Ch. 41..50

Chapter 41

Emily stated coldly, "When I talk, you listen. You're not allowed to talk back."

"Mrs. Coleman, I won't talk back when you're being reasonable, but if you're being unreasonable, I will defend myself."

"So you do know that I'm Mrs. Coleman. Kendall Parker, haven't you realized your position in this family yet? Dylan didn't bring you back to let you live a pampered life. You're here to make up for your mistakes, and you're nothing more than a housekeeper—an unpaid housekeeper. You need to have a more respectful attitude when you talk to me."

"Dylan didn't say that I'm his housekeeper."

Kendall did not back down.

This was the first time that she butted heads with Emily. If she backed down now, Emily would think that she was a pushover.

Yes, it was humiliating for Dylan when she cut herself to decline his proposal, but that was a mistake she made before her rebirth. She realized the error in her ways now, and she even made up for it by marrying Dylan.

She was willing to stay by his side for the rest of her life.

However, this was not a reason for her to allow Emily to walk all over her.

"You!" Emily glared at Kendall.

Kendall met Emily's furious gaze without any sign of fear or backing down.

After a while, Emily finally suppressed her loathing and uttered plainly, "Forget it. I have no time to argue with you. I have some clothes that I want to wear tomorrow, but they're a little dirty and not easy to wash. If I send it to the dry cleaners, they might not be able to finish it in time. Go and find Mrs. Langston. She's in charge of my wardrobe, and she will give those clothes to you. Wash them for me, and remember to be careful with them. Don't ruin them, but make sure you do a good job cleaning them."

Kendall pursed her lips. She knew that this mother-in-law of hers would be up to no good.

No scoldings, no beatings, but instead, Emily was ordering her around like a servant. This was how Emily paid her back for the way she treated Dylan.

"Mrs. Coleman, your household employs a lot of servants. This is their job."

"You will do as I say. Also, I told you to show me more respect. How can a country bumpkin like you talk to me like that? How ridiculous! This is why you'll always be a country bumpkin. You won't be able to fit in with us at all."

Once Kendall heard what Emily had to say, it finally dawned on her that even without her rejection of Dylan's proposal, Emily would still look down on her.

"What's wrong with being from a village? So what if I grew up in a rural area?"

"How am I a disgrace? Did I take your food and steal your money?"

"How are you inconvenienced just because I grew up in a rural area? If you're going to scoff at villagers like this, then don't eat the food and produce that come from farms in these rural areas. Are you certain that every single one of your ancestors grew up in a wealthy family?"

Emily had grown pale as Kendall's words stabbed at her, but she could not retort.

How could anyone be certain that none of their ancestors had ever been poor?

"So this is how a woman from the upper class behaves, huh? Is that all the civility you have? At least the women from our rural village have the decency to treat others with common courtesy."

Kendall's words were full of mockery.

A truly distinguished woman from the upper class would not need to put down others for the sake of elevating her own status.

"I'm going to say this one last time. Dylan did not bring me back to be the Colemans' housekeeper, so don't expect me to do anything that a housekeeper does. So sorry, but I have other things to attend to. I'll get out of your way and save you from the terrible ordeal of having to look at me. I'd rather not stick around and hear you claim that a country bumpkin like me dirties your house simply by standing in it."

Kendall turned around and left as soon as she finished speaking. She did not even bother waiting for Emily's response.

Emily wanted to refute Kendall's criticisms, but she did not even get her chance to speak.

Kendall fired off like a machine gun when her temper got the best of her. Her words were sharp and biting, and she left no room for rebuttal.

Meanwhile, Amos had been taking it all in from the side.

He thought that Kendall had a weak personality since she often demurred in front of Dylan. However, he was surprised by her show of strength in front of Emily. She had not shown any sign of weakness at all, and Emily failed to sink her claws into her.

"Kendall Parker, you get back here at once!"

Emily snapped out of her daze and leaped to her feet before shrieking after Kendall's retreating figure.

Kendall ignored her and continued walking.

Hopping mad, Emily turned to Amos and said, "Mr. Miller, did you see the way she spoke to me? How dare she take that tone with me? So what if I said that she's a country bumpkin? Am I wrong?"

Amos kept quiet for a moment before asking, "Mrs. Coleman, do you want to hear the truth?"

"Are you planning on lying to me?"

"Of course not. Mrs. Coleman, your attitude and choice of words not only humiliated Miss Kendall, but also every person who came from a rural area."

"...That's only because I dislike her for the way she treated Dylan," Emily said defensively.

"Mrs. Coleman, do forgive me for saying this, but you should stay out of Young Master Dylan's private matters. Even though you're his mother, he does not allow you to get involved. It's best for you to stay out of his relationship with Miss Kendall."

Emily's face darkened. "As his mother, don't I have the right to take revenge on his behalf? If it weren't for the fact that my son got into an accident, how would a woman like Kendall Parker be able to marry my son?"

Emily thought about Dylan, her pride and joy, who was now stuck in a wheelchair and could not perform as a man. All the young women from distinguished families who once dreamt of marrying Dylan had scurried away and rejected forming a marriage alliance with their family. In the end, Old Madam Coleman had to set her eyes on a nobody like Kendall Parker. The thought of this drove knives into Emily's heart.

However, Amos muttered to himself, And yet, the "nobody", Kendall Parker, is the one who's married to Young Master Dylan.

"Go back, Mr. Miller. I'll have a word with Dylan when he comes home."

Emily would not let Kendall get away with this.

"Yes, Mrs. Coleman."

Amos stepped out of the living room, and when he did not spot any sign of Kendall, he hurried off as fast as he could.

Meanwhile, Kendall had not gone straight back to Dylan's house. She chose to take a seat at the pavilion where Dylan usually took his meals.

The sun was steadily moving its way down the sky, and the rays were warm now, unlike how they scorched at noon. They bore down on her like a warm embrace.

There was a gentle breeze that slowly dissipated the boiling anger inside Kendall.

She thought about her previous life. After marrying Jackson, she had not received any respect from the Whittles either. Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Whittle, spoke courteously to her while her parents were alive, but Mrs. Whittle would still impose a lot of rules on her to curtail her freedom. She was not allowed to visit her parents often, and she was not allowed to leave the house whenever she wanted. She was not even allowed to make friends, and she was caged inside the Whittles' residence.

When her parents died, Mrs. Whittle no longer treated her courteously. She began to criticize her, ridicule her, humiliate her, and make life difficult for her. Kendall's life was worse than that of a servant.

She managed to put up with all that because she was deeply in love with Jackson.

In the end…

Kendall tried to hold back her tears as she thought about her daughter, who had died such a horrible death. Her heart felt like it had been ripped to shreds.

This time… she would not be able to reunite with her baby.

She fervently hoped that her baby would be able to have a good family in her next life.

Now that she thought about her precious daughter from her previous life, she somewhat understood why Emily despised her so much. Still, Emily should not have tried to use her rural upbringing against her, and she should not have turned it into a mockery of everyone who grew up in rural areas.

Chapter 42

Kendall lost track of time, and she only snapped out of her reverie when she heard the sound of a car coming.

Dylan was back.

She wiped her tears away and sat still for another two minutes. Once she was certain that her eyes looked normal, she got up from the pavilion and went over to Dylan.

However, Vivian beat her to it.

Vivian went over to Dylan and said something to him, and Kendall saw Dylan turning to look at her. A moment later, his bodyguards pushed him toward the main house.

Kendall stopped walking.

She realized from Dylan's fleeting gaze that it probably had something to do with her.

Emily was probably going to complain about her to Dylan.

Kendall sighed and headed back to Dylan's house instead.

