Ch. 391..400

Chapter 391

Nelson was very angry with his sister, though. "Mom, she looks like she needs a spanking. Don't you see that?" he said. "Mom, let me send you home. Why fawn all over her? She doesn't need us to care about her, nor does she treat us as her family. She has a servant to take good care of her while she's still thinking about Jackson, that f*cking *sshole."

Sally let out a sigh. "She's a living and breathing person born from my flesh, after all. I already feel sorry for her that I didn't do my duty to bring her up. Now that something has happened to her, I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life if I abandon her instead of taking care of her." Kelly's attitude hurt her more than it did Nelson; it was like a knife stabbing through her heart. "Nell, go out for a walk and cool down while I go inside to comfort her," she said before turning around and going back into the ward.

In reality, Kelly knew how much it hurt for her to say something like that, but she simply couldn't restrain herself. She couldn't help getting angry when she saw how her birth parents and brothers were unable to help her. She felt that God was too unfair to her. Why did Kendall and I have to be swapped at birth? Not only that, but the truth of it was revealed. Kendall ends up rising to the top, filling countless people with envy.

Seeing Sally come back, she pursed her lips in silence for a long time. When the former handed her the breakfast she had bought for her, she took it and thanked her politely, adding, "I didn't mean to say that. My mind was confused just now."

"It's okay. Your brother has a fiery temper, but his anger subsides as quickly as it arises."

Just then, Lyla said, "Miss Kelly, sir and madam are on their way here. They've brought you breakfast and tonic soup."

The breakfast Kelly was holding in her hands became a hot potato for her. On the one hand, she might not have the appetite for it, but on the other hand, she'd hurt Sally if she didn't eat it. She was still hoping to persuade Sally to ask Kendall for help.

Sally considerately said to Kelly with a smile, "Eat a little first—it'll take the edge off your hunger and make your stomach feel better. You can eat the breakfast brought by your parents when they arrive."

"What did you buy for breakfast?" Kelly asked.

"Savory oatmeal."

"Oh." Kelly opened the food container. Then, seeing the sliced green onions in the oatmeal, she immediately put the oatmeal on the bedside table, saying, "I don't eat green onions."

Sally was startled for a moment. Then, she replied, "Let me help you pick out the green onions." As she spoke, she picked up the oatmeal and carefully picked out those sliced green onions.

"You eat it. I don't like anything that tastes like green onion," Kelly replied, finding a justifiable excuse for herself to reject the breakfast bought by her own mother.

Sally was disappointed inwardly, but her face gave nothing away.

Ring… Just then, Sally's cell phone rang; she took it out and looked at the caller ID. Then, she said under Kelly's stare, "It's Kendall." Mrs. Parker must've told Kendall that I'm here.

Just as she wanted to answer the phone, Kelly put her hand on hers. "Ms. Morrison, leave us for a

moment."

After Lyla left the room, Kelly demanded in a low voice, "Tell Kendall to ask Master Dylan to step in and help me settle this. There's no need to erase anyone's memories. It's fine as long as the stalking paparazzi disappear and nobody dares to gossip about me. Master Dylan indulges Kendall in everything, so he'll surely help me as long as she asks him to. You're my birth mother. If you refuse to help me when I need it the most, I'll never acknowledge you as my mother, because you'd rather watch your own daughter die than lend me a helping hand."

"Kelly…" Sally was distressed as she found herself caught in a dilemma. She wanted to help her own daughter, whose reputation was now in crisis and whom she felt sorry for. On the other hand, she had brought Kendall up as her own daughter and loved her dearly for more than 20 years. Inwardly, she knew full well that Kelly and Kendall would fight to the bitter end over the right to inherit the Parker Corporation sooner or later. Therefore, she found it really hard to ask Kendall for help.

Just as she was hesitating, Kendall ended the phone call on her own, seeing that her mother hadn't answered the phone for a long time.

Sally breathed a sigh of relief.

Glaring daggers at Sally, Kelly lay down on her sickbed again. Then, she turned over with her back to Sally.

"Kelly."

"Get out. I want to rest."

"Kelly—"

"Get out!"

Sally stood up and hurriedly replied, "Okay, okay, I'm leaving. Calm down and don't be angry, okay? Take care of yourself lest you feel unwell again."

However, Kelly replied frostily, "I don't need you to be such a hypocrite. Go care about that daughter of yours instead. I don't need you to care whether I'm dead or alive. Don't come in anymore; just go back to where you came from."

Sally's eyes reddened. Even if she hadn't raised Kelly for a day, the latter was the daughter she carried to term and gave birth to. And yet, her own daughter was treating her like this. Despite the heart- rending pain, she stepped out of the ward in silence.

As soon as she stepped out of the ward, Kendall called again.

Sally walked to the end of the corridor until she was away from others. Only then did she answer the phone with her back to other people.

"Hey, Mom." Kendall spoke to Sally over the phone while cleaning the thermos food jar, preparing to fill it with tonic soup and bring it to the hospital to provide Sally with nourishment. Sally had just recovered, so the task of looking after Kelly would be too much for her. Moreover, Kendall dared not expect Kelly to be considerate toward Sally. "Mom, have you eaten breakfast? I just made some tonic soup, so I'll bring some for you later. You have to finish it."

At first, Sally wanted to decline the offer, but she ultimately bit back those words after recalling Kelly's

request. Since I can't bring myself to ask Kendall for help, I'll let Kelly do that instead. That way, I don't have to find myself torn between them as their mother.

She wouldn't blame Kendall no matter whether the latter would help Kelly or not. She didn't approve of Kelly's actions and thought that Kelly had only herself to blame. It was just that she couldn't bring herself to say that to her own daughter.

The mother and daughter chatted for a while before Kendall ended the phone call.

She divided the tonic soup into four servings. One serving was for Sally, two other servings were for Tilly and Emily respectively, whereas the last serving was for Mary, who was staying at the Coleman Residence as a guest. She had told Dylan that she'd work hard for his family to accept her, so she had to put her words into action. After all, humans were born with feelings and compassion. As long as she showed her sincerity, she believed that Dylan's family would sincerely accept her one day.

She put the three bowls of tonic soup on the serving tray. Then, she walked out of the kitchen while holding the tray with both hands.

When Amos saw her come out, he asked with a smile, "Young Mistress Kendall, do you want me to go there with you?" Dylan was away, so he worried that Emily would give Kendall a hard time if the latter went to the main house alone.

"No, it's not necessary," Kendall replied with a smile. "It's not like I'm going to some dangerous spot. Oh, just keep this a secret for me. Don't let Master Dylan know that I've made tonic soup without leaving some for him."

Amos smiled. "Alright." Dylan was an overbearing and overly jealous lover. Even if it was just a glass of

drinking water, he'd have Kendall pour it for him first. Whenever Kendall made tonic soup in the past, he'd want to be the first to have it instead of falling behind others.

Kendall replied, "I'm going there now. Help me get the car ready. Alice and I are going out in a minute." She couldn't disappoint her husband, who had given her a black card and ordered her to 'raid' the Wealthy Luck Street. And besides, she also wanted to dress beautifully in front of Dylan on weekends in the future. After all, women would always doll themselves up for the men they loved.

 

 

Chapter 392

Emily and Fergus were pleasantly having breakfast in the dining room when Kendall arrived at the main house. When Tia told everyone that Kendall had arrived, Tilly asked impassively, "What is she doing here instead of attending to Dylan?"

Recalling the smart move Kendall had made yesterday, Emily didn't say anything, deciding to continue to wait and see how the former would grow.

On the other hand, Alice hastily ate her breakfast, saying, "Kendall must be here to look for me. I promised Dylan to go shopping with her today."

"Ally, don't talk while you're eating," Tilly chided her in a soft voice.

Alice fell silent.

Kendall came in with the serving tray. "Good morning, Grandma, Mrs. Morris, Dad, and Mom," she said, greeting the elders at the dining table. After the elders greeted her in return, she waited until Tilly asked her about it before explaining her purpose in coming here. Then, she brought the three bowls of tonic soup in front of Tilly, Mary, and Emily respectively.

Fergus joked, "Kendall, you're playing favorites. Why isn't there soup for me?"

Kendall replied with a chuckle, "Sorry, it's my mistake. The soup today serves to improve one's complexion and is good for women, so I didn't think of you."

