Ch. 21..30

Chapter 21

The kitchen was so empty that not even a grain of rice could be seen. How could she cook anything?

"You can choose not to marry me if you don't want to. Why are you so stingy after marrying me?" muttered Kendall.

Then, she turned around and left the kitchen.

In fact, Kendall had wrongly accused Dylan. Although the building he lived in had a kitchen, the people responsible for taking care of him were all bodyguards, and bodyguards didn't have any cooking skills. Hence, all of Dylan's meals were made in the main kitchen.

She stepped out of the building, stood at the entrance, and looked at the pavilion in the distance. After a moment of consideration, she decided to go over and ask for a bite to eat.

When the bodyguards outside the pavilion saw her, they greeted her, "Ms. Parker."

Kendall stopped to look at them but quickly brushed off her question about their formalities because she knew it was Dylan's orders.

She thought it was great because she didn't like others addressing her as 'Young Mistress Kendall.'

By the time Kendall stepped into the pavilion, Dylan had finished his delicious lunch. When he saw that she had arrived, he picked up a napkin and handed it to her.

"I haven't eaten." As such, she didn't need to wipe her mouth.

"Wipe my mouth for me."

Kendall almost sprained her tongue. Her husband ate his lunch alone without bothering about her empty stomach as well as her red, puffy cheeks. Then, he made her clean up the nanny's room by herself. Now, he wanted her to help him wipe his mouth.

"Don't you have hands?"

"I do, but I want to enjoy having my wife take care of me."

"You said I wasn't allowed to call you my husband, so why are you calling me your wife?"

"I can do whatever I want."

It was the standard case of double standards, as he could do as he wished, but she couldn't.

However, Kendall lived in his home, so she had to surrender to his rules. She took the napkin and bent over to get closer to him. Initially, she wanted to be rough with her movements, but her touch unconsciously lightened when she saw his handsome face.

As Dylan studied her face closely, his eyes darkened. He felt that she had brought him a sense of familiarity, but he was sure that he had never met Kendall before she slit her wrist to refuse her engagement. So, he still couldn't figure out where that familiar feeling came from.

It didn't take up much time to wipe Dylan's lips, but his handsome face attracted Kendall, and she deliberately moved slower. She wiped the corners of his lips slowly before moving onto his lips.

Dylan's lips were thin; there was a saying that people with thin lips were heartless, but Kendall felt it was because he hadn't met the woman he loved. Once he met her, his personality would change along with his heart.

She felt the urge to kiss him as she regarded his handsome face and sexy, thin lips.

They were legally married, and it was normal for her to kiss him.

As Kendall thought about that, she did it as well.

First, she wrapped her arms around Dylan's neck with the quickest speed she had. Then, under Dylan's shocked gaze, she quickly placed her lips against his. When the two pairs of lips touched, the two felt like they were electrocuted.

Dylan was stunned while the bodyguards' jaws dropped.

They thought that Kendall was courageous. When refusing to marry him, she went up to Dylan and slit her wrist in front of him. Then, when she forced him to marry her, she tore his shirt and bit him, saying she had left her mark on him. Now, she took away Dylan's first kiss without his consent.

In fact, Dylan had mysophobia when it came to his relationships with anyone, and the bodyguards couldn't help but wonder if Kendall was the least bit afraid that he would do something drastic to her.

However, she didn't know that her actions were like thunder that shocked those around them. She only knew that Dylan's lips were so soft that she wanted to go further.

So, following her instincts, she playfully licked his lips, and when she felt his mouth open, she went all out. While she hugged his neck with one hand, she pushed the back of his head with her other hand to deepen the kiss.

He didn't respond to her, and she wasn't expecting him to respond either.

However, Kendall didn't dare to be greedy and quickly ended the kiss.

After that, she stood up and looked at the stunned Dylan before finally understanding that this was his first kiss!

What a rare occurrence this was. In such an open-minded era, he was once the dream man of many women in Orapolis, yet he still hadn't had his first kiss.

Therefore, Kendall couldn't help but curve her lips into a sweet smile as she felt that she had gained quite the bounty.

The sun shone on her delicate face and enhanced her sweet smile, bringing warmth into Dylan's heart.

His ears secretly turned red, but on the surface, he still had his usual indifferent expression as he coldly looked at Kendall.

"It wasn't my intention to take advantage of you." After being glared at by him, Kendall quickly explained, "I saw that you were so handsome, which was why I lost control and…"

Dylan's face darkened as he said sinisterly, "So, it's my fault?"

"No, no, no. It's not your fault. It's mine. It's all my fault. But, if you think you lost this round, I'll let you kiss me back. How about that?"

Dylan was rendered speechless by her shamelessness.

What was the difference between him kissing her and her kissing him? Wasn't the result the same in the end?

Kendall immediately composed herself and looked carefully at him while anxiously waiting for his next move when she noticed his sullen expression.

Would he throw her out in rage?

A long while later, Dylan asked, "Are you hungry?"

His question stunned Kendall for a moment, but she quickly nodded her head. "Yes, I'm famished."

She glanced at the table and noticed that Dylan hadn't eaten much, but various dishes were still untouched.

"Get in. Clean up!" Dylan ordered the bodyguards.

Is he not even going to let me have his leftovers? Kendall thought in despair.

As he saw the change in her expression, he curled his lips and asked in a slower and warmer tone, "Did you see the note I left you?"

"Yes."

"That's good."

Was that it?

"Dylan, even the greatest of wives, can't cook without rice. You don't have anything in your kitchen. How do you suppose I cook for myself?"

As Dylan rolled his eyes, he pushed his wheelchair and asked, "Don't you have money?"

"Treat me to lunch, and I'll repay the favor for dinner. I'm so hungry I don't have the energy to go out and buy groceries."

Who would have thought that the Young Mistress of the Coleman Family would have to head out and buy her own groceries to cook a meal?

As Dylan turned his head, his eyes fixed on her scarlet lips. Then, after a whole minute of looking at her lips, he moved his lips and spat out the words, "I remember you had quite the strength when you were taking advantage of me."

Kendall blushed as she remembered that she had used quite a large amount of force when she was pushing his head against hers.

Once again, Dylan pushed the wheels on his wheelchair, and the bodyguards had finished cleaning the table at this point.

The bodyguards soon followed Dylan out, and soon, only Kendall was left in the pavilion.

Up until this moment, Kendall would have been an idiot not to realize that Dylan was playing a trick on her. Also, she didn't need to guess that he readily agreed to marry her so that he could torture her however he wanted.

"Ms. Parker."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice sounded behind her.

So, Kendall turned around where the voice sounded out, only to see a chubby woman in her forties give her a polite smile.

"Madam, did you call me?"

"Ms. Parker, my name is Vivian Jones. Everyone calls me Vivian. Old Madam Coleman wants to meet you. Are you available to follow me to meet her?"

 

Chapter 22

The building that Vivian pointed to was a hundred meters away. It was the tallest and most luxuriously decorated building located at the center of the Coleman Mansion while being a property that was always occupied by the head of the Coleman Family.

However, Dylan was an exception because he disliked having many people around.

Therefore, the main house was occupied by Old Madam Coleman, whose name was Tilly Neilson, Dylan's parents, and Alice.

While touching her red cheeks, Kendall asked, "Can I say that it's not a convenient time?"

Taking a look at Kendall's face, Vivian explained, "Ms. Parker, Old Madam Coleman is hoping you can head there now."

After a moment of silence, Kendall decided that since they didn't care about her swollen cheeks resembling a risen dough, she wouldn't mind it either. So, she answered, "Alright."

Vivian nodded in satisfaction at Kendall's cooperation as she said, "Ms. Parker, follow me."

Thus, Kendall left the pavilion and walked behind Vivian.

Once Kendall stepped into the main house, she was shocked by the ancient design of the house. If it weren't for Tilly and the others wearing modern clothing, Kendall would have thought she had been transported into an ancient palace.

The luxurious interior of the Coleman Mansion could be compared with that of a palace.

Although Tilly had passed her eighties, she still had a strong and healthy body.

She had five sons, with the fourth and fifth sons being twins. After she gave birth to three sons, she had aimed for a daughter but received twin sons instead.

Now, her five sons had given her dozens of grandsons and only one granddaughter, Alice. Among all of her grandsons, Dylan was her favorite and also the heir she and her husband had raised personally.

