Ch. 11..20

Chapter 11

The sweet smile on Kendall's face sent a sparkle through Dylan's eyes, and it also made Jackson gape at her for a few extra seconds because he didn't think that she would have the nerves to smile in front of Dylan much more greeting him.

To turn down the marriage, she went to Master Dylan and slit her wrist in front of him, thus offending him, Jackson thought. By right, she should be terrified of him…

"Hmph!" Dylan snorted indifferently. "What a coincidence!"

The nerve of her to go on a date with her lover and even buy him clothes! Did she think that her rightful husband by law was dead?

"This shirt…" Dylan extended his hand and said, "Show it to me."

Immediately, she passed the shirt to him, and he looked at it pretentiously after taking it from her hands. Then, he tossed it back to her as he commented, "This shirt doesn't look good, and the material is not good enough. However…" His eyes drifted to Jackson and stopped on him for a couple of seconds before saying indifferently, "It's suitable for Mr. Whittle."

Whatever it was, he didn't wear clothes like this because all of his clothes were specially tailored to him by top-notch designers, and they only used the best fabrics.

The shop manager's face flinched a little, and he hurriedly explained, "Master Dylan, we're the franchise store of a renowned brand known worldwide. Hence, the quality of our material is definitely the best."

As Dylan had a considerable influence in Orapolis, the business of their store, as well as the sales of the brand, would be affected if he complained that the brand's quality wasn't good enough.

"It's not good if I say so. Regardless, I never wear anything from your brand," Dylan argued emotionlessly, and the store manager's face turned even paler as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Dylan, I didn't pick this shirt for Mr. Whittle. He's unrelated to me, so why should I buy him gifts? Actually, I'm planning to buy this for you, but forget it if you don't like it. I thought this is a rather good brand."

Finally, Kendall found the chance to explain herself, and everyone gaped at her, dumbfounded, including Dylan, who was shocked beyond words because he didn't expect her to be shopping for himself.

However, his shocked expression was only there for a split second, and he took the shirt from Kendall's hands again when he quickly recovered his nonchalant expression. Once again, he looked at it pretentiously and appeared as if he was forcibly accepting it. "It's not embarrassing to wear this."

"So, should I buy it, Dylan?" Kendall asked.

Then, he threw the shirt back at her, rolled his wheelchair away, and said imperiously, "That's up to you."

Hurriedly, his bodyguards went behind him and pushed him out of the store. While the store manager and the other workers sent him off, they bid him goodbye politely. "Please watch your step, Master

Dylan."

Kendall pursed her lips as she thought that her husband really loved to make grand gestures, even with trifle matters such as shopping. His visiting a shop was akin to making a trip as royalty.

With all that said, did he like this shirt in the end or not? Before he left, he said that this wasn't an embarrassing shirt to wear, so did it mean that he could accept it? Regardless, she decided to buy the shirt.

If he didn't like it, she would bring it to her brother, Nelson Woods, who was the eldest son of her adopted mother.

At the same time, Jackson waited until Dylan had left before he turned to gaze at Kendall with a complicated look in his eyes.

Unfortunately, Kendall couldn't be bothered with him as she made the payment and left with the shirt.

"Kendall," he called, going after her. "Kendall, why are you buying clothes for Master Dylan?"

The whole time, he thought that she was shopping for him.

Without even so much as a glance at him, she answered flatly, "What does this have to do with you, Mr. Whittle?"

Caught in stunned silence, Jackson was not the least used to how Kendall was now—distant and aloof. She was no longer the woman whose eyes sparkled whenever she saw him and whose thoughts revolved around him all the time.

Right then, Cameron called Kendall. She had just parked the car and entered Wealthy Luck Street, but she had no idea where Kendall was.

Kendall picked up the call and told her to wait for her at the entrance of L.E. Boutique.

After she hung up the call, she felt that Jackson was still following her, so she stopped in her tracks before spinning around and asking him stonily, "Why are you still following me, Mr. Whittle?"

"Kendall, you're acting very weird toward me today. Are you mad at me for not visiting you?" he asked timidly.

She let out a cold chuckle in her heart as she felt that she had an outstanding tolerance level for not choking him to death on the spot, and he was expecting her to be as kind to him as she did in her past life?

In your dreams! she thought.

"Am I acting weird to you, Mr. Whittle? Am I not the same? Mr. Whittle, I'm busy and have to go now. Please stop following me. Or else, I'll call the police and have you arrested for stalking and harassment."

Quietly, Jackson watched her. She has changed, but why? Kelly said that she changed after she was sent home by the Colemans. What happened to her when she was at the Colemans?

"Kendall, my family is already looking at the dates, and once they pick a suitable day, I'll visit your house with my elders to speak about the marriage. So, you don't have to worry about anything. Just

wait for the day to be my beautiful wife." Jackson couldn't help but use marriage to test her out.

Instead of the reaction Jackson expected, she giggled sardonically and asked him, "Mr. Whittle, did I agree to your proposal? No, you didn't even propose to me. Why? Didn't Kelly tell you that I don't want to marry you anymore?"

Kelly loved him so much, so she must have told him that Kendall didn't want to marry him anymore.

"Kendall," he murmured. "What happened at the Colemans that day?"

"How did you know that I was at the Colemans' residence? Obviously, Kelly has told you everything, but you're pretending that you don't know anything. Aren't you tired of acting? Mr. Whittle, I'm tired even if you aren't because I don't want to put up an act with you guys anymore."

After saying that, she turned around and left, not forgetting to warn him, "Stop following me. You wouldn't like it if you tried my patience."

After that, Jackson didn't follow her anymore and stood rooted to the spot as he watched her walk away. Minutes later, only then did he turn to leave as well.

Without a doubt, he would find out the reason behind the change in Kendall, and he wanted to know who was the one who destroyed his image in front of her to the point that she could be so heartless to him, even threatening to call the police on him and have him up for harassment!

Meanwhile, L.E. Boutique had several stores in Orapolis, but the headquarters was at Wealthy Luck Street.

By the time Kendall reached L.E. Boutique, Cameron was already waiting there, and when she saw Kendall, she started complaining, "Miss Kendall, you're walking too slow. I've been waiting a few minutes for you. Can you please have a sense of time and be punctual? Being as slow as you are, Vice President Parker will definitely demote you if she sees you being like this."

"If you don't want to wait for me, you don't have to, Miss Sanders. We didn't agree on a meeting time, so how could you say I wasn't punctual?"

Cameron was dumbfounded. It was true that Kendall only asked her to wait in front of the boutique, but she didn't mention when she would arrive.

As she walked past Cameron, she said nonchalantly, "Miss Sanders, you might be Kelly's secretary, but since she already gave you the task of going shopping with me, I would like to ask you to place me as a priority. So what if I made you wait a few more minutes?"

Despite the contempt in Cameron's heart, she still maintained the polite facade on her face. "Miss Kelly, I'm sorry. I apologize for the things I said earlier."

 

Chapter 12

After casting Cameron an icy glare, Kendall walked into L.E. Boutique.

The headquarters of the boutique had three floors. The first and second floors were the gallery of all the gowns, while the third floor was the office.

When Kendall was in the boutique, Cameron snorted. "You're just a hillbilly. Even if you're wealthy now, you still remain a peasant, and you even want me to set you as the priority? My foot!"

Even though she was filled with contempt for Kendall, she had to set them aside in the end and follow her into the boutique.

Upon seeing Kendall in the boutique, the store employees didn't move an inch. Only one new employee who didn't know her paced to her and greeted her with a smile.

This wasn't Kendall's first trip to L.E. Boutique, but she always came here with Charlotte before this, and with Charlotte around, the people here were always very friendly to her.

On the other hand, when she came alone, these people couldn't even be bothered to greet her.

What a bunch of snobs! she thought.

"Hi, Miss Sanders."

When she walked in, the senior employees who ignored Kendall greeted Cameron with all smiles instead, embarrassing Kendall on purpose.

One of them said to Cameron with a smile, "Miss Sanders, the dresses which Miss Parker had custom made with us are ready. Are you here to pick them up?"

All of Kelly's gowns were tailored by L.E. Boutique, and she would pick a few new designs whenever she was in a rush. No matter what, there was only one piece of every design from L.E. Boutique, so there was no worry about wearing the same dress with another person.

Witnessing the senior employees as they ignored Kendall, Cameron was jumping with glee in her heart. Even though Kelly wasn't the real young mistress of the Parker Family, she was deeply loved by Adam, and he looked highly on her, which was something that Kendall couldn't replace.

With a smile, she explained, "Vice President Parker will come personally to pick up her dresses. I'm here today to pick out a few dresses with Miss Kendall. Then, this weekend, she'll attend the Zorn Family's party with Vice President Parker."

The employees who greeted her started giggling, and one said with sarcasm, "It's hard on you, Miss Sanders."

Understanding what she meant behind her words, Cameron chuckled but didn't say a thing.

In the meantime, Kendall couldn't find any dress that caught her eyes after going through the first floor, so she said to the salesgirl, "Show me your dresses on the second floor."