Fergus replied, "A soup that's good for women? Good that you didn't think of me, then. I am a man, so I don't need this kind of soup, but your mom likes it very much. See how she looks like she's still in her

early thirties despite approaching 60? That's the effect of eating beauty soup as much as drinking plain water." Of course, he was purposely putting in a good word for Kendall. Emily was well-preserved, but it wasn't solely because of her habit of eating beauty soup. "The same goes for your grandma. Other people would lose all their teeth and have gray hair and deeply wrinkled faces at her age, but your grandma can be called the youngest grandmother in history. She looks like a middle-aged woman, which is also the effect of eating plenty of beauty soup."

Mary chimed in, "I also have beauty soup every day." After becoming the first to have a taste of the soup Kendall had brought over, she praised, "It tastes good. Kendall, did you make this yourself? It's nice and tastes pretty good. It's comparable to the soup made by the soup chef of your family."

"You flatter me, Mrs. Morris."

Tilly curled her lips, saying, "Does it taste that good?" She tasted the soup, too. In the end, she didn't say it tasted good, but she didn't say she disliked it either.

Emily was the last to taste the soup.

Alice winked at Kendall.

Kendall smiled to herself in secret. Dad is a nice guy who's good at making the atmosphere less awkward.

Despite forbidding her granddaughter to talk while eating, Tilly herself wasn't restricted by the rule. "Have you eaten?" she asked Kendall gently. Then, she added, "Where is Dylan? Why isn't he coming with you?"

"Master Dylan has left home, saying that he has something to deal with this morning."

"Oh," Tilly replied.

"I haven't had breakfast yet," Kendall replied honestly.

"Tia." With just one word from Tilly, Tia immediately set the table for Kendall.

Of course, the tonic soup did little to change Tilly and Emily's opinion of Kendall. It was just that they unanimously refrained from giving Kendall a hard time in Mary and Fergus' presence.

After they finished having breakfast, Emily asked Kendall, "Are you and Ally going shopping?"

"Yeah, we're hanging out. Mom, would you like to go with us?"

Emily didn't expect Kendall to invite her. After pondering for a moment, she decided not to refuse, saying, "Okay, I'll go hang out with you two then. As it happens, I'd also like to go out for a walk."

Subsequently, Kendall got to go out with Emily for the first time. Still, she had to take a trip to the hospital to bring Sally soup and express her 'concern' for Kelly while she was at it.

Emily wasn't angry about that, though. She merely said, "Ally and I will be waiting for you on Wealthy Luck Street, so don't stay too long at the hospital. You just have to check the results."

Kendall smiled sweetly with a flicker in her beautiful eyes. She replied, "As you wish, Mom."

Emily pursed her lips.

After Kendall left in her car, Alice asked Emily curiously, "Mom, what were you and Kendall talking about?"

Emily replied, "What could she and I be talking about? Do you think that I've accepted her now because I'm not fussing? Don't talk like she and I are very close." The moment the incident about Kelly broke out, she knew that it was Kendall's doing. Of course, she had to help her daughter-in-law keep it a secret. Deep down, however, she felt that Kendall was also a ruthless person. Kelly would come under attack from all sides because of the incident.

"You're just someone whose bark is worse than your bite, Mom. I know that you love Dylan the most. Whatever he likes, you'll end up liking it, too."

Emily lightly poked Alice in the forehead. "I love you as well as your siblings."

Alice leaned against Emily like a spoiled child. "My mom is the best mother in the universe. Oh, mama liked the roses. But most of all she cared, about the way we learned to live and if we said our prayers…" She even began singing the song 'Mama Liked the Roses' by Elvis Presley.

Emily couldn't help but chuckle. "What is it about Kendall that strikes your fancy? Now you're singing to help put her in my good books. How difficult it must've been for you. You've been trained in all aspects, but you're born to sing out of tune. You still sing like that despite all the efforts put into nurturing your musical talent."

Alice was rendered speechless. Alright, I'm not as talented as my three brothers, especially Dylan, who is unusually talented but rarely shows it. Perhaps it's because he's afraid of upsetting me. "I like

Kendall because Dylan likes her. That way, I won't quarrel with her and put him in a tight spot by making him torn between us."

Emily was lost for words. Why do Ally's words sound like a slap in the face to me?

Brian handed Kelly a bouquet of flowers.

Kelly looked at him in surprise, as if she couldn't believe that Brian would still come to visit her after such a thing had happened.

"What's wrong? Don't you recognize me anymore?"

Brian looked like a wreck; Kelly's love affair with Jackson was a huge blow to him. After spending a day and a night feeling awful, he learned that she had been hospitalized due to signs of a threatened miscarriage, which came as an even greater blow to him. Kelly is even pregnant with Jackson's baby! Still, he couldn't resist the urge to come and visit her. Even Benjamin and Yasmine failed to stop him from coming.

Kelly couldn't help weeping as she promptly took the flowers from him. Brian had rarely spent time with her, but he was sincerely nice to her. And yet, she chose Jackson instead of such a nice guy. How blind I am! And yet, I guess I have to keep on being blind. Jackson and I are involved in too many things, so there's no way I could sever all ties with him unless he's dead. Dead! She quickly banished the evil idea from her head.

Brian watched her weep. There were only the two of them in the ward as the others had left.

After a long time, Brian pulled out some tissue and handed it to Kelly. He said in a gentle and

somewhat hoarse voice, "Here. Wipe your tears with this."

Kelly took the tissue in one hand while holding the bouquet of flowers he had given her in the other. She said with a choke in her voice, "Brian, thank you for still coming to visit me. Now I'm hated by everyone like a rat in the gutter." Even Yasmine says she's going to sever all ties with me.

Brian looked at her in silence for a while before his hoarse voice sounded again. "Kelly, I suspect that Kendall was behind this."

 

Chapter 393

Kelly looked up sharply with big, teary eyes. She lowered her voice, asking, "Brian, do you have any evidence of that? If she was behind this, then how did she get her hands on the video?"

Brian was unwilling to think about the video. In that video, Kelly wasn't her usual virtuous and dignified self; she was so licentious that it broke his heart. "I don't have any evidence of that," he replied in a deep voice. "I guessed it."

Kelly was greatly disappointed; she had thought that Brian had evidence to help her prove it was Kendall who had gotten her into this state.

"You have no enemies, but that incident seems to be aimed at you with the intention of ruining your reputation. I can't think of anyone other than Kendall who would wish for your downfall," Brian explained as he analyzed the situation. Then, he continued, "She is the Parkers' biological daughter, but she doesn't have the ability to take over the Parker Corporation. However, she fears that you'll take over the company, so she wants to ruin your reputation. It'll be good for her if you become a person hated by everyone. Even if we have no evidence, we can point the finger at her as the mastermind behind this. Don't forget who she is now. She's got Master Dylan at her back. Only he has the ability to destroy all evidence so that no one can find out who the culprit was."

After listening to Brian's analysis, Kelly also thought that Kendall was the mastermind behind this. However, they couldn't do anything as they had no evidence. "I don't care who she is right now." Her eyes blazed with venom. "If she really was behind this, I'd give her a taste of what I feel like right now— no, I'd make her feel even more miserable than I do!" Suddenly, she grabbed Brian's hand. "Brian," she said tearfully, "I know that you're nice to me. It's my fault for having poor judgment… No, I was tricked by Jackson. He drugged me, which was why I… He tricked me into this. Brian, could you help me? You're the only person who could help me now."

Instead of withdrawing his hand from hers, Brian sat down on the edge of the bed. His heart still twinged painfully as he looked at her teary face. "Jackson drugged you?" There was anger and hatred in his eyes. I knew it. Kelly is such a wonderful girl. How could she possibly do that kind of thing? Turns out that Jackson drugged her and tricked her into this. "Do you still have the evidence? If you do, you have to show the evidence online right now. The people have discerning eyes. Once they see the evidence you posted, they won't keep siding with Jackson. He's shifting the blame onto you on the internet."

Kelly's countenance changed. Having known Jackson for so many years, she had sincerely loved him. In the end, however, he shifted all the blame onto her. It was too selfish of him to only take his own future into consideration without sparing a moment to think about her.

At this very moment, Kelly was really filled with regret. She regretted having treated Jackson as a close partner. She had consulted with him about everything she had done and planned against Kendall. As he knew too many things, now she had to be cautious and was unable to fight back with all her might. "I have no evidence of that. Jackson has security cameras installed at home, but he definitely wouldn't keep the security footage until now." She had been plotting against Kendall all this while, but little did she think she'd become the target of the cruelest and most elaborate plot one day.

Brian changed the subject, though. "Tell me the truth, Kelly. Do you really love Jackson?"

"Brian, I… I used to love him very, very much."

