《Love Me The Way I Did》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The soft sound ofbored breathing hung in the air. As Margaret Wilcox touched the icy skin of Gideon Compton, she felt a shiver down ber back at once. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, diverting her gaze to the window to suppress the growing desire within her. Yet, her attention involuntarily drifted back to him, and the light touch of her hand against his solid chest sent another chill through her body. ¡°Gideon, could we¡­ Maybe not tonight?¡± she ventured, her eyes filled with ly as she looked in at him. Gideon paused, his face half-lit in a way that emphasized his striking features, making him look irresistibly attractive. His gaze alone seemed to capture herpletely. He slightly cocked his head, his gray eyes void of any feeling, his face showing utter detachment. He leaned in closer, his voice deliberate and slow. ¡°Margaret, remember, you¡¯ve given yourself to me. You¡¯ve forfeited your right to say no.¡± His words cut deep, instantly chilling her to the core. Margaret stiffened. Before she could react, he drew her in, pinning her hands above her head. ¡°Wait! There¡¯s something I have to tell you-¡± She clenched her hands, her eyes determined as she tried to speak up. ¡°Gideon!¡± A cry escaped her as she was swept up in a tide of sensation, leaving her quivering, overwhelmed, and lost for words. Margaret clutched at her abdomen, struggling to regain focus, her thoughts scrambled, finding it hard to articte. Eventually, he settled beside her, and she was enveloped by his familiar scent. Margaret slowly wly opened her eyes, sweat beading on her forehead. Her vision blurred as she fixed her gaze on him, captivated by his perfect features Gideon was undoubtedly the most handsome man she had ever seen. His presence demanded attention wherever he went. As the notorious illegitimate son of the Compton family in Alenvista and one of the heirs to Compton Group, his mysterious charm was irresistible and seemedAll text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. unattainable. Margaret let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes. She caressed her stomach, whispering, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the news Gideon gave no response, his eyes closed, his face expressionless. She watched him silently for a few moments before carefully getting up, gathering her clothes from the bed, and quietly said, ¡°You¡¯re getting engaged to Roxanne, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You seem to have a lot to say today,¡± Gideon remarked suddenly, his voice deep and cold, exuding an indifferent aloofness. Margaret bit her lip, her hands shaking slightly. She nced down at her stomach, then steadied herself and spoke, ¡°I just needed to rify where we stand, to see if there¡¯s any point in continuing this.¡± Gideon¡¯s brow furrowed slightly as he turned his head away, his eyes still shut. ¡°Unless I say it¡¯s over, it isn¡¯t over.¡± She thought, ¡®Not over?¡± Their rtionship hadsted four years, initially driven by necessity. Her father, Keh Wilcox¡¯s illness had left her desperate for money for his treatment, leading her into this transactional rtionship with Gideon. But now, she found herself unsure of her feelings towards him. It might have started out of necessity, but perhaps had something shifted Chapter 1 Wed, 26 Jun along the way. As she mulled over this realization, Margaret¡¯s breathing quickened. She took one more look at Gideon before rising. ¡°I understand.¡± She nodded, though as she turned away, her fists clenched tightly, herplexion draining of color. 43%¡£ She understood her role in this arrangement, a mere transaction from start to finish. She also recognized Gideon¡¯s determination once he set his mind to something, especially given her precarious position. ¡°The money has been transferred to your ount, and the hospital arrangements have been taken care of,¡± Gideon said, seemingly reluctant to spare an extra word. ¡°Thank you,¡± she responded, without turning back, her hand reaching for the doorknob. ¡°I need the Lambert family,¡± Gideon added. Margaret paused, momentarily thinking she might have misheard, and nced over at Gideon, who had opened his eyes. She oftent wondered if Gideon¡¯s eyes were made of ss-crystal-clear, yet somehow unfathomable, his gaze always distant and cold. But behind that icy gaze, there seemed to be something she couldn¡¯t quite grasp, something fleeting. She wondered, ¡°Was that an exnation?¡¯ He was the illegitimate son of the Compton family, only officially recognized by them two years ago. Margaret had witnessed the darkness and struggles he endured during that time. Within the Compton family, maintaining a solid position required both strength and restraint. Margaret felt a surge of indescribable emotions, stirring something within her, making her heart beat a little faster. ¡°And you owe the Lambert family. It¡¯s best you stay in line, or you¡¯ll have to face the consequences alone.¡± His next words shattered all of Margaret¡¯s illusions. She stopped smiling, clenched her fists, then chuckled softly and looked down. ¡°Are you worried I¡¯ll cause trouble?¡± Gideon stared at her, saying nothing, but his silence spoke volumes. Margaret forced a smile, while her heart sank. It turned out that his exnation was only to prevent her from causing trouble. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my father¡¯s life is in your hands. I¡­ have no right to negotiate, only to obey. That¡¯s what you told me the first time we met four years ago, remember?¡± she uttered. Margaret looked up, holding back the tears welling up in her blue eyes. She spared him onest nce before turning around and leaving. The door closed with a click. In the dark, Gideon¡¯s breathing quickened, though it was only for a fleeting moment as he swiftlyposed himself again. He nced at the wooden door, then closed his eyes again, his lips pursed together. Outside the door, Margaret hurried out of the mansion, feeling a chill she had never experienced before. Suppressing the churning sensation in her stomach, she hurried to a tree and violently ¡®retched. The ringing of her phone briefly interrupted her tumultuous thoughts. She wiped her mouth, took a deep breath, then pulled out her phone and answered. It was a call from the hospital where her father was admitted. ¡°Hello, is this Ms. Wilcox? You need toe to the hospital right away. His condition deteriorated all of a sudden, and we¡¯re resuscitating him. Please take care of the surgical fees and the critical illness notification,¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Margaret asked, taken aback. 13:02 Wed, 26 Jun Chapter 1 ¡°It¡¯s not looking good for him. Please hurry over,¡± said the person on the other end. ×Ö43%•þ At that, Margaret hung up the phone, a wave of fear washing over her. Her face was pallid as she hailed a taxi and headed to the hospital. 0 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 µÚ43% Margaret staggered to the emergency room doors, her legs barely supporting her. As the lights above the door dimmed, a sense of dread filled her. She reached out to a nurse emerging from the room, her voice barely a whisper, ¡°H¨CHow is my dad?¡± The nurse, locking eyes with her, responded gently, ¡°Are you Ms. Wilcox? I¡¯m sorry¡­ your father¡­ It would be best if you came inside. Despite the doctors¡± utmost efforts, we were unable to save him¡­¡± Feeling as if her heart had plummeted, Margaret stood motionless, tears cascading down her face without her notice. It had been a grueling four years since Keh was diagnosed with cancer, and his condition had deteriorated over the past month. Although she had braced herself for this moment, the finality of the nurse¡¯s words ripped through her, leaving her feeling as though her heartAll text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. was being torn apart. With hands shaking and lips dry, she pushed open the door, her steps faltering as she approached the hospital bed. ¡°Ms. Wilcox.¡± The attending physician approached, offering aforting touch on her shoulder. Through her tear¨Cstreaked vision, Margaret could only gaze at the doctor, speechless, her mind a void. After the doctor offered his condolences and a lengthy exnation, he left the room with a quiet, ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry for your loss.¡± Alone in the room, Alone, Margaret was ovee with trembling as she looked upon her father under the white sheet. The world seemed to lose all sense of direction for her. ¡°Dad¡­¡± she whispered, each breath heavy with pain. Eventually gathering herposure, she called out for the doctor, beginning the somber task of managing her father¡¯s final affairs. By dawn, Keh¡¯s body was moved to the funeral parlor, and the cremation was conducted in solitude. Margaret found herself as the only one present to say goodbye, In the city, no one seemed to care about them. Gideon was the only person she had any semnce of a connection with, though their rtionship was built on a fragile foundation of financial necessity, hardly the grounds for sharing her burdens. Suddenly, her phone rang. As Margaret exited the funeral parlor, the summer air failed to warm her chilled bones. Leaning against a tree, she numbly answered her phone, ¡°Hello.¡± The voice on the other end spoke in Uprian, asking. ¡°He. Is this Ms. Margaret Wilcox?¡± With a puzzled pause, she confirmed her identity. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± ¡°We¡¯re delighted to inform you that Hillson University has epted your application. Furthermore, should you join our war reporter training program, the university is willing to offer partial tuition support,¡± the caller exined. Margaret¡¯s eyes widened as she straightened up. After a moment, she asked, ¡°Are you sure you have the right person?¡± A light chuckle came from the other end. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s definitely you.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Thank you,¡± she replied, a mix of Hesitation and disbelief in her voice. Alter hanging up, Margaret remained still, lost in thought. With her father gone and no other ties holding her, the decision should have been straightforward. Yet, she hesitated. Chapter 2 Wed, She nced down at her stomach, touching it lightly before a resolute sigh escaped her. Momentster, she dialed a familiar number, Gideon¡¯s name shing on the screen. The phone kept ringing endlessly, and just as Margaret¡¯s eyes began to dim with disappointment, the call finally went through. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? The voice on the other end was cold and indifferent, yet oddly appealing. 43% Hearing his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She hesitated before finally saying, ¡°I¡­ I have something important to tell you. Can we meet today?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± After a brief pause, Gideon responded, ¡°I¡¯m busy. We can talk over the phone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very important. If not today, then tomorrow. I can wait,¡± Margaret insisted, determination in her voice even as her grip tightened around the phone. Silence ensued, heavy enough to make even the sound of breathing seem intrusive. As tension mounted, Margaret felt sweat beading her forehead as she thought, ¡®Over thest four years, I hadn¡¯t gone to Gideon unless needed. So, this isn¡¯t an exception, is it?¡± Nevertheless, his response came without any dy or hint of emotion, ¡°Let¡¯s meet at Garbo Restaurant after five.¡± The relief that washed over Margaret was palpable, her eyes momentarily brightening as she agreed, ¡°Okay.¡± The day had been exhausting for Margaret. It began with collecting her father¡¯s death certificate, followed by hours of aimlessly wandering the streets until the time of her meeting with Gideon. By the time she stepped into the restaurant, she was met with the sight of Gideon, already seated. Upon her entrance, the waitresses whispered among themselves, captivated by Gideon¡¯s undeniable charm. ¡°He¡¯s so dreamy! My heart might just stop,¡± one gushed, clearly smitten. ¡°With such a handsome face, why hy isn¡¯t he a movie star? Such a waste of his good looks! If only we could be blessed with his presence every day,¡± another chimed in. A third waitress added, ¡°Come on! With his background, skills, and smarts, does he need to dip his toes into the entertainment industry? Hey, isn¡¯t that woman¡­ Suddenly, everyone went quiet. Margaret approached Gideon¡¯s table and seated herself opposite him, her eyes firmly cast downward. The sudden silence was quickly filled with hushed whispers, all eyes curiously fixed on her. After a brief moment, Gideon broke the silence, casually asking, ¡°What will you have?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Margaret¡¯s eyes shot up, locking with his. The surprise in her blue eyes was evident, hardly believing he was initiating such a mundane conversation. Gideon narrowed his eyes, seemingly annoyed by her hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll have what you¡¯re having,¡± Margaret quickly replied. The four years by Gideon¡¯s side had taught her to understand even his most subtle cues. As Gideon handed the menu back to the waiter and casually yed with the napkin on the table, he made it clear to Margaret, ¡°You have 20 minutes¡± 43% Chapter 2 Margaret fidgeted with her clothing under the table, her fingers tensing as she braced herself to broach the subject weighing heavily on her mind. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to pursue further studies overseas!! Gideon paused, his expression unreadable as he slowly ced the napkin down and fixed his gaze on her. ¡°And?¡± Margaret closed her eyes, unable to meet Gideon¡¯s gaze. With a heavy heart, sheid bare her request. ¡°Could you please reconsider the marriage alliance with the Lambert family. If it means anything, I¡¯m willing to stay by your side.¡± This was the humbling moment of her life. In the past, even at her lowest, she held her head high, with integrity. But now, she was forsaking her dignity for Gideon and disregarding the unspoken rules that had governed their rtionship, despite knowing that it would lead to dire consequences. There was a heavy silence before Gideon finally spoke, ¡°Margaret, do you know what I¡¯ve always appreciated about you?¡°* Striving to maintain herposure, Margaret responded, ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve always kept my word.¡± He then challenged her, his toneced with sarcasm, ¡°So why choose now to break our rules? Let me guess, your next revtion is that you¡¯ve fallen for me?¡± In response, Margaret reached into her bag, withdrawing a medical report which she extended toward him. ¡°No, it¡¯s because I¡¯m pregnant,¡° Chapter 3 Chapter 3 43%ÙM Gideon¡¯s demeanor shifted starkly, adopting a cold, detached expression. He barely nced at the medical report she handed him before dismissively tossing it aside. Despite the sinking feeling in her heart, Margaret remained steadfast, her gaze fixed on him, bracing herself for his response. A scorful chuckle escaped Gideon as he stood, leaned across the table, and forced her to look up at him. The room filled with hushed whispers and envious murmurs from the onlookers, which Margaret barely registered in her state of apprehension. Feeling her cheeks warm, she pursed her lips, forcing herself to meet his frosty stare, her heart sinking ¡°Do you really think a child makes any difference between us? I¡¯m more than willing to provide financially, but if you¡¯re hoping for anything more, you¡¯re mistaken. Our arrangement has always been clear¨Cemotionless, purely transactional. Don¡¯t fool yourself into thinking it could be anything else,¡± Gideon stated, his voice devoid of warmth. The proximity of his breath against her face sent chills through her body, dousing any remaining hope she might have harbored. With her lips tightly pressed together to keep the tears at bay, Margaret listened as Gideon coldly suggested, ¡°Abort the baby, and make it clean. I don¡¯t need hand instinctively went to her stomach, a visceral reaction to his merciless words. Anger and shock flushed her face red; even though she had prepared for a harsh oue, the reality of his suggestion struck her with the force of a lightning bolt. She thought, ¡®Forget it¡­ What was I even hoping for? The past four years were nothing but a dream, an illusion. I sold my body for money, but if I were to sell my soul too, it goes without saying that I¡¯ll have to suffer the consequences of my own actions.¡± Gideon, seemingly indifferent, lounged back in his chair, watching the tumult of emotions y across Margaret¡¯s face without a flicker of empathy. ¡°Think it over. My assistant will handle the arrangements,¡± he said, as if discussing something trivial. Without a word, Margaret rose from her seat, casting a final look at Gideon before hastening to the exit, desperate to leave the oppressive atmosphere of the restaurant behind. Once outside, she didn¡¯t look back, walking briskly until she reached Mundial Tower. Leaning against its wall, she struggled for breath, the tightness in her chest overwhelming. She grabbed her cor tightly, then nced to the side, only to be once more taken aback by the face that appeared on the vibrant screen of the building. It was Gideon and Roxanne Lambert, looking radiant together on a massive screen as they smiled and waved to the media. The apanying headline was: (Grand Wedding] The perfect couple seemed destined for each other, with Gideon disying an uncharacteristic warmth.. Just the then, the sudden buzz of her phone in the dark jolted Margaret back to reality. A message illuminated the screen: [There¡¯s a charity g tomorrow night. My dad wants you there.] H was followed by a signature: [Roxanne Lambert.] Suddenly, memories flooded back of a devastating night when disaster struck Margaret¡¯s family home. The ceiling had copsed shattered, leaving her mother, Alice Wilcox, critically injured and hospitalized. The hospital corridors echoed with cries of despair as reporters swarmed the ce, and the developer of the house was none other than the Lambert family. j and Chapter 3 Wed, 26 Jun 43%½ï Amidst the chaos and despair, the Lambert family remained absent, opting instead to send awyer to offer a deal in exchange for Margaret¡¯s silence¨Ca full schrship until her graduation. Despite her protests and pleas, Keh was hastily ushered away by the attorney representing the Lambert family to a neighboring ward. What transpired in there remained a mystery until Keh reemerged half an hourter. He clutched a confidential document, with each signature seemingly etched in the pain and despair of that night. That night, nobody slept. She peeked into the wardte at night, where she caught a glimpse of Keh¡¯s frail and trembling silhouette, an image that would haunt her for years toe. Snapped back to the present by the sting of tears on her cheeks, Margaret was startled to find her face wet. She replied: (Okay.] The following evening. Margaret readied herself before heading out. Opting for a minimalist approach, she applied a subtle touch of makeup and chose a straightforward outfit¨Ca in T¨Cshirt paired with jeans. She transferred lines twice before making the final leg of the journey on foot to reach her destination.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Upon arrival, the hotel bathed in a warm, golden hue captured her attention, its grandeur demanding notice. Margaret¡¯s gaze swept across her surroundings before she made her way toward the entrance. ¡°Your name?¡± an attendant inquired. ¡°Margaret Wilcox,¡± she said softly. The attendant found her name on the list and promptly opened the door for her. The gold doors to the venue gradually parted to wee her. As Margaret stepped into the lobby, every fiber of her being tensed as her gazended on Roxanne and Gideon onstage. Their presence together, both striking and harmoniously aligned, particrly Gideon, whose visage caught the light in a way that seemed almost ethereal As Margaret entered, the room¡¯s attention shifted in unison toward her. It was Roxanne who broke the silence, her voice carrying through the microphone, ¡°This evening, we gather not only tomemorate the sess of our fundraising efforts but also to extend a special wee to a distinguished guest. My father had the honor of supporting a young girl¡¯s education 13 years ago. Today, she¡¯s in her senior year of university, excelling academically and receiving attention from numerous news agencies across the city. Please, let¡¯s have Margaret join us onstage.¡± Fighting the instinct to flee, Margaret mustered the courage to lift her gaze toward Gideon amidst a sea of apuse. S Chapter 4 Chapter 4 With an emotionless gaze, Gideon cast a fleeting nce at her before averting his eyes. After what felt like an eternity, Margaret pursed her lips and rose slowly, the focus of everyone¡¯s attention weighing heavily upon her. Each step she took felt like traversing a path strewn with razor-sharp des, causing both her feet and heart to ache. With her head bowed, she closed her eyes. As she stood beneath the harsh spotlight, it felt like her dignity had beenpletely shattered. ¡°Ms. Wilcox.¡± Roxanne turned suddenly, her voice soft as she leaned in with a smile, whispering into Margaret¡¯s ear, ¡°You don¡¯t want the papers to get a picture of you looking all serious. How about a smile?¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Roxanne¡¯s words pierced Margaret¡¯s heart like a dagger. Trembling, Margaret pursed her lips and forced a smile, though her eyes remained downcast. Once more, the audience erupted into apuse. Roxanne smiled with satisfaction as she nced at Gideon. Upon noting his stoic expression, she was relieved. A reporter asked Margaret, ¡°Ms. Wilcox, since you¡¯vee this far relying on the Lambert family¡¯s support, do you have any words for them?¡± Another reporter quickly added, ¡°Please, just a brief statement, A few words will suffice.¡± Suddenly, a flurry of reporters thrust their microphones toward Margaret, each vying for the chance to capture her response for their news coverage. Margaret kept her head down, gritting her teeth without saying anything. ¡°Everyone.¡± Roxanne stepped forward with a warm smile, as if worried Margaret would say something she shouldn¡¯t. Gently, she pulled Margaret aside before announcing. ¡°I have an important announcement to make. Our wedding is scheduled for the 15th of this month. We hope to see you all there. Invitations will be sent to your homes shortly.¡± ¡¯15th of this month¡­ Wedding Margaret pondered as she turned her head slowly, fixing her gaze on Gideon¡¯s face.. Uncertain if it was merely a trick of the light, she had a feeling Gideon¡¯s eyes were meeting hers, too. Margaret¡¯s breath quickened, her hands clenched tightly as she turned away from the bustling hall. After a few hurried strides, she distanced herself from the party, leaning against the wall as she gasped for air, her gaze fixed dazedly on the space before her. Half an hourter, Margaret stood alone on the quiet street, her expression now resolute as she dialed a number. The voice on the other end e other end answered promptly, cold as ever. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Only 300 thousand dors, and I¡¯ll terminate the pregnancy,¡± Margaret stated firmly. There was a pause on the other end of the line before Gideon¡¯s lowughter filled the silence. ¡°Oh, Margaret, and here I thought you had some backbone.¡± Margaret¡¯s grip on the phone tightened, her fingertips gradually losing color. Tears welled up, blurring the night view before her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t need backbone in your presence,¡± she murmured, her voice tinged with destion, realizing she had no escape. She refused to ept money from the Lambert family, and 300 thousand dors was a trivial sum to Gideon. It was more than enough for her É« SEND GIFT Chapter 4 to pursue her studies abroad, and she knew she couldn¡¯t yield. She had to be cruel enough to end thingspletely. Then, that¡¯s it, Gideon sneered in her heart before ending the call. In less than two minutes, her phone pinged with a notification. The money had been deposited into her ount. Margaret stared at the digits on the screen, a chill settling over her. Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes. After a while, she reopened her eyes,posing a text message with only two words: [Thank you. Then, she tapped on her phone¡¯s contact list, her finger hovering over the ¡°Delete¡± button. For a long moment, she hesitated, before finally pressing it. In an instant, Margaret felt a profound emptiness engulf her heart. Steeling herself, she straightened her posture, booked a ticket to Atharia, and left. 0 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Five yearster at the airport, the arrival floor was packed with people clutching signs after the nended at three o¡¯clock. A reporter from Epoch Daily rubbed his sore hand. Leaning into hispanion, he whispered, ¡°My hands are killing me¡­ Do you reckon the night might be dyed?¡± ¡°That¡¯s unlikely. She informed us before boarding the ne, so it won¡¯t be dyed,¡± replied hispanion. ¡°Good to know. Say, she¡¯s from Alenvista and just has spent the past five years abroad, and now she¡¯s returned for only an ordinary position, but why did the senior editor send us to pick her up?¡± the reporter pondered aloud. Hispanion exined, ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? She spent three years on the frontlines, conducting interviews amidst conflict zones. She¡¯s witnessed numerous wars and amassed a wealth of stories. However, for some reason, she couldn¡¯t do fieldwork anymore. Rumor has it that something she witnessed on the battlefieldpelled her to return and seek psychiatric treatment. Such a pity that her talent had to go to waste. But even as an ordinary employee, she still has potential. That¡¯s why the senior editor regards her so highly.¡± ¡°I see,¡± responded the reporter. ¡°Hello.¡± A gentle voice interrupted their conversation. Both men paused and looked up to behold a charming visage with wless skin, blue eyes, and delicate brows. Her p met theirs with warmth. The reporter hesitated before asking, ¡°Are¡­ Are you Ms. Wilcox?¡± gaze, bright and gentle, ¡°Yes,¡± Margaret confirmed with a smile. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no need to pick me up. I grew up in Alenvista, so I won¡¯t get lost, even after five years abroad.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Colin Whittaker. Well, even though you know the way, picking you up is a nice gesture on our part!¡± the reporter chuckled as he trailed behind Margaret. Then he leaned in to whisper to hispanion, ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me she¡¯s so beautiful?¡± ¡°She won¡¯t fall for you. What¡¯s the point of mentioning it?¡± Hispanion rolled his eyes, Margaret walked ahead withposure, paying no mind to their exchange. The trio climbed into the car and left the airport, navigating through the bustling ring road. Seated by the window, Margaret gazed out after some time, her eyes reflectingplex emotions. It had been five years since she left. At that time, she had bravely left everything behind to embark on a new chapter of her life. Yet, as she returned to Alenvista, she realized how much she loved and missed her hometown. Upon arriving at the news agency, the two reporters stepped out, opening the door for Margaret. They couldn¡¯t resist stealing repeated nces at Margaret¡¯s captivating visage. Margaret proceeded directly to the HR Department for a work handover before being escorted to the elevator. ¡°Our senior editor mentioned you prefer q quiet, so she arranged an office for you,¡± Colin remarked with a smile. With a polite but somewhat reserved smile, Margaret nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Having spent three years amidst the chaos of the battlefield, she had grown ustomed to a more rugged approach to life. Hence, she wasn¡¯t used to such enthusiasm. ¡°Your senior editor¡­¡± ¡°Ah, she is currently interviewing a big shot over there.¡± Colin gestured in a specific direction. 1/3 Chapter 5 Margaret¡¯s gaze drifted toward the slightly ajar office door, and suddenly, she froze. Her eyes locked with the person inside, and they both were stunned at¡¯s he doin ¡°Clifford? What¡¯s he doing here?¡¯ Margaret mused. Noticing Margaret¡¯s nk expression, Colin grinned knowingly. ¡°You must have heard of him. It¡¯s Dr. Clifford Huxley, the top surgeon. His clinic has bookings lined up until next spring! We went to great lengths to invite him here.¡± A genuine smile tugged at Margaret¡¯s lips as she reflected, ¡°Not only am I familiar with him, but we¡¯re also old friends! The door swung open, revealing a surprised Clifford stepping out. His eyes widened as he took in Margaret¡¯s presence. ¡°Margaret! You¡¯re back!¡± Colin watched in astonishment, his mouth hanging open as he observed the interaction between the two old friends. He wisely chose to remain silent as he thought, ¡°They seem to be good friends. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t inform you; it was a sudden decision, Margaret apologized. Clifford¡¯s smile softened. ¡°No n need to apologize. It¡¯s wonderful to have you back. How long do you n to stay?¡± Margaret¡¯s expression flickered with uncertainty, and she thought, ¡°How long indeed? A month? A year? A lifetime?¡± Shrugging, she replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± was whether to return. Whether she could remain depended on someone¡¯s tolerance of her The only decision within Margaret¡¯s grasp w presence. ¡°My interview is wrapped up. Care to join me for a meal?¡± Clifford suggested. Margaret nced at Colin for confirmation. ¡°Absolutely, go ahead!¡± Colin instantly said. Checking the time, Margaret nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± She missed Alenvista¡¯s local food. As they departed, a flurry of gossip ensued within the news agency.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Someone eximed, ¡°What a bombshell! How does Ms. Wilcox know Clifford? We¡¯ve been on his waiting list for two months just for a mere hour appointment, and he asked her out for a meal just like that?¡± The second gossiper chimed in, ¡°Did you notice Dr. Huxley¡¯s reaction? All the effort I put into my makeup today feels like a waste¡­¡± Curiosity piqued, the third gossiper queried, ¡°What was his expression?¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Ms. Wilcox! His gaze was practically glowing. Are you blind or stupid?¡± replied the second gossiper. The fourth gossiper interjected, ¡°The most powerful weapon a woman possesses isn¡¯t her beauty alone; it¡¯s the captivating allure she exudes with just a single nce. I think Margaret¡¯s that kind of woman.¡± The conversation carried on. Meanwhile, Margaret followed Clifford into the private room of a renowned Japrlumian restaurant. ¡°You¡¯re in for a treat today,¡± he announced cheerfully. ¡°This ce is my favorite; they¡¯ve just received a fresh shipment of seafood from 2/3 3.43% Chapter 5 s today, Straight from the ne to your te.¡± Margaret chuckled. ¡°What an honor.¡± ¡°Take a look at the menu. What would you like?¡± Clifford said. Margaret pushed the menu back with a faint expression. ¡°You decide.¡± As Clifford took the menu, he couldn¡¯t help stealing nces at Margaret. Feigning nonchnce, he said, ¡°I heard there was an air crash on the battlefield after I left, resulting in heavy casualties.¡± Margaret froze, casting her gaze downward. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 ¡°Yes.¡± This one word seemed to carry some weight, enough to make Clifford understand what had happened. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now.¡± Margaret looked up again and smiled. ¡°Try this.¡± Clifford casually changed the topic and put a te of caviar before her. ¡°It¡¯s my favorite.¡± Margaret nodded and quietly sampled some. The temperature in the private room began to rise, Clifford watched her eat each bite and finally stood up when she finished thest of her grilled fish. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Margaret looked up in surprise. I tried to contact you when I left three years ago,¡± said Clifford earnestly. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t reach your phone or contact the battlefield. Untilst month, I went to your university in Atharia and several battlefields afterward but didn¡¯t get any news about you¡­¡± He almost thought that something had happened to her. But when he went to the police station and found that no one reported her death, he was relieved. Margaret narrowed her eyes in surprise. Her first response was to say, ¡°Why did you want to see me so urgently? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I was terrified that something bad had happened to you.¡± His gaze was sincere and passionate, forcing Margaret to look at him. dn¡¯t know Margaret was so shocked that she didn¡¯t know what to say, Realizing the atmosphere was slightly tense, Clifford suddenlyughed to ease the embarrassment. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you back safe. There¡¯s a dinner party tomorrow, and all the notables of Alenvista will attend. You just came back and need some connections. I happen to need a femalepanion. Do you want to go with me?¡± Margaret knew what he was thinking. With his gentle and handsome appearance, impable background, and concern for her, Margaret thought Clifford might be her best choice if it weren¡¯t for the man she couldn¡¯t forget. ¡°Margaret?¡± Seeing that she kept silent, Clifford called out to her. Somehow, he thought she seemed burdened with concerns during their current encounter. ¡°Huh? All right.¡± Margaret came back to her senses. Clifford was then relieved. ¡°You don¡¯t need to prepare a dress. I¡¯ll pick you up after work.¡± Margaret nodded with a smile and thanked him softly. The next day after work, Clifford came to pick her up on time. The car stopped at the entrance of a luxury dress store. After entering the store, Margaret was brought to change into a dress prepared in advance. The staff tied her hair into a bun with several casual braids. When it was time for makeup, she reached up to stop the makeup artist. ¡°There¡¯s no need for makeup. This will do,¡± Margaret said.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. The makeup artist looked at her and smiled. ¡°Good. You look beautiful. You must be the most stunning!¡± Margaret looked at her unfamiliar self in the mirror. The ck dress perfectly outlined every detail of her body and made her look exquisite. Chapter 6 20 She looked at herself for a while, got up to open the door, and went out. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Clifford¡¯s eyes lit up as he praised her. ¡°You are so beautiful today.¡± Margaret looked at the dress and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a good choice.¡± The car soon arrived at the dinner party. ¡°It¡¯s a pool party tonight. Stay by my sideter. Don¡¯t walk around. I¡¯ll help you with the drinking.¡± Clifford whispered tenderly. ¡°Okay,¡± Margaret nodded. In the past, she rarely joined such parties. The only few times she attended were with Gideon. Gideon would have never helped her with the drinking but wouldn¡¯t have let anyone make a toast, either. With just a gaze from him, almost no men dared to approach Margaret. Because of that, she could enjoy eating in the dining area by herself while waiting to go home. Margaret immediately realized that she remembered something unfavorable and shook her head harshly. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Dr. Huxley!¡± Someone greeted Clifford, but his eyes were fixed on Margaret. Then everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Margaret. She stepped back and tried to walk in the shadow of the door without being noticed by others. ¡°Only Mr. Compton can invite you to a party! You¡¯re a hard man to meet, Dr. Huxley!¡± someone joked while toasting. The words instantly made Margaret stiffen. ¡®What did he just say?¡± ¡°Clifford¡­¡± Margaret pulled Clifford¡¯s arm gently. Sweat had begun to bead on her forehead. ¡°Who did he say organized this party?