In the Coleman Family, Tilly was the queen dowager, and besides Dylan and Alice, it was rare for others to have the guts to defy her.

Although Tilly looked like a benevolent goddess, Kendall didn't believe that Tilly was a genuinely kind senior. How could a kind person raise a cold and heartless person like Dylan?

Meanwhile, Tilly sat on a chaise longue while a young girl kneeled in front of her, massaging her legs.

On the other single couches sat several women in fashionable clothing adorned by several expensive jewelry pieces.

A maid led Kendall in and stopped before Tilly, announcing, "Old Madam Coleman, Ms. Parker has arrived."

The young girl massaging Tilly's legs was the young lady of the Coleman Family, Alice. She turned her head to look up at Kendall.

When she saw Kendall's swollen cheek, she was stunned for a moment. Then, she immediately rose to her feet and questioned Kendall, "Who slapped you?"

While Alice was questioning Kendall, Tilly and the other women didn't even spare a look at Kendall.

Kendall answered honestly, "My father."

A Shocked Alice couldn't figure out why some parents would hit their children.

After that, the maid introduced Kendall. "Ms. Parker, this is Old Madam Coleman, and this is Miss Alice."

Then, the maid also introduced the rest of the women as they were all wives of the Coleman Family.

However, one of them had been looking at Kendall with an unfriendly gaze since she walked in. After the maid's introduction, Kendall knew that the woman was Dylan's mother and the wife of Tilly's eldest son.

Out of courtesy, Kendall greeted each of them, but they ignored her, except for Alice.

Tilly waited for Kendall to greet her before glancing over and saying warmly, "Sit."

"Thank you."

Dropping the formalities, Kendall found a place to sit and openly welcomed Alice's unbridled gaze, waiting for Tilly to start questioning her.

Tilly's idea was to bring her and Dylan together since there were rumors that Dylan could no longer do the deed. Dylan had never publicly denied the story, either. Even the Coleman Family didn't know if he still had that ability.

Tilly felt anxious and wanted to find someone to take care of Dylan as she thought that no matter how many bodyguards Dylan had, they weren't as meticulous as a woman. So, she wanted to help Dylan bring back a wife, and it would be even better if she could stop the rumors and prove that Dylan was still capable in that aspect.

If Dylan couldn't do the deed… He also had a free nanny to take care of him, so it wasn't something terrible.

However, she had looked through all the wealthy families in Orapolis but still couldn't find a young lady willing to marry Dylan. That was why Tilly had no choice but to fix her target on Kendall, who was the true heiress of the Parker Family.

In Tilly's heart, she looked down on Kendall. Although Kendall was the real young lady of the Parker Family, she was raised in the countryside and didn't fit any requirements to be Dylan's wife.

"I heard that Dylan had brought you back and let you live with him. I'm curious, so I asked you to come to meet me." Then, Tilly asked gently, "Did Dylan say why he brought you back?"

After Kendall heard Tilly's words, she was sure that Dylan had done the same as her and didn't tell his family they were married. Perhaps only Dylan's bodyguards knew that she was his wife.

Without Dylan's approval, not even the Colemans who lived under the same roof would know about this.

Kendall couldn't help but praise her husband's ability to keep a secret.

"I've offended him. So, he brought me back to punish me."

Since they both agreed to keep their marriage a secret, Kendall decided to lie to them.

It wasn't so much of a lie, either. Didn't he bring her back to play tricks on her? He wouldn't let her bear the responsibilities of being his wife, right? Was he even able to do the deed?

Then, Kendall thought of a wicked idea. Once she was free tonight, she would head over to tease Dylan. To be able to see his usually cold face crack was also a kind of amusement for her.

As she was dissatisfied with Kendall's answer, Tilly didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at her second daughter-in-law, Julie Hughes.

Once Julie got Tilly's signal, Julie snorted. "Miss Parker, you've slit your wrist to refuse being married to Dylan and hurt his dignity. It's normal for him to get back at you." Then, she quickly changed the topic and said, "I heard that you fell in love with the young master of the Whittle Family at first sight. You threw a fit and even stopped eating just to marry him. Also, he is the reason you slit your wrist to refuse being married to Dylan."

Kendall wasn't angry and said, "Mrs. Coleman, just as you said, you heard about that. There are many times when you can't trust what you've heard. I've never said I fell in love with Jackson at first sight, nor did I throw a fit to get married to him."

After that, Julie sarcastically said, "You didn't refuse the marriage with Dylan because of him? It's not

hard for us to find out about your thoughts."

Kendall didn't bother with further explanations as she felt there was no need to explain what she had done in her previous life. All she had to do was ensure she wouldn't marry Jackson in this life.

"Ms. Parker, humans need to be self-conscious. If Dylan hadn't been in that car accident, you wouldn't have been able to marry into the Coleman Family with your identity. The Coleman Family agreed to the joint marriage between our families because we think highly of you. Not all families have such a generous heart as we do. You can't even crawl into the Whittle Family!"

Kendall smiled as she retorted, "Thank you for your advice, Mrs. Coleman. I might not have much, but I do have self-awareness. I don't even want to walk into the Whittle Family, let alone crawl inside."

Julie merely sneered as she asked, "Since you didn't do it for Jackson, why are you afraid of marrying Dylan?"

Kendall focused her gaze on Julie as she replied, "I'm not even afraid of death. So, why would I be afraid of marrying Dylan?"

Chapter 23

Julie was at a loss for words, but Alice suddenly continued, "So, does that mean you're willing to marry Dylan?"

Without waiting for Kendall's reply, Tilly glared at Alice and scolded, "Ally, it's not like your brother can't get a wife. Why are you forcing Ms. Parker to do something that she doesn't want? You can't let her shed her blood for nothing."

The words Tilly said were full of sarcasm.

Alice parted her mouth to say something but decided not to say it, and Kendall could guess that Alice wanted to say that Dylan couldn't even do the deed, so nobody would agree to marry him and live as a widow.

"Dylan is a great man. Miss Coleman, you don't have to worry about him not being able to get a wife."

As Kendall said those words, the pair looked at her with a strange gaze.

Blinking, Kendall couldn't help but think whether she had said something wrong.

Meanwhile, outside the main house, Dylan heard what Kendall had said. A glimmer flashed through his eyes as his hands moved to push his wheelchair and enter the house.

The moment Alice heard the sound of a wheelchair entering, she stood up and ran out like a happy bird. Then, Kendall heard her sweet and crisp voice. "Dylan, why are you here?"

"Can't I come over?"

Alice coquettishly replied, "Dylan, that's not what I meant. Don't twist my words."

Now that Dylan's temper has worsened, only Alice dared to talk and act like a spoiled child in front of him.

Afterward, she went to his back and pushed his wheelchair while his bodyguards stopped and didn't follow the two into the main house.

When the people inside saw Dylan, they all smiled but started to behave more cautiously.

Although Kendall had been reborn from her previous life, she didn't have much contact with Dylan back then, so she didn't know how he and the Coleman Family got along.

She couldn't help but feel distressed when she watched the scene unfold before her. Since it was a huge blow for Dylan to become disabled, it was normal for him to be capricious. However, his family was afraid to get close to him and even distanced themselves from him when he needed their comfort and encouragement the most, which would make him feel even worse.

Due to Dylan's restrained personality, nobody could see through his facade.

After he was pushed over to Kendall's side, he patted his wheelchair to tell Alice to stop.

Then, he turned his head to look at Kendall coldly, which she met head-on without fear.

"Your face is swollen like risen dough. It's so ugly. Don't stand here and affect my mood. Scram."

Dylan's cold and heartless words were like knives that hurt her feelings.

There was a moment when Kendall felt hurt, but when she remembered Dylan from her past life, she quickly suppressed her feelings. Then, she quietly turned around and left the main house.

As Dylan spoke, no one dared to make a sound. Even Alice had shrunk back as she tried to meld with the background.

Kendall felt relieved as she exited the luxuriously decorated main house. If she was being honest, she felt stressed when facing those unfriendly women, but they were her in-laws.

She was the Whittles' daughter-in-law in her past life and was kept under a tight leash while severely bullied, making her reluctant to get along with her in-laws.

Moreover, those Coleman wives were not to be underestimated.