Brian had to clutch the sheets tightly to suppress his violent urges. "If you loved him so much, why did you let him go out with Kendall? Kendall was so crazy about him in the past, whereas you said at the

time that he and you were buddies. Yasmine said that Kendall had only fallen madly in love with Jackson because you had often spoken favorably of him in front of her and helped create opportunities for them. Kelly, have you and Jackson been planning some conspiracy together from the start?"

As expected of the son of the Zorn Family. There are no fools in the business world, thought Kelly.

"You didn't seem drugged in that video. You two didn't even eat anything. As soon as you met up with him, you two…" The more Brian spoke, the more bitterly disappointed he was. There was no drugging involved. Even now, Kelly is still unwilling to open her heart to me. She's still lying to me. Is she still treating me as a rebound? She's relying on my love for her, as well as the fact that I'm too busy to put my work aside and chase after her, unlike others who prioritize their love lives above all else. Is that why she's been thinking of me as a backup?

"Brian, I…" Kelly panicked somewhat. Not knowing how to explain herself, she could only hold Brian's hand in a tight grasp. She couldn't let Brian leave her. He was a clever person who outshone Jackson in every aspect. Moreover, Zorn Holdings was among the largest conglomerates of the city, so he could be very helpful to her.

After taking a few deep breaths, Brian softened his voice, saying, "Kelly, my mind is in a whirl right now. You're not feeling well either, so why don't you have a good rest while I spend some time alone? We'll talk when you get better." After a moment's pause, he promised, "Nothing will change about the collaboration we previously agreed on."

They had previously agreed to work together to render the Parker Corporation an empty shell.

Now that something like this had happened to Kelly, Adam and Charlotte would definitely be very disappointed with her. Moreover, Kendall was no longer the person she used to be, so Adam would

definitely hand the Parker Corporation over to her. Brian had always found Kendall an eyesore, so he agreed to make the Parker Corporation an empty shell and split the profits fifty-fifty between him and Kelly.

If Kendall didn't want the Parker Corporation to go bankrupt, she'd definitely ask Dylan for help. Dylan was a doting husband, so he'd throw a lot of money into saving the company. However, the Parker Corporation was such a large corporation that it would take an astronomical sum of money to save it. However strong Coleman Empire Holdings was financially, it'd be inevitably affected. By then, Zorn Holdings would absolutely be able to inflict heavy losses on the company by teaming up with the Mendelson Group. If the Coleman Empire Holdings got hurt, the Colemans would have objections against Dylan being the one who called the shots in the family. Also, they'd loathe Kendall for being the Young Mistress of the Coleman Family. Therefore, even if Kelly had an affair with Jackson and got pregnant with the latter's baby, he wouldn't give up working with her to set a trap for the Parker Corporation because of that.

Withdrawing his hand from Kelly's, Brian stood up and stared at her tummy for a moment with his lips pressed together. In the end, however, he turned around and left without saying another word.

Kelly opened her mouth in an attempt to call out to him, but she couldn't get a word out after opening her mouth. The news of her love affair with Jackson and her hospitalization due to a threatened miscarriage were a double whammy for him. What right did she have to ask him to stay and keep her company?

Brian walked to the door. Putting his hand on the door knob, he looked back and said to her, "Kelly, I'm willing to accept you… if only you'll abort the baby and give up on Jackson." Everyone had a past, but he loved her enough to forgive her past. As long as she was willing to get over Jackson and abort his baby, he would forget about her past and accept her.

 

Chapter 394

Kelly burst into tears again. I'm not as straightforward as Kendall is when it comes to relationships. How could I have chosen to go out with an *sshole instead of such a nice guy?

"I won't be imposing myself on you, so take your time to think about it."

"Brian, if I abort the baby and stay away from Jackson, will you marry me?" Kelly asked.

Brian fell silent for a moment. Then, he replied, "I'll try my best to persuade my family to give you a place within my family."

Kelly turned her teary face away without saying a word. Brian meant that if the Zorns were to object to him marrying her, he'd only be able to keep her as a mistress.

Brian pulled the door open and stepped out.

He hadn't walked far when he ran into Kendall, who came to bring tonic soup to Sally. Dylan wasn't behind her, but he dared not be careless as Dylan had arranged for her to be under close protection.

He wouldn't mess with this woman for now. And besides, Benjamin had repeatedly told him and Yasmine not to cross Kendall or pick on the Parker Corporation for the time being. Therefore, he'd restrain himself for the sake of his family's future.

Kendall was with Sally.

The mother and daughter chatted as they came over. Upon seeing Brian, Kendall stopped in her

tracks.

Brian stopped in his tracks, too.

After eyeing him with scrutiny, Kendall said impassively, "One might as well say that you're devoted to Kelly, Brian. Unluckily for her, the father of her baby didn't say anything in her defense at this time. Instead, he shifted all the blame onto her. On the other hand, you could insist on coming to visit her despite the media's attention."

Brian had also loved Kelly very much in Kendall's previous life. In fact, it was exactly because of his presence that Kendall had always believed Kelly's words and thought that the latter and Jackson were just friends. Only in her dying moments did she learn that what Kelly wanted wasn't to be Brian's wife but Jackson's. However, she lost her freedom and was imprisoned in the Whittle Residence after marrying Jackson early. Therefore, she didn't know what role Brian had played in Kelly's scheme and how much effort he had put in.

In her current life, however, she finally confronted Kelly head-on, which gave her more opportunities to come into contact with Brian. As a result, she came to know him better. Not only was he crazy about Kelly, but he was also a clever and ruthless man. Seems like few are soft-hearted in their circle. They greet everyone with a smile on their faces, but they're craftier than one another. As businessmen, they're treacherous at heart. Master Dylan has always said that I'm not cruel enough.

Brian replied sadly, "I didn't do enough, nor was I good enough. That's why Kelly didn't choose me." Then, he swore severely, "Jackson's an *sshole!"

The instant the video was made public, he went home and told Benjamin to end their collaboration with Whittle Holdings. He wanted to make the company go bankrupt and strip Jackson of everything so that

the latter could no longer ride on Zorn Holdings' coattails. Yasmine also agreed with him, but Benjamin said that he had to think about it. It seemed that Benjamin didn't intend to listen to him. After all, the collaboration with Whittle Holdings would bring Zorn Holdings enormous profits and provide the latter with one more ally.

As the head of the family, Benjamin wouldn't act on impulse as he did. He had to take Zorn Holdings' interests and future into consideration.

Kendall replied, "He's an *sshole indeed. Brian, you've got to avenge Kelly. She and I are the only children in our family. Now she's gotten into trouble, but I can't beat Jackson up even if I want to. I'm only a lady, after all."

If Jackson were to hear this, he'd probably think, Who was it that beat the crap out of me the other day?

Then, recalling Nelson and Roger, she added with a sigh, "Nelson and Roger wanted to avenge Kelly, but she told them not to meddle in her affairs. She's still defending Jackson even now." She let out another heavy sigh. "Sigh… She and Jackson were taken to the police station at the time because of the affair. As a result, my dad got pissed off as he had to pick her up at the police station in the middle of the night. He urged her to stay away from Jackson, but she refused, telling my parents to keep their noses out of her affairs. Now that she's pregnant, she insists on giving birth to the baby. Brian, your sister is best friends with Kelly. Even though she was pissed off yesterday, she wouldn't forsake Kelly after years of friendship, right? Please ask her to advise Kelly. How could she keep on being Jackson's mistress now that she's already in such a state?"

Brian's face darkened even more as he listened to Kendall's words. She seemed to be defending Kelly, but in reality, she broke his heart by revealing to him how much Kelly cared about Jackson. This

woman is no longer the country bumpkin who followed Kelly around in silence. "Young Mistress Coleman, I gotta go first," he said in a whisper. After giving Sally a nod, he brushed past the mother and daughter and quickly went on ahead.

Kendall sneered.

"Kendall," Sally suddenly asked, "were Kelly and that guy taken to the police station at the time?"

Kendall nodded before giving a brief account of what had happened.

Sally fell silent for a long time before taking the thermos food jar from Kendall. Forcing a smile with much difficulty, she said to the latter, "Kendall, Kelly is in a bad mood at this time, so you'd better not go inside. Just give me the tonic soup. I'll finish it. Didn't you say you're going shopping with your mother- in-law later? I know that she's very dissatisfied with you, so don't go back on what you've promised her lest she dislike you even more." She could tell during the meeting with Dylan's parents that Emily looked down on her family.

"Remember to finish the soup while it's still hot, Mom. Say, where's Nell?"