¡± Clifford smiled and turned around. Before he could answer, Margaret suddenly shivered harder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Clifford asked. Margaret remained motionless as if she had been nailed to the spot. Without waiting for Clifford to answer, she had already seen it. Gideon, in a ck suit, was standing 30 feet away, holding a wine ss with his defined fingers. He leaned against the edge of the pool but still attracted everyone¡¯s attention. His gray eyes seem to bore straight into Margaret¡¯s gaze. SEND GIFT Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Margaret¡¯s legs wobbled beneath her, and her fingers slowly slipped from Clifford¡¯s arm. Her Insides churned, and a flush of heat surged to her forehead. ¡°Margaret?¡± Clifford reached out to steady her, feeling her forehead. ¡°Are you feeling unwell? Why are you sweating so profusely?¡± Margaret couldn¡¯t bring herself to nce back at the pool. A mere glimpse had stirred up a storm of emotions, evidence that Gideon still held sway over her. She pushed Clifford¡¯s hand away, forcing a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I skipped lunch, so perhaps my blood sugar was a bit low. You guys carry on; rll grab a bite.¡± She interjected before Clifford could continue, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Turning swiftly, she vanished from view. She didn¡¯t go to the food area, wanting to stay as far away from the swimming pool as possible, and made a beeline for the garden.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. However, the garden was also filled with people drinking and talking. Margaret stumbled in search of a secluded spot to recover from shock, but she still heard the conversation. ¡°Have you heard? Mr. Compton and Ms. Lambert have been engaged for five years, yet there¡¯s no talk of marriage. Is he dense? What if Ms. Lambert decides to bolt?¡± said someone. ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd! Perhaps their bond is so strong that they don¡¯t feel the need for marriage. Who knows?¡± countered another voice. Those words left Margaret bewildered. ¡°Gideon isn¡¯t married? It¡¯s been five years. Why hasn¡¯t he tied the knot?¡± With a shake of her head, Margaret rubbed her temples in frustration before entering the restroom. Attempting topose herself, she sshed cold water onto her face, but her trembling fingers betrayed her lingering agitation.. ¡°Rx..¡± ¡°she whispered to herself, thinking, ¡®It¡¯ll be fine. Gideon might not have even noticed me. It¡¯s been five years since west saw each other. We were merely bedfellows back then. He wouldn¡¯t give me a second thought. He¡¯s probably forgotten all about me by now. Even if we were to cross paths, he wouldn¡¯t recognize me.¡± After sshing water on her face, Margaret calmed down considerably. Taking a deep breath, she emerged from the bathroom and headed back toward the garden. ?side. As she turned the corner, someone suddenly seized her arm, causing her to lose her bnce and stumble to one s ¡°Ah!¡± she eximed, and a familiar scent immediately enveloped her senses. Before she could lift her gaze, her body began to tremble uncontrobly. His lips brazenly seized Margaret¡¯s, igniting a familiar sensation that coursed through her entire being. Summoning all her strength, she pushed him away. Above her forehead, she could feel Gideon¡¯s breathing, his arm pressing against her neck. His gaze bore into her, sharp and frigid. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir¡­¡± Margaret steadied herself, her mind racing as she swiftly formted a n. Struggling to break free but to no avail, she eventually forced herself to stay calm, lifting her head to address him. ¡°Please, step aside.¡± Gideon¡¯s stare lingered on her face, and he snickered. That cut right through Margaret¡¯s resolye, shattering the facade of fearlessness she had fought to maintain. With a clenched jaw, she lowered her gaze, feeling a wave of vulnerability wash over her. 10:03 Wed 26 Jun Chapter 7 from ¡°Warg!¡± Cafford (ched out heady he, fering her forest ¡°We you feel¡± Why are you sting protivity Margaret Clin¡® fring herself to nce back at the pool, Amere glimpse had set up a gorm of emotions, evidence that identin heid sipped hinch mapt my blood sta led before climent could conting Tamming wily, she vanished bron viene She didn¡¯t go be the food are wanting to stay as far away from swimming pool is possible. ple, and made a beeline for the gieden. shock However, the garden was ab filled with people drinking and talking, Margaret stumbled in search of a secluded spot to recover but she still heard the conversation. ¡°Have you heard? Mc Compton and Ms. Lambert have been engaged for five years, yet there¡¯s no talk of marriage, she demet What if Me. imbert ivodes to boll ¡°¡± und someont ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd Perhaps their bond is so strong that they don¡¯t feel the need for marriage. Who known countered another voice. Those wordsh Margaret bewildered. Gideon isn¡¯t married? It¡¯s been five years. Why hasn¡¯t he tied the knot?¡± With a shake of her head. Margaret rubbed her temples infrustration before entering the restroom. Attempting topose hemell, the sshed cold water onto her face, but her trembling fingers betrayed her lingering agitation ¡°Rc.¡± she whispered to herself, thinking, ¡®It¡¯ll be fine Gideon might not have ever noticed in, it¡¯s been five years since west now each bedfellows back then, he wouldn¡¯t give me a second thought. He¡¯s probably forgotten all about me by how Fuel to cross paths, he wouldn¡¯t recognize me her sshing water on her face, Margaret calmed down considerably. Taking a deep breath, she emerged from the bathroom and beadid back toward the garden. As she turned theer, someone suddenly seed her arm, causing her to lose her bnce and stumble to one side ¡°Ah!¡± she eximed, and siliaricent immediately enveloped her senses. Before she could lift gale, her body began to tremble uncontrobly. His lips brazenly sected Margaret¡¯s, igniting a familiar sensation that coursed through her entire being Summoning all her strength, she pushed him away About her forehead, she could feel Gideon¡¯s breathing, his arm pressing against her neck. His gaze bore into her, sharp and frigid o ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir.¡± Margaret steadied heruett, her mind racing as she swiftly formted a n Struggling to bres free but an avall, she ventually forced herself to stay calm, lilting ber Gideon¡¯s stare lingered on her face, and hy snickered ¡°Please, step aside.¡± That cut right through Margaret¡¯s resolve, shattering the facade of fearlessness she had fought to maintain with a clenched je lowered gaze, feeling a wave of vulnerability wash over ther 13:03 Wed, 26 Jun Chapter 7 ¡°Pretending you don¡¯t know me, huh?¡± Gideon extended his hand to tilt Margaret¡¯s chin upward, forcing her to meet his gaze. ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve learned in these five years?¡± Margaret shivered involuntarily at his touch, but her resolve hardened, her eyes steely. ¡°Let me go,¡± ¡°she demanded. Gideon paused, a glint of coldness flickering in his eyes. Margaret began to struggle, raising her voice. ¡°Let go of me, Gideon. Our connection is severed. It used to be a transaction of mutual benefit. What is it now?¡± Themotion grew louder, and approaching footsteps could be heard from the other end of the garden. Someone was curious about the disturbance. Gideon swiftly tugged Margaret and pushed her into a thicket of flowering bushes. ¡°Your body tells a different story.¡± He mercilessly lifted his hand. Margaret¡¯s entire being went ck in response, her desires stirred against her will. Despite her attempts to resist, she found herself unable to thwart Gideon¡¯s overpowering strength. ¡°What do you want?¡± Her voice quivered, teeth clenched in defiance. ¡°I have a boyfriend waiting just outside. If I were to shout now, it wouldn¡¯t bode well for you or your career, would it?¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Gideon remarked with a nearly audible chuckle, apuding. ¡°You¡¯ve be a lot smarter.¡± Leaning in close, he whispered into her car, ¡°Feel free to give that shout a try.¡± Margaret felt a rush of heat as she noticed the hem of her dress hiked up, her skin tingling beneath Gideon¡¯s touch. Meeting his gaze, she glimpsed a flicker of anger lurking within his deep, abyss¨Clike eyes. He knew all her weaknesses. With a single move, he could easily overpower her. ¡°No. I refuse to let that happen, Margaret dered inwardly, her heart pounding as she caught her breath. After a moment, she regained her senses, abruptly pushing Gideon away and scrambling to put distance between them. This time, Gideon made no move to pursue her. Instead, he simply cast a sidelong nce at Margaret, taking in her panic and apprehension. His expression remained cold and impassive as he watched her flee. ¡®Running away a again¡­ How many times must she escape?¡® he mused silently. In the past five years, there had been no trace of her except for a ne ticket indicating her journey to Atharia. Gideon¡¯s irritation red as he narrowed his eyes. He rose to his feet, smoothed out his attire, and strode away. Meanwhile, Margaretposed herself as she made her way back to Clifford, trying to appear calm. Clifford was scrolling through his phone. When he noticed Margaret walking toward him, he immediately approached her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer the phone? Is your gastritis acting up again?¡± Clifford¡¯s expression was filled with guilt as he spoke. ¡°I should have brought you something to eat¡­¡± Margaret forced a smile and reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I grabbed a bite just now.¡± When she had just gone abroad, she wasn¡¯t used to the local cuisine and didn¡¯t eat on time, which led to gastritis. It often red up during her time with Clifford on the battlefield, and she was surprised he still remembered. 43% Chapter 7 ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Clifford approached, offering his arm for her to link hers with. After a moment of hesitation, Margaret took his arm. However, the unsettling encounter with Gideon reyed incessantly in her mind. His scent, his voice, his movements¡­ everything about him was a threat to her peace of mind. She couldn¡¯t deny that she had once again lost herposure, resorting to using Clifford as a shield in her distress. Feeling remorseful, Margaret nced at Clifford and asked, ¡°When can we leave?¡± Clifford immediately answered, ¡°If you want to leave now-¡± ¡°Dr. Huxley.¡± Suddenly, a cold and calm voice interrupted him. The familiarity of the voice sent shivers down Margaret¡¯s spine. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth in frustration. É« Chapter 8 Chapter 8 ¡°Mr. Compton.¡± Clifford promptly turned, his smile warm and weing, ¡°What a pleasant surprise. How did you manage to find the time to join us?¡± Gideon¡¯s gaze shifted from Clifford to Margaret, his expression nonchnt as he stared into her eyes,zily replying, ¡°You¡¯re the talk of the city, Dr. Huxley. Now that you¡¯ve graced us with your presence, I couldn¡¯t miss the chance to extend my hospitality. Why don¡¯t you introduce me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Clifford nodded, his smile unwavering. He draped an arm around Margaret¡¯s waist, subtly pulling her closer. Turning to Gideon, he introduced, ¡°This is Margaret, a renowned war reporter abroad. Margaret felt the weight of Gideon¡¯s gaze bore into her arm that was holding Clifford¡¯s. Even her face felt scorching hot under his intense stare, which unsettled her. ¡°Hello, Ms. Wilcox,¡± Gideon greeted with a distracted smile, extending his hand. He squinted and pondered, ¡®A war reporter? Had she not suffered enough, or did she want to seek death?¡® Margaret hesitated for a moment, her gaze fixed on the man¡¯s slender fingers and fingertips. Despite her trepidation, she found herself admiring the elegance of his hand. Gathering her resolve, she reached out, concealing her slight trembling, and replied, ¡°Hello.¡± As their hands touched, Gideon squeezed hers tight before instantly letting go. Margaret broke into a cold sweat and goosebumps crept up her arm, sending shivers down her spine. Before Gideon could d utter another word, a voice interrupted from behind him. ¡°Gideon!¡± The hurried clip¨Cclop of high heels echoed, followed by a sweet voice filled with reproach. A woman reached out to hold Gideon¡¯s arm, grumbling, ¡°Why¡¯d you leave without a word? I¡¯ve been searching for you¡­ It was Roxanne. Margaret, feeling uneasy with the situation unfolding before her, averted her gaze ufortably. Observing her movements, Clifford looked down, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡± Gideon¡¯s gaze remained fixed on Margaret, while Roxanne, following his lead, briefly nced at her. ¡°And who might this be? Roxanne inquired with a smile, not recognizing Margaret. ¡°Ms. Lambert,¡± Margaret spoke up, lifting her head with a touch of unease evident in her expression. She maintained herposure and continued politely, ¡°It¡¯s me, Margaret.¡± Considering the Lambert family¡¯s past ¡°assistance,¡± Margaret wanted to introduce herself before anyone else could do it for her, especially Gideon. She was worried about what Gideon might say something. Roxanne used to be wary of her. Though her rtionship with Gideon remained ambiguous, he had brought her along to several events and banquets, which led to her being humiliated and picked on by Roxanne. Surprisingly enough, Roxanne couldn¡¯t even recognize her after five years. The smile on Roxanne¡¯s face froze momentarily as she scrutinized Margaret, silently confirming her identity. After a brief pause, she said, ¡°Margaret?¡± 43% Chapter 8N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Margaret responded with a nod, maintaining her smile. Roxanne¡¯s expression shifted, and then she chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve changed quite a bit! I almost didn¡¯t recognize you. Where have you been all these years? You disappeared without a trace, and we couldn¡¯t find you¡­¡± ¡°Find me? For what, to huntiliate me at the next charity event?¡± Margaret thought sarcastically. She smiled and said, ¡°I went abroad.¡± ¡°Do you know each other?¡± Clifford was surprised. Roxanne cast a nce at Clifford, who had Margaret¡¯s arm in his grasp, and offered a smile. ¡°Ms. Wilcox used to be a beneficiary of Lambert Group¡± Margaret pursed her lips, mentally bracing herself. Roxanne¡¯s knack for embarrassing her in public was nothing new. But as Roxanne spoke, Gideon¡¯s brows subtly furrowed. Clifford, sensing Margaret¡¯s unease, tightened his grip on her hand reassuringly. With a calm smile, he responded, ¡°I see.¡± Roxanne narrowed her eyes, her curiosity piqued. ¡°Dr. Huxley, have you known Margaret for long?¡± Gideon¡¯s gazended on Margaret¡¯s face. Sensing the tension, Clifford gently squeezed Margaret¡¯s hand as he spoke, ¡°Not particrly.¡± Gideon¡¯s gaze shifted back to Clifford. ¡°Then you must¡¯ve met Ms. Wilcox when she was in Atharia.,¡± Margaret¡¯splexion drained of color, while the other two¡¯s expressions also changed. ¡®He¡¯s doing this on purpose¡­ I only mentioned going abroad, not where. Gideon is deliberately revealing that we knew each other before, Margaret thought, clenching her teeth, a mixture of anger and anxiety churning within her. Thankfully, Clifford remainedposed. His gaze flitted between Margaret and Gideon before he swiftly wrapped up the conversation. ¡°Unfortunately, she¡¯s not feeling well today, so we must take our leave.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± Gideon smiled, nced at Margaret¡¯s pale lips with satisfaction, and licked his lipsnguidly. They t ey turned on their heels. Clifford continued to hold Margaret¡¯s hand tightly as they made their way through the hall and out to the car. Silence enveloped them as they settled into the car. Margaret fastened her seatbelt and closed her eyes. ¡°You and Gideon-¡± Clifford began. ¡°Can I ask you for a favor?¡± Margaret looked at him, her voice barely a whisper. Clifford nodded, his expression softening. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t ask me anything right now. Okay?¡± The distressed look on her face was heartbreaking. Clifford immediately turned around and drove/quietly. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Margaret sluggishly silenced her rm the following morning and found her way to the mirror. Her reflection confirmed the toll of another restless night. Dark circles underscored her eyes¨Ca testament to the myriad faces that haunted her sleep. A sense of regret gnawed at her; returning to Alenvista, she realized, might have been a mistake. Here, she found herself embroiled in battles as fierce as any on the front lines, albeit fought with invisible weapons. With a heavy sigh, she began her morning routine, squeezing toothpaste onto her brush. By half past eight in the morning, as she walked into the news agency, her arrival seemed to ignite a flurry of excitement. ¡°Margaret, is it true you left with Dr. Huxley yesterday?¡± ¡°Someone saw you at Compton Group¡¯s party! Is it really you? The person in that photo didn¡¯t look like you though¡­¡± Her colleagues swarmed her with inquiries, pressing for details about her evening and her connection with Clifford. Margaret deflected with vague responses, making her way toward the elevator amidst the barrage of questions. ¡°Hello?¡± Suddenly, a deliveryman, d in uniform and holding a bouquet, cut through the chatter. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Ms. Margaret Wilcox,¡± he announced. The room momentarily fell silent before erupting into spective whispers. ¡°Right here!¡± Colin gestured toward Margaret. ¡°Here¡¯s your delivery. Please sign here.¡± the deliveryman walked over and handed the bouquet to Margaret. Meanwhile, Margaret found herself transfixed by thevender hydrangeas it contained, her favorite flowers. The habit of brightening Gideon¡¯s somber bedroom with these very blooms came to mind; she always made sure to refresh the vase with a new bouquet during her visits. Though Gideon never verbally acknowledged it, the choice of flowers was a silent nod to her preference, a detail known only between them. ¡°Who¡¯s the sender?¡± Her colleagues surrounded her curiously. Afraid that someone else might find the message that came with the flowers, Margaret quickly signed for the delivery, clutching the bouquet close as she darted into the elevator, leaving behind a trail of sighs of disappointment. Once secluded in the elevator, she examined the flowers closely, her thoughts racing, ¡°What is Gideon trying to convey herself as perplexed by his intentions now as she was five years ago. Taking a deep breath, she entered the office, closed the door, and began to scrutinize the flowers. y with this?¡® She found. There was no card, no signature from the sender, no hidden messages, and not even an indication of what she should do next. Margaret would rather things be like they used to be, where a direct text message would give her a clear goal to follow Subsequently, she set the bouquet aside and got back to work. In the evening, as she prepared to leave, the receptionist¡¯s whisper halted her. ¡°Margaret, you¡¯ve got a package. It came in a minute ago.¡± Under the receptionist¡¯s curious eyes, Margaret approached the desk to find a small, elegantly crafted bag She took it with her, walking a short distance before allowing herself the privacy to explore its contents. Chapter 9 Inside, she found a small suede box that, upon a gentle press, revealed a sparkling ne illuminated by a tinymp¨Ca representation of the Big Dipper constetion. Margaret froze as she took the ne out. Memories rushed back at the sight, rendering her momentarily weak. ¡°Why are you looking at the sky?¡± One evening, Gideon didn¡¯t ask her to leave, so she moved a chair to the window to read. Suddenly, the sky drew her attention, and her curiosity about the stars prompted a rare query from Gideon. ¡°The Big Dipper is supposed to guide those who are lost. I¡¯m wondering if it can guide me in the right direction,¡± she mused aloud. His response was a sneer, a dismissal of her sentiment. Yet now, the gesture of sending her this ne seemed to contradict that disdain. ¡®Why is he doing this now?¡± Margaret pondered. She stood on the street, watching the crowd past her, the small box in her grasp. Eventually, with a heavy heart, she acknowledged the Inevitable. ¡°He¡¯s forcing me to meet him, she thought. With a sigh, Margaret retrieved her phone from her bag. Despite the numerous SIM cards she had gone through, Gideon¡¯s number was etched in her memory. She entered the familiar sequence of digits, her heart sinking as she did so. ¡°Hello,¡± came the resonant, unhurried voice from the other end. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Margaret responded, her voice tinged with nervousness as she fiddled with the edge of her phone, feeling a lump form in her throat. ¡°Mm,¡± ¡°Gideon replied, unfazed by her call, as if her reaching out was a foregone conclusion¡­ ¡°Are you free? Let¡¯s meet,¡± Margaret ventured. ¡°Regen Caf¨¦ on Avenue Street No. 2 I¡¯ll see you in 30 minutes,¡± said Gideon.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®He¡¯s even decided on the location¡­ she thought. She closed her eyes and replied softly after a while, ¡°Okay.¡± As the call ended, she leaned against the nearest wall for support, her gaze lost in the crowd. The anxiety she felt was palpable, her heart racing uncontrobly. Arriving at the caf¨¦ half an hourter, Margaret was greeted by the sight of a building that held significant memories for her¨Cthest ce she had seen Gideon five years ago. ¡°Ms. Wilcox,¡± came a voice from behind her. Turning, Margaret saw a driver standing by a sleek white car, gesturing respectfully toward her. ¡°Mr. Compton has requested your presence in the vehicle,¡± he informed her. ¡®In the car?¡® Margaret was confused. She hesitated, her eyes briefly scanning the caf¨¦ before settling on the car¡¯s backseat, where Gideon¡¯s silhouette was unmistakable. With a resolve born of necessity, she opened the car door and slid inside, sitting in silence beside Gideon, The driver also got in the car, and the car pulled away. However, Gideon still had no reaction Unable to bear the silence any longer, Margaret turned to face Gideon, extending the box towards him. ¡°I¡¯m giving this back to you,¡± she stated firmly. Chapter 9 Gideon, however, refused to ept it, his gaze hardening. ¡°I see no need to reim what I¡¯ve willingly given.¡°¡± ¡°I know,¡± Margaret countered, her voice steady, ¡°But I cannot ept gifts from people who are irrelevant to me.¡± Their words sparked a palpable tension, an unspoken conflict hanging in the air. ¡°People irrelevant¡­¡± Gideon mulled over her words, a dange spark shing in his eyes. Exasperated, Margaret pressed for rity. ¡°Gideon, I¡¯m tired of these games. What do you want from me?¡± Suddenly, the car came to a halt. Gideon nced at her before getting out of the car, prompting Margaret to follow suit. However, as she stepped out and saw the surroundings, she froze all over. ¡®Isn¡¯t this his home?¡± she mused. 0 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Gideon walked ahead, but when he didn¡¯t hear footsteps behind him, he turned around and saw an ashen-faced Margaret standing there. ¡°What, you can¡¯t walk? Shall I carry you in?¡± he asked sarcastically, smirking. He wanted tough at himself for having so frantically searched for Margaret like a hopeless fool five years ago. When Margaret left that year, Gideon got word from the hospital about her father¡¯s death. Gideon felt sorry for Margaret and attributed her strange behavior those few days to her sadness. He then decided to forgive Margaret and to look for her, hoping that by talking to her, they could work things out. In those four years, he was happy with her. However, Margaret was like a dandelion, and a harsh remark from Gideon was all it took to send her flying off to somewhere unknown. ¡°Mr. Compton, we can talk here,¡± Margaret said. She knew she must look like a coward right now. She pretended she did not know Gideon well, but her guilt was written on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t have the habit of discussing things outside. If you want to talk, you¡¯ll have toe in,¡± Gideon said as he punched the passcode into the keypad by the door. Margaret looked at the passcode and found the numbers familiar. Five years ago, Margaret would stand on the same doorstep and key in the same passcode. She never expected to return here and reminisce on such things It wasn¡¯t as if Margaret never expected to run into Gideon after her return. She just didn¡¯t think the day woulde so soon or that she would still be haunted by the past.. Afloral-scented breeze blew, but Margaret shivered fiercely. She stared at the open door and held her breath, then strode in. Gideon had poured two sses of wine and was now seated on the couch. There was a victorious gleam in his eyes. He had known Margaret woulde in. She sat stiffly across from Gideon, her body tense. The couch before her stirred up old memories Gideon had never been fastidious, they had left their mark on every surface of this house. ¡°I see you still remember what we u used to get up to,¡± Gideon observed after taking a sip of wine. In actuality, Gideon hadn¡¯te back to this house since Margaret leht, but he had cleanerse in regrly anyway. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was thinking, either, and only knew that he was following his heart. ¡°What do you want, Mr. Compton?¡± Margaret had given away her body and soul in this house. She couldn¡¯t talk to Gideon here and wanted to leave as soon as possible. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? It¡¯s been five years since west met. At least catch me up on what you¡¯ve been doing.¡± Gideon said as he leaned forward to take the other ss of wine, offering it to Margaret. She sensed danger when he added with an imperceptible smile, ¡°Try some. You¡¯ll like ¡°No, thanks. I wanted to tell you to stop with the games. We were through five years ago, and we¡¯re better off being strangers from now on,¡± Margaret said without missing a beat and mentally patted herself on the back. This was the first time she spoke so boldly to Gideon ¡°Who said we¡¯re through?¡± Gideon countered icily just as Margaret was about to reach the door. 13:04 Wed, 26 Jun Chapter 10 ¡°Five years ago¡­¡± she began. 342%•þAll content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Five years ago, I told you to get rid of the baby, but I never asked you to terminate our rtionship. I¡¯ve said this before, Margaret-we¡¯re only through if I say so,¡± Gideon interrupted Imperiously, his tone irking Margaret. ¡°We were through the moment that child was gone,¡± she bit out and made to leave, only to be stopped by Gideon¡¯s next words. She was so stunned that she forgot how to move her legs. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 42% ¡°Were you even pregnant to begin with?¡± The mention of the unborn child enraged Gideon. When he learned of Keh¡¯s passing, he had considered asking Margaret to keep the baby. At the time, he figured having a baby would help Margaret with her grief and give her purpose in life. On a more selfish note, he had hoped that the baby would let Margaret see that she was shackled to him for good. Gideon did not consider the baby to be of any importance. It would be an illegitimate child, much like Gideon himself, but as long as the child had grit and talent, then the child woulde to inherit his empire. If not, Gideon could still bankroll the child¡¯s life forever However, Gideon¡¯s investigation revealed that Margaret had never been pregnant.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. In hindsight, that made sense. Gideon had been careful, and the chances of Margaret getting pregnant were slim to none. The realization made him feel like a fool for havingpromised for her sake. ¡°You¡­ know?¡± Margaret asked shakily. ¡°Didn¡¯t I have a right to know?¡± Gideon countered. They held each other¡¯s gaze in the dimness of the room, with Gideon on the couch and Margaret by the door. Time seemed to have frozen. A long pauseter, Margaret said, ¡°Yes, I lied to you, but it gave me a reason to leave. If those four years meant anything to you at all, Gideon, just let me go now.¡± She abandoned her pride and allowed herself to plead. Nheless, her own words left her feeling empty and sheartened. Five years had passed, and still, Gideon held more leverage over her. It seemed like she could never hold her head up high in front of him.. ¡°Have you grown delusional in the past five years?¡± Gideon asked snidely. ¡°What else do you want from me?¡± Margaret was regretting her decision to return. She had overestimated herself. Surrendering was the only thing she could do when facing Gideon. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gideon did not leave much room for negotiation as he drawled, ¡°But we¡¯re not through unless I say we are, and let you know when that dayes. So until then, you¡¯ll stay by my side.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Gideon. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll start over with you after we ended things five years ago,¡± Margaret snapped. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll just have to see if we¡¯ll get back together or if we¡¯re through for good.¡± With that, Gideon knocked back the rest of his wine. Margaret turned around and shot him a dark look, then hurried out the door. Gideon said nothing and did not stop her from leaving. As far as he was concerned, he and Margaret were far from over. He was an excellent hunter, knowing good things came to those who waited, and what awaited him was the best prize of all. Margaret was slow on the way back. She had lost count of the nights she had taken this route home after leaving Gideon¡¯s ce. After nights of wild abandonment, it seemed this lonely silence was what awaited her. Gideon had his principles. He¡¯d never spend the night with Margaret. She knew this and did not push his boundaries. But gradually, this road she took started to feel like a walk of shame paved with nails, and every step hurt her. 17 42% %1 Chapter 11 Old memories, the pains, grief, and happiness of the past welled up in her. She sniffled and looked up at the sky. Years of living in war¨Cstrickennds and studying alone had made Margaret stronger as well as independent. And yet, it took Gideon only a day to make her shrink back into her old self. he always had. She had to admit that Gideon still held an undeniable sway over her emotions, just as he a Once Margaret got home, she drew a bath and soaked herself in the tub, holding her breath as she went under. The fear of dying she experienced in the war zone washed over her once more, but it steeled her all the same. The weak would never survive the battlefield. She did not emerge from the tub even after the water went cold. Today, she knew Gideon had as good as challenged her. In his own way, he had dered her his new ything Gideon¡¯s tricks of torment and antagonization troubled Margaret. Knowing she had to distance herself from him, she wondered if leaving was the best option. Because of Gideon, Margaret considered seeing a psychiatrist. SEND GIFT COMMENT 0 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 42% Margaret spent the next few days on high alert, hyper¨Caware of her surroundings whenever she left her house, just in case Gideon was lurking around. She also checked the receptionist desk more often than usual, worried she might find strange packages from Gideon However, things seemed to have returned to normal. Neither Gideon nor his strange packages and gifts had appeared. Nheless, Margaret did not let her guard down. She had a feeling that Gideon was plotting something. Little did she know, Gideon had no intention of letting her off the hook. The peace she now had was temporary, for Gideon had been called away on business. There was no point in ying games if he couldn¡¯t be there to see Margaret¡¯s reaction in person. He thought he would be generous and offer her a few days¡® reprieve. Margaret finally let her guard down when five days had passed, and Gideon had note to torment her. That was why she almost bared her teeth at him when she bumped into him below her apartment. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked, raising her voice. She was also curious about how he had obtained her address. ¡°It makes sense for me to be where you are,¡± Gideon replied sweetly. However, his words sent a chill down Margaret¡¯s spine. Her instincts, coupled with her years of understanding Gideon, led her to believe that he was up to no good. ¡°What do you want?¡± Margaret asked, stepping back to keep a safe distance from him. ¡°A meal with you,¡± ¡°Gideon replied as he reached out to put an arm around Margaret¡¯s shoulders.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Seeming to have anticipated the gesture, Margaret quickly dodged it. Gideon¡¯s arm swiped the air, but he remained calm as he pulled it back andmanded, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°No,¡± she refused. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking for your permission, Margaret,¡± he stated. Margaret replied, ¡°I¡¯m not going, I made myself clear the other day, and I don¡¯t mind exining it to you again if you¡¯re still confused¡­¡± Abruptly, Gideon leaned forward, interrupting her. His long eyshes fluttered when he blinked, drawing all of her attention. Countless women had flocked to Gideon, and for good reason. His impressive worth and stunning good looks made him the object of every woman¡¯s desire. Women could never resist drooling over him wherever he went. Margaret used to be one of those women. She had a tough life back then, so she couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of beautiful things. But if she had known how things would end up like that, she would have pped some sense into herself and stayed away from Gideon. ¡°You still have feelings for me, don¡¯t you, Margaret?¡± Gideon said. He had always had a rakish air about him, and when he turned on his charms, it was hard for anyone to pull away. Margaret was a case in point. She was so distracted that she almost nodded in response. Just as her chin was about to drop, she snapped to her senses and immediately shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself, Gideon. I¡¯ve never had feelings for you,¡± she said, seething as she pushed him away. She needed fresh air, not the air that had been tainted by Gideon¡¯s breath. 12 42% Chapter 12 He chuckled but did not argue with her. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t we have a meal together as old friends and celebrate your homing?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not. I have to go now. My boyfriend is waiting for me at home,¡± Margaret lied. She didn¡¯t care if Gideon believed her. As she walked around him to go home, she thought about getting a new ce to live. However, she knew Gideon well. He would be able to track her down no matter where she moved in this city. It would only take him half a day to find her new address. There was no point in getting a new ce. mean Clifford? If I remember correctly, he¡¯s attending a medical conference. I doubt he¡¯s waiting for you at home,¡± Gideon said, exposing Margaret¡¯s lies. SEND GIFT Chapter 13 Chapter 13 42%«I ¡°I didn¡¯t mean Clifford, of course. He¡¯s not the only man I¡¯ve met in thest few years, Margaret said irritably, continuing her lie. She had no idea why insisted on telling Gideon that she had a boyfriend.. ¡°Really?¡± Gideon replied dryly, his smile deepening as if he had just heard a joke. ¡°Yes!