Looking up at the sky, Kendall told herself that since she had decided to repay Dylan's kindness with the rest of her life, she would have to brave through the difficulties unless it was Dylan who wanted her gone.

Good luck, Kendall Parker! Hold onto Dylan, defeat your enemies in this lifetime, and protect those you want to save!

…

Inside Starbucks, Kelly was elegantly stirring her coffee with her spoon when someone called her, "Kelly."

It was Jackson, and he had a bouquet of roses with him.

She stopped what she was doing and watched as he approached her.

Once Jackson arrived before her, he gave her a bouquet of flowers which she received and took a sniff of. Jackson's gaze softened as he looked at her gentle behavior.

Then, he pulled out a chair and sat down. After looking carefully at Kelly, he saw that one of her cheeks was red and swollen, so he asked tentatively, "Kelly, what happened to your cheek? It's red and swollen like you've been slapped."

The happiness that Kelly felt from receiving the flowers dissipated instantly, and she put down the bouquet to complain, "It's your soon-to-be fiance."

"Kendall? How could she hit you? I'll help you get back at her next time."

"You need to get back at her with even more impact."

Jackson said dotingly, "Okay, I'll get back at her twice as much. I won't stop until her face is swollen."

After that, he touched Kelly's swollen cheek and murmured, "Why didn't you dodge?"

"If I dodged, my father wouldn't be able to see the mark, and he wouldn't stand on my side."

Jackson still felt distressed. "You don't have to hurt yourself to fight for attention. Mr. Coleman has always loved you, so even if you aren't his biological daughter, his attitude toward you won't change."

A scheming glint flashed through Kelly's eyes. "Before I can have my hands on Parker Corporation's shares, I must maintain our current situation."

Although Adam trusted and depended on Kelly, Kendall was the real young lady of the Parker Family, and that alone was like a thorn in Kelly's heart. The Parker Family was originally hers, but now, her past efforts were all to make things easier for Kendall.

"I asked to come because I wanted you to investigate what else happened that day when Kendall went to the Colemans to slit her wrist and refuse her marriage with Master Dylan. I keep thinking that he treats her differently."

Then, reminded of his encounter at Wealthy Luck Street, Jackson's expression changed as he explained, "I met her on Wealthy Luck Street today. She was buying clothes in a men's clothing store. I thought she bought it for me but said she bought it for Master Dylan."

"What? Are you jealous that she wasn't buying it for you?"

Kelly couldn't help feeling jealous and disheartened when she heard Jackson's words.

"Kelly, what are you talking about? Why would I be jealous? I just can't understand why she would buy clothes for Master Dylan."

Jackson held her hand gently as he added affectionately, "You're the only person I have in my heart."

While Kelly withdrew her hand, she said, "Who knows if you're lying?"

"How about I crack open my heart for you to check?"

She felt better as she smiled and comforted him when she saw how anxious he was becoming, "It's fine. I was just joking with you. We've known each other for so long; of course, I believe you. Jackson, we can't let Kendall have Master Dylan's protection, though."

Jackson nodded in agreement as he stated, "Just wait until I've investigated it, and we'll discuss it further. Don't worry. How would a person like Kendall get Master Dylan's protection? Don't you know who he is? Even Laura can't get his protection. How could Kendall compare to her?" He then comforted Kelly, "Maybe we're being too paranoid."

As Kelly thought about it, she agreed with Jackson. Kendall grew up in the countryside, and unless Dylan was blind, there was no way he would protect Kendall. What she saw today must have been an illusion.

That's right. It was all an illusion!

Maybe Dylan just wanted to play a trick on Kendall, but he didn't want anyone to help him. That was why he said that he had Kendall's back.

 

Chapter 24

Once Kendall returned to the nanny's room, she discovered there was a small table in her room with four dishes, a bowl of soup, and two ice packs.

As she approached the table, she saw a piece of paper with a short message, 'Eat this and use the ice pack as a cold compress for your face.'

There was no need to question who it was because, from the few words, Kendall could tell it was from Dylan.

How could she have thought that he was cold and heartless?

Kendall sat down on the chair as she secretly complained about her husband while eating the still hot meal. He looked vicious but was kind, whereas he acted cold to others when he was a warm person.

Besides being unable to eat anything spicy, she was not a picky eater. Moreover, the Coleman Family's cooks were very skilled, so Kendall finished all the dishes after being extremely hungry. It wasn't because she had a big appetite, but rather the portions were relatively small.

After she finished her meal, her mood improved, placing the ice pack on her swollen face.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Young Mistress Kendall, I'm here to get the dishes."

After that, Kendall responded with an 'oh.' "The door is unlocked."

The room door was quickly pushed open to reveal a bodyguard walking in. He respectfully greeted Kendall before clearing up the dishes. In the end, he even took away the tiny table.

Once that bodyguard left, another one wearing a black suit came in. He brought a plate of fruits and placed it on the bedside table, saying, "Young Mistress Kendall, this is your after-dinner fruit platter."

"Thank you," said Kendall politely.

However, the bodyguard was shocked. "This is my job. You don't have to thank me, Young Mistress Kendall."

After he set the platter down, he quietly left Kendall's room.

Even after she returned to her wealthy family for a year, the service Kendall had received from the people at the Colemans differed from the service she had gotten back at the Parkers.

No wonder so many women dreamed of marrying Dylan. The way she was being treated was terrific!

Once she had finished using the cold compress and the swelling disappeared, Kendall couldn't fight her heavy eyelids. Finally, she threw the ice pack on the bedside table and fell asleep without eating her fruits.

When she woke up, the sunlight had softened as it was near sunset.

Out of habit, she reached out to the bedside table to grab her phone, but she accidentally touched something beside her. It felt hard and warm, and there was clothing over it.

What was that?

Kendall turned her head and was met with Dylan's face. His dark eyes were wide open as he gloomily stared at her.

Just as she still looked at him in shock, his sexy lips moved as he asked coldly, "Are you done touching?"

Huh?

Kendal hurriedly retracted her hand that was feeling around Dylan's chest as soon as she regained her senses.

Then, she quickly sat up and reflexively wanted to grab her quilt to cover her body, but then she realized that she was still well-dressed and her clothes weren't even messed up.

Oh, she had overreacted.

Dylan couldn't do the deed, so she had nothing to worry about.

Instantly, Kendall was not anxious anymore, and she braced herself with both hands beside Dylan's head. Then, she used her upper body to pin down Dylan's upper body, but his legs were crippled, and

she didn't have the guts to pin his legs as she was afraid of making his injuries worse.

"Dylan." She asked as she admired his handsome face, "Why are you on my bed?"

Her actions didn't faze Dylan as he retorted dispassionately. "This is my room, and you're sleeping on my bed."

"Your room?" Kendall softly exclaimed, "Isn't this the nanny's room?"

She had roamed the entire second and third floors but couldn't enter any of the rooms, so she had no choice but to choose this nanny's room.

But now, he was saying that this was his room?

"The whole building is mine."

Kendall was left speechless by his domineering statement. Of course, he owned the building, so this was technically his room.

"How long are you going to lie on top of me? Are you trying to take advantage of me again?"

"I'm not that heavy. What's wrong with me lying on top of you? You look so handsome, and I just wanted to enjoy your beauty."

Although she said that, she still moved away from Dylan's body.

She would have lain there longer if he hadn't said anything, but she didn't dare cross the line since he

had spoken. It would be embarrassing if he turned her and rolled her under the bed.

Dylan glared at her as he said, "You can't use the word 'beauty' to describe a man."

"But you are beautiful."

Dylan was speechless by her bold remark.

Then, Kendall approached him and asked coyly, "Dylan, can I touch your face?"

Unfortunately, he slapped her hand away as he scolded, "Kendall, don't push your luck!"

"You change moods faster than the weather changes during monsoon season," muttered Kendall as she got down from the bed.

She accidentally rolled off the bed and fell face first, kissing the ground.

"Ouch," she groaned.

Dylan sat up quickly to look at her embarrassing state with laughter in his eyes. When Kendall rose to her feet, he was already lying on the bed with an indifferent expression, but the words from his thin lips sounded sarcastic. "You're a grown woman, yet you still rolled off your bed. How embarrassing of you."

"I-It was an accident."

Her whole face was blushing red as she was embarrassed to have rolled off her bed in front of her past savior and her currently handsome husband.