She did not buy any groceries, so she could not prepare dinner for herself. It seemed like she would have to rely on Dylan for dinner again.

Even so, she wanted to check the kitchen to see if she could find a packet of instant noodles. However, she was startled to find that the kitchen was fully stocked with all manner of ingredients. Who was the

one who bought all of it?

"Young Mistress Kendall."

Amos appeared at the kitchen doorway.

"Mr. Miller, I thought the kitchen was empty. Did you buy all these things?"

Amos nodded and said, "I asked the staff to bring some over from the main kitchen. Are you going to cook, Young Mistress Kendall?"

"Am I allowed to use these ingredients?"

Amos chuckled. "Naturally, Young Mistress Kendall. You can have full use of anything here, and if you need anything else, just let me know and I'll send someone to get it for you. You can also make a list for me, and I'll get someone to pass it over to the main kitchen staff. They will bring it back for you when they go out for groceries tomorrow."

"That won't be necessary. I've taken a look and the kitchen is very well-stocked. I don't need anything else."

If she was cooking for herself, she would only be making a simple meal and would not need that many ingredients.

"In that case, I will leave you to it, Young Mistress Kendall."

Amos walked away, leaving Kendall behind to make her dinner.

At the same time, Dylan's bodyguards pushed him into the living room in the main house.

"Dylan, you're back."

Emily came forward with a loving smile on her face.

Dylan gestured for the bodyguards to stop before looking up at his mother. "Mom, you were looking for me?"

"I just wanted to see you."

Dylan's eyes darkened as he said solemnly, "Mom, tell me the truth."

His brooding expression startled Emily, and she readily spilled, "Dylan, I wanted to talk to you about Kendall. You don't know how arrogant she is! She had the gall to talk back to me, and she even raised her voice at me."

"Didn't you bring her back in order for her to make up for her mistakes? Since she's here as a housekeeper, what's wrong with me asking her to wash some of my clothes? Yet she rebuked me! What an ill-bred woman, which is unsurprising since she's from a village… I think that it's impossible for her to learn how to behave properly. She can't compare with Kelly."

Dylan frowned and retorted icily, "Mom, if Alice had been taken away from birth and was raised in a village, and only came back to you in her twenties, do you think you'll be able to get her to change her lifestyle immediately?"

Emily opened her mouth to speak but could not say anything.

"Mom, Kendall was switched at birth, and someone stole her life for the past 25 years. This is not her fault. She can't compare with Kelly because Kelly was the one who received the privileged upbringing that was Kendall's in the first place. Kelly could stay by Mrs. Parker's side and enjoy a privileged lifestyle, while Kendall had to grow up in a village and fight to survive. How can you compare them?"

"Kendall's a diamond in the rough, and I believe that given enough time, her brilliance will be known to all."

Dylan was protective of his wife, and he did not like the way his mother spoke about her.

"Dylan, are you… standing up for her? Don't you hate her for the way she treated you?"

Dylan looked down at his legs, and his voice darkened. "Why should I hate her? She only did what everyone else didn't have the guts to do. It's completely normal for her to not want to marry a guy in my condition. Mom, you have a daughter too. Think about her. If your daughter was in Kendall's position, what would you do?"

Emily did not know what to say. She definitely would not let her daughter marry a man who was stuck in a wheelchair and could not perform as a man.

Huh?

It… was not that she was scorning her own son.

Her heart was aching over her son's predicament too.

"I did bring Kendall home with me, but she is not here to be a housekeeper. There are so many staff at your beck and call, so why do you need to ask Kendall to do their jobs?"

Dylan's tone was serious. "I hope that when I'm not around, you won't try to throw your weight around as an elder and make trouble for Kendall. I also don't want to hear you complaining about Kendall every time I come home. She's with me now, so I will protect her."

Emily's expression faltered when she heard Dylan's choice of words.

"Dylan, did you bring her back for…?"

"Mom, don't get involved in my relationship with Kendall. I will tell you about it when the time comes."

Emily picked up the implications in Dylan's words and hurriedly asked, "Dylan, did something else happen between you and Kendall? What are you hiding from me?"

However, Dylan did not answer her. He got his bodyguards to take him back to his house.

"Dylan! Dylan Parker!"

Emily kept calling after him, but Dylan did not stop at all. She was vexed, but she could not do anything.

Dylan was raised by Tilly, and while he was respectful toward Emily as his mother, she found it difficult to act like his mother in front of him and to involve herself in his matters.

After exiting the main house, Dylan felt about in his pants pocket.

He had stuck the hair clip Kendall gave him this afternoon in there.

Then, he reached into a hidden pocket in his jacket. There was another hair clip in there, but this was a new one that he had sent someone to get this afternoon. It was a beautiful hair clip that was worth a lot more money than Kendall's.

"Would you be having dinner now, Young Master Dylan?"

Dylan paused for a moment before saying, "Go back into the house first."

He wanted to see how Kendall was.

His mother grew up in a distinguished family and married into one as well, so she was a proud woman. It must have been a fierce battle that afternoon when Kendall stood up for herself and questioned his mother's authority.

Dylan was not worried about things getting physical. He knew his mother well enough, and no matter how angry she got, she would still stick to her words without resorting to a physical fight.

Kendall probably would not let anyone hit her either.

She may seem a little weak, but she was braver than she seemed.

Before he even entered the house, he could smell the fragrance of creamy egg risotto.

It had to be Kendall's doing.

From the time he headed over to the main house till now, it was probably about half an hour. That was enough time for her to prepare a plate of risotto.

He could smell the creaminess in the air.

"Young Master Dylan."

Amos stepped forward and replaced the bodyguard before pushing Dylan into the house.

Kendall had just finished preparing her creamy egg risotto. She filled a heaping bowl for herself and began digging in as she carried it out of the kitchen.

It tasted pretty good, even if she said so herself.

She still knew her way around the kitchen despite it being a long time since she last cooked.

However, as soon as she raised her head, she saw Dylan staring at her and the bowl of risotto in her hands.

 

Chapter 43

"Hi, Dylan."

Kendall greeted him and asked, "Do you want some creamy egg risotto?"

She assumed that he was used to his sumptuous feasts and would not be enticed by her risotto.

"I only see one bowl of it, and yet you're asking if I would like a share. Are you going to give me that bowl if I say I want some?"

Kendall froze for a moment, but she smiled and said, "If you want to have it, then I'll give you this bowl and make another for myself."

"Then go and make another one. Mr. Miller, bring her bowl over."

Amos stepped forward at once and held his hand out. "I'll take the bowl, Young Mistress Kendall."

"...Alright," Kendall said after a pause.

She handed her bowl of freshly-made risotto over to Amos and watched as Amos returned to Dylan's side. Then, she heard him say, "Same place as always."

Amos passed the bowl to Ronnie before pushing Dylan out of the house.

When they were finally gone from her sight, Kendall muttered under her breath, "And here I thought he wouldn't give my risotto a second look, but instead, he even took the entire bowl away from me."

She smacked herself on the lips and chided herself, "Why did you have to blabber?"

There was none left in the pan, as she only made one serving.

She was too lazy to start cooking risotto all over again, so she decided to whip up a simple plate of stir- fried noodles.

By the time she finished her noodles, Dylan had come back to the house.

"Do you eat your meal at the pavilion every day?"

"You have a problem with that?"

"I wouldn't dare to," Kendall replied.

Dylan snorted. "You seem quite daring, in my opinion. You even managed to send my mother into a fit of rage after talking back to her. She made sure to complain to me the moment I came home."