¡± Margaret snapped, refusing to back down. She could not think of a better alternative than to keep up her lie, even if it was wed. She didn¡¯t want to lose what little dignity she had left before Gideon. Margaret refused to give Gideon satisfaction, especially when he was dangling himself in front of her and stirring up old memories even though he and Roxanne had been together for years and, more importantly, engaged. ¡°Perfect. I¡¯d love to meet your boyfriend. Why don¡¯t you have hime down and make the introductions? We had slept together once, you know. I¡¯d like to know whether you found a good man,¡± Gideon quipped as he put his hands in his pockets. Although Gideon knew Margaret had lied about having a boyfriend just to make him give up on her, the mere mention of another man- albeit an imaginary one¨Cstill pissed him off. ¡°My personal affairs are not your concern, Mr. Compton,¡± Margaret said politely. She nodded courteously as she walked past him to go home. She tried to think of reasons to put on her job transfer slip that would get her out of the city as soon as possible. At that moment, Gideon grabbed her arm firmly, and d she struggled to break free from his grip but failed. ¡°It¡¯s time for v you toe back, Margaret. You¡¯ve been away too long,¡± he said as he took her in his arms. Margaret was shoved into the backseat of Gideon¡¯s car before she could fully process her anger and shock. He promptly locked the door, leaving her with no means of escape.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°This is kidnapping!¡± she yelled. ¡°So call the police,¡± he said nonchntly and started the car. Margaret remained silent throughout the drive. However, unbeknownst to her, Gideon found her sullen attitude endearing that he almost parked the car and took her right there in the backseat. Gideon had not been resilient enough to remain celibate for her sake during the five years Margaret had been gone. He wasn¡¯t sure how many women he had slept with, but he couldn¡¯t imagine staying with any of them. He couldn¡¯t helpparing them to Margaret, either. In the end, he still preferred herpany to any other woman¡¯s. He knew it was not the right time to make a move on her, considering the chemistry they once shared. He would take his time ying the game. Half an hourter, they pulled up in front of a restaurant. Margaret looked up at the restaurant and decided not to get out of the car. She knew he had chosen that restaurant on purpose. It was where he had celebrated her birthday four years ago, though that was the first andst time, for she had not been with him for long back then. The celebration hadn¡¯t been romantic, either. There had been food, cake, music, and presents, but it had been the first time Margaret had ever celebrated her birthday. She wondered, ¡®Is that when Gideon began to win me over?¡® Old memories seemed to haunt Margaret those days, but she did not want to remember any of those good times. It would only make her 13:04 Wed, 26 Jun Chapter 13 sadder and give Gideon the satisfaction of winning. ¡°Get out.¡± Gideon said after circling the car to the passenger side and opening the door for Margaret. He knew she was unhappy, but he was gentle to her now since he was in a better mood, rarely. ¡°No,¡± she refused stubbornly. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gideon said, raising an eyebrow. Margaret tensed at the confidence and threat in his tone, wondering, ¡®Is he going to¡­¡± SEND GIFT Chapter 14 Chapter 14 ºÅ42% ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡± Margaret said. The second her words fell, Gideon carried her out of the car. Margaret subconsciously ced her hands on Gideon¡¯s shoulders before noticing the teasing looks of others around her. ¡°Put me down!¡± Margaret said anxiously, not wanting to be well-known in the city tomorrow. As an excellent media person, Margaret even thought out several headlines that could feature on the gossip news tomorrow. However, each was inseparable from the words ¡°the other woman¡± and ¡°mistress,¡± Gideon continued carrying Margaret into the restaurant as if he hadn¡¯t heard what she said. The restaurant protected the privacy of its guests well, with security guards stationed around to ensure no reporters could snap pictures secretly. Otherwise, all those rich and powerful people wouldn¡¯t dare to bring their partners there. However, theck of reporters didn¡¯t mean the ce waspletely safe. If Gideon could go there, so would the people of the same ss. For example, Ethan Jenkins, a longtime admirer of Roxanne, Ethan recently hooked up with a D-list celebrity, Amelia. As she shared simr features with Roxanne, he had be so obsessed with her that he recently helped her secure a role in a web drama and now brought her there to celebrate. It was all just an act to make her happy so that Ethan could also get something that made him happy. However, he never anticipated her to be quite a lucky star to let him catch this scene. Although Margaret buried her face in Gideon¡¯s chest, it didn¡¯t prevent Ethan from recognizing her. Five years ago, he had repeatedly heard Roxanne mention Margaret¡¯s name, and as time went by, he curiously checked Margaret¡¯s background. Perhaps it was because Ethan had seen too many photos of Margaret that he remembered her appearance and silhouette. Ethan took out his phone and whistled as he snapped a photo of Gideon and Margaret. While sending it to Roxanne via WhatsApp, he boldly added a caption: [Are your man and his lover going to rekindle their rtionship?] Roxanne was initially shopping happily, but upon seeing the photo, she blew her top and called him immediately. Amelia stared at the caller ID showing ¡°Beloved Roxanne,¡± feeling utterly displeased. She was ready to whine and forbid Ethan from answering the phone, but she was dazzled by his smile and instantly realized how ridiculous she was. ¡®It¡¯s just a deal to get what we each desire, yet I fell in love,¡¯ she thought. Ethan didn¡¯t care about Amelia¡¯s thoughts and answered the call directly, unwilling to let Roxanne wait any longer. ¡°Where are you?¡± Roxanne asked angrily. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Want to catch him cheating on you?¡± Ethan said jokingly. He truly didn¡¯t understand what was so great about Gideon. Gideon is only an illegitimate child. Even though the Compton family is powerful and they¡¯ve acknowledged him, how many upper-ss people genuinely respect him? If it¡¯s about looks, I¡¯m not bad either. Plus, I¡¯m so attentive toward Roxanne. I don¡¯t understand why Roxanne only has eyes for Gideon and allows her emotions to be led by him, but he refuses to spare me a second nce, he thought. Ethan hoped Margaret and Gideon would rekindle their rtionship, which meant he had a new opportunity ¡°No. I¡¯m only going to have dinner with a friend,¡± Roxanne said coldly as she calmed down slightly. However, her grip on her phone was getting tighter. If it were Margaret¡¯s neck she was holding, she would¡¯ve crushed it long ago, ¡°May I ask who this friend is?¡± Ethan asked. He suddenly liked Gideon, as he would¡¯ve had trouble inviting Roxanne out for a meal if it hadn¡¯t been for thetter. ¡°Asking the obvious, aren¡¯t you? Who else could it be but you?¡± she said. 42%0 Chapter 14Property ? N?velDrama.Org. 10, 20 ¡°Are you permitting it? But won¡¯t you leave me to fight your love rival alone when the timees?¡± Ethan said, his eyes sparkling, like a teenager in love. ¡°Yes, now give me the address,¡± Roxanne promised. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 42% ¡°I¡¯ll share the locations with you,¡± Ethan said. After hanging up, he shared the location while simultaneously dismissing Amelia. Amelia left reluctantly and unhappily, but Ethan had little sympathy for her. After all, he still had a lot to do, such as reconfirming the menu with the restaurant and selecting some dishes that Roxanne liked. Meanwhile, Gideon tossed Margaret onto a chair. If she hadn¡¯t worn pants, everyone in the restaurant would have gotten an eyeful under her dress. After not seeing him for a few years, Margaret felt he had be much more arrogant and unreasonable. The waiter passed over two menus with a professional smile, as if he hadn¡¯t seen anything. Margaret didn¡¯t order anything, but Gideon ordered two identical meals ording to his preference and a tiramisu for Margaret. When Gideon deliberately emphasized tiramisu, Margaret felt a stab of emotion in her heart. She smiled wryly as she turned to stare at the night¨Ctime scenery outside the window. ¡®Gideon is truly a good maniptor. Though he doesn¡¯t love me, he can still remember some little things and touch my heart, she thought.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Margaret had never celebrated her birthday since she started living in the Lambert residence. She still remembered Roxanne¡¯s love and obsession with tiramisu at that time, so she was also curious about its taste. Once, Margaret unintentionally revealed her past focation. Since then, Gideon had never forgotten to order tiramisu whenever he asked her out, conveying through his actions that he could give her anything she wanted as long as she was obedient. To her surprise, she felt a little nostalgic as she recalled those years when she had been a good pet. I¡¯m going insane. It took nearly a year to eliminate Gideon¡¯s impact on my dreams. Will all my efforts be in vain one day? Margaret thought Gideon¡¯s patience wasmendable. They sat in silence for twenty minutes, and only when the appetizers were about to be served did he ask, ¡°Are you nning not to speak to me?¡± Margaret dismissed her thoughts and said emotionlessly while staring at the table, ¡°Thank you for the meal, Mr. Compton.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± he replied. ¡°it was my fault for leaving without saying goodbye back then. Please treat this meal as an apology to you, Mr. Compton, Margaret said, thinking they should split peacefully after thisst meal. ¡°Maggie, you¡¯re getting good at scheming. But I don¡¯t n to let you go,¡± Gideon said. *Maggie. ¡°Could it be that you truly want to rekindle an old me? I remember you telling me back then never to return if I dared to leave,¡± Margaret remarked, concentrating on the tug¨Cand¨Cpull with Gideon. This man still has a lot of influence on me. If I get distracted, I might fall into a trap,¡± she thought. ¡°It¡¯s never over between us. How can you be considered an old me?¡± he argued. *State your condition. What do you need to let me go?¡± Margaret asked, her patience gradually disappearing. She couldn¡¯t calmly face Gideon or negotiate with him in roundabout ways. Gideon smiled. ¡®After five years, Margaret i still so nalve, I don¡¯tck anything now, only her, he thought. Five years ago, Gideon suffered a serious setback with Margaret. It was time for him to get it back. 1/2 S Chapter 15 ¡°Gideon¡­¡± A girl called Gideon¡¯s name, which made Margaret shiver. She didn¡¯t need to look back to know who it was No one but Roxanne would call Gideon with that tone. When Margaret heard it in the past, she longed to ask Roxanne if she had ever been a bawd in ancient times. There was no difference between her call and a bawd shouting. ¡°Sir!¡± Margaret lowered her head and began to concentrate on eating. For the first time, she thought it was fortunate that Roxanne appeared. If she could take Gideon away, Margaret might genuinely treat her as a benefactor in the future. ¡°Have you finished shopping?¡± Gideon asked as if concerned. He wasn¡¯t pleased with Roxanne¡¯s sudden appearance, but his expression revealed nothing. 0 SEND GIFT Chapter 16 Chapter 16 ¡°yes. I came to have a meal with a friend. I didn¡¯t expect to run into you by chance. If I had known you w wereing, I wouldn¡¯t have made the appointment, Roxanne said with a pout, sitting next to Gideon with an affectionate closeness. She took his arm and leaned forward slightly, showing Margaret their intimacy, Roxanne looked provocatively at Margaret but was frustrated that Margaret only showed interest in the food in front of her. Roxanne felt ufortable as if she had missed the target. After adjusting her smile, Roxanne greeted Margaret warmly. ¡°Margaret, you¡¯re here tool What a coincidence. I thought of calling you one day and asking you toe home. My parents miss you a lot.¡± Margaret raised her head and smiled politely but did not respond. She thought it unnecessary to reply to such insincere words. Roxanne¡¯s father, Abraham Lambert, might have remembered her. After all, her existence represented his kindness. However, his wife. Eleanor Lambert, would not, Margaret couldn¡¯t bear the thought of Eleanor missing her, fearing Eleanor would have skinned her and hung her on a tree. She had only spent a little of the Lambert family¡¯s money, which couldn¡¯t have amounted to a single piece of Eleanor¡¯s jewelry. However, Eleanor always felt as if Margaret had spent all the family¡¯s fortune. ¡°Margaret, we didn¡¯t have the chance to talk properlyst time. Why don¡¯t we pro her goodwill. for coffee sometime?¡± Roxanne suggested, unleashing Undoubtedly, it was a trap. ¡°I¡¯m busy,¡± Margaret declined firmly, unwilling to put herself in danger. Roxanne¡¯s smile stiffened as she thought, ¡®Margaret¡¯s temper has deteriorated from a few years ago. She used to be more forbearant, but now she¡¯s theplete opposite. If there weren¡¯t too many people around, Roxanne wanted to p Margaret to make her realize she was at the mercy of the Lambert family. Gideon smiled slightly for a split second when no one saw him. In the past, Margaret had resembled a little hedgehog, but her thorns were soft and couldn¡¯t pierce anyone. Now, it was different. He was more interested in the present Margaret. to do with the Lambert family in the future. ¡°Ms. Lambert, we don¡¯t know each other well enough to need to catch up. I won¡¯t have anything to I¡¯ve already returned the money the family used to raise me to your father with interest. So we should pretend to be strangers when we meet,¡± Margaret said, wiping the corners of her mouth. It was time for her to leave after the main course was served and Gideon¡¯s real fianc¨¦e had arrived. ¡°What? How is that possible?* Roxanne eximed, staring at Margaret in amazement, wondering. ¡°That is tens of thousands of dors. How can a pauper like Margaret afford it?¡® Gideon paused, suddenly thinking of the 300 thousand dors Margaret had asked him for when she left. ¡°This woman blocked all the roads at that time. Her ns are well thought out. I bet she¡¯s already decided to never have anything to do with them again when she left, he thought. Unfortunately, despite her good n, Gideon would not let Margaret have her way. ¡°I have something else to do. I¡¯m leaving now, Margaret said, got up, and walked out without answering Roxanne¡¯s question. ¡°Gideon, why is Margaret like this?¡± Roxanne asked after hitting a wall with Margaret. She was ready to seekfort from Gideon but found he had also stood up. ¡°I have a business matter to attend to at thepany. Have a good meal with your friend. It¡¯s on me,¡± Gideon said. With that, he left the restaurant, leaving Roxanne no chance to stop him. 1/2 ? SEND GIFT 13:05 Chapter 16 Gideon¡¯s hurried footsteps sounded like a thud on Roxanne¡¯s chest. She knew what he called ¡°business¡± was just Gideon¡¯s excuse for following Margaret. ¡°Roxanne, aren¡¯t you here to have dinner with me? What¡¯s the matter? Are you backing out again?¡± Ethan said with a smile as he approached Roxanne¡¯s table, suppressing his displeasure.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Howe? We¡¯ve already agreed on it. What did you order?¡± Roxanne said perfunctorily. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Ethan acted as if he didn¡¯t understand and took Roxanne to the backyard. In the middle of the yard was a ss house Ethan had acquired at great expense. Ethan wanted to give Roxanne the best. However, he soon realized no matter how much he gave her, it could notpete with a smile from Gideon, Gideon caught up with Margaret, who was speed walking. ¡°Are you nning to walk home?¡± he asked, observing her t shoes and thinking. ¡®Sure, she¡¯s unpredictable. ¡°One needs to exercise more to live a long life. So, you¡¯re right, Mr. Compton. I¡¯m going to walk back,¡± Margaret said stubbornly while silently cursing Gideon. ¡®There are many restaurants in the city for Gideon to choose from. Why did he have to choose such a remote ce? Did he n to take me directly into the valley after dinner and get rid of my dead body?¡¯ she wondered. ¡°Very well. Then I won¡¯t keep you from living a long life, Gideon said mockingly. He showed no intention of persuading Margaret to get into his car, so he stepped on the gas and drove off, leaving a cloud of dust on Margaret¡¯s face.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What the heck!¡± Margaret cursed. She wanted to bedylike, but when it came to Gideon, she couldn¡¯t help sting inappropriate words. Margaret almost broke her foot after walking only one-third of the way while trying to act tough. She attempted to hitch a ride but was unsessful due to the remote area. After walking for a long time, Margaret finally spotted a bus stop. She rushed to it like a desperate person seeing water in the desert. However, when Margaret looked up, she was in utter despair. Thest bus had left ten minutes ago. Margaret felt exhausted. She squatted on the ground and thought about sleeping on the floor. Just as the frustration consumed Margaret, a car slowly pulled up. The car window slowly lowered, revealing Gideon¡¯s hideous face. ¡°Maggie, how¡¯s your fitness n going? Do you need a ride?¡± he asked. The smug look on his face made Margaret want to punch him in the eye and make sure he got a ck eye. In the end, reason prevailed. Margaret knew that if she refused Gideon again, he would leave without looking back. When the timees, she might have to continue walking in that remote ce for a long time. Margaret mmed the car door shut with a bang. As soon as she was in the back seat, shey down. ¡°I really need to train again. Conditions on the battlefield were much harsher then, but I could hold out. Now, it¡¯s only a short distance, and I¡¯m already exhausted,¡± she thought. Gideon didn¡¯t care she was lying down, and he quietly sent her home. When the car stopped and Gideon looked back, he saw she had fallen asleep. She looked meek in her sleep and wouldn¡¯t lock horns with him, just as obedient as she had been five years ago. Gideon didn¡¯t call Margaret right away. Instead, he took a moment to enjoy the peacefulness of the moment. He turned to watch her sleep. If Margaret hadn¡¯t rolled over and fallen off the backseat, they would have stayed in that position all night. Margaret rubbed her aching waist as she slowly woke up. When she saw the familiar scenery, she deftly slid back into the back seat and politely said to Gideon, ¡°Thank you for driving me home, Mr. Compton.¡± Chapter 17 CE With that, Margaret opened the door, stepped out, and closed it, Her actions were quick and deft, and her earlier exhaustion had disappeared. ¡°Maggie, am I a tiger?¡± Gideon asked, sticking his head out of the window. Margaret turned and saw Gideon looking serious. She gulped and lied, saying, ¡°No!¡± Margaret thought to herself, ¡°Gideon is more terrifying than beasts like tigers and lions. However, she didn¡¯t express her thoughts for fear of losing any chance to go home. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 ¡°Then, why are you running away from me every time?¡± Gideon asked seriously. Gideon meant not just now but also five years ago. It was not true that Margaret¡¯s departure had no impact on him. He just knew how to control and hide his emotions better than ordinary people. Therefore, everyone thought Gideon didn¡¯t care about Margaret¡¯s departure. However, he was the only one who knew that he cared. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have kept the mansion and stayed there for a while when he was free. He thought maybe one day she woulde back. ¡°Is this love? I don¡¯t think so, Gideon thought, but it was reallyfortable to be with Margaret. He didn¡¯t have to think too much when being with her. Her joy and sorrow were all written on her face, and she wouldn¡¯t hide the dissatisfaction she had about him. She was the only glimmer of his dark life at that time. Gideon was reluctant to give up thisfortable feeling, as if someone who had been blind for a long time could suddenly see all colors and didn¡¯t want to give them up. ¡°L..¡± Margaret uttered but couldn¡¯t continue. She didn¡¯t know how to exin her thoughts and thought it was better not to say anything than a bunch of nonsense After waiting for a long time, Gideon didn¡¯t get the reply he wanted. He felt very suffocated and drove away immediately, leaving Margaret with a pile of dust. When Margaret coughed ufortably because of the dust, her inexplicable guilt disappeared, and she gave Gideon another nickname- lunatic. After five years, Gideon had be more moody and terrifying than the devil from hell. aybe it was because of what happened that night that Margaret didn¡¯t see Gideon again in the next few days. Margaret was also calm and knew Gideon wouldn¡¯t stay out of her life just because of her words. She reckoned he probably was waiting for some time before suddenly appearing and giving her a fatal blow, In order not to risk her life, Margaret decided to treat herself well and live a great life. However, there were always idents that came unexpectedly, such as the pouring rain, Standing at thepany entrance, Margaret watched people running to the roadside with umbres or waiting for their boyfriends to pick them up. She stood there without anything, wondering when the rain would let up. Otherwise, she couldn¡¯t even run to the roadside and hail taxi. She thought, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s impossible to even have a carpool now.¡± When Colin walked to the door, he saw Margaret¡¯s helpless look and asked, ¡°Margaret, you¡¯re still here? No umbre? Do you want me to give you a lift?¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Margaret shook her head and said, ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m waiting for someone to pick me up.¡± She was sure she couldn¡¯t stay at thepany for a long time, so she didn¡¯t want to be too involved with her colleagues. Connections were easy to establish but difficult to break apart. Margaret hoped that she could say goodbye to everyone carefreely when she left instead of doing it reluctantly while hugging them with tears in her eyes. Colin was suspicious of Margaret¡¯s words, but since she had said so and they were not very familiar with each other, he didn¡¯t insist anymore and said, ¡°The rain is too heavy. I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to walk on the road. Don¡¯t worry. You can go upstairs and wait for a while.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± said Margaret, smiling gratefully. 10 13:05 Wed, 26 Jun Chapter 18 Margaret watched as the people she knew and strangers left one by one. After standing at the door for more than half an hour, the rain didn¡¯t seem to diminish. Instead, it was getting heavier and heavier. She sighed in her heart. Over the years, she had be used to staying on the battlefield and had almost forgotten that there was rain. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Margaret raised her head and spoke in a childish pique. She closed her eyes and was ready to walk in the heavy rain. At worst, she would be ill and could lie at home for two days. However, as soon as Margaret raised one of her feet, a big hand grabbed her arm and stopped her. SEND GIFT Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Margaret turned around and saw an unfamiliar face. She frowned and asked rudely, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, sir?¡± If it weren¡¯t for that he was tall, Margaret would have given him a shoulder throw. Touching women at will could be regarded as sexual harassment. ¡°An elegantdy should not be soaked in a heavy rain,¡± the man said with a smile, revealing his eight white teeth. if it were other women, they would definitely feel that they had met the handsome true love of their lives on this romantic rainy day, but Margaret was destined to be different. She only thought that it was not her lucky day and that she had run into a psycho. ¡°So?¡± Margaret shook off his hand and took a step back, looking at him vigntly. ¡°This umbre is for you.¡± The man was holding an umbre, which made Margaret a little confused. She wondered, ¡°Is a stranger giving me his umbre? ncing at Margaret¡¯s confused look, the man smiled and stuffed the umbre into her hand. ¡°Hurry up and go home.¡± After saying that, he ran into the rain without even waiting for a word of thanks. Margaret looked at the man¡¯s back for a long time. She hadn¡¯t felt the warmth from a stranger for a long time. Thinking of the man¡¯s smile just now, she felt a little ashamed. He looked handsome and charming when he smiled, and she shouldn¡¯t have seen him as a pervert. If she had another chance to meet him again, she would thank him and apologize to him. When Margaret walked into the rain with the umbre, two cars were watching her not far away. Gideon looked unhappily at Margaret¡¯s brisk steps and felt that his arrival was just a joke. He thought, ¡®She has so many knights in shining armor. My care counts for nothing.¡± In the other car, the man, who just gave Margaret an umbre, showed a scheming expression. ¡®Roxanne, I¡¯ll definitely help you get what you want and remove those obstacles. These days of waiting are not in vain. Finally, I got the chance,¡± he thought Although it was raining heavily, Margaret wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go home. She was like an elf in the rain, strolling and asionally jumping over the small puddles, not like a woman in her thirties but simply a girl full of curiosity about the world. Gideon asked the driver to follow her. The happier Margaret felt, the gloomier he was. They had been separated for five years, and Gideon knew nothing about what Margaret had gone through during those years. The feeling of missing out made him panic for a moment. ¡®I wonder how many times Margaret smiled at other men without me knowing. Could someone have taken my ce in her heart?¡® he thought. Five years ago, Gideon had sensed the change in her feelings for him before Margaret realized it. Gideon was proud and took it for granted as he watched and enjoyed it. He was confident that he would meet Margaret again. He could see the feelings in her eyes at the party that day. However, inexplicably, looking at the scene earlier, he felt a little uncertain. ¡°Mr. Compton, the rain is getting heavier,¡± the driver reminded Gideon in a low voice. He hadn¡¯t worked for thetter for a long time, only a year, but he was the one who could read his thoughts well. He knew that Gideon had recently taken an interest in Margaret, who was unlike any other woman. The rain is getting heavier. That girl will surely get wet, and Gideon will be in a worse mood by that time, won¡¯t he?¡± the driver wondered.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay. Take me home,¡± Gideon said. The driver was surprised but didn¡¯t ask further. He turned the steering wheel and drove in another direction. Chapter 19 42% Through the rearview mirror, Gideon could still see Margaret¡¯s figure. His left hand slowly clenched into a fist to restrain his urge to cha Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Margaret held a te of instant pasta and blew on it tantly. She felt sorry to order takeout on such a rainy day, as it would trouble the delivery man too much. Meanwhile, she only had instant pasta left in the refrigerator, so she could only make do with it. The instant pasta was convenient and could be ready in a few minutes, but it was too hot. For someone who was starving, this was a form of torture. The delicious food was less than eight inches away from Margaret, but she could only stare at it while her stomach growled nonstop, Margaret thought of the dreamy life of a married person as described by her best friend, Luciana Mortimer, where her husband served food at an appropriate temperature for consumption as soon as she returned home. She also wanted to eat delicious food as soon as she entered the house. While Margaret was immersed in the fantasy of delicious food, a rapid and rude knock on the door interrupted her imagination. At the same time, her heartbeat sped up. Instantly, images from ¡°Memories of Murder¡± and ¡°The Rain Killer¡± surfaced in Margaret¡¯s mind. The fear of a woman who lived alone made her shrink deeper into the couch. Meanwhile, the knocking on the door continued as if that person would not stop until Margaret answered it.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Margaret searched around the living room and saw the only thing that could be used as a weapon, a mop. It was the only stick in her house. She decided if she survived this round, she would purchase a baseball bat, which was more lethal ¡°§°§â§Ö§Ý the door!¡± As soon as she quietly walked to the door, Margaret heard a violent shout. It was a familiar voice. Then, Margaret¡¯s mood suddenly changed from fear to anger. She wondered, ¡®Is Compton Group going bankrupt? Why is its general manager, Gideon, so free and travel such a long way on a rainy day to scare me?¡® Margaret found her earplugs and decided to ignore him. Gideon was not someone who knew when to give up. After knocking for two minutes and getting no response, he called a locksmith The locksmith was cautious. They did not open the lock for Gideon upon arrival but only did it after asking a round of questions and buying his excuse. If Margaret had seen and heard the touching words Gideon told the locksmith, she would have filmed it and made it into a short documentary to participate in the Oscar contest. Gideon would absolutely win as the best actor. While Margaret was humming along to the music happily and taking a hot bath in the bathroom, Gideon thanked the locksmith sincerely and entered the house in contentment. With the sound of water running in the bathroom and the music ying, Margaret did not hear the door opening and closing. ¡°Ah!¡± Margaret screamed. She could swear that she had not screamed like that in ten years, but she couldn¡¯t help it when she saw the man on the couch as she came out of the room in a bathrobe and was about to watch the television. Margaret shouted with all her strength as if she wanted to attract the attention of the whole building. She did not stop until she was almost out of breath. ¡°Why are you at my house?¡± Margaret¡¯asked loudly. She looked at the door, which stood there intact without any trace of violent break¨Cin. Chapter 20 Margaret¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. She wondered, ¡®Did he get the key to my house from somewhere? It seems that moving away is inevitable ¡°Isn¡¯t your home mine too?¡± Gideon was still angry, but the after¨Ca¨Cbath Margaret could almost erase all his distress. Over the years, no woman other than Margaret could ignite Gideon¡¯s desire so quickly. Although Margaret was still wearing a bathrobe, Gideon knew her habits too well. There must be nothing under the rose¨Cpink bathrobe. Based on his memories and imagination alone, Gideon almost lost control of himself. He could not help but mock himself internally, Why am I acting like a sex addict?¡± ¡°Gideon, you¡¯ve gone too farl¡± Margaret was really angry. Whoever he was, Gideon had no right to break into her house. SEND GIFT Chapter 21 Chapter 21 ¡°Who didn¡¯t open the door for me first?¡± Gideon asked. ¡°Have you ever knocked on the door?¡± Margaret asked with a guilty conscience. She would never admit that she pretended not to hear the knock, otherwise, it was equivalent to giving Gideon leverage. Margaret¡¯s gaze was a little uncertain. She looked at every corner of the room except at Gideon. Gideon smiled. He thought, ¡®Even after five years, she still didn¡¯t make any progress. She could never learn to lie. Every time she lied, she didn¡¯t dare to look me in the eye.¡¯ ¡°Maggie, you refuse to look at me every time you lie.¡± Gideon exposed Margaret without hesitation. ¡°Of course not!¡± Margaret hurriedly denied it, not even noticing how inappropriate her current attire was. Gideon didn¡¯t say anything. He slowly stood up from the couch and approached Margaret step by step. The beauty was right before him, and he intended to make himself happy instead of following his initial intention. Perhaps the sex would remind Margaret how harmonious they used to be, so she might return to him. Gideon walked slowly, not in a hurry to hold Margaret. Margaret looked adorable with a defensive, scared, and guilty expression. Gideon felt that he would suffer a great loss without teasing Margaret. ¡°Gideon, what are you doing?¡± Margaret asked as she stepped back. She had chosen a bad spot, which allowed her little space before she leaned against the wall. When she was about to turn around and run to the bedroom to lock herself in, Gideon had already strade up to her, trapping her between the wall and himself. ¡°Maggie, what do you think I will do when you walk up to me in this dress?¡± Gideon said, leaning forward slightly so that the tip of his nose touched Margaret¡¯s neck. Margaret immediately turned her head to avoid it but ended up giving Gideon a hand. Her neck was nowpletely exposed in front of Gideon. He gently rubbed against Margaret¡¯s neck with the tip of his nose. ¡°You still like to use jasmine body wash, but it is not as authentic as the one I prepared for you before. I¡¯ll have someone send some to you next time,¡± Gideon said. Margaret froze. She knew she should push Gideon away now. However, the subtle desire made her thoughts wander. While cursing Gideon in her heart, Margaret also made an excuse for herself. As a grown woman, it was only natural for her to feel something when dealing with male hormones. But now was not the time for her to make excuses, but the time to kick Gideon out. ¡°Maggie, admit it. You miss me too.¡± Gideon chuckled and whispered in Margaret¡¯s ear, which aroused Margaret. She thought, ¡®Gosh! What on earth am I doing? My body gave in just now!¡± Margaret pushed Gideon away. She didn¡¯t have much strength, but he did not expect her to push him away. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he was giving off an unhappy vibe. However, because of struggling, Margaret¡¯s neckline unbuttoned, which satisfied him. ¡°Mr. Compton, please leave.¡± Margaret took a deep breath and tried to keep calm. ¡°What if I don¡¯t?¡± 42% Chapter 21 ¡°Then, I have to call the police. You don¡¯t want the headline tomorrow to be about y and attempting sexual assault at midnight, do you?¡± you, the CEO of Compton Group, breaking into my house ¡°After years, Margaret became assertive, if it were five years ago, she would never have thought of this. It seemed that she had learned a lot when I wasn¡¯t around,¡± Gideon thought and felt more curious. He wanted to know what had changed in Margaret over the past five years. She was like a fun maze right now that Gideon wanted to know more about. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m the kind of person who would ept threats?¡± Gideon asked as he closed in on Margaret again. Four years of memories were enough for Gideon to know every sensitive part of Margaret. He didn¡¯t even need to purposely look for it. His hand was spontaneously on Margaret¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Maggie, you know me. I¡¯m a possessive maniac. Don¡¯t get too close with other men, or I will go crazy.¡± Gideon frowned at the thought of what he saw outside Margaret¡¯spany today. He hated any man who approached her and also hated that she would smile at those men, even if it were just a passerby. Gideon knew his possessiveness was unreasonable, but he couldn¡¯t control himself when facing Margaret. So, even though he was already home, he couldn¡¯t feel at ease and finally drove over in the heavy rain. ¡°Mr. Compton, the 300 thousand dors five years ago was our breakup fee, and I have nothing to do with you since then. Don¡¯t you usually like to do charity? Consider this as helping me out and let me go. I know you don¡¯t want to see me, and in a little while, I¡¯ll be gone, and we can go our separate ways. Wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡± Margaret said. ¡°Maggie, you ran away without permission five years ago. Now, it¡¯s time for you toe back. But don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t make a deal with you this time. I will wait for you toe back to me willingly.