please ban some of the people from this event...”<br /> <br /> “Roger that, Sir! I&#039;ll make the arrangements now!”<br /> <br /> Returning inside, Levi saw Zoey holding her head high, looking as proud as a peacock.<br /> <br /> It was obvious that she had made the announcement as many pairs of eyes were fixated on him.<br /> <br /> “Say, how do you guys think this punk got the invitation? By stealing?”<br /> <br /> “Who knows if he bought it for the sake of pretending!”<br /> <br /> Samuel laughed. “Don&#039;t you guys know that one invitation cost over one million?”<br /> <br /> “Aaron&#039;s family owes Grandpa about three million. How can they afford to buy an invitation?”<br /> <br /> Right then, dinner was served, marking the start of the family banquet.<br /> <br /> “I think the four of them can just have a bowl of noodles each. There&#039;s no need to serve them. What do you guys think?” Henry asked.<br /> <br /> Samuel laughed. “Let&#039;s just feed them. Otherwise, it&#039;ll look like Grandpa is mistreating them.”<br /> <br /> “Alright then.”<br /> <br /> Other tables were bustling with noise and excitement, with everyone toasting each other and currying favor with Samuel, but it was deadly silence at Levi&#039;s.<br /> <br /> Aaron glanced at Samuel, then back at Levi, sighing, “What&#039;s the point of getting envious? Such is my fate!”<br /> <br /> Caitlyn glowered at Levi. Can today be any more humiliating?<br /> <br /> However, they didn&#039;t dare to leave without the old man&#039;s permission and could only continue to suffer from the humiliation in awkward silence.<br /> <br /> Right then, Samuel came over with a glass of wine, followed by a group of people who had been paying court to him.<br /> <br /> He walked past Levi and stood before Zoey. “I was going to introduce my brother to you, Zoey. He&#039;s so much better than me! But it seems that you&#039;re not fortunate enough to enjoy a good life. It&#039;s a pity that you have a bad taste in men!”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn sighed.<br /> <br /> If only Levi didn&#039;t show up, Zoey would have been with Chris, and our family would have been rich again.<br /> <br /> How amazing is that?<br /> <br /> But sadly, it seems that we are plagued by poverty!<br /> <br /> Soon, the family banquet ended.<br /> <br /> “Let&#039;s go to my house. I want to have a good talk with my grandson-in-law regarding the Lopez family&#039;s future development and tomorrow&#039;s banquet. All of you must sit in and listen. It&#039;ll be good for you,” Harry instructed.<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked at Harry in anticipation, hoping that the Lopez family would lend a hand to alLeviate their current livelihood.<br /> <br /> But little did they know Harry responded, “Aaron, you guys can go back on your own!”<br /> <br /> Aaron hesitated a little. “Dad, but I...”<br /> <br /> “No buts! We don&#039;t need you here. Besides, your good son-in-law just came back from prison. I don&#039;t want him to stain my place with bad luck!” Harry said, then left with the crowd.<br /> <br /> Before leaving, Samuel, Melanie, and a few others stood before Levi, waving the invitation cards in their hands. “Don&#039;t disappoint me tomorrow night. Don&#039;t say you know me if you can&#039;t get in. I can&#039;t afford to throw my reputation down the gutters.”<br /> <br /> Levi snickered. “You&#039;ll never know who&#039;s the one who can&#039;t get in when the time comes.”<br /> <br /> “Alright then. We&#039;ll soon see about that.”<br /> <br /> Everyone left happily with an invitation card in their hands, leaving Aaron and his family sighing and groaning.<br /> <br /> Aaron cast a deep glance at Levi.<br /> <br /> If only he could bring honor for the family...<br /> <br /> It&#039;s a pity that he just got out of prison. Even surviving is a problem for him.<br /> <br /> After that, Levi followed Zoey home.<br /> <br /> Compared to the Garrison family, this was his home—a home where a woman had been waiting for him for six years.<br /> <br /> Back home, Levi took the initiative to lay a mattress on the floor, but Zoey let him sleep on the bed instead.<br /> <br /> Thereafter, he lay on the bed while Zoey continued to draft a plan at the desk.<br /> <br /> “What are you doing?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m drafting a proposal for an ecological park development project at West City. Even if the chance of success is not even one percent, I&#039;m going to try my best to win this bid!” Zoey smiled.<br /> <br /> Until the following night, not once did Zoey complain about him, nor did she show a long face.<br /> <br /> But she couldn&#039;t help it anymore as it was almost time for the welcome banquet.<br /> <br /> “Levi Garrison, I trusted you so much and bet everything on you. But where&#039;s the invitation? How on earth am I supposed to believe you now? I&#039;d thought you would come up with ideas to get us in, but you didn&#039;t step out from this house nor made a phone call the moment we came home last night. Do you think the invitation will just fall from the sky?”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn added, “What are you waiting for? Zoey had made a big promise last night. If you don&#039;t make this happen, there won&#039;t be a place for us to live in the Lopez family in the future.”<br /> <br /> Levi glanced at the clock. “It&#039;s almost time. Just follow me.”<br /> <br /> Driving in Aaron&#039;s Haval, they arrived at Paradise Villa, where the God of War&#039;s welcome banquet was held.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, I will prove to you now that I can do it!”<br /> <br /> Levi pulled Zoey and headed towards the entrance.<br /> <br /> 👉To continue reading the story for free, download the app and search📚《The Return of the God of War 》. 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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 1519975038933404 📚《The Return of the God of War》ALL chapters for Free!😍 😭Six years ago, he was framed by his family. They broke his limbs and left him on the roadside. Six years later, he returned as God of War and made them kneel for three days and nights.👊👊👊<br /> Chapter 1 The Return Of The God of War<br /> In Erudia, a private jet landed at North Hampton Airport, where all international flights experienced an eight-hour delay because of it.<br /> At the private passageway were five men in suits and leather shoes, standing as straight as a javelin.<br /> Every now and then, they would raise their wrist to look at the time, for a big shot was coming to town.<br /> The upper-class society of North Hampton had learned about his arrival, but no one had the capability to get an inch closer to the private passageway.<br /> Even the richest man in North Hampton who came to pay homage was chased away.<br /> <br /> Finally, there were movements coming from the passageway.<br /> <br /> “God of War!!!” the mass cried out, their eyes filled with awe and veneration at the sight of the undefeatable legend of Erudia.<br /> <br /> He, who was dubbed the God of War, was the one and only Five-Star God of War in the history of Erudia.<br /> <br /> Once, he&#039;d inflicted a crushing defeat on the strongest battalions in eighteen countries. He was an overbearing and formidable man.<br /> <br /> He who overwhelmed the world with his unparalleled power had even created the Five Great Wars Regiment, Cavalry Regiment, and many more.<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> Setting foot on his homeland, Levi Garrison was overcome with emotions.<br /> <br /> Once upon a time, he used to be an orphan who was abandoned on the streets of North Hampton and then adopted by the Garrison family.<br /> <br /> However, the Garrison family had never been fond of him.<br /> <br /> His adoptive parents, who had a tendency to beat and scold him, treated him like an outsider.<br /> <br /> As for the outsiders, they treated him as a nobody.<br /> <br /> But he didn&#039;t care a stiver. He had always been proud of his surname since he was a child, and he strived to bring glory to this family when he grew older.<br /> <br /> At last, Levi had established Levi Group, the largest dark horse in North Hampton&#039;s business community.<br /> <br /> With billions of assets, it ranked among the forefront of North Hampton, pushing the declining Garrison family to the top.<br /> <br /> However, not only did the Garrison family showed no signs of appreciation, they even harbored dissatisfaction towards him. Jealous of his success, they regarded him as a thorn in their flesh and coveted Levi Group.<br /> <br /> No matter his wealth and power, unless they were in control, he was just an outsider in the Garrison family&#039;s eyes.<br /> <br /> Eventually, on Levi&#039;s wedding night, the Garrison family plotted a frame-up against him by getting him drunk before tossing him onto his sister-in-law&#039;s bed. They wanted to create the illusion that he was doing something untoward to her and was caught in bed by his brother and adoptive parents.<br /> <br /> That night, the Garrison family had brutally broken his limbs and left him on the road like a wild dog.<br /> <br /> Not only was he handicapped, but he also had to take the flak for something he didn&#039;t commit.<br /> <br /> From an upstart in the business world, he had become the target of disdain overnight.<br /> <br /> And the next day, he had been punished for several crimes and sentenced to six years in prison.<br /> <br /> He could never forget the ruthless and sinister faces of everyone in the Garrison family and the ridicule of his friends, classmates, and business partners.<br /> <br /> More so, he could never forget the disappointment on his newly wedded wife, Zoey&#039;s face.<br /> <br /> He had regarded the Garrison family as his home and devoted himself to the family.<br /> <br /> Yet, they treated him like trash.<br /> <br /> It felt as if a knife was being twisted in his heart every time he thought about this.<br /> <br /> How he hated the Garrison family!<br /> <br /> But who would have thought that Levi had been secretly transferred away from prison to join the military?<br /> <br /> In a few years, he dominated the military world and became the one and only Five-Star God of War.<br /> <br /> Now that he came back, the Garrison family ought to stay on their toes.<br /> <br /> “How&#039;s it going, Azure Dragon?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> Azure Dragon, the commander of the Five Great Wars Regiment, took a step forward and said respectfully, “Sir, I&#039;m afraid your wife, Ms. Zoey Lopez will remarry at ten o&#039;clock tonight!”<br /> <br /> Ever since Zoey&#039;s husband was sent to prison on their wedding night, she had been living like a widow.<br /> <br /> Only God knew how much pressure she was put under.<br /> <br /> And right now, the person Levi couldn&#039;t wait to see the most was Zoey.<br /> <br /> After a moment of hesitation, Azure Dragon continued, “To add on, Sir, the Garrison family is holding a successful listing celebration banquet at the Crystal Palace Hotel tonight! Many people had invited the God of War just now, including the Garrison family, but I didn&#039;t accept nor refuse directly.”<br /> <br /> “What time?” Levi asked tersely.<br /> <br /> “Eight o&#039;clock, Sir.”<br /> <br /> “Okay. Tell the Garrison family I will attend the banquet!”<br /> <br /> Since the time for the two events didn&#039;t clash, Levi gladly accepted the invitation.<br /> <br /> The celebration banquet for the public listing of Garrison Group was held at North Hampton&#039;s Crystal Palace Hotel.<br /> <br /> With the help of Levi Group, they had become a rich and powerful family in one fell swoop.<br /> <br /> The hall was bustling with noise and excitement, and sounds of glasses clinking could be heard ringing in the air every now and then.<br /> <br /> “God bless the Garrison family,” said Joseph, the head of the Garrison family. “The younger generations are the stars among men. Garrison Group is now listed and has become an upstart in North Hampton!”<br /> <br /> Joseph&#039;s three sons and daughter welcomed their guests with bright smiles on their faces.<br /> <br /> The younger generation of the Garrison family was all the smugger and prouder because, after today, the Garrison family would become a powerful family, and they would become one of the top rich kids.<br /> <br /> Most of the guests who attended today&#039;s banquet were from the top circle in North Hampton.<br /> <br /> “Garrison, do you know what happened today?! Your celebration party is nothing compared to that.” They were gossiping about the major event that had happened today.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! I heard that a big shot has arrived in North Hampton!”<br /> <br /> “The richest man in North Hampton wanted to meet him but was shooed away. Apparently, he&#039;s not qualified enough!”<br /> <br /> “So? Jesse Nielsen had been waiting for five hours in advance at the airport!”<br /> <br /> Joseph nodded. “Yes, I know about that too. I even sent someone to invite this big shot to the celebration party!”<br /> <br /> “No way! Why would this big shot attend such a party?”<br /> <br /> No one believed it.<br /> <br /> In fact, as an upstart, Joseph was just trying his luck.<br /> <br /> “Dad!” shouted Jaycob, the second eldest son of the Garrison family could be seen running over. “The big shot has accepted our invitation to attend our celebration banquet! He&#039;s on the way!”<br /> <br /> “Jesus! God has indeed blessed the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> Everyone in the Garrison family could barely conceal their delight as this was their chance to reach the sky in a single bound.<br /> <br /> The grandchildren of the Garrison family gathered together, sunshine flooding their souls.<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s brother, Bryan, and sister-in-law, Victoria, smiled. “Well, it all starts with Levi&#039;s imprisonment that the Garrison family is at where we are today...”<br /> <br /> “Right, speaking about Levi, do you guys know today&#039;s the day that kid gets out of prison?!” somebody asked abruptly.<br /> <br /> “Really? Isn&#039;t that bad luck? Why did he have to be released on such a big day?!”<br /> <br /> “Please, please, please don&#039;t come back! He&#039;s the Garrison family&#039;s biggest disgrace!”<br /> <br /> Victoria&#039;s lips tugged into a sneer. “Speaking of which, Levi is the crowning glory of the Garrison family&#039;s status today.”<br /> <br /> “That&#039;s what he&#039;s supposed to do!” Bryan said. “He should contribute to the Garrison family for raising him, an orphan! His multi-billion Levi Group means nothing. To put it bluntly, he&#039;s just a dog raised by the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> Someone gave a chortle. “As a matter of fact, I&#039;ve been interested in Levi&#039;s wife for a long time now. She&#039;s still widowed, and I&#039;m so going to marry her!”<br /> <br /> The man&#039;s remark caused gales of laughter.<br /> <br /> “Everyone, stop what you&#039;re doing. I have an important announcement to make,” Joseph said and went on to announce that the big shot was coming.<br /> <br /> A thunderous applause was heard.<br /> <br /> But when the applause had died down, there was still someone clapping.<br /> <br /> The sound was loud and clear, approaching from afar.<br /> <br /> On the red carpet, a man came clapping, looking bold and energetic.<br /> <br /> His stride gave off a majestic and imposing aura, which made the mass hold their breaths.<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s Levi!” Bryan and Victoria exclaimed.<br /> <br /> Suddenly, all eyes were riveted on him.<br /> <br /> “I forgot this little brat got out of jail today!” Levi&#039;s adoptive parents spoke in unison.<br /> <br /> Ignoring the astonished gazes darted at his way, Levi walked step by step towards Joseph.<br /> <br /> “A little bird told me that the company is now listed. How are you feeling, Joseph? Are you happy?”<br /> <br /> Levi flashed him a meaningful smile.<br /> <br /> “How dare you show up here, you insolent brat! And what did you just call me?” Joseph&#039;s fury sprang to life.<br /> <br /> “Who let him in? Didn&#039;t you know he just got out of prison? How inauspicious!”<br /> <br /> Bryan rose to his feet. “What the hell are you doing here, Levi?”<br /> <br /> Levi sized him up. “Why can&#039;t I be here?”<br /> <br /> “Well, for starters, you&#039;re an orphan! The Garrison family has raised you, but you were ambitious and ungrateful. You had inordinate ambitions for your sister-in-law, and you wanted to take possession of the Garrison family! You&#039;d even tried to kill your parents when things go south! Have you no conscience? Do you have any sense of morality left in your heart?”<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve lost your reputation in North Hampton, and everyone knows that. Have you no shame to have the brass neck to come round here?”<br /> <br /> Chapter 2 Sinner In The Family<br /> <br /> “Everyone knows why you&#039;re back. You want to leech off the Garrison family; you want our money, isn&#039;t it?!”<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve long been expelled from the Garrison family, you ungrateful wretch! The Garrison family has nothing to do with you! Now, get lost!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s adoptive parents rose to their feet and pointed at his nose, hurling abusive remarks at him.<br /> <br /> The Garrison family&#039;s brazenness of distorting the truth was mind-bending.<br /> <br /> How disappointing!<br /> <br /> He had thought they would feel somewhat apologetic after six years, but they were unexpectedly more aggravated.<br /> <br /> They took everything from him, crippled him, and ruined his reputation, turning everything upside down and making everything his fault instead.<br /> <br /> The Garrison family didn&#039;t have the slightest bit of compassion to speak of.<br /> <br /> Bryan zipped towards Levi, assessing him condescendingly. “Hmph! Don&#039;t you just want money now that you&#039;re back?”<br /> <br /> Flap!<br /> <br /> Bryan threw a credit card to the ground and lifted his foot, shaking his leather shoe. “My vamp is dirty. Lick it clean, and the one million in this card is yours!”<br /> <br /> His words elicited a fresh burst of laughter as the crowd looked at Levi as if they were looking at a dog.<br /> <br /> “Oh my! One million? That&#039;s more than enough to cover his living expenses. I bet he&#039;ll lick it!”<br /> <br /> Victoria gave a wry look.<br /> <br /> “On your knees!” Bryan roared, seeing that Levi was glaring at him. “Now, lick my shoe!”<br /> <br /> Levi stared at him coldly and held his peace.<br /> <br /> “Kneel!!!”<br /> <br /> Bryan rushed to Levi and pressed his shoulders, forcing him to kneel, but the latter didn&#039;t budge.<br /> <br /> “I said kneel!!!”<br /> <br /> Bryan struggled to rivet him to the spot.<br /> <br /> “Drop dead!”<br /> <br /> Levi suddenly slapped Bryan in the face, sending him flying almost eight meters away.<br /> <br /> Silence engulfed the room; one could even hear a pin drop!<br /> <br /> Unbelievable!<br /> <br /> Everyone in the Garrison family was stupefied.<br /> <br /> What did Levi just do?<br /> <br /> Did he just knock Bryan to the ground with a single slap?<br /> <br /> Plod!<br /> <br /> Bryan was about to get up when Levi stepped on him, crushed him, and crossed over him.<br /> <br /> Looking at the approaching Levi, Joseph instinctively stepped back.<br /> <br /> Levi went up the stage and adjusted the microphone stand.<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at him, wondering what he was going to do next.<br /> <br /> “Listen up, everyone...”<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sure you remember what happened six years ago, yes? For the love and care I had received from the Garrison family during childhood, I&#039;m giving you one month to kneel before me for three days and three nights to repent your sins!”<br /> <br /> “Remember, that&#039;s everyone from the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> “If I don&#039;t see any shadow within a month, the outcome is simple—I swear I&#039;ll wipe off every single one of you here today!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s voice was low and deep.<br /> <br /> But as soon as he finished, the crowd was laughing like a drain.<br /> <br /> “Did prison life eat his brain or what? What conceited nonsense is he spouting?”<br /> <br /> “The Garrison family right now is a juggernaut in North Hampton. He&#039;s just a criminal. Isn&#039;t it a pipe dream to destroy the Garrison family?”<br /> <br /> “Did he knock his brain loose or something?”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “Bear in mind that I have limited patience. You only have one month! Of course, you may gather your strengths and connections to fight against me! I&#039;ll be waiting.”<br /> <br /> Levi then took his leave straightaway, disregarding the mockeries of the crowd.<br /> <br /> “Stop right there, you bastard! Did I tell you to leave?”<br /> <br /> Ben, Levi&#039;s adoptive father, wanted to stop him.<br /> <br /> “Ben, let him go!” Joseph said. “It&#039;s a big day today. I don&#039;t want to see bloodshed!”<br /> <br /> He was afraid about the impact that would bring about if the big shot saw this.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! There are so much more opportunities to take care of him!”<br /> <br /> “He&#039;s in luck that the big shot is on his way!”<br /> <br /> With that, Levi left the place under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people.<br /> <br /> After Levi had left, Joseph asked anxiously, “Jaycob, where&#039;s the big shot? Isn&#039;t he here yet?”<br /> <br /> Jaycob looked dazed. “According to the time, he should have arrived long ago. Let me ask...”<br /> <br /> After making a phone call, Jaycob blanched. “Dad, the big shot was here, but he left already.”<br /> <br /> “What? The big shot was here?”<br /> <br /> “The big shot said that the Garrison family are a bunch of unworthy stupid pigs!”<br /> <br /> “I get it. He must have left in a fit of rage after witnessing the ruckus that brat had created!”<br /> <br /> “He must have thought that the Garrison family disrespected him!”<br /> <br /> Joseph trembled with rage. “That brat will pay for this!”<br /> <br /> The multitude reacted accordingly.<br /> <br /> Levi has ruined the Garrison family&#039;s glorious event!<br /> <br /> He just pissed off the big shot!<br /> <br /> That&#039;s equivalent to cutting off the Garrison family&#039;s chance to reach the sky!<br /> <br /> Levi Garrison is indeed the sinner of the Garrison family!<br /> <br /> At that moment, the Garrison family wished to skin Levi alive.<br /> <br /> His adoptive parents, brother, and sister-in-law especially hated him to the bone. “Just you wait, Levi!”<br /> <br /> After leaving Crystal Palace Hotel, the next person that Levi was going to look for was his wife, Zoey Lopez.<br /> <br /> In this life, he owed no debt to the Garrison family, nor his friends and classmates, but Zoey.<br /> <br /> He had been imprisoned on the second day after the wedding, making Zoey lose her reputation. That even put her through six years of widowhood.<br /> <br /> This woman has carried too much on her shoulders for six years.<br /> <br /> But now that I&#039;m back, I&#039;ll hold your hand, and we&#039;ll conquer the world together!<br /> <br /> After hesitating for a long time, Levi pressed the doorbell.<br /> <br /> Thud!<br /> <br /> The young woman dropped her mobile phone to the ground as the door opened.<br /> <br /> Upon taking a closer look at Levi&#039;s face, Zoey broke down in tears.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, quick, just get the parcel and come in. It&#039;s almost time for the family banquet! Your grandfather is going to settle your marriage at the family banquet tonight. You can&#039;t get away from this!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Quickly get dressed! Your grandfather is going to set you up with someone else!”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s parents&#039; voices sounded from the inside.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, I&#039;m back!” Levi said excitedly, wanting to fling his arm around her, but Zoey slapped his hands away.<br /> <br /> “Why did you come back? I&#039;ve already forgotten about you...”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s voice was choked with sobs.<br /> <br /> Very soon after, Zoey&#039;s parents, Aaron and Caitlyn, came out, looking horrified.<br /> <br /> “How dare you have the nerve to come back? Do you know how much criticism my family has suffered because of you? Especially Zoey. Do you know how much she has suffered for the past six years?” Zoey&#039;s father, Aaron, reproached.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, her mother, Caitlyn, pushed and shoved Levi. “You should know that this relationship between you and Zoey is impossible in this life the moment you went to jail! You&#039;re a criminal! You&#039;re just a street rat in North Hampton! You&#039;re only putting Zoey in harm&#039;s way by coming to see her!”<br /> <br /> Naturally, Levi had known of Zoey&#039;s sufferings for the past six years, including her refusal to remarry because of him.<br /> <br /> Levi put on a serious face. “This time, I&#039;m back for good. I won&#039;t leave Zoey ever again. I will grant her a bright future and let her own the world!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s declaration had Aaron and Caitlyn hooting with laughter.<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve spent six years in jail. How are you going to give Zoey a future?” Aaron asked with a sneer.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! With your mouth?” Caitlyn chimed in. “There&#039;s a limit to talking big!”<br /> <br /> Nonetheless, Levi smiled. “Don&#039;t worry. I&#039;ll reclaim what I lost in those years! I&#039;ll destroy the Garrison family in a month!”<br /> <br /> “Levi!” This time, even Zoey couldn&#039;t bear to listen to his nonsense any longer. “Can we be more realistic? It doesn&#039;t matter if you just get out of prison. Can&#039;t you just be down to earth and start anew? I believe that you will make a comeback one day, but you can&#039;t just indulge in tall talk. Do you know just how powerful the Garrison family is right now? And besides, today&#039;s era is a far cry from what it was six years ago!”<br /> <br /> “Zoey, trust me,” Levi said earnestly. “I can make the Garrison family bow at my feet with just a word!”<br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Ten Billion To Sit At That Table<br /> <br /> Preposterous!<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s bravado nearly drove Zoey and her parents round the bend.<br /> <br /> Having been caged up for six years, did he finally lose his mind?<br /> <br /> “Fine. If you say so,” Zoey said, shoving her mobile phone to Levi directly. “Then prove it! I&#039;d like to see how you make the Garrison family bow their heads with just one word!”<br /> <br /> “I...”<br /> <br /> Levi was stunned.<br /> <br /> It was true that he could exterminate the Garrison family with his words, but he had given them one month; it would be too uneventful to destroy them now.<br /> <br /> “See, you can&#039;t do it, can&#039;t you? Then don&#039;t you ever talk big if you can&#039;t!”<br /> <br /> Zoey smashed the phone to the ground, marking her wrath.<br /> <br /> Following that, her parents pushed Levi away. “Go now. You&#039;re not welcome here. We&#039;ve got a family banquet to attend!”<br /> <br /> “No. Mom, Dad, let him in!”<br /> <br /> “What do you mean, Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “I won&#039;t remarry. My husband is back.”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn couldn&#039;t talk her round, so they could only let him in.<br /> <br /> After that, Zoey took Levi to her bedroom.<br /> <br /> “Since you&#039;re back, you&#039;re still my husband. I don&#039;t care about the gossips. Besides, I believe you&#039;re innocent, and anyone with discerning eyes can see that it was the Garrison family who&#039;d framed you!”<br /> <br /> Levi could feel the warmth in his heart.<br /> <br /> She trusted him, and that was more than enough for him.<br /> <br /> “But you must promise me to start from zero and be down to earth. I believe you will achieve something great with your ability! I&#039;ll give you five years!”<br /> <br /> “That&#039;s unnecessary,” Levi said. “Just give me one month. In a month, I&#039;ll de—”<br /> <br /> “Shut up! I don&#039;t want to listen to your nonsensical and unrealistic talks! Why can&#039;t we just be realistic?” Zoey shouted.<br /> <br /> “Even if you have nothing now, as long as you take one step at a time, I believe you&#039;ll get back on your feet!”<br /> <br /> Levi shut up obediently.<br /> <br /> “I bought you these six years ago.” Zoey took out a suit from the cupboard. “Change into it at once and follow me to the family banquet!”<br /> <br /> “Zoey, what is up with you?”<br /> <br /> Seeing Levi all dressed up, Aaron and Caitlyn were naturally dissatisfied.<br /> <br /> Zoey clung onto Levi&#039;s arm. “Mom, Dad, Levi is my husband now! I will make myself clear to Grandpa tonight!”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked daggers at Levi, sighing helplessly, “For Heaven&#039;s sake!”<br /> <br /> The Lopez family banquet was held at Golden Port Restaurant, where they contracted the entire restaurant.<br /> <br /> Naturally, the Lopez family was not as powerful as the Garrison family, but they were considered above average in North Hampton.<br /> <br /> When Zoey and her family arrived at the main hall, they were greeted with strange and jesting gazes.<br /> <br /> In the past, when Zoey and Levi had gotten married, Aaron&#039;s family status was the highest in the Lopez family.<br /> <br /> But after Levi&#039;s downfall, Aaron&#039;s family had experienced a seismic shift in life, and their status in the Lopez family took a nosedive as they became the subject of ridicule, especially during family events.<br /> <br /> “Look! Is that Levi beside Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! It&#039;s really him! He&#039;s released from prison already?”<br /> <br /> All eyes fell on Levi at once.<br /> <br /> Harry, the head of the Lopez family, snorted and turned a blind eye to the four of them.<br /> <br /> The old man&#039;s favorite now was Fabian, his eldest son, and his family.<br /> <br /> Mainly because Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, Samuel Robertson, was of mixed ethnicity who was born rich and had lived overseas.<br /> <br /> This time, Harry was going to set up Zoey with Samuel&#039;s younger brother, Chris, who had been casting covetous eyes on Zoey for some time now.<br /> <br /> With no one paying attention to them, Aaron and his family could only find a place to sit first.<br /> <br /> As they were about to take their seats, a voice was heard. “No, Aaron. You guys can&#039;t sit here.”<br /> <br /> It was a reminder from Henry, the second eldest son of the Lopez family.<br /> <br /> “What?”<br /> <br /> “There are sitting arrangements to the family banquet this time.”<br /> <br /> Aaron looked puzzled. “How so?”<br /> <br /> “There are four tables for the family banquet! And it&#039;s decided according to the family contribution!”<br /> <br /> “For example, the first table is given to the family who contributed over five million to the family in a year; a million for the second table, a hundred thousand for the third table, and less than a hundred thousand for the last table, or should I say no contribution at all!”<br /> <br /> Henry smiled smugly. “Our family has made good profits this year, and we&#039;ve contributed just about five million to the family. So excuse me, but this table here is ours.”<br /> <br /> “Of course, you can also sit at the first table without contributing. That is if your family has tens of millions of assets.”