"Your mother… is the one who's trying to make life difficult for me. She wanted to order me around like I'm some kind of unpaid housekeeper, so isn't it a given that I wouldn't let her get her way? If I backed down the first time she did, who's to say that I'll ever have a moment of peace again?"

Dylan's eyes were fixed on Kendall.

She had given him her hair clip, so her hair fell freely behind her. He was tempted to go over and tug at it.

"You should take a walk after dinner to help with your digestion."

Dylan abruptly changed the subject.

Kendall got the message and went behind his wheelchair to push him out. "Since you want to take a walk, you should get out of the wheelchair and walk by yourself. That way, you'll be training your muscles as well as preventing indigestion."

"What's the matter? Scorning the fact that I'm in a wheelchair?"

"Why must you always assume the worst of people? I'm saying this for your own good. You should exercise your muscles a little more and do more physical therapy. Only then will you be able to recover."

Dylan declared icily, "You can never tell what people truly think."

"You're the one who's hard to read. Trying to understand you is like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

Dylan's expression darkened.

Kendall was behind him and she could not see his expression, so she continued, "Isn't it so inconvenient to be stuck in a wheelchair? Don't you want to recover your mobility? With how handsome

you are, the moment you start walking again, those women will fall at your feet once more."

"So what if I can walk again? No one would marry me if I still have that dysfunction. Only a silly girl like you would insist on marrying me."

The moment Kendall heard Dylan, she stopped moving. Dylan felt her moving closer to him, and he could smell the scent that emanated from her.

"Dylan, are you really impotent?"

Kendall asked in a low voice.

"What's the matter? Regretting your decision now?"

"What's there to regret? I told you. I don't care what you've become, and I won't regret anything."

Dylan snorted. "Then why did you cut your wrist back then?"

"That's… Well, after a brush with death, I realized that you're a pretty good guy. At least you're not a two-faced person who'd put up a mask in front of me, so I changed my mind."

Kendall had a small fright. This sly fox had nearly gotten her to spill the beans again.

Dylan scoffed but did not say anything.

Kendall continued to push him down the path as if nothing happened, but she thought to herself, So he's really impotent now, huh? I won't have to be worried about tempting him then.

Hahaha, I've found his weakness!

Suddenly, she saw a hair clip popping up in front of her.

"Take it and put your hair up. The wind's pretty strong, and you look like a ghost with your hair in a mess. It's quite scary."

Kendall was speechless.

Was it so hard to say something nice if he intended to give her a present?

What a sharp tongue.

If she ever heard something pleasant coming out of his mouth, she had better check to see if the sun rose from the west that day.

When she took the hair clip from him, she saw that it was from Chanel, which cost way more than what her old one did.

"Thank you."

"It was just the polite thing to do since you gave me one too."

Kendall chuckled and thought, Still so stubborn!

…

Jackson drove his car to the front entrance of his house and honked the horn. A few moments later, someone came out to open the door for him.

A few minutes later, he stepped into the house and heard the sound of people playing cards. His mother must have invited her friends over again. His eyes slowly filled with irritation, but by the time he went over to his mother, he had a pleasant smile on his face. Leaning in to take a look at her cards, he asked, "Mom, did you win a lot today?"

"Just a Louis Vuitton bag," Rosemi replied. She looked up at Jackson and asked, "You're home early. No business dinner tonight?"

"I arranged to meet my client at nine. It's still early, so I decided to come home and see you."

"You always say such sweet things."

Even though Rosemi could tell that he did not mean it, she was still pleased to hear it.

"Mom."

"Hang on, I'll talk to you once we're done playing cards."

Jackson chuckled. "Fine. I'll go upstairs and wash up first."

Rosemi made a sound of acknowledgment, and Jackson straightened up. He nodded at the other women in the room before heading upstairs.

Once he left, the other women began to ask questions. "Mrs. Whittle, I heard that Jackson wanted to marry that girl who just returned to the Parker Family?"

"You heard wrong, Mrs. Zucker. It's the Parker Family's daughter who fell in love with Jackson and shamelessly wanted to get married to him."

"Jackson is far too kind. He's willing to marry her so that he doesn't break her heart."

Rosemi waited for her friends to finish their criticisms before saying, "Kendall is a good girl. Even though she didn't grow up in the Parker Family, she's still a decent girl, and I'm fine with Jackson marrying her."

Kendall was the only blood-related daughter that the Parkers had, so the entire Parker fortune would most likely be going to her.

Furthermore, Kendall was completely in love with Jackson. If Jackson married her, then as long as Parker Corporation was handed to her, he would become the true owner of the company. This was why Rosemi was willing to go along with Jackson's plan to marry her.

"Your future daughter-in-law hasn't even joined the family yet, and you're already so protective, Mrs. Whittle," Mrs. Zucker teased. "I've met that girl before. She's quite pretty and carries herself fairly well. At least based on her looks, she does make a good match with Jackson."

"Jackson is also a good judge of character."

These women were observant enough to start singing Kendall's praises once they noticed Rosemi's attitude toward the marriage.

"Jackson has always had a good eye for people." Rosemi laughed. "I spoke to Mrs. Parker this morning to discuss when to go over for a formal proposal of marriage, but she hasn't responded to me yet. I suppose she needs to run it by Adam."

Just then, Rosemi's phone rang.

Once she picked it up and saw who was calling, she said to her friends, "Speak of the devil. It's Mrs. Parker who's calling."

 

Chapter 44

Mrs. Zucker piped up with a smile, "She's probably going to ask you to hurry up and go over to finalize the proposal."

Rosemi thought the same. She was in an excellent mood, so she decided to answer Charlotte's call right in front of everyone, and she even put her phone on speaker mode.

"Mrs. Parker," Rosemi greeted with a smile. "Have you had your dinner?"

"Yes, I have. What about you, Mrs. Whittle?"

"Me too. I'm in the middle of a card game, actually. By the way, Mrs. Parker, has your family discussed the matter I brought up to you this morning? Once you let me know, I'll be able to make all the arrangements."

Charlotte laughed and said, "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Parker, but I was too busy today and forgot all about it. I just recalled it a moment ago so I immediately decided to return your call. Adam says that Kendall just returned to us, so he can't bear to part with her so soon. We've decided to put marriage aside for now."

Right from the start, Charlotte disapproved of Kendall marrying Jackson.

And after today, she was even more opposed to it.

Jackson was too fake.

"Mrs. Parker?"

Rosemi thought she heard it wrong.

The Parkers were declining their offer of marriage? Was Kendall not madly in love with Jackson after falling in love at first sight with him?

"Mrs. Parker, have you asked your daughter's opinion? This is what you and your husband think, right? You don't think that our family is as good as the Colemans."

Rosemi felt humiliated by the way her friends were looking at her.

She picked up the phone and took it off speaker mode before walking off and saying, "Mrs. Parker, as Kendall's mother, I'm sure you're aware of how she feels about my son. Is this really what she wants? She's madly in love with him, so much so that she even ran to the Colemans and declined their offer of marriage in person."

Charlotte replied with a smile, "Mrs. Whittle, this is what Kendall wants as well. I've asked her multiple times, and she says that she doesn't want to marry Jackson. She's not interested in romance right now, and she wants to focus on her career. Mrs. Parker, you know how much I owe Kendall, so no matter what she does, I will always respect her choice."

"I do apologize, Mrs. Whittle."

"This is what Kendall wants?"

Rosemi did not believe that at all.

However, Charlotte was not trying to convince her anyway. "Mrs. Whittle, I heard some card sounds earlier, so you're probably in the middle of a card game, right? I won't keep you then. Let's have a meal together some time. It'll be my treat."

"Alright."

Charlotte did not want to go any further, so Rosemi could not continue pressing her.