¡± Gideon lowered his head and kissed Margaret on the shoulder. It was a long kiss without lust. Margaret thought she was crazy. She felt emotions from this kiss, as if Gideon liked her. Margaret shook her head and let this groundless thought out of her mind. ¡°I¡¯m very patient,¡± Gideon dered and turned away. ¡°He¡¯s gone just like that?¡± Margaret looked at the door, feeling uncertain. The Gideon she knew wasn¡¯t easy to deal with. Besides, he wasn¡¯t as crazy as now,ing and going like the wind. Margaret thought for a while but failed to figure it out. Maybe she was not smart enough. No matter how much time passed, she couldn¡¯t make Gideon¡¯s thoughts clear. He was too unpredictable. Therefore, she chose to cut herself some ck and lived happily at will Besides, Gideon wasn¡¯t the only problem. She had to deal with her job. For almost two weeks, Margaret went to work but didn¡¯t have much to do besides drinking coffee and reviewing drafts. It felt like she was retiring early. She knew the headquarters was concerned about her mental state, so they made sure she wasn¡¯t given any interview tasks. But Margaret was a born fighter. She could keep pushing forward tirelessly, but she couldn¡¯t stand still like this, which would drive her crazy. Since the higher-ups s didn¡¯t assign her any task, Margaret had to find one herself. It seemed impossible to quickly et rid of the trauma brought by Gideon¡¯s arrival, so Margaret could only do her best. She turned on the Computer and read onement after another during the local peak hours. Sometimes, some viral news was hidden in a seemingly casual comment. Margaret was a born reporter with a sharp eye. She uncovered many sensational news from thesements. However, it was also an endurance battle. Margaret often needed to look through several hundred thousandments to find something useful, but sometimes she 5. 42%) Chapter 21 got lucky and found something after just a few hundred.. However, luck was not with Margaret today. She scrolled through thements until her eyes were tired, but she couldn¡¯t find any useful information at all. Margaret closed her weary eyes, throwing herself on the bed. There were still four hours before dawn, and she had four hours to sleep. Her brain was already very tired, but she was still reluctant to sleep. The appearance of Gideon always messed Margaret up, just like he did nine years ago. Because of Gideon¡¯s weird actions tonight, Margaret had an unexpected dream. When she woke up in fright, she wanted to escape this city at once. Looking at the time casually, Margaret found that she had only slept for less than two hours. It was still raining outside, the drops pattered on the ss and reflected the moonlight, waiting to wee the rising sun. But Margaret didn¡¯t know when she could find her sunshine. In other words, since Keh had left, there would be no sunshine in her world. For the first time, Margaret chose to give herself a day off. It was a blessing in disguise that she had missed the new small surprise prepared by Gideon. ¡°Mr. Compton, Ms. Willcox didn¡¯t go to work today.¡± The subordinate came to report his unfinished work with anxiety. ording to Gideon¡¯s n, he should have greeted Margaret with eight subordinates at the entrance of herpany today. The nine of them each held a gift, showing his love for her over the years. But they didn¡¯t see Margaret from 7:30 am, to 11:00a.m. A subordinate went to inquire carefully and found that Margaret didn¡¯t go to work. ¡°Got it,¡± Gideon¡¯s tone was calm. He didn¡¯t even raise his head, as if he did not care. ¡°Then, the gifts¡­¡± The subordinate bit the bullet and asked for instructions. ¡°Put them away first, and then go back to your work,¡± Gideon said. The subordinate nodded slightly and left in a hurry. He felt the cold vibe from Gideon, and it was quite strong. As soon as s the extr extra people in the office left, Gideon dropped the documents in his hand. These documents were important, and a decision had to be made by the end of the day, but Gideon couldn¡¯t focus on them. Margaret might never know how much influence she had on Gideon and how well he knew her. Gideon knew Margaret was not a person who would ask for leave at will if she did so, it would only mean that she was too sick to get out of bed or she wanted to run away again.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Gideon could ept neither of them. But now, going over would make it seem like he cared about her. Gideon wanted to y the long game and went after the big fish. He didn¡¯t want Margaret to know that he started to feel different about her at the moment. He felt like he needed to give her a little punishment for running away for five years Chapter 22 COMMENT Chapter 22 4230 6 Gideon forced down all his worries about Margaret. He thought that some distance would be beneficial to their future development, but he forgot that there was still Clifford by her side, who had been looking for opportunities. Clifford was finally free after being busy for about half a month, and the first thing he did was to call Margaret. Initially, he wanted to ask her out to dinner and then watch a romantic film or something, pretty much the ssic activities of a date. Margaret had always been amiable but rarely opened up to others. Although she got along fine with people, she actually didn¡¯t care much about anyone. This was something that took Clifford a long time to realize. He knew that if he wanted to really win her heart, he had to take it slow and walk into her life one step at a time to make her get used to him. Regarding this, Clifford¡¯s strategy was better than Gideon¡¯s, but he came toote. Before Clifford, someone had already earned a ce in Margaret¡¯s heart, rooted there, almost impossible to be removed. As soon as Margaret answered the phone, her weak voice made Clifford change his n. He brought some cooking ingredients with him, prepared to show his culinary skills at her ce. He had heard that the way to someone¡¯s heart was through their stomach. As such, he nned to first earn her approval with his cooking, then slowly win her heart overpletely. Margaret, on the other hand, didn¡¯t expect that Clifford would really bring a bunch of groceries to her ce. She had assumed he was merely kidding on the phone. Seeing the confusion in her gaze, he teased, ¡°What? Am I not wee?¡± ¡°Of course you are. But are you really going to cook at my ce?¡± Margaret stepped aside to make way for him and his severalrge bags of stuff. ¡°I never lie.¡± Clifford took the things to the kitchen. The cleanliness in there took him by surprise as he wondered if the kitchen was purely a decoration for Margaret. There weren¡¯t even any seasonings for cooking. He looked back at her rather speechlessly, remarking in a somewhat reproachful yet concerned tone, ¡°Are ou ever going to learn to take good care of yourself?¡± ¡°I am! Technology has made things uber convenient in this time and day. It¡¯s just a few clicks away for food to be delivered to me every time. Why would I still go through the trouble of cooking myself? It not only stinks up the ce but all that oil and smoke may also be bad for my skin.¡± She found a perfect excuse for herself. Facing Clifford, Margaret would asionally act as mischievous as a child, likely because he had saved her life once, causing her mixed feelings toward him. It was both a sense of reliance and indebtedness. ¡°Go get changed,¡± he instructed. As this came fairly out of the blue, she didn¡¯t react for a moment, looking quite silly and adorable. Clifford couldn¡¯t help but pinch her cheek, and she subconsciously tried to p his hand away. However, he reacted faster than her, and she ended up identally pping herself in the face instead. Even though she didn¡¯t use that much force, it still made a crisp sound, leaving both of them stunned. A few secondster, they burst outughing. Margaretughed so hard that she couldn¡¯t even stand straight. She grabbed the counter beside her as tears ofughter fell from her eyes. This was the first time sheughed so heartily ever since she came back. Of course, it would¡¯ve been even better if she wasn¡¯t the one being 1/4 Chapter 22 the butt of the joke. 42 ¡°Other women would¡¯ve wanted a hole to open up and swallow them by now, and yet you¡¯reughing like a maniac,¡± Cliffordmented. He directed her toward her bedroom and stopped at the door with great consideration before pushing her in. ¡°Hurry and get changed. I¡¯ll take you to see the outside world.¡± With that, he helped her shut the door like aplete gentleman and went to the living room to wait alone. Margaret selected a simple, loose T¨Cshirt and a pair of ripped jeans, taking only three minutes to get dressed up. When the bedroom door opened, Clifford nced at his watch and thought, ¡®This woman is even faster than some guys! ¡°Come on. We cane back earlier if we go earlier.¡± He rose from the couch. Margaret presumed he was taking her to a special ce of sorts, but to her astonishment, he brought her to a lively supermarket. ¡°So, this is the outside world you mentioned?¡± she asked as she got out of the car. Finally, she understood why he was still single. Of all the guys she knew, no one would ever think to take a girl to the supermarket. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate this ce. It has a variety of products from all over the world that will absolutely meet all of your needs.¡± Clifford opened his arms as if he wanted to hug the whole supermarket. ¡°I gotta say, Clifford, you look nothing like a doctor this way. Contrarily, you¡¯re like a fervent salesman who¡¯s impossible to reject,¡± she joked while walking up to him and bumping his shoulder. ¡°How about you try out a salesman job? Purely based on your looks alone, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll attract many young women to buy your products¡± ¡°You think so? What about you? Will you buy from me?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course!¡± Margaret was very supportive. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try it when I have a chance,¡± he answered. Then, they walked into the supermarket. Not many people were here on weekdays, and the music was rtively soothing, making for a pleasant first visit for Margaret. She sighed somewhat regretfully. After all, she had moved here for more than half a month, and only now did she know the existence of this supermarket. It not only had everything but would take just about eight minutes for her to get here on foot. All of a sudden, she felt like she had lived so long in vain. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t usually want to cook, you can still make yourself a simple bowl of pasta when you¡¯re sick of takeout food. So, some seasonings are a must¨Chave at home.¡± Clifford led her to the condiment aisle and started putting things into the cart like someone who knew exactly what he was doing. ¡°Whoa, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be skilled in this. Looks like I¡¯ve truly underestimated you before. I¡¯ve got a lot to learn from you!¡± Margaret teased, winking. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m super outstanding and totally husband material?¡± he quizzed tentatively. In fact, he was a little nervous about her answer, but he maintained the facade of focusing on his task for fear that the current harmony between them would be ruined if she could tell something was off about him Clifford had tried to test the waters before, but Margaret would always pull back from any conversation that even vaguely involved feelings and rtionships. He couldn¡¯t be certain whether she was simply slow in this aspect or deliberately avoiding it. Nheless, he didn¡¯t want to force her, so he would take it easy since they had plenty of time to get along anyway. Mm¨Chmm. I wonder who¡¯s gonna be that one luckydy who snags you.¡± Margaret took five jars of bolognese sauce that she liked and ced them in the cart. Since she finally made a trip here and even had a man to do the physical work, she figured she had to make it worthwhile. Consequently, she went on to take whatever stuff she liked in bulk. This showed Clifford an all¨Cnew level of herziness. He reckoned he had to bring her out to experience life more whenever he had time in the future. After selecting a ton of stuff, they were finally ready to leave, with the whole shopping cart piled up with products. But when they joined the checkout line, Margaret discovered, to her embarrassment, that she had forgotten to bring anything with her when they left her ce, including her phone and wallet. Looking at the end of the checkout line a bit uneasily, Margaret had to ask Clifford for help. ¡°Clifford, um¡­ Actually¡­ Well..¡± It was not the first time she asked others for help financially, but when facing Clifford, she just couldn¡¯t seem to muster the words. Margaret couldn¡¯t talk about money with people she was close with, as there were way too many things that concerned financial transactions in her life. Thus, she was always particrly sensitive when it came to such matters. She was aware that she shouldn¡¯t be like this, but she simply wanted a in and easy rtionship with her close ones and not for things to turn out the way they did with her and Gideon, Some things would change the moment money was involved. Even if she dared to mention the word ¡°love,¡± she doubted anyone would believe her. Realizing that she was thinking of Gideon, Margaret felt herself hopeless again, thinking, ¡®I merely came back to this city. Why does it feel as though Gideon is everywhere? He keeps popping up in my head wherever I go. This isn¡¯t a good sign. ¡°What is it, Maggie? Why are you hesitating?¡± Clifford queried. There were only two more customers before it was their turn, so she knew there was no running from this. Plucking up some courage, she closed her eyes and asked, ¡°Could you lend me some money? I left my phone and wallet at home.¡± Clifford froze briefly, not expecting that what she found so difficult to ask was about something like that. In fact, he had never intended for her to pay either. ¡°Come on. I got it,¡± he replied vaguely. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back right after we get home, Margaret said hurriedly, not wanting him to think she was taking advantage of him.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Clifford didn¡¯t know some of her past, so her behavior hurt him a little, as she sounded like she didn¡¯t want to owe him anything. He blurted out, ¡°Maggle, it¡¯s not a lot of money. There¡¯s no need to be so clear with me on this. Aren¡¯t we friends?¡± His tone was not that nice, making her a bit awkward. She wanted to exin but didn¡¯t know how to. After all, it wasn¡¯t as though she could tell him she had once been Gideon¡¯s mistress for money. She knew that she had screwed up a good thing. Even though it wasn¡¯t her intention, it was still her fault. When she was brooding about how to make up for it, a girl behind her gently poked her bark Margaret turned around, and the girl beckoned to Margaret mysteriously. Margaret didn¡¯t know this girl at all, but the girl¡¯s innocent¨Clooking face instinctively made Margaret lower her guard. Furthermore, even if the girl had bad intentions, she still had Clifford with her. Once Margaret inched nearer to the girl, the girl whispered softly, ¡°Miss, have you guys just started dating?¡± She was smiling teasingly as if she knew she was right about that. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Margaret was about to rify as the young girl seemed to have misunderstood things, but she didn¡¯t give Margaret a chance to speak and rambled on, ¡°Miss, you shouldn¡¯t be too particr when ites to money matters with your boyfriend. Let him splurge on you asionally; otherwise, he¡¯ll think he¡¯s not important to you.¡± She spoke as if she was experienced, Margaret carefully regarded the girl, who was dressed in a puffy pink skirt, her medium length hair tied into a crooked braid, Her supple skin gave off youthful energy, making her look around 16 to 17 years old. ¡®Am I being lectured by a girl who¡¯s a decade older than me?¡¯ Margaret mused. While she still couldn¡¯t wrap her head around it, Clifford¡¯s mood had lifted considerably. He was satisfied as long as someone sided with him. ¡°Let¡¯s go home and prepare dinner, Clifford said gently. However, his statement left even more room for others¡¯ imagination. It would be futile for Margaret to exin herself as everyone was already convinced that they were a pair. ¡°Miss, remember to be more gentle with your boyfriend!¡± the young girl even shouted at Margaret as they were leaving. Margaret was at a loss, and her cheeks couldn¡¯t help reddening. She murmured, ¡°We are not¡­¡± s, her soft retort had long since been drowned out by the music and noise. Upon getting into the car, Clifford ventured, ¡°We are quite well-matched in others¡¯ eyes.¡± He tried his best to keep his eyes elsewhere instead of Margaret¡¯s expression, pretending as if it were but a passing joke. Only he knew how rapidly his heartbeat was, so much that it was threatening to leap out of his ribcage. ¡°Oh, stop it! What does a young girl know?¡± Margaret replied evasively and turned on the music in the car. She had inexplicably felt that the atmosphere between them had turned somewhat strange. Thus, she needed to shift her focus elsewhere and chose to do so by listening to music. It¡¯d be best for them both to forget what had happened earlier. Back in Margaret¡¯s home, Clifford seemed more like the host than her as he busied himself in the kitchen. The only thing required of her was to stand at the kitchen doorway, enjoying some snacks while observing him bustling around. It was like a gender reversal Clifford¡¯s superb cooking skills were presented through his deft movements. He was clearly more capable than her, a woman who only knew how to make omelets and beef stew. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me your proficiency in handling the knife was trained from using a scalpel during surgeries?¡± Margaret inquired out of curiosity. It felt somewhat unnerving to picture such a scene in her mind. ¡°What do you think?¡± Clifford responded. While he meant to deny it, he enjoyed poking fun at Margaret. A scalpel might be sharp enough to ¨C dissect the human body, but it was far too small to cut vegetables. Margaret said, ¡°My heart goes out to your patients. To think that the doctor they ce theirplete trust in regards them as nothing more than vegetables.¡± She sighed and grabbed another cucumber slice to munch on. Her irritation in the morning had vanished, proving that food was indeed the most effective cure when one was in a foul mood. Clifford smiled and said, ¡°You should walt outside. I¡¯ll start cooking. You don¡¯t want the oil fumes to damage your skin.¡± Margaret realized then that Clifford¡¯s good memory wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing, as he was taunting her based on a past incident. ¡®That¡¯s foul y!¡¯ she huffed internally. With a harrumph, she turned away and strode to the living room. ¡®What an ingrate! I kept himpany by chatting with him in case he¡¯d feel lonely in the kitchen, s, he took advantage of the knowledge he had of me to mock me. That man is seriously getting on my nerves these days, she thought. 1/3 Chapter 23 Clifford was rather efficient and managed to whip out a scrumptious spread in half an hour. A wide range of colors were present in his spread. Margaret felt as if her internal organs had been revived as she inhaled deeply, her entire being screaming of hunger. ¡°Clifford, being a doctor is such a waste of your talent. You should open a restaurant instead. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s going to be a hit,¡± Margaret remarked, preparing to dig in. She didn¡¯t forget topliment the chef beforehand, thereby ensuring she¡¯d be frequently supplied with such delicious food in the future. ¡°Hurry up and eat. It won¡¯t taste good once it has cooled down,¡± Clifford urged. It was the first time he¡¯d put so much effort into cooking. Back then, he¡¯d picked up cooking simply because he¡¯d gotten tired of eating outside and didn¡¯t want to starve to death. However, he cooked for Margaret to see the sheer look of bliss in her smile. Margaret tasted every mouth-watering dish, chewing carefully. Her brows lifted progressively, and the speed at which she ate increased as well. Despite that, she remembered giving Clifford a thumbs up. On the other hand, Clifford barely ate and mainly focused on feeding her. Just then, after considering it, he voiced out a slightly unreasonable remark, ¡°I cane over to make dinner for you after work if you like.¡± Margaret immediately shook her head to refuse. She had sprung to action so quickly that she ended up choking on her food, causing her to cough violently. Clifford handed her a ss of water and patted her on the back, joking with a tinge of sadness, ¡°Am I that scary?¡± Margaret drank the water, calming herself before saying. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I don¡¯t want to trouble you. Besides, it¡¯ll negatively impact your for a girlfriend. You should settle down now that you¡¯re back, Clifford.¡± search Those who had experienced life on the battlefield exceptionally cherished a life of stability. After returning to daily life, several of Margaret¡¯s colleagues had swiftly gotten married and had children. They all savored the simple happiness of living a secure and ordinary life. Margaret hoped Clifford could live like that so her guilt could be somewhat relieved. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss itter,¡± Clifford replied, brushing her off. He had no idea whether to me Margaret¡¯s denseness in romance or himself for being too subtle in his intentions. He believed that his hints had been obvious enough. s, he felt frustrated at Margaret for merely treating him like a benefactor and friend. Thus, he started to consider changing his pursuit strategy, or he might end up a single old man at this rate. Clifford took a sip of iced water topose himself, deliberating whether or not to confess his feelings directly or build up a romantic atmosphere before doing so. Unfortunately, the heavens didn¡¯t seem to be on his side as he received a call from the hospital then. ¡°Maggie, I have to go now as something came up at the hospital,¡± he stated. A critically ill patient had been admitted to the emergency room. Since the doctors on duty were at their wit¡¯s end, they had to call Clifford, The caller sounded embarrassed during the call as they¡¯d witnessed how delighted Clifford looked when he clocked out. He was clearly going on a date; they wouldn¡¯t have spoiled his fun if they weren¡¯t desperate. Clifford understood that as well. Despite his frustration, he responded to his duty by pushing aside matters of romance for another day. ¡°You¡¯d best be on your way,¡± Margaret said/She didn¡¯t seem at all reluctant for him to leave and instead hurried him. After all, each second counted in a life-or-death situation. He was tongue-tied at Margaret¡¯s easy eptance of his departure and became even more upset. 2/3N?velDrama.Org owns all content. 13:06 Wed, 26 Jun Chapter 23 ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Call me if you need anything¡± Clifford said as he picked up his phone and car keys. If one day the were willing to call me for help when in trouble, would it mean that I¡¯m bing more important in her heart?¡¯ he wondered. ¡°Okay.¡± Margaret replied quickly. Nevertheless, they both knew there would be no such call. Clifford smiled helplessly and turned around to leave. There was someone waiting for him to save. Even though plenty of unsaid words hung between them, he had no choice but to hold them in for now. Certain things would forever take precedence from the moment he became a doctor Margaret sat before the dining table and felt relieved after sending him off. She was more sensitive than her peers after living for so many years and experiencing things that were seemingly inconceivable in everyday life. Thus, she couldn¡¯t possibly have failed to notice Clifford¡¯s hints. However, Margaret didn¡¯t think herself capable of falling in love anymore. What she wanted more was to find a suitablepanion in the future. Love wasn¡¯t necessary in a rtionship as long as they supported one another for as long as they lived. Such a marriage was unfair to Clifford, who deserved a woman who loved him. ¡°What a pity!¡± Margaret remarked before resuming to cat while sighing. Clifford¡¯s culinary skills would make a woman gain weight from bliss. She would have loved to be with him on a whim if not for having too many concerns and a desire not to stay in one ce. However, one should be ambitious and not sumb to delicacies. Therefore, it remained a fleeting fantasy she immediately gave up on due to its unreliability. Less than three minutes after Clifford left, the doorbell of Margaret¡¯s house rang again. She assumed that Clifford had forgotten something and returned to retrieve it. Fearing dying his work, she opened the door to ask before checking who it was, ¡°Did you forget something?¡± Gideon¡¯s eyes gleamed lethally as he asked, ¡°Was someone here?¡± While it didn¡¯t matter if a woman had visited Margaret since she should have her social life, he¡¯d have to teach her a lesson if the visitor were the particrly annoying man. ¡°Is Ms. Lambert busy these days?¡± Margaret retorted as she didn¡¯t want to answer Gideon¡¯s question. Her personal life was none of his business, and he did not need to know who had visited her home. If she¡¯d known it was him, she wouldn¡¯t have opened the door. She simply wanted to stay away from him as far as possible. ¡°Why did you bring her up? As far as I can recall, you two aren¡¯t on good terms,¡± Gideon said, subconsciously refusing to mention Roxanne in front of Margaret. He knew in addition to to how th the three of them were entangled, Roxanne bothered her also because of the humiliation she suffered during the years she lived in the Lambert residence. However, Roxanne was still useful to Gideon. As such, he couldn¡¯t get rid of her yet and could only attempt to keep her away from Margaret as much as possible. ? Chapter 24 Chapter 24 ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not good, just like the rtionship between us, Since I don¡¯t need to know about her business, you don¡¯t need to know about mine either.¡± After years of being a reporter, Margaret¡¯s tongue became sharper, and her reactions became quicker. Slightly tilting her head proudly, she wore a taunting expression. She felt like she finally had the upper hand in front of Gideon. ¡°Our rtionship is for life, and she¡¯s just a passerby, It¡¯s enough for you to know this,¡± Gideon said, hoping Margaret would understand his struggles. Then, he forcefully entered her house. Margaret tried to stop him, but as a weak woman, she couldn¡¯t withstand someone determined to barge into her home. She followed behind Gideon angrily and eximed loudly, ¡°Do I need to call the cops for you to understand that you need the homeowner¡¯s permission before entering?¡± Margaret really wanted to ask Gideon where he had thrown all the manners he had learned all these years. ¡°Maggie, even you belong to me¨Cnot to mention your home,¡± Gideon replied shamelessly, insisting on his ownership of Margaret. ¡°Could you be even more shameless?¡± Margaret asked, but Gideon only gave a smile as if her words werepliments. Then, he took out a fork from the rack and started tasting each dish. It wasn¡¯t until then that he discovered Margaret¡¯s excellent cooking skills. He regretted missing out on so much before and wished he hadn¡¯t limited their rtionship to the bedroom previously. If he hadn¡¯t been so cautious, they could have shared a life and fallen deeply in love with each other. Gideon couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they had lived together as a married couple for four years, would Margaret have left him so easily? Perhaps she would have hesitated longer, giving him the chance to notice any issues, and they wouldn¡¯t be facing the five¨Cyear gap and uncertainty then. ¡°The food is good,¡± he praised sincerely. Margeret suppressed the words that were about toe out of her mouth and thought, ¡®Why should I tell him the truth now?¡® With a mischievous smile, her attitude subtly changed. She seemed happy to have received hispliments as she asked, ¡°Do you really think the food is good?¡± Gideon nodded unsuspectingly. It was the first time Margaret had smiled at him since they met again. Therefore, it was natural for him to lose his judgment. He had no idea that she was plotting against him. ¡°Then, you should eat more. It¡¯d be a waste if there were leftovers, Margaret said enthusiastically, even helping Gideon to take more pasta to his te. Her sudden warmth was unexpected, and Gideon knew that he should be suspicious. However, he couldn¡¯t resist her smile. Despite everything she had been through, Margaret¡¯s smile still had the power to warm others. When she smiled, her eyes shone like stars. Even after being treated by the Lambert family so miserably back then, she still had the vitality to strive upward. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why I cannot let go of Margaret,¡± thought Gideon. ¡°You didn¡¯t go to work today?¡± he asked casually as if they were chatting like a married couple over dinner. The question had been on his mind all day. Throughout the day, there were moments when he wanted to abandon everything he was doing and check on Margaret, but his rational side stopped him. ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t feeling well.¡± Margaret¡¯s excuse was not simply made up. She had no intention of telling him the truth, and she didn¡¯t care whether he would believe her or not as well. 1/4 13:06 Wed, 26 Jun Chapter 24 ¡°Do you need to go to the hospital?¡± Gideon asked. ¡°No need,¡± Margaret simply refused. ¡°Are you sure? Don¡¯t ignore minor issues. What if¡­¡± Gideon started to nag. Margaret covered her cars with both hands and retorted, ¡°Who¡¯s the one who used to ignore constant stomach pains? Ended up drinking too much at a party, passed out from the pain, andter found out it was an ulcer?¡± That was something Gideon had done in the past. During those years, Gideon was constantly mocked as the illegitimate child of the Compton family and had no say in their matters. Apart from working hard, he had no other choices. That was also the reason why Margaret and Gideon were attracted to each other at first. They both lived lives that needed to depend on others for support, neither better off than the other. That sense of mutual understanding was what had initially bonded them together. ¡°Then, someone should also remember how ugly she looked crying at my bedside and the things she said back then,¡± Gideon recalled that when he was feeling dazed from his stomach pain, he found a brief moment of relief as he could finally rest, but Margaret¡¯s incessant talking annoyed him. But those words of concern became the warmest ones Gideon had heard all year, so it was no surprise that he could still remember them right then. ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Margaret denied it too quickly, inadvertently revealing that she did remember, However, she would never admit how foolish she had been. ¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll help you remember bit by bit,¡± Gideon said confidently. ¡°Don¡¯t talk while eating, as you said.¡± Margaret didn¡¯t want to talk to him anymore, so she dove straight into eating. Moreover, she had prepared a small surprise for Gideon. She was eager to see his expression when he learned the truth, which she guessed would be even worse than finding a fly in his food. As soon as Gideon put down his cutlery, Margaret couldn¡¯t contain her excitement anymore and asked again, ¡°How¡¯s the taste? Is it good?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡± Gideon was not willing to give too high ament. He was afraid that Margaret would be too proud. ¡°Well, Clifford¡¯s cooking has always been so good. Everyone who¡¯s tasted it thinks so.¡± Margaret pretended to be casual as she stood up to clean the table. Gideon realized that it was toote to say that the food tasted bad as there was barely anything left on the table. His actions had spoken louder than words. His expression immediately soured as if he¡¯d tasted something toxic. He was convinced Margaret had done it deliberately, pretending that she had cooked all the dishes on the table, and then struck him with the reality as soon as he finished enjoying the meal, All the delicious food then seemed tainted with poison to him, turning what was once savory into the most unptable food in the world. The idea of eating something cooked by his love rival sickened Gideon. He didn¡¯t even notice he¡¯dbeled Clifford as his love rival in his heart.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°He came over just now?¡± His voice was low, devoid of its pr previous sexiness. Instead, it sounded like that of a deviling out of hell. Only then did Margaret realize that five years had made Gideon more ruthless. In their previous encounters, he had been rtively polite to her. ¡°Yes.¡± She lifted her head confidently, hands resting on the table as she met Gideon¡¯s gaze without fear. ear. She wasn¡¯t afraid of him Chapter 24 misunderstanding her rtionship with Clifford; she even wanted it to happen. Someone as proud as Gideon would not stand the thought that his belongings were touched by someone else. Margaret wanted him to harbor resentment toward her and then disappear from her life. Though her heart ached a bit, she preferred to bear the pain then than to remain tied to Gideon forever. Being a mistress for four years was enough; she didn¡¯t want to bear thatbel indefinitely and live with her head hung low in the future. ¡°Does he alwayse?¡± Gideon asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Margaret casually lied. It was Clifford¡¯s first visit after her return to the country. However, she didn¡¯t need everyone to know the truth. Gideon crossed his arms andmented, ¡°It seems I have been too lenient with you.¡± Margaret remembered that gesture of Gideon¡¯s. Whenever he had a scheme, he would adopt that stance. Suddenly, she became alert. She was determined not to let him seed in whatever he had nned in his mind. ¡°Gideon, what will it take for you to understand that my life has nothing to do with you anymore?¡± Her attitude hardened, but deep down, she was a little scared. In order to fight for her freedom, Margaret strengthened her resolve. She hoped¨Cshe could endure it long enough, even if the resolve couldn¡¯t fully achieve its goal. She was adamant about showing Gideon that she would never return to his side again, no matter what But yearster, r, when Margaret touched her swollen belly and remembered that day¡¯s scene, she felt much embarrassed. ¡°And what will it take for you to understand that I never nned to let you go?¡± Gideon stood up, leaned forward halfway across the table, and stared at Margaret. They locked eyes with each other like boxing opponents in a fierce battle of wills. Margaret began to feel the pressure, while Gideon remained calm. Once again, she realized the difference in strength between them. Suddenly, it felt like she had no other option but to run away again, She knew it might make her look weak and foolish, but it was better than living in Gideon¡¯s shadow forever. Gideon straightened up, adjusted his cuffs, and dered sternly, ¡°You can start packing up now. When I am back from my business trip, you¡¯ll move back to our old house, it¡¯s been five years; it¡¯s time to set everything straight.¡± Just like in a corporate meeting setting, Gideon was the one who made all the decisions, and nobody dared to disobey his orders. Right then, he was applying the same tactic to Margaret as well. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t the type to submit obediently. The stronger the enemy was, the more rebellious Margaret would be. ¡°Oh? Then, let¡¯s see if I¡¯ll move out.¡± Sparks flickered in her lively eyes. ¡°Maggie, is it so hard to obey me?