"He went out for some fresh air." Nell was so angry with Kelly that he'd go crazy if he didn't go out to get some fresh air, thought Sally. "He'll be back soon, so don't worry. And besides, Ms. Morrison is still here. Just go and spend time with your mother-in-law. I'll only rest assured if you're doing well." She couldn't meddle in her own daughter's affairs as the latter wouldn't listen to her advice. On the other hand, her adopted daughter was willing to listen to her.

At Sally's insistence, Kendall didn't enter the ward in the end.

Sally watched Kendall leave for a long time without saying a word. The words Kendall had said to Brian let her know that Kelly had only herself to blame for her current predicament. Even so, Kelly still wanted Kendall to ask Dylan to step in and deal with the matter by warning the media outlets. All of a sudden, she didn't want to drag Kendall into this. Kelly is already a grown-up, so she has to learn her lessons and bear the consequences for whatever she does.

Just then, her cell phone beeped with an incoming message.

She took out her cell phone and opened the new message with her free hand. It was a notification saying that Kendall had wired 50,000 to her via PayPal.

Kendall also sent her a voice message, saying, "Mom, use the money to buy some nutritional supplements for yourself. Don't skimp on it; your health matters more than anything else."

Sally didn't accept the money, though. Instead, she sent Kendall a voice message in response, saying, "The medicinal supplements that you bought for me last time, I still have a lot of them. Also, you don't have to keep wiring money to me. I haven't finished spending the money you gave me, so I'm not short of cash at the moment." Whenever Kendall wired money to her, she'd wire her at least 50,000 every single time. Not only that, but Kendall would wire money to her at least four times per month, which meant that she'd give her at least 200,000 every month. She accepted the money sometimes, but she didn't spend the money. Instead, she saved them up with the intention of giving Kendall the money as the latter's dowry in the future.

 

 

Chapter 395

Kendall sent another voice message asking her mother to accept the money, but Sally kept refusing.

Since she understood her adoptive mother very well, Kendall said, "Mom, if you're not going to accept this, then I'll go to the bank and give it to you in cash."

Sally was silent before she replied, "Kendall, I'm really not short on money. Alright, I'll accept the money and save it up for your dowry when you have your wedding with Dylan."

Since the Parker Family would not mistreat Kendall who was their own flesh and blood, they would give her a dowry that was of a ludicrous amount. However, what the Woods Family would give her were their affectionate feelings.

"Mom, if you can't spend it all, then you should save them up for those two brothers of mine so that they'll be able to find a wife. They're not getting any younger now."

Kendall was quite worried about her brothers' love life. She had her eye on Emma who was in love with Toddy. Although Emma had said that she would give up her feelings for Toddy, Kendall couldn't do anything until Emma had truly moved on from her feelings. Only then could Kendall try to introduce Nelson to Emma. From there, it would be up to the two whether they would end up together.

Sally didn't reply to Kendall's message. After the family found out that Kendall was not the biological child of the family, the two brothers' relationship with her gradually changed. Even now, the siblings' relationship was still muddled. Nelson would not be marrying anyone in the foreseeable future. As for Roger, with how wholeheartedly devoted he was to his orchard and vegetable farms, there was no place in his mind to be thinking about marriage. When Sally tried to hurry him into finding a wife, he replied, "Even Nelson is still single, so what's the rush?" With how the two sons were, the Woods

couple never stopped worrying about their sons' marriage.

…

Slowly opening her eyes, Emma was greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling which frightened her to abruptly sit up on the bed. As the thin blanket slipped from her body, she realized that the loose and baggy clothes she was wearing didn't belong to her; they belonged to a man.

Where am I? She remembered having a drink with Kendall last night and had gotten so drunk she blacked out in the end. Logically speaking, even if she passed out drunk in her boss' house, with the boss' wife around, nothing bad should have happened to her. Then, what's going on? Who helped change my clothes?

As she endured her hangover and got out of bed in a hurry, she found a pair of slippers that belonged to a male in front of the bed. Since she didn't know where her high heels were, she could only put on the slippers in front of her before slipping out of the room. After opening the door, she first probed her head out to survey the surroundings. Well, it might not be unfamiliar to her as she faintly recalled the furnishing of the hall. It was then she realized that she was in Toddy's house.

Not only was she a former student of Toddy's, she had also been pursuing him for many years, so it was natural for her to have visited his house several times now. Although she was quite familiar with his house, she hadn't entered the rooms before, which was why she was shocked by the unfamiliar surroundings she was in when she woke up.

After finding out that it was Toddy's house, Emma heaved a sigh of relief. Besides the hangover she was experiencing, there was no other discomfort in her body, as Toddy was ever the gentleman towardnoveldrama

her.

Then, she came out of the room to look for Toddy before walking over to the kitchen upon hearing a noise coming from there. She found him cutting vegetables in what seemed to be a preparation for lunch. Without bothering him, she leaned against the door with her arms crossed and silently watched him cutting up the vegetables. Looking at the man wearing an apron, she had a new impression of the man. I didn't think he could cook. Ouch! Even though she was admiring the handsome man in front of her, she couldn't help but rub her temples due to the pain.

"Awake?"

Suddenly turning his head toward the door to find Emma by the door, Toddy asked indifferently.

"Yeah."

"Headache?"

"Yeah, it hurts so much."

"Good, you deserve it."

Speechless with such a comment from Toddy, Emma gave up any hope of trying to have the man speak lovingly toward her.

"Did you prepare hangover soup for me?"

"Aren't you awake now? Since you're awake, why would you drink hangover soup? With how you were

as drunk as a skunk last night when I picked you up, the hangover soup wouldn't have any effect on you."

After a brief silence, Emma asked, "You picked me up?"

With his attention back to the chopping board, Toddy answered, "Amos called me several times and told me that President Coleman ordered me to pick you up since we've lived together for some time. Seeing that we're colleagues, I went and picked you up."

She grunted and thought, So, it was under President Coleman's order, and here I thought… Forget it, why would I be hopeful now when he didn't accept my feelings after all those years I've spent pursuing him? Then, she asked, "What happened to my clothes?"

At that, Toddy tilted his head slightly and glared at Emma before he directed his eyes back on the board and said snappishly, "With how you vomited all over me last night, your clothes were no better either, so I helped to change your clothes. Since I don't have any women's clothes here, I gave you my clothes instead." When it seemed as though he was done talking, he hurriedly added, "I was blindfolded when I changed your clothes, so I didn't see anything. Don't you dare start with me."

Emma laughed. "Don't worry, I won't hold you responsible for this. Although I really love you, I know that forcing things would only make things worse."

If she had wanted to forcefully be with Toddy, she would have done so a long time ago and not waited until this moment.

With his eyes that seemed to veil his thoughts, Toddy turned his head at her again and said, "There's a

set of new clothes that's been dry cleaned on the couch. It's for you, so go take a warm bath. Even if I did change you out of your dirty clothes, your body still stank with vomit."

As Emma confirmed there was indeed a bag on the couch, she assumed that Toddy had gone out of his way to buy these clothes for her. Walking over to the couch, she took the bag and found that the clothes were branded. The generous man had spent tens of thousands just to get her a change of clothes. Without giving much thought, she took the clothes and went back into the room she was in while Toddy continued to be busy in the kitchen.

When she came back out, he was already done preparing the meal, which consisted of smothered pork chops, baked fish filet, salad, and fish chowder.

After seeing Emma's long loose hair was still wet, Toddy frowned and said, "Why can't you blow dry your hair first before coming back out?"

"I've already looked around the room, but there wasn't any blow dryer."

Toddy elaborated after an awkward silence. "I forgot I don't have a blow dryer here."

[Since he was a male with short hair, he never needed to use a blow dryer as he only needed a towel to quickly dry his hair.

After he set the small pot of fish chowder on the dining table, he left and soon came back with a towel in hand. Throwing the clean towel to Emma, he said distastefully, "Get some distance from the dining table and dry your hair with that towel. Otherwise, your hair will be dripping all over the food when you're eating." He wanted to prevent Emma's hair from touching all over the food.

Once Emma left to do as she was told, Toddy served two plates of fish chowder and left the one with more fish meat in it for Emma.

After a while, Emma finally sat at the table. "Mr. Heller, your homemade dishes look good."

He looked askance at her. "Eat."

Smiling, Emma first took a sip of the fish chowder. Although the taste didn't taste as good as the ones she made, it was something Toddy made himself. That was why, regardless of its taste, she had to mind the man's feelings. Noticing the smothered pork chop looked delicious, she took a piece and ate it. It was pretty good, better than the ones she made even.