<br /> <br /> “Unfortunately, we couldn&#039;t be any clearer about your family&#039;s situation,” sneered Maddison, Henry&#039;s wife. “Now that there&#039;s an ex-convict in your family, I&#039;m sorry that you guys can only sit at the last table!”<br /> <br /> “Mom, Dad, as far as I know, Uncle Aaron and his family didn&#039;t contribute much to the family last year,” said Shaun, Henry&#039;s son, walking over with a glass in his hand. “Their company went bankrupt, and they even borrowed over two million from Grandpa. Clearly, it&#039;s a negative contribution. It&#039;s unfair to the relatives sitting at the fourth table! I say we add a fifth table for negative contributors!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah, I agree!”<br /> <br /> The rest of the Lopez family concurred.<br /> <br /> “Okay, we&#039;ll do as Shaun says! This shall motivate you people!”<br /> <br /> Harry gave his consent.<br /> <br /> “Hurry up and sit down. Don&#039;t just stand there and make a fool out of yourselves.” Harry glared at Aaron.<br /> <br /> With that, Aaron and his family walked over to the fifth table quietly.<br /> <br /> “Which table should a ten billion contributor sit at?” asked Levi suddenly, pulling Zoey&#039;s arm.<br /> <br /> Levi was the one and only Five-Star God of War, and wealth to him was just a number.<br /> <br /> In fact, he didn&#039;t know exactly how much he had, but he could still fork out ten billion casually for the family contribution on behalf of Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> As soon as Levi said that, everyone was stunned at his query.<br /> <br /> After a few moments of silence, the crowd blossomed into an enormous belly laugh.<br /> <br /> “Ten billion? You must be kidding me! Even the aristocratic Garrison family may not have that much money!”<br /> <br /> “This kid must have a loose screw in the head to come here and embarrass himself!”<br /> <br /> “Hey, Aaron. Did you know you have a son-in-law worth ten billion? Hahaha...”<br /> <br /> Sensing the jeering gazes and titter from the people around, Aaron and his family wished the ground could swallow them whole.<br /> <br /> This is embarrassing!<br /> <br /> Too embarrassing!<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s temper sparked, and her eyes blazed with rage.<br /> <br /> “Levi Garrison, is it not enough for you to talk big at home that you have to come here and embarrass me? Do you think you haven&#039;t done enough after all these years?”<br /> <br /> Zoey trembled as tears silently rolling down her cheeks.<br /> <br /> “But I do have ten billion!” Levi said helplessly.<br /> <br /> At this time, no one bothered to listen to Levi&#039;s sheer bull because the star of the day, Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, had arrived.<br /> <br /> Everyone, including Harry, went out to the entrance to greet him.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sorry to keep everyone waiting.” Samuel wore an apologetic expression.<br /> <br /> “Your flight was nearly ten hours late. What&#039;s up with that?” Harry asked in concern.<br /> <br /> Samuel smiled. “Grandpa, don&#039;t you know? A big shot has arrived in North Hampton, and North Hampton Airport was sealed off for eight hours.”<br /> <br /> What? Is there such a thing?<br /> <br /> “Who&#039;s this big shot to have the airport sealed off, Samuel?” Harry asked smilingly.<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s not just that. It&#039;s said that a hundred planes escorted the private jet of that big shot, and there were a hundred thousand people guarding at the airport.”<br /> <br /> “Damn!”<br /> <br /> “What?”<br /> <br /> The crowd gasped in shock.<br /> <br /> “He&#039;s the commander-in-chief of Nine Warzones, the God of War of Erudia. Haha, you may not believe it if I say this, but I met this great man when I was at a gathering abroad, and we even exchanged numbers. I didn&#039;t expect him to take up a post in North Hampton! I&#039;ll ask him out sometime in support of the Lopez family. That way, you&#039;ll gain a foothold in North Hampton in no time,” Samuel said loftily.<br /> <br /> “God! That&#039;s incredible! How did you even get to know someone like him?”<br /> <br /> “My brother-in-law is so cool!”<br /> <br /> “The Lopez family&#039;s son-in-law is one of a kind! Of course, except for one!”<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at Samuel with veneration; the old man was all the more impressed, Aaron and Caitlyn begrudged Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, and Zoey was envious as well.<br /> <br /> But she believed that in five years, Levi, too, could make her grandfather proud.<br /> <br /> Yet, unbeknownst to them, Levi was actually barely stifling in his laughter.<br /> <br /> This kid is quite something to know that I&#039;ve arrived.<br /> <br /> But his ability to make up nonsense is even more impressive.<br /> <br /> “You&#039;re saying you know the God of War?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> Samuel raised his head. “Yeah, we had a drink together. Is there a problem?”<br /> <br /> Levi chuckled. “Then why don&#039;t I recognize you?”<br /> <br /> Chapter 4 I Am The God of War<br /> <br /> “Huh?”<br /> <br /> Samuel froze, and so did the rest.<br /> <br /> What does he mean?<br /> <br /> Samuel frowned. “Are you saying that you&#039;re the God of War?”<br /> <br /> Levi smiled. “Yes, I am the God of War. But I never knew you.”<br /> <br /> The crowd burst into laughter; Samuel especially laughed his head off.<br /> <br /> Even old man Harry was amused as he had never seen such a sensationalist before.<br /> <br /> Clown!<br /> <br /> Levi is such a clown.<br /> <br /> “Gosh, Zoey, your husband is hilarious!” Melanie, Samuel&#039;s wife, derided. “He called himself the God of War, just to prove himself and save his pride! Do you even know who the God of War is? He&#039;s the commander-in-chief of Nine Warzones who can wipe off a clan with just his words! What? Is the prison a warzone? Jeez, Zoey, what a husband you have there. I feel terrible for you!”<br /> <br /> The others also tried to get a word in. “Don&#039;t bring him out in the future, Zoey. You might not think it&#039;s embarrassing, but we do!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah, don&#039;t ever let him attend any of our family banquet in the future. The Lopez family wants to preserve our reputation!”<br /> <br /> “Aaron, your family is really rotten. I&#039;m so disappointed in you.” Harry gave Aaron a dark look.<br /> <br /> “God! What sin have I committed in my previous life to deserve this?”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked down, their expressions ugly.<br /> <br /> This is the most humiliating day ever!<br /> <br /> Zoey sat in the corner. In the face of many insults and derision, she didn&#039;t utter a single word, but tears rolled down her cheeks silently.<br /> <br /> Never in her mind would she expect to be confronted by such humiliating moments.<br /> <br /> Zoey looked at Levi, feeling a little disgusted.<br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t mind that Levi was imprisoned, nor did she mind the stigma of him having gone to prison.<br /> <br /> All she cared about was Levi&#039;s attitude.<br /> <br /> Initially, she thought that he would start from scratch and live a practical life after he got out of prison, but the Levi Garrison right now was a bitter disappointment.<br /> <br /> He&#039;s so unrealistic! A sensationalist! Not to mention his damned pride!<br /> <br /> What a buffoon!<br /> <br /> Zoey didn&#039;t want to admit that this was her husband.<br /> <br /> “Okay, aren&#039;t you the God of War?” Samuel refused to let Levi off so easily. “There will be a welcome banquet tomorrow night in North Hampton, specially dedicated to welcome this big shot! I hope to see you there!”<br /> <br /> Samuel was up to date.<br /> <br /> Indeed, there was such a banquet.<br /> <br /> As Levi had decided to settle down in North Hampton, the higher-ups had assigned him as the deputy of North Hampton, which was more reasonable.<br /> <br /> After all, his purpose of being here was uncertain, and everyone was afraid of this big shot.<br /> <br /> It was easy to cause panic.<br /> <br /> For this reason, North Hampton had decided to host a welcome banquet.<br /> <br /> “Oh? Can you also attend such a welcome banquet, Samuel?” Harry couldn&#039;t help but ask upon hearing their conversation.<br /> <br /> Samuel squared his shoulders and smiled. “I just received two invitation cards!”<br /> <br /> In fact, Samuel had gone out of his way to buy two invitation cards for two million just to show off at the family banquet today.<br /> <br /> All those present looked at Samuel in awe.<br /> <br /> Now that&#039;s two million well spent! He thought to himself smugly.<br /> <br /> “Can you get any more of this invitation card, Samuel?” Harry asked cautiously. “If so, your father and I would like to expand our horizons!”<br /> <br /> Fabian gazed at Samuel with anticipation in his eyes.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;ll get it no matter what!”<br /> <br /> Samuel flat out agreed, although he could feel the burn in his pocket.<br /> <br /> That&#039;s another two million there!<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s just a matter of one phone call!”<br /> <br /> Samuel made a call and purchased two more invitation cards.<br /> <br /> “Say, Zoey,” Melanie said, scooting over to Zoey. “Will I see you at the banquet tomorrow? Hahaha...”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s face darkened, knowing that Melanie was embarrassing her on purpose.<br /> <br /> Not long after, a black car stopped in front of Golden Port Hotel, with a man in a suit walking in soon after.<br /> <br /> “Aren&#039;t you Riley, the secretary?”<br /> <br /> Harry quickly went up to greet him upon realizing who the visitor was.<br /> <br /> Riley, who came into contact with the upper management every day, was the secretary of the North Hampton Office Building.<br /> <br /> Surely, he had to show his respect.<br /> <br /> “Greetings, Mr. Lopez. I&#039;m here for one simple purpose—to send the Lopez family ten invitation cards for tomorrow&#039;s banquet!”<br /> <br /> After dropping off ten invitation cards, Riley left in a hurry.<br /> <br /> It was a mission assigned to him from the head secretary of North Hampton.<br /> <br /> At this moment, the head secretary of North Hampton was sitting in the car outside.<br /> <br /> He was afraid of meeting the legendary God of War.<br /> <br /> The words of his big boss echoed clearly in his ears, Every important family member of the God of War&#039;s father-in-law&#039;s family must attend tomorrow&#039;s banquet. He was to send out the invitations in a low-profile manner while keeping the identity of the sender unknown.<br /> <br /> Hence, he had assigned Riley for the task.<br /> <br /> Levi said nothing when he saw this scene.<br /> <br /> Samuel, however, was taken aback.<br /> <br /> What&#039;s going on?<br /> <br /> Didn&#039;t I just buy two invitation cards?<br /> <br /> Why did they send us ten cards at once? And who was it again? Riley, the secretary?<br /> <br /> “You&#039;re the best grandson-in-law, Samuel,” Harry guffawed. “To have the secretary from the office building send us ten invitations at once with just a word; the Lopez family is proud of you!”<br /> <br /> Fabian was all smiles.<br /> <br /> “Damn! You&#039;re amazing, Samuel!”<br /> <br /> Shaun regarded Samuel with admiration.<br /> <br /> “Melanie has indeed married a good man! You&#039;re surely the happiest woman in the world! Unlike Zoey, who married a criminal!”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sorry that my husband is too amazing, Zoey. Just say the word if you need our help in the future. But I dare not get too close to you, though,” Melanie paused. “Lest someone tries to jump his sister-in-law...”<br /> <br /> Zoey could feel her anger boiling up.<br /> <br /> It was obvious that Melanie was insulting her, but she couldn&#039;t do anything about it; Samuel&#039;s ability to have the secretary from the office building send the invitation cards in person with just a phone call was just too over the top.<br /> <br /> Besides, an invitation for a banquet of this level wasn&#039;t something the Lopez family could easily obtain.<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn, on the other hand, were even more envious.<br /> <br /> With a son-in-law like that, I bet we&#039;ll wake up with a smile every morning.<br /> <br /> Life will be all about counting money.<br /> <br /> Right, isn&#039;t Samuel&#039;s brother in love with our daughter?<br /> <br /> However, the couple couldn&#039;t change Zoey&#039;s mind, so they didn&#039;t muse out loud.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Samuel was completely flummoxed by the whole thing.<br /> <br /> Where in the world do I find connections in North Hampton?<br /> <br /> They must be mistaken.<br /> <br /> But since it&#039;s at this point now, I guess I should just go along with it.<br /> <br /> It&#039;ll make me look good, anyway!<br /> <br /> Samuel chuckled. “I&#039;m sorry, Grandpa. I could only get us ten invitations. After all, there aren&#039;t many places available for this kind of banquet.”<br /> <br /> Harry grinned from ear to ear. “You&#039;re the cream of the crop, Samuel! Here, let Grandpa give you a toast!”<br /> <br /> Upon seeing this, Aaron was green with envy.<br /> <br /> “Grandpa, why don&#039;t you distribute these invitations?” Samuel said.<br /> <br /> “Sure.”<br /> <br /> Harry had four children in total. Everyone received an invitation, all except for Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> The last few remaining invitations were given to Shaun and some of his favorite grandchildren.<br /> <br /> “Thank you, Grandpa!”<br /> <br /> Shaun and the others flourished the invitation cards in their hands before Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> Without a word said, Aaron&#039;s family bowed their heads and remained silent.<br /> <br /> In Harry&#039;s eyes, they were no better than the younger ones, and they acknowledged it. They could only blame themselves for being worthless.<br /> <br /> Just then, someone&#039;s voice broke the silence. “Why didn&#039;t we get an invitation?”<br /> <br /> It was Levi.<br /> <br /> Chapter 5 Proving Himself To His Wife<br /> <br /> Everyone laughed themselves silly at Levi&#039;s question.<br /> <br /> “Do you think your family is qualified to get an invitation? Have you guys ever contributed to the Lopez family?” Shaun retaliated directly.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Dream on! Can you guys be any more shameless to expect to receive an invitation?” Henry questioned unabashedly.<br /> <br /> Zoey and her parents had given up on all hope.<br /> <br /> They looked at Levi with nothing but disgust in their eyes.<br /> <br /> However, Levi let out a cold snort. “It&#039;s for my sake that this invitation is given to you! I intended to give them to my in-laws, and they were given to you passingly.”<br /> <br /> “Have some pride, Levi!” Fabian exploded. “Clearly, Samuel got these invitations through his connections. What the hell has it got to do with you?!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Who the hell do you think you are?” Samuel&#039;s anger mounted. “How dare you try to take credit for this?”<br /> <br /> Soon after, Henry pointed at Aaron. “Just look at your son-in-law, Aaron! Do something about him, and don&#039;t bring him to our next family banquet! We cannot tolerate such insolence!”<br /> <br /> Levi was about to say something when Zoey pulled him outside. “Come with me!!!”<br /> <br /> She couldn&#039;t stand him any longer as hot torrents of grief coursed down her face.<br /> <br /> “Levi, please, don&#039;t embarrass me anymore. I really can&#039;t hold on if you keep this up!”<br /> <br /> Levi wiped away her tears and asked, “Do you want to attend the banquet, Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “Who wouldn&#039;t want to? Didn&#039;t you see the look in Mom and Dad&#039;s eyes?” Zoey said grumpily. “But there&#039;s nothing we can do, even if we want to go. It&#039;s not like you can get us in, can you?”<br /> <br /> “I can!” Levi said decisively.<br /> <br /> This was too much for Zoey to handle. Her temper sparked, and she turned on her heels, trying to leave.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, why don&#039;t you trust me?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> “How am I supposed to trust you when you&#039;re behaving like this?” Zoey replied with a question of her own.<br /> <br /> Levi chuckled. “I&#039;ll definitely get you inside. I, Levi Garrison, am a man of my word!”<br /> <br /> Zoey nodded. “Okay, I&#039;ll trust you just this once! If you can&#039;t do it, we&#039;re over!”<br /> <br /> “Deal!”<br /> <br /> “Fine, I&#039;m going all out on this one!” Zoey said resolutely while wiping her tears. “I don&#039;t need this stupid pride! I&#039;m going to continue to attend this family banquet and tell everyone that my husband is capable of getting an invitation for tomorrow&#039;s banquet too!”<br /> <br /> “Okay, ladies first. Let me just make one call.”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “Azure Dragon, tell Jesse I&#039;ll attend the banquet he&#039;s hosting tomorrow,” Levi said once the call went through.<br /> <br /> “What? So you agree to attend the banquet? Thank God! The higher-ups were so worried that you won&#039;t give Jesse this honor!”<br /> <br /> “Yes, I&#039;ll attend. But please ban some of the people from this event...”<br /> <br /> “Roger that, Sir! I&#039;ll make the arrangements now!”<br /> <br /> Returning inside, Levi saw Zoey holding her head high, looking as proud as a peacock.<br /> <br /> It was obvious that she had made the announcement as many pairs of eyes were fixated on him.<br /> <br /> “Say, how do you guys think this punk got the invitation? By stealing?”<br /> <br /> “Who knows if he bought it for the sake of pretending!”<br /> <br /> Samuel laughed. “Don&#039;t you guys know that one invitation cost over one million?”<br /> <br /> “Aaron&#039;s family owes Grandpa about three million. How can they afford to buy an invitation?”<br /> <br /> Right then, dinner was served, marking the start of the family banquet.<br /> <br /> “I think the four of them can just have a bowl of noodles each. There&#039;s no need to serve them. What do you guys think?” Henry asked.<br /> <br /> Samuel laughed. “Let&#039;s just feed them. Otherwise, it&#039;ll look like Grandpa is mistreating them.”<br /> <br /> “Alright then.”<br /> <br /> Other tables were bustling with noise and excitement, with everyone toasting each other and currying favor with Samuel, but it was deadly silence at Levi&#039;s.<br /> <br /> Aaron glanced at Samuel, then back at Levi, sighing, “What&#039;s the point of getting envious? Such is my fate!”<br /> <br /> Caitlyn glowered at Levi. Can today be any more humiliating?<br /> <br /> However, they didn&#039;t dare to leave without the old man&#039;s permission and could only continue to suffer from the humiliation in awkward silence.<br /> <br /> Right then, Samuel came over with a glass of wine, followed by a group of people who had been paying court to him.<br /> <br /> He walked past Levi and stood before Zoey. “I was going to introduce my brother to you, Zoey. He&#039;s so much better than me! But it seems that you&#039;re not fortunate enough to enjoy a good life. It&#039;s a pity that you have a bad taste in men!”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn sighed.<br /> <br /> If only Levi didn&#039;t show up, Zoey would have been with Chris, and our family would have been rich again.<br /> <br /> How amazing is that?<br /> <br /> But sadly, it seems that we are plagued by poverty!<br /> <br /> Soon, the family banquet ended.<br /> <br /> “Let&#039;s go to my house. I want to have a good talk with my grandson-in-law regarding the Lopez family&#039;s future development and tomorrow&#039;s banquet. All of you must sit in and listen. It&#039;ll be good for you,” Harry instructed.<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked at Harry in anticipation, hoping that the Lopez family would lend a hand to alLeviate their current livelihood.<br /> <br /> But little did they know Harry responded, “Aaron, you guys can go back on your own!”<br /> <br /> Aaron hesitated a little. “Dad, but I...”<br /> <br /> “No buts! We don&#039;t need you here. Besides, your good son-in-law just came back from prison. I don&#039;t want him to stain my place with bad luck!” Harry said, then left with the crowd.<br /> <br /> Before leaving, Samuel, Melanie, and a few others stood before Levi, waving the invitation cards in their hands. “Don&#039;t disappoint me tomorrow night. Don&#039;t say you know me if you can&#039;t get in. I can&#039;t afford to throw my reputation down the gutters.”<br /> <br /> Levi snickered. “You&#039;ll never know who&#039;s the one who can&#039;t get in when the time comes.”<br /> <br /> “Alright then. We&#039;ll soon see about that.”<br /> <br /> Everyone left happily with an invitation card in their hands, leaving Aaron and his family sighing and groaning.<br /> <br /> Aaron cast a deep glance at Levi.<br /> <br /> If only he could bring honor for the family...<br /> <br /> It&#039;s a pity that he just got out of prison. Even surviving is a problem for him.<br /> <br /> After that, Levi followed Zoey home.<br /> <br /> Compared to the Garrison family, this was his home—a home where a woman had been waiting for him for six years.<br /> <br /> Back home, Levi took the initiative to lay a mattress on the floor, but Zoey let him sleep on the bed instead.<br /> <br /> Thereafter, he lay on the bed while Zoey continued to draft a plan at the desk.<br /> <br /> “What are you doing?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m drafting a proposal for an ecological park development project at West City. Even if the chance of success is not even one percent, I&#039;m going to try my best to win this bid!” Zoey smiled.<br /> <br /> Until the following night, not once did Zoey complain about him, nor did she show a long face.<br /> <br /> But she couldn&#039;t help it anymore as it was almost time for the welcome banquet.<br /> <br /> “Levi Garrison, I trusted you so much and bet everything on you. But where&#039;s the invitation? How on earth am I supposed to believe you now? I&#039;d thought you would come up with ideas to get us in, but you didn&#039;t step out from this house nor made a phone call the moment we came home last night. Do you think the invitation will just fall from the sky?”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn added, “What are you waiting for? Zoey had made a big promise last night. If you don&#039;t make this happen, there won&#039;t be a place for us to live in the Lopez family in the future.”<br /> <br /> Levi glanced at the clock. “It&#039;s almost time. Just follow me.”<br /> <br /> Driving in Aaron&#039;s Haval, they arrived at Paradise Villa, where the God of War&#039;s welcome banquet was held.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, I will prove to you now that I can do it!”<br /> <br /> Levi pulled Zoey and headed towards the entrance.<br /> <br /> 👉To continue reading the story for free, download the app and search📚《The Return of the God of War 》. 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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 7015288538573908 📚《The Return of the God of War》ALL chapters for Free!😍 😭Six years ago, he was framed by his family. They broke his limbs and left him on the roadside. Six years later, he returned as God of War and made them kneel for three days and nights.👊👊👊<br /> Chapter 1 The Return Of The God of War<br /> In Erudia, a private jet landed at North Hampton Airport, where all international flights experienced an eight-hour delay because of it.<br /> At the private passageway were five men in suits and leather shoes, standing as straight as a javelin.<br /> Every now and then, they would raise their wrist to look at the time, for a big shot was coming to town.<br /> The upper-class society of North Hampton had learned about his arrival, but no one had the capability to get an inch closer to the private passageway.<br /> Even the richest man in North Hampton who came to pay homage was chased away.<br /> <br /> Finally, there were movements coming from the passageway.<br /> <br /> “God of War!!!” the mass cried out, their eyes filled with awe and veneration at the sight of the undefeatable legend of Erudia.<br /> <br /> He, who was dubbed the God of War, was the one and only Five-Star God of War in the history of Erudia.<br /> <br /> Once, he&#039;d inflicted a crushing defeat on the strongest battalions in eighteen countries. He was an overbearing and formidable man.<br /> <br /> He who overwhelmed the world with his unparalleled power had even created the Five Great Wars Regiment, Cavalry Regiment, and many more.<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> Setting foot on his homeland, Levi Garrison was overcome with emotions.<br /> <br /> Once upon a time, he used to be an orphan who was abandoned on the streets of North Hampton and then adopted by the Garrison family.<br /> <br /> However, the Garrison family had never been fond of him.<br /> <br /> His adoptive parents, who had a tendency to beat and scold him, treated him like an outsider.<br /> <br /> As for the outsiders, they treated him as a nobody.<br /> <br /> But he didn&#039;t care a stiver. He had always been proud of his surname since he was a child, and he strived to bring glory to this family when he grew older.<br /> <br /> At last, Levi had established Levi Group, the largest dark horse in North Hampton&#039;s business community.<br /> <br /> With billions of assets, it ranked among the forefront of North Hampton, pushing the declining Garrison family to the top.<br /> <br /> However, not only did the Garrison family showed no signs of appreciation, they even harbored dissatisfaction towards him. Jealous of his success, they regarded him as a thorn in their flesh and coveted Levi Group.<br /> <br /> No matter his wealth and power, unless they were in control, he was just an outsider in the Garrison family&#039;s eyes.<br /> <br /> Eventually, on Levi&#039;s wedding night, the Garrison family plotted a frame-up against him by getting him drunk before tossing him onto his sister-in-law&#039;s bed. They wanted to create the illusion that he was doing something untoward to her and was caught in bed by his brother and adoptive parents.<br /> <br /> That night, the Garrison family had brutally broken his limbs and left him on the road like a wild dog.<br /> <br /> Not only was he handicapped, but he also had to take the flak for something he didn&#039;t commit.<br /> <br /> From an upstart in the business world, he had become the target of disdain overnight.<br /> <br /> And the next day, he had been punished for several crimes and sentenced to six years in prison.<br /> <br /> He could never forget the ruthless and sinister faces of everyone in the Garrison family and the ridicule of his friends, classmates, and business partners.<br /> <br /> More so, he could never forget the disappointment on his newly wedded wife, Zoey&#039;s face.<br /> <br /> He had regarded the Garrison family as his home and devoted himself to the family.<br /> <br /> Yet, they treated him like trash.<br /> <br /> It felt as if a knife was being twisted in his heart every time he thought about this.<br /> <br /> How he hated the Garrison family!<br /> <br /> But who would have thought that Levi had been secretly transferred away from prison to join the military?<br /> <br /> In a few years, he dominated the military world and became the one and only Five-Star God of War.<br /> <br /> Now that he came back, the Garrison family ought to stay on their toes.<br /> <br /> “How&#039;s it going, Azure Dragon?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> Azure Dragon, the commander of the Five Great Wars Regiment, took a step forward and said respectfully, “Sir, I&#039;m afraid your wife, Ms. Zoey Lopez will remarry at ten o&#039;clock tonight!”<br /> <br /> Ever since Zoey&#039;s husband was sent to prison on their wedding night, she had been living like a widow.<br /> <br /> Only God knew how much pressure she was put under.<br /> <br /> And right now, the person Levi couldn&#039;t wait to see the most was Zoey.<br /> <br /> After a moment of hesitation, Azure Dragon continued, “To add on, Sir, the Garrison family is holding a successful listing celebration banquet at the Crystal Palace Hotel tonight! Many people had invited the God of War just now, including the Garrison family, but I didn&#039;t accept nor refuse directly.”<br /> <br /> “What time?” Levi asked tersely.<br /> <br /> “Eight o&#039;clock, Sir.”<br /> <br /> “Okay. Tell the Garrison family I will attend the banquet!”<br /> <br /> Since the time for the two events didn&#039;t clash, Levi gladly accepted the invitation.<br /> <br /> The celebration banquet for the public listing of Garrison Group was held at North Hampton&#039;s Crystal Palace Hotel.<br /> <br /> With the help of Levi Group, they had become a rich and powerful family in one fell swoop.<br /> <br /> The hall was bustling with noise and excitement, and sounds of glasses clinking could be heard ringing in the air every now and then.<br /> <br /> “God bless the Garrison family,” said Joseph, the head of the Garrison family. “The younger generations are the stars among men. Garrison Group is now listed and has become an upstart in North Hampton!”<br /> <br /> Joseph&#039;s three sons and daughter welcomed their guests with bright smiles on their faces.<br /> <br /> The younger generation of the Garrison family was all the smugger and prouder because, after today, the Garrison family would become a powerful family, and they would become one of the top rich kids.<br /> <br /> Most of the guests who attended today&#039;s banquet were from the top circle in North Hampton.<br /> <br /> “Garrison, do you know what happened today?! Your celebration party is nothing compared to that.” They were gossiping about the major event that had happened today.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! I heard that a big shot has arrived in North Hampton!”<br /> <br /> “The richest man in North Hampton wanted to meet him but was shooed away. Apparently, he&#039;s not qualified enough!”<br /> <br /> “So? Jesse Nielsen had been waiting for five hours in advance at the airport!”<br /> <br /> Joseph nodded. “Yes, I know about that too. I even sent someone to invite this big shot to the celebration party!”<br /> <br /> “No way! Why would this big shot attend such a party?”<br /> <br /> No one believed it.<br /> <br /> In fact, as an upstart, Joseph was just trying his luck.<br /> <br /> “Dad!” shouted Jaycob, the second eldest son of the Garrison family could be seen running over. “The big shot has accepted our invitation to attend our celebration banquet! He&#039;s on the way!”<br /> <br /> “Jesus! God has indeed blessed the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> Everyone in the Garrison family could barely conceal their delight as this was their chance to reach the sky in a single bound.<br /> <br /> The grandchildren of the Garrison family gathered together, sunshine flooding their souls.<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s brother, Bryan, and sister-in-law, Victoria, smiled. “Well, it all starts with Levi&#039;s imprisonment that the Garrison family is at where we are today...”<br /> <br /> “Right, speaking about Levi, do you guys know today&#039;s the day that kid gets out of prison?!” somebody asked abruptly.<br /> <br /> “Really? Isn&#039;t that bad luck? Why did he have to be released on such a big day?!”<br /> <br /> “Please, please, please don&#039;t come back! He&#039;s the Garrison family&#039;s biggest disgrace!”<br /> <br /> Victoria&#039;s lips tugged into a sneer. “Speaking of which, Levi is the crowning glory of the Garrison family&#039;s status today.”