That salesgirl was about to lead her upstairs when the senior employees repeatedly muttered in sarcasm, "A village girl can never become a princess."

"Even if a country bumpkin wears the finest clothes, she's still a hillbilly."

Composedly, Kendall secretly took out her phone and recorded their snide remarks while Cameron let those people ridicule Kendall as they pleased with a gleeful glint in her eyes.

After she had recorded their insults, Kendall strode to the store manager and slammed on the table, giving her a scare.

When the store manager lifted her eyes and saw that it was Kendall, she furrowed her brows in annoyance but asked pleasantly, "Oh, it's Miss Kendall. How may I help you?"

Kendall plastered on a smile. "It's not a problem that your employees ignored me after I came in, but didn't you hear their snide comments about me? The dresses from L.E. Boutique are perfect, but the employees' characters are below average. Don't you think it's very ironic?"

"What did they say?" With an almost unnoticeable smirk on her face, the store manager asked Kendall instead, "Someone is already attending to you, Miss Kendall. How many more people do you need to serve you? They're just making some passing remarks, and you slammed my table because of that. What about your character, then, Miss Kendall?"

Staring at her steadily for a long time, Kendall knew that she was having the same thoughts as the other senior employees. Hence, she didn't want to waste time debating with her and requested, "I would like to speak with President Evans."

The owner of L.E. Boutique was Laura Evans, who was a fashion designer specializing in gowns.

Wearing the same expression as before, the store manager answered, "You can speak with me if you

have any problems, Miss Kendall. We don't have to alarm President Evans if it's something which I can solve because she's swamped and doesn't have the time to meet you, Miss Kendall."

L.E. Boutique had been set up for years and was a well-established business amongst the upper class in Orapolis. Laura was born into a wealthy family, and she befriended many influential people because of the boutique she started; Laura herself thought nothing of Kendall in this city.

Seeing that she was quiet, the store manager smiled. "Miss Kendall, the dresses on the first floor are nice, and any pieces that you pick will fit your quality very well. Meanwhile, the dresses on the second floor are especially pricey, and I'm worried that you won't be able to wear something as classy."

The dresses on the second floor were the best from their boutique, and only people possessing natural elegance and noble quality could bring out the grace and grandeur of the dresses.

A hillbilly like Kendall wasn't suited for the dresses on the second floor at all.

"Master Dylan!"

Suddenly, someone gasped, and Kendall spun her head. Sure enough, her husband was in the wheelchair without any expression while his bodyguard rolled him into the store.

Blinking, she wondered, Is he stalking me? Why am I bumping into him again?

With his appearance, the look on the store manager's face switched as quickly as flipping a page, and she quickly got to her feet and trotted over, smiling as bright as the sun outside.

"Master Dylan, are you here to look for President Evans? She already instructed us to show you to the

top floor if you arrive as she's waiting for you in the office there."

Dylan and Laura had been friends for a long time, so the store manager assumed he was here to look for Laura.

However, Dylan didn't answer her and gestured to his bodyguard not to push him anymore.

"What's happening?"

Sweeping his eyes over Kendall, he could clearly tell that she was fuming mad despite her greatest effort to suppress it. That was because she was still inexperienced, and he only needed one look to understand the situation.

Before the store manager could answer, he asked again, "What is she doing here?"

Hurriedly, she answered, "Ignore her, Master Dylan. She's the second young mistress of the Parker Family, and she's just here to take a look around for fun."

In Orapolis, Kendall was relatively well-known as well, but of course, for all the wrong reasons.

"So, anyone can just come here and look around for fun?"

His sardonic comment was directed toward the store manager, but the store manager didn't understand him and thought that he found Kendall an eyesore.

"If you find her as an eyesore, I'll ask her to leave the premises immediately, Master Dylan," she quickly said.

Kendall was speechless. When others looked down on her, instead of protecting her and standing up for her as her husband, he complained that she was an eyesore!

Immediately, Cameron went to her side and whispered, "Miss Kendall, let's go quickly before Master Dylan blows his top." While speaking, she reached out and wanted to pull her out of the boutique because it would be very embarrassing to be thrown out by the employees.

This wasn't a person she could mess with.

Despite that, Kendall shook off her hand, glared at Dylan, and turned to leave. But, instead of walking out, she went straight to the second floor.

The more they wanted her to leave, the more she wouldn't go!

"Miss Kendall!" The store manager tried to stop her with a stern look on her face. "Miss Kendall, our boutique won't be doing business with you for the time being. Please leave."

Meanwhile, Kendall was already on the second floor, and she stopped at the top of the staircase, turned around, and looked at them from above. She smiled, sounding sweet as she said, "Since you're open for business, then anyone who walks through the door is your customer, and customers are your gods. But, with that attitude of yours, it's not suitable to run a business at all. Should L.E. Boutique close its doors for restructuring?"

 

Chapter 13

The store manager went silent at her pointed words.

Turning around gracefully, Kendall moved her feet and walked away.

Her steps were calm. She was not panic-stricken because the staff at the L.E. Boutique looked down on her. Furthermore, she did not even feel ashamed of herself.

Kendall's behavior made the store manager take another look at her. However, the store manager finally saw Dylan's face and remembered his temper. Hence, the store manager could only endure it and said to Dylan, "Master Dylan, I'll head upstairs and immediately ask her to leave."

Dylan pursed his lips with a deep gaze and did not utter any words. No one knew what was on his mind.

Just as the store manager was about to head upstairs, Dylan suddenly spoke, "The words she said just now make sense. As retail employees, you should know that anyone who walks through the door is your guest. Regardless of her status, you all should treat her with courtesy. The quality of the staff at the L.E. Boutique needs improvement indeed."

After Dylan finished speaking, he pushed his wheelchair toward the elevator entrance.

Dylan and Laura were old acquaintances. After he became disabled because of the accident, she immediately installed an elevator in the store and it was done so mainly to make it easier for him to head upstairs.

At the same time, Dylan's words caused all the staff members at L.E. Boutique to have a tense

expression. Even so, no one dared to speak.

The staff in charge of attending to Kendall a while ago first looked at the store manager and then at the colleagues. At that moment, all the staff members felt they had to finish what they started. Hence, they left everyone behind and followed Kendall to the second floor.

After a few minutes, Dylan knocked on the general manager's office door.

Initially, Laura did not know it was him. Thus, she responded lightly. "Come in."

When his silhouette came into her sight, she stopped her work out of surprise. Then, she hurriedly walked around the desk, came behind him, and pushed him forward. In the meantime, the Coleman Family's bodyguard released his grip at the right moment as he stepped back, exited the office, and closed the door.

"Master Dylan, what a surprise! What made you visit me out of the blue?"

Laura had short hair and was dressed in a women's business suit, making her entire person look smart and competent.

She was not very beautiful, but she was easy on the eyes. She had an excellent temperament, and there was a natural sense of aristocracy in her gestures.

"I passed by Wealthy Luck Street and suddenly thought of you, so I came to have a look." Dylan was not out of breath or even faintly flushed when he lied.

When she heard that, Laura smiled and said, "It's truly my honor." Then, she pushed him toward the couch and asked, "Do you want me to help you up on the couch?"

"That won't be necessary."

With that, Dylan stood up with the help of his wheelchair and sat down on the couch strenuously.

Just this action was enough to cause a thin layer of sweat to ooze out of his handsome face.

According to the doctor, there is still hope for me to walk like an average person in a few years if I had been persistent with my rehabilitation. There was a period of time when I gave up on myself and did not persist with my rehabilitation.

Also, it was because I gave up on myself that the elders in the family decided to help me arrange an engagement. They wanted to help me regain my self-confidence by throwing me a joyous event based on their findings through my astrological natal chart readings. How superstitious of them!

But it's a pity that those women who usually swarmed around me now avoid me like the plague simply because I was suspected of being reproductively impaired due to my injuries. No one is willing to marry me, so my family can only help me pick Kendall, an heiress who has just returned to a good family from the countryside.

Who would have thought…

At the thought of that, Dylan's gaze turned gloomy as it only happened in that split second.

No matter what she did back then, she is now my wife. Only I can bully her! Others can dream if they

think of laying a finger on her!

"What would you like to drink?" Laura asked.

"I don't want to drink anything."

I always have to go to the bathroom after drinking too much water. Considering I have limited mobility, I can only drink as little water as possible.

At once, she could guess why he declined her offer and looked at his legs with concern. There's nothing wrong when one looks at the pair of legs under the suit pants. They still look slender, but they have no strength to walk.

She watched how strenuous it was for Dylan to sit on the couch by himself moments ago from the corners of her eyes.

"Laura."

"Yes?" Laura responded while sitting down opposite him.

"Kendall is choosing dresses on the second floor of your store. Can you spare some time to help her choose a few dresses that suit her?"

The request that escaped Dylan's lips astonished Laura. She even exaggeratedly picked her ears with her finger as if she suspected herself of mishearing the words.

"You heard it right. That's what I said."