"Only the fish chowder and salad are homemade. The other two were from a restaurant."

In her silence, she thought, No wonder the fish chowder was bad, but the pork chop was good!

 

Chapter 396

As Emma's headache was so bad, she didn't have much appetite, so she put down her cutleries halfway through the meal.

Toddy looked at her and said, "Don't like my cooking?"

"My headache is killing me."

"Serves you right for drinking that much. Don't you know your limits?"

Since Dylan rarely socialized with others, his secretary, Emma, was the same. Although she wasn't a bad drinker, her tolerance wasn't that good either.

"Have you forgotten everything I told you when you were still under me?"

Emma quietly looked at Toddy. The reason she got so drunk was precisely because of this man, yet she was getting criticized by him now.

Meeting her stare, Toddy placed a piece of fish fillet onto her plate and said indifferently, "Finish up your food. I'll accompany you for a walk after you're done with the meal."

"My head hurts. I don't want to go."

At the moment, Emma only wanted to go home and have a good long rest. Nonetheless, she picked up her cutleries and started eating again. "Say, Toddy." When the man's attention was on her, she continued, "I was always the one putting food on your plate ever since we first met each other. This is the first time you've done so for me."

Pursing his lips, Toddy made no remarks.

"Ever since my confession, you've treated me as if I was a burden and always had that look of reluctance on you when you're with me."

He frowned. Did I? He only ever wanted to prevent her from hoping that they could be together.

"You even said that you'll accompany me for a walk. Did the sun rise from the west today? Did you perhaps take a picture of such a wonder? Do show me just how wonderful it looked."

This time, Toddy placed a piece of fatty meat into her bowl.

"I dislike the fatty part." Saying that, she placed the meat back into his bowl.

"You told me you loved them before and said that you'll eat whatever I disliked."

With a smile tinged with sadness, she said, "Toddy, that was because I loved you. Because I love you, I'll eat whatever it is that you dislike. Even if I disliked the fatty parts, I'll still eat them for you. Now that I want to give up my feelings for you, why would I still force myself to eat something I dislike? Toddy, you men will treat your woman as your queen when you're in love. It's the same with women. We pour our heart out for you men and would even dote on you like our own son. However, once there is no love anymore, you'll be nothing in our eyes."

I can dote on you, but if you do not know how to cherish me, then I can easily replace you as well. Finishing her meal quickly, Emma stood up and said, "Please help me wash the dishes. Thank you for taking care of me for once." Then, she got up and walked away with determination. She didn't even

bother taking one last glance at him.

Toddy wanted to continue his meal, but he couldn't move a muscle due to Emma's actions.

Returning to the room, Emma found her bag and went to pick it up before she asked, "Where's my clothes from last night?"

"I threw them away. The smell was awful."

After a brief silence, she said, "Since you threw away my clothes, then I'll consider this set of clothes as compensation. I won't be giving you a single cent. Well then, excuse me." With her bag in hand, she left without a single look back at the man.

Toddy only silently watched Emma leave. It was only after some time passed did he put down his cutleries, walk over to the door, and open them. Looking outside, the figure of the woman was no longer there. She's really gone, he thought. Standing by the door, he was stunned as he looked at the empty courtyard.

In the courtyard, there were many potted flowers. Most of the flowers were wilting from overexposure to the sun, while a number of them had already withered. These were all caused by a lack of water, as Toddy rarely took care of them. Initially, he had hired part-timers to help take care of the flowers from time to time, but after having Emma around, she was the one taking care of the house to show her appreciation. The flowers' care naturally fell on her shoulders as well.

When he first moved into this house, there weren't many flowers and plants around. Emma was the one who bought most of them for him. Not only that, but she had even bought a large number of books to study about them. Under her sincere care, this place was once a courtyard that drew people's envy,

as it was filled with beautiful flowers. When spring came, the beautiful flowers only became more prominent, so much so that it would be mistaken as a beautiful painting.

Now, the woman hadn't been over to help him care for the flowers for quite a while. Since he was busy with work, he had neglected the flowers for a while. He couldn't even remember when was the last time he watered those flowers. The yard was now a mess as the swing, dolls, a few books, and pillows were all piled up in the courtyard. With how much of a mess it was, having to sort them out would take a very long time.

Then, a certain woman seemed to appear in front of his eyes. Sitting on the swing, the woman was reading a book and eating fruits while listening to music. With a blink of his eyes, that scenery disappeared. When he realized this, a sense of anxiety started to spread within him. Am I afraid of losing her? I had never accepted the woman's feelings, so how am I losing her? Putting a pause on his thoughts, he walked into the courtyard.

Looking at the courtyard filled with flowers and greeneries, Toddy thought of the potted flowers in his superior's courtyard. In the past, that courtyard was clean as it was empty. However, it was now as though someone had breathed new life into it. He knew that it was because his superior had fallen in love. Because of love, that man had changed. When one was in love, one would take their partner's joy as their own. Loving someone would naturally make one devoted to their partner. But when one stopped loving…

Emma's words echoed in his ears. Has she really given up her feelings for me? It took him many years, but he was finally successful in getting her to give up on him. He should be happy and put on fireworks to celebrate this moment. Yet, there were no such joyful thoughts in his mind, as he was only left with a sense of anxiety.

He walked to a nearby shelf that held the various gardening tools and filled the watering can with water before beginning to water the flowers and greeneries that were on the verge of wilting under the blazing sun. As Emma had taken many years to nurture them into beautiful flowers, he couldn't bear to allow them to wither.

After he was done watering them, he noticed that the ground was slightly dirty, so he went to bring a broom over and started sweeping. By the time he was done, his shirt was drenched with his sweat.

It turned out that these things that looked trivial weren't so easy after all. Yet, Emma had done all these for many years just for his sake without asking for any compensation. Ever since she confessed, he had always criticized her after she was done cleaning the courtyard and would ask her to do so again, all for the sake of forcing her to kill her feelings for him. What a jerk I was, he thought.

When he went back inside the house, he was stunned once more as he lay his eyes on the dishes on the dining table. Back then, no matter what he had asked of her, she would silently endure and do it until the point that even he couldn't find any fault to pick. Yet, now that he had treated her better, she chose to walk away.

She no longer yearned for his love, and no longer wanted to wait for his acceptance. She had let go of her feelings for him, so she would stop doing things for his sake. When she was still in love with him, she could serve him as though he was the emperor; when she decided to move on, she did so with clear determination.

Just as one would expect from his student.

 

Chapter 397

Kendall came back bountiful after she went shopping with Emily and Alice.

The items she bought ranged from clothes, shoes and purses to jewelry, which were all chosen by her sister-in-law and her mother-in-law. Emily's eyes were particularly sharp, as she managed to pick outfits for Kendall that made her look like a completely different person after she tried them on.

Emily initially planned to take Kendall and Alice to the beauty salon. However, Kendall had to reject Emily because she wanted to make a gift for Dylan.

Emily's face instantly turned dark when her kindness was rejected by her in-law. She only seemed to return to normal after Kendall explained the situation to her.

Despite being curious to hear that Kendall was good at crafting, someone of her status had never, and wouldn't, be the first to ask about it.

Alice, on the other hand, had an excited glint in her eyes as she pestered Kendall about wanting a handmade gift as well.

Kendall agreed to it with no hesitation. Right at this moment, she was holed up in her room sculpting a phoenix out of wire. She decided to give her sister-in-law a phoenix.

It was already afternoon by the time Dylan came home. When he entered the door and didn't see his beloved wife, he casually asked Amos, who brought him in, "Where is Kendall?"

"Young Mistress Kendall has been staying in the bedroom since she came back. I am afraid I don't know what she is doing. She gave instructions for us to not disturb her."

Hearing that, Dylan hummed in acknowledgement, and was about to ask Amos how much Kendall bought before he stopped himself from saying anything when he saw the shopping bags stacked on the couch.

"Amos, do get someone to clean up a few guest rooms for the young mistress to use as her cloakroom. We will need rooms for her handbags and shoes as well."

He had a lot of empty rooms in his enormous villa that were currently still empty anyway. Might as well store Kendall's things in them than let them stay empty.

"Yes, young master."

Amos immediately left to get someone to complete the job.

Dylan took a look at all the bags on the couch. He then stood up, went to the back of his wheelchair, and moved the wheelchair along as he walked slowly to the door of the room.

After he knocked on the door, Kendall's clear voice rang out. "My hands are full, Amos. Is there something you need me for?"