Kendall felt like she was always embarrassing herself whenever she and Dylan were together.

They must be jinxing each other.

"Help me up," ordered Dylan.

"Can't you get up by yourself?"

Dylan glared at her, and she immediately admitted defeat.

Then, she came up to pull Dylan's hand before placing it on her shoulder. "Grab on. Don't complain that I don't have the strength to support you when you fall back onto the bed."

Dylan didn't exert any strength, so it was hard for Kendall to support him. When he finally sat up, Kendall breathed heavily, and she finally understood why Dylan only had bodyguards to serve him.

She was fortunate to have learned taekwondo and developed her strength so that she was stronger than the average woman. Otherwise, it would be difficult for her to help him sit up.

"Bring my wheelchair over."

"Okay."

Once Kendall pushed his wheelchair over, she offered, "Do you want me to help you get on your wheelchair, or do you want to get on yourself?"

"I even need you to help me sit up."

Kendall fell silent at his words. Then, she used all her strength to help Dylan into his wheelchair.

After she sat him down carefully, she kneeled before him and touched his legs. Then, she asked tentatively, "Can your legs be saved?"

Instead of a reply, she saw Dylan's face darkening.

"Dylan, it's not what you think. I'm just worried about you. If there's hope, you just need to continue your physiotherapy. That way, you'll recover faster and walk like a normal person again."

"Are you ashamed that I'm crippled?"

"No! Never"

Dylan clearly didn't believe her words as he sneered, "Kendall, even if you're ashamed that I'm crippled, you have no chance of regretting it. I gave you a chance that day, and you didn't cherish it."

Kendall touched his legs again without looking at him and helped him massage them. Finally, she said, "Dylan, I don't care about what you think or how you see me. Since I've made my decision, I'll never regret it."

Even if she knew that he was punishing her, she still wouldn't regret her decision.

She would accompany him for the rest of his life to repay his small act of kindness in her past life.

 

Chapter 25

After watching Kendall for quite a while, Dylan stated, "Stop massaging. Let's get some fresh air."

"Okay."

Then, Kendall stood up and went behind Dylan to push him out of the room. Just as they arrived at the entrance, they met Dylan's mother, Emily Sutton.

Emily looked at Kendall with a gaze as cold as Dylan's, making Kendall feel like Emily was looking at her with even more hostility than when they first met.

"Mrs. Coleman." Truth was, Kendall was afraid to call her 'Mom.'

However, Emily ignored Kendall and looked at Dylan with a gentle face while asking, "Dylan, where are you going?"

While Dylan noticed the hostility Emily had for Kendall, he didn't speak up for Kendall. Instead, he replied to Emily's question, "I wanted to get some fresh air and let her familiarize herself with the surroundings."

"Dylan, are you letting her stay here? She—"

"Mom, this is my business, and I hope that you won't interfere with this," Dylan interrupted.

Taking a few deep breaths, Emily agreed helplessly, "Alright. As long as you're happy, I won't interfere with your matters."

Afterward, she glared at Kendall and warned coldly, "Kendall Parker, I don't care what means you used to make my son bring you back here, but let me be frank—if you commit suicide again and ruin my son's reputation, I'll never let you or the Parker Family go."

Even if her son was crippled, she still wouldn't allow Kendall to insult her son's dignity.

If it weren't for that, Kendall wouldn't have been worthy of appearing in her son's life.

"Mrs. Coleman, after having died once, I've come to understand many things. Now that I have a second chance, I won't make the same mistakes."

After snorting, Emily ordered, "The only way you can atone for your mistakes is to take good care of my son."

Once Emily finished speaking, she turned around and left while Kendall watched her from behind.

She was curious about what Dylan told his family after she had left the main house that afternoon.

Atone for her mistakes?

"Let's go. I'll bring you on a tour around the mansion."

Dylan wouldn't tell Kendall what he had told his family, so Kendall didn't ask him either. She knew he had a tight lip and if he refused to tell her, he wouldn't say anything even if she forced him.

The Coleman Mansion was massive. Even with Dylan guiding her, she was still muddle-headed while

walking around. There was just too much to remember. Also, she was sure she would get lost if she walked around alone.

In addition, the Coleman Mansion had a beautiful back garden. While Kendall was pushing Dylan's wheelchair through the small path of flowers, there were several times when she wanted to stop and admire the flowers, but she was afraid that Dylan would be mad if she stopped.

As the sun settled, it painted half of the evening sky and earth a fiery red.

"Let's go outside for a stroll."

"Okay."

Being Dylan's current 'nanny', she had to obey Dylan's every order without any objections.

After walking for a while, he told her to stop.

"What's the matter?"

Turning his head, he ordered, "Bend down."

Not knowing what he wanted, Kendall warily and carefully bent down and looked Dylan dead in the eyes to avoid being knocked unconscious again.

Looking at her gloomy expression, Dylan raised his hand, but Kendall instinctively stood straight. "Dylan, don't you even think about hitting me unconscious."

It was a painful experience.

However, he grabbed her hand and tugged her body until she was forced to bend down again. Then, he curled his fingers and flicked her forehead, which made her feel pain and complain that he didn't know how to treat women.

"You must have a memory of a goldfish. How can you not remember the way after walking through it once?"

As Kendall touched the spot where he had flicked her, she looked at him with an innocent and aggrieved expression.

"I'm not familiar with your home. It's so massive and has so many shortcuts that are intertwined. How can I remember all of them? You guys should have made a road sign because once strangers enter, they won't be able to get out."

Instead of replying to her, Dylan glared at her in unhappiness.

Pursing her lips, she asked, "Can't you just tell me where the direction of the mansion's entrance is? Stop flicking my forehead. It hurts. Why don't you let me return the favor?"

"I've only said one thing and you retort with a dozen other things."

"I did not."

Once Kendall saw Dylan's darkened gaze, she immediately turned his wheelchair around and walked in another direction.

"Wrong."

"Where should I go, then?"

Dylan told himself he shouldn't be angry with his newlywed wife because she was new to the place and the Coleman Mansion was indeed massive. It was normal for her not to know where to go.

Not everyone had an excellent memory like him.

After telling himself that, he pointed in a direction, and Kendall quickly pushed him in that direction.

While being guided by Dylan, Kendall finally brought the temperamental man, who liked to flick her forehead, outside the Coleman Mansion.

"Head to the field over there to watch the sunset."

A hundred meters from them was a big grassy field surrounded by trees and plants, making the whole place look like a green palette.

Once Dylan had given an order, Kendall didn't have the guts to refuse.

They heard the sound of a car in the distance and when they reached the grass field, they saw a very familiar car approaching them under the sunset.

Perhaps the person inside had also seen the couple because that driver quickly found a spot to park the car. It was then that the couple saw that the person inside the car was Jackson.

After parking his car, Jackson descended the car and strode toward the couple.

As Dylan turned his head to look at Kendall, he saw that her hands tightly gripped his wheelchair while she stared at Jackson with hatred. If it hadn't been for her self-control, Dylan was sure that she would have pushed his wheelchair to slam into Jackson.

Then, Dylan asked himself, Didn't she fall in love with Jackson at first sight and refuse to marry me because of him? Also, I heard that she had previously starved herself because of Jackson.

In the past, whenever Jackson appeared, Kendall wouldn't notice anybody else and whatever she did would revolve around him. But judging by her current state, she looked like she hated Jackson to the core.

What happened between them?

Dylan was lost in his thoughts, and he had countless questions running through his mind at that minute.

"Master Dylan, Kendall." Jackson was smiling as he approached them.

Trying to suppress her hatred, Kendall subconsciously lowered her head and met Dylan's jet-black pupils. She blinked and wondered how long he had been looking at her.

After that, Dylan acted like nothing had happened and turned around. He had an indifferent expression and didn't respond to Jackson's greeting.

"Master Dylan."

Everyone in Orapolis knew that Dylan disliked having people near him, so Jackson stopped about three steps away from the duo.

As Dylan looked at the setting sun in the sky, he felt the sunset looked beautiful, but it was a pity that it was almost evening. "Mr. Whittle, what business do you have by coming here uninvited?"

Dylan wasn't even looking at Jackson when he asked the question, which made Jackson feel unhappy about the man's defiant and arrogant attitude. However, he did not dare to voice that out.