"Y-You agreed to the engagement with Ms. Parker?" she asked tentatively.

We're all in the same circle. The Coleman Family wants to have an alliance marriage with the Parker Family, and they even selected the true heiress of the Parker Family. By now, everyone in the upper- class circle should know about this.

Since Laura had many sources of information, she naturally knew about this matter.

When he heard that, Dylan answered flatly, "She rejected the engagement."

But she somehow changed her mind when she woke up after taking her own life.

He clearly had no intention of telling her about him and Kendall being married. Similarly, the Parker Family doesn't seem to be aware either. Perhaps Kendall thinks it's better to hide the news of them already married. Suit herself!

After being stupefied for a moment, Laura said, "I received some hearsay that Kendall fell in love with Jackson at first sight, and she won't marry anyone else except him."

When she saw that Dylan had a rather unpleasant look on his face, she hurriedly explained, "There are so many good women in Orapolis. I'm sure there are always people who really love you for who you are and are willing to get married to you without expecting anything."

However, he scoffed upon hearing that. Then, he retorted bluntly, "Who wants to be a widow? Laura, do you wish to get married to me if I didn't get involved in a car accident? Will you still be willing to marry me with me looking like this now?"

When Laura heard his words, she immediately said, "Master Dylan… We're just friends."

Once again, Dylan scoffed.

In his heart, he knew clearly that she always had a crush on him. However, she restrained herself from showing her feelings after she tested him several times and realized that he just saw her as a friend.

Because of his scoff, her face flushed red and she hesitated to speak.

Even if she had made many friends with eminent status, she still did not dare to offend Dylan because all those friends were no match for Dylan alone.

Therefore, after knowing that he didn't have feelings for her, she still maintained their friendship even when he deliberately wanted to distance himself. She did so mainly because she wanted to use him as her backer in the business world.

"Master Dylan, Kendall has rejected the engagement, but why do you still ask me to help her choose an evening dress?"

Alas, Dylan merely stared at her instead of giving her a straight answer and asked, "Are you not willing to do so?"

In an instant, Laura replied, "Not at all. It's rare for you to ask me for a favor. Surely, I will help."

"She's still on the second floor. Help her to choose a dress first. Remember to give her a discount. She grew up in the countryside, so she'll inevitably care about money," he spoke these words to her in a

commanding tone.

Despite his commanding tone, she still smiled heartily. "Master Dylan, since you had said so, I can even give her for free. It's just that I'm scared it'll look offensive to her."

At that moment, she could not wait to go upstairs to the second floor and see what charm Kendall had. Dylan can still look at her in admiration even after she has rejected his marriage proposal. She must be quite the character.

"Also, the staff members in your store are acting like snobs. Even the store manager is not qualified to be a store manager!"

Without delay, Laura said, "I will deal with them. You're right. It'll seriously affect the L.E. Boutique's reputation if I let them stay."

Hearing Laura's words, Dylan stopped speaking.

"Master Dylan, have a seat for a while. I'll help Kendall to choose a dress first, lest she leaves the store in a while."

Still, Dylan merely pursed his lips and uttered nothing.

It was until she went to the office door that he suddenly thanked her in a low voice. "Thank you, Laura!"

When she heard that, she smiled. "Master Dylan, you have made several exceptions for Kendall in just ten minutes or so."

He didn't flinch at her observation, but his gaze turned profound at her comment. Then, once again, he pursed his thin lips into a straight line and stopped talking.

That's my wife. Naturally, I'll make an exception for her! Besides, she's attending a banquet. So, of course, she has to dress up a little so as not to bring shame to me.

Dylan was purely thinking about himself.

Chapter 14

Wandering around the second floor of the L.E. Boutique, Kendall felt that the dresses on the second floor were indeed better than those on the first floor. But, sure enough, they were also more expensive.

As Dylan said, I grew up in the countryside. I'll still be shocked that a dress can cost as high as several ten thousand or even several hundred thousand even after I have returned to a good family for more than a year.

Suddenly, Kendall heard the sound of footsteps. And thus, she turned her head and saw a young lady making her way toward her with a smiling face.

Although the young lady had a smile on her face, Kendal still felt her piercing gazes land on her.

"President Evans." The staff in the store addressed the lady. In an instant, Kendall knew that she was the owner of the L.E. Boutique.

I used to come here with Mom, but at most, it was the store manager who personally attended to us. So, I have never seen Laura before.

Since Laura was the most renowned designer of elegant and luxurious dresses in Orapolis, she was exceptionally busy with work. Therefore, it was already difficult for ordinary guests to see her in person, let alone get attended to by her.

"Hi, you must be Ms. Parker."

As Laura spoke, she came in front of Kendall. The staff retreated automatically upon seeing Laura personally attending to her. Then, with a smile, Laura reached out her right hand to Kendall and

introduced herself. "I'm Laura. Laura Evans. It's an honor to meet you."

Likewise, Kendall shook hands with her gracefully and smiled back. "I should be the one who said those words."

Laura smiled in response. "Ms. Parker, do you have any dresses that you fancy? Do you need my help choosing a few dresses that suit you?"

In the meantime, she was scrutinizing Kendall's figure. She has a perfect figure, curvaceous yet not overly so. Her face is delicate, and her aura isn't bad as well. She doesn't look like a bumpkin rumored by the others, and her waist-length hair is her most eye-catching feature.

As expected, rumors are not meant to be trusted entirely!

"President Evans, no words could describe how grateful I am that you're willing to help me with this. To be honest, I'm dazzled by so many choices of dresses. For a moment, I can't decide which one to pick." Kendall was telling the truth.

The dresses on the second floor were combinations of both flamboyant Italian style and modern minimalist Swiss style. She liked both designs and thought each dress was amazing.

When Laura heard that, she let out a genuine smile and said, "You're my guest. It's what I should do, so you don't have to express your gratitude toward me."

After that, she took Kendall and came in front of a white Swiss-style dress. Then, she said to Kendall, "Ms. Parker, I think this dress suits you well. Do you want to try it on?"

Kendall took a look at the dress suggested by her. This is the dress that I fancied as soon as I came upstairs. But I was confused and dazzled by so many choices after looking around the dresses and couldn't make up my mind.

"Alright, President Evans. I'll follow your advice."

At once, Laura removed the dress from the hanger and handed it to Kendall. Then, she asked Kendall to change into the gown.

When Kendall was done changing and walked out, Laura was so amazed that she couldn't help staring at Kendall. In her mind, she thought, As expected from the true heiress of the Parker Family. The noble air in her core can't be eliminated even if her life has been switched for twenty-five years by mistake. She'll turn into a princess once she dresses in an elegant and luxurious dress.

"Ms. Parker, can you walk a few steps and let me have a look?"

Hence, Kendall walked a few steps as she said. Then, she asked, "What do you think, President Evans?" She had looked at herself in the mirror in the dressing room just now and thought she looked fine.

Laura smiled and replied. "It's wonderful. This dress suits you very well."

Therefore, Kendall beamed and made her choice right then and there. "In that case, I'll take this."

"There's no rush. You can pick a few more dresses." As Laura spoke, she brought a few more dresses for Kendall to try on. After Kendall tried them one by one, her attitude toward Kendall became even

more enthusiastic.

At that moment, Laura thought of asking Kendall to be her model for future dresses she had in mind. No matter which kind of dress Kendall wears, her skin, temperament, and figure can flaunt the beauty of the dress. She's even better than the models I'm hiring now.

However, Laura didn't bring it up to Kendall so as not to let her think she was overstepping her boundaries.

Later, she called the staff from earlier to come over. Laura asked the team to take Kendall downstairs to check out and specifically told them to give Kendall a discount. When the staff heard the word 'discount', she focused on Laura.

But there was never any discount on the dresses in the L.E. Boutique.

Kendall didn't know that there was never any discount on the dresses in the L.E. Boutique. Therefore, she felt those unpleasant incidents that took place on the first floor instantly vanished when she heard Laura say she would give her a discount.

Furthermore, Laura's excuse for the discount was very pleasing to the ears. "Ms. Parker, I know that my staff has a bad attitude just now. Don't worry. I will deal with them all."

Upon hearing that, both Kendall and the staff thought that the discount Laura gave was a token of apology.

After Kendall followed the staff downstairs, Laura turned around and walked toward the elevator. A few minutes later, she sat back down across from Dylan.

"Master Dylan, I have done according to your order. Can you tell me why her?" Laura's words had a tint of envy and jealousy.

Kendall is the first woman to make Master Dylan look at her differently and make allowances.

With an indifferent tone, Dylan replied. "There's no reason."

Afterward, he stood up from the couch and sat back in his wheelchair. While pushing the wheelchair, he added, "I will let my sister, Alice, come over and order a few sets of dresses." That could be considered Dylan's repayment to Laura.

Dylan's sister, Alice Coleman, was this generation's sole heiress of the Coleman Family. Age-wise, she was eight years younger than Dylan.