<br /> <br /> “That&#039;s what he&#039;s supposed to do!” Bryan said. “He should contribute to the Garrison family for raising him, an orphan! His multi-billion Levi Group means nothing. To put it bluntly, he&#039;s just a dog raised by the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> Someone gave a chortle. “As a matter of fact, I&#039;ve been interested in Levi&#039;s wife for a long time now. She&#039;s still widowed, and I&#039;m so going to marry her!”<br /> <br /> The man&#039;s remark caused gales of laughter.<br /> <br /> “Everyone, stop what you&#039;re doing. I have an important announcement to make,” Joseph said and went on to announce that the big shot was coming.<br /> <br /> A thunderous applause was heard.<br /> <br /> But when the applause had died down, there was still someone clapping.<br /> <br /> The sound was loud and clear, approaching from afar.<br /> <br /> On the red carpet, a man came clapping, looking bold and energetic.<br /> <br /> His stride gave off a majestic and imposing aura, which made the mass hold their breaths.<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s Levi!” Bryan and Victoria exclaimed.<br /> <br /> Suddenly, all eyes were riveted on him.<br /> <br /> “I forgot this little brat got out of jail today!” Levi&#039;s adoptive parents spoke in unison.<br /> <br /> Ignoring the astonished gazes darted at his way, Levi walked step by step towards Joseph.<br /> <br /> “A little bird told me that the company is now listed. How are you feeling, Joseph? Are you happy?”<br /> <br /> Levi flashed him a meaningful smile.<br /> <br /> “How dare you show up here, you insolent brat! And what did you just call me?” Joseph&#039;s fury sprang to life.<br /> <br /> “Who let him in? Didn&#039;t you know he just got out of prison? How inauspicious!”<br /> <br /> Bryan rose to his feet. “What the hell are you doing here, Levi?”<br /> <br /> Levi sized him up. “Why can&#039;t I be here?”<br /> <br /> “Well, for starters, you&#039;re an orphan! The Garrison family has raised you, but you were ambitious and ungrateful. You had inordinate ambitions for your sister-in-law, and you wanted to take possession of the Garrison family! You&#039;d even tried to kill your parents when things go south! Have you no conscience? Do you have any sense of morality left in your heart?”<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve lost your reputation in North Hampton, and everyone knows that. Have you no shame to have the brass neck to come round here?”<br /> <br /> Chapter 2 Sinner In The Family<br /> <br /> “Everyone knows why you&#039;re back. You want to leech off the Garrison family; you want our money, isn&#039;t it?!”<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve long been expelled from the Garrison family, you ungrateful wretch! The Garrison family has nothing to do with you! Now, get lost!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s adoptive parents rose to their feet and pointed at his nose, hurling abusive remarks at him.<br /> <br /> The Garrison family&#039;s brazenness of distorting the truth was mind-bending.<br /> <br /> How disappointing!<br /> <br /> He had thought they would feel somewhat apologetic after six years, but they were unexpectedly more aggravated.<br /> <br /> They took everything from him, crippled him, and ruined his reputation, turning everything upside down and making everything his fault instead.<br /> <br /> The Garrison family didn&#039;t have the slightest bit of compassion to speak of.<br /> <br /> Bryan zipped towards Levi, assessing him condescendingly. “Hmph! Don&#039;t you just want money now that you&#039;re back?”<br /> <br /> Flap!<br /> <br /> Bryan threw a credit card to the ground and lifted his foot, shaking his leather shoe. “My vamp is dirty. Lick it clean, and the one million in this card is yours!”<br /> <br /> His words elicited a fresh burst of laughter as the crowd looked at Levi as if they were looking at a dog.<br /> <br /> “Oh my! One million? That&#039;s more than enough to cover his living expenses. I bet he&#039;ll lick it!”<br /> <br /> Victoria gave a wry look.<br /> <br /> “On your knees!” Bryan roared, seeing that Levi was glaring at him. “Now, lick my shoe!”<br /> <br /> Levi stared at him coldly and held his peace.<br /> <br /> “Kneel!!!”<br /> <br /> Bryan rushed to Levi and pressed his shoulders, forcing him to kneel, but the latter didn&#039;t budge.<br /> <br /> “I said kneel!!!”<br /> <br /> Bryan struggled to rivet him to the spot.<br /> <br /> “Drop dead!”<br /> <br /> Levi suddenly slapped Bryan in the face, sending him flying almost eight meters away.<br /> <br /> Silence engulfed the room; one could even hear a pin drop!<br /> <br /> Unbelievable!<br /> <br /> Everyone in the Garrison family was stupefied.<br /> <br /> What did Levi just do?<br /> <br /> Did he just knock Bryan to the ground with a single slap?<br /> <br /> Plod!<br /> <br /> Bryan was about to get up when Levi stepped on him, crushed him, and crossed over him.<br /> <br /> Looking at the approaching Levi, Joseph instinctively stepped back.<br /> <br /> Levi went up the stage and adjusted the microphone stand.<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at him, wondering what he was going to do next.<br /> <br /> “Listen up, everyone...”<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sure you remember what happened six years ago, yes? For the love and care I had received from the Garrison family during childhood, I&#039;m giving you one month to kneel before me for three days and three nights to repent your sins!”<br /> <br /> “Remember, that&#039;s everyone from the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> “If I don&#039;t see any shadow within a month, the outcome is simple—I swear I&#039;ll wipe off every single one of you here today!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s voice was low and deep.<br /> <br /> But as soon as he finished, the crowd was laughing like a drain.<br /> <br /> “Did prison life eat his brain or what? What conceited nonsense is he spouting?”<br /> <br /> “The Garrison family right now is a juggernaut in North Hampton. He&#039;s just a criminal. Isn&#039;t it a pipe dream to destroy the Garrison family?”<br /> <br /> “Did he knock his brain loose or something?”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “Bear in mind that I have limited patience. You only have one month! Of course, you may gather your strengths and connections to fight against me! I&#039;ll be waiting.”<br /> <br /> Levi then took his leave straightaway, disregarding the mockeries of the crowd.<br /> <br /> “Stop right there, you bastard! Did I tell you to leave?”<br /> <br /> Ben, Levi&#039;s adoptive father, wanted to stop him.<br /> <br /> “Ben, let him go!” Joseph said. “It&#039;s a big day today. I don&#039;t want to see bloodshed!”<br /> <br /> He was afraid about the impact that would bring about if the big shot saw this.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! There are so much more opportunities to take care of him!”<br /> <br /> “He&#039;s in luck that the big shot is on his way!”<br /> <br /> With that, Levi left the place under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people.<br /> <br /> After Levi had left, Joseph asked anxiously, “Jaycob, where&#039;s the big shot? Isn&#039;t he here yet?”<br /> <br /> Jaycob looked dazed. “According to the time, he should have arrived long ago. Let me ask...”<br /> <br /> After making a phone call, Jaycob blanched. “Dad, the big shot was here, but he left already.”<br /> <br /> “What? The big shot was here?”<br /> <br /> “The big shot said that the Garrison family are a bunch of unworthy stupid pigs!”<br /> <br /> “I get it. He must have left in a fit of rage after witnessing the ruckus that brat had created!”<br /> <br /> “He must have thought that the Garrison family disrespected him!”<br /> <br /> Joseph trembled with rage. “That brat will pay for this!”<br /> <br /> The multitude reacted accordingly.<br /> <br /> Levi has ruined the Garrison family&#039;s glorious event!<br /> <br /> He just pissed off the big shot!<br /> <br /> That&#039;s equivalent to cutting off the Garrison family&#039;s chance to reach the sky!<br /> <br /> Levi Garrison is indeed the sinner of the Garrison family!<br /> <br /> At that moment, the Garrison family wished to skin Levi alive.<br /> <br /> His adoptive parents, brother, and sister-in-law especially hated him to the bone. “Just you wait, Levi!”<br /> <br /> After leaving Crystal Palace Hotel, the next person that Levi was going to look for was his wife, Zoey Lopez.<br /> <br /> In this life, he owed no debt to the Garrison family, nor his friends and classmates, but Zoey.<br /> <br /> He had been imprisoned on the second day after the wedding, making Zoey lose her reputation. That even put her through six years of widowhood.<br /> <br /> This woman has carried too much on her shoulders for six years.<br /> <br /> But now that I&#039;m back, I&#039;ll hold your hand, and we&#039;ll conquer the world together!<br /> <br /> After hesitating for a long time, Levi pressed the doorbell.<br /> <br /> Thud!<br /> <br /> The young woman dropped her mobile phone to the ground as the door opened.<br /> <br /> Upon taking a closer look at Levi&#039;s face, Zoey broke down in tears.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, quick, just get the parcel and come in. It&#039;s almost time for the family banquet! Your grandfather is going to settle your marriage at the family banquet tonight. You can&#039;t get away from this!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Quickly get dressed! Your grandfather is going to set you up with someone else!”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s parents&#039; voices sounded from the inside.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, I&#039;m back!” Levi said excitedly, wanting to fling his arm around her, but Zoey slapped his hands away.<br /> <br /> “Why did you come back? I&#039;ve already forgotten about you...”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s voice was choked with sobs.<br /> <br /> Very soon after, Zoey&#039;s parents, Aaron and Caitlyn, came out, looking horrified.<br /> <br /> “How dare you have the nerve to come back? Do you know how much criticism my family has suffered because of you? Especially Zoey. Do you know how much she has suffered for the past six years?” Zoey&#039;s father, Aaron, reproached.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, her mother, Caitlyn, pushed and shoved Levi. “You should know that this relationship between you and Zoey is impossible in this life the moment you went to jail! You&#039;re a criminal! You&#039;re just a street rat in North Hampton! You&#039;re only putting Zoey in harm&#039;s way by coming to see her!”<br /> <br /> Naturally, Levi had known of Zoey&#039;s sufferings for the past six years, including her refusal to remarry because of him.<br /> <br /> Levi put on a serious face. “This time, I&#039;m back for good. I won&#039;t leave Zoey ever again. I will grant her a bright future and let her own the world!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s declaration had Aaron and Caitlyn hooting with laughter.<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve spent six years in jail. How are you going to give Zoey a future?” Aaron asked with a sneer.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! With your mouth?” Caitlyn chimed in. “There&#039;s a limit to talking big!”<br /> <br /> Nonetheless, Levi smiled. “Don&#039;t worry. I&#039;ll reclaim what I lost in those years! I&#039;ll destroy the Garrison family in a month!”<br /> <br /> “Levi!” This time, even Zoey couldn&#039;t bear to listen to his nonsense any longer. “Can we be more realistic? It doesn&#039;t matter if you just get out of prison. Can&#039;t you just be down to earth and start anew? I believe that you will make a comeback one day, but you can&#039;t just indulge in tall talk. Do you know just how powerful the Garrison family is right now? And besides, today&#039;s era is a far cry from what it was six years ago!”<br /> <br /> “Zoey, trust me,” Levi said earnestly. “I can make the Garrison family bow at my feet with just a word!”<br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Ten Billion To Sit At That Table<br /> <br /> Preposterous!<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s bravado nearly drove Zoey and her parents round the bend.<br /> <br /> Having been caged up for six years, did he finally lose his mind?<br /> <br /> “Fine. If you say so,” Zoey said, shoving her mobile phone to Levi directly. “Then prove it! I&#039;d like to see how you make the Garrison family bow their heads with just one word!”<br /> <br /> “I...”<br /> <br /> Levi was stunned.<br /> <br /> It was true that he could exterminate the Garrison family with his words, but he had given them one month; it would be too uneventful to destroy them now.<br /> <br /> “See, you can&#039;t do it, can&#039;t you? Then don&#039;t you ever talk big if you can&#039;t!”<br /> <br /> Zoey smashed the phone to the ground, marking her wrath.<br /> <br /> Following that, her parents pushed Levi away. “Go now. You&#039;re not welcome here. We&#039;ve got a family banquet to attend!”<br /> <br /> “No. Mom, Dad, let him in!”<br /> <br /> “What do you mean, Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “I won&#039;t remarry. My husband is back.”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn couldn&#039;t talk her round, so they could only let him in.<br /> <br /> After that, Zoey took Levi to her bedroom.<br /> <br /> “Since you&#039;re back, you&#039;re still my husband. I don&#039;t care about the gossips. Besides, I believe you&#039;re innocent, and anyone with discerning eyes can see that it was the Garrison family who&#039;d framed you!”<br /> <br /> Levi could feel the warmth in his heart.<br /> <br /> She trusted him, and that was more than enough for him.<br /> <br /> “But you must promise me to start from zero and be down to earth. I believe you will achieve something great with your ability! I&#039;ll give you five years!”<br /> <br /> “That&#039;s unnecessary,” Levi said. “Just give me one month. In a month, I&#039;ll de—”<br /> <br /> “Shut up! I don&#039;t want to listen to your nonsensical and unrealistic talks! Why can&#039;t we just be realistic?” Zoey shouted.<br /> <br /> “Even if you have nothing now, as long as you take one step at a time, I believe you&#039;ll get back on your feet!”<br /> <br /> Levi shut up obediently.<br /> <br /> “I bought you these six years ago.” Zoey took out a suit from the cupboard. “Change into it at once and follow me to the family banquet!”<br /> <br /> “Zoey, what is up with you?”<br /> <br /> Seeing Levi all dressed up, Aaron and Caitlyn were naturally dissatisfied.<br /> <br /> Zoey clung onto Levi&#039;s arm. “Mom, Dad, Levi is my husband now! I will make myself clear to Grandpa tonight!”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked daggers at Levi, sighing helplessly, “For Heaven&#039;s sake!”<br /> <br /> The Lopez family banquet was held at Golden Port Restaurant, where they contracted the entire restaurant.<br /> <br /> Naturally, the Lopez family was not as powerful as the Garrison family, but they were considered above average in North Hampton.<br /> <br /> When Zoey and her family arrived at the main hall, they were greeted with strange and jesting gazes.<br /> <br /> In the past, when Zoey and Levi had gotten married, Aaron&#039;s family status was the highest in the Lopez family.<br /> <br /> But after Levi&#039;s downfall, Aaron&#039;s family had experienced a seismic shift in life, and their status in the Lopez family took a nosedive as they became the subject of ridicule, especially during family events.<br /> <br /> “Look! Is that Levi beside Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! It&#039;s really him! He&#039;s released from prison already?”<br /> <br /> All eyes fell on Levi at once.<br /> <br /> Harry, the head of the Lopez family, snorted and turned a blind eye to the four of them.<br /> <br /> The old man&#039;s favorite now was Fabian, his eldest son, and his family.<br /> <br /> Mainly because Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, Samuel Robertson, was of mixed ethnicity who was born rich and had lived overseas.<br /> <br /> This time, Harry was going to set up Zoey with Samuel&#039;s younger brother, Chris, who had been casting covetous eyes on Zoey for some time now.<br /> <br /> With no one paying attention to them, Aaron and his family could only find a place to sit first.<br /> <br /> As they were about to take their seats, a voice was heard. “No, Aaron. You guys can&#039;t sit here.”<br /> <br /> It was a reminder from Henry, the second eldest son of the Lopez family.<br /> <br /> “What?”<br /> <br /> “There are sitting arrangements to the family banquet this time.”<br /> <br /> Aaron looked puzzled. “How so?”<br /> <br /> “There are four tables for the family banquet! And it&#039;s decided according to the family contribution!”<br /> <br /> “For example, the first table is given to the family who contributed over five million to the family in a year; a million for the second table, a hundred thousand for the third table, and less than a hundred thousand for the last table, or should I say no contribution at all!”<br /> <br /> Henry smiled smugly. “Our family has made good profits this year, and we&#039;ve contributed just about five million to the family. So excuse me, but this table here is ours.”<br /> <br /> “Of course, you can also sit at the first table without contributing. That is if your family has tens of millions of assets.”<br /> <br /> “Unfortunately, we couldn&#039;t be any clearer about your family&#039;s situation,” sneered Maddison, Henry&#039;s wife. “Now that there&#039;s an ex-convict in your family, I&#039;m sorry that you guys can only sit at the last table!”<br /> <br /> “Mom, Dad, as far as I know, Uncle Aaron and his family didn&#039;t contribute much to the family last year,” said Shaun, Henry&#039;s son, walking over with a glass in his hand. “Their company went bankrupt, and they even borrowed over two million from Grandpa. Clearly, it&#039;s a negative contribution. It&#039;s unfair to the relatives sitting at the fourth table! I say we add a fifth table for negative contributors!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah, I agree!”<br /> <br /> The rest of the Lopez family concurred.<br /> <br /> “Okay, we&#039;ll do as Shaun says! This shall motivate you people!”<br /> <br /> Harry gave his consent.<br /> <br /> “Hurry up and sit down. Don&#039;t just stand there and make a fool out of yourselves.” Harry glared at Aaron.<br /> <br /> With that, Aaron and his family walked over to the fifth table quietly.<br /> <br /> “Which table should a ten billion contributor sit at?” asked Levi suddenly, pulling Zoey&#039;s arm.<br /> <br /> Levi was the one and only Five-Star God of War, and wealth to him was just a number.<br /> <br /> In fact, he didn&#039;t know exactly how much he had, but he could still fork out ten billion casually for the family contribution on behalf of Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> As soon as Levi said that, everyone was stunned at his query.<br /> <br /> After a few moments of silence, the crowd blossomed into an enormous belly laugh.<br /> <br /> “Ten billion? You must be kidding me! Even the aristocratic Garrison family may not have that much money!”<br /> <br /> “This kid must have a loose screw in the head to come here and embarrass himself!”<br /> <br /> “Hey, Aaron. Did you know you have a son-in-law worth ten billion? Hahaha...”<br /> <br /> Sensing the jeering gazes and titter from the people around, Aaron and his family wished the ground could swallow them whole.<br /> <br /> This is embarrassing!<br /> <br /> Too embarrassing!<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s temper sparked, and her eyes blazed with rage.<br /> <br /> “Levi Garrison, is it not enough for you to talk big at home that you have to come here and embarrass me? Do you think you haven&#039;t done enough after all these years?”<br /> <br /> Zoey trembled as tears silently rolling down her cheeks.<br /> <br /> “But I do have ten billion!” Levi said helplessly.<br /> <br /> At this time, no one bothered to listen to Levi&#039;s sheer bull because the star of the day, Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, had arrived.<br /> <br /> Everyone, including Harry, went out to the entrance to greet him.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sorry to keep everyone waiting.” Samuel wore an apologetic expression.<br /> <br /> “Your flight was nearly ten hours late. What&#039;s up with that?” Harry asked in concern.<br /> <br /> Samuel smiled. “Grandpa, don&#039;t you know? A big shot has arrived in North Hampton, and North Hampton Airport was sealed off for eight hours.”<br /> <br /> What? Is there such a thing?<br /> <br /> “Who&#039;s this big shot to have the airport sealed off, Samuel?” Harry asked smilingly.<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s not just that. It&#039;s said that a hundred planes escorted the private jet of that big shot, and there were a hundred thousand people guarding at the airport.”<br /> <br /> “Damn!”<br /> <br /> “What?”<br /> <br /> The crowd gasped in shock.<br /> <br /> “He&#039;s the commander-in-chief of Nine Warzones, the God of War of Erudia. Haha, you may not believe it if I say this, but I met this great man when I was at a gathering abroad, and we even exchanged numbers. I didn&#039;t expect him to take up a post in North Hampton! I&#039;ll ask him out sometime in support of the Lopez family. That way, you&#039;ll gain a foothold in North Hampton in no time,” Samuel said loftily.<br /> <br /> “God! That&#039;s incredible! How did you even get to know someone like him?”<br /> <br /> “My brother-in-law is so cool!”<br /> <br /> “The Lopez family&#039;s son-in-law is one of a kind! Of course, except for one!”<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at Samuel with veneration; the old man was all the more impressed, Aaron and Caitlyn begrudged Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, and Zoey was envious as well.<br /> <br /> But she believed that in five years, Levi, too, could make her grandfather proud.<br /> <br /> Yet, unbeknownst to them, Levi was actually barely stifling in his laughter.<br /> <br /> This kid is quite something to know that I&#039;ve arrived.<br /> <br /> But his ability to make up nonsense is even more impressive.<br /> <br /> “You&#039;re saying you know the God of War?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> Samuel raised his head. “Yeah, we had a drink together. Is there a problem?”<br /> <br /> Levi chuckled. “Then why don&#039;t I recognize you?”<br /> <br /> Chapter 4 I Am The God of War<br /> <br /> “Huh?”<br /> <br /> Samuel froze, and so did the rest.<br /> <br /> What does he mean?<br /> <br /> Samuel frowned. “Are you saying that you&#039;re the God of War?”<br /> <br /> Levi smiled. “Yes, I am the God of War. But I never knew you.”<br /> <br /> The crowd burst into laughter; Samuel especially laughed his head off.<br /> <br /> Even old man Harry was amused as he had never seen such a sensationalist before.<br /> <br /> Clown!<br /> <br /> Levi is such a clown.<br /> <br /> “Gosh, Zoey, your husband is hilarious!” Melanie, Samuel&#039;s wife, derided. “He called himself the God of War, just to prove himself and save his pride! Do you even know who the God of War is? He&#039;s the commander-in-chief of Nine Warzones who can wipe off a clan with just his words! What? Is the prison a warzone? Jeez, Zoey, what a husband you have there. I feel terrible for you!”<br /> <br /> The others also tried to get a word in. “Don&#039;t bring him out in the future, Zoey. You might not think it&#039;s embarrassing, but we do!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah, don&#039;t ever let him attend any of our family banquet in the future. The Lopez family wants to preserve our reputation!”<br /> <br /> “Aaron, your family is really rotten. I&#039;m so disappointed in you.” Harry gave Aaron a dark look.<br /> <br /> “God! What sin have I committed in my previous life to deserve this?”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked down, their expressions ugly.<br /> <br /> This is the most humiliating day ever!<br /> <br /> Zoey sat in the corner. In the face of many insults and derision, she didn&#039;t utter a single word, but tears rolled down her cheeks silently.<br /> <br /> Never in her mind would she expect to be confronted by such humiliating moments.<br /> <br /> Zoey looked at Levi, feeling a little disgusted.<br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t mind that Levi was imprisoned, nor did she mind the stigma of him having gone to prison.<br /> <br /> All she cared about was Levi&#039;s attitude.<br /> <br /> Initially, she thought that he would start from scratch and live a practical life after he got out of prison, but the Levi Garrison right now was a bitter disappointment.<br /> <br /> He&#039;s so unrealistic! A sensationalist! Not to mention his damned pride!<br /> <br /> What a buffoon!<br /> <br /> Zoey didn&#039;t want to admit that this was her husband.<br /> <br /> “Okay, aren&#039;t you the God of War?” Samuel refused to let Levi off so easily. “There will be a welcome banquet tomorrow night in North Hampton, specially dedicated to welcome this big shot! I hope to see you there!”<br /> <br /> Samuel was up to date.<br /> <br /> Indeed, there was such a banquet.<br /> <br /> As Levi had decided to settle down in North Hampton, the higher-ups had assigned him as the deputy of North Hampton, which was more reasonable.<br /> <br /> After all, his purpose of being here was uncertain, and everyone was afraid of this big shot.<br /> <br /> It was easy to cause panic.<br /> <br /> For this reason, North Hampton had decided to host a welcome banquet.<br /> <br /> “Oh? Can you also attend such a welcome banquet, Samuel?” Harry couldn&#039;t help but ask upon hearing their conversation.<br /> <br /> Samuel squared his shoulders and smiled. “I just received two invitation cards!”<br /> <br /> In fact, Samuel had gone out of his way to buy two invitation cards for two million just to show off at the family banquet today.<br /> <br /> All those present looked at Samuel in awe.<br /> <br /> Now that&#039;s two million well spent! He thought to himself smugly.<br /> <br /> “Can you get any more of this invitation card, Samuel?” Harry asked cautiously. “If so, your father and I would like to expand our horizons!”<br /> <br /> Fabian gazed at Samuel with anticipation in his eyes.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;ll get it no matter what!”<br /> <br /> Samuel flat out agreed, although he could feel the burn in his pocket.<br /> <br /> That&#039;s another two million there!<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s just a matter of one phone call!”<br /> <br /> Samuel made a call and purchased two more invitation cards.<br /> <br /> “Say, Zoey,” Melanie said, scooting over to Zoey. “Will I see you at the banquet tomorrow? Hahaha...”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s face darkened, knowing that Melanie was embarrassing her on purpose.<br /> <br /> Not long after, a black car stopped in front of Golden Port Hotel, with a man in a suit walking in soon after.<br /> <br /> “Aren&#039;t you Riley, the secretary?”<br /> <br /> Harry quickly went up to greet him upon realizing who the visitor was.<br /> <br /> Riley, who came into contact with the upper management every day, was the secretary of the North Hampton Office Building.<br /> <br /> Surely, he had to show his respect.<br /> <br /> “Greetings, Mr. Lopez. I&#039;m here for one simple purpose—to send the Lopez family ten invitation cards for tomorrow&#039;s banquet!”<br /> <br /> After dropping off ten invitation cards, Riley left in a hurry.<br /> <br /> It was a mission assigned to him from the head secretary of North Hampton.<br /> <br /> At this moment, the head secretary of North Hampton was sitting in the car outside.<br /> <br /> He was afraid of meeting the legendary God of War.<br /> <br /> The words of his big boss echoed clearly in his ears, Every important family member of the God of War&#039;s father-in-law&#039;s family must attend tomorrow&#039;s banquet. He was to send out the invitations in a low-profile manner while keeping the identity of the sender unknown.<br /> <br /> Hence, he had assigned Riley for the task.<br /> <br /> Levi said nothing when he saw this scene.<br /> <br /> Samuel, however, was taken aback.<br /> <br /> What&#039;s going on?<br /> <br /> Didn&#039;t I just buy two invitation cards?<br /> <br /> Why did they send us ten cards at once? And who was it again? Riley, the secretary?<br /> <br /> “You&#039;re the best grandson-in-law, Samuel,” Harry guffawed. “To have the secretary from the office building send us ten invitations at once with just a word; the Lopez family is proud of you!”<br /> <br /> Fabian was all smiles.<br /> <br /> “Damn! You&#039;re amazing, Samuel!”<br /> <br /> Shaun regarded Samuel with admiration.<br /> <br /> “Melanie has indeed married a good man! You&#039;re surely the happiest woman in the world! Unlike Zoey, who married a criminal!”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sorry that my husband is too amazing, Zoey. Just say the word if you need our help in the future. But I dare not get too close to you, though,” Melanie paused. “Lest someone tries to jump his sister-in-law...”<br /> <br /> Zoey could feel her anger boiling up.<br /> <br /> It was obvious that Melanie was insulting her, but she couldn&#039;t do anything about it; Samuel&#039;s ability to have the secretary from the office building send the invitation cards in person with just a phone call was just too over the top.<br /> <br /> Besides, an invitation for a banquet of this level wasn&#039;t something the Lopez family could easily obtain.<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn, on the other hand, were even more envious.<br /> <br /> With a son-in-law like that, I bet we&#039;ll wake up with a smile every morning.<br /> <br /> Life will be all about counting money.<br /> <br /> Right, isn&#039;t Samuel&#039;s brother in love with our daughter?<br /> <br /> However, the couple couldn&#039;t change Zoey&#039;s mind, so they didn&#039;t muse out loud.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Samuel was completely flummoxed by the whole thing.<br /> <br /> Where in the world do I find connections in North Hampton?<br /> <br /> They must be mistaken.<br /> <br /> But since it&#039;s at this point now, I guess I should just go along with it.<br /> <br /> It&#039;ll make me look good, anyway!<br /> <br /> Samuel chuckled. “I&#039;m sorry, Grandpa. I could only get us ten invitations. After all, there aren&#039;t many places available for this kind of banquet.”<br /> <br /> Harry grinned from ear to ear. “You&#039;re the cream of the crop, Samuel! Here, let Grandpa give you a toast!”<br /> <br /> Upon seeing this, Aaron was green with envy.<br /> <br /> “Grandpa, why don&#039;t you distribute these invitations?” Samuel said.<br /> <br /> “Sure.”<br /> <br /> Harry had four children in total. Everyone received an invitation, all except for Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> The last few remaining invitations were given to Shaun and some of his favorite grandchildren.<br /> <br /> “Thank you, Grandpa!”<br /> <br /> Shaun and the others flourished the invitation cards in their hands before Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> Without a word said, Aaron&#039;s family bowed their heads and remained silent.<br /> <br /> In Harry&#039;s eyes, they were no better than the younger ones, and they acknowledged it. They could only blame themselves for being worthless.<br /> <br /> Just then, someone&#039;s voice broke the silence. “Why didn&#039;t we get an invitation?”<br /> <br /> It was Levi.<br /> <br /> Chapter 5 Proving Himself To His Wife<br /> <br /> Everyone laughed themselves silly at Levi&#039;s question.<br /> <br /> “Do you think your family is qualified to get an invitation? Have you guys ever contributed to the Lopez family?” Shaun retaliated directly.