¡± Gideon asked with some weariness. He only wished to have a cozy home for the two of them and that he could see Margaret every day after work. He couldn¡¯t fathom why she kept resisting him, especially when it was clear she still cared for him. ¡°Mr. Compton, you¡¯re still missing the point,¡± Margaret said casually, but she declined to exin further. In the stalemate, Gideon¡¯s phone rang. The moment he took out his phone, Margaret breathed a sigh of relief and sat down. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Margaret could feel that Gideon¡¯s mood had worsened, but she didn¡¯t care. In her opinion, it would be better if he was pissed off by others so that he wouldn¡¯t bother her anymore. ¡°Okay, got it,¡± Gideon replied halfheartedly and turned away slightly, clearly not wanting Margaret to know who was on the other end of the phone. He thought that he was discreet enough, but he forgot how well she knew him. Every time Roxanne called in the past, Gideon would have the same reaction in front of Margaret. She couldn¡¯t pretend not to know and sneered, thinking Roxanne was probably up to her tricks again. She hoped Roxanne¡¯s tactics would be better than a few years ago, enough to keep Gideon preupied, and he wouldn¡¯t have time toe looking for her again. As soon as Gideon hung up, Margaret asked considerately, ¡°Are you leaving?¡± Gideon stared at Margaret¡¯s face for a long time. He saw nothing unusual but a faint sense of expectation there. ¡°No.¡± Gideon didn¡¯t want Margaret to feel triumphant, so he changed his mind. He wasn¡¯t rushing to the Lambert residence and thought it might be good to leave them in the cold so that they wouldn¡¯t think they could control him. The Lambert family had indeed helped him in the past, but he had also paid them back over the years. Without the Compton family, the Lambert family would have gone into downfall And if it weren¡¯t for his reputation and unfinished ambitions, he would have cut ties with the Lambert family. Now the dividing between the two families was only a matter of time. ¡°Are you willing to let your fianc¨¦e toss and turn alone at night?¡± Gideon¡¯s unexpected move irritated Margaret,pletely spoiling her good mood for the day. ¡°And what about you? How could you bear to let me toss and turn alone for five years?¡± Gideon truly knew how to hit back. ¡°You¡¯re funny, Mr. Compton. Have you been short of femalepany in the past five years?¡± Margaret asked sarcastically. Just because she wasn¡¯t in the country didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t know anything happening there. There would be people who always sent her updates from time to time. Gideon was clueless about Margaret¡¯s life over the past five years, but she knew everything about him. Despite his upright appearance, there were several rumors about him and some celebrities and socialites. Some were true and some were false. But strangely enough, Margaret could distinguish between what was true and what wasn¡¯t. She thought that maybe she owed her keen reporter¡¯s instincts to Gideon. ¡°It seems that you still care about me.¡± Gideon could always find words that favored him, which was why he could win negotiations over and over again. With Margaret, Gideon employed all the tactics he used in business. He didn¡¯t understand the difference between business and emotions. ¡°Mr. Compton, you¡¯re too self-centered. It¡¯s not that I want to pay attention to you, but there are just too many rumors about you circting. I can hear people gossiping about you wherever I go,¡± Margeret said. ¡°Should I be happy about my fame?¡± Gideon asked. ¡°Suit yourself. Anyway, I need to rest. You can leave now.¡± Margaret bluntly dismissed him. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you,¡± said Gideon. 1/4 Chapter 25 ¡°Mr. Compton, you should head back and be with your fianc¨¦e. I don¡¯t need you here.¡± Margaret insisted, continuing to urge him to leave. She Intended to open all the windows in the house so that Gideon¡¯s presence would dissipate once he left. ¡°What if I insist on staying? Gideon asked. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave,¡± Margaret wasn¡¯t joking. She was ready to go back to her room and get her purse. Sinceing back, she hadn¡¯t had the chance to enjoy the bustling nightlife. As a young woman, she felt that it was time to let loose a bit. Gideon was still sitting in his seat, unmoving Margaret thought that he probably thought she was just bluffing. Toozy to bother with the male chauvinism, she walked into the bedroom, locked the door, changed into a camisole and shorts, let down her hair, put on some lipstick, and prepared to go out. Gideon had to admit that Margaret was impressive. It had been a long time since someone had made him angry in an instant. ¡®Look at how she¡¯s dressed, with her shoulders and thighs exposed. How many men on the street would have criminal thoughts looking at her? Does she know how attractive she is? he thought. Without even ncing at Gideon, Margaret walked straight to the door and took a pair of high heels. Just as she opened the door, Gideon grabbed her arm from behind and pressed her against the door. ¡°Woman, you¡¯re smart,¡± Gideon praised, although theplimentcked sincerity.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Thank you for yourpliment. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going out. Please let me go, Mr. Compton.¡± Margaret provocatively pushed out her chest, but she was unaware that it was a slight stimulus for Gideon. While it didn¡¯t make him lose control, it did remind him of many pleasant moments. If he could, Gideon would really want to relive those past moments then. He knew that if he wanted to, he could definitely seduce Margaret that night. But afterward, neither of them would be happy, and she would start avoiding him again. Having experienced her hiding skills, he was genuinely worried that she would hidepletely and he would never find her again. ¡°Maggie, let¡¯s take it slow this time, but I won¡¯t let you go, Gideon said. He nted a light kiss on Margaret¡¯s shoulder before opening the door, taking her with him in a spin. Then, he looked at her in a lingering manner for a moment and left. Flipping her hair haughtily, Margaret made a face at Gideon¡¯s back and triumphantly shed a victory sign. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt that she shouldn¡¯t waste her outfit and made a call before heading out. Having returned for almost half a month, it was time for her to catch up with her friends. Luciana had always been a party animal. She he had me I met her current husband at a bar. At first, she had nned for a one-night stand, but she unexpectedly encountered a scheming man and fell into the grave of marriage. However, she still maintained her yful and lively nature. Whenever there was an invitation from friends, she always chose a bar as the venue. She always insisted that the ce was her lucky charm and that going there would bring her good luck. But with her marriedbel, she had given up oh those bars with downtempo music and opted for quieter ones. Listening to music and chatting was still a good choice, Otherwise, Margaret wouldn¡¯t have agreed. Standing at the bar¡¯s entrance, Margaret had already rejected two men who approached her. Looking at those young men nearby, her pride as a woman returned, and her smile became brighter. They had agreed to meet at 8 p.m., buyLuciana only arrived 10 minutester, panting and apologizing as she hurried over. There was a 2/4 13:06 Wed, 26 Jun Chapter 25 noticeable affection in her demeanor, suggesting she had beenvished with care before arriving. Margaret couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Luciana had deliberately tried to upset her. It felt like their friendship was more like a feud from a past life. She felt like leaving on the spot. ¡°Sorry for beingte,¡± Luciana said, ¡°How controlling is Zachary? It¡¯s been three years since Ist saw you. Is it that difficult for him to let you spend some time with me?¡± Margaret said, linking arms with Luciana. She knew Zachary too well, he wanted Luciana by his side every day and refused to let her go anywhere. ¡°I¡¯m here, right? You have a lot of clout. Isabel Invited me out a few days ago, but he didn¡¯t let me go out.¡± Luciana pushed open the bar door and took a deep breath. However, the familiar smell didn¡¯t stir her turbulent heart anymore. ¡°Isabel¡¯s back, too?¡± Margaret asked in surprise. Isabel Wood was another best friend of theirs. She was naturally adventurous, and as soon as she graduated, she embarked on travels around the world and became a travel blogger. She earned money and lived the life she wanted, which could be considered a win in life. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s back to take a break before setting off again. Zachary was afraid she¡¯d take me away, so he didn¡¯t let me go out with her. Instead, he cooked a table full of dishes and invited her over to supervise our conversation,¡± Lucianained. ¡°Hey, stop showing off. Please spare a thought for a singleton like me.¡± Margaret pretended to be offended, but she was genuinely happy that Luciana had found her happiness Everyone had their own stories, and Luciana¡¯s wasplicated. She loved to have fun because she was afraid of being lonely. Now that she had someone who would always be with her, making her feel less lonely, Margaret sincerely felt happy for her. ¡°You could have stopped being a singleton a long time ago if you wanted. Gideon is too fickle and c u n n i n g; he¡¯s not suitable for you. Have you ever considered Dr. Huxley?¡± Luciana was the only one who knew all of Margaret¡¯s stories. She felt that thetter was tired of being alone and should find someone to rely on. ¡°Stop it. I didn¡¯t ask you out today to be my matchmaker, Let¡¯s just rx and enjoy.¡± Margaret shifted the topic. Luciana knew Margaret¡¯s stubbornness in rtionships and sighed. She stopped saying anything more. She skillfully led Margaret to a secluded corner booth, and as soon as they sat down, the waiter came over. The bar was owned by Zachary¡¯s friend, so Luciana had some privilege there. ¡°Luciana, Zachary said that you can only drink this.¡± The waiter smiled and offered six bottles of alcopop drinks, each with a different vor. Luciana rested her arm on the table and propped up her forehead, feeling speechless. She smiled at Margaret awkwardly. ¡°I have a husband with strict rules.¡± Annoyed, Margaret ignored Luciana¡¯s gaze and asked the waiter, ¡°Hey, handsome. Zachary didn¡¯t say I can only drink this, too, right?¡± The waiter nodded, and Margaret ordered a ss of Margarita and two bottles of Budweiser, both of which were Luciana¡¯s favorite drinks. But right then, thetter could only watch. ¡°Maggie, you¡¯ve gone bad,¡± Lucianamented after taking a sip of the blueberry-vored alcopop drink. ¡°People have to grow up,¡± Margaret replied. Luciana wanted to ask about her love life and whether her feelings for Gideon had changed as she grew older. But when the words reached fer lips, she swallowed them back. Those unpleasant memories were best left unmentioned. The two of them chatted as if they were back in college, recounting the events of the past three y years one by one as if they had never been apart Chapter 25 When Margaret talked about the several dangerous encounters she had in the war zone, Luciana tightly held her hand, and thetter¡¯s eyes turned slightly red. She suddenly realized how difficult it was to see Margaret, who had made everything sound so simple in emails. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 ¡°Maggie, you¡¯re not going back there again, are you?¡± Luciana asked, desperately wanting to seek amitment from Margaret. However, she was disappointed with thetter¡¯s response. ¡°They needed me there.¡± Margaret¡¯s reply showed her determination. She wasn¡¯t afraid of death or war. What she feared was bing a coward who couldn¡¯t speak the truth or uphold the integrity of journalism. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t have any attachments,¡± she continued. ¡°Nonsense. Aren¡¯t isabel and I your attachments? Maggie, I¡¯m trying to conceive. If it happens soon, you¡¯ll be a godmother next year.¡± Luciana knew Margaret¡¯s carefree attitude stemmed from not having a family hersell. A house was just a ce to stay, and she had never truly felt a sense of belonging. Therefore, she wasn¡¯t afraid and could go anywhere she wanted. Luciana secretly hoped that the idea of having a baby might make Margaret feel needed by someone. As long as thetter had a reason to stay, she wouldn¡¯t go back to such a dangerous ce. Margaret only smiled, raised her beer, and cheered, ¡°May you and Zachary have a baby soon.¡± Luciana knew that her trick was useless. ¡°Maybe only someone truly connected to Margaret by blood could convince her to stay, she thought. In an instant, she stopped caring about whom Margaret would end up with. All she wanted was for Margaret to find someone who could get her pregnant and cherish her life in the future. If Margaret knew what Luciana was thinking then, she would probably cut ties with thetter. ¡°Well, let¡¯s make it easy. We¡¯re here to have fun. If Zachary finds out that I made you cry, he¡¯ll probably have more reason to stop you froming to the bar.¡± Margaret tried to lighten the mood. ¡°Hey, just remembered something. Do you know that hottie over there?¡± Luciana pointed diagonally across the room to the other table. Since they sat down, the handsome man had been looking over asionally. Sometimes, he would quickly look away; other times, his gaze would linger for a while with his lips slightly curved, giving off a somewhat mischievous vibe. Under the dazzling lights of the bar, he looked like a vampire. Luciana had turned well-behaved then. Otherwise, the handsome man would surely be her next prey. At present, she could only reluctantly hand over the hottie to Luciana because she was her best friend. Margaret followed Luciana¡¯s finger and found that the man did look familiar.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. wotherpanies ¡°Maybe we met at the office building.¡± Margaret¡¯s news agency was located in amercial building, and there were many ot there. She figured she must have met the man in the elevator one day. Either way, she wasn¡¯t particrly interested. ¡°Hey. You have a hottie like that over there, and you¡¯re not even paying attention? Are you even a woman?¡± Luciana looked at Margaretin despise. ¡°I am a woman, but I¡¯m not boy-crazy,¡± Margaret r¨¦torted. Luciana yfully flicked Margaret¡¯s forehead, feeling irked by her indirect usation of being a flirt. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with appreciating beautiful things? Beauty is everywhere, but not everyone sees it. I¡¯m proud of having eyes that appreciate beauty!¡¯ she thought. Not one to take a hit without hitting back, Margaret seized the opportunity to retaliate while Luciana was distracted andughing happily. Upon seeing the scene, the handsome man chuckled. Margaret turned out to be even more interesting than he had imagined. Prejudice could indeed be harmful. Thinking of her as a boring fringe character had left him frustrated for several days. Right then, it seemed that their little game was going to be a lot of fun. Chapter 26 Downing a whole ss of alcohol, the handsome man greeted his friends and made his way over to Margaret¡¯s table. Margaret and Luciana were too busy preparing to take revenge on each other to notice the man¡¯s action. By the time they realized, he had already reached their table and said with a smile, ¡°Ms. Without An Umbre, we meet again.¡± The special address instantly brought Margaret back to the rainy day two days ago when a stranger had offered her an umbre. At that time, she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the stranger¡¯s face, but right then, upon looking closely, she realized that Luciana was right-the man was indeed handseme, almost unreal. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Margaret¡¯s pleasantly surprised tone made the man smile. Thankfully, that rainy day hadn¡¯t been in vain. He sensed that fate was lending a hand to his n. Just as he was contemting how to orchestrate their next meeting, Margaret took the initiative and approached him. Initially, he had questioned if he was mistaken as her attire that night was notably different from her usual style. ¡°Thanks for remembering me.¡± The man didn¡¯t beat around the bush and sat directly beside Margaret. ¡°How could I forget? Thanks again for two days ago.¡± Margaret had a good impression of the man in front of her as she believed that anyone who willingly helped a stranger must be a good person. ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯m Ethan, and you?¡± Ethan introduced himself and extended a friendly hand to Margaret. To him, it was a good start. Margaret shook Ethan¡¯s right hand and replied with a smile, ¡°I am Margaret,¡± At that time, Luciana felt like an abandoned toy on the sideline. She quietly observed the interaction between the two and tried to discreetly shrink into the smallest corner of the sofa, wishing she knew how to make herself even smaller. She had a feeling that the two did not only have a history but would also develop more stories in the future. As a former admirer who valued appearances, Ethan fit perfectly into Luciana¡¯s criteria. Clifford and Gideon were already dismissed from her considerations, and right then, her stance was firmly on Ethan. While Margaret and Ethan were deep in conversation and prepared to exchange WhatsApp contacts with each other, Luciana had already envisioned what their future children might look like. She even entertained the idea of bing inws with them to enhance the appearance of the next generation. Her imagination was expansive and had projected 50 years into the future in just a minute. ¡°I still have friends over there; I should go back to them. Let¡¯s chat another time. It was nice meeting you, Margaret.¡± Ethan didn¡¯t linger too long; he knew when to stop. As they had just met once, he couldn¡¯t be too enthusiastic, or it would scare Margaret away. ¡°Okay.¡± Margaret¡¯s tone was very gentle. Luciana¡¯s intuition told her that they could develop a story. When Ethan got up and left, he did not forget to nod at Luciana. Thetter¡¯s heart skipped a beat for a second; she had no immunity to handsome guys. ¡°He¡¯s gone, and you¡¯re still staring?¡± Luciana asked all of a sudden while quietly leaning onto Margaret. Even in the noisy bar, her action still managed to startle Margaret a little. ¡°I call it polite seeing-off, Got it?¡± Margaret retorted. ¡°Come on. Just say if you¡¯re interested. I won¡¯t tease you. This guy is good; I fully support you in snagging him! But I didn¡¯t expect you to like this type,¡± Luciana said, Margaretcked a sense of security. Luciana had always thought that she would find a mature-looking boyfriend who could give her love and stability. 41%0 Chapter 26 ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. He¡¯s not my type.¡± Margaret found Ethan attractive but only in the sense that he seemed like a good person. Being friends was fine, but anything beyond that was a no-go. Having been single for five years, she felt that it was better to be alone. She wouldn¡¯t have to worry about someone being heartbroken if something happened to her one day. ¡°Then, he¡¯s your style,¡± Luciana said. ¡°I don¡¯t know where my style is, but I do know your style is standing at the door,¡± Margaretmented. Luciana nced at her phone. She was so engrossed in chatting with Margaret that she didn¡¯t notice the messages on her phone and thought no wonder that Zachary hade to get her. It looked like the lovely evening had toe to an end. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Luciana stood up and offered to take Margaret home, but thetter shook her head. Worried about Margaret¡¯s safety, Luciana was about to persuade her a bit more when she looked up and caught a glimpse of Ethan¡¯s face. She shed a conspiratorial smile. Without saying much, she hugged Margaret, told her to text her when she got home, and then bounced off to Zachary. Before leaving the bar, Luciana secretly wrote a note and had the attendant deliver it to Ethan, If it hadn¡¯t been for the note¡¯s content being rted to Margaret, Zachary¡¯s jealousy might have overflowed and drowned the whole. Gideon had been showing up in Margaret¡¯s house for several days in a row. Although he didn¡¯t stay long, she still felt like his presence filled the entire house. His scent lingered in the air, making her reluctant to go home. Five years of hiding, five years of deliberate forgetting. Margaret couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated that her efforts were about to be undone in just a few days. Ethan didn¡¯t go over as soon as Luciana left. Instead, he stayed in his original spot and observed Margaret¡¯s expression. Her gloominess contrasted sharply with the cheerfulness of the whole bar. His curiosity about her grew stronger. He wanted to know the secrets she harbored. There were too few interesting things happening on regr days, so encountering her felt like a boost to Ethan¡¯s motivation. Apart from helping Roxanne, he had also started to have personal motives. When Margaret¡¯sst beer was about to be finished, Ethan slowly walked over. ¡°Where¡¯s your friend?¡± He acted as if he had just noticed Luciana¡¯s absence. His acting was good; coupled with Margaret¡¯s initial trust in him, she didn¡¯t suspect anything. ¡°She got picked up by her husband,¡± Margaret answered honestly. The alcohol had made her cheeks blush a lot, making her look several years younger like an innocent girl. ¡°And what about you?¡± Ethan asked tentatively, wanting to know how far Margaret and Gideon¡¯s rtionship had progressed, so he could n the next steps ordingly. Margaret¡¯s mind began to be eroded by alcohol. She couldn¡¯t keep up with Ethan¡¯s train of thought for a while and asked in confusion, ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°Where is your husband?¡± Ethan asked bluntly this time. ¡°I¡¯m single. Where would I get a husband? Margaret replied. The term ¡°single¡± caught Ethan¡¯s attention. He began to form new spections about the rtionship between Margaret and Gideon and Chapter 27 Chapter 27 ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let me drive you home,¡± Ethan said. He didn¡¯t continue with his line of questioning. He had already gotten the answer he wanted. ¡°Home? But i don¡¯t have a home anymore. I lost it a long time ago¡­¡± Margaret murmured to herself. When she woke up tomorrow, she would regret drinking so much today and revealing her most vulnerable spot to a stranger. Ethan was momentarily stunned. All of a sudden, he felt the urge to step down. He and Margaret¡­ In a way, they shared a few simrities. However, this thought was apanied by Roxanne¡¯s beautiful face with tears. He knew he didn¡¯t have the right to be happy again in this life, but he wanted the person he loved to be happy. The moment of hesitation swiftly passed. Ethan forced himself to harden his resolve, knowing that Roxanne would be the victim otherwise. ¡°You¡¯ve had too much to drink. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll help you back,¡± Ethan said. He helped Margaret stand and guided her out, deliberately avoiding the word ¡°home.¡± This time, Margaret stayed silent and let Ethan lead the way. She had drunk only a little alcohol, so she was still mostly sober and realized how she¡¯d slipped up earlier. Ethan had almost forgotten to ask for Margaret¡¯s address. With it, he could quickly be exposed. Ethan watched Margaret walk into her apartment and sent Roxanne a message: [Things are going very smoothly. Don¡¯t worry.] Roxanne looked at the message on her phone and thought, ¡°Don¡¯t worry?¡± She couldn¡¯t sleep a wink if her wedding might be called off. Even if Margaret was not in the equation, countless other women were ready to fill the spot. Margaret was simply the one that posed the most challenge. Her rtionship with Gideon was far from the transactional meetings between him and the other women. Five years ago, Gideon almost broke his engagement with her because of Margaret. Roxanne would never let the same thing happen again. Margaret couldn¡¯t stay in this city. Margaret was unaware of the stormsing her way. Thanks to the alcohol, she slept soundly that night. It was a wee respite from the dreams she usually had, and she considered heading to the supermarket to buy some beer after work that day. If it meant Gideon wouldn¡¯t appear in her dreams again, she was willing to try anything. Yesterday¡¯s Indulgence had gifted her with some benefits. She had found a story she could follow. Now, she had to cheer up and get to work. It would keep her busy and her mind off Gideon. After entering the news agency, she went to the chief editor without even gracing her own office. There was a cup of steaming coffee on Raymond¡¯s table. He had dark circles under his eyes. Margaret guessed he had been up all night following some important news. This practice wasmon in the media industry, and no one batted an eye at it. ¡°Did you have a good rest yesterday?¡± Raymond asked worriedly, but Margaret felt guilty. Everyone around her had been bustling about while she had taken a day off for personal matters. This was controversial behavior. Thus, Margaret was determined to see this issue to the end. It might have been selfish, but she didn¡¯t want anything to happen again. Margaret made a sound of agreement. ¡°Mr.Sanchez, I found a lead to go after. But there will be serious bacsh if it¡¯s verified as true.¡± While speaking, she put her files on the chief editor¡¯s desk. Raymond smiled at Margaret and opened the folder. The Lambert family had gained firm footing as a real estate tycoon over the years, but the news about the family was endless. Many of them were small scandals involving family members. Although their reputation had taken a 10 µÚ41%Ó‹ Chapter 27 few hits, it didn¡¯t shake the foundation of the Lambert family. But the news Margaret had unearthed wasn¡¯t trivial. Thements had revealed clues of the Lambert family cutting corners. Margaret had the most right toe forward and investigate this matter. What happened to her family had been covered up thoroughly. When her father had signed the agreements and she had started studying with the Lambert family¡¯s money, her family had given up many of their rights. If there was a chance of the same thing happening to other people in the future, Margaret had to stand up against the Lambert family. She had no choice but to hide it back then, but it was time to bring a lot of darkness into the light now. Huery well Raymond set down the documents and stayed silent for a while. He had worked with Margaret abroad for several months and knew very what a surprising person she was. Therefore, he would take care of her even without orders from the higher-ups. Sure enough, Margaret had surprised him just a few dayster. ¡°Margaret, you have to think about it. This will affect more than just the Lambert family and may result in a political scandal. The matter will just get bigger and bigger. I hope you¡¯ll give up if you¡¯re mentally unprepared.¡± Naturally, he wanted the news agency to make explosive news, but he didn¡¯t want a talent to be buried. Recently, many people had to leave the industry because of offending a bigwig. Margaret was a genius in the field. If she left, it would be at loss for the journalism industry. Raymond did not want to see this ending. ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through,¡± Margaret replied. If she hadn¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t have prepared the material in the first ce. Whether for personal revenge or justice, Margaret was going to start this war. How could the Lambert family livefortably after causing so many tragedies? It was time for them to pay the price. ¡°I¡¯ll give you another day to think about it. If you¡¯re still this determined at the same time tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll support you unconditionally,¡± Raymond said. It also gave him a day as a buffer period to think about how to help Margaret next. Margaret smiled gratefully. Raymond¡¯s words meant he had already approved, which was enough for her. For the rest of the day, Margaret stayed in her office. She needed to make aplete n and expose the dark side of the Lambert family while ensuring her own safety. She wasn¡¯t a reckless person, and she wouldn¡¯t throw herself into trouble because of temporary bravery. She still valued her life. Gideon called her twice. Margaret thought about answering the phone, but as she thought about it, they were going to be on opposite sides soon. It would be best not to contact him. Gideon didn¡¯t agree with her. The more she avoided him, the more he wanted her toe. When the day¡¯s work was over, Margaret stretched and got ready to leave. Suddenly, a group of women stopped by the window and started shrieking. Margaret looked out curiously, and her eyelid began to twitch violently. Margaret knew that it was Gideon¡¯s work at a nce. He had gotten a group of people, each holding a huge bouquet of roses, to stand outside in a heart shape. She knew she was right when she saw the person standing at the tip of her heart. It was Gideon¡¯s most trusted subordinate, someone who would do anything for him. Margaret had no choice but to call Gideon before he did something even worse. Gideon was a grudgeful man, and he didn¡¯t answer the phone until she called him for the third time. By then, Margaret had already rolled her eyes countless times. 13:26 Wed, 26 JunAll content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 27 ¡°Why is he, as a man, so petty? Why does he remember even the smallest detail?¡¯ she thought. ¡°Did you see the surprise I prepared for you?¡± Gideon said. That far apart, Margaret had no way of seeing the faint smile that bloomed on his face, but, Anthony, the head of the finance department opposite him could see it. Anthony looked as if the sun had just risen from the west. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had seen Gideon smile, but it was the warmest expression he had ever seen. The person on the other end of the line must have been an important person to Gideon. Naturally, Anthony thought it was Roxanne. He thought to himself, ¡°You really can¡¯t trust what the rumors say. Gideon and Roxanne probably aren¡¯t getting married because they have other ns. What are people worrying about?¡± ¡°You¡¯re good at scaring people, Mr. Compton,¡± Margaret said through gritted teeth. If the women hadn¡¯t seen it before her, she would have been the talk of the town in five minutes of walking out the front door. Because they hadn¡¯t been particrly busy at work recently, it was likely that they would continue to gossip about her for some time. Sinceing back, Margaret had tried her best to keep a low profile. Gideon¡¯s behavior threatened her self-imposed rule. ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Gideon asked. ¡°What do I have to do to get rid of them?¡± Margaret sighed. She knew he hadn¡¯t nned this to indicate anything. He just wanted her to understand that resisting, staying away from him, or disobeying him would not end well. ¡°Quick on your feet as ever, Maggie. I have a social gathering in Cerulean tonight, Room 102. I¡¯ve also booked an extra room in Room 302,¡± Gideon said. He had nned it all. He knew that Margaret would call him. He also knew she woulde. ¡°Gideon, has anyone told you that you are bing increasingly annoying?¡± Margaret hissed. ¡°You just did,¡± Gideon quipped in response. He was in a good mood at the thought of seeing Margaret in a few hours and didn¡¯t mind her slight offense currently. Margaret hung up angrily. She could hear her colleagues saying, ¡°Why did they leave? What a pity. I thought I could enjoy some romance drama.¡± Such sentiments were echoed as she nced out the window. She was slightly thankful to Gideon, but it didn¡¯t erase his hateful behavior. Gideon motioned to Anthony to continue his report, and he trembled. That nickname hid not seem to be Roxanne¡¯s. He was a witness to an unfathomable matter, and if he didn¡¯t keep his mouth sealed tight, he knew he would meet a tragic end. Margaret loitered in the office for a long time until the whole building was almost empty before she set out for Cerulean. Fortunately, it was a restaurant. If it were a hotel, Margaret would never er get o out of thepany. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 It appeared that Gideon had given the restaurant Instructions before Margaret¡¯s arrival. As she walked in, an attendant greeted her and led her to Room 302. Margaret¡¯s mind, however, was preupled with her n to gather information tomorrow for the news report. Once she exposed the dark sides of the Lambert family, her rtionship with Gideon would to an end. The Lambert family was closely tied to the Compton family. Any tarnish on the former¡¯s reputation would inevitably affect thetter¡¯s stocks and operations. Gideon would likely resent Margaret for her role in it. Unsure of how long the social gathering wouldst, he had thought ahead and ordered her food in advance. Mere minutes after she was seated, a table full of her favorite dishes was served before her. Margaret couldn¡¯t deny that she was touched by his gesture. He remembered her habits and her favorite things, which was something she never expected from him. The resentment she had been holding toward Gideon slowly started to melt away. Maybe the harsh lessons of war had taught Margaret to let go of what was beyond her control. Life was fleeting and unpredictable¨Csomeone could be smiling at you at one moment and gunfire could turn that smile into a final farewell at the next. Margaret no longer wished to remain trapped in this rtionship, with her mind made up, she thought a calm conversation with Gideon was possible. For now, she just wanted to treat herself, so she happily picked up her cutlery and began to dig in, While Margaret savored her meal, Gideon appeared gloomy. Over the years, he hadn¡¯t divorced Roxanne because their marriage shielded him from people¡¯s attempts to set him up with women. However, Gideon wasn¡¯t closed off to the idea of being with someone new. His reputation had been tainted by scandal after scandal, and some saw him as an easy target to introduce their daughters to. Marco Lascano¡¯s attempt to set his daughter up with Gideon was painfully obvious. When Roxanne handed Gideon his car keys, he saw right through Marco¡¯s motives. As Marco smiled awkwardly, Gideon said nothing, and it was the politest response he could give. If Marco knew when to back off and respect boundaries, Gideon may not have been so glum. While he was attracted to women, Margaret was the only woman he wanted, and no other woman stood a chance against her. Gideon stood firm in his principles when it came to dating. He would never get involved with any of his business partners¡® daughters. The experience with Roxanne and the Lambert family had taught him that lesson over six¨Clong years, and he vowed never to allow himself to repeat history. Gideon couldn¡¯t stand listening to Marco endlessly praising Bianca. No matter how hard Marco tried to convince him that nca was the perfect woman for him, Gideon was uninterested. ¡°Marco, I know that your daughter¡¯s remarkable in many ways, but let¡¯s not forget about our partnership in the next quarter. Can we please discuss that first?¡± Bianca¡¯s fake gentleness made Gideon feel utterly sick. ¡°Oh, of course!¡± Marco eximed, hitting his forehead as if suddenly remembering his purpose. ¡°I get carried away when speaking of my child. Please forgive me, Mr. Compton. Here, allow me to apologize with a drink.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Gideon took a ss himself, hoping to steer the conversation back to business. It wasn¡¯t his problem if Bianca was upset. However, after what Marco did to him, Gideon was set on sabotaging that man¡¯s n. He couldn¡¯t let someone who plotted against him off the hook so easily. As he had told Margaret before, he wasn¡¯t one to forgive easily. 