After hanging up the call, Rosemi's expression was as dark as night.

She turned to her friends and said, "Let's stop for today. I'll invite you all over again when I find the time."

Then, Rosemi called the butler over to see the women off.

The other women had heard what Charlotte said earlier.

They were well aware that Rosemi was in a poor mood right now, so they did not outstay their welcome.

"Mrs. Zucker, don't say anything about what you heard just now."

Rosemi suddenly addressed them again. "Only the four of you know what happened, so if word gets out, I know that it's from one of you. I don't wish to end my friendship with any one of you."

All the women hurriedly promised to not speak a single word about the Parkers rejecting the Whittles' offer of marriage.

After giving them a good warning, Rosemi rushed upstairs.

When she got to her son's room, she barged right in without even knocking.

Jackson had just come out of the bathroom, and he was still topless. He jumped in fright when his mother came in and he hurriedly wrapped his arms around his chest. "Mom, why did you come in without knocking first?"

"You're my son. I bathed you when you were little, so what's there to be shy about? Jackson, I'm so mad right now."

Rosemi went over to the couch and sat down angrily.

"What's wrong, Mom? Who made you angry? Tell me, and I'll teach them a lesson."

Jackson pulled on a top before walking over and asking in concern, "Did you lose all the money you won? It's just a few thousand. I'll transfer some money over to you, and tomorrow, you'll be able to make them lose everything."

"It's not about money. Jackson, Mrs. Whittle called me just now and said that Kendall doesn't want to marry you. They rejected our family's marriage proposal."

Rosemi was infuriated. "Does Kendall think she's some kind of goddess or the only woman left in this world? If she weren't the actual daughter of the Parker Family who would be inheriting the family fortune, she wouldn't even be fit to lick your shoes. How dare she look down on you?"

"Oh, that."

Jackson knew about it already.

He tried to appease Rosemi. "Mom, don't be angry. Think about it this way. Kendall even rejected the Colemans' marriage offer, and how can we compare with the Colemans? It's not surprising that she rejected us too."

"How is that the same? The Colemans might be the wealthiest family in Orapolis, but Dylan Coleman is stuck in a wheelchair and he can't even function as a man. Kendall would basically be a widow if she married him, and she would not be in her right mind if she did not reject him."

"Meanwhile, my son is a fine man who is faultless in every way. She should be thanking the heavens for her great stroke of luck that you're willing to marry her! What a senseless girl!"

"We're gracious enough to accept her, but she has the audacity to reject us! This makes me so mad!"

Jackson sat down and put his arm around Rosemi's shoulders. "Mom, don't get so worked up. It's my fault. I didn't even go over to see her after she slit her wrist, so she's still mad at me. She hasn't called me or texted me recently, and when I went looking for her, she was so distant too, almost like she was an entirely different person."

He was far too embarrassed to bring up the fact that Kendall had slapped him as well.

"It's alright, Mom. Once I coax her a little and give her some presents, she'll calm down again. We can go over with a marriage proposal then, and I'm sure I'll be able to marry her."

However, Rosemi was less convinced.

Then again, she thought about the way Kendall treated Jackson in the past and found his words believable enough.

"Then you better find some time to coax her. Oh, by the way, I have two sets of pearl jewelry that I'm not too fond of. You can give those to her. Since she loves you so much, she'll be overjoyed to receive such gifts from you, and she'll probably forgive you right after."

"Thanks, Mom."

"What are you thanking me for? I only want the best for you. Once you get your hands on Parker Corporation, you'll be set for life."

Rosemi was feeling a lot better after talking to Jackson.

She went to her room and brought the two sets of jewelry over to Jackson. "Jackson, you need to be on your toes when it comes to wooing a woman. Hurry up and bring the jewelry over to Kendall now. You can coax her into going with you to meet your client. Before your plan succeeds, you have to remember to keep wooing her."

Jackson took a look at the two sets of jewelry his mother gave him. He grew a little reluctant and said, "Mom, these look rather expensive. Are you sure you want to give both to Kendall? Why don't I give one to Kelly?"

Rosemi frowned and said, "Jackson, focus on coaxing Kendall first."

As for Kelly, whom she had once been very pleased with… If Kelly was unable to inherit the bulk of the Parker Family fortune, then no matter how accomplished she was, she would be worthless in comparison to Kendall.

 

Chapter 45

Just as Jackson was about to leave with the two sets of jewelry, Rosemi called out to him.

"What is it, Mom?"

"Jackson." Rosemi walked over to him and whispered into his ear, "When you take Kendall out to meet your client later, get her drunk and sleep with her. That way, she won't be able to leave you."

Jackson's mouth twitched.

"Mom," Jackson spoke in a low voice. "Do you think I'd need to resort to such underhanded tactics?"

Rosemi rolled her eyes at him. "It's the best way to get what you want, so who cares if it's underhanded or not? I thought that it was confirmed that the Parkers would accept our marriage proposal since Kendall is madly in love with you and is dying to marry you, but look how it turned out instead. I don't trust what Mrs. Parker said. Something must have happened."

"Jackson, if you're determined to marry Kendall, then do as I say. If not, then just pretend I didn't say anything."

Jackson fell silent.

He did not like Kendall at all. On the contrary, he despised her. The only reason why he wanted to marry her was so that he could plot with Kelly and use Kendall to pocket the entire Parker Family fortune.

And yet, he was upset when Kendall's attitude toward him changed. He could not stand the way she

distanced herself from him.

"I'll think about it, Mom."

"What's there to think about, Jackson? You need to be firm on this. Don't think about it anymore and just do as I say. Go and look for Kendall now, and tell her that you want her to meet a client with you. She'll definitely go with you."

"Alright, Mom, I'll do as you say."

Jackson decided to give his mother's suggestion a go.

Rosemi smiled and patted her son on the back. "Go on. You don't need to come back home tonight. Just spend the night with Kendall at a hotel."

"I hope you'll succeed, Jackson."

Jackson left the house with the jewelry under his mother's watchful eyes.

He still had some time before his meeting with his client, so he followed his mother's instructions and went over to Coleman Mansion to look for Kendall. He wanted to convince her to follow him to meet his client.

On his way there, he gave Kelly a call to tell her about his plan.

"Jackson, what did you say?"

Kelly was still doing overtime at the office.

When she heard Jackson's plan, she huffed and threw her pen on the floor before leaping to her feet. Her face was contorted in anger and disbelief.

Jackson was aware that his actions would be a form of betrayal toward Kelly, so he tried to appease her. "Kelly, I'm doing this for our sake. You know better than I do that Kendall has changed. Both your mother and Kendall rejected my mother's marriage offer. I have to do this to marry her."

"Jackson, go on, sleep with her. I dare you!"

Kelly lashed out in anger. "You're mine! You promised me that you'd never sleep with Kendall!"

"Kelly, I'm only doing this because I have no other option. If you can think of any other options, I'm all ears." Jackson was beginning to regret being honest with Kelly about this.

Kelly might seem like an easygoing person on the surface, but she was actually a very domineering person.

She had long considered him to be hers.

The Parkers only had one child, and before Kendall came back, the Parkers showered Kelly with all their affection. Their indulgent love made Kelly into the domineering person that she was today. In the past, no matter how domineering she was, she had no fear at all, but now she was no longer the Parker Family's real daughter, so could she still be this domineering?

"You can ask Kendall to accompany you tonight and get her drunk as well, but you're not allowed to touch her. We'll let someone else sleep with her, and you can show up when it's over. When she wakes up, let her see you coming out of the bathroom, and it'll be enough. You don't need to bother with anything else. She'll naturally assume that she slept with you."