Dylan pushed the door open and went in.

When she turned around and saw that it was him, she swiftly put down the tools she was holding and went over to support him. "You're home, Dylan!" She smiled. "Are you done with work?"

"Yeah." He hummed in reply. Soon, he noticed the small table she had placed in the room, and there were a lot of things on the table. Among them was the half-completed phoenix. "Are you making a phoenix out of wire?"

"Mhm. I made it first because it will take time to make a phoenix."

Hearing that, Dylan walked to the table and picked up the semi-finished product to take a closer look at it. It would be an exaggeration to say that it was halfway to completion. In fact, only a quarter completed.

"You need so much iron wire for a phoenix?" he asked.

"I am making two of them."

Kendall proceeded to close the bedroom door.

The room was the couple's personal bubble. Even if the whole compound was Dylan's territory, she didn't like to leave the door open and have people peek at them.

He kept looking at the unfinished work before he complained, "Phoenixes represent the union of yin and yang. You should make two. Having one male and one female is what makes it whole."

She smiled. "I didn't think so deeply into it. I am only making two because Alice asked if I could make one for her. She was surprised to know that I can make these trinkets. Since she doesn't dislike it, I will give her a wire phoenix."

After saying that, she peered at her husband. "Are you jealous, Dylan?"

He tapped her on the tip of her nose then. "I will definitely get jealous if you gave it to someone else, but I can put up with it if it is for my sister."

To be honest, it pleased Dylan to see Alice and Kendall having a good relationship.

Alice was one of the people who had the most power at home.

He would feel more at ease to have Alice taking care of Kendall when he wasn't around.

Kendall soon brought a stool over for him to sit on.

He could walk now, but standing for too long was still painful for his legs.

"I hope nothing happened when you went shopping?"

Kendall had resumed sculpting her phoenix again when she heard him. "What could have happened?" she casually asked in return.

As if remembering something, she added, "I felt like I had a lot of eyes on me, though. They seemed to have taken photos of me as well."

"They were entertainment journalists."

"The paparazzi? What were they following me for? Is it because of Kelly?"

Dylan hummed in agreement. "They have had their eyes on you from the moment you appeared at the

pedestrian zone."

"Are they trying to make a comparison out of my current happiness with Kelly's downfall?"

As he watched her skillful hands at work, he asked, "How long have you been learning this? You do it fast and well."

"I have been interested in crafting since I was very young, and because I had the talent, I learned from my grandfather, who was a craftsman who could make a lot of things. I have been learning for more than 10 years. My priority when I was in school was to study well, but after I graduated, I started making trinkets and sold them on Amazon. Dylan, no matter what the journalists have secretly caught me doing, just let them report it. No comparison, no harm. I want to piss Kelly off."

Dylan's eyes shone when he heard those words. "Are you not worried she will do something crazy out of anger?"

"It is not like it is her first time doing something crazy."

Kelly had even driven her own mother to do another paternity test. She would definitely have dared to say that the paternity test result was forged if Dylan hadn't found out the truth.

Kendall could only imagine the mess that would ensue if that had happened.

"I will only get the chance to strike when she goes crazy," Kendall mused, bringing a smile to Dylan's face.

The corners of Kendall's lips curled up as well. "Darling, don't you find me despicable?"

"We are a good match, then. I am also a despicable person. It might seem like everyone everywhere tries to butter up to me, but they are all cursing me out inwardly. They even want me dead."

Dylan was a self-aware person as he knew that he had never been a good person.

"A lot of people came up with all sorts of excuses to celebrate my car accident. That b*stard Frank was the worst one. He bought a carload of fireworks, and set them off at a deserted place throughout the night. The fireworks could be seen throughout Orapolis."

"We will buy a carload of fireworks to set off when he meets his ruin as well. Let's even have a gun salute at his door to annoy him."

Dylan closed in on her and planted a big kiss on her cheek upon hearing that.

His hoarse voice sounded somewhat pleased when he replied, "The fact that you are mine is enough to give him a heart attack."

Despite his constant triumph against Frank, nothing else made Dylan feel as victorious as being the winner in love.

Truth be told, Frank was better-looking than Dylan. The former even had a pair of alluring eyes that could, and had, seduced tons of women.

"Did you smoke?" Kendall suddenly asked and pushed him away.

Dylan instantly covered his mouth and something flashed through his dark eyes. "You can still smell the

smoke even though I have chewed so many gums?"

"I didn't smell it before you kissed me, but I did when you got so close."

He quickly explained, "They were the ones who gave a few to me because they thought I looked bored. I smoked without realizing it. Kendall, I promise to not smoke if you don't like it."

"It is true that I don't like men who smoke because of the smell, but you don't have to completely stop smoking because of me. You can smoke when the situation calls for it."

"I won't smoke if you don't like it. No one can make me."

Dylan's words brought a smile to her face as she reached out to pat him on the head. "What a good boy," she cooed.

His face immediately turned dark at that.

 

Chapter 398

Kendall had treated Dylan like a child.

When she noticed the change in his expression, she quickly retracted her arm and beamed at him.

The man, not knowing whether to be mad or amused, finally gave her a light flick on her forehead. He didn't have the heart to put more force into it.

"Stop it with that silly giggle. I will let it go this time, but I might punish you if there is a next time."

Seeing that he chose to pass over her actions, Kendall immediately changed her tone and giggled. "I like your punishment."

He punished her by giving her kisses.

Her playful attitude made Dylan reply in a casual voice, "I want a 20-thousand-word self-reflection essay by tonight."

Her laugh immediately stopped when he uttered those words.

"Darling… 20 thousand words? I won't be able to finish it even by tomorrow."

"Since you like my punishments so much, I am sure you will come up with it if you stay up tonight."

"I thought that your punishment would be…"

His eyes twinkled. "Would be?"

"Alright, alright. I am done messing with you. I have to hurry up and finish my work."

Knowing that she had no way of winning the banter, Kendall quickly continued fiddling with her craftwork.

Dylan watched quietly as her pair of skillful hands moved around and about before the wire phoenix started to take shape bit by bit.

A series of knocks soon came from the door before Amos' voice rang out.

"Miss Zorn has arrived, Young Master Dylan, Young Mistress Kendall. She requests to see the young mistress."

Yasmine?

Kendall turned to look at Dylan. "You didn't provoke her in any way, did you?"

Dylan's face went black in that instant. He then reached out and placed his hand firmly behind her head before he closed her mouth with his.

She felt pain when he bit her, but she couldn't gather the strength to push him away.

It was only until he had vented his anger that he finally let her loose.

Kendall had always thought that she was stronger than other women because she used to practice

martial arts. However, being with Dylan now made her realize how insignificant and useless she felt physically.

"I won't provoke any woman if they are not you."

After he let go of her, he lightly bit her on the cheek. Due to her fair complexion, it didn't take a hard bite for that spot to turn red.

"What a delicate man you are," she muttered.

Dylan caressed the spot where she had been bitten, and suggested to her in a low voice, "Tell Amos to reject her if you don't want to see her."

"Oh, I am seeing her alright. It is not like she will eat me or something."

As she stood up, Kendall turned around and answered, "Send Miss Zorn in, Amos."

Amos proceeded to respectfully give a short reply.

After Kendall opened the door and went out, she saw Amos ushering Yasmine into the house.

The woman was still dressed in a fiery red outfit that was extremely striking.

She also had a sun hat on due to the sunny weather.

"Young Mistress Kendall, Miss Zorn is here."

Hearing that, Kendall hummed and walked over with a half-smile on her face, her eyes on Yasmine.

"What is the matter? You forgot about me after just a few days of not seeing my face? Or do you find me prettier now?"

Angered, Yasmine took off her sun hat and deliberately touched her own face. "I also think that I have gotten much more beautiful."

"Miss Zorn, you told me that I am thick-skinned and shameless. You don't seem to be much different from me."

Yasmine chuckled mockingly. "I must have gotten it from you after coming in contact with you so many times."

Kendall then led Yasmine to the couch. Seeing that she hadn't tidied up her 'loot' from this morning, Kendall simply cleared the armchair by moving all the bags to the two-seater and asked Yasmine to take a seat.

The latter, however, was in no hurry to sit down as she rudely picked up the bags and looked at them. "Did the sun rise from the west? You have finally come to your senses and willingly bought branded clothes to wear, Young Mistress Kendall."

During the few times she and Kendall met, Kendall was always either wearing a gown or formal clothes. Yasmine seldom saw Kendall wearing branded goods.