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Dream on! Can you guys be any more shameless to expect to receive an invitation?” Henry questioned unabashedly.<br /> <br /> Zoey and her parents had given up on all hope.<br /> <br /> They looked at Levi with nothing but disgust in their eyes.<br /> <br /> However, Levi let out a cold snort. “It&#039;s for my sake that this invitation is given to you! I intended to give them to my in-laws, and they were given to you passingly.”<br /> <br /> “Have some pride, Levi!” Fabian exploded. “Clearly, Samuel got these invitations through his connections. What the hell has it got to do with you?!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Who the hell do you think you are?” Samuel&#039;s anger mounted. “How dare you try to take credit for this?”<br /> <br /> Soon after, Henry pointed at Aaron. “Just look at your son-in-law, Aaron! Do something about him, and don&#039;t bring him to our next family banquet! We cannot tolerate such insolence!”<br /> <br /> Levi was about to say something when Zoey pulled him outside. “Come with me!!!”<br /> <br /> She couldn&#039;t stand him any longer as hot torrents of grief coursed down her face.<br /> <br /> “Levi, please, don&#039;t embarrass me anymore. I really can&#039;t hold on if you keep this up!”<br /> <br /> Levi wiped away her tears and asked, “Do you want to attend the banquet, Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “Who wouldn&#039;t want to? Didn&#039;t you see the look in Mom and Dad&#039;s eyes?” Zoey said grumpily. “But there&#039;s nothing we can do, even if we want to go. It&#039;s not like you can get us in, can you?”<br /> <br /> “I can!” Levi said decisively.<br /> <br /> This was too much for Zoey to handle. Her temper sparked, and she turned on her heels, trying to leave.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, why don&#039;t you trust me?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> “How am I supposed to trust you when you&#039;re behaving like this?” Zoey replied with a question of her own.<br /> <br /> Levi chuckled. “I&#039;ll definitely get you inside. I, Levi Garrison, am a man of my word!”<br /> <br /> Zoey nodded. “Okay, I&#039;ll trust you just this once! If you can&#039;t do it, we&#039;re over!”<br /> <br /> “Deal!”<br /> <br /> “Fine, I&#039;m going all out on this one!” Zoey said resolutely while wiping her tears. “I don&#039;t need this stupid pride! I&#039;m going to continue to attend this family banquet and tell everyone that my husband is capable of getting an invitation for tomorrow&#039;s banquet too!”<br /> <br /> “Okay, ladies first. Let me just make one call.”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “Azure Dragon, tell Jesse I&#039;ll attend the banquet he&#039;s hosting tomorrow,” Levi said once the call went through.<br /> <br /> “What? So you agree to attend the banquet? Thank God! The higher-ups were so worried that you won&#039;t give Jesse this honor!”<br /> <br /> “Yes, I&#039;ll attend. But please ban some of the people from this event...”<br /> <br /> “Roger that, Sir! I&#039;ll make the arrangements now!”<br /> <br /> Returning inside, Levi saw Zoey holding her head high, looking as proud as a peacock.<br /> <br /> It was obvious that she had made the announcement as many pairs of eyes were fixated on him.<br /> <br /> “Say, how do you guys think this punk got the invitation? By stealing?”<br /> <br /> “Who knows if he bought it for the sake of pretending!”<br /> <br /> Samuel laughed. “Don&#039;t you guys know that one invitation cost over one million?”<br /> <br /> “Aaron&#039;s family owes Grandpa about three million. How can they afford to buy an invitation?”<br /> <br /> Right then, dinner was served, marking the start of the family banquet.<br /> <br /> “I think the four of them can just have a bowl of noodles each. There&#039;s no need to serve them. What do you guys think?” Henry asked.<br /> <br /> Samuel laughed. “Let&#039;s just feed them. Otherwise, it&#039;ll look like Grandpa is mistreating them.”<br /> <br /> “Alright then.”<br /> <br /> Other tables were bustling with noise and excitement, with everyone toasting each other and currying favor with Samuel, but it was deadly silence at Levi&#039;s.<br /> <br /> Aaron glanced at Samuel, then back at Levi, sighing, “What&#039;s the point of getting envious? Such is my fate!”<br /> <br /> Caitlyn glowered at Levi. Can today be any more humiliating?<br /> <br /> However, they didn&#039;t dare to leave without the old man&#039;s permission and could only continue to suffer from the humiliation in awkward silence.<br /> <br /> Right then, Samuel came over with a glass of wine, followed by a group of people who had been paying court to him.<br /> <br /> He walked past Levi and stood before Zoey. “I was going to introduce my brother to you, Zoey. He&#039;s so much better than me! But it seems that you&#039;re not fortunate enough to enjoy a good life. It&#039;s a pity that you have a bad taste in men!”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn sighed.<br /> <br /> If only Levi didn&#039;t show up, Zoey would have been with Chris, and our family would have been rich again.<br /> <br /> How amazing is that?<br /> <br /> But sadly, it seems that we are plagued by poverty!<br /> <br /> Soon, the family banquet ended.<br /> <br /> “Let&#039;s go to my house. I want to have a good talk with my grandson-in-law regarding the Lopez family&#039;s future development and tomorrow&#039;s banquet. All of you must sit in and listen. It&#039;ll be good for you,” Harry instructed.<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked at Harry in anticipation, hoping that the Lopez family would lend a hand to alLeviate their current livelihood.<br /> <br /> But little did they know Harry responded, “Aaron, you guys can go back on your own!”<br /> <br /> Aaron hesitated a little. “Dad, but I...”<br /> <br /> “No buts! We don&#039;t need you here. Besides, your good son-in-law just came back from prison. I don&#039;t want him to stain my place with bad luck!” Harry said, then left with the crowd.<br /> <br /> Before leaving, Samuel, Melanie, and a few others stood before Levi, waving the invitation cards in their hands. “Don&#039;t disappoint me tomorrow night. Don&#039;t say you know me if you can&#039;t get in. I can&#039;t afford to throw my reputation down the gutters.”<br /> <br /> Levi snickered. “You&#039;ll never know who&#039;s the one who can&#039;t get in when the time comes.”<br /> <br /> “Alright then. We&#039;ll soon see about that.”<br /> <br /> Everyone left happily with an invitation card in their hands, leaving Aaron and his family sighing and groaning.<br /> <br /> Aaron cast a deep glance at Levi.<br /> <br /> If only he could bring honor for the family...<br /> <br /> It&#039;s a pity that he just got out of prison. Even surviving is a problem for him.<br /> <br /> After that, Levi followed Zoey home.<br /> <br /> Compared to the Garrison family, this was his home—a home where a woman had been waiting for him for six years.<br /> <br /> Back home, Levi took the initiative to lay a mattress on the floor, but Zoey let him sleep on the bed instead.<br /> <br /> Thereafter, he lay on the bed while Zoey continued to draft a plan at the desk.<br /> <br /> “What are you doing?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m drafting a proposal for an ecological park development project at West City. Even if the chance of success is not even one percent, I&#039;m going to try my best to win this bid!” Zoey smiled.<br /> <br /> Until the following night, not once did Zoey complain about him, nor did she show a long face.<br /> <br /> But she couldn&#039;t help it anymore as it was almost time for the welcome banquet.<br /> <br /> “Levi Garrison, I trusted you so much and bet everything on you. But where&#039;s the invitation? How on earth am I supposed to believe you now? I&#039;d thought you would come up with ideas to get us in, but you didn&#039;t step out from this house nor made a phone call the moment we came home last night. Do you think the invitation will just fall from the sky?”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn added, “What are you waiting for? Zoey had made a big promise last night. If you don&#039;t make this happen, there won&#039;t be a place for us to live in the Lopez family in the future.”<br /> <br /> Levi glanced at the clock. “It&#039;s almost time. Just follow me.”<br /> <br /> Driving in Aaron&#039;s Haval, they arrived at Paradise Villa, where the God of War&#039;s welcome banquet was held.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, I will prove to you now that I can do it!”<br /> <br /> Levi pulled Zoey and headed towards the entrance.<br /> <br /> 👉To continue reading the story for free, download the app and search📚《The Return of the God of War 》. Enjoy Romance Now🥰 LEARN_MORE https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4 389321244253054 Wonderful novel https://facebook.com/61561928424575 4 1 1,020,960,686,079,017 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Learn more 0 Wonderful novel 120209919161300371 page.joyreadings.com NONE video https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4.html?lang=en&id=5594&brand=2&app=0&ppid=4026&pid=FBW2A&utm_source=FBW2A&utm_medium=%7B%7Bplacement%7D%7D&utm_campaign=%7B%7Bcampaign.id%7D%7D&utm_term=%7B%7Badset.id%7D%7D&utm_content=%7B%7Bad.id%7D%7D&ori_campaign_id=120211997553860551&ori_adset_id=120211997553930551&ori_ad_id=120211997580580551 2024-07-11 22:41 https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450546196_1184050266242418_2304089385109059697_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=NlHkM9Fv8EUQ7kNvgFz3ene&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AYBa9-ZtgG0oaI3GN-gMD3WKASJQ6f1oCQcceN1TUpovzw&oe=6696F208 person_profile 0 Wonderful novel https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/450265342_1154355752479719_4865371028745811382_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=iKOHrm64It8Q7kNvgEgxtuk&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AYBkkt08hWHpGZsvXPl1NBfLmlAYDgFJ3OArQOauhp6zCw&oe=66970519 0 3 Wonderful novel 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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Yes 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 493728939805359 📚《The Return of the God of War》ALL chapters for Free!😍 😭Six years ago, he was framed by his family. They broke his limbs and left him on the roadside. Six years later, he returned as God of War and made them kneel for three days and nights.👊👊👊<br /> Chapter 1 The Return Of The God of War<br /> In Erudia, a private jet landed at North Hampton Airport, where all international flights experienced an eight-hour delay because of it.<br /> At the private passageway were five men in suits and leather shoes, standing as straight as a javelin.<br /> Every now and then, they would raise their wrist to look at the time, for a big shot was coming to town.<br /> The upper-class society of North Hampton had learned about his arrival, but no one had the capability to get an inch closer to the private passageway.<br /> Even the richest man in North Hampton who came to pay homage was chased away.<br /> <br /> Finally, there were movements coming from the passageway.<br /> <br /> “God of War!!!” the mass cried out, their eyes filled with awe and veneration at the sight of the undefeatable legend of Erudia.<br /> <br /> He, who was dubbed the God of War, was the one and only Five-Star God of War in the history of Erudia.<br /> <br /> Once, he&#039;d inflicted a crushing defeat on the strongest battalions in eighteen countries. He was an overbearing and formidable man.<br /> <br /> He who overwhelmed the world with his unparalleled power had even created the Five Great Wars Regiment, Cavalry Regiment, and many more.<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> Setting foot on his homeland, Levi Garrison was overcome with emotions.<br /> <br /> Once upon a time, he used to be an orphan who was abandoned on the streets of North Hampton and then adopted by the Garrison family.<br /> <br /> However, the Garrison family had never been fond of him.<br /> <br /> His adoptive parents, who had a tendency to beat and scold him, treated him like an outsider.<br /> <br /> As for the outsiders, they treated him as a nobody.<br /> <br /> But he didn&#039;t care a stiver. He had always been proud of his surname since he was a child, and he strived to bring glory to this family when he grew older.<br /> <br /> At last, Levi had established Levi Group, the largest dark horse in North Hampton&#039;s business community.<br /> <br /> With billions of assets, it ranked among the forefront of North Hampton, pushing the declining Garrison family to the top.<br /> <br /> However, not only did the Garrison family showed no signs of appreciation, they even harbored dissatisfaction towards him. Jealous of his success, they regarded him as a thorn in their flesh and coveted Levi Group.<br /> <br /> No matter his wealth and power, unless they were in control, he was just an outsider in the Garrison family&#039;s eyes.<br /> <br /> Eventually, on Levi&#039;s wedding night, the Garrison family plotted a frame-up against him by getting him drunk before tossing him onto his sister-in-law&#039;s bed. They wanted to create the illusion that he was doing something untoward to her and was caught in bed by his brother and adoptive parents.<br /> <br /> That night, the Garrison family had brutally broken his limbs and left him on the road like a wild dog.<br /> <br /> Not only was he handicapped, but he also had to take the flak for something he didn&#039;t commit.<br /> <br /> From an upstart in the business world, he had become the target of disdain overnight.<br /> <br /> And the next day, he had been punished for several crimes and sentenced to six years in prison.<br /> <br /> He could never forget the ruthless and sinister faces of everyone in the Garrison family and the ridicule of his friends, classmates, and business partners.<br /> <br /> More so, he could never forget the disappointment on his newly wedded wife, Zoey&#039;s face.<br /> <br /> He had regarded the Garrison family as his home and devoted himself to the family.<br /> <br /> Yet, they treated him like trash.<br /> <br /> It felt as if a knife was being twisted in his heart every time he thought about this.<br /> <br /> How he hated the Garrison family!<br /> <br /> But who would have thought that Levi had been secretly transferred away from prison to join the military?<br /> <br /> In a few years, he dominated the military world and became the one and only Five-Star God of War.<br /> <br /> Now that he came back, the Garrison family ought to stay on their toes.<br /> <br /> “How&#039;s it going, Azure Dragon?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> Azure Dragon, the commander of the Five Great Wars Regiment, took a step forward and said respectfully, “Sir, I&#039;m afraid your wife, Ms. Zoey Lopez will remarry at ten o&#039;clock tonight!”<br /> <br /> Ever since Zoey&#039;s husband was sent to prison on their wedding night, she had been living like a widow.<br /> <br /> Only God knew how much pressure she was put under.<br /> <br /> And right now, the person Levi couldn&#039;t wait to see the most was Zoey.<br /> <br /> After a moment of hesitation, Azure Dragon continued, “To add on, Sir, the Garrison family is holding a successful listing celebration banquet at the Crystal Palace Hotel tonight! Many people had invited the God of War just now, including the Garrison family, but I didn&#039;t accept nor refuse directly.”<br /> <br /> “What time?” Levi asked tersely.<br /> <br /> “Eight o&#039;clock, Sir.”<br /> <br /> “Okay. Tell the Garrison family I will attend the banquet!”<br /> <br /> Since the time for the two events didn&#039;t clash, Levi gladly accepted the invitation.<br /> <br /> The celebration banquet for the public listing of Garrison Group was held at North Hampton&#039;s Crystal Palace Hotel.<br /> <br /> With the help of Levi Group, they had become a rich and powerful family in one fell swoop.<br /> <br /> The hall was bustling with noise and excitement, and sounds of glasses clinking could be heard ringing in the air every now and then.<br /> <br /> “God bless the Garrison family,” said Joseph, the head of the Garrison family. “The younger generations are the stars among men. Garrison Group is now listed and has become an upstart in North Hampton!”<br /> <br /> Joseph&#039;s three sons and daughter welcomed their guests with bright smiles on their faces.<br /> <br /> The younger generation of the Garrison family was all the smugger and prouder because, after today, the Garrison family would become a powerful family, and they would become one of the top rich kids.<br /> <br /> Most of the guests who attended today&#039;s banquet were from the top circle in North Hampton.<br /> <br /> “Garrison, do you know what happened today?! Your celebration party is nothing compared to that.” They were gossiping about the major event that had happened today.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! I heard that a big shot has arrived in North Hampton!”<br /> <br /> “The richest man in North Hampton wanted to meet him but was shooed away. Apparently, he&#039;s not qualified enough!”<br /> <br /> “So? Jesse Nielsen had been waiting for five hours in advance at the airport!”<br /> <br /> Joseph nodded. “Yes, I know about that too. I even sent someone to invite this big shot to the celebration party!”<br /> <br /> “No way! Why would this big shot attend such a party?”<br /> <br /> No one believed it.<br /> <br /> In fact, as an upstart, Joseph was just trying his luck.<br /> <br /> “Dad!” shouted Jaycob, the second eldest son of the Garrison family could be seen running over. “The big shot has accepted our invitation to attend our celebration banquet! He&#039;s on the way!”<br /> <br /> “Jesus! God has indeed blessed the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> Everyone in the Garrison family could barely conceal their delight as this was their chance to reach the sky in a single bound.<br /> <br /> The grandchildren of the Garrison family gathered together, sunshine flooding their souls.<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s brother, Bryan, and sister-in-law, Victoria, smiled. “Well, it all starts with Levi&#039;s imprisonment that the Garrison family is at where we are today...”<br /> <br /> “Right, speaking about Levi, do you guys know today&#039;s the day that kid gets out of prison?!” somebody asked abruptly.<br /> <br /> “Really? Isn&#039;t that bad luck? Why did he have to be released on such a big day?!”<br /> <br /> “Please, please, please don&#039;t come back! He&#039;s the Garrison family&#039;s biggest disgrace!”<br /> <br /> Victoria&#039;s lips tugged into a sneer. “Speaking of which, Levi is the crowning glory of the Garrison family&#039;s status today.”<br /> <br /> “That&#039;s what he&#039;s supposed to do!” Bryan said. “He should contribute to the Garrison family for raising him, an orphan! His multi-billion Levi Group means nothing. To put it bluntly, he&#039;s just a dog raised by the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> Someone gave a chortle. “As a matter of fact, I&#039;ve been interested in Levi&#039;s wife for a long time now. She&#039;s still widowed, and I&#039;m so going to marry her!”<br /> <br /> The man&#039;s remark caused gales of laughter.<br /> <br /> “Everyone, stop what you&#039;re doing. I have an important announcement to make,” Joseph said and went on to announce that the big shot was coming.<br /> <br /> A thunderous applause was heard.<br /> <br /> But when the applause had died down, there was still someone clapping.<br /> <br /> The sound was loud and clear, approaching from afar.<br /> <br /> On the red carpet, a man came clapping, looking bold and energetic.<br /> <br /> His stride gave off a majestic and imposing aura, which made the mass hold their breaths.<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s Levi!” Bryan and Victoria exclaimed.<br /> <br /> Suddenly, all eyes were riveted on him.<br /> <br /> “I forgot this little brat got out of jail today!” Levi&#039;s adoptive parents spoke in unison.<br /> <br /> Ignoring the astonished gazes darted at his way, Levi walked step by step towards Joseph.<br /> <br /> “A little bird told me that the company is now listed. How are you feeling, Joseph? Are you happy?”<br /> <br /> Levi flashed him a meaningful smile.<br /> <br /> “How dare you show up here, you insolent brat! And what did you just call me?” Joseph&#039;s fury sprang to life.<br /> <br /> “Who let him in? Didn&#039;t you know he just got out of prison? How inauspicious!”<br /> <br /> Bryan rose to his feet. “What the hell are you doing here, Levi?”<br /> <br /> Levi sized him up. “Why can&#039;t I be here?”<br /> <br /> “Well, for starters, you&#039;re an orphan! The Garrison family has raised you, but you were ambitious and ungrateful. You had inordinate ambitions for your sister-in-law, and you wanted to take possession of the Garrison family! You&#039;d even tried to kill your parents when things go south! Have you no conscience? Do you have any sense of morality left in your heart?”<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve lost your reputation in North Hampton, and everyone knows that. Have you no shame to have the brass neck to come round here?”<br /> <br /> Chapter 2 Sinner In The Family<br /> <br /> “Everyone knows why you&#039;re back. You want to leech off the Garrison family; you want our money, isn&#039;t it?!”<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve long been expelled from the Garrison family, you ungrateful wretch! The Garrison family has nothing to do with you! Now, get lost!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s adoptive parents rose to their feet and pointed at his nose, hurling abusive remarks at him.<br /> <br /> The Garrison family&#039;s brazenness of distorting the truth was mind-bending.<br /> <br /> How disappointing!<br /> <br /> He had thought they would feel somewhat apologetic after six years, but they were unexpectedly more aggravated.<br /> <br /> They took everything from him, crippled him, and ruined his reputation, turning everything upside down and making everything his fault instead.<br /> <br /> The Garrison family didn&#039;t have the slightest bit of compassion to speak of.<br /> <br /> Bryan zipped towards Levi, assessing him condescendingly. “Hmph! Don&#039;t you just want money now that you&#039;re back?”<br /> <br /> Flap!<br /> <br /> Bryan threw a credit card to the ground and lifted his foot, shaking his leather shoe. “My vamp is dirty. Lick it clean, and the one million in this card is yours!”<br /> <br /> His words elicited a fresh burst of laughter as the crowd looked at Levi as if they were looking at a dog.<br /> <br /> “Oh my! One million? That&#039;s more than enough to cover his living expenses. I bet he&#039;ll lick it!”<br /> <br /> Victoria gave a wry look.<br /> <br /> “On your knees!” Bryan roared, seeing that Levi was glaring at him. “Now, lick my shoe!”<br /> <br /> Levi stared at him coldly and held his peace.<br /> <br /> “Kneel!!!”<br /> <br /> Bryan rushed to Levi and pressed his shoulders, forcing him to kneel, but the latter didn&#039;t budge.<br /> <br /> “I said kneel!!!”<br /> <br /> Bryan struggled to rivet him to the spot.<br /> <br /> “Drop dead!”<br /> <br /> Levi suddenly slapped Bryan in the face, sending him flying almost eight meters away.<br /> <br /> Silence engulfed the room; one could even hear a pin drop!<br /> <br /> Unbelievable!<br /> <br /> Everyone in the Garrison family was stupefied.<br /> <br /> What did Levi just do?<br /> <br /> Did he just knock Bryan to the ground with a single slap?<br /> <br /> Plod!<br /> <br /> Bryan was about to get up when Levi stepped on him, crushed him, and crossed over him.<br /> <br /> Looking at the approaching Levi, Joseph instinctively stepped back.<br /> <br /> Levi went up the stage and adjusted the microphone stand.<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at him, wondering what he was going to do next.<br /> <br /> “Listen up, everyone...”<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sure you remember what happened six years ago, yes? For the love and care I had received from the Garrison family during childhood, I&#039;m giving you one month to kneel before me for three days and three nights to repent your sins!”<br /> <br /> “Remember, that&#039;s everyone from the Garrison family!”<br /> <br /> “If I don&#039;t see any shadow within a month, the outcome is simple—I swear I&#039;ll wipe off every single one of you here today!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s voice was low and deep.<br /> <br /> But as soon as he finished, the crowd was laughing like a drain.<br /> <br /> “Did prison life eat his brain or what? What conceited nonsense is he spouting?”<br /> <br /> “The Garrison family right now is a juggernaut in North Hampton. He&#039;s just a criminal. Isn&#039;t it a pipe dream to destroy the Garrison family?”<br /> <br /> “Did he knock his brain loose or something?”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “Bear in mind that I have limited patience. You only have one month! Of course, you may gather your strengths and connections to fight against me! I&#039;ll be waiting.”<br /> <br /> Levi then took his leave straightaway, disregarding the mockeries of the crowd.<br /> <br /> “Stop right there, you bastard! Did I tell you to leave?”<br /> <br /> Ben, Levi&#039;s adoptive father, wanted to stop him.<br /> <br /> “Ben, let him go!” Joseph said. “It&#039;s a big day today. I don&#039;t want to see bloodshed!”<br /> <br /> He was afraid about the impact that would bring about if the big shot saw this.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! There are so much more opportunities to take care of him!”<br /> <br /> “He&#039;s in luck that the big shot is on his way!”<br /> <br /> With that, Levi left the place under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people.<br /> <br /> After Levi had left, Joseph asked anxiously, “Jaycob, where&#039;s the big shot? Isn&#039;t he here yet?”<br /> <br /> Jaycob looked dazed. “According to the time, he should have arrived long ago. Let me ask...”<br /> <br /> After making a phone call, Jaycob blanched. “Dad, the big shot was here, but he left already.”<br /> <br /> “What? The big shot was here?”<br /> <br /> “The big shot said that the Garrison family are a bunch of unworthy stupid pigs!”<br /> <br /> “I get it. He must have left in a fit of rage after witnessing the ruckus that brat had created!”<br /> <br /> “He must have thought that the Garrison family disrespected him!”<br /> <br /> Joseph trembled with rage. “That brat will pay for this!”<br /> <br /> The multitude reacted accordingly.<br /> <br /> Levi has ruined the Garrison family&#039;s glorious event!<br /> <br /> He just pissed off the big shot!<br /> <br /> That&#039;s equivalent to cutting off the Garrison family&#039;s chance to reach the sky!<br /> <br /> Levi Garrison is indeed the sinner of the Garrison family!<br /> <br /> At that moment, the Garrison family wished to skin Levi alive.<br /> <br /> His adoptive parents, brother, and sister-in-law especially hated him to the bone. “Just you wait, Levi!”<br /> <br /> After leaving Crystal Palace Hotel, the next person that Levi was going to look for was his wife, Zoey Lopez.<br /> <br /> In this life, he owed no debt to the Garrison family, nor his friends and classmates, but Zoey.<br /> <br /> He had been imprisoned on the second day after the wedding, making Zoey lose her reputation. That even put her through six years of widowhood.<br /> <br /> This woman has carried too much on her shoulders for six years.<br /> <br /> But now that I&#039;m back, I&#039;ll hold your hand, and we&#039;ll conquer the world together!<br /> <br /> After hesitating for a long time, Levi pressed the doorbell.<br /> <br /> Thud!<br /> <br /> The young woman dropped her mobile phone to the ground as the door opened.<br /> <br /> Upon taking a closer look at Levi&#039;s face, Zoey broke down in tears.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, quick, just get the parcel and come in. It&#039;s almost time for the family banquet! Your grandfather is going to settle your marriage at the family banquet tonight. You can&#039;t get away from this!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Quickly get dressed! Your grandfather is going to set you up with someone else!”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s parents&#039; voices sounded from the inside.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, I&#039;m back!” Levi said excitedly, wanting to fling his arm around her, but Zoey slapped his hands away.<br /> <br /> “Why did you come back? I&#039;ve already forgotten about you...”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s voice was choked with sobs.<br /> <br /> Very soon after, Zoey&#039;s parents, Aaron and Caitlyn, came out, looking horrified.<br /> <br /> “How dare you have the nerve to come back? Do you know how much criticism my family has suffered because of you? Especially Zoey. Do you know how much she has suffered for the past six years?” Zoey&#039;s father, Aaron, reproached.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, her mother, Caitlyn, pushed and shoved Levi. “You should know that this relationship between you and Zoey is impossible in this life the moment you went to jail! You&#039;re a criminal! You&#039;re just a street rat in North Hampton! You&#039;re only putting Zoey in harm&#039;s way by coming to see her!”<br /> <br /> Naturally, Levi had known of Zoey&#039;s sufferings for the past six years, including her refusal to remarry because of him.<br /> <br /> Levi put on a serious face. “This time, I&#039;m back for good. I won&#039;t leave Zoey ever again. I will grant her a bright future and let her own the world!”<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s declaration had Aaron and Caitlyn hooting with laughter.<br /> <br /> “You&#039;ve spent six years in jail. How are you going to give Zoey a future?” Aaron asked with a sneer.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! With your mouth?” Caitlyn chimed in. “There&#039;s a limit to talking big!”<br /> <br /> Nonetheless, Levi smiled. “Don&#039;t worry. I&#039;ll reclaim what I lost in those years! I&#039;ll destroy the Garrison family in a month!”<br /> <br /> “Levi!” This time, even Zoey couldn&#039;t bear to listen to his nonsense any longer. “Can we be more realistic? It doesn&#039;t matter if you just get out of prison. Can&#039;t you just be down to earth and start anew? I believe that you will make a comeback one day, but you can&#039;t just indulge in tall talk. Do you know just how powerful the Garrison family is right now? And besides, today&#039;s era is a far cry from what it was six years ago!”<br /> <br /> “Zoey, trust me,” Levi said earnestly. “I can make the Garrison family bow at my feet with just a word!”<br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Ten Billion To Sit At That Table<br /> <br /> Preposterous!<br /> <br /> Levi&#039;s bravado nearly drove Zoey and her parents round the bend.<br /> <br /> Having been caged up for six years, did he finally lose his mind?<br /> <br /> “Fine. If you say so,” Zoey said, shoving her mobile phone to Levi directly. “Then prove it! I&#039;d like to see how you make the Garrison family bow their heads with just one word!”<br /> <br /> “I...”<br /> <br /> Levi was stunned.<br /> <br /> It was true that he could exterminate the Garrison family with his words, but he had given them one month; it would be too uneventful to destroy them now.<br /> <br /> “See, you can&#039;t do it, can&#039;t you? Then don&#039;t you ever talk big if you can&#039;t!”<br /> <br /> Zoey smashed the phone to the ground, marking her wrath.<br /> <br /> Following that, her parents pushed Levi away. “Go now. You&#039;re not welcome here. We&#039;ve got a family banquet to attend!”<br /> <br /> “No. Mom, Dad, let him in!”<br /> <br /> “What do you mean, Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “I won&#039;t remarry. My husband is back.”