13:26 Wed, 26 Chapter 28 41%? Marco didn¡¯t want to upset Gideon. Even as nca pulled at his clothes to get him to set her up with Gideon, Marco pretended not to notice her. Gideon¡¯s expression turned serious as they discussed business. He proposed two new demands, which made Marco¡¯s face sour. Gideon was determined to get his demands to be met. Despite knowing Gideon was unlikely to agree, Marco still tried to negotiate. ¡°Mr. Compton, a five percent profit margin is far too high. How about a two percent instead?¡± ¡°Marco, if I was satisfied with just two percent, I wouldn¡¯t have personallye here to discuss this with you. This project is not exclusively for the Lascano family. I owe you a favor, and this partnership is my way of repaying that. However, I have my limits. If you cannot agree to a five percent increase in profit margin, then let¡¯s just consider today a casual meal between ordinary friends.¡± The implication was clear- there would be no partnership if he didn¡¯t agree to Gideon¡¯s terms. Marco looked at Gideon with a pained expression, realizing the deadly consequences of not meeting his demands. He finally recognized what Gideon was capable of. Marco now understood why the mere mention of his name made the other older businessmen squirm. ¡°Mr. Compton, give me one night to think about it. I¡¯ll give you an answer by 9 a.m. tomorrow.¡± Marco gave in. He knew that agreeing to earn less would be a difficult decision, but it was better than ending up with nothing. However, he couldn¡¯t let Gideon see his willingness topromise. Giving an immediate answer would only fuel Gideon¡¯s arrogance. Marco looked troubled, but Gideon knew he had won again this time. The next morning would undoubtedly bring him good news. ¡°Of course,¡± Gideon responded immediately. Since Marco was the elder in this situation, he naturally had to show some respect. Gideon checked his watch and realized that the social gathering had dragged on for 40 minutes longer than what was initially nned. Worried that Margaret might be bored from waiting, he exchanged a few polite words before excusing himself to leave. Gideon couldn¡¯t help but smile as he imagined her sitting alone and cursing him for beingte. Bianca was taken aback to see him smile so charmingly. She found herself in a trance as she stared at him. She recalled the day she saw Roxanne. Roxanne¡¯s beauty was undeniable, but nca was much younger, and she thought her youth was her greatest advantage. Just as Gideon stood up to leave, Bianca suddenly called out, ¡°Gideon!¡± Over an hour had passed before he finally looked at her. Bianca mistook his impatience for captivation. Confident that she had captured his attention, Bianca struck a seductive pose and flipped her hair back to expose her smooth neck. She had purposely chosen an off¨Cshoulder dress to wear to this meeting ¡°What is it now?¡± If he wasn¡¯t worried about offending Marco and jeopardizing their cooperation, he would have left without another word. ¡°I¡¯m in my final year of university and I¡¯m looking for apany to intern at, so I was wondering if I could do my internship at Compton Group for three months,¡± Bianca boldly requested. Her mother had taught her that sessful men like Gideon were attracted to the adoring, gazes of young women. Relying on this advice, Bianca tried to appeal to Gideon¡¯s ego, looking weak and vulnerable, hoping he would feel the urge to protect her and be drawn to her admiration for him. While Bianca¡¯s ways might work on superficial men, Gideon was immune to tactics like that. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how Marco had raised his daughter to resort to stooping so low ¡°Lascano Group¡¯s a greatpany. It would actually be more convenient for you to do your internship there, since it¡¯s your family¡¯s Company,¡± Gideon said, essentially refusing her request. But nca seemed determined to make her case. ¡°But, I don¡¯t want people to think I¡¯m relying on family connections,¡± she insisted. Gideon¡¯s expression turned serious as he responded, ¡°Compton Group does ept interns every quarter. You can go ahead and apply, but 41% Chapter 28 our standards are high, Ms. Lascano. And I won¡¯t help you take any shortcuts through connections. If you want to work at Compton Group. you¡¯ll need to rely on your own capabilities.¡± Il nca had the guts to join hispany¡¯s Internship program, he would have a way of making her leave in tears and regret ever crossing his path. ¡°Mr. Lascano, I¡¯ve got things to attend to. I should get going now,¡± Gideon said before walking out without caring about the looks on Marco and Bianca¡¯s faces. As he left the private room, Gideon quickened his pace even more, not even bothering with the slow¨Cmoving elevator, and took the stairs instead. He could already picture walking in to find Margaret giving him a disapproving look. Little did Margaret know that every time she looked at him like that, it only made Gideon want to tease her more. But when Gideon opened the door to Room 302, he was met with a surprising scene. Margaret was not upset at all. In fact, she was thoroughly enjoying her spicy shrimp. The te was almostpletely cleaned, with only a few scattered chilies left behind. Gideon took a seat across from Margaret, who briefly looked up at him before returning to her meal. Margaret finally understood why a single meal in Cerulean cost the same as an ordinary white¨Ccor worker¡¯s monthly sry. The chefs were true masters of their craft who cooked each dish to perfection. As a foodie, this meal alone was enough for her to forgive Gideon for beingte. Catching the sadness on her face as she looked at her empty te, clearly not satiated, Gideon asked, ¡°Want me to get some more shrimp?¡± ¡°Make that thr¨¦e servings, to go,¡± Margaret said greedily, knowing Gideon¡¯s deep pockets could afford it. ¡°Okay,¡± Gideon agreed right away. Gideon patiently waited for Margaret to finish her meal before going back to what they had been discussing earlier. ¡°When are you going to move in with me?¡± His directness caught Margaret off guard and made her choke on her drink. She hadn¡¯t expected that topic toe up tonight. ¡°I thought I¡¯d made myself clear,¡± Margaret began. ¡°I will not, and never, move in with you. Gideon, we¡¯ve been going around and around on this for so long. Is even worth our time arguing over it?¡± ¡°Is it that hard to admit you still have feelings for me?¡± he asked boldly. Margaret froze, but eventually answered honestly, ¡°No, it isn¡¯t hard. I still have feelings for you.¡± After five or five long years, she finally said something that made Gideon happy. However, Margaret quickly stripped away that joy and didn¡¯t let itst for more than a few seconds. ¡°But¡­¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll never go back to you, Gideon. I don¡¯t want to spend the rest of my life being a homewrecker and face moral criticism, no matter how unhappy your marriage may be. I don¡¯t want to hide in the shadows and never feel proud and free. I want a life where I can walk hand in hand with my husband in public without fear or shame, where I can share my joy on social media and have children of my own. That¡¯s the life I want,¡± Margaret spoke so calmly that she almost apuded for herself. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Gideon stared at Margaret¡¯s serious face. He felt as if he had gone back in time to the day nine years ago, when he first reached an agreement with this stubborn girl. Even though Margaret was scared, she had to put up a strong front in hopes that she would not be fooled. She felt like a five¨Cyear¨Cold who wore her mom¡¯s lugh heels. At that moment, the stubbornness made Gideon realize that Margaret and him were the same kind of people. They were both insecure and had no trust in the world around them. They both lived in coldness and darkness, so they should be a perfectbination together. Back then, Margaret¡¯s seriousness about the conditions she raised was clear. Despite her attempt to appear calm, there was an underlying fear of the future in her demeanor. It was hard to watch. Nine years had passed in a sh. Now, in a simrly solemn negotiation setting, Margaret¡¯s fear and pretense were no more. Instead, she was confident and strong. For the first time, Gideon had to face a serious issue. During the years he did not get to see her, his girl had grown up. ¡°Maggie, the things you are worried about won¡¯t hinder our rtionship,¡± Gideon said. Allowing him a little more time, he would settle the engagement with Roxanne well. For twenty years, ever since he was young, Gideon¡¯s life had always been tightly controlled. When the Lambert Family wanted to control the rest of his life, he would not let that happen. However, Gideon did not n to tell Margaret the matters that were not so pleasant. All she bad to do was wait for him to provide her with bright future. Gideon knew that what he did was selfish, but Margaret had been the only hope and sunshine in his life for more than twenty years. He could not let her go easily. He thought that as long as he treated her well enough, he could make up for his mistakes. ¡°Is that so? What do you have to say aboutProperty ? N?velDrama.Org. at this?¡± Margaret pulled out some text messages and put her phone in front of Gideon Margaret did not know how nicely Roxanne behaved in front of Gideon. All she knew was that Roxanne had been extremely cruel to her. Roxanne¡¯s messages every day were simple and short greetings. She did not even mention the years when Margaret lived in the Lambert residence. But Roxanne¡¯s existence was enough to constantly remind Margaret of that memory that she wanted to escape from, Yet Roxanne kept pestering her, and Margaret could not be freed. Gideon did not know what Roxanne had been doing. As he scrolled through the daily messages, his frown grew deeper. ¡°Are you going to tell me now these issues are not a problem? Even if you do break off your engagement with Roxanne one day, everyone will still point their fingers at me and think that I am the witch who broke up a good marriage, Gideon, admit it¡¯s impossible between us.¡± Every word Margaret said had a great impact on Gideon. ¡°What if you don¡¯t have to bear all this? Will youe back to me?¡± Gideon asked. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Margaret asked and avoided Gideon¡¯s eyes. Gideon saw Margaret¡¯s struggle. Fortunately, she did not choose to reject him directly. He should still have hope. As long as he kept Clifford at bay, Gideon felt that his future would still be bright. Unfortunately, Gideon saw how threatening Clifford was to him, but he did not take this rival seriously ly and almost destroyed himself. ¡°This time, we should not hurry. Take your time,¡± Gideon said. He did not force Margaret to move into his house again because he had 1/4 13:26 Wed, 26 Juny wor Chapter 29 thought of another way. ¡°If she does note to me, I¡¯ll go over there! Gideon¡¯s attitude changed so quickly that Margaret was not used to it. She thought tonight would be a tough battle. Seeing Gideon pick up the fork, Margaret assumed that their negotiation seemed to be over. ¡°Just like that? Based on what he would usually do, he would have forced me to go to his house and ce me under strict supervision, wouldn¡¯t he?¡® Margaret watched Gideon for five minutes without blinking. Gideon ate calmly though she was watching him, and said, ¡°I only drank during the social gathering and had not eaten anything. My stomach hurts.¡± Margaret¡¯s heart skipped a beat, even when she knew she should not care about Gideon now. To break the bond between two people, one has to start by not having emotions. If Gideon sensed that I care for him, he would go on the hot pursuit again,¡® she thought. In any case, if Margaret was sensible and rational, she should ignore Gideon now and be indifferent till the end. But she had memories of the man called Gideon in her almost hardened heart. Margaret remembered how Gideon had continued to be professional and forced himself to be jolly when he was admitted to the hospital with a stomach ulcer. Also, she remembered how his face turned pale as soon as people left. Margaret would not forget the scene where Gideon held his stomach and bit his lips to endure the pain. So, Margaret gave in. She did not leave. Instead, she stayed with Gideon quietly as he finished the meal. She even ordered a bowl of chowder to warm his stomach. Gideon felt that he had entered a new world. He always forced Margaret to do many things in the past but only got an unpleasant end¨Cbreak up on bad terms. But this time, he only showed his weakness, and Margaret became as docile as amb. Gideon finally realized that some of of his previous tactics were wrong. He was willing to learn from his mistakes and change. After dinner, Gideon sent Margaret home and held her hand before she got out of the car. Margaret did not expect Gideon to t n to try to push his luck. She tried to pull her hand back, but he would not let ¡°It¡¯s been one night. Let me have a little taste of sess, he thought. ¡°Maggie, I can give you time. But don¡¯t think about running away this time,¡± Gideon said. He could restrain his anxiety Margaret would obediently stay put in the city. ¡°Mr. Compton, you¡¯d better give yourself more time and think about how to let me go,¡± Margaret replied. ¡°No o way.¡± Gideonughed. He behaved like a delinquent teenager who was showing off in front of his victim. and impulse if ¡®Another fruitless negotiation, Margaret thought, but she was tired and did not want to continue arguing with Gideon. She smiled and bid him goodnight. Then, she subtly nced at their intertwined hands, suggesting to Gideon that he should release his grip. Gideon pretended not to understand what she was hinting at and continued to hold onto her hand. It had been a long night. He felt that he should be given something, or everything he did would have gone in vain. Gideon was still a businessman at heart, even when it came to his rtionships. He would not give in without getting any returns. Most importantly, if Gideon¡¯s memory served him right, the man standing in the shadow not far away should be the doctor by the name of Chapter 29 Clifford Gideon hated the men surrounding Margaret. So whenever he had a chance, he would get hold of them and chase them away. Even if he could not get rid of them, making them feel sick was also good. ¡°Hey! Let gol¡± Margaret said, ¡°You won¡¯t let me hold you or kiss you. What¡¯s wrong with holding your hands?¡± Gideon said shamelessly. This evening. Margaret was shocked by Gideon twice. ¡®Is this the same Gideon I know? Could someone have kidnapped Gideon and disguised as him?¡® ¡°Gideon, are you out of your mind?¡± Margaret asked seriously. She wanted to suggest for Gideon to see a doctor, perhaps a psychiatrist. He looked more like he was having dissociative identity disorder. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you up.¡± Gideon knew Clifford was a tough opponent when Clifford had not left after being there for such a long time. Even so, Gideon did not want to be a coward and let Clifford sense his fear. Margaret wanted to reject him, but Gideon already got out of the car before she did. Since he let go of her hand, Margaret did not want to argue about anything else¨CMoreover, a light in the corridor went off these days. It could get scary at midnight. ¡°Maggie.¡± Clifford stepped out of the shadows. He felt extremely jealous when he saw Margaret and Gideon harmoniously standing there and holding hands. From Clifford¡¯s point of view, Margaret was shy when Gideon held her hand. The two were so intimate. It was a craving he longed for but could never get from Margaret. Clifford looked unhappy, but Margaret did not notice the difference. She smiled heartlessly and asked, ¡°Clifford, when did youe here? Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance?¡± ¡°I just passed by and decided toe and see you,¡± Clifford said in a solemn tone. Clifford was so close to telling what was really on his mind. ¡®Had I told you in advance, would I have seen what happened?¡± he thought. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs. My new coffee beans are here. Let¡¯s try them, and you can take them if you like.¡± Margaret knew that Clifford liked coffee. Over the years, she would asionally ask someone to find some good coffee from the south. She owed Clifford her life, and it was impossible for her to pay him back with her life. So, she often used these trivial matters to make Clifford happy. Margaret led the way upstairs, leaving Clifford and Gideon behind. The two men looked at each other with provocation in their eyes. After a few interactions with the doctor, Gideon thought Clifford was a nice person, and his medical skills were not bad. He admired Clifford and took the initiative to invest in the new drug research initiative in his department. And now, Gideon just wants to go back in time to beat himself up. ¡®Look what I¡¯ve done. I supported my rival!¡± he thought. ¡°Dr. Huxley, it¡¯s been a while,¡± Gideon greeted him boldly and began to walk into the building. He thought, ¡°Good thing that my eyes were sharp and I got out of the car with her when I saw Clifford. Otherwise, something might have happened tonight¡® Gideon nned to move in tomorrow and keep Margaret under his watch. Otherwise, he would be too worried about her. 13-26 Weo, zo Chapter 29 ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. Are you an old acquaintance of Maggie?¡± Clifford¡¯s mannerisms were definitely inferior to Gideon¡¯s. The way he probed revealed his ignorance. Gideon smiled proudly. It looked like Clifford was not so important to Margaret. He did not even know her past. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Clifford couldn¡¯t understand why Gideon was suddenly in a better mood: He recalled their brief conversation but found nothing. He had long heard that Gideon was a very temperamental man. Today, he had seen it for himself. ¡°We¡¯re old acquaintances indeed. We¡¯ve known each other for almost ten years.¡± Gideon answered this question with great pleasure, emphasizing the words ¡°ten years¡± to let Clifford figure it out for himself. Clifford thought that Gideon and Margaret were just acquaintances, but he didn¡¯t expect them to have known each other for such a long time. Although it didn¡¯t matter who met whom first when it came to love, Clifford had met Margaret an entire decadeter. He wondered if he still stood a chance since he had entirely missed her transformation.Property ? N?velDrama.Org. While he was freaking out, Gideon was already almost in the elevator. If it weren¡¯t for the sound it made when it arrived, Clifford would not have on Gideon ¡°When did you meet Maggie, Dr. Huxley?¡± Gideon asked in return. ¡°On the battlefield. Maggie was very brave.¡± Clifford wanted Gideon to know that though his friendship with Margaret wasn¡¯t as long as Gideon¡¯s, he had a deep rtionship with her. Clifford¡¯s bragging gave Gideon a clue. He had been getting people to look into what happened in Margaret¡¯s life over the past five years, but they couldn¡¯t find anything except that small incident in Atharia. They wanted Gideon to provide them with a direction. Otherwise, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, which was time¨Cconsuming, and results weren¡¯t guaranteed. Gideon had been thinking about when to get Margaret to talk. He hadn¡¯t figured out a strategy yet, but Clifford gave him a start. ¡°She¡¯s always been brave.¡± If she were cowardly, she wouldn¡¯t have dared to find him when she was out of options. Gideon was grateful for her bravery. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have met. As they spoke, the elevator had reached the 15th floor. The two men made way for each other and then walked out of the elevator together. Margaret was only thinking about giving coffee to Clifford and forgot about the clingy Gideon. Seeing them walking in together through the front door, Margaret got a very strange feeling. ¡°Um, the coffee beans.¡± Margaret shoved the coffee beans into Clifford¡¯s hand, hoping to get rid of both men.. It was quite stressful for Margaret to see them in her house together. However, Gideon could see Margaret¡¯s intention at a nce. It was still early, and he had no intention of quitting. He had to show Clifford who would emerge victorious. Before Margaret could speak, Gideon had already walked to the sofa and sat down uninvited. Then he took out a small jar from under the coffee table, Margaret liked eating nuts and would put them in some smallers of her home. Gideon was not sure if Margaret¡¯s habits were different from before. He just wanted to try, but he didn¡¯t expect him to be lucky. Margaret¡¯s 1/4 13:27 Wed, 26 Jun Chapter 30 habits had not changed, which also meant that her feelings remained the same. Margaret¡¯s eyes widened as she watched Gideon shell pistachios for her. The urge to send him to a psychiatrist grew stronger within her. Tonight, Gideon was not only extraordinarily kind¨Chearted but also did something that he wouldn¡¯t usually do. A long timeter, when Margaret thought of this day again, she asked Gideon what he was thinking at the time. Gideon merely said with a disdainful expression, ¡°He¡¯s my love rival. Wouldn¡¯t I be stupid if I didn¡¯t assert my dominance?¡± ¡°Mr. Compton, you can take all the pistachios back if you want to eat them. Take your time, and don¡¯t worry.¡± Margaret put aside the thoughts In her mind and changed her perspective to understand what Gideon was doing. Gideon looked at Margaret like she was stupid. ¡°Do I look like I would eat such a childish thing? Aren¡¯t you the one who likes eating pistachios but not shelling them?¡± With that, he lowered his head and continued working. Clifford didn¡¯t expect that Gideon would y such a dirty trick. He took a deep breath to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor. Ignoring Gideon¡¯s provocative gaze, he went straight to the small chair not far away and sat down like he was reluctant to leave. ¡°Maggle, I¡¯m off this weekend. Do you have time? I¡¯ll take you to the suburbs for a walk. You haven¡¯t been back in years and must have forgotten what it¡¯s like.¡± Clifford was no match for Gideon in terms of scheming, but his 1Q was not much lower than that of Gideon. After realizing Gideon¡¯s intention, he invited Margaret on a ¡°date¡± in front of him. Margaret nodded without thinking. ¡°Sure! I wanted to invite Luciana to walk around the other day, but Zachary wouldn¡¯t let her.¡± Margaret was afraid that she would feel upset if she returned to the ces in her memories to find that they had changed drastically. She didn¡¯t go back to the ces she had been to to feel what she had felt back then. If someone apanied her, she would be able to distract herself somewhat from her emotions. They would be able to joke with each other and make new memories. Gideon¡¯s face darkened at once, but he restrained his anger and made a new n, which was o¡¯clock on the weekend. It would be more interesting to explore the area with three people. s toe and wait at Margaret¡¯s house at four Clifford chatted with Margaret about all kinds of things and basically hogged all her attention. He was smug enough to turn around and give Gideon a provocative smile. However, Gideon wasn¡¯t looking at him and Margaret at all. He just had his head lowered, concentrating on shelling the pistachios. He looked serious as if he was dealing with something very important. Although Margaret didn¡¯t look at Gideon at all, Clifford felt like he had already lost. Clifford was still chatting happily with Margaret. He became more proactive because of Margaret¡¯s smile, but Gideon noticed that she was. feeling ufortable. In the past half an hour, Margaret had looked up five times to check the time. Gideon shelled the remaining pistachios quietly, went to the kitchen to get a small te, put the pistachios on it, and brought them to Margaret. ¡°I have a meeting tomorrow morning. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Without asking for credit, showing off, or provoking Clifford, Gideon turned around and left under Margaret¡¯s gaze. Margaret et was stunned for a moment but managed to say before he left, ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t speed on the road.¡± Gideon turned around and said with a warm smile, ¡°Go to bed early.¡± Chapter 30 Margaret was confused by Gideon¡¯s gentlemanly attitude tonight. In her memory, Gideon had never been gentle to her. He always gave orders indifferently, and the only enthusiasm was¡­ ¡°Maggie? Maggie?¡± Clifford said a couple of things, but Margaret was staring at the te of pistachios and didn¡¯t hear him. 4151 ¡°Huh?¡± After Clifford called her several times, Margaret came back to her senses and said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was distracted just now,¡± When Margaret didn¡¯t know how to exin her distraction, Clifford helped Margaret think of an excuse. ¡°Are you too tired? I¡¯m sorry. I haven¡¯t seen you in a while and got carried away with chatting. It¡¯s gettingte, so I¡¯ll go home now. See you this weekend.¡± With Gideon gone, Clifford had nothing to worry about. ¡°Okay.¡± Margaret stood up and walked Clifford to the door. The smile on her face disappeared after she said goodbye. Looking at the te of pistachios, Margaret was not very happy. It took her nearly three years to slowly forget the little warmth that Gideon had given her and begin to move on from their rtionship. It took her four years to stop thinking of Gideon so often. It took her five years to tell herself that she could still love him, but some of her feelings had to be let go of. Gideon had no idea how much energy and courage it took for her to turn him down every single time she did. Margaret had been trying so hard not to run back to him, but what Gideon did today made her waver. Five years ago, if Gideon was willing to shell pistachios for her, she would choose to stay and follow him regardless of anything. But now, though she was moved and wavering, she chose to suppress her feelings. Turning on the TV, Margaret yed a variety show randomly and turned up the volume. She giggled unconsciously with the people on the screen while slowly popping the pistachios into her mouth one by one. Margaret ate slowly, and gradually, tears rolled down her cheeks. Gideon was downstairs, watching the lights in Margaret¡¯s house go out before leaving. What he did was a risky move that he thought up on the spot. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he would seed, so he could only wait quietly downstairs. Clifford came out five minutes after he left, which made Gideon feel relieved. Getting out of the car, Gideon looked up at Margaret¡¯s house arid imagined that Margaret was sleeping quietly. He was a little envious for a moment. He hadn¡¯t slept well for a long time, and recently, his two ¡°sisters¡± began to get restless again. They found some random manager toe in and share some of his power. With a cold smile on his face, Gideon had figured out how to deal with the two women. If they just yed their part as his older sisters, he wouldn¡¯t be too harsh with them. But they had too many delusions and never treated him as their younger brother. Why should he be nice to them? Repaying evil with good had never been his style. After standing in the night breeze for a while, Gideon thought about many things, and his heart began to calm. Then, he drove away. On the way back, he thought about how to keep Margaret busy so that she didn¡¯t have time to meet those pesky suitors. After all, Gideon was busy with his work and went on business trips often. He was really afraid that someone would swoop in and steal her away. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Margaret cried for most of the night. The next morning, when she got up and looked at herself in the mirror, she noticed her puffy eyes and immediately grabbed her hair in frustration. ¡°Margaret Wilcox, you¡¯re beyond help!¡± She pressed her forehead against the wall and cursed herself vehemently. Whenever anything concerning Gideon arose, Margaret couldn¡¯t maintain herposure. Margaret, who rarely wore makeup, finally dug out her cosmetics bag from the back of her closet. After half-heartedly rummaging through it, she abandoned the endeavor altogether, saying to herself, ¡®I¡¯m just a rookie when ites to makeup. I better spare myself from the torment. She retrieved some ice cubes from the refrigerator, wrapped them in a towel, and gently pressed them against her eyes, hoping to alleviate their swollen appearance. With a sense of righteousness, Margaret set off to work, knowing that regardless of others¡¯ perceptions, they were entitled to their opinions. Such is life; criticism is inevitable, after all. She decided to prove she was merely human. The moment Margaret stepped into the news agency, she sensed countless eyes on her. Undeterred, she greeted each gaze with a smile before entering the chief editor¡¯s office amidst their astonishment and curiosity. Someonemented, ¡°Margaret is so strange. She does nothing but sit in the office all day, yet Mr. Sanchez still favors her. Look at her eyes. She clearly didn¡¯t sleepst night. Who knows what trouble she was stirring up.¡± ¡°Oh, well. That¡¯s because she¡¯s young and beautiful. We¡¯ve passed our prime and can¡¯tpete with her,¡± one of her colleagues replied. Another person argued, ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t think Margaret is that kind of person.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Dov you know her from before? How can you be so sure?¡± someone else retorted. As expected, gossip erupted the second Margaret entered the chief editor¡¯s office. However, behind the ss door, their voices were silenced, leaving her oblivious to the heated debate outside, where voices were rising and tempers ring over her. ¡°Have you decided?¡± The chief editor¡¯s office was quiet regardless of what was happening outside. Raymond fixed his gaze on Margaret, making her feel somewhat nervous. Straightening her posture, she replied with conviction, ¡°Yes, I have. Our mission is to be the voice of the people. If I don¡¯t speak up now, and if no one else does, then our profession has no reason to exist.¡± This was, in fact, a decision that didn¡¯t require much thought. From the moment she gave her answer, Margaret never entertained the idea of retreating. She had never considered backing down in her twenty-something years of life. I ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll give you a month. I want to see the draft by then. I¡¯ll have Colin and Lilyassist you,¡± Raymond said, and Margaret saw approval In his eyes. ¡°Okay,¡± Margaret replied and left. month might seem like a generous timeframe. However, for such a significant news story, it was rtively short. Back in her office, Margaret sorted the materials she had recently gathered. She still needed to confer with her two colleagues about each Chaptor31 other¡¯s workload. Margaret had a good impression of Colin because of his help and care and that she had read some of his previous articles, which contained very incisive writing. She believed that words could reveal a person¡¯s true nature. Margaret could sense Colin¡¯s passion, making him the perfect person for her current topic. Raymond was indeed good to her. As for Lily, it was Margaret¡¯s first time encountering this name. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®Is she as delicate as her name sounds? if she is, I¡¯m in for a tough ride ahead.¡± While sorting her materials, Margaret heard a knock. She looked up, adjusted her sses with a gentle push, and said softly, ¡°Come in.¡± Colin stepped in, bringing with him an unfamiliar girl. Margaret deduced that she must be Lily, As soon as Delh Sanchez entered, she greeted Margaret with a cheerful smile, revealing her friendly character. ¡°Hello, Margaret. My name is Delh Sanchez, but everyone calls me Lily.¡± Margaret¡¯s hand, resting on theputer keyboard, twitched involuntarily. ¡°Mr. Sanchez has the same surname, she remarked inwardly. She was reluctant to dwell on it, but Raymond had sent a young woman to help her with such a significant news story. Moreover, Delh had the samest name as him. Margaret wasn¡¯t a rookie, either, so she knew it wasn¡¯t practical to dismiss these thoughts. Margaret suppressed her slight displeasure and greeted Delh, ¡°Hello,¡± No matter the situation, the former knew she had no authority to question the decisions made by higher-ups. ¡°Maybe Delh is indeed capable, and I¡¯m overthinking the situation, Margaret said to herself. ¡°Margaret, Mr. Sanchez has spoken highly of your achievements in the field. You¡¯re truly remarkablel Delh¡¯s eyes sparkled with admiration and anticipation, as if Margaret were the person she hoped to be. Faced with a neer in the workce, Margaret felt she ought to feel pleased. The bright and cheerful Delh was likable. However, for some reason, she found Delh¡¯s presence unsettling. There was a subtle difference between her gaze and her outward demeanor. Margaret smiled, politely expressed her gratitude, and said nothing else. Her guarded nature prevented her from warming up to Delh. Delh didn¡¯t expect Margaret to be so indifferent when she had shown her enthusiasm. The atmosphere in the office became momentarily. awkward as Delh¡¯s smile froze in ce. In the end, Colin stepped in to defuse the tension. ¡°Margaret, what¡¯s the topic this time? Share it with us.¡± With that, he redirected everyone¡¯s attention. Margaret cast a grateful nce at Colin. She wouldn¡¯t have known how to resolve the situation without his intervention. Margaret exined, ¡°I published an article about the forced demolitions in the suburbs online. People were getting hurt, but the developer ignored them. They even made grandiose statements. The people are mad, but they dare not speak up, knowing how much influence the developer has. Some had to give in, sign unfair deals, and leave. Others dug in their heels and resisted. Our goal is to expose how the developer is mistreating folks and make surepanies like these vanish.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Whichpany?¡± Colin asked. ¡°Lambert Group.¡± After Margaret said that, she scrutinized Colin¡¯s and Delh¡¯s expressions. Colin appeared calm, showing no significant changes. On the other hand, Delh¡¯s demeanor began to seem somewhat unnatural, ¡°Margaret, Lambert Group does have a powerful background. Are we really going to write a news story about them? It doesn¡¯t sound like a good idea.¡± As soon as Delh said thest word, Margaret frowned subtly. Her intuition told her that the former might be trouble. Margaret regretted epting the staff Raymond had appointed and thought, ¡®I should have insisted on choosing my team. But now that she¡¯s coping the st here, finding an excuse to dismiss her seems Inappropriate¡± ¡°Lily, I don¡¯t know what you majored in, but I specialized in journalism. In my very first ss, the professor told us that we are the voice of the people. We should write about the world¡¯s Injustice and witness nations¡¯ rise and fall. It might be agonizing, but it¡¯s our responsibility,¡± Margaret stated. She had no intention of giving up on this story, If Delh were afraid of offending someone and jeopardizing her career, Margaret wouldn¡¯t mind If she backed out. Delh frowned and reluctantly agreed, answering, ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Although she verbally agreed, she nned to talk to Raymondter about why she was given such a difficult task. Colin was the person who knew all the ins and outs of the news agency. He shook his head, looked at Delh with a hint of disdain, andmented internally, ¡°What a silly girl! If she had secured this news story, she could¡¯ve made a name for herself in the industry. Mr. Sanchez presented her with such a good opportunity, yet she finds it burdensome. This is baffling ¡°Margaret, what tasks have youpleted so far? Is there anything else I need to do?¡± Colin didn¡¯t care whether Delh was willing to do it or not. For him, this was a great opportunity. He had heard of Margaret¡¯s capabilities and believed she could lead them through this challenging task. Margaret replied, ¡°I¡¯ve gathered some information about the area and collected onlinements about the issue. Manyments have been deleted, possibly due to restrictions. We need to conduct a field visit and interview each household to uncover everything Lambert Group has done before nning our next steps.