Yasmine had ridiculed Kendall for being raised in the countryside more times than she could count. To her, Kendall would never get rid of her vulgarity just because she had crawled up the social ladder.

Other than the fact that she had become the young mistress of the Coleman Family, she was the biological daughter of the Parker Family. No matter what, she should get dressed a little more dignified. Take Kelly for example—any piece of clothing she wore cost more than 10 thousand, and that was among the cheapest clothes she had.

Kendall poured Yasmine a glass of warm water and after listening to her words, the former put on a helpless expression on her pretty face. "Dylan gave me a black card early in the morning and asked Alice to accompany me to Wealthy Luck Street to sweep off all the goods. He told me that I am not allowed to come home if I don’t buy a room full of clothes, shoes, and bags. Oh, the weather is so hot nowadays, and it is cool at home. That was why I quickly shopped and hurried back here. I didn't even notice that I bought too much to fit in my cloakroom. I am sure you know that the clothes at Wealthy Luck Street are all branded goods. I couldn't buy cheap ones even if I wanted to."

Yasmine didn't say anything in return.

Now that Kendall was showing off her relationship with Dylan, no one would dare say anything against Kendall.

Yasmine was initially going to mock her, but Kendall showing off only left her jealous instead.

At this point, Yasmine was sure that Kendall was sent to her by God to defeat her. She had never won against Kendall ever since that time during her birthday banquet.

"Please have a seat, Miss Zorn. Have some water."

Yasmine proceeded to sit down.

After taking the glass of water from Kendall, Yasmine intentionally pointed out, "A glass of warm water for an important guest who came to visit? Aren't you being too stingy, Kendall?"

Kendall smiled when she heard that. "Oh, you're right. Please hold on. I will be back in a second."

She turned around and walked away after saying that.

Kendall's reaction made Yasmine raise her chin proudly, looking as if she had won.

Kendall came back in no time with a bucket of water in her hands. After she placed the water with steam coming out of it on the coffee table, she smilingly invited Yasmine to drink it despite Yasmine's surprised gaze. "Since you think I am stingy for giving you a glass of water, I will give you a bucket of it instead. Go ahead and drink it. Have more if you can. It will be best if you can finish the entire bucket, lest you call me stingy, Miss Zorn."

Yasmine took some time to come back to her senses, but when she did, she blurted out, "Kendall Parker! You better move this bucket of water out of my sight now! You are the esteemed young mistress of the Coleman Family. How can you do something so beneath your dignity?!"

"Aren't I a country bumpkin to you, Miss Zorn?" Kendall retorted. "I am actually really generous to you. Look. I have more than enough water for you. If you can't finish it, I don't mind you staying over for a hot bath!"

"Kendall Parker!" Alas, Yasmine could no longer hold her laughter in. She continued to chortle for a minute while hugging her stomach as she gasped, "Are you trying to make me die from laughter so that you can take my inheritance that is worth billions, Kendall?"

"If I am inheriting all your property after you die, then keep laughing. Just die from it. Once you are dead, I will properly handle your corpse for you, and I will arrange for your funeral before I take your property."

Hearing that, Yasmine pointed a finger at her, but her laughter didn't cease.

As they both hated each other's guts, they didn't bother keeping their appearances up in front of one another.

In fact, Yasmine felt unrestrained when she was with Kendall. She didn't have to worry about people saying that she didn't behave like a proper lady should.

It seemed as though she had been spoiled by her family, and was indeed unrefined like she was expected to be.

 

Chapter 399

Dylan came to the living room right then.

The moment Yasmine saw him, she was so startled she abruptly jumped out of the couch, knocking over and spilling the glass of water in the process.

Her face soon felt warm from the blood that rushed to her head.

Kendall swiftly shot a warning glare at Dylan, only for him to innocently blink at her.

His eyes seemed to be asking if there was something wrong with him coming out and checking how things were going.

"Miss Zorn, did the hot water get on you?" Kendall asked Yasmine, to which the latter quickly shook her head. "I am fine. It is just that I got your floor wet."

After she peeked at the chiseled and cold man sauntering over, Yasmine blurted out again, "Where is the mop, Kendall? I will help you clean up the mess immediately."

"No need for that." Kendall found Yasmine's nervousness amusing.

Even though Yasmine had said that she had given up on Dylan and would whole-heartedly go after Frank instead, she actually rarely went to Frank. Of course, one of the reasons for that was because Frank was recuperating at home, which didn't make it the best time for him to have guests or visitors.

Dylan's appearance always gave Yasmine an emotional turmoil that would leave her in a flurry as she proceeded to make a fool out of herself.

This could only mean that she was still in love with Dylan. It was her pride that had stopped her from continuing to pursue him.

He was now a married man, and it was publicly-known that he loved and adored Kendall.

Yasmine could be as remorseful or jealous as she wanted, but she had accepted the fact that this man could never be hers.

And it was not like she could say that she had lost him when she had never had him in the first place.

The thought of it actually made Yasmine feel better.

Amos led a few men in black over, one of whom had a mop in his hand.

He was the cleaner who came to clean up the floor.

Except for Kendall, who was a woman, everyone else in Dylan's house were men. This was something that hadn't changed just because of Kendall's arrival.

Kendall, too, didn't try to change the arrangement. Dylan was so handsome that he would easily steal women's hearts even if he had a sullen face all day long and exuded that aura that kept people away.

Kendall already had too many rivals in love that she would rather not add a few more to the existing list.

"Young Mistress Kendall, Young Master Dylan has asked me to prepare a big cloakroom for you. I have

already had the clothes hangers set up. We can now move these new clothes to the new cloakroom upstairs."

After Amos approached Kendall, he respectfully informed Kendall the reason he had brought the few men with him.

Hearing that, Kendall blinked and mused, Dylan really has arranged everything for me.

"Sorry about the hassle, Amos."

"Please don't stand on ceremony, young mistress. It is a blessing for us to be able to serve you."

Kendall only smiled without a word, but on the inside she was screaming, Amos' sudden flattery is making me nervous!

Amos then led the men to move all the spoils Kendall had won this morning.

It only took a second for the couch to be emptied.

"Young Master Dylan." Amos and his lackeys respectfully greeted Dylan as they walked past him.

Kendall took the chance while she supported Dylan to pinch him.

When he tilted his head to look at her, she hissed, "You suddenly appearing has startled Yasmine! She is not over you."

"I was worried she would bully you."

Kendall smiled softly. "She is a little wilful and arrogant, but she is not a bad person. Besides, she can't bully me."

Kendall was the one who won and left Yasmine angrily stomping everytime they butted heads anyway.

Dylan let out a frown when Kendall started to side with Yasmine.

"Master Dylan, I apologize for intruding."

After the cleaner wiped off the water on the floor, Yasmine had also calmed her emotions and had put on her usual arrogance. Still, she was very polite to Dylan, and she didn't put on airs in front of him.

Dylan only coldly barked, "Why did you drop by if you knew you would be intruding?"

As Yasmine fell into silence, Kendall discreetly pinched him again.

Yasmine must have come here looking for her for a reason and yet, she wouldn't say a word with Dylan around.

Kendall was curious about why Yasmine would suddenly come to find her again.

"What is this bucket of water doing here?" As Dylan asked, he caught his beloved wife's slender hand that was pinching him discreetly. She didn't put a lot of force into her attack, and he didn't feel any pain from it. Instead, it felt like she was teasing him.

A man full of vigor like him couldn't possibly endure that kind of teasing for long.

Hearing his question, Kendall explained seriously, "Miss Zorn thought that I was stingy for giving her a glass of water, so I gave her a bucket of water. That should be generous enough."

Dylan immediately felt the corners of his mouth twitch.

He wanted to laugh but he had his cold, suave image to uphold. It was way too hard for him to hold it in.

He couldn't believe how he had worried about Yasmine taking advantage of Kendall.

It seemed like he had worried for nothing after all.

He should instead be glad that Yasmine hadn't had a heart attack from dealing with Kendall.

"Miss Zorn, Kendall doesn't even show me such generosity. I hope you don't let her down. Please do finish this bucket of water," Dylan indifferently stated.

Yasmine might still have her smile plastered on her face after hearing his words, but she had quietly cursed the couple out a thousand times in her head.

It is true spouses resemble each other.

They are two peas in a pod.

How annoying!

"I am not thirsty, but thank you for your hospitality."

Yasmine firmly holding her bag was the only reason she hadn't hurled it at the couple.

Knowing that his wife wouldn't be on the losing end, Dylan read the mood and quickly turned around and walked away after he told them, "Please carry on with the conversation. I will be taking a stroll outside."