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn couldn&#039;t talk her round, so they could only let him in.<br /> <br /> After that, Zoey took Levi to her bedroom.<br /> <br /> “Since you&#039;re back, you&#039;re still my husband. I don&#039;t care about the gossips. Besides, I believe you&#039;re innocent, and anyone with discerning eyes can see that it was the Garrison family who&#039;d framed you!”<br /> <br /> Levi could feel the warmth in his heart.<br /> <br /> She trusted him, and that was more than enough for him.<br /> <br /> “But you must promise me to start from zero and be down to earth. I believe you will achieve something great with your ability! I&#039;ll give you five years!”<br /> <br /> “That&#039;s unnecessary,” Levi said. “Just give me one month. In a month, I&#039;ll de—”<br /> <br /> “Shut up! I don&#039;t want to listen to your nonsensical and unrealistic talks! Why can&#039;t we just be realistic?” Zoey shouted.<br /> <br /> “Even if you have nothing now, as long as you take one step at a time, I believe you&#039;ll get back on your feet!”<br /> <br /> Levi shut up obediently.<br /> <br /> “I bought you these six years ago.” Zoey took out a suit from the cupboard. “Change into it at once and follow me to the family banquet!”<br /> <br /> “Zoey, what is up with you?”<br /> <br /> Seeing Levi all dressed up, Aaron and Caitlyn were naturally dissatisfied.<br /> <br /> Zoey clung onto Levi&#039;s arm. “Mom, Dad, Levi is my husband now! I will make myself clear to Grandpa tonight!”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked daggers at Levi, sighing helplessly, “For Heaven&#039;s sake!”<br /> <br /> The Lopez family banquet was held at Golden Port Restaurant, where they contracted the entire restaurant.<br /> <br /> Naturally, the Lopez family was not as powerful as the Garrison family, but they were considered above average in North Hampton.<br /> <br /> When Zoey and her family arrived at the main hall, they were greeted with strange and jesting gazes.<br /> <br /> In the past, when Zoey and Levi had gotten married, Aaron&#039;s family status was the highest in the Lopez family.<br /> <br /> But after Levi&#039;s downfall, Aaron&#039;s family had experienced a seismic shift in life, and their status in the Lopez family took a nosedive as they became the subject of ridicule, especially during family events.<br /> <br /> “Look! Is that Levi beside Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! It&#039;s really him! He&#039;s released from prison already?”<br /> <br /> All eyes fell on Levi at once.<br /> <br /> Harry, the head of the Lopez family, snorted and turned a blind eye to the four of them.<br /> <br /> The old man&#039;s favorite now was Fabian, his eldest son, and his family.<br /> <br /> Mainly because Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, Samuel Robertson, was of mixed ethnicity who was born rich and had lived overseas.<br /> <br /> This time, Harry was going to set up Zoey with Samuel&#039;s younger brother, Chris, who had been casting covetous eyes on Zoey for some time now.<br /> <br /> With no one paying attention to them, Aaron and his family could only find a place to sit first.<br /> <br /> As they were about to take their seats, a voice was heard. “No, Aaron. You guys can&#039;t sit here.”<br /> <br /> It was a reminder from Henry, the second eldest son of the Lopez family.<br /> <br /> “What?”<br /> <br /> “There are sitting arrangements to the family banquet this time.”<br /> <br /> Aaron looked puzzled. “How so?”<br /> <br /> “There are four tables for the family banquet! And it&#039;s decided according to the family contribution!”<br /> <br /> “For example, the first table is given to the family who contributed over five million to the family in a year; a million for the second table, a hundred thousand for the third table, and less than a hundred thousand for the last table, or should I say no contribution at all!”<br /> <br /> Henry smiled smugly. “Our family has made good profits this year, and we&#039;ve contributed just about five million to the family. So excuse me, but this table here is ours.”<br /> <br /> “Of course, you can also sit at the first table without contributing. That is if your family has tens of millions of assets.”<br /> <br /> “Unfortunately, we couldn&#039;t be any clearer about your family&#039;s situation,” sneered Maddison, Henry&#039;s wife. “Now that there&#039;s an ex-convict in your family, I&#039;m sorry that you guys can only sit at the last table!”<br /> <br /> “Mom, Dad, as far as I know, Uncle Aaron and his family didn&#039;t contribute much to the family last year,” said Shaun, Henry&#039;s son, walking over with a glass in his hand. “Their company went bankrupt, and they even borrowed over two million from Grandpa. Clearly, it&#039;s a negative contribution. It&#039;s unfair to the relatives sitting at the fourth table! I say we add a fifth table for negative contributors!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah, I agree!”<br /> <br /> The rest of the Lopez family concurred.<br /> <br /> “Okay, we&#039;ll do as Shaun says! This shall motivate you people!”<br /> <br /> Harry gave his consent.<br /> <br /> “Hurry up and sit down. Don&#039;t just stand there and make a fool out of yourselves.” Harry glared at Aaron.<br /> <br /> With that, Aaron and his family walked over to the fifth table quietly.<br /> <br /> “Which table should a ten billion contributor sit at?” asked Levi suddenly, pulling Zoey&#039;s arm.<br /> <br /> Levi was the one and only Five-Star God of War, and wealth to him was just a number.<br /> <br /> In fact, he didn&#039;t know exactly how much he had, but he could still fork out ten billion casually for the family contribution on behalf of Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> As soon as Levi said that, everyone was stunned at his query.<br /> <br /> After a few moments of silence, the crowd blossomed into an enormous belly laugh.<br /> <br /> “Ten billion? You must be kidding me! Even the aristocratic Garrison family may not have that much money!”<br /> <br /> “This kid must have a loose screw in the head to come here and embarrass himself!”<br /> <br /> “Hey, Aaron. Did you know you have a son-in-law worth ten billion? Hahaha...”<br /> <br /> Sensing the jeering gazes and titter from the people around, Aaron and his family wished the ground could swallow them whole.<br /> <br /> This is embarrassing!<br /> <br /> Too embarrassing!<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s temper sparked, and her eyes blazed with rage.<br /> <br /> “Levi Garrison, is it not enough for you to talk big at home that you have to come here and embarrass me? Do you think you haven&#039;t done enough after all these years?”<br /> <br /> Zoey trembled as tears silently rolling down her cheeks.<br /> <br /> “But I do have ten billion!” Levi said helplessly.<br /> <br /> At this time, no one bothered to listen to Levi&#039;s sheer bull because the star of the day, Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, had arrived.<br /> <br /> Everyone, including Harry, went out to the entrance to greet him.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sorry to keep everyone waiting.” Samuel wore an apologetic expression.<br /> <br /> “Your flight was nearly ten hours late. What&#039;s up with that?” Harry asked in concern.<br /> <br /> Samuel smiled. “Grandpa, don&#039;t you know? A big shot has arrived in North Hampton, and North Hampton Airport was sealed off for eight hours.”<br /> <br /> What? Is there such a thing?<br /> <br /> “Who&#039;s this big shot to have the airport sealed off, Samuel?” Harry asked smilingly.<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s not just that. It&#039;s said that a hundred planes escorted the private jet of that big shot, and there were a hundred thousand people guarding at the airport.”<br /> <br /> “Damn!”<br /> <br /> “What?”<br /> <br /> The crowd gasped in shock.<br /> <br /> “He&#039;s the commander-in-chief of Nine Warzones, the God of War of Erudia. Haha, you may not believe it if I say this, but I met this great man when I was at a gathering abroad, and we even exchanged numbers. I didn&#039;t expect him to take up a post in North Hampton! I&#039;ll ask him out sometime in support of the Lopez family. That way, you&#039;ll gain a foothold in North Hampton in no time,” Samuel said loftily.<br /> <br /> “God! That&#039;s incredible! How did you even get to know someone like him?”<br /> <br /> “My brother-in-law is so cool!”<br /> <br /> “The Lopez family&#039;s son-in-law is one of a kind! Of course, except for one!”<br /> <br /> Everyone looked at Samuel with veneration; the old man was all the more impressed, Aaron and Caitlyn begrudged Fabian&#039;s son-in-law, and Zoey was envious as well.<br /> <br /> But she believed that in five years, Levi, too, could make her grandfather proud.<br /> <br /> Yet, unbeknownst to them, Levi was actually barely stifling in his laughter.<br /> <br /> This kid is quite something to know that I&#039;ve arrived.<br /> <br /> But his ability to make up nonsense is even more impressive.<br /> <br /> “You&#039;re saying you know the God of War?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> Samuel raised his head. “Yeah, we had a drink together. Is there a problem?”<br /> <br /> Levi chuckled. “Then why don&#039;t I recognize you?”<br /> <br /> Chapter 4 I Am The God of War<br /> <br /> “Huh?”<br /> <br /> Samuel froze, and so did the rest.<br /> <br /> What does he mean?<br /> <br /> Samuel frowned. “Are you saying that you&#039;re the God of War?”<br /> <br /> Levi smiled. “Yes, I am the God of War. But I never knew you.”<br /> <br /> The crowd burst into laughter; Samuel especially laughed his head off.<br /> <br /> Even old man Harry was amused as he had never seen such a sensationalist before.<br /> <br /> Clown!<br /> <br /> Levi is such a clown.<br /> <br /> “Gosh, Zoey, your husband is hilarious!” Melanie, Samuel&#039;s wife, derided. “He called himself the God of War, just to prove himself and save his pride! Do you even know who the God of War is? He&#039;s the commander-in-chief of Nine Warzones who can wipe off a clan with just his words! What? Is the prison a warzone? Jeez, Zoey, what a husband you have there. I feel terrible for you!”<br /> <br /> The others also tried to get a word in. “Don&#039;t bring him out in the future, Zoey. You might not think it&#039;s embarrassing, but we do!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah, don&#039;t ever let him attend any of our family banquet in the future. The Lopez family wants to preserve our reputation!”<br /> <br /> “Aaron, your family is really rotten. I&#039;m so disappointed in you.” Harry gave Aaron a dark look.<br /> <br /> “God! What sin have I committed in my previous life to deserve this?”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked down, their expressions ugly.<br /> <br /> This is the most humiliating day ever!<br /> <br /> Zoey sat in the corner. In the face of many insults and derision, she didn&#039;t utter a single word, but tears rolled down her cheeks silently.<br /> <br /> Never in her mind would she expect to be confronted by such humiliating moments.<br /> <br /> Zoey looked at Levi, feeling a little disgusted.<br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t mind that Levi was imprisoned, nor did she mind the stigma of him having gone to prison.<br /> <br /> All she cared about was Levi&#039;s attitude.<br /> <br /> Initially, she thought that he would start from scratch and live a practical life after he got out of prison, but the Levi Garrison right now was a bitter disappointment.<br /> <br /> He&#039;s so unrealistic! A sensationalist! Not to mention his damned pride!<br /> <br /> What a buffoon!<br /> <br /> Zoey didn&#039;t want to admit that this was her husband.<br /> <br /> “Okay, aren&#039;t you the God of War?” Samuel refused to let Levi off so easily. “There will be a welcome banquet tomorrow night in North Hampton, specially dedicated to welcome this big shot! I hope to see you there!”<br /> <br /> Samuel was up to date.<br /> <br /> Indeed, there was such a banquet.<br /> <br /> As Levi had decided to settle down in North Hampton, the higher-ups had assigned him as the deputy of North Hampton, which was more reasonable.<br /> <br /> After all, his purpose of being here was uncertain, and everyone was afraid of this big shot.<br /> <br /> It was easy to cause panic.<br /> <br /> For this reason, North Hampton had decided to host a welcome banquet.<br /> <br /> “Oh? Can you also attend such a welcome banquet, Samuel?” Harry couldn&#039;t help but ask upon hearing their conversation.<br /> <br /> Samuel squared his shoulders and smiled. “I just received two invitation cards!”<br /> <br /> In fact, Samuel had gone out of his way to buy two invitation cards for two million just to show off at the family banquet today.<br /> <br /> All those present looked at Samuel in awe.<br /> <br /> Now that&#039;s two million well spent! He thought to himself smugly.<br /> <br /> “Can you get any more of this invitation card, Samuel?” Harry asked cautiously. “If so, your father and I would like to expand our horizons!”<br /> <br /> Fabian gazed at Samuel with anticipation in his eyes.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;ll get it no matter what!”<br /> <br /> Samuel flat out agreed, although he could feel the burn in his pocket.<br /> <br /> That&#039;s another two million there!<br /> <br /> “It&#039;s just a matter of one phone call!”<br /> <br /> Samuel made a call and purchased two more invitation cards.<br /> <br /> “Say, Zoey,” Melanie said, scooting over to Zoey. “Will I see you at the banquet tomorrow? Hahaha...”<br /> <br /> Zoey&#039;s face darkened, knowing that Melanie was embarrassing her on purpose.<br /> <br /> Not long after, a black car stopped in front of Golden Port Hotel, with a man in a suit walking in soon after.<br /> <br /> “Aren&#039;t you Riley, the secretary?”<br /> <br /> Harry quickly went up to greet him upon realizing who the visitor was.<br /> <br /> Riley, who came into contact with the upper management every day, was the secretary of the North Hampton Office Building.<br /> <br /> Surely, he had to show his respect.<br /> <br /> “Greetings, Mr. Lopez. I&#039;m here for one simple purpose—to send the Lopez family ten invitation cards for tomorrow&#039;s banquet!”<br /> <br /> After dropping off ten invitation cards, Riley left in a hurry.<br /> <br /> It was a mission assigned to him from the head secretary of North Hampton.<br /> <br /> At this moment, the head secretary of North Hampton was sitting in the car outside.<br /> <br /> He was afraid of meeting the legendary God of War.<br /> <br /> The words of his big boss echoed clearly in his ears, Every important family member of the God of War&#039;s father-in-law&#039;s family must attend tomorrow&#039;s banquet. He was to send out the invitations in a low-profile manner while keeping the identity of the sender unknown.<br /> <br /> Hence, he had assigned Riley for the task.<br /> <br /> Levi said nothing when he saw this scene.<br /> <br /> Samuel, however, was taken aback.<br /> <br /> What&#039;s going on?<br /> <br /> Didn&#039;t I just buy two invitation cards?<br /> <br /> Why did they send us ten cards at once? And who was it again? Riley, the secretary?<br /> <br /> “You&#039;re the best grandson-in-law, Samuel,” Harry guffawed. “To have the secretary from the office building send us ten invitations at once with just a word; the Lopez family is proud of you!”<br /> <br /> Fabian was all smiles.<br /> <br /> “Damn! You&#039;re amazing, Samuel!”<br /> <br /> Shaun regarded Samuel with admiration.<br /> <br /> “Melanie has indeed married a good man! You&#039;re surely the happiest woman in the world! Unlike Zoey, who married a criminal!”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m sorry that my husband is too amazing, Zoey. Just say the word if you need our help in the future. But I dare not get too close to you, though,” Melanie paused. “Lest someone tries to jump his sister-in-law...”<br /> <br /> Zoey could feel her anger boiling up.<br /> <br /> It was obvious that Melanie was insulting her, but she couldn&#039;t do anything about it; Samuel&#039;s ability to have the secretary from the office building send the invitation cards in person with just a phone call was just too over the top.<br /> <br /> Besides, an invitation for a banquet of this level wasn&#039;t something the Lopez family could easily obtain.<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn, on the other hand, were even more envious.<br /> <br /> With a son-in-law like that, I bet we&#039;ll wake up with a smile every morning.<br /> <br /> Life will be all about counting money.<br /> <br /> Right, isn&#039;t Samuel&#039;s brother in love with our daughter?<br /> <br /> However, the couple couldn&#039;t change Zoey&#039;s mind, so they didn&#039;t muse out loud.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Samuel was completely flummoxed by the whole thing.<br /> <br /> Where in the world do I find connections in North Hampton?<br /> <br /> They must be mistaken.<br /> <br /> But since it&#039;s at this point now, I guess I should just go along with it.<br /> <br /> It&#039;ll make me look good, anyway!<br /> <br /> Samuel chuckled. “I&#039;m sorry, Grandpa. I could only get us ten invitations. After all, there aren&#039;t many places available for this kind of banquet.”<br /> <br /> Harry grinned from ear to ear. “You&#039;re the cream of the crop, Samuel! Here, let Grandpa give you a toast!”<br /> <br /> Upon seeing this, Aaron was green with envy.<br /> <br /> “Grandpa, why don&#039;t you distribute these invitations?” Samuel said.<br /> <br /> “Sure.”<br /> <br /> Harry had four children in total. Everyone received an invitation, all except for Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> The last few remaining invitations were given to Shaun and some of his favorite grandchildren.<br /> <br /> “Thank you, Grandpa!”<br /> <br /> Shaun and the others flourished the invitation cards in their hands before Aaron&#039;s family.<br /> <br /> Without a word said, Aaron&#039;s family bowed their heads and remained silent.<br /> <br /> In Harry&#039;s eyes, they were no better than the younger ones, and they acknowledged it. They could only blame themselves for being worthless.<br /> <br /> Just then, someone&#039;s voice broke the silence. “Why didn&#039;t we get an invitation?”<br /> <br /> It was Levi.<br /> <br /> Chapter 5 Proving Himself To His Wife<br /> <br /> Everyone laughed themselves silly at Levi&#039;s question.<br /> <br /> “Do you think your family is qualified to get an invitation? Have you guys ever contributed to the Lopez family?” Shaun retaliated directly.<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Dream on! Can you guys be any more shameless to expect to receive an invitation?” Henry questioned unabashedly.<br /> <br /> Zoey and her parents had given up on all hope.<br /> <br /> They looked at Levi with nothing but disgust in their eyes.<br /> <br /> However, Levi let out a cold snort. “It&#039;s for my sake that this invitation is given to you! I intended to give them to my in-laws, and they were given to you passingly.”<br /> <br /> “Have some pride, Levi!” Fabian exploded. “Clearly, Samuel got these invitations through his connections. What the hell has it got to do with you?!”<br /> <br /> “Yeah! Who the hell do you think you are?” Samuel&#039;s anger mounted. “How dare you try to take credit for this?”<br /> <br /> Soon after, Henry pointed at Aaron. “Just look at your son-in-law, Aaron! Do something about him, and don&#039;t bring him to our next family banquet! We cannot tolerate such insolence!”<br /> <br /> Levi was about to say something when Zoey pulled him outside. “Come with me!!!”<br /> <br /> She couldn&#039;t stand him any longer as hot torrents of grief coursed down her face.<br /> <br /> “Levi, please, don&#039;t embarrass me anymore. I really can&#039;t hold on if you keep this up!”<br /> <br /> Levi wiped away her tears and asked, “Do you want to attend the banquet, Zoey?”<br /> <br /> “Who wouldn&#039;t want to? Didn&#039;t you see the look in Mom and Dad&#039;s eyes?” Zoey said grumpily. “But there&#039;s nothing we can do, even if we want to go. It&#039;s not like you can get us in, can you?”<br /> <br /> “I can!” Levi said decisively.<br /> <br /> This was too much for Zoey to handle. Her temper sparked, and she turned on her heels, trying to leave.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, why don&#039;t you trust me?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> “How am I supposed to trust you when you&#039;re behaving like this?” Zoey replied with a question of her own.<br /> <br /> Levi chuckled. “I&#039;ll definitely get you inside. I, Levi Garrison, am a man of my word!”<br /> <br /> Zoey nodded. “Okay, I&#039;ll trust you just this once! If you can&#039;t do it, we&#039;re over!”<br /> <br /> “Deal!”<br /> <br /> “Fine, I&#039;m going all out on this one!” Zoey said resolutely while wiping her tears. “I don&#039;t need this stupid pride! I&#039;m going to continue to attend this family banquet and tell everyone that my husband is capable of getting an invitation for tomorrow&#039;s banquet too!”<br /> <br /> “Okay, ladies first. Let me just make one call.”<br /> <br /> ...<br /> <br /> “Azure Dragon, tell Jesse I&#039;ll attend the banquet he&#039;s hosting tomorrow,” Levi said once the call went through.<br /> <br /> “What? So you agree to attend the banquet? Thank God! The higher-ups were so worried that you won&#039;t give Jesse this honor!”<br /> <br /> “Yes, I&#039;ll attend. But please ban some of the people from this event...”<br /> <br /> “Roger that, Sir! I&#039;ll make the arrangements now!”<br /> <br /> Returning inside, Levi saw Zoey holding her head high, looking as proud as a peacock.<br /> <br /> It was obvious that she had made the announcement as many pairs of eyes were fixated on him.<br /> <br /> “Say, how do you guys think this punk got the invitation? By stealing?”<br /> <br /> “Who knows if he bought it for the sake of pretending!”<br /> <br /> Samuel laughed. “Don&#039;t you guys know that one invitation cost over one million?”<br /> <br /> “Aaron&#039;s family owes Grandpa about three million. How can they afford to buy an invitation?”<br /> <br /> Right then, dinner was served, marking the start of the family banquet.<br /> <br /> “I think the four of them can just have a bowl of noodles each. There&#039;s no need to serve them. What do you guys think?” Henry asked.<br /> <br /> Samuel laughed. “Let&#039;s just feed them. Otherwise, it&#039;ll look like Grandpa is mistreating them.”<br /> <br /> “Alright then.”<br /> <br /> Other tables were bustling with noise and excitement, with everyone toasting each other and currying favor with Samuel, but it was deadly silence at Levi&#039;s.<br /> <br /> Aaron glanced at Samuel, then back at Levi, sighing, “What&#039;s the point of getting envious? Such is my fate!”<br /> <br /> Caitlyn glowered at Levi. Can today be any more humiliating?<br /> <br /> However, they didn&#039;t dare to leave without the old man&#039;s permission and could only continue to suffer from the humiliation in awkward silence.<br /> <br /> Right then, Samuel came over with a glass of wine, followed by a group of people who had been paying court to him.<br /> <br /> He walked past Levi and stood before Zoey. “I was going to introduce my brother to you, Zoey. He&#039;s so much better than me! But it seems that you&#039;re not fortunate enough to enjoy a good life. It&#039;s a pity that you have a bad taste in men!”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn sighed.<br /> <br /> If only Levi didn&#039;t show up, Zoey would have been with Chris, and our family would have been rich again.<br /> <br /> How amazing is that?<br /> <br /> But sadly, it seems that we are plagued by poverty!<br /> <br /> Soon, the family banquet ended.<br /> <br /> “Let&#039;s go to my house. I want to have a good talk with my grandson-in-law regarding the Lopez family&#039;s future development and tomorrow&#039;s banquet. All of you must sit in and listen. It&#039;ll be good for you,” Harry instructed.<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn looked at Harry in anticipation, hoping that the Lopez family would lend a hand to alLeviate their current livelihood.<br /> <br /> But little did they know Harry responded, “Aaron, you guys can go back on your own!”<br /> <br /> Aaron hesitated a little. “Dad, but I...”<br /> <br /> “No buts! We don&#039;t need you here. Besides, your good son-in-law just came back from prison. I don&#039;t want him to stain my place with bad luck!” Harry said, then left with the crowd.<br /> <br /> Before leaving, Samuel, Melanie, and a few others stood before Levi, waving the invitation cards in their hands. “Don&#039;t disappoint me tomorrow night. Don&#039;t say you know me if you can&#039;t get in. I can&#039;t afford to throw my reputation down the gutters.”<br /> <br /> Levi snickered. “You&#039;ll never know who&#039;s the one who can&#039;t get in when the time comes.”<br /> <br /> “Alright then. We&#039;ll soon see about that.”<br /> <br /> Everyone left happily with an invitation card in their hands, leaving Aaron and his family sighing and groaning.<br /> <br /> Aaron cast a deep glance at Levi.<br /> <br /> If only he could bring honor for the family...<br /> <br /> It&#039;s a pity that he just got out of prison. Even surviving is a problem for him.<br /> <br /> After that, Levi followed Zoey home.<br /> <br /> Compared to the Garrison family, this was his home—a home where a woman had been waiting for him for six years.<br /> <br /> Back home, Levi took the initiative to lay a mattress on the floor, but Zoey let him sleep on the bed instead.<br /> <br /> Thereafter, he lay on the bed while Zoey continued to draft a plan at the desk.<br /> <br /> “What are you doing?” Levi asked.<br /> <br /> “I&#039;m drafting a proposal for an ecological park development project at West City. Even if the chance of success is not even one percent, I&#039;m going to try my best to win this bid!” Zoey smiled.<br /> <br /> Until the following night, not once did Zoey complain about him, nor did she show a long face.<br /> <br /> But she couldn&#039;t help it anymore as it was almost time for the welcome banquet.<br /> <br /> “Levi Garrison, I trusted you so much and bet everything on you. But where&#039;s the invitation? How on earth am I supposed to believe you now? I&#039;d thought you would come up with ideas to get us in, but you didn&#039;t step out from this house nor made a phone call the moment we came home last night. Do you think the invitation will just fall from the sky?”<br /> <br /> Aaron and Caitlyn added, “What are you waiting for? Zoey had made a big promise last night. If you don&#039;t make this happen, there won&#039;t be a place for us to live in the Lopez family in the future.”<br /> <br /> Levi glanced at the clock. “It&#039;s almost time. Just follow me.”<br /> <br /> Driving in Aaron&#039;s Haval, they arrived at Paradise Villa, where the God of War&#039;s welcome banquet was held.<br /> <br /> “Zoey, I will prove to you now that I can do it!”<br /> <br /> Levi pulled Zoey and headed towards the entrance.<br /> <br /> 👉To continue reading the story for free, download the app and search📚《The Return of the God of War 》. 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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 335344159509407 Read more As she walked out of the divorce lawyer&#039;s office, she felt her baby kick for the first time. Suddenly, her ex-husband and his lover approached. The lover sneered, &quot;We&#039;re off to the city center to register our marriage. Need a ride?&quot; Dizzy and teary-eyed, she walked away, keeping her painful secret. Months later, he saw her on social media, heavily pregnant and working in a restaurant. His heart shattered as if torn apart. &quot;That&#039;s my child... Find her!&quot;<br /> =============<br /> <br /> Chapter 1 Ex-girlfriend Returns<br /> <br /> Raegan Hayes was a little absent-minded at the moment. <br /> <br /> All she could think of since this afternoon was the doctor&#039;s words. &quot;Congratulations! You are going to be a mom.&quot;<br /> <br /> Suddenly, Mitchel Dixon pinched her arm. His low voice came the next second. &quot;Come back to earth. What are you thinking about?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was her husband. They had been married secretly for two years. He was her superior at work, the president of the Dixon Group. <br /> <br /> Everything had happened so fast. She was newly employed in the company when they unexpectedly got married. <br /> <br /> At that time, Mitchel&#039;s grandfather fell seriously ill. It was then he proposed a fake marriage just to fulfill his grandfather&#039;s dying wish. <br /> <br /> They signed a prenup, agreeing to hide their marriage from the public. Their union could be terminated at any time. <br /> <br /> It was an unconventional thing to do. However, Raegan only considered herself lucky at that time. <br /> <br /> Never in a million years did she think she would ever get married to the man she had a crush on for eight years. She delightfully agreed. <br /> <br /> After their marriage, Mitchel was very busy. He spent most of his time working. <br /> <br /> Raegan wished she could spend more time with him at home. However, she was rest assured because there hadn&#039;t been any rumors or scandals about him with women in the past two years. <br /> <br /> Except for his mild indifference, Mitchel was a perfect husband. <br /> <br /> Raegan had mixed feelings as she stared at the medical report. <br /> <br /> In the end, she decided to tell Mitchel this news. <br /> <br /> She also wanted to tell him that she hadn&#039;t learned about him for the first time two years ago and that she had been crushing on him for many years before then. <br /> <br /> Just then, Mitchel’s phone rang. He went to the balcony and answered the phone. <br /> <br /> Raegan checked the time and found that it was already midnight. <br /> <br /> She felt a little uneasy. Who would call Mitchel at this hour? <br /> <br /> Mitchel spent a few minutes on the balcony. Thereafter, he returned and changed into formal attire. His handsome face which had a clear outline made him look dignified. <br /> <br /> He was something to see now. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t wait up for me. Good night,&quot; he said finally. <br /> <br /> What? He was on his way out? At this hour? <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s grip on the report tightened as she stared at him in disappointment. Unconsciously, she withdrew slightly. After thinking for a while, she blurted out, &quot;It&#039;s already so late.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s fingers froze on his tie. With a faint smile, he pinched her earlobe and said, &quot;Be good, okay? There&#039;s something I have to do. Don&#039;t wait up.&quot;<br /> <br /> With that, he headed for the door. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan quickly ran and caught up with him. <br /> <br /> Mitchel turned around and looked at her seriously. <br /> <br /> &quot;What&#039;s the matter?&quot;<br /> <br /> There was a tinge of coldness to his voice. An icy cloud hung over them as they stared at each other. <br /> <br /> A little distressed, Raegan asked in a low voice, &quot;I would like to visit my grandma tomorrow. Can you accompany me there?&quot;<br /> <br /> Her grandmother always wanted to see her. As a result, Raegan wanted to take Mitchel there to assure her grandma they were happy. <br /> <br /> &quot;Let&#039;s talk about it tomorrow, okay?&quot; Without agreeing or declining, Mitchel left in a hurry. <br /> <br /> Several thoughts were threading Raegan&#039;s mind. She couldn&#039;t sleep a wink. <br /> <br /> After tossing and turning for a long time, she went to the kitchen and made herself a warm glass of milk. <br /> <br /> A few notifications from some online blogs came into her phone. <br /> <br /> However, she wasn&#039;t interested in them. She was about to swipe them away when one of them caught her attention. The familiar name made her click on it. <br /> <br /> The news read, &quot;Famous designer, Lauren Murray was spotted at the airport with her mysterious boyfriend earlier today.