The Coleman Family had a growing family, but the number of male members in the family was usually more than the female members. Moreover, no daughter was born into the family for five consecutive generations. When it came to Dylan's generation, his mother gave up on expecting a daughter after giving birth to three sons in a row. However, Dylan's mother unexpectedly became pregnant again at thirty-six. Then, she gave birth to Alice.

At that time, the entire Coleman Family was up for a long time at the birth of Alice. They even gave out exclusive gift cards to all the company employees, wishing they could celebrate the joyous moment with the entire nation.

Seeing Dylan off, Laura said with a smile, "I designed all Ally's dresses personally."

Alice is at the top of the list in my circle of friends. Even the other wealthy ladies and women must take a step back regarding priority.

"Master Dylan, I'm thinking of asking Ms. Parker to be my model. What price do you think I should offer her?"

Without having second thoughts, Dylan answered. "She won't be your model."

Is she kidding me?! How can the Young Mistress Kendall of the Coleman Family be a model for the L.E. Boutique?!

Even if I don't love Kendall, she's now my wife. No woman in Orapolis can surpass her in terms of status and position.

It sounds much better if I let Laura model for Kendall.

"Master Dylan, you're not her. So how do you know she won't be a model for me?"

Laura was full of confidence when she said that, as she was confident in her own brand. Among the wealthy families in Orapolis, the Parker Family isn't one of the most prominent. The fact that I'm considering hiring her as my model shows that I think highly of her.

Unlike before, Dylan did not answer Laura's question this time.

Earlier, I could see that Kendall's facial complexion was much better. Unfortunately, the wound on her hand also left a scar. It's time to take her back to the Coleman Family and let her take responsibility for

me.

Meanwhile, Laura was not annoyed at all, even if she did not receive an answer. I'm used to it anyway.

This is Dylan. Often, he won't answer when people ask him questions. He's a very arrogant man.

If it's not for the fact that he…

Looking at his legs, Laura then wandered back to her thoughts. I would definitely try every means to get married to him if it wasn't for him reproductively impaired due to the car accident.

One can't blame me for being realistic and superficial. After all, marriage means to live with him for a lifetime. Who wants to be a woman with no child to call her own?

Dylan, such a pity!

After Dylan left the office, his bodyguard immediately came behind the wheelchair and pushed him away while the others followed behind him silently.

Laura saw Dylan off all the way to the elevator and watched the group enter the elevator. After the elevator door closed, she turned around and walked back into the boutique.

 

Chapter 15

After leaving L.E. Boutique, Kendall headed to other stores to purchase new clothes for her parents before returning home. When she arrived home, she was surprised to find Kelly's car parked outside the house in the open-space parking lot.

After Kendall got out of the car, the maid came over to help with Kendall's shopping bags. "Isn't my mom at home?" she asked the maid.

"Mrs. Parker went out to play poker with her friends. She told me that she's not coming back for dinner tonight," the maid replied.

Kendall nodded and walked toward the main hall while continuing to ask questions. "Why is Kelly back?" It was still office hours, so Kelly was supposed to be in the company.

Kelly was a responsible woman who often worked overtime and had her parents' complete trust.

Kendall knew that their parents had treated Kelly as the heir of the family from the very start. They had nurtured Kelly to shape her into an outstanding individual who would be capable of taking over the company. If Kendall hadn't been reborn, she wouldn't have guessed that Kelly had an evil heart lying beneath her excellent performance.

In Kendall's previous life, after her parents' sudden death, Kelly had taken over the Parker Corporation since Kendall didn't have the skills to do so. Back then, Kelly claimed their parents' will had made it clear that Kelly was to inherit the company.

Of course, Kendall didn't believe this, but at the same time, she had been trapped in a challenging position since she married the Whittle Family. The Whittle Family forced Kendall to stay home, and she

had to gain Jackson's approval before leaving the house. As a result, she didn't have the chance to investigate the validity of Kelly's words at all.

As Kendall recalled bits and pieces of her past, she felt herself burning with hatred for Kelly and Jackson. Yet, simultaneously, she despised herself for being too innocent and useless. Well, at least I was worthless enough to ruin my and my daughter's lives.

"I'm not sure about that. Ms. Kelly didn't seem too happy when she entered the house, so we were too afraid to ask her anything," the maid replied. Even though Kendall was the biological daughter of the Parker Family, the maids were still afraid of Kelly. Even though Kelly seemed more approachable, she was tough to get along with.

Kendall didn't continue questioning the maid after that. Instead, her secretary's eyes flickered with unease while following closely behind her.

Kelly was sitting on the couch, and she shot Kendall a cold glare when she saw Kendall walking in. Kendall entered the hall with a nonchalant look on her face, and she sat down on the couch as she started a casual conversation with Kelly. "Why are you home?"

"Kendall." Kelly took a deep breath as if she were trying to contain her anger. But, unfortunately, the cold look in her eyes had turned into one that seemed more like fury. "Did you purchase outfits at L.E. Boutique?" Kelly asked.

Kendall took the bag of clothes from the maid before thanking her. Then, when she heard Kelly's question, she turned to look at the woman. "What's wrong with buying my outfit from L.E. Boutique?"

"You bumped into Master Dylan there, didn't you?" Kelly continued to question Kendall as if she hadn't heard Kendall's words at all. "You've already offended Master Dylan a few times now. Do you want our entire family to follow you to the grave? Can't you tell that Master Dylan is annoyed at you? You should be staying away from him, not sticking your face into his. You shouldn't drag our family down even if you have a death wish!" Kelly hissed.

Kelly received a call from Cameron earlier, only to discover that Kendall had offended Dylan and the people at L.E. Boutique. Kelly was furious to hear this—she immediately dropped her work and sped back home to give Kendall a lecture. "You didn't even provide a sincere apology the last time I brought you over to apologize to Master Dylan. Didn't you learn your lesson after neglecting Master Dylan's words and making your own selfish decisions? Do you even have a brain? Is your head filled with air? I told you not to offend Master Dylan. Anyone who offends him will definitely regret it!"

Kelly was outraged over the fact that she had been dragged out of the Coleman Mansion. It was all Kendall's fault. Fortunately, the news hadn't gotten to the public. Otherwise, it would utterly ruin the flawless impression that Kelly had created for herself. I wouldn't say that I'm at the top of the hierarchy in a city as huge as Orapolis. There are way too many other successful entrepreneurs here. But at the very least, I'm still the precious princess in Parker Corporation, and everyone sucks up to me. They all know that I'm going to take over the company. I've never been shamed so badly until that incident! This is all because of Kendall!

Kendall's expression turned cold. "I arrived at L.E. Boutique first. Dylan was the one who showed up after that. How could you say that I was the one being a nuisance?"

"You know that Master Dylan doesn't like you. The shop manager told you to leave after that, but what did you do? You might have grown up in the countryside, but you've been here for over a year now, Kendall. Don't you know what you should do? You should be able to recognize the severity of the

situation back there, even if you're from the countryside. Are you an idiot?" Kelly hissed.

"Kelly!" Kendall was so furious that she threw her bags of clothes in Kelly's direction. It didn't hurt when it struck Kelly, of course. "Who are you to tell me what to do? Whatever I do to Dylan is my business. You can always leave if you're afraid of me dragging you down!"

Kelly hadn't expected Kendall to throw the bags at her. Although it didn't hurt, it still infuriated her. Kelly shot to her feet before wagging a finger at Kendall. "I'm your elder sister, Kendall. You're not showing me respect, and you're even throwing stuff at me! How dare you tell me to leave! Do you think you have the right to chase me out just because you're Mom and Dad's biological daughter? You have no right to do that!"

"You're scolding me because I happened to bump into Master Dylan. Why should I respect you for that? Why should I please you right after you scolded me for such a thing? Who do you think you are, Kelly?" The crazy woman's words triggered Kendall. She knew that she would have to chase Kelly out eventually, but the time wasn't right yet. First, she wanted to slowly regain everything that Kelly had taken from the Parker Family. Then, she would chase Kelly out when she was already the clear winner in the situation. That would feel more satisfying.

Kendall's response made Kelly even angrier than before. In the past, Kendall used to be a polite and sweet sister. Besides, Kelly had already established her ground in the Parker Corporation after spending the past 25 years of her life with their parents, and Kendall respected that.

However, Kendall had stopped pleasing Kelly since the Coleman Family's bodyguard sent Kendall home.

Kelly was kind enough to prepare some porridge for Kendall after that. However, Kendall didn't just skip

dinner—she even snipped off some of the flowers that Kelly had been growing. When Kelly saw the full glasses of warm milk on the table, she picked up one of the steaming hot cups to splash it at Kendall.

Kendall managed to doge the milk, but there were still splashes of it on her clothes. Kendall was furious to see the stains on her clothes, so she stormed over to Kelly before slapping her across the face harshly. Smack! The slap landed heavily on Kelly's face.

Kelly could feel her face burning as she stared at Kendall in disbelief. Cameron, who had been standing by the door, was just as shocked by what happened. I can't believe Kendall just hit someone as powerful and feisty as the vice president, Cameron thought.