Ronnie came in then to bring him out.

When Dylan was no longer in sight, Yasmine turned her gaze back to Kendall. "Master Dylan really has met the right one. He changed into a completely different person in just one or two months."

Not only was he able to stand up again, that cold, unapproachable aura of his had also faded a lot.

All these were thanks to Kendall.

Yasmine still couldn't calmly face Dylan, but she somehow didn't feel any hatred toward Kendall anymore.

"Do compliment me as much as you can if you want to sing your praises. I might be humble, but I can't be overly so. I will accept an adequate amount of other people's praise."

Yasmine scoffed when she heard that, and she only spat after a while, "How shameless of you!"

Kendall looked back at her with a gaze that seemed to provoke her for only knowing that now, and that

made Yasmine blow her top off once more.

Yasmine was tempted to leave, but after taking a few steps away, she turned around again and plopped down on the couch. "Quickly get this bucket of water out of my face."

"Are you not going to finish it?" Kendall laughed. "Or would you like to stay here and have a bath with it before you leave?"

"Oh, piss off!" Yasmine finally scolded.

However, Kendall wasn't angry. She even chuckled as she carried the bucket away.

After a few minutes, a few fruit platters and a pot of green tea were placed on the coffee table.

"Is there something I can help you with, seeing as how you came looking for me all of a sudden?" Kendall solemnly asked as she poured Yasmine a cup of tea without a hint of humor on her face.

She even pushed the platters toward Yasmine, her smile so bright it gave Yasmine a whiplash.

"No."

Yasmine had stopped provoking Kendall when Kendall stopped with her nonsense.

"I came here to… give you my sincere apology."

"Didn't you already apologize sincerely and seriously last time as well? Could it be that you weren't sincere last time? Did you fake it? Geez, I even thought you were serious!"

When she heard that, Yasmine only thought to herself, I shouldn't have come!

 

 

Chapter 400

"Are you here to apologize now that you know how Kelly is really like and that she has used you?"

"What do you think?" Yasmine huffed.

She used to trust Kelly too much, but she would never have imagined that that was the kind of person Kelly was.

"Did you and Jackson break up because you knew about Kelly and him? And you changed your mind and decided to marry Master Dylan despite his disability?"

There was sympathy for Kendall in Yasmine's words.

"You can say that."

Kendall only had her chance to be reborn because she knew about it before she had her second life, plus she had lost her baby daughter and was hit by a car.

That was why she, as Yasmine said, would get married to Dylan.

"Why don't you expose them?" Yasmine asked. If it had happened to her, she was sure she would make the life of the pair of cheaters a living hell.

She couldn't help thinking how cultured Kendall was for never exposing their relationship.

Of course, Kendall wouldn't tell Yasmine that Kelly's current downfall was exactly because she had exposed her. Instead, Kendall pretended to be helpless as she sighed. "She is my parents' adopted

daughter no matter what. She is a Parker as well, and we come from the same family. It will also embarrass my parents if I kick up a fuss. That was why I put up with it."

Hearing that, Yasmine was filled with sympathy and resentment. "You might treat her as a sister, but she doesn't do the same to you! Do you know why I hated you so much before, and kept treating you badly and wanted you to make a fool of myself? It was because Kelly often spoke ill about you to me. As her close friend, I would naturally stand on her side and go against you. But when I did that, she started acting like she was innocent and tried to help you by standing up for you. All she did was make me the bad guy."

Kendall looked taken aback for a moment. "So that is the case," she eventually muttered. "I thought you hated me and tried to teach me a lesson because I grew up in the countryside."

"Which is why you don't have to sympathize with Kelly. Also, don't help her. She must be thinking of a way to quiet down this matter now. But everyone already knows about it. It will be impossible for her to do so unless someone suppresses it by force and not let people talk about it. The only person who has the ability to do this is Master Dylan. Kendall, you're not Mother Mary. Just give Kelly a social death after she has treated you that way. She brought this upon herself."

Kendall looked at Yasmine after she said that. She didn't expect Yasmine would throw Kelly aside without hesitation after she had come to her senses, and had even persuaded her not to be so forgiving.

But of course, Kendall was no Mother Mary.

In fact, none of her biological and adoptive family had told her to help Kelly after what had happened.

"What are you staring at me for?" Yasmine eventually asked after being looked at quietly.

"I find your red outfit extremely beautiful and captivating, Miss Zorn! You are as red as a fire!"

Yasmine was speechless for a moment before she grumbled, "Don't get smart with me."

"We aren't close enough for me to do that yet. I am only speaking the truth."

"I actually really like red clothes. I didn't wear them in the past because Master Dylan didn't like them. He likes darker tones… Kendall, even though I envy you for being able to move Master Dylan, I won't bully you like before. You were right to reprimand me. I can't blame anyone when I was the one who voluntarily gave up on Master Dylan."

At that, Kendall nodded. "You have gotten more sensible and mature, Miss Zorn."

"Do you think I am a fool?"

Kendall's giggle that ensued tempted Yasmine to throw her hat at her.

"That is all I came here to say. I will be leaving now."

It might be difficult for them to become friends, but at least Yasmine would lay off the bullying. For now, at least. Who could say for sure what would happen in the future?

As Yasmine stood up to leave, Kendall also got to her feet to send the woman off. She didn't forget to tease Yasmine again, "Are you not staying over for a hot bath?"

Yasmine's face immediately turned dark at her words.

Seeing this, Kendall let out a series of chuckles while she walked Yasmine out. The former stopped walking when they reached the entrance of the house. "Have you not gone to President Mendelson lately, Miss Zorn? I hope you find the information Dylan prepared for you useful."

Yasmine instantly stopped in her tracks as she turned to stare at Kendall.

Kendall continued, "Miss Zorn, would you think that I have other intentions if I told you to stop going after Frank because he doesn't suit you?"

Yasmine stayed silent after hearing her words. She had tried to pursue Frank, but the man rarely saw her.

She was only interested in his identity and status…

Truth be told, she didn't have feelings for him.

And it wasn't like she had the opportunity to develop feelings for him.

She was almost always with Jeffrey these days. Jeffrey used to be her neighbor and he was always very kind to her. If she was in a bad mood, he would talk to her, or keep her company, and would try to make her happy.

All of a sudden, Yasmine felt that it was wrong for her to pursue Frank, or even Dylan in the past.

One's life was only a few decades long. She should be living her life happily. And yet, she had never felt joy when it came to Frank and Dylan.

Am I really going to continue living my life like this? she thought to herself before saying, "I will think it through. Thank you for your reminder."

She swiftly turned around and left after throwing that out.

Kendall stood at the door of the house and watched Yasmine leave.

She was surprised by how Yasmine didn't ask her why.

Yasmine probably knew that she didn't really want to be with Frank. It was just because of her ego she thought only men like Dylan and Frank were worthy of her, since she was the daughter of the Zorn Family.

After Yasmine left the Coleman Residence, she kept replaying Kendall's words in her head.

Frank doesn't suit me?

Dylan and Frank were birds of a feather. Truth was, they both weren't a match for her.

Unlike her cheerful personality, the presidents were more the gloomy type. It would be hard to find common topics if they were together.

Yasmine then recalled the years she spent on Dylan trying every means possible, and racking her brains just to please him so that she would get his love. She had lost herself in the process, and only

finally came to her senses because of Dylan's circumstances. She had regretfully pulled herself out then.

Those were some years that had gone by without her feeling an ounce of joy.

After all, she was so caught up with ingratiating herself to him, but she didn't get any sort of response from him. It would be odd if she was happy during that time.

She eventually decided to head over to the Mendelson Residence.

If Frank still refused to see her, she would listen to Kendall's advice and also follow the thoughts she kept well hidden, and finally live a happy life for herself.

Jeffrey is actually decent… she concluded, only for her to be surprised by her own thoughts.

To Yasmine, she had always thought of them as siblings. She had never once considered there to be anything romantic between them.

Her phone then began to ring.

It was a call from Jeffrey.

… Jinxes are indeed real.

She was just thinking about Frank a second before he actually called her.

After slowing down her driving, she picked up the call.

"Yasmine.“

She instantly felt safe when she heard that cheerful, deep voice coming from the other end of the call.

"Jeffrey, what's up?"

"I got two movie tickets and wanted to invite you to a movie. You seem like you are in a bad mood these days. Let's go watch a movie. Your mood will slowly improve if you do something to distract you."

A gush of warmth spread across her chest at his words.

It felt so good to have someone thinking about and worrying for her.