&quot;<br /> <br /> Lauren was wearing a bucket hat. The man&#039;s figure was vague, but the outline of his body was enough to show that he was dashing. <br /> <br /> Raegan zoomed in on the picture. The next second, her heart dropped. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was the man in the picture! <br /> <br /> So, he canceled the afternoon meeting just to go pick up his ex-girlfriend from the airport? <br /> <br /> This realization settled like a boulder in Raegan&#039;s gut, rendering her flustered. <br /> <br /> Her hands trembled. Subconsciously, she dialed Mitchel&#039;s number. <br /> <br /> The dial tone brought her back to her senses. Just as she was about to hang up, the line connected, and a voice came from the other end. <br /> <br /> &quot;Hello!&quot;<br /> <br /> It was a particularly gentle woman&#039;s voice. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a second and then threw the phone away. <br /> <br /> She suddenly felt sick in her stomach. Covering her mouth, she ran into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet bowl. <br /> <br /> The next morning, Raegan went to work on time. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had tried to get her to stop working after they got married. Stubbornly, she insisted on making her own money. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t kick against her decision, but he asked her to work as his assistant, helping him with the daily chores. <br /> <br /> The head assistant, Matteo Jenkins was left to take care of the major affairs Mitchel had. <br /> <br /> Matteo was the only Dixon Group employee who knew about their marriage. <br /> <br /> Since inception, only male assistants were hired for the president&#039;s office. Reagan was the first and only female. Her employment broke the protocol. As a result, other workers couldn&#039;t help but wonder if she was involved with Mitchel. <br /> <br /> It took a while before they realized that Mitchel never gave Raegan special treatment. Strangely, this made them despise her even more. <br /> <br /> After all, no one would last long in anything while taking advantage of their looks.<br /> <br /> At this time, one of Raegan&#039;s colleagues handed her a document and ordered her to take it to Mitchel&#039;s office. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t return home last night. Raegan was so worried that she didn&#039;t sleep at all. <br /> <br /> All she kept thinking about was the woman who answered his phone when she called. What was her relationship with Mitchel?<br /> <br /> Raegan already knew the answer to that, but she was still in denial. <br /> <br /> It was difficult for her to come to terms with that fact. <br /> <br /> Raegan tried to remain calm now. She reasoned that no matter what happened, she deserved a result that would be rewarding for all the years she spent loving Mitchel. This couldn&#039;t be all for nothing, right? <br /> <br /> She pressed the elevator button calmly and went up to the president&#039;s office. Before she walked out of the elevator, she smoothed her hair to make sure she looked good. <br /> <br /> She had arrived at the office, only to see that the door was ajar. A man&#039;s voice came. She halted instantly. <br /> <br /> &quot;Come on, man! Do you have any feelings for Raegan or not?&quot;<br /> <br /> The voice belonged to Luis Stevens, a childhood friend of Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean exactly?&quot; Mitchel asked in a cold voice. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know exactly what I mean!&quot; Luis clicked his tongue impatiently and added, &quot;I think Raegan is a good girl. Isn&#039;t she your type?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Do you want me to hand her over to you?&quot; Mitchel asked carelessly. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know what, forget it!&quot;<br /> <br /> The scornful laughter of Luis sounded particularly harsh in Raegan&#039;s ears. <br /> <br /> They were talking about her as if she were an object. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the document. <br /> <br /> Soon, Luis&#039;s voice was heard again. <br /> <br /> &quot;By the way, I saw the gossip news about Lauren&#039;s mysterious boyfriend this morning. That was you, right?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Well, well, well! That woman still has you wrapped around her little finger. You always want to please her.&quot;<br /> <br /> Luis sighed and continued to tease Mitchel. &quot;As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Tell me, did you two...&quot;<br /> <br /> Their conversation was like a thunder exploding over Raegan&#039;s head. <br /> <br /> Her face turned pale and her body was as cold as ice. <br /> <br /> The woman was indeed Lauren! <br /> <br /> Absence made the heart grow fonder! <br /> <br /> Every word drove a knife into her heart. <br /> <br /> Several whispering voices filled her head at this time. She suddenly felt light-headed. Her vision became blurry. <br /> <br /> She held the wall and took a step backward. Suddenly, the door was opened from inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 2 One-sided Love<br /> <br /> Luis was the one who opened the door. It appeared he was on his way out. <br /> <br /> Raegan balled her hands, turned to him, and nodded. &quot;Hey, Mr. Stevens!&quot;<br /> <br /> Without waiting for him to respond to her greeting, she walked past him and entered the office with the document. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was seated behind a large luxurious desk. In an expensive suit and matching tie, he looked particularly handsome. <br /> <br /> Raegan noticed it wasn&#039;t the same suit he had on when he left home last night. How did he get changed? <br /> <br /> With her eyes lowered, she swallowed that question and said instead, &quot;Mr. Dixon, this is from the Marketing Department. Please sign it.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was expressionless as he signed the document at a glance. <br /> <br /> Raegan walked out the door as soon as he handed the document back to her. Luis was still standing at the threshold. <br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until she went out of sight that Luis turned to Mitchel and said in a hushed tone, &quot;Do you think she heard us?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s appealing eyes were expressionless at the moment. Obviously, he wasn&#039;t paying attention to what Luis was saying. <br /> <br /> To Mitchel, Raegan had always been docile and never felt jealous of anyone. <br /> <br /> Her strict obedience was all Mitchel demanded from her in exchange for treating her well. <br /> <br /> In the elevator. <br /> <br /> Raegan held her breath just to hold back her tears. Unfortunately, it didn&#039;t work. <br /> <br /> She had thought two years would be enough for Mitchel to realize how much she loved him and reciprocate her love. <br /> <br /> Now, it turned out that was just a pipe dream. <br /> <br /> She realized she would always play second fiddle to Lauren, Mitchel&#039;s true love. <br /> <br /> Reagan wiped her tears when the elevator halted. Save for her pale face, she looked normal when the doors opened. <br /> <br /> She dragged herself to the break room, intending to make herself a cup of tea. <br /> <br /> Several employees were chatting inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Guys, have you heard? Lauren Murray is back.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;And who is that?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, my! You don&#039;t know her? Lauren is the heiress of the Murray Group as well as a world-class designer. Most importantly, she&#039;s the only girlfriend Mr. Dixon has ever shown off in public. She&#039;s his first love!&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Why is her return such a big deal? Isn&#039;t it rumored that there is something between Mr. Dixon and Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan? She&#039;s nothing to Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon never admitted that he was dating her. And that is no surprise to me. After all, look at her. She&#039;s not even that beautiful. Yet, she behaves as if she&#039;s already Mrs. Dixon. What a fool!&quot;<br /> <br /> Standing at the door, Raegan smiled with self-mockery as she listened to them. It turned out everyone else saw the truth except her. <br /> <br /> The love was one-sided. <br /> <br /> &quot;Ha-ha, have you finally woken up from your wild dream, Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> A voice of mockery suddenly came from behind. Raegan turned around to see Tessa Lloyd, Mitchel&#039;s cousin, who had always despised her. <br /> <br /> Tessa must have also heard the employees gossiping. <br /> <br /> The last thing Raegan wanted to do now was argue with Tessa in the company. She turned to leave, but Tessa blocked her way. <br /> <br /> With a cup of coffee in her hand, Tessa uttered sarcastically, &quot;Lauren is back now. Do you think Mitchel will still give you any attention?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan said nothing to that. <br /> <br /> Seconds later, Tessa continued the ridicule. &quot;Maybe it’s time for you to seek out another man, you pathetic fool.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan clenched her fists and said coldly, &quot;Ms. Lloyd, if you are interested in that kind of thing, feel free to pursue it yourself.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s retort made Tessa&#039;s face change. <br /> <br /> The next second, Tessa raised her hand and emptied the cup of coffee on Raegan. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t think for a second that Tessa would do something so crazy. She held up her arms just to block the liquid from her face. In no time, the coffee drenched her clothes. <br /> <br /> Raegan frowned. &quot;What did you do that for? Are you out of your mind?&quot;<br /> <br /> It was lunch break and many employees were free to watch the drama. Tessa was even more complacent when she saw growing onlookers. <br /> <br /> She put on a mean-girl look as she said, &quot;What makes you so smug every day, huh? Do you seriously think that others don&#039;t know you are just an orphan? The nerve of...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa was silenced by Raegan’s shove. <br /> <br /> Her jaw dropped to the floor. She had never expected that Raegan, who was so quiet and timid, would shove her. <br /> <br /> Tessa stuttered, &quot;You... You pushed me? How dare you!&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan eyed her and replied, &quot;Yes, I did! It seems you need to be taught simple politeness.&quot;<br /> <br /> Indeed, she lost her parents when she was a child. But that didn&#039;t mean she would allow someone to walk over her for it. <br /> <br /> Wrinkles appeared on Tessa&#039;s face as she frowned in anger. As Mitchel&#039;s cousin, she was used to being fawned over and respected. This was the first time she had been treated like this. <br /> <br /> Tessa charged at Raegan like a raging bull, poised to retaliate. <br /> <br /> This time, Raegan was fully prepared for what was coming. She grabbed Tessa&#039;s wrist so that the latter couldn&#039;t move another inch. <br /> <br /> Tessa was shorter than Raegan. As a result, she struggled like an octopus that had one of its tentacles stuck in a fishing trap. <br /> <br /> Tessa cursed angrily, &quot;How dare you put your hands on me? Who do you think you are?&quot;<br /> <br /> These harsh words attracted more people to the break room. <br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s enough!&quot;<br /> <br /> Out of the blue, a baritone came from behind. Mitchel had left his office and ran into this hullabaloo. <br /> <br /> The entire room fell silent. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel?&quot; Tessa&#039;s blood ran cold at the sight of Mitchel. She had always been scared of him. Her mother also warned her against provoking him. <br /> <br /> But when she remembered that Raegan humiliated her, she put on a pitiful expression and sobbed. &quot;Mitchel, she bullied me.&quot;<br /> <br /> The sunlight from outside fell on Mitchel&#039;s handsome face. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt so grieved all of a sudden, and lowered her head to look at her clothes which were soaked with coffee. <br /> <br /> Their gaze met in the air. With a deep frown, Mitchel looked at Raegan and said, &quot;Raegan, have you forgotten the rules of the company?&quot;<br /> <br /> His ruthlessness made Raegan&#039;s breathing cease. She couldn&#039;t believe her ears. <br /> <br /> No one dared to make a sound at this moment. <br /> <br /> Raegan just stood straight there with her slender figure. <br /> <br /> When she got employed here, Mitchel had told her that the Dixon Group wasn&#039;t a place for her to mess around and that he would not tolerate her making any mistakes. <br /> <br /> Raegan could understand why he took this stand. <br /> <br /> However, at this moment, she was desperate to know whether Mitchel had heard those hard words Tessa scolded her or he was just pretending not to have heard because he agreed to those words. <br /> <br /> Was she truly insignificant to him?<br /> <br /> Scared to death by Mitchel&#039;s rage, the crowd soon dispersed. A few employees were bold enough to peep from a distance, unwilling to miss the good show. <br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s cold eyes made Raegan shiver from head to toe. <br /> <br /> Raegan pinched her palm to suppress her emotions as she looked at Tessa. <br /> <br /> &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Ms. Lloyd. As an employee of the Dixon Group, it was wrong of me to have offended you.&quot;<br /> <br /> Eyeing Raegan, Tessa raised her chin complacently. &quot;Humph! Don&#039;t think you&#039;ll be let off the hook just by making a simple apology. I don&#039;t buy...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;The offence has nothing to do with the company. Personally, I refuse to apologize to you. Now, if you&#039;d excuse me,&quot; Raegan chimed in. <br /> <br /> She then walked past Mitchel without sparing him another look. <br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa&#039;s face turned blue after hearing what Raegan said. <br /> <br /> Never in her years of being alive had she been so humiliated. She was always the bully, not the victim! <br /> <br /> The humiliation was so much that scolding Raegan wouldn&#039;t appease her anger. <br /> <br /> Pointing in Raegan&#039;s direction, Tessa shouted, &quot;Mitchel, did you hear what that woman just said? She humiliated me, yet she&#039;s still so arrogant. Call her back. I have to teach her some manners!&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel, staring at Raegan&#039;s thin back, had an ambiguous expression at this moment. <br /> <br /> &quot;Enough!&quot; he said coldly, raising his hand. <br /> <br /> As someone who lived and breathed drama and cruelty, Tessa didn&#039;t think Mitchel was partial to Raegan just now. She assumed that Mitchel didn&#039;t care about Raegan at all. <br /> <br /> Tessa gritted her teeth and said viciously, &quot;Next time, I&#039;ll get someone to teach her a lesson.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Tessa!&quot; Mitchel&#039;s tone and squint made it a reproof. <br /> <br /> Tessa trembled at once. <br /> <br /> With a somber face, Mitchel said, &quot;I&#039;ll only say it once. Forget about what happened here today. Leave Raegan alone.&quot;<br /> <br /> The aura he exuded made her tongue go dry. All the vicious ideas she had in store against Raegan disappeared in an instant. <br /> <br /> She stammered, &quot;Ok... Okay, got it...&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel cast a cold glance at her and spoke to Matteo. &quot;Irrelevant people wouldn&#039;t be allowed in here from today onwards.&quot;<br /> <br /> Without catching the drift, Tessa flattered Mitchel. &quot;Nice call. This is a top company. Not everyone gains access in here.&quot;<br /> <br /> Matteo nodded to Mitchel and then walked over to Tessa. He gestured to the exit. &quot;Ms. Lloyd, this way, please.&quot;<br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until this moment that Tessa realized that she was the irrelevant person Mitchel just mentioned. She tried to speak to him, but Matteo blocked her way. The security guards then escorted her out. <br /> <br /> They showed her no mercy. Her struggle was useless. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Raegan got changed when she returned to her office. <br /> <br /> Her heart was filled with sadness as she thought of how Mitchel looked at her minutes ago. <br /> <br /> Closing hour soon rolled by. <br /> <br /> Raegan took her bag and headed for the exit. However, Matteo stopped her. <br /> <br /> He said, &quot;Mr. Dixon has something urgent to deal with, so he asked me to drive you home.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan declined the ride without thinking twice. <br /> <br /> She was blind before, but now she could see through the situation. <br /> <br /> In Mitchel&#039;s eyes, she was just a nobody. <br /> <br /> How could Mitchel agree to accompany her to visit her grandmother when he didn&#039;t even care about her? <br /> <br /> Upon arriving at the hospital, Raegan saw that the nurse was about to feed her grandmother dinner. Raegan took the job over and did it by herself. <br /> <br /> All her life, her grandmother had been living in the countryside, enjoying a quiet life. Everything changed last month when her routine medical checkup showed that she was in need of medical care. Raegan insisted on bringing her to the city for better treatment. <br /> <br /> Her grandmother wasn&#039;t aware of her marriage to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> Raegan had planned to surprise her today. But as it turned out, that was no longer necessary. <br /> <br /> Raegan waited for her grandmother to fall asleep before she left. She walked out of the hospital and waited for a taxi. <br /> <br /> In the distance, a black luxury car pulled into the entrance of the hospital. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s eyes lit up when she saw it. She recognized that car as Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> Did he come to pick her up? <br /> <br /> At this moment, she forgot all the pain she had been feeling. <br /> <br /> Were her thoughts about him all wrong? Did he care for her, contrary to the gossip? <br /> <br /> The door of the driver&#039;s side opened and Mitchel got out. <br /> <br /> Raegan started walking toward him with her heart brimming with joy. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had just walked over to the other side and carried a woman out of the car. <br /> <br /> Worry and compassion were written all over his handsome face. <br /> <br /> This wiped the smile on Raegan&#039;s face. Her heart sank. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Let&#039;s Divorce<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s tall and straight figure got closer and closer to Raegan. And then, without saying a word, he strode past Raegan. <br /> <br /> It was hard to tell if Mitchel saw Raegan or just ignored her. <br /> <br /> Regardless, Raegan noticed that the woman in his arms was the same one who had been photographed with him yesterday. <br /> <br /> She was Lauren. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s shoes felt like they were made of lead as she walked away. <br /> <br /> She lost all awareness of her surroundings. She got into a taxi absentmindedly. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, the driver uttered, &quot;Ma&#039;am, where to?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan was stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t want to go back to Serenity Villas. It was only a matter of time before that place stopped being her home. <br /> <br /> After a while, she replied, &quot;Please take me to Crystal Bay.&quot;<br /> <br /> She had purchased an apartment at Crystal Bay after getting married to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> At the time, she had hopes of bringing her grandmother to the city, so she bought the apartment on mortgage. It wasn&#039;t that big, but it had more than enough space for two people. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t understand why she wanted to buy an apartment. He offered to give her a bigger one, but she declined. <br /> <br /> Looking back now, she realized that buying that apartment was the only wise decision she had ever made in the last two years. <br /> <br /> When she arrived at the apartment complex, Raegan sat in the park alone, trying to cool herself down. <br /> <br /> The memories of the past two years were bittersweet. <br /> <br /> Two years had passed in the blink of an eye even though it was more than seven hundred days and nights. <br /> <br /> Love could move mountains, they said. <br /> <br /> Yet, her love didn&#039;t move that stone of a man. She finally realized what a fool she had been. She had been making herself a laughingstock in front of everyone. <br /> <br /> It was already late in the night before Raegan finally decided to go into her apartment. <br /> <br /> As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Mitchel standing in front of the door. <br /> <br /> His sleeves were rolled up casually, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, which revealed his long neck and part of his collarbone. He was leaning on the wall by the door, his handsome face straight. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a moment. <br /> <br /> Why was he here? Didn&#039;t she see him at the hospital with Lauren? What brought him here? <br /> <br /> Their eyes met. With his coat draped over his arm and one of his hands in his pocket, Mitchel squinted at her. <br /> <br /> &quot;Why didn&#039;t you answer the phone?&quot; he asked, sounding a little grumpy like someone who hadn&#039;t slept in a long time. <br /> <br /> Raegan took out her phone and saw she had accidentally put it on DND. <br /> <br /> There were five missed calls from Mitchel. <br /> <br /> This marked the first time in their two-year marriage. <br /> <br /> Mitchel blew up her phone because he couldn&#039;t find her? Surprising! <br /> <br /> Before today, she would have been overjoyed by this. People would&#039;ve thought she won the lottery. <br /> <br /> But now, she just threw her phone back into her bag, folded her arms, and said in a hoarse voice, &quot;I didn&#039;t hear it ring.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel raised his hand to check the time on the watch, and said impatiently, &quot;I&#039;ve been looking for you for two hours.&quot;<br /> <br /> After arranging everything for Lauren, he returned home to find an empty house. He looked for Raegan everywhere. When he couldn&#039;t find her, he asked Matteo to check the surveillance footage of all the roads that led away from the company. <br /> <br /> He later found out that Raegan went to Crystal Bay without telling him. <br /> <br /> &quot;Next time, tell me when you are coming here, okay? Let&#039;s go home now.&quot; After that, Mitchel walked toward the elevator without sparing her another glance. <br /> <br /> He meant to go back to Serenity Villas. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t move an inch. She just stared at his broad back and pondered reluctantly. <br /> <br /> Would they have a future? <br /> <br /> Mitchell turned around, only to see that Raegan hadn&#039;t taken a single step. He frowned and asked, &quot;Can&#039;t you walk? Do you want me to carry you instead?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light in the corridor illuminated his face, making his side profile almost impeccable. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and said, &quot;Let&#039;s divorce.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s voice was cold, and his handsome face changed immediately. <br /> <br /> &quot;I want to move into my own place. After all, we will be strangers soon.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan forced a smile, but her heart was aching as if someone was tearing it apart bit by bit. <br /> <br /> &quot;We will be strangers?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel smiled coldly. &quot;Raegan, what do you think our relationship is now?&quot;<br /> <br /> His questioning left Raegan stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had made it very clear to her from the very beginning. This facade of their marriage had happened by mutual agreement. There was no love. In the eyes of others, they were nothing more than just a superior and a subordinate. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was quite the catch in Ardlens. Many young ladies longed for his love and were even willing to throw themselves at him. <br /> <br /> His question just now reminded her of that fact. Was he afraid that she wouldn&#039;t let him go that easily? If that was the case, he couldn&#039;t be more wrong... <br /> <br /> After biting her lower lip to conceal her bitterness, Raegan said, &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Mr. Dixon. I was giving it too much thought. Anyway, please leave me alone from now on. You don&#039;t have to come here again.&quot;<br /> <br /> After saying that, Raegan couldn&#039;t help but burst into tears. <br /> <br /> How could she not be sad when she was cutting ties with the man she had loved for a decade? It was such a long time. <br /> <br /> Regardless of how difficult it was, she knew it was time to let go. <br /> <br /> It was high time she stopped being a fool. <br /> <br /> Strangely, the light in the corridor began flickering. <br /> <br /> The deathly stare Mitchel was giving Raegan right now made the atmosphere seem like the moment before an attack in a horror movie. <br /> <br /> Although he understood that Raegan sometimes could throw a tantrum, he felt that she had just crossed the line now. <br /> <br /> His eyes shone like blazing torches at this moment. But when he saw the tears in her eyes, the rage inside him extinguished in an instant. He said in a low voice, &quot;If this is about what happened between you and Tessa, I...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No, this isn&#039;t about her. Mr. Dixon, please leave now.&quot;<br /> <br /> A lot of things happened between them. And the incident with Tessa didn&#039;t come close to any. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt exhausted. She passed by Mitchel and was about to open the door. <br /> <br /> Yet, Mitchel was displeased with her stubbornness. <br /> <br /> He loosened his tie irritably. He then took a step forward and grabbed her wrist. <br /> <br /> &quot;Stop this, will you?&quot;<br /> <br /> A second later, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. <br /> <br /> He instantly realized that she was burning up like someone who had been set on fire. <br /> <br /> &quot;You have a fever?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan felt dizzy. She rested her head on his chest weakly. <br /> <br /> This made the whole situation complicated. <br /> <br /> Reagan was slow to catch that. When she finally realized that her body was too close to his, she put her hands against his chest and tried to pull back. <br /> <br /> Before she could escape, Mitchel pulled her back and held her by the waist. With a cold face, he said in a low voice, &quot;Where do you think you are going?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light flickered again. Out of the blue, Mitchel lifted her up. <br /> <br /> He then headed for the elevator. <br /> <br /> In a daze, Raegan asked softly, &quot;What are you doing?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What does it look like I am doing?&quot; Mitchel remarked. &quot;Taking you to the hospital, of course.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No way!&quot; Raegan cried out in surprise and seemed to regain more strength. <br /> <br /> Mitchel might find out about her condition if they went to the hospital.<br /> <br /> Raegan struggled to get out of Mitchel&#039;s arms. However, his tight grip made her efforts fruitless. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t be so stubborn. You are sick, so you must see the doctor,&quot; Mitchel said firmly. <br /> <br /> He walked to the elevator with her in his arms. At this moment, Raegan&#039;s heart was thumping so hard that it could jump out of her chest. She flailed in protest. <br /> <br /> &quot;Put me down! 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No 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 358669003705221 Read next chapter👉 She signed the divorce papers and left without taking her phone. He checked her phone and got floored at the message: Please come tomorrow for another prenatal care checkup!<br /> =============<br /> <br /> Chapter 1 Ex-girlfriend Returns<br /> <br /> Raegan Hayes was a little absent-minded at the moment. <br /> <br /> All she could think of since this afternoon was the doctor&#039;s words. &quot;Congratulations! You are going to be a mom.&quot;<br /> <br /> Suddenly, Mitchel Dixon pinched her arm. His low voice came the next second. &quot;Come back to earth. What are you thinking about?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was her husband. They had been married secretly for two years. He was her superior at work, the president of the Dixon Group. <br /> <br /> Everything had happened so fast. She was newly employed in the company when they unexpectedly got married. <br /> <br /> At that time, Mitchel&#039;s grandfather fell seriously ill. It was then he proposed a fake marriage just to fulfill his grandfather&#039;s dying wish. <br /> <br /> They signed a prenup, agreeing to hide their marriage from the public. Their union could be terminated at any time. <br /> <br /> It was an unconventional thing to do. However, Raegan only considered herself lucky at that time. <br /> <br /> Never in a million years did she think she would ever get married to the man she had a crush on for eight years. She delightfully agreed. <br /> <br /> After their marriage, Mitchel was very busy. He spent most of his time working. <br /> <br /> Raegan wished she could spend more time with him at home. However, she was rest assured because there hadn&#039;t been any rumors or scandals about him with women in the past two years. <br /> <br /> Except for his mild indifference, Mitchel was a perfect husband. <br /> <br /> Raegan had mixed feelings as she stared at the medical report. <br /> <br /> In the end, she decided to tell Mitchel this news. <br /> <br /> She also wanted to tell him that she hadn&#039;t learned about him for the first time two years ago and that she had been crushing on him for many years before then. <br /> <br /> Just then, Mitchel’s phone rang. He went to the balcony and answered the phone. <br /> <br /> Raegan checked the time and found that it was already midnight. <br /> <br /> She felt a little uneasy. Who would call Mitchel at this hour? <br /> <br /> Mitchel spent a few minutes on the balcony. Thereafter, he returned and changed into formal attire. His handsome face which had a clear outline made him look dignified. <br /> <br /> He was something to see now. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t wait up for me. Good night,&quot; he said finally. <br /> <br /> What? He was on his way out? At this hour? <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s grip on the report tightened as she stared at him in disappointment. Unconsciously, she withdrew slightly. After thinking for a while, she blurted out, &quot;It&#039;s already so late.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s fingers froze on his tie. With a faint smile, he pinched her earlobe and said, &quot;Be good, okay? There&#039;s something I have to do. Don&#039;t wait up.