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go ask around for more informationter. Let¡¯spile all the data from different sources tomorrow.¡± Colin had some connections and sources in the local area, something Margaretcked. Seeing Colin taking the initiative, she happily nodded in agreement. Delh was somewhat dissatisfied when she saw that Margaret and Colin had tasks toplete. However, she couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch them work. So, she asked, ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Nothing for now. We¡¯ll finalize the division ofbor once we have all the information tomorrow,¡± Margaret responded. In actuality, she still wasn¡¯t keen on involving Delh. If thetter wasn¡¯t willing to work with them, she still had time to talk to Raymond about backing out. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m new here and don¡¯t know much. If there¡¯s anything you need, just let me know. I¡¯ll also need to learn a lot from you.¡± It seemed like Delh realized her earlier reaction wasn¡¯t quite right. Hence, she hurriedly tried to improve Margaret¡¯s impression of her. ¡°Alright,¡± Margaret answered indifferently, leaving Delh somewhat unsatisfied. Nevertheless, thetter didn¡¯t say anything more. Colin shared some insights about the initial investigation, many of which Margaret found valuable. After all, she used to work abroad, and there were differences in customs and regtions between countries. His suggestions served as a helpful reminder. Margaret promptly jotted down notes. While discussing, Margaret and Colin were open and candid. They felt like they had met their match as they shared their expertise. They also wore a smile of understanding, knowing they had found a like-mindedpanion. Margaret discreetly observed Delh, who appeared bored. Thetter idly yed with her nails and yawned asionally, as if uninterested in their conversation. It truly felt like she was hopeless. If it were Margaret, she would have already taken out her notebook and started learning from the discussion. Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Perhaps they were too invested in the conversation, but Margaret and Colin lost track of time. In the blink of an eye, lunchbreak was almost over. If Margaret hadn¡¯t inadvertently seen the annoyance on Delh¡¯s face and her eyes darting away from time to time, she would¡¯ve talked- with Colin until work let off. Meeting one¡¯s match was the most pleasant thing. Margaret smiled and changed the topic. ¡°Look at me. I didn¡¯t pay attention to the time. Today¡¯s the first day of our group¡¯s establishment, so I¡¯d like to treat you all to lunch. I hope that this investigation will go smoothly.¡± Then Margaret stood up and walked out. ¡°How can I let Margaret spend money? Let me treat you guys instead.¡± A smile appeared on Delh¡¯s face. She was obviously satisfied with Margaret¡¯s move. Margaret didn¡¯t take Delh¡¯s words seriously, but she still replied respectfully, ¡°You just started working. How much could you have? Let me, this time.¡± Delh looked embarrassed and said, ¡°Thank you then, Margaret.¡± Colin followed them and looked at Delh¡¯s back. He thought, ¡°Hypocritical. If it weren¡¯t for Raymond¡¯s ties, Delh wouldn¡¯t even be able to pass the internship. Everyone knows that her draft was ghostwritten. It¡¯s only that everyone chose to keep silent for the sake of their careers.¡± After entering society, ¡°rtionship¡± also became a kind of ability. Delh had a good uncle, Raymond. They were all earning a living under him, so they had to ept some unspoken rules. ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Colinplimented.. Margaret chose a steakhouse near the news agency. Even though it was past lunchtime, there were still many people in the restaurant. Margaret thought that this restaurant should be good. After sitting down and seeing the prices on the menu, Margaret was very certain that it was a great ce. After everyone sat down, Margaret was too embarrassed to leave again. She could only pretend to be calm and act like this ce wouldn¡¯t hurt her pocket. She said generously, ¡°Everyone, please, see what you like, and feel free to order anything.¡± Delh didn¡¯t know how to be courteous, so the dishes she ordered were all expensive. Now Margaret¡¯s heart ached more than her pocket did. After this meal, she¡¯d probably be scrimping for a week. Colin ordered a few reasonably priced things and looked at Margaret with sympathy. When they would get to know each other more in the future, Margaret would find that Delh was very much like how she was named. She really used the ¡®delicate¡® meaning of her name to the extreme. When Colin first heard Delh¡¯s name among the coborators, he wanted to break the folder. Colin understood what Raymond was thinking, but he had mixed too many personal feelings in his work. Colin hoped that this investigation wouldn¡¯t be screwed up by Delh. Otherwise, Raymond would not only lose a very well¨Cwritten report but also the position of chief editor. ¡°Margaret, do youe here often?¡± Delh asked casually as if she were talking about something verymon with a new colleague. However, Margaret was even more ufortable. Delh¡¯s words very obviously pried into her privacy, so Margaret disliked them. How often she came to this restaurant seemed unrted to Delh. Chapter 32 ¡°No. It¡¯s my first time here.¡± Margaret was an honest person but not many wanted to hear truthful words. The enthusiasm on Delh¡¯s face disappeared, and Margaret could roughly guess what she thought. Margaret analyzed internally, ¡®Delh must think I¡¯m rich and worthy of ttery. It was probably pretty embarrassing that I destroyed her hope of that by answering her question. ¡°I¡¯m worried something unpleasant will happen when I work with Delh. She has almost all the ws I hate. The only good thing she brings to the table is probably being an additional person toin about together with Luciana at night¡® ¡°The food here is good. I¡¯ve been here twice before.¡± Seeing how the atmosphere was bing a little strange, Colin didn¡¯t want the rtionship between Margaret and Delh to begin turning sour so early. No matter how he looked at it, it wouldn¡¯t benefit Margaret in any way. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m excited to try itter.¡± Margaret understood Colin¡¯s kindness. Although she was unwilling to, she still yed along. Delh didn¡¯t join in their conversation. She simply drank her warm coffee and looked around. Two men just sat at the dining table not far away. One of them was extraordinarily handsome and Delh¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at him. When he stole a casual nce, she even deliberately adjusted her hair for fear that the stray hairs would affect his impression of her. Ethan didn¡¯t expect to meet Margaret when he was having dinner with his friends, but the whole time, she was focused on chatting and didn¡¯t notice himing in at all. Margaret looked charming when she was serious. Although he approached her with a purpose, he had to admit that Margaret was like an interesting game of chess. After only one interaction, Ethan was already incredibly interested in her. Ethan¡¯s friend had originally booked a private room, but he chose to sit in the public area. He thought that he¡¯d also try out the life of a regr civilian person for Margaret. His friend asked curiously, ¡°Ethan, which girl are you looking at?¡± He and Ethan grew up together. If he couldn¡¯t see that Ethan was acting differently because of a woman, he¡¯d probably feel very ashamed. ¡°An interesting woman.¡± Ethan smiled subconsciously. many years that Ethan had As soon as Ethan¡¯s friend, Frederick Zanders, saw this, he instantly became interested. It was the first time in so many y such an expression on his face because of a woman other than Roxanne. Frederick thought, ¡®Every woman in the world is better than Roxanne. At first nce, I already knew she was a pretentious bitch. I truly don¡¯t understand why Ethan likes her! Then, he said, ¡°Okay, as long as you¡¯re happy.¡± Delh found that the handsome man who just walked in would look at their table from time to time. She was overjoyed. That handsome man must also be interested in me! Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t keep looking over here, she thought. Delh waited wholeheartedly for the handsome man toe over and ask for her WhatsApp number, but she didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d walk over and look for someone other than her. Margaret didn¡¯t pay attention to the movement behind her. Even if there were footsteps, it was a normal thing in restaurants so Margaret wouldn¡¯t be curious and look back anyway. Until Ethan stood beside her and whispered, ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Only then did Margaret look up at him. A surprised smile appeared on Margaret¡¯s face. She replied enthusiastically, ¡°This is our third chance encounter, right?¡± 18:10 Mon, 1 Jul Chapter 32 ¡°So, it looks like we¡¯re fated. Why don¡¯t we meet up someday for a meal together to talk about this fate of ours?¡± Ethan was rather straightforward and didn¡¯t beat about the bush with Margaret. Under Delh¡¯s jealous gaze, Margaret nodded and agreed, ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go back to have lunch with my friends. Talk to youter.¡± After saying that, Ethan politely nodded to Colin and Delh and then left without looking back. Ethan was really serious when he wanted to pretend to be. Frederick looked at him and felt that he¡¯d fallen into a pool of ice. Ethan¡¯s presence now would make anyone nervous. Delh couldn¡¯t wait for Ethan to return to his seat. She wasn¡¯t afraid that Ethan would hear her and asked Margaret directly, ¡°Margaret, is he your friend? He¡¯s so handsome! What does he do?¡± Delh¡¯s eyes were full of hearts. She was clearly interested in him. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not exactly friends. I don¡¯t know much about him, but we just know each other.¡± Margaret was honest. What she said was true, but Delh didn¡¯t think so. Delh thought Margaret was just being pretentious. She thought that Margaret wanted to have such a great man like Ethan all to herself.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Since Margaret was unwilling to help her, she could find a way to help herself. ¡°All the dishes are served. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Colin n called to them. The atmosphere was rather odd and he didn¡¯t want to witness Margaret and Delh fighting and pulling at each other¡¯s hair. Colin hoped that Delh could quickly understand what Raymond had done for her and not cause any trouble in the next month. The food filled their mouths. Delh finally stopped her questions, and Margaret was finally happy and rxed. Now that Margaret knew she was destined to spend a lot of money on this meal, she chose to let herself enjoy it to the fullest. When the attendant was settling their payment, Margaret almost put on a look of pained heroic sacrifice and went to get her wallet, but he told her that someone had already paid for her. low is that ¡°How is that possible?¡± Margaret asked in disbelief, thinking that the attendant had made a mistake. ¡°It was settled by the man sitting over there just now.¡± The waiter pointed to the seat where Ethan had sat. Margaret turned around and found that the seat was already empty. She frowned, not liking Ethan¡¯s behavior. She thought, ¡°I must quickly find a time and chance to pay Ethan back! Delh didn¡¯t see Margaret¡¯s dissatisfaction. Instead, she was immersed in the joy of discovering something new and amazing. At first, Delh was just attracted by Ethan¡¯s outstanding appearance. However, she didn¡¯t expect that be was also a rich man. He paid for such an expensive meal without even thinking about it. Delh felt like she couldn¡¯t let go of this blue chip.¡± It was extremely rare for such a thing to ur. The first thing Margaret did when she returned to her office was not work but open WhatsApp. She started the chat with Ethan. [Did you just pay the bill for me?) Margaret was almost certain about the answer to this question, but she had to make sure again. It would be embarrassing if she got the wrong person. [Yeah, I was paying my bill anyway so I thought, you know, might as well.] Ethan had expected this message from her. Since he left the steakhouse, his hands and eyes never left his phone. It was as if he were waiting for his lover¡¯s message. 18:10 Mon, 1 Jul Chapter 32 61% Frederick couldn¡¯t bear to see how stupid Ethan looked anymore. He just left him behind, but Ethan could still keep staring at the phone and enjoy himself. In the past hour, Ethan also found Margaret¡¯s ount on Twitter and followed it secretly. Before Margaret¡¯s message arrived, Ethan looked at her tweets one by one. She didn¡¯t tweet much, and her tweets rarely touched on her life. or emotions. Each tweet only consisted of a few scenic photos. Only then did Ethan know that Margaret had actually traveled to so many ces. She¡¯d traveled to the desert,ke, and snowfield. She¡¯d left her footprints halfway around the world. At that moment, Ethan suddenly felt like it was a pity. If it weren¡¯t for the rtionship between Roxanne and Gideon, he and Margaret might have a chance to be good friends. Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Ethan¡¯s message did not get a reply. Margaret didn¡¯t reply to him for several minutes, and he was a little impatient. When he was just about to find a topic to continue their chat, his phone finally sounded with a message notification. Ethan clicked into Wh WhatsApp expectantly. Looking at the picture she sent indicating she¡¯d transferred money to him, he smiled silently and thought, ¡®What an adamant woman. Margaret wasn¡¯t used to paying with her phone. She¡¯d just started using Apple Pay and there wasn¡¯t enough money in it. In the past few minutes, she went to ask Luciana to help her with the transfer. Ethan replied helplessly: [Do you have to be so serious?] The amount Margaret gave him was exactly the same as the bill just now, down to the penny. Margaret answered: [I was treating my colleagues to lunch. How can I let you spend money on that?] She insisted strongly on Ethan epting the money. Ethan: [That store¡¯s owned by my friend. I have a discount and it doesn¡¯t cost much, so you don¡¯t need to be all courteous with me.] He didn¡¯t ept the transfer. He had never taken money from a woman, which was against his principles and would hurt his self¨Cesteem. Margaret texted back: [Your discount is your business. I still need to pay for this meal.] Even without seeing Margaret¡¯s face, Ethan could still imagine how serious her face was now. After thinking about it for a while, Ethan chose to ept the transferred money and sent another text. [What I did made you unhappy, right?] [No.] Margaret was lying. Instantly, Ethan realized how dishonest and unpleasant his words were, and then he realized that he had made a wrong move. Originally, heAll content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. wanted to show his wealth and generosity to Margaret. Most women around him were won over by this trick of his However, Ethan forgot that Margaret was different from the women who wanted his money. His behavior would only make Margaret feel disgusted, Fortunately, Ethan was aware of this timely. If he insisted a little bit more, Margaret would surely choose to stay away from him. I just thought¡­ you know, we¡¯re friends and so I helped you pay the bill. I didn¡¯t think too much about it. I apologize if my behavior made I just thought¡­ you know, we¡¯re friends and so I helped you you feel ufortable. To show his sincerity, Ethan sent several apologetic animated emojis after that message. Ethan never expected that he would do such a cute thing, but he didn¡¯t want to leave a bad impression on Margaret. Some things went against his original goal, but Ethan refused to admit it. As he buttered up Margaret, he reminded himself that no matter how strange the things he did were, it was only to make Roxanne happy. Deceiving oneself and others was one of the best things humans could do, but in the end, the ones they harmed were themselves. Looking at Ethan¡¯s cautious words, Margaret felt guilty. She wondered, ¡®Am I being too sensitive? Maybe he just wanted to show some kindness¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have been so sensitive¡­ Margaret sighed. She knew her faults but she truly couldn¡¯t change them. This behavior was something she was unable to ept. It wasn¡¯t only Ethan. Even if Clifford did this, she wouldn¡¯t be able to ept it. Chapter 33 [No, I¡¯m just not used to it.] Margaret gave a simple answer and didn¡¯t know what to say afterward. After meeting three times, Margaret realized that she wasn¡¯t the same type of person Ethan was. ¡® I should keep a proper distance from him in the future. That¡¯d be better,¡± she rationalized internally. Looking at the message, Ethan thought that the minor crisis had passed, so he asked her out on a date. [Are you free tonight? How about we have dinner together?] Margaret: [Sorry, I have an appointment with a friend tonight.] She decided to keep her distance and she¡¯d follow it through. [What about tomorrow?] Ethan asked persistently, [I¡¯m afraid not. I received a new task recently, so I¡¯m a bit busier. Maybe another time.] Thest three wordsforted Ethan, and he epted them without thinking too much.. After chatting for a while longer, Margaret said she was busy, and the conversation between them ended. A person who she¡¯d only met with thrice wasn¡¯t enough to affect Margaret¡¯s emotions. Her emotional distance was hidden in her politeness. After working for a while, Margaret¡¯s phone sounded again. Her phone had not been so busy for a long time. She nced at the name on it and decided to mute it. Then, she locked her phone in the drawer. If Gideon pulled another trickter, she¡¯ll figure it out then. Now, all she wanted was to work quietly. Yet, everything that happened in life was contrary to her expectations. The more Margaret wanted peace, the more people refused to give it to her. It was only an hourter that Raymond sent someone to call her over. Margaret found it a little strange since he¡¯d never asked for her twice in one day. Naturally, Margaret thought of Delh. Did she go to him andin? Although Margaret wasn¡¯t afraid of such ame trick, she still felt irritated that she had to face it. No matter how unhappy she was, she still had to go and meet Raymond. After all, he was her boss. She thought, ¡®After finishing this task, I must definitely get back to the battlefield. If I could die at any time, then I¡¯d have no time to think of any other problems.¡® ¡°Pleasee in,¡± Raymond¡¯s voice came from the office. Hearing that, Margaret walked in. When she was thinking about how to respond to the uing questions, she found Raymond smiling warmly as if she had done something groundbreaking instead. That meant that glory and a bonus woulde at the same time. ¡°Mr. Sanchez, what can I do for you?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, there is an urgent task for you to do. Put aside the tasks at hand first and work on them in a few days.¡± He smiled blindingly. Margaret curiously took her new task from him and was also very interested in knowing what it entailed that could make him smile like this. After seeing the introduction on the paper, Margaret wanted to hit the wall and end herself. The news agency was going to do an exclusiye Interview for Gideon. What was more was that it was a 72¨Chour personal interview. As an interviewer, she¡¯d need to spend 72 hours in the same space as Gideon. Not to mention 72 hou 72 hours, even seven minutes with him would make Margaret feel like she w Margaret feel like she was going crazy. Gideon¡¯s behavior and actions yesterday were too abnormal and made Margaret uneasy. She always felt that he was nning a big move to Chapter 33 subdue her. Margaret silently put the task list back in front of Raymond. Before he could say anything, Margaret refused first and found a very appropriate excuse for herself, saying, ¡°Mr. Sanchez, I¡¯m not familiar with interviewing people, and I rarely did it before. I am afraid that I will mess up and affect the reputation of our news agency. There are many experienced reporters in the news agency. It¡¯s better if they go instead.¡± ¡°What modest words! Margaret also appeared particrly sincere as if she was really reflecting on her ability, but she knew clearly the reason why she refused. She just wanted to stay away from Gideon; as far away from him as possible. Fascinated by what was in front of her, Margaret didn¡¯t even think about why Gideon, who had always been reluctant to interact with the media, suddenly gave an exclusive interview to their news agency. ¡°Maggie, you are too modest. In my opinion, you are the most suitable one for this task. It doesn¡¯t matter if you haven¡¯t interviewed people. much before. Go and ask your seniors to get some knowledge from their experience. Take this opportunity to expand your knowledge. You can kill two birds with one stone.¡± Raymond was not unhappy with Margaret¡¯s refusal but persuaded her gently. He couldn¡¯t be in a bad mood when he thought about the sponsorship from Compton Group for the next three years. ¡°But¡­¡± Margaret wanted to refuse, but he didn¡¯t give her a chance. ¡°Maggie, this task is very important. You have our news agency in your hands. You must take it seriously! I¡¯m waiting for your good news.¡± After saying that, he even made a cheering gesture. He was a man in his forties. Although he took decent care of himself, his gestures still made people feel ufortable. ¡°Mr. Sanchez, can you think about it again? Let¡¯s talk it over a bit more. The issue I am working on is also quite demanding and needs my full focus andmitment.¡± Margaret tried her best to avoid this interview ¡°No.¡± Raymond shook his head firmly and threatened, ¡°Maggie, your issue needs financial support.¡± Margaret immediately understood what he meant. If she didn¡¯t go to interview Gideon, she would have to pay for this issue from her own pocket. As a poor person, she stared at him in dissatisfaction for ten seconds and then picked up the task list respectfully. ¡°I will do my best toplete this interview task,¡± Margaret said smiling, which was theplete opposite of the way she resisted just now. Margaret felt like she had sacrificed too much for her career, justice, and the destruction of the Lambert family. ¡®Great, now I¡¯ve no mood to work at all Just thinking of how I need to report to Compton Group at nine in the morning tomorrow, I feel like crying, she cursed internally. When people reach a certain extent of despair, their potential would be realized. For example, Margaret now had to make all kinds of preparations before she went to meet Gideon. She would never let Gideon have the opportunity to tease her or do anything else. Since it was a work interview, everything should be carried out in a professional way. However, mental preparation was one thing. When she actually arrived at the doors of Compton Group, her legs trembled in fear. It had been more than ten hours since she received the task. Margaret kept telling herself in her mind, ¡®It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just an interview¡± However, Gideon never called her again, which made her feel an ominous feeling like something bad was about to happen.. Standing at Compton Group¡¯s entrance, Margaret recalled that five years ago, she stood there and made herst call to Gideon. Back then, she thought that if Gideon was happy at the thought of bing a father and rushed out of the building, she could be with him regardless of 18:11 Mon, 1 Jul Chapter 33 anything that happened until Gideon yelled for her to stop. 61%0 In the past, Margaret also wanted to walk in through this door proudly. Now she could, but her identity was not what she wanted it to be back then. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Margaret stood at the door for over ten minutes. The clock had ticked from 8:45 a.m. to 8:57 a.m. She wondered whether she should risk beingte. Gideon emphasized punctuality greatly. He had once ended a partnership because a business partner was ten secondste, no matter how much the other party exined and apologized. Margaret considered ying a dirty trick. She deliberately waited until after nine to confront Gideon. If he got angry, he might ask the news agency to send someone else. Margaret was a little excited about her ¡°dejected¡± departure from Compton Group. She stared at her phone and didn¡¯t enter until nine o¡¯clock. Margaret approached the reception desk with a smile and waited. She wondered if Gideon would dismiss her angrily or calmly ask her to leave. She hoped for thetter. ¡°Ms. Wilcox, Mr. Compton asked you to take this elevator to go upstairs. He¡¯s waiting for you on the top floor,¡± said the beautiful receptionist, gesturing toward the CEO¡¯s private elevator. The receptionist was very nice to Margaret. Everyone at Compton Group knew about Gideon and Roxanne¡¯s rtioriship. Roxanne had never had the privilege of taking the elevator to the CEO¡¯s office, but Margaret did. The receptionist thought, I must keep my eyes open and remember Ms. Wilcox¡¯s face. If shees again in the future, I won¡¯t keep her waiting and will send her up immediately.¡± ¡°Did he really ask me to go up?¡± Margaret asked in surprise. For the first time, she wished her hearing was off. ¡°Yes,¡± the receptionist replied. Her voice sounded like a nightingale, but Margaret now felt it was no different from the voice of a messenger from hell. ¡°Okay, thank you,¡± Margaret replied with a smile. She walked to the elevator and arrived at the top floor under the envious gazes of countless passersby. The elevator had just gone up three floors, and Margaret became a hot topic throughout thepany. Everyone wanted to know who she was and what kind of rtionship she had with Gideon that allowed her to enjoy privileges.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. When the news reached the administrative department, Bianca typed away on her keyboard. She nced at her nails several times, sighing Despite her efforts to work here, what she really wanted was Gideon, However, since joining thepany, she hadn¡¯t had a chance to see him. Her costly manicure was overshadowed by typing. She was afraid she would not be beautiful or perfect enough in front of Gideon. While listening to other people¡¯s discussions, Bianca felt an intense urge to rush into the elevator, drag Margaret out, and ruthlessly pull out all her hair. She even considered using a small knife to carve scars on her face. Bianca¡¯s temper had redtely, but she still retained some rationality. She didn¡¯t rush out to confront Margaret. She wasn¡¯t that impulsive. Bianca remembered her mother¡¯s words, ¡°When enemies sh, both suffer,¡± and immediately formted her n. Perhaps she could eliminate both rivals at once. She used her connections to spread the news that a woman was in Gideon¡¯s office. She hoped Roxanne would take action. However, she didn¡¯t have high hopes. If Roxanne really had some skills, she wouldn¡¯t have remained Gideon¡¯s fianc¨¦e for five years without any progress. On the other hand, Bianca was very grateful for Roxanne¡¯s ipetence. Otherwise, she would havepletely missed her chance. 18:11 AMon, 1 Ju Chapter 34 When Margaret entered Gideon¡¯s office, he was listening to his assistant¡¯s report on the day¡¯s schedule. His brow furrowed slightly when he found something unsatisfactory, but he didn¡¯t immediately interrupt. He seemed to want to hear all the arrangements before making any changes. Margaret stood awkwardly at the door, feelingpletely uneasy. She knew it was because of her psychological rejection of the ce. She couldn¡¯t wait to confront Gideon, knowing she would be in that situation for the next three days. After a night of thinking, Margaret was certain that Gideon was behind the task given to her. Gideon must have pulled some strings with his wealth and power to see the smile on Raymond¡¯s face yesterday. He must have spent a lot on advertisement fees for the news agency. Otherwise, Raymond wouldn¡¯t have given her the task with such a treacherous expression. The first question Margaret nned to askter was about the advertisement fee. Specifically, she wanted to know how much she was worth. Gideon¡¯s assistant took a long time to report. Margaret stood there, bored, and began observing Gideon¡¯s office. Margaret enjoyed therge floor-to-ceiling window in the office, which allowed ample sunshine to pour in during the afternoon. It was the perfect spot to rx in a recliner and enjoy coffee, juice, or cake. The office had a cohesive design with cold lines and blue-and-white colors, which reflected Gideon¡¯s style. Margaret would have mistaken it for the work of a famous artist if she hadn¡¯t seen a drawing secretly. However, she knew that Gideon had personally selected every tile. Gideon treated that ce as his home, the only ce he truly owned. That was why he put so much emotion and effort into it. Margaret had imagined what that ce would look like when she had seen the drawing years ago, and she wanted to see it with her own eyes. Now, after five years, her wish had finallye true, and she felt great. ¡°Cancel the evening social and find someone to rece me at the Lascano family party. By the way, add a meeting with the marketing department this afternoon. They¡¯ve beenzytely,¡± Gideon said after listening to all of his assistant¡¯s reports. He had to free up his evenings for Margaret¡¯s ¡°interviews¡±. Yesterday, Gideon almost cursed himself for being foolish when he realized the simple and quick solution he had overlooked. It was an insult to all the praise he had received in the business world. ¡°Okay, Mr. Compton. Also, Mr. Lascano asked me to pass along a message to you,¡± the assistant added. The ¡°Mr. Lascano¡± he mentioned was Bianca¡¯s older brother, Fabio Lascano, not her father, Marco. ¡°What?¡± Gideon asked. ¡°His sister, Bianca, is now an assistant in the administrative department of ourpany, said the assistant. Gideon did not immediately grasp the meaning of the message. He had long forgotten who Bianca was. It was difficult for an insignificant person to upy a ce in his mind. Besides, he had been preupiedtely with how to deal with Margaret. He had no time to remember someone he barely knew. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gideon asked again. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯d better call Mr. Lascano when you¡¯re free,¡± the assistant replied. He was also a dense man with no imagination when it came to romantic rtionships. When Fabio told him about it, he felt strange and thought Bianca was just an employee. He wondered why she needed Gideon¡¯s attention. Margaret rolled her eves disdainfully, thinking neither of them could naties haur abides the t use Chapter 34 which was normal. Few women in the world were immune to Gideon¡¯s charms. Bianca was fortunate. She had a rtive who knew Gideon and could help her establish a connection. A person in a favorable position gained special advantages. As long as her rtive had a good rtionship with Gideon and enough to facilitate more frequent meetings between nca and Gideon, her chances of sess were quite high. Margaret had underestimated Gideon. While he was somewhat flirtatious with women, not just any woman would do for him. Someone like Bianca was never even considered. ¡°Ms. Wilcox, do you have any ideas?¡± Gideon said suddenly, Margaret was still lost in her thoughts when she was unexpectedly called upon. Margaret stared at Gideon for a while, wondering, ¡®Does he really want to ask my opinion, or does he intend to embarrass meter?¡± ¡°Jacob, you go first,¡± Gideon ordered. He was concerned Margaret might have reservations, so he deliberately asked his assistant, Jacob Luther, to leave. Jacob looked at Gideon with dissatisfaction. He, too, was curious. Still, he chose to be obedient because of his high annual sry. ¡°Tell me, what were you thinking just now?¡± Gideon asked, unhappy with their ¡°distance¡±. ¡°Nothing,¡± Margaret replied shortly. ¡°Maggie, you¡¯re not good at lying. Every time you lie, your eyes unconsciously wander around, and your hands instinctively reach for anything they can grab,¡± Gideon said as he got up from his chair. He could only go to her if she wouldn¡¯te to him. ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± Margaret denied guiltily. It felt awful to be in a confined space with someone who knew her so well. In fact, she wanted to turn around and run away. Gideon was approaching her, but Margaret¡¯s feet felt as if they were glued to the floor. Gideon didn¡¯t consciously remember Bianca, but his good memory helped him quickly remember who she was. That evening, Gideon had done something unexpected. He had peeled pistachios for Margaret. Such a special night had naturally left a significant mark on Gideon¡¯s memory, and Bianca happened to be remembered. That could also be considered a stroke of luck. ¡°Maggie, can I interpret your expression as jealousy?¡± Gideon said. He wasn¡¯t too close, about three steps away from Margaret, just enough to see every subtle expression on her face. Microexpressions were the most revealing indicators of a person¡¯s underlying thoughts. Gideon made significant efforts to achieve Invincibility at the negotiating table by studying under several schrs in that field for six months. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Margaret retorted. She was no longer jealous of Gideon. She was afraid she would end up getting hurt. The first time she had heard rumors about Gideon being involved with another woman, her heart had been in great pain, as if it had been torn apart. As rumors had be more frequent, especially after one asion when Margaret had found out Gideon had indeed been involved with other women besides her, she had noticed that her heart had slowly stopped feeling the pain. She had found her heart had be numb from too much pain.. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Gideon was very unhappy to find that Margaret was telling the truth. She really wasn¡¯t unhappy because of Bianca. ¡°Ms. Wilcox, I wonder if you have any insight on the matter just now. Could you share your thoughts so that I could learn?¡± Gideon asked. He took a step forward, eager to hear Margaret¡¯s perspective. He felt it was crucial for him to know. ¡°Bianca likes you. That Mr. Lascano is probably a rtive of hers, wanting you to pay more attention to Bianca. Perhaps you two will be a couple,¡± Margaret said, meeting Gideon¡¯s gaze for a minute before blurting out her thoughts. After saying that, Margaret was a little upset. She felt she had been too honest and wondered if she might harm Gideon¡¯s rtionship with hisN?velDrama.Org owns all content. friend. Gideon found that Margaret was indeed suited to be a reporter. She could alwayse up with stories in her head, and the uracy of the story was as high as 80 percent. ¡°You got part of it right, but there¡¯s one thing you said wrong,¡± Gideon said, taking another step forward. ¡°What did I get wrong?¡± Margaret asked. ¡°Fabio doesn¡¯t want his sister and me to be a couple. He wants me to stay away from his idiotic sister,¡± Gideon answered. After finishing his sentence, he took another step forward, narrowing the distance between him and Margaret to just four inches. ¡°What?¡± Margaret said. She couldn¡¯t believe it. She was astonished that someone would refuse to y matchmaker for his sister and Gideon. Instantly, Margaret became curious and intrigued by this man. She was eager to know more about Fabio. ¡°Fabio wants to develop a long-term cooperative rtionship with me. He¡¯s affect our mutual interests,¡± Gideon exined. a very pragmatic businessman and doesn¡¯t want anything else to ¡°Oh,¡± Margaret said in understanding. It wasn¡¯t Fabio who was peculiar, but Bianca. Between his peculiar sister and long-term interests, he smartly chose thetter. ¡°Go sit on the couch. I¡¯ll send someone to bring you drinkster. There¡¯s a refrigerator in the small dining room over there. Take whatever you want. In my ce, there¡¯s no need to be formal. Just rx and enjoy yourself,¡± Gideon said. He put his arm around Margaret¡¯s shoulder, led her to the couch, and gently urged her to sit down. In anticipation of this moment, Gideon deliberately had someone rece the couch with an evenrger one, nearly as big as a bed. Gideon thought, ¡®Margaret is such azy girl. If she getsfortable here, maybe she won¡¯t want to leave.