"How dare you hit me, Kendall!" Kelly screamed at the top of her lungs before she charged forward to slap Kendall back. However, Kendall managed to dodge Kelly in time, which only made Kelly more furious than before. Kelly ran and threw herself toward Kendall, but Kendall simply sent a flying kick in Kelly's direction. Kelly landed on the couch.

"It's been so long since I fought anyone. My kicking skills are rusty," Kendall said to herself. Kelly glared at the other woman with her rage-filled eyes. I hate this stupid countryside woman. She kicked me in the stomach, and it hurts so bad!

Kendall lowered her leg before gazing at Kelly with a rather amused look on her face. "You should know that I used to run an extracurricular training center. When the teachers were occupied, I would have to step in to replace the classes. So, I've learned everything—martial arts, combat skills, piano, chess, and so on. I'm pretty good at whatever I've learned."

 

 

Chapter 16

Kelly was speechless.

"Look, Kelly. Although Mom and Dad want me to see you as my elder sister, I'm sure you know that I don't see you that way. So, stop bossing me around as if you're really my elder sister!" Kendall bent down and pressed her fingers against Kelly's chin before observing her enemy from her past life. It was an undeniable that Kelly was a gorgeous woman—that explained why Jackson was so in love with her. Kelly raised her hand to smack Kendall's hand away before she used the couch as support to get herself off the ground. "You're repeating your old mistakes, Kendall. I'll tell Dad about this when he's back. You may think that I have no right to teach you a lesson, but I'm sure Dad has the right to do it, huh?"

Their father valued Parker Corporation's livelihood more than Kelly did. He wouldn't let it slip so easily if he found out that Kendall had offended Dylan one time after another. Kendall frowned before she responded in a mocking tone. "I knew it! You're such a snitch. Do you think I don't know what you told Dad? You told him to let me pick on my own when the Colemans came to ask for marriage, right?"

In her past life, Kendall had desperately wanted to marry Jackson in her past life. How could she possibly pick Dylan if she had a choice? Kelly's intention had been for Kendall to offend the Coleman Family and Dylan himself. "If I didn't tell Dad about that, he would have just agreed to the Coleman Family's request for an arranged marriage. If that happened, you would have had to spend the rest of your life living like a widow even though you had a husband. I'm doing this all for you. It's fine if you don't recognize my efforts, but I can't believe you're doing this time. Since when did you turn into such an ungrateful woman, Kendall?" Kelly hissed.

Before Kendall could respond, footsteps sounded from outside the house. Soon enough, Adam entered the hall and strode toward the two ladies. "What happened, Kelly?" Adam was aware that Kelly had

rushed home from the office. He had made his way home soon after that as he thought that something had happened. "What's up with your face, Kelly? Who hit you?" Adam quickly noticed the redness and swelling on Kelly's cheek, and his expression darkened immediately. "Tell me who was it who bullied you, Kelly. I'll teach them a lesson. How dare they hit my daughter!"

"It's fine, Dad. I just hit something by accident," Kelly explained hastily.

"Do you think I'm blind? The fingerprints are so obvious—someone clearly hit you." Adam rubbed his fingers against Kelly's cheek with a pained expression on his face. "That b*stard really didn't hold back with his slap!"

Cameron looked like he wanted to say something, but Kelly shot him a glare to make him seal his lips. Kendall hated how Kelly was trying to act like the good sister in front of her father, so she decided to own up to her doings. "I'm that b*stard you speak of, Dad."

Adam turned around to stare at his daughter in shock. "Did you say that you were the one who hit Kelly?" Adam couldn't believe what he heard. Ever since they brought Kendall back home, she had always been mature and thoughtful. She was a reserved girl who seemed rather shy at times and didn't look like the type who would hit someone!

"I hit her," Kendall uttered honestly.

"Kendall and I had a tiny argument, Dad. She only slapped me and kicked me as she was blinded by rage," Kelly said. She made it seem like she was the bigger person, but she always found a way to snitch on Kendall simultaneously. Adam's expression turned grim when he heard Kelly's words. "Regardless of the reason, you're still wrong for hitting someone, Kendall! I want you to apologize to

your sister now! You're disappointing me!"

"Dad, I can apologize to her if she apologizes to me. If she hadn't gone overboard and if she hadn't lectured me, I wouldn't have hit her." Kendall refused to admit that she had already wanted to slap Kelly long ago.

"Kelly's your sister. You're not going to die from receiving her criticism. It's fine if you don't acknowledge her words, but how could you hit her? How did that man and woman educate you in the past? How did you turn into someone like this?!" Adam was instinctively biased toward Kelly since she was the heir that he had nurtured all along. He naturally trusted and cherished her more. Even though Kendall was his biological daughter, she was still someone who entered the family later—Adam couldn't be fair to both the girls.

Kendall gazed at her father with a wronged expression on her face. Even though she hadn't been close to him in her past life, he wasn't as biased toward Kelly back then. However, now that she had decided to care for her family in this life, it was saddening to find out that her father was such a biased man. Could some people and things have changed because of my reincarnation?

"I only scolded Kendall for her own good, Dad. She kept offending Master Dylan, so I was afraid that Master Dylan would do something bad to her. That was why I felt the need to lecture her." Kelly explained the reason for her scolding.

After hearing Kelly's words, Adam was angrier than ever. He gave Kendall a tight slap without any hesitation. Smack! Kendall felt his palm against her face. The spot where he hit her turned red and swollen instantly. There was even some blood on the corner of her mouth. That was how powerful Adam's slap was.

"Kelly had accompanied you to the Coleman Family to apologize after you heartlessly rejected the marriage. That was why they hadn't caused any trouble. Yet, you're offending Master Dylan again. Do you think he's a saint? How many times do you think he can forgive you? Kelly's doing all of this for your own good. How dare you hit her when she was just trying to educate you?" Adam panicked the moment he imagined Dylan's ice-cold face in his head.

It was reasonable for Kendall to reject the marriage since the Colemans knew that Dylan was infertile. However, now that the marriage issue had been resolved, Kendall would be asking for death if she were to offend Dylan. She was practically creating enemies for the Parker Corporation!

"I didn't offend Master Dylan, Dad!" Kendall wiped the blood off the corner of her mouth before she began to defend herself. "I don't care whether you guys trust me. But the fact is that I didn't offend Master Dylan today."

"How dare you say that? Why didn't you stay away from him when he appeared?" Kelly hissed.

Adam pointed his finger at Kendall while criticizing her. "He already dislikes you, yet you insist on staying around to infuriate him further. I didn't know you were such a dumb woman, Kendall. Where's your brain? Why don't you consider your family before acting? Do you want the Parker Corporation to go bankrupt?"

"You should stop scolding Kendall, Dad. She grew up in the countryside, so she probably doesn't understand the severity of her actions." Kelly tugged her father's arm to stop him from pointing at Kendall. She sounded like she was trying to help Kendall, but she was also degrading Kendall at the same time.

"I don't need your pretentious care, Kelly. So what if I grew up in the countryside? Is that shameful to

you?" Kendall hissed.

Smack! Adam sent another slap onto Kendall's other cheek. Now, both her cheeks were equally swollen.

"This is too much. Grab me a cane, Kelly. I need to punish her the Parker way! I will teach my daughter a lesson since it seems like her past caregivers had failed to do so!" The Parkers' way of punishment was to whip someone with a cane with thorns. One could only understand how it felt after being hit by that specific cane.

"Dad," Kelly protested.

"I'm ordering you to take the cane!" he growled. Kelly had no choice but to bring the cane while trying to calm her father down. "Kendall's still immature, Dad. Let's teach her with more patience. You shouldn't use the cane. She's 26 now—how will she face the public if she gets punished with this cane?"

Adam grabbed the cane over before preparing to hit Kendall. "Sir. Sir. He's here… He's coming!" A maid charged into the room hastily. Unfortunately, she happened to interrupt Adam right before he could hit Kendall.

Kelly was annoyed by this disruption, although she didn't show it on her face. "Who's here?"

The maid pointed in the direction of the front door while stuttering. "M-M-Master… Master D-D-Dylan is here!"

 

Chapter 17

Thud. The cane in Adam's hand fell onto the ground—he was shocked after hearing that Dylan had visited them. "Master Dylan must be here to cause trouble, Dad." Kelly bent down to pick the cane up while shooting a glare in Kendall's direction. "Look, Kendall. You ignored my words, and you kept offending Master Dylan. Well, he's here for us now! If he destroys the Parker Family, you will be the cause of it all."

"I want you to lock Kendall up in her room, Kelly. Let me handle Master Dylan." Adam came to an immediate decision—he wanted his youngest daughter to be locked upstairs as he didn't want her to offend Dylan. He hurried out of the house while Kelly stepped forward to grab Kendall's arm. "I'll walk on my own!" Kendall hissed while smacking Kelly's hand away.

After what happened that day, Kendall finally understood that the only person who cared about her in the family was her mother. Whatever Kelly had told her in her past life was definitely a lie. Judging by how biased Adam was toward Kelly, he couldn't leave everything for Kendall. Kelly had just been finding an excuse for her wrongdoings.