&quot;<br /> <br /> With that, he headed for the door. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan quickly ran and caught up with him. <br /> <br /> Mitchel turned around and looked at her seriously. <br /> <br /> &quot;What&#039;s the matter?&quot;<br /> <br /> There was a tinge of coldness to his voice. An icy cloud hung over them as they stared at each other. <br /> <br /> A little distressed, Raegan asked in a low voice, &quot;I would like to visit my grandma tomorrow. Can you accompany me there?&quot;<br /> <br /> Her grandmother always wanted to see her. As a result, Raegan wanted to take Mitchel there to assure her grandma they were happy. <br /> <br /> &quot;Let&#039;s talk about it tomorrow, okay?&quot; Without agreeing or declining, Mitchel left in a hurry. <br /> <br /> Several thoughts were threading Raegan&#039;s mind. She couldn&#039;t sleep a wink. <br /> <br /> After tossing and turning for a long time, she went to the kitchen and made herself a warm glass of milk. <br /> <br /> A few notifications from some online blogs came into her phone. <br /> <br /> However, she wasn&#039;t interested in them. She was about to swipe them away when one of them caught her attention. The familiar name made her click on it. <br /> <br /> The news read, &quot;Famous designer, Lauren Murray was spotted at the airport with her mysterious boyfriend earlier today.&quot;<br /> <br /> Lauren was wearing a bucket hat. The man&#039;s figure was vague, but the outline of his body was enough to show that he was dashing. <br /> <br /> Raegan zoomed in on the picture. The next second, her heart dropped. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was the man in the picture! <br /> <br /> So, he canceled the afternoon meeting just to go pick up his ex-girlfriend from the airport? <br /> <br /> This realization settled like a boulder in Raegan&#039;s gut, rendering her flustered. <br /> <br /> Her hands trembled. Subconsciously, she dialed Mitchel&#039;s number. <br /> <br /> The dial tone brought her back to her senses. Just as she was about to hang up, the line connected, and a voice came from the other end. <br /> <br /> &quot;Hello!&quot;<br /> <br /> It was a particularly gentle woman&#039;s voice. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a second and then threw the phone away. <br /> <br /> She suddenly felt sick in her stomach. Covering her mouth, she ran into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet bowl. <br /> <br /> The next morning, Raegan went to work on time. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had tried to get her to stop working after they got married. Stubbornly, she insisted on making her own money. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t kick against her decision, but he asked her to work as his assistant, helping him with the daily chores. <br /> <br /> The head assistant, Matteo Jenkins was left to take care of the major affairs Mitchel had. <br /> <br /> Matteo was the only Dixon Group employee who knew about their marriage. <br /> <br /> Since inception, only male assistants were hired for the president&#039;s office. Reagan was the first and only female. Her employment broke the protocol. As a result, other workers couldn&#039;t help but wonder if she was involved with Mitchel. <br /> <br /> It took a while before they realized that Mitchel never gave Raegan special treatment. Strangely, this made them despise her even more. <br /> <br /> After all, no one would last long in anything while taking advantage of their looks.<br /> <br /> At this time, one of Raegan&#039;s colleagues handed her a document and ordered her to take it to Mitchel&#039;s office. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t return home last night. Raegan was so worried that she didn&#039;t sleep at all. <br /> <br /> All she kept thinking about was the woman who answered his phone when she called. What was her relationship with Mitchel?<br /> <br /> Raegan already knew the answer to that, but she was still in denial. <br /> <br /> It was difficult for her to come to terms with that fact. <br /> <br /> Raegan tried to remain calm now. She reasoned that no matter what happened, she deserved a result that would be rewarding for all the years she spent loving Mitchel. This couldn&#039;t be all for nothing, right? <br /> <br /> She pressed the elevator button calmly and went up to the president&#039;s office. Before she walked out of the elevator, she smoothed her hair to make sure she looked good. <br /> <br /> She had arrived at the office, only to see that the door was ajar. A man&#039;s voice came. She halted instantly. <br /> <br /> &quot;Come on, man! Do you have any feelings for Raegan or not?&quot;<br /> <br /> The voice belonged to Luis Stevens, a childhood friend of Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean exactly?&quot; Mitchel asked in a cold voice. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know exactly what I mean!&quot; Luis clicked his tongue impatiently and added, &quot;I think Raegan is a good girl. Isn&#039;t she your type?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Do you want me to hand her over to you?&quot; Mitchel asked carelessly. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know what, forget it!&quot;<br /> <br /> The scornful laughter of Luis sounded particularly harsh in Raegan&#039;s ears. <br /> <br /> They were talking about her as if she were an object. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the document. <br /> <br /> Soon, Luis&#039;s voice was heard again. <br /> <br /> &quot;By the way, I saw the gossip news about Lauren&#039;s mysterious boyfriend this morning. That was you, right?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Well, well, well! That woman still has you wrapped around her little finger. You always want to please her.&quot;<br /> <br /> Luis sighed and continued to tease Mitchel. &quot;As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Tell me, did you two...&quot;<br /> <br /> Their conversation was like a thunder exploding over Raegan&#039;s head. <br /> <br /> Her face turned pale and her body was as cold as ice. <br /> <br /> The woman was indeed Lauren! <br /> <br /> Absence made the heart grow fonder! <br /> <br /> Every word drove a knife into her heart. <br /> <br /> Several whispering voices filled her head at this time. She suddenly felt light-headed. Her vision became blurry. <br /> <br /> She held the wall and took a step backward. Suddenly, the door was opened from inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 2 One-sided Love<br /> <br /> Luis was the one who opened the door. It appeared he was on his way out. <br /> <br /> Raegan balled her hands, turned to him, and nodded. &quot;Hey, Mr. Stevens!&quot;<br /> <br /> Without waiting for him to respond to her greeting, she walked past him and entered the office with the document. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was seated behind a large luxurious desk. In an expensive suit and matching tie, he looked particularly handsome. <br /> <br /> Raegan noticed it wasn&#039;t the same suit he had on when he left home last night. How did he get changed? <br /> <br /> With her eyes lowered, she swallowed that question and said instead, &quot;Mr. Dixon, this is from the Marketing Department. Please sign it.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was expressionless as he signed the document at a glance. <br /> <br /> Raegan walked out the door as soon as he handed the document back to her. Luis was still standing at the threshold. <br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until she went out of sight that Luis turned to Mitchel and said in a hushed tone, &quot;Do you think she heard us?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s appealing eyes were expressionless at the moment. Obviously, he wasn&#039;t paying attention to what Luis was saying. <br /> <br /> To Mitchel, Raegan had always been docile and never felt jealous of anyone. <br /> <br /> Her strict obedience was all Mitchel demanded from her in exchange for treating her well. <br /> <br /> In the elevator. <br /> <br /> Raegan held her breath just to hold back her tears. Unfortunately, it didn&#039;t work. <br /> <br /> She had thought two years would be enough for Mitchel to realize how much she loved him and reciprocate her love. <br /> <br /> Now, it turned out that was just a pipe dream. <br /> <br /> She realized she would always play second fiddle to Lauren, Mitchel&#039;s true love. <br /> <br /> Reagan wiped her tears when the elevator halted. Save for her pale face, she looked normal when the doors opened. <br /> <br /> She dragged herself to the break room, intending to make herself a cup of tea. <br /> <br /> Several employees were chatting inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Guys, have you heard? Lauren Murray is back.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;And who is that?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, my! You don&#039;t know her? Lauren is the heiress of the Murray Group as well as a world-class designer. Most importantly, she&#039;s the only girlfriend Mr. Dixon has ever shown off in public. She&#039;s his first love!&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Why is her return such a big deal? Isn&#039;t it rumored that there is something between Mr. Dixon and Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan? She&#039;s nothing to Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon never admitted that he was dating her. And that is no surprise to me. After all, look at her. She&#039;s not even that beautiful. Yet, she behaves as if she&#039;s already Mrs. Dixon. What a fool!&quot;<br /> <br /> Standing at the door, Raegan smiled with self-mockery as she listened to them. It turned out everyone else saw the truth except her. <br /> <br /> The love was one-sided. <br /> <br /> &quot;Ha-ha, have you finally woken up from your wild dream, Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> A voice of mockery suddenly came from behind. Raegan turned around to see Tessa Lloyd, Mitchel&#039;s cousin, who had always despised her. <br /> <br /> Tessa must have also heard the employees gossiping. <br /> <br /> The last thing Raegan wanted to do now was argue with Tessa in the company. She turned to leave, but Tessa blocked her way. <br /> <br /> With a cup of coffee in her hand, Tessa uttered sarcastically, &quot;Lauren is back now. Do you think Mitchel will still give you any attention?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan said nothing to that. <br /> <br /> Seconds later, Tessa continued the ridicule. &quot;Maybe it’s time for you to seek out another man, you pathetic fool.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan clenched her fists and said coldly, &quot;Ms. Lloyd, if you are interested in that kind of thing, feel free to pursue it yourself.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s retort made Tessa&#039;s face change. <br /> <br /> The next second, Tessa raised her hand and emptied the cup of coffee on Raegan. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t think for a second that Tessa would do something so crazy. She held up her arms just to block the liquid from her face. In no time, the coffee drenched her clothes. <br /> <br /> Raegan frowned. &quot;What did you do that for? Are you out of your mind?&quot;<br /> <br /> It was lunch break and many employees were free to watch the drama. Tessa was even more complacent when she saw growing onlookers. <br /> <br /> She put on a mean-girl look as she said, &quot;What makes you so smug every day, huh? Do you seriously think that others don&#039;t know you are just an orphan? The nerve of...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa was silenced by Raegan’s shove. <br /> <br /> Her jaw dropped to the floor. She had never expected that Raegan, who was so quiet and timid, would shove her. <br /> <br /> Tessa stuttered, &quot;You... You pushed me? How dare you!&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan eyed her and replied, &quot;Yes, I did! It seems you need to be taught simple politeness.&quot;<br /> <br /> Indeed, she lost her parents when she was a child. But that didn&#039;t mean she would allow someone to walk over her for it. <br /> <br /> Wrinkles appeared on Tessa&#039;s face as she frowned in anger. As Mitchel&#039;s cousin, she was used to being fawned over and respected. This was the first time she had been treated like this. <br /> <br /> Tessa charged at Raegan like a raging bull, poised to retaliate. <br /> <br /> This time, Raegan was fully prepared for what was coming. She grabbed Tessa&#039;s wrist so that the latter couldn&#039;t move another inch. <br /> <br /> Tessa was shorter than Raegan. As a result, she struggled like an octopus that had one of its tentacles stuck in a fishing trap. <br /> <br /> Tessa cursed angrily, &quot;How dare you put your hands on me? Who do you think you are?&quot;<br /> <br /> These harsh words attracted more people to the break room. <br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s enough!&quot;<br /> <br /> Out of the blue, a baritone came from behind. Mitchel had left his office and ran into this hullabaloo. <br /> <br /> The entire room fell silent. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel?&quot; Tessa&#039;s blood ran cold at the sight of Mitchel. She had always been scared of him. Her mother also warned her against provoking him. <br /> <br /> But when she remembered that Raegan humiliated her, she put on a pitiful expression and sobbed. &quot;Mitchel, she bullied me.&quot;<br /> <br /> The sunlight from outside fell on Mitchel&#039;s handsome face. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt so grieved all of a sudden, and lowered her head to look at her clothes which were soaked with coffee. <br /> <br /> Their gaze met in the air. With a deep frown, Mitchel looked at Raegan and said, &quot;Raegan, have you forgotten the rules of the company?&quot;<br /> <br /> His ruthlessness made Raegan&#039;s breathing cease. She couldn&#039;t believe her ears. <br /> <br /> No one dared to make a sound at this moment. <br /> <br /> Raegan just stood straight there with her slender figure. <br /> <br /> When she got employed here, Mitchel had told her that the Dixon Group wasn&#039;t a place for her to mess around and that he would not tolerate her making any mistakes. <br /> <br /> Raegan could understand why he took this stand. <br /> <br /> However, at this moment, she was desperate to know whether Mitchel had heard those hard words Tessa scolded her or he was just pretending not to have heard because he agreed to those words. <br /> <br /> Was she truly insignificant to him?<br /> <br /> Scared to death by Mitchel&#039;s rage, the crowd soon dispersed. A few employees were bold enough to peep from a distance, unwilling to miss the good show. <br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s cold eyes made Raegan shiver from head to toe. <br /> <br /> Raegan pinched her palm to suppress her emotions as she looked at Tessa. <br /> <br /> &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Ms. Lloyd. As an employee of the Dixon Group, it was wrong of me to have offended you.&quot;<br /> <br /> Eyeing Raegan, Tessa raised her chin complacently. &quot;Humph! Don&#039;t think you&#039;ll be let off the hook just by making a simple apology. I don&#039;t buy...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;The offence has nothing to do with the company. Personally, I refuse to apologize to you. Now, if you&#039;d excuse me,&quot; Raegan chimed in. <br /> <br /> She then walked past Mitchel without sparing him another look. <br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa&#039;s face turned blue after hearing what Raegan said. <br /> <br /> Never in her years of being alive had she been so humiliated. She was always the bully, not the victim! <br /> <br /> The humiliation was so much that scolding Raegan wouldn&#039;t appease her anger. <br /> <br /> Pointing in Raegan&#039;s direction, Tessa shouted, &quot;Mitchel, did you hear what that woman just said? She humiliated me, yet she&#039;s still so arrogant. Call her back. I have to teach her some manners!&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel, staring at Raegan&#039;s thin back, had an ambiguous expression at this moment. <br /> <br /> &quot;Enough!&quot; he said coldly, raising his hand. <br /> <br /> As someone who lived and breathed drama and cruelty, Tessa didn&#039;t think Mitchel was partial to Raegan just now. She assumed that Mitchel didn&#039;t care about Raegan at all. <br /> <br /> Tessa gritted her teeth and said viciously, &quot;Next time, I&#039;ll get someone to teach her a lesson.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Tessa!&quot; Mitchel&#039;s tone and squint made it a reproof. <br /> <br /> Tessa trembled at once. <br /> <br /> With a somber face, Mitchel said, &quot;I&#039;ll only say it once. Forget about what happened here today. Leave Raegan alone.&quot;<br /> <br /> The aura he exuded made her tongue go dry. All the vicious ideas she had in store against Raegan disappeared in an instant. <br /> <br /> She stammered, &quot;Ok... Okay, got it...&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel cast a cold glance at her and spoke to Matteo. &quot;Irrelevant people wouldn&#039;t be allowed in here from today onwards.&quot;<br /> <br /> Without catching the drift, Tessa flattered Mitchel. &quot;Nice call. This is a top company. Not everyone gains access in here.&quot;<br /> <br /> Matteo nodded to Mitchel and then walked over to Tessa. He gestured to the exit. &quot;Ms. Lloyd, this way, please.&quot;<br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until this moment that Tessa realized that she was the irrelevant person Mitchel just mentioned. She tried to speak to him, but Matteo blocked her way. The security guards then escorted her out. <br /> <br /> They showed her no mercy. Her struggle was useless. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Raegan got changed when she returned to her office. <br /> <br /> Her heart was filled with sadness as she thought of how Mitchel looked at her minutes ago. <br /> <br /> Closing hour soon rolled by. <br /> <br /> Raegan took her bag and headed for the exit. However, Matteo stopped her. <br /> <br /> He said, &quot;Mr. Dixon has something urgent to deal with, so he asked me to drive you home.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan declined the ride without thinking twice. <br /> <br /> She was blind before, but now she could see through the situation. <br /> <br /> In Mitchel&#039;s eyes, she was just a nobody. <br /> <br /> How could Mitchel agree to accompany her to visit her grandmother when he didn&#039;t even care about her? <br /> <br /> Upon arriving at the hospital, Raegan saw that the nurse was about to feed her grandmother dinner. Raegan took the job over and did it by herself. <br /> <br /> All her life, her grandmother had been living in the countryside, enjoying a quiet life. Everything changed last month when her routine medical checkup showed that she was in need of medical care. Raegan insisted on bringing her to the city for better treatment. <br /> <br /> Her grandmother wasn&#039;t aware of her marriage to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> Raegan had planned to surprise her today. But as it turned out, that was no longer necessary. <br /> <br /> Raegan waited for her grandmother to fall asleep before she left. She walked out of the hospital and waited for a taxi. <br /> <br /> In the distance, a black luxury car pulled into the entrance of the hospital. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s eyes lit up when she saw it. She recognized that car as Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> Did he come to pick her up? <br /> <br /> At this moment, she forgot all the pain she had been feeling. <br /> <br /> Were her thoughts about him all wrong? Did he care for her, contrary to the gossip? <br /> <br /> The door of the driver&#039;s side opened and Mitchel got out. <br /> <br /> Raegan started walking toward him with her heart brimming with joy. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had just walked over to the other side and carried a woman out of the car. <br /> <br /> Worry and compassion were written all over his handsome face. <br /> <br /> This wiped the smile on Raegan&#039;s face. Her heart sank. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Let&#039;s Divorce<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s tall and straight figure got closer and closer to Raegan. And then, without saying a word, he strode past Raegan. <br /> <br /> It was hard to tell if Mitchel saw Raegan or just ignored her. <br /> <br /> Regardless, Raegan noticed that the woman in his arms was the same one who had been photographed with him yesterday. <br /> <br /> She was Lauren. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s shoes felt like they were made of lead as she walked away. <br /> <br /> She lost all awareness of her surroundings. She got into a taxi absentmindedly. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, the driver uttered, &quot;Ma&#039;am, where to?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan was stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t want to go back to Serenity Villas. It was only a matter of time before that place stopped being her home. <br /> <br /> After a while, she replied, &quot;Please take me to Crystal Bay.&quot;<br /> <br /> She had purchased an apartment at Crystal Bay after getting married to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> At the time, she had hopes of bringing her grandmother to the city, so she bought the apartment on mortgage. It wasn&#039;t that big, but it had more than enough space for two people. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t understand why she wanted to buy an apartment. He offered to give her a bigger one, but she declined. <br /> <br /> Looking back now, she realized that buying that apartment was the only wise decision she had ever made in the last two years. <br /> <br /> When she arrived at the apartment complex, Raegan sat in the park alone, trying to cool herself down. <br /> <br /> The memories of the past two years were bittersweet. <br /> <br /> Two years had passed in the blink of an eye even though it was more than seven hundred days and nights. <br /> <br /> Love could move mountains, they said. <br /> <br /> Yet, her love didn&#039;t move that stone of a man. She finally realized what a fool she had been. She had been making herself a laughingstock in front of everyone. <br /> <br /> It was already late in the night before Raegan finally decided to go into her apartment. <br /> <br /> As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Mitchel standing in front of the door. <br /> <br /> His sleeves were rolled up casually, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, which revealed his long neck and part of his collarbone. He was leaning on the wall by the door, his handsome face straight. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a moment. <br /> <br /> Why was he here? Didn&#039;t she see him at the hospital with Lauren? What brought him here? <br /> <br /> Their eyes met. With his coat draped over his arm and one of his hands in his pocket, Mitchel squinted at her. <br /> <br /> &quot;Why didn&#039;t you answer the phone?&quot; he asked, sounding a little grumpy like someone who hadn&#039;t slept in a long time. <br /> <br /> Raegan took out her phone and saw she had accidentally put it on DND. <br /> <br /> There were five missed calls from Mitchel. <br /> <br /> This marked the first time in their two-year marriage. <br /> <br /> Mitchel blew up her phone because he couldn&#039;t find her? Surprising! <br /> <br /> Before today, she would have been overjoyed by this. People would&#039;ve thought she won the lottery. <br /> <br /> But now, she just threw her phone back into her bag, folded her arms, and said in a hoarse voice, &quot;I didn&#039;t hear it ring.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel raised his hand to check the time on the watch, and said impatiently, &quot;I&#039;ve been looking for you for two hours.&quot;<br /> <br /> After arranging everything for Lauren, he returned home to find an empty house. He looked for Raegan everywhere. When he couldn&#039;t find her, he asked Matteo to check the surveillance footage of all the roads that led away from the company. <br /> <br /> He later found out that Raegan went to Crystal Bay without telling him. <br /> <br /> &quot;Next time, tell me when you are coming here, okay? Let&#039;s go home now.&quot; After that, Mitchel walked toward the elevator without sparing her another glance. <br /> <br /> He meant to go back to Serenity Villas. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t move an inch. She just stared at his broad back and pondered reluctantly. <br /> <br /> Would they have a future? <br /> <br /> Mitchell turned around, only to see that Raegan hadn&#039;t taken a single step. He frowned and asked, &quot;Can&#039;t you walk? Do you want me to carry you instead?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light in the corridor illuminated his face, making his side profile almost impeccable. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and said, &quot;Let&#039;s divorce.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s voice was cold, and his handsome face changed immediately. <br /> <br /> &quot;I want to move into my own place. After all, we will be strangers soon.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan forced a smile, but her heart was aching as if someone was tearing it apart bit by bit. <br /> <br /> &quot;We will be strangers?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel smiled coldly. &quot;Raegan, what do you think our relationship is now?&quot;<br /> <br /> His questioning left Raegan stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had made it very clear to her from the very beginning. This facade of their marriage had happened by mutual agreement. There was no love. In the eyes of others, they were nothing more than just a superior and a subordinate. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was quite the catch in Ardlens. Many young ladies longed for his love and were even willing to throw themselves at him. <br /> <br /> His question just now reminded her of that fact. Was he afraid that she wouldn&#039;t let him go that easily? If that was the case, he couldn&#039;t be more wrong... <br /> <br /> After biting her lower lip to conceal her bitterness, Raegan said, &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Mr. Dixon. I was giving it too much thought. Anyway, please leave me alone from now on. You don&#039;t have to come here again.&quot;<br /> <br /> After saying that, Raegan couldn&#039;t help but burst into tears. <br /> <br /> How could she not be sad when she was cutting ties with the man she had loved for a decade? It was such a long time. <br /> <br /> Regardless of how difficult it was, she knew it was time to let go. <br /> <br /> It was high time she stopped being a fool. <br /> <br /> Strangely, the light in the corridor began flickering. <br /> <br /> The deathly stare Mitchel was giving Raegan right now made the atmosphere seem like the moment before an attack in a horror movie. <br /> <br /> Although he understood that Raegan sometimes could throw a tantrum, he felt that she had just crossed the line now. <br /> <br /> His eyes shone like blazing torches at this moment. But when he saw the tears in her eyes, the rage inside him extinguished in an instant. He said in a low voice, &quot;If this is about what happened between you and Tessa, I...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No, this isn&#039;t about her. Mr. Dixon, please leave now.&quot;<br /> <br /> A lot of things happened between them. And the incident with Tessa didn&#039;t come close to any. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt exhausted. She passed by Mitchel and was about to open the door. <br /> <br /> Yet, Mitchel was displeased with her stubbornness. <br /> <br /> He loosened his tie irritably. He then took a step forward and grabbed her wrist. <br /> <br /> &quot;Stop this, will you?&quot;<br /> <br /> A second later, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. <br /> <br /> He instantly realized that she was burning up like someone who had been set on fire. <br /> <br /> &quot;You have a fever?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan felt dizzy. She rested her head on his chest weakly. <br /> <br /> This made the whole situation complicated. <br /> <br /> Reagan was slow to catch that. When she finally realized that her body was too close to his, she put her hands against his chest and tried to pull back. <br /> <br /> Before she could escape, Mitchel pulled her back and held her by the waist. With a cold face, he said in a low voice, &quot;Where do you think you are going?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light flickered again. Out of the blue, Mitchel lifted her up. <br /> <br /> He then headed for the elevator. <br /> <br /> In a daze, Raegan asked softly, &quot;What are you doing?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What does it look like I am doing?&quot; Mitchel remarked. &quot;Taking you to the hospital, of course.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No way!&quot; Raegan cried out in surprise and seemed to regain more strength. <br /> <br /> Mitchel might find out about her condition if they went to the hospital.<br /> <br /> Raegan struggled to get out of Mitchel&#039;s arms. However, his tight grip made her efforts fruitless. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t be so stubborn. You are sick, so you must see the doctor,&quot; Mitchel said firmly. <br /> <br /> He walked to the elevator with her in his arms. At this moment, Raegan&#039;s heart was thumping so hard that it could jump out of her chest. She flailed in protest. <br /> <br /> &quot;Put me down! 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Yes 2024-07-12 08:57 active 1112 0 369571599487199 Read next chapter👉 She signed the divorce papers and left without taking her phone. He checked her phone and got floored at the message: Please come tomorrow for another prenatal care checkup!<br /> =============<br /> <br /> Chapter 1 Ex-girlfriend Returns<br /> <br /> Raegan Hayes was a little absent-minded at the moment. <br /> <br /> All she could think of since this afternoon was the doctor&#039;s words. &quot;Congratulations! You are going to be a mom.&quot;<br /> <br /> Suddenly, Mitchel Dixon pinched her arm. His low voice came the next second. &quot;Come back to earth. What are you thinking about?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was her husband. They had been married secretly for two years. He was her superior at work, the president of the Dixon Group. <br /> <br /> Everything had happened so fast. She was newly employed in the company when they unexpectedly got married. <br /> <br /> At that time, Mitchel&#039;s grandfather fell seriously ill. It was then he proposed a fake marriage just to fulfill his grandfather&#039;s dying wish. <br /> <br /> They signed a prenup, agreeing to hide their marriage from the public. Their union could be terminated at any time. <br /> <br /> It was an unconventional thing to do. However, Raegan only considered herself lucky at that time. <br /> <br /> Never in a million years did she think she would ever get married to the man she had a crush on for eight years. She delightfully agreed. <br /> <br /> After their marriage, Mitchel was very busy. He spent most of his time working. <br /> <br /> Raegan wished she could spend more time with him at home. However, she was rest assured because there hadn&#039;t been any rumors or scandals about him with women in the past two years. <br /> <br /> Except for his mild indifference, Mitchel was a perfect husband. <br /> <br /> Raegan had mixed feelings as she stared at the medical report. <br /> <br /> In the end, she decided to tell Mitchel this news. <br /> <br /> She also wanted to tell him that she hadn&#039;t learned about him for the first time two years ago and that she had been crushing on him for many years before then. <br /> <br /> Just then, Mitchel’s phone rang. He went to the balcony and answered the phone. <br /> <br /> Raegan checked the time and found that it was already midnight. <br /> <br /> She felt a little uneasy. Who would call Mitchel at this hour? <br /> <br /> Mitchel spent a few minutes on the balcony. Thereafter, he returned and changed into formal attire. His handsome face which had a clear outline made him look dignified. <br /> <br /> He was something to see now. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t wait up for me. Good night,&quot; he said finally. <br /> <br /> What? He was on his way out? At this hour? <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s grip on the report tightened as she stared at him in disappointment. Unconsciously, she withdrew slightly. After thinking for a while, she blurted out, &quot;It&#039;s already so late.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s fingers froze on his tie. With a faint smile, he pinched her earlobe and said, &quot;Be good, okay? There&#039;s something I have to do. Don&#039;t wait up.&quot;<br /> <br /> With that, he headed for the door. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan quickly ran and caught up with him. <br /> <br /> Mitchel turned around and looked at her seriously. <br /> <br /> &quot;What&#039;s the matter?&quot;<br /> <br /> There was a tinge of coldness to his voice. An icy cloud hung over them as they stared at each other. <br /> <br /> A little distressed, Raegan asked in a low voice, &quot;I would like to visit my grandma tomorrow. Can you accompany me there?&quot;<br /> <br /> Her grandmother always wanted to see her. As a result, Raegan wanted to take Mitchel there to assure her grandma they were happy. <br /> <br /> &quot;Let&#039;s talk about it tomorrow, okay?&quot; Without agreeing or declining, Mitchel left in a hurry. <br /> <br /> Several thoughts were threading Raegan&#039;s mind. She couldn&#039;t sleep a wink. <br /> <br /> After tossing and turning for a long time, she went to the kitchen and made herself a warm glass of milk. <br /> <br /> A few notifications from some online blogs came into her phone. <br /> <br /> However, she wasn&#039;t interested in them. She was about to swipe them away when one of them caught her attention. The familiar name made her click on it. <br /> <br /> The news read, &quot;Famous designer, Lauren Murray was spotted at the airport with her mysterious boyfriend earlier today.&quot;<br /> <br /> Lauren was wearing a bucket hat. The man&#039;s figure was vague, but the outline of his body was enough to show that he was dashing. <br /> <br /> Raegan zoomed in on the picture. The next second, her heart dropped. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was the man in the picture! <br /> <br /> So, he canceled the afternoon meeting just to go pick up his ex-girlfriend from the airport? <br /> <br /> This realization settled like a boulder in Raegan&#039;s gut, rendering her flustered. <br /> <br /> Her hands trembled. Subconsciously, she dialed Mitchel&#039;s number. <br /> <br /> The dial tone brought her back to her senses. Just as she was about to hang up, the line connected, and a voice came from the other end. <br /> <br /> &quot;Hello!&quot;<br /> <br /> It was a particularly gentle woman&#039;s voice. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a second and then threw the phone away. <br /> <br /> She suddenly felt sick in her stomach. Covering her mouth, she ran into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet bowl. <br /> <br /> The next morning, Raegan went to work on time. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had tried to get her to stop working after they got married. Stubbornly, she insisted on making her own money. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t kick against her decision, but he asked her to work as his assistant, helping him with the daily chores. <br /> <br /> The head assistant, Matteo Jenkins was left to take care of the major affairs Mitchel had. <br /> <br /> Matteo was the only Dixon Group employee who knew about their marriage. <br /> <br /> Since inception, only male assistants were hired for the president&#039;s office. Reagan was the first and only female. Her employment broke the protocol. As a result, other workers couldn&#039;t help but wonder if she was involved with Mitchel. <br /> <br /> It took a while before they realized that Mitchel never gave Raegan special treatment. Strangely, this made them despise her even more. <br /> <br /> After all, no one would last long in anything while taking advantage of their looks.<br /> <br /> At this time, one of Raegan&#039;s colleagues handed her a document and ordered her to take it to Mitchel&#039;s office. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t return home last night. Raegan was so worried that she didn&#039;t sleep at all. <br /> <br /> All she kept thinking about was the woman who answered his phone when she called. What was her relationship with Mitchel?<br /> <br /> Raegan already knew the answer to that, but she was still in denial. <br /> <br /> It was difficult for her to come to terms with that fact. <br /> <br /> Raegan tried to remain calm now. She reasoned that no matter what happened, she deserved a result that would be rewarding for all the years she spent loving Mitchel. This couldn&#039;t be all for nothing, right? <br /> <br /> She pressed the elevator button calmly and went up to the president&#039;s office. Before she walked out of the elevator, she smoothed her hair to make sure she looked good. <br /> <br /> She had arrived at the office, only to see that the door was ajar. A man&#039;s voice came. She halted instantly. <br /> <br /> &quot;Come on, man! Do you have any feelings for Raegan or not?&quot;<br /> <br /> The voice belonged to Luis Stevens, a childhood friend of Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean exactly?&quot; Mitchel asked in a cold voice. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know exactly what I mean!&quot; Luis clicked his tongue impatiently and added, &quot;I think Raegan is a good girl. Isn&#039;t she your type?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Do you want me to hand her over to you?&quot; Mitchel asked carelessly. <br /> <br /> &quot;You know what, forget it!&quot;<br /> <br /> The scornful laughter of Luis sounded particularly harsh in Raegan&#039;s ears. <br /> <br /> They were talking about her as if she were an object. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the document. <br /> <br /> Soon, Luis&#039;s voice was heard again. <br /> <br /> &quot;By the way, I saw the gossip news about Lauren&#039;s mysterious boyfriend this morning. That was you, right?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Yes.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Well, well, well! That woman still has you wrapped around her little finger. You always want to please her.&quot;<br /> <br /> Luis sighed and continued to tease Mitchel. &quot;As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Tell me, did you two...&quot;<br /> <br /> Their conversation was like a thunder exploding over Raegan&#039;s head. <br /> <br /> Her face turned pale and her body was as cold as ice. <br /> <br /> The woman was indeed Lauren! <br /> <br /> Absence made the heart grow fonder! <br /> <br /> Every word drove a knife into her heart. <br /> <br /> Several whispering voices filled her head at this time. She suddenly felt light-headed. Her vision became blurry. <br /> <br /> She held the wall and took a step backward. Suddenly, the door was opened from inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 2 One-sided Love<br /> <br /> Luis was the one who opened the door. It appeared he was on his way out. <br /> <br /> Raegan balled her hands, turned to him, and nodded. &quot;Hey, Mr. Stevens!&quot;<br /> <br /> Without waiting for him to respond to her greeting, she walked past him and entered the office with the document. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was seated behind a large luxurious desk. In an expensive suit and matching tie, he looked particularly handsome. <br /> <br /> Raegan noticed it wasn&#039;t the same suit he had on when he left home last night. How did he get changed? <br /> <br /> With her eyes lowered, she swallowed that question and said instead, &quot;Mr. Dixon, this is from the Marketing Department. Please sign it.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel was expressionless as he signed the document at a glance. <br /> <br /> Raegan walked out the door as soon as he handed the document back to her. Luis was still standing at the threshold. <br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until she went out of sight that Luis turned to Mitchel and said in a hushed tone, &quot;Do you think she heard us?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s appealing eyes were expressionless at the moment. Obviously, he wasn&#039;t paying attention to what Luis was saying. <br /> <br /> To Mitchel, Raegan had always been docile and never felt jealous of anyone. <br /> <br /> Her strict obedience was all Mitchel demanded from her in exchange for treating her well. <br /> <br /> In the elevator. <br /> <br /> Raegan held her breath just to hold back her tears. Unfortunately, it didn&#039;t work. <br /> <br /> She had thought two years would be enough for Mitchel to realize how much she loved him and reciprocate her love. <br /> <br /> Now, it turned out that was just a pipe dream. <br /> <br /> She realized she would always play second fiddle to Lauren, Mitchel&#039;s true love. <br /> <br /> Reagan wiped her tears when the elevator halted. Save for her pale face, she looked normal when the doors opened. <br /> <br /> She dragged herself to the break room, intending to make herself a cup of tea. <br /> <br /> Several employees were chatting inside. <br /> <br /> &quot;Guys, have you heard? Lauren Murray is back.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;And who is that?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, my! You don&#039;t know her? Lauren is the heiress of the Murray Group as well as a world-class designer. Most importantly, she&#039;s the only girlfriend Mr. Dixon has ever shown off in public. She&#039;s his first love!&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Why is her return such a big deal? Isn&#039;t it rumored that there is something between Mr. Dixon and Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Raegan? She&#039;s nothing to Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon never admitted that he was dating her. And that is no surprise to me. After all, look at her. She&#039;s not even that beautiful. Yet, she behaves as if she&#039;s already Mrs. Dixon. What a fool!&quot;<br /> <br /> Standing at the door, Raegan smiled with self-mockery as she listened to them. It turned out everyone else saw the truth except her. <br /> <br /> The love was one-sided. <br /> <br /> &quot;Ha-ha, have you finally woken up from your wild dream, Raegan?&quot;<br /> <br /> A voice of mockery suddenly came from behind. Raegan turned around to see Tessa Lloyd, Mitchel&#039;s cousin, who had always despised her. <br /> <br /> Tessa must have also heard the employees gossiping. <br /> <br /> The last thing Raegan wanted to do now was argue with Tessa in the company. She turned to leave, but Tessa blocked her way. <br /> <br /> With a cup of coffee in her hand, Tessa uttered sarcastically, &quot;Lauren is back now. Do you think Mitchel will still give you any attention?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan said nothing to that. <br /> <br /> Seconds later, Tessa continued the ridicule. &quot;Maybe it’s time for you to seek out another man, you pathetic fool.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan clenched her fists and said coldly, &quot;Ms. Lloyd, if you are interested in that kind of thing, feel free to pursue it yourself.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s retort made Tessa&#039;s face change. <br /> <br /> The next second, Tessa raised her hand and emptied the cup of coffee on Raegan. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t think for a second that Tessa would do something so crazy. She held up her arms just to block the liquid from her face. In no time, the coffee drenched her clothes. <br /> <br /> Raegan frowned. &quot;What did you do that for? Are you out of your mind?&quot;<br /> <br /> It was lunch break and many employees were free to watch the drama. Tessa was even more complacent when she saw growing onlookers. <br /> <br /> She put on a mean-girl look as she said, &quot;What makes you so smug every day, huh? Do you seriously think that others don&#039;t know you are just an orphan? The nerve of...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa was silenced by Raegan’s shove. <br /> <br /> Her jaw dropped to the floor. She had never expected that Raegan, who was so quiet and timid, would shove her. <br /> <br /> Tessa stuttered, &quot;You... You pushed me? How dare you!&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan eyed her and replied, &quot;Yes, I did! It seems you need to be taught simple politeness.&quot;<br /> <br /> Indeed, she lost her parents when she was a child. But that didn&#039;t mean she would allow someone to walk over her for it. <br /> <br /> Wrinkles appeared on Tessa&#039;s face as she frowned in anger. As Mitchel&#039;s cousin, she was used to being fawned over and respected. This was the first time she had been treated like this. <br /> <br /> Tessa charged at Raegan like a raging bull, poised to retaliate. <br /> <br /> This time, Raegan was fully prepared for what was coming. She grabbed Tessa&#039;s wrist so that the latter couldn&#039;t move another inch. <br /> <br /> Tessa was shorter than Raegan. As a result, she struggled like an octopus that had one of its tentacles stuck in a fishing trap. <br /> <br /> Tessa cursed angrily, &quot;How dare you put your hands on me? Who do you think you are?&quot;<br /> <br /> These harsh words attracted more people to the break room. <br /> <br /> &quot;That&#039;s enough!&quot;<br /> <br /> Out of the blue, a baritone came from behind. Mitchel had left his office and ran into this hullabaloo. <br /> <br /> The entire room fell silent. <br /> <br /> &quot;Mitchel?&quot; Tessa&#039;s blood ran cold at the sight of Mitchel. She had always been scared of him. Her mother also warned her against provoking him. <br /> <br /> But when she remembered that Raegan humiliated her, she put on a pitiful expression and sobbed. &quot;Mitchel, she bullied me.&quot;<br /> <br /> The sunlight from outside fell on Mitchel&#039;s handsome face. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt so grieved all of a sudden, and lowered her head to look at her clothes which were soaked with coffee. <br /> <br /> Their gaze met in the air. With a deep frown, Mitchel looked at Raegan and said, &quot;Raegan, have you forgotten the rules of the company?&quot;<br /> <br /> His ruthlessness made Raegan&#039;s breathing cease. She couldn&#039;t believe her ears. <br /> <br /> No one dared to make a sound at this moment. <br /> <br /> Raegan just stood straight there with her slender figure. <br /> <br /> When she got employed here, Mitchel had told her that the Dixon Group wasn&#039;t a place for her to mess around and that he would not tolerate her making any mistakes. <br /> <br /> Raegan could understand why he took this stand. <br /> <br /> However, at this moment, she was desperate to know whether Mitchel had heard those hard words Tessa scolded her or he was just pretending not to have heard because he agreed to those words. <br /> <br /> Was she truly insignificant to him?<br /> <br /> Scared to death by Mitchel&#039;s rage, the crowd soon dispersed. A few employees were bold enough to peep from a distance, unwilling to miss the good show. <br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s cold eyes made Raegan shiver from head to toe. <br /> <br /> Raegan pinched her palm to suppress her emotions as she looked at Tessa. <br /> <br /> &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Ms. Lloyd. As an employee of the Dixon Group, it was wrong of me to have offended you.&quot;<br /> <br /> Eyeing Raegan, Tessa raised her chin complacently. &quot;Humph! Don&#039;t think you&#039;ll be let off the hook just by making a simple apology. I don&#039;t buy...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;The offence has nothing to do with the company. Personally, I refuse to apologize to you. Now, if you&#039;d excuse me,&quot; Raegan chimed in. <br /> <br /> She then walked past Mitchel without sparing him another look. <br /> <br /> &quot;You...&quot;<br /> <br /> Tessa&#039;s face turned blue after hearing what Raegan said. <br /> <br /> Never in her years of being alive had she been so humiliated. She was always the bully, not the victim! <br /> <br /> The humiliation was so much that scolding Raegan wouldn&#039;t appease her anger. <br /> <br /> Pointing in Raegan&#039;s direction, Tessa shouted, &quot;Mitchel, did you hear what that woman just said? She humiliated me, yet she&#039;s still so arrogant. Call her back. I have to teach her some manners!&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel, staring at Raegan&#039;s thin back, had an ambiguous expression at this moment. <br /> <br /> &quot;Enough!&quot; he said coldly, raising his hand. <br /> <br /> As someone who lived and breathed drama and cruelty, Tessa didn&#039;t think Mitchel was partial to Raegan just now. She assumed that Mitchel didn&#039;t care about Raegan at all. <br /> <br /> Tessa gritted her teeth and said viciously, &quot;Next time, I&#039;ll get someone to teach her a lesson.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Tessa!&quot; Mitchel&#039;s tone and squint made it a reproof. <br /> <br /> Tessa trembled at once. <br /> <br /> With a somber face, Mitchel said, &quot;I&#039;ll only say it once. Forget about what happened here today. Leave Raegan alone.&quot;<br /> <br /> The aura he exuded made her tongue go dry. All the vicious ideas she had in store against Raegan disappeared in an instant. <br /> <br /> She stammered, &quot;Ok... Okay, got it...&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel cast a cold glance at her and spoke to Matteo. &quot;Irrelevant people wouldn&#039;t be allowed in here from today onwards.&quot;<br /> <br /> Without catching the drift, Tessa flattered Mitchel. &quot;Nice call. This is a top company. Not everyone gains access in here.&quot;<br /> <br /> Matteo nodded to Mitchel and then walked over to Tessa. He gestured to the exit. &quot;Ms. Lloyd, this way, please.&quot;<br /> <br /> It wasn&#039;t until this moment that Tessa realized that she was the irrelevant person Mitchel just mentioned. She tried to speak to him, but Matteo blocked her way. The security guards then escorted her out. <br /> <br /> They showed her no mercy. Her struggle was useless. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Raegan got changed when she returned to her office. <br /> <br /> Her heart was filled with sadness as she thought of how Mitchel looked at her minutes ago. <br /> <br /> Closing hour soon rolled by. <br /> <br /> Raegan took her bag and headed for the exit. However, Matteo stopped her. <br /> <br /> He said, &quot;Mr. Dixon has something urgent to deal with, so he asked me to drive you home.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan declined the ride without thinking twice. <br /> <br /> She was blind before, but now she could see through the situation. <br /> <br /> In Mitchel&#039;s eyes, she was just a nobody. <br /> <br /> How could Mitchel agree to accompany her to visit her grandmother when he didn&#039;t even care about her? <br /> <br /> Upon arriving at the hospital, Raegan saw that the nurse was about to feed her grandmother dinner. Raegan took the job over and did it by herself. <br /> <br /> All her life, her grandmother had been living in the countryside, enjoying a quiet life. Everything changed last month when her routine medical checkup showed that she was in need of medical care. Raegan insisted on bringing her to the city for better treatment. <br /> <br /> Her grandmother wasn&#039;t aware of her marriage to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> Raegan had planned to surprise her today. But as it turned out, that was no longer necessary. <br /> <br /> Raegan waited for her grandmother to fall asleep before she left. She walked out of the hospital and waited for a taxi. <br /> <br /> In the distance, a black luxury car pulled into the entrance of the hospital. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s eyes lit up when she saw it. She recognized that car as Mitchel&#039;s. <br /> <br /> Did he come to pick her up? <br /> <br /> At this moment, she forgot all the pain she had been feeling. <br /> <br /> Were her thoughts about him all wrong? Did he care for her, contrary to the gossip? <br /> <br /> The door of the driver&#039;s side opened and Mitchel got out. <br /> <br /> Raegan started walking toward him with her heart brimming with joy. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had just walked over to the other side and carried a woman out of the car. <br /> <br /> Worry and compassion were written all over his handsome face. <br /> <br /> This wiped the smile on Raegan&#039;s face. Her heart sank. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Let&#039;s Divorce<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s tall and straight figure got closer and closer to Raegan. And then, without saying a word, he strode past Raegan. <br /> <br /> It was hard to tell if Mitchel saw Raegan or just ignored her. <br /> <br /> Regardless, Raegan noticed that the woman in his arms was the same one who had been photographed with him yesterday. <br /> <br /> She was Lauren. <br /> <br /> Raegan&#039;s shoes felt like they were made of lead as she walked away. <br /> <br /> She lost all awareness of her surroundings. She got into a taxi absentmindedly. <br /> <br /> Suddenly, the driver uttered, &quot;Ma&#039;am, where to?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan was stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> She didn&#039;t want to go back to Serenity Villas. It was only a matter of time before that place stopped being her home. <br /> <br /> After a while, she replied, &quot;Please take me to Crystal Bay.&quot;<br /> <br /> She had purchased an apartment at Crystal Bay after getting married to Mitchel. <br /> <br /> At the time, she had hopes of bringing her grandmother to the city, so she bought the apartment on mortgage. It wasn&#039;t that big, but it had more than enough space for two people. <br /> <br /> Mitchel didn&#039;t understand why she wanted to buy an apartment. He offered to give her a bigger one, but she declined. <br /> <br /> Looking back now, she realized that buying that apartment was the only wise decision she had ever made in the last two years. <br /> <br /> When she arrived at the apartment complex, Raegan sat in the park alone, trying to cool herself down. <br /> <br /> The memories of the past two years were bittersweet. <br /> <br /> Two years had passed in the blink of an eye even though it was more than seven hundred days and nights. <br /> <br /> Love could move mountains, they said. <br /> <br /> Yet, her love didn&#039;t move that stone of a man. She finally realized what a fool she had been. She had been making herself a laughingstock in front of everyone. <br /> <br /> It was already late in the night before Raegan finally decided to go into her apartment. <br /> <br /> As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Mitchel standing in front of the door. <br /> <br /> His sleeves were rolled up casually, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone, which revealed his long neck and part of his collarbone. He was leaning on the wall by the door, his handsome face straight. <br /> <br /> Raegan froze for a moment. <br /> <br /> Why was he here? Didn&#039;t she see him at the hospital with Lauren? What brought him here? <br /> <br /> Their eyes met. With his coat draped over his arm and one of his hands in his pocket, Mitchel squinted at her. <br /> <br /> &quot;Why didn&#039;t you answer the phone?&quot; he asked, sounding a little grumpy like someone who hadn&#039;t slept in a long time. <br /> <br /> Raegan took out her phone and saw she had accidentally put it on DND. <br /> <br /> There were five missed calls from Mitchel. <br /> <br /> This marked the first time in their two-year marriage. <br /> <br /> Mitchel blew up her phone because he couldn&#039;t find her? Surprising! <br /> <br /> Before today, she would have been overjoyed by this. People would&#039;ve thought she won the lottery. <br /> <br /> But now, she just threw her phone back into her bag, folded her arms, and said in a hoarse voice, &quot;I didn&#039;t hear it ring.&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel raised his hand to check the time on the watch, and said impatiently, &quot;I&#039;ve been looking for you for two hours.&quot;<br /> <br /> After arranging everything for Lauren, he returned home to find an empty house. He looked for Raegan everywhere. When he couldn&#039;t find her, he asked Matteo to check the surveillance footage of all the roads that led away from the company. <br /> <br /> He later found out that Raegan went to Crystal Bay without telling him. <br /> <br /> &quot;Next time, tell me when you are coming here, okay? Let&#039;s go home now.&quot; After that, Mitchel walked toward the elevator without sparing her another glance. <br /> <br /> He meant to go back to Serenity Villas. <br /> <br /> Raegan didn&#039;t move an inch. She just stared at his broad back and pondered reluctantly. <br /> <br /> Would they have a future? <br /> <br /> Mitchell turned around, only to see that Raegan hadn&#039;t taken a single step. He frowned and asked, &quot;Can&#039;t you walk? Do you want me to carry you instead?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light in the corridor illuminated his face, making his side profile almost impeccable. <br /> <br /> Raegan took a deep breath and said, &quot;Let&#039;s divorce.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What do you mean?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel&#039;s voice was cold, and his handsome face changed immediately. <br /> <br /> &quot;I want to move into my own place. After all, we will be strangers soon.&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan forced a smile, but her heart was aching as if someone was tearing it apart bit by bit. <br /> <br /> &quot;We will be strangers?&quot;<br /> <br /> Mitchel smiled coldly. &quot;Raegan, what do you think our relationship is now?&quot;<br /> <br /> His questioning left Raegan stunned for a moment. <br /> <br /> Mitchel had made it very clear to her from the very beginning. This facade of their marriage had happened by mutual agreement. There was no love. In the eyes of others, they were nothing more than just a superior and a subordinate. <br /> <br /> Mitchel was quite the catch in Ardlens. Many young ladies longed for his love and were even willing to throw themselves at him. <br /> <br /> His question just now reminded her of that fact. Was he afraid that she wouldn&#039;t let him go that easily? If that was the case, he couldn&#039;t be more wrong... <br /> <br /> After biting her lower lip to conceal her bitterness, Raegan said, &quot;I&#039;m sorry, Mr. Dixon. I was giving it too much thought. Anyway, please leave me alone from now on. You don&#039;t have to come here again.&quot;<br /> <br /> After saying that, Raegan couldn&#039;t help but burst into tears. <br /> <br /> How could she not be sad when she was cutting ties with the man she had loved for a decade? It was such a long time. <br /> <br /> Regardless of how difficult it was, she knew it was time to let go. <br /> <br /> It was high time she stopped being a fool. <br /> <br /> Strangely, the light in the corridor began flickering. <br /> <br /> The deathly stare Mitchel was giving Raegan right now made the atmosphere seem like the moment before an attack in a horror movie. <br /> <br /> Although he understood that Raegan sometimes could throw a tantrum, he felt that she had just crossed the line now. <br /> <br /> His eyes shone like blazing torches at this moment. But when he saw the tears in her eyes, the rage inside him extinguished in an instant. He said in a low voice, &quot;If this is about what happened between you and Tessa, I...&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No, this isn&#039;t about her. Mr. Dixon, please leave now.&quot;<br /> <br /> A lot of things happened between them. And the incident with Tessa didn&#039;t come close to any. <br /> <br /> Raegan felt exhausted. She passed by Mitchel and was about to open the door. <br /> <br /> Yet, Mitchel was displeased with her stubbornness. <br /> <br /> He loosened his tie irritably. He then took a step forward and grabbed her wrist. <br /> <br /> &quot;Stop this, will you?&quot;<br /> <br /> A second later, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. <br /> <br /> He instantly realized that she was burning up like someone who had been set on fire. <br /> <br /> &quot;You have a fever?&quot;<br /> <br /> Raegan felt dizzy. She rested her head on his chest weakly. <br /> <br /> This made the whole situation complicated. <br /> <br /> Reagan was slow to catch that. When she finally realized that her body was too close to his, she put her hands against his chest and tried to pull back. <br /> <br /> Before she could escape, Mitchel pulled her back and held her by the waist. With a cold face, he said in a low voice, &quot;Where do you think you are going?&quot;<br /> <br /> The light flickered again. Out of the blue, Mitchel lifted her up. <br /> <br /> He then headed for the elevator. <br /> <br /> In a daze, Raegan asked softly, &quot;What are you doing?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;What does it look like I am doing?&quot; Mitchel remarked. &quot;Taking you to the hospital, of course.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;No way!&quot; Raegan cried out in surprise and seemed to regain more strength. <br /> <br /> Mitchel might find out about her condition if they went to the hospital.<br /> <br /> Raegan struggled to get out of Mitchel&#039;s arms. However, his tight grip made her efforts fruitless. <br /> <br /> &quot;Don&#039;t be so stubborn. You are sick, so you must see the doctor,&quot; Mitchel said firmly. <br /> <br /> He walked to the elevator with her in his arms. At this moment, Raegan&#039;s heart was thumping so hard that it could jump out of her chest. She flailed in protest. <br /> <br /> &quot;Put me down! I don&#039;t want to go to the hospital!&quot;<br /> <br /> &amp;13&amp; LEARN_MORE https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-FB_CONTACT-E 159129143942156 Hello reading https://facebook.com/61552535188096 43,118 1 455,774,523,485,180 2024-07-12 02:00 person_profile eligible 0 0 NONE 0 1 1 0 Learn more 0 Hello reading 120212338376850091 fbweb.moboreader.net NONE image https://fbweb.moboreader.net/46526322-FB_CONTACT-ENJ57_8-Core1.html?adid={{ad.id}}&char=124213&accid=798859118295947 2024-05-09 08:12 https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/438164910_8063214113730450_6567613536749103988_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=DsQM5hTkhyEQ7kNvgGEbQeu&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYCNoDocv5CpETECuNP6xx59oXqiLtKWJzA0FZ5R3p22rA&oe=6696F5A5 person_profile 0 moboreader https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/438159694_976915946869603_1370291465083895679_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=-ZzR6EJOD_0Q7kNvgG_QVGc&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AYBhQ1Kimc2IFxU2h5OLM4UX5z9rNbwVJu_KyJyRmdbCSw&oe=6696EB87 0 3 Hello reading 0 0 2024-07-12 02:00 View Edit
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