¡¯ He actually liked the idea. He was worried that she might sneak away if he didn¡¯t see her. Margaret¡¯s departure five years ago left a big shadow on Gideon. garet, making her feel a little sleepy. However, she would never give in to such a The morning sunshine wasn¡¯t very strong, but it fell upon smallfort. She raised her chin and asked, ¡°I¡¯m mostfortable when I¡¯m not with you. Can I leave now?¡± ¡°No.¡± Gideon¡¯s answer was firm, concise, and clear. ¡°Then answer one question honestly, and I¡¯ll stay here obediently for three days,¡± Margaret offered, She had learned to make deals too, as she realized she had picked up some things from Gideon. He answered, ¡°Go ahead.¡± It was just a question. Gideon didn¡¯t think Margaret¡¯s question would make him embarrassed. Margaret sat up straight and put on a serious look as if the next thing they were going to discuss was very important. She even cleared b throat, just like before every big speech, before asking, ¡°How much did you pay to have me for these three days?¡¯ 1/3 13:38 Tue, 2 Jul MJ M Chapter 35 48 Gideon was originally nervous about Margaret¡¯s attitude, but he didn¡¯t expect her to ask this question. He smiled slightly and replied, ¡°Not much. It¡¯s just an advertisement fee for a few years. 5 million dors.¡± Compton Group needed to maintain good interactions with the media, not only traditional media such as news agencies and television but also emerging social media, Every year, Compton Group invested nearly a nine-figure sum in corporate image marketing. 5 million dors for three years was not a big deal. Margaret silently counted the number of zeros in 5 million dors. She greedily swallowed her saliva and muttered in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re so rich. Give me the money directly. I could spend 30 days with you.¡± She just wanted to tease Gideon for his extravagance; however, Gideon took this remark to heart and suddenly felt he had found a new approach. He asked, ¡°If I give you 5 million dors every month, will you stay by my side?¡± He thought carefully, ¡®This amount seems big, making it challenging to fulfill, but as long as I invest more in the stock market and expand my business portfolio, I might be able to earn it back. Working harder outside of regr hours doesn¡¯t matter. Keeping Margaret is the most important thing right now.¡¯ ¡°What do you think?¡± Margaret asked, sneering. If Gideon dared to nod, she would definitely knock him out. Margaret thought that four years were enough for Gideon to see clearly what kind of person she was. What she cared about was not money but love. If he really thought that money could ¡°buy¡± her, then they could never see each other again. ¡°Got it. Have fun by yourself. I¡¯m off to work now. Just let me know if you need anything,¡± Gideon said. He reached out and pinched Margaret¡¯s cheek, finding it much better than before. He wanted to make her a little plumper so that it would feel better when he held and touched her. Thinking about this, Gideon nned to ask his assistant to search for popr dessert shops and bring back every item in their shops. He thought it was a good way to treat Margaret. Dense men were terrifying. If they didn¡¯t bother to understand what women were thinking, they would use some sweet talks to sway them. However, the result was usually not very satisfying. Gideon¡¯s work wasn¡¯t interesting. Margaret took out her camera and casually snapped a few pictures of the office and Gideon at work. Perhaps they would be useful for the final article. After that, she was no different from being at home. Shey on the couch, opened her tablet, and casually watched a TV series. No one came to Gideon¡¯s office all morning except Jacob, who knocked on the door three times. asionally, Margaret looked up and saw Gideon frowning. He seemed to be troubled. At first, she was able to focus on the TV series, but gradually, she watched Gideon more and more. She also remembered the words ¡°serious men are most handsome,¡± but she had never really seen Gideon be serious. During the years they spent together, Margaret had seen a warm heart hidden under Gideon¡¯s cold appearance, and she witnessed the darkness and vulnerability that he didn¡¯t show in front of others. She thought that her attention and love for Gideon began from the first time she saw his vulnerability. Before that, she always felt that he wasn¡¯t human but a robot. He had no ernotions or warmth. What he repeated every day was only work and hypocritical performances, acting like a nobleman. However, when Margaret found out that Gideon had prepared a special ce to mourn his mother and that he secretly did a lot of chanty, work, even personally volunteering to teach in rural areas, she realized how wrong it was to judge solely by appearances After that day, Margaret no longer regarded every meeting as a task and began to try not to be an indifferent puppet She would carefully 487 Chapter 35 observe Gideon¡¯s every expression and pay attention to everything he did. Gideon had two sisters. Margaret remembered one time when she and Gideon were traveling together, they met a stalker. On the overpass, the stalker even tried to knock them off, as if he wanted them to have an ident. 49 Later, Margaret learned that it was Gideon¡¯s two sisters who did that. They were afraid of his return, especially after he began to shine in thepany. Watching him rise gradually, they couldn¡¯t contain their jealousy and acted out. It was unrealistic to kick Gideon out of thepany, and it would still leave them uneasy, worrying that he might return one day. Therefore, only a dead or disabled person would be enough to make them rest easy. What Margaret experienced was just one of countless incidents. Later, she understood from the words of others that Gideon had experienced countless near-death situations. It was also the umtion of these incidents, one after another, that slowly made Margaret begin to feel sorry for Gideon. She even foundmon ground between the two of them. They both lived under a morous exterior, with impressive houses but hollow hearts. Then, the concern slowly turned into love. Up to now, Margaret didn¡¯t know who she should me-fate or Gideon¡¯s two vicious sisters. If it weren¡¯t for them, she might have been able to keep her heart from going to Gideon. Margaret was lost in thought as she recalled the past. She didn¡¯t even know that Gideon had approached her. If Gideon hadn¡¯t lifted her and leaned on her shoulder, she might have remained lost in her memories, Margaret¡¯s body was stiff, even stiffer than during their first intimate encounter. At that time, she had mentally prepared herself for a long time, entering the mansion with resolve. The feeling waspletely different now. ¡°What are you doing? Mr. Compton, this is workce harassment. I can sue you!¡± Margaret demanded. Her entire body tensed up, and she leaned back to minimize contact with Gideon. She didn¡¯t understand what had just happened but felt his behavior was too abnormal, and it was frightening her. ¡°I¡¯m too tired. Can you be my pillow for a while?¡± he murmured. The day¡¯s workload wasn¡¯t much more than before, but with Margaret around, Gideon inexplicably started feeling fatigued. Perhaps it was due to enduring for too long. In the presence of someone he could trust, Gideon began to rx unconsciously. ¡°I¡¯m a person, not a pillow,¡± Margaret retorted. She couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated at beingpared to an object. The most hateful thing was that she couldn¡¯t refute it. SEND GIFT Chapter 36 Chapter 36 ¡°Then, be my human pillow. Maggie, where have you been in the past five years?¡± Gideon¡¯s sudden question made Margaret stiffen up more. ¡°Atharia. You¡¯re very capable, Mr. Compton. I¡¯m sure you found out about it a long time ago.¡± Margaret had long known that Gideon would investigate her life in the past few years. However, he did not bring it up, so she pretended she knew nothing. Some things were better left unsaid. ¡°What about after Atharia? Where else have you been?¡± he probed. The detective Gideon hired for a hefty sum was efficient and dug up most things Margaret went through these years once Gideon gave a general idea. Thepleted investigation report was already lying in Gideon¡¯s drawer in the study. However, Gideon had not opened it. Before opening it, he wanted to hear it from Margaret directly, and only if it did not work out would he utilize the report. ¡°Isn¡¯t it on the information you paid someone to look up?¡± Margaret¡¯s tone was unkind and sarcastic. Gideon let go of Margaret slightly and said, ¡°It should be in the information, but I didn¡¯t read it.¡± Margaret looked straight into Gideon¡¯s eyes as if she wanted to ascertain the truth of his words. Gideon¡¯s eyes were sincere, but he was also an excellent actor. Margaret admitted she was less capable than him in reading others. She was afraid of believing in her assumptions again. Margaret lowered her head. She did not want to be tempted by Gideon¡¯s eyes into telling the truth, but she also wanted to escape. Her reason for leaving the battlefield was not so glorious. It had always been a thorn in her heart, and she did not want to mention it again regardless of to whom. Gideon wanted to persuade her again, but Jacob¡¯s voice came from the door. Jacob asked loudly, ¡°Ms. Lambert, why are you here today?¡± Jacob was so obvious that even a fool knew he was reminding Gideon to finish up quickly if he was in the middle of something inexplicable in case the situation became too embarrassingter. Margaret pushed Gideon¡¯s shoulder with both hands in an attempt to get off hisp. They were in apromising posture, which would induce misunderstanding. ¡°Stay still.¡± Gideon held Margaret tightly on hisp and looked at the door provocatively as if he wanted to upset Roxanne. Margaret did not know what had happened between Gideon and Roxanne, but she knew she did not want to be used as a pawn. ¡°Solve your problems between yourselves. Don¡¯t drag me into it,¡± Margaret said angrily and wondered, ¡®What does he think I am? Sure enough, a leopard cannot change its spots. After so many years, Gideon is still a chauvinist. He never cared about my feelings and reputation and only knew how to use me as a tool.¡® ¡°Maggie, Roxanne and I only have a business rtionship. It will end soon.¡± Gideon knew Margaret was sensitive about Roxanne, and if he wanted another chance with Margaret, he had to end the partnership with Roxanne first. Gideon originally nned toy out the traps slowly and gradually force the Lambert family to take the initiative to cancel the engagement. However, Margaret had too many suitors, and Gideon became anxious. Even if he could not do something yet, Gideon wanted Margaret to know his n. Gideon hoped his n would make Margaret hesitant toward her suitors¡® pursuit. ¡°That¡¯s your business. It has nothing to do with me,¡± she replied. Margaret became anxious and pushed Gideon harder. Jacob was a particrly responsible assistant. He was afraid it was too short a time to cover up for Gideon, so he deliberately found some topics to dy Roxanne from going in. Jacob also raised his voice purposely so thatContent from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Chapter 36 Gideon and Margaret could keep track of his progress with Roxanne and take precautions. 48% +5 Unfortunately, Jacob acted too deliberately. In addition, Roxanne was well¨Cprepared in the first ce, so Jacob was about to fail at keeping her away. As Margaret struggled harder, Gideon¡¯s hand tightened against her. Margaret knew that he deliberately wanted Roxanne to see this scene, which wasted Jacob¡¯s effort. If Jacob had known Gideon¡¯s n, he would have let Roxanne in without stopping her. ¡°Maggie, can¡¯t you help me? Help us out,¡± Gideon asked angrily. He could not understand why Margaret remained stubborn and refused to be with him, even though he had told her that his engagement with Roxanne would end soon. Gideon thought he had already given in a lot, and Margaret should feel his sincerity, thus, returning to how things were between them. ¡°Gideon, don¡¯t go too far!¡± Margaret was so anxious that she almost cried. Gideon stared at Margaret for a while and finallypromised. Each time he met Margaret¡¯s tearful eyes, Gideon had no choice but to surrender. As soon as he was about to let go, Roxanne pushed the office¡¯s door open roughly. At once, she saw Gideon and Margaret hugging each other intimately. Under Margaret¡¯s fury, Gideon made an innocent and helpless expression. He had just let go, but Roxanne opened the door and walked in before Margaret could leave hisp. Margaret left Gideon¡¯sp in a hurry. She fixed her hair in embarrassment and then scolded herself, ¡®Stupid.¡® They did not do anything, but she acted as if they had done something shameful earlier. In addition, Gideon¡¯s clothes were not helping. They wrinkled too much from just sitting down, so the situation looked more embarrassing. However, Roxanne walked to the couch and sat down as if nothing had happened. She snuggled to Gideon intimately and said coquettishly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you pick up my call? Don¡¯t you know I will be worried about you?¡± Margaret felt that her embarrassment waspletely unnecessary. The engaged couple were both good at acting. When Roxanne came in, she clearly was ready to tear Margaret apart. Margaret felt a shudder as she recalled Roxanne¡¯s gaze. She decided to be careful when walking on the street in the future. However, Roxanne collected her emotions in about 20 seconds, sat next to Gideon, and showed affection as if no one else was in the room. This scene was really disgusting. Gideon calmly moved to the side and distanced himself from Roxanne. He asked indifferently, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t Ie see you even without any reason to? Dad was unhappy when you turned down the invitation to eat at our house. Why don¡¯t you apany me to have lunch with Dad this afternoon?¡± Roxanne said. It was also a reminder to Gideon that he earned his current reputation through Abraham¡¯s help, so he should not be ungrateful, and that he could fool around with women but never take them seriously, or the Lambert family could take Gideon down just as how they helped him up. Gideon resented this kind of reminder. Roxanne might never understand. If the Lambert family had not constantly given him silent reminders to be grateful over the years, he would have really married Roxanne. However, Gideon hated threats the most. He had always lived being cornered, and even when he returned to the Compton family, he was constantly oppressed. Therefore, he had an extraordinary pursuit of power. He liked to keep everything under his control. Meanwhile, the Lambert family sought to keep him under theirs. 13:38 Tue, 2 Jul M M. Chapter 36. ¡°I have an appointment with the general manager of anotherpany at noon, so I can¡¯t go,¡± Gideon said casually. 48% +5 Margaret had a good memory, and she knew right away that Gideon was lying. When Jacob read out Gideon¡¯s schedules, Gideon had no appointment during lunch break. His lunchtime was free. Lying was not a good thing. Margaret wondered if she should give Roxanne a hint. She would prefer if Roxanne took Gideon away instead of her having to eat lunch with him. While Margaret was thinking about this question, she thought Gideon was not looking at her. Therefore, she did not conceal her emotions. As a result, Gideon saw through her n.. ¡°Just turn it down. Dad has told me several times that he wants to talk with you about something.¡± Roxanne believed what Gideon said, but she still hoped that he would be willing to change his ns for her. She wanted it to happen just this once. Roxanne thought she was not asking for much. She only wanted Gideon to show that he cared for her in front of Margaret. ¡°The social gathering has been decided on a long time ago. Do you think they will continue to cooperate with me if we cancel the meeting at thest minute?¡± Gideon¡¯s choice of words was a little harsh. ¡°So what if the cooperation fell through? Just look for anotherpany to work with. They¡¯re all the same anyway,¡± Roxanne answered. She did not think there was anything wrong with it. The way she said that so casually had Jacob rolling his eyes. He really wanted to throw Roxanne out. Gideon and them made a lot of effort to obtain all their business partners. They had to investigate the background of each possible business partner to choose the most suitable one. Anyone who had not experienced it would not understand the amount of work poured into it. Nheless, even if one did not understand it, one should respect others for their work achievement. When Jacob thought about respect, he finally figured out the answer to a question that had been bothering him for a long time. He thought, ¡®Why don¡¯t I ever like Roxanne? I even hate her. The reason is simple. Roxanne has never respected us nor treated us as human beings.¡® ¡°Roxanne, don¡¯t be willful,¡± Gideon warned Roxanne in a low voice. He gave Jacob an eye signal so he would take Margaret out for a while. Gideon had something to say to Roxanne alone. Margaret was there, and Gideon was afraid that Roxanne would me everything on her. After all, Roxanne had always done a good job at venting her anger on someone else. However, Jacob was still thinking about Roxanne. He was not even looking at Gideon at all and did not get the message from Gideon. This was a negligence of duty on his part. Meanwhile, Margaret caught Gideon¡¯s hint and voiced out, ¡°I need to use the bathroom.¡± After saying that, she left. Only then did Jacobe back to his senses. Under Gideon¡¯s discontented gaze, he hurriedly followed Margaret out. Jacob had to make sure that Margaret would not sneak away. Right now, Jacob was contemting that he could also use this chance to make a favorable impression on his future boss¡® wife. He did not have much hope. Jacob just wished that the good impression Margaret had of him would help increase his sry during the annual raise. Çú Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Margaret asked, ¡°You aren¡¯t really taking me to the bathroom, are you?¡± After chasing after Margaret from the office, Jacob had been leading the way since then. She thought Jacob was a good person, so she took the initiative to talk with him. She knew that he wouldn¡¯t be so stupid and just wanted to find a topic to establish a friendly rtionship. ¡°No. There is a nice caf¨¦ downstairs. Are you up for it?¡± Jacob recalled the average time Roxanne took every time she came to make trouble. He thought that he and Margaret could go downstairs to enjoy a cup of warm coffee. ¡®Roxanne is certainly someone one can¡¯t be fond of after knowing her!¡® Jacob eximed inwardly. ¡°Sure.¡± Margaret would go anywhere as long as she didn¡¯t have to stay with Gideon. ¡°Ms. Lambert doesn¡¯t usuallye here. Every time shees, we¡¯ll be unlucky,¡± Jacob said. He already sided with Gideon, though he hadn¡¯t experienced it once. Margaret smiled and didn¡¯t respond. She didn¡¯t care much about the number of times Roxanne came. That was between Roxanne and Gideon, which had nothing to do with her. She regretted starting the conversation. ¡°Ms. Lambert always has a way to upset Mr. Compton. He¡¯s someone who doesn¡¯t vent his anger and habitually hides all his emotions. But he¡¯ll workpulsively to vent his inner depression, so we also suffer. I remember one day five years ago, Ms. Lambert said something when she came here. He was very ruthless and asked the nning department to revise a n 13 times before he was satisfied with it. The staff of the nning department almost quit their jobs.¡± Jacob stopped after saying that, as he knew when to stop. Margaret lowered her head and followed Jacob slowly. He couldn¡¯t see her expression or guess what she was thinking, so he said nothing for the time being. ¡°Roxanne, we have reached an agreement. You shouldn¡¯t be in my office.¡± Gideon had a serious talk with Roxanne once about something that happened. If she wished to continue as Gideon¡¯s fianc¨¦e, she must agree to his terms. Roxanne was not allowed to be here unless necessary and without an appointment and Gideon¡¯s consent. ¡°What agreement? I forgot about it.¡± Roxanne didn¡¯t even want to hide it. She replied so insincerely that Gideon saw through her act at a nce. Gideon stood up from the couch, looked down at Roxanne, and said coldly, ¡°Then, I can also forget what we discussed before. I¡¯ll hold a press conference as soon as possible to announce the cancetion of our engagement.¡± Gideon thought, ¡°Very well. I was still thinking about making an excuse orpensating some to the Lambert family. Since Roxanne is willing to break our agreement, I don¡¯t have to keep some of my words.¡® ¡°Gideon, don¡¯t you dare!¡± Roxanne shouted, and a bird that had just flown past Gideon¡¯s office window was startled by the sound. Its wings stopped fluttering, and it almost fell from the sky. It would be so embarrassing for a bird to fall and die. ¡°Roxanne, what do you think I dare not do? It¡¯s all about whether I want to or not,¡± Gideon said, walked back to his desk, sat down, and continued to work. Roxanne ruined his motivation to win Margaret back. He regretted that he had chosen to have a marriage alliance with Roxanne as a shortcut back then. In the beginning, Gideon told Margaret and himself that his marriage to Roxanne was ast resort. Had it not been for the engagement, he would never have had the chance to be recognized by the Compton family. However, he knew that it was just an excuse to 40% +5 At that time, Gideon had another choice. The path was full of thorns, and it would take him too much time. He was eager to seed fast and chose a shortcut, using the fastest time to achieve his goal. However, he was left with Roxanne, a great hidden risk. Roxanne couldn¡¯t ept such an oue. She rushed to his desk, mmed her hands on it, and shouted, ¡°Gideon, have you forgotten who helped you gain a firm foothold in Compton Group?¡± ¡°This again? Roxanne, can you be more creative? You say this every time, and you have reminded me thousands of times. Is there a purpose to it?¡± said Gideon. ¡°You forgot what I said so many times. If I didn¡¯t tell you once, you wouldn¡¯t remember it. I¡¯m afraid that you would have kicked the Lambert family aside.¡± Roxanne knew that Gideon didn¡¯t love her, but it didn¡¯t matter. If she could own him, she believed that she would have a chance to win his heart in the future. ¡°Go back tonight and ask Mr. Lambert how he got through the two crisesst year and the one before,¡± Gideon said bluntly. He owed the Lambert family, but he had repaid the favor in the past two years. Roxanne was confused by Gideon¡¯s expression. The trump card Abraham kept telling her about was almost gone. Without Gideon¡¯s debt to the Lambert family, she didn¡¯t know what other weapons she could use to restrain Gideon. Suddenly, Roxanne became scared. When she thought of the scene she saw when she came in and the message she received before arriving, all kinds of emotions, such as fear and worry, surged up. She screamed and swept several things off Gideon¡¯s desk to the floor without hesitation.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Gideon couldn¡¯t stand Roxanne¡¯s crazy behavior. He was d that the past few years had made him realize that the woman he wanted to spend his life with was definitely not Roxanne. Fortunately, they never got married. It was still not toote to correct the mistake. Otherwise, he would spend the rest of his life in chaos. ¡°Gideon, it¡¯s been six years. Do you really have no feelings for me at all?¡± From 20 to 26 years old, Roxanne spent her best years waiting for Gideon to like her, ask her out for dinner, and for a special asion to happen so that she could hold his arm and appear in front of everyone. Roxanne didn¡¯t want many women to be jealous of her. She just wanted to spend more time with Gideon. Without those special asions, she didn¡¯t know how long she would have to wait. ¡°Yes. Does hate count?¡± Gideon was being so blunt that Roxanne¡¯s twisted face turned pale as if she had applied a whole bottle of foundation. Her breath grew heavier because of her anger and shame. After some time, Roxanne asked with reddened eyes, ¡°Gideon, can you stop being so mean?¡± ¡°I hope we can split peacefully. If not, don¡¯t me me for being too rude.¡± Gideon spoke in an almost threatening tone. ¡°Very well. Now that you¡¯ve told me your thoughts, I¡¯ll tell you mine. Gideon, I¡¯ll not give up our engagement. You¡¯d better be ready to marry me.¡± Roxanne still thought that her family was capable enough, and Gideon couldn¡¯t do without the support of the Lambert family. Roxanne ignored Gideon¡¯s efforts and growth over the years and thought that the Lambert family had great influence. She was confident that he would bow to her in the end. ¡°If you insist on saying that, we have nothing to talk about anymore. Do you want to leave by yourself, or shouldsk someone to kick you out?¡± His words were even more heartbreaking. If it were thetter case, the security guard would throw her out of the gate right away. Roxanne knew that she couldn¡¯t afford to lose face. She red at Gideon angrily for a few seconds, gently flicked her hair, and said softly, ¡°Go ahead with your work. I¡¯lle backter. She looked so indifferent as if she hadn¡¯t argued with him just now. Gideon watched Roxanne leave, thinking about how to eliminate the troublesome Lambert familypletely. 48% Chapter 37 Margaret was really a little troublesome. As soon as she came back, all of Gideon¡¯s ns were disrupted. He had nned to make the Lambert family more chaotic and empty in the next two years, so it would be easier for him to make a move then. However, Margaret¡¯s sudden appearance made Gideon only want to go back to the time when she was still by his side five years ago. Gideon was willing to put in a little more effort for such a small goal. After four and a half years of no news about Margaret, Gideon thought he would never see her again. Her reappearance was a surprise and a gift, and it was worthy of him putting effort into winning her back. After Roxanne left, Gideon sent Jacob a message, asking him to bring Margaret back. Jacob looked at the message and at Margaret, who was eating happily. He secretly took a photo of her and sent it to Gideon, asking thetter to decide whether to bring her back or let her finish eating first. Thinking of the scene when he and Roxanne broke into the office together, Jacob suddenly felt that the temperature in the room was a little high, and his face was hot. Gideon usually took thepany seriously, and his private life was not veryplicated. Jacob eximed inwardly, ¡®I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s such a beast when no one is around.¡® Margaret didn¡¯t know about Jacob and Gideon¡¯s little interaction, nor did she know that Gideon was sitting in the office, giggling at her eating. [Let her finish first.] Gideon sent a message to Jacob andmitted to work. At the thought of facing Gideon again when she returned to thepany, Margaret deliberately slowed down eating. To stall for a longer time, she even thought of a question that Jacob was interested in and asked, ¡°How many years have you been working for Gideon?¡± ¡°Five years,¡± Jacob replied. The time was almost the same as the duration of her absence. A lot had happened around Gideon after she left. Anyway, it was boring. She wanted to know what his life had been like these years. Otherwise, it was unfair that only Gideon knew everything about her, and she didn¡¯t know anything about him. ¡®s been a long time. I bet you know Mr. Compton very well.¡± Margaret implied something in her words. Jacob was a wise man, and he certainly understood what she meant. ¡°Ms. Wilcox, you sound like a paparazzi now.¡± Jacob became wary. He didn¡¯t know much about Gideon and Margaret. However, Gideon believed in Margaret, and so did he, and was only afraid that she tried to get something out of him and use it against Gideon. By that time, Jacob would be in trouble. Gideon was a standard employer, and the best way to deal with his employees was to deduct their wages. SEND GIFT Chapter 38 Chapter 38 ¡°I¡¯m a reporter, and any reporter would like gossip,¡± Margaret said slyly as she blinked. ¡°But you¡¯re a reporter who reports social news, not entertainment,¡± Jacob reminded. As such, he wouldn¡¯t answer any questions about Gideon¡¯s personal life. However, Jacob suddenly felt that Margaret was indeed a good match for Gideon. There wasn¡¯t any reason, but he felt that Gideon and Margaret were very simr in some aspects, so he thought Margaret and Gideon would get along very well. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of news I report. Most importantly, everyone likes gossip, right? Aren¡¯t you curious about Mr. Compton¡¯s personal life?¡± Margaret coaxed. ¡°I¡¯m not curious.¡± The consequence of being curious was more serious, so Jacob had opted for a way that could keep himself safe. Jacob didn¡¯t reveal anything. Although Margaret had tried all kinds of methods to get some information from Jacob, her effort was to no avail. Feeling resentful, Margaret forked the cake forcefully and ate thest bite on the te. Perhaps the air¨Cconditioner in the caf¨¦ was too powerful, at that moment, Jacob shivered. Jacob had been serving Gideon carefully every day. Now that he also had to face Margaret, he could already imagine how miserable his life would be in the future. Jacob knew that Gideon certainly wanted to have lunch with Margaret, so he deliberately sent her back before the lunchbreak. When Margaret walked into the office again, Gideon was on the phone. He stood by the window, looking slightly displeased. Margaret sensed it and nestled on the couch without bothering Gideon. After hanging up the phone, Gideon walked to the couch. He was still in a bad mood, but a smile crept across his face when he faced Margaret. ¡°What do you want to eat for lunch? Do you want to eat out or order takeout?¡± ¡°Anything,¡± replied Margaret. ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask Jacob to order it. Do you have any food that you crave?¡± Gideon asked. ¡°No. Anything will do,¡± Margaret replied in a slightly cold manner. It would be strange if Gideon didn¡¯t notice how different her attitude waspared to before. Before Margaret left, he felt that Margaret was moved by his words and that she had started considering if he was speaking the truth. However, Roxanne hade in at the wrong time. Gideon had only made Margaret open up to him, but Roxanne¡¯s appearance ruined everything. Margaret even refused to share more of her feelings. Gideon was extremely anxious, yet he didn¡¯t say much. Love wasn¡¯t something that could be rushed. Smiling, Gideon rubbed Margaret¡¯s head and returned to the desk without saying a word. Margaret didn¡¯t expect that Gideon would have someone order aglio olio pasta. Surprised, she looked up at Gideon and wondered, ¡®Is this a coincidence? Or does he still remember?¡® ¡°I don¡¯t know if you like the taste. Have a bite. But it surely doesn¡¯t taste like the one your mom made.¡± Gideon handed the fork to Margaret. The second year after Margaret got together with Gideon, on her birthday, Gideon asked if she wanted anything. She had told him that she wanted aglio olio pasta made by her mother, but she would never have the chance to eat it anymore. Margaret hadn¡¯t expected that Gideon would keep that in mind until now. Chapter 38 48% +5 Margaret hated it when Gideon did that, thinking that he was cheating. He was destroying her conviction because of his attentive actions and how she used to trust and depend on him. Before this, she was so rtain that it was impossible for her and Gideon to be together again. After taking the fork, Margaret lowered her head and began eating the pasta. Gideon watched her as she ate with her head hung low. He was unsure if he had done the right thing, but he didn¡¯t intend to make Margaret unhappy. To make Margaret feel at ease, Gideon moved to a small conference room for the afternoon meeting so that Margaret could do whatever she wanted in the office. Of course, Gideon shamelessly switched on the surveince system in his office before he left. The system was originally installed to guard against certain people and would only be switched on after Gideon got off work. This was the first time Gideon had switched it on for personal use. The people were speaking eloquently, hoping that their ideas could be appreciated and acknowledged by Gideon. However, Gideon didn¡¯t pay attention to them. Instead, he was looking down at the phone screen. After Gideon left, Margaret took a small nket from her bag and put it over herp. It seemed that she was ready to sleep. She put on her headphones. The music seemed to be good, or else Gideon wouldn¡¯t have seen the smile on her face. If it weren¡¯t for the knock on the door, Margaret would soon fall asleep with a sweet smile. When Bianca appeared on the phone screen, Gideon frowned. His expression changed so swiftly that the nning department¡¯s staff, who was speaking, instantly tensed up and wondered if he had said something wrong that infuriated Gideon. The more the staff panicked, the more mistakes he made. He had made several mistakes, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Just when he was thinking about how to make up for these mistakes, Gideon¡¯s expression became more serious. The staff could only bite the bullet and continue, reminding himself not to make any more mistakes. With two documents in her arms, Bianca knocked on the door. Without bothering if the person in the office allowed her to enter, she pushed open the door directly. She only dared to go to the office after knowing that Gideon wasn¡¯t around. She thought Roxanne must have some skills to be Gideon¡¯s fianc¨¦e all this while. Bianca had pinned all her hopes on Roxanne, thinking that Roxanne would look into Margaret¡¯s background and then chase her out. Bianca didn¡¯t care about Margaret¡¯s identity. She only knew that Margaret was a great threat, for Margaret could use the designated elevator for the CEO. Since Roxanne had failed to drive Margaret out, Bianca would have to take matters into her own hands. Before entering Gideon¡¯s office, Bianca adjusted her clothes, revealing the parts of her body that she was proud of. Margaret sat up from the couch in a daze and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± Bianca looked at Margaret¡¯s outfits and immediately shed an arrogant and despising look, thinking that Margaret dressed casually and didn¡¯t have a nice figure. Bianca was confident that she was much better than Margaret. ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Compton¡¯s secretary, and I¡¯m here to send him documents,¡± Bianca stated a higher status and identity. Those who knew Gideon would know he didn¡¯t have a secretarial team, but only three assistants, whom he had full trust in. When Gideon first joined thepany, his two older sisters had prepared a secretarial team for him. There were eight people in total. All of them were beautiful women with tanned skin, but they were all foolish. Gideon knew the intentions of his sisters. They were hoping that he would be bewitched by the women and that he couldn¡¯t focus on his work. Unfortunately, they had underestimated Gideon. At first, Gideon couldn¡¯t do anything to the secretarial team, but as he began to show his capability at work, the board members/noticed that he often had to handle a few tasks on his own, and his secretaries were only applyingAll content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!