Kendall stormed past Kelly and headed up the stairs, while Kelly quickly tagged along after her. Once Kendall got into her room, Kelly found a padlock and locked the door from outside. Then, she hurried down the stairs and fixed her makeup. Her face was swollen after getting slapped earlier, so she looked terrible, even with makeup. She utterly despised Kendall for what she did.

Even though Kelly was afraid of Dylan, she still wanted to maintain her tough yet gentle image in front of Dylan. Right then, she felt the urge to hide, but she had to give up on this thought as the bodyguards pushed Dylan into the hall at that very moment. Kelly shifted her gaze left and right before coming up with an idea. Finally, she held onto the cane and stood in front of the couch. Once the bodyguards brought Dylan close to her, she beamed and greeted him. "Good afternoon, Master Dylan."

Dylan turned around to speak to Adam. "Your daughter's tone of voice is horrendous, President Parker." Kelly eyed him speechlessly. She was a gorgeous woman and often maintained a stern and unapproachable demeanor while at work. Whenever she acted in a gentler manner, all of the guys' faces would blush. They would all be too anxious to look her in the eyes. Jackson felt his insides were about to melt when he heard Kelly's voice. How dare Dylan say that my voice is unpleasant?! Kelly's face was red with rage.

"She isn't usually like that, Master Dylan." Adam hastily stepped forward to explain on behalf of his daughter. "She has recently been into theatrical dramas, so she speaks like the characters sometimes. Don't let it bother you, Master Dylan."

Dylan pressed his lips together without making any comment. He didn't like Kelly at all—he hated the pretentious tone that she used in front of him. "Please take a seat, Master Dylan." Adam beamed and walked over to help Dylan, but Dylan's bodyguards immediately shot Adam a fierce glare, which made Adam hold back from getting any closer. "I'm already seated," Dylan replied.

Dylan's tone sounded incredibly hostile, making Adam shudder in fear. "That's not what I meant, Master Dylan."

Dylan noticed the cane in Kelly's hand right then. "What's that?" Dylan asked.

"That's a cane, Master Dylan. That's how we punish people in the Parker Family," Adam replied with a faint smile. Dylan took a look at Kelly's swollen face before turning back to Adam. Although Adam was the older man, he was too afraid of Dylan to even look Dylan in the eye. Instead, Adam simply hung his head low with shame.

"It seems like this isn't a good time for me to visit. Were you punishing Kelly, President Parker?" Adam asked.

"I was punishing Kendall, Master Dylan. Kendall made you angry earlier, so we—" Adam started.

"Where's Kendall?" Dylan interrupted the other man's words. His expression was eerily stern as he took the cane from Dylan's hand. There are spikes on this thing. I bet it'd hurt if someone used this to hit that woman! he thought.

"Master Dylan… Kendall… Kendall is…" Kelly was shocked by the look on Dylan's face, and she didn't know how to respond to his question. It was Adam who gave Dylan the answer in the end. "Kendall grew up in the countryside, so she can act rather thoughtlessly sometimes, Master Dylan. If she offended you in any way, we hope that you can be kind enough to forgive her. I'll get her to send a gift to you tomorrow. She'll apologize for whatever she has done."

Dylan shot Adam a cold glare before repeating his question. "I just want to know where Kendall is. Don't make me repeat myself a third time!" Dylan barked.

"S-She's upstairs," Adam replied.

"Go and get her to come down now. I want to see her!" Dylan uttered.

Adam's eyes lit up before he agreed to Dylan's words. "Sure. I'll bring her down now." He ran up the stairs before heading to Kendall's room and slamming his palm against her door. "Open the door, Kendall. Master Dylan wants to see you. Hurry up! Don't make him wait."

However, Adam's words were greeted with silence from the room. He had a thought at that moment, and all color drained out of his face. His hands began to tremble as he knocked on the door again. "Don't do anything silly, Kendall! I only punished you for your own good," he cried. Kendall could be immature and offend Dylan, but she was still Adam's biological daughter at the end of the day.

"Kelly locked the door from outside." Kendall's icy voice came from inside the room. Adam stopped knocking on the door before he looked down to see an additional padlock on the door. Gosh. Am I blind? How did I not see this lock?

Kelly hurried after her father while pulling the key out to unlock the door. "What do you think Master Dylan is trying to do, Dad?" she asked.

Adam was still in shock from the wild thoughts that he had a moment ago, so he responded in a rather careless tone. "Why do you want to know the answer to that? He can meet Kendall if that's what he wants. Kendall can apologize and promise that she will stay away from him in the future." Adam no longer mentioned anything about punishing Kendall.

Kelly parted her lips as if she wanted to say something, but she eventually held herself back as she felt like her words were inappropriate. About ten minutes later, Adam finally managed to coax Kendall into going downstairs to meet the man. Today must be my unlucky day. I’ve bumped into this guy twice today, and my dad even punished me because of this guy. Kendall looked rather glum as she walked over to Dylan. "What do you need from me, Dylan?" she asked in a hostile tone.

Dylan's sharp eyes had caught sight of Kendall's swollen cheeks the moment she descended the stairs. The look on his face darkened when she got closer to him. "Get to your knees!" he ordered.

Kendall had no idea what he wanted to do, but she knelt down when she saw the grim look on his face.

This time, she didn't dare to turn her back against him, fearing he would knock her out like he did the last time. Instead, to her surprise, he pressed his large, firm palms against her cheeks when she knelt down. She could feel the roughness of his fingertips. This surprised her—she hadn't expected the almighty young master of the Coleman Family and the king of Orapolis' business industry to have such calloused hands.

Despite his rough hands, his actions were gentle and soft. He ran his fingers across her cheeks in a careful manner—he didn't want to apply too much pressure as he didn't want to worsen her wounds. Kendall was shocked by his actions, and she simply stared at him with disbelief in her eyes.

When both husband and wife made eye contact with one another, Dylan pulled his hand away all of a sudden. His movements were quick—it looked almost as if he was trying to avoid some poison that was on Kendall's face.

Both Adam and Kelly saw everything that Dylan had done to Kendall, and their minds were completely blown. Adam's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his sockets—he couldn’t believe what he had just seen. When Dylan ran his fingers across Kendall's face, he saw a hint of sympathy. However, when Adam tried to get a better look at this, Dylan returned to his usual expressionless look once more.

 

Chapter 18

"Who hit you?" Dylan asked in a deep voice. "Was it her or your father?" He shot Kelly a cold glare before taking a glance at Kelly's hands. He was contemplating whether to chop off one or both of Kelly's arms—how dare she lay hands on my woman! She probably doesn't want to live anymore, huh!

No matter how much he disliked Kendall, she was still his wife. He was the only one who had the right to touch her. Kelly's face turned pale when she saw the way Dylan was staring at her. "I didn't hit her, Master Dylan. She was the one who hit me. Look—my face is swollen because she hit me. She even kicked me."

Dylan's expression remained calm and stern—it was as if he wasn't puzzled by the fact that Kendall had hit someone. "I was the one who hit Kendall to teach her a lesson, Master Dylan. This has got nothing to do with Kelly. Ever since Kendall came home, Kelly has always treated her like a precious younger sister," Adam spoke honestly.

Kendall couldn't help but smirk after hearing her father's words. There was a hint of mockery on her face, and Dylan immediately noticed it, although she had quickly returned to her neutral expression. "Kendall is your biological daughter, President Parker. Therefore, I have no right to comment or meddle in your business if you'd like to teach her a lesson. You're her father, after all. However, I really like looking at Kendall's face, so I hope you don't hit her face if you wish to punish her in the future," Dylan commented.

Then, he shifted his gaze to Kendall. "What happened between you and Kelly? Why did you end up hitting her?" Kendall pressed her lips together without responding, and Kelly kept her mouth shut as well. Kelly wasn't an idiot—she could tell that Dylan wasn't there to cause Kendall trouble. If anything, he was there to protect Kendall.

Dylan frowned when he didn't receive a response from the sisters. His mood turned sour immediately. "Are you a mute, Kendall? I'm asking you a question. I'll give you one more chance—I'll cut your tongue off if you don't reply to me this time. Why do you need a tongue if you're not going to speak?"

His lousy temper infuriated Kendall as well. "You want to know why we fought, huh? It's all because of you, Dylan. Today must be a bad day for me—I keep seeing you around. When we were at L.E. Boutique, your single sentence drove the workers there to chase me out. Kelly thought that I had offended you again, so she lectured me for it. I thought it'd be a waste of my saliva to argue with her, so I just slapped her. That would show her who's the boss. It saves me some time as well," Kendall replied.

All of them were silent for a while after that. Dylan eyed the woman while everyone else in the hall stared at Dylan silently. Clap clap. Dylan clapped his hands, and everyone stared at him puzzledly. Finally, he spoke while he continued clapping his hands. "That's the way. If physical aggression can allow you to resolve the problem, then you should just go ahead with that option. It doesn't matter who the person is—if anyone criticizes or nags at you, you should just give them a huge slap. No—just throw something at them. You don't want to hurt your hand. Even if the skies collapse after that, know that I'll be there to hold it up for you!" He sounded incredibly domineering as he spoke.