Kelly asked, "Jackson, what do you think about my idea?"

This way, Jackson would not need to sleep with Kendall, but the plan would still succeed.

Jackson thought it was a pretty good idea, so he chuckled and said, "Kelly, you're so smart. We'll do just as you say. I told my client to meet me at Hotel Whittle, so it'll be convenient for me to arrange everything."

"You're not allowed to sleep with her, or else, I'll make you pay," Kelly warned him once more.

"Kelly, now that we have a better idea, I'm definitely not going to do anything to betray you. Don't worry. I'm yours, and I'll always be yours," Jackson promised. "Just wait for my good news."

"I'll be done soon, and when I'm done, I'll go over to Hotel Whittle and wait for you. I won't be able to be at ease until I see you."

Jackson laughed and said adoringly, "Okay, you can keep an eye on us in secret."

Kelly was domineering, but he liked that about her because it meant that she loved him a lot.

Jackson's pride swelled.

Even an accomplished woman like Kelly was so deeply in love with him, so he was absolutely certain that he could handle a country bumpkin like Kendall!

…

When Kendall exited the bathroom after washing her hair, she saw Dylan sitting on her bed. He had picked up the framed photo on her bedside table and was studying it closely. It was a picture of her with her adopted family.

When she left her adopted parents' house, her real mother refused to let her take anything with her, saying that they would buy new ones instead. In the end, she only brought this picture with her.

"Dylan, why aren't you resting?"

Dylan set the frame back down in its place and looked up at her. When he saw her soaking strands of hair, he frowned and said, "Don't you know how to dry your hair with a towel?"

"It's fine. I'll just use a hairdryer and it'll dry out in no time."

Kendall went over to the hairdryer.

She glanced at Dylan and asked tentatively, "Dylan, do you think I could enjoy being waited upon by a handsome man?" She held the hairdryer out to him. "Could you help me dry my hair?"

"I can't use my legs, but did you lose your arms?"

Kendall pouted, but she had already guessed that he would not agree to it. She withdrew her hands

and began to dry her hair.

Dylan continued watching her in silence.

After two minutes, he pushed himself over in the wheelchair and reached out for the hairdryer.

Kendall turned it off and said, "Dylan, my hair's almost dried, so I won't trouble you. Why don't you head back to your room and rest?"

"This is also my room."

Kendall laughed. "Oh please. You'll probably run off soon enough. I wonder what you're so shy about. You can't do that anymore, so why are you afraid that I'll eat you up?"

Dylan glared at her. "You shouldn't talk like that."

"I didn't even use any curse words."

That shut Dylan up.

It was true that she only taunted him and didn't use any curse words.

He snatched the hairdryer away from her and grabbed the ends of her hair. Afraid that he might rip her hair out, she hurriedly lowered her head as she said, "This better not be you trying to take revenge on me. I'm not forcing you to dry my hair for me."

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you…"

Kendall's phone was ringing, and her newest ringtone echoed across the room.

 

Chapter 46

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you…"

Dylan heard the old song and asked, "When did you change your ringtone to this song?"

"Only recently. I like it. What do you think?"

Dylan pursed his lips.

Kendall eyed the caller ID and saw that it was Jackson who was calling. She quickly glanced up at Dylan, and true enough, even though he was drying her hair, he had already glanced at her phone and knew who was calling her.

Dylan spat out icily, "You said you don't love him and you don't want to marry him, but you still have his number saved."

"...I'll block him after I take this call," Kendall replied.

"That's not necessary. If you block him, you'd have to waste your time trying to find out what you want to know."

He had a point. Kendall would not be marrying Jackson in this lifetime, but she still needed to find proof of Jackson and Kelly plotting against her. This meant that she had to maintain contact with them.

"Pick it up."

"Okay," Kendall said as she answered Jackson's call. She made a mental note to change his name to

'Scoundrel' later.

"Kendall."

The moment the call connected, Jackson's voice came through her phone's speakers. Dylan turned off the hairdryer so that he could hear what Jackson said.

"Why did you take so long to pick up the phone? Were you asleep?"

Jackson was annoyed that Kendall took so long to answer his call. In the past, she would answer his call the moment it went through. She never made him wait.

"Just say what you want."

Kendall's tone was icy, and Jackson felt a little peeved by it, but he still maintained a gentle persona. "Kendall, are you still at Coleman Mansion? Why don't you come and meet a client with me? I'll come and pick you up."

"I've arranged to meet my client at nine, and it's still early now. There's enough time for me to come and pick you up."

Accompany Jackson to a meeting with his client?

Immediately, Kendall's mind jumped back to her previous life.

She had followed Jackson to a client meeting just once, and it was that very meeting where she had

gotten drunk. When she woke up, she saw Jackson coming out of the bathroom, and she assumed that they had slept together.

At the time, when she found out that she lost her virginity to him, she was very happy about it. She thought that Jackson would take responsibility for it and would certainly marry her.

She never thought that this would happen again now that she had been reborn.

Kendall did not reply yet, but Dylan turned the hairdryer on and yanked on her hair. While he did not rip her hair out, it was still painful enough that Kendall let out a soft yelp.

"Kendall, what's the matter? Where are you? Why did it get so noisy all of a sudden?"

Jackson heard the ruckus and asked out of curiosity.

"I'm not interested in joining you for any client meeting, and I won't be going either."

Kendall rejected him outright.

She knew all too well that tonight's meeting was a trap, so why would she jump in willingly?

Even though this meant that she would not know who she ended up sleeping with in her previous lifetime, it was not important anymore. She had chosen a different path in this new life of hers.

"Come with me, Kendall. I even brought you a gift. Are you still at Coleman Mansion? I'll go and pick you up."

Jackson kept his voice gentle in the hopes that he could trick Kendall into going with him.

"Jackson, aren't you tired of always having to pretend to like me? Aren't you worried that Kelly might get jealous? Do you really think I'm clueless just because I grew up in the countryside?"

Kendall's voice was full of disdain. "Don't bother coming to pick me up, or else you'll have to bear the consequences."

"Kendall, don't misunderstand me. The one I like is you! It's really you. Kelly and I are just friends. Kendall—"

Kendall ended the call.

Once she hung up, Dylan turned off the hairdryer once more.

"Jackson wants you to go meet a client with him?"

"I said no," Kendall hurriedly defended herself. "Dylan, I know my place in life right now, so don't worry. I'm willing to spend the rest of my life with you even if it's a purely platonic relationship, and I won't ever cheat on you."

Dylan stared at her.

"Dylan, your family has quite a few dogs, right? Could I borrow a few of them?"

"What for?"

There was a flash of hatred in Kendall's eyes. "Although I rejected Jackson's request, he's so self- centered and full of himself that he'll do whatever he wants anyway. If he comes to pick me up, I want to let the dogs have at him."

Jackson was someone who would grovel at Dylan's feet. If Jackson was bitten by the dogs at Coleman Mansion, he definitely would not dare to seek compensation from the Colemans, so he would have to chalk it down to bad luck.

"My family's dogs are particularly fierce. Are you sure you want to use them against Jackson? What if your heart begins to ache for him afterward? Are you going to secretly kill my dogs then?"

"Dylan, do I seem like that type of person?"

"What type of person are you then?" Dylan retorted.

Kendall pouted. "Didn't you already run a background check to find out what kind of person I am? Wasn't it clear enough? What else do you want to find out about me?"

She purposely drew nearer to him. Her recently-washed hair cascaded in front of Dylan, and when the scent of her hair wafted over to him, his eyes darkened.

"Dylan, tell me. How deep of an understanding would you like to have about me?"