After that, Jackson turned his gaze to Kendall and looked at her adoringly before he explained, "I heard that you brought Kendall here and was worried that her straightforward personality would anger you, so I came to bring her back home. Master Dylan, if Kendall has offended you in any way, I hope you can forgive her for my sake."

It was then that Dylan finally looked at Jackson.

He pursed his lips and sarcastically remarked, "For your sake? How shameless of you to say that."

Jackson was at a loss of words.

Chapter 26

Without looking at Jackson, Kendall answered, "Mr. Whittle, this is a matter between Dylan and me, so it's none of your business. Please don't meddle in our matter and go back to where you came from."

"Kendall," Jackson softly called as he looked at her gently. Then, he coaxed, "Kendall, I know you're still angry at me. I'm sorry I was too busy and paid little attention to you. When we return, I'll bring you out shopping for jewelry as compensation."

As he reached out to grab Kendall's hand, Jackson added, "Kendall, come home with me."

However, Kendall coldly slapped his hand away. "Mr. Whittle, can't you understand what I've just said? Just leave already!"

"Kendall!" Jackson shouted while looking at her disbelievingly.

He came all the way to the Coleman Mansion to bring her home, but she was both rude and distant to him.

What had he done wrong for her to change so drastically?

"Master Dylan, I'm sorry that you had to see this. Kendall and I are having a small misunderstanding," Jackson apologized with a flushed face and secretly blamed Kendall for embarrassing him in front of Dylan.

Dylan, on the other hand, felt interested and questioned, "What misunderstanding are you two having? Also, who are you to come here and bring her home?"

"It's… a very small misunderstanding. Master Dylan, Kendall and I are engaged, and our families are currently selecting a date for our engagement banquet. Until then, we hope that you will be able to attend my and Kendall's engagement banquet."

"Jackson, what nonsense are you talking about? Who did you say was your fiancée?"

After listening to Jackson's words, Kendall felt her blood boil and she looked over at her husband, who was also looking at her with an ambiguous smile. Although Dylan wasn't as cold as he usually was, his behavior made Kendall's heart sink as she wished that he was his usual cold self.

"I understand. Please inform me when you and Ms. Parker are getting engaged. Then, I'll bring a large gift to congratulate you and attend the banquet."

Hearing Dylan's answer made Jackson both shocked and uncontrollably happy. He wasn't expecting Dylan to agree when he casually announced his and Kendall's engagement, and he was shocked when Dylan agreed.

"Mr. Whittle, please leave if there's nothing else you need to say. I would like to continue watching the sunset." Surprisingly, Dylan was still acting polite with Jackson as he turned to look at Kendall before announcing, "I have a debt to settle with Ms. Parker, so I brought her back here to be my free personal nanny as a way for her to pay her debt."

Bowing politely, Jackson agreed, "Of course, debts should be paid. She should be your free nanny and repay her debt if she doesn't have money to pay. This is the way things should be."

As Kendall listened, she wondered how dumb she had been to fall in love with a man like Jackson. He

always acted arrogantly before her, but was so polite to Dylan that he was like a bootlicker.

"Master Dylan, I'm sorry to have disturbed you enjoying the sunset. I'll leave now." Then, Jackson turned to Kendall and assured her, "Kendall, stay here and pay your debt. I'll come and bring you home after you're done."

"Just go!"

Kendall wasn't in the mood to say anything more, but Jackson was not angry. After bidding goodbye to Dylan a few more times, Jackson left with a spring in his step.

Once Jackson's car was out of sight, Dylan turned his head to glare at Kendall.

She hurriedly explained, "Dylan, I'm not engaged to him. I… Fine, I admit that I used to like him, but that's all in the past. I don't like him anymore, not even one bit."

The only feeling Kendall had for Jackson was hatred. She wanted to grow stronger to deal with Jackson and Kelly, and avenge her daughter.

"Lower your head."

"What are you going to do?" asked Kendall while she looked at Dylan warily. It was never something good whenever he asked her to lower her head or bend down.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Although Kendall was angry, she couldn't win over Dylan, so she could only unwillingly lower her head.

After getting knocked on the forehead by Dylan's delicate and long fingers, she heard his cold voice entering her ear. "Muddlehead!"

How can she love a man like Jackson so much? Dylan grumbled to himself.

"Dylan, I—"

"Go back!" Dylan's mood changed in the blink of an eye, and he ordered her with a darkened expression and cold gaze. Even the words he said brought chills, making Kendall swallow the rest of her words.

And so, she quietly pushed Dylan's wheelchair and got ready to push him back, but he suddenly smacked her hand away.

Finally, she understood that he was telling her to head back inside.

"Dylan?" Kendall called out carefully. The bodyguards weren't with them, so who would push him back inside if she headed off?

"Go away!"

Pursing her lips, Kendall felt hurt and decided against saying anything before she quietly turned to leave.

She thought Dylan wanted her to return to her home and she kept walking forward. That was until she heard that heartless man growling coldly at her, "Who gave you permission to go back to your home?"

After that, she turned around to look at Dylan. Why couldn't he be clearer that he was ordering her to return to Coleman Mansion?

"I understand," replied Kendall. She gave up on returning to her home, turned to the side, and walked back to the Coleman Mansion.

Once her figure was out of sight, Dylan slammed his fist on his wheelchair twice and looked at his legs that couldn't walk before punching them twice.

D*mn it! Kendall said she would be responsible for me, but she is still holding onto Jackson after getting married!

At that moment, Dylan wasn't sure if he was angry at her or jealous.

Worried about Dylan being alone on the grassy field outside, Kendall found two bodyguards who were by Dylan's side and told them to head over and take care of him.

"Did you make Young Master Dylan angry?" asked one of the bodyguards.

"I don't know why he's angry. Maybe it's really my fault," Kendall answered.

She had some wrongdoings, but their traces couldn't be covered even if she had changed now.

The worried bodyguards hurriedly left without saying anything else.

As Kendall watched them leave, she had a feeling that she had troubled the two bodyguards.

Meanwhile, Dylan stayed outside for quite a long time. It was already dark when the bodyguards brought him back.

Kendall was waiting for him at his house, and when she saw him, she quickly went up and welcomed him with a smile. "Dylan, you're back!"

"Don't smile. If I see you smile again, I'll…" Dylan glared at her while he warned. Yet, she found that he couldn't vocalize the rest of his warning while looking at her sweet smile.

He was afraid that if he spoke too harshly, it would bite him back in the end!

"Push me inside."

"Okay."

Kendall quickly took over from the bodyguards and pushed him inside.

Once they were inside, Dylan told Kendall he wanted to return to his room and take a bath, and he specifically ordered her to help him take a bath. She was pushing him toward his room when she heard that order and was so shocked that she forgot to walk.

Then, she stammered, "D-Dylan, you want me to help you take a b-bath?"

 

Chapter 27

"Why are you stammering? Did you bite your tongue?"

"Dylan, I'm a woman," Kendall muttered. "Do you think it's appropriate for me to help you take a bath?"

After snorting, Dylan rebuked, "You're my wife. Why would it be inappropriate?"

"Then… I'll do whatever you say," she happily agreed and continued to push him forward.

Noticing the defiant spring in her steps, he turned his head to look at her. She was clearly shocked in the beginning, but why was she suddenly happy?

Dylan told himself that this woman changed her mood faster than lightning, which made her as temperamental as him!

Once they arrived in the room, Kendall skipped into the bathroom to fill the bathtub for Dylan. When she thought about being able to watch a handsome man taking a bath, she couldn't help but hum happily.

Outside, Dylan frowned when he heard her humming inside the bathroom, so he pushed his wheelchair toward the bathroom door, where he saw Kendall grinning from ear to ear. Her smile reminded him of her happiness on the day they received their marriage certificate.

"Dylan, I finished filling up the bathtub."

Kendall gave Dylan a sweet smile while he quietly rolled his wheelchair into the bathroom.

As soon as he entered, he saw his wife having a different glint in her bright eyes while eagerly taking off his shirt.

"Dylan, you have such robust muscles."

While Kendall helped Dylan take off his shirt, she used the opportunity to realize her desire to touch Dylan's body.

Meanwhile, Dylan discovered that not only had he not scared her, it made him feel like he was at her mercy and allowed her to do whatever she wanted with him.