Kelly was confused. Why would Dylan protect Kendall? It can't be because of her looks. He hadn't met her in the past, either… Even if Kendall's pretty, I'm sure someone of his status has seen other prettier girls. Maybe it's time I get to know my sister a little better. Also, I can't allow Dylan to continue protecting her…

"Master Dylan…" Adam was about to say something when Dylan shot him a fierce glare. Adam immediately swallowed the words that had been at the tip of his tongue.

"Why are you still standing around?" Dylan had been protective of Kendall just moments ago, but he soon returned to his usual, cold expression as he gave Kendall his orders. "Go up and pack your bags. I want you to leave with me now. I hate waiting, so I'll give you ten minutes. I'm just going to leave you here if you're late."

Kendall froze after hearing his words. "Do you want me to follow you? Where are we going?" He even wants me to pack my bags. Are we going on a trip?

Dylan scoffed before making a snide comment. "I guess busy people like you must be especially forgetful, Ms. Parker. What did you say and do when you rejected our marriage? Did you forget all of it?"

Kendall blinked in confusion. I-Is he trying to get me to fulfill my duties as a wife? "I… I lost that booklet," she said.

A dangerous look flashed across his gaze as he narrowed his eyes. "Do you think you can break your promise just because you lost the booklet?" he asked.

"No… I… That's not what I meant," she replied. He scoffed as he touched the spot where she had bit him the other day. She noticed his actions immediately. She had once said that she would take responsibility for him since she had left a mark on him. She had agreed that one of them would marry into the other person's family, and he eventually decided to take her into his family.

However, after collecting their marriage certificates, he knocked her out and got her bodyguard to send her home. After that, she thought that he wouldn't actually take responsibility for her.

In the few days when she was recovering, she didn't receive a single call from him. The Coleman Family didn't make any statements at all. It was then that Kendall knew—Dylan didn't actually want to marry her. He only agreed to marry her because her actions triggered him. In truth, he just wanted to make her regret her actions.

After a few peaceful days, Kendall figured that her marriage with Dylan would be kept a secret forever. She didn't even tell her parents about it. More importantly, she had lost her marriage certificate. Would anyone believe that she was Dylan's wife if she didn't have the evidence?

"A-Are you for real, Dylan?" she asked. Does he really want me to take responsibility for him? Kendall was dumbfounded for a moment. She didn't know how to take responsibility for him. Then, as she glanced at his legs, she suddenly had an idea—she no longer felt lost after that.

She figured that she would take care of him and help him with his physiotherapy. Once he could walk like a regular person, her job would be done. If he wanted to divorce her, she would agree to it. If he wanted to remain her husband, she would stay as his wife. She had already made this decision the moment she returned to the past.

"What is this? Are you going against your word? Are you trying to make a fool out of me?" His tone was threatening. I bet Dylan will tear my bones apart and feed them to the dogs if I tell him that my answer is yes. He's not going to hold back just because I'm his wife.

Although Adam didn't know what his daughter had promised to do for Dylan, he was afraid that Kendall would infuriate Dylan, so he quickly spoke up. "Kendall is the most trustworthy person, Master Dylan. She wouldn't go against her word. Regardless of whatever she promised you, I'm sure she'll be able to do it. I'll make sure to urge her to stick to her promise."

Dylan didn't respond to him—he simply glared at Kendall. "I told you I won't regret it, Dylan. Just give me ten minutes. I'll pack up and leave with you," Kendall said. After he heard Kendall's response, the icy aura around him gradually faded. "Go ahead. Just ten minutes. You'll have to walk there if you're late by one minute." He was definitely not going to wait for her!

 

Chapter 19

Kendall turned and ran upstairs immediately. Adam and Kelly exchanged glances—they wanted to know what happened between Dylan and Kendall. Since Adam was Kendall's biological father, he figured that he could try to question Dylan in a friendly manner. "What did Kendall do, Master Dylan?"

Dylan stared at Adam without explaining himself. Dylan didn't have the habit of explaining himself. Adam felt somewhat awkward at the silence, so although it was only a mere 10 minutes, it felt as long as a decade. Kendall returned downstairs with her luggage in less than ten minutes. Dylan seemed rather pleased when he saw how punctual she was. "Are you done packing? Do you need a few more minutes?" He spoke in a pretentious tone.

"It's fine. I'm done." Kendall wasn't about to fall for his trap. He pressed his lips together—he was somewhat disappointed that she hadn't fallen for it.

He realized that it was fun to mess around with Kendall. Every time he saw how shocked she was by his actions, he felt delighted! Since she's clinging to me, she deserves to be scared by me!

"Let's go," Dylan said.

Kendall nodded and dragged her luggage along with her. After taking a few steps, she realized that Dylan was still sitting around and not moving. Finally, she turned to look at the man. "Didn't you say we were leaving, Master Dylan?"

Dylan glared at her, and she was puzzled for a moment. Didn't he just say that he wanted to leave?

When one of the bodyguards saw that the husband and wife were about to get into another argument, the bodyguard hastily shot Kendall a look. The bodyguard subtly pointed his finger toward Dylan behind

his back, hinting for Kendall to wheel Dylan out. Kendall then realized—Oh, yeah. I'm supposed to be responsible for him now. I should be doing this.

Kendall hastily turned around and stepped behind Dylan. She recalled that she hadn't told her mother about this, so she turned to speak to Adam. "Dad, please let Mom know that I'm going to the Coleman Residence when she's back. Please tell her not to worry. I'll be fine."

Adam nodded while sending them out. Right as Dylan was about to leave the house, he spoke up. "Hold on," he said. Kendall halted her footsteps. "Come here, President Parker," Dylan ordered. Adam didn't know what Dylan was thinking but walked over obediently. "Yes, Master Dylan," he said while standing in front of Dylan.

"Bend down and come nearer to me. I want to whisper something to you, and I want you to only tell your wife about this. You'll have to keep this a secret from everyone else, and you're not allowed to say anything unless you get my permission. If I find out that you leaked it out to someone, then don't blame me for sending you to hell," Dylan said.

A terrified look flashed across Adam's face before he hastily promised Dylan. "Don't worry, Master Dylan. I'm great at keeping secrets." After making his promise, Adam bent down and placed his ear close to Dylan's face with a curious look on his face. "Dad," Dylan whispered into his ear. Adam was utterly stunned after hearing Dylan's words.

Dylan's face remained neutral as he turned to look at Kendall, who was perking her ears in an attempt to listen to what Dylan had whispered. "Let's go," he said. She didn't manage to hear what he said, so she just nodded and pushed Dylan past her father. She accidentally bumped into Adam, but Adam didn't respond; he simply stared at the couple dumbfoundedly. This made Kendall more curious than

ever. What did Dylan tell my dad? Dylan turned my dad into a statue—he's not budging at all.

After a few minutes, a few of Dylan's luxurious cars traveled out of the Parker Residence. Only then did Kelly have the guts to walk out of the house. When she came out, she found her father standing with a dazed look on his face. He looked like his soul had left his body. "What's up, Dad?" She nudged him puzzledly.

Adam finally returned to his senses. He parted his mouth and was about to speak when he recalled what Dylan had told him. Then, he clamped his mouth shut and swallowed his words. It was torture to keep this a secret. "I'm going to go in and spend some time alone. I think it's too hot today; I might be experiencing auditory hallucinations because of the heat," he said. Dylan has no other reason to call me his dad. He called me Dad! Why did he call me Dad? Does he want me to be his godfather? That's impossible. Could he… be calling me his dad… because he's my son-in-law? Adam felt like his brain was on fire after this realization. It wasn't an understatement to say that he felt like this entire situation was a hallucination.

…

It was highly stressful to be in the same car as Dylan. He sat in an upright posture with an icy look on his face. He stared into the blank space in front of him, making it hard for Kendall to start a conversation with him even though she wanted to. "Are you done staring at me?" Then, suddenly, the iceberg parted his lips to speak.

"Am I allowed to continue staring if I'm not done?" she asked.

Dylan tilted his head and stared at her for a moment before giving her an order. "Take your phone out." She did as she was told. "Point your phone toward me and take a few pictures of me. Then, I want you

to set me as your wallpaper. Then, you can just stare at your phone when you feel like seeing me. I won't charge you for it."

She was speechless at his bold words. But she then followed his orders and took a few pictures accordingly. After Kendall actually set his picture as her wallpaper, she recalled that she hadn't brought the clothes she wanted to gift to him, and the few evening gowns that she had purchased earlier. "Oh!" she exclaimed.

"Why are you shouting? You're going to die with me if you scare me to death," he said.

"If I can actually do that, the sun will probably rise from the west. You've always been the one who has been scaring others instead," she replied.