Kendall stroked Dylan's neck with her fair fingers before sliding them down to his collar. She leaned in close to whisper in his ear, but Dylan shoved her off.

Caught unaware, Kendall crashed onto the ground with a cry.

Dylan was startled and wanted to help her up, but he stopped himself in time. He remained seated in the wheelchair as he glared at her.

She was a cunning temptress!

Kendall climbed to her feet and massaged her hips as she glared at the man in front of her.

Thus, the couple glared at one another as if they were competing to see whose eyes were bigger.

Suddenly, Kendall flew straight into his embrace and grabbed his face with both hands before biting him on the lips.

Ouch!

Dylan's mind was fixated on the pain that was coming from his lips.

She really bit me!

Was she a dog? Why did she like to bite him so much?

Dylan was in pain, but he did not push her away, so Kendall grew even bolder. Her hands moved down from his face and began to caress his chest. Dylan was embarrassed and a little vexed, but also a little excited…

What was wrong with him?

Why was he excited about her presumptuous behavior?

"Kendall Parker!"

She had nudged him in the chest, and Dylan could not take it any longer, so he scrambled to push her off again.

However, Kendall was prepared this time, and she did not stumble.

She did take a few steps back before regaining her balance.

When she settled down and took a look at him, she saw that his chiseled face was completely red. Even his ears were red, causing her to feel thoroughly amused.

How innocent.

He was still a child despite being in his thirties!

Dylan caught the teasing look in Kendall's eyes, and he was tempted to pull her back and… did he want to teach her a lesson, or did he want to pay her back in kind?

He was torn between those two options.

Temptress!

She was a cunning temptress who was trying to steal his heart away!

 

Chapter 47

"Stop laughing or I'll tape your mouth up!"

Kendall shrugged his threat off with a smile. "You're the most innocent boy I've ever met, Dylan. You wanna tape my mouth up? And here I thought you would have kissed me."

"Kendall!" Dylan was frustrated and embarrassed at the same time. "Don't call me a boy!" I'm not that much of a kid.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. You're so scary when you get mad." She stopped smiling and put on a look that said 'I'm sooo scared'.

He felt like screaming because he could see that she was just pretending to be scared and that she was not really afraid of him. Well, I guess I did spoil her too much. Wait? I spoiled her? Dylan frowned. Never thought of it that way until now.

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you…" Kendall's phone rang again, ruining the happy mood. "Dylan, I need some dogs. Tell Mr. Miller to bring me some. Whittle is coming."

She did not take the call, but she could tell that Jackson was fast approaching because he would not have called otherwise.

Dylan kept quiet and pushed himself out while Kendall followed behind and took over that job. He did not turn around while he took his phone out to call Amos.

Amos was already waiting for them when they came out. "What would you need, Master Dylan?"

"Get the fiercest dogs we have and go with Miss Kendall," Dylan ordered.

"Yes, Master Dylan," Amos obliged, but he did not ask why even though he was curious.

Ten minutes later, Jackson saw someone standing right outside Coleman Mansion. Judging from the looks of it, that person was Kendall. A smile curled his lips even before he approached her. To be precise, it was a smirk. I knew it. As long as I apologize, she'll come back to me. She said she wouldn't come with me, but that was a lie. She's already waiting for me.

He called Kelly right away. Once she answered, he said, "Just as planned, Kelly. Kendall is waiting for me. We'll be there soon."

"Good." Kelly sounded delighted. Her life had been nothing but trouble lately thanks to Kendall. Her foster parents had been giving her weird glances and she felt that it was because they believed Kendall's story and suspected that Jackson liked her. "I'm almost there. We'll talk later. This calls for a celebration."

"I'll prepare the champagne." Jackson hung up and looked at the flowers and two sets of jewelry on the passenger seat. His smile broadened. Instead of stopping right in front of Kendall, he parked his car a hundred yards away from the mansion. That way, he could come out holding the presents and head toward Kendall with the moonlight acting as his backdrop. She'll think I'm her Prince Charming. Lovely.

He stopped the car and went around to the passenger seat. Jackson opened the door and took the bouquet of flowers out—it was still the usual roses and baby's-breath. He still thought he should give Kendall roses even if she did not like them.

The man turned around and went up to her with a beam. He decided to give the jewelry to her after she got in the car. Leave the best for last, I always say. "Kendall!" he called out to her before he even got close.

Kendall was smiling as well. She had been giving him the cold shoulder lately and Jackson was surprised that she was smiling at him. He hastened his pace, but when he was finally close, a few wolf dogs came out of the mansion and caused him to skid to a halt.

The dogs snarled at him as they charged ahead. All color drained from Jackson's face and he tossed his bouquet away to make a run for his car. However, he was shocked from the sudden threat, and he fell before he could reach his car. It was a painful fall, of course, but an embarrassing one too.

The barks were getting louder, forcing him to ignore his agony as he rose to his feet. He continued running to his car, but that fall had slowed him down as he was stumbling. The dogs caught up to him and pinned him down, tearing his clothes apart. They looked like they were going to eat him.

Jackson was horrified and shouted for help. "Save me, Kendall!" He struggled to break free of the dogs and asked for help at the same time.

Kendall watched in silence. She was reminded of the time when Jackson and Kelly killed her daughter in her last life. She had taken her daughter right away and cried her name out, but the baby did not even make a sound and it made her scared.

She even knelt down and begged them to take the baby to the hospital, but they did not budge. The baby was only seven months old, and in truth, even if she had taken her to the hospital, what he did had already killed the young child.

None of this happened after her rebirth and there was no guarantee it wouldn't, but it did not douse her hatred at all. She hated Jackson and Kelly's gut. At this moment, Jackson was calling for help, but she did not even budge, just like what he did in her last life.

Kendall would let him languish and suffer.

The Colemans' dogs might be fierce, but they were professionally trained. Amos had ordered them to spare Jackson's life before he let them out. The most they would do was tear his clothes apart and smack him in the head, meaning that Jackson would live.

Dylan had come out as well and he noticed Kendall's reaction to the scene, or to be precise, her lack of reaction. That was enough to make her frown. I think I should look into her more. What did Jackson do to make her hate him so much? "Mr. Miller, take the dogs back. I don't want Mr. Whittle to die from shock," he said.

Kendall turned around, surprised that he had come out. "Oh, have you been here long, Dylan?"

He gazed at her for a moment, but he did not answer and merely told the bodyguard to push him back inside.

"Dylan!" She left with him. The bodyguard backed away sensibly and let her push Dylan inside.

He did not stop her, though eventually he told her to stop.

"What's wrong?"

Dylan looked up at her. "Are you sure this is the way back?"

Oh crud. I got lost again? She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Dylan. It's getting dark and I can't see too far. Must have walked down the wrong path. I'll… Dylan, you're the head of the house. You call the shots here. Please tell me where to go."

 

Chapter 48

Dylan stared at her in silence, then he flicked her forehead twice. "Ow!" She pouted due to the pain, and he felt a lot better inside. Under his guidance, Kendall finally took the right path home.

"You have one week. If you still can't remember the way home…" Dylan did not finish the sentence, but Kendall could see that he would punish her if she failed her task.

"Okay. I'll try my best to remember the way home." One week. That's enough time to remember the way home. I think.

Dylan said nothing, and Kendall had no idea what to say. He saw how indifferent she was when Jackson was chased by the dogs just now. She was delighted, in fact. I wonder what he thinks about that? Does he think I'm a heartless woman? I used to love Jackson a lot. "Dylan." He did not ask, but she wanted to tell him. She did not want him to think of her as a cruel woman. "Do you think I was too cruel on Jackson?"