When her delicate hands fell on the top of his pants and were ready to take off his belt, Dylan grabbed her hands.

Her hands were soft and small, and they felt good.

Dylan told himself that he wasn't letting go because he didn't want her to take off his pants, not because he wanted to hold them.

"Dylan?"

After Dylan prevented her from removing his pants, Kendall looked at him in confusion.

"I'll take a bath by myself. You can go out." Then, Dylan released her hands and stated, "Close the door on your way out."

"But Dylan, it would be difficult for you to bathe alone. Why don't you let me help you? We're married and have the closest relationship with each other, so you don't have to be embarrassed." After that, Kendall wanted to take off his pants again, but he was quick to grab her hands yet again.

Then, with a darkened face, he emphasized, "Kendall, I told you to go out!"

Withdrawing her hands, Kendall grunted forlornly and reluctantly left after closing the door behind her.

Once the door was closed, she covered her mouth and laughed. "Trying to play tricks on me?" Let's see who would be at a loss in the end!

When Dylan came out of the bathroom, Kendall was half lying on the bed while enjoying the fruit platter she was holding. She smiled when she saw him, and she asked, "Dylan, would you like some fruit?"

However, he ignored her and rolled his wheelchair over to the bed.

After putting the fruit platter on the bedside table, Kendall hopped off the bed and was about to help Dylan onto the bed but was rejected by him.

As she watched him get in bed with difficulty, she felt distressed. She then commented, "You have to keep doing physiotherapy and practice walking to have a quick recovery. You might get muscle atrophy if you keep sitting on your wheelchair."

Still ignoring her, Dylan lay down.

Pursing her lips, Kendall looked at him for about two minutes before shamelessly approaching him with

a smile. "Dylan, are you still angry at me? I admit that I liked Jackson, but that was in the past. I don't like him anymore because I only like you." She touched Dylan's face and, under his glare, giggled while speaking sweetly, "Dylan, I know you don't like me, but that doesn't matter. I still have the rest of our lives to make you fall in love with me."

Finally, the man parted his lips to retort, "What a shameless person you are."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Dylan was speechless.

"Are we sleeping together tonight, Dylan?"

"I have no objections if you're willing to sleep on the floor."

After that, Dylan flipped on his side and showed his back to Kendall as he was unwilling to let her see the emotion on his handsome face.

He discovered that she was growing more unbridled, and he had actually started to pardon her actions, which was shocking because it had only been days since they got married.

Kendall giggled while she slid down the bed. "Dylan, wait for me. I'm going to take a bath. It won't be too long."

As Dylan listened to her words, he was rather speechless because the way she said it made it seem like they would be doing something later.

After Kendall took her clothes into the bathroom, Dylan flipped over and thought about it before propping himself up to get back into his wheelchair. Then, he pushed his wheelchair and left the room.

Thinking that she was about to sleep with the legend of Orapolis' business industry, Kendall was feeling rather happy. However, she was met with an empty bed and a missing husband when she came out of the bathroom.

"Are we not going to fight over the bed?" Sighing, Kendall muttered, "I'm not used to him giving up so quickly."

If Dylan heard what she was muttering, he would have been foaming at the mouth.

What a sly vixen!

…

Inside a dimly lit room, a man and a woman were making love in a large bed.

Instantly, Dylan sat up in bed, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

It was that dream again!

In recent months, he had been having the same dream where he was entangled with a woman while continuously doing the deed. However, it was a strange dream because he couldn't see the woman's face.

Dylan was certain that in his thirty-one years of living, he had never taken a woman so rampantly as henoveldrama

had in his dream.

Moreover, he couldn't figure out why a man who didn't like women and was still a virgin would repeatedly have the same dream. Was the dream a prophecy?

Afterward, Dylan reached for some tissues by his bedside table and wiped the sweat on his forehead.

Every time he woke up from that dream, he would sweat profusely and sometimes pant, as though the dream was real.

As he turned on the lights, he couldn't sleep anymore, so he arduously got down from bed and onto his wheelchair, and pushed it toward the study where he took out a rolled drawing from the study table drawer.

Then, he stretched the drawing to reveal a featureless portrait of a woman he drew according to his dream. As he had never seen the woman's features, he couldn't finish his drawing.

"Who are you, and why do you keep appearing in my dreams?" murmured Dylan.

This dream had been bugging him for a while and it even affected his sleep.

"I've never done anything lewd with another woman, so whoever you are, stop looking for me."

Afterward, he rolled the drawing and stuffed it into his drawer.

Dylan sat at his study table for over ten minutes before returning to bed and forcing himself to sleep.

However, every time he closed his eyes, the scene from before would appear in his mind. For some unknown reason, it was like a stone being thrown at his calm heart, making it ripple.

 

Chapter 28

Dylan didn't sleep well because of that dream, causing him to be in a bad mood when he woke up the next day.

After Kendall noticed his bad mood, she sensibly avoided him whenever he wasn't looking for her so that he wouldn't take his anger out on her. Yet, she was curious about who had angered him so early in the morning.

Meanwhile, Dylan didn't mess with Kendall that morning. He had breakfast at his usual spot and prepared to head to the company with his group of bodyguards.

"Dylan."

After the bodyguards helped Dylan into the car, Kendall came running with a small box in her hand. She stopped in front of Dylan's car and knocked on the window.

It took two minutes for Dylan to roll down the window and ask with a tense expression, "What's the matter?"

She gave him the small box, but instead of receiving it, Dylan raised his eyebrow at her.

"Dylan, this is the present I prepared for you. Didn't you say you wanted me to give you a gift every day starting today?"

She stuffed the box in his hand and advised, "You can open it once you're at the company, but don't throw it. I made it myself. It's not something valuable, but it's the meaning that matters."

Pursing his lips, Dylan didn't speak, but he didn't throw the small box out the window either. The car drove away once he closed the window.

It took half an hour to get from the Coleman Mansion to Coleman Empire Holdings. The company building had 68 floors and was like the most astonishing pearl of Orapolis' business industry.

Those who were able to work at Coleman Empire Holdings were elites among the elites. Although the company's president was a cold man with few words and was hard to get along with, Coleman Empire Holdings had great benefits and a bigger chance for promotion.

Many who tried their best to enter Coleman Empire Holdings had also dreamed of gaining Dylan's attention, because that meant they would have a promising future.

The president's office was located on the highest level of the building, which was the sixty-eighth floor. Besides Dylan and his team of secretaries, there weren't any higher ups occupying that floor, which led to the other employees of Coleman Empire Holdings believing that this floor was unreachable. Many of them had worked here for years but had never met Dylan in person.

When Dylan arrived in his office, the coffee his secretary had prepared was at just the right drinkable temperature.

Dylan placed Kendall's gift box on the table. He then picked up his coffee cup and elegantly drank his coffee. Once he drank half of his coffee, he placed his cup on the table to take the box instead of going straight into working mode.

At that point, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dylan answered while unwrapping the box.

The office door was pushed open to reveal a man about the same age as Dylan, who was holding a stack of files. After the man placed the files on Dylan's table, he plopped down on the chair and explained, "President Coleman, these are the important documents you need to deal with personally."

However, Dylan ignored him and continued to unwrap his gift.

He was curious about what kind of gift that Kendall prepared.

When Toddy Heller noticed that his boss wasn't paying attention to him, he rose to his feet to see Dylan unwrapping a gift, so he asked, "President Coleman, who gave you this gift? That person must be very courageous to send you a gift."

What made Toddy even more surprised was that Dylan had accepted the gift.

Toddy had been with Dylan for seven to eight years and even accompanied him to secure and expand his assets, so he was both an employee and friend to Dylan and knew the man's character.

However, Dylan still ignored Toddy.

As he unwrapped the box Kendall gave him, he couldn't help but quibble about how sneaky she was because he found several other smaller boxes inside. When he finally unwrapped all the boxes, he saw that Kendall's gift was two little mice, or to be exact, two cotton mice.

It was two small pouches in the shape of a mouse filled with cotton, and Kendall made them even more like mice by adding a few more details.

"Who gave you these?" asked Toddy. He found it funny that the person who gave Dylan the gift would think of giving him two cotton mice. Although they were delicately made and looked identical, they didn't have much value, and he dared say that these little things would cost little to none on eBay.