He reached his hand out to squeeze her face, and she winced as he pressed on her cheeks a little too hard. She instinctively smacked his hand, but he only pressed her cheeks even harder than before. She gritted her teeth in pain. "You've gained some courage," the man uttered. He didn't have a hint of empathy; he simply chuckled at her. However, his laugh gave his bodyguards and the driver the urge to jump out of the car right then. "You even have the guts to talk back now, huh."

"I have a mouth for a reason," she hissed. When he let go of her face, he wiped his hand against her shirt with a disgusted look on his face. As she wasn't blind, she noticed his gesture and immediately felt the urge to punch him then.

"What were you shouting about?" After squeezing his wife's cheeks for a bit, he was in a better mood. Although she grew up in the countryside, she had great supple skin that felt nice to touch.

"I forgot to pack the items I purchased while shopping earlier today. I bought a shirt for you just now,"

she replied. Adam's face darkened upon hearing her words. "I gave you enough time, yet you still forgot to bring some stuff. Why don't you just forget to bring yourself as well?"

Kendall shrank her head in shame—she didn't dare to speak up at all. Despite this, she was cursing at him in her heart. Dylan was quiet for a moment before speaking to his bodyguard, sitting in the passenger's seat. "Call Blake and tell him to turn around to pick up the items that this young lady forgot to bring along with her," he ordered. Kendall felt like there was no need to send someone back just to pick up the clothes, so she protested against his idea. "I can just go home and take it when I have the time to do it."

Dylan glared at her, and she shrank away again. His gaze was simply terrifying! She was afraid that she would start getting nightmares if he stared at her a few more times. The bodyguard immediately called Blake and passed on Dylan's orders to him. Kendall lowered the car window and stuck her head to look at the car behind them. Indeed, a few cars began to slow down in preparation to make a u-turn.

When she turned her head back, she found Dylan staring straight in front of him once more. "Have you never received a gift, Dylan?" He seemed extremely interested in the shirt that she wanted to give him.

He turned to look at her. "Why are you asking? Are you planning to give me more items to let me know how it feels like to receive gifts?"

She beamed. "If you like it, I can give you tiny gifts daily, Dylan."

"I got it. From tomorrow onward, I want to receive a gift from you when I get home every single day. I want as many gifts as possible, and I don't want you to buy them just for the sake of buying them. They better be thoughtful gifts."

She stared at him speechlessly. Why do I feel like I just dug my own grave?

 

Chapter 20

Kendall's troubled expression made Dylan unhappy as he looked at her, so he pinched her cheeks again.

However, she wasn't having it and slapped his hand away from her face again.

"Dylan, just say whatever is on your mind. I'll listen and remember it wholeheartedly. You don't have to pinch my face to remind me every time."

Since it would hurt, he should let her pinch his cheeks in return.

"There are a lot of women out there who want to give me presents, but I've never accepted any one of them."

Once Dylan finished, he glanced at Kendall.

Kendall replied with an 'oh' and explained, "I know that you're self-disciplined and would not play around with women."

In the past, however, the number of women who wanted to marry Dylan was numerous; he could have anyone he wanted.

When Kendall was still in the small town, she had heard of Dylan's name and seen him in newspapers and on television as well. So, of course, she knew some things about this man.

If that car accident hadn't happened, the position of Mrs. Coleman would have belonged to anyone but hers.

As Kendall thought of that, she glanced at somewhere on Dylan's body.

She thought she was looking at Dylan so discreetly that he wouldn't notice; however, her actions meant that she looked down on his situational awareness! Suddenly, his face was so close to her that she could smell the scent from his body that was different from Jackson's.

Also, it seemed familiar.

Kendall didn't think much about it as she thought the smell was familiar because she had smelled him when she bit Dylan on the first day she returned. So, that was why she figured the smell was familiar.

"Dylan?"

Kendall felt anxious as her eyes flashed with a hint of nervousness when she saw his face inches away from her. What was Dylan thinking of doing?

"You were secretly looking at my crotch. What? Do you feel it's a pity, or do you regret marrying me?"

"It is a pity, but I don't regret marrying you."

With that, Kendall placed her hands bravely on Dylan's thigh and she could feel his muscles tensing under her touch.

Meanwhile, Dylan wasn't expecting her to be brazen enough to place her hands on his thigh but instead, she was even touching him and moving further…

Although he looked indifferent on the outside, he was anxious because no woman had ever treated him in such a way.

Then, he fell into a dilemma as he felt her touch. Should he let her continue touching him or pull away and break her hand as a punishment?

Huh?

The soft hand had changed course. Instead of going further in, it now moved toward his knee.

His knee was all bones and was hard as a rock. What was there to touch? She didn't even know how to take advantage of him, even when she had the chance to.

"Dylan, I will take responsibility and help you walk like a normal person."

Just as Dylan secretly complained that Kendall didn't know how to take advantage of him, he heard her gentle, resolute, and concerned voice.

The usually merciless Dylan was now quietly looking at Kendall.

A moment later, he elaborated, "You're not responsible for me being crippled, and whether I can walk like a normal person is also not your responsibility."

"Then…" How would she be responsible for him? Help him bear a child? Since Dylan didn't have that ability anymore, it would only hurt his dignity if she mentioned that.

"After I was crippled, the maids at home saw me as a ferocious beast, and they would hide far away from me. Even my family would treat me like porcelain whenever they're with me, which is why I need a nanny."

By saying those words, Dylan meant to tell Kendall that she had forced him to marry her because she wanted to take up the responsibility. He agreed to marry her, not out of love but for a free nanny. Unfortunately, the future awaiting her was not full of sweetness but rather his capricious temper and endless ways of humiliating her.

However, Kendall wasn't angry. In lieu of that, she smiled and responded, "Dylan, I, Kendall Parker, am a person who keeps my promise. So, as long as I've promised someone, I will definitely keep my word."

After marrying Jackson in her previous life, it was akin to her wings being broken, whereby she willingly became a housewife, but what awaited her was a terrifying ending.

Even after she had compared the odds, she still decided to marry Dylan. After all, she could occasionally use his name to scare off others. She was the fox behind the tiger, and she would pave the way for her future while dealing with her enemies from her past life.

Nonetheless, Dylan merely pursed his lips, hummed a reply, and had an expression that illustrated his eagerness to see what she could do.

When they returned to the Coleman Mansion, Dylan left Kendall alone and went over to the pavilion to have his meal.

As Kendall stood in the scenic courtyard, she watched as her husband left. After a while, she rubbed

her empty stomach and pulled her luggage toward one of the buildings which housed Dylan's residence at Coleman Mansion.

He lived in an entire building alone and that building was a restricted area in the Colemans' eyes.

They wouldn't enter at will because if they weren't careful, they might get kicked out of the building and be carried away by an ambulance.

When she had diarrhea after eating something spicy, Kendall discovered that this was where Dylan lived.

After she entered the building, she went upstairs to look for a guest room to store her luggage before coming down to prepare her meal.

The Coleman Mansion was massive and housed hundreds of Colemans.

The buildings closer to the main house were where members of the Coleman Family lived. They lived around the main house and had the Colemans backing them. So, even if Dylan's family were the fifth generation of Colemans, no one would dare to bully them once they went out as long as they lived here.

Moreover, there were also many maids, bodyguards, and drivers here.

There were over twenty bodyguards who served Dylan alone. Without Dylan's orders, even if the security guards here knew she was Dylan's wife, they wouldn't help her. Hence, she had to make her own meals.

After Kendall explored the entire second floor, she hadn't entered a room because they were all locked. She had no choice but to head to the third floor but discovered that it was the same as the second floor.

The building Dylan was living in only had three floors, so if Kendall couldn't enter any of the rooms on the second and third floors, it would mean she had to return to the first floor. There should be a nanny's room, and if she could open one of the rooms, she would have to stay there.

She couldn't help but think that this was Dylan's warning for his newlywed wife. A silent warning that she had to remain obedient and not think of doing whatever she wanted because she had married him and become Mrs. Coleman.

Because without his orders, she couldn't even live in the guest room.

Kendall's guess was correct as she unlocked the nanny's room on the first floor, so she pushed the door open and pulled her luggage inside. Although it was a nanny's room, it had everything she needed and was quite spacious.

However, there was a bed, but no covers or other bedroom essentials.

"Dylan, do you have to be so harsh? We're married, after all," she muttered.

It was still summer, so it didn't matter if she didn't have a quilt.

Then, Kendall set down her luggage but was not in a hurry to get her things out. Instead, she looked around the room and saw a piece of paper being held down by an ashtray.

Out of curiosity, she picked up the paper, only to see the words, "Do it yourself."

The writing looked powerful and striking, and Kendall guessed it was from Dylan.

"I can do everything myself to get what I want. Such a small problem won't bother me."

After that, she rolled the piece of paper and threw it into the trash can.

Maybe Dylan had forgotten that Kendall grew up in the countryside, and no matter how good her adoptive parents treated her, she still had to do some house chores. Since he didn't invite her to eat with him, she would cook for herself so she wouldn't starve.

Moreover, she thought her cooking was quite tasty, but when she arrived in the kitchen, she finally knew that she was being overly optimistic.