"Nope. In fact, I think you were too kind." Dylan's answer was surprising.

Huh.

"If you want to get back at someone, take everything he has. Destroy his family. Make him homeless. Make sure he's humiliated."

"I see I'm still too kind." At least I'm not as cruel as you are.

"Why do you hate him so much, Kendall? I think you started hating him right after you refused my proposal." Ever since she woke up after cutting herself, there was something mysterious about her. He

had looked into her past, but she was still a mystery to him. He was used to being in total control, and the fact he did not know a big part of her grated him. He wanted her to be as innocent as she could be so he could do anything he wanted to her.

"Sorry, Dylan, but I can't tell you yet. I'll talk when the time is right." They were still learning how to get along, and their love did not run deep. He might think she was crazy if she told him everything now. Rebirth was something straight out of a fantasy novel. There was no way she could tell him this was her second life. Kendall must come up with a logical story for him to believe her.

Dylan did not press her for answers. Everyone had their own secrets, and he respected her right to privacy.

They saw Vivian standing right outside before they even got back to their place. She was pacing back and forth, looking anxious. When she looked up and saw them, Vivian wanted to come up to them, but she stopped and waited for them instead. When they came near, she greeted Dylan, "Hello, Master Dylan." She then gave Kendall a look of admonishment.

Dylan asked coldly, "What does Grandma want this time?"

"Mrs. Coleman wants to see Miss Parker."

Kendall pointed at herself. Mrs. Coleman wants to see me at this hour? She realized why right away. Tilly might have heard about how she asked Mr. Miller to send the dogs after Jackson. Tilly probably knew what everyone was doing in the household, barring Dylan. She only ignored them by choice. "I'll see her once I send Dylan in." She would never refuse a summon from Tilly.

But Dylan refused on her behalf. "Tell Grandma I allowed it. Push me inside, Kendall."

Kendall was surprised he would refuse Tilly's summon for her. She paused for a moment and quickly said, "Yes." She pushed him inside, but before that, she looked at Vivian for a moment.

Vivian would not take her by force. She saw the two of them off into the house.

A few minutes later.

"So Dylan allowed it, huh?" Tilly dragged out the last part of the sentence.

Emily looked at her. "Mom, we can't let her do this. She sent the dogs after an innocent man. We aren't scared of anyone, but we can't allow her to hurt someone just because she can."

Tilly did not even look at her. She said, "Dylan allowed it, so even if something happens, he'll be able to take care of it. It's late. Go back to sleep. I'm getting really sleepy too. I'm not as young as I used to be. Can't stay up too late." She stood up.

Emily stood up as well. She held Tilly, and Tilly did not refuse her help. Tilly is staying out of this, I guess. Emily was angry that Kendall managed to influence her son, but she would never argue with Tilly about that. She went back to her own room after sending Tilly to hers. Her husband was reading a magazine, much to her annoyance. She snatched it away and hurled it at him.

"What's wrong, honey?" Fergus sat up and put the magazine on the nightstand. "Did someone get on your nerves? Tell me all about it. I'll teach them a lesson."

"Okay. Then go to Dylan's place and kick that b*tch out of the mansion. She convinced our son to send the dogs after an innocent man. Dylan's reputation is bordering on infamy, and now she just pushed it

further back."

Yeah. Dylan's infamous. "Oh, that? Dylan allowed it. Nothing you can do about that. We have no right to tell him what he should do. Dad and Mom raised him, not us. He only respects us as his parents, but he would never let us order him around. Honestly, honey, you should stop worrying so much. It'll only make you unhappy." Fergus sat his wife down and dissuaded her. "Trust Dylan. He's the family head, and he'll never do anything to hurt the family. No matter what happens to his relationship with Kendall, that's his personal business, not ours. All we can do is observe."

"'Won't hurt the family' my foot! He sent the dogs after Jackson like how Kendall asked him to! He just antagonized the whole Whittle family. We aren't friends with the Whittles, but we aren't enemies either. Now he just made an enemy out of them," she grumbled. "Did something go wrong with that bumpkin? Jackson used to be her whole world. She came to us and cut herself just so she did not have to marry Dylan. Now, she did a one eighty and sent the dogs after Jackson? I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen the surveillance footage."

"Alright, calm down. Get some sleep. I'll take you to our island tomorrow. Let's wind down there for a few days. We can go surfing, fishing, and sightseeing. We'll do whatever you want."

Emily complained, "I'm not being unreasonable, you know. I'm just worried for our son."

"I know you aren't. Our kids are all brilliant, you know? We don't have to worry about them."

The thought of her sons and daughter made Emily swell with pride.

 

Chapter 49

Jackson was running away like death itself was chasing him. He almost crashed into the street lamps a few times as he sped through the streets. It was not until he was miles away from the mansion did he stop the car at the roadside, thinking that it was safe. He leaned against his seat, but his limbs were still shivering from fear. His shirt was in shambles, and his skin was filled with lacerations. A while later, he took his phone out with trembling hands and called Kelly.

"So, how's it going, Jackson? Where are you at?" Kelly asked. She sounded delighted even through the phone. Of course she was excited. She could stab Kendall in the back again.

"Kelly, get me a new set of clothes and wait for me at the hospital." The dogs did not bite him, but they did scratch him. He had to have these wounds treated and get a rabies vaccine injection. It was fortunate he had covered his face. The dogs did not manage to scratch it, or his face would have been ruined.

Kelly's smile faded and she asked with concern, "What happened? Why the hospital? Did something happen?"

"I'll explain when we meet. Go to the hospital right now. I'll be there in a few minutes. And cancel the plan tonight. I'll tell my secretary to reschedule."

Kelly was starting to get nervous at this point. She asked, "What happened, Jackson? Tell me! You can't leave me hanging like this."

Jackson took a few deep breaths before responding, "No. It's nothing. I couldn't pick her up, and the Colemans sent their dogs after me. I got scratches all over me, and the dogs tore my clothes apart. I'm almost naked here. The wounds need to be looked at, and I'll have to get a vaccine injection."

"What?" Kelly never expected that to happen, but she did not press for details. She said, "You go to the hospital right now. I'll get a new set of clothes for you. Wait for me. I'll be there soon."

"Alright." They hung up. Two minutes of silence later, Jackson revved his car up again.

…

Kelly had just come out of the clothing store after buying Jackson some new clothes when Charlotte called her. "Hi, Mom." She picked it up as she went to her car.

"Kelly, you need to come back," Charlotte said imperiously. "Now."

"What's wrong, Mom? I'm still working. I'll be back after this," she lied. She wanted Charlotte to think that she was still working overtime.

"I said come back now. Didn't you hear me?" Charlotte hung up after that.

"Mom? Mom!" Kelly called out to her a few times, but she failed to stop Charlotte from hanging up. Charlotte had ordered her to come home without telling her why, and it worried her. Should I go home or go to the hospital? In the end, she called Adam first. After he picked up, she asked, "Dad, are you home? Mom just called me. She wants me home right away. Do you know what happened?"

"I'm still outside. Your mother must have a good reason for calling you home. You should do as she says."

A moment of silence later, she said, "Okay. I'll be going home now."

She could not disobey the Parker couple yet, nor could she get on their bad side. She must not disappoint them, so she had no choice but to abandon Jackson. Before she went back, she told her secretary to come to the business district ASAP. She then handed the clothes to her secretary, telling her to give it to Jackson.

…

"I told her to come back right away, Kendall." Charlotte sat back down on the couch. She was on the phone with Kendall.

"Thanks, Mom."