To think that someone had given Dylan, who had a net worth of over billions, such a gift…

A still silent Dylan squeezed the two mice without knowing that there was a small speaker inside. When he squeezed them, the mice started squeaking and Toddy began to laugh.

"Get out if you're going to continue laughing!"

Toddy quickly covered his mouth.

"Alright, alright. I won't laugh anymore. By the way, who gave you these? The workmanship on these is so good that they look very realistic, despite it not being able to run around." Just as Toddy was about to take one from Dylan's hand, Dylan slapped the man's hand away. "President Coleman?"

Toddy looked at his boss and good friend in shock as he grumbled to himself, What's so special about these mice for him to be so stingy? No, that's not it. Why is he so careful with them that I can't even touch them? Who gave them to Dylan?

As Toddy thought about it, he felt that Dylan was having a love affair, but he couldn't figure out who it might be.

Leaning back, Dylan rested against his office chair with his unfinished coffee in one hand and the two mice in his other. He occasionally squeezed the two mice as he drank his coffee, and their squeaks filled the entire office.

He never thought that Kendall would give him such things as a gift. Did she make them herself?

According to the information he found, she used to own an arts education center, so she was both talented and creative. In her words, her gift wasn't anything valuable, but its value was in its meaning. Also, judging by its look, the quality was great.

Dylan was initially in a bad mood from not getting any sleep last night but now, he was in a much better mood.

Meanwhile, Toddy was staring at Dylan.

Watching the scene unfold before him, Toddy was sure Dylan was in a love affair because the latter was almost smiling.

Once Dylan finished his coffee and placed the cup back on the table, he suddenly noticed Toddy staring at him, so he frowned while asking, "Why are you still here?"

Toddy replied, "Didn't you see that I was sitting here all along?" Then, he stated, "I'll leave after you finish signing those documents."

With pursed lips, Dylan placed the two mice on his table and made the stuffed animals face him.

Is he planning to see the mice whenever he raises his head after growing tired from work? Toddy

wondered.

Picking up his pen and one of the documents, Dylan looked through them and asked Toddy a few questions before signing.

"Help me inform Terence to call me at 11.30 AM. I need him to help me with something."

"Isn't your hair still short? Why are you looking for Terence?" Toddy asked while he looked at Dylan's hair.

Terence Luther was a famous hairstylist in Orapolis, as well as Dylan's private hair stylist.

"Toddy, you're being quite long-tongued today. Would you like me to help you cut some off?"

Upon hearing that, Toddy quickly covered his mouth. "Thank you, but no."

"In that case, shut up and do whatever I ask you to do. Remember, I am your boss when you're inside the company, and you should unconditionally obey my orders."

Once Dylan said that, Toddy's expression became serious.

 

Chapter 29

"I'm sorry," Toddy apologized.

After a short silence, Dylan signed off another document before suddenly telling Toddy, "I'm married."

Toddy looked at Dylan in shock while contemplating whether he had misheard the news.

"These two mice are the first gift my wife has given me."

Finally, Toddy understood why Dylan cherished them so much and won't let anyone touch them, but then realized he didn't know who Dylan's wife was.

Pleading with his eyes, Toddy looked at his boss and best friend closely, as he wanted to know the identity of the courageous woman who dared to marry Dylan.

However, Dylan acted like he didn't see Toddy's plea and continued to sign the documents.

The news he gave was like a bomb that exploded and blasted Toddy into smithereens, but Dylan still acted like nothing had happened and left Toddy with a cliffhanger.

Even if Toddy was curious, he didn't ask Dylan who his wife was because he knew that he wouldn't be able to get Dylan to say her name.

Meanwhile, Kendall had no idea what Dylan was doing at his company. She was waiting for Dylan to leave so she could head home, but she wasn't expecting her mother to visit her first.

However, Charlotte was blocked from entering the Coleman Mansion.

As there were countless rules and heavy security at the Coleman Mansion, anyone who came to visit needed to have the approval from a Coleman before they were allowed to enter. Then, a maid would bring them to where the person they were visiting lived. The guests weren't allowed to walk around the whole mansion. This was to avoid them snooping into other people's privacy.

Charlotte was here to see Kendall, who was living with Dylan, so she had to get Dylan's approval before she could enter Coleman Mansion. However, Dylan was not at home and Kendall didn't have his contact number.

As Kendall thought about it, she found it funny that they had gotten their marriage certificate and were lawfully wedded, but she didn't have her husband's contact number.

On the other hand, Dylan knew her number and her past. While she knew nothing about him, he knew everything about her, which Kendall felt was rather unfair.

Since Charlotte couldn't enter the mansion, she had no choice but to call Kendall. Once Kendall knew that her mother was outside, she quickly went out but as she hadn't familiarized herself with Coleman Mansion, it took her quite a while and some help from the maids to get to the mansion's entrance.

"Mommy!"

"Kendall!"

When Charlotte saw Kendall, she hurriedly went up, grabbed her daughter's hand, and checked to

ensure that Kendall wasn't hurt before releasing a relieved sigh.

Then, she scolded, "Kendall, why didn't you tell me you left home? I was so scared when I didn't see you at home when I returned. After your father told me, I wanted to call you, but he said it was late and we shouldn't disturb your rest. I couldn't sleep well last night, you know?"

"Mommy, I'm sorry. I should have called you," Kendall apologized.

She was so busy battling wits with Dylan that she forgot to call her mother.

"Did Master Dylan make things difficult for you? How could your father watch him take you away?" Charlotte accused her husband of not cherishing his daughter.

"No, Mommy. He won't do anything to me, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Kelly said Master Dylan wants you to take responsibility for something. What did you say that day that made him come to our house and demand that you leave with him?"

After hesitating, Kendall decided not to tell her mother the truth. She had lost her marriage certificate, and Charlotte wouldn't believe her without proof.

"Mommy, I'll tell you when the time is right, but you don't have to worry about me for now. I'm doing fine." A short pause later, Kendall continued, "Mommy, you came at just the right time. I'll follow your car home and drive my car back here."

Although the Coleman Family wasn't short of cars, Kendall was Dylan's secretly married wife, so she wasn't given a car. In order to make things easier for her when she needed to go out, she had to return

home and drive her car over.

"Kendall, can you stay at home with me?"

As Charlotte led Kendall into the car, the former worriedly asked, "If you don't want to tell me, I won't ask you, but I think it's not appropriate for you to stay at the Colemans. They might still remember that you refused to marry into the Coleman Family, and Master Dylan is not an easy person to get along with. I'm afraid…" Charlotte stopped for a bit before continuing, "Kendall, before I came, I received a call from Mrs. Whittle. She said she has chosen a date for your engagement party, which will be on the sixth of next month."

After buckling her seatbelt, Charlotte asked, "Did you mean it when you said you don't want to marry Jackson anymore? If you mean it, I'll refuse Mrs. Whittle and tell her the engagement is off."

"Mommy, please refuse her. I'm never going to marry Jackson."

Charlotte was dumbfounded.

Was the one who refused to eat, ran over to the Colemans to find Master Dylan, and attempted suicide to refuse his marriage proposal, not her daughter?

"Kendall, do you know what you're talking about?"

"Mommy, I'm awake and know what I'm talking about. I used to like Jackson, but then I felt he wasn't the person I could rely on for the rest of my life. I've been recuperating at home for a long time, yet he hasn't even called, let alone visited me. He doesn't like me, so I definitely won't be happy if I marry him."

Relaxing, Charlotte took Kendall's hand in hers before driving away and comforting her, "Kendall, I'm happy that you're able to think this through. It's difficult for you to take on a cunning family like the Whittles. Although Jackson is an excellent person and seems to treat you well, just as you said, he doesn't seem to treat you as well as how he shows us on the outside. Alright, then. I'll help you refuse Mrs. Whittle, so you won't need to marry him." Then, she lovingly caressed Kendall's cheek before she praised, "My daughter is such an excellent girl, so she will be able to find a husband that is even better than Jackson."

Kendall had already found him and married the best man in all of Orapolis. However, since they were secretly married, she wasn't allowed to call him her husband.

The two left the Coleman Mansion but halfway home, Kendall changed her mind and decided to head to the Parker Corporation.

"You want to go to the company?"