Charlotte answered lovingly, "Don't mention it. You're my daughter, but I never did my job as a mother for the last twenty-five years. I raised someone else's kid instead. If you girls can't get along, I'll take your side." Charlotte loved Kelly. After all, she had been raising her like her own for the last two decades. She did not want Kelly to return to her family even after she knew Kendall and her were switched at birth. Both of them were her daughters, but of course she loved one more than the other.

Kendall was grateful for her mother's unconditional support. She knew that Jackson would go to the hospital and call Kelly after the ordeal, and that Jackson would be annoyed if Kelly did not show up in time. So, she told her mother to ask Kelly to come home. Kendall did not even give her a reason, but Charlotte still helped her anyway.

"Did you ask Mr. Dylan about working in our company, Kendall? Your father must have gone mad. This is our private affair, so by right, there's no need to ask Mr. Dylan. It's not like he can tell us what to do."

Charlotte still could not understand why Adam and Kendall listened to Dylan's every order. "Did he say you can come back? You're my daughter, and I don't want him to order you around like you're his maid. It would break my heart. Honestly, I want to take you home right now."

"Mom, he did not order me around—" Someone took her phone away before she could finish.

Dylan enunciated solemnly, "Kendall is my wife. We're legally married. She is not my maid."

Charlotte's phone almost slipped out of her hand. She froze in shock, and when she snapped out of it, her phone was already on the ground.

"Dylan!" Kendall wanted to take her phone back. She forgot that he was still around. He was so quiet, she thought he had left.

Dylan put the phone back in Kendall's hand. "What? You think you're too good for me? Or do you dislike me now that I'm a cripple? You didn't even tell Mom we got married?" he asked coldly.

"But I thought you didn't want anyone to find out that we're married." You wouldn't even let me call you 'honey'.

Dylan pursed his lips, his eyes still on her, though he looked a bit distant.

"Kendall? Kendall!" Charlotte picked her phone up and called her daughter's name, feeling distraught. "Are you still there, Kendall? What's the meaning of this? Is it true? Does your father know? Wait, you guys hid this from me?" Charlotte was shocked, angry, and in disbelief. No wonder that asshole wanted Kendall to get Dylan's permission to work in the company. No wonder Kendall went straight to the mansion after Dylan called her.

 

Chapter 50

"I-I'll explain everything tomorrow, Mom," she answered in a hurry and hung up. Dylan was looking annoyed. He had pushed himself to the bed, and she knew he was going to sleep in her room tonight. I have to talk to him about this whole affair.

"I'll help you, Dylan." She put her phone in her pocket and went to help Dylan, but he swatted her hand away. He moved himself to the bed with difficulty and lay on it without even looking at her. He turned his back away, and she asked, "Are you mad at me, Dylan?"

She sat on the edge of the bed, pushing him gently. "Can you tell me why?" Don't get mad for no reason. Kids could cry if they see him like this.

He snapped, "Don't touch me!"

She pursed her lips and pulled her hand away. Kendall looked at him for a moment before getting up. She needed to get a bath. Just a moment later, the sound of running water was heard coming from the bathroom.

Dylan was annoyed. He wanted to sleep, but his hearing was too good, and the sound of running water kept him awake. He was angry at himself. He never wanted to marry her, and this whole marriage was done with the intention of trolling her. Keeping it a secret was a tacit agreement done between them. Even so, he felt annoyed hearing Charlotte complaining about him, and he couldn't help but tell her that they were married. He rolled over and opened his eyes to look at the pillow beside him.

Mr. Miller said I had that dream because Kendall showed up. Fine, I'll stay at… Wait a minute, this is my place. I can sleep wherever I damn please. He took over the whole bed without even feeling the least bit guilty.

Kendall came back out and saw Dylan sleeping in the center of the bed, then she walked over and pushed him. "So which side are you taking? Move it. I need some space."

"What's your width?"

Width? Kendall looked at herself. "Less than one foot eight."

"There's about one foot eight of space here. Should be enough for you."

Kendall put her hands on her hips and glared at Dylan. Dylan squinted. Is she gonna argue with me? No, she was not. Kendall put her hands down and grinned at him. "Dylan, I move a lot when I sleep. I gnash my teeth, I talk in my sleep, and I snore. Sometimes if I dream of a hot guy, I'll pounce on him, strip him naked, and ride him."

Okay?

"Dylan, you're really hot. Just looking at you makes me drool. I bet you'll show up in my dreams. Don't blame me if you wake up naked tomorrow. I always try to sleep with the hotties I dream about. Don't worry. I'll take responsibility."

"You already did," Dylan reminded her.

Kendall chuckled. "Oh yeah. I did."

"Just get in bed." Dylan moved away and gave her more space.

"Are you really going to sleep in the same bed with me, Dylan?"

"What? Scared?"

Kendall snickered. "Why should I? I'm just worried you might run away again. My feelings are hurt, you know. I'm hot and I know that, but you think I'm some sort of perverted monster. That's just insulting." She lay down beside him and dimmed the night light to the lowest setting. Kendall let out an elegant yawn and said happily, "Sweet dreams, me." She turned around and put her hand on Dylan's waist, and she even pinched him lightly. "You're capricious, temperamental, and never say what you really mean, but I still like you. I'm happy I can sleep while holding you in my arms."

Dylan said nothing. He had tensed up for a moment when she held him. Maybe Kendall was used to sleeping in the same bed with someone of the opposite sex, but Dylan was not. He could smell the scent of shampoo coming from her, and her hair would sometimes tickle the nape of his neck, sending electricity down his spine. A long silence later, he called, "Kendall." There was no response. "Kendall?" he called out to her again.

She still did not answer him. He pulled her hand away and rolled over, but she was already asleep. Wow, she adapts faster than I do. He was not used to sleeping in the same bed with someone else, let alone a woman. And she fell asleep while holding me? Dylan felt frustrated. He thought it was unfair.

He pinched her cheeks, and she swatted him away, thinking that he was a fly. He then pinched her nose, and she muttered under her breath before burying her head in his chest, stopping him from pinching her. God, she's even hugging me now? He wanted to push her away, but when he touched her shoulders, he thought she was really soft, and he just could not push her away. A moment of tension later, he eased up and held her in his arms, though he grumbled, "You're getting it tomorrow."

…

Jackson came to the city center's hospital and parked his car in the car park. His clothes were tattered, and he dared not enter the hospital looking like that. He was still waiting for Kelly to send his clothes to him. Where is she? He took his phone out and was about to call her, but someone called him first. He thought he had seen that number before somewhere, so he picked up the call. "Who is it?"

"Mr. Whittle? It's me, Cameron."

Jackson paused for a moment. "Cameron? Do you need anything?"

"I'm at the hospital, Mr. Whittle. Where are you? Miss Parker couldn't come because she has urgent matters to attend to. She asked me to come in her stead."

"She has urgent matters to attend to? What urgent matters?" What's more important than me? Jackson was shocked and hurt. He needed Kelly by his side now, but she ditched him, much to his chagrin.

"I don't know. She didn't tell me. Her mother wants her to go home right away. She didn't tell me why she wanted Miss Kelly to go back either."

"I see. I'm in my car, so bring my clothes to me. Stand right outside the hospital. I'll call you once I see you."

"Yes, Mr. Whittle."

He hung up and called Kelly. "Why did your mother ask you to go home, Kelly?"

"No idea. I just got home. How do you feel, Jackson? I sent Cameron to you. I'm sorry for leaving you when you need me the most, Jackson."

Jackson was upset, but he knew Kelly would lose too much if she went against the Parkers now, so he said, "It's alright. There must be a reason Mrs. Parker asked you to go home. I don't blame you for going home."

"I'll see you later if everything goes well. Don't let Cameron see you while you change.