Shocked at Kendall's decision, Charlotte glanced at her daughter before looking back on the road. "What made you decide to go to the company? You refused our offer to enter the company and help Kelly with the company affairs by saying you don't know anything about managing a business."

Since then, Charlotte and Adam stopped asking Kendall to enter the company, and they began to rely even more on their adopted daughter, Kelly.

However, Charlotte felt unhappy about that. When she saw that the two sisters were getting along well and Kelly took good care of Kendall, Charlotte decided that she and Adam would give Kelly once they had grown old and could no longer support the company. That way, Kelly would still have the drive to

work hard, but the one with the most authority would still be their biological daughter, Kendall.

With Kelly managing the Parker Corporation, Kendall could live a good life.

Thinking she had paved the way for her daughter, Charlotte stopped asking Kendall to take over the company. She wasn't expecting Kendall to say she wanted to go to the Parker Corporation.

"Mommy, that's our family's company. Can't I, the real daughter of the Parker Family, go there?"

Laughing, Charlotte replied, "Of course you can. I'm just surprised! When I asked you to visit the company, you'd rather become someone else's piano teacher than enter our company."

When Kendall heard that, she felt rather guilty. She had let her parents down because she refused their offer to enter the company. This was due to Kendall not understanding anything about managing a business.

During this lifetime, though, she had to learn about managing a business because if she was knowledgeable, she would be able to grow stronger and take over the Parker Corporation so that it would not fall into the hands of Kelly and Jackson.

 

Chapter 30

"Mommy, I would like to learn how to manage the company. Would Daddy be willing to teach me?"

Charlotte was over the moon upon hearing that. "Of course he would! What we're most scared of is you not wanting to learn how to manage our company. Since you want to learn, I can even go back to the company and teach you myself."

When Charlotte married into the Parker Family, she had also entered the company and helped Adam to take care of the business, but she gradually returned to becoming a housewife after she had Kendall since all her attention was on her daughter.

"Kendall, do you really want to learn how to manage the company?" Charlotte asked. "Taking over a business is not as easy as you think, and it would be even harder since you don't have any knowledge of this field. You need to think more carefully before telling your father."

A determined Kendall promised, "Mommy, I'm not afraid of the hardships I will face. As long as you give me the chance to learn, I can learn. Since Kelly can do it, so can I."

After glancing at Kendall, Charlotte felt happy that her daughter had finally made up her mind. Then, she immediately changed her route and drove toward the Parker Corporation.

"Kendall, what happened between you and Kelly? Since you've rejected Master Dylan's marriage proposal, you've been calling her by name, and not respectfully close to her anymore."

As expected, mothers were more attentive to their children. Despite how hard Kendall tried to hide her hatred for Kelly, Charlotte still felt the difference in Kendall's attitude. Charlotte thought it was because Kelly had snitched on her sister, so she explained, "We raised Kelly and exercised a lot of effort into

her. Although you're not blood-related, you must have a good sisterly relationship with her. That way, you would still have a helper once your father and I are gone. Don't pull away from her because of small matters."

A moment later, Kendall asked, "Mommy, do you really think she treats me well?"

Charlotte was stunned for a moment, but she quickly smiled and answered, "Kendall, you are my biological daughter so if something happens, I'll always stand by your side."

Kendall's eyes turned red as she knew that her mother was avoiding her question. She was afraid that her mother would discover her reddened eyes, so she turned her head and looked out the window.

In her previous life, her parents died from Kelly's schemes. Kendall thought that perhaps Kelly had found out that they were determined to support her, so that was why her parents were caught in Kelly's scheme.

The Parker Corporation was not far from the Coleman Empire Holdings. It was a few minutes drive from one to the other, and one would have to pass by the Coleman Empire Holdings to get to the Parker Corporation.

When Charlotte's car passed by the Coleman Empire Holdings, she reminded Kendall, "Kendall, do you see that building? That is the Coleman Empire Holdings, and its president is still Master Dylan. If you really wish to continue on the business route, you must be careful of Coleman Empire Holding's schemes. Once you've fallen into his trap, all the decades of effort put into Parker Corporation would all be gone."

Kendall knew that not only did the Coleman Empire Holdings dominate the business industry in

Orapolis, they were also an influential company in the entire country. The office building she was staring at had sixty-eight floors, and was like a shiny gem.

She thought that Dylan must be busy.

Not knowing her daughter's relationship with Dylan, Charlotte drove while explaining to Kendall how powerful the Coleman Empire Holdings was and how heartless Dylan could be. After that, she commented, "The Mendelson Group had tried gathering other forces to attack the Coleman Empire Holdings several times but never gotten any benefits from it. Also, the president of Mendelson Group, Frank Mendelson, is not an easy person to deal with too. You must avoid him as well. Although he is enemies with Master Dylan, he doesn't treat us well either."

Since Frank was brave enough to challenge Dylan, he wouldn't be an easy person to deal with.

Kendall had met Frank a few times in her past life. He was about the same age as Dylan and equally handsome, but her biggest impression of him was his alluring eyes.

"Yes, Mommy. I understand."

Being Dylan's wife, Kendall was naturally on Frank's opposite side, but even if she weren't Dylan's wife, she still wouldn't want anything to do with him.

As the mother-daughter pair enjoyed their time, they arrived at the Parker Corporation. The security guard recognized Charlotte's car and allowed them to enter. Then, she drove straight inside and stopped at the entrance of the twenty-eight storey building, whereby Kendall alighted from the vehicle.

Diagonally opposite the entrance was a small garden. Although it wasn't large, it had everything a garden needed, like winding pathways, rockeries, and greeneries. It was originally built for the purpose of letting the company's employees take a walk whenever they were free, but it coincidentally became the Parker Corporation's specialty. Whenever a client came to the Parker Corporation to discuss business details, they would praise the design of this small garden.

It wasn't Kendall's first time coming to the Parker Corporation, so she had already been to the garden. She was waiting for Charlotte to descend from her car so they could enter the building together.

Kendall's phone rang right at that moment, and Charlotte turned to look at her.

"Mommy, I need to take this call."

Smiling, Charlotte asked, "Is it Amelia?"

Amelia Taylor was the only friend Kendall made since her return to the Parker Family.

After looking at the caller ID, Kendall replied, "No, it's an unknown number, so I'm not sure who it is. Mommy, why don't you head up and look for Daddy? I'll find you guys after I take this call."

"Okay."

Charlotte gave her daughter some privacy after that.

"Mrs. Parker, Miss Kendall," greeted the two receptionists.

Nodding in response, Kendall picked up the call.

"Hello." However, there wasn't an immediate response from the other side, so Kendall asked again, "Hello, may I know who this is?"

"Where are you?"

When the cold voice sounded, she immediately knew it was Dylan. Her expression turned nervous as she quickly answered, "I'm outside."

After that, he stopped talking, but she was afraid to hang up, so she waited for him to continue.

"Why aren't you talking?"

Stunned, Kendall laughed and replied, "I thought you had something to say, so I was waiting for you to speak."

It turned out that he was also waiting for her to speak.

As she wasn't the one who initiated the call, she couldn't quickly think of any topics to chat about with the iceberg, Dylan Coleman.

"Remember to come home this afternoon. I've asked someone to help style your hair."

"I don't need to style my hair!" Kendall rejected immediately as she was satisfied with her long, smooth, and untangled hair.

A while later, Dylan stated, "It's just a trim to let your hair look even better, so don't worry. I won't cut

your long hair."

He liked her long silky hair, but her hairstyle was a little outdated.

"Aren't you attending the Zorn Family's banquet next week?"

"How did you know that?"

Once Kendall asked that question, she felt it was redundant. When has anything stopped Dylan from finding out whatever he wanted?

He had someone investigate her, so it was natural that he knew her whereabouts, which reminded her again of the difference between them.

"Alright. Thank you for having me in mind. Are you coming home for lunch?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

After that, the call between the two came to a dead end.

Kendall felt that Dylan was bad at conversing because he always brought the conversation to a halt.

"I might not be home for lunch. Are you okay with that?"

"That's your business and it has nothing to do with me. You don't have to tell me about your

whereabouts."

Dylan's cold attitude made Kendall pout as she asked, "Dylan, do you have anything else to say?"

"Don't you like receiving my calls?"

That question was infused with dangerous intent. Kendall thought that if she were to say yes, Dylan might very well teleport through the radio waves and strangle her to death.