《The Apple of My Eye》 Chapter 1 Fine! Ill Marry Him!! Chapter 1 Fine! I''ll Marry Him!! Yvonne Gu fled from her wedding! As described by the media, this was to be the wedding of the century. However, now it might just be a joke! Autumn Ye looked at herself in the mirror. She heavily stamped on the wedding dress lying t on the floor and thought to herself, ''Why? Why do I have to clear up the mess created by Yvonne Gu?'' "Go on! If you are still furious, there are ten more dresses that you can stamp on!" Wendy Ye, Autumn Ye''s mother, gave her a stern look. Autumn Ye''s heart sank. She stood still and took a deep breath before she began speaking, "I''m in desperate need of money to pay Grandmother''s medical fee. I''ll marry Charles Lu instead of Yvonne Gu as soon as I get the money." With a wry smile on face, Wendy Ye shoved out her cell phone from her pocket, called her secretary and said, "Miss Zhang, call the Hospital Administrator." After hanging up the phone, Wendy Ye went to see Autumn Ye. Wendy Ye was irked to see her in a nd wedding dress. She walked up to Autumn Ye with a pair of scissors in hand. With a dejected look she raised the scissors and said, "Don''t you dare look at me like that. Despite you being my daughter, every time I see you, you remind me of your useless father. Don''t me me for abandoning you. People should be selfish and look out only for themselves." Wendy Ye cut open Autumn Ye''s dress, and made a big hole in the sleeve. Wendy Ye turned to the salesperson waiting outside the room and yelled, "Don''t just keep standing there. The wedding dress is ripped. Get her a new one! Our Yvonne is not any ordinary person. She deserves the best wedding dress." Autumn Ye twitched her nose. It was the first time that Wendy Ye admitted that she was her daughter. But she was immediately dejected as Wendy Ye told the world Yvonne Gu was her beloved daughter and she was only a substitute. Autumn Ye bit her cracked lower lip andughed scornfully, "My father was indeed a useless man as he married a woman like you who is okay being the woman for Uncle Gu. I''d be more than happy to see other woman seducing Uncle Gu just like you did." "Shut up! Don''t you dare! " Wendy Ye was enraged with anger. She raised her hand and was about to p her right on the face. But then she saw Autumn Ye''s wless makeup. Her mesmerizing beauty was enough to calm her down. "I won''t argue with you today. Anyway, just get married with Charles Lu and don''t create a scene! Don''t disgrace the Gu n and Yvonne!" Wendy Ye sternly instructed. Autumn Ye smirked. Charles Lu? The man was rich and powerful. His name had been linked to innumerabledies. He had different girlfriends for every day of a year. ''Why does Charles Lu want to marry Yvonne Gu?'' Autumn Ye wondered. "Just get through this wedding! Although you don''t know Charles Lu, it is quite a decent wedding. I feel really bad about abandoning you, but you will be a rich person and enjoy nice things from now on. It''s time we write off all our old scores and start afresh!" Hearing her mother''s words, all the feelings that Autumn Ye had long bottled up inside her gushed out in the form of tears. Tears were running down her cheeks. ''Even a vicious tiger will never treat its cubs the way my mother treats me.'' She thought to herself. Autumn Ye grabbed the wedding dress fiercely while still trembling. "Fine! I''ll marry him! I promise you I will marry Charles Lu in the name of Yvonne Gu. But... from now on, I''m not your daughter. You have no right to interfere in my life. Besides, if anything happens to grandma, I won''t spare you!" "As long as you marry Charles Lu, I will do anything you say." Wendy Ye had never been so nice to Autumn Ye. This time she would do anything for her in exchange of selling her to Charles Lu. Yearster, when Autumn Ye remembered this moment, she sighed for the unpredictable fate. This wedding which put her into despair then happened to give her the strongest protectionter in life. Those things that she never thought would happen just happened. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. "The wedding is going to start. Hurry up, bride!" The wedding was conducted as scheduled. White wedding dress, red carpet, flowers, and guests... The wedding was as grand as the one people saw on big screens. But Autumn Ye''s heart was as cold as ice. She was emotionless. Though it was a grand wedding, Autumn Ye didn''t even take a look at her husband. The guests present smiled at the couple, but Autumn Ye felt that everyone around was simply mocking her as she was in limbo at the very first day of her wedding. Although Charles Lu held her hand tightly, she didn''t even speak to him at all. After the wedding, Charles Lu shook her hand off aggressively and said, "You go home first. I have work to finish." Autumn Ye was sent back with Charles Lu''s driver. She curiously asked him where did Charles Lu go. It seemed Charles Lu''s driver was well aware about his whereabouts. The driver indifferently said, "Lily Vi." "Lily Vi?" It was rumored that Rachel Bai, a female celebrity, lived in the Lily Vi. Autumn Ye gave an uninterested smile. It seemed that the rumor was true and Rachel Bai was indeed her husband''s girlfriend. Charles Lu must be hugging Rachel Bai andforting her at this moment. Since he already had a girlfriend, it wouldn''t be hard for him to ept Autumn Ye''s offer. Autumn Ye had waited for Charles Lu in their wedding room for a long time. The room was full of wedding vibes, but Autumn Ye was not in the mood of romance or affection. She thought Charles Lu would note back tonight. So, she got up and went to the bathroom to change her clothes and freshen up. She spent a long time in the bathroom as she was really tired both physically and mentally. A lot of things happened today and she needed to ponder hard on them. The heat was high in the bathroom and covered the mirror with steam. Autumn Ye''s mind was in a Wendy Ye, Yvonne Gu, Charles Lu, and Rachel Bai stuck in Autumn Ye''s mind. She was losing her cool. She took a warm bath. Thereafter, she wrapped herself in a towel. She used another towel to dry her hair. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw Charles Lu sitting in the room with a straight face. The room was dark. Only a wallmp was turned on. But the darkness in the room was nothing in In her more than 20 years of life, it was the first time that she wore such little clothes in front of a man. On seeing Charles Lu, she immediately turned around and got hold of her clothes. But Charles Lu stopped her and caught hold of her. He threw her on the bed. "Seems like, you are so desperate to spend the wedding night with me?" Charles Lu remarked in a taunting tone. She only had a towel covering her. The water was dripping drop by drop from her wet hair. Though she had already wiped off the thick bridal makeup, Charles Lu''s eyes couldn''t get enough of her bare face. Charles Lu could smell the fragrance of his own body wash. He felt as if she was overwhelmed by his strong sweet smell. The very thought of it ignited his lusty desire. But he immediately regained hisposure when the thought of Rachel Bai''s teary eyes came to his mind. He and Rachel Bai had been together for two years. He couldn''t let her down like that. Chapter 2 Agreement Chapter 2 Agreement "I¡­" Autumn answered with her eyes wide open. She looked innocent at the moment. Before she could finish, Charles interrupted andmanded, "Yvonne, I took you as my wife only to please my grandpa. If you think you''ll get to sleep with me to be able to consolidate your status, you better drop that thought because that''s only going to happen in your dreams." ''I chose Yvonne from thousands of candidates simply for two prime reasons. Firstly, it is the talk of the town that Yvonne is a spoilt girl from a rich family. The innocent and stupid girl has been goofing off. Secondly, only one helluva bait will satiate the cunning Simon Gu. Moreover, Gu''spany won''t ever pose a threat to me. But see what happened? Yvonne Gu tried to lure me with her beauty by broadcasting her seminude body as soon as I reached home. Can''t believe they say she''s stupid! It''s clear that she knows how to seduce me by using her body as a bait.'' Autumn was dying to speak to Charles about an agreement, so she calmed her down. When Charles insulted her with his poor judgement of her intention, she was enraged. She got up from the bed and sat straight on the heels to look at Charles bravely in the eye. His dark eyes made it clear to her that he didn''t think high of her. Autumn''s anger reached its zenith. "Mr. Lu, you have the beautiful Miss Rachel Bai as your girlfriend. I am sure my ordinary looks are not good enough for you, " Autumn smirked. "I know my capabilities well so I will never hope to ever receive your love. However, I just wish you do me a small favor and sign this, Mr. Lu." Autumn with one hand tightly gripping the towel, used the other hand to take out a file from her bag. Then she showed the file to Charles. "Mr. Lu, I am nothing. You wanted me to marry you and I did. I know I am a mere distraction for you. But can you please let me go when you don''t need me? I will appreciate your kindness, " Autumn spoke sincerely. There was no mockery, no pretence, in her tone. Charles was astonished to see her courage. There were only two sentences written on the agreement. First Term: Party A (Charles Lu) will help Gu''s Company to sail through this crisis. Second term: On no ount should Party A and Party B share an intimate rtionship. Autumn had signed under the head of Party B. Charles found her signature to be naturally written in one stroke. The ink was well-distributed just like clouds or fumes of smoke. She must be tender and firm. "Mr. Lu, hurry up, sign it please, " Autumn said as she handed him the pen. He was still in shock. He believed she was only ying tricks. He had felt guilty about using Yvonne, so he wanted to tell her the truth. He would make up to her for not loving her. The agreement just left him too confused. "What are you nning?" "Mr. Lu!" Autumn shouted at him, for an answer. She thought, ''Why are you so arrogant with me? I am not nning any conspiracies. In fact I want nothing to do with you. Hence this agreement. Do you understand?'' "You must have met innumerable people in your life. It must be easy for you to assess whether I am bluffing or not. Besides, it does no harm for you to sign this agreement, does it?" Charles kept staring at Autumn without batting an eyelid. Her innocent eyes hinted she was not bluffing. So he agreed to sign it after adding a new term to it. He said, "I will sign this on a condition that you do this." Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Autumn scanned the agreement and saw the term Charles had written. ''Party B Yvonne Gu should behave like a good wife as Party A seeks.'' Charles didn''t sign it until Autumn nodded with careful consideration. Autumn felt relieved to see him signing under his name. She quickly fetched the agreement before Charles might decide otherwise. She decided she would frame it when she was free from here. She was too focused on the agreement that didn''t notice that the towel covering her was lying t on the ground. Charles looked gloomy and let out a nk expression. Her eyes looked crystal clear, simply as bright as stars. Her long eyshes were fluttering; her wless skin was white with a careful hint of red; her lips were delicate like rose petals. Charles was kind of obsessed with her body. Her figure to him¡­ was super charming! Her face was pretty elegant. She had perfect curvespleted with big tits and buttocks, just the way Charles admired. Her skin was soft and looked very well moisturised. Charles couldn''t help but stare at her. It was only after a long time that Autumn realized she was stark naked in front of Charles. An embarrassing silence covered the room. She raised her head and looked for Charles. When she realized he was staring at her, she blushed but immediately picked the bath towel from the ground to cover herself. She was embarrassed. She thought, ''Will he think I dropped the bath towel on purpose to lure him?'' She shyly looked at Charles who was standing right next to her. He seemed calm and rational. From his face, it looked as if nothing had happened. She was obviously a little disappointed. She always thought she didn''t have a perfect figure or even a perfect bottom. She was always unsatisfied with her body. But Charles'' reaction only brought more disappointment. Sadly, she would never know how bad Charles tried to restrain his expressions. He didn''t want to lose control in front of this young girl. But he couldn''t ignore the sh of disappointment in her eyes. Charles didn''t have a physical rtionship with Rachel in the two years of their togetherness. Even when they slept on the same bed, he acted like aplete gentleman. Of course, the nights they spent together were few. Rachel was the one who knew him best. ording to Charles, she was the most considerate girl. He didn''t want to take her virginity before marriage. He respected her and respected their love for each other. Charles kept staring at Autumn, his thoughts kept running back to Rachel though. Since Autumn could no longer bear his stare, she said, "Mr. Lu, it''ste. I think you should go to bed." She long stressed on the word "go". Autumn shed this attitude to Charles as she didn''t want to sleep in the same room with Charles. Thus, she reminded him to leave. The reality dawned upon Charles. He immediately rushed back to his study after responding with an okay to Autumn. He barely could resist the impulse to kiss her and hold her. To ovee this thought, he went on to take a half-an-hour''s cold shower. There was no other way to relieve his ignited urge. For years he hadn''t ever experienced an uncontroble urge for intimacy despite sleeping with Rachel in his arms. The next morning Autumn was waked up by an rm. The realization of being married and being Mrs. Lu dawned upon her. But deep down, she knew her position would be reced by Charles'' girlfriend Rachel sooner orter. She was on a three-day leave for Yvonne''s wedding ceremony but now had to go to work. After freshening up, she went out of the room and saw Charles sitting in the dining room. It was a busy wedding ceremony yesterday. Moreover, she couldn''t see his face clearly in the dim room She had to admit that she was indeed married to a man who was breathtakingly handsome. Chapter 3 Getting Back To Work Chapter 3 Getting Back To Work The ck suit gave away the outline of his masculine body. And his intense fair and chiseled face, made it hard for her to move her eyes from him. "Can you stop staring at me? Sit down for the breakfast." Charles said without even casting a nce at her. Autumn was embarrassed to have him see through her mind. She quietly took the seat on his left. The breakfast was sumptuous but Autumn was full after having a bowl of porridge. She put down the bowl and spoon and found that Charles was looking at her. He spoke, "Why don''t you get more sleep? You don''t need to get up so early." "No, it''s enough." Autumn shook her head. She realized that Charles'' behaviour was quite different from yesterday. Though he still acted distant, he was more polite now. So she too decided to have a sensible talk with him. "I asked for a leave for three days. Now, It''s time to get back to work." "Work?" Charles was confused. He had no idea that this ignorantdy had some real job, because his men didn''t tell him anything about this. "Yes, Work!" Autumn looked at the time and said, "I''m runningte. I should get going now." "Wait." Charles stood up and buttoned up his suit. He said, "I am going to work too. We are going in the same direction. I can stop by your office to drop you." Same direction? He didn''t even know where she worked. How could he stop by? She was full of distrust, but he insisted on giving her a ride. After getting in the car, she gave him the address. She leaned on the seat to take some rest. Charles didn''t say anything, but a lot was going on inside him. The address Autumn told him was of a very famous advertisingpany in Y City. Though it was a small-sizedpany, it was quite promising. As far as he knew, thispany had nothing to do with the Gu family. He wondered, why would a Lady of the Gu family work there? Hispany happened to cooperate with thatpany now. He wanted to see what she wanted to do exactly. Autumn "woke" up just in time when they were about to reach her office. She asked him to pull over at the corner of the street. She knew what could happen if her colleagues saw her getting down from a limo. Charles didn''t ask much then and stopped the car as she instructed. She got down from the car in a cheerful mood and waved goodbye to him before she hopped into her office building. It was the first time for Charles to see someone feel so happy about going to work. The three-day leave made her a littlezy. She cheered herself on at the door of the Cloud Advertising Company. Though she was now Mrs. Lu, she was determined to work as hard as she could. No matter what changes happened in her life, she swore she would not give up her job. This was her only source of financial security and stability. After all, she had to pay the medical fee for her ill grandmother. "Ye, you finally came back!" Manager Ryan Zhou greeted her the moment she stepped in. Three years N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ago, she was just an unknown assistant, but now she was the best advertisement nner of the She was not the most educated, neither the most obedient. But she was definitely the most capable assistant of Ryan Zhou. Autumn was shocked to see the man in front of her. His face was covered with the stubble from days. She had been gone only for three days but looking at him it seemed, she had been gone forever. He looked painfully exhausted. Ryan Zhou held her and begged sincerely, "Ye, you must help me out this time." From his incoherent narrative, Autumn understood that he had taken a huge project. Although the entirepany had worked as one and revised the n five times, but the client just couldn''t be satisfied with the n. Everyone in thepany felt frustrated and Ryan felt the most frustrated. Hispany was established a long time ago. But this was the first time he experienced failure. "Who is this client?" Autumn frowned. "Who else could it be? It''s the Shining Company..." Ryan sighed and continued. "Its anniversary celebration is going to take ce on the 8th of the next month and we are nning a wine party for this "Shining Company?" Isn''t that Charles''pany? "Did they ask for a wine party?" Autumn was amused. Most enterprises chose to celebrate their anniversaries in this manner. For one, it conformed to the usual convention. And two, a good dinner was a treat to the staff who had worked really hard for the staff after another. That''s why she asked this question. "Oh, no. They didn''t." Ryan carefully recalled. They had just asked for a n for the celebration, but they weren''t limiting it to a wine party. "All right, give me the documents of thepany. I''ll give it a try." Ryan said thanks to her a thousand times. If his most talented nner couldn''t find a solution, then he was definitely screwed. So on the first day itself, Autumn was all upied with this banquet. She was so busy that she even forgot to have her lunch. Wendy Ye called to remind her of the same. But her reminder was more like a dun. "Autumn, have you had your lunch?" Wendy pretended to y the role of a concerned mother. If she hadn''t urged her to marry Charles yesterday, Autumn would have been really touched by her concern. But now... She had lost all her love and respect for Wendy Ye. "Save it. What do you want? I''m busy with this n right now." "What?" Wendy shouted, "You go to work the next day after your wedding?" "Shouldn''t I?" Autumn sneered. "Do you think Charles will give his money to me? "It''s obvious for him to do that since you are his wife now..." Wendy murmured. But Autumn had no time to hear her nonsense. So she interrupted. "What on earth do you want from me? I''m hanging up the phone." "Wait, wait, wait..." Wendy stopped her. In reality, Wendy had no concern for Autumn. What she wanted to know was how was Charles'' promise going. "Autumn, now that you are married to him, ask my son- inw about his promise. When will he fulfill his promise? Your grandmother... is waiting for another medical bill to be paid..." Autumn clenched her fingers, whose tips had turned white. She managed to control her feelings withoutshing at Wendy. "Trust me, I will keep my promise. But if anything happens to my grandmother, I swear I will destroy everything you cherish. You have my word on that." Wendy responded in a ttering sound. "Don''t worry about her. After all, she was my mother-inw..." Autumn decided to cut short their talk. She had once dreamed about the family bond to improve, but now she wanted nothing. Chapter 4 Rachel Bais Plan Chapter 4 Rachel Bai''s n After hanging up the phone, Autumn decided to have lunch. Her colleagues had already left the office. She felt a sharp pain in the cervical spine as a result of years of hard work. She stood up and stretched a bit. Hungry, she went downstairs to grab a quick bite. When she reached the ground floor, she saw a hazy yet familiar silhouette. It was Yvonne holding a man''s arm tightly. Didn''t Yvonne run away from the wedding? What was she doing here? Just when Autumn came forward to see who thedy was, someone grabbed her into a tight embrace. A giant truck whizzed past her. "Do you want to die?" Charles shouted in an angry yet concerned tone. Autumn pushed Charles away only to find that thedy across the street had disappeared. "I''m talking to you,dy. Do you hear me?" Charles was boiling with anger. He came all the way from his office to have lunch with Autumn, only to see her desperately run into the middle of the road. He was still a little scared of what could have happened to Autumn. If he didn''t pull her over, she would¡­ "What brings you here?" Autumn asked Charles. She would be able to get back her identity only if she found Yvonne. She didn''t want to live in Yvonne''s name any more. Charles looked grim. He had just saved Autumn''s life but she looked so cold. Shouldn''t she throw herself into Charles''s arms and thank him for being a saviour? "Hey. I saved you, but you¡­" "Thank you." Autumn''s thanks subsided Charles''s anger. But he didn''t know what to say. "Thank you." Autumn thought Charles didn''t hear what she said clearly, so she repeated it, "If it weren''t for you, I might have died." "So you do know the ways of the world." Charles said tauntingly. Autumn bit her lip and didn''t say a word. "Did you eat?" As Autumn was mum, Charles decided to change the topic, "How about having a lunch together?" "No, I don''t think so." Autumn shook her head, "I have already had some food. Go back. I have to work overtime today and might returnte tonight. So, don''t wait for me." Then she turned around and left. This irritated Charles. How dare Autumn say no to him? Good! Very good! Autumn had to pay a price for it! Autumn didn''t bother to think why Charles came here. All she wanted was to go up and wrap up the Shining Company''s n. Aftering back to the office, she got busy reading Shining Company''s information, hoping to find some useful information. It was time to leave even before Autumn realised it. She was still buried under the piles of work. Charles wanted to punish Autumn for her rude behaviour, but he still drove to her office after work. The employees of Cloud Advertising Company came out one by one, but he couldn''t see Autumn anywhere. He locked his car and walked inside the building. Autumn was upiedpletely in reading the information disyed on the screen of herputer. She took no notice of Charles''s arrival. He stood at the door for a long time patiently. Suddenly, he received a call from Rachel Bai. Rachel just finished work. Last night, when she woke up, she found Charles had left without informing. She was so angry and mad at him. She knew very well that Charles surrendered only to the weak and not the strong. If she lost her temper in front of him, he would leave. But he couldn''t refuse her gentleness, so she was always meek and polite. If she shed out some tears, Charles would satisfy all her demands. Charles picked up the phone and heard Rachel''s soft voice, "Charles, where are you? I just finished work. Do you want to have dinner together today?" "Sure." Rachel''s voice simmered down Charles''s anger. With the thought of Rachel''s magical powers, Charles ignored Autumn. He walked out of the building and asked Rachel, "Where are you? I''ll pick you up, maybe." "I''m at the¡­" Rachel told Charles where she was and patiently waited for Charles. Charles''s grandpa Gary didn''t like her, but he was old and didn''t have too many years in his kitty. Besides, Charles had promised Rachel that no matter who he got married to, he would always keep his integrity. All she needed to do was try harder to keep him on her side forever. Then she would be his wife one day. Rachel didn''t have to wait too long. Charles was here. After getting in the car, she kissed Charles on the lips and asked him with a sweet smile, "What''s for the dinner?" "There is a new fancy French restaurant nearby. Would you like to go there?" Charles tilted his face to ask Rachel for her opinion. "Well, listen to me tonight." Rachel blinked innocently andughed merrily as Charles nodded. Rachel led Charles to a hotel. Charles frowned in the elevator. "This is the ce you want toe?" "Yeah." Rachel tightly held Charles'' arm and said, "Charles, I''m really tired after work. I want to stay Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. with you at some ce quiet without being intruded by others." Rachel leaned her head on Charles'' shoulder and continued, "The food here is delicious. We can order room service, okay?" "Okay." Charles agreed with a nod. He doted on Rachel despite his cold tone. Rachel was satisfied. She knew Charles was always emotionless. They didn''t have sex for these two years even after they went steady with each other. But now Rachel was anxious as Charles was married to someone else to please his grandpa. She was eager to have sex with Charles tonight. She thought, it would be better if she got pregnant and had a baby boy. If this didn''t work out, she had another n ready too. Chapter 5 Cohabitation Chapter 5 Cohabitation They opened the door of the room and got inside the room. Charles called room service to order some food, while Rachel went to the bathroom to take a shower. When Rachel came out of the bathroom, the hotel waiter was taking the food from the serving trolley and putting it on the table. "It smells so good, " She smilingly said, "Shall we open a bottle of wine?" "Okay." Charles was a self-controlled man. He seldom drank when he had to drive but today he agreed to drink some wine. Rachel was so excited about this. "Have a sip." Rachel poured Charles a ss of wine and purposely dimmed the light of the room. The candlelight on the table threw light on her face. A bathrobe was loosely tied around her body, and the private parts of her body were shown indistinctly. She believed that Charles could give in to such a temptation and be lured to her. "How does it taste?" Rachel was barefoot and slightly rubbed Charles''s leg with her own foot. Her smile was alluring. "It tastes good." Rachel was frustrated with Charles''s solemn answer. But she didn''t get discouraged and sat on the table in front of Charles, with a ss of wine in her hand. Charles understood her intention now. He slightly frowned. "Charles, we have been together... for about two years, right?" asked Rachel softly, while swirling the wine around in her ss. "Hmm, " replied Charles tly. Somehow, the thought of Autumn struck him. Last night, Autumn appeared in front of Charles just like Rachel did today. She had a delicate and white face, and Charles was way more attracted to Autumn than to Rachel who was fascinating and flirty. "In fact..." Rachel paused and slightly dropped her eyes. The light fell on her long eyshes and the shadow fell all across her face. She majored in acting, so she certainly knew how she looked the most attractive and how to captivate a man by her beauty. To sessfully seduce Charles, she did everything possible. "Charles, I''m willing to..." She lowered her head and blushed. It was pretty evident what she meant. After seeing that Charles wasn''t responding to her, Rachel daringly put down her wine ss and sat on Charles''sp, nestling in his arms. She drew circles on his chest with her finger, but Charles got hold of her finger. "Rachel, don''t..." He frowned. He even thought if Autumn stayed with him in the hotel, she probably wouldn''t ever do such a bold thing. "Charles, I can." Rachel was in no mood to give up. It was not easy to get this chance, so she wouldn''t give up so easily. "Charles, you''ve been restraining your sexual desire all these years just for me. I really appreciate that. But I''m now willing to make love to the man I love. I''m really willing to do that." "No." Charles added, "I haven''t done such a thing with you before. And since I''m married now, I can''t do that. Rachel, I won''t keep you waiting so long, believe me." Although he was in the hotel room now, he wanted to rush to the Cloud Advertising Company. "Charles!" Rachel felt a bit upset. She had never been this disappointed. Charles always patiently reasoned with her before, but today he didn''t. He had certainly changed. Rachel felt depressed as she realised this. "Rachel, have a good rest today. I will see you tomorrow, " said Charles tly. "No. I won''t let you go." Rachel wrapped her arms around Charles from behind. Charles smelled her pleasant fragrance, but he didn''t feel the desire for her anymore. Rachel tightly hugged him. She had a strong feeling that she was going to lose him now. She was unwilling to give up on him. So she began to passionately kiss him. In the beginning, Charles didn''t react to her behaviour, butter he actively kissed her back, He even dominated the kiss now. They kissed by the table and then moved to the sofa while kissing. The bath robe dropped from Rachel''s body. Rachel enjoyed Charles''s enthusiasm and felt relieved. She couldn''t wait to stretch out her hands and unbutton Charles''s shirt. When she was about to have sex with him, Charles stopped. "What... What''s wrong?" Rachel''s lips were a bit swollen and her eyes were filled with tears. Possibly, any other man would be attracted to this delicate and charming woman. "Nothing." Charles kissed Rachel on the forehead and quickly stood up. He buttoned up his shirt which was unbuttoned by Rachel earlier and adjusted his clothes. He then told Rachel, "It''s gettingte. You should go to bed early. I also have to go back home." "Charles? Charles!" No matter how hard Rachel called him, Charles just ignored her and even picked up his pace. Rachel lost all hope. She made every possible effort to stay with him. She even put her self respect and reputation at stake. But Charles just heartlessly left her. He had hurt her pride, making her feel helpless and heartbroken. "Charles Lu..." She called his name in her head, looking enraged. She couldn''t tolerate what Charles did to her today. She decided to never let him live peacefully. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The news about the love affair between Rachel, the famous female star, and Charles, the Shining Company''s CEO, would spread across the Y City in no time. With this news doing rounds, his wife would be disappointed and leave her unfaithful husband. Rachel always listened to Charles before. But now he was married to another woman. This time, she would not be so silly as before. Rachel put on the bathrobe and called someone with an expressionless face. "Leo, have you taken any photos of Charles and me? ... Okay, please help me do this thing. I will buy you dinner after this is done." Rachel hung up the phone and looked out the window. The cold night stirred up her feelings. She felt bitterly disappointed and heartbroken. She thought it was time to have an encounter with that ''Yvonne Gu'' and let her understand that she only ''lent'' her the identity of Charles''s wife temporarily. Autumn was busy at work in her office. She didn''te back home until midnight. Charles waited for her in his study and he felt relieved as he heard Autumn''s footsteps. After she came back home, Autumn set her rm 20 minutes early so that she had enough time to take the subway tomorrow morning. But to her surprise, when she went down to the ground floor in the morning, Charles also woke up. "Good morning." They would always see each other as they lived in the same house. Autumn greeted Charles and sat at the table to have breakfast. Charles tly looked at Autumn. The light of her bedroom was turned off at four o''clock in the morning, but she got up so early and still looked energetic. He wondered whether her job really made her so happy. "You''re very busy with your work, right?" It was the first time that Charles had shown concern on the daily life of his "roommate". Autumn was a bit stunned by his words and slightly nodded. "Yeah. I had taken a few days off and now I have a pile of work to do. What''s more, my boss epted a really important case. So I have to work overtime these days." When she recalled that it was Shining Company''s case, Autumn cautiously asked, "Mr. Lu, if your Since she had to submit the proposal today, she stayed up all night working toplete her proposal. She only slept for about two hoursst night. Chapter 6 The Presentation Chapter 6 The Presentation "Right." Autumn simply asked but wasn''t expecting Charles'' answer. "Traditional annual meetings are mostly routine. However, this year the Shining Company is celebrating its 50th anniversary. In addition to that, ourpany has acquired severalpanies recently. I would rather spend the money on rewarding the employees than on arranging a wine party." Charles said. Autumn nodded. She thought that though he wasn''t a good husband, he was definitely a great boss. "Have you finished your breakfast? I can drive you to work." Seeing Autumn put down her chopsticks and bowl, Charles questioned her. ''Drive you to work...'' again. No, thank you." "Let''s go." Autumn''s refusal was immediately blocked by Charles. He pulled her hand and took her to the car. But since she stayed up verytest night, she fell asleep in the car. After reaching herpany, Charles woke her up. Seeing Charles park the car at the ce where she got off yesterday, she was relieved. "See you soon." Charles said. Autumn didn''t notice the implication of his words. As soon as she entered the office with aptop in hands, she was stopped by Ryan Zhou, "Oh my god, how is your n going? They wille to review the n soon..." "Mr. Zhou, Ye is the top nner of ourpany. You can trust her." Before Autumn opened her mouth, Pa Pan said with jealousy. She had been working in thispany for a long time, even longer than Autumn. But she still couldn''t "I have tried my best, but I can''t guarantee the result." Ryan was happy to hear Pa''s words but Autumn''s response took away all the happiness. "Ye is too humble." Pa Pan sneered. "Enough! Stop here!" Ryan looked at Autumn and said, "Anyway, I''ll leave this case to you. You should take it seriously." "Okay." Autumn nodded. Staff members of the Shining Company arrived at 9 o''clock, while Autumn was still checking her PPT. The nee receptionist came to call her over, "Ye, pleasee out quickly. Thepany''s staff members are here." Autumn was confused. Now that they were here, why not directly get them to the meeting room? But the receptionist pulled her out of the office, "Come on, Autumn. Mr. Zhou is waiting." There were two groups of people lined up at the gate. Ryan waved at her and grabbed his coat nervously. This was when Autumn noticed that Ryan who always dressed casually wore a suit today. She looked around at the people on the scene. All of them looked serious. Even Pa Pan seemed to be different. She was more... coquettish. Autumn thought, ''Isn''t it just a representative? Is it possible that Charles ising over here in person?'' Autumn usually didn''t like following the crowd. But she was definitely curious about who the representative was.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. When the lift doors opened, a man in a navy blue suit walked towards the gate of Cloud Advertising Company, followed by a couple of people. It... it was the man who just drove her to work today. Autumn knew that the case was for the Shining Company. But she never expected that Charles himself woulde to herpany for such a small annual meeting case. No wonder Ryan was so nervous. "Mr. Lu, " Ryan immediately walked towards him, "Wee to ourpany. This way, please." Autumn felt Charles was staring at her. However, it meant nothing for her but Pa Pan standing besides her was excited. "Oh my god, he just looked at me. He noticed me!" "Miss Pan, you think too much." Le Zhang, the new receptionist, sneered at her. "Mr. Lu just got married. It was during the days when Ye was on a leave." When Autumn heard this, her heart skipped a beat. If people got to know she was Charles'' wife, she would be torn apart. "What? He''s married?" Pa Pan looked at Autumn with curiosity. ''To her? There is a huge disparity between them. Unless Charles is blind, he wouldn''t ever fall in love with Autumn.'' "Ye,e here." Autumn heard Ryan''s calling. He was waving at her. Before walking to Ryan, she couldn''t help taunting them, "Well, on such an important asion, please don''t waste time on nonsense gossips. Le, please go and prepare the tea." "Do you think you are the boss'' wife?" Pa Panined behind Autumn. Autumn didn''t care about her and quickly trailed behind Ryan. Ryan introduced her to Charles, "Mr. Lu, she is Ye, the nner of ourpany. She is responsible for the annual meeting for Shining Company." "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lu." Autumn gracefully reached out her hand to Charles. Charles extended his hand to shake hands with her, but then he gently scratched her palm. Autumn felt lucky that her colleagues called her by her surname, Ye, which happened to be an abbreviation for Yvonne. Otherwise, her real identity would be exposed in front of Charles and he would throw her out. "Well... Let''s get started." Autumn organised her thoughts and began the work. She was definitely a professional at work. Standing in front of the projector, she began to make a presentation, introducing her idea smoothly. She tried to restraint herself from looking at Charles'' passionate eyes. When the screen of the PPT said "End", she heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Mr. Lu, if I were a staff of the Shining Company, I would hope thepany give us some substantial rewards on its 50th annual meeting instead of a simple wine party. Therefore, I designed the annual meeting as a press conference where you could spend the saved money on the employees. They are the foundation of yourpany." When Autumn finished her presentation, the men who apanied Charles whispered to each other. Obviously, they were happy with Autumn''s n. Even Charles'' eyes too were full of appreciation. But Ryan''s face turned sour. He wanted to make money. When the rich Shining Company came to him, he knew he could make a lot of money from them. Now, Autumn''s revision would make him lose half of the profits. "Ye, what''s wrong with you?" Ryan didn''t care about the representatives. He stood up to rebuke Autumn, "Do you know..." "Mr. Zhou!" Since Autumn had been working with Ryan for many years, she knew that he sought nothing but profits. But in the presence of so many people, she couldn''t help reminding him, "How about asking Mr. Lu for his opinion?" "Not bad." Charles said, "But I have several details to discuss with Ye. It''s time for lunch. Mr. Zhou, would you mind lending me your top nner for a while?" "No, no." Ryan forced a smile, "I''ll ask someone to arrange it for you." "Please don''t bother." Charles interrupted Ryan''s words. His implication couldn''t be more clear. He wanted to have lunch with Autumn only. "Okay." Ryan wasn''t stupid. Hepletely understood what Charles meant. With a smile, he pulled Autumn aside and told her, "Ye, you should take good care of Mr. Lu at all cost today. Clear?" "Mr. Zhou, this isn''t my responsibility..." Ryan''s words were too explicit and Autumn was a bit upset with him. ''What does he treat her as?'' Chapter 7 Home Chapter 7 Home "Autumn Ye!" Ryan shouted Autumn''splete name in anger. Charles was a few metres away, so he didn''t take notice of it. "That''s your job to fix it now, okay? You have changed the n from wine party to a conference without my consent. Do you know how much money I will lose because of this decision of yours? Now what I am asking you to do is to give Mr. Lupany and go have lunch with him, so we can have the chance to build a long-term cooperation with them. You owe it to me. Do you understand?" As Autumn didn''t utter a word, Ryan continued with a calmer tone, "You know that ourpany is going through a rough patch. Please just go and have lunch with Mr. Lu. This meal is covered by the Ryan''s carrot and stick strategy worked, and Autumn agreed to go out for lunch with Charles eventually. Ryan gave her the job when she had no major qualifications and nowhere to go. She couldn''t forget his kindness. Even though severalpanies had tried to poach her over the years, she never thought of leaving thispany. "Ye, are you ready to go?" Charles asked again. Ryan tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Just go with him, please." "Sure. Let''s go, " Autumn said with a tone of uncertainty. When they got out of the meeting room, they bumped into Pa Pan. Pa looked away with a snort. She was definitely jealous of Autumn. "You guys go back to office first, " Charles instructed his staff members. David Fan, Charles''s special assistant, could not help but notice the beautiful Autumn standing right next to his boss, Charles. He knew that there was something wrong with Charles today. Charles had a lot of important things to do, but in order to attend this meeting, he even skipped a video-conference. This meeting was so insignificant that even David Fan himself thought it wasn''t worth attending. But when he saw the woman besides Charles, he immediately understood why Charles was so eager toe to the meeting. Though yesterday David Fan was standing at a distance, he had very well remembered Mrs. Lu''s face. "Mr. Lu, there aren''t many decent restaurants around thepany. Let''s go to the coffee shop around the corner and have a quick bite there, shall we? And we can also discuss the details of your "We can drive up to other restaurants if there aren''t any good ones here. I''ve heard that there is a new restaurant on QL Road which serves lip smacking Japanese cuisine. Let''s have lunch there." "QL Road?" Autumn was shocked, "It would almost take an hour to go there and get back. Mr. Lu, I only have one hour to have lunch..." "Let''s go, " Charles stopped Autumn from talking and rushed her to his car. After Autumn sat, he drove away. "I would like to have, Fried salmon, tamayaki, octopus balls, Miso soup and... Cherry mousse. That''s it! Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Thank you." It looked like Charles was very particr about his preferences. He ordered the food for both of them. Sitting right next to him, Autumn got the chance to peep at the price on the menu. The cost of the lunch was almost equal to her weekly sry. He might never know what eating at a fancy restaurant could mean to ordinary people. Now that they were alone, Autumn regained herposure. She could not help but ask, "Do youe here often with Rachel Bai?" Charles arched an eyebrow. He couldn''t understand why his wife kept mentioning Rachel. "Yes, we have been here a couple of times. The dishes I ordered are her favourites." Charles was definitely pissed off by her question. So he made up things to give back to Autumn. "Oh, now that makes sense, " Autumn nodded her head and continued, "Miss Bai is a star, you should treat her really well." Charles didn''t know how to respond to that. "Mr. Lu, if you have any different opinions about the presentation I had this morning, please tell me. I can revise it when I get back to the office." Autumn was still treating him like a client. This made Charles feel ufortable. So he deliberately pointed out some tough issues. Autumn marked them down on her notebook one by one. "Let''s eat first, " Looking at her straight serious face, Charles felt a little at ease. "I''m going to pick you up for lunch every day at noon, " Charles said suddenly. Autumn choked when she heard what he had just said. She turned him down immediately, "No no no... You don''t have to..." "Yvon... Ye, I am your husband now. You have to listen to me, " Charles said adamantly. He was in no mood for a No. Autumn thought of Miss Rachel Bai and tried to refuse again, "But..." Then she stopped. On a second thought, she believed that Charles had his own n. So she nodded her head in a yes eventually without saying another word. After lunch, Charles drove Autumn back to her office. This time, he stopped the car right at the gate. When Autumn walked into the office, Pa walked up to her with a ss full of water. Though Autumn tried to dodge, but the water spilled on her, making her clothespletely wet. "Oh no! Sorry, I''m so sorry..." Pa smirked. As the water wasn''t hot, Autumn didn''t get hurt. She ignored Pa and tried to walk past her. But before Autumn could take a step, Pa walked up to her and said, "Ye, even though you''re pretty, you shouldn''t break up other people''s marriages. You are lucky that this water only spilled on your clothes. Next time, someone might just dash some water on your face, " Pa sneered, "I''m warning you out of kindness. Mr. Lu is married. If you have some shame left, you will stop haunting him. If you don''t, maybe you might end up losing everything. I hope you don''t have to cry about it when the timees." Autumn frowned. She didn''t want to say anything to Pa at all and tried to walk past her. Autumn''s ignorance infuriated Pa further. She murmured behind her back, "Just keep acting like an innocent girl. Who knows how many men you have slept with..." In the afternoon, Autumn got a call from Charles'' servant. Charles told the servant that he would go home early for dinner. But she had something urgent to look after at home, so she had to trouble Autumn to make dinner. Autumn could have refused, but she was his wife now. So she said yes, eventually. She even asked the servant about Charles'' taste in food. Charles was surprised when the servant told him that his wife had agreed to cook him dinner. He tapped the table lightly with his finger, frowning. He had enquired about the woman he married before the wedding. As far as he knew, Yvonne Gu didn''t know how to cook. So, why would she agree to cook dinner? "Boss?" David Fan was reporting Charles thepany''sst month''s performance before the phone call. He didn''t expect Charles to be lost in thought after that. Charles had never behaved like this before. "David, do you think... it''s possible that some one changes their personality after marriage?" Charles thought that there might be something wrong about his wife, but he wasn''t sure what it could be. "I don''t think so, " David said with a confused face. In fact, David Fan didn''t think that he even knew the answer to this question. He wasn''t married yet. How could he even know? "Go and dig some information about Yvonne and her family. I want to know if there is anything wrong with her. Also get me some photos of her, " Charles ordered. Knowing that Autumn had agreed to make dinner at home, he left the office right on time for the first time. He often had a habit of working overtime. Autumn took the subway to the supermarket to buy some pork ribs, fish fillets, and several kinds of vegetables right after work. Then she went back home. She was brought up by her grandma, so she had learnt how to cook from her when she was a little girl. Though she hadn''t cooked for a while, she still knew the art well. She started to make dinner after she tied her long hair in a bun and put on an apron. She was busy cooking in the kitchen when Charles got home. "The dinner is almost ready. Wash your hands and then we can have dinner together, " Autumn said to Charles. She had noticed the sound of the door opening, so she leaned out and said to him. Charles wanted to solve the puzzle of her identity by trying her dishes. But when he saw Autumn wearing an apron, a word shed into his mind, ''Home.'' Chapter 8 Something Was Wrong Chapter 8 Something Was Wrong "Why are you standing still there?" He came to his senses when Autumn called him out. Then he changed into a morefortable clothing and washed his hands. When he went out of the bathroom, Autumn had finished cooking. She had served a rich dinner on table already. "Did you make all these dishes by yourself?" "Yes." Autumn nodded. It was no big deal for her. "I got to know from the maid that you like light taste in your food. Have a bite. If you don''t like it, I''ll make some adjustmentster." Autumn handed him the chopsticks and watched him take a bite of the sweet and sour pork. "How do you like it?" "It''s good." For Autumn, the biggest achievement of cooking was not to feed people, but to get praised for her food. Autumn was happy to hear that. But she was still worried about her n, so she rapidly gulped down some food. She didn''t notice Charles'' uncertain eyes. ''Is it possible for ady to cook so well?'' he wondered. The phone rang suddenly. Charles cast a nce at it and frowned with anger. ''Rachel has been acting unreasonably recently'', he thought. He didn''t answer it, but the phone kept ringing again and again. As if to say: I would keep calling until you answer. "Is that Miss Bai?" Autumn nced at the phone unintentionally. She thought that Charles didn''t answer so as not to piss her off. "Answer it. Maybe she is in an emergency." She didn''t fully express her thoughts, but Charles definitely understood what she really meant. She didn''t care much about the rtionship between Rachel and him. But he was her husband. He answered the phone in a fit of pique. Rachel said in a weak trembling voice, "Charles, help..." He immediately frowned and asked anxiously, "What happened, Rachel? Where are you?" Her weak voice frightened him. Autumn cast a nce at him and then lowered her head to continue eating. Charles anxiously asked. "What on earth happened to you?" "I..." Rachel managed to hold back her mise and said, "I came to visit Director Zhang. We were talking about business just now, but he suddenly began touching me inappropriately. I was afraid to offend him, so I made an excuse to go to the washroom. When I went back in the room to say goodbye and was about to leave, he forced me to drink a ss of wine. I had no choice but toply and take a sip. Now..." "Did he drug you?" Charles understood what must have happened. "I... I have no idea, Charles. I feel a fire burning sensation in my loins..." It was certain that he had drugged her. "Wait there. I''ming to get you." He hung up the phone and quickly grabbed his car keys and rushed out. Charles even forgot to say goodbye to Autumn. Gazing at the dishes on the table, she suddenly lost all her appetite. "What are you thinking?" Autumn knocked at her head and said to herself. "She is the real girlfriend. You are just a fake wife. Why do you feel upset about this now?" Sheforted herself. Then she cleared the table and went back to work on the n. After being sure of Rachel''s whereabouts, Charles hurriedly drove there. After all, this girl was his girlfriend. He would feel guilty if he ignored her. He rushed to the box on the second floor. Through the ss on the door, he could see a vague image of Director Zhang, who was forcefully touching Rachel. Though she tried hard to push him away, this slim girl just couldn''t stop him. And the effect of drug left no energy in her now. Watching Director Zhang''s hand move all the way up from her thigh, Charles was furious. He pushed the door open and stepped into the box with an angry face. It seemed that a thunderstorm wasing. "Charles..." Seeing Charles at the door, Rachel secretly put on an evil smile. Yes, she did it all on purpose. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. She had known that there was something wrong with that ss of wine but she drank it anyway. Now that Charles actually showed up, it was clear that he still loved her. "Rachel..." He pulled her from Director Zhang''s grip and held her into his arms. Feeling the smell of Charles, Rachel put on an even bigger smile. "Who are you? Don''t you see Director Zhang is here?" Director Zhang''s assistant pushed him away. Charles, with a cold angry look on his face, grabbed his hand and twisted it with a ck. The assistant screamed out of pain. "You idiot, do you even know who he is? You better let go of my hand right away. Otherwise, you''ll regret it for the rest of your life." He screamed and threatened Charles. "Will I? Let''s check it out." Charles sneered. "Director Zhang, we haven''t met each other for a long time. I had no idea that you want to quit the entertainment industry, huh?" "Mr... Mr. Charles Lu..." The light in the box was dim, and Charles was standing in front of him, blocking the light, so he didn''t recognise him till now. Now he knew the man in front of him was Charles, he was so frightened that he began stammering, totally different from his behaviour a minute ago. He stood up, with sweat gushing from his forehead. It never urred to him that Rachel was in any way associated with Charles Lu, the man who was very powerful in Y City. If he dared to offend Charles, then his career woulde to an end. Thinking of that, he was terrified. He hastily gave himself a hard p. "Mr. Lu, I am an idiot. I had no idea that Miss Bai is yours. Please forgive me. I am so sorry for that." "Her antidote!" Charles didn''t bother to say more words to him. "What... Antidote?" Director Zhang went nk for a while before he understood what Charles wanted. He was even more frightened now. "There is no antidote to it." Charles looked down on Rachel in his arms. The drug must have taken its effect on her. She was groaning and even unbuttoned her dress. "Mr... "Mr. Lu." Director Zhang took a brave step forward and said to Charles, "The drug is showing its effect. In my opinion, why don''t you take Miss Bai home and..." Charles cast a severe nce at him and he dared not finish his words. "Who are you, young man? How dare you respond to Director Zhang like that?" Though his hand was almost broken, the assistant refused to show his white feather to Charles. "Shut up!" Director Zhang hurriedly stopped him. He wished he could twist his stupid assistant''s head down right now. Chapter 9 Did He Love Her Chapter 9 Did He Love Her If he hadn''t given him this bad advice, he wouldn''t have wanted to behave inappropriately with Rachel, let alone being caught by Charles. "Fuck off. Right now." Rachel was about to lose her control, so Charles was not in the mood of punishing Director Zhang at present. Director Zhang hurriedly escaped from the box. Charles, with a cold face, held Rachel up his arms and took her to the nearest hotel. When they reached there, a doctor was already waiting for them. "How is she?" He didn''t believe that there was no antidote to that. Rachel, whose face flushed, lied on bed at first. But she still had her consciousness, so she threw herself on Charles with seducing eyes. She looked more attractive than ever before because of the effect of the drug. Though she took an initiative to woo Charles, she still had the air of a superstar''s pridest night. So at that time she didn''t release her passion. But now this was different. Because of the drug, she was explicit enough. "Charles, help me. I can''t hold it..." The doctor blushed at her words and quietly turned around. But Charles didn''t lose his control. Instead, he locked Rachel inside the room and walked out with the doctor. Then he lit a cigarette and asked, "Is there a solution?" The doctor praised his strong self-control secretly and said, "Mr. Lu, the effect is too strong. You''ve already known the first solution... the second solution... is bathing her in cold water for two hours. But it''s so coldtely, and Miss Bai is very weak now...Chances are that..." Before he finished his words, Charles had already dialed the hotel reception. "I would like two barrels of ice cubes, please." In order to keep her still, Charles plucked the phone wire and tied her around. He then bathed her into cold water, which made her sober and calm. On realizing that Charles would rather use the cold water than sleep with her, Rachel started begging him. "Charles, please untie me. I can''t stand it any more..." "No, it''s better for you this way." Charles refused to listen to her beg. No matter how much she begged him, he just wouldn''t sleep with her. So she turned her soft words to curse. She used every unpleasant word to describe him and called him impotent. The doctor was shocked at her words and Charles'' countenance. He could tell from his countenance that Charles was more and more angry. Time passed. Rachel now knew it was useless to shout at him, so she gradually calmed down. Charles then asked the doctor to check her body. After knowing that she was in good condition, he sent the doctor away. Rachel was trembling with cold even under the quilt. Seeing her pale lips, Charles signed and ordered a bowl of ginger soup for her. "Drink it and take good rest. Tomorrow you''ll be fine." Rachel suddenly raised her head. She asked in grief, "Charles Lu, what on earth do you want?" She had actually experienced simr torture when she was shooting for motion pictures. She could stand smiling in a short dress in sub-zero temperatures when working. But today was different. ''Wasn''t it far easier for him to sleep with me? Why did he choose to torture me?'' Rachel felt sick of it when she thought about what just happened. She put the me on Mrs. Lu. With that thought, she twisted her face and threw the ginger soup away. She shouted at him, "We are a couple! I''m okay that you don''t touch me over these years. I didn''t say anything when you followed you grandfather''s idea to marry the girl. But what do I get from it? Charles, you really disappoint me today." Charles didn''t respond to her. Since she spilled the soup, he ordered another bowl. He handed it to her andforted her, "Drink it down. You have to take care of your own body." Rachel screamed out in a fit, "Don''t pretend to care, Charles! There are so many people who are N?velDrama.Org content rights. desperate to show me their concern. I don''t need your pretended concern. I need a boyfriend. Tell me, do you love me on earth?" "Rachel, we''ll talk about itter when you calm down. You should take some rest now. I''m leaving." Charles avoided her question, and then continued, "Don''t forget to drink the ginger soup." She showed her temper to Charles just because she was always sure Charles wouldn''t leave her. But now Charles was determined to leave. She panicked. In spite of her weakness, she took off the quilt and clung onto him from behind. She held him tightly, as if he would disappear once she let him go. She put her burning face on his back and kept apologising. "Charles, I am sorry. I just feel hurt. I didn''t mean to take it all out on you. Do you know? I am frightened. We''ve changed. You''ve married this girl. You are living with her now. I''m worried that you will fall in love with her one day. So I am always anxious to be with you now. I know I am too impatient about all these things. But you will understand me, won''t you? Charles, please tell me you won''t ever fall in love with that girl. Please?" She tightly embraced him. Although she couldn''t see his face, she felt his body stiffened. Then her heart sank. But she could''t give up. "Charles, I am sorry. Please forgive me. I promise I will behave well and won''t make you angry ever." Rachel spoke seriously. After a long while, she heard a slight sigh from Charles. Then he forced her to release her hands which were gripping his waist. He turned around, cast a nce at her, and said, "Take care of yourself. Don''t make me worry about you too much." She couldn''t understand his meaning. Charles himself was in a state of confusion. He thought he loved her just as always, which was why he had a strong aversion when his grandfather asked him to marry another girl. He felt, Rachel was thoughtful and considerate. She could have been the best wife. So he resented the marriage arranged by his grandfather, as well as his wife. But recently, he found Rachel was no different from other girls. He even questioned himself whether he loved her or not. Or was he just used to having her around? He tossed the cigarette end and started the car. A message from Rachel came, Which read: Forgive me. He threw his phone away. When he arrived home, Autumn heard the sound and walked downstairs in a confusion. She thought he wouldn''te back tonight. She asked politely, "You are back. Are you hungry? Do you want some noodles?" Unexpectedly, Charles, who was very exhausted, nodded and said, "Okay." Autumn was confused for a while before she went to the kitchen. While boiling the water, she pan-fried an egg. Then she put the fried egg on the top of the noodle, and a delicious meal was ready. "Eat slowly. Be careful not to burn your mouth." She sat in front of him and watched him gulp down the noodles. She asked curiously with a frown, "Didn''t you take her to a restaurant after you picked her up?" Charles was unable to think for a little while. His exnation was ready toe out the next second. Chapter 10 Front Page News Chapter 10 Front Page News "Don''t get me wrong. Something happened to Rachel, and I only went to help her." Charles exined. Autumn didn''t expect Charles to exin it to her. She smiled in embarrassment, "You don''t have to exin it to me. We are only partners. I don''t care about your private affairs. But please be careful not to be caught by the paparazzi." "Okay." Autumn''s serious expression annoyed Charles and he suddenly had no appetite left. He dropped down the chopsticks and said, "I''m full." Autumn went nk for a moment. She thought Charles was in a bad mood because of Rachel. She cleared away the bowl and chopsticks and went upstairs. As the servant was away, Autumn got up early the next morning. There were eggs and wheat flour in the kitchen. She mixed the flour and water to make dough and then made some omelettes. Charles woke up in high spirits this morning. The house was full of the smell of omelettes. Charles nced at the kitchen, his eyes softened. He suddenly felt the warmth of home because of Autumn. "Come and have breakfast." Autumn greeted Charles. The omelettes and freshly ground soybean milk gave Charles a good appetite. He felt he would be more picky about food because of Autumn. "Charles..." Charles was about to go to work after breakfast, but Autumn timidly stopped him, "I''ll go to work by subway. You don''t have to drive me to work." "Did I tell you I would drive you to work?" Charles nced at Autumn and thought, ''Otherdies want me to drive them so badly. Fine! Why should I show excessive passion to such a cold person?'' Charles left the house, without looking back. Autumn stayed still. She was dumbfounded. ''Did I say anything wrong? Charles looked upset.'' Autumn thought to herself. Charles arrived his office with a straight face. This made everyone jittery. David Fan hesitated at the door of Charles''s office for a long time. He dared not knock on the door. "What are you doing there? Come in or get going!" Charles shouted. Although Charles was unable to clearly see the person through the frosted ss door, he could see someone walking up and down at his door. This infuriated him. "Mr.... Mr. Lu." David stood in front of Charles nervously and thought, ''I''m screwed. Mr. Lu is in a bad mood today. But something bad happened and I have to report to Mr. Lu.'' "What is going on?" Seeing David''s nk look, Charles shouted angrily. "Have... have you seen today''s Y City Morning Post?" David asked cautiously. Morning Post? Charles spent the whole morning being at odds with Autumn. He had no time to read the newspaper. "What happened?" Charles furrowed his brows. David took a deep breath and was prepared of the uing storm, "Mr. Lu, you are on the front page news." David carefully presented today''s Morning Post. Charles saw the headline on the front page at the first sight, "CEO of Shining Company Met Female Celebrity Rachel Bai at Midnight, Leaving Behind His New Wife." Charles was uninterested in the article, but he clearly saw the picture of him and Rachel entered the hotel together. "Mr. Lu, the news has provoked much discussion. If your grandfather finds out..." David shivered at the very thought of it. The powerful Mr. Lu was only a littlemb in front of his grandfather. "Check who had the courage to cook up this story and spread it around. I want him to disappear in media circle forever." Charles was enraged. He added, "Don''t let my grandfather know about this." N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "Yes." David wrote these down and asked, "Mr. Lu, what are you going to do about this? Are you going to hold a news conference to exin this?" "Not necessary." Charles shook his head. A new product of Shining Company was about to go public. This news somehow helped thepany to attract much attention from the public. "Anything else?" Charles raised his eyebrows as he saw David staying still. "Mr. Lu, Ye from Cloud Advertising Company called and said the revised n had been finished. She asked for an appointment..." "Now!" Charles interrupted David. "Wh... what?" David had served as Charles''s assistant for many years, and felt he knew him well. However, he suddenly discovered that he didn''t know Charles at all. For instance, he didn''t understand why Charles was out of control when Cloud Advertising Company was mentioned. Or... was it because of his wife? Despite the confusion in his mind, David immediately arranged the car and went to Cloud Advertising Company with Charles. After all, David was a professional assistant. Autumn had revised the n ording to Charles''s requirements. Even David thought it was a perfect n, but Charles was not yet satisfied. "Bullshit! Redo it!" Charles was upset because he remembered Autumn''s indifferent attitude, and couldn''t help creating difficulties for her. "Mr.... Mr. Lu?" David frowned as he finally realized Charles was using his power to get back at Autumn. Charles cast a cold nce at David, and thetter closed his mouth and lowered his head. "Mr. Lu, I said a news conference is not appropriate. I think a wine party is better..." Ryan was overjoyed. "Mr. Lu." Autumn had worked hard on the n for a long time. Charles was satisfied with the n before. Why was he unsatisfied with it now after she had revised the n in ordance with his requirements? She was angered and asked, "Which part are you unsatisfied with? Please tell me." "I''m unsatisfied with every part of it." Charles answered coldly. Autumn was red-cheeked with rage. She was not a fool. She realized that Charles was taking revenge from her. But Autumn didn''t know when and how she had offended him. Seeing Autumn''s face, Charles thought she woulde to him privately and ask him to spare her. But Autumn raised her face stubbornly and looked at him in the eyes, "Fine! I''ll redo it." Charles went nk as he didn''t know how to respond. Pa Pan was ted with Charles''s moves as she disliked Autumn. She finally found the opportunity to mock Autumn this time. After leaving the meeting room, Autumn heard Pa''s sarcasm, "Someone is so shameless. If I were her, I would be ashamed of staying here and leave thepany." Autumn didn''t care about it at all, but Charles, who followed her out, raised his eyebrows on hearing Pa''s unkind words. Chapter 11 The Protective Husband, Charles Chapter 11 The Protective Husband, Charles "Mr. Lu, don''t worry. I will supervise the n and it will be satisfactory, " Ryan said, smiling slyly. When Charles suddenly stopped walking, Ryan behind him almost ran into him. "Mr. ¡­ Mr. Lu, what''s the matter?" Ryan didn''t hear what Pa had said because he fell behind. When he saw Charles staring at Pa without winking, he was surprised. ''Hasn''t he selected Autumn Ye already? Why is he interested in Pa now? Pa is a prettydy, butpared to the young and vigorous Ye, she was nothing. After all, Pa is much older.'' Then, Ryan beckoned Pa forward. Pa went up to him with grace and said shyly, "Mr. Lu¡­" Even her voice had a captivating lure. "Mr. Lu, this is another nner of ourpany. Her name is Pa, " Ryan introduced Pa smilingly as he pulled Pa towards him. Pa pretended to fall down, expecting Charles would hold her. Her wish didn''te true. Charles moved away and Pa almost tumbled forward. "Mr. Lu¡­" Pa grumbled as she stared at Charles. She thought, ''Hees from a blue blooded family. Although I can''t marry him, I will live a rich life if I be his mistress.'' Pa, totally different from Autumn, had been pursuing a life goal that she would get into a rtionship with a rich man. "Mr. Lu, Ye is not qualified for the n. She made such a huge mistake. I can take over this n if you trust me with it. I will give you a satisfactory n, " Pa gave Charles her firm and solemn promise. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Charles nced at Pa indifferently and jeered, "Are you qualified?" "Mr. Lu, Pa is one of the best nners. She ¡­" Ryan held a grudge against Autumn because she nned a conference instead of a wine party against his will. He thought, ''Charles too suspects Ye''s ability now. It gives me a good chance to rece Ye with others. Compared to Ye, Pa is way more meek and mild. All these years Ye has made tremendous progress, which has made it difficult for me to affront her. But this event would let me cut her down to size.'' Charles interrupted Ryan before he finished, "Mr. Zhou, when did you allow any random guy in your "What¡­ What?" "I warn you today, Ye is to handle everything about the n for the Shining Company. Stop bad- mouthing her. Anyone who says anything against her will have nothing but regrets, " Charles She realized Charles was here to support Ye. She remained calm but she could feel waves of anger surging inside her. ''Why? Why does Ye get all the benefits in thepany? Even Charles thinks highly of her. However, what about me?'' "When the n is finished, ask Ye to send it to mypany, " Charles ended the conversation and left the Cloud Advertising Company directly. David followed him. ''I havee here twice for this small n. I should rather behave like a real CEO and stoping here again and again. That naughtydy should know I am not good-tempered.'' Autumn was focused on modifying the n. She didn''t know what happened outside. Le Zhang told her when she brought a coffee for Autumn, "Ye, you didn''t see Pa wear a long face? The hyaluronic acids she injected two days ago to remain young and beautiful would be non-effective because of the anger." Pa was mean and difficult to get along with, while Autumn was more popr because of her innocence and humble nature. The people in thepany were mocking Pa''s setback. Autumn was surprised at the news and suspected Charles'' motive. ''He embarrassed me and then supported me in front of the others. Why?'' "Ye, how is your n going on? Do you need my help?" Le didn''t leave after bringing in the coffee and gossiping about Pa. Instead, she got close to Autumn, asking whether she needed any help or not. Autumn refused her kindness by shaking her head, "Thank you for the coffee. By the way, don''t gossip about Pa. I don''t mind it, but it''s not good to say words like this in public." ''Pa will seek revenge for even the smallest grievance. If she knows what Le said, she would do something crazy to take revenge from Le.'' The kind-hearted Autumn reminded Le to be careful. However, it took her a long time to realise that some people would even take others'' good will as malice. After Le left, Autumn worked for quite a while. She thought, ''Charles is a real fault-finder. But I have no choice because he is my client.'' She could do nothing but work on the n again. Her thoughts were interrupted by a call. It was from Charles. He enquired straightly, "It''s sote. Why are you still working?" Autumn looked up through the window and found out that nearly everyone at office had already left. She replied, "I have something to do. I wille back a littlete." "No!" Charles wasn''t going to take a "No!" from her. "You have five minutes to pack up. I''ll wait for you outside the building of yourpany. Let''s go home so that you can cook supper for me." "Don''t we have servants?" Autumn frowned,ining. But Charles had already hung up, staring at the entrance of the Cloud Advertising Company happily. He saw Autumning out in a short time. "Let''s go to the new street market first, " Autumn suggested as she got on the car and fastened her seat belt. "Why are we going to the market?" "Didn''t you say you want me to cook you a supper? I can''t cook because there are no vegetables at home." Autumn took shopping in the new street market for granted. New street market was a ce where various kinds of people gathered. With that in mind, Charles narrowed his brows hard and intended to advise shopping in a supermarket instead. But Autumn was in no mood to listen to him, "New street market is remote, but the products are cheap and fresh. It''s a good choice to shop there." "Do you go shopping there often?" Charles pretended to ask casually. "Yes." Autumn grew up with her grandma. She used to walk thirty minutes longer to go shopping in this street market. It happened to be a very economical way to save money for them. But she soon recalled she was pretending to be the spoilt Yvonne from the affluent Gu family, so it was impossible for her to bargain her way with the market vendors there. She then immediately took back what she said, ''Well, I always hear my servants talk about this market, so I''m pretty familiar with it.'' "Is it true?" Charles asked absent-mindedly. Chapter 12 Entering Shining Company For The First Time Chapter 12 Entering Shining Company For The First Time The new street market was cramped with people. The market alley wasn''t wide enough to amodate a car. So Charles stopped his car at the market entrance and walked in with Autumn. He walked a step behind her to block out the crowd and protected her with one of his arm staying a few inches beside her waist. "What do you want for dinner?" Autumn suddenly turned her head to Charles. His gentle protectiveness deeply touched her. For the first time in her life someone had treated her so well. "You can buy whatever you like." Actually Charles wasn''t really particr about food. He only wanted to spend some more time with Autumn. "What about... Lily Fried with Celery, Fish Braised in Soy Sauce and Rib Soup with White Gourd?" Autumn asked casually. Charles immediately nodded in agreement and Autumn then made her way to the vegetable stall. "Granny, how much is the celery?" "Miss, how have you been?" The woman smiled at her. She also took notice of Charles, and then she asked, "Is this... your boyfriend?" "I am her husband." He replied with a smile, nothing looked like the arrogant CEO back in his office. Autumn was blushing. She quickly picked up some vegetables and hurried to leave. When they were about to leave, the woman generously gave them some scallion and told her, "Miss, you have an eye for a good life. It''ll take some load off your grandmother''s mind." Most people in the market knew she had always been good to her grandmother. Now that she found a good, caring husband, everyone was happy for her. Thinking about her grandmother, Autumn choked with emotions. She hurriedly bought some other food ingredients and went back home with Charles. When they got home, she tied her hair in a neat ponytail and began cooking the dinner. She firstly cleansed the ribs in boiling water and put them in a stewpot. Then she worked on the rest of the food items. In just a little while, three delicious dishes were ready to be served. She took off the apron and called out for Charles to eat. "Time for dinner." He, sitting on the sofa, put down the newspaper. His eyes hadn''t been on the newspaper. All he had done was observing her all the while. He was more curious about her now. Autumn served a bowl of rice for him. Seeing him stare at her, she couldn''t help but ask, "What happened? Does my face look dirty?" She wiped her face with her hands. Charles shook his head. "No, nothing. Come let''s have dinner." Autumn didn''t push too much. She quietly finished her dinner and cleared the table. Then she went upstairs to revise the n. Charles knew it was because of him that she had to keep revising the n again and again. But he wasn''t satiated only because he wanted to stay with her longer. He knew if their rtionship went at this pace, they might just end up as "normal roommates". Charles kept thinking about their rtionship post dinner. The more he thought, the more whiny he became. So he called his grandfather for help. His grandfather was considerate enough to leave the newly wed alone in the house. He went to America to visit his granddaughter. He was about to go fishing when Charles called. "Charles, how have you been? Do you get along well with Yvonne?" From his cheerful sound, Charles could tell that he felt quitefortable. "Grandfather, when will youe back?" Charles asked him. "A couple of dayster." His grandfather continued, "Why did you call? I''m actually busy right now with fishing." Charles hesitated for a while and then said, "No big deal. It''s about Yvonne. She just..." "What happened to my dear daughter-inw?" His grandfather was shocked. He hadn''t seen her before but he liked her very much ever since the wedding day. On that day, Charles acted rather inappropriately, but she dealt with the mess without even a singleint. He really appreciated her patience. Charles'' vague narrative got him a little worried. "What happened, grandfather?" Over the phone, Charles heard the voice of Chris Lu, his sister. Chris shouted at him and said, "Brother, I''ve packed up my luggage. We''lle back soon." Charles was delighted to hear that. The next morning, when Charles went downstairs, Autumn had already left for work. But she had prepared a rich breakfast and left a note with it on the table. She made sandwich today. Charles ate it with milk and then went to his office. Autumn spent all night working on the n. Despite that, she left for work early in the morning via subway. When Autumn reached, the office was empty. So she made herself a cup of coffee in the pantry. She heard Pa''s voice outside when she was about to leave. "Did you hear that? Mr. Lu lost his cool yesterday, because Ye tried to seduce him. I don''t understand how this slut had the nerve to do that?" "Pa, don''t gossip behind her back. She is not that type of a girl." On hearing someone stand up for Autumn, Pa sneered. "You may know her for a long time, but you are too naive to see through her true self. I saw through this slut''s mind the moment I saw her for the first time. She pretends to enjoy working here, but she only wants to find a rich husband, get married and settle down. Just wait and see whether Charles will fall in love with her or not. In my eyes, it''s simply impossible." Pa couldn''t help but think about what happened yesterday. The more she thought about it, the more it made her angry. So she cursed her without mercy. Autumn, on the contrary, didn''t bother to quarrel with her. She just took her coffee and headed straight back to her office, without paying any attention to them. Pa certainly noticed her. She sneered again. "We all work here. It is important to teach someone to behave right. One shouldn''t cross lines just to get male attention." Autumn went ahead and closed the office door to avoid the noise. She sent her n to David Fan via email. A whileter, she received his call. "Miss Ye, our CEO thinks the n still needs some improvements. I''m afraid you will have toe here. I''ll send a car to pick you up." "No need. I''ll take a subway ande there." "The car is already on the way. You''ll see it at the entrance of your office in ten minutes." David had Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. been working for Charles for years. He could easily see through his mind. How could the wife of their CEOe to theirpany by subway? Autumn told Ryan about this. Ryan agreed, though he didn''t think of her as highly as he did before. He was expecting that Shining Company could give them another chance to n some important activities. When she came downstairs to the entrance, she saw a car as expected. The driver got down the car and greeted her the moment he saw her. He then opened the door for her. She didn''t speak a word on the way to the Charles''s office. The car stopped at the entrance of the Shining Company. The grandeur of the office amazed her The Gu''s Group was big too but it was nothingpared to Shining Company. David was keenly waiting for her. When she arrived he took her to the sitting room outside Charles'' office. "Miss Ye, please wait here. The CEO will finish his video conference in another ten minutes." "Okay." Autumn nodded. From the ss door, she saw Charles. He looked more attractive while working. Noticing how everyone walked at a fast pace with a serious look on the face, Autumn couldn''t help but sit up straight. Chapter 13 Busy With What Chapter 13 Busy With What Autumn had been waiting for a while now. When David, Charles''s assistant, came to meet her, he saw her sleeping on the sofa. Autumn was told that Charles''s meeting would be done in ten minutes, but it hadsted for over thirty minutes. Since Autumn didn''t get enough sleepst night, she unintentionally fell asleep. This made David feel awkward. David knew that Miss Ye was actually Mrs. Lu. if he woke her up, she might get angry with him. He wondered, ''What if she decides to take revenge from me?'' Luckily, David didn''t have to wait too long. An unexpected visitor appeared in the busy office. "David." David was wondering whether he should wake up Miss Ye or not when he heard someone call his name. He turned around and saw a beautiful girl with a bright smile on her face. It was Rachel Bai. He then got worried and also awkward. OMG, Charles''s wife and girlfriend were under one roof. What worse could happen? "Miss¡­ Bai." David got very nervous. He began stammering. He really hoped that Mrs. Lu could sleep for some more time so that there wouldn''t be any awkward moment in the office. Unfortunately, hearing Rachel''s voice, Autumn woke up. She stood up and tidied her wrinkled clothes with her hand and asked David, "David, is your CEO''s meeting over now?" "Well¡­" David, looked at Rachel and Mrs. Lu, feeling awkward. Both these women were the people David couldn''t dare to offend. ''OMG, is my boss a yboy?'' David thought. "Is she a new secretary?" Rachel was familiar with thispany. She knew every staff member here. She thought Autumn was a new employee here. Seeing how pretty Autumn was, Rachel got a little vignt. She handed over a bag to Autumn and instructed her, "Go, distribute these tea cakes to the staff. I need to discuss something with your CEO and nobody is allowed toe in and disturb us." Rachel ordered Autumn arrogantly. She intentionally asked her assistant to buy some tea cakes so she could bribe the staff here. Seeing the bag in her hand, Autumn frowned. "Hurry up!" Rachel scolded. Since that night, Charles maintained a distance from Rachel. As the news of their rtionship spread, Rachel had to use this chance to take quick actions and improve their rtionship. But she didn''t know a new secretary could ruin her good mood. Rachel didn''t know Autumn. But Autumn knew Rachel very well, because she was a public superstar. Autumn got really angry as Charles had made an appointment with her first to discuss the n but he asked Rachel to be present in the office at the same time. "I am not¡­" When Autumn wanted to say No to Rachel, David who was standing right next to them took the bag from Autumn and said, "Well, I will distribute these cakes." David looked at Rachel and said, "Miss Bai, you need to wait for a while because our CEO has an appointment with¡­" "Who do you think is more important than me?" Rachel was confident and opened the door of Charles''s office. But Charles didn''t even look at her and said, "Don''t you know that you should knock the door beforeing in? Where are your manners?" "Charles¡­" Rachel was familiar with thispany so she acted casually. Charles had never treated her like this before. This new behaviour of him left her hurt and angry. On hearing Rachel''s voice, Charles raised his head and found out that Rachel was standing at the door. He frowned and asked, "Why are you here?" "Who else are you expecting it to be?" Rachel calmed down. It seemed that Charles''s anger was not directed at her. "Never mind. Why are you here?" Charles asked Rachel lightly. His tone reflected less passion and more alienation. Thinking of that night, Charles couldn''t really be passionate to Rachel now. "I was shooting in this area. I assumed that you might not have had your breakfast yet, so I got you something to eat." Rachel smiled as if nothing had happened between them. Showing off the breakfast in her hand, she said, "Come on let''s eat, I bought these from the restaurant that you like very much." Charles frowned. Since that night, he had tried to keep a distance from Rachel. He didn''t know the reason why he did this, but he simply needed some time off to think about it. "Never mind, " Charles answered coldly, "I have had my breakfast already. If you don''t have anything important to say then you can leave now. I have an appointment right now." Rachel was standing with her back to Charles, putting the breakfast on the table. She paused at the words, and her eyes shed with viciousness. Then she changed her facial expression quickly and turned around. She said smilingly, "I got up very early to buy this breakfast for you. Just to appreciate my gesture, could you take a bite of it?" Rachel took a Steamed Crystal Dumpling to feed Charles. Charles was hesitant. Just when Charles was trying to stop Rachel, the office door was opened up by someone angrily. David had tried to stop Autumn, but it was toote for that. Seeing that her time with Charles was interrupted by someone, Rachel''s face became pale. She looked at Autumn angrily and shouted at David, "David, when did you be so unprofessional? Don''t you know that your boss is busy right now? The new secretary is brainless and it is your responsibility to teach her manners." When Rachel met Autumn for the first time, she didn''t like her. It was a good chance for her to insult her now. So Rachel held Charles''s hand with affection and said, "Charles, look at this woman. How irresponsibly do you hire your staff? In my opinion, you''d better fire her now to not regretter." Autumn stared at Charles angrily but didn''t say anything. This made Charles feel guilty. David was nervous to look at Charles. He stood in front of Autumn and said, "Miss Ye, Our CEO is Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. busy right now¡­" "Busy? With what?" Autumn asked with a calm expression on her face. But her anger couldn''t be suppressed any further. Because of Charles''s negativement on her n, Autumn had to stay up for several days to modify it. When she came to the office this morning, she was told that Charles was in a meeting, so she patiently waited! But what was she waiting for? It was a meeting with his mistress. She felt as if it was because of Rachel that she had to wait outside for a very long time. Since their marriage was based on an agreement, Autumn could have ignored them if this happened in other situation. But this was about her work so she couldn''t endure it at all. Autumn angrily said, "Mr. Lu, you look very busy with your mistress. Having a leader like you, it really seems like a miracle that Shining Company could make it so far in the business world." Chapter 14 Rachel or Autumn Chapter 14 Rachel or Autumn Charles opened his mouth to exin. But he had no idea what to say. Rachel couldn''t bear it any further. Hearing Autumn call her "the mistress", Rachel was fuming with anger. Her words hit her like a sharp knife ripping her soul. Rachel walked up to Autumn with a pride of a peacock. She was not taller than Autumn, but since she wore high heels, she looked down at Autumn from a height. "Dare you say that again." Rachel said angrily The entire incidence had shaken up David. If these twodies had a fight, he didn''t know which one to support. He prayed in his head, ''Mrs. Lu, please hold back your anger, then this could be the end of the story.'' But Autumn looked at Rachel straight in the eyes and fearlessly asked, "Am I wrong? Rachel Bai, please conduct yourself. Charles is married. You let the media hype the scandal between you and Charles and now you are here at his office too. Do you want everyone to know you are Charles''s mistress?" Autumn could be persuaded by reasons but not cowed by force. If Rachel talked to her in a polite tone, Autumn wouldn''t have argued with her. But now she was pissed with Rachel''s attitude. She continued, "Well? Did youe here to wish Charles a happily married life?" "Bitch! You are screwed!" Rachel was used to being an arrogant celebrity. Her assistant and agent always treated her with utmost respect. Even Charles doted on her. Rachel couldn''t bear being mocked by a nobody like this. She raised her hand to p Autumn right in the face. David shut his eyes with fear. Autumn had no time to react. She helplessly watched Rachel''s hande closer to her face. But her hand never hit her. "Charles. what are you doing?" Charles grabbed Rachel''s wrist, his face fuming with anger. David was relieved. "Let go of my hand! I must teach this arrogant secretary a lesson today." Rachel yelled. "Enough!" Charles shouted impatiently. Autumn went nk for a moment. It was toote when she realised that she had offended Rachel. She didn''t expect Charles to protect her. Rachel had been dating Charles for a long time now. But this was the first time she saw Charles getting mad at her like this. She was shocked for a moment and started wailing bitterly. Autumn rolled her eyes secretly. Anyone who wasn''t present in the room might just think that it was Autumn who bullied Rachel. If the paparazzi got to know and posted about it, Autumn would be cursed by Rachel''s countless fans. Rachel didn''t care about what Autumn thought of her. She felt as if she had been wronged by Charles. She cried and poured out her bitterness, "Charles, I know I shouldn''t have lost my temper two days ago. I know I was wrong and this is why I came here today to apologise to you. We''ve been together for years and gone through thick and thin together. I don''t want to give up on our love." Rachel gave a vicious look to Autumn and continued, "Charles, I know your grandpa dislikes me and you had to marry the other woman. I epted that. But ever since you got married to that woman, you''ve changed. You are a totally different person now. We''ve grown apart. Even your secretary can bully me now. Tell me, have you fallen in love with that bitch?" Rachel cried and urged Charles to reply back to her. Autumn could see that the rtionship between Charles and Rachel wasn''t stable. Rachel didn''t have enough faith in Charles. Autumn was sure that it wasn''t because of her that their rtionship was going bad. Charles always had a bad public image since he had dated innumerable women in the past. Among his numerous girlfriends, only Rachel had been with him for such a long time. When Autumn thought about this, she couldn''t help but feel sorry for her. Autumn only had to get through this year and then she would be free for life. But Rachel had devoted her mind and body to Charles. "What are you looking at? Want a taste of my hand?" Seeing Autumn''s sympathetic expression, Rachel couldn''t control her anger. She pounced on Autumn, yelling. But this time, David stepped in front of Autumn to protect her. He persuaded, "Miss Bai, you are a celebrity. Why lose your grace by fighting with a nobody? Am I right?" Although Charles gave no reaction at the moment, David clearly saw that Charles was protective about Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Autumn. So, David stepped forward to protect Autumn from Rachel''s anger. After all, Autumn was the real Mrs. Lu. "David, are you going to set yourself against me?" Rachel stared at David ferociously as she sneered, "Great! Charles, see this is how your staff behave with me now. You must give me an appropriate exnation for this today, otherwise, I won''t spare anyone." "What kind of exnation do you want?" Charles asked Rachel coldly. He was relieved when he saw Autumn was fine. Rachel looked at Autumn and David and said, "I want you to fire these two. I don''t want to see them in this office after today." Autumn was shocked at Rachel''s arrogance. Rachel was only offended by Autumn. David had always been the most capable assistant of Charles for several years. Charles would never fire David for such a petty reason. Autumn believed Rachel was an idiot. As expected, Charles rejected Rachel''s request without consideration. "If you don''t want to see them in the Shining Company, do note here again." Rachel widened her eyes in shock. She couldn''t believe what Charles just said so she wanted to re- confirm it. "You... can you say that again?" Chapter 15 Fire Her Chapter 15 Fire Her "Well, don''te here if you don''t want to see them. Out of sight, out of mind." Charles pointed out sharply. "You¡­" Rachel felt wronged. Tears were running down her eyes. If this happened back in the day, Charles would stop everything tofort Rachel. No! She couldn''t believe it! Charles had never been so cold with Rachel. Rachel gave an angry look to Autumn and took a deep breath. "Charles, I''m sorry. I know David works for you. I shouldn''t have asked you to fire him in an impulse. But this woman insulted me! I just can''t let it go if you don''t fire her." "She is right, isn''t she?" Charles looked at Rachel straight in the eye and asked. His question choked Rachel. "The truth is, I did marry someone, and you are being a mistress now." Charles said coldly, "Actually I don''t care whether she is right or wrong. I can''t fire her." "You¡­" Rachel felt like she could see her entire life crashing apart. What had happened? How did Charles change in such a short while? "Charles, what''s wrong? Although we doesn''t get married, everyone knows why you married that woman. I am your real girlfriend." Rachel took Charles''s hand and couldn''t believe his harsh words. She loved Charles dearly, and Charles used to pamper her. Why did everything change after Charles got married? Rachel constantly med the Mrs. Lu even though she had never met her, but she never thought her caprices had annoyed Charles since he got married. "Miss Bai, I think you should leave. Miss Ye¡­" David didn''t want things to get worse, so he tried to persuade her to leave, but Rachel wasn''t ready to listen. N?velDrama.Org content rights. "Shut up, David!" Rachel couldn''t believe that Charles and David both defended Autumn. "Charles, tell me, what is your rtionship with this woman?" "I¡­" Autumn wanted to exin as Charles and Rachel were fighting over her, but before she could say anything, Charles began talking. "As I said, she is not my employee here. She is my wife." Charles calmly pointed out Autumn''s identity. Rachel was suspicious, unwilling, angry, andughing atst. "So, it makes sense now?" She finally understood Why a secretary dared to rush into Charles''s office, Why David defended her And why Charles had eyes for her. It was all because she was his wife. So, she was the reason why Rachel couldn''t marry Charles. Rachel looked at Autumn again. She was pretty in a simple dress with very light makeup. No wonder Charles began keeping a distance from her after he married Autumn. For Rachel, Autumn was a tease. She wished to rip apart Autumn''s face, But she couldn''t. She had grown apart from Charles now. If she rushed to do it now, Charles would nevere back to her. She knew she had enough time to seek revenge. Autumn saw Rachel''s expressions changing. She was surprised to see how she calmed herself down atst. Well, Rachel must be a scheming woman, or she wouldn''t have been able to stay with Charles for all these years. Autumn didn''t know why Charles pointed out her identity but she didn''t have the final say, so she didn''t care about it either. She wanted to go now, leaving the n and Rachel behind. Rachel looked at Charles with a sad face and said, "Charles, I have to leave." Before Charles could say anything, Rachel left in panic. Her cold glimpse scared Autumn. She definitely was not ready to give up that easily. After Rachel left, David also made an excuse to leave. When Autumn and Charles were left alone in therge office, Autumn got a little awkward. She didn''t know why she dared to criticize Charles just now. Charles joked about her stiff smile and said, "So now you''re all shy? A minute ago, you feared nothing. Look at you now." Autumn raised her head and saw the banter in Charles''s eyes. Before she could say anything, Charles changed the subject and said, "Didn''t youe here to show me the n? Tell me about it." At the mention of work, Autumn was no longer shy or awkward. She turned on herptop and exined the n page by page to Charles. Charles heard the n patiently, but the fragrance of Autumn''s body distracted him. Autumn had revised the n, but she still proposed to hold a press conference. Although the n was rushed outst night, it was still better than the previous one. The specific problems Charles proposed were revised right away. After the presentation, Autumn turned her head and saw Charles''s face. Her heart raced. "Well¡­" Autumn said something to avoid embarrassment, "Mr. Lu, do you have any other questions?" "It''s good. Let''s do this." Autumn was stunned. She didn''t expect Charles to agree this time. "What''s wrong? "You''re not ready?" "No." Autumn exined, "I thought..." "You thought I would me you for this Rachel thing?" Charles sneered and continued before Autumn could say anything, "Forget it. I have something to do now, so I can''t have lunch with you today. Tomorrow is Saturday. Keep yourself free. We have to go to the airport to pick someone." Autumn didn''t say No although she was confused. She thought Charles would me her for offending Rachel, but he let her go. This was somewhat unexpected for her. He wasn''t someone to let go that easily. She shook her head and forced herself to stop thinking about these things. On her way back, two men in ck stopped her. "Mrs. Lu, our boss wants to see you." Chapter 16 Rachels Warning to Autumn Chapter 16 Rachel''s Warning to Autumn Autumn frowned a little. Obviously, she had no choice but to go with them. From the limo across the street, she had already guessed the identity of their boss. By the look Rachel gave her when she left the office, she knew something was going to happen, but it never urred to her that it could happen so soon. "Move." The men in ck pushed her forward. Autumn quietly walked towards the limo. The men in ck opened the door, Rachel was sitting inside with a pair of sunsses on. Even though Autumn couldn''t see Rachel''s eyes, she could feel a trace of contempt in her eyes. She got in the limo. The door was closed from behind, leaving her and Rachel alone in this spacious limo. Rachel took off her sunsses and began speaking. "Mrs. Lu. Nice to meet you." She looked at Autumn. There was hostility in Rachel''s eyes. Autumn remained calm. Although she admitted that she didn''t show Rachel her respect back in the office, she didn''t feel guilty or fearful. She knew she had not done anything wrong. She looked at her watch to see the time and coldly said,"Miss Bai, you are a superstar and I have to get back to my office now to resume work. Time is precious for both of us. Why don''t you cut the long story short and tell me why am I here?" Only two of them were seated in the limo, so Rachel didn''t feel the need to be thoughtful or considerate. She threatened to her by saying,"Ms. Gu, though I addressed you as Mrs. Lu, I have to remind you that you are only temporarily ying this role for me. You must clearly understand why Charles married you." "Sure." Autumn nodded casually. "We are just under an agreement. There is nothing happening between us. You don''t have anything to worry about." "Bullshit!" Rachel cursed Autumn, which made Autumn frown. So Rachel soon realised she had been rude. Then she cleared her throat to shift Autumn''s attention. She continued saying. "Yvonne Gu, don''t you dare think that I can''t see through your mind. I guess you don''t want to let this wonderful husband of yours go away so easily, huh? Tell me, what did you do to win his heart?" Charles had distanced himself from Rachel since he married Autumn. He even forgot his promise to visit her while she was working. Rachel felt their love was fading. At first, Rachel only felt unhappy about the entire thing. But now when she saw "Yvonne" in person, she was panicking. Back in time, when Charles was selecting his wife, Rachel rmended Yvonne herself. All she knew then was that she was an ignorant and bad-tempered woman from a rich family. But look at this "Yvonne"! She was not ignorant at all! Even Rachel suspected her identity. "Miss Bai." Autumn frowned a little. She was unwilling to marry him, so when Rachel mentioned her marriage, she was full of grievances. "There are some girls who think differently from you. We don''t wish to spend our lives with a yboy like Mr. Lu." Her words expressed her feelings about the marriage and at the same time belittled Charles. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Rachel stared at her without battling an eyelid. She was trying to figure out if Autumn was lying to her, but she could only see honesty in her tone. Rachel now believed that she had no interest in Charles. "Do you... really not like him?" "No." After hearing her answer, Rachel began to dig her own shorings. Indeed, she had been a little impatient ever since Charles got married. Maybe this was why, Charles chose to distance himself from her. But when she recalled what happened in the office just now, she took back her good opinion of her. She sneered and said,"Well, you are quite aware of your identity. I''m clearly telling you, even if you fall in love with Charles, he will definitely have no interest in you." Rachel looked at her from top to bottom. "I suggest you to stop ying dirty tricks. If I find out that you are trying to seduce him, you''ll regret it." "Miss Bai." Autumn interrupted her impatiently. "You''ve already wasted 5 minutes of my precious time to tell me to keep away from Charles. If that is your only subject, then I should tell you that I will keep it in mind. However, I would like to give you some advice too..." Autumn had been one of her fans before she met her in person. She was beautiful, professional, and most importantly, she wasn''t like one of those stars who treated the media badly. She was always polite in front of the media. But now she knew the real Rachel. She was only concealing her negative qualities and pretending to be mild and good in front of the media. The understanding of the real Rachel made her dislike her. "You should rather focus on how to win his heart back instead of lecturing me." Autumn said sarcastically. "I''m leaving. I have something important to do now. You should deal with the things between you and Charles by yourselves. Don''t bother me again." "You..." Rachel''s face turned purple with rage. She had just found out the reason why her rtionship with Charles got weak. It was all her fault. But when Autumn mercilessly pointed it out, she felt embarrassed. "Miss Bai, shall we take her back?" The two men in ck also heard what Autumn said. They couldn''t agree more. "No need!" Rachel shouted furiously. She was a superstar! How dare this ordinary girl lecture her like this? How could she y around in the entertainment industry in the future? She was determined to teach her a lesson. Autumn didn''t care about what Rachel thought. She just couldn''t wait to tell Ryan about the good news that her n was finally epted by Charles. So she called him while she was still on the subway. Strangely, Pa answered the call. "Why did you answer the phone?" Autumn frowned when she heard Pa''s voice. "Ryan is busy right now. What do you want to say? I''ll leave him a message." Pa said with arrogance in her tone. Ryan stepped into the office the moment she finished her words. "What are you doing? Who allowed you to answer my phone?" Ryan then picked up the phone. He was happy to hear that the n was epted. But when he thought about the amount of money he could have earned from his previous n, he got upset. He then coldly replied back to her,"Well, I see. We''ll talk about itter when youe back." After he hung up the phone, Pa was still standing there. "Do you have something to say, Pa?" "Yes, Ryan." The office was quiet enough for her to overhear what Autumn said on the phone. And she clearly noticed the change in Ryan''s facial expressions. She knew that Ryan was unhappy with Autumn. Chapter 17 Paulas Afternoon Tea Chapter 17 Pa''s Afternoon Tea "Mr. Zhou, I want to tell you something, but... I don''t know if it is appropriate to say it or not." Pa aroused Ryan''s interest, and before Ryan got a chance to speak, she continued saying,"I know that Ye ispetent and she has helped you a lot in all these years, but she has also brought many troubles to you and thepany. For instance, she knows that you want to gain more profit from the Shining Company''s case, but she still took the liberty to change the wine party into a press conference. Naturally now you will make a lot less money than you were hoping for. Pa saw that Ryan wasn''t too happy with her words but she still went on to add,"You''re the boss of thispany. She gets her sry from you but she keeps helping the client''spany save more money. Although she works here, she is only seen helping otherpanies. You''d better rethink on your decision to employ her." While listening to Pa''s words, Ryan recollected Autumn''s performance in thepany over the years. In all these few years, Autumn hadpleted several big cases on her own. She was highly praised by all the clientpanies. Ryan, who was her boss, seemed to be a nobody in front of her. Pa continued saying,"Mr. Zhou, I''ve heard that... she secretly takes bribe from the clients. She seems to work for you, but in fact, she takes a lot of advantage of her position to feather her nest." "It''s impossible!" Ryan suddenly raised his head. He didn''t believe that Autumn was such a person. "I''ve seen how Ye grows into an excellent worker in thispany over these years. She is absolutely not that kind of a person," he said. "Mr. Zhou, are you sure about that?" Pa was certain that Ryan didn''t trust Autumn any longer. So, as long as Ryan remained suspicious of Autumn''s behaviour, she might have a chance to get promoted Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. and rece her. "Do you think that she is still the same person you hired years back? I''ve heard that her grandmother is seriously ill, so she just made forgivable mistakes of epting others'' money, right?" "What do you want to say?" Ryan couldn''t help but frown. Although he was unwilling to believe that Autumn could change so much, he couldn''t find any reason to retort Pa. What''s more, he just got to know that Autumn''s grandmother was seriously ill, so she definitely was in need of more money. "Mr. Zhou, please know that if you continue putting Ye in such an important position and allow her do everything without your authorisation, she may not even treat you as her boss anymore." Pa smiled and said,"I''ve heard that... ourpany is going to select a nning director. I want to remind you that you shouldn''t appoint Ye to this position. Otherwise, you will have to regret about it in the future." Pa believed that she could be promoted as the nning director if Autumn lost her chance to Ryan frowned and said,"You can leave now. When Yees back, ask her toe and see me in my office." "Okay." Pa thought that she shouldn''t be so impatient now. She could surely get the chance once Ryan was suspicious of Autumn. Pa came out of Ryan''s office in a good mood. She happened to see Autumn who just got back from the Shining Company. She walked up to her and said,"Look. Our hero is back. I''ve heard that you finally got Shining Company''s case. Congrattions." "Thank you." Autumn realised that Pa was only trying to mock her but she pretended to not see through her intentions. "You''re wee." Pa sneered and said,"Oh, right. Mr. Zhou wants to see you in his office." Autumn slightly frowned. On seeing Pa look so happy, Autumn knew that something was amiss. Before going back to her own office, Autumn went on to see Ryan. Ryan was sitting at the tea table, making tea. He greeted Autumn when he saw her. "Ye, you''re back. Come over here and have a seat. Have a sip of the tea that I just made." Autumn had no interest in drinking tea. So she tly asked Ryan who was in front of her,"Mr. Zhou, you want to see me? Is there anything you want me to do?" "Not much. Just one trivial thing." Ryan slightly smiled and said,"You just got the Shining Company''s case, and I know you have worked really hard for it, so to celebrate the sess, I want to invite you all for dinner tonight. What do you think?" "Great." Autumn slightly nodded. "But I won''t be able toe. You can go ahead with otherdies of ourpany and have fun. I have something important to do tonight..." Ryan was pouring the tea. When he heard Autumn, he paused for a while and then continued. He smiled and said,"You should alsoe out with us. You''ve made the biggest contribution to the Shining Company''s case. What''s more... I also have an important thing to announce tonight." "But..." Autumn was in a dilemma. "Don''t turn me down this time. It''s settled then. Also when you go out, can you tell others about the dinner too?" Ryan was blunt in his tone. He didn''t give Autumn any chance to say No. Autumn frowned and walked out of his office. She didn''t notice that Ryan kept staring at her while she was walking out of the room. After she came out, Autumn told Le that Ryan had invited all of them for dinner tonight. Autumn knew that Le was efficient enough to inform everyone at office about the dinner in less than half an hour''s time. "Ye, we''ve all benefitted from you this time." Although Le seemed to please Autumn but she only said those words out of jealously. Autumn doubtfully looked at Le and then noticed the smile on her face. She was confused whether she could trust Le for her word or not. Thedies outside were excited about the dinner. Autumn then walked towards her office to call Charles. On her way, she saw Pa look at her with a forced smile the moment she turned her head. She was confused. When she called Charles, someone else answered the phone. It was David on the phone. David respectfully greeted her as ''Mrs. Lu''. In the beginning, Autumn was a bit surprised to hear David greet her in this manner. But David had been working for Charles for a long time. So, naturally he must have been aware of her identity. The thought of David''s proximity to Charles eased her confusion. "David, is Mr. Lu there?" asked Autumn. "Mr. Lu..." David took a quick look at Charles who was in a meeting in the conference room. He then spoke,"He is in a meeting right now and I''m afraid that the meeting will take some more time. If you have anything important to say, you can leave a message. I will tell him as soon as he finishes the meeting." "Nothing important. . .." Autumn then stood up, stretched and looked at the busy street outside the window. "I just want to tell him that Mr. Zhou is taking us out for dinner tonight. I didn''t get a chance to refuse, so I won''t be able to get back home early and prepare dinner for him." "Okay. I will tell him once hees out from the meeting." David thought in his head, ''no wonder Mr. Lu quickly leaves the office these days after he goes off work, someone waits for him at home. He even makes Mrs. Lu personally cook for him. He is such a bossy man.'' "Mrs. Lu..." After Autumn finished talking to David, she was about to hang up. But she heard David speak again,"Could you please tell me where you are going for dinner? If Mr. Lu asks me about itter, I can tell him." Autumn told him the address and then hung up the phone. Since they had just bagged the Shining Company''s case and they were all going to have dinner together in the evening, the atmosphere in the office was more rxed than usual. Pa bought her colleagues the afternoon tea. She even asked Le to bring one for Autumn. "Ye, Pa bought this for you." Le smilingly put the food on Autumn''s desk. Autumn smiled and thanked Le, but she didn''t intend to eat it. She was unwilling to eat Pa''s food. Autumn looked up at Le and asked,"Anything else?" Le got close to Autumn and mysteriously said,"Ye, do you know why Pa is so nice to buy us the afternoon tea today?" Chapter 18 The Dinner Chapter 18 The Dinner "What do you mean?" Autumn looked at her suspiciously. Le was pretty, but she got jealous easily. Moreover, she had a big mouth so she could spread any information to every corner of this office. This is why no one liked her here. Autumn had noints about her, but she felt that Le might get into trouble one day because of her habit of gossiping. "Before you came back, I saw Pa sitting in Ryan''s office for a long time. I don''t know what they were talking about exactly, but she looked very happy when she walked out. I guess that Manager Zhou must have promised her something and tonight''s party is to celebrate that." Autumn cast a nce at Pa, who was clearly in a good mood. But did Ryan''s promise to Pa have anything to do with her? "Ye, Pa was talking about the title of nning director. That position has been vacant for a long time. You''ve justpleted a big project, so I am sure this position is yours but I learned from Pa that..." Le knitted her brows when talking. She noticed that Autumn''s countenance changed. Autumn didn''t meddle in other people''s affairs. The position was no big deal for her. It wouldn''t change her mind of working here. Le tried to make Autumn feel that she was trying to protect her from the injustice that was about to happen. However, others might not think so when they heard her. They would think that she was only trying to alienate her from Pa. "Le." Autumn stopped her seriously. "No matter who is promoted to that position, we all work for Cloud. Moreover, the selection of the nning director is beyond our control and I believe that Ryan will make the best choice. So stop saying that again. Don''t get yourself in trouble." Autumn stared at Le, whose face turned sour. She then softened her words," Le, thest thing you should do at work is gossiping with me. I know your intentions are good, but..." "Ye, I understand..." Le forced a smile on her pale face and said," I''ll keep that in mind. " "Fine, go back to work." Since Le knew her mistakes, there was no need for Autumn to say anything any further. So she watched Le walk out of her office. Le closed the door, with a trace of hatred in her eyes. Ryan walked out of his office before the knock-off time. "Everyone, go pack your stuff. let''s now go out and celebrate. " "Thank you, Manager Zhou." The wholepany reverberated with happiness. Ryan knocked on the door of Autumn''s office. "Let''s go, Ye. " When they got out from the office, it was pitch dark and probably about to rain. Autumn was arranged to seat on the front passenger seat in Ryan''s car. It was hard to tell whether this arrangement was on purpose or not. She was not much of a talker, so she didn''t say a word. Ryan spoke to her first. "Ye, I remember you mentioned that your grandmother isn''t keeping well these days. How is she now? " A strange trace shed through her eyes. She found it really absurd that she herself had no idea about the health of the closest person in her life. "Thank you for asking about my grandmother. She feels much better now." Autumn replied with a forced smile. "Congrattions." Ryan drove the car carefully, and his white fingers clinging on the steering wheel turned pale. "You''ve been working here for many years, huh?" "Yes. It''s been three years already." "Yeah, three years." Ryan smiled and said. "How time flies so quickly. When I interviewed you, you were this newly graduated little girl. Your eyes were as clear as crystal at that time. Ah, time... Frightening time...it makes some people better and better, while others be greedier and greedier..." "Mr. Zhou, what do you mean?" Autumn turned her face to him and asked. She was not a fool. It was certainly not a praise for her. "Nothing." Ryan smiled again. "Over these years, you have helped me a lot. I really appreciate how you have helped me finish several big projects. But..." He stopped for a little while, and then continued. "Ye. If you have any difficulties in your life, you should tell me instead of..." "Mr. Zhou!" Autumn stopped him seriously. She knew that some of her colleagues suspected that she had taken money from the Shining Company. She even knew where this gossip came from. But she was upright, and she even didn''t bother to deny it. It never dawned on her that Ryan would believe this too. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "All these years, I have been working hard to help you. I thought you knew me well. I don''t care about what other colleagues'' suspect about me. But how can you..." "I don''t want to!" Ryan pressed the horn out of impatience. "But, Ye, everything that has happened proves that you took money from them. You knew I wanted big money from this project, but you overthrew the original n all by yourself. In this way, you did save a lot of money for them. Isn''t that enough evidence? Or... Do you have any special interest in their boss?" "That''s because..." Autumn wanted to exin, but Ryan interrupted her. "Here it is. Let''s all get off the car." He said and pulled over at a music restaurant. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Autumn followed him quietly. She had been focused on her job ever since the day she joined the when she needed it the most. But now she realised that in his eyes, all her efforts had a selfish motive. Her face turned sour with the very thought of that. When they reached the restaurant, other staff members were already present. They began teasing them. "Mr. Zhou, Ye, you two were the first ones to leave thepany. What took you so long?" "Yeah. Did you two do something behind our back?" "The first day I came to ourpany, I thought they were a couple. Mr. Zhou, if you really love Ye, you should express your love to her. Otherwise you''ll regret it when some other boy takes her away." Autumn didn''t take all this seriously. Ryan cast a nce at her. A lot was said in this nce. "I''m afraid she doesn''t have that kind of interest in me because she has already fallen in love with some rich guy." His words embarrassed everyone. Back in time, when Autumn started working for Cloud, Ryan even chased her for a while. But Autumn didn''t reciprocate. So he gave up. When he said that in front of the wholepany everyone became quiet. Le broke the ice. She held Autumn''s hand and took her to the seat next to her. "Ye, please sit down. You are our hero today." "Sure you are." Pa was happy to see the tense vibe between Ryan and Autumn. She handed the menu to Autumn. "Ye, what would you like to have? " Autumn had lost her appetite because of Ryan''s words. She forced a smile and said. "I am not really particr about food. You all please order whatever you like. " Ryan just sat aside, smoking. He wished what Pa told him was not true, but what Autumn had done really disappointed him. Pa was right. He should take the edge off her. Chapter 19 Who Will Be The New Planning Director Chapter 19 Who Will Be The New nning Director Ryan selected a music restaurant where the delicious food was integrated with soothing music. The atmosphere there was excellent with singers singing on the stage. It was a famous ce for artistic youth in the Y city. Those people who had never experienced night life must definitelye here. It was great fun enjoying a show while eating. The colleagues went on chatting and gossiping. They talked about everything from celebrities''s scandals to the skin care products that worked well for them. However, Autumn was not interested in all these topics at all, so she just stared at the singer silently. His voice was husky and soothing at the same time. People would unconsciously indulge in it. Autumn''s eyes were fixated on the singer. She didn''t even notice that a tall man walked in through the door. He looked around the restaurant and finally cast his eyes on Autumn. He finally stepped forth and sat down at a corner of the restaurant. He saw that she was sitting there silently regardless of the noisy environment around. Though she looked interested in the music, her mind was preupied. She was not willing to blend in with the surroundings. This was why she became a unique existence to be seen at the first nce amongst the crowd. As soon as the dishes were served, Pa poured a ss of whisky for Autumn. "You have to drink it. If it were not for you, we wouldn''t have got the case from Shining Company. So I have to propose a toast to you on behalf of everyone in thepany. You have made sure our efforts do not go in vain." Pa said with a smile. Autumn frowned slightly and replied,"But I can''t drink." After hearing this, Pa smiled and said,"Nobody is born with the ability to drink. You are our leading "Yes, she is right, Ye." Le also echoed. "Why not drink? We will take you back home if you are drunk. " Autumn looked at the ss of whiskey in hand and hesitated for a little while. "What''s wrong? Why are you reluctant to drink?" Ryan said in a voice full of sarcasm. " Hearing Ryan''s words, Autumn was suffused with sadness. So she raised her head and emptied the ss of whiskey in one shot. She soon felt a fire in her belly. Seeing this, the man sitting at the corner of the restaurant frowned. However, as she finished the first ss of whiskey, everyone else joined in to propose a toast to her. It looked as if it was some kind of a n. Autumn didn''t decline their toasts and tossed off the sses. After three rounds of drinking, Autumn felt dizzy. She held her head and sat on the couch. Her body felt weak. Ryan cleared his throat with a ss of wine in hand and said,"Everybody......" "I am sure that everyone here knows that the position of nning director has been vacant for a long time. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to announce the new nning director." Everyone turned their eyes to Autumn as soon as Ryan finished his words. In their opinion, it was natural for her to be the nning director since fame always followed merits. Pa clenched her hand into a fist, because she was extremely nervous about this big announcement. Ryan took a nce at Autumn, but finally looked at Pa. "Pa has been in ourpany for so many years. Though she is not the most brilliant one here, she is experienced and I think for the position of the ning director...... Nobody else is worthy except her." "What?" "What is going on? How could it be her?" "Yeah, what about Ye?" As soon as Ryan finished his words, Autumn stood up abruptly. Everyone thought that she was unhappy about the decision, but rather she just smiled and said,"I am sorry. I have to go to the toilet." She didn''t feel ufortable when she started drinking, but now she felt sick in the stomach because of the strong alcoholic content in her body. Autumn walked unsteadily to the toilet. Pa then stood up and pretended to be understanding. "I shall go and take care of her." Pa followed Autumn on her way to the toilet. She leaned against the wall, staring at Autumn who was washing her face and sneered,"What''s wrong with you? You never expected me to be the nning director, right?" Looking at Pa through the mirror, Autumn wiped her face and replied,"Pa, to be honest with you, I really don''t understand why you treat me as your enemy. Ever since I joined thispany your behaviour towards me has been strange." Pa''s face was distorted. "You ask me why?" She nced at Autumn and then replied back with a smirk,"Autumn Ye, just look at you. There is nothing in you, except your beauty. But you have always been favored by Mr. Zhou right from the day you joined thispany. Not just Mr. Zhou, even the cooperative partners have been all praises for you. You have always been ced above me. I am not satisfied with that." Pa sneered and continued,"But now you are my subordinate and you have no choice but to listen to me." Pa moved closer to Autumn with her teeth gnashing,"Autumn Ye, if you are sensible, you''d resign from here as soon as possible. If not, I can assure you that you will have nothing but regrets." Autumn turned off the faucet and gazed at Pa. "Pa, do you know why all our cooperative partners give a badment to you in front of me? It is because you are selfish. You are always scheming against everyone. How can such a person have any good idea or even draft a good n? That is the reason why you are destined to lose to me." Autumn was expressionless and then went on to add,"I don''t care about this position at all. If you think Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. that you arepetent enough, you can enjoy your new position. In fact, I stay in thispany just for...... Well, never mind......" Autumn sighed and said,"You won''t understand even if I exin it to you in detail." Autumn pushed away Pa and walked out directly. But as soon as she got out of the door, she mmed into a broad embrace. Autumn looked up and saw a familiar face. She was a little astonished and asked,"Why are you here?" "Let''s go. Let''s go home." It was Charles. He had been discreetly watching all her movements till now. He knew that she wouldn''t befortable to disclose their rtionship in public. Therefore, in order to avoid any unnecessary trouble, he didn''te to her even when she was forced to drink." He waited for a long time until Autumn went to the toilet, so he hastily followed her. "Go home?" Autumn looked at Charles surprisingly. " Didn''t David tell you that I have dinner n with my colleagues? I can''t go home with you now." "Why? You are drinking here." Charles got close to Autumn. Her face was flushed because of all the alcohol she had consumed. She looked so adorable at that moment. "Don''t forget that you have a husband now. And I am your whole life, so how can you leave me alone at home?" "But......" The party was not over yet and if she just left like this, what would people think about her? "Don''t hesitate. Hurry up. Let''s go." Before Autumn could react, Charles took her away. When Pa walked out of the toilet, she saw Autumn leaving with Charles. She clenched her hands. She got even more jealous of Autumn. Her heart was burning with anger. ''Why?'' She thought. ''Why Autumn Ye is so lucky? How could she lure Charles Lu who just got married recently?'' Pa wondered. Muddleheaded, Pa walked back to the dining-table. Le cast a nce at her and asked,"Pa, where is Ye? Why doesn''t shee back with you? Is she fine?" She asked in a tone that was neither too loud nor too soft. Everyone could clearly hear what Le just said. Chapter 20 Drunk Mess Chapter 20 Drunk Mess "She is fine." Pa sneered,"She is pretty, so she will always be fine. As she is drunk, her escort has taken her home." Pa walked up to Ryan and whispered in his ear. Hearing what Pa said, Ryan was shocked, his hands were trembling. Autumn was really involved with Charles. How ironical it was. Ryan originally thought Autumn was other-worldly, but it turned out that she didn''t like him only because he wasn''t rich enough. Autumn didn''t know what happened after she left. After getting in the car, she fell asleep because of the alcohol in her body. Although Autumn was drunk, she wasn''t out of line. She just slept peacefully. When the car stopped at Dream Garden, Autumn was still asleep. Charles sighed and gently carried her upstairs. He really wanted to help Autumn in the restaurant, but he didn''t know how she would react. When Autumn woke up in the morning, she found out that she was in pajamas. There was no servant at home. The pajamas¡­ To be honest, she was grateful to Charles because he took her away from the restaurant. She didn''t want to stay there any longer, but she couldn''t find an excuse to leave. "Morning." Autumn was sitting on bed in a daze when Charles spoke. He originally thought that Autumn wouldn''t be in a drunken fit, but after they got home, she started to go crazy and vomited all over the floor. Moreover, she kept chatting with Charles and vomited in his arms. The drama was annoying yet amusing. Charles took Autumn to the bathroom to give her a bath. He helped her put onfortable pyjamas and even cleaned up the room after she fell asleep on the bed. Charles regretted. He should have kept at least one servant at home. "You¡­ What are you doing here?" Autumn was shocked. She knew Charles helped her change her clothes, so she was embarrassed in front of him. Charles didn''t leavest night. He spent the night on the sofa. After Autumn woke up, she looked down at her pyjamas and got really angry. He really couldn''t stand it anymore, so he interrupted her. "You were drunkst night. Now, hurry up and make some breakfast for me." Charles ordered. Then he went on to take a shower. When he came out of the bathroom, Autumn had got the breakfast ready. She didn''t have enough time, so she quickly boiled some dumplings. Seeing Charlese out, Autumn greeted him,"I had no time to cook anything fancy. Hope you like the dumplings." Autumn asked with an embarrassing smile,"Did I make a fool of myselfst night?" "What do you think?" Charles gave an ambiguous answer. He took a bite of the dumpling and thought of something. Then he raised his head and said,"Leave your job if you don''t like it there. You can work in mypany." "Pardon?" Autumn was struck. Was it an invitation? "I need a nning director. If you want, you can join me whenever you want." Charles said casually. For him, it was a tiny little thing. Autumn was suddenly enlightened. She finally knew why Charles offered her the job. He was afraid that she might suffer from injustice at the Cloud Advertising Company. "Thank you, but I don''t want to resign right now." No matter how Ryan treated her, she had been working in hispany for three years, and she liked working there. "Remember, you are my wife. No one can make you suffer, except me." Charles was overbearing yet considerate. Autumn lowered her head and replied,"Okay." "Hurry up. Have your breakfast quickly and get dressed. We have to go to the airport to pick up someone." Charles said in an emotionless tone. Autumn recalled what Charles told her yesterday. Ever since she married Charles, she had never seen his grandpa Gary as he was travelling somewhere. Was Charles going to pick up Gary from the airport? Autumn had tried really hard to make Charles believe that she was Yvonne, but now that Gary was Autumn braced herself to go upstairs. Putting on a light yellow dress, she wore a high ponytail, revealing her defined cor bone. The simple yet elegant golden high-heeled shoes made her already long slender legs appear longer. On the way to the airport, Autumn was silent. Charles nced at her and asked,"What''s wrong? You''re nervous?" "Yeah." Autumn nodded. She was nervous as she would be meeting Gary for the first time,"Your grandpa¡­" "He''s also your grandpa now." Charles interrupted her,"Don''t be nervous. He''s a kind man. It''s not going to be as scary as you think." "Well¡­" Autumn hesitated,"I heard he is in poor health. The oily food from outside is bad for his health. After we pick him up, you can drive him back, and I will go to the market to buy some vegetables. Let''s have dinner at home this evening." "Okay." Charles smiled merrily. He was now getting more skeptical of Autumn''s identity. Gary came back with Chris. Upon seeing Charles and Autumn at the exit far away, Chris ran over and N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. threw her arms around Charles,"Charles, did you miss me?" "Hey, don''t do this." Charles affectionately looked down at Chris,"My wife is here. Behave yourself." Chris then realized that Charles was now a married man. She stuck out her tongue at Charles and released him from her embrace. Then she turned to Autumn with a smile,"Sorry, no offence. Charles and I have always been like this." "It''s okay." Autumn smiled tenderly. To be honest, she really envied their closeness. "Grandpa, let me help you." Autumn took the luggage from Gary. Gary was happy with Autumn''s grace and beauty. "Let me do it." Just after Autumn took the luggage from Gary, Charles took over the luggage from her and sped Autumn''s waist with love. Chris exchanged a look with Gary and let out a sweet smile. Charles finally got married. "Chris," Gary smiled at Chris,"What do you think of your sister-inw?" "I like her. She is pretty and good-natured with impable manners. She is a realdy. Charles must take good care of her as they are married now." Gary nodded,"I also think she is really nice. She is much better than Rachel." "Grandpa," Chris frowned,"Why do you mention Rachel?" "Fine. I won''t mention her." Both Chris and Gary didn''t like Rachel. They felt relieved as Charles got married to Autumn. "What are you doing?" Autumn asked Charles in a low voice. She didn''t like Charles holding her like that. Charles looked at Autumn and said,"Don''t forget our agreement." Charles yed his trump card, so Autumn had to bear it. Chapter 21 A Big Family Dinner Chapter 21 A Big Family Dinner Then they got into the car and headed back home. Gary and Chris sat in the back seats while Autumn sat in the passenger seat beside Charles. After they drove to the downtown, Autumn pointed at the next corner and said,"Charles, please stop at the next corner. I have to get down here. You can drive Gary and Chris home so that they can have some rest first." "Where are you going? " Chris asked out of curiosity. "She is going to make you dinner tonight to wee you back. So she needs to go to the market to fetch some cooking materials," Charles said with a smile on his face. "Oh? You know how to cook?" Chris was surprised to know about that. "Yes, she does. She is a great cook." said Charles. "Don''t believe his word. I only know how to cook some simple dishes. He is just ttering me," Autumn said with a red face. Autumn never had such a warm family. She felt overwhelmed. In no time, she felt as if she was part of this family. "Grandpa, Let''s go to the market with her, shall we?" Chris was thrilled. She thought that Charles was lucky to marry such a good woman. "Okay, let''s go," Gary said with a big smile. Chris was so happy to have dinner at home that she kept telling Autumn what she wanted to eat,"Yvonne, I want to eat sweet-and-sour fish. Can you cook it for me?" "Okay." "Oh, I also want to try your stewed beef brisket with tomato." "No problem." "Oh oh, can you make it..." "No, she can''t!" Charles stared at Chris through the rearview mirror and continued,"She would be exhausted to make all these different kinds of dishes for you." "But I''ve just asked for two dishes..." Autumn nced at Charles. He said nothing more and kept his eyes on the road. Chris nced at Gary, who couldn''t hide the smile on his face. It seemed that Charles liked Autumn a lot. He never cared like this about any other women. Chris had a feeling that they would soon have a baby and she would be an aunt. Since Gary and Chris wanted toe with Autumn to the market, she decided to go to the supermarket for shopping instead. Though the food in the supermarket wasparatively expensive, the environment was definitely better. They got all the ingredients for the dishes Chris wanted to eat. Then they walked around the supermarket for a while and went back home. Gary was chatting with Charles in the study, while Autumn was preparing the dinner in the kitchen. Chris felt embarrassed sitting in the living room, so she went to help Autumn in the kitchen. "Yvonne, when did you learn to cook?" Chris asked out of curiosity. Nowadays, there were very few women who knew how to cook. Autumn was an exception. The manner in which she handled the ingredients suggested that she learnt cooking when she was young. She was really good at it. "I... Autumn stopped what she was doing for a second. She tried toe up with an appropriate answer. She remembered that Yvonne had been abroad for a while. "While I was abroad, I didn''t like eating the foreign food everyday. So I had no choice but to learn cooking." "How I envy you," Chris curled his upper lip and said,"You had the chance and you were willing to learn how to cook. I would rather die than learn something that difficult. Did Charles tell you that I don''t know how to cook and never wanted to cook by myself while I was abroad. So he sent a servant abroad to cook for me every day. If it were not for that servant, I don''t think I woulde back alive." Autumnughed and said,"You silly girl, stop exaggerating. Don''t say that you would die or something like that." "Okay, I won''t," Chris said with a smile. She started liking Autumn a lot. Autumn had soaked the white fungus in the water before she went out to the airport. Now she put them into the casserole, added some water to it and turned on the gas. Further, she went on to prepare the other materials. After a while, the kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of white fungus. Then she added red dates, Chinese wolfberries and sugar in the casserole. In a short while, the dessert was ready. She served it in the bowl and handed it to Chris and said,"Have some. This soup is good for health, especially for women''s health." "Thank you, Yvonne," Chris took a sip and said,"It tastes really good." She liked its rich taste. Autumn replied with a smile,"If you like it, I can make it for you often." Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Since Autumn was busy cooking in the kitchen, Chris went ahead to answer the doorbell. Wendy Ye and Simon Gu arrived. They rushed here as soon as they got to know that Gary was back. "Yvonne, your parents are here. I''ve invited them in." Chris shouted from the door. When Autumn heard what Chris said, her hands trembled a bit and the spat in her hand almost fell on the floor. "What are you thinking? Why are you so absent-minded?" asked Charles. When he heard the doorbell, he went downstairs. Standing at the kitchen door, he noticed Autumn''s unusual behaviour. "Nothing..." Autumn forced a smile and said to Charles,"The kitchen is messy right now. Please go to the living room first. There is still a dish left to be prepared. The dinner will be ready soon." The purpose of Wendy''s arrival was pretty obvious. Since Gary and Chris just got here, Autumn didn''t want them to be disturbed. But she very well knew what might happen next. She had no option but to face it. Then Charles left Autumn alone to finish the cooking. After Autumn added the seasoning to the soup, she stirred it for a while. Thereafter, she turned off the me, untied the apron and walked out of the kitchen. Charles and Gary were sitting on the couch. They were telling Wendy that she had raised her daughter very well. Though Wendy put on a smile on her face, Autumn could tell the smile wasn''t from the heart. Since Charles had given some days off to the servants, Chris went to serve the tea for everyone. Autumn walked up to Chris. She tried to take the pot from her hand and said,"Let me help you." "No, I can do it by myself," said Chris. Chris had noticed that Autumn was tired, so she led her to the living room and said,"You have some rest first. The tea will be ready soon." Autumn understood Chris''s desire to help, so she went into the living room reluctantly. Wendy and Simon were sitting next to each other on the same couch. Charles stood up and let Autumn sit besides him. "Father, mother, thank you foring," Autumn said with her head bowed down. Wendy and Simon answered her gesture with a smile. Wendy looked at Autumn and said,"Au... Yvonne, you seem to have put on some weight in these two days. You look great..." Then Wendy turned to Charles and continued,"Mr. Lu, I''m very d to see that you two are getting along with each other. As Yvonne''s parents, we are more than relieved." "Mother, Yvonne and I are a family now. Stop calling me Mr. Lu please. You can call me Charles," Charles ced his hand on Autumn''s shoulder and continued,"Yvonne is a great wife. I must thank you for raising her so well. I am d you let her marry me. I am a very lucky man." Autumn knew that Charles was only acting, but his ttering words still made her blush a bit. "Yes, we are a family now. Stop being so polite to each other. We all think Yvonne is a very great N?velDrama.Org content rights. woman," Gary said with a smile. "Since you are here now, let''s have dinner together, shall we?" "Great!" Wendy said without any hesitation. The reason why she came here today was to remind Charles to handle the crisis for Gu''s Group. Since she couldn''t convey that to him yet, she didn''t want to leave. Hearing what Gary said, Autumn went back to the kitchen to bring the dishes out. Autumn hadn''t spoken much ever since her parents were here. Even Chris noticed that there was something wrong with Autumn. So she went to kitchen with Autumn and tried to find out if anything was wrong. "Yvonne, is there anything wrong? Do you feel sick?" asked Chris. "No, I''m fine," answered Autumn. She was touched by Chris''s concern for her. Now, there was some one else in this world that cared about her besides her grandma. Her eyes got wet with emotions. Though Wendy was her own mother, she treated her even worse than a stranger. "Are you really fine?" Chris was confused,"If you do feel sick, you must tell me. Don''t try to tough it out all by yourself." "Okay, I will," Autumn nodded her head and answered. After she ced all the dishes on the table, she sat next to Charles anddled out a bowl of sparerib soup for Gary. Wendy was watching Autumn with silent contempt. Though Autumn was her daughter, she never showed any concern to her. She was not pleased with Autumn no matter what she did. If Yvonne hadn''t run away from the wedding, Autumn would never have the chance to marry someone like Charles. "Are you okay?" Charles turned his head to Autumn and asked,"If you are not feeling fine, you can go upstairs and get some rest first. It''s okay. I''m here." These simple words warmed Autumn''s heart. She never felt the same concern from her family members. She answered him with a smile to show him that she was okay. Wendy''s heart was filled with hatred when she saw that Charles treated Autumn really well. Charles was nothing like the man she heard of from the public and the media. He was a true gentleman. Wendy felt ufortable knowing that Autumn was married to such a nice man. She wished to reveal Autumn''s true identity to everyone right away, But she stopped when she thought of the crisis on Gu''s Group. "Mother, why don''t you take something to eat?" Charles raised his head and looked right into Wendy''s eyes. There was a look of resentment in her eyes. Charles narrowed his eyebrows a bit. Wendy stopped staring when she realised that Charles was looking at her. She smiled at him and said,"You should get yourself something to eat too." She acted like nothing had happened. Charles was confused and nced at Wendy again. ''Are they really mother and daughter? Why would Wendy look at her daughter so resentfully? It seemed as if she was looking at her enemy, '' wondered Charles. Since Gary and Chris had been in America for a long time, they missed having avish home cooked meal. This was why they liked the dishes prepared by Autumn even more. They were focused on eating so failed to notice anything odd. Chapter 22 Stop Her From Talking Chapter 22 Stop Her From Talking Wendy Ye and Simon Gu didn''te here for the meal. They looked at each other before Wendy said,"Charles, you and Yvonne have been married for several days..." "Mother!" Autumn immediately raised her head and interrupted Wendy,"Look I made your favorite sweet and sour fish. Please have a bite." "I..." Wendy frowned. She was clearly upset about being interrupted by Autumn. But Autumn did not seem to care about that at all. "Charles and I should have visited you and father today. But Charles''s grandfather has just arrived home and he is very tired. It''s all my fault. I should have told you earlier..." Autumn took the me upon herself. She described Wendy and Simon''s visit as them "missing their daughter". It suddenly dawned on Gary. "Oh, excuse my poor memory. Charles and Yvonne should have visited you today, instead of youing here. I''m the one to me." "Mr. Lu, I didn''t mean it that way. We are here to..." After hearing Autumn''s words, Wendy did not know how to express her intention. Simon frowned and was about to say something. With the help of chopsticks, Autumn put a rib into Simon''s bowl,"Father, you said you miss my cooking. Please have some more." Autumn knew that she wouldn''t be able to stop them from talking. But she tried her best to prevent them from speaking out their intention in front of Charles'' grandfather. Charles incisively concluded that Simon and Wendy were not here to "visit their daughter". He went on and said,"Father, mother, it is forgetful of me. How about this? Tomorrow, Yvonne and I will visit you. I want to have a chat with father about thepany affairs." "Great! That is it, then!" Wendy was all smiles. "You and Yvonne cane in the morning. I will prepare lunch for the two of you." "Okay." Charles answered. Autumn tried very hard, but failed to stop them from talking. But Charles easily managed to keep their mouths shut. After the lunch, Simon and Wendy were about to leave as they were sessful in doing what they wanted. Autumn was clearing away the bowls and chopsticks. Wendy said rather loudly while at the door,"Yvonne, we are leaving. Come here, I have something to tell you." "Go Yvonne." Chris told Autumn that she wouldplete the chores. Autumn then put the bowls down onto the table and walked towards Wendy. Wendy held Autumn''s arm in a friendly way and said,"Let''s go." They walked out of the house. When no one was watching, Autumn shook off Wendy''s hand and asked in a rather cold tone,"Wendy Ye, you can have what you want tomorrow. Anything else?" "You are my daughter. Can''t we just have a chat?" Wendy sneered. Hardly had her words faded, Autumnughed scornfully,"There''s nobody else here. Stop acting like a good mother! Don''t mince your words, just talk straight." "Charles is a nice man, and treats you nicely too. Are you in love with him?" Wendy asked in an envious way. "I''m warning you, Charles is Yvonne''s husband. Don''t hatch any conspiracies..." "Don''t worry!" Impatient, Autumn interrupted Wendy,"I don''t like Charles at all! I wish Yvonne Gu would Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Even if Yvonne Gu was back, Charles would not love her as he loved Rachel. "You surely know your ce!" Wendy nodded in agreement. She was satisfied with the reply. "When Simon mentions hispany in front of Charles, remember to help him. Do you get that?" Autumn thought for a while before she said,"I can help Uncle Simon, but... I need to see my grandmother first." Wendy panicked when Autumn mentioned her grandmother, but she was quick to hide it. She said to Autumn,"Be rest assured. As long as Simon''spany pulls through, you can take your grandmother along, and live with her." "Okay, that''s a deal." Autumn left, without even looking back. Wendy left Lu''s House. On the way back home, the more she thought about this visit, the angrier she felt. She turned to Simon and asked,"Simon, rumor has it that Charles is a yboy. But I don''t feel that way." "So you finally know it!" Simon sneered,"I told you, keep an eye on Yvonne before wedding. I won''t harm my own daughter! You knew she wanted to flee from the wedding, and you let her go. Yvonne always has been a spoiled and pampered child, all thanks to you." "What?!" Wendy eximed. She put the me on Simon and said,"You already know that Charles is not a yboy. Why didn''t you tell me?" "I did remind you about that." Simon frowned and said,"I told you, keep a close watch on Yvonne. You should have listened to me." "It''s all your fault!" Wendy burst out at Simon,"If you told me earlier that Charles is not a yboy, I wouldn''t have let Yvonne go with that poor man. Autumn Ye is so lucky to marry Charles." Charles was handsome, and was nice to Autumn. Just thinking about it gave Wendy a headache. Just at the moment, Yvonne called her and said,"Mom, I''ve run out of money. Give me some money now." "What? So soon? I remember giving money to you not long ago." "That''s like chicken feed. It''s nothingpared to what I need." Yvonne mumbled unhappily,"I need a lot of money to live outside. Stop talking nonsense. Give me the money now." "Wait..." Wendy suddenly had an idea. Since Charles waspletely different from the one described by the media, the reason that Yvonne was not willing to marry him didn''t exist anymore. Wendy couldn''t bear watching Autumn Ye marrying such a good man. So she offered,"I can give you the money, as long as youe home to have lunch tomorrow." "No, I''m noting home." Yvonne was travelling with her boyfriend during those days. Although she was the one who paid the bills, she felt more free, than living at home. "Mom, just give me the money quickly." "I said, as long as you are back, I''ll give you the money. Otherwise, I won''t give you a single penny." Saying that, Wendy hung up the phone. She believed Yvonne woulde back tomorrow again, asking for money. "What are you doing?" Simon frowned and said,"Charles ising tomorrow. What if he finds out about Yvonne and Autumn''s true identities?" "Don''t bother. I have an idea." Wendy gave him a mysterious, sly smile. The next morning, Yvonne knocked at Wendy''s bedroom door and said,"Mom, see I am back. Give me the money now." Chapter 23 The Strange Cousin Chapter 23 The Strange Cousin Wendy opened the door with sleepy eyes. Though Charles and Autumn woulde home for lunch, she didn''t have to do preparation for anything actually. The servants had gotten up early to handle it all. All she needed to do was to pretend that she had done all that. She yawned and said,"Why do youe back so early?" "I want to take my money and leave quickly. Joe and I are going on a date." Yvonne urged her mother to give her the money. Wendy took out a bank card from her purse and handed it to her. "It''s half a million in here. Enough for you to live a good life for a while. But... I will tell the code only if you stay for lunch." "Mother..." Yvonne got angry. "You agreed for me to leave! You asked Autumn to marry him for me. When I was downstairs just now, I heard from the servants that they areing here for lunch. How can I stay here! What if he finds out?" "Don''t worry. He won''t." Wendyforted her. She wanted her daughter to see how gentle Charles was. She wanted her to regret missing out on such a nice husband. "I agreed for you to leave because I perceived him to be a yful bastard. I don''t want you to suffer. So I agreed Joe to take you away. But now I think I made a mistake. So I must correct it." "Just a lunch? Don''t you have other prerequisites?" Yvonne said with a doubt. "Of course not." Wendy knew she was going to persuade her. She continued. "I know you don''t like Autumn since you were a little girl. Don''t you want to see her life now?" Yvonne remained silent for a while. Then she nodded and agreed to stay. Charles and Autumn arrived early. They carried with them the health and anti-aging products that Gary had brought back from America. Yvonne, standing at the door, watched them get off the limo. She also saw Charles take over Autumn''s stuff and hold her hand. Then they walked towards the door. Autumn identally sprained her ankle. Charles worriedly asked her if she was okay. She shook her head with a smile. Her smile made Yvonne jealous. When they approached the door, Autumn saw Yvonne at the stairs. She went nk, and halted. "Are you fine? Why do you stop midway?" Charles turned to Autumn and asked, but Autumn gave no reply. She just kept staring at Yvonne. Yvonne got the chance to gaze at Charles. She had heard of his bad reputation of being a yboy and a bad-tempered guy. But when she finally saw him, she realized that judging people on hearsay was the biggest mistake she ever made. He worn a light blue checked shirt, with his sleeves casually rolled up till his wrist. With dashing eyebrows and piercing eyes, he appeared to be quite soft against the shadows on his face caused by the sunshine. "I''m okay." Autumn switched back into the present when she noticed the trace of envy in Yvonne''s eyes. She took Charles''s arm and said with a smile. "Let''s go in." Charles nodded slightly and walked straight inside without even casting a nce at Yvonne. He even turned his head to Autumn to remind her to watch the step, which cut Yvonne to the quick. Without giving it a second thought, she called out Autumn. "Sister..." Autumn clenched her fist, but loosened it soon. If it hadn''t been for her, she wouldn''t have to live in the fear of getting caught lying now. How dare this culprite back? She turned to Yvonne and asked with a smile,"Excuse me, have we met before?" "Yvonne, Charles, you are here!", Wendy greeted Autumn and Charles. Wendy didn''t go out to wee them, because she knew that her dear daughter Yvonne was outside. She had praised Charles a lot, but she just didn''t buy it. So she decided to let Yvonne see what a gentleman Charles was! Seeing that Autumn and Yvonne were about to have a row, she rushed out and stood in front of Yvonne. She said to Autumn,"Yvonne, don''t you remember? This is your cousin Autumn. You used to y together when you were little. "Oh, did we? Clearly, I am forgetting." Autumn responded coldly. "She happens to visit us today, so I invited her to have lunch with us." Wendy smiled and continued. "It''s so kind of you to bring me so many gifts. Come on in." Wendy invited them inside. Yvonne was one step behind them. Wendy dragged her aside and said in a low voice,"What do you think? Isn''t he different from what you have imagined?" Yvonne cast a resentful nce at her and grumbled. "Mother, why didn''t you tell me this earlier? Why did we give Autumn a silver tter?" To her, Joe was beyondparison to Charles. Yvonne could not help butin. If Wendy had stopped her from running away with Joe, she would have been the one who held Charles'' hand now. Then it would have been impossible for Autumn to earn her luck. But she hadpletely forgotten that it was her who insisted on escaping the wedding. "I came to know his true self yesterday, so I asked you toe back today." Wendy frowned. For her, Yvonne was the apple of her eye. Yvonne deserved the best of the world. "I''ll send Autumn away with an excuse. You utilize that time to talk with Charles and build a rtion." Wendy tapped on Yvonne''s shoulder. "Don''t worry, my darling. I''ll get you everything and everyone you want." Wendy''s promise made Yvonne happy. She even began to walk at a brisk pace. When Charles and Autumn went in, Wendy called Autumn. "Yvonne, please help me in the kitchen and ask Charles to sit in the living room, and take some rest." Wendy put on a kind look for disguise, held Autumn''s hand and took her to the kitchen. She cast a nce at Yvonne to give her a hint before going inside the kitchen. Yvonne read her mind. She stood at the entrance for a while before she brought a cup of tea for Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Charles. "Charles, here''s the tea." She stood next to Charles on purpose and then she ran her fingers through her hair and smoothed it. She pretended to fall while handing him the cup of tea, and tried to hurl her body straight into his arms. She let out a scream. She thought herself attractive enough. And she was confident to sessfully seduce him. Unexpectedly, Charles refused to catch her and she fell on the sofa. The tea all poured down upon on her face. She looked funny with all the tobo in her hair. "Charles..." She gazed at him with sheer grief. Inside, her hatred towards Autumn deepened. If they hadn''t had this bitch between them, Charles would have given her a hand now without hesitation. She didn''t realize that for Charles, she was just a stranger and today was the first time they had met. Charles looked at her with a cold stare. He had been on-guard against her from the very beginning. For one, he noticed that Autumn felt disgusted when she saw this so-called "cousin." And two, she did not act like a visitor here. She seemed to be quite familiar with this house. So when she handed him the tea, he was very vignt about her move. Chapter 24 Charless Visit To His In-laws Chapter 24 Charles''s Visit To His Inws Charles didn''t expect that he would get such a ''gift'' when he came to his mother-inw''s house for the first time. His wife''s cousin... even threw herself at him. He looked at the kitchen and wondered how his wife... lived together with her family members. For him, it was getting hard to tolerate their reckless behavior. Yvonne was angry. Although she was doing everything in the world to look delicate and graceful, it was obvious that Charles simply ignored her effort. He didn''t even help her get back up on her feet. So Yvonne had to grit her teeth and stand up on her own. She shyly stood in front of Charles. Her eyes were watery. It looked as if she was about to cry. She said,"Charles, I''m sorry. It''s my fault. I''m so clumsy that I can''t even carry the tea cup properly. Did you get scalded?" Charles looked at Yvonne and tly said,"You better take care of yourself." Yvonne felt resentful at Charles''s indifference to her. But she thought that she shouldn''t express her grievances to Charles, so she slightly lowered her head and said to Charles,"Charles, you can sit here for a while. I will go and prepare another cup of tea for you right away." Yvonne turned around and went upstairs. She first cleaned herself and then changed her clothes. This time she put on a revealing vest with a mini-skirt which showed off her mellow, smooth shoulders and long slender legs. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. She looked at herself in the mirror and was impressed by her beauty. Yvonne didn''t really think if this was an appropriate thing to do or not. She went downstairs with confidence. When she saw that Charles was looking at her, she purposely stroked her hair to lure him. She believed that all men were lecherous. But Charles looked at her not because she was dressed so sexily but because he was confused as to how Yvonne was so familiar with this house. He recalled when Wendy introduced Yvonne to him, she told him that Yvonne was one of her distant rtives and didn''te here so often. After her clothes got stained, she quickly changed and came downstairs. The new, clean clothes that she wore fitted her body perfectly. It was obvious that it was her own clothes only. Now, Charles got more confused. "Charles, have some tea." This time, Yvonne took a wise decision. After she put down the tea cup, she stood up and left. "You can sit for a moment. I will go to the kitchen to see if they need any help." She pretended to be a considerate and nicedy. She believed that all men liked beautiful and considerate women. Yvonne showed her true colours when she came to the kitchen. She picked up an apple and ate it, while rudely asking Autumn,"What''s Charles''s favourite food?" Autumn was unwilling to talk to her. She lowered her head and kept washing the vegetables, without saying a word. Yvonne then walked up to Autumn and pushed her. "I''m talking to you now. Are you deaf?" "Yvonne, don''t push her like this." Wendy drew Yvonne aside and said,"Charles is sitting outside. It won''t be good if he hears you like this." Yvonne calmed herself down and said,"Autumn, I warn you that Charles belongs to me sooner orter. You''d better realise who you are actually." "Are you talking to me?" Autumn dropped the vegetables and coldly replied,"Yvonne Gu, if I remember correctly, I married Charles only because of you. If this didn''t happen, I would be living a good, happy life with my grandmother and there wouldn''t be any rtionship between me and Charles." She sneered and continued saying,"What''s wrong with you? Are you regretting your decision after seeing that Charles is so handsome?" Yvonne looked a bit guilty, but she quickly calmed herself down. When Yvonne was a child, Wendy always told her that Autumn was even inferior to the servant in this house. Yvonne let Autumn marry Charles only because she thought that Charles was a bad guy with numerous affairs. Now that she saw him in person, she wanted him back for herself. "Yes. So what?" Yvonne sneered and added,"It is only because of me that you got a chance to marry someone like Charles who is not only handsome but also very rich. Don''t hold grievances about that anymore. You''re lucky to be married to someone like Charles." "Really?" Autumn, with a long face, said,"I have no interest in such type of good luck. Well, I can even go out now and tell Charles everything. We can swap our identities back right away. I have zero interest in being Mrs. Lu." "Great. I''m willing to do that." Yvonne''s eyes lit up. Fortunately, Wendy was a lot more sensible than Yvonne. She immediately took hold of Autumn and said,"You seldome back home. Yvonne is only joking with you. There''s no need to get angry." "Mother..." Yvonne frowned. Wendy just ignored Yvonne. She patted Autumn on the hand and said,"You don''t have to stay here in the kitchen to help me. I can prepare the meal all by myself. You should go out and give Charles Without saying a single word, Autumn took off the apron and walked straight out of the kitchen. Only Yvonne and Wendy stayed back in the kitchen now. Yvonne took Wendy by the hand and said,"Mother, look at that Autumn. Charles doesn''t like me only because of her." Yvonne gloomily added,"Whatever. I want to marry Charles." "Fine, fine, fine. I got it." Wendy lovingly patted Yvonne on the face and said,"You are so wayward and vtile. If you were willing to marry Charles before, you wouldn''t be upset by this sort of thing now." "I didn''t want to marry him before because I didn''t know what kind of a person he is..." Yvonne was very regretful. "Mother, just now Autumn said that she wants to swap her identity back, but why did you stop her? We can take this chance to..." "No." Wendy firmly interrupted Yvonne. When she saw that Yvonne was stunned, she immediately walked up to her andforted her, saying,"Yvonne, I know that you''re very anxious, but haste makes waste. We should deal with this matter carefully and thoughtfully." Wendy sighed and added,"You also know that there is a crisis going on in your father''spany. The only way to ovee this difficulty is to ask Charles for help. You shouldn''t tell Charles that you have exchanged the identity with Autumn now. What if Charles gets angry and doesn''t help your father to deal with thepany''s crisis?" Wendy''s words sounded perfectly reasonable, but Yvonne still felt annoyed seeing Autumn live happily with Charles. "But what about me? Do I have to let Autumn and Charles live in the same house and sleep together?" She was sad and wondered why she had to be with a man who lived on her support, but Autumn got to enjoy a better life at Charles''s home. She couldn''t wait to exchange her identity back with Autumn. "Now the best way is to take no action and wait for the right time." Wendy pondered on it repeatedly and finally suggested,"At present, the most important thing is to help your father''spany resolve the crisis. And during this time, you can try and get close to Charles. If Charles falls in love with you, he won''t get angry even after finding out about the lie." "But..." Yvonne hesitated. Chapter 25 Yvonne wanted Charles back Chapter 25 Yvonne wanted Charles back She tried tempting Charles just now but he seemed to have no interest in her. It was going to be very difficult to make Charles fall in love with her. Thinking about the fact that she gave up Charles who was so excellent to Autumn, she was not happy at all. She nodded,"Mom, be assured, I will make Charles fall in love with me at all cost." When she imagined Autumn being abandoned by Charles, Yvonne couldn''t control her excitement. "Okay. Good girl." Seeing Yvonne''s determination, Wendy smiled, her eyes filled with love. Shepletely forgot that the other girl involved in thisplicated entanglement was also her biological daughter. "Yvonne, what about Joe..." When Wendy mentioned his name, Yvonne frowned. "Now that you''ve decided to stay with Charles, you should cut all your ties with Joe. In case Charles finds out about your rtionship with Joe, all of us will get in trouble." Yvonne knotted her brows. She wasn''t ready yet to break up with Joe for Charles. She met Joe in a bar. Though he was poor, he was very handsome. He looked like a mesmerizing new star. Above all, his affection and concern for Yvonne made her fall in love with him. However, inparison to Charles who was both handsome and rich, Joe was nothing. Yvonne finally gritted her teeth and made a decision. She said,"Be assured, Mom. I can deal with it well." Wendy went out of the kitchen holding hands with Yvonne. Autumn and Charles were sitting on the couch and having a conversation. Their intimacy drove Yvonne crazy. She pushed away Wendy''s hand and rushed to them,"Yvonne, Charles, what are you talking about? You seem to be very happy!" Autumn turned away her face in silence. Charles asked Wendy,"Mom, I just got a call from my office. I have to go. I''m sorry. I can''t have lunch with you today." Without giving Wendy a chance to speak, Charles pulled Autumn up and said,"I have asked some people to look after the problems faced by the Gu''s Group. In case Dadcks funds, you can let me know. We have to go now." Autumn had just now been talking to Charles about the n. And the next thing she knew was Charles pulling her to leave. Though this surprised her, it was exactly what she wanted. Looking at Wendy''s and Yvonne''s hypocritical faces, it was impossible for her to have a good lunch with them. "Why... why are you two leaving so fast?" Wendy paused. Though Charles promised to help the Gu''s Group get over the crisis, Wendy wasn''t satisfied. She looked at Autumn who was standing besides Charles and rebuked,"Did you get Charles angry?" "Mom..." Charles frowned,"She is my wife now." His words shut Wendy''s mouth. Yes, she was. Autumn was married to Charles. She couldn''t just punish Autumn for every little thing now. "Let''s go." Charles gently said to Autumn. Yvonne was unwilling to let them go. She stopped them by standing in front of them. "Yvonne, Charles, since you are already here, why not have lunch with us before leaving? You are not in a hurry, are you?" Yvonne said with a forced smile. She wanted to spend more time with Charles.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. But Autumn didn''t like ying dirty game. She smiled,"Your brother-inw is in a hurry." "Haha!" Charles burst intoughter. It was his first time to discover her bluntness. "You..." In anger, Yvonne''s face turned pale. Walking up to Charles'' side, she hooked his arm and said coquettishly,"Charles, look at my sister..." "Miss Ye, please behave yourself." Charles looked at Yvonne, his eyes filled with coldness. He extended his other hand to get rid of Yvonne''s hands. The disgusted look on his face made her feel like trash. Yvonne clenched her teeth in anger. "Alright, alright." Atst, Wendy came to Yvonne''s rescue,"Autumn, that''s enough. Charles has important things to do..." Wendy turned around to look at Autumn with a smile,"Yvonne, I understand Charles is busy. But today is weekend. Since you rarelye back home, why don''t you have lunch with us before leaving?" "Yes..." Yvonne said in a sarcastic tone. "Is that okay with you?" When Charles left, she would definitely teach Autumn a good lesson. However, Charles didn''t give them the chance. He put an affectionate arm around Autumn''s shoulders. "No, thanks. I want Yvonne to meet one of my friends this afternoon. Mom, please say sorry to Dad for us. We''ll make up for this next time." "But..." Yvonne still wanted to say something. Wendy stopped her,"Okay. You should take good care of yourselves. You cane back whenever you have time." Taking Autumn''s hand, Charles left with Autumn. Watching them leave together, Yvonne clenched her fists,"Mom, why do you always protect Autumn? If you let her stay here, I would have taught her a good lesson. I don''t want her anywhere close to Charles. He is my man!" "Come on, my girl. If you don''t keep a check on temper, you''ll bring trouble on you even if you marry Charles." Wendy sighed,"For Charles, Autumn is his wife now. You are simply a distant rtive. Moreover, you should first cut off your rtionship with Joe. I heard that the Shining Company is recruiting a secretary. You should go for it so that you can stay together with Charles. He will probably fall in love with you if you spend more time together." Wendy''s words seemed to make sense. Yvonne smiled with satisfaction. She suddenly got a call from Joe. She frowned and went aside to answer the phone. Since Yvonne had taken a lot of time to bring money from home, Joe was worried and made the phone call,"Honey, why haven''t youe back? I am worried about you." Hearing such an intimate nickname, Yvonne was supposed to be very happy. But today, she felt nothing but disgusted,"Joe, I have something to tell you. Let''s meet at the Blue Bay Cafe half an hour Yvonne drove to the Cafe. When she arrived there, Joe didn''t appear until a few minutester. Chapter 26 Boyfriend Or Male Prostitute Chapter 26 Boyfriend Or Male Prostitute Yvonne was sitting opposite the entrance of the caf¨¦. The bell on the door tinkled loudly as Joe in casual clothes entered the caf¨¦. Though she had been in a rtionship with him for quite a long time, she still felt her heart racing whenever she saw his attractive face. "Have you been waiting here for a long time?" Joe wore a smile and tightly embraced Yvonne as usual,"Why did it take you so long? I was worried about you." Yvonne in his arms enjoyed his sweet nothings, she struggled with her feeling inside though. Finally she decided to give up on Joe to be able to pursue Charles. She pried his arms off her neck and coldly said,"Take a seat. I have something to tell you." "What''s wrong with you?" Joe asked as he thought, ''Spoilt girls from a rich family like Yvonne were gullible.'' He never thought that after a visit to home Yvonne would put all his previous efforts in vain. He tried to reim the situation, adding,"Dear, no matter what you want to say, let''s talk about thister. You have been gone for long enough. I miss you¡­" Joe breathed in Yvonne''s ear. His flirtatious words clearly indicated his intentions. To his surprise, Yvonne wasn''t lured by his gesture. She rigidly sat upright and moved farther away from Joe, saying,"Joe, stop acting like this." After sipping her coffee, she continued,"I am here to tell you that we aren''tpatible enough with each other. So, I want to break up with you." "We aren''tpatible?" Joe was shocked and soon realised Yvonne wanted to end their rtionship. No doubt she was crazy. He still acted dumb and asked,"What do you mean? Yvonne, we have been together for so long. Why are you breaking up with me? I won''t agree if you don''t give me a fair reason." "We aren''tpatible enough. This is my reason." Yvonne replied impatiently. Joe looked at Yvonne viciously. ''I worked as a male prostitute in a bar. After I met Yvonne and became her boyfriend, I stopped working there. After all, it is rtively easy to be involved with one woman than to please several richdies. I soon forgot all about my tainted past because she was sopassionate and generous. This is why I instigated her to run away with me when I heard she was going to marry Charles. I even hoped to marry her and live a happy andfortable life in the future. Her demanding a breakup will ruin all my dreams. No way!'' "Did you only dally with me?" Instead of trying to showcase his affectionate love for Yvonne, Joe began cursing her. "Don''t insult our rtionship. We loved each other, didn''t we? Moreover, you didn''t lose anything when we were together, did you?" If I love you, you are perfect; If I don''t, you are only worthless, zero. Now Yvonne treated Joe as nothing more than an insignificant stranger. "Joe, we have been in love for a long time. I have spent so much money on you. Don''t worry, I won''t ask you to return the money. I only want to end this rtionship on a good note." Yvonne stood up, and tly said,"From now on, we are through. Don''te to me any more." "Wait!" Joe shouted, holding Yvonne by the hand as she turned around to leave. He then added,"Nice try, but you have to give me a break-up fee and apensation for wasting my youth on you. Besides, you should pay for the good service I provided you all these days, no?" Joe in an impulse stopped acting like a devoted boyfriend and brought out the worst in him,"Miss Gu, you have sufficient money. Just give me one million and we''ll split peacefully." "You¡­" Yvonne stared at Joe in astonishment and said,"Joe, you are a shameless human being¡­" The former lover had now turned into a ferocious monster who might even swallow her down if he opened his mouth. ''He paid heed to my desires and wishes while we were together. Now when we are breaking up, why is he being so ¡­ Disgusting? When I found out that my parents wanted me to get married to Charles, I got impulsive. So I ran away with Joe. He didn''t want me to get married to anyone else. In just a few days, our money got over. It was then that I realised everything was difficult for a poor couple. I was born in a rich family. It''s impossible for me to live such a poor life. His sweet nothings brought me so much happiness. All this while, I have spent all my money on him. I never expected him to ask one million from me as a partingpensation.'' "I deserve it." Joe lit up a cigarette and looked at Yvonne as if she was a stranger to him. He finally showed off his real self to her. He said,"I''ll tell you the truth, I was a male prostitute before we met. Since you chose me as your boyfriend, I stopped working to apany you. What should I do now to make a living? You are my patron, so you have to pay. It is only fair." "What are you saying?" Yvonne froze. She felt as if she was struck by lightning. ''I begged a prostitute for love. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Isn''t this ridiculous?'' "Miss Gu, I need only one million. As soon as you give me the money, we are done." Joe snuffed the end of the cigarette in his hand and spoke gently,"In fact, I don''t want us to split. You are beautiful and libidinous in bed. I have never met a more generous customer like you. If you don''t have enough money now, I don''t mind continuing this rtionship." Joe didn''t want to let go Yvonne so easily. He threatened her as he pinched her buttocks,"Freedom or money, what''s your pick, Miss Gu?" Joe seemed totally different from the image he had created all this while. Yvonne suddenly thought of Charles and hated Autumn even more. "Okay, I give you the money," said Yvonne through tightly gritted teeth. Then she added,"But I don''t have so much money. Meet me here, at eight o''clock tomorrow morning, I will give you the money." "Okay. ¡­ See you tomorrow!" Since Yvonne was at loose ends now, she subconsciously went to the Shining Company. Standing outside thepany office, she swore that she would soon be the mistress of this magnificent office. At the same time, Charles took Autumn to a ce. His behaviour seemed a little strange. When they arrived at the entrance, Autumn asked in surprise,"Didn''t you say that we are going to the office? Why are we here?" Chapter 27 About Mrs. Lu Chapter 27 About Mrs. Lu The ce where Charles Lu took Autumn Ye was a famous Sichuan restaurant in the Y City. There always was a long queue outside this restaurant, but today, it looked empty. "I remember you mentioned the other day that you like spicy food. Since I''m having my day off today, I thought we should try the food here." Charles said lightly, as if it was all normal. It was then that Autumn understood that Charles didn''t have any work at office rather he figured out that she didn''t want to stay at the Gu''s, so he made an excuse and brought her here. Autumn was more than happy with Charles'' considerate behaviour. After the dishes were served, Charles continually refilled Autumn''s te but didn''t eat too much himself. She then recalled that the housemaid once mentioned that Charles had a weak stomach for spicy food. "You..." Autumn looked at Charles in guilt and said,"We should try something else next time. I know you cannot eat spicy food. I don''t feel good eating all by myself." "Don''t worry." Charles grinned. Autumn mentioned next time all by herself. Did it mean that he had slowly walked his way into her heart? "Have some more if you like it. I will get a Sichuan cuisine chef hometer, so you don''t have to eat outside." "It''s so embarrassing¡­" Autumn lowered her head, but felt warmth in her heart. It was the first time that she and Charles were having such a peaceful moment, all thanks to Wendy Ye and Yvonne Gu. They both desired for this peaceful atmosphere to go on all round the day but it just didn''t work out that way. God always gives you a hard time whenever you are the happiest in your life. Knowing that Charles couldn''t stand spicy food, Autumn asked for the menu and ordered some dim sum. While waiting for it to be served, Charles got a call from Rachel Bai. Since the day Rachel left thepany, they hadn''t contacted or seen each other. Charles had wholeheartedly involved himself at home. Moreover, his rtionship with Autumn too had eased down a bit, but it didn''t ur to him that there were still some things left to be sorted out until Rachel called. "Take it." Seeing Charles staring at the phone in a daze, Autumn who was seated next to him reminded him to answer the phone. She showed as if all this didn''t have any impact on her. Charles had been so nice to her recently that she almost forgot that he was Rachel''s man and not hers. And now... It was time to return him to Rachel. Charles frowned. It had been quite an effort making some progress with Autumn, and this call from Rachel automatically made Autumn draw a line between them. It was now the right time to make things clear with Rachel. He had to go a long way to make his wife happy so he didn''t want any third party to interference. "Wait for me here, I''ll be back soon." Charles went outside to answer the phone. Looking at the table full of Sichuan dishes, Autumn lost her appetite all of a sudden. She paid the bill and got the dim sum which she ordered for Charles packed up. When Charles finished his call and looked back, Autumn was already standing next to the car waiting for him. "Howe?" Charles frowned slightly and asked Autumn who was standing in front of him. Autumn smiled and gave away a look of understanding,"Miss Bai must be having some urgent work with you. I''ve got the dish packed for you. Take this with you and I''ll go back home myself. You don''t have to drop me back." Charles stared at the woman standing in front of him. He was confused. Rachel had just called to invite him to her ce for what he tly refused. However, it seemed as if Autumn wanted him to leave right away. "So you want me to go and spend time with another woman?" Autumn dazed for a moment, failing to understand what Charles meant. "She was pretty upset with me when she saw me in your office the other day. Please tell her I am sorry. After all, Miss Bai has been with you for such a long time and whatever you do with her is totally understandable. So, just go and don''t worry about me." Autumn put on a smile,"I will cover for you in front of Grandpa, so just go." "Well, since you''re so desperate to see me leave, I am going." Charles sneered. How he wished that Autumn would stop him, but she didn''t. She just watched him get into the car and drive away. Charles clenched his hands on the wheel. When Autumn saw Charles leaving, she felt a little empty in her heart. She felt lost and didn''t know what was wrong with her. She wanted to stop him from going but couldn''t. She wanted to tell him ''Charles, don''t go!'' N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. But did she have any right to stop him? Autumn let go of her clenched fists and in all understanding let him go to Rachel. Charles directly made his way to Rachel''s house after leaving Autumn behind. He used to be a frequent visitor here, but rarely came here ever since the day he married Autumn. He lit a cigarette at the doorstep but didn''t smoke. Silently waiting for it burn out, he switched off the engine and went upstairs. Rachel opened the door on the first ring of the bell itself. Seeing Charles standing outside, her eyes lit up like stars shining in the night. "Charles, I knew you wouldn''t leave me." Rachel threw herself in Charles'' arms and held him tightly. In this moment, she was not that mega celebrity Rachel but rather an ordinary girl who was deeply in love with her man. "Stop it." Charles got rid of Rachel''s embrace and walked straight into the house. He came here only to piss that little woman off. It was his way of making her understand the consequences of pushing him away, and... he also wanted to make things clear with Rachel, in case that little woman misunderstood again. He knew he had to break Rachel''s heart but he wouldn''t deny in case Rachel made any demands. He would try fulfill all her demands so that they could part ways amicably. "Don''t you have something to tell me?" Charles asked lightly. "Don''t worry, have you had your dinner yet?" Rachel had some light makeup on. With that look of hers, she could attract any man, but it just didn''t work with Charles this time. "I have some off days, so I thought I should make a meal for you, but look at these... the dishes are getting cold." Rachel made a duck face andined. She took this chance to not only show her affection for Charles but alsoin for his changed behaviour. "Let me heat the dishes up for you. Sit tight and wait. I''ll be back in a few minutes." Rachel took the dishes to the kitchen. Charles didn''t refuse this time - he was indeed starving. Rachel watched Charles eat. Her eyes were filled with smile. He ate very slowly, and his brows were knitted. She wondered what he was thinking. "Drink some soup." She filled a bowl with soup. Charles shook his head,"No, thanks. I am full." He reached for a tissue to wipe his mouth. Then he lifted his head to look at Rachel and said,"Rachel, I have been thinking about this for a long time, There are some things... that I should clear with you." Charles looked quite serious, Rachel somehow perceived what he wanted to say. "Charles, there are some things I think you should know too." Rachel interrupted Charles,"It''s about Mrs. Lu." The room went silent all of a sudden. Charles gazed at Rachel and his voice turned a little bit hoarse,"About her?" "Yes. About Mrs. Lu." Chapter 28 The Breakup Chapter 28 The Breakup A trace of evil could be seen in Rachel''s eyes. Soon after meeting Autumn, she hired some people to investigate about her. As a result of the investigation, she found out a lot of things. She intended to reveal this woman''s true nature to Charles today. "What exactly do you want to say?" Charles frowned and asked impatiently. "Just calm down." Rachel took Charles'' arm and made him sit on the sofa. She passed on a bowl of neatly cut fruits to him and said,"I got to know this by chance. I hope that you don''t get angry about it." She then said with a sneer,"I know someone who''s a good friend of Yvonne. She told me that Yvonne was having an affair with another man before marrying you. She also confessed that she married you only for the benefit of the Gu Family." Rachel read Charles'' expression while she continued," Charles, I know you married her only to please your grandpa, but¡­ her improper words will have a bad influence on you, won''t it?" "So this is why you asked me toe?" Charles frowned again. He and Autumn met for the first time on the day of their wedding. So he was certain that there wasn''t any affection involved in this marriage. Although in just a few days post the wedding, he got really attracted to her, He was well aware that she didn''t like him. So, It was useless for Rachel to speak ill of her in this manner. Charles'' face darkened. For the first time, he realised that Rachel too enjoyed gossiping just like the other ordinary women. Rachel was quitecent about her tactic to wreck Autumn''s reputation. She was certain that no man could stand this kind of misbehaviour of his wife. Charles'' displeasure became an encouragement for her. "Few days ago, after we met in your office, we had a chat. She said it herself that she didn''t like you. Moreover, she admitted that she was with you for a specific reason. Anyone would feel bad on hearing something like that." Rachel kept instigating Charles against his wife and said,"Charles, you should cut all ties from her. Otherwise, she may think that you have feelings for her." "She actually said that?" Charles asked with a cold face. "Of¡­ course." Rachel knew she was wrong but she didn''t give in to her guilt. She very well knew that Autumn said those things in reaction to her offence. However, in order to win Charles back, she could go to any extend. "Charles¡­" She wrapped her arms around his waist, and gently rested herself on his chest, saying,"I know that I didn''t spend enough time with you because of my busy schedule. Your grandpa doesn''t like me either. But I know where I was wrong. Divorce her, ok? Let''s apply for a marriage license as soon as you get a divorce." She paused and then said "And I will take all possible efforts to please your grandpa. I won''t put you in any sort of dilemma no matter what happens." ''That old fool doesn''t have many years left to live, so it doesn''t matter whether he likes me or not! Everything will be in my control after he dies.'' Rachel thought to herself. "What do you think about all this?" she asked Charles, pressing her face against his chest. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. "You sit up first." Said Charles. He helped her sit straight up and said,"In fact, I am here to discuss something important with you today." Rachel was delighted. "I knew you too are nning on it! Don''t you worry, I will definitely think of a way to persuade your grandpa." "No, Rachel, you misunderstood me." Rachel froze on hearing this. However, she didn''t want to give up and struggled to ask,"What¡­ do you mean?" Charles frowned a little. He found it a little hard to continue given her anxiety. But when he thought about Autumn and his feelings for her, he managed to speak out. "Rachel, you are a good girl. All these years we have spent together have indeed been truly happy times of my life." Though he started with some nice words, Rachel was clever enough to see through what would follow next. She forced a smile and said,"Don''t mention it. The years I have spent with you have also been the happiest times of my life. Whatever I have done for you, I did it all willingly." "I know." Charles nodded lightly. "Rachel, I have been reflecting on our rtionship these days, and I am afraid things between us have somehow be routine. So¡­ I think it''s time for us to say goodbye to each other." Hearing these words, Rachel felt as if her whole world was copsing. "You¡­ want to break up with me?" Rachel had been quite confident about herself and their rtionship. It never urred to her that Charles could fall in love with another woman, even when he got married. Yet everything between them changed in just a span of few days. ''It is all that bitch''s fault!'' Rachel gnashed her teeth. Though cursing Autumn in her head, she pretended to be all innocent and delicate in front of Charles. She then asked,"Why, my dear Charles? Am I not good enough for you? Or is it because¡­ you have fallen in love with that woman?" "Yes." Charles nodded without hesitation. She thought he would at leastfort her but Charles''s bluntness surprised her. Since they had been together for long, Rachel was well aware about his reserved nature. This was why she never expected him to admit it all at once. "Rachel¡­" Charles wanted to strike while the iron was hot, but Rachel certainly did not allow it. She stood up and said,"You¡­ Please don''t. It''ste. I have to go to bed." She tried to escape from the situation. She was not ready to end this rtionship. It was hard for her to be eliminated from Charles''s life. Charles grabbed her arm,"Rachel, running away is not the answer." "Enough!" Rachel replied back with anger,"Charles, it''s been two years. You are very well aware of my love for you. And what about that woman? You met her just a few days back and now you feel certain that you are in love with her? How ridiculous is that!" Rachel said all this with tears in her eyes,"Go back and I will forget everything you just said. I can even turn a blind eye to it if you two are not serious about each other. But you have to divorce her after one year. Now, it''ste, you should go home." "I am sorry." Charles said, feeling like a real asshole. Chapter 29 Garys Fury Chapter 29 Gary''s Fury Rachel had be embarrassed, but Charles didn''t stop,"Now I''m here, so I think it''s better for us to make it clear." Charles took Rachel by the hand and sat on the lounge with her. He told her,"I have been thinking a lot about our rtionship these days. I used to firmly believe that you were the one that I wanted to live with for the rest of my life. At that time, I thought that you were a sensible woman who always thought about me before yourself. You may think of me as jerk, but I still want you to know that I seriously thought of you as the best person to settle down with." "I don''t want to hear more of it..." Rachel burst into tears. She looked at him innocently, and asked,"If you think I will be a good wife, why do you want to break up with me? Did that woman force you to do it?" "No, she didn''t." Hearing Charles''s words, Rachel again began cursing Autumn. Charles stopped her and said,"Rachel, I used to feelfortable to be with you because you never quarreled with me over trivial matters. Besides, you always let me make decisions, which used to make me happy. Given that, I thought you were the wife I wanted. But..." "I asked for your permission before marrying her. I decided to marry her only because you agreed to it. And I also promised you that I would get a divorce from her and marry you after a year." Upon hearing this, Rachel held him tightly in her arms and nodded in a yes. She said,"Yes, you promised me. So, Charles, you just can''t dump me like this." Charles didn''t push her away. He sat there coldly in silence. When Rachel seemed a little calm, he continued,"You have always been paranoid and anxious ever since the day I got married. To begin with, you kept calling me every few hours. Then you directly came up to mypany to meet me and you even deliberately leaked your whereabouts to the media. And now... you leave no chance to speak ill of my wife. I don''t know what else you have been doing behind my back." "You misunderstand me." Rachel didn''t expect that Charles would know all of this. She said,"I thought I wouldn''t mind you getting married to another woman. But now that you are married, I simply cannot take it. I am okay with the fact that I can only be your second wife once you divorce her. What really bothers me is that you live with her. You see each other every day. I''m scared that you might just fall in love with her. If that happens, what will I do?" Rachel cried andined,"Charles, you say that I have changed. But what about you? Haven''t you changed?" Rachel smiled coldly and continued,"Before you got married, you used to call me every now and then. You even stayed with me at my house. Moreover, if I asked for anything, you never said No. But everything has changed after your marriage. You have turned me into a paranoid and wretched woman." "Yes, I know. This is why I don''t me you." Charles nodded slightly and continued,"I obviously take half of the responsibility for the change in your behaviour, so... tell me what you want and I''ll Rachelughed, and said,"Do you think I am with you for money? Charles, I have a job. I''m not as rich as you are but I can support myself. I won''t leave you no matter whatpensation you n on offering me." Charles frowned and said,"Think twice about my words." Rachel gritted her teeth with hatred as if she was about to rip Autumn into pieces now. She cried,"It''s all that bitch''s fault. If it weren''t for her, we would be just as good as before. She stole you away from me." Hearing Rachel curse Autumn again, Charles lost his patience. He pushed Rachel away, and said,"You don''t understand my point yet. The reason I am breaking up with you has nothing to do with others. It''s about us." Rachel had pretended to be sensible all these years. But ever since Charles got married, she felt insecure and unhappy all the time. All of this unconsciously made her show true color. It was at that time that Charles discovered Rachel''s true self. He realised that Rachel had pretended to be a perfect girlfriend in his presence. Rachel hysterically shouted,"No, you''re lying." Rachel''s behaviour was only adding up to Charles''s anger. He said,"We are over but I owe you. So, you cane up to me whenever you have any trouble in the future." After saying this, Charles left. Looking at the closed door, Rachel realised that this time she lost Charles forever. She wasn''t ready to lose Charles like this. After he walked out of Rachel''s house, Charles felt relieved. ''I finally conveyed my feelings to Rachel. After saying these words, I feel so much better but will Rachel let me go? Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Rachel is right. If it weren''t for Autumn, I wouldn''t discover Rachel''s shorings, let alone break up with her.'' He thought to himself. Now he was just interested in Autumn. As for Rachel, he clearly realised that they were not meant for each other. Charles sighed, and then drove his car to the Dream Garden. When he arrived, he saw Gary waiting in the living room. He looked angry. "Grandpa, why do you look so angry? Who pissed you off?" Charles asked. When he saw the newspaper on the table, he suddenly understood why Gary was angry. But he pretended as if he knew nothing about it. Garyughed coldly and replied,"Who else dare to piss me off? You should ask yourself." Gary grabbed the newspaper on the table and threw it on Charles''s face. He angrily asked him,"Exin it to me. What the hell is this?" Charles didn''t look guilty and tly replied,"You already knew about it." When Charles found out about this report, he asked David to try his best to keep it from Gary. Now that he broke up with Rachel, he didn''t feel guilty about this. "I''m old but I''m not blind. I know why you married Yvonne. But I warn you that you must show full responsibility towards her as you are now married to her. Otherwise, I won''t ever forgive you." Gary was too furious to calm down. ''I always think that Yvonne''s attitude towards Charles is a bit strange. Now I know the reason.'' He mused. "Grandpa, calm down." Charles grabbed Gary''s hand and seated him on the sofa. He got a tea for Gary and said,"It''s not like what you think." "What I think isn''t important," Gary continued,"I told you to break up with that woman before you and Yvonne got married. But you ignore my words and still maintain contact with her. Chris and I both like Yvonne. If she gets angry and divorces you, I won''t ever forgive you." Hearing this, Charles promised to Gary,"Don''t worry about it. It will never happen." He got married to Yvonne because he didn''t want to let Gary down. But now he wanted to keep Yvonne with him forever. Chapter 30 Lend me One Million Chapter 30 Lend me One Million Gary gazed at Charles who was standing in front of him. He was relieved because it seemed that Charles was not lying to him. Charles took a nce at the newspaper on the desk and asked,"Grandpa, where did you find this newspaper?" As far as he was concerned, he had asked David to destroy all these newspapers and magazines in market. And even the news on the inte had been withdrawn by Charles. What''s more, even the reporter who wrote this news was forced to resign. But now there was such a newspaper at his own house. What was going on? "I found this newspaper when I went out this morning. It was ced at the door handle. I am not sure who sent it here." Gary frowned and told him. It was not until Charles asked him did Gary realise that someone did this deliberately. But who could it be? And what was the purpose to do this? "Where is Yvonne?" Charles couldn''t help but ask since he had been back for a while, but didn''t see her. "She went out with Chris." Gary replied indifferently and then added,"She has also read this newspaper, but she exined it to me for you without any hesitation. She said that all these reporters are good at making baseless usations to sell their news. Moreover, she also exined that Rachel is just your good friend." Gary took a sigh and then continued. "But in fact, Chris and I are very clear about the rtionship between you and Rachel. Even Chris cannot bear to see this since Yvonne spoke sincerely for you. This is why Chris took her to shopping. Charles, Yvonne is a good girl. If you lose her, you will regret it in the future." After hearing this, Charles frowned. He understood who could send this newspaper here. No one could do this except for Rachel. She was the only one Charles could think of. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Autumn came back with Chris at around nine o''clock at night. Chris''s hands were filled with shopping bags while Autumn only bought a box of some health product. Autumn had been married to Charles for some time, but she was always worried about her grandmother. She went upstairs and took a shower. After that, she hastily made a phone call to Wendy at the balcony even without drying her hair. "How is my grandma?" "Are you worried now?" Wendy sneered from the other side of the phone and said,"Don''t worry. She is fine. I take good care of her, so you don''t have to worry." "How can I not worry about her?" Autumn lowered her voice and said. "Wendy, you asked me to get married to Charles for Yvonne and I did it. You also made me put in a good word for you in front of Charles and I obeyed you. But now I have to meet my grandma or else I will not do anything for you. " Autumn often woke up in the middle of the night these days because of nightmares. In one of the dreams, she saw her grandma kindly talking to her and asking her to take care of herself. However, sometimes in her dreams, she would see her grandma bathed in blood. Every time when she tried to reach out and hold her grandma, she would wake up sweating profusely. She had an ominous premonition, so she was eager to meet her grandmother. "Why are you so anxious?" Wendy asked indifferently. "I still have things to bother you. If you can help me achieve my goal, I will send your grandma back to you. " "No way!" Autumn finally realised that as long as her grandma was detained by Wendy, she could control her. If this went on, Wendy would keep controlling her and she would never be free. Therefore, she decided this time that she had to bring her grandma back at any cost. "Wendy, I have done enough for you and now I only want my grandma back. Don''t expect me to do anything else for you." Autumn said firmly. She was getting attached to Charles and his family. So she didn''t want to scheme against them anymore. The guilt of this rooted in her heart. "This will be thest time I am asking for your help. If you help me achieve my goal, I will let you meet your grandma as soon as possible." In fact, Wendy was confident that Autumn would agree to help her because she deeply cared her poor grandma. "You haven''t seen your grandmother for days. Don''t you want to know about her health condition? " Autumn gripped the phone tightly and her knuckles whitened. She had to promise Wendy for the sake of her grandma. "What do you want me to do for you this time?" " Wendy slyly smiled when she heard that. "It is very simple. I heard that Shining Company is recruiting the CEO''s secretary. You have to figure out a way to let Yvonne get this job. I will let you meet your grandma as soon as Yvonne is hired there. " "Are you insane?" Autumn felt that Wendy''s request was absurd. "Don''t you know that Yvonne has to go through several entry formalities to work there? What if her real identity is disclosed? " "Well, that is what you have to take care of." After finishing her words, Wendy hung up the phone. Wendy had conveyed what she wanted. Now that Charles had already started helping Gu''s Group, the crisis situation could be tackled in less than a month. However, there was at least a month long before Yvonne had to go through the entry formalities if she wanted to work at the Shining Company. And Wendy was thoroughly convinced that Charles would fall in love with Yvonne after getting along with her for a whole month. As long as Charles fell in love with Yvonne, things would get easier. Therefore, the most essential thing right now was to get Yvonne to work in the Shining Company. After hanging up the phone, Wendy was still lost in her sweet imagination. However, she soon realised that Yvonne was standing in front of her with a sad face. This frightened her. "Why are you here? When did youe? " "Mom, I......" The one million which she had promised to give to Joe was a big trouble, so Yvonne really didn''t know how to talk to her mom. "What is wrong with you? If you have something to tell me, just say it. Don''t hesitate." Wendy was in a good mood which was in sharp contrast to Yvonne''s mood. After hesitating for a while, Yvonne said. "Mom, I met Joe today, because I want to break up with him, but......" "What happened? Did he cause any trouble to you?" Wendy furrowed her brows and added,"If he bullied you, you have to tell me and I will take care of him." "No." Yvonne stuttered since she didn''t know how to give this news to Wendy. Finally, after the repeated inquiries from Wendy, she told her that Joe asked for one million aspensation for the breakup. "How could he ask for one million aspensation? Has he gotten no shame?" Wendy frowned and said,"Take me to meet him tomorrow. I have to ask him the reason for his demand for the "Mom, I think it will be better for me to meet him myself." Yvonne frowned and kept persuading Wendy,"I know you care about me, but I am going to get married to Charles in the future, and now...... We have to pay him this sum of money to hush him up. Otherwise, I am afraid he might gossip in front of Charles. And if he does that, I......" Wendy was able to understand Yvonne''s worries, so she also furrowed her brows. "Do we really have to give a million to Joe?" "Or what?" Yvonne smiled bitterly. "Mom, it is all my fault. I trusted the wrong guy. But don''t worry. As long as I get married to Charles, it''s all worth it. But the money...... Well, could you lend me one million first?" Chapter 31 Sleep Together Chapter 31 Sleep Together Wendy certainly would never ask Yvonne to pay back the money. She secretly took out her case-dough and gave it to Yvonne. She also warned her and said,"Yvonne, this is my own money. I didn''t take it out even when your Dad''spany was in trouble. Listen, after you give it to Joe, you don''t ever see him again. Clear?" "Yes." Yvonne tightly clenched the bank card in her hand. Finishing the call on the balcony, Autumn saw Charles as soon as she entered the room. He just got out from the bathroom. He took a shower just now. His body was only covered in a bath towel. His brown skin was shining under the light. His muscles were full of energy, seeming to unleash at any given time. The water was dripping from his hair. The water slowly passed along the lines of his muscles, like glistening dewdrops. Autumn was taken by surprise. Charles brought her back to her senses by asking,"Don''t you have to take a shower too?" Charles took a towel to dry his hair andy down on the bed. Autumn was surprised and said,"Will... will you sleep here tonight?" "Yes." Charles replied with a calm tone. Worried that Autumn might think of him as a pervert, he immediately exined,"Please don''t get me wrong. I''m afraid that if Grandpa and Chris see us sleeping in different rooms, both of us might get in trouble." Hearing his exnation, Autumn heaved a sigh of relief. Ever since she married Charles, she had been keeping him at an arm''s distance. She wasn''t Charles obviously knew what was going on in her mind. He said,"From today on, we have to sleep in this room. But you can count on me. I won''t force you for anything. Tonight, you sleep on the bed, and I will sleep on the couch." "How can I?" Autumn frowned. Charles was her boss. How could she let her boss sleep on the couch? "I''ll sleep on the couch and you can sleep on the bed." They argued on this topic for a long time. The argument ended in a deadlock. Atst, Charles lying on the couch. He was about 1.8 meters tall. It was really strange to see such a tall man curling up in such a tiny couch. Autumn hesitated for a long time. She blushingly said,"The bed is huge. How about... sleeping together?" Afraid of being misunderstood by Charles, she continued to say,"Please don''t get me wrong. I mean that we can just sleep together on the bed. Nothing else..." "Okay." Charles had made every attempt to get his grandpa back. He had even devised a n. All his attempts were for this moment. When Autumn put forward this suggestion, he immediately got up from the couch, pushed back the quilt and sat on the bed. And then he patted on the other side and said,"Come on. It''s time to sleep." Since everything happened so quickly, Autumn was taken by surprise. Autumn didn''t speak anything but her face blushed. She put forward this suggestion but thought that Charles might refuse it. She never expected him to ept her suggestion right away. Now she had to ept things the way they were and sleep next to Charles. She went to the bed from the other side andy on the edge of the bed. She thought the farther she was from Charles, the better it would be. Her body was stiff. There were several strange ideas running in her mind. From that proximity, she would easily smell Charles'' fragrance. She clenched her fists tightly and nervously. Thousands of thoughts shed through her mind. If Charles wanted to do something with her, what could she do? She was patiently waiting for a move from Charles. But nothing happened. He had already fallen asleep. Autumn was now assured that she was safe. She heaved a huge sigh of relief and rxed herself. After a while, she also fell asleep. Subtly observing Autumn''s state, Charles opened his eyes. In the darkness, his eyes shone like glittering stars. Of course he understood Autumn''s anxiety. He pretended to sleep so that she could be relieved. Charles very well knew that though he told Autumn that they should sleep together because of grandpa, his own selfish motive was involved in this too. But without Autumn''s permission, he would never force her. When such a beautiful woman was sleeping beside him, how could he fall asleep? When Autumn woke up, the sun was shining bright. The moment she opened her eyes she found Charles was sleeping soundly beside her. She was surprised to see that her arms were wrapped around his waist. His warm breath sprayed on her face. She drew back her hands in an impulse. She checked the time. It was still very early. She got up quietly and went to the kitchen to prepare the breakfast. As she left, Charles, who was lying on the bed, opened his eyes. Looking at the empty bed beside him, N?velDrama.Org content rights. he smiled. Autumn didn''t behave herself very well when she was asleep. Last night, she embraced Charles tightly in her arms. This made him feel angry and funny at the same time. She was in a deep worry before sleeping. But once she fell asleep, she didn''t care about anything. When Charles got up from the bed, Autumn was getting herself busy in the kitchen. Because Gary was home, she tried to make the breakfast as light as possible. She cooked a pot of porridge and several dishes. As Charles went downstairs, he could smell the vor of the porridge. "Smells good!" Chris couldn''t help aciming. Since she had such a great sister-inw who was perfect at cooking, she would probably have to worry about her weight. "Yvonne, what are you doing?" Entering the kitchen, Chris asked Autumn. "I am making the Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork Congee." Autumn said with a smile. She flushed as she turned around and saw Charles who was leaning against the door. "Yvonne, you''re really amazing." Chris looked at Charles with admiration and asked,"Charles, aren''t there servants at our home? Why haven''t I seen anyone since I got back?" Although Autumn was a good cook, they couldn''t ask her to do this everyday. Moreover, she wasn''t married to Charles for this purpose. Charles was a bit embarrassed. Clearing his throat, he said,"I gave them a holiday several days ago. They will be back today." "Okay." Chris nodded. She said to Autumn,"Yvonne, I''ll help you." Since Chris and Gary were at home, the house was a lot livelier. In front of them, Autumn and Charles had to behave cordial too. As a result, their rtionship had improved as well. That evening, Gary asked Charles to take Autumn out for dinner. He said that their privacy shouldn''t be hindered because of him and Chris. Chapter 32 Its A Date! Chapter 32 It''s A Date! Gary suggested,"You have never met each other before getting married, let alone gone on a date. Why don''t you go out on a date today?" Charles cheerfully epted the suggestion of his grandpa. Gary and Chris indeed helped him a lot after they came back. Charles was very pleased to have a date with Autumn, but she was feeling a bit awkward about the whole idea of a date. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Before they went out, Charles called David to seek advice on which restaurant was perfect for couples. David rmended him a French restaurant. The moment they got in the car, Autumn couldn''t resist saying,"Charles, I think we can just go on a short tour nearby and return back home." Autumn felt that if people saw them on this date, they might think otherwise. Charles didn''t utter a single word, but directly "pounced" on her. Autumn was taken aback and went stiff. However, Charles only did that to buckle her seat belt. He then started the engine. The car slowly picked the pace. The car windows were open and the night breeze kissed Autumn''s hair. Charles could smell a pleasant perfume from her. After about twenty minutes, Charles pulled over at the foot of a hill. He opened the car door for Autumn, and held her hand. Autumn knew this restaurant. The hill was at the outskirts of the city, and the restaurant was located at the top of the hill. The restaurant was extremely popr as the Y City rendezvous for lovers because of its unique design style and environment. Many couples came here to have an afternoon tea or a light supper. The ambiance around would definitely make it an unforgettable experience for every couple. Autumn had always wanted toe here, but she had no boyfriend. She didn''t expect Charles to bring her here. "You... Why do you bring me here?" Autumn stood still and asked Charles in embarrassment. This restaurant was popr with dating couples. Was it appropriate... for them toe here? "Don''t you like it here?" Charles asked with a frown. He didn''t get the point of what Autumn said. "David rmended this restaurant to me. If you don''t like it here, we can find another restaurant." "No, I didn''t mean it that way." Autumn stopped Charles and muttered,"This restaurant... is for lovers. It''s inappropriate for us toe here." Charles went nk for a moment before he finally realised what Autumn was trying to say. He grabbed her hand with a straight face,"Don''t forget we are husband and wife. The restaurant is appropriate for us." "But..." ''We are not the ''real'' husband and wife, '' Autumn thought. Before Autumn could retort, Charles grabbed her hand and stood in line for the cable car. There was no way to go to the restaurant other than taking this cable car. While sitting in apact space, couples could enjoy the beautiful scenery and talk peacefully. This would definitely entuate the romance between couples. It was time for supper, and there were many couples waiting here. Romance was in the air. Some kissed their partners, while some hugged their lovers. But Charles and Autumn were exceptions. Although Charles held Autumn''s hand tightly, there was no romance between them. They both looked away from each other. Charles and Autumn finally got to the front of the line. The worker responsible for the cable car apologised to the couple behind Charles and Autumn,"I''m so sorry to inform you that our restaurant is fully upied." He looked at Charles and Autumn and continued,"In order to give our customers a sound dining experience, we have decided to not ept any more customers tonight and this gentleman anddy are thest ones. I''m so sorry." As soon as he finished his sentence the couples behind Charles and Autumn started arguing. "We came all the way to have supper here. Now, you are telling us that the restaurant is fully upied. You can''t do this." "Right. We waited for a long time. You should have informed us earlier." "My wife has been looking forward to this dinner for some time. But..." "Everyone..." The worker opened his mouth. Charles and Autumn were thest lucky couple. They stood still, speechless. The worker said in a cating voice,"I''m so sorry for what just happened. Our manager said, people who are unable to have dinner tonight can enjoy a 20% discount next time." "What? We are not here for the discount!" "We are here for the environment and food." Obviously, the worker was ustomed to such a scene. He smiled and said,"I know you choose our restaurant for its environment and food. If you were having dinner in the restaurant and there were dozens of people waiting outside, could you enjoy the food peacefully?" The couples now got silent. The worker continued,"What we are doing is only to give our customers a good dining experience. How about this? People who are unable to have dinner tonight can have free baked snails next time. I hope you understand and support our work, please?" "Okay. It''s useless for us to keep waiting. Let''s go and find another ce." "Let''s go." The worker kept apologising to the couples, and they epted his apology. Autumn and Charles were about to get in the cable car when a timid voice came from behind,"Excuse me..." Autumn and Charles turned around. Ady about twenty years old stood there, with her boyfriend standing next to her. "What can I do for you?" Autumn knew Charles would not talk to them, so she opened her mouth. "Ms, today is my birthday. My boyfriend managed toe here from another city only to celebrate my birthday. He has to go backter himself. I know I shouldn''t say this, but today is an important day for us, so... could you offer us your seats, please?" The girl smiled at Autumn with a pair of innocent eyes. Autumn was soft hearted. Though she always wanted to have dinner in this restaurant, she could not say no to this girl. Autumn turned to Charles. Before Charles could say anything, the boy next to the girl opened his mouth,"Forget it, Nana. Don''t beg her to ept your request. Look at them. She doesn''t even look like his girlfriend. It seems as if they are having an affair. We should not bother them." "Don''t ther..." Nana patted the boy''s hand awkwardly. She again looked at Autumn and said,"Ms, he is talking nonsense. We have been waiting for a long time, so..." Chapter 33 The Third Wheel Chapter 33 The Third Wheel "Didn''t say that to me over there just now?" The boy blurted out without giving it a second thought. The girl felt awkward. Autumn was a little unhappy about what he said. To be honest, the girl had left a great impression on Autumn. She looked pretty and charming. She even had two dimples. Autumn was soft-hearted and she was about to let them have their table moments ago. But the boy''s words changed her mind. "Ms..." The girl looked at her timidly. She could tell from Autumn''s countenance that she was unhappy. Actually, today was neither her birthday nor her boyfriend''s. Moreover, her boyfriend was a local resident. She said that only to win Autumn''s sympathy. "Please...Please say yes, I''ll really appreciate it." "Sorry, we don''t need your appreciation." Autumn was still thinking about how to say no, but Charles helped her out. He put his hands on her shoulders from behind and told the young couple,"You are right, actually. She''s not my girlfriend." On hearing that, the boy smirked. "Did you hear that? I told you I am right." The girl pinched him hard and still struggled to win the entree. "Mr, we are sincerely asking for your kindness. If you let us in, then this coupon is yours. How about that..." Charles stared at her coldly. Autumn knew it was his sign of losing temper. She immediately held back his hand and said,"Forget about them. Let''s get in." Autumn didn''t want a row, but the girl was unwilling to swallow the refusal down. Since Charles and Autumn didn''t give them the entree, she began to curse. "Be careful not to be discovered by your partners. Otherwise, I would like to see how you save your ass!" Autumn had always been a well behaved girl. But now, even she couldn''t help but scold the girl. "Young girl, I advice you to watch yournguage. It''s our right to give away the entree to you or not. I am not his girlfriend, because I am his wife. We are married. I''m sorry to say that but no man would like a mean wife like you. You are still young." Autumn''s scolding was a little heavy for her. But she deserved it. Otherwise, she would always think she was right. N?velDrama.Org content rights. "Ha. Married." Obviously, the girl didn''t buy it. Charles held Autumn''s hand and said with deep love. "Look. What do these people think of us now? Dare you ever get angry with me because of those trivial things? Don''t have a row with me ever again, okay? " I won''t." Autumn blushed when she saw the trace of love in his eyes. They ignored people next to them and didn''t care about the young couple at all. They were about to step into the cable car when a man in a suit got down from the top of the hill. He greeted Charles with a smile and said. "Wee! Mr. Lu! Why didn''t you call me in advance? If I knew you are here earlier, I would invite you in and you didn''t have to wait in the line. " Obviously the man was a friend of Charles''. His politeness to Charles was more like a teasement. He slightly turned his head and caught the sight of Autumn. "Mrs. Lu, you are here too. " Autumn nodded at him. Though she didn''t remember meeting him before, she had to respond to him politely, since he greeted her. "Mr. Guo." The man who controlled the cable car saw the man in suit and came to greet him. "May I help you? What do youe down for? " "It''s okay. I don''t need anything. Off you go." Eric Guo said to him. He then turned to Autumn and said,"Mrs. Lu, please enjoy the dinner in the VIP room with Mr. Lu. " "Then... Thank you." Autumn stood behind Charles. Her peaceful mannerisms made everyone The young couple knew they made a mistake and escaped quietly. Eric Guo insisted on sitting in the same cable car with them. Before they headed for the restaurant, he spoke to an employee. "Don''t let anyone like that couple in the next time. People like them tend to disturb other guests." "Yes..." The employee responded in agreement. He had no chice but to follow his boss'' instructions. "Yvonne, is Charles hard to please?" "Sure." "I tell you. He..." Eric Guo began talking about Charles'' past as soon as they got on the cable car. He blurted out everything from his childhood awkwardness to his grown-up stories. Autumn listened to him quietly and Charles listened silently, getting more and more angry. He had tried hard to make herugh all this while, but she just didn''tugh. But just a few words from Eric Guo should make herugh so merrily. Our Mr. Lu was very jealous now. But he didn''t realise that Autumn was actuallyughing at those funny things because they involved Charles. "Yvonne, you..." Eric Guo grew up with Charles. They talked about almost everything. This was the first time Charles brought a girl to his ce. Eric Guo knew him very well. So he realised that this girl must be special to Charles. That''s why he tried so hard to talk to her and make herugh. After all... this girl would be the only one Charles truely loved. Eric Guo was still talking vigorously, but Charles couldn''t stand it any longer. So he coughed to interrupt his talk. Eric Guo guessed that he would never act in an impetuous way in front of his wife, so he pretended to be unaware of the true meaning of his coughing. To tease him further, he asked,"Are you okay? Is there anything wrong with your throat?" Autumn tried hard to hold back herughter. The cable car finally arrived. Eric Guo got off the cable car first, and then he turned around to assure that Yvonne carefully got off the cable car. He said,"Yvonne, be careful." He wanted to help her out, but he withdrew his hand when he saw Charles'' furious eyes. Eric Guo didn''te here every day. He just happened to check the ounts today. He saw Charles on the monitor, so he hurried down to take them to the restaurant. He even let them dine in his private VIP room. "Yvonne, take the seat." Eric Guo pulled out the chair for Autumn. To be honest, it was a nice room. From the French windows, they could feast their eyes with the beautiful night scene of Y city. From the hill top, the lights from the houses and apartments beneath looked like stars twinkling. "Eric, don''t you have your errands to run?" Charles was impatient. He managed to take her out for dinner. But he didn''t expect this third wheel. He was going crazy now. But Eric Guo blinked innocently and said,"No. Since Yvonne is here for the first time. I must treat her well." Charles, with a cold face, swore to himself that he would arrange David to build a restaurant the moment he got home. It didn''t have to be better than Eric Guo''s restaurant, but at least he could get some quality time with his wife there. Chapter 34 Playing Goody-Goody After Receiving Gains Chapter 34 ying Goody-Goody After Receiving Gains "Yvonne, it''s your first time here, I assume that you are unaware of the specials here. So I ordered some dishes for you. I don''t know if they would suit your appetite." As Eric cordially introduced the restaurant to Autumn, Charles put on a more and more grim face. Autumn was suddenly taken aback by the awkwardness, for she couldn''t ustom herself to Eric''s gentle behaviour. Luckily, Eric just stayed there for a while, for he knew very well that Charles would definitely teach him a lesson if he continued being the third wheel. So when their order was being served, he made up an excuse and left. Autumn and Charles were left alone in the box. Autumn sensed the awkwardness that slowly permeated the entire room. But Charles was finally at ease, for he could enjoy his meal quietly now. "You¡­" Autumn gave a gentle cough to break the ufortable silence. With Eric''s jokes and banter before, she didn''t feel awkward. But now, when she was left alone with Charles, she felt that even the air around him was frozen. "Miss Bai¡­" Autumn only meant to ask him if he had brought Rachel Bai here before. But even by the mention of her name, Charles frowned. "Yvonne, are you sure you want to bring up that person and ruin our romantic evening?" Just one sentence of Charles, and it could stop her from speaking her mind. She was embarrassed, and took a nce at Charles. She didn''t speak a word further. It was truly a romantic setting - the restaurant, and the ambiance. As a matter of fact, it would be truly a waste to talk and think about anything else.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. The waiter brought a bouquet of beautiful roses while serving their food. He presented the flowers to Charles and said,"Mr. Lu, the roses are provided by Mr. Guo as a friendly gesture. He also urged us to put this meal on his ount." Charles'' face darkened even more. Why didn''t Eric know that he was not wee at such an asion? After all, Charles only took Autumn out once in a while. A frosty silence followed these words. The waiter shivered a little and then left the room. Charles nced at the roses and handed them to Autumn,"They are for you." "Thanks." Autumn blushed. All the girls in the world love roses, and so did Autumn. She still felt happy getting them, even though they were not from Charles. The graceful tunes of violin pervaded the whole restaurant. Autumn lowered her head and gently sniffed the roses. The roses set against her small face, which made her look even more petite and charming. Charles'' heart skipped a beat at this sight. When he regained himself from his lost mind, she had already put the bouquet aside. If the man who sat across the table was her boyfriend, she wouldn''t be able to resist this romantic charm. Yet sadly¡­ he belonged to someone else, a fact that she reminded herself of every day. Charles didn''t know what was going on in Autumn''s mind. He just cut the steak silently and swapped their tes. She was moved by his little sweet gestures. The surprise and romance of the night were supposed to be someone else''s, which made Autumn feel guilty. She felt sorry for Rachel. Yet somehow she had been lingering on the tenderness and sweetness of Charles. She hesitated for a while and said,"Thank you." "What for?" Charles cut the steak with elegant gestures like a trained noble. He raised his head a little upon hearing her acknowledgement. With a sign, Autumn smiled and said,"I do know that everything you did tonight was intended to please grandfather. Still I want to thank you for giving me such a romantic night." Autumn turned her head around and looked out into the night sky. The whole city was brightly lit, yet not one light was kindled for her,"You know what? I''ve been longing to dine here, but I''ve never ever found a perfect chance. Today¡­ You kind-of make my dreame true. " "You must like it here then." Charles curled his lips and thought, ''How good it could be? I can''t believe Eric could build anything good.'' "Oh absolutely." Autumn nodded her head a bit,"Probably every girl of Y City wants toe here with their loved ones and enjoy a good meal here together." Charles frowned distantly, and said to Autumn after a while,"If you ever want to go somewhere, just tell me. I will take you anywhere." She didn''t drink any wine. Yet suddenly her cheeks blushed after hearing his words. That was probably the so-called ''it''s not the wine that intoxicates people but the drinkers themselves.'' Autumn turned her face to the other side, pretending to ignore his words. But he wouldn''t let her get over it so easily. "Yvonne, actually I took you out today not just for grandfather." Charles looked calm and surprisingly earnest. Autumn lowered her face a little. She was blushing constantly. But she pretended to eat her steak. With Charles''s words, her heart was jumping with joy. She almost gave in to his uncalled-for honey words. Charles looked nonchnt and non-concerned, as if he didn''t speak those words at all. He looked at the woman right opposite to him. She looked so cute with her blushed face. He was itching for a taste of it. He thought in his mind, and then did so in action. Stunned, Autumn''s heart almost popped out when Charles suddenly walked near her. She couldn''t recall how he managed to stand in front her. By the time she was back from her trance, Charles had already positioned himself by her side with his hands on her shoulders and his ck eyes reflecting how surprised she was. "You¡­ What do you want to do?" Autumn stammered out of nervousness. "Has anyone ever told that you have very beautiful eyes?" Charles said those words abruptly and bent over towards her lips almost violently. She was still in a confused state. Autumn started wondering - Why did he kiss her? With her eyes wide open, She could clearly see his face in front of her, even his long and warped eyshes. The light had marked on his face with some beautiful shadows. His lips were tender like a thick cloud that could embrace the whole world. She couldn''t think for she was surrounded by a moist and sweet feeling, and she could even see stars twinkling when she closed her eyes. She should have pushed him away. But she was alsopletely lost in the kiss. Autumn wanted to hold onto his tenderness. When Charles stood back straight, her face was red as a beet and she couldn''t speak a word. "And also, has no one ever told you to close your eyes while kissing?" Autumn was now caught in a dilemma. How could she perceive his behavior? Was he ying goody-goody after receiving his gains? Chapter 35 Give Me A Chance Chapter 35 Give Me A Chance Charles was now also a bit shocked by his own behavior. He also didn''t understand why he became so impulsive. Maybe because Autumn was really attractive at that moment. He justined about her reaction after he kissed her. After this entire situation, Autumn didn''t speak a word. She silently lowered her head and ate her meal. Charles then stood up. When their cable car moved down, Autumn still didn''t say anything. Perhaps Charles couldn''t stand such an oppressive atmosphere, so he spoke,"Yvonne, I have something to tell you." "Please don''t say anything." Autumn turned her head away. She kept silent and was angry over whatever happened. She thought she shouldn''t have done such a thing with Charles, but she was really attracted to him. "I will forget... whatever happened earlier." "Why?" The narrow cable car slowly moved down. Only Autumn and Charles were in it. Autumn didn''t have any room to escape from Charles and was forced by him to get to the corner. "Let go of me!" Autumn pulled a long face and stretched her hands to push Charles''s chest, but Charles didn''t move and still pressed her tightly against the corner. Autumn got angry. She raised her head, and had upset expression gleaming through her eyes. "Charles Lu, I will just believe that whatever happened between us was something that you acted on impulse. I will forget it as if nothing happened. We are still in a contractual rtionship. I won''t foolishly think that you are falling in love with me. I will try not to let Miss Bai misunderstand anything. And please don''t do anything like this with me anymore. Otherwise we will be embarrassed about it." With a bitter smile on her face, Autumn continued saying,"I''m not Miss Bai. So please don''t do such sort of thing to me." Charles pulled a long face, with rage burning in his eyes. ''Does she think that I kissed her just because I take her as Rachel?'' thought Charles. He indeed kissed her on impulse, but he knew clearly that the one he kissed wasn''t Rachel. "You think that... I took you for Rachel just now?" There was a gleam of anger shining in his eyes. "Didn''t you?" Autumn looked up with pity. It seemed like she was on the verge of tears. Before she could say something else, Charles kissed her right away. Compared to the previous tender kiss, his current kiss was overbearing. He didn''t give Autumn any chance to refuse. Autumn was suddenly pulled into his strong arms. Her unfinished words were drowned by his passionate kiss. Charles greedily snatched her breath and kissed her wildly. He held her tightly and pinched her chin, not letting her turn her face. With rage burning in his eyes, he Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. wildly bit her lips. His breath merged into hers. "Don''t..." She was about to say something to stop him, but when she opened her mouth, Charles conveniently put his tongue inside. His French kiss disturbed all her thoughts. All her sensations came to life. She was so furious that she wanted to react against him, but Charles tightly gripped her hands and she could only give a low... moan. She was in a trance-like state while being kissed, so she slowly forgot to react against him and began to kiss him back. After a long while, Charles let go of Autumn who was in his arms. He looked displeased and said,"Now... do you still think that I kiss you just because I take you as Rachel Bai?" Autumn was confused. And she genuinely felt that Charles was serious. ''But he shouldn''t do such sort of thing with me. He is Rachel''s boyfriend, and he just has a contractual rtionship with me, '' she thought. "Are you crazy?" Autumn gasped for breath. Charles didn''t say anything. When the cable car reached the foot of the mountain, Charles imperiously took Autumn by her hand and got out of the cable car. He then took her into his car. Autumn was so shy that she didn''t even dare to look at Charles. After waiting in the car for a long while, she saw that Charles didn''t want to drive the car. She couldn''t help but raise her head and said to Charles,"Why aren''t you driving?" Charles thought for a moment and then tly spoke,"As for now, I want to let nature take its course. But eventually, I find that I can''t take it slowly. So... I have to talk to you today and let you know about my feelings." "..." Without saying anything, Autumn patiently waited for Charles to speak. Charles took a deep breath and spoke,"I admit that in the beginning, I married you just to please my grandfather. But after we lived together for a few days, I found that you are different from what I expected. You took me... by surprise." Charles frowned and continued,"The rtionship between Rachel and I isn''t unbreakable. In the past, I thought that she is the only person whom I want to marry in this life. But after living with you for a couple of days, I find that there is no love between Rachel and me. It seems that I am just habituated to her." "I am used to letting her keep mepany and having meals with her. I''m azy person. And as for my affection aspect, I also have no interest in having any connection with other women. I once thought now that I have met Rachel, she might be the best one for me." Charles paused a little and continued,"But the rtionship between you and me is different from that between Rachel and me. Although I''m not sure that I have fallen in love with you, I for sure... don''t dislike you. I am also interested in you. I try every way to get close to you. I want to know your choice and see you smile. I don''t know if I like you, but I''m sure that I don''t dislike you." "What are you trying to say?" Autumn frowned and waspletely confused about what Charles was saying. "I have spoken so much today just to make you understand that Rachel isn''t an obstacle. She can''t stop us from taking this further. I like you, so..." Charles paused and then earnestly said to Autumn,"So can you give me a chance to chase you?" After he finished talking, Charles didn''t ask Autumn to answer him right away. Instead he said,"You don''t have to answer me now. I will give you some time to think over it. We can let nature take its course. I just hope that you will not use Rachel as an excuse to refuse me. Got it?" Somehow, Autumn nodded as she saw honesty in Charles''s eyes. She didn''te back to her senses and realize what she just did until Charles delightedly held her in his arms. When she saw that Charles was happy like a child, Autumn also smiled. After all, since she met him until now... She also didn''t dislike him. They went back home hand in hand. Chris keenly found that the air between them was little a different than usual. They seemed to be immersed in the romantic atmosphere, looking distinctively happy together. "Yvonne, what is wrong with your lips?" Chris noticed that Charles looked very pleased, so he probably guessed what had happened between them. She couldn''t help but jokingly say to Autumn,"They seem to be... bitten by someone." Chapter 36 Chriss Confrontation With Charles Chapter 36 Chris''s Confrontation With Charles "Re... really?" Hearing Chris''s words, Autumn immediately blushed with embarrassment. She couldn''t help but cast aining nce at Charles who was standing right in front of her. The way she reacted only gave herself away. Seeing Autumn''s reaction, Chris roared withughter and said,"Yvonne, you are so adorable." Autumn''s cheeks turned pink. She made an excuse and left the room. After Autumn left, Chris became serious. She looked at Charles and said,"Brother, tell me the truth, are you in love with Yvonne?" "That is none of your concern." Charles answered with a frown. "I care about you." Chris said in a serious manner. After their parents died, Charles took over all responsibilities and became the head of the family. He even guided Chris in every step of her life. Chris epted every decision Charles made for her without anyints. But now, she had to speak for Autumn. She knew Autumn was the best Charles could get. "Brother, I know you weren''t too happy to marry Yvonne. But now you are husband and wife. Grandpa also agrees with me on this. If you don''t like Yvonne, you should put things straight and not to get in the way of her pursuit to happiness." Chris stated earnestly. Charles looked at Chris with a nk face. He had affectionately brought up Chris under his wings. He had always considered her as his own child. But now, he suddenly realised she was all grown up. Her words made sense and she sounded all mature. Charles frowned and asked,"Why do you say that?" Charles didn''t respond to Chris''s question. Chris hated to poke her nose into other people''s business. There must be some reason why she talked to him about this. Chris sat down on the couch and angrily asked in reply,"Don''t you know what you have done?" "What happened?" Charles was confused. "Rachel Bai called on our home phone today." Chris''s eyes were fixated on Charles''s face. She was trying to figure out things from his expressions. But Charles''s face was still calm. "Really?" When Charles heard Rachel''s name, a look of disgust came over his face. He believed Rachel would move on with a light heart, but he was wrong. "Brother, what are you going to do?" Chris asked. Chris was quite taken aback by Rachel''s phone. Luckily Gary was out for a walk when she called. Otherwise, things would have got really awkward. Rachel was still that annoying and scheming woman. She started off by being quite sweet and affectionate with Chris, and even asked Chris to go shopping together. Chris, of course, rejected her offer. For the first few minutes, she talked about random things and then changed the subject to Charles. Chris was clear about Rachel''s intentions but pretended to be confused. She deliberately told Rachel that Charles and Yvonne were out on a dinner date. Rachel got really angry on hearing that. "Yvonne is a nice girl, believe me. If you dump her because of Rachel Bai, I''ll never be able to forgive you." Chris spoke to Charles in all seriousness,"I think Yvonne is much better than Rachel Bai..." "I agree with you." Chris was continually boasting about Autumn''s positive attributes. Suddenly, Charles joined in too. This came across as a shocker for Chris. Chris turned to Charles and saw his serious face. She was finally relieved. They both knew nothing more was further left to be said. He went upstairs and pushed the door open. Chris wasn''t sure what he was up to. He saw Autumn sitting on the bed with her cell phone in her hand, staring nkly at the walls. Wendy had just called Autumn to talk about Yvonne. She told her that Yvonne was giving an interview at Shining Company tomorrow. Wendy wanted Autumn to mention the same to Charles. Autumn was not sure how she would do that. She was reluctant to do what Wendy said. Yvonne was a trouble maker. If Yvonne worked with Charles, she would definitely stir up some troubles for all of them. Moreover, Charles had just confessed his love for her. She was not willing to give up Charles to Yvonne. But if she didn''t do as instructed by Wendy, her grandma could be in danger. "What are you thinking about?" Charles sat beside Autumn, and held her in his arm. He asked,"Are you scared of Chris? She doesn''t think ill of you." "No, I''m not." Autumn shook her head. She hesitated for a long time before she finally opened her mouth,"Mr. Lu, I... I need a favour from you." "Call me Charles." Charles said with a frown. "Ch... Charles." Autumn muttered and continued,"Do you remember thatdy you saw at the Gu Family?" "Autumn Ye?" Charles frowned as he was struck with the image of thatdy with the weird behaviour. Autumn forced a smile to conceal her awkwardness. Charles mentioned her name with disdain. This made Autumn feel bad about what she was going to say next. She almost forgot she was actually the substitute for Yvonne Gu in this house and in Charles''s life. "Right..." Autumn nodded and said,"Autumn is a distant rtive of our family. My mother just called me. She said Autumn is applying for a job at Shining Company. She heard you are looking for a secretary and asked whether you can hire her as the secretary?" N?velDrama.Org content rights. Charles still remembered how thatdy threw herself on him. He frowned at Autumn''s words and said,"Yvonne, I need a capable secretary and not some eye candy. I''ve only met her once, but... I don''t think she is fit for the job." "I know, but..." Autumn frowned. She finally gathered some courage to push Charles further as she was reluctant to give up easily,"I know I''m putting you in a fix, but my mother... my mother forced me to request you for the same. I have no choice." Charles could see Autumn and Wendy were not at good terms from the beginning. When Charles realised his rejection might put Autumn in a difficult position, he began considering what Autumn said. After a long pause, Charles finally spoke,"Well, you can ask her toe to give it a try tomorrow. But I can''t promise to hire her." Autumn sighed with relief and nodded,"Thank you." "Don''t thank me yet." Charles said tly,"If she isn''t good enough for the position, I will not hire her as my secretary just to please you. But I can assure you I will offer her a sinecure, so that your mother has no reason to me you." Autumn knew Charles did this because he understood her estranged rtionship with Wendy. Autumn was greatly touched by Charles''s kindness. She thanked Charles again with a blushing face. Charles held her and said,"No need for thanks. You are my wife. I can do anything for you." Chapter 37 Office Banter Chapter 37 Office Banter That night, Charles embraced Autumn in his arms and the two fell asleep together peacefully. But they only held each other without doing anything further. Autumn felt a bit strange at first. But when she thought of her promise of giving him a fair chance, she didn''t push him away. She used his arm as a pillow and fell asleep soon. Both of them got a sound sleep that night. When she woke up, it was a new day and the sun was shining bright. Autumn began looking for her phone to check the time. When she saw the time, she was suddenly wide awake. "Oh my god, I over- slept!" She quickly got up toplete her chores. Since Charles slept beside herst night, Autumn slept so well that even rms couldn''t wake her up. When she got downstairs, she saw Charles having breakfast at the table. He looked at ease. To not bother Autumn any further, Charles cancelled the servants'' holiday yesterday. When she saw the table beingid with avish breakfast, Autumn felt powerless and frustrated. "It''s gonna bete. I won''t have breakfast." Autumn said. "Wait!" Charles immediately handed her a sandwich and a bottle of milk and said,"I''ll drive you to work." Autumn hesitated but then agreed immediately since she was running out of time. If she wasted time arguing with him, she would bete today. He parked the car at the same corner. Autumn finished her breakfast in the car. As she was to open the door and get off the car, Charles pulled her back and forced her to look at him. Charles'' face was in close proximity to her nose. Autumn was taken aback. She didn''t know what to say,"What... what are you doing?" Although they were still a little far from the Cloud Advertising Company, there was a risk of her colleagues passing from there and seeing them. If they saw them together in the same car, she would probably be abused again. Charles didn''t say anything but drew her even closer. Autumn thought he probably wanted to kiss her and hence closed her eyes. After a while, the expected kiss didn''t happen but she rather heard Charles''ughter. "Look at you. You eat like a child and forget to wipe your mouth." Charles reached out his hand to wipe off the bread crumbs sticking to the corners of her lips. Looking at Charles'' smiling face, Autumn was very embarrassed. "I have to go." She turned back to open the door but was pulled back by Charles again. He kissed her on the forehead,"Now that your are expecting my kiss, I shall satisfy you." "You..." Autumn huffed with a blush. Though she had walked a few meters away from Charles, she still could hear hisugher. Damn Charles! He dared to y tricks on her! While going upstairs, Autumn was cursing Charles in her heart. When she entered the office, people who had gathered to congratte Pa gradually dispersed and the lively atmosphere suddenly faded away. "What happened?" Autumn asked with a smile. Actually, she didn''t care about the position of nning director. The only reason why she stayed here was to pay a debt of gratitude towards Ryan who hired her when she really needed a job. But now, Ryan didn''t seem to need her any more. It was time to leave thepany. Autumn smiled,"Please go on. You don''t have to bother about me." After saying that, she went to her office. She could still hear Pa''s voice,"Leave her alone. Now that she couldn''tpete with me, nothing is pleasing to her eyes. Let''s talk about our lunch. It''s on me." "Thank you, Pa!" "Pa, I always know you are perfect for this position. Unlike Ye, who has nothing but meaningless pride." "Definitely..." Autumn closed the door to cut off from the disturbance in the office. Since she had just finished the case of the Shining Company, there was no new case for her to deal with. But as the general leader of the Shining Company''s case, it was her job to coordinate with them. In case there was any improvement needed by the Shining Company, she wanted to make timely adjustments. When she was about to call the representatives of the Shining Company, Le knocked at her door. "Miss Ye, this is your coffee. Here you go." Le said with a smile. When everybody was busy ttering Pa who was the new nning director, only Le stood by Autumn. Autumn was touched by her gesture. Though Le was straight forward and blunt, she was the only one here who treated Autumn sincerely unlike her other hypocritical colleagues. "Miss Ye, you don''t look very well. Did you stay uptest night?" Looking at Autumn, Le said,"Miss Ye, you didn''t know what happened after you left that day. In front of all the colleagues, Pa spoke very ill of you. She also said that you left with Mr. Lu. Mr. Zhou also looked very angry that day. He left as soon as you left. Currently, there is a rumor going on in the office that you are a home wrecker. Miss Ye, Pa ridiculed you in public. Aren''t you angry?" Le tried to question her. Taking a sip of coffee, Autumn felt calm andposed. She smiled and said,"No, I am not angry." "But she went a bit too far..." Le seemed to be angrier than Autumn,"Even if you left with Mr. Lu, I won''t ever think of you as a home wrecker!" Le stared at Autumn with caution. Raising her head, Autumn looked at Le and said,"She is right. I did leave with Mr. Lu. I was drunk that day. Mr. Lu happened to pass by and he dropped me home." "Really?" Le looked at Autumn with curiosity. Obviously, she didn''t believe Autumn. Autumn looked up to Le and asked,"What? Do you have any problem?" N?velDrama.Org content rights. "No, no." Le hurriedly shook her head. She said,"Miss Ye, please rx yourself. I''ll leave now." "Okay, thanks." Autumn casually said. Not long after Le left, Pa opened the door and came into the room. She looked at Autumn and said,"Ye, we were talking about going out for a barbecue at noon. Will you join us?" Pa crossed her arms on the chest, waiting for Autumn to answer. "Don''t you know that you should knock beforeing in?" Autumn raised her head and said with a tone of attitude. Pa didn''t care about it. She smiled and directly sat down opposite Autumn,"Ye, you''re always so antisocial. It was such an important dinnerst Friday and you left alone. You have no idea how angry Mr. Zhou was." Autumn pulled a long face,"If you hadn''t get me drunk, I wouldn''t have to leave." Pa didn''t get annoyed. She sneered,"You know, I really admire you. Though Mr. Lu just got married recently, he didn''t have any issue being seen with you in public. What exactly did you do to lure Mr. Lu?" Chapter 38 Paulas Politics Chapter 38 Pa''s Politics "What? Do you admire me?" Autumn sneered,"I heard that Mr. Zhang from the Pansy Company came to ourpany for business several weeks ago. His wife was pregnant. You already knew about that but still went on to seduce him. What happened? You ended up being beaten by his wife. Your tactic... didn''t work." "You... You..." Because of this incidence, Pa became a joke in thepany. Mr. Zhang also detested her after that. When Autumn mentioned this matter, it infuriated Pa further. But she calmed herself down immediately. She looked at Autumn and said,"You better not try and infuriate me. I''m the nning director now. From today on, as long as I''m in the position, you should listen to me. Be assured, I will treat you well." Autumn frowned. She wasn''t afraid of Pa. But her words hurt her. She thought for a while and said,"Pa, we''ve been colleagues for three years. Over the past three years, you kept confronting me. It never bothered me. The reason why I am here is to earn a living and repay Mr. Zhou for the faith he showed in me. I''m not you. I don''t care about the position of the nning director. If you like it, you can take it." "Really?" Pa responded with a sneer,"Ye, if you are really that easygoing, why not resign right now?" Pa looked at Autumn and said,"You know that you will never have a peaceful life under my leadership. Why do you still want to work here? Do you want to repay your obligation to Mr. Zhang?" Autumn didn''t seem to care about anything. This infuriated Pa further. "Now that you have repaid your obligation, why are you still here?" Taking a sip of coffee, Autumn coolly said,"Pa, you don''t need to use reverse psychology on me. After I finish the Shining Company''s case, I will resign immediately." "You said it." Since Pa got what she wanted, she left Autumn''s office with great satisfaction. There she saw Ryan entering his office. Suddenly an idea struck her mind. She went towards Ryan,"Mr. Zhou, I''ve something to tell you." Ryan stopped. Looking at Pa, he nodded,"Come in, please." Pa trailed behind Ryan and entered his office. Closing the ss door, she stood in front of Ryan''s office table. In the morning, Ryan got a phone call from the Shining Company. They wished to elerate the preparation. Ryan wanted to ask Autumn to discuss with them before meeting Pa. "Is there anything you want to tell me? Be quick. I''m very busy." Ryan said. "Mr. Zhou, the Shining Company''s case has been settled, hasn''t it?" Pa asked. "Yes. I was just going to tell Ye to visit the Shining Company right now. You either tell me why you are here or leave. Don''t stand here humming and hawing." Ryan replied. "Okay. I''lle straight to the point." Pa paused for a while and then continued to say,"Now that the Shining Company''s case has been settled, how about... letting me take charge of the rest of the work?" "You?" Ryan paused,"It is Ye who has been in the charge of this case. She knows this case best. So, naturally she is the best person in charge of this case." "Mr. Zhou, have you forgotten that thing? Ye has a deep rtionship with Mr. Lu of the Shining Company. When we were making the n, you must have noticed that she stood on the side of the Shining Company. If you leave the rest of the work on her, things will probably get wrong. Therefore, I think I''m the best person to take charge of it." Pa stopped for a while and continued,"Since the n is settled, the rest of the work is not necessary to be done by her. Above all, I''m the nning director of the Cloud Advertising Company now. If you let me take over the case, it will prove that ourpany gives due importance to this case." "But..." Ryan was confused now. But his main thought was that Autumn had long been associated with the Shining Company. Moreover, she had a rtionship with Charles... "Mr. Zhou, I know that you care about Autumn and Charles'' deep rtionship and so you let her take charge of this case. But we all know that Mr. Lu is married. If her affair with Mr. Lu is known by Mrs. Lu, it will definitely affect the reputation of our cooperation. What will we do then?" Pa''s words seemed to make sense. Ryan began to hesitate now. "Mr. Zhou, we can''t make much profit from this case anyway. We should strive for the next cooperation, but..." Pa frowned, pretending to be embarrassed, and then continued,"I went to Autumn''s office just now. It seemed as if she was nning to resign after finishing the Shining Company''s case." Seeing Ryan''s face turn sour, Pa knew that her words were working. She still continued making persistent effort,"Mr. Zhou, if she really resigns, given her ability, she can easily take away orders of the Shining Company. Therefore, we shouldn''t let her be in contact with the Shining Company any more. It is not cost-effective for us to lose this key ount." "I see. You can go now." Ryan was filled with anger now. He had invested a lot in Autumn over the Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. years. But he didn''t expect that she would leave him so easily. Pa didn''t say anything after that. She was certain that Ryan would make a decision that would satisfy her. Not long after Pa left, Ryan went to Autumn''s office in a huff. Looking at Ryan''s back, Pa sneered. When Ryan rushed to Autumn''s office, she was talking to David on the phone. She fixed an appointment with thepany to discuss about the n. Seeing Ryan break in with anger, she immediately hung up the phone. "Mr. Zhou, what happened?" Autumn frowned slightly, ''What happened this morning? Nobody here knocked at the door when entering the office.'' "What happened?" Ryan repeated her question ironically. Looking at Ryan''s angry face, Autumn knew something was amiss. "Don''t you know what you have done? Why are you asking me?" Ryan sneered,"Ye, I used to think that you were different from other woman. But today I found out that you are a bitch. You knew that Charles was married but you still mingled with him. You have no shame at all!" "I can''t understand what you are talking about." Autumn knitted her brows. Since Ryan pushed his words as hard as stone, it was really tough for her to swallow. "You can''t understand?" Ryan sneered. He liked Autumn very much. He had pursued her for a long time but still couldn''t win her heart. He felt discouraged. ''Speaking of Charles, he is just richer than me.'' Ryan thought. Autumn knew Charles had a wife but still mingled with him. Ryan had alreadybelled Autumn as a bitch in his heart for pursuing Charles. Chapter 39 Resignation Chapter 39 Resignation "Ye, I am sure that you know who took you away that night, right?" Ryan Zhou said with a sneer. "It''s Mr. Lu." Autumn replied frankly. "Charles is my husband, so why can''t I go with him?" Autumn thought. Though she thought like this, she did not answer this way. "I am sorry, Mr. Zhou. I have to admit that it is my fault since I did not inform you before leaving. But...... It''s my personal affairs, isn''t it? Autumn looked face to face with Ryan without fear and asked,"Do youe for me for this matter today, Mr. Zhou?" "Personal affairs?" Ryanughed grimly. "You are really hypocritical. Well, are you looking down on mypany, so you are anxious to find another bigpany? But I have to remind you that Charles Lu has been married and I am afraid that you will regret if you insist on keeping an ambiguous rtionship with him." "Mr. Zhou!" In fact, Ryan left much freedom for Autumn in thispany, so Autumn was always grateful to him. However, Ryan went too far recently. Though Autumn understood that it was Pa who cast a bone between them, Autumn was still disappointed in him. Therefore, she also turned gravely. "If youe to talk about this matter with me today, then you can get out now." Autumn had never thought she was inferior to others since she worked at Cloud Advertising Company, not to mention that she had no qualms about this matter. So it was naturally she was not afraid of Ryan''s usation. "Ye, don''t forget who you are talking to!" The quarrel between them in the office caught the attention of everyone outside. The door of Autumn''s office was open, so people could clearly hear their argument. "Why are you doing this? Did I do anything wrong to you?" Ryan asked. "I have told you that I feel no qualms about this." Autumn replied with an expressionless look,"You are out ofpetent to work out the case of Shining Company and it is me who helped you to handle that. But now why are you ming here?" "How did you help me?" Ryan kept sneering and then continued,"Are you going to consider Charles even if you still haven''t married him yet? Ye, I have trained you for so many years, but I have never expect you are such an ungrateful and vicious person." Autumn was irritated, so she alsoughed scornfully. "Mr. Zhou, you said repeatedly that I let you down. In that case, I am going to resign." "Resign?" Ryan came here just to figure out the rtionship between Autumn and Charles, but when he heard that she was going to resign, he still felt hard to ept this news. "I am afraid that you have nned it for a long time, right?" Ryan said sarcastically. "It seems that Pa is right. Autumn is really going to betray me." Ryan thought. Autumn was very angry at first since she was misunderstood by Ryan, but gradually she calmed down. "Mr. Zhou, I have worked with you for many years, so you should be clear that what kind of person I am. And I am sure you will figure out the reason why we would argue like this today when you cool down. I don''t want to argue with you now. After finishing the case of Shining Company, I will take the initiative to resign." Autumn stopped for a while and continued,"Now that you hate me so much, I think there is no need for me to stay in yourpany anymore." "That will not be unnecessary." Ryan said. Ryan thought now that she was so eager to leave thispany, then it would be meaningless for her to stay here for a single moment. Thinking of this, Ryan added,"You can present your letter of resignation and I will sign directly." "I will hand this case of Shining Company to Pa and ask her to be responsible for it. Now she is the nning director of ourpany, so I think it is suitable to hand this case to her. And as for you......" Speaking of this, Ryan sneered and then continued,"You can go wherever you want. But don''t worry. I won''t treat you unfairly and I will pay all of the money award for you since you have handled many cases for ourpany during these years. In addition, I will pay you an extra two months'' sry. I have done everything called for by humanity and duty I think." Autumn stared at Ryan quietly. Indeed, she was clear that such a quarrel would ur between them sooner orter. However, she didn''t expect this day woulde so fast, and she never thought Ryan would be so heartless. "No. I have to be responsible for the case of Shining Company in personal." It was thest case she epted in the Cloud Advertising Company, so she was determined to finish it. "It is no need for you to do that." Ryan further insisted on his opinion. "Aren''t you going to resign? Well, I agree with your resignation." After finishing his words, Ryan turned to leave while Autumn hastily followed him. "Mr. Zhou, I have been responsible for the case of Shining Company from the beginning. Though it has been set in concrete, there will be various problems during performance, so......" "I have said that it is unnecessary for you to do that." Ryan said chillily to Autumn. "Pa is our new nning director. I believe she has capability to do a good job in co-ordination. Thispany has been established for so long, but it is not supported by you alone. And it will be in normal operation without you, so you don''t have to worry about it. Go ahead and present your letter of resignation soon." Autumn still want to say something while Pa who looked on beside stepped forward. "Ye, Mr. Zhou is doing it for your own good. Now that you have nned to leave thispany, it is better for you to find a new job as early as possible. Mr. Zhou even decided to pay you an extra two months'' sry even if it is you who take the initiative to resign. I think he is merciful enough. As for the case of Shining Company, I have promised Mr. Zhou to take charge of it, so you don''t have to be worried." Hearing this, Autumn said nothing but just kept silent. Seeing this, Ryan turned back to Pa and said,"Pa, go to visit Shining Company now so as to confirm details of our cooperation. Le, apany Miss. Ye to ministry of personnel. Autumn finally gave up. It was meaningless to keep staying here since Ryan had made up his mind. Going back to her office, she packed up her items and finished the resign process. She felt relieved when she walked out from Cloud Advertising Company. In these years, Autumn felt heavy in her heart, because she always thought how to repay Ryan. But N?velDrama.Org content rights. now she was finally freed from such a burden. Autumn looked back at the office block of Cloud Advertising Company and then walked out without hesitation. When she was waiting for a taxi at roadside, Pa drove by her side and rolled down the window triumphantly. "Do you need me to send you back?" She asked deliberately. Autumn ignored her. But obviously Pa was not going to miss such an opportunity to humiliate Autumn. "Ye, anyway we have been working together for such a long time. You are the most forceful opponent I have seen in thispany. But now you have resigned and I will miss you. " Pa said sarcastically. She giggled and added,"Get into the car. I am going to Shining Company now, so I can take you there by the way. " "Thanks. But I think I am not on your way." By no means would Autumn get in the car with her. "Don''t put on a show of politeness. After all we have been in the samepany for so many years." Pa reached out and adjusted her sunsses and said with a smile,"Well, then I am leaving. Oh, I almost forget. " After finishing her words, Pa drove away arrogantly, only leaving tail gas to Autumn. " After finishing her words, Pa drove away arrogantly, leaving Autumn behind. Chapter 40 Paulas Blunder in Charles Office Chapter 40 Pa''s Blunder in Charles'' Office After all these years of open rivalry and veiled strife, Pa was deeply pleased with herself. She was relieved that she had finally elbowed Autumn out. She drove her car to the Shining Company and called David to make an appointment with Charles. David was surprised on receiving Pa''s call. He learnt that she was here to discuss their cooperation, but he still couldn''t resist his urge and asked,"Miss Ye used to be our contact person, no? Won''t she be Pa''s good mood sank down with the words of David. Miss Ye, Miss Ye, Miss Ye! Why did she deserve the spotlight of every one? Pa had been trying for a long time, yet she was still overshadowed by Autumn. Pa clenched her teeth, but she dared not speak bluntly to David. So she tried her best to control her anger and said,"She has resigned. So I''ll handle the future cooperation matters with the Shining Company. Please be assured. I will handle everything with due care." "Resigned?" David frowned slightly. ''Mr. Lu chose Cloud Advertising Company only because of her. Now that she has resigned, would Mr. Lu continue this cooperation?'' "Miss Pan, can you do me a favour and tell me why did she resign?" David was afraid that Charles would ask him these questions, so he made detailed inquiries to be able to answer Charles. Standing across the building of Shining Company, with the vast French window reflecting her distorted face, she still spoke with gentle voice void of any dissatisfaction,"I don''t know the exact reason. She solely needed consent from Mr Zhou. But I''ve heard¡­ It was probably because of some financial issues¡­" Pa gave vague remarks, leaving David perplexed. Pa didn''t hear a response from David on the phone, so she asked,"David, is Mr. Lu avable right now? I want to make an appointment at¡­" "¡­ You maye up." Charles had already given orders in the morning that in case Cloud Advertising Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Company sent someone over, David should ask them to wait for a while in the office. He would attend them after his meeting. Now that Pa was here, he had no choice but to invite her in. David waited in person for Pa outside the elevator and directed her to Charles''s office,"Miss Pan, Mr. Lu is in a meeting. You can sit for a while. Can I get you anything to drink?" "Oh, no, thank you." Pa smiled and said,"Don''t bother, I''m fine by myself. " "Sorry if I caused you any trouble." After amodating Pa in the office, David went to the meeting room and waited for Charles at the doorway. At first, Pa sat down on sofa but as time passed, she could no longer behave herself. She had always wanted to lure Charles. Now that she had the honor of visiting his office, she naturally wanted to look around to learn more about Charles. Charles''s office had no other color except for ck, white and grey. With no shy decorations, his office was simple. Charles had set aside a room for leisure where he could y indoor golf. The sofa and tea table were extremely simple butfortable and elegant. The chair in Charles''s office allowed him to lie on his back. The several green nts by the French window were the only colourful ornaments in the office, making it look less dull. He also set aside a small room next to his office for rest and equipped it with a single bed, a television, a loudspeaker and a few daily necessities. It also had a bathroom and an independent toilet. Pa could even conjure up a picture of Charles working here. She thought Charles might be resting here during noon break or whenever he was workingte at night. There was a photo on Charles''s desk, which caught her attention. It was probably clicked on the day of his wedding. But she couldn''t see the face of the bride clearly since she was standing too far. To see the face of the bride, Pa walked over to pick up the photo frame. She heard a sudden yell burst out from the entrance of the door,"What are you doing?" Though Pa caught hold of the frame but before she could look at the picture, she was taken aback by Charles''s voice. She got scared and couldn''t hold onto the frame which was then smashed into pieces on the floor. "Mr.¡­ Mr. Lu." It didn''t ur to Pa that Charles could catch her off guard. She was scared as hell. Charles''s face was dripping with gloomy because of the broken frame. David who was standing at his back, was shocked too. "What are you doing here?" With a frown, Charles turned around before Pa could give a response, and asked David,"What is going on here?" David had no other excuses but to ept his usation. He wished to tear Pa apart. How dare she trespass in Charles''s private room? "Mr. Lu, I''m here to discuss matters rted to the annual meeting." Pa just said a few words when David began organising his thoughts. She had calmed down by now,"Mr. Zhou has asked me to take over this project, so I''ll handle the future cooperation matters with the Shining Company." She looked at the shattered frame and said,"I''m very sorry. I had been waiting for quite a while. It got really boring so I decided to look around. I didn''t mean to¡­" Pa apologised beforehand. She thought that Charles would let this whole thing go away since there was a saying that one would never p a person if that person had made a prior apology with good manners. Yet contrary to her wishful thinking, David immediately walked over and said with a frown, before Charles could vent his anger,"Miss Pan, I asked you to wait here for a while. It''s not been a very long time. And who gave you the permission to rummage around the office of Mr. Lu?" The photo was developed and brought here by Mr. Lu this morning. He even put it at the most conspicuous ce on the office desk. Now David wanted to finish her given her blunder. "I didn''t mean to¡­" Pa looked at Charles with mournful eyes. But he still wore a cold face, and stared at David as he put away the photo and cleaned up the broken pieces of ss. David said to Charles,"Mr. Lu, I''ll get someone to send over a new frame as soon as possible." Charles gave no response. He didn''t even give Pa a second nce, and said to David directly,"You told me the Cloud Advertising Company has sent over someone, didn''t you?" "Yes¡­" David frowned. When Charles walked out of the meeting room, David didn''t know how to mention the subject of Autumn''s resignation to Charles. So he simply told him that the Cloud Advertising Company had sent someone over. Without further ado, Charles strode toward his office before David could tell him that Autumn had resigned. Chapter 41 There Is Nothing That Can Be Done Chapter 41 There Is Nothing That Can Be Done "Mr. Lu, do you want to ask why Ye didn''te here?" Pa hated Autumn, but she remained calm and said,"She has quit her job, so I''m in charge of her job from now on. Mr. Lu, we..." Charles was left confused when he learnt that Autumn had resigned. Despite that, he told Pa,"Go back and tell Mr. Zhou that I will only coborate with her. If she has quit her job, I think there is no reason to cooperate anymore." Charles entered the office, passed by Pa who stood in front him and sat at his office desk. He then became busy with some documents. Pa remained stunned for a long while. She didn''t expect Charles not to react at all. "Mr. Lu..." She frowned perplexedly. She took every means to sow dissension between Ryan and Autumn. Now she had finally forced Autumn to leave Cloud Advertising Company. But since Charles insisted on working with Autumn, she didn''t know how to exin this to Ryan. "Is there anything else?" asked Charles tly, while discontentedly ncing at Pa who stood nearby. Pa continued to hesitate. She tried every way to drive Autumn out of thepany and was just promoted to the nning Director position. So she didn''t want to fail in dealing with the first case in this position. "Mr. Lu, I know that it is Ye who gets in touch with you to deal with all the previous cases. But now she has quit her job. Mr. Zhou pays high attention to the cooperation with the Shining Company, so he asked me toe here to discuss the case with you. I promise that we will certainly..." "Miss Pan!" Charles didn''t want to talk with Pa anymore. He interrupted her before she finished her sentence and said,"I don''t think that a person, who messed up my stuff, will devote herself wholly to the job. You have to ask Ye toe here to talk to me, otherwise... I will cooperate with anotherpany." Although the time was bit tight, they would definitely be able to prepare everything on time. "Mr. Lu..." After she heard this, Pa felt very embarrassed. However, she didn''t want to give up hope. When she was about to speak again, somebody opened the office''s door. "Charles!" When the ss door opened, Pa looked towards the door. There was a beautifuldy standing there. She wore an off-the-shoulder dress showing off her thin cor bones. She wore delicate makeup and her long eyshes slightly trembled. She looked like a well-dressed doll. But she looked very angry. "David Fan!" When he saw thedy at the door, Charles got so angry that he called David''s full name. David embarrassedly stood behind thedy and said,"Mr. Lu, I couldn''t stop..." Charles knew that David was telling the truth, but now his office had be a ce where people could get in and out freely. "If this happens again next time, you have to go to the HR Department and ept punishment." "Yes..." David was very upset over it. "Miss Pan, is there anything else?" Charles looked at Pa and said,"I have made it clear. I have other things to deal with now. Please go back and tell Mr. Zhou what I just said." Pa saw how annoyed Charles was at this moment, so she had no other option than to leave. She couldn''t help but take a nce at thedy as she passed by her. Charles''s office door slowly closed. She heard thatdy say,"Brother-inw, Ie to yourpany to work as your secretary, but the staff of the HR Department asks me to..." ''Brother-inw? Is she Mrs. Lu''s sister?'' Pa pondered over it. After she came out of Charles''s office, she didn''t leave thepany, but instead waited for thatdy at the lobby on the ground floor. Thedy was Yvonne. Autumn agreed to put in a good word for her, so she went to Charles''spany in the morning for the job interview. Taking advantage of her identity, she took the Shining Company as her own family''spany. She also arrogantly talked to the staff of the HR Department and insisted on bing Charles''s secretary. Charles had already told the HR Department''s staff in advance that they had to interview her objectively and formally. She wanted to be Charles''s secretary, but she didn''t pass the English Test. At N?velDrama.Org content rights. furious to know that. She rushed to Charles''s office to ask for his help. "Charles, Those people in yourpany bullied me. They asked me to work as a clerk and do some odd chores." Yvonne''sints didn''t seem to end,"Except for the position of being your secretary, I won''t ept any other position. Please go and tell them to let me be your secretary." Yvonne grasped Charles''s sleeve and said,"You must help me this time. How dare they bully me this way? You better fire them right away." "Get your hands off me!" Charles pushed Yvonne''s hand away with disgust. He wondered why his wife was so nice, but her sister was just so unreasonable. "Charles, I..." Yvonne embarrassedly looked at her hand which he pushed back. She still said,"I know I''m not the best fit for this job and have some shorings. But please trust me, I will try my best to do my job well as long as I work as your secretary. My sister can only take care of you in daily life, and I can help and take care of you at work..." Yvonne blushed while saying these words. It was evident what she meant. Charles frowned at this. He wondered how she was so self-confident. "Are you that eager to be my secretary?" asked Charles. "Yes." Yvonne firmly nodded and told Charles,"Since the day I met you for the first time at our house, I have admired you. I think that I can learn a lot if I can be your secretary and work for you. Please let me work by your side." Charles sneered and said,"It is not an easy job to be my secretary. We won''t employ you just because of your good looks. Have you passed the English Test? Are you willing to go out and deal with things whenever I give you orders? Are you good at drinking?" "I..." Yvonne was stunned by Charles''s questions. She didn''t know how to answer him at that moment. "I don''t want to hire a person who is good for nothing. I can let you be a clerk in mypany, just for your sister''s sake. You will never get in the Shining Company if she doesn''t rmend you." Charles uttered these words heartlessly. Yvonne, who looked at Charles, almost cried. "Brother-inw, I..." "Shut up! From now on don''t call me ''brother-inw'' anymore." Charles interrupted Yvonne. He didn''t want to waste his time on such a tiresome woman. "If you want to work here, you cane to work from tomorrow. I will tell the HR Department not to give you too much work." Charles paused and said,"For your sister''s sake, I will arrange this work position for you. If you are unwilling to ept this job, you can go now." "Charles!" Yvonne was so angry that she began to stamp her feet. Since Charles had made up his mind, no matter what she said, he wasn''t going to change his mind. Chapter 42 Remind Mrs. Lu Chapter 42 Remind Mrs. Lu "You can go out now. Close the door when you leave." Charles didn''t ask Yvonne to make a decision immediately. Yvonne trembled with anger when she walked out of the office. Yvonne didn''t lose her senses. As angry as she was, she had the least intention to displease Charles. Yvonne was in a bad mood because Charles refused her requirement. As soon as she left the lift, she wanted to call Autumn and scold her. All of a sudden, a voice reached her ear,"Excuse me." Yvonne looked at the woman in front of her, and asked,"Who are you?" Soon she remembered that she was the same woman she had seen in Charles''s office a few minutes ago. "I''m Mr. Lu''s client." Pa cast a glimpse of Yvonne, and asked smilingly,"May I know your rtionship with Mr. Lu?" Hearing this, Yvonne suddenly became alert. She gave her a dissatisfied nce, and replied impatiently,"That''s none of your business." Although Pa didn''t like Yvonne, she still pretended to be warm. She exined with a smile on her face,"I bear you no ill will. When I left the Mr. Lu''s office, I heard you call him brother-inw. So you must be... Mrs. Lu''s sister, right?" Yvonne snorted with a coldugh,"Mrs. Lu." ''If I hadn''t made a mistake, today I would be Mrs. Lu.'' She thought to herself. "I am. Why have youe to me?" "How about we find a cafe and have a drink together? Then we can sit down and have a talk." Pa grabbed Yvonne by the hand warmly and suggested,"I know a cafe nearby and their dessert is delicious. Should we go there?" After hesitating for a while, Yvonne agreed. Pa took Yvonne to the cafe. She ordered two cups of coffee and two pieces of cake, and offered them to Yvonne. Pa said with a smile,"Try these. The dessert here is really yummy." Yvonne took a sip of the coffee. She hadn''t slept wellst night. She needed coffee to refresh herself. Yvonne asked coolly,"So what''s up?" She didn''t know why she agreed toe here with Pa. Perhaps... she thought that they two were greedy people. Both of their eyes were filled with greed. "Actually it''s nothing serious." Pa had met different kinds of people in all her life. She knew Yvonne''s intention of wanting to be together with Charles. Her greedy eyes said it all. ''It''s funny that a sister-in- Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "I brought us here to remind you that as you''re Mr. Lu'' sister-inw." Pa continued with a slight smile,"It''smon for a rich and handsome man like Mr. Lu to be surrounded by several beautiful women. But... Mr. Lu is a married man now. Even so, some shameless woman stilles to seduce him." "Although I haven''t met Mrs. Lu yet, I believe that she must be an amazing woman. Otherwise, Mr. Lu wouldn''t have been willing to marry her so easily. Recently, a woman in ourpany has tried all means to seduce Mr. Lu on the excuse of work. Now, Mr. Lu is obsessed with her. As we are women, I think that I should give you a hint today to help your sister. Please tell her to keep a close eye on her husband so as not to give some shameless woman any chance to steal her husband." "What? You mean someone is trying to seduce C... my brother-inw?" Upon hearing this, Yvonne''s expressions changed immediately. She asked furiously,"Who is that shameless woman?" "It''s hard for me to say. She is my colleague who is good-looking. As ourpany is working on a project with Shining Company, she always flirts with Mr. Lu when they work together. After I noticed it, I told it to my boss and he fired her. But..." Pa frowned and proceeded,"After she left thepany, I''m in charge of the project. Today I came here to discuss the project with Mr. Lu, but Mr. Lu told me that he would stop the cooperation with us if we didn''t get her back." Noticing Yvonne''s anger, Pa sighed and continued,"That''s why Ie to you today." Pa''s words aroused a great rage inside Yvonne. ''I have already had Autumn getting between me and Charles. But now there is this third woman. Now I have to handle two of them.'' Yvonne mused. "By the way, when you mention this matter, please speak good of me in front of Mrs. Lu, if possible. We are a smallpany and this project with Shining Company is very important to us. Now, Mr. Lu wants to cancel the contract, which puts me into a dilemma. I don''t even know how to talk about this to my boss. So, could you ask Mrs. Lu to persuade Mr. Lu to change his mind as I have provided her this information?" Pa said with a smile,"You have my word. I''ll repay your kindness once this problem is solved." Yvonne didn''t get pleased after hearing these words. She nodded slightly and said to Pa,"Okay, now that I know it, I''ll tell this to my sister. You just watch how I treat that bitch." Noticing Yvonne''s rage, Pa was satisfied. She smiled and said,"Thank you." She then took out a name card from her handbag and gave it to Yvonne. She proceeded,"It''s my name card. You can call me anytime if I can be of any help to you." After she took the name card, Yvonne was taken aback by great surprise. She didn''t care about Autumn''s life, but she knew where she worked. She gazed at Pa and asked in surprise,"Cloud Advertising Company? You work for Cloud Advertising Company, don''t you?" Pa stared nkly at Yvonne, and asked in confusion,"Yes, I do. Is anything wrong?" Yvonne calmed down, and then replied,"Nothing. By the way, can you tell me that woman''s name? "Of course." Pa smiled coldly and continued,"Her name is Autumn." Hearing this, Yvonne was shocked. It never urred to her that Autumn would be the woman who had fascinated Charles. She asked in amazement,"Autumn?" She clenched her hands, wanting to ask Autumn face to face for an answer now. Noticing Yvonne''s amazed expression, Pa frowned slightly and asked,"What''s wrong?" Yvonne held Pa''s name card tightly, and replied,"Nothing." She smiled coldly and proceeded,"I''ll go now. I''ll call you if I need your help." Pa stood up immediately and said,"Okay." She stood there, and saw Yvonne leave. A cold, sly smile appeared on her face. Meanwhile, Yvonne called Autumn immediately after she walked out of the cafe. She asked angrily,"Autumn, where are you now? You''d better be home now!" Autumn hadn''t returned home since she left Cloud Advertising Company. When she received the call from Yvonne, she was drinking coffee in a cafe alongside the street. Autumn was unwilling to go home. But thinking of her grandmother, she still took a taxi to to go back to the Gu family. Chapter 43 You Are Hopeless Chapter 43 You Are Hopeless Autumn went to the Gu''s vi with a box. As she entered the door, she saw Yvonne sitting on the couch in a huff. Putting down the box in her hands, she indifferently asked,"Why did you call me back?" "Oh, do you even know where your home is?" Yvonne sneered and said,"Autumn Ye, you have no shame at all!" "Shut up!" Autumn was a kind and sympathetic woman, but not a pushover. Her weak point was her granny. She always kept a straight face in front of Yvonne,"I didn''te back to invite any trouble. Anything else? If not, will you excuse me?" Autumn regretteding back now. "Damn you, just stop!" Yvonne stopped Autumn, ncing at the box beside her,"What happened? You were fired because you seduced your client, right?" Hearing Yvonne''s words, Autumn frowned slightly,"What nonsense!" "Yes, you did. How is it nonsense?" Yvonne sneered,"Autumn, listen! I am Charles'' wife. You''re just a substitution. If you dare seduce Charles, just wait and see how I''ll punish you!" "I don''t understand what you are talking about." Autumn said with a grim face. "Don''t y the fool in front of me. You know it very well. I heard of what you have done." Yvonne said with disdain,"Autumn, shame on you! Taking advantage of work, dare you seduce Charles. Because of you, Charles wants to cancel the cooperation with the Cloud Advertising Company. In addition, I..." Yvonne paused and continued to say,"I asked you to put in a good word for me with Charles to make me his secretary. But he made me the clerk. What will you get out of this?" Autumn didn''t expect that Charles had received the news of her resignation so soon and even cancelled all the dealings with the Cloud Advertising Company. She also didn''t expect that all of these news eventually reached Yvonne. She wrinkled her brows in disgust,"I don''t know who told you these things but I have no guilt at all." "Do you mean that You''re being wronged by your colleague?" Yvonne sniffed. "Colleague?" Autumn racked her brains, trying to figure out which one,"Do you mean Pa?" After thinking it over and over, Autumn concluded that it must be her. Because only Pa had visited the Shining Company and only she must have gotten the chance to meet Yvonne. "You don''t have to care who it is. Anyway, keep it in mind. If I find you trying to seduce Charles, I will kick your ass. Just wait and see!" Yvonne warned Autumn. Seeing Yvonne''s response, Autumn was now sure that Pa must have told her something. But she didn''t want to exin anything. Above all, she and Charles did have a rtionship. Now that she agreed to give Charles a chance, she was not afraid of Yvonne''s threats. "I am talking to you. Do you hear me?" Yvonne didn''t get any response from Autumn, so she raised her voice,"Do you think this thing will be over if you don''t speak? No! I won''t let you go!" "Yvonne, What happened?" While Yvonne was shouting, Wendy came back. As she entered the house, she saw the two fighting. She immediately chose to protect Yvonne,"What happened, Yvonne? Is she picking on you?" "Mom..." Seeing Wendy, Yvonne rushed to her right away. Her aggrieved expressions made Wendy think that she must have suffered great injustice. Wendy gently patted on Yvonne''s hands and criticized Autumn,"What is wrong with you? She is your sister!" "Sister?" Autumn mockingly smiled and stayed silent. "What the hell is going on here?" Wendy red at Autumn and turned around to ask Yvonne gently,"Tell me, I''ll help you." "Mom, I went to Charles''pany today." The more Yvonne thought about it, the angrier she grew. If Autumn didn''t seduce Charles, he wouldn''t have given her the cold shoulder. "How did it go? When do you go to work?" Wendy''s eyes lit up. "Fuck the work!" Yvonne said with furrowed brows,"Mom, you want me to be Charles''s secretary. But when I got there, he gave me the position of clerk. I''m not going!" "What the hell is this? Didn''t you talk to Charles about it?" Wendy suddenly cast a nce at Autumn,"Don''t you forget that your granny is still..." "Don''t threaten me over my granny!" Autumn was fueled,"Wendy, I have done whatever you asked me to do. If she wants to be Charles''s secretary, she must speak English fluently. Can she do it? Although she spent two years abroad, she always killed time in the bar. You can count on your fingers the number ofplete English sentences she can speak. Charles doesn''t want a useless secretary. What can I do in this?" Autumn said ironically,"I don''t have the ability to ask Charles to listen to me. If I have, I will definitely ask him to deal with the Gu n." "Autumn Ye, you dare talk nonsense here. I''ll tear you apart!" Yvonne was infuriated. She never treated Autumn as her sister. "Stop!" Wendy hurriedly pulled Yvonne''s arms. Looking at the hatred in Autumn''s eyes, Wendy felt a bit guilty. At this crucial point, she couldn''t force Autumn much. "My girl,ining is the evil here. Why do you do that?" Wendy pretended to scold her slightly, attempting tofort Autumn,"Above all, Yvonne is your sister. You should try your best to help her, shouldn''t you?" "She is hopeless. Why are you ming me?" Autumn said indifferently. Her words infuriated Yvonne even more. "Autumn Ye, did you just say that I am hopeless? Oh, how grateful of you! You can y with Charles like a fiddle. Because of you, he even wants to cancel the cooperation with the Cloud Advertising Company. How do you even dare say that you didn''t ce obstacles in my job interview?" Yvonne scolded her. "Of course I do." Autumn said. Wendy was also fed up with them constantly arguing,"Enough! Can you both just stop here?" Wendy walked up to Yvonne and said,"You go upstairs first. I want to talk to your sister about something." "Mom, what do you want to talk to her about?" Yvonne was reluctant to go. "You shut up!" Wendy''s harsh tone surprised Yvonne. She finally went upstairs. Wendy turned around and said,"Take a seat. Let''s have a talk." Actually, Autumn knew what Wendy had to say. Although she didn''t want to stay here, thinking about her granny, she sat down on the couch,"I''ve got things to doter. Please make this quick." "You can count on it. I won''t keep you for long." Wendy poured a cup of water for Autumn and said,"Did you speak for Yvonne in front of Charles?" "As I promised you, I would definitely did that. But Yvonne doesn''t have the ability. This is not my fault." Autumn replied. Wendy stared at Autumn but couldn''t find any trace of guilt on her face. She nodded slightly,"Okay. I trust you. But... there is still one thing that I want to remind you of." Yvonne''s anxiety was understandable. Charles was handsome and rich. ording to Wendy''s Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. observation, he was the man who deserved to spend the rest of her life with. Autumn got along with him very well. If they fell in love with each other, things would just go wrong. Chapter 44 The Truth Chapter 44 The Truth Autumn stared at Wendy in confusion. Wendy fixed her eyes upon Autumn and sternly stated,"Although you are Charles''s wife now, remember, you are the substitute of Yvonne and a fake. You should have a clear estimation of yourself. Don''t you dream of something you don''t deserve." Wendyughed scornfully and continued,"You and Charles are from different strata. You must always keep that in mind, Charles is your brother-inw. You should help Yvonne to win his love. Do you understand?" Wendy''s warning agitated Autumn. Before she married Charles, she loathed him. But the longer she stayed with him, the better she knew him. He was not the kind of yboy as the media described him. She tried so hard not to fall in love with him, but the more she tried to stay away, she found herself more attracted to him. Autumn didn''t respond. Wendy keenly perceived Autumn''s unusual behavior and asked,"Are you... in love with him?" "No!" Autumn immediately denied, but dodged Wendy''s eyes with guilty haste,"How can I fall in love with him?" "Well, you better not." Wendy sneered,"Remember what you said today. If I catch you lying to me, you would be really sorry." Autumn finally calmed down. She stared at Wendy and asked coldly,"I''ve done what you asked me to do. Now, when can I meet my grandma?" "What''s the hurry?" Wendy picked up the teacup on the table and looked away. "I''ll let you meet your grandma after Yvonne marries Charles." "You..." Autumn suddenly stood up and questioned Wendy,"Wendy Ye, what the hell do you mean by that? You said I can meet my grandma after I did that. What have you done to her?" "What can I possibly do to her?" Wendy answered indifferently,"She is in a stable condition in hospital. If you want to meet your grandma, help Yvonne get close to Charles. That''s what you should really be doing." "Wendy Ye, don''t take this too far." Autumn''s voice shook with anxiety. She had been worrying about her grandma for a long time now. If it were not for her grandma, she would have never married Charles. But she was still unable to meet her grandma now. "I haven''t seen grandma in a long time. Mother, I beg you, please let me meet her. As long as I know that she is fine, I''ll do anything you want me to do..." The hard look on Autumn''s face before was only a mask. Grandma was her weakest point. She earnestly begged Wendy with tears in her eyes. Nobody knew how difficult it was for her to call Wendy "mother." "I''m also your daughter. You never treated me like a daughter, and I''m still fine with that. But you can''t take my grandma away from me. She is my only family." Autumn''s cries were heartbreaking. However, Wendy looked nonchntly at Autumn. Autumn was her daughter, but she hated Autumn''s face as it looked like her ex-husband. She irritably shook off Autumn''s hands and scolded,"Stop making that noise. Your grandma is not dead. Leave that for her funeral". Wendy stood up and demanded,"Do what I said. After Yvonne marries Charles, I''ll give you a certain sum of money. You must leave Y City with your grandma and be out of my sight forever. Understand?"Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Autumn also stood straight. Other daughters could cry in front of their mothers as mothers were the powerful backing and peaceful haven. But Autumn had no right to cry as crying would solve no problem. How naive of her to believe that Wendy would take pity on her! Autumn stopped herself from crying more. The moment she stood up, Wendy showed her the door,"Well, I''ve said all there is to be said about it. Leave, don''t stand in my way." Before Autumn left, Wendy added,"Remember, do not expose your identity until the right time, understand? " Autumn gave a bitter smile. She lifelessly walked out of Gu family, holding the box that she had packed from thepany. The world is such a huge ce, but she had nowhere to go. Autumn and her grandma used to live in a small house that she inherited from her father. In order to pay her grandma''s medical bills, she sold the house without telling her grandma and rented one. But now... she had nothing left. Autumn wandered aimlessly around the streets with the box. Her cell phone was on silent mode. She didn''t know Charles had called her numerous times. Hearing the busy tone, Charles was annoyed. He threw the phone across the desk. Charles had been worrying for Autumn since he knew that she resigned. He had called her many times, but she didn''t answer. He was painfully anxious about her. "David! " Charles shouted. "Mr. Lu, what can I do for you?" David answered, standing at the office door. Charles had been in a bad mood since he knew about Autumn''s resignation. David was afraid Charles might vent out his anger on him. "I asked you to keep a check on Yvonne. Any results?" Charles felt his wife held many secrets. She was sometimes very strong, and sometimes in low spirits. He was dying to know what had happened to her. Only by knowing her he can get close to her. Although it was disgraceful for him to have her investigated, he was left with no other choice. "The private detective called me this morning, but I was busy at that moment and missed the call. Should I call him back now?" Seeing Charles''s furious expression, David immediately corrected himself,"I''m calling him right now." Before long, David went back with the detective. "Mr. Lu, Mr. Zhang has been waiting downstairs for a while. So, I brought him here." David exined. "You leave us alone." Charles signaled David. After David carefully closed the office door, Charles opened his mouth,"Mr. Zhang, so tell me, what did you find?" "Mr. Lu, as you expected, your wife is not Yvonne Gu." Mr. Zhang took out a document bag from his briefcase and handed it over to Charles. "I have an introduction of your wife. Please have a look." Charles took over the bag and took out a document. He attentively read every single word of the document. His wife was not Yvonne Gu, but Autumn Ye. Autumn Ye had been brought up by her grandma. She had been epted by a well-known foreign university for an excellent academic performance. However, she had chosen a local university because no one would take care of her grandma if she went abroad. She had gotten through university relying on schrships. She had joined Cloud Advertising Company after graduation. She had been promoted to the current position from a nner Assistant. Charles looked at a smiling photo of Autumn with a frown. "She is not Yvonne Gu. Then why did she marry me?" Charles was inquisitive about what had happened to Autumn. "That''s what I was going to talk about next." Mr. Zhang took another document from the briefcase. "Have a look at this one. ording to my investigation, Yvonne Gu had eloped with a man called Joe Zeng a few days before the wedding. Joe Zeng is a male prostitute, working at a bar. He disappeared a few days ago, and reappeared these days. He seems to have made a fortune as he spends money like water at the bars. I spent some money and bribed him. He told me something you should know." Chapter 45 I Can Afford You Chapter 45 I Can Afford You "Yvonne eloped with Joe, and after a while, the two came back. Yvonne has now asked to break up with Joe, but Joe wasn''t in favor of same. After he ckmailed her for arge sum of money, he agreed to leave her alone." Mr. Zhang drank some water, and then proceeded further,"Joe told us that Wendy didn''t stop her when Yvonne decided to elope from home in order to escape marrying you. After she left, Wendy threatened Autumn to marry you. She ckmailed Autumn with her grandmother. But as for her grandmother''s whereabouts... Mr. Lu, I need some more time to investigate." Mr. Zhang gave Charles a momentary nce, and then continued,"Mr. Lu, now Autumn''s photo is in your hand. As for the real Yvonne... the Gu family must have destroyed all her photos, so I didn''t get any photo of her." Charlesughed coldly, and said,"You don''t have to investigate about the real Yvonne." ''The real Yvonne... must be the one bearing Autumn''s name. Now, all my doubts have been erased. I finally understand why she always looked unhappy. She probably.. was worried about her grandma all this while.'' Charles pondered. Noticing Charles'' concerned expression, Mr. Zhang continued,"What else do you want me to investigate?" "Nothing more for now," Charles replied. Charles put these papers away, and said to Mr. Zhang seriously,"Get your pay from David and you can leave. By the way, I don''t want others to know about this." "I assure you that I will keep it to myself. It''s my duty." Mr. Zhang stood up and said,"Mr. Lu, I have to leave now. Please give me a call if you need my help any further." Charles nodded and said,"Okay, I will." After Mr. Zhang left, Charles called Autumn again and she answered the phone this time. "Hello..." Hearing her voice on the phone, Charles felt relieved. He asked in a serious tone,"Where are you right now? I called you many times. Why didn''t you answer the phone?" "I..." Autumn had nned to lie to him that she was in the office. Although she was fired, she didn''t want to bother him with it. Then she gave up on that thought. She guessed that Charles already knew about her leaving the job which is why he cancelled the cooperation with Cloud Advising Company. "I''m on the street," she continued. She carried her baggage and walked aimlessly on the streets. She didn''t know where to go. "Tell me the exact ce, and I''lle and pick you up." Charles said,"Send me the address right away and I''lle now." Charles received Autumn''s message immediately after he hung up the phone. Knowing where she was, he drove his car immediately. When he reached there, he found Autumn sitting on a bench by the roadside. She sat there alone, and had a lot of baggage with her. She looked lonely and sad. Charles pulled over, and then walked up to Autumn. As Autumn sat there with her head bowed down, she saw his shining leather shoes and slim long legs. Then she raised her head and caught the sight of Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Charles'' angry face. She managed a smile and greeted,"Charles." Though he was angry, he didn''t lose his temper at the sight of her. He knew she was sad but still smiled at him. "What are you doing here?" he asked. Noticing that her eyes were red, Charles knew that she must have cried a lot. He said in a soft tone,"Come, let''s go home." Charles held her hand and put her baggage in the car. Autumn didn''t say a word. After they got in the car, Charles fastened her safety belt. She was silent all the way. Charles took her to Dream Garden. Chris and Gary were surprised when they saw Autumn and Charles. Curious as they were, they didn''t ask them questions when they cast a glimpse of Autumn''s baggage. Charles took her upstairs. Charles grabbed her hand and ced her on the swing in the balcony. He asked,"Don''t you have anything to say to me?" Autumn whispered,"You might already know everything." Charles said calmly,"But I want to hear it from you." Autumn lowered her head. After hesitating for a while, she said,"I quit my job." "It''s okay. I can afford you." Hearing this, Autumn couldn''t resist her grievance and burst into tears. When Charles saw her crying, he knew she wanted to beforted. Then, he sat beside her, and held her to his breast. He calmly said,"Why are you crying? It''s not a big deal. I''m a CEO and I can afford you very well." Upon hearing this, Autumn smiled through tears and said,"You''re being over confident now." "I''m telling you the truth." Charles said confidently,"Don''t worry. I could afford you even if you didn''t work a day in the future." After she heard Charles'' words, Autumn felt much better. All the grievance she had suffered from Wendy disappeared suddenly. She calmed down. After pausing for a while, she asked Charles,"Don''t you want to know the reason why I quit my job?" Charles replied coolly,"It''s your decision. Ye.. Yvonne, I''ll support you no matter what decisions you make. As for job... you can join Shining Company if you want." "I have no such intentions," Autumn said, shaking her head,"I will take a break for a couple of days, and then look for work myself." Charles frowned and asked,"Why do you push yourself so hard?" ''With my help, she could easily get a job. Why did she refuse my help?'' He wondered. "Pushing myself too hard? I don''t think so," she said, shaking her head. Autumn had already been ustomed to living on her own. She continued,"Perhaps I''ve gotten used to it." "But now you have me. You can share some of your burden with me." Although she was touched by Charles'' words, she still said No with a smile. ''This happiness doesn''t belong to me. Let me be selfish for a while, just for a few minutes. I have to return him to Yvonne one day.'' She reflected. Seeing Autumn in his arms, he wanted to ask her about her true identity but he resisted. ''She will tell me herself some day. Be slow. Take it easy.'' He thought to himself. When Charles realised that Autumn was now calm, he asked,"You went to your home today, right?" Hearing this, Autumn suddenly raised her head. She panicked and asked,"How do you know?" ''How does he know about it? Did he find something?'' She wondered. "The ce I picked you up is close to your home. When I saw you sitting on the bench, your eyes were red. Did they bully you?" Charles wrinkled his brows, and said,"This morning, I told... her that I can''t hire her as my secretary. I want apetent secretary and not just someone with a beautiful face." "I understand," she smiled and said,"Don''t worry about me. They didn''t bully me." "Charles." After a hesitation, she proceeded,"Actually you don''t have to cancel your cooperation with Cloud Advertising Company. I proposed this case, and you liked it. As for the implementation, Pa can do it well..." Charles shook his head and said,"I never wanted to cooperate with Cloud Advertising Company. I gave them a chance only because you worked with them. I don''t care who will be handling this case now, but the woman Cloud Advertising Company sent... I don''t like her at all." Charles calmly said,"Don''t worry about it. I know what to do. Don''t bother yourself." Hearing his words, Autumn didn''t say anything further. She stayed in Charles'' arms silently, enjoying this pleasant and peaceful moment that she had stolen for herself. Later, Chris asked them toe downstairs and have dinner. Learning that Autumn had lost her job, sheforted her and said that Charles could afford her anyway and she has nothing to worry. Hearing this, Autumn grinned and said,"How do you both say the exact same words? Your brother already said this to me before." Chrisughed and said,"Becasue we are a family." Being around such loving family members drove away all her sadness. Theirfort and encouragement did cheer her up. ''I just lost a job. It''s not a big deal.'' Autumn thought to herself. While having dinner, Charles received a call from Yvonne. Having known her real identity, Charles became more sick of her. Yvonne told him that she woulde to thepany tomorrow in a soft tone over the phone. Charles just coldly said that he knows about it and then hung up the phone. Autumn heard their conversation. ''Perhaps Wendy managed to persuade her to work.'' She reflected. She lowered her head and ate without saying a word. Chapter 46 Autumns Back in the Office Chapter 46 Autumn''s Back in the Office The next morning, Charles got up silently to avoid waking up Autumn. After getting dressed, he went to work. As Autumn didn''t have to go to work today, he let her sleep a little longer. Soon, Autumn got a call from the HR Department. The call woke her up. When she went downstairs, she saw Gary watering the flowers alone in the garden. She cried out dly,"Grandpa." Hearing her passionate greeting, Gary said,"Why did you not sleep a little longer?'''' Autumn replied,"I got a call from the office. I have to go to thepany to finish some procedures of resignation." Gary frowned and said,"Chris can give you a ride as she is also going outside." ''Every time Autumn went out, she had to take a subway. It''s not very convenient. I must talk to Charles about this next time.'' Gary thought to himself. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Autumn declined immediately,"I''d rather not give her any trouble, grandpa." Hearing their conversation, Chris came and said,"That''s fine.". Chris took her by the arm, and said,"Let''s go. I''ll take you to the office." While they walked out of the house, Gary asked Autumn to get things done quickly so she coulde home early. After she got in the car, Autumn told Chris the address of her office. Thinking of Gary''s words, she asked curiously,"Where are you going today?" "Few days ago, I got an offer from a hotel. Today, I will go there for an interview." Chris said smilingly,"I learnt hotel management at college. I think that hotel is perfect for me, so I n to work there if I pass the interview." "Why didn''t you ask your brother to get you a job?" In Autumn''s eyes, Chris had been a protected child ever since her childhood. She was a spoilt princess. Autumn never imagined that Chris would find a job on her own. "I can''t always rely on my brother." Chris tried to smile and said,"It''s not easy for him to run such a big support myself without my brother''s help." Hearing this, Autumn began admiring Chris. She thought the two of them were very alike. Chris drove the car to the Cloud Advertising Company and said,"Autumn, I can wait for you here." Autumn slightly shook her head and said,"Don''t you have an interview? Go there now. I don''t know when things will finish here. I''ll take the subwayter." "Alright." Chris nodded slightly, and said,"Then I''ll go now. Take care of yourself on your way back home." Autumn didn''t go upstairs until Chris left. When she entered the office, Le walked up to her and said,"Ye, you are finally here." Autumn nced at Le''s face, and asked in confusion,"What''s going on?" She was surprised by Le''s excessive enthusiasm. "This time Pa pissed off our boss." Le grabbed her arm, and they walked to a quiet corner. She said,"Pa went to Shining Company after you left yesterday. I heard that things didn''t go well and Mr. Lu from Shining Company made it clear that he wouldn''t cooperate with ourpany without you." Le looked around cautiously and continued,"Ye, after Pa told this to Mr. Zhou, he was shocked. Today Mr. Zhou himself went to the Shining Company to solve this problem, but he didn''t even get to meet Mr. Lu. Oning back to the office, he scolded Pa and asked her to get you back immediately. Today the call from HR Department that you received was her n to get you back in office." After pausing for a moment, Le continued,"Mr. Zhou said that if she cannot solve this, she will have to quit her position as nning director. Now she has be aughingstock in thepany. She became nning director yesterday but now she will get demoted soon." Autumn frowned in disdain. When Pa got promoted to nning director yesterday, they all tried to please her. But in just one day, their attitude towards her changed.'' She mused. Autumn didn''t make anyment on it, but said,"Well, I see." She added,"It''s work hours, go get back to your work." ''It''s impossible toe here without meeting apanion. Besides, I have to go to the HR Department to get my money.'' She thought. "Ye." After hesitating for a while, Le took Autumn by her arm and asked,"What''s going on between you and Mr. Lu? Why did he do this for you? Do you really..." Autumn stopped her immediately and said,"What are you thinking?" She frowned slightly and proceeded,"Perhaps Mr. Lu made this decision because he was worried that she would screw it up. After all, Pa didn''t participate in this case. Don''t talk nonsense. Mr. Lu and I are clean. Don''t spread this rumour." Hearing this, Le became a bit displeased. She replied in embarrassment,"I won''t spread the rumour." Then, Autumn went to the HR Department directly. She found the ountant and said,"Mr. Li, I''m here to receive my bonus and sry." The bonus in the past few years added up to a huge sum of money. In her eyes, she deserved the money for she had worked hard all these years. At the sight of Autumn, Mr. Li treated her nicely. He asked her to sit down patiently and said,"Ye, you are finally here. Please be seated. I have some matters to deal with, please wait for a moment." "It''s fine. Take your time," Autumn said. She took a seat, and then Mr. Li brought her a cup of tea. A few minutester, the door was opened. Pa came in and walked to Autumn. When they looked at each other in the eye, a bit of embarrassment and anger shed through Pa''s eyes. Pa stood in front of Autumn and said,"Mr. Zhou wants to meet you in his office." "For what?" Autumn didn''t raise her head, but kept drinking the tea. She said,"I have nothing to do with thispany since I was fired. I have no reason to meet Mr. Zhou. Besides, I got nothing to talk with him. " Upon hearing this, Pa got more angry. Her face turned red. She stammered,"You..." ''She is right. Since she isn''t an employee of thepany anymore, she didn''t have to listen to Mr. Zhou.'' Pa thought to herself. Pa overcame her anger. ''It''s a bad idea to piss Ye off at this moment. I can''t be theughingstock in thepany. I should try and convince her instead.'' She told herself. "Autumn, I''m sure that you have already known why I am here. You''ve worked for thispany for years. Now ourpany is in trouble, you''re supposed to offer a helping hand even though you left this office. We have beenpanions for years. Can you do me this favour ande see him?" "Do you a favor?" Autumnughed coldly and said,"Did you treat me as yourpanion when you framed me in all this?" Pa looked perturbed and replied,"I didn''t." ''Did she find out what happened yesterday? How is it possible? If Mrs. Lu knows Ye flirts with her husband, she wouldn''t let it go so easily.'' She wondered. "Come on." Autumn said with a grim face,"You''re right that we arepanions for years. That''s why I know what type of a person you are. Don''t you remember what you said to me at the exit gate yesterday? Now you''re desperate, so youe to me for help." "Don''t you hate me the most here? So whye to me for help?" Chapter 47 She Wouldnt Come Back Chapter 47 She Wouldn''t Come Back On hearing what Autumn said, Pa tried hard to suppress her impulse to smash her face into pieces. But she had to hold it back, even though Autumn''s words had pissed her off. "What do you want me to do in exchange for your help?" Pa asked Autumn. Autumn didn''t say anything. To be honest, she was determined to ignore whatever happened to Cloud now. After all, even if she did a great job, she could still get nothing out if it. Why bother then? "Ye, I''m sorry for what I''ve done to you in the past. I would like to extend my apologies to you. I really have no idea how to deal with the problem now. Please help us out." Pa was rarely courteous to her. ountant Li also tried to persuade Autumn. "Ye, you are a generous girl, please ept Pa''s apologies. You are colleagues. You''ve fought together. Moreover, Mr. Zhou has always treated you well. You should lend a hand." Pa had done ountant Li a favor before, so it was reasonable for him to say a word or two for Pa. But Autumn felt disgusted. A famous talk show host once said,"I hate it that some people persuade others to be generous, even though they don''t know the whole story. Keep away from such hypocrites. Be careful not to get hurt when they are being struck by lightning." To be honest, you don''t have to listen to them or try to be generous at all. These hypocrites only think of themselves to be good. And if we let go of these despicable ones, who the hypocrites thought to be innocent, we would be indulging immoral behaviors. "What if I refuse to help?" Autumn sneered. Then Ryan interrupted from outside. He had been waiting in his office. But he couldn''t wait any longer since Autumn didn''te to his office. So he came here. In order to save the big client, he was ready to do anything. Compared to the opportunies Shining could give Cloud in the future, his self-esteem was nothing at all. "Are you so cold-hearted?" Ryan asked, staring at her. Pa rushed to him the moment she saw him. "Mr. Zhou, you just heard it all. No matter how hard I tried to convince her, she just didn''t seem to budge. I..." "Cut the crap!" Ryan shouted at her. "If you hadn''t sown discord between us, things wouldn''t have ended like this..." "I..." Pa cast an awkward nce at Ryan. She didn''t expect the predicament too. "Mr. Zhou." Autumn stood in front of him, with sheer elegance and peace. "Ye, we have been great partners all these years. I have always trusted you. We both didn''t know this would happen. Now ourpany is in trouble, so I think... I''d better have you as my nning director. I will double your previous sry. Please help me?" Ryan begged Autumn. Though this project was not very profitable anymore, Cloud made a huge profile owing to it. There could be more and more orders. But if they lost this project, then it might get hard to run the business. Who would be willing to cooperate with apany that Shining disliked? "No! Mr. Zhou!" Pa got upset. She couldn''t give up the position she had long been dreaming of. "I have just been promoted to the nning director. How can you..." "Shut your damn mouth up!" Ryan sneered. "Pa, you really brought a lot of harm to me. I am telling you, if the problem with Shining is left unsolved, then you are fired!" Autumn frowned. She now clearly understood what type of person Ryan was. She resigned not just because of Pa. The most important reason for her resignation was that Ryan didn''t trust her. "Mr. Zhou." Autumn threw a cold glimpse at him. "What is between us has nothing to do with Pa. I don''t care about the promotion. Now that I have made up my mind to leave Cloud, I won''te back again." "Why?" Ryan''s mind went nk for a while. He thought he could convince her easily but perhaps he was mistaken. He hastily begged her. "If it is because of Pa, I will fire her right away. I only want you back." "Mr. Zhou, I think you don''t understand why I chose to leave." Autumn shook her head in resignation. She was more determined to leave now. "You indeed treated me well when I first came here. I cannot deny you were a wonderful mentor. You taught me everything in person. That''s the reason why I reached where I am. I am, therefore, grateful to Cloud. I leave here because I have to. And now it is my time to leave." "Over these years, manypanies tried to poach me. I refused all the invitations for the sake of your kindness and your trust on me." Autumn stopped for a while. Then she continued. "But recently, you''ve changed. Your only aim is to pursue more and more profit, just like those greedy bosses. And you don''t trust me like you did before." "This project is thest straw. I''ve had just enough of this. So, I want to leave now." "You liar! You are leaving because of Charles, aren''t you!" Ryan sneered. "Ye, you say I''ve changed. But look at you. Didn''t you change? Can you dare to swear that your rtionship with Charles is as pure as crystal?" She couldn''t. She remained silent for a while. Then she spoke,"Mr. Zhou, it''s my private life. I think it has nothing to do with my job, so... I guess I don''t have to tell you about it." "Huh..." Ryan gave out aguhter. "You dare not say it, don''t you?" "Ye, you make me sick." Ryan shouted at her. He was furious because Autumn refused to tell him the truth. Autumn frowned slightly. She wanted to stop the quarrel about these trivial things. "Mr. Zhou, I came here to get my sry. As for the project, I will talk to Mr. Lu. But I am not sure whether I can persuade him. Anyway, I have done my work." After finishing her words, she turned to ountant Li. "Please transfer my sry to me as soon as possible. I have something urgent to do. So, I''m leaving." "I..." ountant Li peeked at Ryan. Though he was unhappy about her resignation, he didn''t stop her. She then answered. "Okay. I will elerate the process." "That''ll be fine." Autumn nodded. "I should get going now." Since her rtionship with Ryan Zhou had reached a deadlock, she had nothing to do with Cloud now. But she would still pursuade Charels to give Cloud a new chance so as to extend her gratitude to the "Autumn Ye!" "You''ll regret! I swear I will make you regret!" Ryan shouted at her when she reached the door. She hurried to leave. Le followed hastily. "Ye, don''t you want to give it a second thought?" "No need. I''ve made up my mind." Autumn put on a smile. She felt a sudden relief. "I have been working hard all these years. It''s time for me to take a break. I would like to go traveling for a couple of days. I''ll think about the next step when Ie back home." "I would miss you if you are not here." Le held her arm intimately. "What if...I quit the job and leave with you?" "Are you insane?" Autumn gazed at Le surprisingly. She had no idea why she came up with such a stupid idea. "You did a great job here. Why do you want to resign?" Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "Since you are leaving. I see no point in working here." Le said seriously. "Ye, you are my best friend in thispany. I am sure, with your talent, you will find a new job very soon. When you find a good job, you can take me with you." Autumn felt Le was acting strange, so she couldn''t help but guess what her true intention was. But, looking at her enthusiastic and passionate face, she didn''t have the heart to refuse her. Chapter 48 Get Framed Chapter 48 Get Framed Autumn pondered for quite a while before dissuading Le,"Don''t be impulsive. You are still young, you should stay here and work hard. Better jobs await you when you have gained enough work experience. Leaving with me now¡­ is definitely not a good idea." She got rid of Le''s grasp and said,"I''ve got to go now." "Ye, Ye¡­" Yet no matter how hard Le cried, Autumn left without looking back. She had no idea though, that her declining Le today happened to create an opportunity for Pa to fight her back in the future. After Autumn left, Ryan was fuming with anger. But Pa still tried knocking on his door. He responded with a storm of scolding,"Buzz off! Don''t bother me!" "Mr. Zhou!" Pa clenched her teeth and pushed the office door open. "I said go away. Are you deaf or what?" Ryan said with a grim-face. Other people could be scared away, but Pa decided to bite the bullet and enter. "Mr. Zhou, I know you are upset. I am here to make amends." Pa said without batting an eye. "Make amends?" Ryan smirked. "You seriously are something, Pa! My rtionship with Autumn went sour, and I have to face all the mess here! Don''t you think it is all because of you?" "If that is the case, dismissing me won''t help the situation, will it?" Pa sneered,"Don''t you¡­ ever think of revenge?" "What exactly do you want to say ?" Ryan frowned. Having seen how Ryan shouted at Autumn about making her regret everything, Pa knew that he would not let go of Autumn easily. She went up and said in his ear,"Mr. Zhou, how about¡­" After hearing Pa''s words, Ryan calmed down a bit, but his face was still darkened. "Are you sure of that?" Ryan asked with a cold face. Pa nodded lightly,"Trust me with it, I will definitely drive her out of the advertising industry forever." "Good." Ryan nodded and blinked,"But mark my words, if you screw it up again, I won''t let you get away with it. You''ve been warned!" "Please be assured. I won''t let you down." Pa answered, withposure. She swore to take revenge for all her past humiliations and today''s disgrace. Not knowing what they were nning, Autumn went to the shopping centre by the subway. She had been busy with her work and seldom went out shopping. What''s more, Gary had been back for quite a long time, she felt like buying him some gifts. However, she wasn''t expecting to run into Yvonne and Wendy there. She was trying on some clothes at a women''s clothing shop when this unpleasant coincidence happened. Dresses there were too short for her, it took her quite a while to check them out but she miserably failed to pick one that satisfied her. Although the salesgirl kept ttering her about how beautiful she looked in those dresses, she decided not to buy anything. "How annoying! Tried so many dresses, without buying even a single one of them, what a waste of my time!" Autumn overheard the salesgirlining outside the fitting room. She couldn''t help but frown. ''What a big mistake for the boss to hire a salesgirl like her.'' Autumn thought. to herself. Having changed her clothes back, Autumn walked out of the fitting room and passed on the brand-new dress to the salesgirl. She pretended not to have heard herin. Anyway... she decided not to After marrying a rich man like Charles, there was no shortage of expensive clothes in her wardrobe. But she still preferred her off-the-rack clothes that she bought before marriage. She never expected to be looked down upon by this salesgirl. She didn''t really care about it at first, but things went bad. The girl took the dress over from her by pulling it. She pulled it very roughly that the dress got torn. "What have you done?" The girl responded quickly and shouted at Autumn with an intention to shift the me to her. She knew clearly that this dress was worth a month''s sry for her, so a scapegoat was needed. "It''s OK that you didn''t want to buy it, but you don''t have to tear it up. Pay for it or you are not leaving the shop today." "I..." Autumn was about to dere her innocence when she heard Yvonne''s scornfulugh,"Oh God, isn''t it my dear sister? What happened? You tore the dress? Mind if I pay for you?" Autumn nced at Yvonne and saw that Wendy was with her. Wendy looked back at her, as if... looking at a stranger. Autumn''s heart sank. She looked away without a word. Yvonne wanted to insult Autumn so she went on to aggravate the situation. "Sister, given your economic condition, why did you try such an expensive dress? It must be worth a month of your sry. If you didn''t n to buy it, why bother trying it on? Now you''ve torn it, you are making things difficult for the girl." "Shut up!" Autumn snapped at her and turned to the salesgirl,"Miss, I believe like others, your shop also gives customer''s convenience a top priority. I did try on this dress, but realised that it didn''t suit me. Haven''t I got the right to decide whether I should buy something or not?" "Of course you do." Said the salesgirl with a sh of contempt in her eyes. After hearing Yvonne''s words, she thought of Autumn as a pushover. "Of course we will not force you to buy it, but you have to pay the full price for damaging it." "I would have paid for it if it was my fault. But the problem is, YOU were the one who tore it. Don''t try to frame me, I believe you have cameras in your shop." Autumn''s words threw the salesgirl into panic. She didn''t expect Autumn to be calm enough to handle the situation. In contrast to her belief, Autumn stood there with quiet dignity. She showed her anger without any infuriation. "How about this, call your manager, and we will figure it out together. I will pay the money if Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. it is really my fault." "You¡­" Clutching the dress tightly, the salesgirl''s knuckles turned white, which gave away her guilty conscience. But she continued to fight back in fear of shouldering the responsibility. "Don''t think you can get out of this. The dress was wless before I gave it to you, yet ended up with a hole after you tried it on. Calling the manager won''t change this fact. If you can''t afford it, you shouldn''t have touched it!" Yvonne took a great pleasure in watching this conflict. She was to work in the Shining Company next week. She would then get plenty of opportunities to get along with Charles. Both she and Wendy wanted to make sure she looked her best in front of Charles. They had just entered the shopping centre when they came across this catfight. "She''s right. You shouldn''t have tried it on when you know that you can''t afford it. What a trouble now that you''ve torn it. You better pay the price. Don''t make it too hard for that poor girl. She''s been having a rough time. I can lend you some money if you need. Just pay me back when you have surplus." She said in a voice dripping with sarcasm. On hearing this, the salesgirl looked at Yvonne with grateful eyes. Autumn remained silent, but her face was fuming with anger. Yvonne pretended to be helping her out, but it was obvious that she only wanted to embarrass her. As the number of onlookers increased, the salesgirl became blurted with arrogance. "Hurry up, or you will be sorry." She red at Autumn and demanded. The conversation got ugly, and the crowd began persuading Autumn. "Just pay for it. Don''t take advantage of that poor girl. It is a big amount of money for her anyway." Some said. "Have a heart." others echoed. People around all took the salesgirl''s side. Autumn could only squeeze out a bitter smile. Even Wendy, being her own mother, did not defend her. How could she expect the strangers to stand up for her? She took a deep breath and decided to speak for herself, when a steady voice of a man came from behind. "Is there any evidence to prove she is guilty?" Chapter 49 Fight in the Shop Chapter 49 Fight in the Shop The man said those words tly, but his voice was familiar to Autumn. Autumn was surprised and stood still with a straight back. She didn''t even dare turn her head around to look at him. Yvonne and the salesgirl turned their heads to see who the man was. Wendy also did the same and when she saw him, she was surprised first and then sneered. The man, with dark skin, wore a set of ETRO business suit. He looked like a well-dressed gentleman. He had a pair of bright piercing eyes and a calm expression glimmered in them. He also had a handsome, straight face, which made him look more aggressive. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Yvonne became jealous of Autumn again. She wondered how Autumn was so lucky to be helped by others whenever she got into trouble. "Who are you?" Yvonne asked the man discontentedly. She believed that Autumn must be a bad woman who always hooked up with other men. Otherwise, there wouldn''t be so many men who were willing to try their best to help her. "The evidence is here. And all of us present here are the witnesses." Yvonne got the people around involved in this matter and they all began to echo her words. "Right. We saw that thisdy tore the dress." People always did things like these. They never saw things happening, but insisted on saying that they saw what happened. Perhaps this was why the false rumours or messages were so easy to spread. The man behind them got close to them and said to the woman who just spoke,"Did you personally see thisdy tear the clothes?" Before the woman got a chance to say anything, the man continued saying,"Think twice before you tell me anything. If you give false evidence, you will be liable for what you say." "I..." The woman looked embarrassed and said with hesitation,"I didn''t see it personally, but... they all saw what happened here. Since they say it is thisdy''s fault, I believe it to be true." "So you mean to say that you didn''t see it yourself." The man sneered and continued,"Does any one of you dare to admit that you personally saw thedy tear the clothes?" The people around went silent. They didn''t dare to speak anything because they feared that they might be held liable for their words. The sales clerk began to get anxious as she realised that the situation was no longer in her favour. "Before I gave her this dress, it was in perfectly fine condition, but when I got it back, I found it to be torn. I would never damage it. And if she didn''t damage it, who else did it?" The salesgirl began to cry and said,"I don''t have enough money to pay for this dress. It is costlier than my one month''s sry. You can''t bully me just because there are so many people on your side." ''This salesgirl is very good at gaining sympathy. She just now oppressed me by gathering the crowd, '' thought Autumn. She frowned and didn''t want others to help her get rid of the predicament, so she calmly walked up to the salesgirl and said,"It''s not your fault for being a needy person, but you can''t pretend to be a weak one only to seek pity from others. We all should be honest in our lives. Do you think you can remain guilt free all your life after you shift the me to me? " "Don''t sling mud at me here." The salesgirl cried and said,"You damaged this dress. It has nothing to do with me." "Then we can call the police." Autumn could afford the clothes, but she thought that she shouldn''t give in to such a bad behaviour. If she paid for the clothes today, the salesgirl might do other unreasonable things in the future. The salesgirl got anxious and upset the moment she heard that Autumn wanted to call the police. Since the whole thing happened under a security camera, the police would surely figure out that she told a lie. She didn''t want to call the police and Yvonne too was reluctant to do that. "Just let it go please..." Yvonne smilingly walked to them and tried to settle an argument between them. "It''s just a small thing. You don''t have to call the police. I can help you pay for the clothes and you don''t have to return the money to me. It is not easy for a young girl to earn money by working here. We should not put her in a fix. And we should be kind to others whenever possible." Yvonne pretended to be generous just to make others believe that Autumn damaged the clothes. Of course, Autumn wouldn''t allow Yvonne to do that. "Don''t pretend to be a nice person here. I won''t admit it since I haven''t done anything. Why are you so anxious to help me pay for the clothes?" said Autumn ironically. "I don''t have any hidden agenda. I just think that since it is such a petty thing, there''s no need to call the police." Yvonne sneered. "I won''t admit it because I haven''t done it. Let''s call the police. After the police checks the surveince video, we can very well figure out who damaged the clothes." Autumn insisted on calling the police, and the people present began to doubt the salesgirl now. The man who spoke earlier said,"You don''t have to call the police. We can watch the surveince video now." The man whispered something to his assistant who was standing behind him. After a short while, the manager of the shop came to the spot. She gathered her courage and stood in front of the man. She already scolded that salesgirl several times in her head since the salesgirl had displeased such an important person. "Mr. Lin, why didn''t you inform me beforeing..." "Why do I have to inform you when Ie for inspection?" Mr. Lin nced at the shop manager, looking very furious. The manager realised that she made an imprudent remark, so she immediately exined,"No. I didn''t mean that. I mean that if you had informed me in advance, I would have asked someone to receive you and give you goodpany." "No, thanks." Mr. Lin said coldly,"Go and get the surveince video." "Well..." The manager hesitated. The salesgirl who did this wrong thing was actually her niece. Although Mr. Lin was here, she had to protect her niece. "Mr. Lin, I''m so sorry. The surveince camera of this shop has been out of order for a few days. I haven''t had a chance to hire people to repair it, so I..." Mr. Lin slightly frowned but Yvonne grinned while standing there. She said,"It doesn''t matter. After all, it is just one dress. I can help thedy pay for it." When Yvonne was about to take out her money, Chris suddenly appeared and grasped Yvonne''s hand. "You don''t have to pay for it. If my sister-inw likes this shop, my brother will buy the entire shop for her." When he heard the word ''sister-inw'', Mr. Lin slightly clenched his fists. He wondered whether Autumn got married when he lived abroad these years. "Chris, why are you here?" Autumn was surprised to see Chris in the shop. Chris was supposed to go for a job interview today. But she was here now. "I will tell you what happened after dealing with this matter." Chris sneered and pushed Yvonne away. She then said to the manager,"Miss Yi, you know me, right?" "Yeah, Miss Lu, you are our regr customer. I know you, of course," said the manager obsequiously. Mr. Lin has just been transferred back from abroad and wasn''t familiar with the domestic affairs of the would support her and wouldn''t me her in front of a stranger. But she didn''t expect Chris toe there. She couldn''t dare to offend Chris as she had a powerful brother. Chapter 50 Truth Wins Chapter 50 Truth Wins "That''s more like it." Chris sneered. "I just came now. Can anyone tell me what happened exactly?" "Shelley, hurry. Exin it to Miss Lu. She will deal with the case in a fair and just manner." Manager Yi clearly forgot that Chris addressed Autumn as "sister-inw". "Well, the thing is..." Shelley told the whole story but with a lot of exaggeration. Autumn just stood there, without saying a word. She believed that facts speak louder than words and people have a sense of justice. She was not afraid of being framed at all because she knew she was honest. Though Shelley now knew that Autumn was not any random girl, she had no option but to continue N?velDrama.Org content rights. ying along. "Miss Lu, please help me out. If every customer acts like her, how will I handle my work?" Shelley pretended to be the victim. Chris cast a cold nce at her. She was nothing like Autumn when it came to being bullied. "You think that she didn''t admit tearing this dress because she can''t afford it?" Chris asked coldly. "Can she?" Shelley scorned and continued. "Why didn''t she buy it if she can afford it? If she would have bought it, then we wouldn''t have been debating here." Chris said to Manager Yi with contempt. "Manager Yi, didn''t you hear about my brother''s wedding?" "Of course." Manager Yi ttered her by saying, "I so wish I could attend the wedding, but it''s a pity that I wasn''t really invited. I heard that Mrs. Lu is a beauty. Why don''t you bring her here the next time you "Sure." Chris held Autumn''s hand and took her in front of Manager Yi. "This is my sister-inw. What will happen if Charles finds out how your staff treated his wife..." Chris didn''t say anything explicitly, but Manager Yi, who now knew Autumn''s identity, was scared. She helped her niece find a job here. But it never urred to her that her niece would bring her into big trouble on the first day of work. "Miss Lu, please don''t make fun of me." Manager Yi regretted everything now. In order to help her niece, she first offended Mr. Lin and then Charles Lu. But she was still confused. "It''s impossible..." "Why is it impossible?" Chris sneered. It seems like people today judge others on the basis of their appearance. She said to Autumn, "Sister-inw, I always told you to buy some luxury clothes, but you never paid any heed to me and kept wearing those old clothes. Look, people are despising you because of these clothes now." "Beingfortable is all I worry about." Autumn said. Yvonne didn''t know Chris, so she was unhappy about her protecting Autumn. "Who are you? I''m telling you! I am the..." "Come back." Wendy, however, knew Chris. She hadn''t stop Yvonne when she was showing her contempt just now, but now she had to keep her mouth shut in front of Chris. After all, Chris was going to be her sister-inw. So she would better not offend Chris. "Mother, what are you doing?" Yvonne frowned. It was a good chance for her to deal with Autumn. She was unwilling to give it away. "I..." "Shut up!" Wendy noticed Chris''s enquiring eyes, so she hastily dragged Yvonne back. "It''s enough. She is Charles''s real sister. If you leave a bad first impression, how will you get along well with her in the future?" Yvonne, with a frown, hesitated for a while and then gave up. Manager Yi, who heard the casual talk between Chris and Autumn, awkwardly walked closer to them and said," Mrs. Lu, I am really sorry for the misunderstanding. I..." She dragged Shelley to her and said," Apologize to Mrs. Lu!" "Aunt, I don''t want to." Shelley was an absolute idiot. How could she let others know that they are rted? Manager Yi was scared. She had sweat gushing from her forehead, but Shelley still went on to argue. "She tore it indeed! She was pretending to be rich! She certainly can not afford it!" Shelley didn''t care who Autumn was. She was determined to transfer the me on Autumn. "Shut up!" Manager Yi held Shelley''s hand tight. "Don''t you know who Mrs. Lu is? Who taught you to me others for your mistake? You are trying to frame Mrs. Lu?'''' After lecturing Shelley, Manager Yi turned to Autumn and said, "Mrs. Lu, you are very generous. Please forgive her." Autumn now calmed down. However, she didn''t want to make small talk with somebody who could switch sides so easily. Autumn''s silence made Manager Yi a little worried. She awkwardly said, "Mrs. Lu, it''s my fault. Don''t worry. I''ll make it up to you." "No need." Mr. Lin was standing next to them and heard everything. He interrupted. "You''re fired." "What... What did you say?" Manager Yi went nk. She didn''t expect to lose her job over such a trivial matter. "Mr. Lin, I''ve been working hard for HKind Group for years. I should be given credit for hard work, if not for merit. You''ve juste back from abroad and taken over the business here. How could you fire me for such a small reason... Isn''t it inappropriate?" "Inappropriate?" Mr. Lin scorned. "Though I''ve juste back, I know everything about HKind Group. You take bribes from people while on job. Do you think... that I came here for no reason?" "I..." Manager Yi was speechless. Seeing that problem was solved, Autumn took Chris''s hand and hastily walked forward to leave. Chris was confused. She asked, "What happened? You are acting as if someone is running after you." "Nothing. Let''s rush home. I''ve hung out too long and wasted a lot of time here." Autumn left at a fast pace. She tried to not look at the man. Now that the problem was solved, it was time to go. She had no idea how should she greet him when she saw him after such a a long time. "You handle the rest. I don''t want to see the manager and this salesgirl any more." Seeing that Autumn was leaving, Mr. Lin quickly left a word to his assistant and ran after her. The assistant hurriedly reminded him, "Mr. Lin, you have a video meeting in half an hour..." "Cancel it!" Mr. Lin chased after Autumn. When Autumn was about to leave the za, he finally caught sight of her. He shouted loudly from a distance, "Little Ye!" This nickname sounded like a deafening thunder and directly struck her mind. She stopped, but she dared not turn around. Chapter 51 What A Coincidence! Chapter 51 What A Coincidence! "Yvonne, you know Mr. Lin?" Chris turned her head and took a look at Sam. Then she turned back and asked Autumn doubtfully. She could see that there was something weird between Sam and Autumn. "Little Ye, do you really have no intention of acknowledging me?" There was a sense of exhaustion and sadness in Sam''s voice. He knew he shouldn''t have left her, but he had a reason. He finally managed to return to his country. However, now Autumn was someone else''s wife. While Autumn was hesitating, Sam already stood in front of her. She sighed and gave a stubborn smile, "Hi, Sam. It''s been a long time." It was a simple greeting, yet contained mixed feelings. Autumn still looked the same, but her eyes were full of strangeness and alienation. Sam didn''t really like her reaction. "It''s been a long time." He forced a smile. "Yvonne, Mr. Lin, how do you know each other?" Chris looked back and forth between Autumn and Sam in confusion. There was a strange atmosphere between them, but Chris couldn''t tell why. "Yvonne, why did Mr. Lin call you Little Ye? Is that your nickname?" "Well, she..." Sam was about to answer, but Autumn interrupted him, "When we were kids, he used to call me that." He used to call her Little Ye because her surname was Ye. But she was "Yvonne Gu" now. "I get it." Chris nodded, "You''ve known each other since childhood." "Let''s drop it." Autumn felt guilty and changed the subject, "Chris, how did you know Sam?" "We..." Chris blushed a bit. Autumn immediately understood what was on her mind. Sam was just as handsome and rich as Charles. It was not surprising, Chris liked Sam. Chris stole a nce at Sam with a blushing face and exined, "Mr. Lin was my senior and helped me a lot when I studied abroad. He came back to start apany not long ago. Now, he was in need of an assistant, so I went to give an interview in hispany today. So, he is my boss now." Sam nodded to Chris indifferently. He had no mood to talk to Chris. All he could see there was Autumn. He wanted to question her why she betrayed him and married someone else. Autumn couldn''t bear Sam''s using look anymore. She smiled to Chris and said, "Congrattions! You two haven''t seen each other in a while. Why don''t you both go out and talk about your good old times. I have to go home now." Autumn turned around and was about to leave, but Sam immediately grabbed her hand and suggested, "Little Ye, we haven''t see each other for a long time. How about having supper together?" Sam held Autumn''s hand tightly, and she was unable to get off his grip. She wanted to reject the offer, but Sam didn''t give her a chance. He turned to Chris and gave a nd smile, "Chris, please tell Yvonne not to say No to me. I haven''t seen her for a long time, but she doesn''t even want to have a supper with me. Is it because your brother is very protective about her private life?" "Of course not." Chris didn''t realise Sam''s intention at all. She intimately held Autumn''s arm, "My brother trusts Yvonne very much." Chris persuaded Autumn with a smile, "Yvonne, grandpa just called to tell me that Charles has a dinner this evening. Why don''t we have supper with Mr. Lin? " Seeing Chris''s eager eyes, Autumn would feel mean saying no. So, she finally nodded in agreement. Chris was thrilled when she saw Autumn agree for the supper. Chris didn''t conceal her feelings for Sam. Autumn knew even Sam could see that. However, Sam used Chris to keep her. This made her ufortable. "Let me go." Autumn shook Sam''s hand off. This didn''t make Sam angry, but he felt a bit frustrated because of Autumn''s cold attitude. He forced a smiled to Chris, "There''s a Sichuan Restaurant not far away. How about going there?" "Ok... okay..." Chris''s eyes faded a little. They knew each other for a long time, but he didn''t know anything about her taste. Whenever she ate spicy food, she would get the diarrhoea. Chris nodded with a smile as she was not willing to decline Sam''s offer. But Autumn rebuffed his suggestion, "Let''s eat hotpot. Chris suffers from indigestion. She tends to get loose bowels when she ate spicy food." "Really?" Sam gave Chris a surprised look as he didn''t know about it at all. Sam chose Sichuan Cuisine because he remembered Autumn was fond of spicy food. As for Chris''s taste, he never really noticed. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Chris was a little disappointed, but she didn''t show her disappointment. "It doesn''t matter. If you want to eat Sichuan Cuisine, we..." "We''ll eat hotpot." Autumn made the decision and walked in front of both of them. She was trying to create more opportunities for Chris and Sam to know each other. Chris cast a grateful nce at Autumn. She had just mentioned it casually once, but Autumn remembered her taste. On the contrary, Sam had known her for a long time, but he didn''t know her taste at all. "Mr. Lin, are you... childhood friend with Yvonne?" Sam and Chris followed Autumn. Chris tried to make a conversation to get close to Sam. Sam talked to Chris only because he wanted to know more about Autumn. Their topics were always about Autumn. Chris smiled, "We were neighbours when we were kids. She used toe over for meals. " "Oh, so that''s it." Chris nodded to Sam. Sam smiled and asked, "How did your brother get to know Little Ye?" "They never met each other before the wedding. Yvonne got married to my brother not long ago. She is a wonderfuldy. My grandpa and I like her, so does my brother." Chris smiled and sighed, "What a coincidence!" "Indeed." Sam clenched his fist tightly and thought to himself, ''If I dide back earlier, would she have been married to me?'' He was just one step behind. Sam fixated his eyes on Autumn. He didn''t want to give up. He had loved her since he was a teenager. "Mr. Lin..." Chris was about to say something, but Sam interrupted her, "Chris, though I''m your boss now, I need your help. Just call me Sam. I feel weird being called Mr. Lin." "Okay, Sam." Chris blushed again. Chapter 52 Jealous Husband Chapter 52 Jealous Husband When they arrived at the hot pot restaurant, they saw that no private room was avable. While Sam Lin frowned slightly, Autumn Ye walked over to a table by the window and sat down. It is better to not sit in a private room. She could be much rxed now. "Take a seat." Autumn nced at both of them and faintly said. "Hey Autumn, should we try another restaurant?" Seeing how embarrassed Sam was getting, Chris Lu suggested. Autumn buried herself in the menu, not caring about what Sam would think of her "No, this one is fine. I have an appointmentter so just a quick bite would be fine." "Have a seat." Sam pulled out a chair for Chris and sat on the other side of the table. Autumn lowered her head when she ordered the food. She looked more beautiful with the light of the restaurant falling on her face. It was quite crowded in the hot pot restaurant but Autumn looked extremely quiet. She just sat there in silence. It seemed as if there was some kind of calming power radiating from her. "Excuse me. I need to use thedies room." Chris stood up and said to Sam. Sam nodded slightly. He was waiting for a chance to talk to Autumn in private, and now Chris gave that chance to him. Right after Chris left, Autumn also made an excuse to leave. She really didn''t want to stay with Sam alone. "Autumn, are you so afraid of me?" Sam stopped Autumn. "I know I hurt you in those days, and I came back this time to make amends. Please don''t take away this opportunity from me?" "Sam, we are¡­ I have moved on." Autumn hesitated again and again, and finally decided to talk. Since he was already back in the country, they couldn''t avoid seeing each other and it was not possible to dodge him forever. Evading things is not the best way to solve them. It would be better to confront bravely and work things out. "Moved on?" Sam was startled. He barely survived his days abroad with the memories of Autumn, and got to know she was married the minute he got back. Now she just told him that she has moved on. How is that possible? "You tell me how to move on." Sam stared at Autumn closely. "I know you hate me, but I had my share of difficulties when I left you. My mother..." "Sam!" Autumn interrupted, "Enough, please don''t say it." She didn''t want the mention of the past, and now... she had Charles by her side. Whatever Sam said could make no difference to her. "It has been such a long time and you should really learn to move on. Chris is a good girl." She pushed Sam over to Chris with only one sentence, and Sam got angry. "Autumn, it''s only been a couple of years since I left you. You amaze me." He sneered, "Do you know how I lived my life these years in another country? Of course you don''t know. You were busy getting married, how could you even know?" He smiled bitterly. "Though I rushed back here as fast as I could, I am still one stepte. Even though you can forget those days we spent together, I can''t. And you don''t have to push your sister-inw over to me in such a hurry." "Sam." Autumn raised her eyes, which were filled with grievances. "What do you want? I am married. You were not able to leave everything else behind to be with me years back, and I''m sorry, I can''t do the same now." She smiled faintly. "My husband treats me very nicely and I like him too, so I won''t do anything to offend him." "You are lying." Sam sneered. "Just now Chris told me that you two didn''t even meet each other before getting married, how could you like him all of a sudden?" Sam grabbed Autumn''s hands in desperation. "Tell me, Little Ye, what happened? Why did you get married in such a hurry? Please tell me, I can help you out." "Yvonne!" Before Autumn could draw her hands back, she unexpectedly heard Charles''s voice. With a Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. closer look, she saw Charles quickly walking over to her in anger. "Why are you here?" Autumn withdrew her hands guiltily. Being caught by her husband right on the scene got her very nervous. "I am here to pick you up." Ever since Charles found out the true identity of Autumn, he didn''t like calling her Yvonne. He stepped forward and pulled Autumn behind him. He then looked at Sam in front of him hostilely and asked, "And this is...?" "Oh, I forget to introduce." Autumn peeked at Charles standing in front of her. She held Charles''s hand quietly and said, "This is Sam Lin. He lived next door when we were kids and I often used to go to his house for free meals. It turns out he is a senior school fellow of Chris and also her boss now. What a small world." "Oh, really?" Charles frowned slightly. "What is Chris doing? Couldn''t she join mypany? Why does she have to work for someone else?" "I asked Chris to help." The moment Sam saw Charles, he got the feeling that Autumn and Charles were made for each other, but he soon came to his senses. The purpose of his trip was to get Autumn back. No matter who was standing in the way, he would not let Autumn go. He smiled and reached his hand to Charles, "Hi, I am Sam, so you''re Chris''s elder brother? I heard a lot about you from Chris." Sam referred to him as Chris''s elder brother instead of Autumn''s husband. "Yes." Charles briefly shook hands with him and drew his hand back. "Chris never mentioned you in front of me." Sam didn''t feel embarrassed because of what Charles said, "Since you are here, why not join us?" "No, thanks." Charles refused. "I came to take my wife home." He sped Autumn''s shoulder and imed his dominance on her. "Yvonne, Grandpa is still expecting us home. Let''s go home now." "But..." Autumn was stunned. "What about Chris?" Charles looked up at Sam. "Since you are the senior and her school fellow, would you please bring my sister back hometer?" "Of course." Sam clenched his fists tightly. Charles''s hand on Autumn''s shoulder looked very annoying to him, but Sam still wore a smile. "I will bring Chris back safe and sound." "Thank you very much then." Hearing this, Charles took Autumn out of the hot pot restaurant without saying another word. He was driving with a poker face all the way. Autumn knew that he was jealous, but she had no idea what to do. When they drove by the central park of Y City, Autumn asked Charles to pull over. Chapter 53 The Romantic Kiss Chapter 53 The Romantic Kiss She understood that Charles was behaving like this because he was a little jealous. She was not a sentimental woman. Though she was unable to shy away from things with Sam, she also didn''t hope Charles would misunderstand her, so she wanted to exin it to him clearly before going home. "What''s wrong?" Charles stopped the car and looked at Autumn. "Let''s take a walk." Located in the heart of the city, the Central Park was a quiet and rxing ce in this bustling city. In the early summer days, the city was like a blooming flower. It was gorgeous and colorful. The lovers used toe here to take a walk at thekeside. Autumn took the initiative to hold Charles''s hands quietly. The evening breeze gently touched their faces, giving them a warm feeling. Autumn stared at the lovers at thekeside and wondered how to exin things to Charles. "You......" "You......" Coincidently, they spoke in unison. Then they took a nce at each other and smiled fondly. "What do you want to talk about?" Autumn said with a smile to Charles while he hesitated for a while and then said, "Can you keep at a distance from Sam?" "Why?" Autumn asked. Perceiving his serious expression, Autumn decided to joke a bit with him. "Sam grew up with me. I know him since my childhood days. He always took great care of me. Moreover, he is Chris''s boss, so how can we not meet?" Autumn replied. "I didn''t say that you cannot meet him." Charles furrowed his brow and added, "I only mean that you can avoid unnecessary meetings. I will ask Chris to work at mypany when we go home today. I am not going to allow Chris to work at Sam''spany. " "Did Sam offend you before?" Autumn nced at Charles curiously, and found that he looked a little awkward. "Why do you hate him so much? " "Anyway, I won''t permit you to meet him again." Charles said peremptorily. Autumn was amused by his words. "Are you jealous? " It was impossible to see any other expression on Charles''s face except for calmness. But now Autumn could easily tell that he was jealous. This startled her. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "Are you serious?" She kept joking with him. "Uh......" Autumn felt ttered there. Unexpectedly, Charles seized her head and kissed her lips abruptly. He was determined to give her a small "punishment" since she was socent. "Are you crazy?" Autumnined while blushing long after Charles released her. Though it was a good ce for lovers to date and it was natural for people to kiss here, Autumn still felt embarrassed kissing in public. It turned out that she shouldn''t y any trick on him. "You are my wife. Why can''t I kiss you? Charles was a bitcent now while he looked at her flushed cheeks. It took Autumn a long while to react. They sat on the bench by theke together while Autumn asked Charles, "Don''t you have any questions to ask?" Charles shook his head slightly. "I trust you." He replied. He looked at Autumn quietly and then added, "I would like to listen attentively to you if you are ready to talk to me. But if you are reluctant to tell me anything, I won''t force you. After all, everyone has a past." When Autumn heard that from Charles she was moved. "In fact, I can tell you every chapter of my story." She sighed slightly and then told her story involving Sam to Charles. From the age of six to seventeen, she yed with Sam when she was living with her grandma. Sam''s mother, Jane also treated her well since Autumn was an adorable girl. Jane would always help her financially because she somehow pitied Autumn for her miserable life experiences. Autumn thought things would go on like this. However, after spending so much time together, the two young hearts got close and finally they fell in love with each other. Jane didn''t approve of their rtionship. What''s worse was that she regarded Autumn as a scheming girl. Jane thought that it was Autumn who tried every means to seduce Sam so as to change her miserable fate. Autumn was confused. She didn''t understand how Jane could change her attitude towards her so abruptly. Autumn exined that she never cared about Sam''s money. All she really cared was if Sam would treat her considerately. But unfortunately even when Autumn tried to exin everything to Jane, she turned a deaf ear to her. Jane even tried every means to separate Sam and Autumn. When Autumn was seventeen, Jane threatened Sam to break up with Autumn or she would kill herself. Sam had no choice but to leave Autumn for his mother. Since then Autumn never saw him again. On the day he left, it was raining cats and dogs. Autumn ran after his car and kept calling him and sending him messages, but he just disappeared from her lifepletely as if he was never a part of her life. Autumn got seriously ill after that day. But after she pulled through, she tried her best to forget Sam, so his name turned out to be a taboo in her life for a long time. As time passed, Autumn finally let him go from his heart. She imagined how it would be like to meet Sam again but she never expected that they would meet in this manner. Autumn thought that she would feel grieved if she met him again, but she realised that she had already let him go the moment she saw Sam again. As she told this story to Charles, Autumn lookedposed. But she didn''t utter a word about her real identity. As soon as she finished her words, Charles embraced her into his arms with sadness. It was because he knew her real identity, so he felt sorry for her miserable life experiences. Now Charles realised how many hardships she had gone through in her life. Autumn got close to him subconsciously. Though the breeze was warm, she felt cold somehow. Charles said in a soft voice, "Autumn, I am not going to leave you no matter what happens in the future." "Okay." Autumn felt rxed after hearing this. "Let''s go." Charles stood up and held her hands. "I am hungry. Let''s eat something." "But I still want to know, how did you know that I was there?" Autumn asked him while Charles took a nce at her mysteriously and said, "I have installed a GSP on you, so you don''t ever leave me alone in future." Of course, Charles was just joking with her. Autumn didn''t make a detailed inquiry since she perceived Charles was reluctant to tell her. Hand in hand, they walked slowly as every other ordinary couples in the world. Autumn felt that she was that seventeen year old teenager again and she told him about the things that happened recently. "Charles. I think Chris likes Sam. If they will be with each other in the future......" "It is impossible!" Charles replied firmly. "I don''t like that guy and I definitely won''t allow him to be a part of my family." It reminded him of the call from Chris. Without that call, Charles would still be busy with his business engagement now. Chapter 54 Little Ye Chapter 54 Little Ye Autumn thought that she could hide the matter from Charles. But Chris, Charles''s sister, was a beautiful and smartdy. And she told Charles about it. Autumn indeed kept a distance from Sam, but Sam didn''t do the same. Sam looked at Autumn with great eagerness, seeming to be very possessive about her. Chris didn''t believe that Sam didn''t have any rtionship with Autumn. So she pretended to go to the bathroom and called Charles. She liked Sam openly and brazenly. She didn''t care if he and Autumn once were in love with each other. And what had happened in the past didn''t prevent her from liking Sam. Autumn was her sister-inw who she liked a lot. She didn''t want Sam to destroy their good rtionship. If Charles took Autumn away, he could not only help Autumn get rid of the embarrassing situation, but also help herself get the chance to spend some time alone with Sam. But to her surprise, Charles appeared minutes after she called him. "Sam, where''s my sister-inw?" After she saw Charles take Autumn away, Chris came out of the bathroom and walked up to Sam. Though she and Autumn were both strong-mindeddy, they have rather different personalities. Autumn was gentle and quiet. Chris, however, was passionate. She would bravely pursue whoever she liked. Although Autumn had already known Sam before Chris met him, Chris believed that she could win Sam''s heart since Autumn was now married. Sam remained expressionless. He wanted to chat with Autumn, but Charles''s sudden appearance disturbed his n. He was about to turn around and leave. Then an idea came to his mind. He thought he could use this chance to know more about the things between Charles and Autumn. In this way, he could know Charles well and figure out the best way to win Autumn''s heart. So he quietly sat in front of Chris. "Your brother came here just now. He said that they had something urgent to deal with, so he took your sister-inw away." "My brother?" Chris pretended to be confused and nced at Sam. "How did he know that we are here?" "Perhaps your sister-inw told him, " said Sam tly. When Autumn saw Charles, she looked astonished. Autumn was really surprised and she didn''t pretend to do that deliberately, so she mustn''t have told Charles that she was here. So obviously, Chris was the only person who told Charles about it. Although Chris pretended not to know anything, Sam didn''t debunk her lie, but rather continued chatting with her. When the waiter served the food, Chris tenderly helped him put the food in the pot and asked, "Sam, I remember that you had no interest in hot pot when you lived abroad, but after you came back, how do you..." "I don''t like hot pot even now, but Little Ye likes it." Sam undisguisedly showed his fondness for Autumn in front of Chris. Chris was a little disappointed, but she quickly calmed herself down. She recalled a girl''s photo which she found in Sam''s wallet before. She asked, "I saw a girl''s photo in your wallet. Is that girl my sister-in- "Right." Sam nodded and said, "The photo was taken when she was in middle school. At that time, I went abroad in a hurry, so I lost most of her photos. I only have this photo of her." Sam gently stroked the wallet on the table, and even the expression on his face softened. Chris became jealous. She stayed by Sam''s side for many years, but she had never seen such an affectionate expression on his face for her. Perhaps... this was how some men were fond of the women they loved. When Sam went abroad, Jane destroyed all of Autumn''s photos. The only photo he had of her was the photo he got from Autumn''s student''s identity card. He kept it safe till date. When he lived abroad all these years, this photo gave himpany on many lonely nights. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. He was lost in the memory of these past events. Chris saw Sam feeling all nostalgic and she slightly frowned. But she forced a smile and tried to change the topic, "Sam, can you tell me something about my sister-inw? Although my brother and my sister-inw have been married for a long time, they didn''t meet each other before getting married. I wonder what kind of person she was when she was a little girl." "She..." Sam told Chris about Autumn''s stories in high spirit, while recalling everything he could from their childhood. Chris was curious about the pet name ''Little Ye''. She curiously asked, "Why do you call her ''Little Ye''?" "Why do you ask this question?" Sam was surprised by this question. Autumn''s surname was Ye, so it was easy to understand why he called Autumn ''Little Ye''. He wondered why Chris asked this. "I''m just curious about it." Chris bit her lips and smilingly said, "Although Ye is the surname of her mother, her own surname is Gu. And there is no word ''Ye'' in her name. So I got confused... when I heard you call her in this way." "What? Her surname is Gu?" Sam wasn''t sure what was happening. He still had no idea on this. ''She is called Autumn Ye, but why did she change her surname to Gu?'' thought Sam. Although others didn''t know the things about Autumn, he knew everything well. Autumn hated the Gu family and she would never change her surname. "Right." Chris looked at Sam with a perplexed look on her face. "Why are you so surprised? My sister- inw is called Yvonne Gu. Did you forget her full name?" "Yvonne Gu?" Sam was even more confused. He wondered why Autumn would change her name to Yvonne Gu? He was certain that even if she really wanted to change her name, she would never pick this name. "What''s up, Sam? You look very surprised..." said Chris, while looking at Sam in surprise. "Nothing..." Sam quickly calmed himself down. He pretended to act calmly as if nothing was on his mind. He said to Chris, "I am used to calling her ''Little Ye'', so I never got ustomed to her full name." "So that''s why you were surprised just now." Chris understood and nodded. Sam hesitated for a while and asked Chris, "Chris, do you know someone by the name, ''Autumn Ye''?" "Yes." Chris nodded while picking up the beef in hot pot and putting it in Sam''s bowl. "I''ve heard that Autumn is my sister-inw''s cousin. Why do you ask this?" "Cousin..." muttered Sam. He wondered what all happened when he was abroad, why Autumn became Yvonne, and why Yvonne became Autumn. "Sam, you didn''t tell me why you call her ''Little Ye'', " said Chris insistently. "There''s no particr reason." Sam decided to keep this secret. He had to ask Autumn whether she kept any other secrets from her family. And before he asked Autumn, he had to keep this secret from Chris. So, he couldn''t tell Chris the reason. "I have called her like this ever since we were kids, but I don''t remember the origin of this pet name." "Oh, I see..." muttered Chris. "Have you finished eating your food?" After he learnt the things he wanted to know, Sam stood up and said, "Let''s go. I will drop you home." "But you haven''t eaten anything..." Chris looked at the food on the table. They ordered the food for three people in the beginning, but most of it wasn''t put into the pot, since Autumn left and Sam only kept asking things about Autumn. Chapter 55 Chase What You Want Chapter 55 Chase What You Want The table was full of unfinished dishes. Chris thought that they shouldn''t waste any food. "I''ve had enough, haven''t you? Let''s go. I just returned home and there are many things left to be done. Let me drive you home first. I have a video-conferenceter, " Sam picked up his wallet and told Chris. He walked towards the reception counter without saying anything else and waited for Chris at the door. There were a lot of people at the hot pot restaurant and it was very noisy. Sam was like a shinning star in the crowd. Chris could catch sight of him easily, which made her feel at ease. Chris wanted to spend more time alone with Sam. "Where do you live?" Sam asked Chris after they got into the car, "Can you show me the way? I''ve been living abroad for a long time. Even if you tell me the ce, I may not know the way." "Okay, " Chris said with a smile. On the way back, Chris didn''t say much except giving Sam the directions. Sam didn''t say much either. Chris got annoyed as she knew that Ye and Sam grew up together and that Sam cared about Ye a lot. Sam found out Autumn''s secret. He was still wondering the reason why she pretended to be Yvonne. A few minutester, they arrived at the Dream Garden and Sam parked his car at the gate. It was a littlete, but Chris wanted to grab the chance to spend more time with Sam. She could not help but ask Sam, "Would you... like toe inside for some tea?" "No, thanks, " Sam shook his head and said, "It''s gettingte. Maybe we can hang out some other time." "Okay, then, " Chris nodded her head reluctantly, "So... Thank you for driving me home. Drive safe, Sam." "Yes, I will, " Sam nodded and said, "Go to work tomorrow on time please. Now I only have you and I only trust you." "No problem, " said Chris. She felt better after he reminded her. She knew that Sam didn''t feel the same way she did. But he needed her at least. She could work hard and try to win his heart in the future. Chris hummed as she walked into the house. The light in the living room was on. Gary and Autumn had probably gone to bed. Charles, however, was waiting for her. He looked up at her with an angry expression. "Oh so you were willing toe back here?" asked Charles when he saw Chris walking into the living room. "Charles, you scared the hell out of me!" Startled by Charles''s sudden voice, Chris patted her chest to calm down and asked, "Why are you here? Are you waiting for me?" "Come over here and sit down, " Charles directed his hand towards the couch and said to Chris. "What''s wrong with you today?" The serious look on Charles''s face made Chris panic a little. Charles was always strict with her, but she had never seen Charles looking at her like this before. She started to think carefully if she had done something wrong. But she couldn''t think of anything. She even called Charles to pick Ye up. That was something that Charles should thank her for. "Charles, stop looking at me like this. You are freaking me out, " Charles''s cold look was hard to handle for her. "Are you really gonna work in Sam''spany?" asked Charles. Chris was immediately relieved when she heard Charles''s question. She nodded firmly and admitted, "Yes, I''ve made up my mind." She was pondering on how to tell Charles about this. But now Charles had known it and brought it up. She felt that it was not a big deal to admit it. She paused for a while and continued, "I know that you want me to work for Shining Company, but I don''t want that." "Why? Do you think that Shining Company is not as good as HKing Group?" asked Charles, narrowing his brows. "Of course not, " Chris denied it at once, "Charles, you brought me up after our parents died. I always know that you have always been devoted to make sure that I chose the right path and be a better person. You have given me a lot of guidance since high school, even in choosing a major in college. I''ve learnt a lot from your advice, but... Sometimes, I just wanted to be able to make decisions by myself. Charles, you have always nned everything for me, I really want to n my own life from now on." Chris paused for a while and continued, "Shining Company is a greatpany, but if I go to work there, everyone wouldbel me as your little sister. They would treat me differently. That''s not what I want." Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. "Though HKind Group is not as famous as Shining Company, it is growing. If I work there, nobody would treat me differently. I can totally be myself. That''s what I really want." "Charles, I hope you understand the reason why I want to work for HKind Group." Chris looked at Charles calmly and continued, "I''m your sister, but I don''t want to live under your protection for the rest of my life. I want a chance to prove myself. I might turn out better than you." "I understand. But you''ve missed telling the one important reason. Sam is there, in HKind Group, right?" Charles was blunt and to the point. Chris''s face turned red when she heard Charles''s remark. She looked at Charles embarrassingly and grumbled, "What do you mean by that?" "You want to work with him, right?" Charles asked, "I can see why you called me to pick up Ye today. Don''t say that you are doing it as a favor. You are partly doing it for yourself. "... Yes, I am doing it for myself, " Chris admitted generously. She liked Sam. It was not a bad thing. "Charles, Sam and Ye grew up together. Don''t you feel jealous when you think about it?" "I do get jealous. But she is your sister-inw and my wife now. I know how to handle it." Charles said, "As for you, I know that you like Sam, but he doesn''t like you at all. Do you still want to go after him?" "That''s my business." Chris''s face darkened. She had liked Sam for many years. She had hinted that she liked him in many ways. But Sam had been ying dumb over the years. She once thought that Sam might not want to be in any kind of rtionship or even get married. But she understood now. She could tell from the way Sam looked into Ye''s eyes that he wanted to be in a rtionship, only that he wanted to be with Ye instead of her. "So you''ve made up your mind?" Charles and Chris grew up together closely, and he knew her very well. If she had made up her mind to do something, she would never change her decision. Chris nodded without any hesitation and said, "Yes, I have." "Well, you should have the chance to go after what you want. I won''t stop you if you''ve made up your mind, " Charles stood up and continued, "I just want to tell you onest thing. If you one day have been wronged, you muste to me. You will always have me on your side." "Thank you, Charles." Chris knew that Charles had given his consent to her. She looked at Charles gratefully as he walked upstairs. Chapter 56 The On-boarding Process Chapter 56 The On-boarding Process When Charles Lu went upstairs, he saw Autumn working on some leaflets from the travel agency. She was looking for a ce with beautiful view and a few visitors, so she could go with her Granny. Granny was the one who had been looking after her all these years, and now that she was capable, it was time to repay her with respect. "What are you looking at?" Charles stepped forward and saw a lot of web pages on the screen, most of which were travel advice. His brows knitted. ''Was she making travel ns? Why didn''t I know anything about it?'' he thought to himself. "I am going through some leaflets I got from the travel agency today." Autumn was lying on the bed and turned over when she heard Charlesing in. She grabbed a pillow and put it under her head. "Now that I am not working, I''m thinking of taking this opportunity to go around. It is kind of a distraction for me." "Which of these two ces do you think I should go?" Charles was cold-faced. This little woman was totally not thinking of her husband. Going for a trip was such an important activity, but she kept it all to herself. "This one." Charles pointed randomly at one ce and sat beside her, sulking. "Oh¡­this one¡­" Autumn hesitated and frowned slightly. "It is very nice but there is quite some climbing. And it''s kind of crowded, I am afraid..." "Take your time. I''ll go take a shower." As sulky as Charles was, he left Autumn in the room, dumbfounded. ''What''s the matter with him?'' she wondered. Soon Autumn forgot about it and devoted herself to finding out what ces were suitable for the elderly to go. When Charles stepped out of the bathroom, Autumn was still looking, taking notes with a pen asionally. She went through the pros and cons of every travel destination carefully, making sure that Granny would have afortable trip. Charles frowned and mmed theptop, "It''s toote, time for bed." Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. He thought he had already expressed his anger very clearly, but did not expect Autumn was absolutely unaware of it. Instead, she softlyforted him. "You go to bed first if you are sleepy. It''ll take some more time." ... ... Charles almost went mad inside but he kept his countenance and justified pretentiously, "It''s toote, I have work tomorrow." "It''s you who has to go to work, and I don''t." Throughout the years in Cloud Advertising, she almost dedicated all her time to work and was not used to this sudden recess at all. "You go to bed now. I will need a while." Autumn said so and reached for theptop. Charles waspletely driven up the wall. He threw theptop aside, rolled over and pressed Autumn under his body. She smelled so nice and her body was so soft that he was shamefully now turned on. "Hey... Charles, what are you doing?" Autumn was pressed under his body before she was even able to react. Although she had agreed to Charles''s pursuit, it didn''t mean that she could ept his unexpected intimate behaviors. She blushed and tried to push Charles away, "Stop it." "Not working, hah?" Charles gave an evilugh. They were so close, he could even hear Autumn''s heartbeat. He quietly looked at Autumn in his arms and said, "I happen to be short of a secretary, so starting from tomorrow, you will be my secretary till I get the right one." "No, I am not¡­" Before she could finish the sentence, Autumn''s lips were sealed by Charles with a kiss. He didn''t let her go until she was almost spellbound. "So are you going to?" Autumn wentpletely nk, and under the gentle gaze of Charles, she somehow nodded. A small smile appeared on Charles''s face. He rolled over andid next to Autumn, put his arms around her and slept all the way till daybreak. Early next morning, Charles awakened Autumn. Feeling still sleepy, she didn''t want to get up. She sounded like azy kitten and was very cute, "Oh, let me sleep for another while¡­" "No, hurry up ande to the office with me." Charles pulled Autumn out of bed, "Don''t you remember what you agreedst night. You are my secretary as of today. Hurry up, how can an employee get upter than the boss?" "Huh? When did I agree?" Autumn covered herself with the quilt and said to Charles. "So you don''t admit?" Charles lifted the quilt and said in an intimate voice, "Would you like me to help you remember?" Hearing this, Autumn was awake all of a sudden, "No¡­ no, thanks. I''ll get up right away." She blushed and fled to the bathroom. Charles in the bedroom broke into a loudughter. It was Yvonne Gu''s first day at work today and he was deliberately bringing Autumn to the office. In her presence, Yvonne shouldn''t cross her limits. Autumn showed up in a suit with white shirt and a ck pencil skirt. With her slender legs exposed, she could immediately draw other''s attention. She was also wearing an orange silk scarf, which brightened her up from head to toe. Charles frowned slightly and took Autumn upstairs. He demanded Autumn to change her skirt into trousers. Autumn was amused. This man could really get jealous. Because of this, the two arrived at the office veryte. Charles''s assistant David Fan was the first to greet them, "Morning, Mr. Lu¡­" His eyes widened when he caught sight of Autumn behind Charles. What happened? Howe Mrs. Lu is here? "What''s up?" Seeing David''s eyes fixed upon Autumn, Charles frowned and stepped aside, blocking him from looking at Autumn. David despised Charles in his heart for a moment, and for the first time he discovered that his boss was stingy. "Oh... Miss Ye came early in the morning." Yvonne was really a headache for David. He had made it quite clear that she should report to HR Department directly, but she refused and insisted on waiting for Charles here. "What is she doing here?" David was also aware of Autumn''s fake identity in her marriage with Charles, but he pretended that he didn''t know anything at all. The on-boarding process would also be an issue if both Yvonne and Autumn came to work here. "David, please take Yvonne to report to the Secretary Department. She is my personal secretary as of today." Charles instructed David, and quickly walked into his office. "And, starting from today, no one except Yvonne is allowed in my office without permission. Get it?" "Yes, sir." Charles was trying to dere his loyalty to Autumn in her presence. David turned around and told Autumn, "Pleasee with me, Mrs. Lu." Chapter 57 Gratitude Chapter 57 Gratitude "David..." Autumn felt uneasy to be called Mrs. Lu. She frowned and said, "Just call me Ye..." After hesitating for a while, David responded, "It''s..." ''Charles didn''t want anyone in thepany to know that she is his wife. It seems improper to call her Mrs. Lu.'' David thought. Then, he nodded a yes and called, "Ye." Hearing this, Autumn felt relieved and asked with a bright smile, "What''s my duty here as the secretary of Mr. Lu?" David flurried and replied, "Well... Listen to Mr. Lu''s orders. Do whatever he asks you to do." He didn''t dare assign tasks to Autumn. After all, she was Charles''s wife. ''If I displease her, Charles would me me for it. Besides, Charles hasn''t set up a post for personal secretary in thepany. No one knows why he brought his wife in thepany.'' David reflected. David took Autumn to the Secretary Department. There were two girls in the office. With Autumn and David, Charles had four secretaries in total. David said, "Your attention please..." He introduced Autumn to the two girls, "This is the personal secretary of Mr. Lu, Yvonne. You can call her... Ye." ''I can''t call her Mrs. Lu as Charles doesn''t want anyone in thepany to know they are married.'' David thought. Autumn stood in front of the girls and introduced herself, "Hello, everyone. I''m Ye. I hope that we can get along well in theing days." "David, I don''t think that Mr. Lu employed her to be his secretary. She looks more like..." At the sight of Autumn, the two young pretty secretaries became alert and restless. They decided to unite and be against Autumn. One girl said, "She is good-looking, but I''m not sure if she is a qualified secretary. Don''t ask us to handle the trouble she makester." The other girl followed her and said, "Don''t get us into trouble." The first girl grumbled while retouching her make-up, "We already have lots to deal with. We don''t want someone else toe and affect our work." David was furious. He shouted, "Shut up!" ''You''re speaking ill of Mrs. Lu in front of her. Even I dare not to displease her.'' He thought to himself. He turned to Autumn and said, "Ye, don''t take their words seriously. They always talk in that mean manner, but they''re good girls." David told Autumn that the girl who had spoken first was Jenny and the girl who was doing her make- up was Linda. Both of them had graduated from first-rate colleges. They always thought of themselves as superior to others for they took pride in their education background and pretty faces. But they didn''t like each other. But as Autumn arrived, they started to treat her as their enemy. David led Autumn to the seat opposite to him, and said, "Ye, this is your desk." Autumn nodded slightly. Before she sat down, Jenny told David, "David, that''s for the secretary of CEO. We wouldn''t mind if you sit there. But she can''t. She can''t take that seat as soon as she enters thepany." "Why not?" David had always entertained them, but not today. He continued, "Just mind your own business. It''s not your call to decide who sits here." Hearing this, Linda frowned. She stared at Autumn with dissatisfaction and said, "David, what''s your rtionship with her? Why do you speak in favor of her?" She curled her lip andined, "Both Jenny and I graduated from first-rate colleges. Besides, we have worked for Mr. Lu for long. Why can she sit there but Jenny and I can''t? Is it only because she is more good-looking than us?" The seat that David had arranged for Autumn was closer to Charles''s office. The person who sat there could get more of Charles''s attention. To get that seat, Jenny and Linda had made great efforts but failed. Now a new face showed up and took that seat. How could they not be jealous? Jenny twitched her mouth and continued, "None of us can take that seat." Autumn caught a glimpse of that seat. She thought it was just amon seat, except that it was closer to Charles. Then, she collected her stuff silently, and put it on the small desk in the corner. That desk had been deserted for a long time. No one was willing to sit there for it is near to the window. But Autumn chose that seat withoutints. David said, "Ye, you don''t have to..." ''She is really a good-tempereddy who doesn''t put on airs. She doesn''t even get angry after receiving such treatment from Jenny and Linda.'' He thought. "It''s fine, David." Autumn smiled and proceeded, "I am good here. I can use it after cleaning it up." "But..." David persuaded her, but Jenny interrupted him, "David, save your words. She isn''t willing to ept your kindness. Why do you still bother yourself?" For most female employees in Shining Company, Charles was a rich and charming man. Although he N?velDrama.Org content rights. was married, it didn''t affect their obsession to him. Jenny and Linda were among them. They had dreamed to marry Charles since they first met him. Though they had tried all means to seduce him, Charles made no response. Except Rachel, they never saw him with any other woman. When they heard that Charles had dumped Rachel and married another woman, their hope was lit again. That was why they were so hostile towards Autumn. Many women in thepany envied them. As his secretary, they had the chance to meet Charles. But now another beautiful woman hade, who was a threat to their position. How could they be okay with it? Autumn said with a smile on her face, "I''m okay with it." She gave David a satisfied nce to convince him, and added, "I like this seat. Don''t worry about me." David gave in to her and said, "Well, that''s it." Then he walked to his seat. Autumn had made a concession, but Jenny was still not satisfied with it. She said in a sarcastic tone, "You''re a really good actor. But Mr. Lu will never like you." Autumn ignored her words. She had no intention to work here in the first ce, so she didn''t mind what they had said to her. In the meantime, Charles was impatiently staring at Yvonne in his office. Today she wore new clothes and delicate make-up. However, Charles showed no interest in her. He asked Yvonne coldly, "What are you doing here?" Yvonne lowered her head, and replied gently, "Charles, I''m here to express my gratitude to you." Charles furiously asked, "Gratitude? For what?" He didn''t know what new game she was ying. Chapter 58 You Should Come With Us Chapter 58 You Should Come With Us "It is because of you that I want to work in Shining Company. I know I''m not aspetent and good as your expectations. But trust me, I will work hard and I won''t disappoint you, " said Yvonne. "It isn''t a big deal. And you don''t have toe here next time if there is nothing important." Charles saw through Yvonne. He knew that she just wanted to get close to him with the excuse of thanking him for the job. "I had toe here to thank you because I should be grateful to you for giving me a chance to work here." Yvonne also added, "Charles, I have given enough thought to this. To express my gratitude to you, I want to... invite you for a meal. Would you like to have a meal with me? You can eat whatever you like." Charles didn''t want to expose Yvonne''s lies for the sake of Autumn. But now Yvonne was being even more unreasonable, which made him really want to unmask her real identity. He hesitated and didn''t do that. He tried to be patient and told Yvonne, "No, thanks. It is your sister who wants you to work here, so you should actually thank her instead of me." "I just can''t just thank her, " shouted Yvonne. She was going to take this opportunity to be alone with Charles. She thought that she would definitely attract him with her pretty and charming looks. And it had nothing to do with Autumn. Noticing that Charles looked a bit confused, Yvonne realized that she had made an indiscreet remark. She immediately calmed herself down and said, "I mean although my sister had put in a good word for me, you are the one who made the decision. Thus, I have to thank you." "Here''s an idea." Charles mocked a smile. He detested Yvonne very much. "Your sister hase here for work today. You can go to tell her about this. If she is willing to go with us, you can book a table; if she says no, I won''t go either. We are family members now and we should have meals together." "What?" Yvonne frowned and said to Charles, "She also works here?" "Yes. Is there anything wrong?" Charles looked confused and nodded. "No... nothing." Yvonne was very furious, but she still pretended to stay calm, as if nothing had happened. She smiled and said, "Charles, where is... my sister right now?" "She is at the Secretary Department. You can see her if you open the door and step out, " said Charles tly. Yvonne pulled a long face the moment she heard the words ''Secretary Department''. She still held back her dissatisfaction and anger. She said to Charles, "It''s settled then. I go out and look for her now." Yvonne turned around and left. Charles gave a sly smile, watching her walking out of his office. Yvonne was very furious when she came out of his office. She turned her head and saw the words ''Secretary Department'' on a door. Sheughed sarcastically and rushed inside. She went and angrily stood in front of Autumn. Autumn was reading thepany''s pamphlet. When she felt that someone stood in front her, she looked up. She slightly frowned at the sight of Yvonne. "Why are you here?" "Shouldn''t I be the one asking you this question?" Yvonne sneered and added, "You are so shameless. You just broke up with your first boyfriend, and now you even dare toe here." "Shut up." Autumn frowned, grasped Yvonne''s wrist and said, "If you have something to tell me, let''s go out and have a talk." "Why do we have to go out to talk?" Yvonne broke away from Autumn''s grip and said, "Do you fear that you would be disgraced? You shouldn''t do such disgusting things. I tell you, Charles..." "Just shut up!", shouted Autumn. When Yvonne mentioned Charles, Jenny and Linda suddenly raised their heads and stared at both of them. Autumn tried her best to be calm and said in a low tone, "If you don''t want others to know that I''m Charles''s wife, you should get out of here with me." Autumn walked out of the office. Yvonne hesitated for a while and followed her. Autumn was right. Yvonne didn''t want people in Shining Company to know that Autumn was Charles''s wife. All the people in thepany knew that Charles was Yvonne''s brother-inw, so Yvonne couldn''t let others know of the real identities of Autumn and herself. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Autumn went to the staircasending, turned her face to Yvonne and said, "What do you want?" "I also want to know what you want to do." Yvonne sneered and said, "Autumn, others don''t know who you are, but I know you well. Don''t you forget, you are using my identity and you are just a substitute. If you dare seduce Charles, I won''t let you off so easily." Autumn''s lips puckered and she didn''t say anything. Yvonne sneered and asked, "What''s up? Why are you not saying anything? Autumn Ye, you are so shameless. I am telling you that you should quit your job as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will take actions and drive you out of here." Yvonne coldly added, "You are such a crafty woman. You told me before that Charles didn''t agree to let me be his secretary. Now I understand your purpose. You just wanted to grab the chance and be his secretary instead." "Believe it or not, Charles made the decision on his own. It has nothing to do with me." exined Autumn tly. "Oh, don''t pretend that you have nothing to do with it." Yvonneughed grimly and added, "He made this decision because of you. Do you think that no one knows about the affair between you and Sam? Autumn, Jane was so nice to you, but she atst didn''t allow you and Sam to be together because of your humble background. The Lu family is much richer and more prominent than the Lin family. Do you think that the Lu family members will still be kind to you after knowing about your real identity?" Yvonne continued, "Do you think that... Charles will still be so nice to you after he knows that you aren''t the real Yvonne Gu?" Autumn was shocked and looked pale, but she calmed herself down and stared at Yvonne. "You can tell him everything if you are so fearless. I don''t know what he will do if he knows that I''m not Yvonne Gu. But if he knows that you ran away from the wedding..." "Shut up!" Yvonne was red-faced. "I warn you if you tell others about this matter, I won''t let you off! And just leave Shining Company right now. No one likes you here." "Don''t worry." Autumn sneered and said, "I work here temporarily. When Charles employs an excellent secretary, I will leave in no time. Are you done? If so, I have to go back now." "Stop." When Autumn turned around and was about to leave, Yvonne stopped her. "Now I can allow you to work here. I''m going to invite Charles for dinner tonight. You shoulde with us." "You invite him for dinner, but why are you asking me to go with you?" Autumn frowned and added, "I don''t believe that you are very keen on inviting me to the dinner." "Do you think I''m doing this on my will?" Yvonne wouldn''t invite Autumn if Charles didn''t insist. "You better remember my words. Youe with us tonight. And then you should look for an excuse to leave first. I don''t want to have dinner with you around." Chapter 59 A Storm At the Secretary Department Chapter 59 A Storm At the Secretary Department After Yvonne left, Autumn returned to her office with mixed feelings. The moment she entered the room, Jenny said sarcastically, "Oh my god, the moral degeneration of the world is getting worse day by day. You cannot judge a tree by its bark. What do you say, Linda?" "You''re right." Linda cast a contemptuous nce at Autumn and taunted, "Someone looks innocent, but is so indiscreet in her personal life. She keeps her ex-boyfriend hanging on while seducing our boss. Shame on her!" "Enough of this chitchat!" David scowled at Jenny and Linda. After Autumn married Charles as the substitute of Yvonne, she was fired by Cloud Advertising Company first, and then maltreated by the colleagues here. David couldn''t help feeling sorry for her sufferings. "Have you finished all your work? Are you free?" "David, why are you favoring her? Do you have a crush on her?" Jenny sneered, "That''s not surprising, she is both pretty and immoral. No wonder you like her." "Enough!" Autumn didn''t want to deal with Jenny and Linda as she wouldn''t be here for a long time. But they discredited her with the ugly gossip. Autumn could not bear it any longer. "I have never offended any of you. I didn''t argue with you because I''m good-tempered, but this doesn''t mean I will tolerate it forever. If you dare say this again, I swear I won''t spare you." Autumn stated seriously. Linda fixed her eyes upon Autumn, and suddenly she realized that Autumn was not a pushover. She was not as stupid as Jenny, so she said no more. Jenny gave a scornfulugh and said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "You''re pissed off because I was telling the truth. I''m not finished yet." Linda stood silently, watching how this was turning out to be. Jenny walked over to Autumn and stated, "Ye, listen, if you want to stay here, you''d better behave. I don''t care who you are or how many boyfriends you have, I''m warning you, if you hold an improper thought for Mr. Lu, I won''t spare you! Do not act like a bitch in thepany. We don''t like that." Jenny gave Autumn a scornful stare. Before Autumn was able to say something, Charles''s solid voice came from outside the door. He had called David, but David didn''t answer. So, he came here to see what happened, but heard Jenny''s voice at the door. He asked with a frown, "Who are you threatening?" "Mr. Lu." "Mr. Lu." The moment Charles entered, everyone went silent. Jenny stood angrily and thought, ''If Charles were not here, I would teach her a lesson.'' "Mr. Lu..." David was not good at mediating disputes. He was almost moved to tears as Charles was his savior. "Jenny, what did you just say?" Charles walked past David and went to Jenny. He stared at her and N?velDrama.Org content rights. demanded, "Say it again." "Mr... Mr. Lu." Charles had a straight face, which scared Jenny a little bit. But she picked up the courage to look Charles in the eye when thinking of Autumn striving for Charles''s favor in the future. She questioned, "Mr. Lu, I don''t understand why you enrolled her. She is good for nothing except her pretty face. Linda and I are capable enough to assist you." Jenny continued in exasperation, "Linda and I have served as your secretaries since we entered the "Do you also think the same way?" Charles raised her eyebrows and looked at Linda who stood next to Jenny. Linda was discontented with Jenny''s words as Jenny had dragged her into this. She could tell that Charles took Autumn''s side. Hearing Charles''s question, Linda tried her best to be neutral. She gave a sweet smile. "Mr. Lu, I believe you have your own reasons to recruit Ye. I don''t have the right to interfere in your decision making." Linda had sessfully stayed out of this, but left Jenny alone in a trap of her own making. Autumn frowned. Obviously, Jennycked judgement. Although Jenny had flung mud at her, she believed Jenny was easy to manipte as she was frank and open. But Linda was much more clever. Before Charles entered the room, Linda had also said many damaging things. But since Charles was here, she pretended that she had nothing to do with this. Autumn had secretly decided to be careful with Linda in the future. "Linda, how dare you say that? It was you..." Jenny got mad as she realized that Linda had put the me on her. She was about to exin, but Linda would not give her the chance. "Jenny, Ye is a new employee. We don''t know her ability yet. You shouldn''t speak ill of her." Linda told Jenny. "You..." "Enough!" Charles interrupted them and turned towards Jenny, "You are right. Three assistants are enough for the work." Jenny was excited with joy. "So..." Charles gave a tiny smile and continued, "You are fired. Ye would take over your work. Go to the HR Department and leave this office by afternoon. I''ll ask the HR Manager to pay you the extra sry." "Wh... what?" Jenny was shocked. She could not believe what she just heard. "Didn''t I make myself clear?" Charles furrowed his brow. "Mr. Lu, this is not the case..." Jenny panicked, "Why did you fire me? Ye should be the one..." "Are you the boss of thepany?" Charles sneered and turned to David, "David, take her to the HR Department." Charles cast a stern nce at Linda, "Let''s make the premise clear first. If I hear any rumors in the Though Charles didn''t take any names, Linda knew he was warning her. Linda lowered her head with a frozen face. She couldn''t help wondering who Ye really was, as Charles seemed to cared about her so much. Chapter 60 A Surprisingly Friendly Gesture from Linda Zhao Chapter 60 A Surprisingly Friendly Gesture from Linda Zhao "Ye,e in with me." Charles Lu said to Autumn Ye with a stern face. Autumn silently followed Charles. At this time, Jenny Ding rushed over, shouting," It''s all your fault, you bitch. How can Mr. Lu ever treat me like this if it wasn''t you?" Jenny Ding cursed and raised her hand towards Autumn. She was standing very close to Autumn before, and within a second she had already moved right in front of Autumn. Autumn didn''t have a chance to dodge. The moment he saw Jenny rushing over, Charles''s heart stopped for a second. He quickly pulled Autumn into his arms and held her tightly. Jenny''s p fell on Charles''s back. He frowned. It was indeed a heavy p. "Jenny, are you crazy?" David Fan hurried up and pulled Jenny away. "Are you okay, Mr. Lu?" "Never mind." Charles shook his head slightly," Take her to HR immediately. I don''t want to see her again." Jenny looked at her own hand in disbelief. She was obviously targeting Autumn, but howe she hit Charles instead? Well, there was really no chance left to make it up. "Mr. Lu..." She opened her mouth to say something but finally remained quiet. After Charles and Autumn left, David sighed. He told Jenny," Save it. Just leave." "David¡­" Looking at David, Jenny nearly burst into tears. She grabbed David''s hands and said pitifully," I beg you, please help me again and talk to Mr. Lu. Please say something good for me." "Jenny, no one can help you with this." David sighed again. That was Mrs. Lu, the only person who could have helped her, was now offended by her. "Hurry up and leave. Mr. Lu won''t treat you badly." Hearing this, Jenny also knew that she couldn''t stay any longer. Her resentment at Autumn aggravated further. Not knowing that she had been resented by someone else, Autumn was now in a stalemate with Charles. "Well, I am really fine," Charles looked at Autumn and said. "No, let me take a look." That p from Jenny looked really heavy and she was worried about Charles. Charles reached out his arms to hold Autumn closely," I am more than happy to show if you really want to see it. As my wife, you can even touch it, let alone look at it." "Stop!" Autumn rejected the idea. Charles made Autumn seated on the sofa and apologized sincerely," Ye, I am really sorry. I have been thoughtless about what happened today, I am sorry to put you in such huge inconvenience." "I''m fine." Autumn smiled. "I have been thinking about it as well. Charles, it would be better if I am not your secretary anymore. I''d like to take a break and travel around." With Yvonne Gu casting a greedy eye at her and Linda Zhao making all the trouble, Autumn could almost imagine that her days in the office wouldn''t be too easy. "No!" Said Charles with absolute certainty," Don''t forget you promised me to stay until I found the right secretary." "But..." Autumn still hesitated when Charles interrupted her. "OK, we are done on this." Charles handed a ss of water to Autumn," Ye, did you see Autumn Ye?" Autumn''s hands shook a bit, and it took quite a while before she finally put herself together and said to Charles, "Yes, she came over and invited you to dinner today and asked me to go with you." "Did you ept it?" Charles frowned. He pushed the decision-making over to Autumn, expecting her to reject the invitation. Autumn hesitated for a long time and said to Charles, "What if... you just go to dinner. It''s her n anyway and there is no excuse that you''re not going." Charles frowned. "You want me to go so badly?" How Autumn wanted to hold Charles and tell him that she didn''t want him to go, but thinking of Grandma, she could only put on a wry smile, "It''s nothing but a meal, just go." "Now that you want me to, of course I should go." Charles got angry. It was so obvious that she didn''t want to go to dinner herself, but still she pretended to be very understanding. He knew that Autumn was worried about her grandma, but still couldn''t help getting angry. Why didn''t she trust him? Why didn''t she tell him everything so that they could solve it together? The more Charles thought about it, the angrier he got. He stood up and made a call to Yvonne Gu. "Miss Ye? Please send the address to my mobile pher. I will be there¡­ yes, alone." Hanging up the phone, Charles turned around and looked at Autumn. "Are you happy now?" "Charles, I¡­" Autumn tried to exin but Charles didn''t listen at all. "Save it. Leave me alone." Standing quietly in front of Charles, she wanted to step forward but didn''t, as she noticed how he looked. She nced at Charles sadly and said," OK, I''m leaving." Seeing Autumn actually leave, Charles felt deeply offended. He deliberately made the call to Yvonne Gu in the presence of Autumn, expecting that she would stop him, but out of his disbelief, she epted the invitation and even encouraged him to go. How could he not be angry? Throughout the whole day, Charles was under a cloud because of this, and no one had the guts to step into his office. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. It was lunch time and Linda Zhao came over. Seeing how Jenny Ding got dismissed, Linda discovered that there is an exceptional rtionship between Charles and Autumn. As proud as Charles was, he willingly took the p from Jenny Ding for Autumn. Linda wouldn''t believe in any way that there was nothing between them. Simrly, because of Jenny Ding, Autumn was very careful of Linda. She became indifferent when Linda came over. "Hi, Ye. It''s your first day at work today. Let''s go have lunch together." Linda took Autumn''s hand and said to her," I know some very good restaurants in the neighborhood, let me take you there." "No, thank you." There was a staff canteen at Shinning Company, so Autumn quietly pulled her hand back and told Linda, "I am having lunch at the canteen. You should go now." Looking at that in embarrassment, Linda said to Autumn, "It''s your first day, how can you have lunch at the canteen? Now that we are coworkers, we are going to stay together and get along for a long time. Today''s lunch is on me. Come on, it will be my pleasure." Autumn wanted to say no but she also knew that Linda Zhao wouldn''t give up if she didn''t go, so after a little bit of hesitation, she followed Linda out of the office. Chapter 61 Charless Intention Chapter 61 Charles''s Intention Linda took Autumn to a restaurant. She handed her the menu with a big smile and said, "This restaurant is well known for its delicious food. Have a look and you can order whatever you want. Please don''t stand on ceremony." However, Autumn only ordered two dishes. Linda furrowed her brows and turned to the waiter. She ordered some other dishes without taking a look at the menu. "Well, if it is not enough, I will order some moreter." "That''s enough for the two of us. Maybe we wouldn''t be able to finish even this." Autumn hastily told her. Linda gave her a ss of lemonade and said, "It is your first day here, so there should be a reception in honor of you." "Are you familiar with this ce?" Autumn asked. Just as the old saying goes: people should take things as theye. Thinking of this, Autumn calmed down. She also wanted to figure out what Linda had got up in her sleeves. "Yes. I used to eat here with Jenny." Linda pretended to mention Jenny unintentionally, and then she made a pretense of embarrassment. She mped her hand over her mouth. Linda exined to Autumn, "I am sorry. I didn''t mean to mention Jenny to you." "It doesn''t matter." Autumn smiled sardonically to herself, but she still acted as if nothing had happened. "I will never care about it." Autumn added. Linda was insatiable since Autumn did answer back, so she started talking about things that always revolved around Jenny. "Autumn, In fact, I never expected that Jenny would detest you like that. Before you came here, Jenny had lost her heart to Mr. Lu. Perhaps she is just afraid that you will take her beloved, so she treated you like that." "Really?" Autumn replied indifferently and continued, "But it is all over now. " "I just feel pity for her." Obviously, Linda was not going to spare her so easily, so she went on. "Though Jenny is a disagreeable bad-tempered woman, she ispetent. Mr. Lu always gives her important tasks. She would do a good job on time, so Mr. Lu was always freed from worry." Saying this, Linda sighed and continued, "But now she has left and all of the work is going to be handed over to us. It means the workload will be burden-some." Autumn was in a bad mood because of Yvonne, so she was even more distracted when she heard Lindaining about work. "I will take charge of Jenny''s work and I will do mine too. So you don''t have to worry about that." Autumn was annoyed now. "I didn''t mean that." With a passive smile, Linda looked at Autumn and exined, "We are workmates, so it is natural that we should cooperate at work. I just feel weird that why Mr. Lu would fire her so easily. He even took the p from Jenny for you. Ye, what is your rtionship with Mr. Lu?" "Obviously, it is a superior-subordinate rtionship." Autumn replied to her impatiently. Linda''s real purpose was to find out her rtionship with Charles. "Is there nothing else apart from a professional rtionship?" It seemed that Linda was determined to make a detailed inquiry about that. "Everyone in thepany knows that the woman who came to you today is Mrs. Lu''s sister, and you know her well. So I am afraid that it is not just professional between you and Mr. Lu." Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. "What do you want to know from me?" Autumn asked her directly. "Nothing." Linda went on with a smile, "Don''t be so disgruntled. I just take you as my friend since you are my workmate now. So it is just girl''s talk. Don''t be so serious." "I am your friend?" Autumn stared at Linda and smiled grimly. "Linda, you were being sarcastic to me with Jenny before Mr. Lu showed up. But you came to make it up with me because Jenny got fired. I know you think that I must have an ambiguous rtionship with Mr. Lu." "Don''t speak like that. I invited you for a meal, because I really want to make friends with you." "Make friends with me?" Autumnughed sarcastically and went on, "I am sorry. I am a picky woman. Though I never select specific people as my friends, I know clearly that who I am not going to be friends with." "You......" Linda was startled. She never expected that Autumn would decline her directly. "Ye, I know I have wronged you. But I have also made my apologies. What else do you expect?" "I don''t expect anything." Having said this, Autumn stood up. "Ie here to work instead of making friends. And to be frank, I don''t have an ambiguous rtionship with Mr. Lu. What''s more, please don''t be so hypocritical. Though we are in the same office, it is enough for us to be workmates. I think now, you may not want to be friends with me at all. Well, fortunately, I have the same intention for you." Autumn turned around to leave, and left her alone there. Autumn bought a sandwich from a cafe house nearby. When she went upstairs she happened to meet Charles. Charles waited for Autumn for a long time. But it was not until he went out that he found she had already left. It drove him mad. "Where have you been?" No one was present in the office at that time, so Charles held her hands tightly while asking her. "You''re hurting me." Autumn frowned. Somehow she felt embarrassed to meet him. The thought of Charles dining alone with Yvonne in the evening made her a little upset. Hearing that, Charles loosened his grip. "Where did you go? Do you know that I have been looking for you?" It was her first day to work.. He was going to take her out for a feast, but he didn''t expect that they would get angry with each other. Autumn''s face darkened with anger. She looked at him face to face. "Why are you looking for me? Why not go to dine with Yvonne?" Charles was happy to hear this, because now he knew that she was jealous. Getting close to her, he acted like a spoiled kid. "What''s wrong? Are you jealous?" "No. Of course I am not!" Obviously, Autumn was not going to admit that. "You are my superior while I am just your secretary. I dare not get angry with you." "I am sure you are jealous." Charles said firmly. "Ye, I hope you have stopped me when I called her before. I know she is your sister, but now I am your husband. We are a family. I know you are furious, but I arranged a job for her. I don''t hope that you will keep pushing me away further. Do you understand me?" "That''s not true." Autumn suddenly felt regretful knowing his true intention. She had been hesitant because of her identity, but Charles waspletely frank with her now. He told her that he loved her instead of Yvonne. She became cheerful hearing this. Chapter 62 She Cant Go Chapter 62 She Can''t Go "You are not?" Charles Lu frowned. Autumn Ye was acting a bit of modest under his gaze. Indeed, she had even thought about the togetherness of Charles and Yvonne Gu seriously. Autumn went silent. Charles put a stop to the arguments and said to Autumn, "Well, I am not ming you. I just hope that you are not so stubborn in the future. You should tightly hold on to what is rightfully yours if someone tries to take it away." "I see." Autumn sniffed and was about to burst into tears, "So¡­ are you still going to have dinner with Yvonne?" "Of course I''m going to." Charles nodded faintly. "Now that I have epted her invitation, of course I should go, but¡­" "But what?" "But I have my own agenda. I''m just going to show up there and then I wille back home, all right?" Charles waited for Autumn''s approval. She smiled back and nodded. Seeing that there was only a sandwich in Autumn''s hand, Charles asked, "David told me you went for lunch with Linda. Howe you came back only with a sandwich?" "I am not hungry." Autumn shrugged. Although she put it concisely, Charles understood what she meant. "About today¡­ I knew the fact that Linda started it but it was Jenny Ding whom I fired. Will you me me for that?" Hearing what Charles had just said, Autumn was astonished. She was surprised to know that Charles was aware of the real side of Linda. "And you..." Charles burst intoughter before she continued. "What? You are wondering why I still keep her even knowing who she really is?" Charles asked. Autumn shook her head slightly and quickly figured it out, "Why should I me you?" Charles sighed. "Linda''s got certain capabilities although her personal characters are not decent. Unlike her, Jenny Ding is purely brainless. As long as she stays in the office, she will always try to make things difficult for you. But Linda... she won''t go too far. I can''t fire them both at the same time. After all, there are a lot of things to do in thepany, so... be careful when you get along with her in the future, I won''t be able to protect you all the time. " "Do not worry, I understand." Autumn smiled. Charles''s concerns were pretty much understandable, how could she me him? "Well, I will go back to work now." Autumn went back to her desk. It was not long before Linda came back. She looked very calm, as if nothing had happened before. "Ye, please help me print this document, Mr. Lu needs it tomorrow." "Ye, can you please bring this reimbursement form to Finance Department? Thank you." "Ye..." Linda shoved most of her work to Autumn with big smiles on her face. Autumn didn''t turn her down if she was not too upied. Linda stopped Autumn before she was leaving the office, "Ye, I know it was your first day at work and I should not bother you with this, but my hands are tight so I am asking for your help." Linda was smiling. Asmon saying goes, don''t be angry with those who are in smiles, Autumn didn''t get angry and just asked faintly, "What''s the matter?" Working overtime at the Cloud Company wasmon for Autumn. Although it was her first day here today, reasonable overtime was no big deal to her. "Here is the thing¡­" Linda paused and then continued. "I have a contract negotiation this evening and Jenny Ding was supposed to go with me. Now that she is gone, I can''t do it alone, so I have to ask you to go with me." "Contract negotiation at this hour of the night?" Autumn frowned. She vaguely guessed what Linda meant for, but couldn''t help confirming, "When will the meeting end?" "It''s very simple, just having dinner together with the other party. All you need to do is co-operate and help me asionally with a few words. After all, you are now working at Shining and will be involved in this in the future. So take today as a learning session." Linda informed her but Autumn already knew that they were mostly supposed to suffer some losses at such a dinner party. "Linda, don''t you have an appointment with Mr. Song tonight?" David Fan frowned slightly. Hearing that Linda was actually taking Autumn to a dinner party, he was more than horrified. If Mr. Lu knew about it, he would turn green-eyed with jealousy. So Linda was not creating any trouble for Autumn in public but was ying all kinds of tricks behind her back, in a way that it left no evidence to others. "Yes." Linda slightly nodded and told David, "It was originally the joint responsibility of Jenny and myself. Now that she''s gone, I think Autumn should learn to take over. Is that a problem?" David said with a poker face, "You are such an acquaintance of Mr. Song, so the dinner party is nothing but just a formality. Ye is different from you. You can go on your own. Do not take her with you." "Different? Different how?" Linda smirked inside and continued talking to David, "David, what do you mean? Mr. Song is a famousdy-killer in the circle, and yes, I have been up my alley dealing with him and won''t suffer a great deal. But you know, every time I have dinner with Mr. Song, I got drunk. If there wasn''t Jenny to take me home, how could I remain safe and sound? Now that she is gone, do you want me to go alone?" "After all, I am a woman too. If Ye goes, at least she can get me home safely, can''t she?" Linda frowned. She had justified herself and David could not retort. And unfortunately Charles was not in the office at the moment. There was no way that David could stop Linda. "If you can''t do it alone, go to the PR Department and get somebody to go with you. It''s final that Ye can''t go!" She was the dear wife of Charles, how could she be the one to entertain someone else at the table? David wasn''t looking down on Linda at all. On the contrary Linda devoted herself to work N?velDrama.Org content rights. wholeheartedly. She was also very consistent at winning contracts. So, David always thought highly of her. However, if she could went for the client dinner, it didn''t mean that Ye should go as well. "How about¡­I go with you?" David looked around the empty office. It wasn''t logical to call someone from the PR Department at such a time, so he offered to go himself. "No!" Linda answered firmly, "David, you and I work in the same office. You know better than me what kind of person Mr. Song is. If I take you to dinner today, do you think he will sign the contract for me?" Sadly, a woman has to suffer a few losses, in order to gain a foothold in the society. David understood this very well. And this was the exact reason why he couldn''t risk Autumn going. Chapter 63 Mr. Song Chapter 63 Mr. Song "But..." When David was about to say something, Autumn interrupted him, "David, no need to say anything anymore." Autumn wasn''t a spoileddy who would not do any work. Although she didn''t like Linda, she couldn''t let her go out alone. After all, it was not safe for ady to go out by herself. "I will go with you, " said Autumn inly to Linda. After she heard her, Linda smiled. But David was seemingly upset about this. "You can tidy up your desk first. I will go to fetch the contract." Seeing Linda leave, David walked in front of Autumn''s desk and stopped her. "Mrs. Lu, you don''t have to agree to go with her. You know that... And if Mr. Lu knows this matter, he will me me for it." "Don''t worry." Autumn smiled. "He has an appointment with someone else tonight, so he won''te back so early. Moreover, I''d be worried if we let Linda go out alone to meet Mr. Song. Don''t worry. I''m an adult and I can take care of myself, " she said. "But..." "It''s okay. It doesn''t matter. I will try toe back early, " Autumn assured David. David knew that it was impossible to dissuade Autumn, so he quietly came out of the office and dialed Charles''s number nervously. However, he couldn''t get through the call. "Please pick up the phone." David was very anxious, but after Autumn and Linda went out, he tried again but failed to reach Charles on call. Autumn predicted what would happen during the dinner. Luckily, she listened to Charles''s suggestion and wore a pair of long pants today. She thought that if she tried not to talk much during the dinner, she might not draw others'' attention. Linda wore a custom-made cheongsam which perfectly showed her graceful and charming figure. On their way to the restaurant, Linda kept on fixing her make-up. Autumn sat beside her quietly and enjoyed looking out on the streets. Sending Linda back to her house safe and sound was Autumn''s only goal. "This is a profile about Mr. Song. You can study it now, " said Linda, while taking out a file and throwing it at Autumn''s legs. Without saying anything, Autumn took the document and started reading it carefully. Mr. Song was one of the regr customers of Shining Company. The amount of orders from him took up arge share of thepany''s total orders. This time, the cooperation was especially important. Precisely speaking, this time the cooperative partner wasn''t Mr. Song, but a client whom Mr. Song had rmended. The client had juste back from abroad and wasn''t familiar with how the business deals worked in domestic. He had interest in Shining Company''s products. After he researched about tenpanies in the same industry in Y City, he wanted to meet the people of Shining Company. And he invited Mr. Song to rmend him to them. Mr. Song provided them with little information. Linda had no idea about client''s expectations, likes and interests, food preferences, and so on. What''s worse, she knew nothing about the client''spany. Autumn frowned. She thought that Linda shouldn''t meet a new client unprepared. It was not the proper way to do business. "Linda, this..." Autumn was still frowning. "It is often said that one will be sessful if one knew the opponents well. The client chooses us, so they must have done a thorough background check of our not get any benefit from the association." "Do you think I don''t know this?" Linda caught a glimpse of Autumn while fixing her make-up. "This client is very unpredictable. I have tried every way to look for his information but it was of no use. Mr. Song told me that if we seed in closing a deal with this new client, Shining Company will reach a new height. So I have to try even if there''s a slim chance." Linda didn''t tell Autumn that Mr. Song had arranged the dinner today. To put Autumn into an embarrassing situation, Linda epted his invitation without any hesitation. "Aren''t you worried about this?" Autumn thought that Linda was someone who was trained by Charles, so she wouldn''t be that stupid. Perhaps she didn''t care about the deal this time because she just wanted to put Autumn in a difficult position. "I don''t worry about anything." Linda smirked and said, "You have just joined ourpany. There are a lot of things that you don''t know. Mr. Song... is a bit lecherous, but he just dare say something unpleasant. And you don''t have to worry. He has a sense of propriety while taking any action. I believe we can surely seed in signing the contract with his help." Autumn kept silent. The taxi stopped at the gate of the restaurant. Linda had reserved a private room at this restaurant that had a local vour. She learnt that the client just came back from abroad. It was a good idea to choose a traditional restaurant. It would bridge the distance between them and the client. Autumn couldn''t help but have a look at Linda for a little while. They arrived at the restaurant earlier than others. Mr. Song had reached the private room''s door at 6:30 PM. He was a short man. His little eyes were fixed on Linda''s breasts. He smiled and said, "Linda, it''s been a long time. How are you doingtely?" Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Linda smilingly stood up and walked up to Mr. Song while swinging her waist. She extended her hand to receive Mr. Song''s arm. "I''m doing very well these days. But you seem to have lost weight. Are you keeping well recently?" "Actually, I..." Mr. Song took Linda''s hand and kept on touching her. Autumn was furious to see this. "Linda, look, I lost weight because I miss you too much these days. So you must have more sses of wine with me tonight..." He also pinched Linda''s waist happily. But Linda didn''t react to his behavior. She was used to all these things. It was somon for women to be molested by men while closing business deals. But they too had their own exclusive advantages of being a woman. "Mr. Song has a really good sense of humor. Trust me. I will drink some extra sses of wine with you today." Linda smilingly took his arm and let him sit next to Autumn. In this way, he sat between Linda and Autumn. "Why hasn''t Jennye today? I haven''t seen her for a few days. I miss her so much." Autumn lowered her head and didn''t wear sexy clothes, so she didn''t attract the attention of Mr. Song. And Mr. Song began to look for Jenny after he sat down. Linda pretended to get angry and said, "Mr. Song, you have disappointed me. How could you say that you miss Jenny in front of me. This is too much to handle." Mr. Song put his arms around Linda''s waist and whispered something in her ear. Lindaughed. She then replied, "You''re so naughty and thick-skinned. How could you say that?" "Oh, it''s nothing. Don''t be so surprised, " said Mr. Song smilingly. Autumn kept her head lowered. She didn''t care what happened around her. Linda stole a nce at Autumn. She then said to Mr. Song, "Oh, right, Mr. Song, I haven''t introduced..." Chapter 64 The Endurance Chapter 64 The Endurance Linda stood up, and then walked towards Autumn. She said to Mr. Song, "I''m afraid that you may not see Jenny again because she quit today. But... she was reced by a gorgeous beauty. She is our newpanion, Ye." "Ye, this is Mr. Song." Linda introduced Autumn to Mr. Song on purpose. Hearing this, Autumn had to raise her head and look above. She gave a slight smile to Mr. Song and said, "Nice to see you, Mr. Song." Noticing the lust that gleamed through Mr. Song''s eyes, Autumn became a little infuriated with concern. Then, she gave Linda a momentary nce. She captured a fleeting smug smile in her eyes. Linda held Autumn by the arm and said smilingly, "Mr. Song, today is her first day at work. I brought her here to introduce her to you. Unlike me, she is shy and a little inexperienced. Please control your behavior a little and don''t frighten her." Mr. Song stared at Autumn and said, "Don''t worry. I won''t frighten her." ''How could I not notice such a gorgeous girl like Ye? Her ordinary suit couldn''t cover her fine features and smooth skin. She is way more stunning than Linda.'' Mr. Song thought to himself. Struck by Autumn''s beauty, Mr. Song stayed still without saying a word. Autumn couldn''t help but frown when she saw his open admiration. Linda said with a smile on her face, "Then... Ye will be yourpanion when the clientes in. Please forgive me if I don''t give you much attention today." "I won''t me you. I understand. It''s all for work." Mr. Song smiled and said, "Today you will meet a very important guest. Just do what you''re supposed to do." Hearing this, Linda returned to where she was before. Mr. Song just stopped paying attention to her, and even ignored her. He gave all his attention to Autumn. He asked her, "My fairdy, are you a native of Y City?" Autumn resisted her impatience and replied, "Yes, I am." "I never knew that there will be such a pretty girl like you in Y City." Then, Mr. Song put his hand forward in an attempt to grab her hand. He continued, "Somebody as pretty as you can do a better job than a secretary. How abouting to mypany? I''ll make you the manager. As for the sry, I will fulfill all your requirements." "No, thanks, " Autumn declined. She didn''t want to even think about it. When Mr. Song was about to touch her hand, Autumn raised her hand to lift the cup on the table. She sessfully dodged Mr. Song''s physical attempt. Mr. Song didn''t get frustrated. He said smilingly, "Don''t stand on ceremony. I hate to see a girl suffer. I know Charles Lu. You can have things easy, if you want." Mr. Song moved his stool closer to Autumn and proceeded, "If youe to mypany, I promise that you''ll have more fun than in Shining Company. What do you think?" As soon as he finished his sentence, he put his hand on Autumn''s thigh. Though she wore a pant, he could still feel her skin. He couldn''t resist grabbing her thigh, and at the same time, Autumn stood up suddenly. Mr. Song and Linda got startled. Linda scowled and shouted at Autumn, "What''s wrong with you?" Autumn frowned. After what Mr. Song had done to her, she felt disgusted and speechless. But considering her situation, she let her anger subside. She said to Linda with displeasure in her voice, "I''m fine. I just need to go to thedy''s room." Mr. Song fixed his eyes on Autumn''s rear as she walked away, as if she were his prey. Linda had already known by now as to what Mr. Song''s intentions were for Autumn. That was why she had brought Autumn here. Now, she knew that all she needed was to entice him. So she said, "Mr. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Song, you''re interested in her, aren''t you?" "Oh, what rubbish." Mr. Songughed it off and put his hand on Linda''s thigh. He coaxed, "You''re my still favorite. Don''t get envious." "Come on, Mr. Song. Stop coaxing me with these sweet words. We have known each other for a long time. How can I not know you?" Lindaughed coldly and continued, "You''re a y boy. If I were a jealous woman, I must have been crazy for you." Mr. Song admitted, "You know me." He proceeded, "I have never met a woman as enchanting and impressive as she is. Don''tugh at me. " "No, I won''t." Lindaughed and said to Mr. Song, "You have helped me a lot in the past. Without you, I wouldn''t have gotten where I am now. " Mr. Song responded inly, "I''m d you remember that." His eyes were fixed on the door, waiting for Autumn toe back. Linda gave a little smirk and said, "Mr. Song, if you''re really fond of her, I can help you..." Mr. Song looked at Linda, and asked doubtfully, "What do you mean?" ''Though Linda didn''t mind my intimate behavior, we never went further.'' He thought to himself. But now, Linda proposed to help him, which made him feel suspicious for her. "Mr. Song, I just want to do you a favor." Linda endured his harassment, but she needed to pretend as if nothing had happened. She said, "Ye lives a poor life. If you two can get together, it will be a kind deed for my colleague. So it will be a win-win for all of us, right? " "Really?" Mr. Song was confused. He looked at Linda and said, "But she seems to have no such intention..." "Mr. Song, you are thinking too much. It''s your first meeting with her. Please be patient." Linda continued to persuade Mr. Song, "I''ll ask her to behave well with you. When she gets drunk, she will be all yours." Mr. Song said hesitantly, "I.." Linda interrupted him immediately and give him no time to think, "Mr. Song, this is the only chance. If you say yes, I will help you." After hesitating for a while, Mr. Song remembered Autumn''s figure, and finally agreed. "You have promised me." An evil smile appeared on Linda''s face. ''Once she bes Mr. Song''sdy, she will leave Shining Company. Then I will be the only female secretary left in thepany. At that time, even Charles won''t be able to do anything, even though he has a liking for her. If he didn''t lose his mind, he would give upon her.'' Linda mused. The client that Mr. Song had introduced arrived at 7:00 pm. He was apanied by a man who looked like his assistant. When Linda saw him, she was stunned in surprise. ''This man is as charming as Charles.'' Linda thought to herself. She pulled her cheongsam to show off her breasts. She was always confident about her figure. She extended her hands to the man standing in front of her, with a confident smile. She said, "Nice to meet you. I''m Linda." The man shook her hands with a formal smile. It made Linda''s heart beat faster. He said out loud, "I''m Sam Lin." Mr. Song walked to the man and said obsequiously, ''Mr. Lin, here youe, finally. Take a seat, please. Linda, ask the waitress to serve the dishes." Chapter 65 An Obvious Lie Chapter 65 An Obvious Lie Autumn stayed in the rest-room for quite a long time. She was in a dilemma whether she should go back or not. On thinking about Mr. Song''s annoying mug face, Autumn frowned and clenched her fist. Finally, Linda came to look for her. She furrowed her brows when she found that Autumn was standing there, astounded. "What are you doing here? The client have arrived. Why don''t you go to receive our client? Follow me. Hurry up." "Linda, I......" Autumn pondered over and said, "Can you go by yourself? I will wait for you here and I will find you when you have finished the meal." "How can that be possible?" Linda scowled at her and asked, "Ye, are you kidding me? You have to go out now. He is here already. Are you afraid that Mr. Song would take advantage of you?" "......" Autumn kept silent. Linda smirked and said, "Well, I know that you are worrying about that. But don''t worry. Mr. Song won''t act in a frivolous manner. He is just joking. What''s more, now the client has arrived. So I can''t deal with them alone." Saying this, Linda grabbed her hands and said, "Let''s go. They have been waiting for a long time now. Autumn hesitated for a second but finally went out with Linda. Linda headed in first and then apologetically told them. "I am sorry, Mr. Song. She is a newer. Please don''t mind for her impertinent manners." Linda pushed Autumn forward and said, "Ye, hurry up. Propose a toast to Mr. Song and apologize to him." Autumn looked up slightly. But when she saw Sam sitting there, her brows furrowed. She had never expected that the client Linda highly praised would be Sam. Didn''t he juste back from abroad? What was his purpose behind contacting Shining Company? This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Sam''s eyes lighted up as soon as he saw Autumn. The main reason for his dealings with Shining Company was that he wanted to get a chance to know more about Charles. In this way, he could gain an advantage topete with Charles for Autumn. But he didn''t expect that he would meet Autumn here. ''Isn''t she married to Charles? Why is she here? Did Charles ask her to be here?'' Sam wondered. "Stop staring nkly. Ye, hurry up, " said Linda. Autumn was pushed by Linda when she was still a little stunned. "You have to drink with Mr. Song tonight. I am going to take care of Mr. Lin." Linda went on. Autumn became furious at Linda for pushing her abruptly. She was still lost in her thoughts, wondering about Sam''s purpose. "You know I can''t drink." Autumn replied with a cold voice. She is a woman of poor drinking capacity. Not to mention that she would definitely not want to drink on such an asion. "Why are you so ignorant? Don''t you know that it is a significant asion? In any case, you have to take care of Mr. Song and drink with him." David and Charles were not here. That was why Linda was bing so bossy. "Hurry up." Linda urged again. After finishing her words, Linda pushed Autumn towards Mr. Song. Sam was just observing things silently, as if he was a stranger. "I told you. I can''t drink." Autumn was notpromising today. They reached a deadlock there while Mr. Song said with a smile to ease the situation. "Well, don''t force her to drink knowing that she can''t drink. Linda, order a ss of juice for her." "Mr. Song, you can''t have a soft and forgiving heart for her. I am afraid that she would get spoiled." Linda chuckled and then asked the waiter for the juice. "I would like to do that for her", replied Mr. Song. He took Autumn''s arm to sit down and told Linda again. "Linda, go and apany Mr. Lin. Don''t worry about me. Miss Ye will take care of me." "Okay." Linda replied briefly. She nodded and stepped towards Sam. Linda showed a big smile and said, "Mr. Lin, I am also not a drinker. But in order to show my sincerity for yourpany, I will break my rule to drink with you tonight. I shall propose a toast to you first. " She took out a goblet while talking, pouring a ss of white spirit for herself. After that, she poured another ss of spirit for Sam with a smile. But Sam had ignored Lindapletely since he just kept gazing at Autumn who sat opposite him. Cautious, Autumn sat there silently with a frown while Mr. Song kept joking with her. However, Autumn was reticent and kept apart with Mr. Song when he moved closer to her. Sam was confused why she woulde here, now that she was reluctant to do such a job. "Mr. Lin?" Linda called. She was a little agitated when she saw that Sam kept focusing on Autumn. ''Why all of the men who I am interested in would only cast their eyes upon Autumn? It seems that there is no chance for me wherever she is.'' Linda wondered. "Mr. Lin......" Linda was reconciled to ept this truth, so she raised her voice and got closer to Sam. "I am sincere. As long as you will cooperate with Shining Company, I promise you that I will do whatever you ask me to." Linda was confident about her beauty. She thought she had a good understanding about men and she was clear what kind of woman a man likes the most. Therefore, she devoted herself to lure Sam in front of her. She had noticed that he didn''t wear a ring. "If I can seduce him sessfully, perhaps I will be well- known someday. After all, Charles has been married. And I am unable to be his wife anymore but could only be a mistress of him even if he would like to be with me." Linda thought. That was why she changed her mind the moment she met Sam. Unexpectedly, Sam ignored her directly. But Sam''s assistant Peter stood up, smiling faintly to her. "Miss Linda, Mr. Lin feels ill these days. I have got a suggestion. Why not allow me to drink this ss of spirit for him? I am d to make friends with you. And don''t worry. We also intends to cooperate with Shining Company." " As soon as he said this, Peter took the goblet and emptied the ss of spirit in a shot. Linda was unable to stop him but only stared without a blink. Now that Peter drank it, Linda had no choice but to finish her ss of spirit as well. But she never expected such an indifferent attitude from Sam. "It seems that you are quite a good drinker, Miss Zhao." Sam finally talked to her after she drank off. "I am afraid that this is not your first time drinking. You seem experienced to such asions, right?" A smile froze on her face after hearing that. Absolutely, it was not her first time drinking. Charles often took her to join such business engagements. And he never saved her from facing a dilemma, but allowed others to flirt with her. Gradually, Linda learnt how to cope with it and became experienced. Generally, she would only be molested by their male clients, but would not suffer from any losses. Chapter 66 Sam Stood Up For Autumn Chapter 66 Sam Stood Up For Autumn So Charles Lu was confident that she could handle the situation and close the deal on her own. What she said to Sam Lin today was only to reduce the distance between them. Linda Zhao rxed a bit. She smiled and told Sam, "Let''s drink, Mr. Lin. It is important to have fun in life. It doesn''t make any sense to care so much about the trivial details. Don''t you think so?" Linda smiled and filled Sam''s ss again. "I know you are not feeling well, so I bring you red wine this time. So¡­ should we have a toast on that?" "Sorry, I don''t drink wine." Sam said faintly. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Linda looked embarrassed for a second but continued, "Mr. Lin,e on¡­ this is really embarrassing." "Howe¡­" Sam smiled and said, "Peter will drink with you, okay?" When Sam stopped talking, Peter stood up. "Miss Zhao, please don''t make things difficult for Mr. Lin. I''ll drink it up with you. Please consider it as our redemption." Peter drank up the wine without saying another word. No matter how hard Linda tried, Sam didn''t drink at all. Linda was getting a bit anxious. Till now, Sam didn''t drink any wine. Linda knew very well that several business deals were closed at this table only after the involved parties were satiated with food and drinks. If Sam remained as sober as he was now, she might not be able to finalize the deal. Linda stood up and put her hands on Sam''s shoulder. "Mr. Lin, about the cooperation..." While she was talking, Sam stood up in an instant. Although he was talking to Linda, his eyes were on Autumn. Seeing Mr. Song force Autumn to drink, he could no longer sit still. "Lin¡­ Mr. Lin, what''s wrong?" Linda was shocked. So was Mr. Song who was seated on the other side of the table. He stopped what he was doing to check on Sam, "Mr. Lin, what''s the matter?" "Nothing..." Sam struggled in his heart but finally sat down and told Linda, "Take a seat. There are a few details about the cooperation that needs to be rified. Peter will discuss the same with you." "OK¡­" Linda took a seat by his side. Peter raised a couple of specific questions and Linda gave him the appropriate answers. Indeed, she was quite a professional at work. "Mr. Lin, I have no further questions." After getting satisfactory answers, Peter told Sam, "Miss Zhao made a great offer and the product quality is guaranteed. Most importantly, Shining Company has a very good reputation. If you are okay with it, we can fix a time for the contract-signing." "Good." Sam nodded slightly and suddenly asked Linda, "Miss Zhao, who is thisdy over there¡­" Linda was ted about the cooperation. However, her smile vanished in an instant when Sam enquired her about Autumn. She asked Sam, "Mr. Lin, are you interested in her, too?" "No." Sam said cidly, "She looks kind of familiar, like a ssmate from the old times¡­" "Oh, I see." Linda took a sigh of relief and told Sam, "She joined thepany today. She is Ye. She works as a small secretary here. There is no way that she could have been your ssmate, Mr. Lin." One was a senior executive and the other was a mere secretary, how could the two be rooted from the same soil? "Is that so?" Sam frowned slightly but his eyes were fixated on Autumn. He was concerned about her. "Yes." Linda nodded a little. "She probably wanted to push herself forward in front of the boss so she desperately wanted to be here. And now she''s ying all innocent here. I don''t know what''s in her mind." Sam stopped talking while Linda was still rattling and bad-mouthing Autumn. After his efforts to force Autumn to drink went in vain, Mr. Song went ahead and crossed another line. He started touching Autumn inappropriately and reached out for her hips. Autumn stood up immediately and threw a ss of wine on his face. While she remained silent, Linda went mad. She hurried over and dragged Autumn away, "Ye, I brought you here to help me out, not to increase my troubles. What have you done?" Autumn brushed her off and didn''t say a word. Linda checked with Mr. Song nervously, "Are you all right Mr. Song?" "Yes." Mr. Song tried to be very patient with Autumn but when Autumn threw a ss of wine on his face he felt totally disgraced in front of Sam. He put on a long face and used Autumn saying, "What have you done? I was being so nice to you. Why would you throw this wine on my face?" Mr. Song sneered at Autumn, "So this is the part where the whore deres herself as a virgin. Didn''t youe here with Linda to sell your body? Stop ying innocent!" Autumn''s face turned pale and Linda didn''t look good either. What Mr. Song said hurt Linda''s feelings too. Nevertheless, Linda forced a smile and told Autumn, "Stop standing there like a tree. Come over and clean up for Mr. Song! And, apologize to him right away!" Her voice was stern, leaving no chance for Autumn to argue. Autumn stood by and said, "I didn''t do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?" Linda was so angry that her face turned green. It was not about right or wrong. What would happen to her future orders if Mr. Song was pissed off? She frowned and told Autumn, "There is no right or wrong. You offended Mr. Song. That''s why you must apologize." Mr. Song gave a scornfulugh and wiped his face off angrily. He marched towards Autumn and said, "Bitch, look at how I will make you suffer now." He raised his palm and waved at Autumn''s face heavily. Autumn closed her eyes. She was expecting some pain from the p but she felt nothing. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Sam was grabbing Mr. Song''s hand. "What happened, Mr. Song? Why are you so mad?" Sam was wearing a fake smile and looked frightening. Then Sam tightened his grip on Mr. Song''s hand. Mr. Song frowned slightly and asked, "Mr. Lin, what are you doing?" "Nothing." Sam let go of Mr. Song and said, "She''s ady after all. Don''t push yourself too hard on her. Please, don''t do it in front of me. I can''t see a woman being attacked like that." Mr. Song rubbed his wrist slightly and exined to Sam, "Mr. Lin, I am not someone who''s being unreasonable here. This woman here humiliated me and I will make her pay for it. Just don''t get involved in this. I''ll handle it on my own." "That won''t work." Sam said to Mr. Song with a big smile. He slowly stepped in front of Autumn and stood in Mr. Song''s way. "Now that I am here, I can''t let you bully her. Mr. Song, do me a favor, please." Chapter 67 This Isnt Over Yet Chapter 67 This Isn''t Over Yet "Mr. Lin, why are you standing in my way?" Mr. Song sneered and turned to Autumn Ye, "Bitch, so you''re seducing Mr. Lin, not to mention you tried on me too. As far as I can see, you need to learn a lesson." Mr. Song tried to grab Autumn''s arm while talking but was stopped by Sam Lin. "Don''t go too far, Mr. Song." "Mr. Lin, I have to teach this woman a lesson today." Mr. Song sneered. "I look up to you because of your father, Mr. Lin. Nevertheless, I am your senior. You should remember who you are and not ruin our rtionship." "Hand this woman over to me right away and fuck off, or I will teach you a lesson too." Mr. Song said scornfully and raised his hand again. Linda Zhao rushed over, dragged Sam aside and said, "Mr. Lin, just leave them alone please. All this happened because of the ignorance of my colleague, so let Mr. Song teach her a lesson in whichever way he wants. It''s not a big deal." Linda smiled sweetly and looked at her watch, "It''s still quite early, why don''t¡­ we continue our meeting somewhere else?" She leaned on Sam consciously or unconsciously, rubbing Sam''s arm and suggesting implicitly. Feeling nothing at all, Sam raised his hand, pushed Linda away and shouted, "Get lost!" "Mr. Lin¡­" Whilepletely leaning against Sam, Linda never thought that Sam would push her away. She fell on the ground and her dress got rumpled. After she cleaned herself up, she gave Sam a intive look. "So you are determined to set yourself against me." Mr. Song sneered. All these years, he had been enjoying voluntary seduction from women because of who he was. It''s been a while that he himself had been interested in a woman. He didn''t feel as if he took any advantage of her. So for him, Autumn throwing a ss of wine on him was totally uncalled for. How could he not be furious? "Sam Lin, be sensible and step away, or the cooperation between HKind and mypany will be over today." Thinking he was senior to Sam, Mr. Song tried to take advantage of his position. In his opinion, Sam was nothing but a naive person, who was nobody in front of him. "Sam¡­" Autumn sighed quietly and told Sam, "I got myself into this trouble. I can clean my mess myself. Step away, please. I don''t want your cooperation with Mr. Song to be hampered because of me." Hearing this, Sam frowned a bit. Autumn was definitely not treating him the way she should be treating him. Until this moment, Linda and Mr. Song didn''t realize that Autumn Ye and Sam Lin were actually old time acquaintances. Linda was getting crazy because of jealousy. No wonder Sam gave her a cold shoulder. "So you two know each other. No wonder you''re protecting her like this." Mr. Songughed scornfully and said, "Sam Lin, your old man got you back to run thepany. What would he think if he gets to know that you are busy picking up hot chicks aftering back?" Mr. Song looked quite pleased. Autumn frowned and stepped in front of Sam. "Mr. Song, this is between you and me. Don''t get others involved. Just take it up with me." "Yo¡­you see that? She''s protecting her boyfriend now." Mr. Song sneered and said, "Tell me, how do you want this to end?" "Mr. Song, you know exactly why this ss of wine was thrown on your face. I am not going to apologize to you for this. You tell me, what are you going to do to give this thing up?" "Little Ye, you..." Sam was trying to drag Autumn behind him. He wanted to make her understand that this was now between two men. He couldn''t let Mr. Song get away after his shameful act. But Mr. Song replied, "How about you spend a night with me and I''ll forget everything that happened today. And my cooperation with Sam Lin continues." Mr. Song continued scornfully, "Think it over and answer me. Now the future of your loved one is in your hands." As Mr. Song wasughing arrogantly, a strong and powerful fistnded on his face. Before he had the time to see who it was, he was already knocked down on the floor. When Autumn saw who that was, she felt relieved. However, the face of Linda, who stood next to her, went pale. She murmured, "Mr.¡­ Mr. Lu." How is he here? Linda clenched her fist. She did confirm that Charles had a social engagement tonight before she brought Autumn here. She thought if something bad would happen to Autumn, she might be too embarrassed to tell others but she never thought that Charles Lu would show up here. "Are you all right?" Not giving a damn about what others on the site would think, Charles nervously held Autumn and carefully checked on her. "Let me go first. I am fine." Autumn was slightly embarrassed and tried to get rid of his hands. Having confirmed that Autumn was safe and sound, Charles breathed a sigh of relief and said to her, "Did I not tell you to go home after work? Why are you here?" Linda knew Charles very well. Charles was never the type of person who would protect his female subordinates. She had worked with Charles as his secretary for so many years. Never did she hear him say no when she drank on his behalf at the table. Of course, she would get what she deserved when the deal was finalized. Being an inhuman boss, Charles was now getting into a fight with his business partner, for a female secretary! Linda would never believe it if she didn''t see it with her own eyes. "Linda said if I wanted to learn, I shoulde with her." Autumn said frankly. It took a long while before David Fan could finally get through Charles on the phone. He was standing This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. at the door of the restaurant in which Yvonne Gu made a reservation. When he heard that Autumn was taken on a dinner with Mr. Song, he turned around and rushed over without saying a word. He didn''t even leave a message to Yvonne. Fortunately, he made it on time. Worried as he still was, Charles gave Linda an expression of ''this isn''t over'' and stood in front of Mr. Song, holding Autumn''s hand tightly. "Mr. Song, when I came in, I overheard that... you would let it all go if she spent a night with you. Can you tell me what exactly happened before?" Charles was smiling radiantly, but Mr. Song felt creepy. He stood up and wiped the blood off the corners of his mouth. He had certain respect for Charles. So he asked, "Mr. Lu, is this woman... your secretary?" "Yes..." Charles nodded slightly and asked, "Is there any problem?" "Look at this wine all over me!" Mr. Song was really good at standing facts on his head. He pretended to be innocent in front of Charles and said, "Your secretary is really impressive. She seduced me in the first ce, but used me of being indecent and threw this wine on me. I am telling you, I won''t let this go, till I get what I want." Chapter 68 Declaration of Relationship in Public Chapter 68 Deration of Rtionship in Public "Mr. Song, I didn''t say you took advantage of me after I threw the wine on you." Autumn sneered. If he was not guilty, he wouldn''t say that. Mr. Song gave a murderous nce at Autumn and stated, "Those present here witnessed that. Am I telling the truth, Sam Lin?" Mr. Song wanted to ask Linda to testify for him. However, Linda seemed to have lost her wits after Charles''s arrival. So, he had to ask Sam to help him in haste. Mr. Song was certain that Sam wouldn''t dare to set himself against him. Unexpectedly, Sam gave a little smile and looked at him in the eye, "Mr. Song, she never said you took advantage of her. Did you mention that out of your own guilt? " "You..." Mr. Song''s face was distorted with rage. He didn''t expect Sam to say that. He immediately Others didn''t know the rtionship between Autumn and Charles, but Sam knew about it. He could not restrain his anger on hearing Mr. Song''s usation, so naturally Charles who was Autumn''s husband was deadly furious. Charles gave a brittleugh and said in a cold, dead voice, "Mr. Song, could you say it again? Bitch?" "Isn''t she a bitch?" Mr. Song gave a scornful smile, "Mr. Lu, I know she is your secretary. Don''t be fooled by this bitch! She seduced me! Even Mr. Lin is taking her side. I''m sure they are having an affair..." Mr. Song was continuously mouthing bad words, and in a blink of the eye Charles seized him by the throat. Charles had the eyes of a vicious wolf as if he was going to ughter Mr. Song. Mr. Song felt as if he was going to suffocate. He beat Charles''s hand in a panic, "Charles Lu, are you out of your mind? Don''t forget, we are partners. Let go of me, otherwise, I''ll break this partnership!" "Which hand did you use to touch her?" Charles ignored Mr. Song''s threat and asked him with a sneer. Mr. Song had threatened Sam with the termination of the partnership with him, but failed. Now, he tried to y the same trick on Charles. That was ridiculous! "Let me off!" Mr. Song could not breath. "Forget it." In order to simmer down the things, Autumn grabbed Charles''s arm and said, "It''s not a big deal. Forget it." Charles ignored Autumn''s suggestion. He stared at Mr. Song''s right hand and asked, "Did you use this hand?" "I guess so. She was sitting on his right side." Sam fanned the mes. How dare Mr. Song take advantage of Autumn? Even if Charles would let him go, Sam would not spare him. A faint smile appeared on Charles''s lips. The very next second he heard the sound of fracture. Mr. Song howled like a wounded animal. "Don''t you dare show up in front of me from now on. Otherwise, I won''t spare you!" Charles let Mr. Song off. He threatened and looked at him in the eye. Autumn frowned. "Charles Lu, how dare you do this to me? I swear, you''ll pay for this!" Mr. Song covered his wrist with his left hand and shouted, "Just, wait and see!" "Come on back, I''ll be right here." Charles pulled out a chair and sat down before he took out his cell phone and called David, "David, issue a Letter of Cancetion. I''ll terminate the partnership with Mr. Song. From now on, Shining Company won''t cooperate with Mr. Song anymore. Moreover, inform our partners, if they ever have any transaction with Mr. Song in the future, we would break up the partnership with them too." David immediately went on to issue the contract without raising any question. He knew thest thing Mr. Song should do was to offend Autumn. Charles would not forgive anyone who dared to take an advantage of his wife. "You... How dare you?" Mr. Song didn''t expect Charles to terminate their partnership for a mere secretary. "Well..." Sam stated slowly, "Mr. Song, I don''t care about the partnership between HKind Group and you. Now, I''m in charge of HKind Group and I don''t want to cooperate with you anymore. I''ll pay for the liquidated damages. I have only one request, I don''t want to see your face in the future." Two exceptional men had taken their stands for Autumn. Linda was consumed with jealousy. Mr. Song was lustful, but he was nice to Linda. Most of Linda''s orders came from Mr. Song. If Charles terminated their partnership, Linda would have a hard time at Shining Company too. Linda decided to dissuade Charles because he was envious of Autumn and she wanted to strive for her own interests. Although Linda feared and respected her boss, she mustered her courage and spoke, "Mr. Lu, I know Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. you have a close rtionship with Ye. But... I have to tell you something." Charles turned to Linda with a frown. Linda swallowed hard and continued, "Mr. Song didn''t do anything wrong. It was Ye who first threw the wine on him. She even gave a false ount of the true facts. If she stays in Shining Company, she would stir up troubles in the future as well." "You mean, Mr. Song was telling the truth and Ye was lying?" Charles asked. "Right!" Linda nodded firmly. "Mr. Lin also lied?" "Yes, he lied. Mr. Lin is Ye''s acquaintance as I heard her call him ''Sam.'' The reason Mr. Lin helped Ye is because of their rtionship. Mr. Song is our big client. It''s not appropriate to offend Mr. Song for a slut like her." Charles''s face darkened. He continued, "So... Ye did seduce Mr. Song?" Linda hesitated before she nodded. She had to sacrifice Autumn for her own interests. "Yes, Ye seduced Mr. Song. On top of that, she even got confused between right and wrong. Shame on her!" Sam responded with a sneer. Linda had iting. Sam didn''t understand why Autumn had to conceal her identity after getting married to Charles. He wondered what had happened to her. But he uttered no word as he stood still and looked at Charles. Charles gave a scornful smile, "Linda, I thought you were clever. When you provoked Jenny to insult Ye, I turned a blind eye to that. I thought you would behave after seeing Jenny being fired. But I didn''t expect you to be such an idiot." "Do you think... my wife would seduce a bald-headed, middle-aged man?" Charles stated in a loud voice. This was the first time that he admitted his rtionship with Autumn in public. He was forced to do it under the given circumstances, but he also wanted to warn Sam, ''Do not hold any unrealistic ideas about Autumn.'' Chapter 69 Charles Got Injured Chapter 69 Charles Got Injured Hearing this, Linda was stunned, "What... what did you say?" ''He is a married man. How could he openly...'' Linda wondered. "What? Haven''t I make myself clear?" Charles smiled coldly and continued, "I''ll make it easier for you to understand. Open your ears. Ye is my woman. She is my legally wedded wife. Do you hear that?" On hearing this, Linda fell to the ground. She supposed that Ye was probably an acquaintance of Charles. But it had never urred to her that she was ''the'' Mrs. Lu. ''We never saw him take any woman so seriously since Jenny and I followed Charles years ago. Even that super star Rachel never got this treatment. It''s my fault. I should have recognized their rtionship.'' Linda med herself. "Mrs. Lu... How is it even possible..." She kept babbling to herself, "It''s my bad luck... How could I have offended Charles''s wife without even noticing it?" Charles stood up and told Autumn, "Let''s go." He grabbed her hand and decided to leave. Mr. Song, who was lying on the ground, got irritated by Charles''s words. He snatched a bottle of wine on the table Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. and dashed it to Charles and Autumn. He had never been insulted like this before. Things happened too fast. Sam nervously shouted, "Watch out!" Charles didn''t know what was happening behind him, but he held Autumn to his breast unconsciously. Bang! Charles was hit by a wine bottle on his head. All of a sudden, the bottle broke down into pieces and fragments of ss spread around. The wine sshed on the ground. Charles''s head turned red instantly. "Stay still, " Sam warned Mr. Song. He immediately walked forward and stopped Mr. Song. He left Mr. Song to Peter, and then called the police. When he turned around, he saw Autumn holding Charles in her arms. She was freaking out. Sam told Autumn, "Stop crying. Rush him to the hospital immediately." Charles was hit, but he still consoled Autumn with a smile on his face, "Stop being a fool. It''s no big deal. I''m fine." "But you''re bleeding..." Autumn cried incessantly. She med herself, ''If it hadn''t been for me, Charles wouldn''t have been injured like that. I always get people around me into trouble.'' "Don''t talk rubbish. It''s all my fault..." replied Charles. Autumn could not stop sobbing. Charles reached his hand to touch her face and stop her from crying but he was now losing his consciousness. Before he touched her face, he cked out with his hand falling straight to the ground. Autumn wailed. "Well, stop crying." Sam felt terrible when he watched his beloved woman holding another man in her arms and weeping in grief. He looked in the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of Autumn. Seeing her heartbroken expressions, he felt sadder than her. He knew Autumn was anxious, he kept running red lights all the way. Soon, they arrived at the hospital. Terrified as she was, Autumn had no idea what to do. Sam handled the registration procedures and paid the registration fee. She squatted on the exit of the operating room, with her eyes fixated on the room door. After finishing all the formalities, he came back. When he looked at Autumn''''s back, he felt grieved. He handed her the hot coffee he got for her and said, "Little Ye, sit down and take a rest. Autumn shook her head and said in a hoarse voice, "No, thanks..." Before she was sure that Charles was safe, she couldn''t eat or drink anything. Sam persuaded, "Little Ye, you can do nothing for Charles right now. I don''t think he will want to see you like this when hees out of the operating room. You have to gather yourself for the sake of Charles." To be honest, Sam was taken aback when he saw Charles hold Autumn to his breast unconsciously. ''He wouldn''t have protected her like this if he didn''t feel anything for her.'' He thought to himself. Autumn muttered, "I want to be here with him." ''I''m not a good wife. Ever since we got married, I have only brought trouble to him.'' She thought. "If I were him, I wouldn''t want to see you act like this." Sam helped her get up and held her to the corridor. He seated her on a bench and said, "All you need to do now is stay calm. Since he is in the hospital, should we... inform his family?" Reminded by his words, she said, "You''re right. I need to make a call." She took out her phone, to dial Chris''s number. A voice reached her ear, "Hello..." Hearing her voice, Autumn couldn''t help but cry. Chris flurried too when she heard Autumn crying. She asked hurriedly, "Yvonne, what''s the matter with you? What happened?" Autumn calmed down after she heard Chris''sforting words. It was toote so she didn''t dare to call Gary. She feared that he might overreacted. She told Chris what had happened. Chris said immediately, "Yvonne, send the address to me. I''lle right away." Hearing that Chis woulde, she felt much relieved. She walked to the door of the operating room, totally ignorant of Sam who had his eyes fixated on her. Wendy too rushed to the hospital because the doctor told her that Autumn''s grandma didn''t have much time. Wendy had hidden Autumn''s grandma in the hospital so as to keep Autumn in her control. Before she left the doctor''s office, the doctor urged that Autumn''s grandma needs an immediate surgery or it would be toote to save her life. After hesitating for a while, she thought it was unnecessary to spend that much money on her. She asked the doctor to keep Autumn''s grandma alive for another three months. ''In three months, Yvonne could get Charles to fall in love with her. Then, I will not need Autumn any more.'' Wendy thought to herself. As soon as she walked out of the doctor''s office, she caught sight of Autumn. She followed Autumn out of curiosity. After enquiring the nurse, she got to know that Charles got himself injured for Autumn and he was having an operation in the operating room. She frowned with anger. ''Today Yvonne dly told me that she would have dinner with Charles alone. How could he get hurt for Autumn?'' She wondered. Then, Wendy quietly transferred Autumn''s grandma to another hospital. After she got everything settled, she left the hospital without being noticed by Autumn. When Chris arrived at the hospital, Wendy saw her. Chris didn''t see Wendy because her head was upied with thoughts of Charles. After reaching the exit of the operating room, she found Sam there. Chris asked with a frown, "Sam, why are you here?" Sam replied, "Today, I had an appointment with Linda. You know that I just came back from abroad. HKind Goup is undergoing a transition, so we were seeking a new partner. I didn''t expect that your sister-inw would be there too and Charles got injured. Chris, I''m really sorry..." Sam looked at Chris and apologized to her. Chris waved her hand and said, "You don''t have to apologize. If it were not for you, Yvonne couldn''t have been able to handle all of it on her own." Chapter 70 Charles Is In The Hospital Chapter 70 Charles Is In The Hospital "Chris¡­" Seeing a family member show up, Autumn got nervous. She pulled Chris''s hands and pleaded, "Tell me he is fine¡­" Autumn had no idea how Charles was and she was in desperate need for someone to tell her over and over again that Charles would be fine. She believed it would be true if someone said it repeatedly. "Take it easy, Yvonne." Though Chris was equally worried, she keptforting Autumn. "My brother has always been very lucky. He even survived the car ident that got my parents killed. This little ident can''t do any harm to him." Autumn didn''t know it until today that Charles''s parents died in a car ident. She was shocked to know that Charles was in the same car with them and watched his parents die so helplessly. How did he hold it up all the way? "It''s all my fault¡­" Autumn was interrupted by Chris before she could even finish her sentence. "What are you talking about? It''s the fault of that scumbag. Why are you ming yourself?" Being a fighter against injustice as she was, Chris said in anger, "If I were there, I would have taught that scumbag a good lesson." This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. She gently pacified Autumn and waited for Autumn to calm down. Then she turned to Sam Lin and said, "Sam, thank you so much for today. Now it''ste and you should go back home. I will stay here with my sister-inw." "Will the two of you be okay?" Sam wanted to be with Autumn, but he knew that now he was in no position to do that. "Yes, be rest assured." Chris nodded briefly. Autumn, who was standing on the side, also added, "Sam, I was lucky that you were there today. Charles and I shall thank you in person when he''s a little better." "No, it''s not necessary." Sam smiled and told them, "Now, you both take care of yourselves and call me if you need any help." "OK." Chris nodded slightly. Having watched Sam leave, the two seated themselves on the bench and impatiently waited for the lights in the operating room to go out. After a long while, the lights in the operating room finally went out. Autumn tried to stand up but her legs got numb because she had been sitting for too long. Chris on her side helped her get up and said, "Be careful!" Autumn walked in front of the doctor and asked, "Doctor, how is my husband now?" "He''s got a slight concussion because of the impact in the head. In addition, we gave him four stitches on the head. Now he''ll be transferred to the general ward. It''s nothing serious." Knowing Charles was fine, Autumn felt relieved. Autumn and Chris stayed up all night, but when they saw Charles quietly lying in the bed, they felt it was all worth it. "Autumn, please don''t tell Grandpa about my brother''s injury at the moment. We''ll talk about it after he wakes up." Chris reminded Autumn. "I see." After all, her grandpa Gary was an old man now, he might not be able to stand such a big shock. "Please stay here with my brother and I''ll go out to get some breakfast for us. You haven''t slept all night, and you need something to replenish yourself." Charles would wake up any moment now and he would have wanted to see Autumn when he opened his eyes. Chris made an excuse and left the two alone in the room. Autumn held Charles''s hands tightly and couldn''t help butin, "Why are you so stupid? It was such a big bottle and you didn''t even dodge." "If something like this happens again, you just don''t worry about me, OK? All I want is for you to be safe and sound." "Do you hear me? Wake up right now if you hear me, OK?" As Autumn was chattering away, someone broke into the ward all of a sudden. She grabbed Autumn''s wrist and dragged her away from Charles. "Get out! I don''t want to see you here." It was Yvonne. She didn''t know that Charles bailed on her because of Autumn until Wendy Ye went home and told her what she saw and heard in detail. She was waiting alone in the restaurant for three hours, and Charles didn''t show up at all. "Look at you, Autumn Ye. You are such a jinx. Get away from here now. I don''t want to see you, and Charles doesn''t want to see you, either." Knowing Autumn so well, Yvonne targeted every word on Autumn''s weaknesses. "Look at what you have done? Only bad luck has followed Charles ever since the day you two married. It''s only a few days, and Charles is now in hospital and unconscious because of you. You are really bringing bad luck to others." "Stop it!" Autumn frowned. What Yvonne just said was like a sharp spear piercing her heart. "Yvonne, I know that you hate me, but he got hurt because of me, so I have to stay here. You have my word, as soon as he wakes up, I will leave." Looking at Charles''s pale face, Autumn''s heart ached. Yvonne was right -- he was hurt only because of her. "Autumn, don''t you think that I don''t know what you''re up to. You are trying so hard to make him fall in love with you. Your tactics won''t ever work on him. Do you understand? I am telling you, as long as I live, I won''t let that happen. Don''t you even dare think about it." Yvonne sneered, "And don''t forget, I am his wife, and you are nothing but a substitute." Autumn''s face turned pale, but she was unable to say anything against Yvonne. After a long while, she murmured, "I just want to be here with him until he wakes up." "No. Don''t you understand what I just said?" Yvonne said scornfully, "I am here to take care of him. You get off from him right away." Yvonne drove Autumn out of the ward without saying another word. She didn''t care about Autumn''s misery at all. Autumn had no choice but to sit on a chair outside the ward. She silently gave Charlespany in her own way. Having kicked out Autumn from the ward, Yvonne felt pretty good. She didn''t care about how badly Charles was wounded at all. All she cared was that now at this moment, she was the one standing next to Charles. She reached out and touched Charles''s eyes and brows, gently stroking him inch by inch. She did this a thousand times in her dreams, and now, the touch of her hand on his face reminded her that all this was real. "Charles¡­" She murmured, as if she had been calling him countless times. "I will be with you from now on, and I will never let Autumne close to you again." When Yvonne was quietly sitting on Charles''s bedside, Chris who went to buy breakfast came back. Seeing Autumn sit outside the ward, she asked, "Why are you sitting here, Yvonne?" "No... nothing." Autumn got up and stood in Chris''s way, lest she might find out that Yvonne was in the ward. Seeing Yvonne there, she might even get suspicious. "Chris, you have also stayed here with me all night. Why don''t you go back home and take some rest?" Chapter 71 Negotiations Chapter 71 Negotiations "I am fine. You can go back and have some rest first. My brother is not going to wake up for a while. I will stay here and take care of him." Chris took out the breakfast she bought for Autumn and said, "I got you breakfast, but I don''t know whether you will like it or not. Eat it and then you can go back and have some rest." "It is not important Chris. I anyway won''t get any sleep now. I am so worried about Charles." Autumn replied. "Why don''t you go back to get some sleep first? You can take care of Charles after you get a good rest." Autumn tried to persuade Chris. "But......" Chris was going to say something, but she knew that Autumn was not kidding her. Therefore, she took a sigh and replied, "Well, I will go back and have some rest now. Take care of yourself. I will "Okay. Don''t worry." Autumn nodded and then bid her farewell. After that, Autumn took a sigh of relief. When Charles woke up, Yvonne was sleeping alongside his bed. Though, she really wanted to go back home and get some rest but Wendy asked her to stay here. Wendy told her that Charles was frail after his injury. He would be moved if he noticed that she was there to take care of him while he was sick. Therefore, Yvonne made efforts to send Autumn out of the ward so as to show off her concern to Charles. Charles woke up after the effects of the drug subsided. He smiled when he saw Yvonne upon opening his eyes. Obviously, he regarded Yvonne as Autumn. However, as he touched her hair, he soon realized that she was not Autumn. Yvonne also woke up because of his touch. She was so cheerful when she found that Charles was awake. "Charles, you are finally awake!" Yvonne grabbed his hands merrily. "How do you feel now? I rushed over here as soon as I heard about your ident. Are you OK? Do you want me to call the doctor? " "No. There is no need to call the doctor. "Charles withdrew his hands indifferently. "Why are you here?" He asked with a cold voice. "I am here to take care of you." Yvonne replied in a casual manner and then asked, "Are you thirsty? Hang on for a second. I will get some water for you." Yvonne was trying to woo him assiduously. But unfortunately, it seemed that Charles was not going to appreciate her kindness. "Get out of here. Leave me alone." He said impatiently. "Charles, you......" Yvonne didn''t back out because of his bad attitude, instead she strived harder to persuade him. "Charles, you are injured right now. I will definitely not leave you alone. And I am going to take care of you until you leave the hospital." Not paying any heed to her, Charles took out his phone to make a call to Autumn but Yvonne rushed to snatch away his cell phone. "What are you doing?" Charles asked angrily. "Charles, trust me. I will take good care of you." Yvonne replied calmly. "You can tell me what you want to eat and I will get that for you immediately." "Give it back to me." Charles was getting impatient now. But Yvonne ignored his words and kept persuading him, "You are injured. I will take care of your phone. You can tell me if you want anything. " "I have told you to give my phone back to me. Don''t you understand?" Though Charles was really irritated now, Yvonne still declined his request. She knew that he would make a call to Autumn if he got his phone back. So she just stood beside him with his phone in her hand. But suddenly Charles threw away the quilt and struggled to take back his phone. "What are you doing? Take care of yourself. You are wounded. What if the wound gets worse?" Autumn had been waiting outside the ward. Regardless of Yvonne''s warning, she broke in when she heard Charles arguing with Yvonne inside. Autumn was stunned as she found that Charles had withdrawn the needle. She rushed to him and asked anxiously, "What are you doing? Don''t you know you are a weak patient right now?" "Where did you go?" Instead of answering her question, Charles asked Autumn. Charles felt relieved when he saw that Autumn was ok. Hand in hand, he got her to lead him back to his bed. He was afraid that Autumn might leave him alone again. "Lie down." Autumn held him carefully while Yvonne stood there indignantly.. "Are you OK? Do you feel better now?" Autumn looked at him with teary eyes. She almost burst into tears when she saw the gauze on his head. Charles shook his head quietly. "I am fine. I am d that you are here with me. You are the best doctor for me." He tried tofort Autumn. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. After hearing this, Autumn blushed. "Don''t joke with me right now." She pretended toin about him. "You are my wife. Why can''t I joke with you?" Charles said cheerfully. Yvonne was not happy to see their intimacy. So she turned to Autumn and said, "Sis, I remember, you told me that you have to deal with some emergencies.. Go ahead. I will stay here with Charles." Yvonne sneered and added, "Don''t worry. I promise you that I will take good care of him." Charles furrowed his brow after hearing this. He could see through Autumn''s feelings since he was now clear about her real identity. However, he also felt helpless since he could not disclose Yvonne''s true colors at the moment, so he just firmly gripped Autumn''s hand. "Don''t worry. I will be fine." Autumn patted his hand gently and went on, "Take a good rest here. I will be back soon." But Charles still looked worried. Autumn smiled to relieve him. "Don''t worry. I promise you I will be fine." Charles loosened his grip. "Well, then could you hurry up? I am hungry." Autumn nodded and coldly instructed Yvonne, "Come out with me." Taking a nce at Charles lying on the bed, Yvonne found that he was even reluctant to look at her. Yvonne stamped her feet on the ground with anger and went out with Autumn. As soon as they got out of the ward, Yvonne grabbed Autumn''s hands and said indignantly, "Autumn, did you forget what I told you? I asked you to get out of the hospital. Why are you still here?" However, Autumn just remained silent. Yvonne got more irritated by her silence. "Do you hear me? I am talking to you!" "Yvonne, I think you might also not want Charles to know that you eloped with another man so as to avoid marrying Charles, right?" Autumn asked her after for a long pause. "What do you mean?" Yvonne was shocked since she never expected Autumn to talk to her like this. "Are you threatening me? "Don''t you dare forget that your poor grandma is still detained by me." Autumn felt sad when Yvonne mentioned her grandma. But the thought of Charles''s condition got her worried about him further. "Yvonne, don''t you threaten me with my grandma. I know that you still need me, so you would definitely not return my grandma to me now." Chapter 72 One on One with Sam Chapter 72 One on One with Sam Autumn sneered at Yvonne and continued, "Charles got hurt protecting me. Besides, I am still his wife. It''s important and obvious for me to look after him." "Who are you to look after him again?" Yvonne scoffed at her, "Don''t forget that I am the real Yvonne, and you... are nothing but a substitute." Yvonne was in fact truly worried about her situation. She was really desperate to bring everything back on track. She even started regretting fleeing from her wedding. Otherwise, Autumn would have had no chance of getting between her and Charles. However, what''s done is done. She could only try her best to get Charles''s forgiveness and eptance now. "Autumn, I didn''t know that you are such a scheming woman. First you ruined my date with Charles, then you deliberately got him injured. Don''t assume that I''ve no idea what you are up to." She smirked and said, " I really want to know... if Charles will still be nice to you after he finds out about your rtionship with Sam?" Yvonne thought she was attacking Autumn''s weakness. But Autumn had already been frank with Charles about Sam, so she answered with a clear conscience, "It is no use threatening me with that. I must stay here and look after him. If you insist to take my ce, then... "So what?" Yvonne sneered, "I wonder if you can do anything about it." "Then I will tell Charles right away, that you are the real Yvonne. You want to be his wife? I will give this identity back to you right now." Autumn said with a serious expression. Yvonne knew she wasn''t kidding. "How dare you!" Yvonne red at Autumn. She went to work in Shining Company, and came here to visit Charles, with an agenda. She did all these things with a hope that Charles might appreciate her presence, and gradually develop a crush on her. Revealing her identity now would definitely enrage Charles. It would basically destroy all her hopes. Of course she didn''t want that to happen. "Autumn, I don''t think you are really going to do it. Let me assure you, if Charles finds out about our secret, you will never be able to see your grandma again." ''Threatening me, huh? Just wait and see!'' As expected, Autumn''s face darkened on hearing her words. After a long pause, Autumn decided to take her chance. "If you don''t believe me, let''s give it a try and see what happens, shall we? I believe that grandma will understand my position. She will not me me for my decision." Yvonne began to turn red with anger. But she couldn''t think of anything to fight back. Gnashing her teeth and pointing at Autumn''s nose, she said, "Fine. Let''s wait and see." Yvonne left without looking back. Autumn was finally relieved. God only knows how scared she was when Yvonne seemed to be going to such extremes. She took some time to calm herself before going back to the ward. "Would you like something to eat? I can go out and get anything you want." She said to Charles upon entering. "No, thanks." He replied. He rested against the headboard and put his phone down. He had just called David to talk about thepany affairs, and asked him to bring some food on the way. He then asked Autumn toe over and grumbled, "What took you so long?" "I¡­" Autumn stayed mum. She didn''t know what to say so she asked, "Are you thirsty? Let me get you some water." "Don''t bother." Charles took her hand and made her sit on the edge of his bed. He forced her to look at him in the eye and asked, "Yvonne, haven''t you got something to tell me?" Autumn was stunned. She felt guilty and could barely look at him. She was poor at concealing her emotions, and Charles saw right through her. He thought that they could put more trust in each other after this incident. So he had been waiting for her to reveal her true identity. But now it was obvious that she was not ready to speak it out. "I¡­" Autumn hesitated for quite a long time, but couldn''t think of anything to say. Just when she was caught in this quandary, she heard Charles sighing, "Why Sam was there that night? Haven''t I told you to stay away from him?" he asked. She breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that Charles might have found out about her true identity, hence this conversation. But now it seemed to her that Charles was only feeling jealous of Sam. She finally smiled and said, "Why? I have already told you everything about this past rtionship. Are you still being jealous?" Charles''s mouth twitched, "Of course I know you are not interested in him. But I saw the way he looks at you. It is different. Obviously, he is not over you yet. " Charles hated to make things difficult for Autumn, so he changed the topic. On hearing his words, Autumn burst intoughter and said, "Oh, dear! Stop making these unworthy conjectures. You should take care of yourself now." She continued to exin, "Even if we did have a rtionship, it is now a thing of the past. It was a total coincidence that night. After all, I didn''t know that the client Linda mentioned was him." "Really?" "Of course it''s true." Autumn vowed. "OK, let''s just drop it." "Rat-a-tat." Autumn''sst word was followed by a knock on the door. She turned around and saw Sam opening the door anding in. "Finally you are awake." he said. He brought a fruit basket to visit Charles. Autumn didn''t expect that he woulde back. "What brings you here?" She asked with surprise. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. She then got him a stool. In order to send Autumn away, Charles said, "Dear, I am a bit thirsty. Can you get me a cup of coffee, please?" "No way!" Autumn refused immediately. "You are still weak. Better have some hot water. I will go and get some hot water for you." "OK." Charles nodded lightly. After Autumn left, he turned to Sam and asked, "Now, what on earth are you doing here?" "I came here to see you, of course." Sam smiled faintly at him and said, "Look, I brought you some fruits, isn''t it obvious enough?" "Don''t fool around with it. It is certain that you are not here to visit me. It''s not that simple." Charles said in a cold voice, "Sam, she will be back any minute. Tell me clearly, it is now or never. Charles sent Autumn away on purpose so as to talk to Sam face to face. He wanted him toy all his cards on the table. "If you are not going to make it clear, then I will." Charles said, "I don''t care about your rtionship with her. Come what may, she is my wife now. You better put away all your unrealistic ideas. Note that I am not a generous person, especially in terms of love." Chapter 73 Chris Is Heartbroken Chapter 73 Chris Is Heartbroken Sam never thought that Charles would bluntly talk about his rtionship with Autumn. After a little hesitation, he said to Charles, "Mr. Lu, now that you''re being all frank, I''ll not hide my intentions from you. To be honest, she is the reason why I came back. I broke her heart several years ago. But this time, I want to win her back again." On hearing Sam''s words, Charles frowned and said, "So you have decided to be my rival, right?" Samughed and said, "I left her because I didn''t want to put her in an awkward situation because of my mother. I still can''t forget her, but I''ll never get her into trouble because she is now married to you." Charles didn''t understand Sam''s words. He asked in confusion, "What did you mean?" Sam replied with a slight smile on his face, "You''re smart, so you should know what I mean." Autumn wasn''t married to Charles for long, but Sam knew she really loved him. Although he loved Autumn, he didn''t want to destroy her happy married life. He remembered a sentence. The best way to love someone is to see her live a happy life. That was what Sam was thinking now. "She really likes you. Last night you risked your life to protect her. I saw her cry for you when you got injured. After that, I understood that you two are in love." After pausing for a while, Sam continued, "As she has chosen you, I''ll respect her decision. But..." Charles frowned and interrupted him immediately, "What do you mean But?" Sam said seriously, "But if you break her heart, I''ll steal her away from you. Then, you just can''t me me for it." "Don''t bother yourself. You''ll never have that chance." Charles began to like Sam now. ''It will be good if he bes my brother-inw.'' He thought to himself. Charles tly said, "Now that we''re done talking about Yvonne. Let''s talk about Chris." These two women were the most important people in his life, so he didn''t want to see any of them get hurt. He continued, "I have grown up with Chris, so I know her well. Once she falls in love, she never changes her mind. What do you n to do with her?" "I want to make it clear to you that I only treat her as my junior schoolmate. Nothing more. You know that I only love Ye." Sam said these words on purpose to piss off Charles. Charles stared at Sam and said, "Don''t covet her. You two won''t be together again. But I will be d to see you and Chris as a couple." Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Sam curled his lip and answered, "It''s impossible." ''If this happens, I''ll have to call him my brother-in- Sam told Charles his feelings directly, "Chris and I are friends, and we''ll continue being friends in the future too. We''ll never be a couple. You have my words on that." When Charles heard Sam''s direct refusal, he felt sorry for his sister. ''Chris is a beautiful girl. Shees from a decent family. Most importantly, she is my favorite sister. How could Sam not like her?'' He wondered. Charles wanted to know why he didn''t like Chris. But before he opened his mouth, he heard Autumn''s voice, "Chris, why don''t youe inside?" Hearing the name Chris, both Sam and Charles frowned. They knew that Chris must have heard their conversation or she would have entered the room. "Chris, Chris, where are you going?" It had been a while since she was standing outside. She had already known that Sam loved Autumn. But when she heard Sam say that he and Chris were just friends, she was devastated. She ignored Autumn. After handing over the things in her hands, she turned back and ran downstairs. At this moment, she didn''t want anyone to see her fragile side. As Chris lost her parents when she was very young, she became a pleasing and outgoing girl. She always made everyone in her family happy. They had been ustomed to seeing her smiling face, but they had forgotten... that this happy girl could also get sad. Autumn walked into the ward with a kettle in her hand. She asked the two men in confusion, "What happened?" Charles red at Sam and said, "Go after her. If something happens to my sister, I''ll not forgive you." Sam ran outside immediately without a word. He even forgot to greet Autumn. On thinking that Chris cried because of him, Sam felt guilty and his heart ached. "What''s up?" Autumn asked. She acutely observed that Sam cared about Chris. If they two be a couple, she would be really happy for them. But... She was worried that Chris might get hurt if Sam turned her down. Charles replied smilingly, "Nothing." ''Although Sam confidently said that he wasn''t interested in Chris, he probably didn''t realize how concerned he looked when he ran outside. These two could be a couple.'' Charles thought to himself. Charles asked, "Autumn, do you think Sam and Chris could be a good match?" "Yes, I think so." Autumn nodded in a yes and said, "Sam is a considerate man who can make anything seem easy and settled. As for Chris, she is an inexperienced girl. If they two get together, they could help each other grow." Charles knew what Autumn said was true. But when he heard Autumn praise Sam, he said with a frown, "Considerate? Do you mean he is better than me?" Autumn replied speechlessly, "You are getting envious again.." Sam ran outside anxiously, and he finally found Chris. He grabbed her by the hand when she was about to leave the hospital. He said, "Chris, I can exin... " Chris interrupted him immediately, "No, Sam. You don''t have to exin this." She was sad, but she still pretended as if nothing had happened. She continued, "Sam, you''re right. I have misunderstood you. I always thought that you were fond of me. But in fact, you never said that you liked me or gave me any hint. What I feel for you has got nothing to do with you. I don''t me you. You don''t have to me yourself for this either. " Chris squeezed a smile on her face, and continued, "I have to leave now if you have nothing else to say. My grandpa is waiting for me at home..." "Chris, you.." Sam felt heartbroken, but he didn''t know why. He proceeded, "I don''t mean that I dislike you. I just treat you like my little sister. I will help you if you get into any trouble in the future. Do you understand me?" "Yes, I do." To hide her sad face from Sam, Chris lowered her head. She continued, "Sam, I knew that you treat me like your sister, so I''ll try to be your good sister and not bother you." Sam tried to exin further, "You..." But at this time, Chris removed his hand and stepped back. She bowed to Sam and said, "Bye, Sam!" He tried to seize her hand but failed, so he just stood there still and let her go. ''Nothing will change even if I grabbed her hand. What else can I exin?'' Sam thought. When Chris turned around to run away, tears were streaming down her face. Chapter 74 Rachel Is Back Chapter 74 Rachel Is Back Gary didn''t know Charles was in the hospital as Autumn and Chris decided not to tell him for now. He assumed that Charles was away on a business trip. Charles was expected to be discharged from the hospital today after he had stayed there for a week. Gary would find out that he was injured once he was back home. Autumn went toplete the discharge formalities early in the morning. Charles, on the other hand, was packing his clothes. When he heard the door behind his back open, he casually offered, "Let''s have lunch outside with grandpa today, so you don''t have to cook." However, no one responded. Charles turned around and saw Rachel standing at the door. She had mixed feelings on her face. Charles''s smile vanished. He asked Rachel in a cold voice, "What are you doing here?" After Charles broke up with Rachel, she went abroad and remained busy with work. She refrained herself from contacting Charles all this while. She believed that they needed some time away from each other for things to cool down between them. Moreover, she hoped that Charles would forget whatever she had done in the past and forgive her. As soon as Rachel came back, she grabbed David for Charles''s information. When she heard Charles was injured, she immediately came over here. "Charles, what happened to you?" Rachel cried dramatically. Charles had four stitches on his head, but they were covered with a gauze. It didn''t look very serious. Charles was a little disgusted with Rachel''s reaction. Rachel stretched out her hand carefully as she wanted tofort Charles. But before she was able to touch him, he stopped her hand. Charles stepped back and looked at Rachel with a frown. Autumn might be back any minute. He didn''t want Autumn to misunderstand him. "What are you doing here?" Impatient, Charles asked again. "When I got off the ne, I heard you were in the hospital. So I came here. Are you alright?" Rachel spoke to Charles with a caring expression, "Charles, let me have a look at you. Is it serious?" Charles furrowed his brow. He spoke to Rachel indifferently, "I''m okay. Don''t worry. You can go back now!" There were many people in the hospital. Rachel was a known celebrity. If anyone found out she was here, Rachel might get into trouble. "Do you hate to see me like this?" Rachel''s heart was crushed. "Charles, I dared not bother you all these days. I knew I did something wrong and you were angry at me. But it is all in the past. You must have cooled down now. Please forgive me, okay?" "Miss Bai..." Charles frowned as he stated, "I''ve made myself clear. If you are here to visit me, I would like to thank you for that. You should leave now. It''s not safe for you to stay here." Rachel was delighted by Charles''s sudden care. "I know you care about me. Charles, I love you so much. Please, don''t leave me." Rachel stepped forward and held Charles by the waist. "Charles, I''ve been missing you so much these days. Every time I close my eyes, I see your face. I''ve thought it all over carefully, and I just cannot forget you. Charles, let''s forget all the unhappy affairs and start afresh, okay?" Rachel held Charles''s waist tightly and continued, "Charles, I don''t expect you to marry me. All I want is for you to stay by my side. Trust me, Charles." "Rachel, stop talking nonsense!" Charles tried to push Rachel away, but failed. Just then, Autumn''s cheerful voice came from outside the door, "Charles, it''s all set. Let''s..." Autumn showed up at the door with many bills in her hand. She had stayed here for a week, and had been really worried for Charles all this while. Autumn had never dreamt that Charles Lu and Rachel Bai would hug each other like that. The bills in her hand fluttered on the floor. She was dumbfounded and stammered, "You... go ahead." Saying that, Autumn turned around and left. In the past few days, she thought she had taken Rachel''s ce in Charles''s heart. She didn''t think Charles would be a different person after Rachel came back. When Charles saw Autumn''s reaction, he was enraged. He angrily pushed Rachel away and ran swiftly to Autumn. He grabbed her arm and questioned her, "Are you going to flee again?" "I..." Autumn swallowed her bitterness, "I just don''t want to disturb you." Charles had a long face. Rachel gave a scornful smile. She stepped forward and held Charles''s arm. She looked at Autumn like a proud peacock and stated, "Well, you have a clear estimation of yourself. Get out of here! You are not wee. Charles and I haven''t seen each other for a long time, and we have endless whispers of love to share. What? Are you trying to eavesdrop?" Autumn''s face went pale. She heavily shook off Charles''s arm and said, "Let me go. I''m going home now. You bettere back home soon. Grandpa is waiting for you." "Stop!" Charles didn''t grab her again, but demanded in a stern voice, "Stand there, don''t move!" Charles didn''t quite understand why he was so mad at Autumn. Maybe it was because she hadn''t really trusted him in their rtionship. Charles sessfully scared Autumn. He then turned to Rachel and pushed her away. He stated calmly, "Rachel Bai, I loved you before. But I have made myself clear that we are done. Don''t you understand? " Charles continued with a frown, "If you don''t understand, let me repeat it for you, I don''t love you anymore. From now on, I don''t want to see you ever again. We can only be friends now. Got it? " This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Charles had said simr words to Rachel before, but there was no third party involved back then. It was the first time he said those words in front of Autumn. Rachel felt humiliated. She yelled, "Charles Lu, why are you being so hard on me? " Charles deliberately said that in front of Autumn. He hoped that at least after this she could trust him in the future. "I have told you, I will make it up to you." Charles was a man with a stone heart in front of ady he was not fond of. He didn''t care about Rachel''s feelings now. When Rachel was his girlfriend, he could do anything for her. But now... he was a different man. No wonder Rachel was unable to ept that. Charles stared indifferently at Rachel as if he was looking at a stranger. Chapter 75 Charles Is Discharged Chapter 75 Charles Is Discharged "Irrespective of the problems you run into in the future, if you need my help, I''ll do my best to help you out, but..." Charles Lu put his arm around Autumn Ye''s shoulder and said to Rachel Bai, "I am a married man now. I hope that you will not disturb my life any more. I don''t want my wife to misunderstand the rtionship between us. Have I made myself clear now?" Charles frowned and continued. "I am ready to forget everything that happened between us today and before, but if you keeping to me like this, I won''t continue being cordial with you anymore." "You..." Rachel''s face turned pale. Probably she had never thought that Charles would be so ruthless to her. She smiled bitterly and asked him, "Do you really love her that much?" During the days when Charles was with her, he had never been so determined to rify his rtionship with any woman. And now, he was so anxious to do so only to take care of Autumn''s emotions. Does that mean Autumn holds a very important position in Charles''s heart? She looked at Charles. He lowered his head and looked at Autumn in his arms. With an unconscious smile on his face, he said, "Yes, I love her very much, so I won''t allow anyone or anything to jeopardize our marriage. I hope you can understand that." Hearing what Charles just said, Autumn felt a degree of warmth in her heart. As she realized that she had misunderstood him, she felt really embarrassed. As a matter of fact, it was not Charles that she didn''t have faith in - she actually didn''t have faith in herself. After all, her rival in love was a mega star, who was prettier and famous than her. In But now, the ugly duckling actually defeated the white swan. She smiled and lifted her head. Her smile froze a bit when she saw the injury and anger in Rachel''s eyes. If it wasn''t for her, Rachel and Charles would still be together. In reality, she became the other woman in their rtionship even without knowing it. It didn''t feel good being the other woman, but love is selfish, so she selfishly wanted to keep Charles all by herself. Rachel smiled bitterly. She knew that it was definitely not the right time to offend Autumn. She quietly stood in front of Charles and asked, "You just said that irrespective of the requirements I have, you will do your best to help me. Do you mean that?" "Yes." Charles hesitated a bit but nodded solemnly. "I have my birthday on the 8th of the next month. Will youe?" Rachel looked at Charles expectantly and said, "You have always been with me on my birthday in all the years that we were together, and I wish to spend my next birthday with you too. Is that OK?" "Oh..." Charles hesitated. Given the current situation, it was no longer appropriate for him to celebrate Rachel''s birthday with her. "You said that you''d help me as much as you can. Don''t tell me you can''t even do such a little thing for me?" Rachel challenged. Charles turned his head to look at Autumn. He wanted Autumn to say something on this. No woman would be ok to see her husband celebrating the birthday of another woman. Naturally, she couldn''t be so generous to tell Charles to do that either. A flicker of grievance shed in Rachel''s eyes but it soon disappeared. She said, "Mrs. Lu, I will have my birthday party with my fans and several other friends. I just hope that Charles could be there too. Consider it as¡­ our break-up ceremony. You cane along with him if you want to." "I..." Having heard what Rachel said, Autumn thought it would make her look narrow-minded if she said anything to stop Charles. Before she finished the sentence, Charles interrupted, "OK. I wille to the party with her." Autumn wanted to refuse, but she couldn''t say anything now. This was definitely not what Rachel wanted, but she couldn''t take back her words. She stood in front of Charles with a smile and said, "Alright, I will wait for you both." "Anything else?" Charles asked Rachel. "No." Rachel shook her head slightly and said, "I will get the letter of invitation delivered to you. I should leave now. You... please take good care of yourself and get well soon." On seeing the look on Rachel''s face, Autumn felt a little sad when she saw her leaving. "Hey! Pack up now and let''s go home." Charles patted Autumn on her head and said. Autumn came back to herself and picked up all of Charles''s stuff. On the way back home, she drove the car while Charles was rxing in the passenger''s seat. Autumn got her driver''s license many years back, but she was not a good driver at all. Seeing how tensed she was on the driver''s seat, Charles was amused. "Rx. You are driving a car. We are not going to any battlefield. What are you so nervous about?" Charles''s words didn''t make Autumn feel rxed at all. Instead, she got more nervous now. "Don''t Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. bother me. I''m responsible for two lives in this car... " "Don''t be afraid." Charlesforted Autumn. "Just drive. I will make sure you are well protected in case something really happens." Charles coached Autumn to drive andforted her all the way, till she finally parked the car in their yard. Autumn eagerly hurried over to pull the door open for Charles. She helped him get off the car and said, "Be careful." "Hey, hey, it is my head that was injured, not my feet. Do I look so weak to you?" Charles gave an amazed look to Autumn and said, "Don''t worry. I am fine, really." Gary heard them and came over. He only frowned slightly when he saw the bandage on Charles''s head. There was no big reaction from him and he didn''t even look very surprised. "Grandpa." Autumn just lowered her head the moment she saw Gary. They kept Charles''s injury a secret from him so he didn''t stress too much. Now that Charles was out of the hospital, they couldn''t keep him in the dark any further. Autumn always thought that this incident was her fault, so she frankly epted the mistake in front of the old man. "I am sorry, Grandpa. I haven''t taken good care of Charles." "Silly girl, don''t say that." Charles dragged Autumn behind him. "Grandpa, it''s my fault. I was careless. It has nothing to do with her." "How bad is it?" Gary''s brows were still knitted when he asked Charles about the injury. Charles shook his head slightly. "I had four stitches. It''s nothing serious now." Chapter 76 Garys Advice Chapter 76 Gary''s Advice "If it''s nothing serious, you shouldn''t have made your wife take care of you in the hospital for so long. Don''t you know that she may need some rest?" Instead of ming Autumn, Gary scolded Charles. He thought Charles was not being considerate to his wife at all. "There are so many servants at home, but you just let Yvonne take care of you in the hospital. What if she gets exhausted?" Gary keptining about Charles. "You are a grownup man! Why not be a little considerate towards your wife?" "Grandpa, that''s not the case. Charles is injured and in the hospital because of me. He wanted to protect me. I really want to take care of him here." Autumn exined to Gary on behalf of Charles. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. However, Gary still twisted his face. "It is natural that he has to protect you, since he is your husband. But Charles, don''t you feel ashamed to whine for such a minor injury? You have really disgraced your family''s name." "Grandpa, I......" Autumn was very anxious because she was worried about Charles. He was injured, but Gary just kept on scolding him. She felt bad for him, so Autumn wanted to exin everything clearly to Gary. But Charles stopped her. "Grandpa, please stop with all the jokes. Don''t you see that she is almost crying?" It was not until then that Autumn realized that Gary was ying a trick on her. Hearing that, Gary burst intoughter. He felt happy for his grandson for that he married a good and sincere girl. "Well, it''s just a joke. Please don''t take it seriously. Yvonne, I know you were worried about me so you hid the news from me. But never do this again. Although I am old, I am capable of bearing some bad news." "Ok, grandpa. I get it." Autumn blushed and nodded. She hesitated for a second and then said, "Grandpa, can you call me Ye? It feels weird to be called Yvonne." Gary stole a nce at Charles. He secretly nodded a yes. Seeing this, Garyughed and replied, "Okay, then I will call you Ye." "What are you doing there? Come here." Seeing that they were standing outside the door, Chris called, "Come on in. The dinner is ready." "Okay." Gary replied with a smile. Everyone was in a joyous and cheerful mood. Wile they were enjoying their meal, Gary asked Charles and Autumn out of blue, "When are you two going to have a baby?" Upon hearing this, Autumn blushed immediately. Though she had got married with Charles for some time, she still thought they needed to know each other better. Therefore, they still didn''t reach at further intimacy. Charles also showed great respect to her. "Why you ask this for no reason?" Charles furrowed his brow. Indeed, he was not offended, but he was afraid that Autumn would feel awkward. Chris also echoed, "Ye, you have been married to my brother for some time. Perhaps you should take it into consideration. I am looking forward to the day of your baby''s birth." Autumn felt even more embarrassed after hearing this. Charles stared at Gary seriously and replied, "Don''t worry. We will take it into consideration." Satisfied by his answer, Gary nodded cheerfully. After dinner, Gary called off Charles with an excuse. Autumn didn''t show any suspicion but ate fruit with Chris on the couch. It seemed that Chris had got her breath again and returned to normal. Charles knew what Gary wanted to talk about. They went to Gary''s tearoom and then Charles asked frankly, "Grandpa, do you want to ask me something about Ye?" "Yes." Gary replied and then continued. "I did some research when you decided to marry Yvonne at that time. And I found many negative things about her which were in stark contrast with this "Yvonne" you have married now. But I thought that she would be still better than the famous Rachel since she came from a notable family." In this situation, it seemed like Gary was not picky about his grandson''s wife. And the only restriction he had was that the woman should not be Rachel. "But I am not addle headed. After knowing her over a period of time, I found that she is totally different from the girl I have investigated before. And her personality is also different from Mr. and Mrs. Gu. Besides, I felt very weird since she asked me to call her Ye." "It seems that you know the truth now." Charles said calmly. "Really? She isn''t Yvonne? Then who is she?" Gary didn''t care about Autumn''s real identity, because he was satisfied with Charles''s choice. Gary was just curious why she got married to Charles when it supposed to be Yvonne. "Do you remember that she has a sister called Autumn?" Charles asked. It took Gary some time to recall the girl whom he had met only once. He tried hard to remember. Though he had only met that girl once, he remembered that she also seemed polite. Gary still disliked her since he thought her politeness didn''t work in her favour. "Actually, Ye is Autumn, Yvonne''s half-sister. Before the wedding, Yvonne chose to elope with another man. To cover up the scandal of Yvonne, Wendy and Simon ckmailed Autumn into getting married to me, by holding her grandmother hostage, so...... The woman married to me is actually Autumn." Charles exined it to Gary, leaving him a feeling of sorrowfulness. "She has experienced so much miseries." Gary took a sigh and added, "But you are lucky. You idently get married with a good girl. If you really married to Yvonne, I am afraid that she may cause many troubles." Charles kept silent for a while and then said to Gary, "To be honest, I have to thank God for letting me meet Autumn. Now that she has gotten married to me, then she is mywfully wedded wife and I will love her forever." "You suppose to do that." Gary replied slowly, but he then added, "But I think you should help her to solve the problem about her grandmother." Taking a sigh, Gary said, "Autumn must be sad since her natural mother treats her like this. Her grandmother is her only family. If it is possible, you could bring her grandmother here. Don''t let them threaten Autumn again." "I know that. I have asked someone to look into her grandma''s condition." Charles nodded his agreement as he said, "Grandpa, I was not going to tell you this news if you weren''t aware of it. Autumn hasn''tpletely epted me yet. But I will wait until she is willing to tell me all these things by herself." "I understand." Gary replied. "Her real name is not that important, right? All I care is that she is our family now." "Ok, let''s call it a day. Ye is still waiting for you. She has taken care of you for such a long time. Let her have a good rest tonight." Gary urged Charles carefully. Chapter 77 Having a Bath Chapter 77 Having a Bath Coming out of the tea room, Charles directly went to Autumn and took her hand. He asked, "You''re still chatting here. Aren''t you tired?" "No. I just got back. I have been talking to Chris. She said that Z City is full of fun and I want to go out, so I thought why not..." "Stop talking now. I''m tired. Let''s go upstairs and sleep, " Charles interrupted Autumn, and pulled her to her feet. "What did grandpa say?" Autumn asked casually as he led her upstairs. "Does he still me me?" "What are you talking about?" There was a gleam in Charles''s eyes. "Grandpa already told you that he wasn''t ming you. So don''t think nonsense! " Charles''s wound could not get wet. As soon as they entered the bedroom he told Autumn in a coquettish voice, "I am hurt, Ye." "I know that." Autumn nodded in bewilderment and continued, "You''ve been hurt for a week. Of course I know." Then she looked for his underwear and bath towel and urged him, "Now go and have a bath. I''ll pour you a cup of hot water and you''ll have to take some medicer." With that, she put those things in Charles''s hands. As she turned around, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into his arms. He held her so tightly that she could not break free. In an instant, his masculine air enveloped her. "What are you doing?" she asked, blushing. "Stop that now." "What? What am I doing?" Charles teased her. As he held her tightly feeling her warmth, he was rather satisfied. ''The woman in my arms is my wife and the one I''m determined to protect for the rest of my life.'' He felt great thinking about it. "Charles, I know we''re married, but... you promised that you wouldn''t force me..." Autumn''s face got a little red, and Charles seemed very wild to her tonight. "Did I say something wrong?" Charles asked, looking at her, tilting his head. "You see, I''m hurt now. What if my wound gets wet while I taking a bath?" "Er..." Without understanding his intention, Autumn thought it over, and offered, "Then... How about I get you a shower cap..." Charles was speechless and shocked. Though he had offered such an obvious implication, his wife had seriously thought of a solution for him. Then he simply held Autumn''s hand and directly said, "I don''t want a shower cap. Why don''t you... give me a bath?" His voice was full of temptation, making Autumn go all blushy. "Come on, I..." "What? You will not do that for me?" Charles looked at her with an innocent face and added, "Autumn, don''t forget that I was hurt because of you. I''m having a bit of trouble taking a bath myself. Won''t you help me? " "I didn''t mean that..." Autumn retorted anxiously lest Charles should misunderstand her. But the thought of bathing him was so intimate... How could she do that? "It''s not that I don''t want to help you, Charles, it''s just..." She found herself at a loss for words. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Charles looked at her with amusement. She was so unaware of his teasing and struggled for a long time. She feared that his wound would worsen while she also felt that it would be very embarrassing for her to bathe him. Charles was about to give up making fun of her. She took a deep breath and made up her mind. "Okay let''s go. I''ll give you a bath." she said, looking as if she were going to die out of the courage. "Wh... what?" Charles was dumbfounded. He had intended only to tease Autumn. He had never expected that she would agree in order to prevent his wound from deteriorating. "Come on. Don''t waste time!" By this time, Autumn hadpletely let go off her shyness, and almost dragged Charles into the bathroom. She was afraid that she might lose her courage if she didn''t hurry up. "Ye, forget it. I just..." Charles wanted to back off now. "Hurry up." Autumn was no longer shy and said, "You''re hurt, and it will be really inconvenient." Entering the bathroom, she began undressing him. And she could not help but blush again when his well-built upper body was exposed to her. As her hand moved slowly down to the button of his pants, he caught her hand. He had always boasted about his self-control. But in front of Autumn, he always lost control. He was the one who started the game, but now he lost it. "What''s wrong?" Autumn noticed his erection the moment she touched his suit pants. But she pretended as if it was nothing. "I''ll do it by myself." Holding her hand, Charles said in a terriblly low voice. He quietly removed his pants and stood naked in front of Autumn. Now, she had no idea where to look. "I''ll fill the tub." Charles had a head injury, so Autumn gave up the shower and prepared him a bath. Blushed, she avoided his gaze, and felt as if the bathroom was incredibly hot for that moment. The moment his clothes were all off, she peeked at him uncontrobly, though shy. As a result, the tantalizing scene yed over and over in her mind like a movie. Pouring water into the bathtub, she bent down to check the temperature. But Charles, who was behind her, pulled her up and said, "I can do the rest by myself. You go out first..." "But..." Autumn frowned, but Charles said faintly, "Go out. I can really do it on my own. " Looking at the woman, the love of his life, Charles could barely control himself. If Autumn continued to stay in the bathroom with him, things would go out of hand. "I''m not so good at self-control. Don''t tempt me into doing something wrong." His words were so in and direct that Autumn understood him at once. Then she went out of the bathroom, with a reddened face. As she left, Charles turned on the cold water faucet. He didn''t step into the bathtub until the water in it was totally cold. It was early fall, but taking a cold bath required a lot of courage. However, he didn''t feel cold at all. For his mind was thinking of Autumn''s shyness, and he kind of regretted teasing her in the first ce. Chapter 78 She Had Him Spellbound Chapter 78 She Had Him Spellbound Although Autumn was Charles''s wife now, it was against her will when she got married to him. He would not force her to do anything unless she was willing to. Charles would always seek Autumn''s consent. Charles had to soak himself in the cold bath for half an hour before he finally cooled down. He covered himself in a bath towel and stepped out. Autumn was so nervous at the moment. Her face reddened all over again as she saw Charlesing out with only a bath towel. Autumn couldn''t help but swallow in surprise. What she had seen in the bathroom left her so shamed. "Are you going to take a bath?" Charles''s voice was low and attractive. "Yes, I''m taking a bath now!" Autumn immediately ran and locked herself in the bathroom as if she was being chased by some bad guy. Charles looked at Autumn''s figure and sighed. He knew he had startled Autumn just now. Autumn was in the bathroom for more than an hour. She had a quick bath. However, the very thought of previous sight gave her goosebumps. She stayed at the bathroom, staring at the walls nkly. She nned to go out only after Charles was asleep. Charles and Autumn shared the same bed now, which made her feel ufortable. Autumn cautiously listened to the sounds that came from outside of the bathroom. After sometime, it all went quite. She silently pushed the bathroom door open and stepped out. However, Charles was not asleep as expected. He was lying on the bed and looking at her. Autumn felt like she was a prey being spotted by a dangerous predator. She gave an awkward smile and stammered, "You... you are still awake." "I''m waiting for you." Charles answered naturally. Hearing that, Autumn was lost in various possibilities, ''What is he going to do?'' "It''ste. Let''s go to sleep." While Charles was in hospital, David had been responsible for thepany affairs. David would send the documents that needed to be signed by Charles to the hospital. Charles was now discharged and had taken a week off. He had to go to work the next day. "You need to get up early tomorrow." Autumn stated as she climbed into bed from the other side. She pretended to be calm, but there was a huge distance between Charles and her. Charles, of course, noticed Autumn''s moves. He put down the magazine and asked, "Are you afraid of me?" "No... of course not." Autumn was so nervous that she couldn''t answer him without stuttering. "It''s gettingte. Let''s go to sleep." Autumn slyly moved farther away from Charles. She thought that he didn''t notice that, but he pulled her back into his arms. "You are afraid of me. Right?" Autumn could now feel Charles''s breathing. She was too nervous to move. "No... I''m not." Charles was amused by Autumn''s stubborn attitude. Although she said that she was not afraid of him, her whole body went stiff, and she even held her breath. Autumn dared not breathe heavily. She could feel Charles''s warm body. She had made up her mind that if he did something, she would immediately run away. But Charles didn''t go any further. He just kept holding her in his arms. She could hear his strong heartbeats and regr breathing. "Charles, you..." Autumn looked up at Charles in the eye. There was a deep desire. She could feel the fire that could even burn her. "Don''t move!" Charles demanded with a frown. He had tried his best to restrain his desire, but thedy in his arm didn''t seem to realize it. "What''s wrong?" Seeing Charles''s frown, Autumn''s heart sank. She raised herself on one elbow, and touched his wound with the other hand. "Did I hurt you? Are you okay?" Autumn became worried about Charles. She thought that she had carelessly bumped herself onto his wound and aggravated it. Autumn''s mouth was opening and shutting. Looking at those attractive red lips, Charles had no idea of what she was saying. He only wanted to gag her with his own lips. Without hesitation, Charles leaned forward. "Say something. Don''t scare me." Autumn spoke to Charles anxiously. The next second, Charles put his hand behind the back of her head and pressed his lips onto hers. "Hmm..." Autumn was frightened. She widened her eyes and stared at Charles. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Autumn had a pair of soft lips. The moment Charles kissed her, she was frozen into Charles''s arms. Feeling her soft body, his eyes went wild. He opened Autumn''s mouth with his flexible tongue and twisted with hers. Autumn''s mind was nk. She didn''t know how to respond. Charles looked at Autumn and demanded, "Close your eyes." Hearing that, Autumn closed her eyes and couldn''t help but get close to Charles. He kissed her softly and sucked her tongue greedily. Autumn wore a pair of old-fashioned pajamas. Somehow, Charles had already unbuttoned her clothes. Her body was exposed in the air. Feeling the chilly sensation on her chest, Autumn immediately recovered herself. She pushed Charles away with a frown. She was going red in the face and breathing very heavily. Her eyes went crystal bright, like a spring. She put her hands against Charles''s chest. Her eyes struggled. He heard her low voice, "Charles, no..." Chapter 79 Hostile Nancy Chapter 79 Hostile Nancy Hearing Autumn''s words, Charles came back to his senses. After realizing what he was doing, he stopped and then sped his hands around her neck. He kissed on her lips violently and then let Autumn go. He was exhausted andy besides Autumn. If Autumn hadn''t reminded him, he didn''t know what he would have done to her. "I''m sorry." Charles apologized for his rude behavior, though he didn''t think he had done something wrong. He had just followed his heart. But he still made an apology to Autumn because he didn''t want to scare her. "It''s fine." Autumn hurriedly buttoned her pyjama. When Charles kissed her, she enjoyed his kiss. So she thought that it would be unfair to me him. She didn''t mind these intimate acts. But she wasn''t ready for the next steps. Charles sighed and cuddled her. He said gently, "Sweet dreams.'' To begin with, Autumn was too nervous to fall asleep. As sleepiness overwhelmed her, she entered into a dream, holding Charles. The next morning she woke up early, and found herself holding Charles tightly. She blushed immediately. She got up silently and went to make breakfast for him. As soon as she left the room, Charles opened his eyes. After Autumn fell asleepst night, he couldn''t get any sleep. With Autumn in his arms, he couldn''t move. Although he knew that she was asleep, he didn''t move a bit even when his arm was numb. He just didn''t want to wake her up. When he was hospitalized, Autumn was on her toes, without taking a break. She didn''t even get good sleep at night. If Charles turned over, she would be awake. He didn''t want to see Autumn push herself too hard. To let her have a good sleep, he hadn''t moved his arm although he felt ufortable. When Autumn went downstairs, she saw servants cooking pumpkin porridge. She couldn''t help but frown and said, "Nancy, Charles is a patient now. He can''t eat pumpkin porridge, or he will feel an ache or be ticklish. " "That is not possible." Nancy had served the Lu family for half of her life, so she was treated as a family member. As time went by, she considered herself superior to others. She always believed that Autumn wasn''t a member of Lu family, Hearing her, she was disappointed. She said, "I have been looking after Charles since he was a little boy. Do you think I''ll do him any harm? He got injured now, so I prepared some light porridge for him. It''s good for his recovery." Autumn replied with a frown, "Nancy, you don''t understand me. I.." ''Pumkins will worsen Charles''s condition.'' Autumn thought. She knew this because of her grandma. As her grandma was an expert at this, she had taught her. Slowly, she learnt so much. But she never expected that her words would displease Nancy. Nancy gave out a coldugh and said to Autumn, "Unlike you, I have stayed in this family for years. I have watched the young master grow up. And I have been in charge of his daily diet. Before you came, no one has questioned my cooking. But now, you keep finding faults with me." Hearing this, Autumn''s face turned pale. ''Although Nancy is talking about pumpkin porridge, she is indirectly ming me for getting Charles injured.'' She wondered.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Facing her mes, she felt sad. She never wanted to see Charles get injured because of her. But it happened. Now all she could do is to try her best to look after him, hoping a quick recovery for him. Nancy keptining sarcastically. Autumn silently walked aside and started to prepare breakfast for Charles. When Charles went downstairs, Nancy went to him. She said, "Young master, good morning. I have prepared breakfast for you." She smilingly brought the pumpkin porridge and said, "I have cooked it for you. Tell me what you will like to eat for dinner, I''ll prepare it for you." "You don''t need to bother yourself." Charles said with a smile on his face, "It''s not much of a big deal. I''m fine." "It''s not fine." Nancy cried out in a exaggerating tone, "My young master, your head is hit. It might be a threat to your life. You''ve just gotten married and gotten yourself badly injured. Who knows what trouble she will bring to you?" Hearing this, Charles got angry. He thought that Nancy was over reacting. He stopped her, "Nancy." At this time, Autumn came to him with breakfast. Nancy stopped speaking. She coldly answered and moved away. Autumn pretended to be ignorant of their conversation. She put the pumpkin porridge aside silently, and then gave a ss of milk and the millet congee to him. She said, "I made it for you. Have a taste." Charles said, "Next time you don''t need to do it yourself. We have Nancy." Charles didn''t want her to be too tired. Nancy standing near them said with a sneer, "Young master is right. I''m here to serve young master. Cooking breakfast is my duty. I don''t dare to bother young mistress." Nancy brought the pumpkin back on the table, and told Charles, "Young master, try this. My pumpkin porridge is more nourishing than that millet congee." Autumn said, "No, don''t eat that." Autumn didn''t mean to embarrass Nancy. She just couldn''t let Charles eat something that is harmful to his health. She put the pumpkin porridge aside, and then said, "Have more of it. In the evening, I''ll go to the market and buy a pigeon. And then make pigeon soup for you. Do you like it?" Nancy was irritated by Autumn''s behavior. She said angrily, "What are you doing?" Although Charles was there, she pointed at Autumn''s nose and cursed, "When you went downstairs and med me, I let it go. But now, you tell young master not to eat what I made for him. What do you mean? Unlike you, I''ll never hurt young master." "I..." Autumn didn''t know what to do. She knew that Charles respected Nancy as he had lost his parents since he was young. If possible, she wouldn''t quarrel with Nancy. But now Nancy didn''t let her go. Autumn exined, "Nancy, you misunderstood me. I just think that pumpkin... will do Charles harm. I just want him to recover as soon as possible." Nancy ignored her kindness and said, "Stop acting. If it hadn''t been for you, the young master would never get injured." Autumn gave an exnation, but Nancy became more aggressive. "Nancy!" Charles said. His face darkened with anger. ''Nancy is my family, but Autumn is my wife. No one can bully her.'' Charles continued, "Mind your words. She is my wife, it''s my duty to protect her. Besides, she said that you misunderstood her." Through their conversation, Charles knew what had happened between them. He didn''t scold Nancy because he respected her. Nancy coldly said, "Am I wrong? Young master, I have served you since you were a boy. I have always treated you as my son. But she embarrassed me deliberately. She thinks that I''ll do you harm." Charles became more serious. He said, "You heard me. You misunderstand her. She didn''t let me eat pumpkin porridge because she thinks it''s not good for my health." Chapter 80 Nancys Apology Chapter 80 Nancy''s Apology "Young master, you don''t have to speak in her favor." Until now, Nancy thought that Charles was on her side. Sheughed heartlessly and continued, "I''ve been working here for years, but no one has found a point to me me. Tell me, have I ever given you the chance toin?" "I..." Facing Nancy''s question, Autumn didn''t know how to exin. ''Nancy is an elderly woman. So I can''t offend her.'' She thought. She grabbed the coat hung on the back of the chair, and told Charles, "Take your time. I will wait outside." "No. Stay here." Charles grabbed her by her arm and said to her, "It''s your home too. Wait here." "Young master is right." Nancy gave Autumn a cold stare. She said, "We haven''t finished yet. Why are you in a hurry to leave?" Charles shouted, "Enough!" On hearing Charles shout, Nancy freaked out. She stood still and said to Charles in a low voice, "Young..." master." Charles said to Autumn, "Follow me." Charles held her hand and walked towards Nancy. He said, "Nancy, you have served us dutifully in this house for years. Both grandpa and I have considered you as our family member. I am sure that you must have noticed it." "Yes..." Nancy fearfully looked at Charles. He looked very serious, and that made Nancy nervous. She continued, "Young master and master have never treated me as a servant. With your help, my grandson could manage to enter college the year beforest year. For me, the Lu family is my savior. As long as I''m not too old to work, I''ll stay here to take good care of both of you." Charles fixed his eyes upon Nancy. ''I know Nancy well. Although she is bad-tempered, she means well, and has no grudges against anyone. Besides that, she has wholeheartedly served me.'' He mused. However, Nancy totally ignored Autumn here, which made him upset. Nancy believed that Charles had been forced to marry Autumn. Besides, she had already taken Rachel to be her future mistress since she knew about Charles''s rtionship with her. So she showed no respect to Autumn. ''I should take half the responsibility for Nancy''s behavior towards Autumn.'' Charles reflected. He said with a frown, "Nancy. Perhaps grandpa and I have treated you too well these years, so you have forgotten your own identity." Nancy panicked but smiled and answered, "How dare I..." Observing Charles''s anger, she continued, "I''m lucky to have met kind people like you and master. I will never cross the line again..." After hesitating for a while, Nancy continued, "Young master, if I did anything wrong, please let me know. I''ll never do it again." ''They treat you as a family member out of courtesy. If you cross the line, you''ll regret the oue.'' Nancy thought to herself. Charles took Autumn in his arms and said, "Then let me make something clear to you. Now that Ye is my wife, she is the mistress of this house. I hope you can keep this in mind. If I find you offending her again, I shall not forgive you." "Young master, I..." Although Nancy was bursting with anger, she didn''t show it on her face. She exined, " I have served you for years. How could I do you any harm. I''m just irritated by her..." Nancy wanted to put the me on Autumn. ''I have worked years to obtain my status in the Lu family. I can''t let that woman destroy it.'' She thought. "Pardon?" Charles frowned and continued, "Nancy, don''t show my wife any disrespect. You can call her mistress, or... Mrs. Lu. Are you clear?" Charles looked serious. When he saw Nancy nod her head, he continued, "As for this matter, I can roughly guess what happened between you two. How I got injured is none of your business. You''re not allowed to attack Ye with this again. As for the pumpkin porridge, she gave an exnation. She is worried that pumpkin will influence the healing of my wounds. She didn''t do it to put you down. Is that clear to you?" Nancy still wanted to exin. She said, "But..." Charles was just not ready to listen to her. He interrupted her immediately and said, "Nancy, now that she is married to me, she is my wife and your mistress. If Ie to know that you have shown your disrespect to her again, then I''ll have to fire you." Hearing this, Nancy was stunned. Even Autumn thought that Charles was overreacting. "Charles, you''re being too serious. It''s not a big deal. You shouldn''t treat her like this." Autumn pulled Charles''s sleeves and proceeded, "Nancy means no ill will to me. I should have made it clear to Nancy. It''s not her fault." Autumn added with a frown, "It was just a mistake. Let it go. I''m fine." Charles answered firmly, "No, it''s not over." Although Autumn didn''t mind at all, Charles couldn''t let it go because it concerned her status in the family. He knew that many servants were discontented with Autumn. As things had happened, he nned to set an example to warn other servants. He wanted to let others know that even Nancy who had served him for years would be punished if she disrespected Autumn. After this, he''d like to see who in this house dared to offend Autumn. Charles proceeded, "Nancy, I want you to answer me now. You can either apologize to Ye, or you can leave this job forever." Hearing their conversation, many servants gathered around the dining room. Nancy looked at them, and responded with a frown, "Young master, I..." ''Before Autumn came, I had some status among these servants. Apart from Charles and Gary, even Chris respected me. But now Charles is asking me to apologize to Ye in front of so many people. How can I do this?'' Nancy N?velDrama.Org content rights. wondered. Nancy was full of hatred towards Autumn, but she couldn''t dare to show it. Autumn held Charles by the hand, and persuaded, "Charles, you don''t have to..." ''Asking Nancy to apologize to me in front of so many people will embarrass her so much.'' Autumn thought. "Nancy, if something happens next time, I''ll make it clear to you so as to avoid mistakes." Autumn came forward and took Nancy''s hand and said, "Don''t you have other work to do? You can go..." Before Autumn could finish her words, Nancy shook her hand off. Autumn felt awkward. Charles got furious. Chapter 81 The Resignation Chapter 81 The Resignation "Ye, Charles is right. Nancy must apologize to you." While Autumn was standing awkwardly beside Nancy, she heard Gary''s voice emerging from behind the crowd. Suddenly everyone started looking in his direction. They parted away and made way for him as he walked over to Nancy. "Nancy, you have served our family for more than twenty years, and I have always thought of you as a dutiful servant who knows her ce." He said, "Ye is not only Charles''s wife and my granddaughter-inw, but also the hostess of this family. I hope you can respect her the way you respect me and Charles. Is that clear?" "Mr. Lu, in fact..." "Enough. I have been watching it from upstairs for quite a while now, and have a clear idea of what has happened here. Now, either you apologize to Ye, or you pack your bags and go back to the countryside. Just make your decision." Gary was very disappointed with Nancy. She had served the Lu Family for a long time, and yet paid no attention to basic manners. "Hurry up, Nancy. Charles and Ye have to go to work. They don''t have time to waste on you." urged Gary. Nancy stood there for a long time, and hesitated. This was a well-paying job. If she lost it, there would be no way left to support her good-for-nothing son and daughter-inw. What''s more, her grandson had just been epted by a university, hence she was in need of money. She just couldn''t lose the job now. The Lu Family had been treating her well, anyway. After weighing the pros and cons, Nancy decided to apologize. She said to Autumn, "Mrs. Lu, I am sorry for what happened today. Please be assured that things like this won''t happen in the future. Please be gracious and forgive me."This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Listening to her apology, Autumn let out an embarrassed smile. Certainly she knew that Nancy''s apology was halfhearted. However, she had no choice but to ept it. "We are family, please don''t mention it." After Nancy''s apology, Gary addressed the people around, "Let me make it clear today. Anyone who dares to show Mrs. Lu disrespect in the future, will be banished from this house." Gary then patted Charles on the shoulder and said, "It is runningte, you two should leave for work." "Yes, grandpa." replied Charles. He took Autumn along and they got into the car. On their way to work, Charles still found her upset. He asked, "What''s wrong? Still thinking about what just happened?" "Yeah." Autumn nodded lightly, "I just can''t understand why Nancy is so hostile towards me." She sighed, "I am afraid that the way you treated her today will only make her hate me all the more. We share the same house, seeing each other is unavoidable. It will be hard for me to get along with her in days ahead." "I did it on purpose, so as to set an example for other servants. They need to keep in mind that you are my wife, if they cherish their jobs here, they will have to obey and respect you." Charles smiled and said, "Well, just take your mind off it. Let''s go and have some breakfast." "Breakfast? Didn''t you just have it at home? And we are running out of time by the way. What if we get "There is no hurry." Charles drove the car and stopped at a Hong Kong-style restaurant. They had some Cantonese morning tea before driving back to Shining Company. As always, they went upstairs separately. During Charles''s stay in hospital, thepany affairs were taken care of by David. At the same time, Linda had been on pins and needles the whole week. She turned pale after hearing about Charles''s return. When Autumn walked into the Secretary Department, David was the first one to greet her, "Wee back, Mrs. Lu." he said. "Hmm." Autumn simply nodded and said, "Thank you for putting in so much hard work these days." "It''s my pleasure." David smiled then asked, "How is Mr. Lu? Has he recovered?" "Almost. We only have to change the wound dressing from time to time." Autumn smiled, "Please continue with your work then. " "Yes, Mrs. Lu. There happens to be a document for Mr. Lu to sign." David said and went out with the document. Autumn returned to her seat, and nced at Linda on her way. Linda kept her head bowed low and avoided any eye contact with Autumn. Although Charles had been away from work these days, David had kept him informed about Linda''s each and every move. After the incident that night, David had specially warned her to keep Autumn''s identity a secret. Of course she dared not tell anyone. But the past one week was an anxious time for her, until the couple returned back to work. She had no idea how Charles would deal with her. But she just didn''t feel like sitting back and waiting. Her job in Shining Company was currently a "gold rice bowl" for her. ''If I get fired by Shining Company, who will hire me?'' After a long hesitation, she stood up and walked over to Autumn''s desk. Autumn had just cleaned her desk up. She got startled at Linda''s sudden appearance. "What''s up?" she asked. "Ye...eh... Mrs. Lu, can you spare me five minutes?" Linda gathered the courage and asked. Autumn paused. She hesitated for a while before replying, "I don''t see the necessity of it." "I..." Linda was horribly embarrassed. It was totally beyond her expectation that the person she had offended would be Mrs. Lu. But what''s done is done. It was only natural for Autumn to hate her now. "Mrs. Lu, It was my fault that night. I was blind as a bat to put you in that dangerous situation. But now I know that I was wrong. My mother is ill, and my brother is in college. I really can''t afford to lose this job. I..." It was also her family''s troubles that poisoned Linda''s mind. She thought that as long as she could win the heart of a wealthy man like Charles, she could manage to escape her terrible living conditions. This also exined her hostility towards Autumn. "Linda, I can''t imagine what could have happened to me that night if I weren''t Charles''s wife..." The mere thought of that night brought terror to Autumn. If Sam wasn''t there, bad things could have happen before Charles came to save her. She wasn''t annoyed by the way Linda treated her, but she was upset at her wicked intentions. "I know I have done wrong, I''ll change..." Linda exined anxiously, "I never imagined that you are Mrs. Lu, otherwise..." "Linda, in fact, I do understand you.", Autumn said. She meant what she said. It was understandable for girls to have some vanity, especially girls in Linda''s age. What''s more, working with an excellent man like Charles every day might have set her standard higher when it came to rtionships. It was perfectly normal for her to develop a crush on Charles. However, there could have been many ways to express her feelings. Had Linda''s pursuit for Charles been decent, Autumn would not have been angry. Yet Linda chose to reach her goal by stepping on others. "It is quite natural for you to fancy an eligible bachelor like Charles. But you can try to win his heart openly. Is it really appropriate to bring down all the potentialpetitors just because you like him?" Chapter 82 Coming Cross An Acquaintance During Recruitment Chapter 82 Coming Cross An Acquaintance During Recruitment Autumn said angrily, "If I was not Mrs. Lu and didn''t know Sam, then I wouldn''t have been able to escape from Mr. Song that night, right?" "Well......" Linda kept silent. "Of course, I would not let you go if you were not Mrs. Lu." Linda thought. "Why are you silent? Don''t you have your answer?" Autumn went on with a sneer, "I have nothing to talk with you, you vicious woman. I have a lot of work to do. Please move aside." With a pile of documents in hand, Autumn stood up and walked out. She stepped inside Charles''s office and knocked the door. "Come in." Charles''s voice came from inside. Picking up the signed papers, David turned to Charles and said, "Mr. Lu, I''ll be right outside." "Okay. Go ahead." Charles put the pen cap back and asked Autumn standing in front of him, "What brings you here?" "I have something to talk to you about." Sensing her seriousness, Charles nodded. He made her sit down beside him and asked, "What''s wrong?" Autumn hesitated for a second and then continued, "Charles, you asked me to work here because you want me to help you. But after working here the whole day, I can''t do anything else for you. So after giving it a lot of thought, I have decided to resign. And I hope that you can agree with me." "Resign? But why?" Charles was shocked by her words. He thought that she came here to talk about Linda and he was even prepared tofort her. "Can you tell me your reason? Are you not satisfied with your sry?" "No. I have said this earlier also that I am not fit to work here." Her work was simple, but things were moreplicated than she expected. It was not easy to be his secretary at all. Take Linda for example. Though she was not of good moral standing, she was a capable secretary. She was good at closing contracts and she also knew how to cope with business engagements. But things were different for Autumn. What were her capabilities? "Charles, I know you asked me to work here for my own good, but I have taken careful consideration. It is not a good idea for me to work here. I am not used to this job. And I am sure you also know that I can''t handle it. So after much consideration, I have decided to resign." Autumn smiled and added, "Do you remember? That one time when I told you that I wanted to take a break? Well, I have selected a good ce for myself. It''s Z City. I will find a job when Ie back. As for Linda......" Autumn hesitated for a while at the thought of Linda. Though she really hated her annoying conduct, Autumn had to admit that she waspetent at work. Autumn knew that Charles would be busy with his work after her resignation, so she wanted to persuade Charles not to fire Linda. "Even though Linda went too far that day, fortunately she didn''t go further to make serious mistakes. And I am sure that David would be busy after my resignation, so you''d better not to fire Linda. She is a capable woman and she can help you with your work. Or you can think about firing her after you find the right person to rece her. What do you think?" Autumn asked for Charles''s opinion. Charles was stunned by her words. ''Why doesn''t she care how others treated her? Like Nancy and Linda.'' Charles thought and felt surprised. "Ye, don''t you feel angry about her behavior?" Charles asked her. "Of course I am angry." Autumn nodded and then exined, "But I have taken everything into careful consideration. You will be very busy with your work. And since David is the only one who can help with your work, don''t fire Linda immediately. But you have to be very careful about her, because I am afraid that......" "Ye, you are really very considerate." Charles embraced her while talking. In fact, bearing the same misgivings as Autumn, he was not going to fire Linda immediately. And he thought that perhaps Autumn would not ept this news. But he never expected that Autumn persuade him not to fire Linda. He was really touched by her. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Charles understood that it was because Autumn was worried about him. "Are you moved?" Autumn joked with him and smiled. "If you are really touched, then sign my letter of resignation. I am going on a vacation." "Naughty girl!" Charles stared at Autumn fondly but still signed on her letter of resignation. "Though I have agreed with your resignation, you can''t leave immediately because I still have to recruit the right person to help me. Can you help me look for some good candidates from the Inte in the afternoon?" Charles asked Autumn. "Okay. I will do it." Autumn nodded and then said, "Well, then I''ve got go now." Linda got a call from Charles after Autumn left his office. Linda was extremely nervous since she thought that she would definitely get fired. However, she didn''t expect at all that Charles would only scold her for a while. And finally tell her that he would not fire her this time. He even told her that it was Autumn who pleaded his mercy for her. Of course, Charles also warned her that he would not let her off if this happened again next time. Linda felt so grateful that she went to Autumn''s office immediately. Though she felt awkward, Linda finally said, "Autumn, I have to thank you for what you did for me. If it was not for you, I would have been fired today." Being a lucky survivor from getting unemployed, her eyes filled with tears. "There is no need for you to thank me." Autumn said indifferently to Linda. "I know you are capable enough, and I just did you a favor at little cost. But if you make such a mistake again, then I promise you that I won''t be sympathetic next time." Autumn added. "I won''t. I promise I won''t do it again." Linda shed tears of gratitude and then returned to her seat after extending her appreciation. She dared not to cook up any evil ideas anymore. After Linda left, Autumn began to look for some good candidates for the position of Charles''s secretary on a professional job-hunting website of Y City. Unexpectedly, Autumn happened to find Le''s resume. She hesitated for a while, but finally made a call to Le. When the phone got through, it was Le''s voice on the other side. She cheerfully said, "Ye, I didn''t expect that you would call me." "I......" Autumn was a little indecisive but then said, "We haven''t been in touch for a long time. How are you doing?" Upon hearing this, Le became upset. "I am not fine recently. I am hunting for a job at the job market." "Looking for a job? Why?" "It is because of this annoying woman, Pa. She always gives me a hard nut to crack. I am so angry but I gathered the courage to submit my letter of resignation. Well, Ye, how are you doing now? Did you find a new job?" Le asked. "I......" Autumn smiled and then replied, "I also don''t have a job yet." It was the current situation now, since she had just resigned so was also a hobo. "Well, I will invite you for a dinner after I get a job. But I have to hang up now, because I got to continue looking for a job." Le was about to hang up but Autumn stopped her, "Wait for a second. Le, I can offer a job to you, but I am not sure if you would be interested in it." Chapter 83 Dinner with Charles Chapter 83 Dinner with Charles Le came over for an interview in the afternoon. Autumn wanted to give her a chance. She couldn''t forget how much Le helped her when she was employed by Cloud Advertising Company. Moreover, it was because of Autumn that Le lost her job. If Autumn remembered correctly, Le was a graduate from a very prestigious university. Moreover, she was professionallypetent and hard working. The opportunity was right in front of Le. The only question was whether she would be smart enough to seize it or not. If Le didn''t do well in the interview, there was nothing more that Autumn could do for her. After the interview got over, Le called Autumn cheerfully. She told Autumn that she had passed the interview and had to start to work next week. Autumn congratted her with a big smile. "Ye, you are being so nice to me! Can I treat you with dinner tonight?" Le was so excited that she would be working as Charles''s secretary in Shining Company. "No, Le. It is not important" Autumn said no in the sweetest way possible. She further added, "Remember, work hard! Shining Company, unlike Cloud Advertising Company, is a very bigpany. You should work more and talk less." "I get it." Le said yes in a serious tone. However till this moment, Autumn didn''t realize that the story of "the Farmer and the Snake" existed in the real world too. Autumn selected some other alternatives. But when she was about to go off duty, Yvonne broke in and dashed into Charles''s office. "Miss Ye, the boss is busy right now. You can''t go in now..." David blocked Yvonne''s path. When Charles was in hospital, she used toe here every day. Even David could tell her intention. Charles was finally back to work now. Yvonne stared coldly at David andmanded, "Get out of my way! I''m Charles''s sister-inw. How dare you stand in my way?" "Miss Ye, you are giving me a hard time. Don''t take it personally. Even if Mrs. Lu were here, I wouldn''t have let her in." David stated calmly and thought to himself, ''Mrs. Lu is not as willful as you are.'' "You..." Yvonne went mad. It took a long time for her to calm down. She then ran to Autumn. The moment Autumn saw Yvonne, she felt sick, "Why are you here again?" "I booked a table at the Red Rose Restaurant tonight. Tell Charles toe there alone!" Yvonne was not sure whether Charles woulde or not. But with Autumn''s help, she could be certain that Charles woulde. "No!" Autumn replied with curt finality. She added, "Charles hasn''t yet recovered from his wound. So, he''s definitely not up for meaningless socializing." "Oh, cut the crap! Don''t you dare forget that Charles was hurt because of you! If it weren''t for you, he wouldn''t have been injured in the first ce." Yvonne sneered, "I''m warning you, if I don''t see him at the restaurant tonight, you would never be able to see your grandma again. " "By the way, " Yvonne walked to the door, but suddenly turned around and spoke to Autumn, "Mom said she would arrange your meeting with your grandma. But if you..." "Charles will be there." Autumn immediately made a promise. The moment she heard about the possible meeting with her grandma, she couldn''t help but ept the deal. Autumn hadn''t seen her grandma for over a month. She was naturally very worried about her. "Don''t tell your mom. I will ask Charles to be there." Autumn shouted back at Yvonne. She was too anxious to keep a low pitch. After all, Linda had already gone off duty, so she didn''t have to worry about being heard by anyone else. Yvonne smiled with satisfaction. Soon after Yvonne left, Charles walked out of his office. Seeing Autumn waiting for him at the door, he couldn''t help but smile, "Let''s go to the market." Before he knew Autumn, he''d never thought that he could enjoy something as boring as going to the market and buying vegetables. He felt a certain degree of warmth, a homely feeling, when he would see Autumn selecting the daily necessities. While Autumn would do that, he would walk hand in hand with her. "Charles..." Autumn hesitated. She grabbed Charles''s hand and said, "I have something to tell you..." "What''s the matter?" Charles gave Autumn a confused look. Autumn paused for a long time. Thinking about her grandma, she gathered some courage and said, "Charles, my sister Autumn said that she booked a table at the Red Rose Restaurant. She wanted to invite..." "No!" Charles interrupted Autumn. "Charles, she wants to thank you." Autumn was saying all of this against her own will. She didn''t want Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Charles to go there, but she had no other choice. "She invited you to dinnerst time, but you couldn''t go because of that ident. She waited for more than three hours at the restaurant, just to thank you. Could you please go and oblige her this time?" Autumn put in a good word for Yvonne, but she felt pretty awful on the inside. "Why do you want me to go there so badly?" Charles asked with a frown. "It''s just a dinner..." Autumn muttered. Charles fixated his eyes on Autumn and saw her struggling expression. He realized that Autumn was threatened again, so he nodded, "Fine, I''ll go there. But... you areing with me." "No! She only invited you..." Autumn was anxious, but Charles put his foot down. "Why do you always listen to her?" Charles frowned, "I''m your husband. Do you think it''s appropriate for me to have dinner with my sister-inw alone? What if people see us? What will they think? Anyway, if you are noting with me today, I won''t have dinner with her." "But..." "No but! You can sit and have dinner at a nearby table. She has no right to forbid you from eating at that restaurant." Charles grabbed Autumn''s hand and walked towards the door, "Hurry up!" Autumn had no other choice but to go to the restaurant with Charles. Yvonne arrived at the restaurant early to wait for Charles. Her brown curly hair went long down the shoulders. She wore a low-cut red silk dress and sat casually at a table beside the window. Her long legs attracted the attention of countless men passing by. When Charles and Autumn arrived, Yvonne saw them through the window. She furrowed his brow. She had warned Autumn not toe, but Autumn was here now. "Charles, I don''t want to go in there. I''ll wait for you in the car, okay?" Autumn got nervous when they reached the restaurant gate. "Okay." Charles smiled and added, "I''ming back with you." Hearing Charles''s words, Autumn had no choice but to follow him. Seeing Charles, Yvonne stood up and gave him a seductive smile, "Charles, Yvonne, here you are." Chapter 84 Yvonne‘s Intention Chapter 84 Yvonne¡®s Intention "Good evening." Charles greeted Yvonne indifferently, "You look beautiful." It was just social etiquette for Charles, but Yvonne got it all wrong. ''I knew Charles is fond of me. After all, I''m such a beauty!'' She thought in her head. Blushing, Yvonne nodded her head and smiled. ''Autumn Ye is a real eyesore!'' she thought to herself. She pondered hard for a moment before she held Autumn''s arm intimately and said, "Charles, please have a seat and read the menu. We need to use the restroom." After finishing her sentence, Yvonne forced Autumn toe with her to the restroom. As soon as Charles disappeared from their sight, Yvonne''s tone of voice changed. She said, "I told you to ask Charles toe over alone! You don''t want to see your grandma, huh?" "You are getting me wrong..." Autumn frowned, "I didn''t want toe. But Charles was clear that he wouldn''te here if I didn''te along with him. I practically had no choice." Autumn tried to make Yvonne understand and said, "Please calm down. I''ll take another table. I won''t bother you..." "You better not!" Yvonne stared at Autumn in disdain and sneered, "If you dare do anything to destroy our date, I swear, you will never ever see your grandma again!" Yvonne was about to leave after warning Autumn, but Autumn stopped her, "Yvonne, I know you detest me, and I will stay away from you today. But... Charles hasn''t got his stitches removed yet. It is important to watch what he eats. He should avoid certain food items, such as shrimp.." "Enough!" Yvonne shook off Autumn''s hand discontentedly and said, "I will take care of Charles! Don''t tter yourself as the real Mrs. Lu! This is none of your concern!" Yvonne walked out of the restroom. She sat down in front of Charles and asked in a soft voice, "Charles, have you ordered?" "Not yet. You order the dishes." While handing Yvonne the menu, Charles looked back in search of Autumn. Yvonne smiled and asked, "Charles, are you looking for my sister?" "Yes. I guess she went to the restroom with you. Why didn''t shee back?" Charles asked in a cold voice. "My sister was afraid that I might feel ufortable if she was around, so she took another table. Charles, I invited you to dinner to thank you for giving me the job." Yvonne asked with a friendly smile, "Would you like... a beefsteak?" "Okay." Charles answered nonchntly. He had no appetite left now that he had to eat alone with Yvonne. The dinner was just a formality for him. In reality, he wanted to find out Yvonne''s intention. "You don''t have to thank me." Charles took a sip from the lemonade in front of him and continued. "You are Yvonne''s sister. It is no big deal for me to give you this job. You didn''t have to treat me with dinner for such a trivial matter." Charles smiled and added, "Besides, we are a family now. Don''t be so formal." "Charles, I know you don''t care about the formalities. I asked you out for dinner today because I admire you so much. You are handsome and have a sessful career. You are being so nice to my sister. I wish I could also get married to someone like you!" Yvonne lowered her head shyly. She made an obscure statement, but Charles got her point. "Charles, I am really jealous of my sister, you know? When my aunt told her to get married to you, she was not ready. She even wanted to flee from the wedding. I don''t know why! You are exceptionally handsome and rich! What more did she want?" Yvonne was filled with jealousy, "If she didn''t agree to marry you, I would have married you certainly." "Flee from the wedding? Is it true?" Charles gave a scornful smile. If he didn''t know the truth of the substitute bride, he would have been fooled by Yvonne. But now, he was just amused by Yvonne''s acting. "Of course..." Yvonne had no idea that Charles was aware of her true identity. She continued with her lies and added, "Charles, I like you very much. When my sister fled from the wedding, I was so happy. Had I been married to you, I would have been so nice to you, unlike Yvonne..." "Really?" Charles snorted, "Your sister is my wife now. Since she is married to me, I''ll be nice to her for the rest of my life. This is what a man should do." "Right..." Yvonne gave an awkward smile. She hated Autumn even more now. If it weren''t for Autumn, Charles would have easily fallen in love with her by now. "Charles, you are being so nice to my sister. But she hasn''tpletely devoted herself to you. Leave her fleeing aside, now..." "Now what?" Charles finally understood Yvonne''s intention now. She was here to create misunderstandings between Autumn and him. Charles was not a fool. He wouldn''t believe the hearsay, unless he saw it all with his own eyes. The longer Charles stayed with Autumn, the more he fell in love with her. He knew she was pure and kindhearted. Yvonne on the other hand, was only making him ufortable with her presence. "Charles, do you know a man named Sam Lin? He just came back from abroad." Yvonne nned to use Sam to create a rift between Autumn and Charles. She had already dug sufficient information about Sam. Sam was Chris''s boss now, so Charles definitely knew him. "Yes, I know him." Charles nodded, "He was my sister''s senior, and now he is her boss. Why did you mention him?" "Charles, there are things you don''t know." Yvonne sneered and continued, "Sam is my sister''s childhood lover. They were going to get married, but when Sam went abroad my sister broke up with him. Now that Sam is back, I think they might have an affair again." "Last week, I happened to see my sister when I was shopping at a mall. She was with Sam at that time. I heard Sam came back to the country only some days ago. But he was so eager to see my sister; I guess he still loves her." Yvonne smiled. "Of course, I believe my sister loves you now. After all, you are so outstanding, but..." Yvonne didn''t finish her words, but she believed Charles would now begin to doubt Autumn and Sam''s rtionship. If Charles didn''t trust Autumn, Yvonne would have had the opportunity to get close to him. "What do you mean by that? Are you trying to create misunderstandings between your sister and me?" Charles asked in a serious tone. "What?" Yvonne didn''t expect Charles to be so straightforward. She felt a spasm of panic and dodged Charles''s question in embarrassment, "Charles, don''t get me wrong. Of course, I would be d to see my sister and you live a happy life, but... I don''t think she deserves you. Charles, you should keep an eye on her. What if she betrays you..."This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 85 Yvonnes Proposal Chapter 85 Yvonne''s Proposal "Don''t worry. I''m confident about myself. If she chooses Sam over me, it means he is superior to me." Charles said humbly, as if to suggest that if Autumn chose him over Sam, it would be a great honor for him. This got Yvonne more angry and jealous. "You don''t have to belittle yourself, Charles. I think you''re much better than Sam. I..." Yvonne got so excited that she held Charles''s hand but Charles frowned a little. "What are you doing?" Charles withdrew his hand from her and demanded, "Don''t you dare forget who you are. I came here to see you only for your sister''s sake. If you do anything that is out of line again, you cannot me me for being rude!" "I am serious, Charles. I really..." Yvonne didn''t think Charles could be so cruel to her, so she went ahead and continued trying to sway his mind. After all, nobody ever rejected her. "Enough!" Charles interrupted and shouted at her. "I''m only going to say this one more time. I know what you''re thinking, but I''m telling you loud and clear that even if I happen to break up with your sister, God forbid for any reason, I won''t ever date you. You''re just not my type. Am I clear?" With a sneer, he added, "As you are Yvonne''s sister, our paths will cross again. But remember, for me, you are only her sister. If you say those ridiculous words again, I promise I won''t go easy on you anymore." "..." It didn''t ur to Yvonne that Charles would say such unkind words to her. She was terrified. While the mood was a little awkward, the waiter came to serve. Yvonne bowed her head slightly and apologized, "Forgive me for being so abrupt, Charles. Let''s hurry up and eat." Charles maintained a straight face, and ignored her. He made his feelings clear to her and was also aware of her intentions now. After two bites of steak, he stood up and said, "I''m full. You take your time but I think I should leave." "Charles!" Yvonne had just cut her steak and was about to eat it when Charles announced that he was leaving. Seeing that Charles was leaving, she requested him to stay a little longer. "Can''t you just stay here a little longer with me? I haven''t finished my meal yet." She looked at Charles pitifully, but he was not ready to change his mind. "Sorry, my wife hasn''t eaten yet. I came here because of her. Now that I''ve had my meal and made myself clear to you, it''s time for me to go. I have to have dinner with my wife." "Charles! Charles! Charles Lu!" No matter what Yvonne called him, Charles didn''t look back. Autumn who was sitting close to the door hadn''t order anything. As she looked up, she saw Charles walking towards her. She paused for a moment before asking, "Aren''t you eating with my sister? How did you finish so quickly?" Charles finished his meal before she had started to order? "I came out as soon as I finished my meal in case that is what you want to know. Let''s go home. Come on." Charles said, smiling as he pulled up Autumn from her seat. "But..." Autumn knitted her brows, worried that something was amiss. "Come on. I''d like to eat some egg noodles cooked by you. Let''s go back. Will you cook it for me?" Charles acted in a pettishly charming manner, and Autumn just nodded helplessly. Walking out of the Red Rose Restaurant, Autumn kept asking Charles about his conversation with Yvonne. "Didn''t you have dinner with Autumn? How did youe out so quickly? Did she say something out of line? "Yes." Charles smiled at her and answered, "She said she likes me. She even asked me to dump you and go out with her. What do you think about that?" It took Autumn a long time to react. She swallowed nervously, and replied, "She... she really said those words?" Charles nodded. He was curious to know her answer. "What do you think about that?" he asked again. "She is crazy!" Autumn replied, frowning. ''Yvonne, even if you were desperate to separate me and Charles, you shouldn''t have done that. You''re calling trouble for yourself.'' she criticized Yvonne in her head. "Then... What did you say to her?" She asked him nervously after a long pause. "Take a guess?" Charles did not answer directly. Autumn had no idea what he would have told Yvonne. Moreover, she thought she wasn''t good enough for Charles and always let him down. To be fair, Yvonne was very good looking. If Yvonne asked him out, why would he even say no? "You... You haven''t said yes to her, have you?" Autumn asked him nervously. "You really have no confidence in me." After a sigh, Charles continued, "Of course, I gave her a firm refusal. And I told her I loved you very much. Moreover, I told her, if you don''t decide to divorce me, I would want to spend the rest of my life with you." When Charles expressed his feelings, Autumn blushed a little. "Is that what you told her?" Autumn asked. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "Yes, that''s what I told her." Charles nodded and said, "Did I say anything wrong?" Autumn was so happy with his answer that she added two extra eggs to his egg noodles when she made dinner for him that day. Le started her work in Shining Company, and Linda was her immediate boss. When she saw Autumn on the first day at work, her eyes widened in surprise. "Why are you here, Ye?" she asked. "You are here, Le" Autumn gave her a faint smile, without showing any intimacy. "Learn from Linda. If there is anything that you don''t understand, ask her." "Okay, Sure." Le nodded with a smile. She was clever and outgoing. Even Linda liked her very much, and patiently taught her everything. And they even gossiped from time to time. Ignoring their conversation, Autumn focussed on her work. At noon Le came up to Autumn and said, "Ye, I have an appointment with Linda for lunch. Will youe with us?" "Sorry." Autumn shook her head and declined Le''s invitation. Linda who was standing not too far away from them, looked awkward. Autumn knew if she went for lunch with them, Linda would probably stay mum throughout the meal. She tly replied, "Enjoy your lunch." "But..." Le hesitated and tried to persuade her but Autumn pushed her out of the Secretary Department and said, "Hurry up. Linda is familiar with this area. Ask her to take you to eat something delicious." She breathed a sigh of relief as they left. Then she went and knocked on Charles''s office door and asked, "Would you like to have lunch with me?" "Okay." Charles answered with a smile. Chapter 86 Autumns Resignation Chapter 86 Autumn''s Resignation Linda took Le to the same restaurant where she went with Autumn before. She asked Le while looking through the menu. "Le, what would you like to have?" "Anything works with me." Le replied. Le looked at Linda with a smile and said, "Linda, I am not picky when ites to food. Can you rmend the best cuisine of this restaurant? But let me clear you one thing in advance. I will pay the bill for this meal. It is my first day at work here and you are my senior. I am certain that I''ll need your support and guidance in the future, so this is my way of extending my thanks and appreciation for you in advance." "No. No. No." At the thought of what happened with Autumn, Linda was trembling with fear in the office but now she was all chatty with Le. She replied, "I am your senior, so it will bepletely unreasonable for me to let a neer treat me." "Linda, don''t be formal with me." Le smiled and said, "We are colleagues now, so we must get along with each other today and in the days toe. You can take me to dinnerter. But this time, it is my treat." On hearing this, Linda didn''t insist further. Le remained silent for a while and then said. "Linda, to be frank, I have to thank Ye. She is the one who introduced me to this job. If she didn''t tell me about the job, I would still be helplessly hunting for a job. But I felt really weird when I found out that you and Ye aren''t very cordial. Is there any problem going on? Did you both fight over something?" Linda felt awkward when she heard Le mentioning Autumn to her. David had forbidden her from disclosing Autumn''s real identity to anyone, so she just smiled to avoid giving away any details to Le. She said, "Of course not. I even dined with her in this restaurant on the first day of her work. Coincidently, she was sitting on the seat where you are sitting now. But Shining Company is big and whenever we have to discuss anything rted to work but that''s just about it." Linda smiled and continued, "It is natural for you to be confused about the entire equation, but I have to remind you that Shining Company is different from otherpanies. In case you are not good at your job, there is a fair chance of you being fired sooner orter. " "I definitely understand what you are trying to say. Moreover, now that I have decided to work here, I am ready for everything." Le grinned and said to Linda. "But I still want to thank you for giving me a reality check, Linda. Don''t worry. I won''t let you down." "Well, I''m sure, you won''t." Lindaughed merrily. Just then, the waiter arrived and served the dishes for them. Linda pointed at the chicken and said, "Try this. It tastes really good." Le immediately tried the chicken and was amazed by its taste. She said, "Wow, it is indeed a good restaurant and the food here is lip smacking." "Well, Linda......" Le hesitated for a second but finally said, "I want to ask you something that I am a little confused about." "Go ahead." Linda replied while eating. Le was hesitant for a while, but then she finally asked, "When I was working at Cloud Advertising Company with Ye, I noticed that Mr. Lu always took good care of her. I think there is an unusual rtionship between them. I even asked Ye about it many times but she simply denied and said that Mr. Lu is nothing but a colleague and a good friend." Le then stopped for a while and then continued, "But I feel it is quite strange that Mr. Lu even canceled his cooperation with Cloud Advertising Company after Ye''s resignation. Not too long after, Ye became a secretary of Mr. Lu and she even introduced me to this job. So what do you think? Is there something going on between the two of them? " "Why are you asking me about this? Linda looked at Le vigntly. On David''s instructions, she had buried the secret about Autumn''s identity deep in her heart. And she had no intention to share this secret with anyone. "Nothing. It''s weird and I am just curious about it. " Le looked at Linda confidentially and added, "Do you think...... Do you think Ye could be Mr. Lu''s mistress? Since Mr. Lu is married, it is really wrong on Ye''s part to do that. It would be unfair to Mrs. Lu if Ye maintains such an ambiguous rtionship with Mr. Lu." "That''s enough. " Le''s words reminded Linda of her own foolishness. She also thought of Ye as Mr. Lu''s mistress before. In reality, nobody could think of Ye as Mrs. Lu in the first instance. "It is none of your business." Linda replied. "Don''t take it seriously. I just asked casually." Le replied with a passive smile. She didn''t push further This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. since she understood that she couldn''t dig any gossip from Linda on this matter. Another girl named Alice joined Shinning Company the following day. Alice was a petite and pretty girl. She was extremely talented and had just returned from abroad afterpleting her studies. In The thing about Alice was that she was only dedicated to her work. She did nothing to please the people around her in thepany. This was the reason why Autumn was really fond of her. On the other hand, Linda and Le totally detested her. However, Autumn had an idea that Alice was not as innocent as she looked. She could always find ways to escape troubles. But none the less, she was verypetent at her job. Now that Le and Alice got efficient at their work, it was time for Autumn to leave. But when Autumn decided to discuss this matter with Charles, she got a call from Wendy. After hesitating for a while, she finally answered the phone. As soon as the phone was connected, she heard Wendy''s voice from the other end of the phone, "Bring Charles home for dinner tonight. I will wait for you." "Charles already has ns for tonight, so......" Autumn said. However, before she could decline her request, Wendy raised her voice, "It''s none of my business. It is your job to convince him. I want to see you both at dinner today at any darn cost." Wendy hung up the phone before Autumn could say anything further. She took a sigh and then knocked the door of Charles''s office. "Come in." Charles was in a good mood since he had just finished a video call with a client. "Is your meeting over?" Before entering Charles'' cabin, Autumn called him at his desk but Charles asked her to wait since he was in a meeting. Charles nodded and then asked, "Do you have any documents for me to sign?" As far as Charles was concerned, Autumn would note to him without any reason in the office. Charles also adapted to their professional rtionship while in the office. Therefore, he would only talk business with her in thepany. "No, I don''t." Autumn shook her head and exined, "I think I have recruited the right person for you, so I......" "Do you want to resign?" Charles sighed while asking her. He only gave Autumn this job because he strived for Autumn to stay around him in the office too. Charles never expected that Autumn would finish this task in such a short duration. But he knew that she would leave sooner orter, so Charles was not surprised. "Okay, you have my consent." "Really?" Autumn was startled since she thought he may never allow her to leave. "Yes. Moreover, I even got a gift for you." Charles took out an envelope from his drawer and handed it over to Autumn. "Open it and have a look at it." "What is it?" Autumn asked him hastily because she was so curious to know what was inside. "Open it and check it yourself." Charles didn''t reply directly but gave her a mysterious smile. Chapter 87 Back at the Gu Family House Chapter 87 Back at the Gu Family House She opened the envelope and saw a ne ticket inside. The travel date was in three days, and its destination was... Z City. She had always wanted to go there. ''Every time I brought up any ns to travel, Charles always kept silent about it. But now he himself, bought me a ticket." Autumn thought to herself. She was so moved that she didn''t know what to say. ''I have been dying to go on a trip, but I had to give it up for many reasons. First, it was work and then grandma was ill and it would be hard to leave her by herself. Now, Charles bought me a ticket. I am still worried about my grandma but I should go.'' she mused. Autumn asked Charles. "Why... Why did you do this?" "Don''''t you like it?" "Of course I do. I just... never expected something like this." Autumn said with a smile, "Thank you!" "You can thank meter. I have a bigger surprise for you." Charles smiled and handed her another envelope. He said, "There''s a travel guide on Z City inside the envelope. I have also booked the hotel for you. All the information is right there on the travel guide. Oh, one more thing. There is a bank card inside. You can use it to pay for your travel expenses. You can buy whatever you like during your trip. " When she looked at the hand-written travel guide, Autumn was exceedingly touched. She asked, "Did you prepare... all of these by yourself?" "How could I do that?" Charles touched his nose bashfully, and said, "I won''t waste my time on these boring, trivial matters. David did all of these." Charles thought to himself. ''If I tell her that I collected all this travel information while she was asleep every night, she might make fun of me.'' Charles instinctively said that David prepared all of it. Autumn couldn''t help butugh. "Obviously this is Charles''s handwriting. He looked so cute... lying like that." she mused. Autumn took the bank card from the envelope and gave it to Charles. She said in a serious tone, "I ept the travel guide and the ticket, but ... I can''t take this." She paused for a while, and then continued, "I got a sum of money from Cloud Advertising Company when I left. With that, I can afford my travel expenses so I don''t need your card." "Ye, why don''t you take my card anyway?" Charles said with a displeasing look, "You''re my wife now, so you are supposed to use my money." "I know. But..." After hesitating, Autumn continued, "I can afford things myself now. I don''t need to spend your money. If I run out of money one day, I will use yours. I promise." Charles realized that Autumn had made up her mind and took back the card. He said, "If anything goes wrong on your trip, don''t forget to call me." Autumn nodded and said, "I will. One more thing. Today, mom called and asked us toe home to dine with them. I know that you have an important appointment tonight, so..." Charles nodded, "It''s okay. I will go." He added, "You go first after you get off work. Tell mom that I will be a bitte." Autumn also nodded in agreement and said, "You don''t need to force yourself to go if you do not have the time. I will exin it to mom." Charles took her hand and said, "Don''t worry about it." "You can get off work earlier today. After all, you have already quitted you job. Go home to the Gu family early." "I will." Autumn didn''t refuse anymore. She wanted to know what trick Wendy was ying this time. After she left Charles''s office, she started to pack her stuff. Le was amazed to see that, so she asked, "Ye, what are you doing?" Autumn replied inly, "I''m packing up my stuff." She added, "Is there anything wrong?" Le said, "I know you''re packing up your things. I mean... Why are you doing it?'''' "I quit my job." Nobody had any idea about her resignation except David. Even Linda was stunned. Since the incident, Linda had been embarrassed to face Autumn. Now hearing that Autumn had quitted, Linda was rather surprised. Autumn smiled and told Le, "I won''t being to work tomorrow. I hope you do a good job here." It didn''t take long for Autumn to finish her packing as she had worked in Shining Company just for a few days. When she walked out of thepany, she bought some presents in case Charles was in a hurry and forgot to bring any. She didn''t want to give Wendy any chance to look down upon Charles. Now Yvonne was supposed to be at work. But when Autumn arrived at the Gu family house, she was surprised to see Yvonne home. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Autumn put the presents on the table, and greeted inly, "Mom..." Before Autumn arrived, her mother and Yvonne had been chatting with each other on the couch, about how, with the help of Charles, Simon had solved the crisis that hispany faced. Now, they had continued to lead a well-off life thatmon people admired. Autumn''s arrival broke the merry atmosphere. Autumn was raised by her grandma. Although she had been told that Wendy lived here at the Gu house, she seldom came. Therefore, she had no attachment to the Gu family, let alone Simon. Autumn greeted Wendy coldly, and then sat on the couch. If Yvonne hadn''t escaped before her wedding ceremony, she wouldn''t have had anything to do with this family. "You''re really different now. After bing Mrs. Lu, you don''t even greet the elders anymore." Because of what had happened that night, Yvonne was so angry that she didn''t go to work for two days. She continued, "You''re still just a bastard. Even if you have gotten married to Charles. You should show your respect when youe here. You''re just a bitch without a mother to teach you. " Hearing this, Autumn didn''t get angry at all. Instead, she looked at Wendy provocatively. ''To embarrass me, Yvonne disrespected Wendy as well, '' Autumn thought. And Wendy felt awkward. ''I gave birth to her but didn''t teach her well, '' thought Wendy to herself. Wendy frowned and asked, "Why did youe alone? Where is Charles?" Autumn tly replied, "I told you that he had an appointment tonight. He will be a bitte." Wendy didn''t say a word. Yvonne stared at Autumn and said, "Autumn, I warn you that Charles will be mine one day. You''d better keep that in mind. Otherwise, I will never spare you." Autumn acted as if Yvonne wasn''t there. She turned to Wendy and asked, "Didn''t you promise to let me see grandma once I managed to let Charles agree to dine with Yvonne? Why haven''t you arranged our meeting? Are you going to break your promise again?" Chapter 88 A Video of Autumns Grandma Chapter 88 A Video of Autumn''s Grandma Wendy frowned. She said no such thing. She looked questioningly at Yvonne who was beside her. Yvonne burst with anger and shame as she was caught lying. She pointed a finger at Autumn, "Autumn Ye, how dare you? I said ''Tell Charles toe alone''. But what did you do? Why did you go to the restaurant with Charles? By the way, speaking of the dinner, Charles only took one bite of the beefsteak and left me all alone. How can you ask me to keep my promise? You are dreaming?" Autumn snapped back, "Yvonne Gu, if I didn''te, you wouldn''t even get to have dinner with him. Besides, even though I tagged along, I didn''t even sit at the same table with you and your beloved Charles. You are not attractive enough to keep his attention. Why put the me on me?" "You..." Autumn''s unreserved revtion of what happened humiliated Yvonne. Yvonne yelled, "I don''t care! if it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have been humiliated like that. If it weren''t for you, Charles would have already fallen in love with me." Autumn sneered, "Yvonne Gu, you always put the me on others? Why don''t you reflect on your own actions? Stop putting it on me." "Enough!" Simon, who had been silent all this time, interrupted Autumn, "Autumn, I know you have been wronged deeply, getting married to Charles like that. Now that the crisis at mypany has passed we''d better get everything back on track. After all, Charles really wanted to marry Yvonne first. Now Yvonne has changed her mind and wants to be Charles''s wife. You are Yvonne''s elder sister. You should be helping her instead of hurting her." Autumn gave a scornful smile and thought to herself, ''What a ridiculous family! When Yvonne fled from the wedding, they forced me to marry Charles. Now they want me to give it all up because Yvonne changed her mind?'' "Uncle Simon, you are right. As the elder sister, I should help my younger sister." Autumn stressed the word "help" as she sneered and continued, "How about this? I call Charles now and tell him I am Autumn Ye. I was forced to get married to him. Now the real Yvonne Gu regrets having fled from their wedding and now wants to be his wife. What do you think of that?" "You..." Simon pointed exasperatedly at Autumn. Autumn had always been weak. Why was she behaving so aggressively today? It was no surprise that Autumn had be so aggressive. She had been fooled by Wendy and Yvonne so many times. They even threatened Autumn with her grandma again and again. Yvonne always forced Autumn to pair herself with Charles. Autumn was finally fed up. "Enough! Stop arguing!" Wendy said coldly. She had a mind of her own and had defeated countless Anyway, Yvonne was still Wendy''s loving daughter. Wendy stared at Autumn and said, "Stop mocking Simon and Yvonne! Let''s make a deal. If you help Yvonne win Charles''s love, you''ll get a healthy grandma back. Does that sound good for you?" "I won''t do anything for you anymore." Autumn answered tantly, "Wendy Ye, don''t use my grandma to threaten me ever again. From now on, as long as I don''t see my grandma, I will never do anything for you." Yvonne and Simon''s faces darkened. If Autumn refused to help them in the future, what should they do? "Autumn Ye, how dare you?" Yvonne spluttered. "You can have a try, " Autumn sneered, "If I don''t see my grandma, I wouldn''t do anything for you. I might even let something slip in a moment of weakness one day. Don''t me me for that." Wendy cast a stern nce at Autumn, "What a disrespectful daughter you are! Shame on you!" "I have be what you made me." Autumn sneered, "After all, like mother, like daughter." "Well, I guess you don''t want to see your grandma anymore." Hearing Wendy mention her grandma, Autumn frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?" "I have a video of your grandma. She will have surgery soon and has no time to see you. If you don''t want to watch this video, then... I''ll just delete it." Wendy said with a cold smile. "Is that true?" Autumn was feeling like a roller coaster. It took a while to calm herself down. "Of course it is. Have a look." Wendy handed Autumn her cell phone. Wendy knew that if she didn''t let Autumn know what happened to her grandmother, Autumn would definitely turn her coat. Therefore, Wendy had threatened the old woman that if she didn''t do as she was told, Wendy would harm Autumn. Autumn''s grandma didn''t want Autumn to worry about her, so she took the video as Wendy instructed. Autumn yed the video. The moment she saw her grandma, she felt tears well up in her eyes. "Grandma..." She murmured as she reached out to her grandma''s face, but she could only touch the cold screen. At the beginning of the video, Autumn''s grandmay in a hospital bed coughing. She had lost much weight and looked as if the wind could easily blow her away. She looked rather pale. But she gave a kind smile before the camera. "Do I start now? Autumn, I''m feeling good now. You mother has found me a doctor and I''ll have surgery soon. Don''t worry about me. Take good care of yourself. I''lle to see you when I recover." Hearing her grandma''s voice, Autumn couldn''t hold back the tears as they streamed down her cheeks. Autumn watched the video many times. Finally, she wiped away the tears and raised her head asking, "How is my grandma? I haven''t seen her in a month. Why does she look so thin?" Wendy took back her phone and answered, "Your grandma is ill and it''s normal for her to lose weight. I have hired a nurse for her. You can see her after the operation." "You... Can you send me this video?" Autumn hesitated for a long time before asking Wendy. Wendy nodded, "As long as you do as I say." "I will." Autumn was nearly out of her mind. And Wendy knew Autumn well. She could easily control Autumn by using her grandma for ckmail. "I have thought the whole thing over. Charles is now very unsatisfied with Yvonne. You should start drawing yourself away from Charles and he will gradually realize that you are not as good as he thought. Then Yvonne will have her chance. Do we have a deal?" Autumn just agreed with Wendy, no matter what it was. Even though her heart was breaking, she had to ept Wendy''s conditions for the sake of her grandmother. While they were talking, the servant announced from the entrance, "Mr. Gu, Mrs. Gu, Mr. Lin is here." "Pleasee in." Wendy smiled and greeted Sam. Autumn, however, frowned as she saw him.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 89 Sam Found Out The Truth Chapter 89 Sam Found Out The Truth It was Sam who showed up at the door. Seeing him there, Autumn was struck by how quickly Wendy had been working on her n. She couldn''t believe that Wendy, while forcing her to push Charles away to create opportunities for Yvonne, was also using Sam to get between her and her husband. This woman had a good strategy, and what a sophisticated n! "Simon, Wendy, thanks for having me." Sam greeted. Like Autumn, he had brought many gifts. Seeing Autumn sitting on the sofa, he nodded lightly at her. As for Wendy and Simon, his opinion of them had been low, which was evident in the cold greeting he gave them. "Here you are atst! I''ve been expecting you." Beaming with delight, Wendy took Sam''s hand and sat him down beside Autumn. "There is no need to bring so many gifts. This is so kind of you, really!" she eximed. She was grinning from ear to ear, but Sam responded dryly to her excessive enthusiasm and said, "You are wee." Wendy was a bit embarrassed hearing his words. She then red at Autumn and snapped, "Sam is our guest. Why don''t you have some manners and get him a ss of water?" She turned back to Sam, put her smile back on and said, "You and Autumn grew up together. She''s been rather too free with you and has put all the courtesies behind. Don''t be too surprised about that." Serving the guests had been the duty of the servants. Since when did Autumn have to do it? Superficially, Wendy was scolding Autumn for her misbehavior. But in truth, she was trying to show everyone the close rtionship between Autumn and Sam. Fortunately Charles wasn''t there. Otherwise, one wouldn''t be able to draw his sour face, hearing all this. Wendy continued ying matchmaker. She smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I bet you two haven''t seen each other for many years. Autumn has been living with her grandma since childhood. Fortunately, you were around to take care of her. I had always thought that... you two would be destined for each other." Wendy''sughter rang throughout the living room. But Autumn and Sam were not a bit amused. Casting Autumn a nce, Sam knew that she wouldn''t be able to defend herself, so he spoke up for Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. her. "You misunderstand. Autumn and I... have been close, only like brother and sister. He then sneered and continued, "We all know that you remarried soon after her father''s death, leaving her alone with her grandmother, and they had no one but each other for support. The neighbors took pity on them and helped them out once in a while. I lived nearby, so it was only natural for us to develop a close rtionship. I think that was how the gossip started." He paused before saying, "Wendy, you have already done wrong to Autumn when she was a child. She is married now and it is inappropriate to be talking like this. People might think of you as an unfit mother." Wendy was totally speechless. Autumn really wanted to p her hands if not for Wendy. Wendy let out an embarrassed smile and said to Sam, "You are absolutely right. It was all my fault back then. But it is now a thing of the past. Autumn, why not show Sam around the house, it''s his first time here. " Autumn did not refuse. She had been waiting for an opportunity to ask Sam why he came today. "Come with me, Sam, " she said with a faint smile. Autumn did not even have her own room in this house, only a temporary one prepared for the wedding not too long ago. As for how well she knew the Gu Family, well... She had visited this house for merely a few more times than Sam. If anything, the little garden in the backyard might be the ce she was most familiar with. It was both open and secluded, a good ce to have a talk without the risk of being overheard. "Little Ye..." Sam called Autumn softly while following her. He had been back from abroad for quite a while, but hadn''t had the chance to talk with her privately until now. "How have you been?" he asked. "Not bad, " she replied casually for she had something else on her mind. "Sam, what brings you here?" "Didn''t you know?" Sam looked at her with surprise. "Wendy called me and said you''ve asked for me to It was just as Autumn had expected. She smirked. It was clear that Wendy would go to any extent to have Yvonne marry into the Lu Family. "Autumn... I''ve been meaning to ask you something, but I just never had the chance." He frowned lightly, hesitated for a while before asking, "I had a chat with Chris the other day, and we talked about you. She called you Yvonne, why is that?" "Well¡­" Autumn sighed. She knew that this secret would be out in the open, some time or other, but she never expected that Sam would be the first person to find out. She frowned and said nothing at all. But Sam could somehow tell by her grim expression. He then asked hesitantly, "Don''t tell me¡­ that you married Charles under the name of Yvonne." This was the only sensible exnation that Sam could think of, but it was also the most uneptable one for him. He had spent many years overseas for her sake. He had always wanted to win her back. But then he returned, only to find out that she had married. How could he ept it if her marriage to Charles was all Wendy''s doing? How could he get over her if she was forced into all this? "Yes, that''s true!" After a long period of silence, Autumn nodded her head affirmatively, "Sam, it''s He held her tightly before she could finish and blurted out, "Why? Why didn''t you tell me?" "Let go of me, Sam, " Autumn said and gently pushed him away. "It''s all over now, " she added. Sam couldn''t contain himself. He hated the fact that he hadn''te back sooner. If he had, Autumn would never have had to suffer. "I am so sorry. I wish I have returned sooner." "It was not your fault." Autumn forced a smile and said, "My grandma was seriously ill at that time, but I couldn''t afford the medical care. Just then, Yvonne had fled from her wedding, so Wendy took grandma away, held her against our will and forced me to take Yvonne''s ce. So..." "What else do they want from you? When on earth will they be satisfied? How could they y around with your marriage and happiness? This is just ridiculous!" Sam eximed. He now wanted to confront the Gu Family and ask for an exnation. Autumn stopped him immediately, "Sam, I knew you would get angry, that''s why I have been keeping this to myself. I am fine. Even though I married Charles against my will, he has been treating me well. This is actually good enough for me." "Little Ye, don''t try to make me feel better. There is no need for that now." Sam sneered. Initially, he had decided to give up on Autumn. After all, he saw the way Charles cared for her, and knew that the man could be trusted. But he could no longer turn a blind eye to it. How could he live with the fact that Autumn was forced into this circus from the very beginning? No thanks to Wendy. Chapter 90 His Regret Chapter 90 His Regret "You were forced to marry Charles. How could you spend your whole life with him as his wife? You don''t love him, do you?" The fact that she was forced into marriage made Sam''s heart ache. He said, "Listen, I am serious. Why don''t you divorce him? Don''t worry I will find your grandmother. We will take her abroad and live a happy life where Charles and your parents can never find us. What do you think?" "Stop joking, Sam." Even if Autumn didn''t marry Charles, she wouldn''t have agreed to Sam''s suggestion. When Sam left with his mother years ago, she was heart-broken and her affection for Sam has gone. So it was no surprise when she replied, "Sam, I know you that you are a good person, but ¡­" Autumn took a seat in the pavilion. It was at dusk and a cool breeze blew gently. Autumn hesitated for a moment. When she finally opened her mouth, "Sam, Wendy invited you toe here with a purpose. If Charles saw us, he would misunderstand that something is going on between us. Sam, I know it''ll be hard to believe this, but you must know, I¡­ I have fallen in love with Charles." She thought to herself, ''I promised Wendy to to distance myself from Charles and I will do as she wishes. But I am not Wendy''s pawn. Besides I don''t want Charles to think that Sam and I are lovers.'' She turned to Sam, "Yvonne has realized that Charles is a good husband, so now she regrets having me take her ce as his wife. She wants my ce now. But they do not know how to turn this situation around, so they invited you over today. I am asking you not to reveal my real identity when Charles arrives." ''My grandmother is being held captive. I have no choice.'' "Why do you sacrifice your own happiness?" Sam didn''t believe that Autumn had fallen in love with Charles. He couldn''t understand why Autumn insisted on maintaining the status quo. He thought that if Autumn and Yvonne went back to being themselves, Autumn would feel happy. So he asked, "If she wants to be Charles''s wife, why don''t you let her be?" "Sam!" Autumn yelled as she turned gloomy. Then she looked at Sam, "I have my own n. If you don''t help me, then don''t get in my way." Autumn didn''t want Charles to think that she had a rtionship with Sam. If they broke up because of Sam, she would be devastated. ''If my parents and my sister are determined to have Charles and me separated, I prefer that it happen in a gentler manner. I don''t want Charles to get hurt too much.'' Sam stared at Autumn unblinking for a while. When he was sure that she was serious, he replied, "Okay. I promise." Autumn was relieved to hear this. But Sam continued, "Little Ye, I thought you and Charles married because you loved each other. I didn''t want to be a home wrecker, so I stayed away. But now¡­ I know that you were forced to marry Charles, so I won''t give up. I will fight for your love. You will realize that I am the one meant for you." "Sam, you don''t need to do that." She thought to herself, ''You don''t understand. I love Charles.'' She tried to use another way to persuade Sam. "Chris is a good girl. You are perfect for each other. Although she seems unconcerned, she loves you much. Besides, she is good-looking and from a rich family, so you¡­" Sam interrupted her, "I know you hate me for abandoning you years ago." Sam thought with brows wrinkled, ''My mother broke us up. She said the gap between you and I was insurmountable. It was ridiculous. I loved my mother, so I obeyed. But our love has nothing to do with status and property. I love everything about you. I know exactly that Chris is the type of girl my mother likes but I love Autumn.'' Sam pondered for a while, then he dered, "I respect your decision. But you must also respect mine. Until you find your real happiness, I will not give up." Autumn said nothing. She felt a little bothered by Sam''s persistence. While they were talking, Charles arrives at the Gu''s family house. Although he didn''t like Autumn''s family, he brought presents anyway. He had asked David to buy some health supplements. "Father, Mother, " He greeted Simon and Wendy as soon as he saw them. But Yvonne was the first to wee him, "Charles, you are here!" She took the presents that Charles was holding and she said smiling, "This is your home too. There is This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. no need bringing presents every time youe." "It''s my duty as a devoted son-inw, " Charles nodded at Simon as he said, "Yvonne and I seldom "Take a seat. We have been waiting for you. Supper will be ready soon." Wendyughed and then added, "Autumn, why are you just standing there? Have a seat and chat with your brother-inw." Wendy wanted to create a chance for Yvonne to get close to Charles and Yvonne knew it. She leaned towards Charles and whispered in a sweet tone, "Brother-inw,e and have a seat." "No, not yet. Where is your sister?" Charles asked frowning at Yvonne. He couldn''t see Autumn in the room. "She¡­" Yvonne was insulted that Charles asked her that way. ''What did he mean by that? He has just arrived and he is already looking for Autumn.'' "She is in the backyard." Wendy pointed in the direction of the backyard, saying, "She is talking with Sam." " Sam?" Charles was surprised to know that Sam was also there. He thought, ''Why is he here? I thought this was a family dinner?'' "It''s time for supper. Please tell the others, " Wendy said tly. As soon as Charles left, Yvonneined, "Mother, what are you doing? He seldomes here. Why did you ask him to go look for Autumn? What about me? I need time to talk with him." Yvonne was impetuous, which is her biggest w. "You, you are so stupid!" Wendy sighed and she exined, "Imagine what Charles would think if he saw his wife happily chatting with Sam." "He¡­" Yvonne wrinkled her brows and thought for a long time then soon realized why her mother asked Charles to look for Autumn. "But Mother¡­ What if Sam told Charles about Autumn and our real names? ''Now is not the right time to reveal the truth. I was going to tell Charles my real name when he falls in love me. If he knows the truth now, the situation will be out of control.'' "Don''t worry. He won''t, " Wendyforted Yvonne in a firm tone. In her mind, ''A person as slow-witted as Yvonne can only think of the possible problem. But Autumn will surely do something to prevent it from happening. I gave Autumn and Sam time to talk so that Autumn can persuade Sam to stay quiet. For Autumn''s own good, Sam will keep it a secret.'' When Charles got to the door leading to the backyard, Autumn and Sam were done talking and were about to leave. "Sam, let''s go back inside. It''s cold here, " She suggested. Autumn stopped Sam who was removing his coat to give to her. "No, thank you. Let''s go back. Charles will be here soon." "Okay." Sam replied with a nod. At the stone stairs on the way back from the backyard, Autumn missed a step but Sam caught her by the arm. She didn''t fall, but was a bit shaken. "Are you okay?" Sam asked with a concerned look as he put his arm around her shoulders. The embarrassing Autumn stepped away from Sam. Her face showed no emotion as she said, "I am fine." They continued to go inside the house. Then Autumn saw Charles standing at the entrance with an expressionless face and she felt nervous. Maybe Charles saw what had just happened. She hurried up to him and asked, "How long have you been here?" "I arrived just a moment ago." Charles replied with a smile and sparkling eyes which turned defensive when he looked over to Sam. He felt some hostility from Sam. Autumn looked at the two men and found the atmosphere was getting tense, so she exined, "Charles, my mother invited Sam to have supper with us." Chapter 91 Dinner in Gu Family House Chapter 91 Dinner in Gu Family House "I see, " replied Charles. He did not care about Sam''s thoughts for Autumn as he trusted her. "Let''s go inside. They are waiting for us, " he said to Autumn. He then took Autumn by her hand and walked straight into the house, leaving Sam behind with a frown. Almost immediately after they entered the living room, Yvonne walked up to them with a grin on her face. "Did you have a pleasing conversation with Mr. Lin?" she asked. "Despite having been abroad for many years, he still has feelings for you. If my first boyfriend was enchanted by me this way I would be ecstatic!" "Are you?" With a sly smile Autumn replied, "Of course you would. After all, you are a precocious girl. You started dating boys since the beginning of middle school. Do you even remember your first boyfriend?" Without an appropriatee-back Yvonne angrily stammered, "You..." She attempted to create an impression of being innocent and lovely on Charles. But as Autumn aired her dirtyundry in front of Charles, it was only natural that Yvonne was upset with her half sister''s words. ''If I continue this conversation, Autumn will only reveal more of despicable past to Charles, '' Yvonne muttered to herself. In an attempt to save her pride, she turned to Charles and said in an injured voice, "Charles... don''t believe what Yvonne said. She made up every bit of these fictitious stories." Charles didn''t respond and he pretended like he did not hear her. He walked past her to the table, still holding Autumn''s hand firmly. Keeping up the charade, Wendy acted like she hadn''t witnessed the spat and greeted them with a warm smile, "Take a seat here." Charles took the seat on Autumn''s left side while others were taking a spot to sit. When Sam entered, he only found the spot beside Autumn empty and calmly sat there. Autumn felt a pinch of embarrassment and also awkward to sit between Charles and Sam. Yvonne slowly came and grabbed the spot beside Charles. While pouring a ss of wine for him she said, "Charles, try this. This is my... uncle''s favorite wine that he has kept and matured for years." Brushing off Yvonne yet again, Charles handed that ss of wine to Autumn, who was pouring a soft drink, and said, "I need to drive us hometer. I can''t drink." With a bottle of wine between herp, Yvonne sat rather awkwardly beside Charles not knowing what to do next. She tried to attract his attention several times but Charles was on guard and paid her no heed. Wendy and Simon looked at each other after observing this tension. Wendy immediately turned to Charles and with a smile on her face said, "Charles, just take a sip of the wine. It is excellent! You can sleep here if you drink too much to be able to drive. We have many empty rooms here." Simon jumped right into the conversation, "Wendy is right. You have been married to Yvonne for a long time, you are family! You should stay here overnight." Despite their persuasion, Charles declined their polite offer. He replied to Simon rather tantly, "No, thanks. I cannot fall asleep in someone else''s house After hearing this, Autumn tried hard to control herughter. ''When we got married he slept in his study for days. And now he just used such ame excuse, '' she thought. Wendy and Simon knew as well that Charles was making excuses to avoid staying the night. ''He is the CEO of Shining Company. With frequent business trip every now and then, he has spent many nights and days living in hotels. There is no reason he can be so particr about beds.'' Noticing Charles was reluctant to drink, Yvonne grew impatient. After having a discussion with Wendy, she arranged the dinner with only two purposes in mind, one was to get Charles drunk and the other was to destroy Charles''s rtionship with Autumn. ''As long as Charles gets drunk, he will be mine, '' Yvonne pondered. "Charles, just drink a little, see everyone is requesting you so nicely, " Yvonne tried her luck again. She hurried to pour Charles a ss but unexpectedly the whole bottle of wine tumbled onto hisp. His entire dark blue trousers were drenched. Out of instinct, Yvonne grabbed the first table cloth she could find in an attempt to clean up his pants with the cloth. She apologized, "Charles, I''m sorry. I didn''t expect..." Charles yelled out, "That is enough!" He was unwilling toe here to begin with. And after this incident, he was impatient to leave. He grabbed Yvonne by the hand, and said, "I am going to the bathroom." Charles got up and stormed to the bathroom while Autumn followed him. As soon as Charles was out of sight, Wendy gave a disapproving nce to Yvonne. In that moment Yvonne realized how unbing her behavior was all night. ''How could I wipe the private parts of Charles in front of Sam? Besides, Autumn was there too, '' she cursed herself. Despite seeing through Yvonne for who she truly was, Sam pretended to be ignorant. In an attempt to humiliate her, he spoke out, "Uncle, aunty, please tell me what is this woman''s rtionship with you? She has very poor manners. After all, Mr. Lu is Autumn''s husband. Her behavior is unbing." Angered by his outburst, Yvonne retorted, "Who do you think you are? How can you intervene in our family affairs?" Sam said as he was standing up, "I''d better leave now that I''m no longer wee here." Wendy got up from her seat in a hurry to stop him, "Sam, you''re a wise man. You must have known... what had happened in our family." "Yes, I do." With a slight nod, Sam continued, "To be honest, I have never met a mother like you. Autumn is your daughter too. How can you treat her like this?" Yvonne sneered, "How could youpare that bitch to me?" Sam shouted at Yvonne, "Shut up!" ''Your parents have thoroughly spoiled you, but I will not.'' He continued, "A woman like you can never be equal to Little Ye." "If you care so much about her, you can take her with you." Wendy said coldly, "Even a sage cannot treat everyone equally, let alone me. I can''t love Autumn as I love Yvonne. It is only natural for me to be impartial to Yvonne. However..." "She is my daughter, too. I don''t want to see her lead a hard life. You have known each other since you were children and have grown up together. If you decide to get together, I will be happy for you." Even though Wendy gave him her blessings, Sam understood that her intention was to steer a clean path for Yvonne and that she said everything for her sake. Sam responded with a sigh, "All of this is pleasing to hear but if you really treated Autumn as your daughter, you wouldn''t have sold her out for Gu family and your rude daughter." Yvonne asked furiously, "Who gave you the right to speak in our matters and how dare you me me?" As soon as she uttered these words, Wendy shouted at her, "Please shut up now! You have only This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. brought us trouble and shame." Yvonne was shocked and hurt, this time she kept silent. Wendy turned to Sam and said, "Sam, I know you haven''t been able to forget Autumn after all these years. As long as you want to be with her, I can help you." After a long pause and hesitating, Sam asked, "What is your n?" Wendy gave a ratherforting smile. She knew Sam would ept her advice. Chapter 92 Being At Odds Chapter 92 Being At Odds Before Wendy could say anything, Autumn and Charles walked out of the washroom together. "Dad, Mom, we are going home now. We won''t be eating here. Take your time with the food." Autumn said in a cold voice. Yvonne immediately objected, "No! We rarely have the opportunity to have dinner together. How can you leave now?" "Why not?" Autumn said bluntly, "And wait for you to pour hot soup on him?" Charles knew Autumn was angry and didn''t want to make it difficult for her. So he pulled her away and spoke to Simon and Wendy, "Dad, Mom, we are going home now. We will visit again in a couple of days. If you''ll excuse us, we shall leave now." "Charles..." Simon stood up, trying to make them stay but Wendy stopped him and said, "If you want to go home now, I won''t stand in your way. My apologies. Let me prepare a nice meal for you next time." Wendy''s smile was sincere this time. Simon and Yvonne did not say anything. Seeing Autumn and Charles leaving, Sam also stood up and said, "I am leaving as well." "Sam, wait." Wendy stopped Sam, "You are already here. Please have dinner with us. I have something to tell you." Autumn''s face soured at what she heard. Wendy saw Autumn and Charles to the door. Pleasant smiles were exchanged. Others looking might believe that Wendy was actually a devoted mother. But the truth was... After Autumn and Charles left, Wendy went back to the living room to get back to her n. Simon refused to get involved, so he made an excuse and left the room. The servants were dismissed, leaving only Wendy, Yvonne and Sam. Sam had remained silent all this time. Then he asked, "Why did you ask me to stay? I don''t believe that it''s because you want to have dinner with me." "You are a clever man!" Wendy sneered, "Sam, there are only three of us in this room now. Let''s be frank and put our cards on the table. I have a way to break Autumn and Charles apart. Will you help me?" Sam fixed his eyes upon Wendy''s face and asked with a smile, "What makes you think that I will help you?" Since Wendy had told him her intention, she must be confident that Sam would take her side. Sam wanted to know why she was so determined. "You haven''t moved on after all these years." "Has it ever urred to you that I love her so much and I won''t do anything to hurt her?" Sam gave a scornful smile. "Oh stop being such a nice man!" Yvonne taunted, "Love is extremely selfish. If you love Autumn, how can you not want to be with her? I love Charles so much and I will do everything to have him fall in love with me. I know you feel the same about Autumn." Sam uttered no word. Wendy looked at Sam and urged, "Sam, make up your mind. Time waits for no one." "Fine! What do I have to do?" On the way back home, Charles kept a serious face and said nothing. He couldn''t get his mind off what he saw earlier as Sam held Autumn. He had a lot of questions and wanted to ask Autumn. "You... You have questions for me?" Autumn asked. "What about you? Is there anything you want to tell me?" Charles asked in reply. "I..." Autumn hesitated for a long time before she spoke. "I didn''t know that they invited Sam. My mother asked me to take him around the house, so I did it. On the way back inside, I slipped and Sam helped me to my feet. There is nothing going on between us." "That''s it?" Charles pulled over and turned to Autumn. "Who is thatdy? She keeps trying to seduce me and your parents turn a blind eye. They even add fuel to the me and encourage it. What is going on?" "You are thinking too much." Autumn looked away. Of course she knew Yvonne had gone too far. But if she told Charles the truth, her identity would be exposed. She dared not do that. "She is a distant rtive and will stay with my parents for a while. Maybe she was just being hospitable..." Autumn murmured as she avoided looking at Charles. "She was just being hospitable?" Charles sneered, "Do you think I''m an idiot? That other night when we had dinner, she told me she wanted to be my wife. You are my wife and you don''t mind that at all. I don''t understand." Autumn remained silent. Every time they talked about this matter, Autumn always kept quiet. Charles knew she had her reasons. But Yvonne was getting way out of line and Charles couldn''t bear it anymore. "Say something. You are the daughter of Simon and Wendy. Why do they always try to pair me with some distant rtive? Please tell me the truth, who is she?" Charles was getting exasperated. Charles asked a lot of questions, but Autumn didn''t answer. An awkwardness had developed between them that evening. Charles made up his mind to teach Autumn a lesson. He ignored Autumn as if she was not there. He wanted to take this opportunity to tell Autumn that running away from reality doesn''t help solve any problem. Back in their home, Gary and Chris were very worried about Charles and Autumn. They talked to Autumn and Charles separately, trying to figure out what was wrong. "What is wrong between you and my brother? You don''t talk to each other. The atmosphere here is quite intense and Grandpa and I dare not speak in a loud voice." Chris wanted to know what had happened between Autumn and Charles. Autumn smiled and answered, "It''s nothing. Just a small couple fight." "It has been two days, but you haven''t talked with each other." Chris furrowed her brow. Since Autumn got married to Charles, they had gotten on very well and never argued with each other. But this time, Chris felt something was wrong. Obviously, Charles was mad at Autumn. But Autumn didn''t say anything as if she was deliberately staying away from Charles. "I don''t know what has happened between you and Charles. But I know that Charles loves you very much. Whatever happened, Charles will understand if you exin to him." Strict as Charles looks, he has a tender heart. No matter what troubles Chris had made when she was a kid, Charles would alwayse to her rescue.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 93 Seeing Autumn Off at the Airport Chapter 93 Seeing Autumn Off at the Airport Chris knew that the problem between the couple would be solved as long as Autumn patiently exined everything to Charles. Autumn nodded and replied, "I know." ''I want to tell Charles, but... I don''t know how to start. Besides, I have already agreed to pull away from Charles. I have made up my mind and I can''t give up easily, '' she mused. Autumn sighed. "Chris, we will solve our own problem. Tomorrow I will fly to Z City at 10:00 am. I will stay there for a couple of days. Please take care of yourself, Charles and grandpa." Chris was surprised. "Oh, you are going on a trip?" Chris was stunned and thought, ''She chose to run away from their problem instead of solving it. If itsts too long, their problem would be more difficult to handle.'' "Yes, I am, " said Autumn, nodding slightly, ''It has been a while since I quit my job. I had no time to travel around in the past and Charles bought me this ticket. During this trip, I can think about our rtionship, '' she again mused. "But..." Autumn said, "Don''t worry. I just want to take a trip to rx. I wille back in a couple of days." Chris wanted to persuade her not to go, but she knew that Autumn wouldn''t listen to her. ''Perhaps it''s good for her to take a trip to rx, '' she thought to herself then said, "Okay, then go to bed early." As Chris left the room, she saw that Gary was talking with Charles. He asked with a frown, "What''s going on between you and Yvonne? What happened?" Charles frowned slightly and answered, "Grandpa, leave this to us." Charles just wanted Autumn to understand that they had be a family since they got married and that they should share things with each other and face them together. A couple shouldn''t have secrets. "Charles, you are the man in this rtionship. Even if your wife did something wrong, you should forgive her." Chris joined in. "You shouldn''t remain angry at her." Charles replied in a disapproving voice, "You''re just a child, so don''t intervene with our matters." "Did I say anything wrong? Did you know that Yvonne will be traveling to Z City tomorrow? How could you stay calm now?" Hearing this, Charles remembered that he had bought a ticket for Autumn. He had been so busy with work these days that he had forgotten that she would be going to Z City the next day. Chris was relieved to see Charles concerned. ''At least he cares about her, '' she thought. Gary sighed, "I don''t know what happened between you two. But she is a good girl. Go upstairs and talk to your wife." Charles stood up and left the room. He had thought about it a lot since his argument with Autumn. ''Her mother had left her to her grandma since she was a little girl. Now this same mother uses her and doesn''t treat her well. She must have lost all trust after what happened to her. Besides, her mother even threatened her with her grandmother so it is natural for her to be on guard like this.'' Charles wanted to tell her that he would be on her side whatever happened and that he really loved her. When he entered the room, he saw Autumn lying on the bed in her pajamas. She had to get up early the next day so she had gone to sleep early. Charles had been sleeping in his study since their arguement. She was surprised as she hadn''t expected Charles to appear in the room. The room was filled with an awkward atmosphere. They stared at each other then Charles asked, "Your flight is at 10:00 am tomorrow, isn''t it?" Autumn nodded. "Yes, it is." ''He bought me the ticket. How could he not know that?'' Autumn thought. Charles said, "I will take you to the airport tomorrow." "You don''t have to." Autumn refused. "Tomorrow is Saturday. You don''t have to get up early just to take me there. I will just take a taxi." But Charles insisted so Autumn agreed. Charles didn''t go back to his study. He took a shower, andy on the bed beside Autumn. She turned over, and saw the gauze on his head. ''After I return from Z City, his stitches could be taken out, '' she thought. Autumn couldn''t ignore the bandage, so she said, "Don''t forget to go to the hospital to have your This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. wound examined while I''m away." Charles replied tly, "Don''t worry about me. Have a good trip." He turned over and went to sleep. Autumn looked at Charles''s wide back. A sad feeling came over her. ''If I hadn''t gotten married to Charles in this manner, I would hold his hand tightly. But now... I can''t, '' thought Autumn to herself. The next morning, the rm clock rang waking Autumn up. She hurried to press the clock. When she turned around, she found Charles still sound asleep. She got up, got dressed, and then went downstairs. She was having breakfast when Charles came down to join her. He asked with sleepy eyes, "Why didn''t you wake me up?" "You were still sound asleep." Autumn wasn''t expecting Charles to be up at this time. She had gotten up quietly to avoid waking him up. Charles hollered towards the kitchen, "Nancy, get me a cup of milk." Since the incident, Nancy was polite towards Autumn but she still didn''t like her. As long as Nancy didn''t cross the line, Autumn would not give her a hard time. "Young master, I made congee with red dates for you. It can invigorate you with vital energy and nourish your blood. Would you like to have a try?" said Nancy, giving Autumn an hostile nce. ''If it hadn''t been for her, I wouldn''t have displeased the young master, '' she thought. Charles replied, "I have to drive Yvonne to the airport in a minute. I will eatter." He didn''t want to make Autumn miss her flight. "Nancy, go get him some congee." Autumn said. And she turned to Charles with a concerned expression, "We have enough time. Have some congee first. I won''t miss the flight." As Charlesplied and finished the congee, Gary came to the room and walked to them. He told Autumn, "I heard that you will go on a trip. Do you have everything ready? Autumn nodded. "Grandpa, when I''m away, please take care of yourself. When I return, I''ll bring you some special products from Z City." "I don''t need those. Just look after yourself while you are there." Garyughed heartily. After breakfast, the couple left for the airport, but they didn''t talk to each other on the way. Autumn looked in the rearview mirror, staring at herself. She saw no pleasure on her face, as if she was unwilling to go. It didn''t take Charles much time to drive to the airport. When they got there, they still had plenty time before the ne took off. He said with a concerned look, "It''s cold in Z City. Stay warm and don''t catch a cold." "Don''t stay toote in the street. It''s not safe to return to the hotel alone at night. " And call me every night. Don''t forget. " She frowned but nodded, "I will. " Chapter 94 Cindy Chapter 94 Cindy Charles helped Autumn check her baggage in, got her boarding pass and took her to the security checkpoint. "Go, " he told her. Autumn turned to him and with a gentle wave, said, "You go home now. I''m leaving." "Bon voyage!" Charles watched her leave and did not turn away until she was out of his sight. He already began to miss her. He now knew what it was like to miss someone. On the ne, Autumn took a blindfold out of her coat pocket, and asked the stewardess for a nket, ready to sleep. She was about to fall asleep when there came a familiar voice. "Can I sit here?" She quickly took off the blindfold and saw Sam standing by her seat, smiling. Then he sat down at the empty seat next to her before she could answer him. Autumn was baffled. It wasn''t until Sam fastened his seat belt that she understood what was going on. "Why... why are you here?" she asked. "Surprised?" Sam shot back with a smile. Wendy had told him about Autumn''s flight. He didn''t know how she got the information, but upon learning it, he booked the same flight almost without hesitation. "Yes. How did you know that I was going to Z City?" Autumn asked again, frowning. "Rx, it''s just a coincidence. I have an appointment with a client in Z City to sign a contract today. I wasn''t expecting to see you here either. It looks like the trip won''t be too boring, " Sam answered, still smiling. "Really?" Autumn didn''t believe him. "Of course. Get some sleep if you''re sleepy. I''ll wake you up when the nends, " Sam said. Autumn was really sleepy, so she put her blindfold back on and fell asleep. Sitting next to her, Sam was deep in thought. When Wendy told him about Autumn''s flight, he was actually a bit hesitant. But when he found out that Autumn''s destination was Z City, he immediately decided to join her. When Autumn was very young, he told her that Z City was a beautiful city with mountains and seas, and that it was romantic just walking on the beach hand in hand with a loved one. And he also told her that he was sure to propose to his future wife in Z City. So now was the perfect time to be with her there. He thought that... Autumn was going to Z City because of what he had said. What Sam did not know was that Autumn wanted to go to Z City mostly because of Chris''s rmendation. Z City was not far from Y City, and the scenery was wonderful. The other reason was that her grandmother once said she also wanted to visit this ce one day. She had already forgotten what Sam had said about it. When the ne was about tond, Sam woke Autumn up, offered her a ss of water, and said, "We arending soon. Have some water to drink." "Have we arrived in Z City?" Autumn asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes. When they got off the ne, she took her luggage, ready to leave, but Sam stopped her and offered, "Let me take you to your hotel." He pointed to his car. "No, thank you." She came here to be alone for a few days, and she had gained a good understanding of this trip beforeing. Besides, she thought it would ruin the fun if everything was arranged. So she refused Sam''s arranged car. "Don''t you have an appointment? Go and do your thing. I can go around by myself. Don''t dy whatever you came here for." Autumn said. Obviously, the appointment was just Sam''s excuse to join her. Since the HKind Group had a branch office in Z City, he easily arranged for a car to pick him up. He knew that he could not rush things, so he did not insist and nodded. "Then be careful. I''ll be here for a few days. Call me if you need anything, " he told Autumn. "Okay." Autumn replied with a nod. When Sam left, she took a taxi, nning to leave her luggage at the hotel before exploring the city. The room Charles booked for Autumn had an ocean view. The room was beautifully decorated, and what pleased Autumn the most was therge French window. She could clearly see the entire seaside. Some clouds had just moved in front of the sun and sunlight filtered through them, making the sea sparkle. There were couples walking barefoot on the sand. When the waves hit, they would run, chase and y around the water. Everything there was perfect. After changing into proper clothes, Autumn joined the people at the beach wearing a sun bo. She was in a bright mood, just like the blue sea and the bright sky. Standing on the beautiful seaside, she could hear her heart beating. "Excuse me, I can''t find my mom..." She was savoring this rare moment of pleasure when she heard the soft, broken voice of a child. Looking down, she saw a little girl tugging at the corner of her dress, her big eyes full of tears. "What''s wrong?" The little girl had bright eyes and small, chubby hands, and wore a pink princess dress, which melted Autumn''s heart. She stooped down, looked at the girl and gently asked, "What''s your name?" "My name is Cindy..." The girl sobbed, "Can you help me find my mom?" "Sure." Autumn then took Cindy by the hand, and asked, "What does your mom look like?" Cindy thought for a while with a head tilt before she seriously answered, "My mom has big eyes, just like you." "..." ''That won''t help.'' Autumn thought. "Can you tell me where you and your mom got separated?" she asked Cindy. It was getting dark, and Autumn was getting a little worried. "Over there..." Cindy pointed in one direction and told her, "My mom asked me to wait for her over there, but I ran after a seagull and now I can''t find her..." "Don''t worry, I''ll help you look for your mom." Cindy looked frightened and clung to Autumn, her chubby little hand sping hers. She had been waiting for a long time before Autumn showed up. As Autumn looked like her mother, she knew she must be a good person, so she asked her for help. "Are you scared?" Sensing Cindy getting really anxious, Autumn picked her up. "Let me tell you a story. "Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit with an injured eye. One day he met a big rabbit. The big rabbit said, ''I''ll take you to a wonderful ce. When your eye heals, you can see the most beautiful scenery in the world...''" During the story, Cindy became less afraid. Leaning on Autumn''s shoulder, she listened closely and asionally asked questions. Autumn finally arrived with Cindy at the ce where the girl pointed to earlier. "Cindy, did your mother ask you to wait for her here?" she tried to confirm.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 95 Cindys Parents Chapter 95 Cindy''s Parents "Yes..." Cindy nodded her head seriously and asked, "Big sister, where is my mom?" Cindy finally got back to the ce where shest saw her mother, but she was unable to find her. Disappointed, she pouted and tears trickled down her cheeks. "Cindy, you are a good girl. Don''t cry. I promise to help you find your mother, okay?" It was gradually getting dark. Autumn had waited for a long time and never moved from that spot with Cindy, but her mother didn''t show up. Now Autumn had gotten a little anxious as people at the beach started leaving one after another. However, as time passed it seemed that this little girl had forgotten that she had lost her mom. She looked at Autumn and said with a sad little voice, "Sister, I am so hungry." Autumn took a nce at her watch. This beach was not far from the hotel where she was staying. Autumn hesitated for a little while then decided to take Cindy back to the hotel with her. "Well, let''s get something to eat then, okay?" Autumn carried her back to the hotel and there, Cindy freely ordered whatever she wanted. Cindy could speak English fluently as she ordered, through which Autumn could tell that she maye from a wealthy family. Cindy''s parents may be frantic now, but she was still enjoying her meal here. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "Cindy, take your time with your food." Though she had elegant table manners, she ate in a hurry perhaps out of hunger. She even choked a little so Autumn quickly handed her a lemonade. They were dining in the hall of the hotel. Autumn had just registered at the reception desk. She hoped that Cindy''s parents could find them there as soon as possible, so they sat where it would be easy to see them. Looking at this adorable girl in front of her, Autumn wondered if she should call the police if her parents still didn''t show up that night, but she hesitated. "Sister, what are you thinking of? Why don''t you eat?" Cindy continued eating and asked Autumn who was deep in thought. Autumn wiped her mouth and grinned. "I am not hungry. You can have some more." "I am full now, " said Cindy. She gazed at Autumn with her big, clear eyes. It made her look so lovely. Autumn felt her heart almost melting as she looked at this lovely girl. She even wanted to take her back home. "Are you full now?" Autumn now felt trapped in a dilemma. If she took Cindy back to her room, her parents who are already worried about her, may not see them. But Autumn also couldn''t bear to leave her alone to the police. "Sister, I am sleepy now. I want to go to bed." Cindy wanted to sleep now that she was full. And it seemed like she had forgotten that she had lost her parents. It was probably because Autumn looked like Cindy''s mother, that Cindy could feel safe with her. Autumn paid for the meal and then said kindheartedly, "Cindy, I know you are sleepy, but you can''t sleep now. We need to find your parents." "But..." Cindy pouted, her eyes filled with tears. "Cindy, don''t be upset. I promise you that I will buy you some sweets when we find your mother." Autumn tried tofort her. When she finally calmed down, Cindy insisted that Autumn hold her. Autumn had no choice but to hold her while walking to the reception desk. "Excuse me. Did anyone "Yes, miss. Ady dide looking for a girl just now. She is still here." The desk clerk looked around and pointed to a woman in a red skirt standing by the door of the hotel. "Look! She is still over there, " said the clerk. "Thank you very much!" Cindy had already fallen asleep on her shoulder, so Autumn held her and walked over to the door. The woman happened to see Cindy in Autumn''s arms as she turned around. She eximed and rushed to Autumn, taking Cindy away into her own arms. "Cindy, where did you go? I am so worried about you. You almost drove me crazy." The woman held Cindy tightly and didn''t loosen her grip, her eyes glistening with tears. "Excuse me..." The woman looked up at Autumn as soon as she uttered the words. But both of them were astonished as soon as they saw each other''s face. Autumn now understood what Cindy was talking about earlier. Cindy was right. Autumn indeed looked very much like this woman. Perhaps that was why Cindy immediately feltfortable with her. "Who are you? Why do you have my daughter with you? What is your purpose?" The woman was hostile as she looked and spoke to Autumn. Before Autumn could reply, a man walked over and stood behind the woman. He was dressed in sportswear and looked very casual. But his eyes flickered in the light. Under his gaze, Autumn somehow felt embarrassed even though she did nothing wrong. "Abby, have you found Cindy?" The man asked. Perhaps it was because the little girl was so tired that she did not even wake up when her mother took her away from Autumn. The man sighed with relief when he saw his little girl. They had been looking for her for a long time and now they have found her. "What is going on?" The man asked the woman as soon as he noticed Autumn standing there. "I found this woman holding Cindy here. It must be her. She took away Cindy when we were not looking. Andy, don''t let this woman leave. The woman had already made up her mind that it was Autumn who took Cindy away, so she asked the man to arrest Autumn. "No, no, no. That is not the case. It is not me. I found her lost and alone at the beach. I..." But before she could finish her words, Abby interrupted her and turned to the man again, "Andy, don''t let her leave. Let''s go to the hospital first and thene back to deal with her." As soon as she finished talking, a few men in ck suits and sunsses behind the woman readily stepped forward. Autumn red at them. ''Well, now I am really in trouble.'' She thought. Luckily, the man was reasonable. He stepped towards Autumn and said, "Miss, though I don''t know what happened, I have to take my daughter to the hospital and have her physically examined. Are you staying at this hotel?" "Yes." Autumn nodded slightly and took out her room card. "I don''t know what you are going to do, but it was the desk clerk of this hotel who told me that you were looking for a girl. Well, you can confirm with the clerk over there." "No. There is no need to do that, " said the man. The man waved his hands at the men behind them and said, "Escort thisdy upstairs." Though the man was very polite, it seemed that he put Autumn under house arrest. Autumn watched the man get in the car with his family, then went back to her room. The men in ck suits did not leave and just stood by the door. Though they did not disturb Autumn, she still felt uneasy having them guard her like that. Upset about what happened, she justy on the king-size hotel bed. Then the phone that she had forgotten to bring with her rang. Good timing. Her heart almost burst when she found that it was Charles who was calling her. She had just arrived in Z City, but she was already in trouble. She felt really wronged. What happened to her was unfair. Chapter 96 Allergy Chapter 96 Allergy Autumn picked up the phone and said, "Hello..." As soon as she answered the phone, it was Charles''s angry voice that greeted her. "Didn''t I ask you to give me a call when you got off the ne? I called many times. Why didn''t you answer the phone?" When he hadn''t gotten through to her, he almost lost his mind. Now he only wanted to make sure that Autumn was safe. Charles''s anxious voice shook her determination to alienate him. Autumn replied, "I''m sorry. When I got off the ne, I forgot to call you. Then, when I went out, I forgot to take my phone with me. I''m really sorry." With Autumn exining to him gently, Charles couldn''t pretend to be mean to her anymore. His voice softened. "What did you do the whole day? It''s already dark. Did you return to your hotel just now?" "Yes, I just came back to the hotel." Autumn turned over on the bed where she was sitting and told Charles, "Today, I saw a little girl who had gotten separated from her parents on the beach. I didn''t leave her until her parents showed up. That''s why I have just gotten back." Charles wasn''t pleased. "Next time if you get in a simr situation, just walk away. Don''t get yourself in trouble." Autumn couldn''t believe that Charles would say these words. After a short pause, she replied, "Fine, I will." That little girl looked so cute. Autumn couldn''t just ignore her. Nowadays people have be indifferent. Sometimes you think you have done some good deed, only to find out that you have fallen into a trap. That''s why an increasing number of people don''t dare to help others anymore. Charles asked tenderly, "Have you had dinner?" Autumn had been so worried about Cindy that she had forgotten to get food for herself. She was just starting to feel hungry. She didn''t want Charles to worry about her, so she replied, "Yes, I have. What about you?" Before Charles could answer, Chris grabbed the phone from his hand and said, "Yvonne, don''t lose contact with us again. If you still hadn''t picked up the phone, he would have flown over to check on you tonight." Autumn could hear Charles''s voice in the background, "Don''t talk nonsense..." Charles took the phone back from Chris and said, "Don''t listen to her. All I wanted to say is to take care of yourself and get some rest." Because of his gentleness and concern, Autumn was overwhelmed with happiness. She replied, "I will." Then she hung up the phone. When Autumn remembered the men standing outside her door, her good mood quickly faded away. She heard a knock from outside. She opened the door and saw a man in a suit. He said, "Excuse me, madam. Our boss asked for you. Please follow me to the hospital. " ''It sounds like an order rather than a request. Would I be in danger if I went with this person alone?'' thought Autumn to herself with a frown. Then, she remembered Sam. ''Perhaps he could help me.'' "Wait a minute. I will get my coat." Autumn closed the door and immediately dialed Sam''s number. Soon she heard Sam''s voice, "Little Ye, I''m surprised to receive your call at this time. Is everything OK?" "Sam, I..." After hesitating a bit, Autumn told him what had happened to her. After she finished her story, Sam said, "Don''t worry. You go with the guy first. I will catch up with you soon." Then he hung up. ''I haven''t even told him which hospital I will be going to. How could he find me?'' Autumn thought, getting anxious. That man in the suit knocked again and urged her to leave for the hospital. Autumn put on her coat in a hurry and this time, took her phone with her. Then, she opened the door and left the hotel with the man. Autumn didn''t know that Sam was at the same hotel. After hanging up, he rushed out of his room, got into his car and then followed the car that Autumn had gotten into. In the car, Autumn didn''t say a word. When they arrived at the hospital, she got out of the car. Sam who was close behind reached the hospital as well. However, he needed to pull up first. The man led Autumn to Cindy''s ward. When they arrived at the ward, Autumn saw Abby and Andy by the door. Cindy was screaming from inside the room, "Sister! I want to see that pretty sister!!!" Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. "Miss Autumn, you''re finally here." Andy had been the leader of a gang for years. He feared nothing except his wife and his loving daughter. For his daughter, he swallowed all his pride and ran to Autumn. "I''m sorry for what we did to you. We made a big mistake." He pulled Abby''s sleeves. Then Abby came forward slowly and said with an embarrassed look, "I''m really sorry. I almost lost my mind when I lost my daughter. So when I saw you with her, I... Miss Ye, please don''t get angry with me." Autumn was relieved and said, "It''s okay." Hearing Cindy''s wails, she couldn''t help but ask, "What''s wrong with her? Why is she crying like that?" Andy sighed, "I don''t know what to do." He then continued, "Cindy has lived with her grandparents since she was little and they spoiled her. She is allergic to seafood, but seafood happens to be her favorite. My wife and I don''t let her eat any. Today, she even ran away from home because of that. While she was with you she ordered seafood. Now she''s having an allergic reaction. The doctor needed to give her an IV drip, but she refused. Now, we don''t know what to do about her." "I''m so sorry. I didn''t know that she..." ''This ce is along the seaside so naturally seafood is abundant here. Cindy ordered lots of seafood. I had no idea that she is allergic to it.'' thought Autumn to herself. Andy said gratefully, "It doesn''t matter. Thank you for looking after her today." ''Abby and I mistook her for a person with bad intentions. How could I suspect her as such?'' Andy med himself. Autumn shook her head and said, "It''s fine." She then continued, "Now that you have your child with you, why did you bring me here?" "Here is the thing." Abby said, "Cindy is really spoiled. When she woke up just now and found you''re not here, she became angry and refused to get an IV drip. She kept demanding to see you. We had no choice but to bring you here." Autumn said in relief, "I see. Mr. Xu, if you need my help next time, please don''t send your men anymore. The one who fetched me is kind of creepy..." When Autumn mentioned him, she was still scared. Autumn pointed to the man in his suit behind her. Abby burst intoughter and told her husband, "I told you not to take them with you, but you didn''t listen to me. Now, they scared Miss Ye." Andy scratched his head, looking awkward. Abby came forward to Autumn and said, "Don''t be scared. He used to be in a gang. But after our daughter was born, he left that life behind. These men are our bodyguards." Autumn nodded in a yes and said, "I will go in to see Cindy now." Chapter 97 In The Hospital Chapter 97 In The Hospital "Please!" Abby requested. When Autumn entered the ward, Cindy perched herself on the bed, crying. She looked so small and sick as her eyes were swollen from all the weeping. The doctor in the room did not dare to move closer to her but continued consoling her from a distance. "Cindy..." In her soft and humble voice, Autumn called out to her. Hearing the familiar voice amidst the shock gripped her as she could not believe who was standing before her. She rubbed her eyes, leaped off the bed in one swift movement, ran forward and wrapped her arms around Autumn''s legs. Cindy whimpered, "Why did you abandon me, sister?" Autumn didn''t know whether to cry or tough at this question. She looked into Cindy''s eyes while slowly bending down and said, "Cindy, I did not abandon you. You are the apple of your parents'' eyes. I may not be able to stay with you forever, Cindy, but I promise you that I''ll give you my personal number so that you can call me whenever you wish to see me. Okay?" "I don''t want to part with you..." Cindy cried harder this time. Abby stood right outside the door in the hallway. Hearing Cindy break down, she wanted to enter the ward tofort her, but Andy stopped her and said, "Don''t worry. I think Miss Ye has the situation under control." Andy knew his daughter had a mind of her own. He also knew that Cindy trusted Autumn and with that he did not worry at all. Autumn was patiently consoling Cindy and within minutes Cindy calmed down. Autumn sat on the bed with Cindy in her arms. She then assumed a serious tone and asked, "Can you tell me why you refused to receive the injection?" "I... am just scared of the needle..." Cindy whispered timidly. Giving Cindy a disapproving nce, Autumn said, "You knew you would need an injection after eating seafood, then why did you run from home and request me to specifically take you to a restaurant serving seafood? Cindy, what you did is not right. Do you understand?" Children at Cindy''s age can distinguish between actions that are right and wrong. With that perspective, Autumn tried to reason with Cindy. Hearing Autumn''s words, Cindy lowered her head and murmured, "I knew I was wrong, but I just couldn''t help..." Cindy felt that she''d been wronged. She loved seafood so much, then why couldn''t she enjoy it like other people do? Why did she have to suffer an allergic reaction? "See, you did something that wasn''t good for you and now you must pay the price. After eating the seafood, you got rashes. If you don''t let the doctors administer the injection, you will not recover. What if your pretty face gets many scars from these rashes in the future?" Autumn bluffed. After thinking about it for one long moment, Cindy rolled up her sleeve and stretched out her chubby arm as she closed her eyes and demanded, "Give me the injection." The doctor gave Cindy the injection while trying to controlling hisughter. After the dreaded injection was over, Cindy jumped into Autumn''s arms. Autumn held her tightly and patted her back tofort her. "Okay, the injection is done. She can be discharged shortly." The doctor said to Autumn, "If anything is wrong or you need any assistance, please press the button which is on the bedside." "Alright." Autumn nodded. After the doctor left the ward, Cindy raised her head and nced at Autumn, "Sister, I hope now I look prettier than before?" "Yes, most definitely." Autumn smiled and in a serious tone proimed, "Cindy is the most beautiful kid in the world." This made Cindy content. Soon after she fell asleep, Autumn got out of the ward quietly. She informed Abby and Andy, "Cindy is asleep." "Thank you so very much!" With utmost sincerity Abby thanked her. Her daughter had never been so close to a stranger before. Maybe one reason was that Autumn looked very much like Abby. There were times even Abby couldn''t handle Cindy, but Autumn made it look easy. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "It is alright. Cindy is a wonderful child and I am very fond of her." Autumn spotted Sam in a distance. She waved at him and greeted him with a warm smile, "Sam." Sam had reached the hospital earlier, but hadn''t shown up in front of Autumn as there was nothing serious. He walked up to Autumn and asked, "Are you alright?" "Yes, I am." Autumn answered and introduced Sam to the couple, "They are the parents of the girl. This is..." "I know." Before Autumn could introduce Sam, Abby spoke up, "He must be your husband. You two seem like an ideal couple! Are you on your honeymoon in the Z City?" Sam remained silent and so was Autumn in that moment as she was embarrassed by Abby''s words. She tried to exin their rtionship, "You misunderstood our rtion. We are not..." "We have been through the experience. We understand..." Abby again assumed that Autumn was just being shy, but Andy immediately realized something was wrong. He grabbed Abby by her hand and said, "It is gettingte. Miss Autumn has stayed here for a long time. She must be tired. We should also check on Cindy now. Miss Autumn, thank you foring! " "You''re right. I almost forgot. Miss Autumn, we are so sorry for what happened today. We..." Before Abby could finish her sentence, Andy dragged her into the ward and left Autumn and Sam in the hallway. Autumn said, "Sam, I''m so sorry for bothering you. I thought they wanted to... I feel embarrassed for having called you here. I am sorry!" "What a silly girl! You don''t have to be so formal with me." Sam smiled and stretched out his hand, in an attempt to pat her head, but Autumn stepped back. Sam was left rather awkward, but he recovered immediately and offered, "Well, let me drive you back." "That is not necessary. I will take a taxi back." Autumn refused the request. "Let''s go." Sam grabbed Autumn''s arm and adamantly said, "I''m going in your direction..." "Going my way?" Autumn asked with a frown, "How did you know where I live?" "I happened to see you when I checked in..." While Sam answered casually, Autumn felt a little strange, but she didn''t ponder much on it. The hotel she was staying at was the best hotel in Z City. It was not surprising that Sam was staying in the same one. Sam apanied Autumn till they got to her room door. It was not until Sam left that Autumn felt a wave of relief wash over her. She cleaned herself up and went to bed. Autumn was still worried about Cindy. She got up early in the morning and grabbed some of the best dishes avable from the hotel restaurant. As Cindy was allergic to seafood, Autumn cross checked with the chef to ensure there was no seafood in the dishes. She then went to the hospital with the packaged goodies. After Autumn arrived at Cindy''s ward, she was still fast asleep. Abby was also asleep at the bedside. Meanwhile, Andy was smoking at the hallway. Seeing Autumn, he snubbed out the cigarette and greeted her with a smile, "Good morning, Miss Autumn. Why did you trouble yourself ande here so early?" "I woke up early in the morning. I am sure you did not rest, let alone sleep properlyst night. I bought some food for you. Please help yourself." Autumn spoke as she raised the stic bag in her hand. "Thank you, Miss Autumn." Andy epted the generous offer. As he had not slept the previous night, he was indeed starving. "Just call me Autumn, please. How is Cindy now?" Autumn was sincerely concerned about Cindy. "The rashes have thankfully gone. The doctor said that she could be dischargedst night itself. But Abby and I decided to spend the night in the hospital, just as a precautionary measure. We just want to make sure she is safe and sound when she leaves here." Chapter 98 Babysitting Chapter 98 Babysitting Andyughed and continued, "Perhaps it was in our destiny to meet. You and Abby look very alike. That''s probably why Cindy is so fond of you. When Cindy woke upst night and could not find you in the room, she cried out for you. She didn''t fall asleep until she exhausted herself." When Autumn heard this, her affection for Cindy increased. She said tenderly, "I have been fond of Cindy since the first moment I met her. I wish I can have such a cute and loving daughter like her one day." Andy replied with an assuring smile and blessing nod, "You will." He then continued, "I''m sorry for what happenedst night." "For what are you apologizing?" Autumn thought he was apologizing for taking her for an evil woman with ill intentions. She continued, "Mr. Xu, if you continue to be so civil and formal with me, I will not "I was talking about that embarrassing scene when my wife mistook that man for your husband." Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Autumn was taken aback when she heard Andy''s words. ''He knew it, '' she thought with a surprised expression. With a rather awkward smile she said, "Never mind it. It''s not a big deal." "My wife has been spoiled since she was a little girl. As meddlesome as she is, she wishes no harm for any one. Please don''t be mad at her." ''It wasn''t easy for me to pursue her. Luckily, we now lead a happy life, '' Andy thought to himself. "It''s okay." Hearing his heartfelt and sincere apology, Autumn felt uneasy. She responded, "It is really not a big deal." Autumn didn''t enter Cindy''s ward as Cindy and Abby hadn''t woken up yet and she didn''t want to disturb them. When she saw Andy having breakfast, she took a seat beside him. Andy said, "I caught your ent. I suppose that you''re not a native of Z City, are you? " With a slight nod, Autumn answered, "No, I am not. I''m from Y City. I chanced upon Cindy as soon as I arrived here yesterday. " Andy asked, "So you are a tourist?" "Yes, I am." Autumn continued with a smile on her face, "What about you? I noticed that Cindy speaks English very fluently. It feels like she lives abroad. " "Clever girl, " Andyplimented her. He responded whileughing, "My wife was born in Z City. Later, her family emigrated abroad. Cindy lives abroad, but my wife and I speak to her in Chinese. So she speaks Chinese quite well too. " When she heard this, Autumn thought with frown, ''Perhaps this means I will not be able to meet Cindy again.'' She then followed up, "Did youe back to... visit your rtives?" "My parents-inw have been eager toe back. This time we brought Cindy back and wanted to see whether she would like it here. If she does, we will gradually shift our business back here." Andy added, "Even after staying abroad for so many years, I would still like to stay in our homnd." Andy didn''t tell Autumn the other reason why they chose toe back. After breakfast, he turned to Autumn and asked, "Autumn, may I know more about your family?" With a bitter look, she replied, "I have a grandma, that''s it." She never considered Wendy as her mother. She continued, "She always longed toe to Z City. But now she can''te here as she is very sick. So I came here and I intend to take many pictures and show them to her when I get back." Andy asked, "What about your father?" When he observed the confusion on Autumn''s face, he hurried to exin, "I did not mean to put you in a spot. Do not think much of these questions and you do not have to answer it if you don''t want to." "It''s not a secret." With a sense of gloom, Autumn answered, "My dad passed away when I was a little girl. My grandma didn''t tell me how he died and as for my mother... she abandoned my father and me, and remarried. She now leads a good life." Andy admired Autumn for her sense of calmness when she spoke about her family. Although Autumn only briefly introduced her family members, he could guess that she must have suffered quite an ordeal. Even as they continued engaging in the conversation, they saw Cindy walk outside her ward with her drowsy eyes. She said, "Dad, I''m hungry." ''Cindy is a true foodie. The first thing she remembers once she wakes up is to eat, '' Autumn thought. At the sight of Autumn, she called out in a cute voice, "Hey, pretty sister..." She walked in Autumn''s direction with an injured look and said, "You''re a liar." Autumn pinched Candy''s cheek gently, and then lovingly asked, "When did I lie to you?" Cindy pouted, and then in an angry tone inquired, "Last night you told me that you wouldn''t leave. But when I woke up, I couldn''t find you. I cried for a long time. But you were nowhere to be seen." Facing Candy''s anger, Autumn had to apologize. She finally coaxed Cindy not to be angry as she had brought with herself the best breakfast. "Before eating breakfast, let me first take you to brush your teeth and wash your face." Autumn took Cindy by her hand and took her to the bathroom. Andy had asked his bodyguard to buy the toothbrush and towelst night. Autumn got Cindy dressed in a white dress and brought her straight silky hair into a cute double ponytail. Once they were out all tidy and neat, Abby woke up. "Autumn, good morning!" When she saw Autumn in the hospital, she was delighted. ''I don''t know how to coax Cindy. But fortunately, she listens to Autumn.'' Autumn replied with a happy and assuring nod, "Good morning!" "I brought you breakfast. You must eat right this instant before it cools down and loses all its yummy goodness." Abby was sincerely grateful in that moment for Autumn and said, "Thank you!" While Cindy was busy eating breakfast, Andy said to Abby, "You eat now! I will go finish all the discharge formalities." Andy was so tired that he fell asleep soon after sitting in the car on their way to the hotel. Abby put a coat on him gently and lovingly. Autumn whispered to Abby, "Mrs. Zhao, I will go out now. You must haven''t gotten a good sleep. What about... letting me look after her for you today while you both catch up on your sleep?" "I... How could I possibly bother you more?" Abby trusted Autumn, but she truly did not want to bother her further. "This is nothing but my pleasure." Autumn stretched out her hand and gently stroked Cindy''s hair. She said, "Cindy is a lovely child. If you keep Cindy with you, I am sure you won''t be able to get a good sleep. I am anyway about to just road around, so I can take her with me. And actually you will be doing me a favor as I would love herpany." Abby was still unconvinced to bother Autumn yet again, but that very instant Cindy put her hand around Autumn''s neck. She said, "Mom, I want to go out with my pretty sister..." Abby coaxed her tenderly, "Cindy, you are a good girl. Pretty sister also did not have a sound sleepst night. So juste with us..." Andy opened his eyes and said, "Abby, let Cindy spend some time with Autumn. We also have an important pending matter to deal with this afternoon." "Oh, aye. I almost forgot about it." After hesitating for a moment, Abby told Autumn, "So it is decided, we will leave Cindy with you today. Andter tonight, we will treat you with dinner." Autumn immediately tried to refuse, "Please, you don''t need to bother yourself." As she took the child with her, Autumn nned to hail a cab. However, Andy said he would ask his bodyguard to pick them up. Autumn agreed. Chapter 99 An Awkward Dinner Chapter 99 An Awkward Dinner Autumn had earlier nned to go to the temple to burn incense today, but now with the new chain of events leaving Cindy with her, she made a temporary adjustment and decided to go to an amusement park, where she supposed all children liked. When she told Cindy the n for the day and watched her eyes light up with sheer happiness and excitement, she knew she had made the right decision. "Autumn, I want that..." Cindy demanded pointing towards ice cream. Autumn didn''t have the heart to say no to such a lovely girl, but after considering Cindy''s health she firmly refused despite her moment This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. of hesitation. "Cindy, I know you want ice cream but, you just got out of the hospital and if you fall sick after eating it, you will have to return to the hospital. Besides, if you''re sick, your parents will me me again, won''t they?" she said. "But..." While cutely tilting her head, Cindy reevaluated her options. Eventually the fear of an injection conquered the temptation of ice cream. She nodded her head helplessly and said, "Okay, I won''t eat it." "Now that''s a good girl. I''ll reward you with some delicious cotton candy, okay?" Once they entered, Autumn saw a vendor selling cotton candy right at the gate. The soft cotton candy looked just like clouds in the sky. In that moment, she recalled a unique memory from her childhood. Whenever she was upset and cried, her beloved grandmother would buy her some cotton candy in a bid to cheer her up. As a child, she loved watching cotton candy being made from scratch. Once the cotton candy machine was stepped on, the white cotton candy would get bigger and bigger, almost like silk from silkworms and butterfly pupae. It was a fluffy cloud of happiness as each bite would have pulled strands of fments which would slowly melt in the mouth. It was a sweet delight. Cindy took a nce at the cotton candy, and nodded happily. This was her first visit to China and her first encounter with cotton candy here. She liked to eat cotton candy in Chinatown back where she lived abroad. "Does it taste good?" Cindy took and gobbled down a huge chunk of the cotton candy, leaving her lips coated with sugar. Autumn looked at her andughed. They spent the entire day at the amusement park. They visited all the stories and covered almost all rides avable. From the merry-go-round to the pirate ship, from the maze to the ferris wheel, Autumn apanied Cindy to all the games and facilities which was safe for Cindy to enjoy. There was also a clothes shop in the amusement park. Autumn found several beautiful princess dresses there. She couldn''t help buying a couple of them as she wanted to give Cindy all things good. She didn''t know why she was so good to Cindy and fond of her, maybe one reason was that... Cindy was so incredibly cute. "Did you have fun?" Autumn asked while straightening and fixing Cindy''s dress on their way back. "Yes!" Cindy nodded her head rather formally, and whispered in Autumn''s ear, "Autumn, I have to tell you a secret..." "Okay." Autumn replied with a wide smile. Children are so sweet and innocent. When you treat them well with all your heart, they give you the same love in return. "I think you''re better than my mom, Autumn." Cindy whispered, putting her index finger to her mouth signalling for hush. "This is a secret between us." "Okay it is our secret, pinky promise." Autumn held Cindy. Over a short span of a day, she found that her affection for Cindy was increasing more and more, and even... began fearing the moment she would have to part ways with her. As the car pulled up outside the hotel, Abby was already there waiting with a weing smile at the entrance as she had gotten word of their return. Sure enough, mothers and their children are linked by hearts. After just one day of separation, Cindy jumped excitedly into Abby''s arms and called out, "Mom..." "How''s the amusement park? Did you have a good time?" Abby picked up Cindy in her arms. When she nced at Autumn briefly and saw all the newly bought children''s toys and clothes, she frowned, "Autumn, I''m already embarrassed to ask you to apany Cindy. You have bought so many things for her, I..." "This is nothing, really." Autumn smiled at Cindy, "I am congenial to Cindy. I don''t know when you will return to China next time and I might not ever get a chance to be nice and pamper her in the future." "Not necessarily." Abby smiled. Then the driver took all the bags of goodies which Autumn was carrying. "In fact, my husband and I came back this time to investigate the market in Z City. This is my parents'' hometown. Now they are quite old and want toe back from abroad. And Cindy loves it here. Well then maybe... we''ll see each other often, " she exined. "That is just great, " Autumn said rapturously. "You must be tired. Please feel free to go back to your room and take some rest, Autumn. Let''s eat togetherter." Abby invited Autumn. Autumn was looking forward to dining with Cindy and so she dly epted Abby''s invitation. At seven in the evening, Cindy knocked on Autumn''s door, and said, "Autumn, it''s time. Let''s go for dinner now." After Autumn heard her childish voice, the corners of her lips involuntarily transformed into a smile. She opened the door and found Cindy changed into one of the dress that she bought in the afternoon. Cindy was looking quite adorable. "Let''s go, " Abby said thinly, she was standing beside Cindy. Abby took Autumn to an old restaurant in Z City. Although the interiors of the restaurant looked a little old-fashioned, the food here was delicious. And this restaurant was also mentioned in the travel guide Charles prepared for Autumn. It had been a long time since they arrived at the restaurant, but Andy hadn''te yet. Autumn asked rather curiously, "Abby, where''s Mr. Xu?" "He has a work dinner n tonight, so he will not be able to join us." Abby smiled at Autumn, and added, "Order whatever you like, Autumn." "It is only the three of us for dinner. Why don''t we eat at a restaurant near the hotel?" Autumn asked with a puzzled look. "No, not only did you get Cindy back for us, but you took care of her all day long and bought her so many toys and beautiful dresses. For all of that and so much more, I have to treat you to a big meal in an attempt to thank you, " Abby smiled and added, "And besides this big meal, I have a surprise for you." "A surprise? What is it?" Autumn asked, with a cloud of confusion in her mind. "You''ll know in a minute, " Abby said in a rather mysterious tone. Autumn ordered two dishes and retired to the bathroom. Soon after, a figure appeared at the door. Abby turned to look at the person and said, "You''re finally here! We''ve been waiting for you for a long time now." "Mrs. Xu, how are you doing this fine evening?" The person was Sam. Abby had earlier mistaken him for Autumn''s boyfriend. Sensing that something seemed to be wrong between Autumn and Sam, she arranged the dinner so they could work their conflict out. "I''m fine. Have a seat please." Abby urged him with a smile, and then asked about him and Autumn, "Mr. Lin, how long have you known Autumn?" Chapter 100 The Hotel Fire Chapter 100 The Hotel Fire Sam pondered for quite a while before answering Abby, "I have known her for more than 20 years, if you ask me. We used to live in the same neighborhood, but lost touch when I moved abroad with my parents. It was not until recently that we met again." "Then I presume that she is your childhood sweetheart?" Abby said while nodding her head lightly, "I saw the way you looked at her. And I dare say that you still like her very much, don''t you?" "Abby, you have seen right through me. However..." Sam let out a bitter smile. Autumn had already married someone and there is nothing he could do to change this no matter how much he loved her. "I may have no more ce in her heart, " he said. "Don''t be so sure." Abby frowned and said, "As a woman, I understand her better than you do. And I suggest that you, as a man, should take the initiative." "What do you mean?" Sam frowned and asked in confusion. "You really need to follow my husband''s example. He made a move on me back then, but I kept turning him down. He then skipped the courtship and proposed to me directly. I was deeply moved by his sincerity that night. I finally said ''yes'', knowing that he really wanted to marry me, and would take care of me, for the rest of our lives. You see, we are happy to have such a lovely daughter as Cindy now." Abby poured Cindy a ss of juice and continued, "You two are close friends from childhood, and have known each other well enough. All you have to do now is to make the final push. In fact, I''m nning to fix you up with her today. Autumn is such a good girl, let her go again and you will regret it every single day, for the rest of your life. Sam hung his head low without saying a word. Of course he knew that Abby was telling the truth. But the question was, did he still stand a chance of winning Autumn back? Just then, Autumn came. When she saw Sam in the room, she frowned. Although it was no big deal to have a meal with him, his presence made it abundantly obvious that Abby was resolved to make a match of them. "Autumn,e and take a seat." Before Autumn could say anything, Abby stood up, took her by the shoulder and quickly sat her down. "You and Sam are good friends, and have really helped me a lot yesterday in the hospital. So I have also invited him to have dinner with us. Autumn, I hope you don''t mind." "Not at all." Autumn replied. What else could she say under such circumstances? During the meal, Autumn had spent her time talking with Cindy, leaving Abby and Sam in a nice conversation. She had been busy taking care of the girl throughout the meal, and ate very little herself. "Autumn, may I say that I have invited you here to have dinner, not to look after my daughter. She can feed herself. Just enjoy your food." Abby said to Autumn. Autumn smiled. She then started eating when she was sure that Cindy was full. Sam knew that Autumn was ill at ease in his presence, so shortly after, he excused himself and left. Abby tried her best to make him stay, but to no avail. On their way back, Abby still couldn''t figure out why Sam instisted to leave, so she asked Autumn, "Autumn, what happened between you two? In my point of view, it is perfectly natural that lovers should have some friction once in a while. Just forgive him before things get worse. I do believe you two are made for each other." Autumn looked at her in frustration and said, "Abby, I''ve been meaning to exin it to you, but you just wouldn''t let me. Sam and I are ordinary friends. There isn''t any affection involved. And I am telling the truth." "How could it be?" Obviously, Abby didn''t take Autumn''s word for it. "But I have seen it all. Sam has been looking at you in exactly the same way Andy looked at me years ago." "Even if we did have sort of a rtionship then, it is now a thing of the past, " said Autumn with a forced smile, "Abby, thank you for what you have done for me, but... please don''t do it again. You will only put us in an awkward position. Sam and I... It will never work out between us." It wouldn''t work out. Autumn had known it even before she met Charles. Back in her suite, Autumn took a shower. In her solitude, she suddenly missed Charles dearly. Although she had promised to distance herself from Charles, she just couldn''t stop thinking about him at this very moment. Feeling overwhelmed by the longing, she couldn''t help initiating a video call. She needed to see his face and hear his voice right now. "Why are you still up? It''s veryte." Autumn heard the grumble once the call was connected, then Charles''s expressionless face appeared on the screen. He could see Autumn lying on the bed, with water dripping drop by drop from her wet hair. "Why didn''t you dry your hair before going to bed?" he slightly frowned and asked worriedly. "I''m fresh out of the bath, and just feel like giving you a call first. I will blow dry itter." Autumn smiled and suddenly remembered the two beautiful young secretaries in the Secretary Department and couldn''t resist asking, "How are you getting along with your new secretaries? Are you satisfied with their performances?" "Of course. After all, you picked them for me personally." Charles said with his mouth unconsciously curled into a smile. He had been missing her, too. Although she was now hundreds of miles away, this conversation seemed to bridge the distance and bring her back right beside him. "Why? Are you feeling jealous of them?" he teased. "Impossible!" Autumn eximed. He got on her nerves but had also amused her sessfully. She Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. giggled and said, "I''m d you like them." Charles couldn''t help but burst intoughter. It took him quite a while to catch his breath and asked in a serious tone, "When will youe back?" "It''s only my second day here. Don''t forget that you''ve booked the room for five days. It can''t be wasted." Autumn said with a casual air, ying with her hair on the bed. ''Five days...'' Charles mumbled to himself. He was definitely going to question David tomorrow about why he had booked so many days. "Well...in fact, your husband is a wealthy man, and doesn''t care about the money. You can simply disregard the remaining days if you''d like." Charles said seriously. "No way! Haven''t your teacher told you to avoid extravagance and waste?" She was now teasing him back. While they were talking happily, the light in Autumn''s room suddenly burst with a bang. She then found herself inplete darkness. The call was also cut off due to thework outage. Before she could figure out what was going on, there came the sound of many footsteps from outside the door, apanied by a lot of shouting, "Fire! Run! There is a fire!" Autumn felt her heart drop to her stomach. The first thing that came to her mind was to find Cindy. She quickly pulled the door open, but saw Sam standing right in front of her. He was about to knock on her door. Having seen Autumn safe, Sam breathed a sigh of relief. He said to Autumn hastily, "Come with me. The hotel is on fire." "No, I''ve got to find Cindy." Autumn insisted. Once she had made a decision, few were able to change her mind. "Listen to me, we must get out of here as soon as possible." Sam''s efforts to persuade her were to no avail, so he scooped her up in desperation, and carried her out of the hotel. They ran into Andy at the gate. "Andy, where is your daughter? Is she still in there?" Standing on the open road outside the hotel, they could see the fire clearly. It was raging skyward, spreading itself rapidly as if it were to engulf everything in its way. Chapter 101 Seeing Charles Again Chapter 101 Seeing Charles Again As the fire raged, there was noise everywhere ¡ª cries, screams and sirens. Everyone was frightened. The mes of the fire in the dark night looked like the call of death. Andy had just arrived after finishing his work and saw the fire. He wasted no time to speak with Autumn and rushed into the hotel. Autumn immediately followed Andy, but Sam grabbed her arm tightly. Sam didn''t want Autumn to be in danger. "What are you doing?" Sam had always been soft to Autumn, but this time he was stern. "Let go of me! Cindy is in the hotel." Autumn had met Cindy for only one day, but cared a lot about her. Sam held Autumn''s shoulders with both his hands, fixed his eyes upon her and said, "Listen to me, stay here. I will safely bring Cindy out. Got it?" "Sam! Sam!" Sam smashed his way into the sea of mes. Autumn''s heart hammered in her throat. Heavy smoke billowed from the top of the high-rise, and even blotted out the sky. Some people hurried outside with disheveled hair and dirty faces. Some people were even injured. Hardly breathing, Autumn stared at the burning building. She didn''t want to see anyone get hurt in the fire. The clock ticked with every second seeming like a century to Autumn. Autumn knew the longer anyone stayed in the building, the greater the danger they were in. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. The firemen blocked Autumn from the cordon, her eyes fixed at the entrance of the hotel. Some people came out. But not Sam, Cindy nor Andy. Some more people came out. Still not them... Autumn was feeling like a roller coaster. Then dark clouds gathered and a heavy rain showered down upon the burning building. The leaping mes were extinguished in the downpour. The gods seemed to have heard Autumn''s prayer. Autumn''s legs were so weak that she could hardly stand. Andy suddenly appeared at the entrance, holding Abby. Sam followed right behind Andy with Cindy in his arms. The moment Autumn saw the little girl, she felt a sense of relief then fainted. Autumn wanted only to have a good rest and put aside all troubles. The people around, the screams, the disaster... These had nothing to do with her now. When Autumn woke up, it was the next morning. The head of the hotel had wasted no time apologizing for the previous night''s ident, rearranging the amodations and makingpensations. The hotel manager also apologized to the guests who were injured in the fire and promised to pay for the medical expenses. Autumn slowly opened her eyes and saw the white ceiling of the ward. She swallowed to moisten her sore throat and moved a bit. Autumn didn''t get hurt in the fire, but she had developed a high fever because of the rain. Her fever had gone down a bit during the night. She stretched out her hand, trying to reach for the ss of water on the nearby table. But a big hand picked it up first. Autumn raised her head with difficulty and saw Charles''s straight face. She was both thrilled and panicked. "Why are you here?" "If I were not here, you wouldn''t tell me that there was an ident, right?" Charles was both angry and anxious. Last night, he was on a video call with Autumn, but it was suddenly cut off. He called her back many times, but she didn''t answer. He was out of his wits, and immediately searched for the local news about Z City. He became all dizzy when finding out that there was a big fire at the hotel where Autumn was staying. As it was veryte then, Charles was unable to buy a ne ticket right away so he drove to Z City without telling his family. Not until he saw Autumn safe and sound was Charles''s mind set to rest. "I''m sorry." Autumn stared at Charles who looked terrible after a restless night. He had red eyes, messy hair and a stubble ¡ª totally different from the graceful gentleman that he was in normal circumstances. She was deeply touched as she realized how much Charles cared about her. As soon as Autumn apologized, Charles held her in his arms. Words couldn''t express what he felt at that moment. They were at ease when they felt each other''s body, breathing and heartbeats. Charles had worried about Autumn for the whole night and was finally reassured. Tears streamed down Autumn''s cheeks. Except for worrying about Sam and others, she also thought about Charles when she was in the fire. If she died in the ident, would Charles be sad? Now, she had the answer. "It''s okay." Charles patted Autumn''s back tofort her as he thought that Autumn was frightened by the fire. Seeing her crying, he didn''t have the heart to scold her anymore. "Don''t be afraid. Everything is OK now." Autumn cried even more. After going through the misfortune, Autumn finally realized that she had deeply fallen in love with Charles. "Stop crying, babe." Charles consoled her in a soft voice and thought, ''Everything is fine now. Why doesn''t she stop crying?'' At this moment, Charles''s cell phone rang. It was from Gary. After Gary woke up in the morning, he saw the news of the big fire in Z City. He almost fainted and immediately called Charles. Gary now knew that Charles was in Z City, and asked, "How is Yvonne? Is she okay?" "She didn''t get hurt, but now has a fever." Charles reassured Gary before he hung up. Then he turned to Autumn and said, "Gary and Chris are very worried about you. " "I''m fine." Autumn snorted in embarrassment. It''s so good to have a family. "Cindy..." Suddenly, Autumn remembered Cindy and Abby and immediately got off the bed. She didn''t know what happened to them when she passed outst night. "What are you doing? You are still weak." Charles held Autumn''s arm and asked, "Where are you going?" "Lie down!" Sam''s voice came from the door. He walked into the ward as Autumn was about to leave. He had been waiting outside Autumn''s ward the whole night and went to buy some food for her in the morning. When he came back with the food, he saw Charles holding Autumn in his arms. Charles must love Autumn so much that he rushed to Z City that very night. Sam stood outside the ward and didn''t dare interrupt their moment. When Autumn got up to check on Cindy and her parents, Sam finally felt strong enough to walk in. "I just came back from visiting them. They were not injured in the fire, but they inhaled the smoke and had dry throats. They are sleeping now." Chapter 102 Im Married Chapter 102 I''m Married Autumn was relieved after hearing Sam''s words. She saw the bandage on his arm and asked, "Sam, did you get hurt in the fire?" Autumn furrowed her brow. Sam was fine the night before, but now he was wounded. "No big deal, it''s a minor injury." Sam answered indifferently, "You must be hungry. Here you go. Have some breakfast. Since Mr. Lu is here, I''m leaving now." "Sam! Sam!" Autumn wanted to know how he got injured, but Sam kept walking, not turning his head. Charles grabbed Autumn''s hand and helped her sit back on the bed. He said in a scolding voice, "You are a patient. You should take care of yourself." "But Sam got hurt because of me." If it weren''t for her, Sam wouldn''t run into the mes to save Cindy. Autumn felt terrible that Sam got injured. "I can see your point." Charles nodded. He regretted not being by her side when she was in danger. He was also grateful that Sam was there at that moment. Otherwise, Autumn might have gotten hurt. "Have breakfast and take a rest. I''ll be right back." Charles got Autumn settled and walked out of the ward. "Sam!" Sam was about to return to the hotel, but Charles stopped him. Charles felt he should thank him. "Thank you for saving my wife." "No need to thank me. I didn''t do it for you." Sam answered bluntly. After all, there was no one but the two of them there. "I have to remind you, " Charles continued, "Sam, she is my wife. If anything happened to her, I would be by her side. I hope you have a clear estimation of yourself. Don''t put her in an awkward position." "Put her in an awkward position?" Sam sneered, "Charles Lu, it is you who put her in an awkward position. If it weren''t for you..." "What?" Charles asked coldly. "Never mind." Sam got frustrated. He had no right to intervene in Autumn''s private affairs. If she didn''t want to expose her true identity, he had to cover for her. "You must take good care of her. If you treat her badly, then you will have to go through me!" "That is none of your concern!" Charles gave a scornful smile and said, "She is my wife. I will take good care of her." Sam stared coldly at Charles and taunted, "You''d better." Both Charles and Sam kept their conversation a secret from Autumn. Charles forbade her from leaving the ward unless she was allowed by the doctor. "Charles,e on!" Autumn stared at Charles with a pair of innocent eyes, "I haven''t seen Cindy after the ident. I want to know how she is." "Cindy is the kid you saved that day?" Charles asked with a frown. "That''s right." Autumn nodded and said, "Charles, it must be fate. The moment I saw Cindy, I liked her This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. very much. Besides, her mother looks like me." "Fine. You can visit her." Charles finally agreed as he saw Autumn''s eyes light up when she spoke of Cindy. "I''ming with you." he added. It was just a fever, but Charles was worried about her. If Sam were not around during the fire, Charles might have lost Autumn. So he looked after her with utmost care. "Okay." Autumn immediately agreed to that. When Autumn and Charles arrived at Cindy''s ward, there was only Cindy there. "Cindy!" Autumn greeted her in a cheerful voice. Autumn held Cindy in her arms. Cindy had a burned leg, and the wound was covered with a small gauze dressing. Autumn was distressed to see Cindy suffering. "Does it hurt?" Autumn didn''t know why she loved Cindy so much that she hoped it was her who got injured. "Not any more." Cindy shook her head and looked at Charles in curiosity. She asked, "Sister, who is this uncle?" "Hahaha." Autumn couldn''t helpughing as Cindy called her sister but called Charles uncle. Did that mean she had to call Charles uncle too? "Cindy, you either call me brother, or call her aunt. Do you understand?" Charles threatened Cindy with a straight face. Cindy shook her head and answered in a serious manner, "No. My mom told me, I should call a man with beards uncle. And she is my sister!" Charles sighed as he didn''t know how to refute it. Autumn asked, "Cindy, where are your Dad and Mom? Why are you here alone?" "Dad took Mom to go through some tests and asked me to stay here. Sister, I want to eat cotton candy..." Cindy stared at Autumn with a hopeful expression. All Cindy cared about was to feed herself. Autumn turned to Charles. She was uneasy about leaving Cindy in the ward alone. "I''m going to buy cotton candy. You stay here with her." Charles said calmly. Before Autumn was able to tell Charles where to buy it, he had already walked out of the ward. By this time, Andy and Abby hade back. The moment Abby saw Autumn, she wept. "Autumn, if you and your boyfriend were not here, Cindy and I would have been burned to death." Abby grabbed Autumn''s hands and said excitedly. "Abby, don''t act like that. You are scaring Autumn." Andy pulled Abby back. Autumn withdrew her hands in embarrassment. Abby was referring to Sam as her boyfriend. Autumn didn''t bother to exin it before. But Charles was here now. Autumn didn''t want Abby to drive a wedge between her and Charles. "Abby, don''t be so formal." Autumn smiled and said, "I didn''t save you, not really. Just thank Sam." "Of course I will." Abby was very grateful and held Autumn''s hands saying, "But if it weren''t for you, he wouldn''t have saved us. Autumn, Sam is a nice man. You..." Autumn interrupted, "Abby, I have... something important to tell you. I didn''t make it clear before. But now, I think I have to tell you the truth." "Wh... What?" Abby felt disturbed by Autumn''s expression. "Sam is not my boyfriend." Autumn said with a serious look, "I''m married." Abby''s face went nk for a long time. It didn''t ur to her that Autumn would be married at such a young age. Andy saved them from embarrassment, "I told you not to pair Autumn and Sam, huh?" "I... "I''m sorry. I didn''t know you are married." Abby talked incoherently, "But you and Sam..." Chapter 103 A Seaside Villa Chapter 103 A Seaside Vi "We are just friends. It just so happens that I havee to visit Z City, while he is here on business. Our meeting is totally coincidental, " Autumn exined. "By the way, my husband is also here to see me because of the ident. Let me introduce you to himter." Her eyes twinkled with pleasure when she spoke about Charles. It was too obvious that the couple were very devoted to each other. Just as Abby was about to open her mouth, Andy secretly grabbed her arm and stopped her from saying anything. He said to Autumn, "With pleasure. It''s a pity that we will be leaving tomorrow, but I have booked a room at Hong Fu Restaurant for tonight. We will be waiting for you two." "That''s very kind of you, but please don''t bother, " Autumn promptly refused. Although she was a bit upset about their leaving so soon, she managed to hold it back and said, "Cindy is injured, you better take care of her first and make sure to have good rest tonight." "That''s alright. We will take an afternoon flight, there is no hurry." While Andy was insisting on arranging dinner, Charles pushed the door open and came in. Everyone inside saw a man, over 6 feet tall, holding two marshmallows awkwardly. It was very amusing. "Here you are, kiddo." Charles passed a marshmallow to Cindy as casually as possible, and gave the other to Autumn. "So is this your husband?" Andy let out a smile and asked Autumn. Holding her marshmallow with embarrassment, Autumn shyly nodded her head and said, "This is my husband Charles. We got married a month ago." She then turned to Charles, "And they are Cindy''s parents as I have mentioned to you earlier." Looking up at him, she then asked yfully, "Take a look, don''t you think that Abby and I look very much alike?" "Sorry, but no." Charles shook his head seriously. In his opinion, Autumn was unique and nobody could "Howe...I think we are almost like twins, " Autumn muttered. Whenparing Autumn with Abby, Andy fully understood and agreed with Charles. He had to admit that Autumn and his wife resembled each other, but only physically. However, Andy knew that Abby was the one for him. He was sure that he could easily pick out his loved one, even if they looked exactly the same. He assumed that Charles might have been thinking in the same way. "Charles, your wife has helped us a lot to look after Cindy these past few days. To show our gratitude, Abby and I have booked a table at Hong Fu Restaurant tonight. We would be very happy if both of you coulde, " Andy warmly invited Charles. From what she knew of Charles, Autumn was expecting him to decline. So she was caught by surprise This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. when he agreed with no hesitation. "She has not recovered yet and will still need some rest, but we will see you tonight, " Charles replied as he was taking Autumn back. Autumn nced at Cindy, who was on the bed enjoying her marshmallow, and reluctantly left with Charles. After they had left, Abby sighed and murmured, "Sam is such an eligible young man, why didn''t she choose him?" "Why did you choose me from your many suitors then?" Andy asked her back. "Because you are nice to me, " Abby replied without any hesitation. "I did have many suitors before marriage. But they were either after my family status, or my beauty. You were the only one who really cared for me. I was wise enough to choose you of course." Abby blushed and said, "Moreover, even after all these years of marriage, you still love me and are devoted to me. Isn''t that a hard evidence of my wise decision?" "You see¡­" Putting his arm around her shoulders, Andy said, "You don''t know what has happened between her and Sam, so you can''t make those decisions for them. Besides, I think that Charles is a fine figure of a man, and he treats her very well. Don''t you think they make a good couple?" "Well¡­I agree." Abby nodded lightly, "All right, since they are already married, I''d better not meddle in their affairs." She sighed and continued, "Thankfully, I found out just in time, that she got married. Otherwise, I was about to encourage Sam to propose to her." "Come on, my dear¡­" Sometimes Andy felt that he just couldn''t take his wife too seriously. Aftering out of the ward, Charles went to see the doctor. He was informed that there was nothing serious with Autumn, so he apanied her back to the hotel. When he saw the makeshift room arranged for Autumn, he packed up immediately and decided to take her away. Autumn refused at first. Although this single room was rtively crampedpared to the previous sea-view room, she thought it was sufficient enough for a rest. But Charles was quite unhappy about it, and said that it would be impossible for her to have a good rest in such an environment. "Charles, actually I''m OK with it, " Autumn said with a frown, "The room is quite clean anyway, I think it''s enough." "No way." Charles replied softly, "Just forget about it and follow me." He helped her pack the luggage, and brought her all the way to a seaside vi. Before Autumn could ask any questions, Charles walked to a nearby flowerpot, where he conjured a key out of the soil. Autumn was astonished by this. "So¡­ is this one of your houses?" she asked with astonishment. "No, it''s Eric''s vi." Charles answered while opening the door, "He hardly has any hobbies, except buying houses across the country. This vi is his favorite. Speaking of which, he once invited us here to show it off. We grew up together, and I must say that the way he hides the keys hasn''t changed in ages! I was only trying my luck today, and it''s just where I have expected it to be." "Are you sure this isn''t inappropriate?" Autumn asked shamefully. After all, they were breaking into a private house, uninvited and unannounced. It didn''t sound like a good idea to her. "There is nothing to worry about, " Charles said affirmatively. Growing up together, they had treated each other like brothers. It could be said that they felt free to share almost everything except their wives. As far as Charles was concerned, it was no big deal to share Eric''s vi. "Take it easy. I bet he won''t mind at all, " Charlesforted, "He has just taken one of my cars recently. What does he have to lose since I''m only borrowing one of his houses." "I''m a bit tired from driving the car all night. I''m going to take a bath and freshen up. Just make yourself at home." Charles then made his way upstairs without the slightest trouble. Autumn dropped herints. She suddenly realized that Charles had driven here throughout the night just for her. He wouldn''t be able to get enough rest huddling up in that tiny single room. So she decided to say nothing against staying here. Charles and Eric were about the same size. Thus, Charles was easily able to pick out a brand-new suit from Eric''s closet after his bath. He checked it out carefully before going down stairs. When he came down, he found Autumn sitting awkwardly on the sofa, not knowing what to do. "Since we are here, let me show you around and do some shopping. What do you say?" But before Autumn could give her answer, he took her hand and went out the door. It was the first time they went shopping together. Chapter 104 Go Shopping Together Chapter 104 Go Shopping Together Charles excelled in many aspects; however, he was still just a rookie when it came to shopping with a Autumn''s health condition and wondered whether she wanted to go shopping at all. He asked with the utmost care, "Are you bored? " "Of course not!" Autumn smiled and held his hand, "I''m so d that you can go shopping with me. " It was getting colder and colder. Seeing as how Charles was wearing Eric''s clothes, Autumn decided to buy him some new ones. "Let''s go there." Autumn pointed to a store selling suits and took him there. Charles had to follow her as he was unable to refuse her. "Babe, I don''t need clothes. We won''t be here for long..." Charles said with a frown. "Charles,e on!" While selecting suits on the shelves, Autumn spoke to Charles, "We must be causing Eric a lot of trouble by staying in his house, uninvited. And Eric''s clothes are tight and not your custom made ones at home, but at least they will be morefortable than Eric''s. What? You dislike my gift?" "Of course not. What?" Charles finally understood Autumn''s point and asked surprisingly, "You mean... you''re buying me the suit as a gift?" "Uh huh!" Autumn nodded. Charles had booked the ne ticket and the hotel in Z City for her. She had been wondering what she could give to him in return. Now was the time for her to get him something nice. "Wee! May I help you?" A shop assistant came up to them and offered in a ttering smile, "Lady, your boyfriend has a nice figure. I think these suits will fit him quite nicely. How about this navy blue one? Our changing room is over there." "Alright. Charles, give it a try." Autumn pushed him into the changing room. It was hard for Charles to turn down the warm-hearted offer, so he took the suit and went into the changing room. Autumn''s eyes lit up as soon as he walked out in the new suit. Autumn walked to him and did up the button for him. She praised, "You look wonderful! What do you think of it? " "Excellent!" The shop assistant said to Autumn, "He looks even more handsome in this suit than our model on the poster. It looks as if it were tailor-made for him. " The shop assistant ttered Charles non-stop. Autumn ignored her and asked Charles, "Charles, do you like it? " "I like anything you choose for me." Charles stated in a low and charming voice. Autumn almost believed that he was professing his love. "Well, I''ll buy it?" Autumn raised her head and asked for his opinion. "Okay." Charles took the suit and was about to pay, but Autumn immediately stopped him and said, "I said, I''ll buy it for you as a gift. Please let me pay for it." Charles suddenly felt like a moneyboy. But on second thought, Autumn was his wife. Seeing the joy on her face, Charles decided to say nothing more and let her pay for it. "You''ve just bought me a gift. I should buy something for you in return." Charles grabbed her hand as he offered, "There is a shopping mall in the front. Let''s go there. " "Charles, I bought the suit for you without expecting anything in return, " Autumn stated seriously with a frown. "Babe, I didn''t mean it that way. I want to buy something for you also, as I want you to be happy." Charles exined sincerely and continued, "Come on! Cindy is leaving soon. We can also buy something for her." "Alright!" Upon hearing his suggestion, Autumn''s eyes lit up as she dragged him to the children''s department on the fifth floor of the mall. Autumn couldn''t help but imagine how Cindy would look like in the beautiful clothes and shoes they This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. saw at the mall. "What do you think?" Autumn showed Charles a pink princess dress and asked for his opinion. Charles just smiled, and said nothing. "What are you smiling at?" Autumn was confused as she touched her face and asked, "Are there any stains on my face?" "No." Charles stared at her and exined, "Your eyes light up when you speak of Cindy. I was thinking about... what you would be like when we have a baby in the future. You''ll probably look even happier!" Autumn blushed with shyness as she grunted, "I don''t want to have your baby." Charlesughed out loud. Autumn stopped for a moment, and thought about what he had said. A baby of her and Charles would be... adorable. While Autumn was dwelling on that thought, a familiardy''s voice came from the entrance of the store. Before Autumn could clearly see who she was, the person threw herself into Charles'' arms. She held Charles tightly and yelled, "Charles, you must be here for me, right? I knew you still love me." Rachel continued as she cried, "Charles, when you broke up with me, I was so frightened. I''ve made up my mind. Whatever decision you may havee to, I won''t let you go. Since you loved me once, I''m sure you will love me for the second time. Charles, let''s start anew, okay?" Rachel wrapped her arms around Charles'' waist tightly as she raised her head and looked at him with a pair of innocent eyes. Rachel was a well-known celebrity. A crowd of people were attracted by what was happening there. The onlookers began to take photos, seeing Rachel holding onto a handsome man and crying out in excitement. Rachel noticed Autumn who was standing still, but she ignored her. She presumed Charles would be ashamed to push her away in front of so many people. "Is that Rachel Bai?" The onlookers recognized her. "She is. I heard she''s working in Z City, but I didn''t expect to see her here. So lucky!" "Who is the man?" Someone asked. "You don''t know him?" Rachel and Charles'' rtionship gossips had provoked much discussion before. Charles was handsome and had a strong family background. As a result, Rachel''s fans were d that they were a couple. Chapter 105 Meeting Her Again Chapter 105 Meeting Her Again Rachel used to show off when she was with Charles. Autumn was forced to marry Charles and their wedding had not been made public yet. When Charles realized that he didn''t love Rachel anymore, they broke up. But only a few people knew the news. Lately, Rachel was seen alone in public several times, which prompted spection about her breaking up with Charles. Fans were so happy to see them here. "Isn''t he the man who had an affair with Rachel? His name is ¡­ Charles, that golden bachelor. They are a well-matched couple." "Yeah. Although they have been together for quite a long time now, they remain glued to each other still. Most people would envy their deep love." Rachel chuckled at thements. A smile curved her lips when she saw Autumn turning paler and more furious. To her astonishment, Charles pushed her out of the way. "Charles!" His behavior caught her off guard. It was very hard for her to believe that he would shove her to the ground. She stared at him, ming, "You ¡­" "Rachel, stop! Are you done with this nonsense?" Charles shouted angrily. He thought he owed Rachel because they had been together for several years. If he hadn''t fallen in love with Autumn, he might have divorced her and married Rachel someday. But when he found that he no longer loved Rachel, he broke up with her. Charles had put up with a lot of Rachel''s misbehaviors in the past, which he wouldn''t have tolerated from anyone else. Besides, he tried his best not to hurt her too much or make her lose face. But now she was wrong to do what she did in public. Charles couldn''t forgive her actions in front of Autumn. "What do you mean by nonsense?" Rachel wailed, "Charles, did I do something wrong? Why did you leave me?" "We have broken up." Charles looked indifferently at Rachel as she cried and said, "Miss Bai, you''d better stay away from me." "Broken up? I''ve never agreed to it." One might as well be hanged for a sheep as amb. Rachel was there shooting a movie. When she noticed Charles and Autumn shopping for children''s products, she was furious. Although she had been with Charles for quite some time, they didn''t have a sexual rtionship. However, he had been married to Autumn for only a month, and they''re already shopping for children''s products. ''Is it possible that Autumn is pregnant already?'' Rachel red at the direction of Autumn''s t belly, as her face burned with jealousy. She got to her feet and grabbed Charles'' hand, begging, "Charles, what did I do wrong? Please tell me and I will change. I love you very much and I don''t want to lose you. Please, we can turn over a new leaf, can''t we?" "Let go of me!" Charles shook off her hand and warned, "Rachel Bai, quit it! We are over." Charles'' face exhibited uneasiness and impatience. There were excited fans who loved Rachel in the crowd. Seeing their idol insulted, they cursed Charles, "You, love rat. Our Rachel is so pretty and kind. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. How could you abandon her? Damn it!" "I agree. Rachel, you are pretty and kind. You will find a better man. Break up with him!" "Don''t say something like that, " Rachel said crying, "There has been some misunderstanding. Charles and I just quarreled. You are my fans, so please don''t me him." Rachel exined on Charles'' behalf, which enraged her fans even more, "You will regret it, if you don''t cherish such a good girlfriend." "Of course. Our Rachel is good-looking and kind-hearted. Unlike most vain women who are greedy for money, she loves you, truly. It''s incredible how this man abandoned and broke up with Rachel." "Enough!" Charles looked at Rachel, frowning, "Rachel, I have been tolerating you. I said we should break up, but I also promised to make up for it. What''s your purpose behind begging me to take you back today?" "I ¡­ I don''t want to break up with you, " Rachel whimpered pathetically. "But I am married now, " Charles sneered, "Even though you don''t mind being a home wrecker, I won''t ept you as my lover. I am faithful to my wife." "You ¡­" Rachel had never imagined herself of being regarded as a womancking in self-respect. She hated Autumn more because of this, so she whined, "Did you leave me because of her? We have been together for many years. How could you break up with me because of a woman you barely know? Charles, she is only interested in your money, and you¡­" Rachel continued as she seized Charles'' hand, "I am Rachel, a famous star. Who is she? Is she younger, more beautiful or richer than me? Why would you choose such a woman like her rather than me to be your partner?" Charles derided Rachel for being foolish. He put his arms around Autumn''s shoulders, announcing his love for her, "In my heart, she is unique." Then, without even looking back at Rachel, he turned to Autumn and said, "Let''s go." He walked away from the crowd with Autumn in his arms. When they reached a quiet ce, Charles sighed and apologized, "I am sorry for ruining your day. Rachel''s behavior must have made you embarrassed. I am really sorry." "It''s okay, " Autumn shook her head as she replied. She thought it was inappropriate for even a public figure to handle such personal affairs in public. But she didn''tin, instead, she said tly, "Maybe her abnormal behavior is because she loves you too much." "Love?" Charles mocked, "To be honest, she doesn''t love me as much as that she thinks she does. In other words, she has no idea of what love is. We met at a charity banquet. At that time, she was a star who was just beginning her career. Since I was already the CEO of the Shining Company, she adored me and tried her best to get close to me. I knew that she used my identity to be famous. I admired her innocence, so I didn''t mind her scheming and helped her voluntarily." Charles sighed and added, "Butter, she lost her innocence as she stayed longer in the entertainment industry. Everyone thought we were lovers and I said nothing about it. Rachel became famous and popr because everyone thought she was my girlfriend. Many people told me about her improper behaviors, but I didn''t care about them since they were problems I could endure at the time. Honey, don''t feel stressed. Before you are married to me, Rachel and I already had differences and a lot of problems in between us. You were the straw that broke the camel''s back." Charles'' words didn''t relieve Autumn''s worries. She looked worried as she said, "Rachel won''t think so. She will put all the me on me alone." Chapter 106 Are You the One Im Looking for Chapter 106 Are You the One I''m Looking for "Don''t worry about it." Charles stretched out his hand and touched Autumn''s head. He continued, "You have me. I won''t let anyone hurt you." "Didn''t you say that you wanted to buy Cindy some gifts? Let''s go to another ce." Charles took Autumn to another nearby shopping mall. While Autumn was choosing the gifts, Charles went to another corner and dialed David''s number. He asked David to block all of tomorrow''s box news on Rachel and him. ''Many passers-by must have taken pictures of Autumn. Nowadaysizens could easily search a person''s information online. It''s okay for me to expose our real rtionship. But I don''t want to put Autumn in any awkward situation, '' he mused. "One more thing." After a short pause, Charles continued, "Contact all of our cooperative partners. Tell them to change their spokesperson immediately. If I discover that Rachel endorses any of their products, we will stop our cooperation with them instantly." David frowned slightly and asked in an irresolute tone, "Mr. Lu, are you sure about this?" "Do as I say." ''I have been giving her chances because I didn''t want to destroy the status and reputation she has earned. Now that she doesn''t care about these things, she can''t me me for what I am going to do.'' He added, "Besides, tell those directors that Rachel isn''t a qualified female lead. And ask them to refuse to work with her if she uses my or Shining Company''s references." David answered, "Okay, I will." ''This time Rachel must have really pissed off Charles. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have made those decisions, '' thought David to himself. He hung up the phone with an angry look. But when he turned around and watched Autumn picking out clothes, his anger faded away. ''She is the woman that I swore to protect for the rest of my life. I will never allow anyone to hurt her, '' Charles told himself. Autumn selected a pink blue dress, and she asked as she held the dress, "Charles, do you think will Cindy like this dress?" Charles nodded and replied, "If you think this one is fine, then take this." Autumn took another pair of blue jeans with a belt which was of a different style to that dress. This one looked cool. She raised her eyebrow and said, "But I also like this one." "Then, take them both." Charles took a doll and then paid the bill. He walked up to Autumn and said smilingly, "Let''s go. We don''t have much time now." When Charles and Autumn arrived at the entrance of Hong Fu Restaurant, they met Andy, Abby and Cindy, who was in Andy''s arms. When Cindy caught sight of Autumn, she asked Andy to let her down. She hugged Autumn as she joyfully asked, "Pretty big sister, did you miss me?" This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Autumn answered with a bright smile on her face, "Of course I did. I haven''t seen you for half a day." "I missed you too." She then kissed on Autumn''s cheek. Andy and Abby came forward to greet them with a smile, "Well, let''s go inside." They walked into thepartment which they had booked in advance. Andy said smilingly as he gave the menu to Autumn, "Please, order whatever you like. Sam called earlier to say that he would arrive Autumn nodded, "Okay." She was at ease in Sam''s absence. Autumn and Cindy sat close together to order the food. Charles ced Autumn''s tableware nicely and poured tea for her. Noticing this, Andy said, "Mr. Lu, you treat your wife so well." ''Even though this is small act, it shows Charles'' affection towards Autumn.'' He continued, "Your wife is a fair and amiable girl. I was wondering who would be lucky enough to win her heart. To my surprise, she is already married." Abby had epted the truth that Autumn had gotten married. As she reflected on how affectionately Autumn had treated Cindy, she said with a smile on her face, "Mr. Lu, you should try harder on having a baby. Your wife likes kids very much. If you two have a baby, it would look cute." ''Autumn is beautiful, while Mr. Lu is handsome. Their kid will surely be pretty, '' Abby pondered. Autumn''s cheeks flushed as she was about to say that they had no such ns for children right now. However, Charles replied as he held her hand, "I will try harder." Autumn''s face turned redder when she heard this. Cindy gazed at Autumn and asked with a grin, "Pretty sister, are you going to bring me a younger brother?" Autumn was amused by Cindy''s innocent and cute look. She said, "Sweetheart, if I have a baby boy, you will have to call me aunt." After pausing for a moment, Cindy said reluctantly, "Then I don''t want a younger brother anymore.'''' Cindy''s words set them roaring withughter. At that moment, the door opened. Sam stood outside the door, with an embarrassed look. Theirughter subsided immediately in thepartment. Sam greeted, "I''m sorry. I amte." Andy hurried to get up and walked up to him. He took Sam by the arm and intended to seat him on a spot. He said, "It doesn''t matter. Take a seat. We arrived just few minutes ago." Sam sat down and squeezed a smile towards Autumn. After hesitating for a moment, Autumn asked gently as she stared at the wound on Sam''s hand, "Sam, how is... the wound on your hand?" Sam replied with a light smile, "I''m feeling better." An ufortable atmosphere filled the wholepartment. Andy started first, "To protect Cindy, Mr. Lin got hurt. You two are the saviors of our daughter. I will return the favor back one day. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help." "Mr. Xu, I just did what anyone in my ce would do." Sam said with a light smile, "We both like Cindy very much." Andy said seriously, "No, we will keep your kindness in our mind. We will leave tomorrow. But we will return to Y City soon. Perhaps we will meet each other again in Y City. Please contact me if I can be of any help." Autumn had never expected to see this family again in the future. The waitress ced the dishes on the table. All three men started to drink wine. Although they didn''t speak a word, Charles and Sam tried to prove that they were good drinkers. Charles was always a sensible andposed man. But when it came to Autumn, he would act like a boy. The three got drunk and began to call each other their buddies. Abby exined to Autumn as she shook her head, "I''m sorry. Andy doesn''t usually act like this unless he gets drunk..." Autumn said as she looked at Abby, "It seems that Charles is no better than him." It was the first time that Autumn had seen Charles drink so much. Most men became friends after drinking. Autumn asked, "Is your flight tomorrow afternoon?" Abby replied with a nod, "Yes, it is." "We have finished our work ahead of schedule, so we need to go back and get things done. If everything goes smoothly, we will meet each other soon." Abby observed Autumn discretely and wondered, ''Are you the one I''m looking for?'' Chapter 107 I Want You Chapter 107 I Want You Autumn had no idea of what Abby was thinking about. Cindy was going to leave Z City the next day, so Autumn yed with her for a while. "Will you miss me, sister?" Cindy asked Autumn with a hopeful expression as she also knew she would be leaving soon. "Of course I will." Autumn stretched out her hand and pinched Cindy''s chubby face. "Will you miss me, Cindy?" "I will call you as soon as I arrive, " Cindy answered assertively. The dinner did not end until 10 PM. Charles and Sam, who had disliked each other before, had their arms around each other''s shoulders as if they were good buddies. Autumn drove Charles back to Eric''s vi. Charles turned into a different man after getting drunk. He followed Autumn and acted like a spoiled child, which was very surprising to Autumn. "Charles, behave yourself!" Autumn demanded with profound resignation. He was tall and strong. It would be difficult for her to get him upstairs if he didn''t cooperate with her. "Babe, I''m so happy now, " Charles murmured. "Alright. I know you are happy, " Autumn temporized. Finally, she managed toy Charles on the bed in the bedroom upstairs. Charles fell asleep very soon. Autumn rarely had the opportunity to see Charles sleeping. He closed his eyes with a smile of satisfaction. Autumn sighed as she went to the bathroom. She cleaned his face with a warm and wet towel. Then she struggled hard to take off his clothes and clean his body, despite her shyness. It was already the early morning. She took a quick shower andy beside him, exhausted. The rm clock woke Autumn from her deep sleep. She opened her eyes, dumbfounded as she saw This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Charles''s erged face. She could even see his pours. His sexy,zy voice sounded in her ear. "Are you up?" Charles pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek, satisfied. He knew what he would be like after getting drunk. When he woke up and saw his naked body, he figured Autumn must have been exhausted afterst night. He didn''t want to wake her up, so he didn''t move, but instead, stared at her face in silence. He then realized that his right side was getting numb. Autumn wanted to get off the bed and make the breakfast, but Charles growled with a frown, "Stop moving!" As Autumn moved, he was on pins and needles in his right side. However, Autumn misunderstood him and dared not move at all. She pulled the duvet over in embarrassment. She had nned to travel alone and didn''t expect Charles toe, so she had only brought nightgowns. Charles could clearly see her cleavage. Charles gradually recovered and then realized that Autumn got him wrong. He couldn''t help but tease her, "Don''t move! Otherwise, I can''t bear it anymore. " Autumn blushed all over with shyness and stayed in his arms without breathing. She heard his heartbeat, and then his giggles. "You fooled me!" Autumn then realized that she had been fooled. She got exasperated as she sat up, grabbed a pillow and threw it at Charles. She was so embarrassed. The sunlight filtered down through the half-covered curtains to the brown wood floor. They heard the sound of waves crashing in the distance from time to time. A romantic atmosphere had developed in the room. Charles caught the pillow, threw it away and held Autumn in his arms. "Let me go!" Autumn wriggled around in his arms as she was discontented with his joke. "Stop moving! I can''t bear it any longer. I mean it!" Feeling Autumn''s soft body, Charles felt a warm current rush through his body. However, Autumn was too angry to get his point. She tried to push him away and said, "Charles, let me go! " "Stop it, it''s not funny anymore!" Autumn tried hard to push Charles away, but she didn''t expect her nightgown to fall down from her shoulders. The sea wind blew past her, and she felt a bit cold. Charles kissed her neck without hesitation. The kiss was like an electric shock to Autumn. She wanted to run away, but was so involved in his kiss. "Charles!" She whispered, trembling like a leaf. Charles had kissed her before. But this time, Autumn felt that something was going to happen. Charles'' hand moved down to her waist as he kissed her forehead softly. He pushed her gently so she fell on to the mattress. This time, Autumn''s mind was at rest when Charles held her. She didn''t push him away as she didn''t want to. She hated to admit this, but she was looking forward to something. Charles thought Autumn would stop him, so he waited for a long time. But to his intense surprise, she didn''t. He breathed heavily as he raised his head and asked softly, "Let''s take this nightgown off, shall we?" Autumn said nothing, but held Charles back and kissed his lips, clumsy in movement. She answered his question with action. Charles took a deep breath and gave a satisfied smile. He decided to take the lead. Charles knew Autumn was a virgin, so he made sure to be extremely gentle this time. Autumn flushed with shyness, but she wanted to give herself to Charles as she had fallen in love with him. Charles took hold of the cors and gently slid her nightgown off her shoulders. He ced it on the chair. Autumn flushed as she grabbed the duvet, in an attempt to cover herself, but Charles stopped her and whispered, "Do you have any idea how much I want you, babe?" Autumn was enchanted with Charles'' sexy and seductive voice as she let go of the duvet slowly. Autumn shivered as the sea wind blew past her. Charles held her even tighter and Autumn felt at ease. "You smell so good, " he murmured, and closed his eyes, with a look of pure pleasure on his face. He tossed the duvet off the bed as he breathed, "Babe, I want you." Chapter 108 Trip to The Temple Chapter 108 Trip to The Temple After releasing their passion, Charles Luy back on the bed and held Autumn Ye in his arms. It felt This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. natural that they were able to finally do it, but somehow the ce where they did it didn''t feel right. ''I must get this vi from Eric Guo when I go back.'' Charles thought to himself. Autumn felt extremely exhausted. The sore between her legs reminded her of what had just happened. She wondered how she became so daring today. She leaned on Charles''s shoulder, feeling extremely content. Leaving everything else behind including Wendy Ye and Yvonne Gu felt like such a leap of faith. It struck her how she was able topletely give herself to Charles and finally be his woman. "What are you thinking about?" he asked. Charles held Autumn in his arms, curling her hair with his fingers. "Nothing..." Autumn said with a slight flush on her cheeks. She was so daring just a few moments ago, but now she seemed to have forgotten how to get along with Charles. "I think you should rest first and take a shower, " Charles said as he turned over. Just as he was about to get out of bed, Autumn grabbed him and asked, "Are you going to leave?" ''We just had our first time today. Is he going to leave me?'' She thought anxiously. "What''s up?" Charles asked, affectionately touching Autumn''s nose. "I''m going to make you some breakfast. You will definitely get more tired today. I have to make sure you''re physically and spiritually prepared." Autumn''s face flushed further. She wrapped and pulled the quilt over her face, muffling her screams. She felt so embarrassed that she couldn''t even look at Charles. Seeing Autumn''s reaction made Charles burst into a roaringughter. Fortunately, a house helper frequently visited the vi to re-stock the supplies and make sure that fresh food would always be avable. Charles struggled awkwardly as he tried to fry two eggs. He wondered how their house helper seemed to do it effortlessly. Charles stood in the kitchen, a frown visible in his face. Frying eggs seemed to be the biggest problem in his life at the moment. Autumn caught the burnt smell while she was upstairs. Putting on Charles''s shirt, she decided to go down to the kitchen barefooted. Seeing the two burnt eggs, she couldn''t help keeling over with "Let me try again." said Charles, clearly embarrassed. Charles took the remaining eggs left in the refrigerator. However, Autumn stopped him before he even began trying to cook again. Charles did not refuse Autumn''s help this time. He thought he might ruin frying the eggs if he''s going to do it again. He leaned against the door, watching Autumn boil some noodles while skillfully frying the eggs. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of food not long after. Charles opened the floor to ceiling window facing the sea, allowing the salty sea breeze to flow freely inside the house. As they sat in the dining room eating their noodles, Autumn suddenly raised her head and asked Charles. "I heard that there''s a temple in Z City. People say it looks breathtaking. Would you like to go with me this afternoon?" "Okay, " said Charles, agreeing without any hesitation. "Go upstairs and get dressed. I''ll wash the dishes in the meantime, " he added. Autumn dressedfortably, keeping in mind that they might be doing some mountain climbing. With her hair tied and a baseball cap on, she looked glowing from head to toe. "Let''s go." said Charles offering his hand. She walked in front of him with a huge smile on her face. For a moment, he secretly thought of carrying her back to the bedroom. Thinking that she might find the thought ridiculous, he tried to curb his urges with a great effort. After arriving at their destination, Charles bought their entrance tickets while Autumn stood aside waiting for him. Charles became incredibly pissed when he started seeing men hitting on Autumn. Seeing his reaction, she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. They started to go up the mountains after entering the door, restraining the yful look that''s visible on their faces. Autumn wanted to visit the temple to honor Granny. She''s a devout Buddhist who has always wanted to ailing condition didn''t allow her to make it happen, that''s why Autumn decided toe to fulfill Granny''s wishes. They say things only work when you believe in it with all your heart. She sincerely hoped that everything will go well with Granny. Like typical lovers, Autumn and Charles walked hand in hand to the top of the mountain. Even if there''s a more convenient way of going up the mountains, they chose to walk beside each other without any "Would you like to hop on my back and be carried for a while?" Charles asked Autumn out of concern. "Thanks but I''m alright, " she said, turning down his offer. "There''s only a third of the journey left. It is too dangerous to do that on such a steep mountain path." Autumn took a little bit of rest as she sat on the big stone by the road. After a moment, she stood up and told Charles that they should get going. It took them two full hours before reaching the top of the mountain. She made noints about the exhausting journey despite having blisters on her feet. The panoramic view of Z City made her feel like it was all worth it. The mountain breeze gently blew over their faces while the temple chimes calmed them both. They are rewarded with the magnificent view of Z City as they looked down from the top of the mountain. Surrounded with a few clouds floating halfway up the mountain and the city blocks neatly arranged at the foot, Z City presented itself in a unique way. The temple wasn''t huge but there were many pilgrims. The crest of the temple was covered with zed tiles, making it look dazzling and spectacr. However, some pirs of the temple were peeled off, making it look old and shabby. They walked into the area after burning their incense. Seeing the wishing well in the middle of the yard, Autumn pulled a coin from her purse and threw it into the well. The coin steadily fell into the copper tripod in the center,nding with a tinkle. Delighted with what she saw, Autumn turned around and looked at Charles, her eyes filled with joy. "Make a wish, " Charles said, looking at Autumn affectionately. Autumn crossed her hands and closed her eyes. She had two wishes to make. She wished for Granny''s health and safety. And she wished Charles to be sessful throughout his whole life. None of the two wishes was about herself at all. Chapter 109 Drew a Divination Stick Chapter 109 Drew a Divination Stick As birds were chirping a melodious and soothing song in the temple''s courtyard, Autumn and Charles felt a sense of calmness and peace wash over them. While they were slipping into a deep slumber of tranquility, an old monk approached them and said to Autumn, "Lady, I can feel that there is some built- up confusion in your heart. Why don''t you drop by the backyard? You may be able to find an answer to your dilemma there." The monk then firmly turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction, leaving Autumn standing there. She hesitated for quite a while before she finally walked towards the backyard along with Charles. In a stark contrast to the courtyard, where a horde of pilgrims were gathered, the backyard was secluded. With a suspicion look, she pushed an aged door open. The voice of an old person came across from behind the door, "Lady, has something been bothering youtely?" The voice sent shivers down her spine. She froze in the spot for a second, and heaved a deep breath before entering. "Yes, great master. Can you please help me?" "Do you see the bamboo container on the table? Why don''t you draw a stick first?" Autumn spotted the container as soon as he finished the sentence. She randomly drew a stick out of the lot and told the monk, "It is draw number 29, master." "A good draw, but not the best." The old monk pondered over the pick and after carefully choosing his words of wisdom, he said, "Your fortune is not bad as you have identally made a good match. But I must take this opportunity to remind you that honesty is the best policy, especially for couples. You should put more faith and trust in people around you. Only once you do that will you find that everything goes in the right direction for you." Autumn shuddered on hearing his words. Brief as they were, the fortune-telling he gave and the advice he offered had really hit the nail on the head, and struck Autumn as true. ''Does this mean that I should just be honest and frank with Charles about my secret?'' She just couldn''t make up her mind in that moment. After paying the fee, she left the room. Upon seeing her face, Charles could sense her unrest and tensing up. Heforted her, "It is just some cheap tricks, don''t take it seriously or pay heed to it." Not knowing what to say, Autumn just did not respond to his attempts tofort her. The monk''s warning was weighing on her mind the entire trek down the mountain. That night, Charles received a call from David. There was an emergency that required his immediate Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. attention. So the couple had to call off their trip abruptly. "Ye, you can stay here and finish the rest of our trip if you want to. I can go back myself. Your air ticket is reserved for the day after tomorrow anyway." He didn''t want to spoil this trip for her, not one bit. Autumn shook her head while packing the luggage and said, "It really doesn''t matter, I just want to go back with you." "Ye..." Charles firmly took her hand into his, looked into her eyes and promised, "Let me assure you, I will travel with you whenever and wherever my schedule allows in the future, okay?" "Perfect." Autumn was glowing with a bright smile and said, "A promise is a promise!" "You can trust me." he assured. Charles then helped her pack all their belongings up. They hurried back to Y City that very night. They arrived at Dream Garden by dawn. Even their servants were still in bed. Slowly and silently, Autumn tiptoed up the stairs to avoid waking anyone in the whole house. Charles walked behind her carrying her suitcase upstairs. He gave her a big warm hug and said, "I''m going to thepany now, you better get some sleep." "Won''t you take a break and have some rest?" He had been driving all through the night and had to now leave for work without a single moment of rest. Autumn was really worried about him. "No, I''m fine, " Charles slightly shook his head and said, "It is quite aplicated matter this time and I need to attend to it right now. So please don''t sit up for me tonight as I may have to work overtime. Go to bed early and catch up on your sleep. I will sleep in the study if I''mte." "... Alright." Knowing that there was little that she could do to help him in this situation, Autumn said nothing further to avoid causing him any trouble. However, even being so drained she just couldn''t fall asleep after Charles left for work. So instead, she went downstairs to prepare breakfast for the entire family. A moment after she put the food on the table, Chris wasing down, yawning. "What''s for breakfast today, Nancy?" she asked. "It smells so good in here¡­" she then eximed. "I have cooked your favorite shrimp wonton¡­" Autumn responded. Soon after hearing Autumn''s voice, Chris sobered up at once. She cheerfully ran to Autumn and hugged her with excitement, "Yvonne, thank goodness you''re back! I was waiting for your arrival." "Let me have a look at you, are you okay?" Chris took her hand in hers and checked her from head to toe. She breathed a sigh of relief after being assured and checking for herself that Autumn was safe and sound. "God only knows how worried we were about you. Grandpa and I were getting frantic after learning the news that the hotel you stayed were caught on fire. What a relief to know that you are safe and far from harm now." "I''m perfectly fine. Let us sit down and catch up over breakfast, " Autumn smiled and said, "I''m just helping out and taking the credit. The wonton was already prepared and put in the fridge, I just had them cooked." "Why did you not take some rest since you''ve just got returned?" Chris frowned and continued to inquire, "And where is my brother?" "He has some emergencypany affairs to deal with right now." Autumn answered while passing a bowl of wonton to Chris. Chris took it and grumbled, "What on earth has been happening recently? Sam has been away for days without uttering a single word, and now my brother is acting this way, too." Although she was whispering and muttering to herself, Autumn felt guilty about the whole scene. Of course there was nothing going on between Sam and her. But If Chris knew they had been together over thest couple of days, she would most definitely misunderstand them. So Autumn decided to not respond. "Just enjoy your wonton and remember you have to go to work Chris left for work soon after the breakfast. Autumn then retired to her room and took a long and rxing bath. While lyingfortably in her bed, she started to check the job information out. Considering her qualifications and work experience, it should ideally be easy for her to find a job. Now that she had fulfilled her dream and traveled to Z City, it was about time that she settled down and returned to work. But strangely, despite having sent out her resume, she had received no interview invitations. She didn''t ponder over this matter further. However, that night Chris treated her in a rather odd manner after returning home from work. She didn''t greet her, and after a nce at her she avoided making any eye contact with her. Autumn found all of this quite unusual. "Chris, do you have a few minutes?" This scene upset and bothered Autumn. She thought about it throughout dinner and so she decided to ask Chris for an exnation. While Chris was about to go upstairs, she stopped her and said, "I really want to talk to you." Chris hesitated but finally agreed. They took a walk in the yard. Autumn then broke the silence and asked, "What is the matter, Chris? You look unhappy and it seems like something is bothering you tonight. Is it about work?" "No." Chris shook her head with a poker face and said, "I''m fine." It was obvious that Chris did not want to talk about it. This morning, she saw Sam when stepping into thepany. It seemed that Autumn and he had returned at the same time. Despite this funny chance, Chris had persuaded herself that this was okay as it was just a coincidence. The problem arose when she noticed that Sam was wounded. And more specifically it was a burn wound. With thatst link, she now just couldn''t pretend that Autumn had no rtion with the chain of events. "Chris, we are now family." Autumn knew in her heart that Chris must have some misconception about her and just waned to clear the air, so she decided to speak out, "If you happen to have anyints about me, I hope you can tell me directly, I¡­" Chris interrupted her impatiently before she could finish, "Yvonne, I have no problem with you, only that I wish you can love my brother, and get along well with him. Just don''t be greedy or try to cheat on him." Hearing Chris''s words, Autumn now knew the reason for her displeasure. She grabbed her by the arm when she was turning away. "So it''s about Sam?" Autumn asked. Chapter 110 Sam and I are Clear Chapter 110 Sam and I are Clear Chris did not add anything and just remained silent. She didn''t want to suspect Autumn in this manner, but her gut feeling led her to believe that Sam must have been with Autumn in Z City. She knew one thing for certain, that Autumn wouldn''t betray Charles. But for another, she couldn''t help feeling angry and betrayed with Autumn at the thought of Sam. With a bitter smile, Autumn continued defending herself, "You must be mad at me because of him." She exined, "Chris, Sam and I are in the clear. I ran into him on the airne. I went there as a tourist while he was on a business trip. It was a mere coincidence that we were staying in the very same hotel." "That doesn''t sound like a mere coincidence, " Chris impatiently said as she was incredibly distraught with Autumn. She continued, "Yvonne, HKind Group has no cooperativepany in Z City. How could he possibly go there for a business trip? He went there because of you." With raised eyebrows, Autumn asked, "Are you certain of this?" She was taken aback by this vital piece of information, for she never expected that Sam would have lied to her about this. ''Now, Chris just won''t believe me anymore. Everything I say will sound like an excuse fabricated to defend myself.'' "Of course, I am. Or you can ask him in person." Chris continued while staring at Autumn, "Yvonne, although you sleep and share the bed with Charles every night, Charles has not touched you yet. Is it because of Sam that you refused to indulge and share a sexual rtion with my brother?" Hearing this, Autumn was anxious and her face flushed into a bright pink. She recalled what had happened the previous morning. As Chris noticed the sudden flush on Autumn''s cheek, she was assured about her guesses. She snorted, "It seems that my assumptions are true!" She stammered, "What... what are you talking about?" As she took a moment toe back to reality and her senses, she tried to exin the situation to Chris in a hurried manner, "You misunderstood us. Sam and I are just friends..." Autumn wondered whether she should tell Chris about what had happened the previous morning in a bid to prove that she had no feelings for Sam. She decided to just proceed, "Chris, I had dated Sam, but that was in the past. The only one I love is Charles, and I just want to spend the rest of my life staying with him. As for Sam... I don''t care about the feelings and thoughts he harbors for me. All I want to say is that I''m done with Sam." Chris was surprised and yet d after hearing every bit of what Autumn said. With eyes wide open with shock, she asked, "Do... you mean all of it?" Autumn nodded with her pink cheeks, "Of course I do." Chris''s mind was still wavering with doubt. Still concerned about Sam''s wound on his hand, she asked, "But... what about the wound on his hand?" "At the time the hotel caught fire, a mother and her daughter we had gotten acquainted with had been trapped inside. While trying to save them from the raging fire, he got injured." Autumn paused for a moment, and then continued, "That grateful family then treated Sam and me with dinner in a bid to thank us, and your brother were there too." As soon as Autumn finished her sentence, she heard the soothing voice of Charles''s voice. "What are you girls talking about? I heard you mentioning me." Autumn was delighted to see Charles. She asked, "Howe you havee home so early?" She was mentally prepared to sleep alone as Charles had repeatedly told her that he had a lot of work to deal with and it would consume the whole day and possibly the night as well. Now, it wasn''t even 9 pm and he was already home. Charles replied with a slight hesitation, "Things went more smoothly than I expected, so I came home This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. early." Autumn did not notice or sense the hesitation. Charles held her in his arms tightly and kissed her on lips as though Chris wasn''t there at all. He then asked Chris, "What were you talking to Yvonne about?" Observing their good chemistry, Chris had no intention to continue her interrogation. In a hurry, she said, "Nothing that important really." With a grin she looked at them and added, "I won''t interrupt you. You can continue!" Chris turned around and went away from there as soon as she possibly could. Autumn turned to look at Charles and sweetly asked, "Have you had dinner? How about me cooking some delicious food for you?" "Unfortunately, I have already eaten dinner." Charles with a little smile asked, "Was Chris giving you a hard time?" Charles had heard part of their conversation. To help Autumn get rid of Chris''s question, he had walked up to her deliberately. Autumn replied as she shook her head, "It was just a mistake." Soon they walked upstairs holding hands. While Charles entered the bathroom to take a quick shower, Autumn received a call from Wendy. The second she received the call, Wendy''s screeching and yelling voice came from the other end. Without one pleasant greeting and nothing good to say, Wendy was busy calling her an shameless and ungrateful bitch. She continued cursing Autumn and calling out the most indecent cuss words at her. Hearing this, Autumn just strengthened her grip on the phone. Even though she was ustomed to all of this it never ceased to hurt and bother her. But this time the tears did not fall from her eyes. Wendy picked up a louder tone as she finished abusing her, "Autumn. I asked you to stay away from Charles, but look at what you are doing instead. You are now travelling around with him. Are you not taking my words seriously?" Autumn remained silent, leaving Wendy the only one in the conversation. Then, she heard Wendy''s voice retaliate with a sneer, "Don''t you want to get your grandma back?" Once she heard Wendy mention her grandma, Autumn couldn''t resist her anger or hold back her tears anymore. It broke her, a little bit more. She walked to the balcony and cried, "What do you want? She is my only family and I''m your child too, you know? I have neverined about the way you have always been partial to Yvonne. I made concessions with her as you required. Now, the only thing I want is to have my grandma back with me. Why won''t you satisfy my little wish?" She had endured and suffered so much for long, in silence without the support of her family. She had almost died in that fire, but Wendy who was her mother didn''t even care to check if she was injured, if she was okay but instead med her for traveling with Charles. She trembled with rage as tears trickled down her cheeks. She shouted at Wendy through the phone, "Wendy, tell me the truth. Are you really my birth mother?" Autumn didn''t get a response from Wendy immediately. After what seemed like a long pause, she heard Wendy''s voice in a rather oblivious tone, "Of course, I am your mother. I brought you to this world. As you are your father''s daughter as well, you are supposed to make amends for what your damn father has done to me." "When did he do something wrong to you?" Autumn asked as she couldn''t keep from bursting into ept his poverty, why did you marry him? You seduced another woman''s husband which obviously hurt and offended him. Finally he died in despair due to your betrayal. That''s how he owed you?" "You know nothing about what happened between us, so stay out of it!" Wendy berated, "It is not like what you imagined. Anyway, your father owed me a great deal, and you simply need to pay me back on his behalf." In that split second, Autumn finally came close to understanding what she meant to Wendy. ''For her, I''m just a tool. when she needs me, she will approach me. If Ie to be useless for her, she will simply throw me away. It''s ridiculous to talk about kinship with her.'' Autumn then attempted topose herself through the myriad of feelings. Then, she asked resolutely, "Okay, let''s skip this topic for now. I just have one question, when will you let me meet my grandma?" Chapter 111 Confess Her Real Identity Chapter 111 Confess Her Real Identity She was clear about the fact that if she continued to makepromises, she would be at the mercy of others for the rest of her life. Even though she realized that she may never see her grandmother anymore. But ever since she had gotten married to Charles, she was eager to live a sweet life with him in the future, which somehow gave her hope and encouragement. She had decided not to let fate determine her life anymore. Wendy''s voice was heard on the other side of the phone again. "I have discussed it with your Uncle Simon and we have decided to let Yvonne live with the Lu family for the time being, and you have to arrange this for her. Go and talk it out with Charles. Yvonne will go there tomorrow. " "You must be insane, " said Autumn. Autumn had never expected Wendy to make such a request. "What do you want me to do? How can I talk about this with Charles? You''d better tell him directly that I am not Yvonne." "No, I can''t do that, " Wendy said firmly to Autumn. "It is not the right time to tell him the truth. We can''t risk exposing both of your identities so early. I hope that Yvonne will get to spend some more time alone with Charles. During that period, you''d better be tactful and try to create some opportunities for them to get along with each other. When they end up falling in love with each other, I will allow you to meet your grandmother." "That is impossible!" Autumn was very irritated. She sneered and went on, "Wendy, I am not your puppet anymore." Suddenly, Autumn felt like she was armed to the teeth. She was no longer afraid of anyone, ever since she got married to Charles. "Autumn, how dare you?" Wendy did not expect Autumn to decline her request and was irritated by her poor attitude and disobedience. "I can tell you that the doctor called me today and told me that if your grandmother doesn''t have a surgery as soon as possible, she is not going to make it. So you''d better obey me and try not to offend me next time or you will lose your beloved grandma soon. It is all up to you. I am afraid to say this, but you will have to look before you leap, " Wendy said indignantly. "Don''t threaten me with my grandmother." Autumnughed grimly as she understood that Wendy was an avaricious woman and she would never be contented. Therefore, Autumn gradually decided to decline her unreasonable requests. "Wendy, I will see my grandmother some day and as for the request you''ve just made......" Autumn sneered and went on, "I am not going to do it, so you might as well forget about it." Autumn was about to hang up after she finished speaking. Her words had somehow rmed Wendy, who was starting to get hysterical. She repeated the words she had just said and continued to warn Autumn that Charles was supposed to be Yvonne''s husband. Wendy thought that it was Autumn who stole Charles from Yvonne. Unfortunately for Wendy, Autumn was determined not to make anotherpromise again. She had always made a concession for others, but now she refused to do that again. Charles was her husband and she certainly would not betray him for anyone. "Mom, this is thest time I call you Mom, you hear me? You''d better try to understand that Yvonne can never be a part of the Lu family!" Autumn was so infuriated, she hung up as soon as she finished talking. Earlier yesterday, Autumn might have given in to Wendy''s threats. But, now that she has already had sexual intercourse with Charles, she decided to make a stand for herself. Autumn would not allow Yvonne to seduce Charles anymore. When she hung up the phone, Autumn turned around and found Charles standing behind her expressionlessly, gazing at her. "Was that your family on the phone?" He asked after for a long while. "Yes, " replied Autumn. Autumn felt hesitant, as she was not sure as to how much Charles had heard from their conversation. Charles sighed with relief. He had just gotten out of the bathroom the moment she answered the phone. He stood behind her silently because he did not want interrupt her. He felt very happy when he found out that Autumn had declined Wendy''s unreasonable request. However, he did not expect Autumn to still keep her real identity secret from him. He stepped forward and then held her hands. The breeze at night was somewhat cool and her hands were also quite cold. Charles shut the windows and then sat her on the bed. After a while, Autumn''s body gradually stopped trembling and calmed down. Her cold hands had slowly started to get warmer. He forced Autumn to look into his eyes and then asked, "Autumn, do you have something you want to tell me? What did Wendy say to you?" "I..." Autumn was hesitant. Although she was determined to stand up for herself in the face of Wendy, she still was not sure if she should just tell him the truth. She was afraid that Charles would misunderstand her, because their marriage, after all, was just an borate ploy. "Autumn, do you still remember what the old monk in the temple said?" Charles gently guided her and continued, "We are a family now and no matter what happened in the past, I will share the responsibility with you. Do you understand that?" Autumn repressed her lips into a thin line and kept silent. She was hesitant for a long while, but she didn''t want to be Wendy''s puppet anymore. So with the help of Charles''s encouragement and support, she finally decided to speak. "I..." But, as soon as she was about to confess, she realized that she didn''t know where to start. So she kept quiet for a long time and then said firmly as she had made up her mind, "Charles, the truth is, I...... I am not Yvonne." As soon as she said that, Charles did not show any signs of astonishment, instead he insisted calmly, "Go on." Now that she had already started, Autumn decided to bepletely frank with him. She confessed to the whole process of her identity swap with Yvonne and why she was forced to get married to him. As she exined all this to Charles, Autumn stared at Charles nervously and added, "Charles, I am sorry. I know I shouldn''t have agreed to this and I shouldn''t have kept all of this from you for so long, but I......" Before she could finish her words, Charles held her into his arms and then said, "Autumn, I am really happy." He had been waiting for her toe clean for a long time. He had hoped that some day Autumn would tell him everything on her own, as it would mean that she finally trusted himpletely. "In fact, I had known this for a long time now, " said Charles. Autumn was stunned to hear Charles say that. It took Autumn some time to react to what she had just heard. She thought that she was good at hiding her secret from him, but she did not expect for him to have known about it all along. What was going on? Was he ying a trick on her? Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. "You already knew about it?" Although Autumn''s face was nk and expressionless, Charles knew that she was angry, so he took a deep breath and sighed, "I knew you would get mad at me, so I didn''t expose you." Charles held onto Autumn firmly and did not loosen his grip. "I have been waiting for this day for a long time. Autumn, I am really d that you are willing to open up to me about this." Autumn felt strange, but she finally asked, "You...... How did you know that I was not Yvonne?" "My grandpa urged me to get married at that time. Although I picked the girl without much consideration, I did do some research on her. I chose Yvonne because she is shallow-brained and I figured it would be easier to divorce her in the future. But, when you got married to me, I realized that you are a totally different person from the one I had investigated before. Moreover, Wendy was always persistent on creating chances for Yvonne to get alone with me and that made me feel even more strange and ufortable. That is when I started to get suspicious about everything." Chapter 112 Rumors About Autumn Chapter 112 Rumors About Autumn After a short pause, Charles continued, "So I asked David to investigate the whole thing and then found out your true identity." "You mean... you knew that I was Autumn Ye the whole time?" Autumn swallowed hard as she couldn''t believe her ears. "I did." Charles nodded and said, "You and Yvonne Gu both worked at the Shining Company before. If I hadn''t informed the HR manager first, you wouldn''t have been employed so easily." Autumn cursed herself in silence for having been so careless. "You..." Embarrassed, Autumn thought to herself, ''If Charles knew that I was Autumn Ye from the very beginning, why did he sleep with me yesterday morning?'' "It is you, who I love." Charles looked into her eyes and stated seriously, "Whoever you are, Autumn Ye or Yvonne Gu, I love you, the person in front of me right now. Got it?" Autumn blushed with shyness as she felt embarrassed by Charles''s confession of love. She looked so pretty under the yellow light. Although Charles was not some teenager who had just lost his virginity, Autumn was so irresistible to him that he couldn''t bear it anymore. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the lips. "What are you doing..." Autumn mumbled, trying to push him away. Charles, of course, was unwilling to stop. He grabbed both of her hands with one hand, and gently cupped her breast with the other. Ashamed, Autumn scolded him. Charles was not angry at all, but teased, "You fit in my hand perfectly, Autumn. " He leaned down, his hands on either side of her head. "I want you, " he murmured and made love to her gently. Autumn was a bit shy in the beginning, but after thinking about his sincere confession, she got over her shyness and epted him whole-heartedly. Her body shivered as she felt so full. That night, Charles and Autumn had sex again and again. He didn''t stop until he heard Autumn beg. When Autumn woke up the next morning, Charles was gone. She looked at the clock to find that it was already noon. Autumn cleaned herself up and walked downstairs to have breakfast. Gary was reading the newspaper on the sofa. When he saw her, Gary greeted, "Good morning." Autumn had a dry cough and she blushed with shyness. She felt embarrassed as she woke up sote. She assumed that Gary may have taken her to be azy person. "Grandpa, good morning, " she responded. "Charles said that you were exhaustedst night and asked us not to wake you up. So I didn''t ask you to have breakfast earlier." Autumn''s face became even redder at what Gary had said. Charles had been talking to everyone about what they didst night. Damn! "What would you like to eat? I''ll ask Nancy to make it for you, " Gary asked. Autumn''s face was as red as a ripe tomato. She immediately answered, "That''s not necessary, Grandpa. I''ll make it myself." Autumn went to the kitchen and found Nancy there. The moment she saw Autumn, she stepped aside in silence as she refused to talk to her. Autumn didn''t mind that at all. She made some noodles for herself. After having the noodles, she went upstairs to send her applications. She had been sending applications since yesterday, but no one had contacted her yet. She then assumed that there must have been something wrong, so she called a good friend who was in the same industry, for some advice. "I, I remember hearing that the Dark Blue Company has been looking for a nner, right? I sent applications yesterday, but no one called me. Have you already hired someone?" Autumn had met I Zhao when she was working at Cloud Advertising Company. They had many things inmon and had be good friends, despite working in differentpanies. They got together from time to time. She had no other choice but to call I. "Ye, I was nning to call you." I had heard some news and was about to call Autumn. She asked, "I''m busy right now. Are you avable this afternoon? Shall we have an afternoon tea?" "Okay! See you in the same ce." After she hung up, Autumn sent several more applications, but had received no response. When Autumn arrived at the cafe, I was already there with two cups of coffee on the table. She waved at Autumn and greeted, "Ye, right here." Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. "Have you offended anyely?" Autumn had hardly sat down when I stated with a frown, "Recently, our industry is agog about the rumors surrounding you. When I first heard about the rumors, I thought they were talking about someone who is just your namesake. Later I found out that they were actually gossiping about you. Ye, what''s going on with you?" "What?" Autumn remained quiet for a long time. Everything seemed to have changed after she came back from travelling. "You don''t know anything about that?" I looked at Autumn in astonishment. The rumors had been spreading for a couple of days, but Autumn had no idea at all. How negligent she was! I sighed and exined, "Rumor has it that Cloud Advertising Company fired you because you have cribbed from others and epted kickbacks from the client. You could have easily found a job with your capabilities and expertise, but now mostpanies believe that it was hical for you to harm the interests of thepany you had worked for. You said you sent applications but nobody called. Well, that''s not surprising!" "I have cribbed and epted kickbacks?" Who cooked up the story? "Ye, I know you very well and I know that you couldn''t have done those things. So I paid special attention to where the rumor had started and found out that it was someone in Cloud Advertising Company who first mentioned it. Did you offend someone in thepany?" Autumn frowned at I''s question. If these rumors came from Cloud Advertising Company, then she already knew who was behind them. Autumn had already left Cloud Advertising Company, but there was one person who just wouldn''t let go of her. How ridiculous thatdy was! "Now everypany is keeping away from you. These rumors were more convincing as they came from Cloud Advertising Company. If you want to stay in the industry, you must rify the whole situation to the public." I once had a talk with the boss of the Dark Blue Company. Thepany was in urgent need of nners. But when the boss heard of Autumn''s name, he immediately refused I''s rmendation. After all, no sensible boss would hire an employee who was responsible for harming the reputation of I was here today to tell Autumn about the rumors. "Got it. I will find a way to fix this." Autumn said with a frown. Suddenly, I saw the pink marks on Autumn''s neck and teased, "Are you my BFF or not? We haven''t seen each other for a month. Since when do you have a boyfriend? You didn''t even tell me!" Autumn blushed with shyness and adjusted the silk scarf around her neck awkwardly. "Come on..." she murmured. "Look at you! Your face is red all over. Ye, tell me, now!" Chapter 113 Reunion of Old Friends Chapter 113 Reunion of Old Friends Because I insisted on asking her about her love affairs, Autumn told her the truth about having gotten married just recently. "What? You got married? Who is your husband? Is he handsome?" I asked her too many questions in one go. Autumn smiled and asked I, "Which question do you want me to answer first?" "I don''t care. You must answer my questions honestly. Tell me why did you get married secretly, without even inviting me. Don''t try to lie to me, otherwise I''ll beat you!" I said with dissatisfaction. I was from another city, so she had no close friends other than Autumn in Y City. I and Autumn had promised each other that when either one of them got married, the other would be her bridesmaid. But now, I was a little annoyed at the fact that Autumn had gotten married without even informing I. "I, don''t be angry. I didn''t do it on purpose. Forgive me, please." Autumn sighed. Then she told I everything. I got indignant when she learned that Wendy hadpelled Autumn to marry a "Wendy is so evil! She had never given you her love. I once hoped that when you''d be an independent woman, you would be able to get rid of her from your life, but now it feels like she has taken away any chance of happiness you could ever have in your whole life. She disgusts me!" Although Autumn had told her story in a calm manner, I imagined how desperate she must have been when she waspelled by her mother to marry a man she didn''t love. She felt sorry for Autumn. "Don''t worry." Autumn patted I''s hand and consoled her, "Look at me. I''m fine, really. Don''t be worried." "I just feel so sorry for you, " I said. I knew clearly that for Autumn, her grandma was the most important person in the world, but it was her own mother that had threatened her with her grandma''s well-being. Her mother was a vile person! "Ye, why didn''t you call me or ask me for help? I..." "What could you have done even if I called you for help?" Autumn interrupted her. Autumn gave a wry smile and said, "My grandma''s life was in her hands, so the only thing I could do was to follow her orders obediently. Besides, I felt too embarrassed to tell anyone about it." If she had told I, I would have tried her best to stop the wedding. Then the people of Lu Family would feel humiliated, and they would have med everything on I. I was speechless. She realized that it would make no difference even if she had known the truth. She could only curse Autumn''s mother and sympathize with her. She couldn''t have done anything to solve her problems, instead, she might have even brought more problems to Autumn. "It''s OK. I''m fine. Don''t be worried." Autumn consoled I, "I have adapted to my present life very well. I get along nicely with Charles and he cares about me. I am very lucky to have him." "Charles? The man you''re referring to... Is that Charles of the Shining Company? I asked Autumn as her eyes broadened with amazement. All of a sudden, her loud voice quickly drew the attention of the people in the coffee house. "Keep your voice down!" Autumn reminded her. Then Autumn blushed red and answered, "Yes, he is." "God! Ye, you''re so lucky!" I was ecstatic for Autumn, because she was very pleased to know that Autumn had married an excellent man like Charles. Autumn was at a loss for words but still she smiled. When I calmed down, she began to worry about Autumn once again. "Autumn, although Charles looks like the perfect man, he once had a love affair with Rachel. When ourpany coborated with Rachel, she told my colleague that one day she would marry Charles. So did she cause you any trouble after you got married to Charles?" Autumn nodded her head. Rachel did cause many troubles but Charles had dealt with them for her. Now the only person who was bothering her was Yvonne. She gave a reluctant smile and said, "Rachel won''t make trouble for me. The one I''m afraid of is... Yvonne." After rejecting Wendy''s demands yesterday, she had blocked all her phone calls. But she knew that Wendy and Yvonne wouldn''t let her go so easily. She wasn''t afraid of losing Charles but she felt exhausted while dealing with them. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Hearing that Yvonne was still trying to be with Charles, I couldn''t help but abuse her, "Yvonne is a bitch! How could she be so shameless? What is she thinking? Don''t be afraid, Autumn. If she dares to steal your husband, I''ll punish her for you!" "Don''t worry. I can handle it." Autumn smiled gently. Now that Charles had known all her secrets, she had nothing to fear. "Autumn, does he... really care about you?" I asked her. There was a huge wealth gap between Autumn and Charles. She wondered whether such a difference would affect her marriage with Charles in any way. "Actually, I was also worried about this at the beginning of our marriage." Remembering what Charles had told herst night, Autumn felt happy. Then she said, "But he has promised mest night. I trust him." "Well then." Sometimes a person''s happiness could be shown through his or her expressions. Autumn''s smile was from her heart so I believed that she had a happy life with Charles. I was delighted for her and teased her, "Fine. But you owe me a dinner." "I''ll invite you to dinner." Autumn said with a smile, "We''ll have dinner together with Charles after a few days." "You said it. Don''t regret it, " I smiled with satisfaction. Then they parted ways as Autumn wanted to go to Cloud Advertising Company to find out who had defamed her. However, she realized that nobody would admit to it if she went there alone. She wandered around and then ended up in Shining Company somehow, so she called Charles. "Are you busy now?" Autumn couldn''t help smiling when she heard the voice of the man she loved. "No, what happened?" Actually, Charles was in a meeting but he suspended it when he received her call. His voice got softer than when he was talking just a few seconds ago, which shocked all the shareholders of thepany in the meeting. Many people assumed that Charles'' marriage was only for business, but now... it seemed that they were wrong. "I''m at the gate of yourpany now. What do you want to eat for dinner? I''ll make it for you." Autumn had a lot of leisure time since she wasn''t working, so she decided to do something nice for Charles. "I have to work at night so I''lle homete. You don''t need to prepare dinner for me." Charles answered her lightly. Autumn felt a little disappointed but she still nodded her head and said, "Fine. Don''t stay up working toote." Chapter 114 Private Chat Chapter 114 Private Chat Autumn was about to turn around and leave when she heard a familiar voicee from behind her. "Ye, why don''t youe upstairs?" "I was just passing by." Autumn smiled at Le who was standing behind her. Several days passed and Le had changedpletely. Le had behaved and dressed in an innocent manner before, but now, she looked different. Now, she was more like Yvonne. Besides, the expression in her eyes was different. "Why''re you here?" asked Autumn indifferently. "I don''t think you''re off duty at this time of a day." "Mr. Lu said he would be workingte tonight, so he asked me to buy some food for him." Le gave Autumn a big smile. "Mr. Lu doesn''t know how to take good care of himself. He asked me to buy some bread, but he needs real food. Am I right, Ye?" Autumn remained silent. She frowned when noticed Le talking about Charles, glowing with happiness, just like Yvonne. "Ye, are you with me?" Le patted Autumn on her shoulder. "What''s wrong? Are you all right?" asked Le. "I''m fine, " said Autumn, shaking her head. "Aren''t you gonna buy food for Mr. Lu? Go ahead." Autumn felt convoluted. She felt ufortable when women talked about Charles like that. "I almost forgot that, " said Le. She checked time on her wristwatch and said, "I should be leaving. I heard that a new restaurant nearby had just recently opened, offering some really delicious porridge. I might have to wait in line if I''mte. See youter." Before she went too far, Le looked back and shouted, "Ye, I haven''t expressed my thanks to you for helping me with my work. When I have time, let''s grab dinner together." Autumn felt a strange sense of alienation and disappointment as she watched Le disappear into the distance. In the past, those matters wouldn''t have affected her, because she knew that she would leave Charles sooner orter. Now that they had established a more intimate rtionship, she wanted to see herself standing beside him more openly in the eyes of the public. She hated the fact that Charles''s assistant was the one to buy food for him. When she got back home, she found that Chris was already there. Nancy had cooked dinner for Gary and Chris only. She frowned when she saw Autumning home, but she still greeted Autumn respectfully. "Mydy, since you haven''t told me that you would being home for dinner, so I...". "Never mind, I''m not hungry." Although Autumn felt ufortable about Nancy treating her like that, she still forced a smile on her face and greeted Gary and Chris politely. Then, she went upstairs. Chris blocked her way upstairs. "Yvonne, can we have dinner outside? I want to ask you something, " This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. asked Chris sincerely. "Alright, " answered Autumn. She agreed hesitantly. Chris chose a hot pot restaurant for them. Due to the high temperature indoors, Autumn took off her coat and scarf. Chris smiled wryly at sight of the marks on her neck. Autumn shot an embarrassed nce at Chris sitting opposite to her. In her mind, she med Charles for his recklessness. After they ordered the food, Autumn poured a ss of orange juice for Chris and asked, "Why are we here? Tell me what you want to know." Chris hesitated for a moment before she opened her mouth and asked, "Yvonne, I apologize for misunderstanding you. I''m really sorry." "Don''t mention it. We''re a family and we should look after each other, " said Autumn, with a soft smile on her face. "Besides, I know why you did that in the first ce. No girl would like it if her lover had another woman in his heart." Chris put on a bitter smile and said in a soft voice, "Yvonne, do you know that I fell in love with Sam at first sight? I wanted to see him, so I tried to approach him in every possible way. When he got sick, I took good care of him. Besides, I even went as far as ying up to his mother. My naivety caused me the belief that one day he would realize that I was there for him, always." She stopped for a moment and continued, "Butter I came to realize that he was in love with another woman, a woman whom he would never forget or let go, no matter how long it took." Chris smiled wryly. She had never expected Sam to be in love with her sister-inw. Due to this reason, she couldn''t be mad at neither Sam nor Autumn. "Chris, my conscience is clean. I have nothing to do with Sam, " said Autumn hastily, trying to exin herself. "Sam''s a good guy, and I actually think that you both have a lot inmon. If you love him, please don''t give up on him under any circumstances." She smiled and added, "As for his infatuation with me, it will be gone sooner orter. Trust me on that." "I believed that before, " said Chris, disappointed. "But unfortunately, I have tried hard and failed. From now on, I might have to give up on him. I no longer want to delude myself with thinking that he will love me." After the small chat with Autumnst night, for the first time, Chris realized that she was deeply in love with Sam. Now that the woman Sam loved was married, she was willing to give him another chance. So she bared her heart to Sam. However, she was refused by him ruthlessly and conscientiously. She thought she would be utterly disappointed. On the contrary, she was relieved from the burden of love. "Yvonne, I believe my rtionship with Sam hase to an end. From now on, we''re just friends. There will be no love involved, " said Chris, as she winked at Autumn. "If possible, you and Charles can introduce me some eligible guy. I''m old enough to get married and start my own family." "Have youpletely given up on him already?" asked Autumn with admiration. Chris had chosen to forget her love for Sam. She had attempted to win his heart, but failed. Now it was time to move forward. "What else can I do?" Chris smiled bitterly. "I have already invested too much on Sam. I tried hard, but he never loved me. There''s no need for me to look for any more trouble. Besides, It''s time for me to move on and find someone else." The young people always think of love above anything else. When they get older, they will desire for a more stable rtionship and the harmonious family life. Sam could give her neither, so she had chosen to give up. "In that case, as far as I''m concerned, you better resign from HKind Group so that you don''t feel ufortable meeting him there again." Autumn''s proposal was refused by Chris. "I know both you and my brother want me to work for Shining Company. But as I have said before, my ambitions and specialty fit the requirements of HKind Group. So I won''t quit." Autumn sighed at Chris''s stubbornness, and decided to drop the topic. "Since you have made up your mind, I won''t hold you back. Whatever you want to do, you have my full support, " she said. Chapter 115 Chris Sprained Her Ankle Chapter 115 Chris Sprained Her Ankle "Thank you, Ye." Chris smiled. "Well, I shall entrust my marriage to you." "No problem." Autumn smiled back. They both had a good time with their chafing dishes. Chris had opened her heart to Autumn and shared a lot with her. Being in love with Sam was exhausting. Too tired to go on, she was on the verge of giving up. Then Chris started drinking and got drunk. She cried andughed. Autumn knew that she was hurting and needed an outlet to release the pain, so she didn''t stop her. She knew that she would feel much better afterwards. Chris was too drunk to walk, so Autumn had to support her by the arm. Just as they had walked out of the door, someone called Autumn. "Miss Ye, it''s really you." It was Mr. Yi, a former client. He once tried to bribe Autumn in private, hoping that she would save him some money by doing a project, but Autumn turned him down. He had been holding a grudge against her ever since. Learning that Autumn had been fired and was Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. having a hard time, he enjoyed gloating over her misfortune. "Mr. Yi." Autumn was busy taking care of Chris, so she greeted him simply and intended to turn away. However, Mr. Yi wasn''t going to let her pass so easily. He stood in her way and said to her with a frivolous smile, "Not so fast. It''s been a long time since west met. Let''s find a ce to talk." Autumn remained silent with a frigid look on her face. Mr. Yi had a bad reputation in the business circles, so Autumn had made sure to keep their contact strictly professional. She avoided meeting him outside of work. Unexpectedly, she bumped into him here tonight. "Mr. Yi, as you can see, my friend isn''t feeling well. I have to take her home." But Mr. Yi wouldn''t let her go. He sneered and said, "What''s the rush? I can drive you hometer." He came closer to her and continued, "It''s not every day that wee across each other like this. For old time''s sake, let''s grab a table some ce nearby." "Mr. Yi, I really can''t. Maybe next time, " Autumn said, as she held Chris tightly. Mr. Yi scoffed, "Are you looking down on me?" Then he started shouting, "When you were a nner of Cloud Advertising Company, I respected you and asked you to do a project for me, but you refused. Now what? Look at you now. You ended up getting fired. You know what? I think you are nothing but a phony pretending to be pure and lofty. You are already notorious. Stop pretending!" Autumn''s face went pale. Chris raised her head and asked, "Ye, what... what is he talking about? What does he mean?" Mr. Yi looked at them lustfully and put his hand on Autumn''s shoulder. He said with a sneer, "You''re so beautiful. You should make full use of your beauty. Women are supposed to rely on men. As long as you agree to be my mistress, you will never have to work again." He paused for a moment and put forward another bait, "If you want to work again, I can help make the rumors disappear and you can work anywhere you like. Just say the word." "Who the hell do you think you are?" Chris said angrily before Autumn opened her mouth. Disrespecting her sister-inw right in front of her! It was outrageous. She wanted to kill him. Chris pushed him angrily and said, "Go find a mirror and look at yourself! How can youpete with my brother? I''m warning you. Get lost immediately. Otherwise, I''ll kick your ass!" "Let go of me! Let go!" Chris was gagging. It looked like she was going to throw up any minute. Mr. Yi was disgusted and pushed her hard. Chris fell on the ground and sprained her ankle. "Chris! Are you Okay?" Autumn ignored Mr. Yi and asked Chris, who was very distressed. Chris wrapped her sprained ankle with her hands and looked at Autumn pitiably. "It hurts, " she said. Autumn was furious, but upon hearing Chris'' words, she couldn''t help but smile. She decided to take her to the hospital. However, Mr. Yi still insisted, "Miss Ye, have you made your decision yet? To be honest, I appreciate you, so I want to give you this opportunity. But just this once. I hope you don''t miss it." "What if I say no?" This time Autumn answered his question directly, "Mr. Yi,st year I met your wife, who is a delicate and tender person. I heard that your sess was based on your wife''s connections and family background. I also heard that you are afraid of her. Now you''re telling me that you want to use her money to support me? Do you have no sense of shame at all?" Hearing Autumn mention his wife, Mr. Yi got flustered, but he collected himself quickly. "Miss Ye, this is between you and me. As long as you and I agree, it doesn''t have to concern anybody else." "I''m afraid I have to disappoint you, " Autumn said with a faint smile. "I actually admire Mrs. Yi very much and I''m going shopping with her in a couple of days. If I do something to hurt her, I''ll be too ashamed to see her ever again." " I''m sorry, Mr. Yi. My friend is injured. I have to take her to the hospital. Please excuse me, " Autumn said politely to Mr. Yi. She helped Chris stand up and left. Mr. Yi''s shame turned into anger. Watching her walk away, he called out, "Wait and see! You will regret rejecting me sooner orter!" Autumn heard it but she didn''t care. She took Chris to the hospital and the doctor said that the injury wasn''t serious. When they got home, Charles was waiting for them at the door. Autumn couldn''t help but make fun of him, "How long have you been waiting? You look very eager for us toe home. I''m worried that if you had waited any longer, you might have turned into a stone statue." "I was worried to death and you''re still joking. Where have you been? Why did youe home sote? I called you but you didn''t pick up your phone. Charles saw Chris, who was drunk in the back seat. He frowned and asked, "What''s going on?" "She was sad and needed to drown her sorrows in wine. Help me get her out of the car." They struggled, but eventually managed to get Chris into her room. Autumn felt relieved. Her mind was preupied with her unemployment issue the whole evening. Charles tried talking to her several times but she didn''t respond. "What''s the matter? Your mind has been wandering ever since you got home." "It''s nothing. I''m just tired." Realizing her absent-mindedness, she said to Charles, "It''ste. Time for bed." Charles gazed at Autumn''s back and sensed that something was bothering her. He decided to ask Chris about what happened the next day. The next morning, Chris turned in bed and unknowingly pressed her sprained ankle. She woke up in pain and screamed. Charles thrust the door open and asked with a grim face, "What are you screaming for? It''s early in the morning, for God''s sake." Chapter 116 Leilas Intentions Chapter 116 Le''s Intentions "Charles, I am a grown woman. Do you think it''s appropriate for you to barge into my room without knocking?" Chris protested. "So you know you''re a grown up now, huh?" Charles scolded, expressionless, "Why didn''t you just grow up and stop being so stupidst night?" "You..." Chris frowned as she got exasperated at his usation. She asked in resignation, "So you are here to me me forst night?" Charles didn''t answer, but asked, "What did you do with my wifest night?" "We just ate hotpot and did nothing else." Chris pondered hard for a long time, but failed to remember what had happenedst night. She asked in confusion, "Charles, why are you asking me this?" "She''s been in a bad mood. I wanted to figure out if you had bullied her." Before he could finish, Chris jumped off the bed and shouted angrily, "Charles, you are getting way out of line! How could you think that I bullied her?" "Well, you better not." Charles continued, expressionless, "It''s time to go to work. You won''t... go to work like this, will you?" "I..." Chris lowered her head and looked at herself. Autumn had helped her change her clothes, but her body still smelled of wine. On second thought, she wasn''t in the mood to see Sam yet. She sighed and said, "I''ll be staying at home today." After hearing that, Charles turned around and was about to leave. But Chris stopped him as she saw her swollen leg. "Charles, wait." "Anything else?" Charles turned and asked. "After we left the hotpot restaurant yesterday, we ran into a fat man. He pushed me down to the ground, and that''s how I sprained my ankle." It vexed Chris to think of the fat man. She added, "The man also teased Yvonne. He said that she had a bad reputation in their industry. Charles, may be that is why she is not happy." "Got it." Charles answered with a frown and left Chris''s room. When Charles arrived at thepany, Le came to him and greeted, "Good morning, Mr. Lu." "Good morning." Charles greeted coldly with a frown as Le had a gust of strong perfume. He went into his office and sat down. Le also came in. "Mr. Lu, here is a document that needs your signature." Charles was pleased with Le as she was good at serving as his secretary. He took over the document and asked naturally, "Do I have any appointments for this evening? If yes, please cancel it." "I''m afraid I can''t." Le answered with a frown, "Mr. Lu, you are having dinner with one of our suppliers this evening to talk about lowering the costs. The supplier will be going abroad tomorrow. If we miss this chance, we would have to wait for another month to rearrange a meeting. So..." "Then tomorrow. Whatever ns I have tomorrow, just cancel it." Charles demanded coldly. "Yes, Mr. Lu." Le smiled and wrote it down on her notebook. She continued, "Mr. Lu, do you want Linda or me to apany you there this evening?" "Linda isn''t avable?" Normally it was Linda who went on such meetings with him. "I don''t know, but she looks ill today. I guess she is not feeling well." Le hesitated and told him. "Fine. You wille with me." Charles answered without hesitation. Le got lost in excitement. Charles raised his head and asked her in confusion, "Anything else?" "No." Le shook her head. She brought him a sandwich and said, "Mr. Lu, I guess you haven''t eaten yet. I bought a sandwich for you downstairs. Please have it." Le put the sandwich on the desk and left the office. She said, "Mr. Lu, I''ll leave you be." "Wait." Charles stopped her and demanded, "Call David over." "Sure." Le returned to the office and asked David to go to the CEO''s office. Then she walked to Linda and said, "Linda, please give me Mr. Fang''spany profile." "Mr. Fang''spany profile?" Linda went nk for a moment and asked, "I should be the one responsible for it. Why should I give that to you?" Le looked shy and hesitant for a moment before she finally said, "Linda, Mr. Lu just asked me to Linda''s face soured at her words. Le immediately exined, "Linda, please don''t get me wrong. It Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. was Mr. Lu''s decision. I..." "Enough!" Linda was infuriated, but she did not dare to question Charles, because she had already offended his wife before. She had to give the documents to Le unwillingly. Le was an individual of high professionalpetence. Although she had only been in thepany for two weeks, she was already popr amongst her colleagues. Even David waspletely impressed by her. Linda felt a sense of crisis. "Linda, are you mad at me?" Le was very proud when she got the documents. But she feigned caring about Linda and exined, "Linda, I''m so sorry, but I can''t do anything to change Mr. Lu''s decision. Maybe he wants me to learn something because I''m a neer. Linda, please don''t be angry." Le spoke sincerely, "Linda, I''m your apprentice. No matter what position I will be in, I will always respect you." "Enough!" Linda sneered. Even though Le had been polite to her all this time, she was not pleased with Le at all. Linda was not a big-hearted woman. Le had won almost everyone''s approval, and she even snatched her job now. Linda trembled with anger. "Le, you are Mr. Lu''s favorite secretary now. I''m no match for you. How can I be angry at you?" Linda took a document folder, stood up and said, "I have work to do now. You have to take a close look at Mr. Fang''spany profile and please don''t embarrass Mr. Lu." Then Linda left without turning her head. Le narrowed her eyes as she stared at Linda''s receding figure. When Le found out that Autumn had a close rtionship with Charles, she had made up her mind to get close to Autumn, so that she could get close to Charles. She could tell from Linda''s manners that Linda had some feelings for Charles. But Le was sure that Charles would definitely be hers. Chapter 117 Use Yvonne Against Leila Chapter 117 Use Yvonne Against Le But Le was no longer the old, nice Le. When she had just started her work in the Secretary Department, she was unfamiliar with anyone, and had to rely on Linda. But now, she had be independent and strong, and didn''t need to suck up to Linda. When the time was ripe, she would overtake Linda, bit by bit until she would rece Linda, and be a capable assistant to Charles. With that swirling in her mind, Le let out a scornful chuckle. It was not the right time yet. For now, she This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. would let Linda have her day for a while longer. At the same time, Charles had asked David toe to his office, intending to ask him to investigate the rumors about Autumn. Out of Charles''s expectation, David frowned and said, "Mr. Lu, I have heard the rumors about Mrs. Lu, and I am wondering whether I should tell you about it." "Tell me what''s going on." Charles said with a slight frown. "Cloud Advertising Company was the one that nned our annual celebration before you cancelled our cooperation with them. Then yesterday when I visited Cloud to pay our bills, as I walked out of their finance office, I heard several staff talking about Mrs. Lu. I then lurked in the corridor for a while and listened. What they said about Mrs. Lu was outrageous." At that time, David was furious, but all he could do was listen and report it to his boss, "Do you remember someone we have met before named Pa? She was the one who started the rumors, and fabricated many stories to ruin Mrs. Lu. " Since Autumn left thepany, Pa was always reprimanded by Ryan. She hated Autumn more because of that. As far as she was concerned, Autumn was the root cause of all her troubles. Driven by hatred, Pa started to speak ill of her. And Ryan, because he was turned down by Autumn, allowed Pa to do that. "So now word is getting out that Mrs. Lu is a treacherous copycat. And nopany wants to employ her." David looked at Charles who have fallen silent with a sour look on his face. Obviously, it was him that had caused Autumn lots of trouble. "Speaking of which, how is Cloud doing now?" After a long pause, Charles asked calmly. "Cloud''s ounts have been in trouble. And since we have severed all ties with them, thepany is at a dead end. Right now, Ryan is like an ant on a hot pan, but can''t do anything to save hispany, except scratch his head." "Can we buy thepany?" Charles thought out loudly, fingertips tapping on the table. If nopany wanted to take Autumn in, he would purchase them all and reshape the business circle for her. With him owning the Cloud, Autumn would have to undertake Shining Company''s PR job. That would be perfect. "Yes, I think so." David answered. He had worked for Charles for many years, and knew exactly how his mind worked. Because the Cloud had treated Autumn badly, thepany would never get away with it. Being purchased by Charles would be the best thing to happen to it. And he had known it from the start. Before he reported the matter to Charles, David had studied the "Do it then. Make the purchase and transfer as soon as possible." Charles ordered. David nodded and left. When he walked out of Charles''s office and returned to the Secretary Department, he spotted the office zone empty with only Le in her seat. With a slight frown, David asked, "Le, where is Linda?" "She''s out. She said she needed to take care of something." With a smile on her face, Le answered. She continued, "Mr. Fan, is there anything I can help with?" "No, thank you. I was just checking on her." Said David calmly with a slight nod. Acquiring apany wasn''t a small matter. He would rather trust the experienced Linda on such an important endeavor. There was a spark of hatred in Le''s eyes. But she covered it up quickly, and grinned, "Okay, Mr. Fan. If you ever need any help, just tell me." "I will." David nodded to her, and started to prepare for the acquisition. Unwilling to stay in the office, Linda had gone downstairs earlier to Yvonne''s department. She had learned that Yvonne was Mrs. Lu''s younger sister, and also sensed her feelings towards Charles. Seeing through that, she decided to use Yvonne against Le. She would deliberately reveal Le''s ns to Yvonne, and like the old saying goes, ''let the fisherman struggle with the m.'' And when the two women were fighting this hopeless war, she would harvest the fruits. "Miss Zhao? What has brought you here? Is it not a busy day?" A girl greeted her as Linda went by. In their eyes, Linda was still Charles''s favorite secretary, and winning her favor would be as good as winning Charles''s. There had always been a constant stream of tterers wherever she went. "Miss Zhao! Have a seat!" Another girl called. Yvonne''s department was not very busy at that time. Everyone in here had some connection with the owners of thepany. So everyday, their main task was to eat, nap and gossip. With such an atmosphere, Yvonne found it easy fit in. But she wouldn''t join her colleagues when they butter someone up. When she saw Linda walk in, she just remained at her seat and upied herself with the fashion magazine she had been reading. After all, she had her own standards and self-pride, and would not allow herself to sink so low. "What happened, Miss Zhao? Why do you look worried?" A girl led Linda to the tea room, and offered her own snack to her when they took a seat together, "Is Mr. Lu unsatisfied with your work?" "That''s not going to happen." Linda breathed out a sigh, and said, "It would be great if he is unsatsfied with my work, but he will not be. Right now, his full attention is drawn by the neer. How can he have time to check my work?" The girls knew exactly who she meant by it. Along with Le, there was also a newly recruited girl named Alice. But Alice was sent to a business trip, so the only neer in the Secretary Department would be Le. Le was much smarter than Alice, though. Alice knew only how to focus on work, but Le was much more social. She was good at making friends, and knew how to take advantage of people without them knowing. The girls in thepany had actually grown fond of her. So when they heard what Linda said, some girls spoke up for Le. One of them said, "Miss Zhao, there must have been a misunderstanding. She is a good girl. There is no way she would n to rece you..." "I don''t think she''s nning for anything, but..." Linda hastily waved to the girls, and put on a worried look. The girls were intrigued. One of them said, "But what? What has happened? Miss Zhao, please tell us!" Linda paused for a while, wondering whether she should tell the girls. Then she let out a resigned sigh, and said, "You know I have been taking charge of Mr. Fang''s case. But this morning, Le suddenly paid a visit to Mr. Lu''s office, and Mr. Lu suddenly announced that Le would entertain our clients tonight instead of me. See? She''s only been here for a very short time, but has already been entrusted with such an important task. Dare she say that she got this opportunity with her abilities? Dare she say that it was fairly done?" Linda shed a bitter smile, "Leave aside how much bonus there would be if the case werepleted. Do you think it''s reasonable that she will go but not me? She''s just a newbie here!" The girls exchanged nces, and said, "Well, it''s not that bad. Perhaps Mr. Lu intended to have her help you with your work. Since Jenny left, you''ve been the only skilled employee in the Secretary Department. You''ve been exhausted. Perhaps Mr. Lu has also seen that and he wants to free up some of your load." "That''s true! Le is merely new here. In Mr. Lu''s heart, she''s not even half as important as you." Hearing that, Linda sneered. She turned to Yvonne, and asked, "Autumn, what'' your opinion on this?" Yvonne was good with Le. When Linda called her, she raised her head, looked at Linda, and calmly said, "I think it could only prove that Le is more capable than you." Chapter 118 Crying Chapter 118 Crying Linda was enraged by what Yvonne said in a causal tone. She sneered, "Is it true? I saw her take breakfast for Mr. Lu and enter his office this morning. When she came out, she said Mr. Lu asked her to apany him at tonight''s banquet. I''m not good at kissing Mr. Lu''s ass. After all, I am his secretary and not his caretaker. Mrs. Lu is the one who should take care of him. I won''t exceed my duties." "You must be kidding¡­" All the women in the office desired Mr. Lu. After he got married, a sensible with Mr. Lu would be angry to hear that someone else was pleasing him. "How could Le do that!" "What did you say?" Yvonne sat not far away from them. When she heard their conversation, she put down the fashion magazine and asked, "Is that true?" "Of course." Linda nodded as she replied, "I saw her enter Mr. Lu''s office. She bought breakfast for him. Also,st night Mr. Lu worked overtime and she stayedte and bought supper for him. Autumn, I heard you are Mrs. Lu''s sister. When you go back home, you''d better tell Mrs. Lu to watch her husband." The first day Yvonne started work, everyone knew she was Mrs. Lu''s sister. However, no one talked to Yvonne actively because of their jealousy of Mrs. Lu. Le had heard of Yvonne''s background and she intentionally tried to get close to Yvonne. As a saying goes, "Knowing the enemy and yourself, you can fight a hundred battles and win them all." She wanted to know more about "Mrs. Lu." Le intended to use Yvonne. So did Yvonne, the other way around. She entered Shining Company in order to get close to Charles. But she failed to be his secretary. Now she had no choice but know more about Charles through Le. She never thought Le had feelings for Charles. Yvonne felt betrayed. She walked out of the office without speaking a word, and took out her cellphone to call Wendy, "Mother, have you persuaded Autumn to help me move into the Lu family house?" Yvonne put forward this proposal so as to get close to Charles. She knew that because they held Autumn''s grandmother, Autumn dared not to refuse. She had waited for several days but she hadn''t This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. heard any good news from Wendy. Hearing of what Linda said, Yvonne felt worried and more eager to speed up her action to get to Charles. "Mother, I am asking you, what''s going on?" Wendy didn''t reply for quite a long time. Yvonne pressed, "What did that damned Autumn say?" Wendy signed and replied, "Yvonne, don''t worry. I need more time to persuade her." "More time?" "Mother, Charles has Autumn. I can bear it. After all, she is his wife. But don''t forget that famous star Rachel. Now there is a cheeky secretary also seducing him. What about me? I have to wait like a lump. I am telling you I won''t wait. I have decided to take the initiative and make my move." ''There are so many women casting greedy eyes on Charles. If I do nothing but wait, how long will it take for me to catch Charles''s attention? Wendy knew she couldn''t hide it for long, so she told the truth, "Yvonne, I wanted to help you, but Autumn, that little bitch¡­" Thinking of that skanky Autumn, she said through gritted teeth, "I called Autumn, but she refused to have you move into the Lu family house. I threatened her with her grandmother''s life again but it didn''t work. Don''t worry, I will think other ways." "No need." Yvonne sneered, "I will move into the Lu family house without her help. Wait and see, I will be Charles''s wife." Yvonne hung up. She thought to herself, ''There are indeed many women around Charles. It doesn''t matter because I will deal with them one by one.'' Seeing Yvonne leave, Linda knew her goal was achieved. So she walked back to the Secretary Department sneering. When she arrived at the office, Le put down the document she was reading and came to Linda, "Linda, there are something in the document I don''t understand. Could you¡­ Could you exin them to me?" "You are smart. Read again and again and I am sure you will understand them. I have confidence in your talent, " Linda said with a smile as she patted Le on the shoulder. Le froze with shock and tears in her eyes. David who was also there felt sorry for Le and scolded Linda, "Linda, what''s wrong with you? She just came here days ago. It''smon for her to consult you, her senior. You used to be a good mentor and taught newers, helping them without reserve. Why did you embarrass Le like that?" "This is between the two of us. Stay out of it, " Linda didn''t mind letting things get ugly, "Le, I advise you to focus on your work. I am sure that you will get higher position here at Shining Company sooner orter. Don''t entertain any thoughts of bing Mr. Lu''s partner though, or you''ll suffer without even knowing it." Linda had seen Autumn and knew how much Charles loved her. She believed he would love no one else whole-heartedly except Autumn. As for Le? Linda said nothing. Because the truth was, Le didn''t know her ass from a hole in the ground. But Le knew what Linda meant. Since they were already in this situation, she spoke more directly in a voice that was scarcely heard, "Linda, you are not me. How could you know Mr. Lu had no interest in me? I heard that you tried to seduce Mr. Lu, but you failed. Don''t worry I will learn from your mistakes and won''t fail like you." "What are you talking about?" Linda shouted as she raised her hand to p Le with rage. Before her palm pped Le across the face, there came Charles''s voice, "What the hell is going on here?" "Mr. Lu!" "Mr. Lu!" Almost at the same time, they stood to face Charles as David rose to ask, "Mr. Lu, are you going out?" "Yes, I am going back to have supper with my wife. Speed up the case of buying Cloud Advertising Company, " Charles ordered tly. He turned and left without asking why the two women were arguing. Linda was relieved that Charles was leaving. Because she made a big mistake, it seemed that Charles no longer trusted her any more. The scene was obvious. It seemed like Linda was bullying the newer, Le. As Charles left, she did not expect Le to cry and run after Charles. "What are you doing?" Charles asked as he grabbed her hand and and pushed her away. Le wasn''t embarrassed. She stood facing Charles, tears streaming down her face as she said, "Mr. Lu, at tonight''s banquet, you''d better take Linda with you." Chapter 119 Getting The Marriage License Chapter 119 Getting The Marriage License "Why?" Charles frowned. It was already settled. Why did she suddenly change her mind? "I..." Le sadly looked at Charles then lowered her head in silence. "This is Linda''s job. There are still many things I am not clear about..." "Get to the point. Don''t waste my time." Charles interrupted. He didn''t want to listen to her beating around the bush. Le still kept her head down and replied, "Mr. Lu, I noticed that Linda did not feel well this morning and I took the initiative to ask to go with you to the dinner party. But she seemed to have issues with this. She was reluctant to help me when I asked her about the n of the case. I don''t want our rtionship to go sour because of this. So..." Charles frowned and said lightly, "It''s all decided and there is no need to change. If there is anything unclear about the work, you can ask David." As soon as Charles finished, he hurriedly walked away. Le had nned to find an excuse to keep him from leaving, but watching Charles disappear with quickened steps, she couldn''t help stomping her feet in anger. Linda was relieved when she saw that Le''s n had failed. She looked at Le and smirked, "Did you see? Mr. Lu only has his wife in his heart. You can''t win." "It''s my own business and not your concern." Le left, feeling furious. If it was not for David''s presence, she would have thrown a tantrum. But she knew she couldn''t. She had just gained some footing at the Shining Company and she didn''t want others to know her character and true intentions. When Charles arrived home, Autumn was still looking for a job on the inte. Since she received no news from anypany that would be interested in her resume, she decided to personally drop by a qualifications, even if she got refused. Charles pushed the door open. Autumn turned her head at the sound, surprised to see Charles in front of her. "Shouldn''t you still be at work? Why are you home so early?" "I will be busy in the next few days. And there is a dinner party I have to attend tonight. So I decided to reservations at a good restaurant." "Only the two of us?" Autumn asked as she picked some clothes to wear in the wardrobe. When she got a positive answer, she frowned and said, "If it''s only the two of us, why taking the trouble to eat out? We can do that here at home." "Everything is ready, let''s go!" As soon as Autumn got dressed, Charles took Autumn directly to the restaurant. It was just the two of them, but he had reserved a big box. "Did you get rich overnight?" The box was big enough for more than ten people. Autumn was speechless when she saw the table full of dishes and the luxurious decorations in the box. Charlesughed and said, "Are you doubting your husband''s financial capacity?" Autumn stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. He was Mr. Lu, the CEO of Shining Company. Of course, he had always been rich. "Sit down, please." Charles made her sit on the main seat. Right before her eyes, Charles got down on one knee and took out a small box. He opened the red suede lid. In it was a diamond ring. Autumn became uneasy. She wanted to lift Charles to his feet. But he seemed persistent. "Get up quickly. What are you doing? It''s embarrassing to be seen like this." "Please let me finish." Charles lifted the ring box and looked at Autumn in the eyes. "Autumn, we met and knew each other through a beautiful misunderstanding. But during the days we spent together, I was gradually attracted to you. And from the moment I had feelings for you till I really fell in love with you, it all went so fast." Charles smiled. He never thought that he would be willing to jump into amitment like this because of Autumn. "I thought you were Yvonne when we first got married. I know I owe you so much. So, Autumn, could you marry me again? This time, as yourself?" The wedding they had before was grand, but it was specially prepared for Yvonne. The woman he loved now was Autumn. So he hoped that Autumn would marry him as the real her. "What are you doing? Another wedding? That would be embarrassing." Autumn had actually said "Yes" thousands of times in her heart. She was so uneasy with Charles kneeling down in front of her. "Stand up!" "If you don''t say yes, I won''t stand up." Charles''s hand holding the ring box was getting sore. "Autumn, for some reasons, I can''t announce your identity to the whole world now. But please believe me, you are the only woman in my heart." "I know, I know." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Yes! Could you please stand up now? I say yes!" She married him before as a substitute, but from that moment, she fell in love with him and was willing to give all her heart to him. She had already firmly believed that he was her prince charming. She didn''t care about the rituals of marriage. She only wanted to be with him. "Then we will go and get the marriage license this afternoon, okay?" When they first got married, he hadn''t thought of getting the marriage license because it was troublesome. But now, it was the right time. "To get the marriage license?" Autumn had already forgotten about such a thing. Looking at Charles''s expecting eyes, she nodded firmly and said, "Okay." Charles joyfully pulled Autumn into his arms. He knew she would say yes. But he was very nervous, waiting for her reply. What if she refused? "Should... Should we go back to get the household registration booklet?" Autumn asked nervously. "I have prepared everything, don''t worry." Charles said with a smile. After the meal, Charles took her directly to the Department of Civil Affairs. He opened the trunk of the car and took out arge red box full of wedding candies. Autumn was surprised at the sight of the candy box. She asked, "When did you prepare this?" "It''s a secret." In fact, he had no experience with important matters as getting the marriage certificate. Thanks to Gary who had reminded him to bring this with him, he could give out the candies to others to share their happiness. Autumn felt a little shy and embarrassed. Charles wore the happy smile all the way when they were there. He took therge red candy box and gave out the candies to the staff and other newly-weds in Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. the waiting room. All the people who received the candies said "Congrattions" with a smile. Autumn hesitated and walked to Charles. She stood beside him and beamed at other couples and replied, "Congrattions, too!" After she got the marriage license, she held it in her hand. It was light in weight, but it weighted so much in her heart. It was so precious. As the wind blew in from outside, her eyes became red because of the excitement. Chapter 120 Running Across Mr. Yi Again Chapter 120 Running Across Mr. Yi Again Autumn remembered her grandmother''s concern when she was still living with her. She would always Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. say, "Autumn, I''m already old. I can proudly say that I have no regrets about my own life. But it would be a huge pity if I can''t see you walking down the aisle in my remaining years." Every time she heard those words being uttered, she would rush into her grandmother''s arms and tell her that she wouldn''t get married and that she would always be with her for the rest of her life. "You silly girl, " her grandmother would always reply with a doting smile on her face. Now that she was married to the man she loved most in the world standing right beside her, it is so unfortunate that she doesn''t have the chance to personally tell her grandmother. "Sweetheart, why are you crying?" asked Charles, smiling as he wiped the tears from her face. "There are so many reasons to be happy. Don''t cry, my love." Autumn nodded, trying her best to hold back her tears. "Can I ask you a favor?" she asked. "Of course. What is it?" replied Charles with kindness in his voice. Autumn, hesitating for a while, finally said, "Now that we''re officially married, I want to find my grandmother and let her live with us. I have tried my best to look for her in every hospital in Y City but I can''t seem to find her. I don''t know what to do." Autumn thought to herself, ''My grandmother is my only rtive who truly cares about me. I must find her no matter what. I need to find her.'' "Don''t worry. I have already sent people to look for her. It won''t take long before we get some news, " said Charles, patting Autumn''s shoulder. "Shall I drive you home now?" "No, thank you, " she replied. Relief washed over her after hearing Charles'' words. "Drop me off there, " Autumn said, pointing to the intersection in front. "Okay, " Charles obliged. Knowing how worried she was about her work, he stopped himself from asking anything. Instead, he just told her to take care and go home early. Autumn printed out several copies of her resume and went to the Dark Blue Company where I was working. She called I as soon as she arrived downstairs. I immediately hung up the phone and went downstairs to meet her. "Autumn, my boss is busy at the moment. I want you to know how incredibly difficult it is to get you the interview. Remember to show him your best nning case. Make sure you''ll impress him with your talent and capability so he''lle to realize how stupid he''s been for refusing to give you a chance at the very beginning." Autumn couldn''t help butugh. "How could you say that your boss is stupid?" she asked curiously. "He deserves to be called stupid because he refused to acknowledge your talent from the very beginning." Suddenly, I noticed the diamond ring on Autumn''s finger. "What''s this? I didn''t see you wearing that yesterday, " I said, pointing at her ring excitedly. "I¡­" Autumn blushed, stopping mid-sentence. "I just got the marriage license with Charles." "Really?" asked I, extremely surprised. She was so excited that she couldn''t stop herself from asking more. "Wow, Mr. Lu is so thoughtful and romantic. I can''t wait to get married as well." Autumn couldn''t help bursting intoughter. "I remember you believing that marriage ruins love. You said you''re content with enjoying the sweetness that love brings. You even told me that you''ll never get married to anyone!" "Hmph! I still think the same. I haven''t changed my mind yet, " I replied, waving her hand. "After all, a good man like Mr. Lu is very rare to find in this day and age. I don''t think I''ll be lucky enough to meet someone as good as him so I wouldn''t even bother. But..." I stared at Autumn with a knowing look in her eyes. "You''ve married someone whoes from a wealthy family. Don''t you think you should also take care of your best friend''s happiness? If there''s any decent man around Mr. Lu who might be my Mr. Right, don''t forget to introduce him to me." "What about the handsome guy you metst time?" Autumn asked curiously with a frown on her face. "I''ve already said goodbye to him, " she replied in an indifferent tone. Autumn always knew that I did not take love and rtionships seriously because she had been badly hurt before. "I, what happened to you happened so long ago. Let bygones be bygones. You have to learn to let it go, " Autumn finally said after hesitating for a moment. "Where did you get the idea that I haven''t moved on yet?" said I, smiling. "I''m doing really well. I enjoy the life that I live right now. There''s no need for you to worry. Would you look at that? Time is almost up! I''ll go ahead and check if my boss is already avable, " I said, avoiding eye contact as she headed back to her boss'' office. She came back a few moments boss might be stupid sometimes, but he''s still a good boss who cares about talent." "It seems like you''re more nervous than I am, " teased Autumn. "Don''t worry. Everything will be okay, " she added, reassuring her. Autumn was surprised as she ran across Mr. Yi who was justing out of the manager''s office. He sneered as he stared at her quietly, obviously surprised to see Autumn as well. "Are you I''s friend?" the manager said, breaking the silence. "Yes, " Autumn replied, nodding her head. "This is my resume, " she said, handing over the paper to the manager. "Come in and wait here for a moment. I''ll just walk Mr. Yi out and I''ll be back, " he said. He continued their conversation as he turned back to Mr. Yi, respect apparent in his tone. "I''d like to congratte us in advance on our sessful partnership. Let me walk you out." "Hold on, " Mr. Yi said, standing still as he stared at Autumn in front of him. "Mr. Zhang, are you going to recruit new talent?" "Yes yes, " he replied attentively. "You have given me such a great opportunity and I am trying my best to perform well. I want to recruit more talent so that we can finish the project more efficiently, " he added. "I have no problem with you recruiting more employees, " said Mr. Yi. ''I''ve already told her that I''m going to make her regret what she has done, '' he thought coldly. "However, if you recruit a person with poor moral character, I might think twice about our partnership." "What¡­ What do you mean?" Mr. Zhang asked, totally stunned by what he just heard. He had no idea what was happening. He wondered why he suddenly said such a thing. "What''s the matter, Mr. Yi? Haven''t we agreed on our partnership? Why are you changing your mind?" asked Mr. Zhang, clearly confused. As he nced at Autumn, he suddenly realized that she might be the reason why Mr. Yi reacted in a different way. "Mr. Yi, if you think that she is not fit to be our employee, rest assured that we will never recruit her." "I''m not an unreasonable person. But you should know thatmitting giarism and living off one that Miss Ye did both. If you''re going to recruit her in thepany, you''re signing up for trouble, " Mr. Yi said, smiling cruelly. "Miss Ye? You are Autumn Ye?" asked Mr. Zhang. He had heard about Autumn, seeing as she had provoked a lot of discussion in thepany. He agreed to interview Miss Ye because of I''s rmendation, given the fact that thepany was also in dire need of new talents. However, he didn''t expect that she was Autumn Ye. "Yes, " Autumn replied. Standing firmly in front of Mr. Zhang, she continued. "I know that there are rumors about me in the anything. I know I deserve a ce in thepany because of my talent and capability. I''m sure that you''ll give me a chance after you''ve seen my nning cases, " Autumn said confidently without arrogance, believing in her own capabilities. "Miss Ye is really good at giarizing. Of course she''ll say that, " said Mr. Yi as he sneered at Autumn. He was trying to tell Mr. Zhang that no matter how great her nning cases were, they were all giarized and therefore didn''t hold true value. Chapter 121 Islas Resignation Chapter 121 I''s Resignation Despite the frown on her face, Autumn made no response to Mr. Yi''s piercing sarcasm. When it came to decision-making, she knew that Mr. Zhang had the final say. "I!" Mr. Zhang shouted with a grim face. I, who was just waiting nearby, came back quickly when she heard her name being called. "What''s the matter, Mr. Zhang?" she asked, not knowing about the conflict that just happened. "I, are you out of your mind? How can you rmend someone unreliable to ourpany? This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Now, it''s either you tell your friend to cancel her job application or someone might beid off. Do you hear me?" he eximed, clearly exasperated. "What happened, Mr. Zhang?" I asked out of confusion. She looked back at Mr. Zhang as she gave Autumn a questioning look. "Excuse me Miss, is she your friend?" Mr. Yi asked I unexpectedly. "You''d better keep people like her at a distance or else you''ll risk having your own reputation dented, " he said politely, noticing how attractive she was despite being sharp-tongued and ill-tempered. "Autumn has been set up, " I said, quickly understanding the reason for Mr. Zhang''s anger. He must have heard the rumor that had spread in the whole advertising circle about Autumn. "I have known Autumn for years and I can vouch for her integrity. She must have been discredited by others, but she is thest person who can do such a thing, " I said, defending her friend. "How dare you talk back to me! Do you really want to beid off?" Mr. Zhang snapped, knowing that he would never have the courage to hire Mr. Yi''s sworn enemy. "I''m warning you. It''s either she leaves or you two will leave together." He snarled, pointing at I''s nose, "Didn''t you hear? Mr. Yi said that Your friend doesn''t have loyalty and integrity! Ourpany has no ce for such a dirty rat." "You.." I, who was meant to argue for her friend, was stopped by Autumn in mid-sentence. "Forget it, " she said. She was merely trying her luck today, but it turned out she didn''t have much. Coming across Mr. Yi wasn''t something she expected. It wouldn''t be worth it to lose I''s job just for her sake. "I''ll just go, " she said, realizing that she could do nothing about the current situation. Before leaving, she caught Mr. Yi casting her a nce with a smirk on his face as if to say, ''You see, I said you''d regret about everything''. He continued to talk, putting her down with his words. "Miss Ye, I don''t think you can still build a career in the advertising industry. You are lucky that you''re beautiful enough. You might be interested to apply to the entertainment club that I just opened. Maybe you might find your ce there." Mr. Zhangughed along with Mr. Yi as soon as he stopped talking. They saw Autumn as someone hopeless who was left with no choice. Autumn didn''t say a word. However, I couldn''t take it any longer. Taking Autumn''s hand, she turned to Mr. Yi and said, "So you''re Mr. Yi? Has anyone ever told you that you''re ugly? In fact, you''re too ugly to make money in any of your business ventures. I suggest you should just stay at home in case your hideous face creeps people out." "I, are you out of your mind?" eximed Mr. Zhang, taken aback by her words. Mr. Yi was one of the major clients of hispany. He had always done everything to please him and treated him with utmost respect. That''s why he couldn''t believe that I could talk to Mr. Yi in such a rude manner. "You¡­ Get out of my face! I don''t want to see you anymore!" He yelled at I furiously. "Don''t worry. This will be thest time you see me." I removed her employee badge, forcefully throwing it in Mr. Zhang''s direction. "You''re blind as a bat! Thispany will go bankrupt sooner orter because of you. What''s the point of wasting my life here? Goodbye! And just so you know, I don''t want to see you again either!" She said as she walked straight out of Dark Blue Company along with Autumn. She had left the Once they got out of thepany, reality dawned upon I. "Autumn, why did I be so impulsive? Despite Mr. Zhang''s bad judgment, he offered a high paying job, " she said, starting to feel regret about her decision. "You have always been impulsive, I, " said Autumn, who had long gotten used to her friend''s moodiness. "Given the situation, I think you should wait for Mr. Zhang to cool down. Only then could you return and extend a proper apology. Didn''t you say that yourpany is short-handed at the moment? I''m sure he''ll forgive you and let youe back, " Autumn said, trying tofort I. "No, I will never take back what I''ve said once I''ve made up my mind, " I replied, turning down Autumn''s suggestion. "He did offer me a high sry. But I think I will eventually fall apart working for that kind of person. I''m not going back there since I''ve already resigned. Who knows? Maybe this is the universe''s way of telling me that I should take a break from work, " she sighed, looking at Autumn. "I think I can easily find another job even if I''ve decided to quit Dark Blue Company. On the other hand, I must say you are in a rather difficult position¡­" "It''s not a big deal, " Autumn smiled, trying tofort her friend. "I''ve actually thought about what just happened recently. It seems like I''m not cut out to be in this profession." In reality, Autumn had thought about starting her ownpany. But she had alwayscked a start-up capital. "There''s no need to worry about me, really, " Autumn said, patting I''s face gently. "Since you lost your job because of me today, let me treat you to dinner, " she offered. "No, that''s not enough!" I said, "Now that you''ve made a good match and married a rich person, you need to help me out when I can no longer support myself in the future. You will have to buy me dinner not only for tonight but also for the following days ahead. Do you understand?" I said, pretending to be serious. "All right, all right. I get it. Stop teasing me, " Said Autumn, torn betweenughing and crying. I, who came from Hunan Province had always enjoyed spicy food. She chose the restaurant for tonight. Autumn also liked spicy cuisine, but she found it hard to feel her tongue every time she ate out with her friend. Autumn kept drinking lemonade to cool down her mouth while I kept eating with much gusto. "Have you ever thought about working on your own? Given your qualifications and your work experience, I have no doubt you can do it, " I asked while they are eating. She only had the chance to ask her now, but I had been meaning to ask her friend about this. "I actually have, " Autumn replied with a faint smile. "But as you know, my family condition hasn''t improved. My grandmother is seriously ill and I have to pay her medical bills. I don''t have spare money lying around to help myself start running apany." "But you are married to Charles Lu now. He can surely help you, " I said, confused. From her perspective, setting up a smallpany was a piece of cake for such a wealthy man like Charles. Autumn frowned slightly upon hearing her words, for they reminded her of the wealth gap between Charles and herself. However, the very fact that Charles was far wealthier than Autumn had made her more independent and stand on her own feet. "I did marry him. But it doesn''t mean that I will be totally dependent on him. I''ve always believed that I need to achieve what I want by myself. I also want to be able to prove to others that I did not marry him for his money." She had her own principles and values that she firmly held on to. A marriage that is born out of a happy coincidence made her more keen to protect their love and their rtionship. She didn''t want to be known as a fraud, fearing that others might use her that she was up to something. "I''m afraid that you might be thinking too much, " I said casually. "You two are husband and wife. You can simply get rid of those worries if you willmunicate your concerns to your partner. Live your own life and don''t let other people''s opinions affect you." Chapter 122 A Tacit Understanding Between Friends Chapter 122 A Tacit Understanding Between Friends Upon hearing I''s words, Autumn shook her head with a smile. Her rtionship with Charles was unbnced from the beginning, but she hoped and tried to always be on equal terms with him. "Are you done?" She asked softly and politely as I put down her chopsticks on the table. "Yeah, I''m done. Let me drive you back, " I offered. As Autumn had no car, she either traveled by the subway or hailed a taxi every time. "You''re Mrs. Lu now. You can''t take the subway or a taxi every time you go out. You should at least have a car, which will give your husband more face, " I added her opinion. Autumn said nothing but was pondering about what I said. She didn''t mind taking these forms of transportation, but now she just had to consider whether it would cause Charles any undue trouble if people found out that Mrs. Lu often took the public transport. Once they left the restaurant, I drove Autumn home. As the car came to a halt near the gate of Dream Garden, Autumn invited her in. "It is toote. I''lle to your house next time, " I promised while declining her polite offer with a smile on her face. Autumn nodded slightly and prepared to get out of the car, but I stopped her, "Autumn..." "Yes?" Autumn turned to her with an inquiring nce. "If you do start apany, I can give you a hand, " I said, "Although I''ve spent a lot of money these years, I have some savings remaining. If you need it, I''ll take it out especially for you." "Thank you, I, this is very considerate of you. I''ll call you when the need for it arises, " Autumn replied as she was touched and grateful for the offer. I then drove away. And Autumn did not turn to enter her house until I''s car was out of sight. Unexpectedly, she met Sam as soon as she reached the door. "Sam, what are you doing here at this time?" Autumn asked. "I... I''m here to see Chris." Sam looked ufortable and almost unnatural. Chris didn''t go to work all day today. He was afraid it was what he said yesterday that hurt her, and as he began overthinking it he became more and more worried and concerned. So the moment he got off work he bought some fruit and came to see Chris. Little did he know that Chris didn''t go to work because of her injury until he met her. Autumn nodded to him. Seeing that Sam''s hand was still wrapped in gauze and cotton dressing, she asked with concern, "How''s your hand? Is it serious?" "No, " Sam smiled and answered, "It''s bound to leave a scar, but that''s alright." "Oh, good, " Autumn said in aforting tone. Exactly in that moment, Sam noticed Autumn''s diamond ring. "It''s..." he asked, looking at her ring and feeling a sharp pain in his heart. "This is... Charles and I got our marriage license just today. Now we are legally married, " Autumn exined, her face lit up with joy just with the thought of how special the day was. "You... just got your marriage license today?" Sam asked as his eyes widened with shock and surprise. He felt the gloom of sudden regret. He was always toote and now he missed the chance to be with her, for eternity. If he had just known that Autumn and Charles had not gotten their marriage license earlier, he would have done everything he could to take Autumn away, instead of overthinking every step of the way. "Yes, " Autumn nodded and smiled. "We couldn''t get a marriage license in the previous situation. But now I have told Charles absolutely everything and I am just not afraid of hiding it from him." "You mean Charles knows who you are now?" Sam asked with a rather puzzled look. "Yeah, he does, " Autumn nodded. Then she looked at Sam and sincerely said, "Sam, I''m living and doing all well. Charles loves me with all his heart. I do sincerely hope that you find the perfect woman for you as well." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Chris is a good girl. It is about time you thought about getting married." Sam smiled, put out his hand to touch Autumn''s head, but then realized it would be inappropriate, so he withdrew his hand with a wry smile. "It''s good that you are doing well. As for my affairs... I''ll think about them myself." "But..." Autumn tried to persuade him, but Sam seemed unwilling to listen to her. She just had to give up. "It''s gettingte. I should head home now. Have an early night." Uttering these words Sam left. Autumn, while watching his receding figure realized that he was very lonely. Autumn heaved a sigh and entered the house. The atmosphere in the living room was cheerful. Chris, who was rather moody yesterday, was now holding Gary''s hand and wasughing while talking. "What is happening here? You look so happy, Chris, " Autumn asked and smiled, "How''s your ankle now? I hope you changed the bandages on time." This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "It''s much better. It''s just a sprain, Yvonne. It''s nothing serious. Please don''t worry, " Chris answered while putting a grape in her mouth. She pointed to the grapes neatly kept on the table, and said, "Try the grapes, Yvonne. It''s so very sweet and delicious." "Is the grape sweet or do you feel sweet?" Autumn passed a sly smile as she made fun of her. Chris was so delighted simply because Sam hade to see her. It was almost like she had forgotten that how determined she was to give up on Sam justst night. "Yvonne..." Chris passed an embarrassed look at Autumn. She had not forgotten what she had said the previous night. "All right, I won''t talk about that, " Autumn smiled, "There''s something... I want to tell you." "What is it now?" Chris asked Autumn as she ate the fruit that Sam had so thoughtfully brought for her. At that point, nothing seemed to be as important to her as Sam''s surprise visit. "Charles... and I got our marriage license today." Autumn turned to nce at Gary as she did not know if Charles had told Gary about her true identity. Upon giving it a second thought, she realized that Gary had stopped calling her Yvonne these days and called her Ye as Charles did. With that she concluded that he might have know about it. Sure enough, Gary didn''t show any surprise, but Chris did. "What? Yvonne, you just got your marriage license today?" "Yes, " Autumn answered with a smile while adding, "You know why your brother and I were together to begin with. But to be honest, I wasn''t expecting to get here. Anyway... we''re a real family now." Chrisughed heartily, "I''ve have always thought of you as a family member. So now you can pay some attention to my marriage." "Sure, you don''t even have to mention it. You asked me to introduce a man to youst night and I told your brother all about it. There are so many excellent young bachelors around him. I''ve asked him to introduce the best one to you!" Autumn teased her. "Yvonne, you know I''m not talking about this, " Chris hastened to stop Autumn in her tracks. "Then what exactly are you talking about?" Autumn pretended not to understand what she was implying. Observing that Chris was too shy to speak out about her feelings, Gary openly said, "She means Sam. That young man looks good. Chris said he''s your friend. I just talked to him and got a good impression of him. It would be perfect if he could be with Chris." "Grandpa." Chris patted Gary on the arm while she was embarrassed. "I get it, grandpa." Autumn couldn''t helpughing while speaking. Chapter 123 Leila Threw Up Chapter 123 Le Threw Up Chris blushed. Sam was handsome and evidently came from a well reputed and rich family. Indeed, Gary also thought Sam was an excellent candidate for a grandson-inw. Most importantly, he appreciated his patience. He neverined whenever Gary wanted to talk or y chess with him. "Oh, I just recalled that Charles needs to get his sutures removed tomorrow. Grandpa, why don''t we eat out, celebrate and make a day of it?" Autumn suggested. "Great idea!" Chris chimed in gleefully. While Autumn was chatting with Gary and Chris, Charles and Le were in the middle of a business banquet to lower the price. The otherpany''s boss was as cunning as a fox. The negotiation had stretched out over a long time, yet it was not going anywhere, so this time Charles had to take care of it himself. Jed Fang, their business partner, kept urging and pushing Le to drink more wine. Despite Charles'' presence, heid his hand on her leg and then casually tried to move his hands onto her thigh. Le looked at Charles with unpleasant looks. She was angry but she couldn''t say anything. She was waiting for Charles to defend her honor. She had drunk a lot. She used to entertain business partners of Cloud Advertising Company with Ryan. Although her face turned red with wine, she seldom got drunk. But today... seemed different. Whenever someone urged her to drink she chugged her ss of wine. She was drunk a few moments into the dinner and was sitting there, ruefully gazing at Charles. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. "Miss Zhang, here, let''s drink some more, " Mr. Fang said to Le while casually wrapping his arms around her shoulder. All through this meal, he spent most of the time urging Le to drink and barely mentioned anything about business. Charles was about to explode with all the pent-up anger. "Mr. Fang, about the price-" Charles said, but Jed Fang interrupted him immediately and said, "Mr. Lu, we are all having a good time here tonight. Why do you have to be such a spoilsport? As long as you make me happy and satisfied during this meal, lowering the price will be assured. Come, drink with us. Cheers!" Jed Fang was tipsy. He raised his ss and stood in front of Charles and said, "Mr. Lu, drink this and I assure you I will be your friend. I will do my best to amodate whatever it is that you seek." "I don''t consume alcohol, " Charles said abruptly in a cold tone. "What do you mean?" Seeing Charles was merely a youth, Jed Fang sneered and said, "Are you looking down upon me and judging me harshly?" "Don''t be angry." Le stood up and staggered to Charles. She said to Jed Fang, "Mr. Fang, don''t get angry. I''ll drink this ss of wine on behalf of Mr. Lu." Le was just about to grab the ss from Jed Fang but he ignored her. Heavily under the influence of wine, he poked Charles in the chest repeatedly, saying, "Who the hell do you think you are? Let me tell you a little something, I''m here only out of my respect for Gary-" Before Jed Fang could finish his remark, Charles grabbed his hand and pushed it aside and said, "And I''m here because I truly respect your father." Jed Fang was from a wealthy family. He was nothing by himself and so he solely relied on the reputation of his shrewd and respected father. Charles had given him a chance but he just blew it and left Charles with no other choice. "Tell your father that I tried. Now as we can''t possibly reach an agreement after wasting this entire evening I have to find myself another supplier." Upon hearing Charles say he was going to find another supplier, Jed was shocked to his very core. In a moment of sobriety he stared at Charles and said, "I dare you!" "You will know very soon whether I dare or not." Charles took his coat off the hanger with knitted brows and was prepared to leave. He looked at Le, who was sitting on the floor, and said, "Get up. I''m driving you home now." "Okay." Le exhaled deeply. She had done everything tonight to make Charles drive her home. Now she got exactly what she wanted. Jed cursed behind them. The words he uttered were so filthy that Le felt ufortable just hearing them. Charles strode away while pretending not to hear anything. Once they got in his car, Le took the fall for everything that had happened at the table. "Mr. Lu, I''m sorry, " she said. "Are you drunk? What are you apologizing for?" Charles simply ended the cooperation with Jed because he was a scumbag. Besides, he had already found a new supplier. Today''s talk and dinner was a formality for senior Mr. Fang''s sake. "It''s all my fault. I''m inexperienced. If Linda were here instead of me, things would have gone smoothly. You lost this huge supplier because of me. I majorly screwed it up, " Le said apologetically. "Enough. You don''t have to take the me." In an indifferent tone, Charles asked, "Where do you live?" Le tole him the address and briefly exined the directions. Charles didn''t say a word after that. There was an air of awkwardness in the car. Le was anxious to find a way to break the ice, because if it went on like this, Charles wouldn''t even think of entering her apartment, let alone staying for tea. Before Le could figure out a way, the car had already stopped right in front of her building. Le got out of the car and threw up at the roadside, or more precisely, gagged. She sneakily dug her fingers into her throat to reflex puke while Charles wasn''t looking. Charles wasn''t soft-hearted exactly, but thinking that this was the first time she had been in such a situation, his heart melted. He took a bottle of water from the trunk and walked up to Le. "Are you all right?" he asked with a concerned look. At this very moment, Le puked on his fancy suit. She finally saw Charles''s worried face with knitted brows, only the concern was not for her. "I''m so...so sorry, Mr. Lu. I didn''t mean to puke on you." Looking at therge stains on his suit, Le was on cloud nine. But she deceitfully hid hercency behind a facade of sincere guilt. "Mr. Lu, I really didn''t do it on purpose." "Okay, just forget it. You can stop cleaning it now." Charles pushed her hand away. The stains just looked messier than before. "Go upstairs, safely. I''m heading home now." Charles handed her the bottle of water. When he turned back, Le stopped him immediately and said, "Mr. Lu, since you are already here, why not apany me upstairs for a hot cup of tea? Besides, when Mrs. Lu sees you like this, she will be worried. You don''t want that. Do you?" Le acted all concerned about him. "I have my father''s clothes in my apartment. They are not expensive but they are clean. I''m sure that is better than wearing this right now. Or you can clean off the stains upstairs. They look really disgusting." Charles thought Le''s words made sense. He hesitated and then nodded. "In this case, take the lead." His suit smelt pungent. He was afraid he would throw up while driving with that lingering stench. Le was thrilled. She finally got her wish to lead Charles into her home. She had rented this small apartment near her workce and kept it neat and cozy. Chapter 124 Autumns Suspicion Chapter 124 Autumn''s Suspicion She had lived with her ex-boyfriend before she met Charles. When she finally found an excuse to break up with her ex-boyfriend, the guy packed all his belongings and walked away from her life. Now, she''s left with an apartment that looked livable for a singledy. "Can I use your bathroom?" asked Charles, taking off his business suit. He was lucky enough that the shirt hadn''t gotten dirty. All he needed to do was clean his suit. "This way, " Le said as he gestured for Charles to follow her towards the bathroom. "Mr. Lu, I''m really sorry. I promise I will clean your suit or I might as well buy a new one for you, " She said regretfully. "You don''t have to do that, " Charles replied nonchntly. Le reached into the suit''s pocket, finding his mobile phone. Her face flushed as the phone rang, showing the number of Charles''s wife. She walked into the balcony, picking up the phone after hesitating a few moments. "Good day, Mrs. Lu. Your husband is currently inside the bathroom. Once he gets out, I''ll inform him that you have called, " Le said respectfully as she hung up the phone. After putting down the phone on the table anxiously, she decided to make some tea. As Charles came out of the bathroom, he saw Le sitting on the couch and a cup of hot tea on the table. "I''m leaving. Have a good night." "Mr. Lu, would you like to have a cup of tea before you go?" Le asked, trying to persuade Charles to stay overnight. If she only had a choice, she would like to stay with him even if they did nothing but talk. "Save yourself the trouble. I never drink tea at night. Otherwise, I might find it difficult to sleep, " Charles exined. "Thank you anyway." "Here''s your phone, " Le said, handing over his phone and wallet. "By the way, your wife called earlier and I answered it for you." "What? Why did you do that?" Charles eximed, forcefully taking his phone from Le. He''s absolutely surprised that she did such a thing. He didn''t think that Le is ever capable of fiddling with his phone. Le was incredibly frightened to see Charles lose his temper. It took a few moments before she regained herposure. "Mr. Lu, I was just afraid that your wife might worry about you so¡­" she trailed off, not being able toplete her exnation as she started sobbing uncontrobly. They said that tears are women''s most effective weapon for defense. It''s probably the reason why the scene somehow alleviated Charles''s anger. "Never mind. Just don''t ever do that again. Are we clear on that?" said Charles softly, attempting tofort her. "Yes, " Le answered with tears streaming down her face. She finally got a hold of herself, as Charles started to walk out of her apartment. Putting on a brave face, she willed herself to stop crying. She stood still at the window, trying not to look sad, as she watched the car pulling away. ''I can''t do this anymore. I better start making a move and make Charles fall in love with me, '' Le thought, her eyes full of mischief. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. She was satisfied to be Charles''s mistress as long as he''s there for her whenever she wanted him. She''s confident that if she''s able to keep him around sessfully, he would eventually fall in love with her. "Mrs. Lu, let''s wait and see, " Le said to herself,ughing hysterically. Charles had no idea what Le said to Autumn on the phone. Rushing home, he arrived and saw that their bedroom door was opened. Thinking that Autumn might have slept already, he walked toward the bathroom. Before he got inside, the light came on unexpectedly. Autumn sat on the bed, looking at Charles with an expression that was hard to read. "Where have you been?" she asked quietly. "Why do youe home sote?" He nced at Autumn, trying to stifle hisugh. He thought how funny it was that she somehow looked like a dissatisfied housewife. "Why are you still awake?" he asked, sitting beside her at the bed. Autumn ignored his question, looking at him nkly as she waited for an answer. Guilt flowed over him as her wife continued to stare. "Alright, I know I should not havee back so mistake. "Next time if Ie homete again, please don''t wait for me. You can go ahead and sleep, " he went on, trying tofort her. "What kind of business dinner did you have to attend?" she asked, remembering the voice from the phone call earlier. She was certain that it was Le who answered the phone in an ambiguous manner which further fueled her doubts. "Not an important one. But I had to attend it, " he said, holding Autumn in his arms. "From now on, I promise that I will tell you whenever I''m invited to this kind of business dinners." Autumn frowned, still ufortable and suspicious. Somehow, there''s a voice inside her that''s not buying what he said. "Were you there alone?" she asked further. "Of course not. I had thepany of the girl you introduced. The one named Le? I''m not really sure, " Charles answered absent-mindedly. "Haven''t you always attended business dinners with Linda? Why did Le go with you tonight?" asked Autumn stubbornly. "Linda took a day off today because she felt sick. Sooner orter, Le would need to be able to deal with this kind of business dinners so I asked her to go with me, " Charles answered without even thinking. "What''s wrong? Are you jealous?" "I called you earlier but Le answered, " Autumn said frankly. "She said you were doing something in her bathroom? How did you end up in her bathroom?" Despite knowing that Le had answered his phone back in her apartment, he never expected that she would say such thing that could be easily misinterpreted. He thought to himself, ''Did Le deliberately do this to cause some trouble and make Autumn angry?'' He sighed, understanding that he needed to exin everything to Autumn. "Le got drunk during the business dinner. As her superior, I had to take her home or else she might be in trouble. She threw up at me when I was just dropping her off so I had to wash my suit in the bathroom. You can get my suit and smell it for yourself if you don''t believe me, " Charles said, taking off his suit. Just as he was about to put it over her nose, Autumn stopped his hand halfway and shouted, "Go ahead and take a shower! You stink!" "Alright, I''ll do it. You''re the boss, " said Charles, smiling as he walked towards the bathroom. He shouted not long after he entered the bathroom, asking for Autumn to bring him his underpants. Autumn was speechless. "Where are your pants?" She hesitated, debating whether to get it for him. "Inside the drawer on the left side of the wardrobe, " Shouted Charles. Autumn opened the drawer. As she looked inside, she saw that the underpants came in different colors. She wondered whether they belonged to him or not. Charles usually had clothes that came in three or four colors, including white, ck, gray and blue. No one would expect that he had a collection of multi-colored underpants. Autumn refrained fromughing as she decided to pick the pink one for him. "Here you go, " she said cheerfully, tossing the underpants into the bathroom. Chapter 125 Remove The Stitches Chapter 125 Remove The Stitches "Oh. You like seeing me wear pink underpants, don''t you? From now on, I''ll make sure to buy pink underpants for your sake, " Charles said, teasing Autumn as he suddenly dragged her into the bathroom. He stoodpletely naked, having already taken off his clothes. Autumn felt uneasy, not used to seeing him that way. "You¡­" she trailed off. "Put on your clothes!" Charles found the scene in front of him amusing. Her wife had absolutely no reason to be shy. He wondered why she cannot look at him despite of all the things they had already done as a couple. "Are you kidding? Do you want me to take a shower with my clothes on?" Charles teased. "Well¡­ you should continue taking a shower. But let me go out first, " Said Autumn, trying to run away immediately. "Where do you think you''re going?" he asked, her efforts proving to be in vain as Charles caught her by the waist. "I''m going back to the bedroom, " Autumn replied, covering her blushing face with sweaty hands. She couldn''t seem to stop looking everywhere but him, obviously trying to avoid eye contact. "How about we take a shower together?" he asked, whispering to her ears as he held her from the back. His warm breath spread throughout Autumn''s body, making her feel hot all over. "S-Stop it.." she said, too shy to do anything despite liking what they were doing. Charles remained steady as Autumn tried to stop him and push him away. "Don''t tease me. Go take a shower, " she said as heat flooded her cheeks. "I''m not doing anything, " he said as he started touching her. "Have you forgotten that we already missed the night of our wedding day? I woud never let that happen again." Charles remembered that they signed a contract the night of their wedding day, agreeing on a three- pointw stated in the document. He wanted to destroy that document whenever he thought about it. Especially now that they had a genuine rtionship and things werepletely different. "Don''t¡­ Don''t you feel tired?" she asked, wondering where he got his energy. They were having sex every night. He seemed to be more keen to do it. On the other hand, she feltpletely exhausted every time they did it. "Are you doubting my potency?" Charles said, pretending to be annoyed. He continued to hold her still and took her into the bath tub, then he followed to join. As the warm water wrapped both of their bodies, Autumn gasped, her face bing pale. "Stop it! Let me go!" She eximed, the water muffling her screams. "Let you go? How do you expect me to let you go?" The warm water continued to flow, making both of them feelfortable. Autumn''s pajamas were soaked, showing her voluptuous figure. Blushing, she sank further into pleasure, turning her into mush. "I¡­" She mumbled, not knowing how to reply to his question. She had always been a conservative woman. Even when it came to sex, she preferred to do it in a traditional way. Doing it in the water made herpletely anxious. "Please don''t¡­" She said, trying to wriggle out of his touch even if she felt extremelyfortable and intimate. Despite Autumn''s reluctance, he started to strip her off her clothes, his hands wandering all over her body. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Autumn, now fully immersed with lust,pletely forgot the shyness she had initially felt. Charles started to enter and suddenly withdraw, stopping all of his movements. "Do you want me to continue?" he asked with a naughty smile on his face. "You¡­" Autumn''s face flushed deep red, unable toplete what she was supposed to say. She sighed, annoyed that he suddenly withdrew when he had already inserted the tip. Charles couldn''t help butugh seeing Autumn pissed off. "Tell me what you want or else I wouldn''t do it, " He said, teasing Autumn further. "What do you want?" Charles kept asking, wanting to hear the wordse out of her own mouth. "I want¡­" She couldn''t seem to tell him what she wanted, too embarrassed to say the word. "Want what? What do you want?" "Sex, " she whispered, her voice almost inaudible. Hearing her response awakened him, making him growl and start humping. They did not stop until they reached their highs, making the night filled with lust and pleasure. As the water in the tub grew cold, Autumn started to drift off to sleep. Charles was amused to see her asleep, surprised that she could drift off right after having sex in the tub. Helpless, he wondered what he would do next. Without waking her up, he started to bathe her with warm water, wiping her body with a dry towel afterward. Carrying her over to the bed, heid her down beside him. He felt happy and content as he held Autumn in his arms. During the next day, Charles needed to visit the hospital to remove his stitches. Autumn got up early in the morning, setting up the rm for Charles, while she went to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast. She felt sore all over her body, ufortable with what she was feeling after their night full of pleasure. She brought the porridge that she made for Charles, intentionally putting wolfberry and pork kidney. "Eat this. It''s full of nutrients and good for your kidney." Charles almost slipped the spoon in his hand upon hearing her words. "Are you implying that I''m not good enoughst night?" he asked with his eyes narrowed. "Wasn''t that enough? I might need to double my efforts tonight so you can erase all of your doubts, " he added. "Charles, you''re not the only one in this house. You might need to consider my feelings before you say anything like that. I''m single, you know, "ined Chris as she entered the dining room. She happened to hear their conversation as she walked towards them, making Autumn blush with embarrassment. She decided toe back to the kitchen, turning around to hide her face. "What happened to her?" Chris asked out of confusion, looking at her brother in front of her. "Here, eat your breakfast!" Charles said, handing over the porridge, ignoring her question. After finishing their meal, Autumn went with Charles to the hospital. He tried to make her wait outside, but she insisted to go inside the examination room with him. She gripped his hands firmly, looking more anxious than him. "Charles, you can hold my hand if you feel any pain. Don''t worry. It will be fine, " Autumn said, not knowing whether she was trying tofort Charles or herself. He felt her grip getting firmer when the doctor began the treatment. Despite being afraid, she continued to follow the doctor''s every movement, her heart trembling at the removal of every stitch. Autumn felt that the procedure was taking too long. Worried that there might be something wrong, she decided to ask a question. "Doc, how is his wound? Is everything okay?" "His wounds have already healed. I''ll give him some prescription. He''ll be fine soon, just don''t forget to take the medicine on time, " the doctor replied without even raising his head. Chapter 126 Garys Invitation Chapter 126 Gary''s Invitation Autumn, still anxious about Charles''s condition, asked the doctor when exactly he would fully recover. "Let''s go. The doctor said I''ll be fine, " Charles said, taking the prescription before going. "But I''m still a little bit worried, " She said with a frown on her face. It was his head tha got hurt! Better to be safe than sorry. "I''m fine, " he said, trying tofort her. "We still have an appointment with grandpa for dinner. We''d better hurry. We can''t keep them waiting for us." Those words alleviated Autumn''s concerns as they headed to the restaurant. Upon arriving, they spotted Gary and Chris waiting for them in front of the restaurant. Autumn was surprised to see that Sam was also there. "Come here both of you, " Chris said, gesturing towards them to sit beside her. Though she hadn''t fully recovered from the ankle sprain, she pulled a chair beside her for Autumn to sit on and gave her a meaningful wink. Autumn found an excuse to go to the restroom. She also motioned for Chris to follow her out. Once they were out of the dining area, Autumn asked her, "What''s going on? Why is he also here with us?" "Grandpa called him and extended an invitation. I didn''t expect that he''d actually ept it ande over, " Chris replied, pleased to see him here. Autumn doubted her words, suspicious that Chris might have tried to convince grandpa to call Sam. "Yvonne, please help me. Now that you and my brother are happily together now, do you want to see me end up all alone? Besides, I won''t stay home and be a bother to you if I have my own love life, " Chris said, holding Autumn''s hand. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "Alright, I get what you''re trying to say, " Autumn could only agree helplessly. She had already talked to Sam several times and found out that he did not appear to be interested in Chris at all. However, Chris liked him so much that she decided to lend a hand. "Let''s go back. They might be wondering where we are, " she said, pulling Chris''s arm. As they walked back to the table, Autumn saw Sam filling a cup of alcohol for Charles. She immediately walked over to Charles and took his ss away. "Sam, Charles just had his stitches removed today. You can drink with him whenever you want but now, " she said, looking at Sam. "I''ll be fine, " Charles said, trying to take back his ss from Autumn. "I drank a lot when we went to Z City. One drink won''t matter, " he continued while putting the ss on the table. "She has always been like this. Sometimes she gets overprotective, " he told him. Sam kept quiet and didn''t say anything in return. God knew how much he wanted to be treated the same way. He wanted Autumn to care about him that much. "I think it''ll be fine to drink just a little, " he said, pouring half a cup. He didn''t have the heart to fill the ss as she continued to stare at him. Autumn had no choice but to let it go, seeing as Charles said he could drink and Sam said there''s no harm in drinking a little. During the meal, Gary kept talking to Sam, trying to know more about him. Sam continued to politely answer his questions. As it went on, Gary looked more and more interested in him. "Do you have a girlfriend?" Gary asked Sam directly. Everyone present froze for a second upon hearing his question. Sam, who was also shocked, took an instinctive look at Autumn seated across from him. "Why are you looking at her? I''m talking to you, " Gary interrogated him further. Sam and Autumn were out of words, finding the present situation ufortable. "I don''t have a girlfriend, Mr. Lu. I thought you might have already known that." he finally replied. "Then how do you like Chris?" Chris almost choked drinking her orange juice upon hearing the question. "Grandpa, what are you saying? There are boys chasing after me and it''s not like I won''t be able to get married. How could you ask him such a question? You''re making me feel embarrassed, " she said, wiping her mouth using the table napkin. "There''s no need to feel embarrassed, " Gary said, smiling. "I think Sam is a decent young man. You''ve also known each other for a while and has shared some time together while you were abroad. You two seem to make a good match. You can settle down together as soon as possible. What are you waiting for?" he continued. Gary turned to Sam and exined, "You see, my granddaughter had no parents growing up. Charles and I raised her by ourselves. She was just a little girl when her parents passed away. Charles and I have been protecting her all these years, so she can be arrogant and willful sometimes." Gary paused for a second and continued. "I understand that Chris may have a bit of a temper. But she''s a kind-hearted girl. If you choose to be with her, I ask only for one thing. Don''t make her sad." Chris felt a hot flush emanating from her face down to her neck. She was too embarrassed to raise her head and look at Sam. Despite being anxious, she couldn''t help but feel giddy. She hoped Sam would reply in a positive answer. During the time she was injured, Sam came to visit her almost every day. His care and concern for her warmed her heart, almost to the point of making her forget the cruel words he said to her before. There was a long silence as Gary waited for a response. On the other hand, Sam kept quiet. The old man couldn''t help asking him again. "Sam, what do you think? Chris won''t be left on the shelf, she¡­" "Mr. Lu¡­" Sam suddenly interrupted Gary. He didn''t want to break Chris''s heart. He couldn''t help visiting her a number of times while she was recuperating from her injury. However, throughout that time, he was convincing himself that he cared about Chris because he saw her only as a sister and that the one he truly loved was Autumn. He wanted to tell Gary that he did not have feelings for his granddaughter. He opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes fell on Chris, and no words came out. He had hurt Chris''s heart once. He really did not want to embarrass her in front of so many people this time. "If you think my suggestion is alright, we can find a proper time to prepare for your engagement. You both are not getting any younger and it''s better to get engaged as soon as possible." Seeing that Sam has said nothing, Gary took it as a yes and even started nning their engagement right there and then. Feeling a bit of panic, Sam knew he couldn''t keep being silent any longer. He gazed at Chris, with an apologetic look on his face. Autumn sensed that Sam was about to voice out his objection. She immediately raised her ss to make a toast. She said to Gary, "Grandpa, what are you talking about now? Aren''t we celebrating Charles''s birthday? Come, let''s drink. I propose a toast to the safety and well-being of our family." Her attempt to change the topic was to keep Sam from saying anything. However, due to Sam''s lingering hesitation to answer Gary''s questions and hisck of any positive response, Chris could already tell that Sam hadn''t changed his mind at all. She assumed Sam had a change of heart and had started to like her. But now she realized she was wrong. She raised her pale face and managed to force a smile. She said to Gary, "Grandpa, don''t put Sam on the spot. We''re just friends. There''s nothing between us..." Chris felt her heart breaking as she spoke. However, she didn''t show it and pretended tough it off. "I just talked to Yvonnes a few days ago and asked her to keep an eye out on any good man she finds around her. You don''t need to worry about me. Am I right, Yvonne?" Autumn paused for a bit when Chris mentioned her name. "Don''t worry, Grandpa. Charles and I will help Chris find a good husband, " she said as she nodded her head. Chapter 127 Amusement Park Chapter 127 Amusement Park Gary sighed, reading the thoughts of her granddaughter. He knew she didn''t want to put Sam in a difficult position. She had never striven for something she truly wanted. Gary wondered where she inherited that particr trait. After Chris''s rification, Gary knew he could no longer say anything about the matter. The atmosphere during that night''s dinner was filled with difort. After the dinner ended, Chris knew she had to go ahead, having lost the mood to say goodbye. She was about to go to the parking lot when Sam stopped her on her tracks. "Chris, I have something to tell you." Charles had never liked Sam. He knew that Sam never saw Chris in that way because Sam has feelings for Autumn. In an attempt to save Chris from getting more hurt, he stepped forward, trying to get in the middle of their conversation but Autumn and Gary stopped him from doing so. "Don''t, " Autumn said, shaking her head. Autumn had known Sam for a long time. She knew what kind of a person he was. Despite being undecided about his feelings, she knew he woulde to realize that Chris was the best woman for him. Gary felt the same way. "I believe Sam wille to realize his true feelings for Chris. It would be better for him to undo what he has done. Chris should be able to ept the consequence no matter what it is, This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. " he told Charles. Recently, Sam had been constantly visiting Chris, which led Gary to think about that there might be something there. Gary believed that if Sam really didn''t feel anything, he wouldn''t care for her as much as he did. Gary would be very happy if they ended up together. If not, at least they should know how to be able to make things clear. Charles stopped talking despite the frown in his face. "Let''s go home first." Before getting in the car, Gary made sure to leave a reminder. "Sam, Chris has a sprained ankle. It would be the best if you could drive her home after you''re done talking." "Sure, Mr. Lu, " promised Sam. He asked Chris to get inside his car but she refused to follow his order. "We can just talk here. I want to go home right after, " she said stubbornly, still standing outside. "Are you getting in or not?" Sam asked her coldly. "No!" she yelled back. Sam was left with no choice but to pick her up and put her in the passenger seat. As he strapped her in, Chris screamed and hammered his chest in protest. "Sam, you are such an asshole! Let go of me!" she yelled even further. She was so sad that she could do nothing but vent her sadness this way. "Would you please stop yelling?" he said as he slipped into the driver''s seat. He drove the car to the entrance of an amusement park and pulled over. "What do you think you''re doing?" Chris asked, seeing the closed gate. "Chris, I''m leaving, " he said, ignoring her question. Chris immediately shut her mouth, turning to look at him. "I''ll fly back to America tomorrow morning." "Why?" she asked, clearly surprised. She could have stayed in America. But when Sam decided to go back to Y City, she refused the offer of an Americanpany and flew back with him. Sheter found out that Sam went back to Y City for his ex-girlfriend. Fine. She was fine with this. Sam could never be able to get over his ex. He loved his ex so much that he would never fall in love with someone else. She decided to ept everything and stay by his side in silence. But when she found out that his ex was her sister-inw, she thought she might have a chance. He had only been in Y City in less than two weeks! Why did he want to go back to America? Chris couldn''t understand why. His ex was now married to someone else. Was that it? Was that really hard for him to ept? "Is it because of her?" Chris asked, swallowing her bitterness. She had to ask him the question to know the answer. Otherwise, she would never be able to get this out of her mind. "You already know the story between your sister-inw and me. I truly love her but she is married to your brother now. I don''t have it in my heart to distract her any longer seeing as she''s so happy with Charles, " he admitted, not wanting to conceal his thoughts. "I didn''t have the courage to stand by her side and protect her during those years. She has suffered a lot because of me. I would only put her in a difficult position if I stayed in Y City. My mother is also in poor health, so I need to go back to America to take care of her, " he continued. "It doesn''t matter whether you stay or not. Why do you always have to put yourself in a difficult position?" Chris asked, clearly frustrated. "She''s already married. Why can''t you just ept that and move on? Do I really mean nothing to you?" "Chris, I know that you have loved me all this time. But you have always known that I love her and I have always considered you as my sister. Sorry, but I couldn''t do this. That would be unfair to you, " He said, extremely apologetic. "Unfair?" Chrisughed hysterically. "You think that would be unfair to me, Sam?!" She yelled. "When we were staying in America, I knew you loved someone else but I told myself I would wait for you. Then you went back to Y City and found out that she''s married. Now you want to go back to America because of this. Have you ever tried to look at yourself in the mirror? You are a coward, Sam. I look down on you." Chris told him, giving up. She had devoted all of her heart to Sam but he had always taken it for granted. Fine! She could admit to herself that she had been blind before. But from now on, she would stop caring and paying him any attention. "I''m tired. I want to go home." she said as she turned her head, forcing herself not to look at Sam. Seeing her pale reflection in the window brought her to tears. Stubborn as she may be, she must force herself to admit that her heart was broken and she needed to move on. "Chris, would you look at me?" Sam asked, forcing Chris to look at him. "I am so sorry. Can I please make it up to you?" "Make it up? How would you do that?" Chris choked in between sobs. "I know that you have long been looking forward toe to the amusement park. But you''ve always failed to go due to all kinds of reasons. Let me take you to the amusement park this time. Okay?" he offered, pointing at the entrance of the amusement park. Sam picked her up, knowing that she hadn''t fully recovered from her sprained ankle yet. "It''s closed, Sam. Stop fooling me, " yelled Chris as she cried harder. "Wait, " he said, calling someone in his phone. As soon as he hung up, lights in the amusement park lit up. Colorful lights illuminated the empty park as the gates opened. "Shall we go?" Sam asked, offering his hand. This was perhaps the only thing that he could do for Chris. Chapter 128 Sam is Leaving Chapter 128 Sam is Leaving He had basically tried out all of the entertainment projects with Chris in the amusement park. Atst, they got onto the giant Ferris wheel. Each of them upied one small passenger cart of the ride. Slowly and steadily as it ascended upwards, they looked down at the beautiful and picturesque city as it glittered through the night lights. Chris suddenly asked as she turned herself towards Sam, "Sam, if... you met me earlier, would you have fallen in love with me then?" Perhaps all girls who carried the torch would ask such a question. Often when girls came down to asking this question it simply meant they had been in despair. Despite knowing that this question would not bring any peace or reason to the fore, she still wanted to know why Sam didn''t like her beyond friendship. She stared at Sam silently yet impatiently, waiting for his answer, any answer that would put her out of her misery. When Sam looked at her, he saw her eyes were brimming with tears while twinkling with expectation. He didn''t want to hurt her further and lead her on, so he mustered the courage and said, "If... if I could forget her, perhaps I would have a crush on you." ''It''s just a hypothetical question. It doesn''t matter if I do lie to her. Besides, I wasn''t really lying. I do have some feeling for her and these feeling that I nurture for her are beyond what one would develop for their friends, '' thought Sam to himself. Chris''s eyes brightened slightly with hope once she heard his response. Once the Ferris wheel reached its peak, Chris suddenly called out, "Sam." He had been watching the night sky with the bright moon. As he heard Chris call out his name, he turned to look at her. All of a sudden, his lips were touched by Chris''s. Her kiss was light and tender. Sam froze almost immediately. Once he realized what was going on, Chris had leaned back into her seat. There was a tale revolving around a Ferris wheel. The tale stated that if a couple kissed when the Ferris wheel reached the top, they would get married and lead a happy life. This tale gave innocent girls yearning for love faith by believing in this ridiculous saying, little did Chris also put her faith in this story. Once they got out of the Ferris wheel, they acted awkward around one another. While Sam went to get his car, Chris waited at the entrance of the amusement park. Sam drove her to the Lu Family house. They did not exchange one word through the entire ride back. As they pulled over at the gate of Lu Family house, Chris said to Sam, "I... I will go inside." "Bye, " Sam answered pretending as if nothing had happened that night. He didn''t get out of the car and he waited for Chris to enter the door before driving off. Chris was distracted as she waltzed into the living room. Autumn was worried about her, so she had been waiting there since she came home. As soon as Chris came in, she walked up to her and asked her with a concerned look, "Chris, what is going on? What did he say to you?" This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "Yvonne..." She threw herself into Autumn''s arms, with her tears running down her cheeks. She muttered while sobbing, "He is leaving." Autumn asked as she gently stroked Chris''s back, "What? Where will he go?" ''I never heard about this. Why would he not tell me that he is leaving?'' Autumn was confused and full of doubts. "He intends to return to America." Chris tried to give up on Sam, but she just failed. ''What could I do even if I don''t want to give up on him? He just doesn''t like me at all, '' Chris thought to herself. Autumn continued to pacify her, "Come on. Don''t cry." "Why did he suddenly decide to go back?" "He... he said that his mother was not in good health, so he had to go back to America to look after her. He may nevere back." Chris was grieved at the thought that she might not see Sam ever again. She felt like everything was ruined and was in a mess. She didn''t know what to do anymore. Autumn gave a sigh and thought to herself, ''Perhaps it''s not a bad news. He saw Chris every day and still he didn''t realize how important Chris is to him. Once he leaves and does not see her, he might realize that Chris is always the one who he has really loved all along. As the saying goes that distance makes the heart grow fonder, '' Autumn pondered. "Chris, listen to me." With a serious look Autumn said to Chris, "I know that you like Sam a lot. But you must have noticed that Sam behaved like he isn''t into you. I really want to help you but I don''t know where to start. You are at the age where you want to get married and even grandpa has been looking forward to seeing you get married. Now with Sam leaving, if you meet some proper men, you can try going on dates with them. It will not do you any harm and you may end up making friends if there is no chemistry. What do you think?" "I..." Chris intended to refuse her advice, but she then realized that Autumn''s words made sense. ''I can''t wait for Sam for the rest of my life.'' She went on, "Well, Yvonne. I will listen to you." "I will help you through with all of this." Autumn added as she patted Chris''s shoulder, "It''ste now. Go to bed soon!" Once Autumn saw Chris enter her room, she went to the yard and called Sam. As soon as Sam answered the phone, she scolded him in a loud tone. Before she hung up the call, she told Sam, "Just wait and watch! I will find Chris a man who is much better than you. You will regret giving up on Chris, like this." Sam still didn''t admit to having feelings for Chris. After pausing for a while, he said to Autumn, "I have always treated Chris as my sister. I will be more than happy for her if she can find someone she loves and who loves her back." Autumn cried out in anger, "Sam, you bastard!" "You left me, and now you intend to do the same thing to Chris. So many years have passed yet you have remained a coward. I truly despise you!" Autumn had understood why Sam had chosen to leave her. Until now she had never med him for leaving her alone in that manner. But when she had learnt of his ns to treat Chris in the same manner, she just could not get herself to forgive him anymore! She took this chance to blurt out all the feelings and words she had bottled up about him. She had waited a long time to say all these words. She even swore to herself that she would find Chris a better boyfriend and would let Sam repent. Autumn hung up the phone angrily and returned to her room. Charles had been in a video conference, so he didn''t pay any attention to Autumn when she came in. One he finished the meeting, he found Autumn sitting on the bed with a furious look. With growing concern, he hurried to ask, "What happened? Who pissed you off?" "Nobody, " she replied coldly. "Charles, listen to me carefully. From today on, if you meet any excellent bachelors, don''t forget to consider them and keep in mind for Chris. I am sure that Chris can find a better man than Sam." Charles was stunned by the sudden change in her attitude. ''Who told me that Sam cared about Chris?'' "My sweetheart, don''t get angry about this." Autumn responded, "I''m not angry." The following morning Charles got up early. After he had a day-off, he got a lot of work to catch up on today. He noticed that Autumn had gotten up earlier so he asked, "Why didn''t you sleep a little longer?" Autumn replied, "I couldn''t get myself to sleep. I still haven''t found a job. So I intend to look around to see if I can get an appropriate job." "You don''t need to hurry to find a job. I can take care of you and your expenses..." Before Charles could finish his sentence, Autumn said as she moved closer to him to help him wear his tie, "Enough! I am not that sort of woman who needs her husband to take care of her. Besides, I have confidence in finding a job. After all, I am an experienced andpetent woman who can handle her work professionally." Charles said with a content smile, "Of course you are. You are my wife. I am sure you are apetent woman." Autumn couldn''t control herughter and said, "Garrulous! I know that you want to praise yourself." Chapter 129 An Overseas Call Chapter 129 An Overseas Call After she sent Charles out of the house and was entering her bedroom, she took her bag out while preparing to go out, she received a strange overseas call. Autumn hesitated for a few seconds before ultimately receiving the call. "Hello?" "Hello! Long time no see!" Autumn couldn''t help trembling as she recognized the voiceing from the other side of the phone. This person had once treated her as her own daughter, but when she heard the news that Autumn had fallen in love with Sam, she kicked her away and moved abroad to live with her son. This part of Autumn''s life was the worst and it was also the days that she never wanted to recall and relive ever again. Autumn clenched the phone in her hands while her breath turned heavy with fear. A sneer came across on the phone. "What''s wrong? You dare not to talk to me?" Jane also received an overseas call several days back, knowing that her son went back to find Autumn which enraged her further more. ''What a bitch!'' Jane cursed to herself. Jane could not even imagine let alone ept that Sam still couldn''t forget Autumn after being away from her for so many years. "Why didn''t you say hello and greet me respectfully after all I am older than you?" Jane went on speaking as her voice sounded cold yet angry on the phone. Autumn forced herself to calm down in that moment and greeted her politely, "Hello, Aunt Jane." She used to call her Aunt Jane. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. But it seemed that Jane did not appreciate and seek her kindness at all. Instead, Janeughed grimly and said to Autumn, "I dare not to be your aunt. You better call me Mrs. Lin." "Well, Mrs. Lin." Autumn called her obliging to her wish. It had been many years since the heart- rending incident, but Jane still bore grudge and hatred towards Autumn. Yet Autumn could not figure out the reason why Jane despised her so much. Was it just because she had fallen in love with Sam earlier? "Mrs. Lin, time is precious. So please be brief if you want to have a conversation right now. I still have my work to catch up on." She was not the submissive girl anymore who would bear Jane''s inexplicable scolding for no rhyme or reason. "Wow, it may seem that you have transformed into a mighty strong and courageous girl now. How dare you assume that tone while being impatient with me?" Jane grinned with dissatisfaction and added, "Autumn, I must tell you that Sam is my son and he will only listen to me. He abandoned you once before because of me and he will do it once again." It sounded like Jane was angry. She thought Autumn would be upset when she heard this, while Autumn came to understand why Sam was in such a hurry to go back to his mother. ''Jane lied to Sam about being sick in order to force him to go abroad with her. And now she is about to y the same very trick after so many years.'' She pondered, ''But I''m married to Charles. What''s more, I suppose she like Chris. Why would she ask Sam to leave Chris, causing her such pain?'' "Mrs. Lin, I am afraid that you have a massive misunderstanding here. Sam and I..." Autumn was going to exin the entire situation to her. She had to do this especially for the sake of Chris''s happiness. She had been abandoned in a simr manner, so she had experienced the pain which had almost driven her to death. And she hoped Chris would not have to experience the very same ordeal. But before she could exin everything, Jane interrupted her and burst into a sneer. She sarcastically and scornfully said to her, "Autumn, do you think just because I am abroad I don''t know what is going on there? Yes, it is true that Sam hasn''t forgotten you after all these years. Even then you cannot expect to get married to him and be a part of my family. I can tell you now that as long as I am alive, you will never get the chance to marry my son. I will discipline my son, but I am afraid the one that truly needs disciplining is you. I will teach you a lesson if you keep seducing my son!" "Mrs. Lin, I..." Before Autumn could finish her sentence Jane hung up the phone, leaving the busy tone to Autumn. Autumn furrowed her brows and felt upset by the entire conversation. Her beautiful and motivated mood had been thoroughly destroyed by this call. Autumn was dumbfounded in the yard when Chris rushed out. Now that Mrs. Lin was abroad, she couldn''t have heard the news about her recent encounters with Sam. And it was impossible for Sam to tell Jane everything. Perhaps Jane had arranged someone to keep a watch on him. Or it must be someone else who wanted to nder her reputation. A name suddenly popped up in her mind. Was it Wendy? Though she was Autumn''s birth mother, she had always been vicious and unkind towards Autumn. And she would sacrifice her for the sake of Yvonne''s happiness without a blink. Autumn would not be surprised if it was Wendy who had been calling and informing Mrs. Lin. "Chris, what are you going to do?" Autumn stopped Chris and found her eyes were filled with tears. She recalled that Sam was leaving by the morning flight, so perhaps Chris wanted to see him off one She wanted to... She wanted to send off the man she miserably loved. "Yvonne, I am going to the airport. I want to send him off." She remembered that she had set an rm clock, but it did not ring this morning. When she woke up, she was alreadyte for the airport. "Okay. I will take you to the airport, " said Autumn. Chris''s ankle was sprained, so it was not easy for her to drive by herself. Autumn decided to send her there personally. As soon as the car stopped in the parking lot, Chris ran toward the airport in a desperate rush. Though she gathered all of her strength, she staggered all the way. Autumn parked the car and followed her in. She saw Sam holding Chris who was now bathed in tears. Autumn just went and silently stood beside her. It took Sam a long time tofort and console Chris. He said something to her, then Chris nced at Autumn and walked aside, wiping her tears silently. Sam walked to Autumn, but there was no uneasiness and hesitance in his face. Instead he looked our goodbye onest time." It was meant as just a joke, but Autumn really hugged him the very next second. Even though they could not be lovers in this lifetime, they sure could still be friends. While Autumn held Sam tightly, she realized that she had already let go of everything and was totally over him. "Thanks foring to see me off today." Sam loosened his arms and added, "Autumn, you are right. I am a coward. I abandoned you irresponsibly and now..." Autumn gestured with her hands and responded, "Let it go. I am fine, but..." Saying this, Autumn took a nce at Chris, trying to indicate what she meant, and went on, "Well, nothing. Just forget it." "I know what you were going to say." Sam smiled faintly. Even though the callst night from Autumn did not go the way both of them had anticipated, he was enlightened by the call. She was right. He has been a hundred-percent coward. Chapter 130 An Uninvited Guest Chapter 130 An Uninvited Guest "Autumn, you were all over my mind in my youth. Though I must admit that I am still in love with you. I can see that Charles and you are leading a happy life together and that he really loves and adores you. And I don''t want to disturb you. You can always think of me as a coward because I don''t know how to deal with my feelings for you but to escape." Sam smiled bitterly yet with eptance. Autumn had already gotten over him during the time he went away. She realigned her priorities and adjusted herself to prepare for a new life and be a better woman. And so finally she did find her prince charming and was now leading a happy life. It was about time for him to try to forget her and move forward. He couldn''t fall in love with another woman before hepletely got over Autumn, from the bottom of his heart, as it would be unfair to the other woman. "As for Chris¡­" He paused for a second and continued speaking, "If I forget you someday, I will definitely try to love her. But I''m not sure¡­" When this day woulde, if it woulde at all? He didn''t know anything for certain. "But I can''t let Chris wait for you." Autumn said distantly, "A woman''s time is very precious, especially her youth, this time will never return. You cannot just ask her to stand there and wait for you indefinitely." "Yes, Ipletely understand what you mean." Sam sighed and said, "My mother has not been keeping well. I need to go back to visit her and help her improve the condition of her health. When she is better, I will definitelye back, and give a chance to both Chris and me." Sam smiled, "But please don''t tell Chris about this now. I am not sure when I wille back. And¡­ I would really like to surprise her." "Ok, that sounds good." Autumn nodded in approval. Mrs. Lin had been in bad health? She highly doubted it because when she cursed her on the phone, she sounded like she had all the strength and energy to bear life alone. But Autumn chose to say nothing about it. She didn''t want anyone to think that she was trying to create a rift between Sam and his mother. Autumn smiled and said to Sam: "Then... I hope you have a pleasant trip." Autumn walked away, leaving thest minutes for Sam and Chris to talk. She went back to her car and waited. A few momentster, she saw Chris approaching the car with red eyes. But this time Chris''s eyes were not red from crying, in fact she was calm. Autumn asked: "Where are we going now?" "Yvonne, can you drive me to thepany office?" Sam had left thepany for Chris to manage in his absence which would be a while. So she decided to go to thepany and get a head start on the work. Autumn dropped Chris at the office and then she drove Chris''s car around. She wanted to find a suitable job. But once they heard and recognized her name, their face paled immediately, stated that theirpany had enough workforce and could not hire more people. Autumn also knew why she got such a reaction from every ce she approached for a job and yet she could do nothing about it. Autumn drove back to thepany to pick up Chris once she got done with work. Theyter went to the supermarket and picked up some fresh ingredients to make dinner at home. What they didn''t know was that there was an uninvited guest waiting for them at home. "Yvonne, when did you learn to cook?" Chris was curious about how well Autumn could cook and she kept nudging her and asking her questions about it. "Actually, cooking is not half as difficult as you think it is. When you marry someone in the future, probably you will also learn how to cook too." Autumn said with an assuring smile. "Oh, forget about it. I don''t think I can cook. Thest time when I simply tried to cut and prepare fruits, I almost cut my finger off. Look at my hand, the nasty scar still remains." Autumn took a close look at her hand and saw the scar on her first finger. She couldn''t helpughing at her story. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. They walked into the house while talking and giggling like little girls. As they entered through the front door, the whiff of perfume greeted them. A woman wearing the perfume rushed at them before they could realize and she addressed Autumn: "I miss you so much, Sis." It was Yvonne. Soon after rushing and ambushing Autumn, she hugged her and reached out to pinch her around Autumn''s waist. Bitch! How dare she refuse her request! Did she really think she had no other way? "Why are you here?" Autumn frowned and pushed her off. She abruptly questioned Yvonne who was standing across her. "Simply because I miss you." Yvonne smiled sweetly, "So I called aunt and uncle and told them that I would love to stay here with you for a while. Sis, we haven''t talked with each other properly since you got married¡­" "Have we now?" Autumn swept aside Yvonne who was trying to touch her indifferently, "To be honest, we didn''t talk a lot in the past also, did we?" Yvonne''s expression and posture suddenly changed. She stood in front of Autumn and in a disappointed tone she said, "Sis, aren''t you happy to see me and wee me here?" Before Autumn could say anything, Yvonne began to shed tears. "Sis, if you don''t want me stay here, I can leave right this instant." She looked aggrieved, standing there by herself. If some one who did not know her see her standing there like that, they would definitely pity her and think Autumn was bullying her. Autumn was annoyed. She had refused Wendy''s request. But she didn''t expect that Yvonne would offer to go to her home directly. What a shameless action. Chris had a bad temper. She sneered before Autumn could say anything further, "Don''t act like you have been very close to my sister-inw. I simply despise double-faced people like you the most. When you set her up in the shopping mall, I didn''t know you were close." "That was a big misunderstanding." An unnatural look shed across Yvonne''s face. She rushed to Chris and defended herself, "At that point, I really thought she had torn the clothes. I was even kind to her and generously offered to pay for it." Yvonne walked to Chris and held her arm. She was Charles''s sister. She knew she needed her affection and approval for when she married Charles and in that sense it was essential for her to get along with Chris. So she had to carefully deal with her and maintain a positive rtion. With a smile she added, "The salesgirl was really bad. She made me misunderstand my sister. Miss Lu, please don''t get angry with me." "Don''t ever try to y tricks in front of me. You cannot manipte me! And let me tell you, you maybe able to oppress my sister-inw, but you cannot oppress me. This is my home and no one can stay here without my agreement..." Chris said rudely while throwing Yvonne''s hand off her arm. Yvonne grew angry but contained that anger in her heart. She had no alternative but to hide her anger. She knew she couldn''t afford to offend Chris. She still continued to smile and said: "Miss Lu, I¡­ I really just want to spend some time with my sister. You know, when a woman gets married and moves into live with her new family, she may not feel asfortable as she did with her own family quite soon. My aunt was concerned that my sister may not have gotten used to her life here. So with only good intentions, Ie here and apany my sister for a while. And they are traveling around these days. I was quite bored at home too, so here I am. You don''t need to worry. I do not intend to stay for long. I''ll leave and go home as theye back from their holiday." Yvonne turned her head and said to Autumn: "Sis, there''s a huge misunderstanding between Miss Lu and me. Please exin my side of the story to her." Gary walked out from the backyard before Autumn could say anything: "Chris, she''s a cousin of Ye and our guest. Watch your manners!" "Grandpa, you know what? This woman used to¡­" Chris felt disgusted at Yvonne''s manner of organizing her self from her speaking to her behaviors. She moved into their home, which was their private space, without any form of prior intimation of her arrival. She did it deliberately and surely had some purpose in mind. Chapter 131 Yvonne Moved In Chapter 131 Yvonne Moved In "Shut up!" Gary snapped out his strict order. No matter what, Yvonne was a guest, and they were supposed to host her irrespective of personal matters. If they turned her away, the Lu Family would be rumored to be rude, unweing and unfriendly. "Ye, she is your cousin. I''ll leave the matter to your discretion." In Gary''s opinion, whatever Yvonne''s purpose for this visit was, the problem should be settled by Autumn herself. "Yes, grandpa." Autumn obeyed his order too. But she knew exactly what the ground reality was. Even though it might seem like Gary was on Yvonne''s side, he actually was not. In reality, he wasying down the facts and boundaries for Yvonne, by showing her that he was still entrusting Autumn with all the important matters. He also indicated that if at all she intended to stay the night, it would mean nothing. The only mistress in this house was Autumn. And if Autumn didn''t want her to stay over, Yvonne had to leave. But Yvonne was not smart enough to understand these subtle hints. Once she heard Gary''s remark, she smirked triumphantly, as she thought that her efforts had born fruits. Before she came, she tried to she decided to call Gary and chat with him, for a while, with an intention of making him like her. And her ns had seeded as she thought, as it appeared to be. Gary cast a nce at Yvonne, and said, "Rest assured, Miss Ye. My granddaughter is just a bit grumpy, please don''t take it personally." He then shed a weing smile, "Since it''s Yvonne''s home, and you''re Yvonne''s cousin, please make yourselffortable and feel at home. You can stay as long as you wish for." Yvonne was delighted once she heard that, if not carried away. As she didn''t get this one, either, she grinned, and thanked Gary, "Thank you, grandpa, for your generosity." With now a displeased tone, Gary decided to be straightforward. He said with a frown, "Call me Gary, please. I am not your grandfather, Miss Ye. ''Grandpa'' makes it sound like I have two granddaughters- inw." His tone was gentle yet his words wounded Yvonne''s pride. Her heart felt like it was suddenly encased in ice as she was finally reminded that only Autumn was Charles''s legitimate wife, who was epted and loved by Gary. "Yes, Mr. Lu...Gary." She quickly repeated while rectifying her mistake. Yvonne had to be extremely cautious with her every move. It was almost like walking in a minefield, one wrong step could put her out of the house. Her purpose should not be exposed to the Lu Family, under any circumstance, before she made Charles fall for her. Although her moving in today may seem hurried, it was actually a nned and deliberate move. She only wanted to make Charles, and his family, too, start to like her little by little. "Follow me, then." Autumn said coldly as she turned to Yvonne. Thetter was displeased with her tone but still followed hermand. As the door closed behind them, Yvonne suddenly changed her expression. In an arrogant tone, she addressed Autumn, "See? As long as I want to move in, I will move in! And I''m warning you, Autumn Ye, as we are now living under the same roof, you will behave properly around me. And irrespective of what I want to do, you will help me. Do you understand?" Autumn let out a scornful chuckle. She sneered, "Under the same roof? Do you really think you''re moving in? "Grandpa has made his decision and he decided to entrust me with this matter. If I say you''re moving This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. in, you are moving in and if I say no, you''re not. But I do admire your courage and dedication. Just to carry out your stupid ns, you risked sending your parents away from your pettypany, which was inches away from bankruptcy. You have some nerve." Yvonne gave her a stink eye and sneered, "I don''t give a shit about Gu''s bankruptcy. If I can marry into the Lu Family, Shining Company will be mine. Then why should I care about my parents? But you better bear this thought in your mind: You''re just a substitute, a fake. When I get married into the Lu Family, you''ll be cast out. Although it might not be such a bad thing for you, as then, you will finally live with your dear grandmother again. Let''s call it a win-win situation." Autumn almostughed at her naive words. She glowered at Yvonne, and snapped, "You really think you are making progress here, don''t you? Come on, moving in does not mean a thing. And I''m clearly telling you, I am no longer going to be pushed around anymore." Autumn was not afraid of anything or anyone now. The belief that her every decision would be supported gave her strength to move forward. "Do you really think so?" Yvonne revealed an intimidating yet heinous smile. The very next second, from the corner of her eye she spotted Charlesing towards them and quickly fell down on her knees and pretended as though Autumn had hit her. She covered her cheek with a hand, and gazed at Autumn with teary eyes, "Sis, what happened in that shopping mall was all my fault. I misunderstood you and caused you great trouble. But now it''s all in the past now, and I really wish you could be so kind as to forgive me. I have no other ce to go now. Mr. and Mrs. Gu have left for a journey, and as they are not home, the servants are on vacations, too. But I can still stay in a hotel if you don''t like the idea of me staying here...Why did you have to hit me..." She sobbed and stopped speaking. Taken aback by Yvonne''s little skit, Autumn was at a loss for words. Eyes wide open, she red at Yvonne but couldn''t understand what was happening. But the next moment, she heard Charles''s voice from behind her, and in that second she realized what Yvonne was trying to do here. "What is going on here?" asked Charles, as he shot a cold nce at Yvonne. Thetter was perched on the ground, covering her untouched cheek with a hand, and looked up to him with tears in her eyes. "Charles, I..." Yvonne stuttered, but suddenly stopped. She took a quick look at Autumn, to give an idea of being scared of her. "What''s going on here?" Charles turned to Autumn, eyes filled with impatience and seeking answers. He was distracted and felt at unease after seeing Yvonne in his house. Autumn let out a resigned sigh, and exined, "My parents are out traveling and even the servants took a leave of absence, so there was no one to take care of her in that house. They want her to live with us for a while." Hearing this, Charles wanted to say something. But before he could start, Yvonne was now back on her feet, and said to him, "Charles, I don''t think it is a good idea. Yvonne doesn''t like the idea of me staying here, and I don''t like it when I am unwanted. I... I can live in a hotel..." Yvonne sobbed as she prepared to leave. Autumn was both angered and amused at the same time. Yvonne Gu was so good at blurring the distinct line between right and wrong. But fortunately, Charles knew who they were and what happened in the past, so she decided not to exin the obvious facts. But what was Yvonne doing here? Was she trying to give Charles the impression that his wife was a bad woman, who turned her back to a damsel in distress? "Wait." Charles called Yvonne back, and said, "Since my parents-inw have entrusted you to us, you can''t just go out and stay the night in a hotel. You will stay here tonight, and if you need anything, please tell my wife." Yvonne lowered her head but revealed a triumphant smile. She knew that no one could resist her charm, or so she thought. That said, Charles turned away and started walking towards his room. While he was far enough, Yvonne smirked to Autumn, and said, "Sis, please arrange a room for me. The closer it is to Charles''s room, the better." She smirked triumphantly as she thought that Autumn must have gone mad with rage once she heard Charles had asked her to stay. But Autumn was not angry, not one bit. In fact, she trusted Charles, just like he trusted her. And she believed that Charles must have his own ns when he agreed for Yvonne to move in. Chapter 132 Fawn On And Show Off Her Cleverness Chapter 132 Fawn On And Show Off Her Cleverness Yvonne followed Charles into the door, sitting beside him. Autumn arrived not long after, seeing Yvonne talking to the three of them, though she was not weed. "Wow, Chris! Your skin looks so good! How do you take good care of it?" Chris did not respond, remaining silent. "Charles, I''m so jealous of you! You live such a happy life with my cousin. I wish I could be so lucky to find a good husband like you, " Yvonne continued. Noticing that no one is paying her any attention, she turned towards Gary. "Grandpa¡­" she said, stopping mid-sentence to correct herself. "Gary, I''ve heard that you like ying chess quite often. Would you like to y chess with me right now?" Gary, being the kind man that he was, didn''t have the heart to decline her suggestion directly. "Sure, if you''d like to." His response immensely lifted her spirit. "Sis, can you please carry my luggage to my bedroom? I''m going to y chess with Gary right now, " she said, turning to Autumn. Autumn didn''t know what to say in response. She felt like Yvonne is treating her like a servant. Upon hearing this, Charles stood up and offered to carry the luggage of Yvonne. Autumn followed him as they entered a vacant room located on the first floor. It turned out to be a room intended for a servant. Despite being small, the room proved to be clean. Autumn smiled, realizing why he allowed Yvonne to live in their house. "Charles, I''m sorry, " she apologized unexpectedly. Anyway, Yvonne was her half-sister, she thought that she was somehow responsible for the current situation. "What are you apologizing for?" he asked, his face full of concern. Autumn has acquired a habit of taking responsibility for other people. But he couldn''t bear to see her put the me on herself when she hasn''t done anything wrong. "My mom called to tell me that Yvonne woulde here and live with us for a while. I didn''t expect that she''ll actuallye here without my permission, seeing that I''ve declined her request, " she said, exasperated. "Don''t worry. It won''t be long before she''ll start packing her own bags, " he replied with a grim face. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. He had tried to avoid meddling into their sibling rtionship because he didn''t want to cause any troubles. But after Autumn''s confession, he didn''t think he could mind his own business any longer. Autumn smiled upon hearing what he said. She couldn''t even imagine her reaction once she knew that she had to stay in the maid room. Yvonne,pletely clueless about the arrangement, was still ying chess with Gary, trying to curry his favor. She deliberately took sses before paying a visit. But she was still very much a rookiepared to Gary who''s already an experienced chess yer. Yvonne found herself losing the game within five minutes. "Gary, don''t be such a bully. You might want to even the ying field since I''m just a beginner. Maybe you can try to let me withdraw a false move, " she said, beginning to act like a brat. "Withdraw a false move?" Gary asked, furrowing his eyebrows upon hearing her words. How could she ask for a chance to withdraw her false move? Her words left a bad impression, as it revealed how she can''t even follow the basic rules of the game. "Yes. That would be fair, " she replied, unaware of Gary''s change of mood. "Shall we move on?" she asked, smiling. "No. We''re no longer going to continue ying, " Gary said, standing up as soon as he finished his words. He couldn''t bear ying a game with such a dishonorable person. "It''s time for dinner. Nancy might have already prepared something for us. Let''s have dinner." Nancy immediately started serving food upon Gary''s request. "Excuse me. But you are sitting at my wife''s seat, " Charles said as Yvonne sat beside him, trying to pour him a ss of water. Autumn stood behind her silently. "I don''t care about that. It''s just a seat, " she replied, patting the chair beside her. "You can sit here. You wouldn''t mind sitting here instead, would you?" she said, turning to Autumn. "But I care, " Charles replied in a stern voice before Autumn could start saying anything. Ufortable silence immediately surrounded the dining room. Yvonne felt incredibly upset, not expecting that Charles would react in such a cold way. ring at Autumn, she thought Charles wouldn''t be so indifferent if it weren''t for her. ''Why does she have to take him away from me?'' she thought, holding a grudge against her sister. Clenching her hands, she moved to another seat as she tried to control her rage. The room remained tense as everyone continued to eat silently. No one dared to utter a word except for Charles who kept on refilling Autumn''s bowl, reminding her to eat more. Though Yvonne was a guest, no one paid her any attention. "Charles, when you go to work tomorrow, can you-" "I''m sorry. But there''s a rule in our family that we shouldn''t talk while we''re eating. So please stop talking to me. Understood?" Charles interrupted before she even began to finish her words. She looked at him, her voice stuck on her throat. She forced herself to stop saying anything despite being extremely angry. After they finished their dinner, Yvonne pulled Autumn aside to talk to her. Smiling, she urged her sister to help her get along with Charles. "I''m exhausted. I think I might need to take a rest. Can you take me to my room?" she asked. "Sure. Follow me, " Autumn replied, nodding her head. Autumn led her through the yard, walking towards the building located at the back. "Here we are, " she said, opening the door of the room. Yvonne felt something was amiss. She walked in, horrified to see herself standing in the same room with the servants. "What do you think you''re doing? Why did you bring me here?" she asked irritably, looking at Autumn. "What the hell are you ying at? This is the maid room! Do you want me to live here?" she yelled further. "Why? What''s wrong with the maid room? Isn''t it clean?" she said,ughing coldly as she went on. "It may be small but it''s clean. I don''t see anything wrong with it. Why wouldn''t you want to live here? Look at them, they''re all living here, " Autumn said, pointing at the servants walking in the room. "You-" Yvonne found herself too irritated to utter a single word. "You did this on purpose, right?" she asked, her face flushing with rage. "Is it because you''re afraid that I''ll take Charles from you? You are such a disgusting person!" she continued. "What are you talking about? Why would you say something so ridiculous? You''re just too much of a brat to stay here!" Autumn eximed. "What is wrong with you?! We consider the servants in this house as a part of the family. Why can''t you think twice and consider others'' feelings before saying anything?" she said, loud enough for the servants to hear. She wanted them to know Yvonne''s true colors. ''Do you think you''re the only one who can put on a show? That''s where you''re wrong.'' she thought. Chapter 133 In the Maid Room Chapter 133 In the Maid Room In the past, Wendy had always taken Yvonne''s side, and Autumn was the one that got bullied. But, now that she was in her own house and Wendy wasn''t around to take Yvonne''s side, Autumn was curious to see what Yvonne would do next. "That''s bullshit! I said nothing like that." Yvonne felt afraid and intimidated as she looked at the servants watching her. She turned around to walk towards the front yard and said, "Don''t be so cocky. Just you wait! I''ll go ask Charles; who gave you the right to do this to me? I wonder what Charles and Gary will think when they find out that you arranged such a room for me." "You wouldn''t want to do that, " Autumn said frigidly. "Well, it sounds like somebody is scared." replied Yvonne She sneered as if she was finally holding something over Autumn. She had specifically told Autumn that she wanted a room next to Charles''s, but instead, she got a maid room, which was far away from Charles''s. How was she supposed to seduce him? "Scared?" Autumn couldn''t help but scoff. It was for Yvonne''s good not to ask for a snub. "If not scared, then what? Autumn, you''d better not forget that you''re nothing but a bitch who stole my identity. You''re making me stay in such a crappy room in my own house, I''ll make sure you pay for this insolence!" Yvonne threatened. "Your house?" Autumn sneered. "It''s my house now, so you will have to y by my rules. You either stay here and be quiet or you can crawl back to your own ce. You''d better remember that, " Autumn retorted fearlessly. "Just you wait and see. I''m telling Charles about this." Yvonne sensed a change in Autumn, as if she had turned into a totally different person. She didn''t realize that it was Wendy and her that turned Autumn into the person she had be now. Yvonne intended to look for Charles, but before she went any further, Charles walked in. She rushed to him and said, "Charles, look! My sister is making me stay in a servant''s room. It is apparent that she doesn''t want me to stay in this house. You must help me. She is bing intolerable." "Intolerable? How?" Charles pretended to be ignorant of the situation. "What''s wrong with living here?" he asked Yvonne. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Um-" Yvonne frowned, struggling to find the words to express herself. She couldn''t tell him that she wanted to sleep next to his room. "If there is no problem, please go to bed. Your sister and I are going to bed as well." Charles walked past Yvonne, and then he turned back and said to her, "Oh, it was my idea to let you sleep here, even though your sister thought it was too small for you. She even tried to change my mind about it. But at least it is clean, right? The rooms in the main building haven''t been cleaned yet, but I have special people clean the rooms here every day. You will only be here for a couple of days anyway. Thank you for understanding, " Charles said indifferently, as if he was actually telling her that she could leave anytime, if she didn''t like it there. Hearing Charles''s words, Yvonne realized that she had to ept it and take it for what it was. Just as Charles and Autumn were leaving, Yvonne called Autumn in a rush, stepped up, and held her by the arm. Now that she couldn''t sleep in the same building as Charles, she wouldn''t let Autumn sleep with him either. "Charles, I have a request, but- I''m too embarrassed to say it." Charles said seriously, "Don''t say it then." Looking at Charles, Autumn burst intoughter. "Honey, how could you say that? Stop teasing her, " she said. She turned to Yvonne and held her hand. She believed that Yvonne felt as ufortable as she did. "My dear sister, you can say whatever you want. This is my home, which means it is yours as well. If you need anything, let me know." Yvonne was filled with resentment, but she had to continue to pretend. She looked at Autumn and said in an innocent tone, "Sis, it''s been a long time since west slept in the same bed as we did when we were little. So- can you sleep with me here tonight? I''m scared to be alone." "Did we ever sleep together when we were little? Howe I don''t remember?" Autumn mercilessly exposed Yvonne''s lie. "Of course we did." Yvonne wouldn''t spare any effort to separate Autumn and Charles. She smiled and turned to Charles, "Charles, you will agree, right? I haven''t seen my sister in a long time. We have a lot of catching up to do..." "No, she can''t." Charles rejected her request directly. "I''m sorry, I''m used to her being at my side. I''m afraid I won''t be able to sleep if she isn''t with me." Yvonne didn''t know how to respond to that. Charles took Autumn''s hand and said, "Let''s go, Miss Ye needs her rest." When they walked out of the back yard, Autumn couldn''t repress herughter anymore and started "Brother, what''s up with Ye?" Chris wondered. "She''s fine." Charles looked at Autumn affectionately. It was the first time he had seen herugh so heartily. It seemed Yvonne''s existence wasn''tpletely meaningless after all. He smiled and said to Chris, "I just told her a joke." "What joke? Tell it to me too!" "It''ste. Go to sleep." Charles went upstairs with Autumn. Chris was left there alone, where she stood, gloomily. Charles had always been a little indifferent to Chris, but his attitude towards her had been getting worse ever since he had married Autumn, as if she weren''t his biological sister. Chris med Autumn for this and resented her for a while. After Autumn and Charles left, Yvonne wanted to leave Lu''s residence immediately. She would rather die than live in such a dump. But on the other hand, it hadn''t been easy for her to get there. She couldn''t just leave like that. She stood by the window. Charles and Autumn''s room was lit up. She sneered and thought, sooner or She would avenge herself for the humiliation Autumn had put her through today. Shey in bed and didn''t fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning. When the rm clock set off, she got up, grabbed a coat, and went to the front yard. Charles had juste downstairs. She straightened her silk nightgown and greeted him with a smile, "Charles, wait a minute for me, please. You''re going to work anyway. Can you give me a lift? It''s not so convenient to find a cab here." Chapter 134 Late For Work Chapter 134 Late For Work Charles didn''t reply, but Yvonne took that as a yes. She went bouncing back to her room because she needed to get dressed up. She was d that she could at least spend some time with Charles on the way to Shining Company. It was a good chance for her to seduce him. She thought that she would seize this opportunity. She was beautifully made-up and she had also put on her favorite clothes. When she arrived at the front yard, she got an unpleasant shock. Charles had already left. She assumed that Charles would wait for her, so she didn''t worry about how she was going to go to work. But now¡­ When she saw Nancy passing by, she stopped her and asked, "Where is Charles?" Nancy didn''t like Autumn, but she found Yvonne also annoying. Yvonne was supercilious and impolite. Nancy nced at Yvonne with scorn as she said, "Mr. Lu has gone to work. He said that he called a taxi for you. It will be here shortly. You can have your breakfast while you wait for it." Nancy turned to leave when she thought of something and looked back at Yvonne, saying, "Oh, by the way, Mr. Lu said that if you arete he will cut your bonus." Chris gave a chuckle of delight as she walked down the stairs. She heard what Nancy had said and was d to see Yvonne standing there stupefied. She finally knew why Autumn smiled from ear to ear found the scene to be more enjoyable than hearing any jokes. Yvonne heard Chris''s chuckle and thought, ''It would be great if I could get a lift in Chris''s car. After all, I can tter Chris on the way to work. Sooner orter, she will be my sister-inw.'' Unfortunately, her dream didn''te true. Chris refused Yvonne directly, "I am sorry, we are not going in the same direction. You''d better wait for your taxi." Then Chris shouted at the direction of the kitchen, "Nancy, where is my breakfast?" "I aming. I aming." Nancy walked out of the kitchen and said, as she handed a thermos container to Chris, "Miss Lu, it''s your favorite shrimp congee. Don''t forget to have it." "I know. I am leaving, " Chris waved goodbye to Nancy and hummed to herself as she left for work. Yvonne waste for work, but she could only me herself for it. When she found some free time, she called Wendy toin about the humiliation she had sufferedst night. Wendy frowned at Yvonne''sint. She thought to herself, ''I am so good at scheming. Why is my beloved daughter so stupid? Although I don''t like Autumn, she is more like me. She is smart and she knows how to win a man''s heart.'' She sighed and said, "Yvonne, I can''t help you with this. You must rely on yourself this time. I am always thinking of ways to help you, but you have to use your own way to seduce Charles now. If you have sex with him, I promise Charles will marry you. But you have to use your brain and make it happen." The more Yvonne thought about it, the more upset she got, so she changed the topic, "Let''s stop talking about me. I am asking you, when you get back, teach Autumn a lesson. I want that little bitch to bend the knee." "Okay, I promise you. Her good days will be over soon, " Wendy assured Yvonne with a firm "How are you doing? What did she say?" Yvonne asked. "Don''t worry about me. I will take care of it. I''m warning you, you only have one chance. If you miss it, you won''t have any more chances, " Wendy reminded Yvonne, "Okay. I have something to do right now. I have to hang up. You should try to y to the score tactically. If necessary, you can use the thing I gave to you." "I see." When Yvonne hung up, she felt annoyed and perplexed. When it was nearly time to go home from work, Yvonne went to the CEO''s office, only to find that Charles had already left. Yvonne''s hope of taking Charles''s car to go home went up in smokes. She almost swore at him in anger. When she turned to go downstairs for a taxi, Le stopped her, "Autumn, why haven''t you called me "No." Yvonne thought, ''I am only so eager to move into Lu family house because you have your eyes set on Charles.'' Le was just another pain in the ass for her. "What''s wrong with you? You look tired. Didn''t you get any sleepst night?" Le asked Yvonne, pretending to care for her. It was impossible to have a good rest in a maid room. She thought, ''If Le found out what had happened yesterday, she should surelyugh at me.'' So she said coldly, "Do you have anything else to say? If not, I am leaving." "Wait a minute, " Le held Yvonne''s hand as she said, "Autumn, do you have any n for tonight? I''d like to go shopping with you. It has been a long time since we went shopping and chatted over dinner." "I don''t think there is any need." Yvonne shook off Le''s hand as she sneered, "I am not free tonight. Moreover I will never have time to go out with you. Please don''t act as if we are friends. We are not even acquaintances." "I¡­ What the hell did I do wrong?" Yvonnepletely changed her attitude towards Le, which Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. confused her a lot. She had no idea what Linda had said to make Yvonne so hostile towards her. She intended to ask Yvonne to dinner so that she could learn more about Mrs. Lu. Unfortunately, her n failed. Le was in a bad mood after Yvonne had left. When she got home, and saw the suit jacket hanging on a stand in the living room, she had an idea. She was looking for a chance to meet Mrs. Lu, but she couldn''t find the opportunity. Since Charles''s suit jacket was here, returning it would be a good excuse to visit Mrs. Lu. Le packed the clean, ironed suit jacket and drove to the Lu family house. When she stood in front of the Dream Garden, she thought to herself, ''One day I will be the hostess here, sooner orter.'' Le took a deep breath and was about to ring the door bell when she heard Yvonne''s cold voice. As soon as Yvonne arrived at Dream Garden, she saw Le and asked with wrinkled brows, "What are you doing here?" She had been cautious of Le because Le wanted to seduce Charles. ording to her, Le was a thief trying to steal Charles away from her. Thus, she wouldn''t give Le any chances out of the office. "Autumn, why are you here?" Le wasn''t expecting to see Yvonne, so she hid the bag containing the suit jacket behind her back. Chapter 135 Throw It Away Chapter 135 Throw It Away Somehow she had a feeling that if Yvonne ever found out that she had feelings for Charles, she would have no chance at all. "Is it strange for me to be here?" Yvonne sneered in a condescending manner this time. Those outsiders were worse than her. At least she could stay in Charles''s house. Just as the saying goes, it is easy to fetch water when a river is near. She wouldn''t let those women try to approach Charles. "No¡­" Le frowned. She didn''t know why Yvonne disliked her so much, "Miss Ye, did I do something wrong? Why have you changed your attitude towards me?" "Don''t talk nonsense. Let me ask you, why are you here?" Yvonne didn''t want to waste her time on Le. She sneered, "What are you hiding behind you?" "No¡­ nothing." Le was anxiously tongue-tied. She nned to visit Charles''s home by surprise and didn''t have any other purposes. She just wanted to see what kind of person Mrs. Lu was and remind her that Charles had a new secretary. But she didn''t expect to see Yvonne here. "Show me." Yvonne reached out to snatch the bag without hesitation. She knew Le was hiding something. She could guess what was in Le''s mind, and she would never let her seed. Yvonne grabbed the bag from Le and opened it. She frozepletely at the sight of the men''s suit. She took a closer look at it and realized that it was Charles''s. A great rage aroused inside her. She asked loudly, "Le, why do you have my brother-inw''s suit? What did you do to him?" "I¡­" Le was at a loss for words. Looking at Yvonne, who was burning with rage, she more or less realized why Yvonne had changed her attitude towards her. She had feelings for Charles too. Le couldn''t help but smile, coldly. She said deliberately in order to irritate her, "Mr. Lu left his suit at my home the night before yesterday. So I had it cleaned. Now I just want to return it back to him." "Why did he go to your home?" Yvonne frowned tightly. Why? Why would Charles choose Le rather than her? In what aspects was she any worse than Le? "The¡­ the day before yesterday, we went to a dinner party. I had gotten a little drunk, so Mr. Lu drove me home, and I invited him in for a cup of tea. It''s really nothing¡­" Le exined immediately, "Miss Ye, don''t overthink it. Mr. Lu loves Mrs. Lu very much. He will never do anything to hurt her. You don''t need to be oversensitive." "Did I say anything about that?" Yvonne shook Le''s hand off and said to her, "It''s just a suit jacket. My brother-inw will not mind it. You can take it back and throw it away if you like. You don''t need to return it to him." Le soon grew flustered at Yvonne''s words, "I can''t do that. It''s Mr. Lu''s clothes. I must personally return it to him." Le reached out, trying to get the bag back from Yvonne. But Yvonne didn''t let go and said, "It''s just clothes anyway. I''ll take it and return it to him for you. You can leave now." When Autumn arrived at home, she found Le and Yvonne quarrelling with each other at the gate of Dream Garden. She didn''t expect to see Le there. So she decided to find a ce to hide herself, and watch them secretly. "Give it back to me." Le was angry and anxious. She didn''t manage to meet Mrs. Lu, and she was being pestered by Yvonne. Autumn was feeling thankful for Yvonne now. Otherwise, she would have ended up meeting with Le there. She had been suspicious of Le ever since she got the phone call from her that night. She was not happy about what Le had done. "Why are you so anxious?" Yvonne sneered, "Le, don''t think that I don''t know what you are doing. Do you have feelings for my brother-inw? Let me tell you this, don''t even think about it." "No, I don''t." Le was agitated. Charles got off work and drove home. When he arrived, he found Autumn hiding in the distance, looking inside. He rolled down the window and asked her, "What are you doing here?" He was curious why she didn''t go inside the house and what she was waiting for. "Hush, " Autumn said in a low voice to keep him silent. She pointed at the gate of Dream Garden and indicated Charles to go in first. Charles turned around and saw Le and Yvonne quarreling there. He frowned slightly and immediately understood why Autumn didn''t go inside. He drove there and sounded the horn. Yvonne''s eyes lit up at the sight of Charles''s car, she walked directly towards him, "Charles, you''re back." "What are you doing here?" Charles asked, inquisitively. To tell the truth, he was in an extremely bad mood to see Yvonne there. But in order to put and end to the problempletely, he had to endure her for a while. Seeing Le there, Charles became even more displeased. He and Autumn almost got into a fight because of her phone call that night. "Charles, Le came here to return your suit. She said that you left it at her home the day before yesterday. Why did you go to her home?" Yvonne asked. Charles nced disdainfully at the clothes in front of him. Le went to him before he could say anything. She said to Charles, "Mr. Lu. You left the suit at my home the night before yesterday. I''ve cleaned it. And I''vee here to return it to you." Le smiled. She reached out to tidy her hair and continued, "Mr. Lu, I was thinking of bringing it to the could harm your reputation. So after I thought about it carefully, I decided toe to your house and return it to you." Le exined her purpose for being there, pretending to be considerate. Yvonne sneered and said to Le: "Now that you''ve returned it. It''s time for you to leave, isn''t it?" "I¡­" Le looked at Charles in front of her with a pair of intive eyes, and realized that Charles wasn''t going to invite her in. She felt awkward as she was now standing beside his home and he didn''t even want to offer her a cup of tea. Charles cast a sidelong nce at the clothes coldly and said, "Please do me a favor, throw it away. I don''t need them anymore." "Ok." Yvonne was filled with joy. She felt extremely relieved in her heart to see Charles treating Le so harshly. "You can go back now if you don''t have anything else to do here." Looking at Le''s pale face, Charles said indifferently, "Keep in mind, please don''te to my house without my permission from now on. Do you understand me?" Yes, she was his secretary, but everything between them was rted to work and they should deal with matters of work within thepany, instead of other ces. Outside of thepany, they were merely strangers. Le grew more and more pallid. Finally, she nodded and said to Charles, "Yes, Mr. Lu. I understand." Autumn went inside when she saw Le leave. It''s really diforting when you have a home but you Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. can''t go in when you want to. When she stepped inside, she saw Yvonne talking to Charles. Yvonne said to him, "Charles, let me tell you this, Le has her own agenda. She has feelings for you. You shouldn''t do anything to hurt my sister and don''t be tempted by those kind of women." Chapter 136 The Common Courtesy Chapter 136 The Common Courtesy "The bitch presumes to put everything over on others." Yvonne was more delighted than others at how Charles had embarrassed Le to her face. Chris grinned, "In line with the old saying, ''What is done by night, appears by day!'' Miss Ye, by no means should you follow her footsteps." What Chris had just said,pletely confused Yvonne before she realized that it was actually a trap. Autumn, back home, felt upset and apologetic, as she found her husband retired to his room. "My love, why were you unwilling toe inside your own home?" Charles felt that he had to settle the matter with his wife, otherwise he would be spending a restless night. "I was afraid..." Autumn replied shamefully, "All I wanted do was to try and keep my identity from her." "Why?" Charles wondered, "Can you tell me why you are still so concerned about these matters?" "I..." Autumn replied awkwardly, "Frankly speaking, both Le and Yvonne have developed feelings for you. I even suspected Le''s motive ofing here was to find out who I am. I avoided seeing her because I wanted avoid giving her any chance of bing a nuisance. I am not even sure what she would do if she discovered that I am Mrs. Lu. My step-sister alone is enough to annoy me, I''d rather have one less enemy." "Is that all?" Charles felt a bit relieved, "Just say the word, and I will fire her immediately, so you don''t have to worry about her at all." "No." Autumn declined her husband''s proposal at once. Although she was bothered by Le, dismissing her from work would adversely affect her husband''spany. Moreover, Le entered into her husband''spany on her rmendation. Firing Le would be thest thing she would like Charles to do. Charles sighed and said to his wife, "Forget about it all then! Just remember, you are the only one in my heart." Autumn smiled and threw herself into her husband''s arms, "Me too, undoubtedly." As their rtionship was solemnized, Charles wooed his wife beyond measure, with everyday spent in conjugal bliss. Charles was holding Autumn tightly, ready to take liberties with his wife, when suddenly the door was pushed open by Yvonne, who said, "Gary sent me to call you two to dinner downstairs." "Out!" Charles turned around with an irritated expression, as his wife shirked from his arms in embarrassment, fixing her hair awkwardly. "Awfully sorry! Please forgive my ignorance.... I was just following Gary''s order..." Yvonne''s very countenance betrayed her hypocrisy. Yvonne''s unwee presence upstairs was, in fact, just to prevent Charles and his wife from further intimacy. She had lost her patience after her protracted waiting. "Now I order you to get out. Can''t you understand?" Charles''s face turned paler than ever, however, Yvonne was totally ignorant of it, "Charles, I...." Charles finally gave in to his anger, as he grasped Yvonne by her dress and pushed her out, "Your repeated presence in my room would only be met with my impoliteness. Do not forget that!" "My sister, I..." Yvonne looked helplessly at Autumn, expecting her to say something in her defense, only to find Autumn''s gentle smile, who said, "Since you are our guest here, you should not havee upstairs without our permission. Moreover, it ismon courtesy to knock on the door before entering a room. How could you vite this rule?" "I..." Yvonne was criticised inexplicably, as she swallowed her pride, unable to counter with any retort. Yvonne sumbed to Charles''s ring eyes, and withdrew downstairs, leaving Autumn concerned. "What is wrong?" Charles immediately sensed his wife''s uneasiness. "Nothing at all, except for a petty concern." Lately, she had been hard on her mother and step-sister, however, in consideration of her grandma, who was at their mercy, she had to relent. "Are you worried about grandma?" Charlesforted his wife, "You can rest assured. I will send for your grandma to live with us as apanion to my grandpa as soon as possible." "Bah!" Autumn replied, "That''s not what I want!" "What is wrong?" "It would surely incur calumny and nder..." Autumn replied helplessly. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. After dinner, seemingly ignorant of their encounter upstairs, Yvonne pestered Charles, "Charles, I was hitch a ride with you to work. To avoid any suspicion, you can drop me off from your car, in the vicinity of ourpany." Charles looked up to Yvonne and replied coldly, "You had better go to work by yourself, because I am taking the day off work tomorrow." "Off work?" Yvonne was stunned for a little while before she realized it was Charles''s pretext. She felt agitated for not having a better idea except for pressing for an alternative, "What about the day after tomorrow? May I get a ride then?" "Absolutely not!" Charles replied in an adamant manner, "We should go to work by ourselves everyday." Chris found it very difficult to contain herself, knowing how her brother had paid little attention to her, let alone to Yvonne, who was making a fool of herself. Yvonne''s face turned pale with embarrassment. She did not understand why Charles had resented her so much, considering the fact that she was just as goodlooking as Autumn. She was angered by Charles''s behavior and almost blurted out the truth about her identity (the fact that Autumn is a substitute). Yvonne contained her anger and retired to her room. She realized that her vtile temper would mess up the whole endeavor at that critical moment. "Autumn, in the future I will be sure to make you suffer tenfold of what I have suffered here today." Yvonne said to herself with a grin. Chapter 137 The Awkward Blind Date Chapter 137 The Awkward Blind Date David was quite proficient. He quickly managed to find important information about buying out Cloud Advertising Company. He put the file on Charles'' desk and said, "Mr. Lu, the person who I assigned to contact Ryan told me that Ryan was asking for a high price and he wanted to continue to work in Cloud Advertising Company. Will we still purchase it?" "Of course we will." Charles was going to make Ryan pay for what he had done. Since Ryan had liked bossing Autumn around in the past, Charles wanted to make hime know how it felt to work for Autumn. Charles wouldn''t tell Autumn how to treat him. That would be her prerogative. "This matter needs to be settled as soon as possible." Charles couldn''t wait to give Autumn a big surprise. Under Charles'' authority, David sped up the acquisition. As long as the price was good, Ryan would certainly be willing to sell thepany. Most importantly, since Autumn left Cloud Advertising Company, the business of thepany had been going downhill and they hadn''tnded a single big case in a while. Of course, that was mostly because of Charles. Charles was processing some files when Le came by. "Mr. Lu, your signature is needed on this file, " she said. Le was very professional and methodical at work. When Charles signed his name, Le didn''t leave immediately. She asked, "Mr. Lu, there''s a banquet tonight. Are you going alone or..." "I''m not going." He was worried that Yvonne might bully Autumn in his absence. Therefore, Charles decided to go straight home after work these days. Le didn''t say another word. She was still embarrassed at what had happened yesterday. Only with hard work could she win back Charles'' approval. That was the only thing that was on her mind. She wasn''t in a rush. As his secretary, she''d have plenty of opportunities ahead, to get to him. It didn''t matter what Mrs. Lu was like. The most important thing was whom he liked. Autumn was still anxious to find a job. At the same time, I, who resigned from her position, was bothered by another problem. After I quit her job, she visited her hometown. Knowing that she had lost her job, her family started to urge her to find a boyfriend. They kept saying that marriage was the most important thing in a girl''s life; marriage was like a second life for girls, etc. They tried everything, but I wasn''t convinced. I was so annoyed by them that she only stayed there for two days and then went back to Y City. However, her mom didn''t stop urging her just because she went back and had already fixed her a blind date in Y City. "I, your aunt wants you to meet this man. No matter what you think, at the very least, you should go meet him. Or else, I will be very angry. You hear me?" Her mom shouted on the phone. She was purely a country yokel. It was early in the morning. I was still sleeping. But her mom''s loud voice woke her up and nearly scared her off the bed. "Mom, I told you I didn''t want to think about this right now. Can you just let it go?" I scratched her head resignedly. Her mom responded angrily, "No, I can''t. You''re my daughter. Who else would take care of you if I don''t? All the girls your age in our vige have gotten married. How am I supposed to show my face like this? Your aunt is the only rtive we have in Y City. Although you have never contacted her, she still cares about you. After I told her about you, she got very concerned. The meeting will be in a hotel tonight. Your aunt has already texted you the address. Dress up nicely. Understand?" "My aunt?" I sneered. Her aunt was married to someone wealthy, like a modern Cindere story. After her marriage, she had stopped caring about her poor rtives, as if she was ashamed of them all along. That year, if it hadn''t been for her, I wouldn''t have ended up... I forced a smile and said, "Mom, if you want me to get married, I can find someone on my own, any minute. But I don''t want to get married yet, so please tell my dear aunt that I don''t need her to fix me up with someone." "Why are you being so stubborn? Your aunt said this man was perfect for you. Even if you don''t like blind dates, at least meet him. I promise, if you don''t like him, I won''t push you anymore. Okay?" "..." I sighed, but since her mom had promised, she agreed to go. "Fine, " she said. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "Okay then. I''ll wait for the good news." Her mom hung up the phone happily. I checked her phone and found a new message from her aunt. Her aunt said that, she had saved the best man for her niece, since they were family. I had already promised her mom that she would meet the guy, so she went to the hotel. But when she got there, she found that her date hadn''t shown up yet. The so-called excellent man was half an hourte. On her way to the hotel, I had been wondering what the man was like. But when she saw him, she was utterly shocked. The man was so... not ''perfect''. He was about 40 years old. When he smiled, the flesh on his face shook from left to right. When he sat down, I was worried that the chair wouldn''t be able to take his weight. The funny thing was that he reminded her of the humanoid pigman in the TV version of Journey to the West. Before they started their self-introductions, the man got a phone call and answered it right in front of I. "I''m telling you, she''s beautiful. I shouldn''t have gone to see the other girl with you. It was a total waste of time." I was disappointed to hear that. She didn''t even want to introduce herself to him anymore. "Mr. Zhu, I- I gotta go." The man ignored her. Bam! He pped the table and yelled, "Waitress! Where is the goddamn waitress?" The waitress got scared and brought him a menu at once. The man then realized something and said, "My surname is not Zhu. I''m Gordon Huang." I gave a wry smile. She just blurted out whatever came to her mind. The food Gordon ordered was oily and fatty, just like him. I gulped down three sses of lemonade, and she was full. She was thinking of an excuse to take off when the man nced at her casually and said, " Your aunt told me about you. You don''t have a job right now. Women don''t make much money anyway, and they are supposed to rely on men. If we get married, I''ll be the one to provide for you, while you can stay at home and take care of the house and my parents." Chapter 138 I Will Pay For It Chapter 138 I Will Pay For It I showed a disapproving look. But seeing that his face was full of fantasy, she was reluctant to embarrass him. So she continued to listen to him. But the more he spoke, the more it felt weird. "You can take care of the children at home. My parents like to do morning exercises. You can get up at six and prepare breakfast. After breakfast, you need to do theundry first, because after that you have to go out to buy some food for lunch and dinner. Oh! And yes, my mother likes dessert. You need to make time for that. And make sure that dinner is ready by the time I get home from work." She tried to recall what her aunt had told her. She was sure she was here on a blind date, not to apply for a job as a nanny. But he seemed engrossed in his fantasy and couldn''t stop talking about it. I assumed that he must be rich. It was said that most men who were good at earning money had some male chauvinist tendencies. "Excuse me, How much is your monthly sry, Mr. Zhu? Oh, sorry, Mr. Huang?" "Five thousand. It''s a handsome figure, isn''t it? If you are not satisfied with my sry, that rifies only one thing, that you women are all vain creatures. And I won''t be attracted to such women. But I like your hot figure and because of that, I will reluctantly give you a try." Gordon was such an arrogant guy, he dared to judge I to her face. I pinched her leg hard under the table. She felt pain, which meant that she was not dreaming. Then she must have gotten on a fake blind date, she mocked herself. She had prepared three excuses to leave in case the blind date turned awkward. But she now threw away all that she had prepared beforehand. The first excuse was to say that she did not feel well. But she feared that Gordon would take advantage of that by offering to take care of her. The second excuse was that something urgent happened at home. But again, Gordon might just offer to go with her. The third situation was that she would show her hands and they would fall out. But Gordon was a strong man, and she was only a weak woman. So she had no choice but to wait until he ate and drank to his heart''s content. Maybe then he would be happy and let her go easily. But after Gordon finished the meal, he started dropping sexual hints, implying that there was a good hotel nearby and the breakfast there was very delicious. However delicious the food was going to be, it would be impossible for her to have another meal with him. "Thank you, Mr. Zhu, no, Mr. Huang. Thanks for your treat. I will let my Aunt know how our date went." She was sure that she would never meet him again. When Gordon saw the bill, he frowned. He reluctantly paid and grumbled that women always spent a lot. But actually he ate the most during the meal. Such a sexist pig, wasn''t he? As soon as they walked out of the restaurant, Gordon grabbed I and put his arms around her, preventing her from leaving. The people around wanted to help I, but they were intimidated by Gordon''s strong figure. "I really, really like you. If you satisfy me tonight, I will consider marrying you tomorrow. I know you like it too. Your aunt has told me everything about you. You should feel lucky that I choose you." What did her aunt tell him? Hearing this, I felt as if she was soaked in cold water and was left out in the freezing north wind. But even though she was not that perfect, she would not let Gordon take advantage of her. She knew that it would be of no use to shout for help in public. She had to create a scene. How did one do that? She racked her brain, trying to remember every possible ways to fight against sex offender. Yes, she had an idea. The most effective way was to smash the most expensive thing one could find. She looked around the parking lot. The most expensive thing there was a Maserati and it was right in front of her. She calcted the maintenance cost in her mind, and weighed her innocence against the cost. She decisively smashed a hole in the car with her high heels. "Arrgh!" The security guard shouted at her angrily and rushed over. He then called someone on the phone to inform about the ident. A man in a suit rushed out from the restaurant. He glowered at the damage, then he turned to I and Gordon. He spat out, "Who is responsible for this?" Gordon knew that it would cost tens of thousands to fix a Maserati and there was no way he could afford it. He pointed to I and said, "She did it. We don''t know each other. It is just an unlucky day for me to meet her." I immediately agreed, "Yes, I smashed it. I will pay for it. I can go with you to make the settlement." It was the first time for the man in suit to see someone brave enough to smash someone else''s car and willing topensate for the damage. "Miss, please take your shoes, I will take you to my boss. You can negotiate with him." He expressed that the car was owned by his boss. I suddenly felt as if she had fallen into the tiger''s She picked up her shoes, and found one of the heels broken. She put them on and hobbled along. When she turned around, Gordon had already disappeared. Oh, this was the "good man" rmended by her aunt. She sighed. Walking back into the restaurant, I had mixed feelings. The man in the suit brought her to a box. By the manner with which he knocked on the door, I assumed that the boss inside would be hard to deal with. He knocked three times, and then paused to listen, then knocked again, as if he was sending a secret signal. Then a cold voice came through from inside, "Come in." I was already feeling shivery which intensified when she heard the unweing voice. She took a peek, wondering who had made the air freeze with such a voice. The man in suit opened the door and told her to wait outside. Through the crack in the door she could only see the back of a tall man. There was also another man with an annoying voice, talking excitedly without any sense. In contrast, the man whose back was towards her seemed very aloof. The two people inside were on This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. opposite ends. One was acting like he was celebrating the New Year while the other seemed to be attending a funeral. He gave off an atmosphere that someone had been dead thus everything around him seemed ghastly cold. When she tried to look closely, the door had fully closed. The man in suit walked quietly towards his boss and whispered something. The boss frowned and raised his eyelids. He was irritated by the interruption. The man in suit nodded immediately. He knew how he should handle it. He carefully retreated and walked out. "Miss, our boss will let it pass. You can leave now." ''Let it pass?'' I finally thought she got lucky today. If her shoes had wheels, she would have left right away. But what if the boss regretted itter? She had saved herself, but she felt that she had taken advantage of others. She took out a pen and a piece of paper. "My name is I Zhao. I''m not a person who likes to take advantage of others. I will pay for what I have done by going through the usual procedure. This is my telephone number. If you have any problems, you can call me any time." After writing the note and handing it to the man in suit, she felt better. She straightened up her clothes and rushed out the restaurant. She was determined to never ever return for the rest of her life. The man in suit didn''t care about I''s note. He randomly put it inside a file. His boss had decided to let it pass and would never regret it. He never did anything he would regret. At the thought of his boss''s expression, he felt a shiver down his spine. Could it be true that his boss really don''t know how to smile at all? He gathered himself and went back to his boss. He waited for him to show his final blow. He checked the time. Twenty five minutes had passed since they came inside. ording to his boss''s character, they have reached maximum tolerance. He felt sorry for Johnson Shen, the one who had been bbering all this time. "Mr. Gu, what do you think? Say something. I have been the one talking too much. I came here for the sake of your family. We have cooperated with each other for many years but you now me me. Don''t think too highly of yourself." Johnson gulped some water. Seeing that Mr. Gu was nonchnt, he felt anxious and annoyed. He knew Mr. Gu was born out of wedlock, without this connection to Gu family, who did he think he was? The box went silent for three seconds. Aron Gu who turned his back against them turned around and sat down on the seat opposite Johnson. He crossed his long legs, his fingers tapping on the sofa. Then he fixed his gaze on Johnson. Chapter 139 I Have Missed You So Much Chapter 139 I Have Missed You So Much Johnson was shocked. Although he had heard the tactics of Aron before, he thought that Aron was just a junior. Johnson wasn''t used to his sharp, murderous eyes. Johnson sat up and acted as the more senior one, looking Aron up and down carefully. Aron was good looking, but he looked too reserved. This temperament did not show his age. Though Aron was young, he was a tough nut to crack. His eyes were sharp and profound. Johnson felt very uneasy under his gaze, as if Aron could read his mind. "Are you finished?" Aron said in a low and expressionless voice. His tone was so firm that it intimidated Johnson, so he only nodded quietly. "You are my elder, so I let you talk first. But now, you have wasted me twenty minutes so I will be brief. There are only two choices for you. You either resign or let go. It''s up to you." Johnson was so angry that he mmed his ss on the table. "How dare you?" Aron held out his hand and his assistant immediately ced a file on it. He opened the file and took out a small piece of paper. He didn''t pay much attention to what was written on it, but he was familiar with the style of the handwriting. Upon seeing this, a woman quickly came to mind. ''What if I be a celebrity some day? My signature would be worthwhile then, so I have to practice my handwriting to a unique style so that no one could copy it.'' He could hear the words she once said to him. His assistant made an obvious cough to get Aron, who was absorbed in his thoughts, back to the present. Aron''s eyes went back to being icy cold as he tightly and silently held the piece of paper. Aron mmed the document file on the table. It contained record of Johnson''s embezzlement and fraud all these years. All evidence was in there and Aron didn''t have to say anything else. Johnson was speechless, seeing the document. He never thought that Aron would find out. When he was about to exin, Aron had already put on his coat. Aron''s assistant pulled Johnson in a hurry and said, "Mr. Shen, my boss''s point is very clear. Good nature is a source of wealth. There is no need for you to offend my boss because of someone else." Of course, the so called someone else referred to Aron''s brother who strove to drag Aron into the mire at any cost. Johnson heaved a sigh. He did not expect that Aron would be so heartless, not caring about their long- standing rtionship. Johnson was doomed any which way. Johnson looked at Aron standing in front of him and said, "All right. Have it your own way." He sounded hopeless since nothing much can be done about it anymore. "Well, then I have to thank you for your help, Mr. Shen." Aron buttoned his suit, and went on, "I still have work to do, so I have to leave now. My assistant will talk to you about everything else." After that, Aron hastily walked out of the room. Outside, he saw I get into her car. After four years, Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. he finally saw her again. Aron clenched the small note and couldn''t help smiling. He looked at the leaving figure of I and said softly to himself, "Long time no see. I have missed you so much." I has felt very uneasy having smashed someone else''s car. The next morning, she received a phone call from Aron''s assistant, "Hello, is this Miss Zhao?" "Yes, it is. Excuse me. Who is this?" I had just gotten up. She hadn''t even washed her face and she was just about to make coffee. "Hello. We met at Yummy Restaurant yesterday. My boss said that he wanted to meet you to talk about thepensation for the damages on his car. "Miss Zhao, are you free at noon today?" The man asked her politely. "Yes." I replied briefly. She was not going to take to the woods or she would not have left her phone number. She promised the man to meet at noon as she happened to be free. She didn''t have to go to work these days. "Okay. Please send me the address. But please give me some time. I will be there as soon as possible." "That''s okay. Well, see youter." The man hung up and turned to Aron, "Mr. Gu, Miss Zhao has agreed to meet you. But she said that she may be a littlete." "It''s Okay, I understand." Aron did not care if she waste. He had been waiting for her for four years, so why would he care to wait a few moments more? Aron held the note in his hand tightly. ''I, I will not let you walk away from me this time.'' Aron thought. After hanging up the phone, I immediately dressed up, put on afortable white T-shirt and jeans and drove to the address given by the man. She was startled by the address given to her. For four years, she dared not go near that ce, because she was afraid of recalling those painful memories. But she did not expect that the man would ask to meet there. She struggled inward for a long while then decided that it was time for her to forget those memories and let go. Standing in front of the hotel, she took a deep breath and then walked inside. "Hello, Miss. Zhao, please follow me." As soon as she entered the door, she saw the man whom she met yesterday. He smiled and waved his hands at her. "Where is your boss?" I felt weird because the man was alone. Didn''t his boss want to talk about the damages andpensation? But why wasn''t he there? "My boss is waiting for you upstairs." The man in ck suit pushed the elevator button and said to I, "Miss. Zhao, this way please." I''s head was filled with thoughts of something bad happening to her. She tried to brush them away. ''He is the boss of a bigpany, so he''s not gonna do anything to me.'' She clutched her bag and walked into the elevator. "Excuse me." She turned to the man. "May I know your name?" "You can call me Chou." "Well, Chou." I looked at him and asked, "Is your boss angry?" I felt ashamed. Although she left her phone number and she was never going to run away from her responsibility, she worried that she would have to pay arge amount of money. After all... After all, she smashed a Maserati. "Miss. Zhao, you don''t have to worry. My boss has said that you don''t need topensate for the car. He won''t go back on his words." Chou smiled andforted I. "Don''t needpensation? Are you serious?" She was relieved but she couldn''t believe what she heard. "Well, then why did he want me to meet him here today?" I asked, puzzled. Chou smiled softly and replied, "My boss is just curious about you. He said that it is his first time to meet a person who would take the initiative to pay for such damages. That is why he asked you to meet him here. You can dine with him and even make friends with him. Don''t worry. He is a good person." "Oh, I get it now." I was enlightened by his words. I furrowed her brows slightly. It sounded weird. She did smash his luxury car. So now that she came, she would like to meet him. At least, she should apologize to him and extended her appreciation. When the elevator stopped on the 22nd floor, I felt her heart beating fast. She has not forgotten this floor number. She hesitated before stepping out with Chou. Now standing in front of a familiar room, she felt like she was going to faint. Was it just a coincidence? "This way please. My boss is inside." Old memories came rushing back. I stood in front of the door nervously and then let out a scream, dropped to the floor and burst into tears. A few secondster, a pair of shiny leather shoes appeared in front of her. A man handed her a tissue and asked, "Are you okay?" In the next second, I jumped up, overwhelmed, as if she had seen a ghost. She pushed away the man in front of her and rushed out. The man whom she missed all this time had just showed up, but now she did not want to see him. No, she dared not. Chapter 140 Give Me A Satisfactory Explanation Chapter 140 Give Me A Satisfactory Exnation I never dreamed that she would see the man that she thought she would never see again. She panicked, fearing that he would run after her, all the way to her house. Having no way out, she called Autumn. Autumn was about to take a bath when she heard her phone ring. She picked it up. "I, why are you calling me sote? Are you okay?" For a moment, no one answered. All she heard were the heavy gasps from I. Then she realized that I might be frightened. "What happened, I?" she asked, concerned. Then she heard I''s upset voice. "Ye, can I...e to your house tonight?" I asked. "Sure. Where are you? I''ll pick you up now." After getting I''s location, Autumn immediately picked up her coat from the bed and prepared to go out. "It''s sote. Where are you going?" Charles asked, stopping her. "A friend of mine is in trouble. I need to use your car, Charles." Autumn quickly replied. In this case, Autumn found it really inconvenient not to have a car. Charles had to go with her because he was worried about her safety. On the way to pick up I, Autumn briefly told Charles about her. Charles found her clearly worried and distracted. In Autumn''s mind, I was a cheerful person who seemed to be carefree all the time, so this unusual behavior made Autumn suspect that she was having a big problem. Then she remembered thest time she saw I not being herself... Before she knew it, they had arrived at the address given by I. "Is that her?" Charles asked. Hearing his question, Autumn looked out of the car and saw I huddled alone on the curb, looking upset and tired. "I..." Autumn unbuckled her seatbelt and ran towards I. It was a bit windy but not cold. I was in a heap on the curb, looking pale. "I, what''s wrong with you? What happened?" Autumn helped I up and asked. Upon hearing Autumn''s words of concern, I burst into tears, but said nothing. Autumn took off her coat and put it on I to warm her. "Let''s get out of here first, " Charles told Autumn, opening the door of his car. Autumn helped I into the car, and sat in the back with her. I was a sensitive person who had pride. She would never have called Autumn if she hadn''t been desperate. Back home, Charles said, "Stay with your friend tonight. I''ll sleep in the study." Actually, Autumn was about to suggest the same thing. "Thank you, " she replied, and gave Charles a grateful look. Then she helped I up the stairs. Autumn found a pair of clean pajamas for I. When Iy on the bed after a bath, Autumn asked, "I, can you tell me what happened to you?" "..." Since the light was off, Autumn could not see I''s face. After a few minutes, I''s voice came from the darkness. "He''s back." "He? Do you mean Aron?" Autumn uttered the name, knitting her brows. I didn''t answer her, and Autumn knew she was right. She finally understood why sensible I was not herself. Autumn knew exactly how devastated and heartbroken I was when Aron left. Perhaps only Aron could have made I that miserable. ''Why did he suddenlye back to I''s life after all these years?'' Autumn wondered. Autumn did not continue to ask I because she knew I would not want to talk about this now. Autumn still did not know why Aron left without saying goodbye, but she believed that I would tell her one day. "Let''s just talk about it tomorrow. Good night. Sleep well, " Autumn said to I. I didn''t sleep well all night, causing her eyes to be swollen when she woke up the next morning. "Would you like to go downstairs for breakfast?" asked Autumn, who was up already. I gave her a slight nod. She felt a little ashamed at the thought of her disturbing the Lu family, out of her witsst night. Yvonne was downstairs when I and Autumn came down from the bedroom. As I camete yesterday, Yvonne had no idea that she was in the house. But now at the sight of I, Yvonne froze for a moment and then got angry. ''Who is she? Well, whoever she is, why should I have to live in a servant''s room while she gets to stay with Autumn?'' Yvonneined quietly to herself. "Sis, who is this?" she asked with a sneer. No one answered her. I turned to Charles with a little embarrassment, and said, "Charles... sorry to have bothered youst night." "It''s nothing." Charles gave her a smile. He could see that I was a very important friend to Autumn. "My wife''s friends are my friends. You can stay here as long as you''d like, " Charles added. "I''ll leave this morning." I shook her head with a wry smile. She stayed herest night because she was too scared. She knew that escape would never solve the problem, so she decided to stop hiding. "Thank you so much forst night. I''ll invite you two to dinner soon." "How can we expect you to treat us to dinner?" Autumn, ignoring Yvonne, said to I as she served I breakfast. "Don''t forget I owe you a big meal. You are here today. Why don''t we have dinner togetherter?" she proposed. "But..." I was about to refuse when Charles interrupted, "Okay, it''s settled then." Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. He then turned to I and asked, "I, are you freeter? I''ve prepared a great gift for my wife. Can you give me some advice?" "Sure..." I agreed. ''What does Charles mean? What gift? Why don''t I know anything about it?'' Autumn thought, confused. She opened his mouth to ask Charles, but Yvonne mmed the cutlery on the table, pointed at her, and cursed, "What the hell! I am your sister. Why should she stay upstairs with you, and I have to live in a servant''s room? If you don''t give me a satisfactory exnation today, you''ll be sorry!" Chapter 141 A Good Talk Chapter 141 A Good Talk "Ye, since when has there been a mad dog running wild at your home?" I had never met Yvonne before, although she did hear of her. Without Autumn introducing Yvonne, I could guess who she was Before Autumn could say anything, Yvonne standing nearby couldn''t remain silent any more. She turned her gaze from Autumn to I and shouted, "Who are you to interrupt me?" Autumn refrained from talking back. She knew she had had enough of Yvonne''s bad temper. She was about to say something, when Charles stood up. Since Yvonne moved in, Charles had been ignoring her. He looked through Yvonne and at Autumn. "Darling, have you finished your breakfast? I would like to take you to a nice ce. You cane with us, I." "Alright." I was pleased with Charles''a attitude. She and Autumn got changed and were about to walk out of the door, when Yvonne rushed to Charles and gave him a flirtatious smile. "Charles, look at my sister. I''m her sister, but she is getting help from someone else to gang up on me. Anyway, I''m going to move into the main building tonight. The servants'' house is dirty and small. How can I live in that ce?" Yvonne took Charles''s hand tenderly and asked, "Charles, how could my sister treat me that way? After all I''m..." "She can do that because she''s the hostess of this house." Charles dropped Yvonne''s hand and said with a straight look. "This is her house. She decides who can and can''t live here. If you''re not willing to live in the house for servants... That''s fine with me. You can go back and live with the Gu Family any time." Charles smiled bitterly. "Please tell me if you decide to leave. I can ask my chauffeur to drive you home." "No, " answered Yvonne angrily and anxiously. How could she go back, like a beaten dog, with her tail between her legs? She swallowed her pride and said to Charles sweetly, "Charles, I just got confused. I''m so sorry. Can you forgive me?" I hated her callousness. Yvonne swallowed her anger and said humbly, "I don''t know how to behave properly, so please don''t be angry with me. Please." "You should tell that to your sister, " said Charles. "Honestly speaking, you did many wrong things, but your sister has always been kind to you. She has never rebuked you. So, you should apologize to her." Yvonne went pale. But she knew that she shouldn''t provoke Charles any more today. She had to exercise restraint, and went to Autumn unwillingly. She said, "Sister, I''m sorry, please forgive me." "Don''t mention it. No big deal. Just forget about it," said Autumn in a way which was magnanimous. However, her next words almost made Yvonne lose her temper again. "However, I have had enough of your over-persistence. If you do this again, I will have to ask you to leave. Are we clear on that?" "You..." Yvonne''s face went white. She was about to fight Autumn again, but she looked back and saw the threatening look on Charles'' face. She restrained herself and calmly answered, "Alright, sister. Don''t worry. I''ll behave." "Well, it''s good that we''ve finallye to an agreement. Now, let''s go," said Charles. Then, Yvonne came forward and asked them, "Charles, where are you going? I want to go with you." Since it was the weekend, Yvonne was determined to go with them. Autumn was about to refuse her, but unexpectedly, Charles agreed. "Alright, let''s go together," said Charles, nodding his consent. Autumn had no idea of why Charles would do that. But I knew that Charles must have other intentions, otherwise why would Charles allow Yvonne toe along and burden them? Outside the house, Yvonne rushed to open the front passenger door. "Sister, I get carsick easily. Can I sit in front beside the driver?" It''s well known that the front passenger seat is reserved for the driver''s wife or girlfriend. Yvonne wanted to win over Autumn on this so she tried and looked into Autumn''s eyes in a threatening manner. She thought Autumn would cave in, but she was wrong. Autumn smiled coldly and said, "I''m so sorry. I''m also likely to be carsick." Yvonne never expected Autumn to refuse her request. I, standing nearby, came to Autumn''s aid. She took Yvonne''s hand and said amiably, "Let''s both sit in the back. There''s no need to interrupt the couple. We can have a good talk." I said thest two words emphatically. Then, she took Yvonne and got in the car. Yvonne hated I already. She knew I just made an excuse to force her to take the back seat but unexpectedly, I literally wanted to talk to her. "What''s your rtionship with Ye? Why hasn''t she told me before that she has a sister?" asked I wryly. Yvonne had decided to impress Charles. So, she gave I a big smile and answered, "We are distantly rted. So It''s quite normal that she hasn''t introduced me to anyone else." "Are you serious?" asked I coldly. She might have been fooled by Yvonne if she hadn''t already known Yvonne''s background. Now, she wanted Yvonne to give herself away. "Your distant rtive is treating you so well. Look at your clothes, they must be expensive. Where did the moneye from?" "I..." Yvonne was rendered speechless. She restrained from losing her temper and said gloomily, "My aunt and uncle bought them for me. They have always been treating me well. Actually, they''re really nice". "Of course they are. Everyone knows that. Ye has never been treated that way. Other people who don''t know your family well might think you''re their daughter." I giggled. "Nonsense." Yvonne suddenly went pale with a very guilty look. "Don''t worry. We''re only having a good talk," said I, with a big smile on her face. "By the way, have you gotten yourself a boyfriend? I think it''s time for you to get married and start having a family. Haven''t you fallen in love with a nice boy yet?" Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Yvonne looked embarrassed and lowered her head. She whispered in a low voice, "No, I don''t have a boyfriend yet. My parents have been strict with me since childhood. Mom always said that a girl should have a reserved manner. She shouldn''t have an intimate rtionship with a boy before marriage. So, I have never had a boyfriend so far." However the other three people in the car didn''t believe her and felt disgusted at her lies. I was trying to restrain herself from pping her in the face, and said to her, "Well, that''s really good. I have a friend. He''s really good-looking, rich and most importantly, kind. If you have time, I can set a date for you both. If things don''t work out, you can still be friends. What do you think?" Chapter 142 Your Company Chapter 142 Your Company "That''s not necessary." Yvonne stole a nce at Charles who was driving. She was afraid he would misunderstand it, so she immediately yelled to I, "Thank you for your kindness. But don''t bother! I have someone in my heart." "Well, you don''t have a boyfriend right now. It''s okay to meet more guys." I said to Yvonne, "Hey, I''m talking to you. Why do you steal nces at Charles from time to time?" "I don''t! Stop talking nonsense!" Yvonne was taken aback by I''s words and yelled, "Stop it! I won''t see other guys!" "Never mind. I thought you and my friend were a perfect match. But since you don''t want to give it a try, forget what I''ve said." I said indifferently. Yvonne was finally relieved as she thought I would stop. However, I continued to ask, "What kind of man do you like?" "I refuse to answer that. It''s my own business!" Yvonne answered coldly. "Come on! Let''s make some small talk. We aren''t there yet." I gave a scornful smile and continued, "Well, is it because the guy you like is already taken?" "Bah! That''s nonsense!" Yvonne denied it at once. She dared not admit that she loved Charles. While Yvonne was out of her wits, Charles parked the car and said, "Here we are." Autumn raised her head and asked in confusion, "Cloud Advertising Company? Why do you bring us here?" "Don''t worry, you will find out." Charles answered with a mysterious smile. He had taken over the Cloud Advertising Company. Autumn had now be the General Manager of thepany. "Let''s go." Charles held Autumn''s hand and walked into the building. Yvonne followed them. She was burning with jealousy when she saw Charles holding Autumn''s hand. I finally realized something. She had heard that the Cloud Advertising Company was taken over by anotherpany. Now Charles brought Autumn here. Did it mean... Autumn was nervous as she didn''t know why Charles brought her here. Meanwhile, Ryan and Pa were waiting anxiously at the elevator. The new General Manager was to take office today. Therefore, Ryan dressed up and came early, hoping to make a good impression on the new General Manager. Only the mysterious new owner could save Cloud Advertising Company now. Ryan and Pa were standing by the elevator. The elevator door parted and Charles stepped out, followed by Autumn and I. Ryan frowned as he saw Autumn. He had thought that he wouldn''t see Autumn ever again, but he didn''t expect to see her at Cloud Advertising Company so soon. He uttered no word, but Pa couldn''t bear it. She walked up to Autumn and sneered, "Oh my god! How dare youe here? Shame on you!" "Why can''t shee here?" I stood between Pa and Autumn as she spoke, "Are you the boss? Or is there a rule that says Autumn is not allowed to enter?" "Come on. I Zhao, I know you are good friends." Pa taunted. She cooked up the story that Autumn had copied from others and received kickbacks from Party B. But Autumn looked great right now, which enraged Pa. "I Zhao, she has a bad name now. I don''t think it''s wise for you to defend her like this. Others might think you are on the same side." Pa said coldly. I retorted, "I know her well. As for the rumors, we both know who cooked those up. Autumn is a capabledy and she can always find a good job, unlike you!"This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "I admit she is more capable than I am. However..." Paughed and continued, "She has be notorious. Now everypany is staying away from her. But... I have to admit she is a beautiful woman. She can find a good husband and be a housewife." "I agree with you on that. She will find a good husband and have a happy family in the future." I held Autumn''s hand and said proudly, "Autumn will definitely be happy. Don''t be jealous of her!" I and Pa bickered with each other without stopping. Autumn pulled I away and said in a light voice, "I, don''t argue with her." "Come on! I''m defending you." I said indifferently. Ryan frowned as he walked to Charles and said, "Mr. Lu, I don''t know why you are here. But we have something really important today. Could you pleasee back tomorrow?" "Yes, please." Pa disliked Charles very much. If it weren''t for him, Ryan would still trust her and the Cloud Advertising Company wouldn''t be in trouble now. "Autumn Ye, you are not a part of Cloud Advertising Company anymore. Please don''te here. You are no longer wee." "It''s not decided by you!" Charles said in a cold voice, "Pa Pan?" It took a long time for Charles to remember Pa''s name. He said seriously, "You are fired!" "Hahaha!" Paughed out loud and taunted, "What makes you think that you can fire me? Charles Lu, you were our client before and I dared not offend you. But now, you are not our client anymore. You are nobody here and you don''t have the right to fire me. This is Cloud Advertising Company, not Shining Company. Understand?" "I was unable to fire you before, but now..." Charles gave a tiny smile. Before Pa could say anything, Ryan suddenly realized something and asked Charles with a frown, "You... you are the buyer of Cloud Advertising Company?" "No, I''m not." Charles smiled. He grabbed Autumn''s hand and said to Ryan, "From now on, she is the General Manager of Cloud Advertising Company." "Wh... what?" After Charles'' announcement, Ryan, Pa and Autumn were all shocked. Autumn murmured, "What did you just say?" "I said... this is yourpany now." Charles said to Autumn. I had already guessed it. Hearing Charles''s deration, she walked to Autumn and said in a cheerful voice, "Autumn, congrattions. Now your dream hase true." Chapter 143 General Manager Chapter 143 General Manager Autumn did not show any sign of happiness instead she looked a little worried. She grabbed Charles by his arm and took him aside to a quiet corner. She then whispered to Charles in hushed tone, "I can''t possibly take thispany." "Why?" asked Charles in confusion. Charles couldn''t understand what was happening. ''Thispany is my gift to her. If it were Rachel, she would embrace me and thank me. But here I am, and Autumn is refusing to take it.'' "Charles, you don''t understand. I..." Autumn didn''t know how to exin what she felt to Charles. ''If I epted thispany, I would be ill at ease with Charles, '' she thought to herself. I walked up to Autumn with determination and said, "Dear, just take it." Charles couldn''tprehend Autumn''s thoughts, but I could. A few days back they had a conversation about this. When she saw Autumn and Charles walk to a corner, she followed them as she knew that Autumn would refuse Charles''s proposal. With a little frown, Autumn responded, "I, you know me very well." I nodded with approval, "Of course I do." "But this is not the time to consider your pride. Mr. Lu is your husband. It is not a big deal for him to let you take over Cloud Advertising Company. Don''t overthink this and ept his generous and considerate proposal." "You know that I don''t want..." "I know and understand your concern well. In the past, I would have supported you and your decision. But now things have changed." Perhaps as I was a bystander, so was able to think through this situation rather rationally when together if you couldn''t find a job. Now, your husband is presenting you with such a good opportunity. Why don''t you just take it?" "But..." "Don''t hesitate any further." I continued advising her, "You''re his wife. He has earned so much money and it is all for his family. If you don''t spend his money, who else has the right to do so? Am I right, Mr. Lu?" "Yes absolutely..." Once Charles heard their conversation, he began to understand Autumn''s thoughts. Not to cause stress to Autumn, he added with aforting and calm look, "Shining Company''s public rtions business has been outsourced to several otherpanies in the past few years. Although we have our own PR department, it has no practical function in reality. Cloud Advertising Company isn''t a bigpany yet but it does receive excellent feedback. I have my reasons to acquire it. I already have a lot of work and responsibility whiche with handling and managing Shining Company. If I manage Cloud Advertising Company too, I might be left with no time to even sleep." "He is right." I joined his line of dialogue and added, "If you take over thispany and handle its functions, you will be doing your husband a favor. If you still feel ufortable, then you can try your best to manage Cloud Advertising Company well, and bring him actual benefit and profits by the end of this financial year." "But..." Autumn''s determination and conviction were shaken slightly, but she still had some concerns. ''Charles has spent a huge sum of money acquiring thispany. What if I ruin the functioning of Cloud Advertising Company and lead it to suffer a loss?'' thought Autumn to herself. Charles encouraged, "There is nothing to worry. All you need to concentrate on is doing your job as well as you possibly can." He then turned to I and said, "I, I heard that you lost your job because of Autumn. Are you interested in working in the Cloud Advertising Company to help her run this "I, I need your help. Please don''t think twice, juste and work with me." If Charles hadn''t reminded her, in that moment, she would have forgotten that I lost her job because of her. ''Now, I have to take over Cloud Advertising Company especially for I''s sake.'' I looked at Autumn with a content and pleased look in her eyes. She said to Autumn, "If you want to hire me, you need to pay me a generous sry." Charles responded with a warm smile, "Of course we will." I said with an appreciate little nod, "Okay, Manager Ye, nice to meet you!" Autumn couldn''t helpughing once she heard her ttering words. She replied, "Screw you!" Charles had finally seeded in his endeavor to convince Autumn to take over Cloud Advertising Company. However, Ryan and other employees were waiting anxiously. ''Pa spread those rumors to frame Ye, but I had given her my permission to do so. Now Ye is the general manager of Cloud Advertising Company, and I will work for her. Perhaps she might give me a hard time, '' Ryan pondered. After some discussion, Autumn walked towards Ryan. While standing right across from him, she said to him, "Mr. Zhou, I hope to get on well with you in theing days." "Please don''t call me Mr. Zhou. Now you''re the general manger of thispany, so just call me Ryan." With an anxious stance Ryan stared at Autumn. He proceeded, "What happened before was simply a mistake. I know you''re an open-minded woman. Please don''t me me for that ordeal." "Don''t worry about it. I have forgotten and moved past what happened in the past. I just hope that it won''t happen again." Then she walked forward and turned to Ryan in one swift movement, and said, "Mr. Zhou, please stay here to collect all the files after work. I need to check them tomorrow." "As for my office..." continued Autumn, as she caught a glimpse of her former cabin. After she left the changed the position of the furniture including the desk. After ncing at her former office, she said, "Please tidy up my office. By the tomorrow morning I hope that everything inside will be restored to the way it looked when I worked here." Autumn wanted to punish him a little for what he had done to her. Ryan said, "Ye, what about moving into my office? There..." "There is no need." Ryan''s office was the best one in thepany, but Autumn was used to her old section and just wanted that. She didn''t care much about this, so she said, "I am ustomed to working from there. You don''t need to move out." Autumn called out, "I." "Are you happy with your new designation as the nning Director?" To get this post, Pa had made great effort to vie against Autumn. She had just be the nning director for few months, so she just wouldn''t allow Autumn to give her post to I. She said, "Ye, I know you''re the general manager of thepany, and I''m really happy for you. But This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. don''t be in a hurry and forget that I''m the nning director of Cloud Advertising Company now. I has no right to take my position that I made for myself." Tilting her head, Autumn said "I''m the general manager of thispany now. And that simply means it is my call to decide who gets to work within which space and capacity." Pa stammered as her face turned pale with anger, "You... I see. You''re exploiting your new position to take revenge on me. It was your own decision to leave the Cloud Advertising Company. I had nothing to do with it. How can you treat me like this?" "I remember that Mr. Lu fired you just now. Did you forget it?" Autumn said, "Even if I use the power of my position to take revenge, what can you even do?" With a stern look Ryan called out, "Pa." "Do you know who are you talking to? Have you lost your mind?" Chapter 144 ·Survival of Paula Chapter 144 ¡¤Survival of Pa "I..." Pa looked at Ryan with embarrassment and finally embraced silence, In clear deference to Ryan''s words and not Autumn''s. "Mr. Zhou, I entrust those matters just mentioned to you. I will begin work from tomorrow morning." Autumn said calmly asserting her new position. Ryan uttered his consent outright. Pa observed the situation, realizing that there was no hope left for her, she attempted to stop Ryan by pleading, "Mr. Zhou, is there any way you could manage keeping me in thepany in light of my long and dedicated term served here. You can''t just let her drive me out of here....." "Let go!" Ryan pushed away Pa''s hands in one strong movement and said, "Pa, now she is the head of Cloud Advertising Company. Even I have to obey and follow out her directions. There is absolutely no point of begging me for help. I am simply powerless in this jurisdiction." " But... this is, after all, yourpany where you can conceive some n to help me out of this situation." Pa felt anxious and scared about the prospect of uncertainty upon her dismissal. "Toote! My hands are tied on this matter." Ryan forced a smile. As the saying went, "every dog has its day". Ryan sighed: "Pa, as you have worked with me for a long time I also don''t want you to be fired this way. You better plead to Autumn for your survival here." " But...." "Do not hesitate any more! This will make a difference to your job. Be quick to keep up with her." Ryan heaved a long sigh. Pa finally eded, managed to catch up Autumn and she pleaded: "Autumn, please slow down." "What is up?" Autumn turned around to ask Pa. Autumn and the other three were about to leave when Pa greeted them. "I am begging you now to talk to me privately for a minute." Pa had to swallow her pride for her very survival in thispany. "I think there is nothing left to talk between us which is private." Autumn said calmly, " Pa, frankly speaking, it is my wish that you leave Cloud Advertising Company as soon as you possibly can! " Pa''s endless cunning and lesspetency were her undoing. Pa continued speaking in a morose tone, "Autumn, I pray you to consider that before all of this we were long-term colleagues, even though I have offended you several times by carrying out instruction given by others." Pa knitted her eyebrows: "I admit that the rumors, which disturbed you, were my doing. But I was instructed by Mr. Zhou against my will to do so. I beg for your forgiveness..." "You are trying to say that Ryan is the culprit, is that what you are saying?" Autumn replied with a cold smile, seeing through Pa''sme attempts to save herself. "such being the case...." Autumn was about to refuse her when I grasped her by the garment and asked: "Doing whatever you can for your survival?" "Definitely..." I''s olive branch brought some hope for Pa, who turned to Autumn: "I will do whatever I can to ensure I still have a job here." "Ok, that sounds fair enough." I replied gently, " But you have to be transferred to the logistics department but with the same sry. Can you ept this arrangement?" Autumn would have opposed it but she gave a second thought to I''s proposal. "The logistics department? Working as a toilet cleaner?" Pa stared at I with eyes wide open in shock, " You are insulting me beyond measure!" "........." I looked at Pa speechlessly, "So you want to decline this offer?" Pa, a woman who was mean, thought that everyone was as mean as her. I had originally intended to ce Pa in the photocopying room, however, Pa misunderstood the role. Pa would not have yielded but the thought of the same sry made it an easier decision: " epted!" Pa scowled at I and Autumn, though she ought to have remained silent and grateful in this moment. Autumn walked away with I and wondered: "I, what is your intention with this? There is no point of keeping her in ourpany." "Nothing good woulde from her dismissal, either! " I exined her point of view. Autumn thought it over before replying: "Pa would again try to nder my reputation for her satisfaction, though this time around I will simply not care...." I grinned: "It does matter! She tried every means to hurt you when you left from Cloud Advertising Company. The dismissal would drive her to do something desperate which could be worse than before. So with that in mind, I thought it would be well advised that she remained in thepany under our close watch." It did sound reasonable to keep Pa as long as anything important would be kept away from her. I wanted to go back home before joining Cloud Advertising Company the next morning, however, Autumn countered, " Needless! I have booked a restaurant for our celebratory dinner." This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. " But..." I looked at Autumn in embarrassment, " How about next time?" "Right now is perfect." Autumn escorted I off without wasting another second talking. Charles turned to Yvonne behind: " Miss Ye, we have something urgent to deal with. After one-day travel with us, it will be better if you go back and rest." Yvonne remained silent and stood behind. She was upset and angry on learning that Charles invested Autumn with the control right of Cloud Advertising Company which he acquired. ''If I married Charles, I would be the one taking possession of what Autumn enjoys now rather than live in the maid room, '' she thought. The fact that Charles excluded her from dining with them made Yvonne feel extremely bitter and wronged, however, she contained her resentment from Charles and said to Autumn: "Sister, I just received a call from aunt and she was telling me something about your grandma...." Chapter 145 Face to Face Chapter 145 Face to Face Despite being very angry, Yvonne feigned weakness as she looked fearfully at Autumn. It took Autumn some time before deciding to say yes. She couldn''t just ignore something that concerned her grandmother. Autumn followed Yvonne as she walked to a corner. "Just tell me what happened to Grandma!" Autumn faced her, demanding an answer. Yvonne suddenly turned around, pping her sister in the face. It happened so fast that Autumn wasn''t able to dodge it. "Autumn, how many times do I need to tell you that you''re just my substitute?! You better put yourself in your rightful ce. Do you really think that Charles is interested in you? Charles only loves me. And the Cloud Advertising Company is mine. Do you understand?" Yvonne felt that this wasn''t fair. Autumn had always been second best even since they were children. Besides, she was the one who abandoned Charles, not the other way around. She couldn''t just sit and let it pass now that he seemed to treat Autumn well and Autumn seemed to love it. She was determined to get Charles back. "Is that all you want to say?" Autumn said, touching her aching cheek as she looked at Yvonne. "What else do you think we should talk about?" she replied with a sneer, making her sarcasm more evident. "If it weren''t for Charles, I wouldn''t even want to see you at all." Yvonne paused as she made herself clear with her following statement. "Remember this. From now on, you should not take whatever it is that he tries to give you. You should also tell him that you''re not fit to be the general manager and rmend me as your recement. Got it?" Autumn sneered back in response. "Is there anything else? Allow me to make myself clear. I only married Charles at first to solve your problems. But now that I am his wife, I have the right to take anything that he gives me, not just the Cloud Advertising Company, but the Shining Company as well. As for giving you the Cloud Advertising Company, don''t even dream about it." Yvonne turned pale upon hearing this and said, "How dare you¡­ You don''t want to see that old bitch after all, do you? I¡­" Yvonne wasn''t able toplete her sentence as Autumn pped her in the face. She would never allow Yvonne to insult her Grandma. "I''m warning you now, Yvonne. If you dare insult Grandma again, I''ll teach you a lesson you''ll never forget. Don''t assume that you can do or say anything you like just because Mom doesn''t stop you. From now on, I will not consider her my mother nor you as my sister." Autumn took a deep breath to calm herself down. "You''d better start acting kind if you want to stay here. Believe it or not, I can throw you out anytime I like, " she added. Yvonne was frozen in shock. She couldn''t believe what Autumn was saying. She didn''t know she could be that fearless. "I think you''re forgetting the fact that I can just tell Charles who you really are, " she said in an attempt to threaten her. This might have worked on Autumn in the past, but now that Charles knew who she really was, she was no longer afraid of Yvonne''s threat. "Do it. Let''s see what he''ll do when he finds out that you left him at the altar, " she said without hesitation. Deciding she didn''t want to spend any more time with Yvonne, she turned and left the scene. All she knew was that she had to find her Grandma immediately or else Wendy might do something horrible. That night, Autumn went to dinner with Charles and I, but she couldn''t take the events of that afternoon off her mind. They noticed that Autumn seemed to be distracted during dinner. Fortunately, in the middle of the meal, Charles had to take a call, leaving I alone with her. "What''s the matter? You look so anxious." I asked her point-nk, trying to figure out what''s going on. Autumn sighed in response and told I what happened with Yvonne earlier. "Charles has long known and epted me for who I truly am. But I won''t have peace of mind as long as they have Grandma. What should I do?" I responded, trying to reassure her. "Don''t worry about it. Charles will find her and bring her back soon enough." She wanted to continue but she was interrupted as her phone rang. She frowned when she saw who was calling. With a sigh, she answered, "What is it, Mom?" It was quiet in the room and her mother''s voice was so loud, making it easy to hear the entire conversation. "You stupid girl! What have you done to that boy you went on the blind date with?" her mother yelled over the phone. "Your aunt just called me and she said you treated him like trash! What''s the matter with you?!" I got immediately upset upon hearing about her aunt. ''If the boy was so nice, why didn''t she have Becky go out with him?'' She thought to herself. "You have to give me a good reason why you did it. You''re not getting any younger and you need to get married. You''re not nning on being a nun, are you?" her mother said as she continued to scold her. "I heard from your aunt that Becky''s back and she returned for her engagement. Why don''t you-" I was already trying her best to keep her temper in check but when her mother mentioned Becky, she broke down and started yelling at her mom. "If Becky is so great, then why don''t you go and be her mom instead?" Her anger took her mother by surprise. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. I continued her ranting. "I admit, I might be more stupid than her. But when she slept in my boyfriend''s bed four years ago, what did you do about it? You didn''t even say anything at all. And why would you want to force me to go on that blind date? Do you know what sort of man Auntie rmended? He is a bad and ugly coward! Do you really want me to marry a person like that?" Her mother tried to calm herself down. "Look. I''m your mother, and I know how hurt you were about what happened¡­ But as time goes by, you need to let go of your past and start thinking about your future. You don''t want to be single forever, do you?" "Mom, I''m an adult now. I''ve got my own way of living my life. I will certainly get married when I meet the right one, but for now, can you please stop interfering with my life?" I replied, ending the call abruptly. She looked up and found Autumn staring at her. She tried to calm down as she tried to find the right words to say. Autumn stopped her from saying anything more, knowing exactly what she wanted to say before even saying anything. I had already revealed a lot earlier and anyone listening in would be able to figure out what happened immediately. I was happy that Autumn was able to fully understand. Aron''sing back felt like a sudden p of thunder. Her life had been peaceful for four years that she had almost seeded in forgetting about him. But now that he was back, she had no choice but to face the truth. She sighed as she started telling Autumn about her rtionship with Aron. Chapter 146 It Really Hurts To Look Back Chapter 146 It Really Hurts To Look Back "I almost got married to Aron four years ago." Autumn was startled by I''s words. It was not until then that Autumn realized, they had developed such an intimate rtionship with each other. "I got the chance to meet him at a dancing party. I found out that he had lost his parents when he was just a child, and that he was brought up by his grandparents. It was said that his family was very notable, but the real reason I was attracted to him was... I found that he was very devoted to doing charity work, and the second time I met him was at an orphanage charity event." I looked so radiant Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. when she talked about this to Autumn; even her eyes flickered with light. "I often peered at him secretly during the event. Somehow, the director of the orphanage discovered my secret. Since then he always intentionally assigned us into the same group. Time passed and finally he asked me to date him." I was cheerful as she spoke and then she went on, "You can''t imagine how excited I was when I got the phone call from him. I asked my sister to go shopping with me to buy some new clothes for the date. But my sister insisted on going with me because she wanted to see what kind of man he really was. I thought it might be awkward for me to go on the date alone, so I brought my sister along with me. But I never expected that..." I smiled bitterly. She didn''t expect that it would be the start of her nightmares. "I got along very well with Aron at the beginning and he also took good care of me. Even though my sister Becky always made various excuses to go out with me and be the gooseberry, she did not cause any troubles for us. But everything changed on Becky''s birthday, four years ago." I looked so distressed when she talked about this, but she understood that she had to let it go, and that she would have to learn to face reality sooner orter. "At the time, I had already taken Aron to meet my parents and all of my family members were satisfied with him. They all said that he was a nice person and that he would also make a good husband. Every person in the vige received the news that I had found a good boyfriend." I paused for a few seconds and then continued, "My dad lived frugally when he was young so as to save money for my aunt''s tuition fees. He encouraged my aunt to go to college even though he was very poor at that time. I don''t know what happened during her college years, but she got married as soon as she graduated from college. Although my aunt''s husband is much older than her, he is rich. After they got married, my aunt hardly went back to see my dad. She lives in Y City now with her husband. If I hadn''t been working in Y city, perhaps I would have already severed my ties with her. "On the contrary, I had a good rtionship with my cousin, Becky. She often invited me for meals or to go shopping with her. Of course, Aron would go with me every time. I have to admit that I was really silly at that time. It was not until then that I realized Becky also loved Aron." I forced smile on her face when she said that. "It was Becky''s birthday, when I found a new job and just received my sry. I really appreciated Becky''s kindness towards me, so I spent a whole month''s sry buying her a bottle of perfume. I knew that it was not a big deal for her, but that little gift was a token of my appreciation. When we arrived at her house, I found that she had only invited Aron and me. She said that she didn''t want it to be very high-profile and I agreed with her as well. But I could have never expected, what happenedter. I was drunk after drinking a ss of wine and when I finally woke up I found myself lying on the couch, while my aunt was there, reading the newspaper leisurely." I couldn''t stop trembling when she recalled the scenes from her past. Although it happened four years ago, she could still clearly remember the domineering look of her aunt. "I I know that you are going to get married to Aron soon, and I am happy for you, but..." Her aunt paused after she said that. I felt uneasy and she stood up to find Aron. However, her aunt stopped her quickly and went on, "I, it is Becky''s fault. She''s also been in love with Aron for a long time and now they have had sexual intercourse. You are her older sister, can you forgive her this time? Would you help fulfil your sister''s wish?" "It felt so absurd and unreasonable to hear her say that. Aron was my boyfriend and I trusted him. I was sure that he would never betray me. But when I saw Becky and Aron lying on the bed without a stitch of clothing, I realized I was wrong." "Well, what happenedter?" Autumn was so pitiful for I when she heard her sad story. Autumn felt sorry for her as she imagined it must have been a grievous experience. She must have been wrought with pain when she found out that her sister had stolen her betrothed from her. "And then... I hid myself from them. I didn''t want to see him and I didn''t want to talk or listen to him. I hated Becky. Before this, I had considered her to be my best friend and she was also the person I trusted the most. But it turned out that she was only willing to be intimate with me for the sake of Aron." Iughed bitterly as her eyes filled up with tears. "I hid for nearly a month. During that time, Aron called me countless times, but I never answered. I finally came around about a monthter and then I sent him a breakup message. I didn''t want to be dispirited anymore. After that I changed my phone number and I forced myself to forget all about it. Do you know the feeling of being betrayed by your beloved man and sister?" I sneered and exined, "All of my hopes were smashed to pieces, but my rtives were still reluctant to let me go. Every time I was at a family reunion, they wouldpare me to Becky. They''d say that Becky''s family is notable and Becky is beautiful. Moreover, her academic qualification is better than mine, so it was natural that Aron chose her instead of me. It seemed like I was the guilty person in their eyes." I was expressionless while talking. "My mom keeps forcing me to get married. I know that she doesn''t want my rtives to talk about this matter again over again. She understands my bitterness, so she still hopes that I can find a nice man to marry me. I understand her point, but I... But I just can''t control my bad temper." "That''s okay. Don''t be upset. Your mom will understand you, I." Autumnforted her softly. "I, let it go, and you have to move on, " said Autumn. "I know. I know." After opening up to Autumn, I felt like someone had taken the weight of the world off her shoulders. The experience with Aron was like a heavy stone in her heart. "I havee around since I sent him the breakup message four years ago. I knew that since then he had nothing to do with me and I had nothing to do with him any longer, our paths wouldn''t cross anymore. And I heard from the servant at home that he kept looking for me for a long time. I was quite irresolute for some time, but then he just left quietly. Becky also pursued him then. My aunt said that they were getting engaged soon. I think... I think perhaps I should bless them." She was really shocked and flurried when she suddenly met Aron after many years. After all she had been deeply in love with him. But as time passed, things had changed. What she had to do now, was to learn from that experience, and ept that it is all in the past now. Chapter 147 We Are In The Same Boat Chapter 147 We Are In The Same Boat "Don''t worry, I''m moving on." I smiled with a light heart. She looked Autumn in the eye and said, "All I have to do now is to help you run Cloud Advertising Company properly, and make it prosper. That is my priority. As for other things... Well...who cares!" "You are right, that''s the most important thing for the time being, " said Autumn with a smile on her face. Since she had taken over the mess, she would try her best to sort it out. She promised herself that she wouldn''t let Charles down. They enjoyed talking untilte into the night before returning to their respective homes. To Autumn''s surprise, she heard the hum of conversation and ripples ofughtering from the living room, upon her arrival. Chris had been working overtime these days. Charles shouldn''t be home at this time. And Gary had been away recently. ''Who are chatting in the house then?'' Autumn wondered. She entered the room to find Rachel sitting on the sofa. This big star seemed to have changed a bit after all this time, she was now... well...more confident. Yvonne was sitting right beside her, even Nancy was grinning from ear to ear and chatting merrily. It was typical of Nancy to draw a long face whenever Autumn was around. So now it seemed to Autumn, that she was the one who did not belong here. "Wee back, Mrs. Lu." The sharp-eyed Rachel was the first one to notice Autumn. She rose up to greet her at once. Yvonne and Nancy had also stood up, but they straightened their faces without saying a word. "What brings you here?" Autumn asked Rachel. "Sister, I beg your pardon? Rachel is a super star. We are blessed to have her here, " said Yvonne, before she quickly took Rachel''s hand and sat her down again. She then showed her hospitality by saying, "Rachel, please sit down and have some fruits." "Thank you very much, " Rachel replied with a bright smile, as if nothing had happened. "Mrs. Lu, you should take a seat, too. Let''s have a nice chat, " she then said to Autumn. Rachel was beaming with delight. For a moment, Autumn had actually thought that she was paying a visit to Rachel''s home, if not for Nancy''s presence. Autumn sat down on the other side of the sofa. "Rachel, why are you here today..." she asked lightly. She was certain that Rachel wouldn''te here if Gary was at home. It was no coincidence that she showed up once Gary was away. Autumn dryly cast Nancy a nce, and realized that their servant must have tipped Rachel off. "You see..." Rachel and Yvonne were two different types of people. Yvonne was the kind of person who Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. would wear her heart on her sleeve and would do things mindlessly. In stark contrast to her, Rachel was rather shrewd and sophisticated. Autumn recalled the zing row between Rachel and Charles back in Z City. Although it wasn''t exposed by the media, many people had found out about it through the grapevine. But now, Rachel was acting like it was no big deal. "Thest time we met, I forgot to give you and Charles my birthday party invitation. And I have been busy with my work thereafter. I''ve juste back, so I decided to drop by to offer my apologies and hand it to you personally, " said Rachel, while taking two invitations out from her bag and passing them to Autumn. Autumn nced at them coldly and said with a faint smile, "That''s very kind of you, Rachel. But, why bother yourself with such trifles. You could have simply asked your people to deliver them, instead of "That would be most inappropriate, " Rachel shook her head immediately, "You and Charles are among my distinguished guests, I have to give you the invitation in person and make sure that the both of you wille. It puts my mind at ease. Mrs. Lu, you and Charles... will surely join in my party, right?" "Well..." Autumn hesitated and tried toe up with the right words. She didn''t want to go at all. For one thing, Rachel was just a mere acquaintance to her. For another, it seemed that Rachel was certain that she could win Charles back. Just think about it, would a woman be willing to attend the birthday party of her rival in love? Definitely not. "Rachel, I''m afraid..." But before Autumn could finish, Yvonne interrupted her in mid-sentence, "Autumn and Charles will certainly attend, you can be sure of that, Rachel." "Thank you in advance, " said Rachel as she stood up, smiling with satisfaction. She had deliberately Without a word, Autumn nced at Yvonne with her face darkened. She knew what Yvonne was up to. After all, her enemy could very well be Yvonne''s ally. She was not afraid of going to the party, neither would she give in to any n Rachel might have been working on. Yvonne had no idea about what was on Autumn''s mind, but she was eager to take revenge on Autumn. What happened earlier today had driven her to the verge of a nervous breakdown. So now she was thinking that perhaps... she could use Rachel to fight Autumn back. Once she realized this, she suddenly stumbled upon an idea, so she didn''t go back to work the next morning, instead she made every effort to find the whereabouts of Rachel''spany, intending to have a talk with her. As for Rachel, things had not been going well for her either. Ever since the day she offended Charles publicly, all the directors seemed to have cut off all ties with her. Moreover, she was urgently reced halfway through the filming of some of her projects. In the past, people would beg her for her cooperation. But now, even if she approached those she had turned down before, she was given the cold shoulder. "Rachel, those directors gave no exnation for their rejection or estrangement at all. You are still so popr, there should be no shortage of offers. Howe..." Rachel''s assistant just couldn''t figure out the reason for her sudden downfall. However, Rachel had somehow foreseen it. She knew it in her heart that it had something to do with her conflict with Charles. But she had never expected that he would go this far. Rachel gave no response. But her assistant couldn''t sit back anymore. It could be the end of Rachel''s career if they failed to turn things around. "Rachel, have you offended someely? What about..." "Enough! Just get out and leave me alone, " responded Rachel irritably. She got really upset thinking about the things concerning Charles. After driving the assistant away, she phoned several of her familiar directors for help. Unfortunately, they had all refused her politely. This time her self-esteem truly suffered a devastating blow. Rachel started to have regrets about her rashness. Had she known that she would end up in such difficult position, she would have never quarrelled with Charles. "Didn''t I tell you to leave me alone? Why did youe back?" snapped Rachel when she saw the door of her lounge being pushed open. The assistant got startled at her anger and stopped at the door. "Rachel, someone is here to see you, " uttered the assistant timidly. "Tell him to go away!" Rachel frowned and said. The assistant then awkwardly stood back and was about to close the door. Just then, Rachel hesitated and asked, "Wait, did he introduce himself?" "She said, she is Mrs. Lu''s cousin, and that she just met youst night, " the assistant paused, "Rachel, should I send her in?" "Oh, okay. Send her in, " Rachel said uninterestedly. When Yvonne entered the room, she saw Rachel reading a newspaper on the sofa. Rachel appeared to be calm and peaceful. Upon seeing Yvonne, she quickly stood up and said, "What brings you here?" "Rachel, I''m here to... present a possible proposition to you." Yvonne smiled faintly and continued, "We are now in the same boat, anyway." "In the same boat? You must be kidding me." Rachel burst intoughter. "I mean it. Rachel, although I''m Mrs. Lu''s cousin... we have had a bad rtionship ever since our childhood. And I can tell that you like Charles very much, so perhaps... we can join hands, " Yvonne said with a sneer. Now she had to wait and see whether Rachel would put faith in her or not. Chapter 148 A New Broom Sweeps Clean Chapter 148 A New Broom Sweeps Clean "What''s your n?" Rachel asked after hesitating for a while. Charles had been so hard on her. She also nned to stir up troubles for him and Autumn. "What if... my sister has an affair with someone else? Would Charles still be nice to her?" Yvonne made an obscure statement, but Rachel immediately understood her point. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Rachel gave a scornful smile and asked Yvonne, "Why do you want to coborate with me? Stop saying that it''s because you are not getting along with your sister. I don''t believe in all that hocus- pocus." Yvonne smiled and stated, "Well, actually I feel the same way about Charles as you do. We both think we are the right one for him. Now we have amon enemy. I think we''d better cooperate with each other to defeat ourmon enemy first. Otherwise, we will have no chance to get close to him." After a short pause, Yvonne continued, "Of course, we will be opponents once we defeat ourmon enemy. What do you think of that?" "Well, I hope that we can be happy working together, " Rachel smiled and raised the wine ss in her hand. The next day, it was Autumn''s first day as the General Manager. She woke up early to clean herself up and to put on make up on her face. She took the subway to thepany after having breakfast. When she arrived at the entrance, I hooted at her. I said with a frown, "Hey, sister, you are the General Manager now. You can''t always take the subway, huh?" Autumn smiled and exined, "I need to save up money for my Grandma''s medical fee. I won''t buy a car until she is fully recovered." "Well, where is Mr. Lu? Why didn''t he drive you here?" I asked curiously. "He... He didn''te homest night, " Autumn answered with a frown. She had called Charles many times the night before, but he didn''t answer. She had to go to bed alone. When she woke up this morning, he still hadn''te back. She called him again, but there was still no answer. "He didn''te backst night?" I cast Autumn a surprised nce and asked, "Aren''t you worried about him?" "Of course I am. I called him so many times but he didn''t answer." Autumn frowned as she spoke, "We''ve been married for a long time now, but this is the first time he has spent the night outside. I''m so worried about him." "You should keep an eye on him. Countless women are interested in your husband. You should always be careful." After hearing I''s words, Rachel''s face crossed Autumn''s mind. To be honest, Rachel was the most threateningdy to Autumn. On the one side, Rachel had dated Charles for a long time and he had loved her; on the other side, she was also a well-known celebrity who was crazy about him. Autumn was very worried, but she pretended to be calm and said to I, "Come on, I. I trust Charles!" "Fine! Charles is the best husband in the world, " I answered in resignation. They took the lift to the couldn''t help but giggle when she saw Pa in cleaner''s uniform. "Manager Ye, I''ve done what you''ve asked me to do. Your office is ready and the documents you''ve asked for are on your desk. What else can I do for you?" Ryan said to Autumn as he showed her the new office. "Tell everyone that we are going to have a conference in the meeting room in half an hour, " Autumn demanded seriously. Autumn had a totally different attitude as she hade back to Cloud Advertising Company again. Although she had taken the initiative to leave thepany before, she had no other choice at that time. But now she could raise her head high with dignity. She gave a satisfied smile as she stood in front of the French window and looked down the street. Ryan assembled all the employees. After everyone gathered in the meeting room, Ryan knocked at Autumn''s office door and said, "Ye, everyone is waiting for you in the meeting room." "Okay. I''ming." Actually, Autumn had nothing important to announce. There is an old saying, "A new broom sweeps clean." Autumn was the same. There was a big management shuffle in Cloud Advertising Company. Autumn had been working in the employees and fired some ipetent ones. As a result, thepany was short on staff now. Autumn looked around and stated in a serious manner, "Everyone, good morning. We''ve been colleagues before, so I won''t waste time introducing myself. I''m a strict person and I will be strict with you as well. I have only one request for you and it''s simple. You mustplete the tasks I give to you on time." After a short pause, she continued, "I know how thepany has operated in the past, but I''m the new boss now. If you want to stay in thepany, you must do your best. I know all of you very well. I know that some of you are diligent, while some arezy. From now on, if you work hard, you will receive a handsome annual bonus. But if you still intend to muddle along, you''ll be sorry." "Ye, don''t worry. We will work hard for sure." Most of the employees had worked with Autumn before and knew her quite well. Once they had to work overtime every day for an important project. Ryan promised to give them bonuses, but he went back on his wordter. Autumn gave up her own bonus to split with the rest of the employees. These people were d to know that Autumn became the new boss. "Ryan, I need a favor from you, " Autumn smiled as she spoke to Ryan. "Please tell me." Ryan said. "I have fired a batch of ipetent employees. Now we are short on staff. Please help me recruit more people." Although Ryan was the vice-manager of thepany, Autumn wasn''t going to give him any real power. "... Sure, " Ryan answered. Autumn assigned I to be in charge of the Business Department. She believed that I had the I proved that Autumn was right. In the afternoon, I told Autumn that one of her previous clients wanted to have a meeting with her. Chapter 149 Dear Grandma Chapter 149 Dear Grandma "Well, I think I should go with you. Let me apany you." Autumn received a call from Charles as soon as she finished her words. I took a nce at Autumn and then said, "Thanks. But there is no need to apany me. I''ll be just fine on my own. Your phone is ringing. Answer your phone." As soon as she picked up the phone, Charles'' voice was heard from the other end of the phone, but he sounded a bit serious. He just told her that he was waiting for her downstairs and then hung up the phone. When she turned around to exin it to I, she found that I had already left. "Where did you gost night? I called you many times but you did not answer my calls." Autumn pretended to make a fuss when she got into the car. Usually Charles would exin to her patiently. However, this time he just took out a cigarette and ignited it. "What''s wrong with you? What happened?" Immediately Autumn perceived, something was wrong. "Can you tell me what happened, Charles?" "Autumn, I have found your grandma, " replied Charles. He extinguished the cigarette in his hand and looked at Autumn''s eyes. "What? Are you serious?" Autumn''s eyes lit up upon hearing the news from him. "Where is she? Take me to her. Hurry up. I want to meet her right away." "Don''t be so anxious." Charles received the call from his private detectivest night, so he went to see him immediately. In order to prevent Charles from finding Autumn''s grandma, Wendy took her grandma out of the hospital and left her in the care of a distant rtive in a remote countryside. Charles picked up her old grandmother there and brought her to the hospital. But she was seriously ill, and she was in critical condition. Her grandma was admitted to the operating roomst night where Charles spent the whole night waiting just outside the operating room. He did not deliberately refuse to answer her phone. He just did not want to tell Autumn about the real condition of her grandma, because he was afraid that it would drive her insane. The doctor just told Charles that she had missed the optimal opportunity for treatment and that she only had a few days left to live. Autumn would lose her grandma soon. "Is she fine? Did something happen to her?" It was supposed to be good news, but seeing Charles'' heavyden state gave her an ominous feeling. "Don''t be so worried, Autumn. Please listen to me. I will tell you what happened." Charles tried to little earlier..." Charles felt pitiful and apologized to her. "It is not your fault..." Autumn was bathed in tears after she heard the truth from Charles. She took his hands and said, "Charles, please take me to meet her right now. Please. I''ve missed her so much." "Okay. Don''t be so anxious. I will take you there right now." He had arranged for the best ward as well as the most experienced doctor for her grandmother. Unfortunately, even after repeated diagnosis, he still got the same result. There was nothing else he could do for her grandmother. What he could do, was to ask the doctors to try their best to alleviate the suffering of her grandma''s illness. Charles started the car and drove to the hospital. Autumn didn''t expect for the journey to feel so long. She was so eager to meet her grandma. She waited anxiously until the car finally stopped at the This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. hospital. Autumn opened the door and rushed out, but she didn''t even know where her grandmother was. "Don''t be worried." Charles ran to her in a hurry and then held her hands, so as to give her strength, which relieved her somehow. Hand in hand, he brought her to her grandmother''s ward. "Wait, " said Charles. The tears trickled down her cheeks and when she was about to open the door of the ward, Charles stopped her. He turned her around and carefully wiped the tears off of her face. "Don''t cry. You have been searching for your grandmother for such a long time, and now we have finally found her, so you should be happy about this. Don''t let your grandma see you sad." "I know. I know, " Autumn mumbled with a low voice. She forced herself to hold back her tears, took a deep breath and then walked into the room. She hadn''t seen her grandma in a long time. She looked frail, lying there motionlessly. Her cheeks had receded and she was so skinny, she looked as if the wind could blow her away. Autumn opened her mouth, trying to call her. But her tears just rushed down her cheeks and she couldn''t control it anymore. She couldn''t believe that this poor skinny olddy was her dear grandmother. Autumn felt as if a knife was piercing her heart. Looking at her grandma''s poor condition, she was yearning to kill Wendy right then. Her grandma was her only family. How could Wendy put her grandma''s life at risk?" "Grandma..." She finally called her grandma with a trembling voice as she knelt in front of the sickbed, bursting into loud sobs. She was unable to control her emotions. "Honey, you are here." Her grandma opened her eyes, and perhaps it was because she had perceived the arrival of Autumn. The olddy tried hard to see her beloved granddaughter, but no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to see her clearly. Her eyesight was deteriorating. Autumn realized that her grandma was having a hard time trying to see. Autumn held her hands tightly and said repeatedly, "Grandma, I am here. It''s me. I am here now. Don''t be afraid." The poor olddy smiled when she touched Autumn''s face, as if she had gotten used to the darkness. She fondled Autumn''s face carefully and then showed a soothing smile, "I am relieved to know that you are fine." Autumn cried bitter tears. "Grandma, what happened to you? Wendy said that she would take you to see the doctor as long as I agreed to her demands. She is a liar. I..." "Don''t cry, Autumn." Her rough hands fondled Autumn''s cheeks as she tried to wipe off the tears from her face. It took a long while for Autumn to finally calm down. "Sweetie, I am so d that I could meet you before dying. Don''t cry and don''t be upset. You are a good girl." "Grandma, please don''t say that." Even though Autumn knew that there was not much time left for her, Autumn still tried tofort her, "Grandma, don''t worry. I have money now and I will find the best doctors for you. You will get better soon. I won''t let you leave me. We will live a better life." "Sweetie, don''t bother trying to do that." Her grandma sighed and then went on, "I am clear about my health condition. I know that I don''t have much time left." Autumn covered her mouth with her hands and forced herself not to cry. She felt such an immense pain when she heard this from her poor grandma. When Autumn was a child, her father had passed away. And soon Wendy got married to Simon. Since then, Wendy had turned a blind eye to Autumn and stopped caring for her. It was her grandmother who had raised her. Her grandma finally copsed under the heavy burden of taking care of her. Autumn knew that she owed her grandma her whole life. Her grandma had worked hard all her life, but she even didn''t taste a single sweet day. And now she was dying, which made Autumn feel very guilty. This poor olddy gave her whole life to Autumn, but Autumn had no chance of repaying her anymore. Chapter 150 Autumns Real Identity Chapter 150 Autumn''s Real Identity Now she''s all grown up, but her grandma was going to leave her. Autumn remembered that when she was a little child, her grandma was very frugal and always wore old clothes, but she never treated Autumn shabbily. Autumn felt aggrieved and guilty at the thought of that. "Sweetheart, don''t cry anymore. Be happy. It breaks my heart to hear you cry." She wiped the tears off of Autumn''s face and then sighed, "You are the only person I still care about in this world. Who will take care of you after I die? I am so worried about you, Autumn. Do you know that?" That was the only thing she worried about. She was not afraid of death, but she just worried about her only granddaughter''s well-being. Her faith in Autumn was the only support that kept her alive in this world. Although she was suffering from her illness, she tried her best to hold on, because she wanted to see Autumn, onest time, before her death. Hearing this, Charles, who had been standing by the door silently for a long time stepped forward to put his hands on Autumn''s shoulder and said, "Don''t worry about her, grandma. I will take good care of her." "Your voice sounds familiar. I remember your voice." Her grandma smiled and went on, "You brought me here yesterday, didn''t you?" "Yes. it''s me. You have a good memory, grandma." Charles smiled and joked with her. "Grandma, in fact, I am her... I am her husband." "Husband?" She waspletely shocked by the news. She widened her eyes out of surprise, but her eyes were still hazy. "Yes, grandma, " replied Autumn. Autumn wiped her tears and then introduced Charles to her. "Grandma, I have gotten married. He is my husband. Don''t worry. He is a nice person and he treats me well. He cares about me a lot." The poor olddy had been detained by Wendy for a long time, but asionally she heard from Wendy that Autumn had gotten married to someone for Yvonne''s sake. Her hopes that had just ignited, extinguished as soon as she remembered that. "Sweetie, I know you want me to be happy, but... But I know what happened to you." "Grandma, are you saying that I got married to her because I thought she was Yvonne?" Charles soon got her point and asked. He smiled softly and then said, "I am aware of the truth now. So please don''t worry. I love her very much. And now we have gotten the marriage license. We are legally, a couple now. And I can promise you that I will love her forever and take care of her." "Really?" She was finally relieved to hear that. "Yes. It''s true. We are legitimate couple now." Autumn nodded slightly and continued, "Grandma, Charles is a nice person, so you don''t have to worry about me. He will take care of me." Autumn understood that she would lose her dear grandma soon. The most important thing now was to soothe her grandma, so she could at least enjoy some moments of peace before her passing. Her grandma could not see what Charles looked like, but she could tell from his voice that he was a reliable man. She reached out her hands slowly to Charles and said, "Charles,e on. Come over here please." "Yes, grandma. I am here." Charles held her hands andforted her continuously. She held Charles hands tightly and said with a low voice, "She is my only granddaughter and she is also the only family I have in this world, so please help me to take good care of her. Don''t let anyone bully her, or I won''t be at peace. Can you promise me that?" "Yes. Of course. I promise you that I will love her forever and that I won''t let anyone bully her, " Charles said firmly and seriously. Grandma kept panting for breath momentarily as she was in a critical condition. Autumn quickly let her have some rest. "Grandma, get some rest now and let''s stop talking. I will be here to apany you." Autumn helped her grandma adjust her posture so that she could lie morefortably. "Honey, I am a little hungry now. Can you get some food for me?" Her grandmother said to Autumn. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. "Okay. Please wait me for a moment. I will get back soon." Autumn stood up without any hesitation and then walked out the room. But Charles knew that it was just an excuse. She must have had something to say to him. After Autumn left, Charles took the initiative to ask, "Grandma, what do you want to say to me?" "Charles, even though I am blind now, I am not muddleheaded, instead I am quite level-headed. I can feel that Autumn loves you a lot." She said slowly with a low voice. "Yes. I know that. I also love her very much." Charles said sincerely and then he added, "Grandma, we are family now. You can trust me and be frank with me." She furrowed her brows and hesitated for a long while. Slowly she continued, "There is something... In fact, it is a secret and even Autumn doesn''t know it." Charles frowned since he saw grandma struggling to breathe. Charles quickly got a ss of water for her and then said, "Grandma, you can tell meter. You have to have a rest now." "No. No. I have to tell you now. There is not much time left for me. If I don''t tell you now, I am afraid that I won''t have the chance to talk it to you again." She insisted on telling him the secret right away. Charles had no choice but to listen to her quietly. "I found an excuse to send my granddaughter out, because I want you to keep this secret safe for her in the future." She took a sip of water and then told him the whole story. It turned out that she was not Autumn''s natural grandmother. Instead she was just the wet nurse of Autumn''s father. Autumn''s father was called Bowen and he was from Zhao family, which was a notable family in Z City. When Bowen was young, many girls wooed him, but unfortunately he was too simple-minded and then he fell in love with Wendy, who was a very devious person. And they even decided to get married. But all of his family members disliked Wendy and they were all against their marriage. Bowen''s father even told him that if he insisted on getting married to Wendy, he would break all ties with him and disown him. But Wendy was actually only interested in Bowen for his family''s property. Wendy strongly protested Bowen to break all rtions with his family. She kicked up a row with Bowen and even angered Bowen''s father. Even after that, Bowen still left Z City with Wendy and his wet nurse. Since then, Wendy quarrelled with Bowen every day endlessly, asking Bowen to go back home to get his family inheritance, or she would be dead to him. Of course Bowen declined her request since his father had passed away because of his disobedience. He felt guilty to go back home. However, Wendy disappeared after a violent fight with Bowen. When she showed up again, she was pregnant. Wendy threatened Bowen with the baby and said that if Bowen refused to give her money, she would have an abortion. What a vicious woman! Bowen had no other choice, but to capitalized all of his property and gave all of the money to Wendy so as to keep the baby. The little baby was Autumn. However, as soon as she gave birth to their baby, Wendy seduced Simon and became a mistress of him. Simon''s wife was so indignant about this, but she had no idea what to do while Simon also turned a deaf ear to her words. His poor wife died soon out of excessive sadness. After getting this news, Bowen suffered this stimulus terminal and fell ill. When Autumn was four years old, her father passed away, leaving her to live with her grandmother alone in this world. Before death, Bowen changed Autumn''s surname so that his family would not be able to find her. It became a secret after his death and no one else had known about it until today. "Charles, Autumn''s home is in Z City. I am not sure if her family would want to recognize her as a member of their family, but she does have some rtives in this world. If theye to find her some day, please ask them to look after her." She took a sigh while saying. Autumn was supposed to be the daughter of a rich family and she didn''t have to go through such misery. However, she was forced to face the hardships in life, even though she didn''t have to. "Don''t worry. Whether her family wille to find her or not, I will protect her and keep her safe, because she is my beloved wife now, " Charles made a promise sincerely. He had heard about the Zhao family in Z City before and he knew that they were a notable family, but they had emigrated to another country. And since then he hadn''t heard from them. But he never expected that Autumn would be a part of Zhao family. However, it did not matter to him, because he did not care about Autumn''s real identity. He loved this woman no matter who she was and she was his wife forever. No matter what would happen, that fact would never change. He was determined to love her and give her a great life. Chapter 151 Becky’s Anxiety Chapter 151 Becky¡¯s Anxiety Autumn''s grandmother felt relieved after she briefed Charles all about Autumn''s background. She soon fell asleep while leaning against the head of the bed as she was tired. Charles helped her lie down and slowly walked out of the ward. As soon as he got out, he saw Autumning towards the ward with a container in her hand. He signaled her to keep quiet with a hand gesture and exined while whispering, "Grandmother has fallen asleep. Let her take some rest now." "Charles, I am scared and worried, " Autumn said with tears welling up in her eyes. She could never hide her weakness in front of Charles. She hated the fact that she had trusted Wendy. She thought, ''Maybe when people are driven to a corner, they grab any life-saving straw avable without thinking who is at the helping end of the straw.'' Charles held Autumn by the shoulders. The magic in voice had seeded inforting and assuring her yet again, "Don''t worry. I am here." His in and simple words were enough to put Autumn''s minds at rest. Autumn always felt safe when she was around Charles. As Autumn was in a stressful situation, she had missed several calls from I. I who was hiding in the bathroom, almost cried as she muttered to herself, "Answer the call please." Then she heard a familiar yet disgusting voice. It was her client. He said, "Miss Zhao, I have booked a room. Come out soon. As long as you make me happy tonight, I will send the contract to you tomorrow." "I don''t want it, " I shouted to him through the small door between them. "Don''t say that. You know the situation of yourpany very well. Your general manager was used of giarism. And with such a tricky situation, no otherpany will cooperate with you. Considering that I have known you for a long time, I give you this chance to bnce out the situation. Or else, I wouldn''t talk to you, " The clientughed from outside the door, "Miss Zhao, I have been missing you since thest time we met. Don''t worry. I will give lots of cases to Cloud Advertising Company provided you spend the night with me." "There is no way that is happening. Get out of here!" I thought, ''I was too naive. I found it weird when I arrived. It''s umon to negotiate business without his assistant or secretary. I wanted to take the chance and tried my best.'' She wasn''t expecting to feel dizzy after having one drink. She was convinced her wine wasced with some drug. She pretended to have an urge to use the washroom but instead hid herself there. But that creep followed her till there. She called Autumn several times but couldn''t get through. The moment she was trembling with fear and desperate for help, her cellphone rang. She answered and cried to the caller, "Autumn, I am in the washroom on the first floor of Hong Fu Restaurant. Pleasee and save me!" She used all her energy to finish the sentence and fell down with a faint. She felt relieved because Autumn had finally called her back and she felt assured that she would be saved. Aron called I to ask her out exining about things that happened years earlier. He hadn''t expected to hear I asking for help when his call got through. He was anxious and went towards the door without uttering a word. "Aron, where are you going at this time?" Becky asked as she saw Aron preparing to leave in a hurry. She felt nervous, so she stopped him, "My father and mother areing here to discuss about the wedding ceremony. It''s just not appropriate for you to leave like this, isn''t it?" She had been unwilling to because I was in this city. Aron ignored Beckypletely. In reality, he had never actually agreed to marry her. The wedding and all was just wishful thinking on her part. "Aron! Aron?" Becky shouted out at Aron, but he didn''t stop. Becky was furious and she made a call, "Keep a watch on Aron and tell me anything you find about him." When Becky and Aron lived overseas, she behaved like she was his girlfriend. Aron didn''t deny their rtionship either. Once they returned home Becky got worried. If Aron came back to get back I, Becky knew she would be abandoned and alone. So she asked her parents and Aron''s grandparents to discuss their wedding at the earliest, to seal the deal. She was not expecting Aron to leave in advance. She had a gut feeling that Aron went out to meet I but she did not have any evidence about this. "Becky, where is Aron?" Mandy and Aron''s grandparents arrived at the same time, so they came in talking andughing. They were surprised to see Becky nervously pacing in the room all by herself. Aron was nowhere to be seen in the room. "Mother¡­" Becky whined, "He¡­ is out right now." "Becky, what happened?" Aron''s grandparents wrinkled their brows with worry. When they lived abroad for all these years, it was Becky who looked after them with love and care. They regarded Becky as their granddaughter-inw. When they heard that Aron had promised to talk about marrying Becky, they were ecstatic. Their grandson Aron was always a loner and with that they constantly worried that he would remain single and alone all his life. They didn''t dream that a girl like Becky would love Aron with her whole heart. They were looking forward to Aron and Becky''s wedding ever since they heard news of it. They thought they could help take care of their children, if Aron and Becky married as soon as possible. They thought discontentedly, ''We are here but where is Aron?'' "Grandfather, Grandmother¡­" Becky said in a sad tone with her mouth quivering. She looked heart- broken. Aron''s grandmother Joanna felt sorry. She went towards Becky and held her hand as she said, "Becky, tell me, did Aron do something to make you unhappy? Don''t worry, I will look out for you dear." "I agree. Becky¡­" Aron''s grandfather Mike said, echoing his wife''s sentiments, "Although Aron is stubborn, he has filial affection for us. Tell us what has happened. We will talk to him about it." "Grandfather, Grandmother, don''t be mad. Aron ¡­" After a short pause, Becky continued to speak after gathering some strength, "I guess he went out to deal with some urgent matter. I''m sorry to waste your time this way. We can''t talk about the wedding today." "That nasty ungrateful boy!" Mike broke out into curses as he was angry beyondprehension. Mandy said tantly, "Mike, Joanna, I am not picky. We dote on Becky and we do what we could to ensure that she has afortable and happy life. She loves Aron and we respect her choice and decision. But as you and I both know, it has been four years and they still haven''t got married. We''d better¡­ stop talking about this wedding and I think it would be in their best interest to break up, " Mandy sneered, "It will be easy for an amazing girl like Becky to find a good boyfriend. Since Aron is simply not willing to marry her, the wedding¡­ won''t be held." "Mother!" Becky reached out to Mandy''s hand as she cried, but her hand was shaken off.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Mandy stared at the two elders coldly and said rudely, "I have seen my daughter take care of you three like a maid, who was at your beck and call, for four years. I thought as long as Aron cherishes her, I would respect their love and be happy for her. After all, Becky loves Aron very much. Four years ago, Becky lost her baby. Four yearster, Aron refuses to marry her after all that they have been through together. You are Aron''s family. You may understand the reasons behind my heartache." She thought to herself, ''All parents regard their child as an apple of their eye. Why should I allow my daughter to be insulted by Aron and his family? I will simply not allow it.'' Chapter 152 A Hypritical Show Between Mandy And Becky Chapter 152 A Hypritical Show Between Mandy And Becky "Please don''t say that and don''t be angry, Mandy." Aron''s grandparents flushed with embarrassment upon hearing all that Mandy had to say. They did feel extremely guilty about the matter especially since their grandson was unable to meet Becky''s expectations. Becky had been with him for over four years and now it was time for Aron to make his decision, whether he wanted to move forward or not. When Becky and Aron went abroad, Becky found out that she was pregnant. But he did not care about it at all. One unfortunate day, Becky fell down identally during a quarrel with Aron. They paid heavy price for that quarrel. "Becky, you are a kind girl. I know you are being wronged and you have suffered many hardships, " said Aron''s grandma, Joanna. She took Becky''s hands and said softly, "I am sure that you also know that grandpa and I have always regarded you as a part of our family over these years. So you don''t have to worry. I will definitely get Aron to marry you and as your family I am responsible for your welfare for the rest of your life. "That''s okay, grandma. I am absolutely fine." Becky pretended to be strong and considerate and added, "I will wait for him irrespective of how long it will take for him..." "Oh my god. You really are a silly girl, Becky!" Before Becky could finish her sentence Mandy interrupted her. "Do you know how long you have already been waiting for him? You have been waiting for him for four whole years! You will never get this time back and all these years you could have been someone else''s wife! Becky, how many years do you have to wile away like this? You have wasted the most valuable years you have as a girl on him. You know what, now every one of our rtives thinks that you are getting married soon. Do you want them tough at you? Do you really want to be the In fact, Mandy was constantly worried that Aron would not marry Becky after spending so many years together. And if it turned out to be true, then everything they had gone through earlier would all be in vain. Mandy tipped Becky a wink and continued, "I asked you toe back when you had your miscarriage, but you refused toe back. I did not force you then because I knew that you love him deeply. But four years have passed, do you still want to continue things the way they are? Will you not resent him for the future he isn''t giving you?" "Mom, please give some more time. Aron is just..." Dwelling upon what Mandy said Becky now started to see sense. She had schemed against I that year and forced her to break up with Aron. She had struggled for many years. She had been waiting for Aron for so many years and she was absolutely not going to give up. "Be a good girl. Go back home with me now." Mandy took Becky''s hands and beganforting her. She then turned to Aron''s grandparents and said, "You are the dearests and closest to Aron. So could you please help me by telling Aron that if he still harbors reluctance to get married to Becky, my daughter will definitely not badger him to do so. If we are not meeting to discuss their wedding next time then we don''t have to meet again." "Mandy, please wait. Mandy..." The old couple could do nothing but just look at Mandy who took her daughter away. In that moment they felt more helpless and anxious, than they had felt in years, as they simply could not get through to Aron. Seeing this, Aron''s grandpa couldn''t helpining to his wife and ming her, "This is all your fault. How dare he act in such a manner but for your indulgence in daily life?" "I am sure that you know about Aron''s life experiences. And with his experiences, it is needless to say you must know how much hardships he has bared. Then how can I possibly be strict with him in this case? What''s more, there is also your ''credit'' in some of it, right?" Aron''s grandma was not going to be each other if Becky had not lost their baby identally. Becky had a miscarriage just after their quarrel. How could that little baby be so vulnerable? That poor baby of theirs did not even get the chance to have a glimpse of this world." "Babies are all vulnerable even before birth. Perhaps it was because of the violent mood swings of Becky during their quarrel, " said his grandpa. The old man sighed helplessly and added, "But I really feel guilty for what is happening with Becky. During these four years, Aron has always hidden his face from Becky. He has never cared about her let alone taken care of her. But anyway Becky lost a baby because of Aron and now he has to be responsible for Becky." "Yes, you are absolutely right." His grandma wore a concerned look while talking about this. "Aron is a reserved man and he never let us worry about him. He said he was going to take his girlfriend back four years ago. And I felt like he loved that girl very much at that point in time. But I don''t know what happened to them. Why would they develop like this?" The old couple thought Becky was the girl Aron was going to take back four years ago while Aron had never really exined what had really happened with him. "It seems that Becky''s mother is really infuriated with Aron''s behavior. We better find a right time for their wedding. I am also really looking forward to having a great-grandson soon." Joanna said calmly. Meanwhile as Becky decided to leave with her mother, she was still worried. "Mom, don''t you think we went too far today? If Aron is still unwilling to marry me this move of ours may simply make him happy! Then all my efforts over the years will be in vain." "Don''t worry, " replied Mandy firmly while calming her racing thoughts. Sheforted Becky while driving to their house. "I can''t read Aron''s mind and I also don''t know what he is nning but you have gotten along well with his grandparents in all these years. What''s more, you have made them feel guilty by pretending to have a miscarriage four years ago, so you don''t have to worry. Though his grandparents have been living abroad for so many years, they still hold a traditional view. They must Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. think that as you two have shared a sexual rtionship, Aron should be responsible for you. So they will definitely ask and pressure Aron to marry you." Becky frowned slightly as she heard her mom mention the bleak past. At her birthday four years ago, Becky put sleeping pills into I and Aron''s wine. After that she took off Aron''s clothes andy down with him on the same bed in order to give I the impression that they had slept together. Becky yed such a shabby trick on them and forced I to break up with Aron after this misunderstanding. But she never expected that after I really broke up with Aron, he would move abroad. However Becky did not want to give up after such an borate and maniptive n, so she also went abroad to find Aron. But Aron treated her rudely and often tried to get rid of her. Not knowing what to do, Becky lied to Aron that she was pregnant with his child. She went to a hospital and bought off the doctor to give her a fake pregnancy report. But as time passed, she was afraid Aron would catch her lie, as she did not have a pregnant bump. It was then that she found an excuse to have a violent quarrel with Aron and then pretended to have an idental abortion. After this pstick, Becky also wanted to have a baby with Aron. But he never got close to her let alone slept with her. Unfortunately, she did not get a chance at all. Becky suddenly withdrew from her train of thoughts as Mandy started persuading her patiently. "Becky, you are already twenty-eight-years old, if you can''t get married to Aron, then you''d better give up as soon as possible. Your dad also knows a lot of rich people and I can ask him to introduce one such eligible bachelor to you. Though he might not be as brilliant as Aron, it will be more fruitful than wasting anymore of your time on him." Mandy heaved a sigh while talking about this. "Your cousin is already thirty-years-old, she still is a picky woman who is reluctant to get married. You better not follow her footsteps!" "My cousin? Which one? You mean I?" Becky deliberately wanted to wipe that name from her memory, as it would always remind her about all the despicable things that she had done in the past. But it was not until the moment her mother mentioned this name to her again that she realized this name had been carved deep into her heart and simply could not be erased anymore. "Yes. You are right." Mandy nodded slightly and went on. "Several days ago, I''s mother asked me to introduce an eligible bachelor to her daughter. So I did so and introduced a distant rtive of our neighbor to her. Even though the man is older than I he is worthy of her. But I don''t know what I did during their date. Anyway, the man got very angry with me and even called me to give me a piece of his mind which included bitter usations." "So this means she hasn''t gotten married yet mom?" Becky furrowed her brow and asked her mom with a serious yet concerned look. Chapter 153 Trailing Aron Chapter 153 Trailing Aron "Uh huh." Mandy took a deep breath and continued, "What happened that year made I a new person. She drinks at bars every day and dates countless men, but all these years she never brought home any boyfriend. Becky, Aron is really a nice man. You must keep an eye on him." It was that same year, Becky trapped Aron and made him believe that he had slept with her. She had invested a lot of her time and energy on him over the past years. If after all of this Aron still refused to marry her, she would be aplete joke. "I don''t think I has moved on quite yet." Becky gnashed her teeth in anger. She had a gut feeling that Aron still loved I. Otherwise, he wouldn''te back to Y City now after all these years. "Mom, how is I?" ''You know how they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.'' With that in mind, Becky wanted to learn more about I. "Not so good." Mandy shrugged and said in disdain, "Your aunt told me that I lost her job again. A 30-year-old woman with no job and no boyfriend, how pathetic is she?" Becky was relieved after hearing that. "I told you not toe back when you told me that Aron and you nned toe back. At least you should have gotten married first. Now what if he gets back together with I?" uttered Mandy in a single breath. "Mom,e on! Do you really think I can change his mind?" Becky said with a frown epting her fate, "Aron decided toe back, and I was left with no choice but toe back with him. Anyway, you must keep an eye on I for me. Keep her away from Aron!" "Don''t worry. If she even dares to seduce Aron I swear I won''t spare her!" Mandy sneered. I was nothing whenpared to her beloved daughter. Then why was she so lucky to have such an exceptional boyfriend? Therefore, when Becky had nned to set up a trap for Aron, Mandy helped her without wavering for even a second. Becky''s phone rang while her head was leaning against the back of the seat for rest. "Hello. How is it going?" A man''s voice came from the other end of the line. "Miss Zhang, Mr. Gu got into thedies room of Hong Fu Restaurant and came out with a woman in his arms. Should I keep following him?" "What? Thedies room?" Becky clenched her fists and thought to herself, ''Aron Gu, I devoted myself to you. How dare you betray me?'' "Follow him and find out where they go. Forward the address to me as I''ll go there right away!" Becky demanded and hung up as she was in anger. Mandy was taken aback by Becky''s distorted face. She asked with concern, "What happened? Is something wrong?" "Mom, could you please take a taxi home right now? I need to borrow the car." Becky didn''t tell Mandy what had happened. She just wanted to find out whether Aron was with I right now. If yes, she would show no mercy towards I. A few momentster, the man sent Becky an address. It was a hotel in Y City. Becky drove there, pulled over and leaped off the car, burning with rage. She knocked at the room door without hesitating. Assuming it was hotel staff, Aron opened the door without thinking too much. He frowned when he saw Becky standing outside the room. "You are following me?" Aron asked authoritatively. "Get out of my way!" Becky yelled as she pushed Aron aside. She was filled with fury now and didn''t care about what he thought at all. She rushed to the bedroom and saw I lying on the bed. She was blind with rage and devoid of reason as she pointed towards I and yelled hysterically, "Aron Gu, what are you going to do?" "This is none of your concern!" Aron answered impatiently. "Becky Zhang, get out of my room. Right this instant!" Iy unconscious through this argument as she was in a drug induceda and needed nothing other than rest now. Knowing that, Aron didn''t want Becky to wake her up. "I won''t be the one to leave. It is her who should leave!" Becky again raised her finger to point at I while trembling with anger. "Aron Gu, I am your girlfriend. I have been with you for so many years. We should be discussing the wedding affairs with our parents right now. But you left us in the lunch for this bitch! Have you ever cared or even considered my feelings? Why do your eyes only see her?" "Since when have you been my girlfriend?" Aron spoke indifferently, "You considered yourself to be my girlfriend from the very beginning without having any conversation with me whatsoever. I have never admitted to being in a rtionship with you! " "But you never denied that either, did you?" Becky panicked and said, "Aron, we are getting married soon. Would you please stop cracking such jokes? It is not funny at all." Becky was about to grab his hand but he stepped aside. He gave her a cold stare and said, "Let me make myself clear now. I have never admitted that you are my girlfriend and I will never ever ept you." "Hahaha..." Becky red with anger, "Aron Gu, you think I will forgive you for this? Don''t you forget that she saw us lying on the bed together. She broke up with you even without listening to your exnation. Do you really think she loves you after all of this?" Becky gave a scornful smile and continued, "Aron Gu, if she learns about the fact that I''ve lost a baby Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. for you, do you think she will get back together with you?" Becky''s threat didn''t work. Aron remained calm andposed. He said, "Do whatever you like. I simply don''t care anymore!" "You..." Becky knew that it was useless to argue with Aron and she could only count on his grandparents. "You will marry me. You just wait and watch!" Becky announced as she left the hotel in tears. She didn''t go back home but instead drove straight to Aron''s grandparents'' house. The moment she entered the house she broke down and started sobbing hysterically. "Becky, you have been crying for over half an hour. What happened, did Aron bully you? If yes, I will punish him, " said Joanna. "Grandma..." Becky held her waist and murmured, "Aron wants to break up with me..." "What? He is such an ungrateful brat! Is he out of his mind?" said Mike. He was taken aback by Becky''s words and asked anxiously, "What the hell is going on? Why did he break up with you?" Chapter 154 Heart-to-Heart Talk Chapter 154 Heart-to-Heart Talk "It¡­ It''s not his fault, " Becky said, tears streaming down her face. "Grandpa, please don''t me him. He must have been bewitched by some woman¡­" Becky continued while sobbing. "You just wait here for a bit. I''ll call him right now, " he said, picking up his phone as he pacified Becky with some assuring words. As the phone rang and rang, Grandpa Gu''s calls went unanswered. To offer some constion, he assured Becky a grand wedding ceremony will be held. This seemed to quell her emotions. She left shortly after. I woke up with a start after a deep slumber and saw that it was already dark. She recalled that she was in a hotel room. As she tried to reach for the cup of water she remembered cing on the night table, the lights suddenly went on. She saw a familiar but upsetting figure facing towards her. "Feeling better? How was your sleep?" he said, offering a ss of water. "How did you get here?" I asked out of disdain, ignoring Aron''s concern. Aron replied with silence. It was clear from I''s face that she didn''t like him to be here. "We have not seen each other for four years! How can you talk to me that way?" Aron sat on the sofa. He crossed his legs and took I''s response behind him. Aron just dwelled on the Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. fact that he was now in the presence of the woman that he had been yearning for four years. But I did not feel the same way. I realized that the call she received before she slept was not from Autumn, but from Aron. I grabbed the cup from his hand and said her thanks. She was about to stand up and leave when Aron stopped her. "It''s alreadyte. You should just stay here for the night, " Aron said, stopping her as he pinned her in his arms. "Let me go, " I protested. "Look, I want to thank you for saving me. I promise I''ll do my best to return the favor. But I should go, " she said, removing herself from Aron''s clutches. "I, I-" he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Feeling incredibly hurt, he realized that she still hadn''t stopped resenting him. However, Aron wasforted by the glimpse of hope that I might still had feelings for him even if four years had passed. "Let me go!" she eximed, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "You have gone too far this time, Aron! I don''t want to get hurt by you again!" "I, I could never. Thest thing that I would want to do is hurting you, " he said, holding her tight. "This is all because of Becky..." "Stop! There''s nothing more to talk about here. I know that both of you slept together for a long time, " she said, her voice muffled with sobs. I cried her heart out, her eyes swollen and red from her constant crying. As I''s tears waned off, she told Aron, "From now on, I do not want to know anything about the both of you. Your rtionship is none of my business. So please, don''t walk into my life again." "I, can you please let me finish?" he said, refusing to end the conversation. Aron said with a raised voice, "I know I have failed you. But I was trapped by the situation. Can you please give me another chance?" I, clearly dumbfounded, doesn''t know what to say. "Are you now calm enough to hear me out?" Aron asked further. I looked into Aron''s eyes and nodded. Aron poured I a cup of water. He then assisted I to the sofa and said, "I tried every way to reach you but you didn''t answer any of my calls. I also had to take my ailing grandma abroad for treatment. Did our time together mean nothing to you? You should have trusted me!" Aron looked at her, feeling extremely hurt. He would have returned back to China after his grandma''s recovery if it weren''t for Becky''s pregnancy. Aron did all he could to reach her. It turned out she changed her phone number and address. "Seeing is believing, " I said coldly. The shame brought by her fiance and cousin''s rtionship prevented her from asking for an exnation. She wanted to do nothing with them, seeing what happened was something that she couldn''t tolerate. "Seeing is not believing!" Frustrated, Aron lit a cigarette. I coughed from the smoke which made Aron put the lighted cigarette out. "I''m sorry! I shouldn''t have lit a cigarette in front of you." The concern exhibited by Aron over I was heartwarming. This proved that his memory was not tarnished despite being separated for four years. "I do not remember you smoking back then¡­" She said, looking at Aron with a frown. "You have a great memory, but I did smoke a bit back then when I was stressed and on business. I do find it hard to quit smoking because of socializing." Aron asked in a soft voice, "I, the whole incident at that time¡­" Did you not sense that it was just a ploy?" I did not bother to think of the past. She left everything behind her as if it had never happened. Back then, Aron and I got along so well to the point that they were almost married. They loved each other. It was such a tragedy that their romance ended up this way due to Aron''s fault. "It makes sense, anyway. Compared to me, Becky is younger. She is prettier and is from a well-known family. It didn''t reallye as a surprise when you chose to marry her instead, " she said, forcing herself to smile. I made a half-smile and said, "You should have told me that you loved her. I am a woman of sense. I would have totally understood. I would definitely¡­" "You are still as foolish as you were four years ago, " interrupted Aron. Aron angrily told I, "I was unconscious at that time. I did not know what was happening when you found me and Becky in bed." His words left I speechless. Up until then, a light bulb lit inside I''s mind. She realized that prior to waking up on the sofa that day, all she ever drunk was a ss of wine. It was unusual for her to be out cold with just a ss of wine. This led her to think that the whole thing might have been nned out. "You meant to say¡­ You were drugged?" asked Aron. I suddenly felt stupid after all these years. Especially after what Aron just told her. All those four years were lost¡­ Aron made an eye contact with I and said to her, "I stand by everything I said." I, shocked by the revtion, felt too shocked to ept what transpired years ago. "But¡­. Why didn''t you try toe back?" I wondered, tears starting to swell in her eyes. "Becky followed me abroad. I would havee back in China the moment my grandma recovered. But the news that Becky was pregnant with my child stopped me from doing so. My grandparents immediately ordered me to marry Becky not long after." "But her pregnancy was a betrayal of your lie¡­" I said, filled with anger. "I, let me finish what I have to say to you." Aron looked at I helplessly, thinking of what could have been if it wasn''t for that incident four years ago. Chapter 155 You Must Marry Her Chapter 155 You Must Marry Her "At first, I also thought that her pregnancy was a result of the night we slept together in a drunken stupor... butter I realized that none of it made any sense. Somnolence and morning sickness are the mostmon symptoms a pregnant woman should have. However, she showed no signs of having any such symptoms. Perhaps, she had discovered that I was investigating her, so she dered her miscarriage shortly afterwards, in order to clear herself of my suspicions." Aron''s grandparents had scolded him because of Becky''s miscarriage. But for Aron, Becky''s deration of miscarriage had instead confirmed his spection about her fake pregnancy. He knew that Becky was determined on marrying him. So he presumed that if Becky did, in fact, get pregnant, she would have done everything in her powers to keep the baby, to use it as a bargaining chip to marry herself into the Gu family. It just made no sense that she had had a miscarriage so easily. "What happened then?" I had also begun to grow suspicious of the whole thing after hearing Aron''s words. "I had tried very hard to uncover the truth. To get more information, I tried to contact the doctor Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. responsible for Becky''s pregnancy test, only to find that she had bought the doctor off. The doctor then skipped town. In order to gather evidence against her, I spent four years living abroad. It was not until very recently that something finally came to my attention. It so happened that there was some business to talk over back home, so I grabbed the chance and returned." He said to I, gently taking her hand. He had been nning to reveal all of these to her for years, and now he finally got the chance to do so, personally. "I, I''ll admit that it was my fault for going abroad without even saying good-bye back then. But please, believe me when I say this, I have always loved you and dreamed of getting married to you. Now that we have cleared up all the confusion, will you..." "I''m afraid it''s toote now." I said with a forced smile, "Everyone knows that you are Becky''s fiance. You two have been together for four years. Whatever has happened, it is now your responsibility to marry her. If I disregard everyone else and insist on marrying you, I will surely be a target of public criticism. I really cannot afford to lose my dignity over this again." "So you are willing to give up on us without a fight?" Aron frowned, "I have never epted Becky to be my girlfriend. That was all her doing." "But your family has already epted her, and... even my rtives back in my hometown know about your rtionship." I had not been seeing anybody else in the past four years, and because of that, every time she went back to her hometown, she would have to face her family''s criticisms. From their point of view, I should have already found herself a boyfriend to be in a stable rtionship with, instead of trying toe in between Becky and Aron. Besides, they liked Becky more than I, so if she were to take Aron back, she wouldn''t have been weed back to her hometown ever. "I, don''t let other people''s opinions affect you. Just answer this, do you still want to be with me?" He held her hand as he said that. I could read the sincerity in his eyes. "I..." I paused, "Weren''t you afraid that I might have gotten married after all these years? You''ve "I had done my homework, and I know that you are still single." As a matter of fact, Aron had investigated her status quo, and the fact that she was still single gave him the courage to try and win her back. He believed that he still had a ce in her heart. "You..." I blushed. But, because everything was happening so quickly, she found herself at a loss for words. She couldn''t understand what was going on in her mind as well. Even just a few days before Aron hade back, I had despised him for not telling her the truth, because of which she supposed that he had fallen in love with someone else. He had made her looked like aplete fool when she learned the truthter. I started to feel differently about Aron after he came back, especially when he told her the truth about what had happened between him and Becky. And I began to resent Becky strongly. If not for Becky''s n, she and Aron would not have to suffer such a long separation. Besides, she hated herself for leaving Aron because of Becky. He had been away for four years. And she had missed him for all those years. "I, I know that time changes things, but it can''t change how I feel about you. Although we have been apart from each other for four years, I still love you just the same. I know that this ising to you out of the blue, and you still need time to think it over. Don''t worry, I will wait for you as long as it take, " Aron gently looked at I and proposed, "How about one week? In the meantime, I will speak with Becky and set things straight with her. What do you say?" "You... are you really going to break up with her?" Asked I as she frowned mildly. "How could I break up with her when we weren''t even together in the first ce?" Aron let out a smile and continued, "But you are right, I must make a clean break. I need to persuade my grandparents, and make it clear to Becky. I, please don''t push me away anymore, okay?" "..." I said nothing, but gave her answer by nodding her head lightly. Early next morning, Aron sent I home. After that, I tried calling Autumn to ask for a leave. She was caught by surprise when she heard Charles''s voice on the other end of the line. "May I speak to Autumn?" I asked in confusion. She quickly nced at the phone screen to make sure that she had dialled the correct number. "She has just gone to sleep. Is it very urgent?" Charles said in a cold voice. "It''s not a big deal. Just that, something important came upst night, so I was wondering if I could take the day off, " I said softly. "I, I''m afraid that I must say no." Charles didn''t mean to push her too hard, but... Given Autumn''s current state, it would be impossible for her to get back to work anytime soon. "Miss. Zhao, Autumn stayed at the hospital all night. She''s a bit emotionally unstable at the moment, and won''t be able to make it to work. You are the only person she trusts in thepany, so..." "What happened to her?" I''s heart sank. "Nothing serious. It''s just that we have found her grandmother, but she is not in a very good condition. So Autumn has to stay at the hospital and look after her. If you don''t mind... could you please take care of thepany affairs for Autumn while she''s absent?" Charles believed that I would understand their situation. "Okay, no problem." I said while slightly nodding her head. She then asked worriedly, "Is Autumn alright? Does she need my help there? I can manage to go to the hospital and keep herpany if necessary." "There is no need for that at the moment. Since her grandmother is in a serious condition right now, I think she may want to spend more time with her alone." Charles sighed before saying, "Miss. Zhao, sorry to trouble you, but please help her manage thepany for the time being." I was ready to help and didn''t think it to be bothersome at all. "Sure. Just leave it to me." As she hung up the phone, I realized that it was nearly time for work. She quickly took a bath to freshen up. At the same time, Aron had just got back home. His grandparents didn''t sleep wellst night, as they had stayed up all night waiting for him toe back. "Where were youst night? Howe you''re justing back home right now?" Upon seeing him, his grandmother Joanna quickly came up to him and asked, "How could you behave in such a manner? Didn''t you know that Becky''s family was here to talk about your wedding yesterday? How could you just disappear and put off such an important matter? We should never have spoiled you so much as a child. That way, at the very least, you may have learned some manners and know how to carry yourself in a dignified manner. Before Aron could even say a word, his grandfather Mike turned to persuade him, "Aron, you have long reached the age of marriage. You and Becky have been together for four years, and both your grandmother and I like her very much. Please just listen to us. It''s about time that you acted more responsibly and married her. Let''s set up a time to meet with her family again, and get your wedding settled as soon as possible." "Your grandpa is right. Becky is such a good girl. Although you never admitted that she is your girlfriend, she has remained ever faithful to you for all these years. She has even suffered a miscarriage because of you. Clear your conscience and shoulder the responsibility, Aron." Joanna frowned as she said, "Your grandpa and I have discussed itst night, and we think that we should get down to preparing for the wedding. The 7th of next month will be a lucky day, we want to schedule the wedding for that day if you agree. Besides, you should talk to Becky''s parents soon. Make sure to ask whether there are any special customs they would like to observe. Tell them we will follow whatever customs they may request." Chapter 156 Youre Going to Marry Her Chapter 156 You''re Going to Marry Her "''Don''t turn a deaf ear to me. I am talking to you. Do you hear me?" His grandparents deliberately pretended not to know that Aron was at odds with Becky and carried on talking about the wedding with him. "Grandpa and grandma, can we just please stop talking about this right now. I am definitely not going to marry Becky. I have exined this to you, countless times in the past four years. I don''t like her and I am not going to get married to her. But you just won''t listen to me. Today is thest time I am going to say this to you. Becky is not the person I want to get married to, so please don''t stop wasting your time trying to convince me otherwise, " said Aron. "Why do you insist on talking about such nonsense?" His grandma''s eye-brows furrowed in a deep crease and then she said, "Becky is a kind and beautiful girl who is madly in love with you. She has always been respectful to us. Why do you insist on breaking up with her? You''re going to deeply regret passing on a good girl like her. Besides, she even had a baby with you before. You can''t just break her heart like that, after what you two have been through together. You need to take some responsibility for that. You are my beloved grandson and I''ve always listened to what you''ve had to say, but this time I need you to listen to me. There is no longer any room for negotiations in this matter. I have already made up my mind on this." After hearing this, Aron turned to his grandpa who coughed slightly and said, "I also agree with your grandmother on this. Becky is a really good girl. You''ve have been together for so many years, I think it is time the two of you got married." "No. You are wrong. I have never been in a rtionship with Becky, not even for a single minute." Aron frowned and paused for a few seconds, "Grandma, to be honest, I already have someone I love dearly..." But before he could even finish what he wanted to say, his grandma pped him on the face, unexpectedly. At first, when Becky came to her toin about Aron''s betrayal, she did not believe her because deep down she knew what kind of person Aron really was. She believed that, he might have been cantankerous at times, but he was certainly not an unfaithful man, who could betray someone''s trust so heartlessly. However, after she heard Aron confess, she realized that she had been It was her first time to hit Aron. Although she felt remorseful after pping Aron, she was not willing to "Aron, now I can tell you that you no longer have any say in this matter. Whether you agree or not, you''re going to marry her. Don''t try to y tricks, " she said to Aron, firmly, as she was starting to lose her patience. "Aron, don''t provoke your grandma. Hurry up, I want you to apologize to her and tell her that you will marry Becky." Aron''s grandpa held his wife, as he calmly sat her down on the couch. "Grandma. Grandpa. I is the only woman I have ever loved so truly. I am definitely not marrying Becky whether you like it or not, because to bepletely honest, I don''t love her at all." After the death of his parents, it was his grandparents who had raised him as their own. In any other situation, Aron would have heeded their wishes without hesitation, but this time he had to follow his own decision. He was also determined not to make anypromises on the matter. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Are you trying to piss me off, Aron?" His grandma pointed at him, trembling in anger. She was even allow you to be with her, let alone marry her." "Grandma! Why are you being so stubborn?" Aron frowned impatiently as he had no idea how to persuade his grandparents. "Stop! That is enough!" His grandpa had grown tired of their quarrel, he seemed to have also gotten angry at Aron now, "Do you really want to offend us? All right then, there''s no use talking about this anymore. Let''s call it a day. We''ll talk about it tomorrow." His grandma felt ill because she hadn''t had a good night''s restst night. And now, thanks to Aron she was suffering from a sharp mood swing. She asked her husband to help her go back to her bedroom. Aftering out of the room, Aron''s grandpa red at him with great resentment. "You know that your grandma hasn''t been feeling well; why don''t you try talking to her more patiently? Why are you so disobedient?" "Is grandma... Is she okay?" Aron asked worriedly. "It''s nothing serious at the moment, but you''ve really hurt her feelings this time. Look at what you''ve done..." Aron''s grandpa sighed heavily in utter disappointment. "Grandpa, I know this is not the right time to talk about this with you, but I really want to follow my heart this time. You wouldn''t want to see me getting a divorce from Becky in the future because I really don''t love her. I never have. And you don''t have to worry about anything at all. I will take care of this. As for Becky, I will find a way to make amends to her. No matter how long it takes, I will make reparations." Aron was determined to deal with the problem as soon as possible. "Are you really that stupid, Aron? Don''t you realize how much Becky loves you? Do you think she will be willing to break up with you so easily?" His grandfather took a breath and tried to exin the situation to Aron. "Besides, why don''t you like her? She is such a good girl! Why don''t you want to get married to her? Is that woman better than Becky?" "Yes, " replied Aron firmly. He nodded and exined, "She was the woman I fell in love with four years ago and I am still madly in love with her, but..." Aron hesitated for a while and continued, "We broke up before, because of a slight misunderstanding, but now I have rified my feelings to her." "Well, what about Becky?" Aron''s grandfather had never met I before, so he was unable to pass his judgement on her. But Becky had lived with them for four years, he had known her quite well by then. Although Aron had always treated her indifferently, she hadpletely devoted four valuable years of her life to Aron. Moreover, Becky had always treated Aron''s grandparents with care and respect. Even if she did it purposefully on her own, they could not deny what she had done for Aron''s family. Aron furrowed his eyes slightly when he heard the question of his grandpa. "Grandpa, I''ve always had a clear position when it came to Becky. But every time I tried to exin myself to her, you and grandpa would persuade me not to. This has been dyed for four years, and it still hasn''t been resolved yet. If I loved her, I would have already married her by now. But I didn''t, because I never loved her. So could you please let me deal with it on my own. You don''t have to worry about this. I am an adult and I am capable of handling this on my own." Upon hearing this, Aron''s grandpa took a deep breath, then he finally nodded and said, "We are old now and we don''t want to get in your way anymore. Anyway, I expect you to deal with it appropriately. But, you will have to persuade your grandma on your own, I can''t help you with that. She is too stubborn." His grandpa had finally agreed with Aron. He understood that Aron was an adult now and he would have to be responsible for his own actions. He was old enough to know who his heart really belonged to. If he couldn''t live happily with Becky after getting married to her, things would get much worse, and he would me it all on his grandparents. Even though his grandpa hade round, Aron''s grandma was still adamant about her decision. As soon as she got back to her bedroom, she called Becky on her phone, to tell her what had happened between Aron and her. She was very open with Becky as she had regarded her as one of her family members. Becky was still asleep, so when she received the call from Aron''s grandma, she answered impatiently, "Hello? This is Becky. What''s wrong?" "Good morning, Becky. Are you still sleeping?" She lowered her voice and said to Becky, "I have something to ask you right now." "Hello, grandma." When Becky realized that it was Aron''s grandma, she sat up abruptly to pay attention and asked, "Grandma, what''s wrong?" She quickly switched to a more gentle and soft tone which was a sharp contrast to her attitude just now. "Well, I heard that..." The olddy was about to speak but then she hesitated, as she didn''t know where to begin. "Yesterday you mentioned that Aron had fallen in love with another woman; I just wanted to know if it was true." She finally asked Becky because she wanted to figure out what was going on. Chapter 157 Youve Developed A Bad Temper Chapter 157 You''ve Developed A Bad Temper "Of course it is true!" Becky was fuming as she recalled the scene she saw yesterday. "I even know that woman very well. Just as the old saying goes that a rabbit doesn''t nibble the grass near its own hole. But why would Aron want to be with that woman? If he wants to find another woman, he should..." "Becky, you have to trust me. Aron must be brainwashed or beswitched by that woman temporarily, otherwise he wouldn''t have done something like this." Aron''s grandma quickly defended her dear grandson''s actions, because she could not bear the thought of someone scolding him. "Well, Becky, it is not very convenient to talk about this on the phone. Do you want to meet somewhere else, to talk? I''d like to invite you for a meal." "Of course, I would like to. But grandma, you are the elder here while I am your junior, so it is natural for me to invite you for a meal. I am going to get up soon and I wille to pick you upter." Becky said with a smile, but soon she added, "Well, grandma, I have something to remind you of... I think it would be better not to tell Aron that we''re seeing each other today. You know that he is very angry with me at the moment." "Don''t worry. I won''t tell him, " Joanna promised at once, since she was now standing in the same line with Becky. Becky hung up the phone and got off her bed in a hurry. After getting dressed, Becky went down stairs where Mandy Zhao was surprised to see her at that hour. It was rare for Becky to get up so early. "Becky, you got up so early today! Why don''t you stay in bed longer and get some sleep? Do you have any ns for today?" "No. I don''t want to sleep right now." Becky replied calmly and went on, "Mom, I need your help to find out where I is working right now. It is time I paid her a visit since we haven''t seen each other for so many years." "Why would you want to meet her? What are you going to do?" Mandy was never fond of I. "I will exin it to youter, but this is not the right time to talk about it. Hurry up, mom." Becky did not tell Mandy the whole story, because she wanted to meet I alone. "Ok, I am going to call someone." Just within a few minutes, Mandy found out the address of I''s workce and then gave Becky the news. After getting her desired information, Becky went out with great satisfaction. Soon she arrived at the house of Aron''s grandparents and then she called Joanna. As Joanna was not in good health, Becky took her to a nearby porridge shop for a meal. "Grandma, you have been abroad for a long time and you rarelye back. I often came here to eat before I have to go abroad and I think it is a nice ce since the food here is very delicious. Grandma, you should try it. Perhaps you will also like it." "Okay, okay." Joanna looked at Becky and smiled softly. She was quite gratified with her warm and caring nature. "Becky, you said that you know the woman whom Aron is in love with. Are you serious? Who is she and where does she live?" Joanna was eager to dig out all of the information about that woman who seduced her grandson. "Of course, I know her. I am being serious." Becky took a bowl of porridge for Joanna and said calmly, "Actually I know her quite well, because she is my cousin, my older sister." "What? What are you talking about?" Joanna waspletely astonished when she heard this from Becky. "That woman is your cousin?" "Yes, " replied Becky indifferently. Becky smiled bitterly and said, "You think it is ridiculous? But it is the truth." She paused for a few seconds and then continued, "She met a man a few years ago and said that she was going to get married to him. Unfortunately, the man left her for another woman. Since then, she was mentally traumatized and she began to date multiple men, but now she is thirty years old, and she still hasn''t gotten married yet. Four years ago she even seduced Aron, who at the time, waspletely obsessed with her, but then Aron had to go abroad with you that year, leaving their rtionship unsettled. But I had never expected that she woulde running back to Aron as soon as he got back. Grandma, I really love Aron, please help me. Please. I have no idea what to do." Becky pretended to be pitiful and begged Joanna for help. Joanna hastily nodded andforted her, "Becky, don''t worry. I have taken you as a part of my family and you have always been kind to us, so I will definitely help you." Joanna was going to meet I to have a chat with her, but she didn''t expect her to be such a shameless woman. Undoubtedly, she would never allow Aron to be with such a woman, let alone marry her, "Well, Becky, do you know where she is now? I want to meet her in person." "Do you want to go now?" Becky furrowed her brows and pretended to be in a moral dilemma, "Grandma, don''t do that. After all she is my cousin and she is at work now. And I think it would not be appropriate to go see her now, because I am afraid that she might lose her job over this." "Becky, you are a good girl. You are always so understanding and considerate towards others." Joanna heaved a sigh and thought that Becky was too naive for her own good, which was why people took advantage of her kindness all the time. "You can''t be so simple or you will suffer from a grave loss one day." "But..." Becky still pretended to hesitate. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. "Don''t hesitate anymore. Give me her address. Hurry up." Joanna persuaded her and then added, "You know what? Even if you refuse to tell me her address, I will find her on my own sooner orter, so why don''t you just tell me now?" "Well, then... Okay." Becky finally agreed to tell Joanna after pretending to be hesitant for some time. "I will go with you as well, after we finish the meal." Becky kept persuading Joanna not to scold I on their way to Cloud Advertising Company which made Joanna appreciate Becky''s kind nature even more. I had to deal with all of the office affairs since Autumn was on a leave today. She had never undertaken such an immense responsibility before, so she had to familiarize herself with the work here. She had been looking through the papers since morning and she had a headache at this very moment. Pa had been transferred into the logistics department. When she was mopping the floor, someone in high heels stepped on where she had just mopped. She got annoyed, so she stopped and said, "Hey, do you know that..." But before she could finish her sentence, Pa was shocked to find Becky standing right in front of her, with a menacing look on her face. Becky nced at Pa and asked, "Do you know where I Zhao is?" "Why are you looking for her? Who are you?" Pa looked her up and down carefully. It seemed like they were here to make a punitive expedition against I. Pa hated I because she was Ye''s friend, so she took pleasure in her misfortune as well. "Do I need to tell a cleaner my purpose of seeing her?" Becky sneered coldly. But when she turned to Joanna, she put on a gentle and soft tone in an instant. "Grandma, this is where I works. Let''s go to find her." "Okay, " nodded Joanna. Pa had realized that something was amiss and she wasn''t going to give up on a chance to find out what the fuss was about, so she dropped the cleaning tools in her hands on the floor, and then she stepped forward and said to them, "Follow me. I know where she is. I will take you to her." Pa led them to the office of I and then knocked on the door, but before I could respond, she opened the door and walked in, "Miss. Zhao, someone is looking for you." I furrowed her brows when she saw Pa walk in without permission. "Pa, don''t you know that you have to knock on the door first before getting in?" "But I did knock on the door before I walked in. You just didn''t respond so..." Pa replied indifferently. As I was about to say something, a familiar voice came into the room from outside. It was a voice she never wanted to hear again. "Sister, I haven''t seen you for four years, but it looks like you have developed a bad temper now. We rarely have the chance to see each other. This kind girl led us here to find you. So please don''t me it on her. She didn''t mean to..." "Becky? Why are you here? What brings you here today?" I was inmed at the very sight of Becky. Chapter 158 Beckys Visit Chapter 158 Becky''s Visit "I, long time no see! I''ve missed you." Becky continued with a little smile, "We haven''t seen each other for years. How about... we find a ce? Then we can sit down and have a talk." Becky didn''t curse I, but instead, she showed her good manners to her as Joanna was there. She proposed to go outside for two reasons: firstly she knew that I wouldn''t agree; secondly... Joanna would think that she was a sensible woman. Having been filled in on what Becky had done to her, I refused Becky''s proposal immediately. She replied with a sneer, "Becky, just stay here and tell me what you want to say. You and I... I did nothing dirty or wrong to you, so you can say what you want here." I gave Joanna a curious nce, as she had no idea who this elder woman was. However, she had a hunch that she was an important person. She didn''t know why Becky had brought her to herpany. I stared at Becky coldly and thought, ''This girl was my favorite cousin, a person I trusted unconditionally. But, Becky... ruined all of this.'' "Becky, just get straight to the point. I have a lot of work to deal with, so don''t waste my time." I had thought that she could treat Becky in an emotionless manner, but she failed. She was still hurt at the thought of what had happened between them. ''We used to be intimate cousins, but now we are hostile to each other. All of this is because of Aron. It''s not so bad after all. I finally got to know what kind of person she really is.'' Becky responded, looking as pathetic as she could, "I, when did we... be so distant? Do you remember when we..." I interrupted decidedly, "I remember nothing." She only remembered that scene from four years ago. Becky knelt down with a pathetic look on her face and said that she couldn''t help sleeping with Aron and begged her to leave Aron forever. When she had been told this, she was in despair. Since that day on, she resolved to break up with Aron, and stay away from him. Now she saw Becky with that expression again. "I, then I will tell you my purpose foring here. I came here to ask you to stay away from Aron." ''Now that I doesn''t want to have a chit-chat, I will stop pretending to be nice. After all, it''s just a show for Joanna. The more aggressive I acts, the weaker I look in Joanna''s eyes, '' she thought "I, you are pretty and have a sessful career. You can date any man you want. Unlike you, I have stayed with Aron and everything I have done in the past four years was for him. I felt happy for him when he was pleasant, and felt sad when he was unhappy. He is my everything. I can''t live without him. Have some mercy and give Aron back to me." Becky took two steps forward and grabbed I by the hand. She looked at I with her puppy dog eyes and said to her, "I, I have always yielded to you since we were little girls. I gave you everything as long as you wanted it, including dresses and toys. But Aron is different. Please, just this one time. Could you make a concession for me? "Becky, you are such a good liar! It is you..." I stared at Becky angrily. ''I always made apromise for Becky on everything. I even gave up on my boyfriend for her. Haven''t I made enough concession?'' thought I to herself. Before I could continue her speech, Becky interrupted immediately, "I, yesterday Aron told me that he still loved you as he did four years ago. I have kept hispany for four years, and my rtives and friends all think that he is my fiance. I had his baby. I can''t live without him. Please, don''t steal him away from me. I can''t suffer such a disgrace, " Becky sobbed out. All of a sudden, I realized what was going on was ridiculous. ''I haven''t agreed to see Aron yet. Even if I did, I didn''t owe her anything. When Becky stole Aron away from me, did she care about my feelings? At that time, everyone knew that he was my fiance. Even so, she still separated me from Aron without hesitation.'' "I..." Becky continued with her eyes brimming with tears, "I have heard from my mom that after Aron left, you dated many men. You have so many choices, why do you still want to take away my boyfriend? Please leave him alone. I beg you." "Enough!" I shouted at her. Becky was not only lying, but she was also ndering her. I couldn''t resist her anger anymore. She shook off Becky furiously and scolded, "Becky, we both know what happened four years ago. I know how low you stooped to get what you wanted. Aron is a man, not amodity that can be dealt with as such. It''s his choice to decide who he wants to be with, and you have no right to decide for him. Are we clear?" I trembled with rage at the thought of what had happened between them. ''I have dodged Aron and lived alone in low spirits these past four years. Now she''s using me of stealing her happiness.'' "I!" Becky fell on her knees in front of I and clung to I''s clothes. She implored with her tears streaming down her face, "I''m begging you. Please give Aron back to me. He is my everything and your future cousin-inw." Pa had been standing outside the door, as she had kept I''s office door unclosed deliberately. The many colleagues that had gathered around I''s office, couldn''t believe what they were hearing. I felt embarrassed and ashamed when she saw the look of misapprehension and disapproval on the faces of the people watching. But, Becky didn''t stop at all. Becky pulled I''s clothes as she said, "I will give you whatever you want from me except Aron..." "Stop acting!" I pushed Becky away impatiently and cried out, "You know what you did four years ago. Even if I steal Aron away from you, it will be your retribution. I warned you to never let me see your face again. Otherwise, I won''t spare you!" As their rtionship had been destroyed long ago, I decided to leave no room for any reconciliation between them. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "Leave now, or I will call security." I looked at Becky with her cold eyes and added, "Keep in mind that, apart from you, everyone in the world has the right to ask me to leave Aron. Anyone, but you." Chapter 159 Kick Isla When She Is Down Chapter 159 Kick I When She Is Down "Cousin, I ¡­" Becky bit her lip, her eyes asking for Joanna''s help. Joanna had been watching quietly. She mulled over, ''I will find out what kind of person I is. There is no need to make an ugly scene. If she is highly cultured and reasonable, I will talk to her and solve the problem peacefully.'' I turned out to be an arrogant woman. Joanna decided to change her strategy and get straight to the point. She didn''t expect all of this to have been plotted by Becky. Becky provoked and angered I on purpose so that Joanna would think the worst of her, forming a stark contrast with her virtuous and good-natured character. Becky believed that she was the better partner for Aron,pared to such an impolite and rude I. "Becky, are you alright?" Joanna asked with her brows knitted as she got Becky back on her feet. Becky cast an angry look in I''s direction and replied, "Grandmother, I am okay." When I heard Becky call the old woman "Grandmother", she realized who Joanna was and why Becky created this drama. I thought, ''Becky did all of this intentionally so that Aron''s grandmother will think badly of me. Becky will do everything she can just like she did four years ago to push me away from Aron.'' "You are Miss Zhao, aren''t you?" Joanna sneered at I, "I am Aron''s grandmother. But I don''t know if it is my ce to talk to you about Aron." "Madam, things are not as what Becky has told you. She took Aron away from¡­" I was anxious to exin. She had never forgotten Aron all these years. Although she has not yet agreed to be Aron''s girlfriend, she wanted to show the best of herself in front of his grandmother. After all, if Aron''s family didn''t like her, it would be a big problem for him. So I wanted to tell the truth about the story of their love and what a bad person Becky was. But Becky wouldn''t give I any chance to exin herself. She said in a low and sad voice as she held Joanna''s hand, "Grandmother, let''s go. There is no need to talk to her. If Aron knew we came here, he would get angry. I am sure he will think Ipelled you to bother I." "Don''t worry!" Joanna said without reservation, "Since we are already here, let''s be frank and put our cards on the table. If Aron asks about this, I will stick up for you. Miss Zhao, I agree with you. There is no need to waste time. I am telling you now, Becky will be my granddaughter-inw. I will never allow you to marry Aron." Joanna gave I an icy smile and continued, "Over thest four years, Becky is the one who has always been with Aron and taken care of us. We have already epted her as our granddaughter-in- eyes on. Why are you so determined to get in between your cousin and Aron? Don''t you feel shameful? Has no one ever taught you manners?" "Grandmother, it''s just a misunderstanding. The truth is four years ago, Becky, she¡­. " Joanna interrupted I, "Stop. Please address me as ''Madam''. Don''t call me grandmother. In my heart, you will never be Aron''s partner." Becky had told Joanna too many bad things about her. I turned pale. Not only did she feel angry, she was also embarrassed. Becky''s bad mouthing her and Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Joanna''s disdain had made her lose face. She worried that her colleagues would gossip about this. I calmed herself and said through gritted teeth, "Madam, what happened in the past wasn''t like what Becky told you. Aron and I already had ns to get married. He even promised to take me to visit you and his grandfather. Then ¡­ Out of nowhere, Becky came into our lives." Joanna looked at Becky searching for a reply. Becky denied, "Grandmother, you don''t believe what she is saying, do you? They are all lies. She has twisted the truth." Becky knew that Joanna would believe whatever she said. She said shamelessly, "Grandmother, you mustn''t believe her." Joanna started to be suspicious of Becky when she heard I''s words, but still sided with Becky. She angrily said, "Miss Zhao, you are young and pretty. Why do you still need to be cunning? I have raised Aron since he was a kid. I am well aware of who he is. I know the way his mind works. If he really loved you, he would have brought you to us and asked our permission for your marriage. There is no need to wait that long. Moreover, Becky is the girl who has been with him all this time, not you. What do you think of me, an old fool?" "Madam, what I said is true¡­" I was determined to turn the situation to her favor. However, Pa who was watching nearby, took the opportunity to kick I when she was down. "Miss Zhao, you have only been with thispany for a short time, but you set a good example for us. Your ability is undisputed, or you won''t have been our nning manager on your first day. But today you are wrong. There are many outstanding but avable men out there. Why do you still have your eyes on your cousin''s boyfriend. Aren''t you ashamed?" "You, shut up!" I yelled at Pa angrily. She had no one on her side. Owing to Becky''s nder, she had already gotten embarrassed and frustrated. And Pa''s added insults made her furious. She couldn''t fight with Joanna because she was Aron''s grandmother. Since she still loved Aron, she couldn''t afford to go against Joanna. But with Pa, there was no need to restrain her anger. She questioned, "Why are you here? This is none of your damn business." "What? Is it so unbearable for me to tell the truth?" Pa thought, ''You have three opponents here today. Ye is not here to help you. It''s impossible to fight all of us and win.'' Her lips twisted mockingly, "The climate in thepany has changed since you and Ye started working here. Ye knew Mr. Lu was married and yet she seed in convincing him to buy thispany for her. Now, you covet your brother-inw. As the proverb goes, ''Birds of a feather flock together.'' No doubt you two are best friends. Both of you are good at calcting and seducing men." There was quite a lot of rumors about Autumn and Charles and the employees had be more and more suspicious. It was hard to ignore that Charles bought Cloud Advertising Company just to give it to Autumn Ye. It somehow sparked the rumor that she was Charles'' lover. There was an uproar in the crowd after Pa''s remarks. "Pa is right. Ye knew Mr. Lu is married, but she persuaded him to buy thispany for her. What a maniptive bitch." "Yeah, I agree. Ye used to be silent and kept to herself. I didn''t realize she would do such a thing. Such indecency! Mr. Lu has gotten married not long ago." Chapter 160 The Truth Chapter 160 The Truth "Exactly! What a scheming woman Ye is! Mr. Lu is so obsessed with her and even bought thepany for her as a gift. If Mrs. Lu finds out about this, she would be furious." "I and Ye are just two birds of the same feather when ites to seducing and controlling men. Maybe I learned that from Ye." "Enough!" I thundered, "Have you finished all your work? Are you free now? How about helping Pa clean the toilet?" The gossiping crowd quickly fell silent and went back to their own seats, stealing nces at I''s office from time to time. Pa, however, remained standing at the office door. I walked towards Pa and questioned her, "Why are you still here? You want to get in, huh?" "No, no." Pa shook her head and said, "I haven''t finished cleaning yet. I''m leaving now." Bang! I shut the door and turned to Becky. "Becky Zhang, do you dare say it again, who was the other woman four years ago?" I demanded. "Of course!" Becky sneered. I was the same silly girl as four years ago. "If it weren''t for you, Aron and I would have fixed our wedding date. If it weren''t for you, we would now be living a happy life." Becky stared angrily at I and asked, "I, I know it is too much to expect you to wish us happiness. I beg you, stay away from us." "You..." Becky''s usation drove I crazy. She took out her cell phone to call Aron and ask him to take Becky away. She couldn''t bear it anymore. As soon as she took out her phone, Becky was instantly rmed. "What are you going to do? Are you going to call Aron?" Becky moved closer, in an attempt to snatch I''s phone. "Get away from me!" I pushed Becky away as she snorted, "What are you so nervous about? You Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. say that I am the other woman? Fine! I''m calling Aron over. Let''s get everything straight today. Don''t try to stop me. Are you afraid of being found out?" Becky''s expression amused I. I continued, "Well, we have a witness here and she should know how you managed to break me and Aron apart by saying that you miscarried for him. Did you really think your n was perfect? You are too naive." Becky felt dazed when I mentioned her miscarriage. She had long worried about her plot being uncovered, but she never expected I to find out and expose it. Becky was fuming. "I Zhao, you are talking nonsense! You know nothing about what happened between me and Aron. It pains me a lot to think about losing my baby. Why do you rub salt into my wound? What do you want?" I gave a scornful smile. She hadn''t exposed the truth yet, but Becky was already on the edge of panicking. What Becky said only gave herself away. Becky panicked even more when she looked at I''s smile. She yelled hysterically, "I Zhao, are you using me of feigning pregnancy, huh? I''m telling you, they would not believe anything you say. You think you can bring me down? You''re dreaming if you think you can win." I smiled and responded calmly, "I said nothing just now. It is you who mentioned the fake pregnancy. What? Is it your guilty conscience?" Joanna''s doubts grew, looking at the way Becky reacted. It was true, I didn''t mention anything about feigning pregnancy, but Becky spilled it all out. No wall can stop the truth. Was Becky extremely agitated because she was afraid that I knew about it? "I... I''m not guilty at all. I didn''t do it. Stop making up stories!" Becky grabbed Joanna''s hand tightly and exined anxiously, "Grandma, don''t listen to her. She made up this story to drive a wedge between you and me. I did conceive a child..." "Becky, why are you so nervous?" Joanna had never doubted Becky''s pregnancy before. However, looking at the sweat on Becky''s forehead, Joanna became more suspicious. "Miss Zhao said nothing, but you just mentioned feigning pregnancy. Becky, are you trying to hide something from me?" asked Joanna. "No, I''m not." Becky denied it without hesitation. Her face drenched in sweat. She had kept this secret for years. She knew that if Aron and his grandparents found out, they would never ever trust her again. "Miss Zhao, can you tell me the truth?" Joanna wanted an answer to her doubts. "Madam, I am telling the truth. Aron and I were a happy couple four years ago. Somehow, Becky slipped some narcotic in our drinks at my birthday party and knocked us out. Then she slept on the same bed with Aron and made me see it. I was devastated. She begged me to leave him. I was left with no choice but to do so. I changed my phone number and haven''t been in touch with him since then." I swallowed her bitterness and continued, "When we were together, Aron had visited all my rtives, and we nned to visit you. If you don''t believe me, you can hire a private investigator." I looked rather calm, making her statements more convincing. Joanna somewhat believed her. "What about the baby? What happened to the baby?" Joanna asked, frowning, "Four years ago, Becky and I went to the hospital together. The doctor said she was pregnant." "That''s true! Grandma, I''ve never lied to you. You know that." Becky held Joanna''s arm tightly, but the truth. "Last night, Aron came to me and wanted to exin what really happened. He had been with Becky for a long time, so I had no ns to talk to him. But he told me that Becky lied about the pregnancy. That time, Aron had nned to go back to Y City, but she pretended to suffer a miscarriage to stop him and cover up the false pregnancy. This supposed tragedy made you feel guilty and sorry for her. Aron has been investigating the whole thing all these years, and he has found out the truth." I looked Joanna in the eye and said sincerely, "You can ask Aron for the details." I dialed Aron''s number and asked him toe over immediately. "Grandma..." Becky murmured as she was frightened. How things were going was beyond her expectation. Joanna stared coldly at Becky. She wanted to ask Becky whether I was telling the truth. "Becky... is she telling the truth?" Joanna had treated Becky as her granddaughter-inw for years and trusted her. If Becky denied it, she would beleive it. Becky, however, hesitated. Chapter 161 The Frame Up Chapter 161 The Frame Up Joanna urged the panic-stricken Becky, "Becky, answer me now." I looked at Becky with contempt, not intending to help her. ''When Becky set it all up, she should have known that this day woulde. No wall can stop the truth, '' she thought. Becky was in a state of rm and didn''t know what to do next. ''ording to I, Aron has evidence of my false pregnancy. Even if I can fool Joanna now, my lie will be known to all once Aron shows the proof.'' After a bit of hesitation, Becky said to Joanna, "Grandma, I really love Aron. Please believe me." "I trust you. But I only want to know the answer. Did you get pregnant at that time?" Joanna was serious, determined to find out the truth. "Does this mean so much to you?" Becky looked at Joanna with a frown and went on, "You know that everything I do is for Aron and I love him wholeheartedly. Why do you obsess over this question?" "Becky, it''s a matter of principle." Now Joanna had guessed the answer. She felt heartbroken and couldn''t ept it. She asked, "Becky, why did you do that? We approved of your being together. Why did you lie to us?" "Your approval made no difference." Becky cried out hysterically, "Aron and I have been together for Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. four long years. His tough heart should have already softened, touched by my sincere love. But see what happened? I have done so many things for him and what do I get? Aron still loves this bitch. It has been almost half a decade, but he still couldn''t forget her. Why does he love her instead of me?" It was hard for Becky to ept it. She was superior to I in everything. However, I had met the perfect man, and Becky was envious of that. That was why she had plotted to steal Aron away from I by all means. Joanna looked at Becky with surprise and disappointment. She understood Becky''s thoughts, but she could never agree to her ways. Joanna said to Becky, looking heart broken, "Becky, you have changed." Becky responded with a sneer and thought, ''It''s all your fault. And you have the nerve to say that?'' "You have turned me into a wretched woman." Becky proceeded with a cold smile, "Grandma, I have loved and served Aron with all my heart and put his needs before my own. But Aron ignored all of these and only wanted to push me away. So don''t me me for what I am going to do." "What are you going to do?" When I saw Becky walk up to Joanna, she dashed forward between Joanna and Becky. I stretched out her hand and advised her, "Becky, you''re my cousin. I don''t want to see you make more mistakes. Why not give up on something that doesn''t belong to you?" ''No matter whom Aron will marry, Becky won''t be that person, '' thought I to herself. "Shut up!" Becky shouted at I in anger "Aron is mine and no one can take him away from me!" A crazy thought had urred to Becky. ''Aron won''t believe me anymore, and Joanna knows that I lied to her. No one will be on my side. If... if Joanna has an ident, I could put the me on I. Perhaps Aron would resent her and give me another chance.'' Once the seed of this mad thought grew in her mind, she couldn''t get rid of it. She suddenly grabbed I''s hands and pushed her hard. I mmed to one of the desks. Before I could recover from the shock, Becky took Joanna by the arm and said, "Grandma, please forgive me. You have discovered my secret and I can''t let you live." Becky continued with a sniff, "I know that you have always been fond of me, and you must hope that I get married to Aron. Now help me, or Aron will leave me..." "What are you doing?" Joanna asked, looking terrified. She was in poor health. As she watched Becky approaching, she felt her heart beat faster. "Becky, let go of her!" I had been shoved to a desk after Becky pushed her. Although she felt great pain on her knee, she thought about Joanna''s safety and ran to protect her. Before I could reach Joanna, Becky pushed Joanna into the wall with so much strength. Joanna cked out immediately, with the blood gushing from her head. "Help! Is there anyone around? Please help me..." Becky cried out. "I, are you going to kill me too?" she howled out loud enough for those outside the office to hear. Pa had been standing, not far from I''s office. As soon as she heard the cries, she was the first one to rush into the office. When she came in, she saw Becky crying on the floor, with Joanna in her arms. Meanwhile, she was pointing at I using her of something horrible. She called out to Pa, "Please help me call an ambnce." Pa was taken aback at the scene. She couldn''t move. She didn''te to her senses until Becky asked her for help. She replied in panic, "Okay, I will!" Pa took out her phone to call 120, and then called 110. Then, she turned to I and said, "Miss Zhao, you overreacted. Whatever she said to you, you shouldn''t have hurt her. After all, she is old. What you did is a crime. You could be charged with murder." "No... I didn''t..." I had a slight blood phobia. She almost fainted at the sight of it on Joanna''s head. Now, she was freaking out and just kept saying that it wasn''t her. "You did this." With Joanna in her arms, Becky was praying that the ambnce would arrivete. ''As long as she dies on the way to the hospital, I''ll be safe.'' I should have been more friendly to her co-workers. Now, no one would take her side. "I, today I didn''t agree when grandma proposed toe to you. However, I never expected that you would do such a terrible thing to her. If you''re mad at me, you could have just cursed or even beaten me. But why did you have to hurt grandma?" "Becky, shut up now!" I sat down and hugged herself, helpless and alone, "You pushed grandma on purpose..." Chapter 162 Grandma Was In A Coma Chapter 162 Grandma Was In A Coma "I, that is a downright dirty usation. Grandma has been so kind to me. Why would I want to hurt her? What''s more, I am sure everyone here knows what I am doing here today. Why would I do such a thing?" Becky asked furiously. "It is because..." I was at a loss for words and she did not know how to exin it. Perhaps... Would they believe her if she exined it clearly? "What is wrong? What is going on here?" When Aron arrived, he found many people gathering around. He squeezed through the crowd and found his grandmother on the floor with a lot of blood. Aron rushed toward Joanna and held her tight, "Grandma! Wake up! Hey! Grandma, wake up! What happened to her?" Aron asked, bewildered. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Aron..." Becky cautiously stepped towards Aron and said in a low voice, "I have called the ambnce. Grandma will be fine. Don''t worry." "What happened to her? Tell me!" Aron''s eyes turned red at what he saw. His grandparents were his only family left. And he was determined to take good care of them, but now... "Who brought her here? Who brought my grandma here?" "It''s me. I am sorry, Aron. I didn''t mean to." Becky replied while lowering her head. She dared not look at Aron in the eye. "Grandma gave me a call this morning and she said that she wanted to meet my cousin, I. I also tried to convince her not toe here, but you know that grandma is so stubborn that I couldn''t stop her. I had no choice bute with her. But I didn''t expect that..." Becky stopped a bit then continued, "I didn''t expect I to have such a temper. And she had a fight with grandma. She pushed grandma during the fight and then..." Becky tried hard to exin. "Aron, I..." I was in a panic. She was genuinely concerned about Aron''s grandma and she was also worried about what Aron would think of her. She feared that Aron wouldn''t understand and that he would never trust her. "Aron, let''s look into thatter. We have to get grandma to the hospital now." Becky told Aron. But as she spoke those words, Becky hoped that Joanna would not wake up anymore. Aron lifted his grandma and rushed her to the hospital without taking a nce at I. Becky went with him. As soon as they left, the police arrived and took I away after hearing Pa''s exaggerated testimony. It seemed that I had lost her mind and instead of defending herself, she didn''t utter a single word. Meanwhile, Joanna was rushed to surgery at the hospital. Neither Aron nor Becky told his grandfather about it, but Becky still made a call to Mandy. She was in such a daze that she didn''t know whether she was doing the right thing or not. She badly needed someone with a clear perspective. Obviously, Mandy was the best person to help her. "What is going on, Becky? Why was Joanna sent to the hospital, all of a sudden?" Mandy rushed to the hospital after hearing the news. When he got to Becky, he asked her. "What did you do in the morning? She was still fine this morning. Tell me what happened, Becky." "Mom..." Becky burst into tears and fell into Mandy''s arms while Mandy patted her back gently to console her. "Don''t cry, Becky. I am here and I will help you handle this. What happened to her?" Mandy held Becky''s hand while asking in a soft voice what happened. "It is I. It is her. She pushed grandma down to the floor." Becky insisted that it was I who hurt Aron''s grandma, but she never mentioned the details of the ident. Aron was terribly upset at that time, and he couldn''t help roaring at Becky. "That''s enough. Get away from here and stop crying. My grandma is not dead yet. Why do you keep crying here?" "Aron, mind your manners. Why are you yelling at my daughter? It is not her fault! Let''s be clear about that!" Unwilling to appear weak, Mandy stood up to Becky. "It''s I. She did this to your grandma. Why don''t you yell at her?" "Mom, forget it." Becky pulled Mandy away. "Aron must be worried and upset about his grandma. Let''s go and talk somewhere else." she said. Becky walked to the staircase with her mother, ovee with emotions. Trembling, she took Mandy''s hands and begged her, "Mom, I really need your help now. Please help me." "Tell me the truth. Becky, what did you do? What happened this morning?" Even though Mandy didn''t like I, she knew well that I would never hurt Joanna. On the other hand, Mandy knew her own daughter''s temperament and Becky must have done something wrong. She must have had something to do with Joanna''s ident. "I..." Becky mumbled, not knowing how to exin it to her mother. But Mandy was a little bit impatient and then asked her, "Why are you hesitating? Tell me what you did! How can I help you if you don''t tell me the whole story." Upon hearing this, Becky started off to say, "Mom, Aron has found out that I was never pregnant. He had been abroad for so long but he figured it out. And now even Joanna knows. I really had no idea what to do, so..." Becky stopped. She dared not tell Mandy what she did. She took Mandy''s hands and went on, "Mom, if grandma doesn''t wake up anymore and I insist it was I who did this to her, no one would suspect a thing. And Aron would have no evidence even if he suspects that I did it. But if Joanna can make it through this time, I..." "Focus! Don''t be so flurried, " said Mandy who remained calm. She was much moreposed than Becky. "Joanna''s operation is not yet finished and she wasn''t really in good health before. I am afraid that it is hard for her to wake up. Now... Now we can''t do anything but to wait and see. It''s a gamble" "How?" Becky had no idea. "Though Aron''s grandpa is old, he is the head of his family. And he loves Joanna deeply. If he gets to know that it was I who hurt Joanna, what do you think he is going to do?" It was impossible for Becky to change Aron''s mind and perhaps he would even defend I because he loved her so much. But he dared not do that if his grandpa was there. "No. We can''t do this. If grandpa finds out the truth, I will be a dead duck." Her conscience is now killing her. But she can do nothing now to fix the situation. "Becky, calm down. Listen to me." Mandy put her hand on Becky''s shoulder to calm her down. "As long as Joanna doesn''t wake up, then no one would know about this. So we have to take our chances and just wait and see. Maybe we''ll get lucky." Mandy believed that her daughter had advantages over I, because if I was destined to get married to Aron, it would have already happened four years ago. Becky was finally calm with her mother beside her. "Mom, then what should we do next?" She asked. "Next..." Mandy sneered and said, "We have to split up since we have different tasks. I will go and pick up Aron''s grandfather. You stay here and keep Aronpany. But don''t give yourself away. Try to grandma." "Ok, I got it. I know what I should do next." Becky gave a slight nod then went back to the door of the operating room. Mandy left shortly after. Aron was there butpletely ignored her. He anxiously paced around the hall near the operating room. When the operating room lights were turned off, Becky felt her heart almost jump out from her chest. Aron rushed over to Joanna while Becky just followed behind him. Chapter 163 I Believe You Chapter 163 I Believe You Aron asked, looking concerned, "Doctor, is my grandma all right?" The doctor took off his mask and replied, "You must be the patient''s family. The patient was in poor health, and she hit her head. She is now out of danger, but..." When Becky heard the doctor saying that Joanna''s life was out of danger, she almost copsed to the ground. She could barely stand as she held on to the wall. However, with what the doctor said next, she felt relieved, "But the patient might be in aa indefinitely..." Aron grabbed the doctor''s hand and asked, "What did you say? What did you mean that she might be in aa indefinitely? When will she wake up?" Becky came forward, took Aron''s hand and advised, "Aron, you are frightening the doctor. Let go of his hand! "The doctor has tried his best. No matter what bes of grandma, I''ll take good care of her." Becky decided to take this opportunity to attack I. She continued, "Grandma has treated me so well. I won''t spare that bitch- I." Aron yelled at her, "Enough! Don''t call her a bitch. She is your cousin. It is not certain that she''s the one who did this. Don''t talk rubbish here." Becky fixed her eyes at Aron and said with a sad look, "Why are you still trying to defend her? "People at thepany are the witnesses. I did this because she was envious of grandma''s being on my side. Why do you still love this vicious woman?" "This is a serious matter. We must investigate further..." Aron believed that this wasn''t I''s doing because he knew her very well. Before Aron could finish his words, Mike''s grave voice came from the end of the corridor. "There is no need for further investigation." He strode towards Aron and said, "The evidence is certain. What other proof do you need? Will you believe in it when your grandma never wakes up again?" "Grandpa, you misunderstood. This is not what you think..." Aron continued to exin with a frown, "I..." "That''s enough!" Mike thundered with a serious look, "I don''t care what''s going on between you and that woman. I don''t want to see her face again. Besides... I won''t forgive her for what she has done to This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. your grandma." "Grandpa, don''t get angry." Becky came forward and held Mike''s hand. She said, "Grandma is in bed now. You should take care of yourself. If anything happens to you..." "Becky, don''t worry. As long as I am alive, he can marry no one but you." Just this morning, Mike had decided to let Aron choose his wife on his own. But now things had changed. If Aron intended to wed I, he wouldn''t give his consent. "Grandpa, grandma is still in aa... I only want to look after grandma well. At present... I have no other intentions, " Becky responded. Mike was satisfied and calmed down after hearing Becky''s words. Aron watched Becky escort Mike to Joanna''s ward. Instead of following them, he gave a call to a doctor he knew abroad and asked him toe and check on his grandma. Then, he went to the police station to bail I out. The procedures were done quickly. Aron stood at the gate of the police station, waiting for I. She was terrified as she was detained. When she walked out of the police station, she saw Aron and she couldn''t hold back her tears. Aron walked up to her and tightly held her to his chest. Heforted her, "My little girl, why are you crying? Don''t be afraid anymore. I will help you get through this." He took I by her hand and said, "I will drive you to your house." When he was about to go to his car, I said in a low voice, "Aron... How is your grandma?" "She is out of danger now." Aron observed that I was very much relieved. She continued, "When will she wake up?" ''When she wakes up, she can prove my innocence, '' thought I to herself. "She..." Aron replied with a frown, "She might be in aa forever. The doctor said that she would likely be a vegetable for the rest of her life." "Wh... What?" she asked in shock. ''If Joanna doesn''t wake up, who could prove that I am innocent?'' she wondered, slightly panicked. Aronforted her, as if he heard her thoughts. "Don''t worry about it. I will prove that you are innocent." Iughed bitterly. ''It''s not fair. God is always on Becky''s side. He helped her four years ago, and so he does now.'' She asked Aron with a sad expression, "Aron, do you really believe that I have nothing to do with your grandma''s ident? Perhaps... perhaps the truth is as Becky said. I hurt Joanna because I got angry for her cursing words." "You won''t." Aron said resolutely, "I, I believe that you''re not that kind of person. Give me some time and I will prove that you are innocent." I cried harder. ''If I had believed Aron four years ago, Joanna wouldn''t have gotten hurt like this, '' she med herself. "You may have a hard time in the following days." Aron said, "But I promise that it won''tst long." I didn''t sleep well in the next few days. Every time she closed her eyes, the scene where Joanna was lying in her own blood crept into her mind. She had lost much weight in those few days. When she walked into thepany, all the people around her whispered to one another. Little noise would cause her panic. Then Autumn came back to thepany. When they saw Autumn, they shut up immediately. No one dared to speak ill of I in front of Autumn. However, Autumn felt something was wrong. She pushed I''s office door open, but didn''t find anything suspicious for the office had been cleaned up. "I, what happened?" Autumn''s grandma had gotten better, so she returned to thepany. But she was shocked at the sight of I. They hadn''t seen each other for three days, but I had lost so much weight, she looked freaky. Autumn asked in surprise, "I, what happened?" I raised her head, forced herself to give a smile and responded, "Autumn, you''re back." "What''s the matter with you? Why do you look so troubled?" Autumn continued, "Has anything gone wrong while I was away?" "I''m fine. I just haven''t been sleeping well." I proceeded with a bitter smile, "I have gathered all the files. Autumn, I want to ask for two days off. You..." "Go home and get enough sleep!" Autumn was afraid that I couldn''t handle her work, so she approved of her leave request. When she left, Autumn called Pa to her office. Chapter 164 Trying On A Robe Chapter 164 Trying On A Robe "What''s wrong?" Pa stood in front of Autumn with an ounce of care and asked her in a cold tone. Now that Pa had been transferred to the logistics department, she did her work in a perfunctory and detached manner. Pa would definitely not pin her hope and aspirations on her present job as she was merely a cleaner in thepany now. Would she realize her value and potential through this job? Of course she would not. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. She harbored ill thoughts and hatred not only for Autumn but also for I, because in her opinion, they both stood in the same position and were responsible for her current condition in thepany. "What are you going to do now? You asked me toe here but you have just been silent. What is your intention?" Pa furrowed her eye brows impatiently while shooting her questions. She was enraged by Autumn''s bad attitude towards her. "Pa, we have been colleagues for over three years, right? And I have known you for three years already. In all those years, I have never done anything wrong to you, This has just left me confused as to why you detest me so much?" Autumn was curious about what sparked the controversy in the first ce. She really wanted to know why Pa always had a strong feeling of despise and hatred towards her. However, upon hearing this, Paughed slyly and replied sarcastically, "I am afraid you have misunderstood me through those years. I never said that I hate you. Who told you this?" Obviously, Pa was not going to be honest with her. She would not tell Autumn that she disliked her simply because she was envious of her and the life she was leading. Autumn gave an all-knowing smile and decided not to waste anymore of her time dwelling upon this matter. She asked Pa toe to her cabin because she wanted to figure out what happened in the office during her leave. "Nothing special happened here. You were off for only a few days. What could possibly happen in such a short span of time?" In fact, what Autumn specifically wanted to know was what had happened to I. Autumn knew that Pa would pour out all details she knew without reservation as she despised I very much. "Pa I mean what happened to I?" "Well, that is really a good question. But I am afraid that you have to ask your bestie for more details after all she is the person concerned." Pa burst into sneer as she still couldn''t help telling Autumn the whole story. "You know what? They..." Pa exaggerated what happened in thepany that day and narrated the story down to every minor detail. After hearing it all, Autumn scowled and clenched her hand into a fist. She knew for certain that I was a kind girl and she would never hurt people. But Autumn was still worried about I at such a critical time after all Aron''s grandma was seriously injured. Autumn was still a little absent-minded when she went off work that day while Charles took her to a dress shop. He asked her to pick up a beautiful robe. "Charles, there is no need to buy it. I don''t wear such an outfit in daily life, so it is rather unnecessary to buy one as it will serve no purpose." Autumn said with a frown. "This is not a dress for your daily life, Autumn!" Charles looked at her and said, "Do you forget what are we going do tomorrow? It is Rachel''s birthday. Do you want to go there with your current boring clothes?" "I..." Autumn was so upied with the things that happened these days that she almost forgot that Rachel''s birthday wasing. Of course Autumn did not want to lose face to her as Rachel was her rival in love earlier. At the thought of this, Autumn began to pay more attention on picking a robe for the birthday party. But she was a little bit upset because she couldn''t find a desirable one after spending so much time at the store. "What is wrong? Why do you look a little sad? You can''t find a dress that you like?" Charles took Autumn''s hand and asked her gently. "Yeah, I can''t find a desirable dress for the party." All of the dresses in the store looked very beautiful and she could tell that they were expensive. Irrespective of that, she could hardly pick out a dress she was inclined towards. It was because none of them suited her taste. Hearing this, Charles turned back to the shopping assistant behind them and asked, "Are there any other dresses here beyond those on disy?" "Em... Yes, there are a few more." The shopping assistant nodded slightly and replied with hesitance. "But Mr. Lu I remember you said earlier that we should show Miss Bai all thetest dresses first and we sent the picture of the new robe in the second stair to her. She said that she liked it very much and woulde to try itter today, so..." The shopping assistant didn''t finish her sentence and stopped mid-sentence. She took a nce at Autumn discretely and thought to herself that though she was pretty, Miss Bai was even more beautiful than her. Obviously, the shopping assistant regarded Autumn as Charles'' new sweetheart. Instead of exining her identity, Autumn just smiled sweetly and grabbed Charles'' hand. "Charles, let''s take a look at other dress shops." Now that she couldn''t find a favorable dress here the alternative was to visit other stores. It didn''t mean that the more expensive the dress was, the more suitable it was for her. "Wait a second please." Charles stopped Autumn who was about to waltz out of the door and said, "The robes in this store are the best in Y City. If you can''t find a desirable one here, it will definitely be hard for you to find one somewhere else in the city!" After finishing his sentence, he turned to the shopping assistant and said, "Fetch that robe for my wife. She would like to try it." "What? Wife?" The shopping assistant was shocked after hearing Charles'' words and she couldn''t help mumbling. Though she heard before that Charles had gotten married, this did not help his reputation get better. Charles was still trapped in rumors that he had an ex-girlfriend who was a famous star and that there were still many other women who apanied him every day. Therefore, it was natural that the shopping assistant would take Autumn as Charles'' mistress. They would have never thought that she was his wife byw. "Yes, she is my wife. Is there any problem with that?" Charles said indifferently, and a momentter he added, "You have to show thetest dresses for my wife first from now on, and if my wife likes it, you have to deliver it to her personally. And I can assure you, that the price will definitely be the most favorable one." Charles was trying to tell all of them that he had broken up with Rachel and had nothing to do with her anymore. And if Rachel came here to try the dress in his name, they had no reason to listen to her. "Yes. I will go to fetch the robe now. Please wait for a brief moment, Mr. Lu and Mrs. Lu." Charles was one of the big customers of this store, so they did not care much about who he brought here with him as long as they could have his business. Autumn waspletely attracted to the next robe the shopping assistant brought. "Mrs. Lu, the fitting room is behind. This way please." The shopping assistant was confident about this only design two dresses annually and each dress could be auctioned off at an extremely high price. Autumn entered the fitting room but she had a difficult time trying to tie the strap on her back, so she had to ask for help. "Can someone please help me tie the strap please?" A momentter, the thick curtain of the fitting room was pulled apart while Autumn felt someone''s cold hands touch her bare back. It took a quite long while for the person to tie the strap. This made Autumn anxious, so she turned sideways and asked, "Are you done yet?" "Wait for just a few more seconds. I am almost done here." She recognized Charles'' voice from behind her which shocked Autumn. She did not expect that he woulde to tie the strap for her, so she asked bashfully, "Why are you here?" "Okay. It is done!" As Charles was not experienced in tying the straps, it took him quite a long time. When he led Autumn out, he couldn''t help letting out a sigh of admiration. She looked very elegant and pretty in the sapphire robe. The long robe hem spread across the red carpet and was dazzling under the bright yellow light. The waistline was perfect with a silver-white pattern outlined on the belt and there was a charm of the medieval European court on it. As her back was slender and straight, it made her look like a delicate flower. The first thing that caught his eyes was her perfect figure in this body-hugging dress. The delicateces lined her white legs which were slender and slim. This special dress also entuated her amazing hourss figure. Chapter 165 Long Time No See Chapter 165 Long Time No See As Charles fixed his eyes on Autumn, she stroked her hair gently. She stammered as her cheeks flushed to pink, "Umm... isn''t it looking good on me?" "Yes, you look simply stunning!" In Charles''s eyes Autumn was pretty. But he had never imagined that she would be transformed into such an enthralling beauty after getting dressed up. Autumn always went out with a natural look. She never applied any make-up or even wore jewelry. After she put on this magnificent dress she looked totally different. "This dress please. Get it wrapped up!" She was his wife so he wanted to give her nothing less than the best. "Okay sir!" The shopping assistant stood aside as she was struck by Autumn''s understated beauty. After brieflyparing Autumn with Rachel they finally understood why Charles had chosen Autumn. Rachel was pretty but shecked demure and elegance which Autumn possessed. The shopping assistants present were beyond overjoyed when Charles decided to buy the dress without even asking for the price. In that way they could reward themselves a handsome bonus this month. "Lily, where is the robe that I asked you to keep aside for me?" Rachel''s voice reached their ears from outside the fitting room. At this time, Charles had left to pay for the dress. After recognizing her voice, the shopping assistant frowned and said to Autumn with an awkward look, "Mrs. Lu, how about you go inside to change into your clothes? Till then I can get your new dress wrapped up." Autumn politely responded, "Okay." Her pace was slowed down by half because of the full-skirted dress. Before Autumn entered a fitting room, Rachel walked in, with a bright smile on her face. It seemed that she was in a good mood. But her smile froze immediately at the sight of the dress on someone else. At that time, she didn''t recognize Autumn as she was walking with her back towards Rachel. She turned to Lily and pped her abruptly, "You know that I never wear the clothes that others have tried on. I have been your client for a long time, how could you make a mistake like that?" "I..." Lily almost burst into tears, as she held her face with her hand. She exined to Rachel, "Miss Bai, this robe..." "I chose this robe yesterday and told you that I would try it on today. But now you let someone else try it on. Why did you do that? Do you think that she can afford this costly robe?" Rachel shouted at Lily contemptuously. Autumn couldn''t stand Rachel putting Lily in an awkward situation, so she turned around with a frown and said to Rachel, "Miss Bai, long time no see!" "I see." Rachel observed Autumn with disdain and continued, "It has been a long time. It really is good This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. for you to get married to a rich man, right? You''ve never visited such luxury shops before, have you? So what brings you here? You must be choosing your evening dress... How much money did Charles give you to spend?" Rachel realized that Autumn must havee to buy an evening dress for her birthday party. Once she looked at Autumn in that robe, she was shocked by her beauty. ''If Autumnes to my party in this dress, she will be the focus of attention from everyone, '' Rachel thought to herself. "Miss Bai, you''re quite funny. I think it''s none of your business. I can spend my husband''s money as and where I please. I''m not you who likes to spend the money of a married man." Autumn went on abruptly, "I almost forgot that Charles had cut off all your bank cards. I wonder if Miss Bai can still actually afford such a dear expense." "Shut up right now!" With her face turning red with anger, Rachel cried out, "Do you think that I will not defend my honor and tarnish your image because you are married to Charles? Someday I will steal Charles away from you." When she was in a rtionship with Charles, he never apanied her to go shopping. Instead, he would give her money and asked her to buy what she wanted. With that train of thought, Rachel assumed that Autumn hade here alone. She continued with a sneer, "I advise you to leave Charles or I won''t spare you." Charles had just paid the dress. As he was striding back to his wife, he saw Rachel bullying Autumn with a contemptuous expression. He asked authoritatively, "Will you now? How are you going to give her a hard time, please do borate?" He proceeded with a sneer, "I am curious. What are you going to do with my wife?" "Char... Charles..." she stammered and struggled to say his name. After realizing that Charles didn''t want to see her Rachel had been dodging him all these days. She knew that Charles might get bored of her if she kepting to meet him. Besides, she intended to adjust her condition so as to let Charles notice the change during her party. As Charles had told her, in the past, he loved her as she was a sensible woman; she had resolved to pretend to be the one that Charles had loved all along. However, she never expected that all her nning would be washed away by an evening dress. Rachel responded as her face turned pale, "What are you doing here? " Charles walked up to Autumn and sternly replied, "I, of course, came here to help my wife with shopping. Is something wrong?" "I..." Rachel was extremely jealous of Autumn but she didn''t let it reflect on her face. She smiled and said to Charles, "I''m simply joking with Mrs. Lu. Are you here to buy an evening dress?" Both of them did not respond. Charles turned to Autumn and said in a gentle voice, "Go change your clothes. I will take you to have a delicious meal." Autumn said to Charles with a little nod, "That sounds good!" She turned around with an intention of changing out of the evening dress. At this time, Rachel grabbed Autumn by her arm and said, "Mrs. Lu, I chose this dress yesterday. Could you please give it back to me?" "You chose this?" Autumn shook her hand off and continued, "Miss Bai, I want to give this to you, but... my husband has already paid for this. Moreover, I like this dress very much. So I must apologize as I can''t give up on it." Autumn added smilingly, "I don''t have more time to waste here. There are so many pretty evening dresses here. I suggest... you lose no time picking up another one instead of having this futile argument. Perhaps you can find another one you like." Mrs. Lu..." Rachel wasn''t surprised when Autumn refused. However, she couldn''t give up on that dress so easily. She gave a smile and proceeded, "As you know, my birthday ising. Besides, I am a public figure. I can''t wear a in dress on my birthday party in front of the media. Can you please..." Autumn turned to Charles and looked at him. Rachel hurried to say, "Mr. Lu treats you so well. As long as you agree, he won''t oppose this. Am I right, Mr. Lu?" Chapter 166 Arthur Zhao Chapter 166 Arthur Zhao To Rachel''s surprise, Charles smiled and said, "They say money can''t always buy what you want. My wife has been here for several hours to check the collection, and is lucky enough to pick one dress that meets her expectations. As her husband, I should buy her the dress at all costs. Otherwise, I might as well be a good-for-nothing husband for her. So Miss Bai, could you please look for another one? And just so you know, whichever dress you pick today is on me. Feel free to take it as a birthday gift from us." He didn''t wait for Rachel''s answer nor did he care about what she thought. He gently took Autumn''s hand in his and walked her to the fitting room. "Go and change your clothes. I will be waiting for you, " he said with a warm smile. Rachel was red with anger. However, she could do nothing but to watch them walk away. Aftering to her senses she remembered what he said about the gift. So in an attempt to get back at him, she picked out a dozen of the most expensive dresses, thinking that she could always find asions to wear them in the future. But she wasn''t expecting to see embarrassed look on Lily''s face at the checkout counter. "Miss Bai..." Lily stuttered as she recalled the p, "You still need to pay 1.87 million." "Didn''t you hear? Charles said that all of these dresses would be on him. Pack them up quickly. I''ve got a very busy schedule today and don''t have anymore time to waste on you." Rachel said while casually fiddling with her freshly manicured nails. She was going to the spa with some friendster today. As tomorrow was her birthday, she had to ensure that she looked her best at the party. "But¡­" Lily hesitated for a moment before gathering her courage and said, "Mr. Lu also said that he is married now. And since his wife will keep an eye on the household budgets, he has to cut down on unnecessary spending, so¡­ please choose your favourite dress as he will not pay for the rest of them." "What?" Rachel was furious. Charles had always been generous towards her and would spare no expense for things that she wanted. But everything seemed to have changed after he married Autumn. However, Charles'' indifference had only increased her resentment against Autumn. She believed that he would have never treated her in this manner if not for that woman. Finally, Rachel managed to hold back her anger and reluctantly picked out her favorite dress from the bunch she ambitiously selected. She still put it on Charles'' bill. After all, her career was on a downward spiral at the time being and she was no longer financially abundant. She then left with a feeling of exasperation. After Rachel left the premise, the other people in the store all approached Lily andforted her. There was a red mark left behind on her cheek from the p. "Are you fine, Lily? I saw Rachel raising her hand on you. How could she p you so hard? This is too much!" one of the staff said. "You are right. She has always been an arrogant woman. We tried to put up with her bad temper when Charles was around to watch her back. After all, we could earn all that money from her back then. But now she''s nothing without Charles. How dare she smack you in the face like that?" another colleague echoed her sentiments. Lily''s face was still burning but she shook her head regardless of the swelling pain and said, "Never mind. At least we sold the dress and we can expect quite a handsome bonus this month from just these two sales alone." "Well...that is true. As I see it, Mrs. Lu definitely leaves Rachel in the dust. No wonder she was able to conquer the heart of a yboy like Charles." "Absolutely..." Autumn would never imagine that she would be able to make such asting impression in other people''s eyes. After they left the dress shop, Autumn thought again of I. She was living in Y City alone and had very few friends here apart from Autumn. So Autumn was really worried about her. "What is the matter honey? Are you still annoyed by the thought of Rachel?" Seeing her pulling a long and sullen face, Charles thought that Autumn was still in a bad mood because of Rachel, so he heart now. There is no doubt about that fact!" "..." Not knowing what to say, Autumn simply blushed. She realized that ever since she was steady with Charles, he had be loquacious and would express his love for her on every possible asion. She never expected him to be so honey-lipped and allured by her. "Actually, I''m worried about I." Autumn sighed and told Charles everything that happened while she was away from work. Charles simply frowned after hearing the entire narration. "If this is the case... it is safe to assume that I is really in big trouble." Charles then asked, still frowning, "Well...I was wondering is the Becky you just mentioned...is she the daughter of Mr. Zhang from TM Company?" "I think so." Now that Autumn came to think about it, she recalled that I had told her so. "Why? What have you heard?" Charles with a worried expression continued, "I heard that Mr. Zhang is currently preparing for his daughter''s wedding these days. If we are talking about the same person here then I''m afraid that I..." Autumn was even more worried than before. Poor I got framed and betrayed at the same time. Autumn feared that she might fall apart hearing this dreadful news. "Let''s keep it to ourselves for the moment. Please don''t tell I now. I fear that this willpletely break her down." Autumn muttered to herself with a gloomy face, "This is all my fault. There has beenThis material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. nothing I can do to help her so far." "Don''t worry, honey. I know a doctor who is a leading brain expert. I will call him for help, the first thing after our ns. If he manages toe, there is a great chance that the olddy may recover." Charles said gently. He thought that as long as she coulde to herself, I would be cleared of suspicion in one way or another. As for the emotional entanglement, they could only wish that I and Aron would be able to sort it out themselves. "Really?" asked Autumn, her eyes widening with hope after hearing his words. It was a great relief to hear this as it restored her hope and faith. Charles called the doctor that night. It turned out that the doctor, Arthur Zhao, was quite willing to help. He took an early flight the next day and rushed from America. Without a single moment of rest he went straight to the hospital upon his arrival. Of course, they all acted under the radar to avoid Becky''s finding out all about it. Charles wanted to let the sleeping dog lie and avoid extra trouble. So they arranged for Arthur to make a round of the wards along with other doctors. Becky had been staying in the ward to keep a close watch on Joanna. She was on alert once she saw a strange face. "Who is this?" she asked with a frown. "This is our new chief, Dr. Zhao. Don''t worry, he''s just making the usual rounds." "Alright." Becky said no more, but she still stared at Arthur with suspicion. She feared that he was some specialist sent by Aron. She knew that, if Joanna woke up and told the truth, she would be doomed. "How is my grandmother, doctor?" Becky asked softly. After checking Joanna, Arthur understood her condition and realized what he had to deal with. But he said none of that to Becky, instead he said, "She''s now in a rtively stable condition. But the time of her waking up remains unknown." Becky breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing these words. Mike and her parents had agreed toe down to prepare for the wedding as soon as possible. They hoped that hearing about the good news, Joanna woulde around. So she had to ensure everything was going ording to n. No sooner had Arthur left the ward than Mike pushed the door open and entered. "Becky, you have been staying here to look after Joanna for days. Listen to me, go back and take some rest now." "It''s okay, grandpa. I''m totally fine." Becky smiled and said, "You need to take good care of yourself now, grandpa. Don''t worry, I will stay here and keep grandmapany. Just go back and get rest." "My silly child, your wedding is soon approaching. There are more important matters that seek your immediate attention, you can''t fall ill at this time." Mike then grinned with a gentleugh, "Don''t tell me that you want to show people your "panda" eyes at the wedding." Chapter 167 Wedding Invitation Chapter 167 Wedding Invitation Becky flushed, her eyes twinkling with joy. "Grandpa, I don''t think Aron wants to get married. I''m afraid he might have lost his feelings for me. He''ll just be more reluctant if you ask him to marry me, " she said as soon as she calmed down. "Don''t lose heart, " Mike said with a frown, loudly interrupting her. "I will always be on your side. Don''t worry. I''ll make sure that the marriage is going to happen whether he likes it or not, " he said, full of conviction. "But I..." Becky trailed off mid-sentence. "Don''t you want to make grandma happy? She has always hoped that you and Aron will get married. Who knows? She might even wake up out of sheer joy knowing that you two get married, " Mike continued, trying to persuade her. ''If Joanna knew that I married Aron, she would be furious, '' Becky thought to herself. "I guess I have no choice but to follow grandpa''s arrangement, " she replied with a sly smile on her face. "Good girl, " Mike said, clearly satisfied. "You should go home and rest." Becky pretended to refuse Mike''s proposal. But he was so insistent it made her reluctantly agree. She fool for two whole days has made me so hungry and exhausted, " she whined, unwilling to move. "What are you talking about? Be careful or someone might hear you, " Mandy said, reprimanding her daughter. "Patience is key. Once your marriage with Aron is settled, you can do whatever you want." she continued, patting Becky''s shoulder. Sighing, she said, "I know. I''m really trying my best to be patient." Becky got up and perched on the back of the sofa, leaning her head on her hands. "Mom, but how about my wedding ceremony?" she asked. "I''m going to take care of it so there''s no need to worry. I''ll make sure that everything is ready when the timees, " Mandy replied, reassuring her daughter. Joanna''s ident proved to be beneficial. Mike consented to all of Mandy''s proposal no matter how unreasonable they were. He had only one condition. And that was for Becky and Aron to get married as soon as possible. "We''re running out of time. Your wedding ceremony is scheduled to be held early next month. Mike said he wouldn''t want the wedding ceremony to be dyed. He wants it to be rushed regardless of the expenses, " She continued. Becky sighed, wondering if it was all happening too suddenly. She had always longed to be Aron''s bride for the past four years. Finally hearing all of this in real life felt unreal. "Isn''t this what you have wanted for so long?" she asked Becky, knowing her answer fully well. "When you have the time, don''t forget to give me the list of your friends so that I can prepare the wedding invitations, " Mandy reminded her. Becky smiled in return, a vicious thoughting to her mind. "Mom, you must prepare an invitation for I and then hand it to her yourself, " Becky said menacingly. "I will, " Mandy said as if knowing the request beforehand. Many of Mandy''s rtives looked down on their family when Becky and Aron got together. Though they hadn''t mentioned it in front of them, they thought that Becky and Mandy had stolen someone''s happiness. Now, she wanted to let her rtives know that Aron would marry her daughter soon. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Becky went to the hospital the following morning. Meanwhile, Mandy went straight to I''s house, knowing where she lived. I had little strength to get up when someone knocked on the door. Feeling unwell, she had stayed at home for several days without even eating, drinking, or sleeping. When Mandy got inside, she noticed that all of the curtains were closed so well that even air could not enter inside. "What happened?" She asked as she pulled the curtains up, making way for the sunlight to enter the house. Having been used to the darkness, I immediately raised her hand to shield herself from the sunlight. "Why did youe here?" She asked out of suspicion, having been previously disappointed with Mandy and Becky. Mandy would have already lost her temper, if she hadn''t been in a good mood today. She didn''t want to mind her words now. "I came here to give you this¡­" Mandy said cheerfully as she took out the invitation from her bag. "You are invited to Becky''s wedding ceremony. It will be held next month, " she said as she handed the invitation to I. I opened the invitation upon taking it. Her heart sank when seeing Aron''s phone number on it. "Is Aron going to marry Becky¡­?" she asked, clearly surprised. "Yes, " Mandy replied,ughing with pleasure. "They have been dating for four years! It''s about time for them to get married. Besides, you''ll be happy for them, won''t you?" "Of course, " I replied coldly. Even when Aron left her without a word four years ago, she hadn''t been as heartbroken as she was now. She felt like as if her heart was ripped out from her chest. Despite this, Becky still had the gall to throw it on the ground and step on it. She clutched the invitation with so much force, showing the veins on the back of her hand. "Aunt, don''t worry. I will be sure to attend their wedding ceremony." "Then we will be waiting for your arrival, " Mandy said,ughing with mischief on her eyes. "Becky has always been on good terms with you ever since you were little kids, and I always like you. And you have even yed an essential part in Becky''s marriage! See? But you should start considering your own happiness, especially now that your cousin is getting married. Remember Mr. Huang? The one I introduced to you? He''s a good man, " she continued. "I can arrange your next meeting right away if you want to. But you must be friendly! You shouldn''t be rude likest time." "Aunt, can you stop acting? For god''s sake, there''s only two of us in this house! You don''t need to act like someone you''re not! Don''t you ever get tired?" I eximed. "If Gordon Huang is truly a good man, why did you help Becky steal my fianc¨¦ instead of introducing them?" ''Four years have passed and yet, Aron still hasn''t stopped failing me. This time, I don''t think that I will still be able to forgive him. Not anymore, '' thought I to herself. "I''m leaving. I don''t think I''m willing to waste any more time with you, " Mandy groaned, clearly tired of all the acting. "I''m not sure whether you''re able to attend the wedding. I gave the invitation for the sake of your dad, " she continued. "I won''t let you off so easily. Remember, Aron''s grandma is still in aa. You''ll be in jail soon enough." Chapter 168 Parents Love Chapter 168 Parents'' Love I stood up and grabbed Mandy by the throat: "Mandy, my father sacrificed everything he had to support your education. But what an ingrate you turn out to be." "Let go!" With all her strength, Mandy removed I''s hands from her, "Let me tell you, it was his business to support me, not yours. You can''t do anything about it" I did not show any weakness and faced Mandy. "I will, by no means admit doing anything dishonorable. Your pathetic attempts to defame me will take you nowhere. Get the hell out for you are Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. not wee here!" "Fine! I will leave. But this is not over!" Mandy quickly left I''s home with much resentment. Not long after, I felt weak and copsed to the floor. No matter how tough I pretended to be in front of Mandy, I was just a helpless girl who easily sumbed to sadness and disappointment. She drew the curtains and curled up in the darkness, feeling secured from a cruel world. At that time, the phone rang. It was I''s Mom. "My sweet daughter, are you Ok?" "Nothing serious." I murmured: "Mom, why are you calling?" "I just want to ask if you areing home. Your father and I have received Becky''s wedding invitation. I know that this is hard for you to bear. We will not be attending the wedding. We will only send a cash gift as a token of our presence at the ceremony. We are nning to take a family trip to avoid this unpleasant scene." I''s Mom, though in a high voice, did express her concern towards her daughter, every word and phrase filled with love. I could no longer contain her grief, giving in to a flood of tears. Her mother impatiently asked, "My dear daughter, what is the matter? Just tell me. I will take care of this!" I''s Dad, on hearing his daughter break into tears, grabbed the phone and said, "My daughter, stay there. Your Mom and I are on our way." A daughter is the apple of her father''s eyes and I''s Dad could not stand his sister insulting and belittling her daughter. He had always showered I with love but he contained his anger at the scandal that happened four years ago. But not this time. After the call, he and his wife packed some clothes and left for Y City. They arrived at around 3:00 pm. That time, I hadn''t eaten anything. Upon entering the door and seeing their daughter, they were aghast at the sight of their daughter utterly wasted. "My dear, what happened? How could you have lost so much weight?" "Mum...." I threw herself into her Mom''s arms and broke into tears. After a while, she regained her what remained in the kitchen. He said: "Here my daughter, have a bowl of egg noodles. We have enough time to discuss matters." I was not better than when she and Aron split up fours years ago. During that period, I lost four kilograms within a week. She had lost all appetite for any drink or food and confined herself to her room. I''s Dad was also heart-broken seeing his daughter like that. Little did he know that such torment would turn up again four yearster. "Thanks, Dad." I could hardly control her emotions but managed to take the bowl of egg noodles. She quietly ate with tears still in her face. "My silly daughter, there is no point of your tears!" I''s Mom offered a cup of water: "You should take good care of yourself at this age." As I consumed the bowl of egg noodles in silence, her Dad inquired, "My dear daughter, tell me the truth. Do you still love Aron?" "Absolutely not, Dad..." Even if she did love Aron deep in her heart, I wouldn''t admit it. Aron, after all, would be Becky''s husband when they got married next month. Another problem for I would be the incident with Joanna, Aron''s grandmother. I''s Mom knitted her eyebrows at the sight of another wedding invitation card lying around. Her daughter had not yet married so there was no reason to have another card there. "My daughter, have Becky been here? What did she say to you?" I''s Mom frowned. Becky had been a nice girl since childhood. It was only until the scandal that she created four years ago that I''s mom lost her good opinion of her. She hated Becky from then on. I''s Mom knew that it was none other than Becky who sent the card. "It was not Becky..." I shook her head gently, "It was her mother." "Mandy?" I''s Mom frowned again, "She is going too far with this! Did shee here to gloat? And rub salt on your wound?" "You and your Mom stay here. I''m gonna argue with her." I''s Dad was going to express his displeasure with her sister. Anyone trying to hurt his daughter would be dealt with. His own sister was no exception. He was about to leave when I stopped him and told him what happened to Joanna. "Dad, it would be self-defeating to argue with Mandy." "What are you talking about?" I''s Dad copsed into the sofa, feeling guilty of his absence to care for his daughter. Shortly after their marriage, I''s Mom suffered a miscarriage because I''s Dad wasn''t around to care for her. It was probably because he was too busy supporting Mandy''s schooling. I was born after that. She became the center of her Mom''s attention and shevished I with such care. But their daughter was now wronged beyond measure. "Dad, I''m awfully sorry. It is all my fault." I took all the me. Everything would have been all right had she not kept loving Aron. "My silly daughter. None of this is your fault." I''s Mom held her daughter in arms and said, "I know my own daughter and she is an open book to me. She would nevermit anything horrible like this. John, we had better talk with Mandy." John was the given name of I''s Dad. He decided to take her wife''s advice after some careful thought. "It is best that we talk to her tomorrow morning. It is none of our business whom Becky chooses to marry, but ndering my dear daughter for her own selfish delusions of marriage is uneptable and I won''t have it." With her parents around, I slept a sound sleep. Aron on the other hand was not so lucky. He was forced by Mike to attend the birthday of Rachel, the famous actress. He had to go with Becky and pretended to the media that he was in love with her. Chapter 169 The First Time To Show Up In Public Chapter 169 The First Time To Show Up In Public Aron found out that Mandy had sent out an invitation to I, but he did not make a fuss about it. He wanted his grandpa as well as Becky to becent during this period as he needed time to find out the real cause of his grandma''sa. Rachel''s birthday party was held in a five star hotel in the downtown area. The hotel was decorated in Rachel had arrived early and was waiting for Yvonne there. Instead of nagging Charles to drive her to the party, Yvonne went alone. With three hours before the birthday party, Yvonne called a taxi and went straight to the hotel. After several years of struggling in show business, Rachel was able to snatch a wide range of contacts and got acquainted to many different people. And these people expected at this party were the rich and famous. It was an exclusive party and not everyone was in the guest list. It was strictly by invitation only. Yvonne showed her invitation to the bodyguards and then went straight to Rachel''s dressing room. Rachel was finally relieved to see Yvonne. "I have been waiting for you for a long time. Thank God! You are finally here!" "Miss Bai, you look so pretty today." Yvonne quickly gave her apliment. Rachel was dressed in a white gown adorned with many small pearls. Her long brown hair was curled and highlighted by a lily- shaped hairpin. The crystal high heels showed off her slender legs. She looked like an enchanting rose in full bloom. Yvonne thought Rachel would be d to hear such apliment. However, Rachel just burst into a sneer after hearing that. It was Charles who bought the white dress for her, but Rachel still felt furious since her favorite dress was taken away by Autumn. At the thought of this, resentment rose from her chest, making her indignant towards Yvonne''s ill-timedpliment. Smiling grimly, she said to Yvonne, "Well, your ttery is not necessary. It doesn''t work on me." Yvonne felt awkward and embarrassed upon hearing this, but quickly recovered and said, "Fine. Miss Bai, I have prepared everything you asked me to. And have you selected the best man for this job?" Rachel grimaced and hesitated. The best person for this job was Sam, but he had gone abroad, so it still remained a challenge. Rachel kept sneering and replied, "You don''t have to worry about it. Many famous stars will be present today, so it will be natural for her to fall in love with one of them. I am sure Charles wouldn''t suspect anything." "Okay. That sounds good.." Yvonne alsoughed scornfully and was relieved. Approaching the birthday party, Becky walked in with Aron hand in hand. She was dressed in a long golden dress. The skirt which was made with smooth silk, had a wave-like shape and glittered in the light. This well-made dress was perfect for her slender figure. Her hair was braided into a gorgeous and The media had gotten to know of theiring wedding, so as soon as they entered the banquet hall, reporters and camera men all rushed and gathered around them. Under the colorful spotlights, Becky shone with her quiet smile while Aron stood beside her without emotion. If not for the smile on Becky''s face, the reporters would suspect that something was going on between them. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "Try to smile, Aron. Don''t be expressionless, okay?" Becky got close to Aron and then whispered to him, but it gave the reporters an illusion that they were very intimate with each other, and they were actually pretty convinced. However, Aron just stared with great dissatisfaction and still remained cold faced. "Mr. Gu and Miss Zhang, I heard that your wedding ising soon. Is Miss Zhang pregnant?" Many people thought that Becky was pregnant since their wedding was to be held in such short notice. The reporters took advantage of Rachel''s birthday event and asked them directly. Becky pped her hands over her mouth and couldn''t help smiling. She then exined with a soft voice. "No, I am not pregnant now. You know that we have been with each other for four years and it is time for us to get married now. What''s more, an ident urred to Aron''s grandmast week and she is still in aa. No one knows when she will wake up, but she has always wanted us to get married, and we have to fulfill her wishes." Becky acted in an elegant manner before the media and even lied without hesitation. "And as for the wedding, we have been nning this for a long time, it is not being done in a hurry. I want it to be perfect. After all, we can only have one wedding in our lifetime." "I will go in first. Come over and find meter, " said Aron. He felt disgusted to hear those hypocritical words, so he loosened Becky''s hands and left. Though Becky was displeased with his poor attitude, she had to pretend to be understanding. "Ok, I will After Aron left, the reporters continued to ask, "Miss Zhang, I heard that the injury of Mr. Gu''s grandmother has something to do with your cousin. Is that true?" "I..." Becky knitted her brow and said ambiguously, "It was just an ident and no one wanted it to happen. Though my cousin did something she shouldn''t have done, I am not going to me her, " replied Becky. "But it looks like Mr. Gu is not so cheerful about your wedding and it is said that there is a conflict between the two of you. Is that true?" The questions were getting more and more tricky. Becky''s face started to wear some anger but she just smiled and replied, "Of course it is not true. Aron is not a talkative person. Okay, let''s wrap this up and go inside. It is Rachel''s birthday party so let''s focus on that. Please do not pay us much attention tonight. And I will send the wedding invitations soon. I hope you will all be there. Thanks a lot!" "Well, then, congrattions, Miss Zhang." Becky nodded with a smile and then turned to leave. But as she did, she looked angry. Though Aron had agreed to have the wedding, he still remained indifferent to her. She could tell from his demeanor that he didn''t want to have anything to do with her. Becky med I for all this. If it weren''t for her, Aron would not treat her like this and she could live a sweet life with him. When Becky was about to get near Aron, the reporters all rushed over to someone at the door and began to take photos. Becky was curious about what was happening there, so she also went to have a look. As she turned, she saw a handsome man walking in with a beautiful woman, attracting the attention of everyone. The man was in a ck suit and looked mysterious and profound while Autumn was standing beside him quietly. She also looked very pretty. Her long ck hair flowed like silk while her oval face looked so delicate and her eyes were cool. Her thick eyshes made her look like a doll. And perhaps every woman present would be envious of her fair skin and small sharp nose. She wore a sapphire blue dress and smiled softly. It was enough to make the men go crazy. The reporters had gotten the news earlier that Charles would bring his wife there. And it was a huge thing since his wife would have to meet Charles'' ex-girlfriend, Rachel. So as soon as they showed up, all of the reporters rushed over and surrounded them. It was the first time for Autumn to show up before the public and she just smiled quietly. Her smile was soft but it outshone everything, immediately. It was no wonder that people would say that Charles, the prodigal son, had be good. Now it turned out that it was because he had gotten married to such a beauty. Chapter 170 Rachels Fans Chapter 170 Rachel''s Fans "Look here, Mr. Lu." The reporters greeted Charles warmly. This was the first time for Autumn to attend such an event. She grabbed Charles'' hand, unsure of what to do. "Take it easy. Don''t be so nervous." Charles soothed her as he patted her hand. Autumn grew calmer and moreposed with his encouragement. They stared at each other, eyes full of affection. "What a beauty Mrs. Lu is!" "Exactly! Mr. Lu has an eye for beauty." Autumn blushed at thepliments. Charles was ted at the In the crowd, ady stared coldly at them with eyes that spat venom. It was Yvonne. Autumn and Charles were a perfect match. This made her clench her fists and a shiver ran along her spine. ''I should be the one standing beside Charles now.'' Yvonne thought to herself. "Herees the birthday girl." Someone in the crowd shouted. The reporters rushed in swarms to take photos of Rachel who was walking down the stairs. The highlight of Rachel''s outfit was the crown on her head. It was said that she borrowed it from a museum at a heavy price. Since she lost out to Autumn''s evening dress, she wanted to... beat Autumn in other ways. Rachel had seen Charles and Autumn from the top of the stairs. She gave a tiny smile as she thought, ''Autumn Ye, your name will live in infamy after this evening.'' While the cameras were zooming in and clicking on Rachel, Autumn suddenly sprained her ankle. Luckily, Charles helped her to her feet and said in a soft voice, "Be careful, babe." "Sure." Autumn gave him a sweet smile. They saw nobody but each other, which drove Rachel crazy. Rachel''s face almost contorted with rage, but she immediately concealed it. Rachel went down the stairs and came up to Autumn in full view of the crowd. She grabbed Autumn''s hands intimately as if they were good friends. "Mrs. Lu, I thought you weren''ting. I''m so d that you are here." Charles'' wife and ex-girlfriend stood facing each other. People fixed their eyes at the scene. They had thought that it would be a stressful asion, but it turned out to be harmonious. "Miss Bai, since you invited us, Charles and I will of course do you this favor." Autumn said politely with the implication that she and Charles were a family while Rachel was an outsider. Rachel remained calm. "Thank you foring. I was afraid that you and Charles wouldn''t indulge me this time, then I would feel embarrassed. By the way, Charles, " Rachel gave him a yful wink and continued, "A lot of our friends are here. You can make some small talk with them if you are bored. Let me do the honors and take care of your wife, okay?" "Miss Bai, thank you for your kindness. But my wife is not used to these kinds of gatherings. I don''t feel girl. You must be very preupied, aren''t you?" "Not at all, " Rachel smiled and said, "I haven''t seen Mrs. Lu for a long time. I would like to have a chat with her. Come on, Mr. Lu, it''s a girl thing." Charles stared coldly at Rachel, saying nothing. Rachel felt a bit embarrassed. Luckily, Autumn saved her from further awkwardness. "It''s okay, Charles. You can hang out with your friends. Today is Miss Bai''s birthday, and she is the mistress of the night." Charles was a man of a few words in front of Rachel, but when speaking with Autumn, his face softened. Everydy present would be envious of Autumn to have such an exceptionally loving husband. It looked like he was using his eyes and gestures to say, "In my eyes, you are the most beautiful rose in this earthly world." "Take good care of yourself. I''ll be back in a short while." Charles said as he adjusted Autumn''s hair. She nodded, smiling. Rachel ground her teeth in anger, but she immediately calmed down and gave a sweet smile when Charles gave her a warning look. Since Charles made a clear show of his affection to Autumn, he also made a clear break from Rachel. And Autumn trusted him because of it. She knew that Charles would be impossible to cheat on her, despite Rachel''s various schemes. There was a special group of guests in Rachel''s birthday party. They were neither celebrities nor the rich or influential people. They were just the normal everyday folks. These guests were Rachel''s loyal fans who treated Rachel as their queen. It was a privilege for them to be invited to their idol''s birthday party. They knew Rachel had once dated Charles, and they considered him as her future husband. They had rejoiced that their idol had such an outstanding boyfriend. However, the good times did notst long. Charles had married someone else and even brought his wife to Rachel''s birthday party. Why? Was he trying to humiliate Rachel? Rachel was sad, but she had to pretend to be happy. This made her fans feel sorry for her. Rachel was such a kindhearted girl and they hated her ex''s new wife. Rachel grabbed Autumn''s hand and brought her to her fans. She smiled and stated, "Thank you for hope you will continue to back me up in the future." "Rachel, you haven''t acted in any movie or attended any public asion recently. May we know why?" A fan asked. Rachel''s smile froze as she felt embarrassed. "I''ve been exhausted recently. Everything turned sour for Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. me... work, life and others. So I took this opportunity to take a break. Don''t worry. I will be back to work as soon as I recover." "Rachel, you look sad. Is it because of Charles Lu?" Who was this woman? She was nothing Charles must have been blind to marry this woman. After hearing that, Autumn frowned and thought to herself, ''Ah! So she wants her fans to humiliate me. How naive of her!'' Rachel turned to look at Autumn and exined, "Mrs. Lu, my apologies. Please don''t get them wrong. They didn''t mean it that way." Chapter 171 Do Me A Favor Chapter 171 Do Me A Favor Autumn smiled and said, "It''s all right." Noticing that their words failed to upset Autumn, Rachel turned herself towards them, "You always talk about our past. But it''s improper to mention those in front of Mrs. Lu." A fleeting sadness came to Rachel''s face. She then continued, "I''m done with Charles, though. I believe Charles had his reasons to choose Mrs. Lu. Perhaps we''re not meant for each other. Please don''t mention these again, or it will only get awkward between us." Rachel''s expression was contrary to her words. When her fans saw her sad face, they all got angry. They were convinced that Autumn had stolen Charles away from Rachel. In their eyes, Autumn was a shameless bitch. "Well, I need to leave now. I will be with you againter." Her n worked and she could now leave. The host on the stage called out Rachel''s name, "Next... Let''s wee our birthday girl and queen of this party - Rachel!" Rachel smiled at Autumn and said, "Mrs. Lu, could you excuse me? I will be back shortly." Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Autumn nodded, "Okay." She didn''t care where Rachel was going. Autumn had chosen to stay with Rachel because she wanted to let Charles talk with his former business partners. She found a corner and stood there, watching Rachel go to the stage waving and smiling at everyone. Rachel bowed to her guests and said, "Thank you for taking time to attend my birthday party. I hope that you all enjoy yourselves tonight." After the brief greeting, Rachel was about to leave the stage when the host took her by her hand and said, "Wait a moment, Miss Bai. I heard that you were a dancer before you became famous. I wonder if you could treat us with a dance number." "It..." Rachel looked slighly awkward, but there was no surprise in her eyes. Obviously she knew of the host''s proposal beforehand. The fans shouted eagerly, "Please, Rachel. We haven''t seen you dance for a long time." Rachel said with a little nod, "I can dance, but..." "Come on Rachel, please!" The host proceeded with a smile, "Miss Bai, if you agree to dance, we will be at your service and satisfy your every wish." Rachel responded with a sneer, "It''s not a big deal. I heard that Mrs. Lu was not only pretty but good at ying the piano. I hope she could apany me here on stage, but I''m not sure. May I have this honor?" Autumn had hidden in a corner and taken a rest. The party was getting boring for her. She had been sitting in the lounge and had almost fallen asleep. Hearing this, she came to her senses and looked terrified. Silence swept the hall and the crowd''s attention turned to Autumn. Charles raised his eyebrow, strode to Autumn and said to her, "Let''s go. We have already done enough. There is no need to give in to any of her requests." "It''s rude of us to leave now." ''Now all the guests have fixed their eyes on me. If I left the party now, the media would make up stories about our rtionship, me embarrassing Rachel on purpose or showing strong hostility towards Charles''s ex-girlfriend. Most importantly, it will be a bad manner of us to leave now. Neither do I want others to think that Rachel is better than me or that Charles made a wrong choice.'' She stroked Charles''s hand and said with a smile, "She just wants to embarrass me on stage. Perhaps she is the one to be humiliated." Rachel couldn''t endure the great chemistry she was witnessing so she urged some more, "Mrs. Lu, are you willing to do me this favor?" Charles was extremely displeased with what Rachel was doing. He frowned and said to Autumn in a cool tone, "You don''t have to y this game. Don''t fall into her trap because of an impulse." Charles felt the evil motive behind Rachel''s invitation. Rachel smiled and said, "I just hope that Mrs. Lu could y for me. Can I do anything to harm her in public? Couldn''t you satisfy my small request?" She had learnt from Yvonne that Autumn didn''t know how to y the piano. Therefore, she had asked Autumn to y for her and make a fool of herself. ''People will find out who deserves Charles more. One dances well and the other doesn''t know the piano. No matter how Autumn turns down my request, she will leave a bad impression on the crowd. And I''ll be the winner in this game, '' Rachel musedcently. Yvonne who stood near Autumn advised her, "Miss Bai has been appealing to you for some time now, why not do her this favour? Stop hesitating and hurry!" ''Autumn lived in poverty when she was a kid. She couldn''t have had time or money to learn the piano, '' Yvonne thought. She just wanted to see Autumn be theughingstock of the party, and let Charles know what kind of an unaplished woman he had married. Facing pressure from Yvonne and Rachel, Autumn had no choice but toply. Eventually, she gave a smile and said to Rachel, "Then... please don''tugh at my performance." "Thank you!" Rachel never really expected that Autumn would agree to y. She already found a pianist who was waiting behind the stage, in case Autumn turned her down. To her amazement, Autumn said yes and came up the stage. She was stunned but shortly after, she burst intoughter and continued, "Thank you for giving me this honor. The piano is ready Mrs. Lu. Please give me a minute while I change into a dancing outfit. I will be back soon." Rachel was wearing an evening dress, and it was improper to dance in it. When Charles observed Autumn''s calm expression, he realized that she must know how to y, or she wouldn''t have given in to Rachel''s request easily. Noticing Charles'' concerned expression, Autumnforted him with a bright smile, "Don''t worry. I only need to finish a song. Can we leave as soon as this performance is over? I am worried about grandma..." Although her grandma was much better, the doctor had told them that she couldn''t get through this winter. That was why Autumn resolved to spend more time with her. Charles replied with a smile, "Yeah. When you finish your performance, I will introduce you to someone, and then we''ll go back to see grandma." Meanwhile, Rachel had changed into another outfit. Autumn walked onto the stage, took a bow to the audience elegantly, and then sat down in front of the piano. Chapter 172 Are You Willing to Have a Try Chapter 172 Are You Willing to Have a Try The lights dimmed and the asional camera shes on Autumn''s face made her feel ufortable. It took her a while to adapt to this strange environment. She put her slender fingers on the piano keyboard and soon after, yed beautiful soft music. In all fairness, Rachel was a graceful and experienced dancer and people were not surprised since she was a famous star. However, people did not expect that Autumn would be so proficient in ying the piano. Even Charles was shocked, his jaws dropped to the floor. He didn''t know this, about his wife. Autumn always surprised him. Rachel moved gently and gracefully across the stage. She didn''t have time to think about why Autumn could y so well and why the music was so soothing, because she had to focus on herself. Following the rhythm, she moved elegantly like a butterfly. Her body was soft and flexible like that of a snake. A silky shudder passed from the tip of her left hand to her shoulder and then to the tip of her right hand. The gand on her hand also swayed with her every movement, natural and smooth, like a white lotus, giving out her fragrance. Rachel selected a dance with a high degree of difficulty so as to show off her dancing skills. The twists and twirls that she had to do during the dance would easily take down anyone with dizziness. But Rachel was confident about herself, and she wanted to impress everyone present at the party. The rhythm was getting faster and faster. While Rachel knew that Autumn must y it ordingly, she was not afraid at all. Slowly, she stood on tiptoe and began to twirl elegantly. It seemed that she had given her whole mind to her dance as well as the music. ording to the rhythm, Rachel should stop gradually. ''Do you want to make a fool of me? No way! Look, I have made it through sessfully. It is so absurd to y such a trick on me. But it won''t work.'' At the thought of this, Rachel smiled triumphantly. Rachel began to slow down her movement, but she would never expect that Autumn would suddenly speed up the rhythm. She was forced to repeat that part of the dance. She did her utmost to calm down, but made a minor mistake. Rachel was furious but could do nothing but hide it. Though she had made a mistake, Autumn kept ying and didn''t get affected. When the music ended, Rachel had never been so exhausted and was almost out of breath. Then Autumn stood up and stepped to Rachel, they both expressed their thanks to the audience. Obviously, Autumn won this round with Rachel resigned and defeated. Autumn looked like a proud princess with a dazzling halo at that moment. "Thanks. I really appreciate that you are here to take part in my birthday party. It is really my great honor, but I really regret the mistake I made during my dance." But the most of the people present were Rachel''s friends and fans, so no matter what happened, they would apud andpliment her. However, Rachel thought that the audience may have noticed her mistake, so she simply admitted it. "I am really sorry, but I still want to ask for your forgiveness. I made a small mistake during the performance and perhaps it is because I haven''t danced in a long time. As someone in show business, I should have practiced dancing diligently and that is the basic prerequisite to be a good performer and entertainer. But I promise from now on, I will be strict with myself to bring you a better performance next time, " said Rachel. "Rachel, you have done a good job already and you are a graceful dancer. We are all proud of you!" The fans all expressed support and admiration, giving her a thunderous apuse. Upon hearing this, Rachel took two sses of wine from the table and handed one to Autumn. "Though I have made a mistake, Mrs. Lu showed us a wonderful piano performance. I shall extend my sincere appreciation to her. Let me propose a toast." Autumn looked at the wine in Rachel''s hand and furrowed her brows slightly. She was hesitant to make the toast with her. "What''s the matter? You look unhappy. Are you afraid that I will poison you?" Though Rachel smiled softly, she whispered to Autumn with a low but mean voice, "You really keep my eyes polished today. Don''t worry. I will definitely not poison you here. Drink it. I am not going to have a show with you here anymore." Autumn hesitated for a few seconds and then took the wine from Rachel, but she just took a sip of it This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. and then walked down the stage towards a proud but astonished Charles. He stared at Autumn with a big smile on his face, asking her, "You are amazing, Autumn. I am really proud of you. You never told me that you are good at ying piano and I am totally taken away by your excellent performance. Autumn, how many secrets do you have hidden from me? You''d better be honest with me." "Why don''t you try to find out by yourself?" Autumn grinned in reply and pretended to be mysterious. "Well, fine. Then can you tell me when you learn to y the piano?" Charles was curious. He now thought Autumn was filled with magic. "My dad taught me in my childhood. He loved ying the piano when he was young. Though we were very poor at the time, he did not give up on his only passion. He bought me an electronic organ and began to teach me to read the notes and encouraged me to practice. He said that I had the talent. If it wasn''t for his early death, I might have been forced to practice the piano continuously. I really appreciate my dad. He did not yield to that reality of poverty and he even strived to nurture and cultivate me under such circumstances." Autumn''s father loved her so much, but he would be strict with her piano practice. Every time she yed the piano, he would change from a kind father to a stern and serious teacher. He even hit her once because Autumn went outside to y without practicing. "After dad''s death, we moved next door to Sam and he would also teach me to y the piano when he was free. Though I haven''t practiced ying for a long time, my basic training still remains. Thank God! It came in handy today or I would have lost face." Autumn had never thought that this skill could be useful someday. It seemed to be true that good thingse to him who waits. Even Wendy didn''t know that she was good at ying piano. No one would expect that a girl from a poor family would be cultured enough to appreciate the piano. "By the way, You said that you had to introduce me to someone. Who is it? Should we go now?" Autumn was a little curious about who she would be meeting. "Yes. I will take you to him now. Follow me." Charles took her hand and walked to a man in ck suit. It seemed that the man was not in a good mood. There was no expression on his face. "Hello, Mr. Gu." Charles greeted him and continued, "This is my wife and she has something to discuss with you." "What? Do I know you?" Aron asked curiously since he had never met this woman before. "No, you don''t know her. But we know I. She is my wife''s friend." Charles replied calmly. Upon hearing this, Aron turned even more serious while Charles just patted Autumn''s shoulder and exined to her. "I remember, you said to me that you wanted to meet Mr. Gu one of these days. You can talk to him now. We will go back home when you are done." "Charles, thank you for being so understanding." Autumn replied and nodded slightly, then she turned to Aron. "Mr. Gu, I is my best friend and she often talks about you. I''d like to have a word with you. Do you want to get out of here and talk?" "Okay." Aron was realized that this woman should be I''s good friend since she was willing to take the initiative to find him at such a critical time. So Aron agreed to have a talk with her without hesitation. They went out and sat on a quiet corner. "Mrs. Lu, what are you going to tell me? Do you know something important?" Aron asked directly. "Well, Mr. Gu, I just want to get something clear today. What do you think of what happened to I? Is she the kind of person who would hurt your grandma?" Autumn was also frank with him. "Of course not. She is kind and gentle. I have never doubted it." Aron knitted his brows and continued, "But I am still struggling for any evidence to prove her innocence. There were only three people concerned at that time and my grandma is still in aa. Meanwhile everyone at thepany office all side with Becky. I just don''t know what to do." "I understand. But if I have a way to help your grandma get out of thea, are you willing to have a try?" Autumn exined, "My husband has a good friend who is a brain specialist. He has visited your grandmother and said that if he is allowed to help, there is great possibility for your grandmother to wake up. Of course, he has to get your permission first." Autumn gazed at Aron quietly, waiting for his answer. Chapter 173 Where Was Autumn Chapter 173 Where Was Autumn Aron paused for a bit and asked, "Mrs. Lu, I''m wondering if... that Mr. Zhao you said is Arthur Zhao." Autumn nodded and said yes. Actually Doctor Arthur was the first one Aron had thought of at that time, but he had already been retired for several years. Aron asked some of his friends to get Arthur''s contact information, but in vain. However, fortunately for him, Autumn had found him. Aron was d to hear that and relieved to have finally found Doctor Arthur''s whereabouts. Not only could he cure Grandma''s illness, but he could also get I cleansed, so why not? "Well, then..." Autumn stepped a bit closer to Aron and said something to him. Aron frowned a little but then nodded in agreement. He said, "Okay, I''ll find a way to keep Becky away for as long as I can." Autumn couldn''t feel relieved until she had settled all the matters at hand. It felt like she had finally been able to get a great burden off her chest. When she got to the house, she stood at the entrance and saw Charles standing there next to Rachel, talking. Rachel was saying something to Charles, but it seemed as if he was bored and feeling impatient. Autumn frowned a bit and decided to save him from Rachel''s misery. Two of Rachel''s fans walked up to Autumn and stood in front of her. One of them said, "Mrs. Lu, would it be okay to speak with you for just a moment?" "What would you like to talk about?" asked Autumn. As soon as she said that, she had a sudden feeling that something bad was about to happen. "Mrs. Lu, we''re very curious as to how you got Charles to fall in love with you and what kind of trickery you had used in order to seed? By the way, we all think that Rachel is just perfect for him, not you, " she added. Autumn was infuriated by what they had said, but when she was about to give them an earful, she suddenly felt light-headed. She remembered the cup of wine she drank on the stage, and realized that, it must have been the reason for her dizziness. She didn''t expect her so bold enough to frame her. "That''s right, we admire your skills, please tell us how to seduce a man like Charles, Mrs. Lu?" they insisted. "I heard that the gown you are wearing was first chosen by Rachel, but now it''s you who is wearing it, I think it would look more charming on Rachel, don''t you think so?" Autumn was still feeling dizzy, and she couldn''t hear what they were saying clearly. She just watched Yvonnee up to her and ask those fans, "What do you want?" "Who the hell are you? Are you with her?" The fans sneered. Normally, Yvonne would not help her. Autumn''s misery would bring her happiness. But, unexpectedly she helped Autumn stand up to those fans and said, "My sister is very close to her husband, there is nothing you can say or do that will affect the strong bond between them. I know you, you''re Rachel''s fans, right? We''re her guests here and we''vee to cerebrate your idol''s birthday. Whose image do you think would be harmed if your rude behavior was exposed to the media?" They didn''t dare to say anything else in return, after they heard that. They were just picking on Autumn on behalf of Rachel. They thought about what Yvonne had said, and scuttled away quietly, afraid of causing their idol to lose face in public. Yvonne helped Autumn walk away, and she asked her if she was feeling okay, in a pretentious manner. Autumn was feeling weak and dizzy. She asked Yvonne, "Where are you taking me?" She felt so frail that she could not speak out for help. "You''ll know soon, sister." Yvonne smirked maliciously. A few people went over to them to see if they needed any help, but Yvonne smiled at them and said, "We''re good, thank you. My sister is a little drunk, and I''m just taking her to get some rest." Charles thought it was a bit strange that he saw Autumn around him just a few moments ago, but then she had disappeared out of thin air. He wanted to look for her, but Rachel kept pestering him, "Charles, I think we can still be friends even though we have grown apart, can''t we? I hadn''t received any offers since you ordered them to ban me, did you really have to do that? Do you really hate me that much?" Charles said quietly, "I gave you another chance, but you ruined it. Yes, we have been together for many years, but look at what you did. To be frank, I would have been okay with you as long as you didn''t go too far. I have given you many chances and I have paved the road to your poprity in the entertainment circle, if you were willing to seize those opportunities you could have had a better life. But you took those opportunities for granted, so in the end, it was all your fault, am I right?" "Oh, no, it wasn''t like that. Will you forgive me? Please!" Rachel looked at Charles pitifully and said, "Don''t you know that I love you? I just want to be with you and only you. I don''t care about your money or the fame anymore, all I want is you. I promise I won''t be temperamental any more, juste back to me baby, okay?" She presumed that Charles was just pretending to be mad at her, so she kept nagging him toe back, but when she saw his eyes and the way he looked at her, she suddenly realized that she was already lost on him. And she was certain that he had married Autumn, not in a fit of pique, but because he had fallen in love with her. Yet she refused to give up on her quest to win him back. She thought of how Charles would be hers again in the end, after what was going to happen to Autumn very soon. Charles was bored and tired of being moured by Rachel, so he firmly said to her, "I can guarantee you that you will still be that popr Miss Bai in the entertainment circle, if you promise to leave me alone. Otherwise I''ll see to it so that you won''t even find any seats in the circle, let alone fame. The choice is yours." "Are you serious? Come on, do you really need to be so unsympathetic towards me?" She looked at him with a devastated expression and asked unwillingly. Charles was tired of speaking with her, so he kept quiet. But that angered Rachel even more. She coldly said, "All right, Charles, if you insist on this, you''ll end up regretting it." Even if she couldn''t get Charles back, she would certainly try to ruin Autumn and his happiness, as herst chance for retribution. She wasn''t willing to peacefully let go of something she couldn''t have. Charles didn''t want to continue talking to her and so turned to look for Autumn. He remembered he saw Aron around there somewhere but Autumn was still nowhere to be seen. This caused him to panic a This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. little bit. He got rid of Rachel and walked towards Aron. He asked him if he knew where Autumn was. Becky noticed Charles pulling her husband''s arms and she said, "Who the hell do you think you are? Your wife is the one who is missing, does that have anything to do with my husband?" She pushed Charles''s hand away from Aron and asked, "What''s the matter with him? Why did hee to ask you about his wife?" She was obviously unhappy with Charles. Chapter 174 Siblings Chapter 174 Siblings When Charles mentioned his wife, Aron recalled what she said to him. Aron then fought the urge to push Becky away and spoke to her in a soft tone, "It''s okay. I need to talk with him for a while. You can have some food there. I''ll catch up with you in a bit." "Sure. No problem." This was the first time that Aron spoke to Becky in such a polite manner. She was thrilled and wondered whether this was Aron''s way of epting her now. Becky tugged on Aron''s sleeve and said in a cheerful voice, "I''ll wait for you right over there." "Okay." Aron nodded in acknowledgement. After Becky left, Aron spoke to Charles, "I went back to the hall after talking to Mrs. Lu. I think it''s been about fifteen minutes. What happened?" "Fifteen minutes..." Charles realized that something bad must have happened with Autumn. Rachel''s vicious eyes came before his sight. His intuition was leading him to believe that Rachel had something This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. to do with Autumn going missing so abruptly. Aron could tell from Charles'' concerned and stressed look that something was wrong. "Mr. Lu, let''s hurry up in our efforts to find her." Aron suggested with a frown. Autumn had made her first public appearance as Charles'' wife today, so needless to say countless of eyes were fixed on her. Several people, who had seen Yvonne take Autumn away, helped Aron and Charles with the way. They went upstairs following the direction. Aron immediately asked the hotel manager to send him the surveince video. It was indeed Yvonne who took Autumn away. Upon seeing the surveince video Aron let out a murderous look. However, Charles was so worried about Autumn that he didn''t notice it. "They are here." Through the surveince video they saw that Yvonne took Autumn to Room 1805. "Here''s the room card." Aron said with a worried look as he handed Charles the room card. Charles took the card and was about to insert it in the slot when the door opened from the inside and Yvonne appeared. Aron responded very quickly and pinned Yvonne against the wall. Charles broke into the room and was shocked at what he witnessed. A man was taking off his clothes while Autumny unconscious on the bed. "Who are you?" The man yelled as he was startled by the men. He immediately wrapped his body with a towel. "Babe, babe..." Charles ignored the man and held Autumn in his arms while calling her repeatedly to snap her out of her slumber. He trembled with fear. He knew if he hadn''t reached the room in time, Autumn would have been raped. Autumn was in a drug induceda and was unable to hear Charles calling her. Yvonne''s face paled with shock at the appearance of Charles. The reason why she readily coborated with Rachel was that she intended to make Rachel the scapegoat. But it never urred to her that Charles would find out about the entire n before Autumn was raped. More importantly, she was caught red handed and there was no way she could escape. Yvonne was facing the wall and had no idea about who had pinned her against the wall. She struggled hard as her movement was restricted. She yelled out helplessly, "Release me you scoundrel!" "Yvonne Gu, I haven''t seen you for more than ten years. Yet you have remained as annoying as you were!" Aron sneered and continued, "My dear sister, I have never dreamed of seeing you again under such circumstances." "You... Who are you?" Yvonne panicked. This unidentified man had called her name in front of Charles. What if Charles now surely found out her true identity? This man must be one of her acquaintances. Yvonne pondered harder but failed to recognize him from his voice alone. "What? You still can''t remember?" Aron gave a scornful smile and prompted, "Your mother seduced a man and gave birth to an ungrateful daughter like you. You forced me to leave the Gu family and also leave the country. I guess you never even considered the possibility of meing back to Y City, huh? Over ten years have passed but you still are as hateful as you have ever been. Shame on you!" "You... are you Aron Gu?" Yvonne finally realized who he was. They hadn''t seen each other for more than a decade. She had long forgotten about her step-brother who shared her father but had a different mother. It never urred to her that he woulde back to Y City. "I clearly remember you went abroad. After all these years, why did youe back?" While giving birth to Yvonne, Wendy had a severe hemorrhage. The doctor said that owing to thisplication she would be unable to get pregnant again. However, Simon had a son with his ex-wife. If Simon left all his family properties to his son, Wendy would be working hard for nothing. Therefore, she took great pains to push Aron out of the Gu family. Aron had even ended his ties with Simon. After all these years, Yvonne and Wendy had long forgotten Aron. They only knew that Aron lived with his grandparents after being turned out of the Gu family and had emigrated to a foreign country. Yvonne didn''t expect to meet Aron again let alone meet him under such circumstance. Many friends of the Gu family in Y City didn''t even know that Simon had a son. "You finally recalled huh?" Aron snorted, "Long time no see, Yvonne Gu." "Shut the fuck up!" Yvonne yelled hysterically, "I''m warning you, Aron Gu, let me go. Otherwise, you''ll be sorry you ever got yourself back into this muddle." Aron had been living in hell since Wendy married Simon. Wendy tortured him all the time by forcing him to cook, wash the dishes, do theundry... He had to handle all of the household chores. Wendy had even told Simon that Aron was a thief. Even in Yvonne''s eyes Aron was never a brother but merely a servant. "Let go of me!" Yvonne yelled while struggling with all her strength. "Mr. Gu, you can let her go." Autumn didn''t wake up after several of his attempts. So Charles tied the man''s hands with his tie and then walked up to Aron and Yvonne. He stared at Yvonne and questioned her in a harsh and cold tone, "What did you do to her?" "Did you hear that? Let me go!" Yvonne shouted at Aron upon hearing Charles''mand. After Aron released her, she wiggled her wrists, ran to Charles and spoke in a sweet voice, "Charles, I don''t know what''s wrong with my sister. I suspect that she might be drunk. I happened to see Rachel and her downstairs. Rachel told me that she had something to discuss with you, and asked me to take her to this room so that she could rest. Charles, I have nothing to do with..." "What did you do to her?" Charles thundered with anger as he seized Yvonne''s throat with hisrge hand. His eyes narrowed fiercely as if he was going to choke her the next second. She frantically wed his arm as she ran out of breath. Chapter 175 Explosive News Chapter 175 Explosive News Yvonne saw Charles became so furious for the first time. She could hardly breathe with his hands firmly gripping her throat. While struggling to push his hands, she begged in panic, "Charles... let me go!" "Mr. Lu, let go of her throat or you will kill her." ''Yvonne deserves to die, but I can''t kill her or I''ll be sentenced to death, '' Charles reasoned with himself. Charles slowly released his firm grip and asked Yvonne with an anxious look, "Tell me why is she still in aa? I must warn you that if you don''t tell me the truth I will not spare you like I did this time! " Yvonne had sank to the ground in a bid to catch her breath. She was coughing and wheezing. After a few moments, she calmed down and answered, "I... I don''t know. I have no idea of what happened." She did not have the courage to tell him the truth. She knew if she did tell him the truth she would soil all her chances to approach Charles. Charles threatened as he raised his hand, "Are you sure?" He had never hit a woman, but today Yvonne had totally tested his nerves. Aron grabbed Charles by his hand and threw Yvonne hard to a corner. He said to Charles, "Mr. Lu, it''s all right if she doesn''t tell us the truth. We still have one witness over there." Charlesposed himself and walked straight up to that man. Charles observed that man discreetly and said, "I know you from somewhere." With a cold smile he continued his interrogation, "You have worked with Rachel before. I heard that you are a little famous in the show business. What if I post photos of your current look online? I think that will sessfully destroy your show career..." People like him cared the most about their reputation and status. Without those two pirs he could hardly survive in the entertainment circle. Charles knew it very well which yed to his advantage. "What... do you want?" he asked with fear in his eyes. His frivolous reputation was already widely known in the show circle. When Rachel had approached him with this situation, the only thing he asked was whether the woman was beautiful. When he met Autumn he was struck by her beauty. However, now he realized his career and reputation were more important than a woman. Therefore, he shook his head and responded with a panic struck Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. look, "What do you want to know? I''ll tell you everything that I know." Charles sneered, "Who sent you here? Rachel nned this, didn''t she?" The man nodded, "Yes, you are right. It was Rachel. She told me that she could introduce me to the director, Mr. Song as long as I did her this favor. You know that he..." "Enough, I have heard enough!" He wasn''t interested in what Rachel promised him. He proceeded, "What did Rachel do to her? Why hasn''t her woken up yet?" "Just... a littlemon knockout drops. I swear." The man trembled with fear as he implored, "Mr... Mr. Lu, please spare me this time. I will not repeat my actions ever again." ''If Rachel had told me that the woman on the bed was Mrs. Lu I would have turned down the offer. Rachel has set me up, '' the manined to himself. Aron pointed at Yvonne who was squatting on the ground and asked the man with a scornful smile, "Tell me, why is she here? And what was her role in this plot?" "She... was sent here by Miss Bai. She assisted me in bringing... Mrs. Lu here. Rachel said she would go ahead and bring the media here. Mr. Lu, please forgive me. I really didn''t know that she is your wife. I..." Hearing this, Yvonne sat on the floor without uttering a word in her defense as her face turned pale with fear. After ensuring that Autumn was safe Charles was relieved. He looked at Yvonne and that man as he was lost in his thoughts. ''How should I... punish them?'' Aron observed Charles'' expression and said to him with a smile, "Mr. Lu, leave the rest to me. You have already done me a big favor, so... now I should do something for you to return your kindness." Aron sneered as he continued, "Trust me, you will be satisfied with the oue. Just leave with Mrs. Lu." ''Rachel is supposed to be on her way here. If she came here and saw her n unfold like this, it would be difficult to handle the situation, '' Aron mused. With that in mind he asked Charles to take Autumn and leave the room. Charles too saw sense in what he said. He nodded in approval and responded, "Well, thank you!" He lifted Autumn in one swift moment and kept her tight to his chest as they left the room. When Aron saw Charles leave, he walked to that man, squatted down and asked coldly, "Do you want to leave now?" The man kept nodding. ''All I want is to leave here as soon as possible.'' Aron pointed towards Yvonne who was curling up in the corner and asked, "Do you think... she is pretty enough?" The man nodded in approval and then shook his head immediately. He implored, "Please let me go. I won''t do this anymore." "I will let you leave as long as you fulfill one condition I have..." Aron got closer to that man and whispered in his ear. Yvonne could not hear one word. The man gave her a nce, shook his head and responded nervously, "No, I can''t. Please, you must be kidding with me. I really dare not to do all of this again..." Aron thought with a sly smile, ''I was too small to fight back when Wendy and Yvonne bullied me ten years ago. Now that I met Yvonne here after all these years, I will not spare her easily. If I allow Yvonne to leave, without teaching her a lesson, I will not only betray Charles'' trust but also feel sorry for myself.'' "I have already given you a choice. So... it''spletely your call now." Aron got up and went on with a cunning smile, "You don''t have a lot of time on your hands. Think about it fast." As her birthday party downstairs hade to an end, Rachel told several reporters who were on good terms with her that she had big news waiting for them upstairs. After promising them of a good lead story, she led the bunch of scribes upstairs. When she arrived at the door of room 1805, a sly smile appeared on her face. ''After tonight, Autumn will be a well-known slut. I''d like to see whether Charles will ept her after this.'' A reporter asked, "Miss Bai, why did you bring us up here? What''s the secret concealed behind this door?" Rachel replied with a mysterious smile, "You will know when you go inside and have a look for yourself." She took out a room card and opened the door. When she saw the shadow of two figures lying in the bed, she rejoiced with excitement. Before she could even see their face, she cried out, "Mrs. Lu, how could you... do this? How could you betray Charles like this?" Rachel shouted with an indignant expression, "I always thought you were a considerate and sensible girl. It never urred to me that you would cheat on Charles this way. I... If I had known that you are such a shameless woman, I wouldn''t have allowed you to steal Charles away from me." "Mrs. Lu is the woman that Charles brought here tonight with him." "This is an explosive piece of news. Take photos now!" Noticing that her n had seeded, Rachel asked with a sly smile, "Mrs. Lu, how long are you nning to hide inside the covers? Are you going to keep hiding there all night long?" Chapter 176 Why Is She Here Chapter 176 Why Is She Here Rachel waited for a while but no one responded. She frowned and wondered whether Autumn was still in a drug induceda. Autumn should be awake by now... When Rachel was arguing with Charles and diverting his attention, she saw Yvonne take Autumn away. Therefore, she was certain that Autumn was on the bed. Rachel stepped forward and lifted the covers without thinking too much. When Yvonne''s face was exposed, Rachel was shocked and she blurted out, "What is going on here? Shouldn''t Mrs. Lu be here? Why is she here instead? Ken, what the hell is going on here? Please tell me!" spluttered Rachel as she grew angry. Autumn should be the one on the bed. Why was Yvonne here? Rachel was exasperated at what she saw in front of her after all the nning that went into this charade. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. "I have the same question for you. What the hell is going on here?" Ken gnashed his teeth as he was infuriated by Rachel now. If it hadn''t been for her, he would not have been threatened by Charles and none of this would have happened. Charles recorded a video of Ken confessing the whole scheme including his role in the affair. Ken had to carry out what Aron ordered him to do. Aron even took away Ken''s clothes and left behind only his underpants. Ken had no other option but to stay put in the room and go through the n. Ken stared at Rachel with anger and yelled, "Why did you bring so many journalists here? How did you get hold of my room''s key card? This is a shocking invasion of our privacy. I am going to sue you!" "Are you out of your mind?" Rachel was at a loss as to why Ken would say something like that. She pretended like she didn''t hear his threat and asked him, "Tell me where is Mrs. Lu. And why is this woman here?" "I don''t know who Mrs. Lu is. I just came to spend sometime with my girlfriend. I''m warning you thest time, get out of my room and take these people with you. And you guys, if you dare to report any of this, I swear I will sue the whole bunch of you for invading my privacy. Do you understand?" Ken warned the group of journalists. "What... the hell is going on here?" The journalists were dumbfounded. "Miss Bai said Mrs. Lu was having an affair... Then who is this woman lying on the bed?" Ken was a well-known celebrity. It was big news that he was found with someone in a hotel room. But the journalists did not have the courage to report this as they knew they broke into the room after being led by Rachel and it was gross vition of his privacy. "Miss Bai, can you tell us what''s happening here?" A journalist asked Rachel tantly. Rachel went to great pains to bring these journalists here after the party and she could not ept her defeat. "Everyone..." Rachel raised her hand to calm them down and narrated, "I received a message that Mrs. Lu was one of Ken''s fans and was attracted to him. I didn''t expect her to take this opportunity... to seduce Ken. I thought she was going way out of bounds this time. So I brought you here to see through her and report the whole truth, so that Charles would not be fooled by such a slut. I guess she somehow found out that we wereing and ran away. She even sent her cousin here. Shame on her!" "Miss Bai, are you telling us the truth?" The journalists looked at each other not knowing whether they should trust Rachel or not. Rachel nodded and pointed towards Ken saying, "If you don''t believe me, you can ask Ken. He was here and he knows what happened." Rachel turned around and slyly cast a warning nce at Ken without being noticed by the journalists. The journalists looked at Ken and asked, "Mr. Qin, is Miss Bai telling the truth?" "Mr. Qin, are you really having an affair with Mrs. Lu?" "Mr. Qin, what..." "Enough!" Ken shouted at them impatiently to shut down their never-ending questions, "Are you out of your minds? Mr. Lu is such a handsome and exceptional entrepreneur. Mrs. Lu would be an idiot to have an affair with me. Moreover, Rachel Bai is holding a birthday party here tonight and Mr. Lu is also here. If at all we had had something going on, we would have been fools to do something here right under everyone''s nose! Come on, use your brain! Why does Rachel Bai have the room card? She still hasn''t given up on the thought of getting back with Mr. Lu yet." Ken finished his statement. The journalists were confused by the variation in their stories. "You are talking nonsense, Ken Qin!" Rachel snarled and turned to the journalists, "Don''t listen to him. I have already moved on from our past. You must have seen that I have a good and cordial rtionship with Mrs. Lu. I brought you here simply because I thought she shouldn''t cheat on Charles." Rachel added anxiously, "You must believe me. I..." "Miss Bai..." Ken''s words sounded more convincing whenpared to Rachel''s. Therefore, the journalists were now suspicious of Rachel''s motivation to drag them here unceremoniously after the party. They questioned her, "We just want to know why and how did you have the room card?" The hotel staff would never give the room card to an unrted person. Therefore, Rachel must have something to do with the whole scene. "I..." Rachel opened her mouth to exin but had no idea what to say to make the scene better. She kept the room card so that she could open the door and catch Autumn red-handed. But now the room card was taken as proof of her guilt. "Could you all please leave my room now? My girlfriend isn''tfortable and has fallen asleep. I don''t want the chaos to wake her up." After noticing that the journalists believed what he said, Ken asked them to leave the room. He didn''t want to be involved in the drama anymore. Upon hearing that, Rachel immediately had an idea. She rushed to the bed stand, grabbed a ss of water and poured the water to Yvonne''s face. Yvonne instantly got up. The drug that she used on Autumn was in her purse. Aron had forced her to eat the drug so she had been in a drug induceda. Ken could tell from Rachel''s reaction that things had gone badly but it was toote to stop her. He helplessly watched Yvonne waking up. Rachel sneered maniptively and said to the journalists, "I know you don''t believe what I just said. But I want you to know who is lying here. Now Autumn''s cousin is waking up. Just ask her your questions and the truth will prevail." Rachel raised her head high like a proud peacock. She knew that Yvonne would take her side and she also knew Yvonne would not spare an opportunity to tarnish Autumn''s image. As long as Yvonne said she was brought here by Autumn, Autumn would definitely be framed. Chapter 177 Driven Away Chapter 177 Driven Away "Miss... Miss Bai..." Yvonne remembered what had happened before she had cked out, and she knew what she was going to face now. It was just a stroke of bad luck that she ran into Aron at the party. However, she was mortified at the thought of having to face so many people. Particrly, because she was almost naked. She grabbed the quilt quickly and covered her body with it, as her eyes turned red. Wretched as she was, she was still a woman. Rachel didn''t want to waste any more time, so she interrupted Yvonne impatiently, "Come on! Stop crying!" She winked at Yvonne cheekily and asked, "Tell me, did Mrs. Lu bring you here?" However, Yvonne didn''t respond to Rachel''s question because she couldn''t stop herself from crying. "Please tell us, " Rachel urged. When she didn''t receive any responses from Yvonne, Rachel lost her patience and grabbed her by the shoulders. She raised her voice to her, "I said stop crying! Tell us what happened, so we can help you." Rachel softened her voice andforted Yvonne, "Just tell us, did Mrs. Lu bring you here? Does Mrs. Lu have an illicit rtionship with Mr. Qin?" ''No matter what I say next, my reputation can''t be salvaged. If only I hadn''t been caught by Charles here, but unfortunately he''s already seen me. If I help Rachel frame Autumn, Charles will never forgive me. He will keep digging further and further into the matter, no matter what the cost.'' Yvonne chose to protect herself, fearing possible retaliation from Charles. At that very moment, she decided to stop acting ording to Rachel''s n. "No, it''s not like what you think..." replied Yvonne, still sobbing uninhibitedly. "I... I just had a headache, so I came upstairs to lie down for a bit. Soon I fell asleep and I have no idea of what happened after that." Rachel asked as her face turned red with fury, "What did you just say?" She didn''t expect Yvonne to betray her like that at the veryst moment. Rachel gnashed her teeth and screamed at Yvonne, "Have you lost your mind? Do you know what..." Now she wanted to tear Yvonne into a million pieces. Yvonne pushed Rachel''s hands away slowly and asked, "Miss Bai, what do you want me to tell you? Do you think it was appropriate of you to break into the room with so many people?'''' Yvonne looked extremely pitiful with her reddened, tear-filled eyes. The reporters shook their heads and thought, ''Rachel must have always pretended to be an amiable and kind woman. Now, she has finally shown her true colors.'' "Well, you two..." sneered Rachel, pointing at Yvonne and Ken. "You colluded with each other to make a fool out of me, didn''t you?" ''They agreed to help me then, but now they''re betraying me at this crucial moment. This is so embarrassing, '' Rachel''s thoughts filled with hatred and disappointment. "Miss Bai, I think you need to exin your actions to us." These reporters were not going to be fooled so easily. They had figured out what kind of trick Rachel was ying. Although they were reporters, they couldn''t allow Rachel to take advantage of them without any benefits in return. Therefore, they had decided to ckmail Rachel. Ken screamed out impatiently, "Please go outside to resolve your petty squabbles. I''d like for you all to leave this room right now!" The reporters left the room angrily. Rachel didn''t dare to offend them. It would cost her arge sum of money to appease their anger. After they left, Ken nced at Yvonne lying on the bed and said with a cold smile, "I thought you were on Rachel''s side. It seems that you''re not a fool..." Yvonne nced at Ken coldly, and thought to herself, ''All I want is to get married to Charles, and that''s all that matters to me. So I just need to do something to please him as he seems to be quite mad at me right now.'' She gritted her teeth and said, "Go get my clothes!" Her hatred towards Aron grew drastically. Ken sneered, "Clothes? You should ask your brother to bring them to you." ''If my clothes had been here, I would have already left. Do you think that I would stay here and wait for you to wake up?'' Ken thought in disdain. "I know what is going on here. From now on, I am going to stay away from you and I don''t want to have anything to do with you ever again." ''As long as I am involved with you two, I will always get into trouble.'' "Do you think that I want to see you again?" Yvonne continued coldly, "Call Aron and have him bring my clothes here." Yvonne had spent the entire night waiting for Aron, but Aron didn''t show up. She had to pay a waitress to buy clothes for her. Then, she put on her new clothes, intending to leave. All of sudden, Ken said to her, "Yvonne, are you leaving now? What about me?" "That''s none of my concern, " responded Yvonne impatiently. "I don''t ever want to see you again. If I do, I won''t let you go so easily!" She then turned around, looked at Ken and threatened, "I am warning you. You''d better keep this matter to yourself. Otherwise, I will make you regret it." When Yvonne arrived at the Lu family''s house, she didn''t see Autumn or Charles. Instead, Chris was standing in the hall by herself. She had asked the servants to pack up Yvonne''s personal belongings and bring them to the hall. "You''re back now." Chris had freaked out at the sight of an unconscious Autumn in Charles''s arms, fromst night. Having found out what had happened to Autumn, she got infuriated. Fortunately, Autumn hadn''t been raped. Otherwise she wouldn''t forgive Yvonne. When Yvonne tried to walk towards her room, Chris stopped her and said, "Your luggage is already here. Get out of here right now. You''re not wee here anymore." Yvonne asked with a frown on her face, "What do you mean?" ''If I leave here now, I won''t have the chance toe back again, '' she thought. Yvonne continued as she stared at Chris, "Miss Lu, please let me know if I did anything wrong to you. You must keep in mind that this is also my sister''s house. You have no right to ask me to leave." "You''re such a shameless woman. Don''t you know what you have done?" Chris looked at Yvonne with discontent and continued, "This is my house. You can''t stay here if I don''t allow you to stay here. Do I N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. make myself clear?" "I came here with my sister''s consent. Don''t forget that she is the real mistress of this house. You will have to leave here one day once you get married. No one, but my sister, can ask me to leave here." Yvonne did everything she could, in order to stay in the house. She had no intention of leaving, before Charles and Autumn were back. She wasn''t going to let Chris drive her away. Chapter 178 Let Her Speak Chapter 178 Let Her Speak "I really don''t know what to say to you." Chris''s face turned purple with anger. She was trying to get Yvonne out of the house before Autumn came back, but she didn''t expect that Yvonne could be so thick-skinned. Yvonne was unwilling to budge and even got into an argument with Chris. "What going on here, Chris? Why do you look so angry?" Charles was still worried about Autumn''s health, so he took her to the hospital to get a physical examination in the early morning. They also visited Autumn''s grandma on the way. However, as soon as they got back home, Charles found Chris and Yvonne quarrelling with each other in the living room." "Charles, you are back. Thank God!" Yvonne red at Autumn in front of her and walked up to Charles. Pretending to be pitiful, Yvonne beganining to Charles. "Charles, please tell me, what the hell did I do wrong? As soon as I came in, I found out that Chris had already picked up my luggage for me. She asked me to leave the house. Charles, please help me. I really don''t know what I did wrong, and why is Chris so angry with me?" Yvonne said, pulling his shirt sleeve. "Let go of me and stay away!" Charles shook off her hands impatiently and then said with an extremely cold voice, "Now that she has packed up all of your belongings for you, you''d better get out of here as soon as possible. The steward has recruited two new servants recently, so there is no avable room for you here." "Charles, you..." Yvonne was too humiliated to utter a single word. Her face flushed with anger immediately. However, Charles just gave her the cold shoulder. Soon Yvonne turned to Autumn, holding her hands and pretending to be intimate with her. "Sister, how can hepare me to a servant? Am I not more important than a servant?" With a straight face Yvonne then added, "You asked me to live in a maid''s room and not once did I too harsh?" Then Yvonne paused for a while and went on, trying to make her voice sound softer, "Sister, I still have to stay here for a little longer because Wendy and Simon won''t be back for a few more days. You have to help me." She tried to sweet-talk Autumn into letting her stay there for a few more days so that she would get the chance to try and get along with Charles. She furrowed her eye brows and then optimistically reached out for a yard after getting an inch, "Now that there''s no room avable for me in the maid room, may I please move in upstairs?" "That''s very audacious of you! How can you be so shameless? How dare you talk to Yvonne this way?" Chris was still unaware of Autumn and Yvonne''s identity swap. Despite sounding harsh, Chris said angrily, because it was her first time to meet such a brazen person. "No way! I will not even let you live in the maid room, let alone the guest room upstairs. You''d better get out of here as soon as possible. I don''t want to see your face here ever again. Hurry up. Get your luggage and get out of my house." However, Yvonne continued to ignore Chris. Instead, she kept nagging to Autumn and continued to be pitiful. "Sister, why aren''t you saying anything? You have to speak for me. Don''t forget that..." Autumn interrupted her straight away, "What did I forget? Are you going to threaten me again?" Autumn kept quiet the whole time after she got in the house because she decided not to make a fuss as long as Yvonne was willing to leave on her own. However, much to her disappointment, Yvonnepletely disregarded what had happenedst night and shamelessly insisted on staying in their house. "Sister, do you even know what you are talking about?" Clearly, Yvonne didn''t expect Autumn to decline This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. her request, after all she was used to Autumn granting her wishes all the time. But Yvonne was very cunning and she knew why Autumn was being so cold to her. Therefore, she humbled herself and said, "Sister, I know you are still angry because of what happenedst night. But... But I had nothing to do with it. Rachel was the one behind it all. She orchestrated the whole thing. She said that she was still in love with Charles, so she wanted to steal him from you. You have to trust me, I am not her aplice. I am speaking the truth. Please believe me." Yvonne confessed every detail rting to the incidentst night. "Rachel went to the hotel with many people because she was intending to nder your reputation. She wanted to make people believe that you had an ambiguous rtionship with another man. But I scolded her for her despicable behavior. Sister, I would never betray you. You are my sister and you are my family. You can''t just kick me out." When Yvonne was done talking, Autumn nced at Charles, because she was a little irresolute and wasn''t sure of what to do. However, Charles did not give her any suggestions, but said that it was up to her. Yvonne smiled inwardly. Now that Charles had left the decision to Autumn, she was hopeful that she would get the chance to stay there longer, because she was aware of Autumn''s weak spots. Grinning, Yvonne turned to Autumn and asked, "Sister, which room shall I move in to?" Yvonne was very tricky. Before Autumn even granted her the permission, she had already made the decision for her. Autumn looked at her indifferently and then replied, "I will book a room in the hotel for you. Of course, I will pay for it. But you can''t stay here anymore. It is not convenient for us to have you living here with us, because you are not a part of this family and you have overstayed your wee." Autumn remained sternly cool and unmoved. She couldn''t tolerate Yvonne anymore. She was eager to live her life on her own terms, and not be a puppet for others to control. Now that Yvonne was meworthy, she had to face the consequences. She was an adult now, so she needed to behave like an adult and be more responsible. ''I have already found my grandma. From now on, I will have nothing to do with you or Wendy, I am not going to bend to your every whim and I would definitely not help Wendy with anything anymore, '' Autumn thought inwardly. "What? What do you mean?" It took Yvonne a long while to react. She didn''t understand why Autumn was talking to her with such a bad attitude. "Are you a fool? Don''t you know what I mean? I mean, you need to take your luggage and get out of here as soon as possible. As for where you''d like to go, I don''t really care." Autumn remained adamant, her eyes were icy. She would not tolerate Yvonne acting shamelessly. This was her home and she wouldn''t allow anyone to dictate how she lives her life anymore. "Sister, you''d better not forget your identity. What''s more..." Arrogantly, Yvonne was looking to make a snide remark, when Autumn instantly interrupted her and said, "Do you still want to threaten me with my grandma? That won''t work anymore. I have already found my grandmother. You know what? You promised me that you would take good care of my grandma and get her a doctor, but you and your mother went back on your word." "Sister, what are you talking about? You''ve found your grandmother? Are you kidding me?" Yvonne didn''t think she had the capability to find out where her grandmother was. If she had really found her grandma, Yvonne will have lost all her bargaining powers to put pressure on her. "Have you really found your poor grandma?" Yvonne was not sure if Autumn was being serious, so she asked her again. "What''s wrong? Are you shocked?" Autumnughed grimly and then she continued, "I want you to listen very carefully to what I have to say right now. From now on, I won''t ever be left to the tender mercies of maniptive liars like you. Keep in mind, we are no longer rted to each other. I am severing all my ties with you and Wendy. If you even dare to offend me next time, I promise, I''ll make sure that you regret it for the rest of your life. Do you know what you should do next? Get out of here right now!" Autumn yelled at Yvonne indignantly, pointing her fingers to the door. It was the first time Yvonne had see Autumn so angry. ''Perhaps, I pushed her over the edge, '' Yvonne thought. Yvonne was worried now that she had nothing left to threaten Autumn with. She stood there motionlessly with a faint heart. Autumn pulled her luggage in front of her. "This way please, " Autumn said while pointing to the doorway. Yvonne grabbed the draw-bar and felt tempestuous at the thought that it was Autumn who stole Charles from her. Charles should have been her husband and she should have been the mistress of this house. She was not supposed to be the one to leave the house. It was Autumn who didn''t belong there. Why did she have to be the one to leave here? Yvonne sneered, stepping towards Charles and said, "Charles, in fact, I have something to tell you. I am sure that my sister hasn''t told you this, even though you''ve been married to each other for a long time now." Slowly and confidently, Yvonne said to Charles, because she was determined to tell him the truth about their identity swap. She even red at Autumn defiantly, when she spoke. "That''s enough! Why are you still here? I have had it up to here with you." Chris pushed Yvonne impatiently and said every word with disgust, "No matter what you are going to say, my brother won''t trust you. Don''t try to bother us again." "Let go of me." Yvonne pushed Chris away and then turned to Charles, "Charles, I am sure you will be interested to know what I am about to tell you. You have been married to her for a long time, but do you really know who she is? Are you sure you are aware of your wife''s real identity?" "Don''t bother trying to cast a bone between them. No matter what is her real identity, she is my brother''s legal wife already and she is a part of my family!" Chris responded angrily. Chris was about to pull Yvonne away when Charles stopped her, "Chris, don''t stop her. Let her speak. I want to know what kind of secret she want to tell me." Lately, Charles had been worried and had found himself at a loss on how to disclose Autumn''s real identity to the world, but now it seemed like Yvonne had provided him with the opportunity at the right moment. Chapter 179 Disclosure Of Autumn’s Identity Chapter 179 Disclosure Of Autumn¡¯s Identity Yvonne smirked as she took a quick nce at Autumn and then said to Charles, "I have been harboring a secret for a long time. I intended to tell you about it step by step. After all this big revtion will shock you to the core! But it''s painful to see you being cheated and betrayed by her. I have no other option but to tell you this secret right now." "Whatever you want to say, be quick and just get it done, without all this melodrama and suspense!" Charles urged as his hatred and anger increased because of Yvonne''s nonsense, "Just say it. You''ll have to look for a hotel room. It will take much time. So don''t waste any more of your time." Yvonne turned pale as she felt embarrassed and angry. She took a silent moment topose herself and with a cold look she said, "Charles, the woman you love and cherish is not Yvonne. She is using my identity. I am the real Yvonne." There was not an inch of surprise or shock on Charles face. Yvonne was confused. After carefully choosing her words, she continued with discretion, "When you came to my house and asked my parents for my hand in marriage, I was scared and intimidated to marry a stranger. I didn''t know you or anything about you. I was so frightened that I ran away when my parents'' attention was diverted. I didn''t have any n in mind but I simply was not prepared to marry you. In my opinion, marriage means to live with someone you love for all eternity." Yvonne paused to catch a breath and then added, "I thought my parents would cancel the wedding if they found me missing and they indeed did that. But I didn''t expect¡­ She, I mean Autumn, somehow persuaded my parents and steered them astray. She said if the wedding was not going to be held, no one would benefit from it, especially herself. She suggested getting married to you under my name and further discussed how to deal with the situation once I returned. My parents were convinced." Yvonne red at Autumn and continued her narration, "Once I found out that Autumn reced me as your bride, , I came back. I thought it was an immoral and emotional fraud. Moreover I thought it was time I found out more about who I was supposed to marry." "What happened after that?" Charles didn''t speak, but his asional nces encouraged Yvonne to continue her story. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Chris froze when she heard the whole truth. ''What has been happening? I have known my sister-inw since she married my brother. What possible reason could she have to exchange her name with the woman I detest the most?'' Chris thought to herself. "Once I found out about you and heard from acquaintances I realized you were not a yboy like the rumors led me to believe. Every time I saw you taking care of Autumn I felt sad and regretted my decisions which took me away from you. So I begged Autumn to give me chances to correct my mistake and get close to you. I hope you will fall in love with me as time goes by. I really just want everything to get back on the right track. I have tried to talk with Autumn about getting back our own identities. I didn''t expect that she would seduce you in such a way that you would insist she was your wife. I¡­ was getting desperate after all my bids to get close to you and with that background I plotted yesterday''s trap with Rachel. It was just a momentarypse of reason and was not my finest moment. I will appreciate if I am not judged on that moment alone." Yvonne said to Charles as she held his hand, "Charles, I really do love you. I hope to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Please do make me happy and marry me, will you?" "Let go of my brother''s hand!" Chris yelled as she was repulsed by the proposal. She was shocked that Autumn wasn''t Yvonne. But still whenpared to Yvonne she felt Autumn was more appropriate to be her sister-inw. She pushed Yvonne''s hand away and added, "Don''t imagine your wildest dreams wille true. I am pleased to tell you that my brother and my sister-inw have gotten their marriage certificate. So stop daydreaming, my brother will not marry you." "It''s okay. I don''t mind. Let her continue her touching and honest speech, " Autumn said as she took Chris aside with a warm smile. Autumn was greatly touched by what Chris said despite all the sudden revtions. She thought, ''Chris has epted and admitted that I am a part of her family. I am so happy and relieved. I didn''t do anything wrong. I don''t mind Yvonne making up stories in her bid to tarnish my image as long as my family believe and support me.'' Chris froze after she finished her words she introspected, ''Charles and Autumn have gotten their marriage certificate, then ¡­ which name did Autumn use for it?'' She looked at Charles and found he was calm andposed. When she turned to Autumn, she realized that even she had no look of anxiety. Instead, she was calm too. ''Is it possible that Charles already knows about this?'' "Autumn, I warn you, you are aplete substitute. It''s impossible for you to live happily ever after under the shadows of my name and identity!" Yvonne sneered, "Does it really matter that they have a marriage certificate? Marriage certificate?" She finally realized what she had heard as she repeated it. She mulled over it, ''If they have gotten their marriage certificate, she must have used her real name -- Autumn Ye. So ¡­ Does that mean Charles knew our identity secret a long time ago?'' "You knew about our identities, didn''t you?" When she saw Charles''s disdain and Autumn''s calmness, she knew she had guessed it right. She thought, ''The news of my running away would not have remained contained within the four walls of my house. Charles must have investigated all about me. Wendy and I were too naive and foolish to think we could deceive everyone.'' Charles gave a snort of contempt and didn''t utter a single word. Looking at Yvonne, Autumn spoke in a monotone, "Yvonne, to be honest, I have told Charles all about my identity secret. It''s too tiring to live with the burden of someone else''s name. So it is an unwise move for you to take me down by revealing the secret." "You ¡­" In that moment, all of Yvonne''s hopes and dreams of marrying Charles shattered. She thought she hold the ace of cards but it was not until then, did she realize that Autumn was truly the one with the best deck of cards while she was bound to lose. This wasn''t gonna be her big break and at this turn in their lives it was impossible for her to win over Autumn. "Are you done?" Charles asked, "Is it my turn if you have finished speaking?" Charles said with a sly smile, "Miss Gu, my wife has been Autumn since the very moment our wedding ceremony concluded. It makes no difference to me whether her name is Yvonne or Autumn. After all I love her and who she is. Her name holds no importance to me." Charles smiled as he slowly turned towards Autumn. Then he added, "As for your affection for me, I sincerely apologize and advise you divert all your energy towards someone who is a potential bachelor. You gave it all out for love when you ran away with Joe. I can''t bear your wavering love. You fall in love too quickly and your emotions are transient." Chris was standing nearby watching the scene unfold. Her brother was so sophisticated on the outside but on the inside he was wild. When she heard his sharp taunt she shook with suppressed giggles. "Damn you bitch!" Yvonne shouted as she flung herself forward in one swift movement to hit Autumn. She thought Autumn was the one who told Charles about her affair with Joe. If Autumn hadn''t told him he probably would have never found out. He might even have epted her. "I will kill you!" Yvonne yelled out with all of her bottled rage. If she had been a monster she would probably have torn Autumn into pieces or she would die simply from her fiery wrath. Yvonne ran so fast that she had reached Autumn before Autumn could react and run away. Chris, however, had sharp eyes and agile hands. She stood right in front of Autumn and pushed Yvonne away with discontent. She said in a querulous voice, "Why are you so annoying? Reflect on yourself when you have trouble. No one will appreciate the existence of a woman like you. Let alone my brother! I advise you not to waste your time on my brother. Go and search for a mate. Maybe someone stupid will cast his greedy eyes upon you." Chapter 180 Who Got Her Pregnant Chapter 180 Who Got Her Pregnant It looked like Chris had given Yvonne a good shove. From the sudden force and blow upon her body, she could not maintain her bnce and fell on the ground. She then sat on the ground with a frown on her face. "Now gather your stuff and leave this house. We don''t want to see you ever again, " Chris eximed. But instead of waiting for Yvonne to get up, she herself grabbed Yvonne''s suitcase and irritably flung it right out of the main door. From all her past encounters, Autumn knew too well that given Yvonne''s character, she just wouldn''t ept her fate gracefully. She would instead go to the extreme in this circumstance. But right when Autumn was about to say something to stop her from acting out, she saw her falling, on her back all of a sudden, with a loud thud. "Come on, you are making us sick with your acting. What a fabulous fake faint! But I must interrupt your performance and tell you that no matter what cheap tricks you pull out of your sleeve today, you must leave this house." Chris now felt so infuriated for Autumn''s sake and was trying to defend her. She believed that Autumn must have been forced into this marriage. With that it all made sense to her as why Autumn was keeping Charles at a distance early in their married life, and it was all fair. Luckily for them, this marriage was a happy ident, they ended up falling in love with each other. Although Chris was repeatedly nudging her with rude remarks to leave, Yvonne maintained her position, and was turning pale while she was still. Chris then realized that something was terribly wrong. She walked over and tentatively asked, "Please don''t tell me that you are just pretending." The second she nced upon Yvonne''s pale face she broke out into a cold sweat. She thought that she had simply given her a jog to keep her away from Autumn but never realized that it could cause her to faint and turn pale. Autumn could also sense that something bad had happened. Her face tensed up as she went over to lift Yvonne up and checked her over. Suddenly, Autumn''s face changed color. There was literally a pool of blood under Yvonne''s body. "We need to rush her to the hospital right now." Autumn cried out. The ident was also way beyond Charles''s expectation. He yanked Chris''s arm and urged, "What are you waiting for? Call an ambnce right now!" Chris was shaken to her core and Charles''s words brought her back to her senses. She then helped them send Yvonne to the hospital, almost mechanically and void of emotion. It was not until Yvonne was rushed into the operating room that she finally realized what had happened. She sank to the floor and was frightened out of her wits. Autumn hurried to help her up on her feet. She took her hand gently in hers whileforting her and helped her sit on a bench in the hospital corridor. "Don''t worry, everything will be fine, " she consoled her. "Autumn¡­" cried Chris, holding her hand firmly. She was willing to open her heart only to Autumn in this dreadful situation as she feared that Charles couldn''t understand her feelings since he was a man. "Rest assured, I''m here for you." Autumn stroked her hand gently. "Autumn, I didn''t mean to, I only nudged her¡­how did¡­ this happen, there was so much blood?" asked Chris as she was terrified. Instead of answering her, Autumn was lost in thought. ''Simply falling down won''t cause such severe bleeding. It seems as though Yvonne had a miscarriage. The question is...'' "Who is here with Yvonne Gu?" asked a doctor who came out from the operating room. Hearing the doctor''s words, the three of them rushed up to her. "How is she?" asked Autumn anxiously. "She suffered a hemorrhage and I''m sorry we were unable to save the baby. Please sign this operation agreement, " the doctor said in a sinct but clear way, while passing the document on to Charles. He frowned but did not take it. The doctor looked up at him and urged, "Hurry up, grab a pen. Your wife''s life is hanging in the bnce and every minute counts. Just sign it before it''s toote." She then red at Charles with contempt, "No offense but it seems that men nowadays are losing sight of their responsibility towards their wives and family. If you didn''t intend to treat her well, why did you impregnate her in the first ce? You see, harm set, harm get." "Well...doctor, the patient inside is my sister, and this is my husband." Autumn came up and rified. The doctor then nced at Charles with a somewhat embarrassed look, perhaps feeling sorry about the mix-up and her rant. "Where is your sister''s husband then? Why isn''t he present here?" "We don''t know who the child''s father is just yet." Autumn said softly while taking the document. She asked before signing her name on the paper, "How is my sister now, Doctor? Is she still in critical condition?" "Right now it''s hard to say." The doctor said with concern, "We can only try our best to save her." Autumn said no more and quickly signed her name. "Please do save her, Doctor." After signing the agreement, Autumn suddenly felt the burden of an impending doom descended upon her. She started to feel an unease developing in her gut. After a long moment of hesitation she decided to call Wendy. They did not speak ever since Wendy left. It was the first time that Autumn had called her in such a long time. Wendy answered the phone on the third ring, then Autumn heard her half-hearted, sarcastic yet familiar greeting, "Well well, Autumn, what an honor." "Yvonne has had an ident." Autumn came straight to the point as she saw no point beating around the bush and continued, "The doctor said that she was pregnant and she probably miscarried." "What? Is this some kind of a twisted joke?" Wendy''s heart sank as she inquired, "What happened? And who is the father of her child?" Wendy actually prayed in her heart that it was Charles, then he would naturally have to marry Yvonne without any more of nning and plotting. But she heard Autumn sneer as she responded, "It is not Charles, that is for sure. Yvonne has been pregnant for over two months. Don''t tell me that you have no idea who the father is. I think you know better than I do." Wendy frowned as she pondered over the whole incident. Considering how long Yvonne had been pregnant it could be Joe''s child. If that was the case, Yvonne might as well have lost it, for they just couldn''t expect to marry her into the Lu family if she was bearing someone else''s baby. While Wendy was weighing the pros and cons of the ident, Autumn couldn''t wait patiently and requested, "Right now, she is still in the operating room. Juste back once you get things settled there." "Hold on!" Wendy snapped as Autumn was about to hang up the phone. "I''m warning you. I will be back in two days. Till then, you must take good care of Yvonne. Should anything bad happens to her again you will be sorry about your very existence!" "What do you mean? Aren''t you nning toe right now?" Autumn''s face flushed red. "Wendy, you better get back here as soon as you can. I''m under no obligation to look after her after all that you two have put me through. Time is precious for me as I have to keep my grandmapany and take care of her. "I beg your pardon?" Wendy gnashed her teeth as her grip on the phone got tighter, "I''ll ensure that someone takes good care of your grandmother, just attend to Yvonne with all your love and care. Miscarriage is not a small matter, you must keep an eye on her personally and treat her like she''s confined in childbirth. Mak sure she recoverspletely." "You liar! When will you stop lying to me?" Autumn blurted out. She didn''t n to confront Wendy about it in this situation. However, Wendy was now trying to take advantage of her with yet another one of her This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. deceitful and maniptive lies. That was thest straw. "Listen, I have already found the whereabouts of my grandmother. You promised that you would take care of her and pay for her medical care as long as I took the ce of Yvonne and married Charles. But then what happened? She''s now in a serious condition and the doctor said that we have missed the optimal treatment time. It was all a lie from the very beginning. You have done nothing but betrayed me and treated me with hate." Chapter 181 Poor Relatives Chapter 181 Poor Rtives Every time Autumn thought of her grandma''s condition she would me herself as to how she could be so naive to believe Wendy after all they had been through together. ''If I hadn''t believed what Wendy said, grandma wouldn''t have missed the best time for her surgery.'' "Wendy you disgust me! How could you neglect grandma''s health..." "Did you find her? I have thoroughly underestimated you, " Wendy dered. "You are my daughter and Yvonne is your sister. You must take good care of her before Ie back, as she is part of your family. Do you understand?" "Grandma is my only family in the world. I don''t have a mother let alone a sister, " Autumn shouted at Wendy, sending the message loud and clear across the phone. "Let me be clear here. I will pay for Yvonne''s surgery but it is simply impossible for me to attend to her and be at her beck and call. You bettere back right now if you are really concerned about your daughter." Autumn then abruptly disconnected the call. Meanwhile, I and her parents arrived at Mandy''s house. They gathered at the gate. Aron and Mike hade here earlier in the morning to discuss Aron''s wedding with Becky. Mandy had seldom visited her brother John since she got married, and John didn''t even know where Mandy lived. "I, does your aunt live here?" Looking at the grand vi, John said with his eyes wide open, "I, this vi alone must cost over hundreds of thousands." "Hundreds of thousands? Are you kidding me?" Jina responded nkly, staring at John. "Your sister approached us two years back. She bragged to the vigers that she had spent several millions buying a house." Upon hearing the estimate, John affixed his eyes on the grand mansion with his mouth wide open. After recalling the purpose of his visit, he rubbed his hands on his pants and intended to shout his sister''s name. I grabbed him by his hand in an attempt to stop him and rang the bell. She exined to John, "Dad, this is a doorbell. Once you press this button, a bell will notify the residents of the house that they have a visitor. Now almost all of the people living in the city use it." This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. With an embarrassed smile John responded, "Well... I see." Within seconds a servant appeared at the gate. After briefly observing the three visitors outside the gate, the servant said with a frown, "What are you doing here? You havee to the wrong ce for begging. Leave now!" John turned red with rage and yelled out, "How dare you talk to us in such a rude manner? Do I look like a pauper to you?" ''It seems Mandy has be more and more overbearing as years went by. Even her servants follow her footsteps, '' thought John angrily. The servant snorted, "Well I definitely don''t think you are guests of my mistress. I have never heard once that she had any poor rtives like you." ''Poverty and destitution must have driven them mad enough to resort to such extreme measures. How dare they pretend to be mistress''s rtives to deceive me?'' she thought scornfully. Jina stammered furiously, "You..." I walked closer to the gate and said, "You must remember me." The servant observed her discreetly. Even though I hadn''te here for several years, she finally recognized her. After all, she had been working here for decades. With an awkward smile she tried to make amends, she said, "I... You should have told me your name the second I came to the door." However, even after recognizing her, she didn''t open the gate. ''Today is an important day for mydy. I cannot let I inside as she may stir up some trouble, '' she mused. "You haven''t visited your aunt in a long time. May I know why you havee here after all this time?" continued the servant. "If you have something important to tell the mistress, please let me know. I can forward your message to her." I wasn''t bothered by what the staff had just said but she was just embarrassed and felt sorry for her parents. ''They came here after a long and tiring journey, and now after all that trouble they went through, they weren''t even allowed to enter the house. Mandy is going too far this time, '' I thought to herself. I was now cold and resolute as she said, "Is this how you have been trained to treat the guests? To just keep them waiting outside after you interrogate their purpose to visit." The servant responded, "I... You have misunderstood what I am trying to convey. My mistress is currently attending to some important guests. How about you wait here and once she is free I will ask her if she would like to see you today. Will that work for you?" I threatened with a grim expression as her anger was now growing, "I think it would be better if you go to her right now. Otherwise I will be more than happy to tell your neighbors that my father had paid for your mistress''s education whe she was young, without thinking twice about it, but now she is so ungrateful and selfish that she won''t allow her own brother to enter the house. I am sure this way she will be the one getting disgraced..." The servant got angry upon hearing the open-ended threat and stuttered, "You..." "I, don''t forget who you are. I treated you with respect only because you''re my mistress''s niece. That is all you are. How dare you threaten me like this?" "I am sparing you five minutes of my time beyond what you have already wasted in this futile conversation. If Mandy refuses to see us in five minutes, I will leave the premise immediately. But before leaving, I will surely like to discuss with the neighbors about the woman living next to them. After that you can tell whether I dare to blurt or not." The servant could not take such a risk to put her job and her mistress''s reputation at stake; so she walked right into the house and sought to speak with Mandy. John looked at I with a concerned expression and said, "I, do you think it was really necessary to threaten her like this?" Jina berated as she patted John''s shoulder, "What are you talking about? Your sister bullied us since the second we got onto the property. She spent all of your money without uttering one grateful word. Now she has stooped down to the level of keeping us waiting outside after thinking we were beggars. How could she treat us like this?" John could not conjure up one word to utter. Within the next five minutes, the servant opened up the gate and took them to the hall. Mandy greeted John and Jina enthusiastically, "Nice to see you! Why didn''t give me a call before your visit? I could have gotten you picked up. I, my dear, why didn''t tell me in advance?" In the end she just snubbed the me on I. I did not respond but Jina was impatient. She retorted with a snort, "Now you live in such a grand house. How could you spare your time to pick us up? You know what? Your servant didn''t even let us into the house, assuming that we were beggars." Mandy exined with a smile, "Jina, don''t get angry at me. You and John have always been my saviors." Then she turned towards the servant and in a reproachful tonemanded, "Lucy, take them to the guest room and serve them well. Do you understand?" "I will..." "I am really sorry. I have some urgent matters to attend to. Please retire to that room, have some refreshments and take a rest. I wille to you the moment I get free. I, please do me a favor and help me treat your parents well on my behalf." Before I could answer, Mandy said hastily, "Now please excuse me for a moment." Mandy walked away in a hurry. She assumed that John hade there for Jennifer. ''Today is important for Becky and I can''t allow anyone to destroy it. Becky has waited for four years. And now after all her struggle and efforts she is finally going to marry the man she loves. I can''t let anythinge in the way on her much dyed happiness, '' Mandy was resolute with her intentions. Mandy said to Aron calmly, "Excuse me I had to greet some visitors. Let us continue..." Chapter 182 Bridesmaid Chapter 182 Bridesmaid "The wedding date has been fixed, and that''s about it then. I will ask Aron to offer Becky the Bride Price in a couple of days. Does that sound good to you?" Mike asked with a poker face. Aron had finally agreed to marry Becky and Mike should have been happy about this progress. However, as Joanna still smiles. Becky was just very excited to get married to Aron. She lowered her head as she was shy and blushing with happiness with the thought of spending her life with Aron. Mandy smiled and addressed Mike, "We are okay with that. We are so happy that Becky and Aron have decided to get married after all these years. We want nothing anymore and just want them to be happy. Becky is our beloved daughter and we just seek her well-being." "Please rest assured. Becky and Aron will have a grand wedding for sure which will mark the beginning of their happy marriage. You know Joanna is still in hospital and we are not in the right frame of mind to prepare for the wedding. If you have anyints please let us know." Mike requested with humility and sincerity. Becky stole a nce at Aron with her blushed pink face. Although he maintained a straight face, he did not take exception to what Mike said. Believing he had finally epted her, Becky was thrilled. She didn''t care whether they would have a grand wedding or not. As long as she can marry Aron, she This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. would be content even if it was a simple and small ceremony. She stole nces at his face from time to time. She still couldn''t believe that he would be her husband soon. "Becky, Mike is talking to you. What are you thinking about?" Mandy turned to Mike and exined, "What a silly girl! She must be so immersed in happiness that she can''t even utter a single word." "Mom..." Becky was annoyed with Mandy for expressing her thoughts too bluntly. Becky turned to Mike and spoke in a soft tone, "Grandpa, I am not a picky person. The wedding affairs are all up to Aron and you." "Good girl..." Mike nodded in approval after hearing her answer. He then turned to Aron who had a long face, and scolded, "Say something. You have been sitting still for a long time without uttering even a single word. Do you have any idea for your wedding?" Becky''s face suddenly turned pale as fear and insecurity gripped her. She was afraid that Aron would refuse to marry her. Invitations had already been sent out. If Aron refused, she would be the joke of the town! "I think it is toote to add my opinions as all the arrangements have been made. Please maintain that and do it that way." Aron said indifferently, "If you are done discussing matters here, I will leave now. I have some work to finish." Aron didn''t struggle or hesitate about the wedding. Becky was overjoyed and believed that he had moved on and epted her. Aron stood up and was about to leave but Mike stopped him and scolded, "Why are you being so indifferent? This your wedding too. You should take it seriously. If you keep acting in this manner I won''t spare you." Mike stared coldly at Aron and demanded, "You must behave yourself in the wedding. It is high time you stopped thinking about other woman and concentrated on Becky!" Aron frowned but didn''t say anything yet again. His silence started to annoy the others and give an impression that he was uninterested. Mandy sighed as she addressed Mike, "Let me apologize on behalf of I, Mike. After all, she is my brother''s daughter. My brother did me the great favor by pooling together all possible resources to pay for my education. I know I did something wrong, but her father is my benefactor and I must intercede for her. Mike, could you please do me a favor and just spare her?" Mandy supposed that Aron would speak in I''s favor. If she took the initiative and said it aloud in front of him, he might owe a debt of gratitude to her and be nice to Becky. Mike sighed after hearing that. He knew Aron well and he knew that if he insisted on holding I ountable, Aron would not go ahead and marry Becky. Mike had made up his mind and he wouldn''t allow Aron to be with that woman under any circumstance. "Mike, I know I shouldn''t have asked you to forgive I, but..." Before Mandy could finish her sentence and influence Aron, Mike interrupted and said, "I forgive her. As long as Becky and Aron are happy together, I will not hold her ountable." "Thank you for your kindness, Mike." Mandy said with a grateful smile. Becky tugged on Aron''s sleeve and said in a soft voice, "Aron, you can rest assured about the wedding. I will be responsible and will ensure it will be a perfect one. But can I make a really small request to you?" "What is it?" Aron asked in confusion. He didn''t shake off Becky''s hand nor ignored her which ted her. She looked at him in the eye and said, "It''s not a big deal. But I just want I to be my bridesmaid as she is my cousin." "No!" Before Aron could even consider it, Mike retorted without wasting a second, "Becky, are you out of your mind? How can you even think of asking her to be your bridesmaid? What if she ruins your wedding?" "She won''t, Grandpa, please rest assured of it." Becky immediately exined to Mike, "I is a good girl. She just acted stupid and out of turn this once. There has been some sort of misunderstanding between us and I want to take this opportunity to clear the air. After all we are first cousins. If she hold a grudge against me all the time, my mother and her father would be left in an awkward position." "But..." Mike was concerned as he couldn''tprehend why Becky wanted that wretched woman to be her bridesmaid. "Mike, I also think it is a good idea." Mandy also took Becky''s side. She knew what Becky had in mind. Only when I would see Aron marry Becky with her own eyes would she truly move forward and get over Aron. Then Becky and Aron would really have a shot at a happy marriage. "Becky and I were close as sisters when they were children. But a small misunderstanding between them drove a wall between them as they parted ways." Mandy sighed and continued, "I is a kindhearted girl. The ident was just an aberration. I don''t think she meant for it to happen." "You''ve grown up now and I am sure you are capable of making decisions on your own. After all you get married only once, hopefully." Mike shook his head sighing with reluctance. "Aron what is your opinion on this suggestion?" Becky asked Aron with a hopeful expression, "My Mom brought I to the backyard just now. If you agree with my idea, I will call her over right now and discuss the wedding together with her." Aron frowned when he heard that I was there. The real reason why Becky wanted I to be her bridesmaid was so that she could to test Aron and his loyalty. She wanted to take this opportunity to find out whether Aron really wanted to marry her despite all odds. She fixed her gaze on him as she tried to decipher every one of his expressions. Chapter 183 I Will Never Be Your Bridesmaid Chapter 183 I Will Never Be Your Bridesmaid Mandy also got Becky''s point quickly, and with a bitter smile, said to Aron standing in front of her, "Aron, do you still love I? Perhaps it is time for you toe around. You are getting married to Becky soon. And we have already sent wedding invitations to our friends and rtives. It is now written in stone and nothing can change that. So don''t bother with your struggles. Forget that woman and don''t do anything to hurt my daughter for I assure you that I will never let you go!" "Mom, don''t talk to Aron like that. Be kind." Becky cunningly nced at Mandy, and pretended to side with Aron like an understanding wife. "I have known him for many years and I know exactly what kind of man he is. Now that he has chosen to marry to me, he will be responsible for the rest of my life. Right, Aron?" Aron kept a straight face all throughout. Then heughed scornfully as she finished talking. "Well, that''s okay. She can be the bridesmaid if you have her agreement. It is all up to you. I don''t care, " replied Aron with a cold tone. Ovee with joy, Becky''s eyes flickered. "Aron, you are so understanding. Thank you." Stepping forward, Becky took Aron''s hands. All of her doubts about his real purpose to marry her have vanished. "Mom, could you ask I toe in right now? I want to share this good news with her. I am sure she will be d to share this happiness with me, " said Becky cheerfully. Aron''s brow furrowed into a deep crease. Becky must not suspect a thing. He didn''t withdraw his hands, allowing her to hold his hands tightly. Mandy proudly went out to the yard and brought I as well as her parents back to the living room. She did not tell them the reason why she brought them in. As soon as they entered the room, John asked, "Mandy, do you know what brought us here today? We came here for the sake of my daughter, I." John paused but then continued, "I is my daughter and I know her well. She is a kind girl, and she never offends others, let alone hurts people. I am able to understand why others don''t believe her. But you are her aunt. Why don''t you believe her either? We are family. Do you really think she is a girl who would hurt people deliberately?" "Brother, don''t be so anxious. Please listen to me first. As for that ident, I have..." Mandy had be toocent. She had merely thought to ask I to be Becky''s bridesmaid but forgot the real reason why John came today. Everything would be ruined if John said something he shouldn''t say in front of Aron''s grandfather who was also there. "Brother, calm down and don''t worry. I will..." Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. John did not let Mandy continue. "I took Aron back home, met all of our rtives and even almost got married four years ago. I am sure you knew about it at that time. Unfortunately something happened between Aron and Becky and I went through the most miserable time of her life. But you never heard anything from us. We have learned to let it go. We don''t care whom Becky marries, because it is her right and her own decision. But leave my daughter out of this. I know her well. She would never hurt people, let alone Aron''s grandmother. I will not allow anyone to smear her name. As her father, I will protect her. You will have to go through me." "Becky, what he is talking about? What does he mean? I''ve never heard this before. He just said Aron almost got married to I. Is that true?" Mike looked at Becky and asked in total confusion. Becky, her face filled with embarrassment, couldn''t reply immediately, because she knew that she would give herself away if she did. Instead, Becky went to I and said, "Sister, it was just a misunderstanding. I have been with Aron for four years and we are getting married soon. Would you like to be my bridesmaid? I hope you would share this joy with us." said Becky. John was too preupied with his own thoughts and it took him a little while to notice that there were other people in the room. When he saw Aron also standing there, John stepped forward with a frown and said, "You are Aron, aren''t you? I haven''t seen you for four years." "Yes, it''s me, Uncle John." Aron was respectful in front of John. But John was not moved by his politeness. This was the man who hurt his daughter immensely. He had not forgiven him. "I actually did not want to meet you again. You broke I''s heart once. Why are you trying to hurt her again?" John paused then burst into a sneer. "You have known I for a long time. What kind of girl do you think she is? Do you really believe that she would hurt your grandmother? She is such a kind girl! She won''t hurt anyone." "Uncle John, I..." Aron was unable to answer John at that moment, because Mandy and Becky were also around and they should not suspect him. If that happened, his grandma''s condition could worsen. "Brother, I have exined it to Aron. It was just an ident. We are going to be family with him soon and we will not be pressing any charges. I can assure you that." Mandy hastily stepped towards John. "But today is a happy day for Aron and Becky, so let''s not make any more trouble, okay?" Becky also took I''s hands and cheerfully said, "Sister, you agree to be my bridesmaid, right? You must wish us both a happy life." "Becky, you have gone too far!" I was furious. "I don''t care who you are going to marry. But I will never be your bridesmaid. So you''d better stop dreaming." "Aron..." Becky turned to Aron looking for sympathy, "Look at I. She said she will never be my bridesmaid. Help me persuade her." Becky then continued, "I have been abroad with you for so many years that I lost contact with my friends. If she declines to be my bridesmaid, I don''t know who else to ask." Aron didn''t expect Becky to ask him to persuade I to be her bridesmaid. How could he make such a request to I if not to intentionally hurt her? He asked her to trust him and promised that he would handle this not long ago. But now, two dayster, he was going to get married to another woman. He went back on his words in such a short span of time. I waited. Will Aron make such an unreasonable request? "Aron, help me persuade I please." Becky was behaving like a spoiled brat. Becky held Aron''s hands. Aron merely stared at I without uttering a single word. Then I took the courage to ask, "Aron, do you really want me to be Becky''s bridesmaid?" asked I, her eyes filled with sadness. But Aron still remained silent, so she continued, "If that is what you want, for me to be her bridesmaid, I will agree without a moment''s hesitation. Please say something." Becky smiled triumphantly and nudged Aron, "Do you hear that, Aron? As long as you give your nod, she will agree to be my bridesmaid. Say it. She will listen to you." Aron was split, but finally said, "I, now that Becky wants you to be her bridesmaid, you..." He paused, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Could you please be her bridesmaid?" Aron finally asked in a very low voice while his heart sank with unfathomable bitterness. Chapter 184 A Decided Slap Chapter 184 A Decided p I, all of sudden, wanted to attend the wedding and nodded in approval. With a forced smile she promised Aron, "Well, as you wish, I will be her bridesmaid." "My dear daughter...." I''s Mum pulled her daughter aside and said with a sad voice "My silly daughter, if it is against your will, you do not need to undertake the bridesmaid. Nobody has the right to force you to do it." "Mum, I am Ok." I forced a smile. She wanted to witness the wedding ceremony because Aron wished it, "Mum and Dad, we had better leave now. They need to discuss the wedding and our presence is no longer required." "Well, let us go." With a heavy heart I''s Mum agreed. I''s Dad, overwhelmed with anger rushed towards Aron and gave him a furious p. Aron was caught off guard and felt the sting on his face. I''s Dad showed everyone what a father means to a daughter who had been wronged. "Uncle, how could you do this?" "My elder brother, you are going too far!" Mandy and Becky united their voices in protest. I''s Dad gave Aron a decided p with such power and might that it terrified Becky. "Are you Ok?" Becky rushed to Aron''s aid. "I''m alright!" Aron thought he deserved such a p from I''s Dad and did not object. "My elder brother, there is no justification for you to p my son-inw." Mandy protested. "I would p him, even if he was the most influential and powerful man in the world." I''s Dad said with determination. "Aron, since my daughter promised to be the bridesmaid at your wedding, I have to respect her decision. The main purpose of my visit today is to tell you of my confidence in my daughter, no matter how ill you think of her. I wish to invite police for a thorough investigation of why Joanna''s life His words rendered Mandy and Becky paralyzed with fear. "My elder brother, as I have told you, this matter has been dismissed by Aron''s family. There is no necessity in bringing this up again." Mandy said as she looked at her elder brother in embarrassment. "My daughter''s clean conscience defies any assusation!" I''s Dad cast a cold nce at her sister and said: "Mandy, I have seen through your tricks. I tried every means to support your schooling. What is more, my wife had suffered a miscarriage because of that. Despite everything, I expected nothing back from you. But now, we have decided to sever all family ties with you after the wedding." "My elder brother, how could you utter such nonsense...." Mandy looked at his elder brother in dismay. Ignoring Mandy, I''s Dad went to Mike and said: "Sir, I am sorry for the condition that your wife is in right now. But it has nothing to do with my daughter. If you wish to press this matter, we are ready to cooperate." I''s Dad might be a rough man from the countryside, but he was a man of principle. He brought his daughter to Mike and told her, "My dear daughter, apologize to this old gentleman." I obeyed and made a deep bow in front of Mike, "I feel awfully sorry for Joanna being in aa. It has rendered me powerless to defend myself because only she can tell the truth now. However, I will ept whatever investigation you make on this matter. Last but not the least, I wish Aron and Becky a happy wedding." Afterwards, I turned to her father, "Let''s go, Dad." "Ok." I''s Dad agreed, "Let''s go home." I''s Dad had mixed feelings: Aron was meant to be his son-inw, who was about to marry someone else. They were, in the end, not destined for each other. I''s family had already left, but suspicions started to grow inside Mike. It was his first time to meet I''s Dad who, although dressed in simple clothes, was a man of great esteem. He somehow believed the defense I''s Dad made for his daughter. Mike was confused, thinking of the incident four years ago as brought forth by I''s dad. He asked Mandy, "Can you please exin to me why that family was insisting that I and my grandson were a couple in the past?" "Well..." Mandy did not expect that she would be challenged with this question. She hated I''s family and wished that they had nevere. "My grandpa, this incident.... it is my fault." Becky had to acknowledge her error and said to Mike, "My cousin and Aron used to be a couple. I had a crush on Aron, but I was also happy to see the two of them stay happy together." Becky paused and continued. "My cousin and Aron came to celebrate my birthday where all of us got drunk. Aron and I somehow slept together. It was something that my cousin had the greatest difficulty to forgive. I know that I am partly responsible for it. What''s worse, I got pregnant, so..." Becky sighed and continued her story "Afterwards I followed Aron to America. I never thought that my my cousin would still resent me, despite the passing of the years." "Becky is telling the truth." Mandy came to Beck''y aid. "It was Becky''s fault. But her long devotion to Aron should be enough to make up for her mistakes. I take the liberty to ask for your forgiveness..." Mandy talked with a ttering smile and said to Mike, "This is really embarrassing, I am awfully sorry." "........" Mike said nothing. Aron drew closer to him and said, "Grandpa, we had better take a leave now." "All right." Mike nodded gently and said to Mandy, "We have decided on the wedding affairs for the time being. Becky and Aron should adjust the details as necessary." This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "All right, grandpa, let me walk you out." Becky offered but was declined by Mike. Chapter 185 Dont Tell Becky Chapter 185 Don''t Tell Becky After leaving Becky''s house, Mike turned to Aron and asked, "Becky said that you used to date I. Is it true?" "More or less, " replied Aron. As he started the car, he said to Mike, "Grandpa, I have something to tell you." Mike responded with a stone face, "If you intend to persuade me to call off your wedding, don''t say anything at all. The wedding has been finalized and impossible to change." Mike continued, "I don''t care what happened between you and I. Now that you chose Becky, you should take responsibility for it. Got it?" Aron thought with a frown, ''I never nned to really marry her. It was just a stopgap.'' He exined, "Grandpa, you misunderstood me. The matter I am going to discuss with you has nothing to do with Becky or I." "Now grandma is still in aa. Two days ago the doctor told me that she might be in aa indefinitely. Then I met Arthur. He told me that grandma could wake up if he did the operation himself. So I want to ask your opinion. Do you consent to grandma getting an operation?" Mike asked with a frown, "Did you mean Arthur..." Aron nodded, "Yes." He continued, "I have a friend who is on good terms with Arthur. With his help, Arthur has returned from abroad. He checked on grandma and said that grandma had a good chance of waking up if he performed the surgery." Aron paused, and then went on, "Grandpa, I hope that grandma could wake up soon. Grandma must be happy to attend my wedding ceremony. But I want to know your opinion. Do you agree... to this surgery?" Mike raised his eyebrow and asked, "What... are the risks?" Although Joanna was in aa, at least she was alive. As with any surgery, there are always risks. Mike didn''t know whether he should agree to it or not. "Any surgery is risky. But Arthur said that he would do his best." Aron also had worried about this. ''But if we don''t try, grandma might be in aa for the rest of her life.'' He continued, "Grandpa, we can''t watch grandma wasting in bed. If we don''t give it a shot, grandma might not wake up again. I think that we should let Arthur do the surgery. For now, no one except Arthur can help us." Mike was lost into thought. ''Joanna is a proud woman. She would rather die than lie lifelessly like a vegetable.'' He also wanted to give it a try even if the chances were slim. After hesitating, Mike made up his mind and asked, "When can she have the surgery?" Aron replied, "At any time. Arthur will stay for the time being. If you still have concerns, I can arrange for you to meet him." "There is no need, " said Mike decidedly, shaking his head. He then went on, "I trust him. If your grandma is to undergo surgery, we should set the date as soon as possible. It would be best if she could wake up before your wedding." Aron responded with a little nod, "Don''t worry. I will get everything ready." He advised, "Grandpa, we''d better not tell Becky about grandma''s surgery." "Why not?" Mike asked, looking confused. "She has been taking care of Joanna. No one knows her condition better than Becky. Now Joanna is going to have a surgery, but I couldn''t keep herpany day and night. We need someone to look after her. Becky is going to be your wife. We will be a family soon. We shouldn''t keep her in the dark, " Mike continued. "You''re right. But Becky is busy preparing for the wedding, so I don''t want to bother her with this. Besides, we don''t know when grandma could wake up after the surgery. I also want to surprise her. I will find grandma a care giver who can look after her better than Becky." Aron paused, and then continued, "We have been together for long. I know that I owe her a lot. Now our wedding will be held, so I want her to focus on that. I don''t want her to worry about grandma. A professional care giver can take better care of grandma. Do you want to see Becky prepare for the wedding while looking after grandma? She will get tired. " "But..." Aron''s words made sense, so Mike didn''t object anymore. He sighed, "I never thought that you would treat Becky so well. Fine, I won''t tell her about this." Aron said with a smile, "Grandpa, thank you!" ''Now I need to arrange the surgery, '' thought Aron to This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. himself. Aron drove Mike home, then called Charles and told him of their decision. Charles happened to be in the hospital, so he went to Arthur. Arthur had been meeting with other doctors since his return. When Charles saw him, he had juste back to his office to rest. "Mr. Lu, what brought you here?" Arthur asked, craning his neck as if he was looking for someone. Charles replied, "I came alone." He noticed the disappointment on Arthur''s face. Arthur returned to his seat, poured Charles a cup of tea and asked, "What can I do for you?" Charles replied, "The patient''s family agreed to have the surgery. I hope that you can schedule it soon." Arthur responded with frown, "Mr. Lu, we both know that I agreed to do you this favor on Autumn''s ount. You promised me that..." Chapter 186 I Am Glad You Are Back Chapter 186 I Am d You Are Back "Don''t worry. As long as you do the surgery, I will bring her to meet you. I can assure you this." Charles said calmly. "She is preupied with so many things that I am afraid she would have no time to meet you at the moment." "Well, I just want to know... I just want to know if she is fine." Arthur bit his tongue as he was about to say something. He was anxious to know what happened to Autumn in these years. "No, to be frank she is not fine, " replied Charles. Charles shook his head slightly. Autumn had gotten involved in a series of troublesome affairs. Her grandmother''s illness, I''s ident as well as Yvonne''s drama drained all of her energy. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you." Charles said. "Autumn''s grandma is also in this hospital and she is in critical condition. If you want to see her, I suggest that you do it soon. She is running out of time and you may not have many chances to meet her." After Charles left, Arthur checked at the information desk which room Autumn''s grandma was confined then hurried to it. Autumn happened to be there feeding her grandmother some porridge. "Do you like it? Does it taste good?" Autumn asked softly with a smile. Her weak grandmother nodded slightly, smiling back at her, "Autumn, you don''t have to feed me. I can eat on my own." "Don''t move, grandma. I''m happy to do it." Autumn scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it a little to cool it then gently put it in her grandma''s mouth. "Grandma, I still remember, you used to feed me like this and you always took good care of me. Now it is my turn to take care of you. " "What a good girl." Grandma reached out her hands, patting Autumn''s back gently and said, "I am so lucky to be your grandmother and to have you in my life. I could die without any regret." "Grandma, please don''t talk like that. You are my only family. Please don''t leave me alone in this world." Autumn''s eyes glistened with tears. "Grandma, my heart breaks when you say that. Never talk like that again. Promise me, grandma. As long as I am here, I won''t let anything happen to you. You will get better and help me take care of my children. You have to make it through." The poor olddy was amused by Autumn''s words. She held Autumn''s cheeks and cherished this beautiful moment. "I''m d to hear that from you, my sweetheart, but I am afraid that I would be too old to help you. I am unable to take care of myself now." She barely finished talking when she coughed and panted for breath, which scared Autumn. Autumn hastily took a ss of water from the bed stand. "Are you okay, grandma? Do you need to take a sip of the water?" "Don''t worry about me, Autumn. I am fine." Her grandmother reassured Autumn. Even though she knew that she had only a few days left to live, she didn''t want Autumn to worry. She only wished happiness for her granddaughter. Autumn gazed at her poor skinny grandmother, feeling helpless. Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Autumn looked to find a man standing by the door. He even stared at Autumn without a blink until Autumn frowned. "I am sorry, Sir. I am afraid that you are in the wrong ward." said Autumn softly. Arthur was wearing in clothes so Autumn thought that he had somehow gotten lost. "No, he isn''t." Autumn''s grandmother, lying quietly on the bed, suddenly spoke. Arthur didn''t move his eyes from Autumn until he heard Autumn''s grandmother. "Grandma, do you know him? Is he your friend?" Autumn asked, a little confused. "Yes. Of course I know him. Autumn, please help me up." After so many years, she could still recognize Arthur. The poor olddy understood that she was dying and Autumn was the only one she cared about in this world. If the Zhao family would acknowledge Autumn as one of their own, then she might die in peace. However, Autumn was confused. She neither knew this man nor did she know why he was there. Autumn helped her grandmother up, propping up a pillow behind her to make her morefortable. "How do you feel now, grandma? You have to tell me if it hurts." "I am fine, " replied her grandmother. She patted Autumn''s hands and said with a smiled, "Autumn, I want to eat something. Could you go get me some fruit?" "Okay. I will be back soon." Autumn knew that it was merely an excuse of her grandmother to send her out, but she said nothing and walked out of the ward quietly. They needed to talk in private. As soon as Autumn closed the door, her grandmother got off from the bed and knelt down in front of Arthur. "Arthur, I am so sorry. It is my fault. I didn''t take good care of Bowen. I am really sorry." She began to breathe heavily. Arthur stepped forward and held her. "Emily, what happened to you? Why are you so sick? You didn''t take care of yourself?" He held her to the bed and then continued to ask, "I haven''t seen you in decades. How did this happen to you?" Suffering from an illness all year, Emily lost a lot of weight and looked frail. If not for her big beautiful eyes, Arthur almost did not recognize her. She used to be graceful and pretty. Arthur was upset. If Bowen didn''t fall in love with Wendy, he would not have run away. Emily wouldn''t have had to go through any suffering with her granddaughter. In order to take care of Autumn, Emily didn''t get married. She was the only true family that Autumn had ever known. "What happened all these years? Tell me, Emily." Arthur looked guilty. If he''d known earlier that Autumn had gone through so much misery, he would havee back from abroad much sooner. "I am fine, Arthur. Don''t worry." Emily shook her head. "My life is worthless. The most important thing for me is to take care of Autumn and to see her live a happy life. Then I won''t be a failure when I die." "You still look the same as before. You are still handsome and refreshing." she said, smiling bitterly. "Emily, why didn''t you give me a call when you experienced so many difficulties and hardship. Bowen is a fool, but you should have known what to do. He is my son and Autumn is my granddaughter. Do you think I would turn a deaf ear to you?" Arthurmented. He was just hurt when Bowen disregarded his advice and insisted on marrying Wendy. For a long time, Arthur tried to find them, but Bowen had run away to a ce where his family couldn''t find him. Arthur then went abroad and it was forgotten. Emily expressed much regret. "I did try to contact you several years ago, but I couldn''t reach you." Arthur was silent, then he remembered that he changed his phone number when he moved abroad. He This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. was ovee with regret as he learned that they had gone through so much suffering. He was eager to make it up to them. "But I thank the heavens that you are back now. Autumn will not be left alone and helpless." Emily felt relieved. "Arthur, she is your granddaughter. Though she is also the daughter of that vicious woman, Wendy, Autumn is innocent." Emily grabbed Arthur''s hands. "Autumn is softhearted just like her father. I am really worried that no one will take care of her and protect her after my death. But now that you are here. I am really happy." Chapter 187 Old Sweetheart Chapter 187 Old Sweetheart "Emily, say no more." Arthur said with a frown, "You are not well now. Let me carry out a checkup for you." Arthur stretched out his hand to check her situation, but she stopped him and said, "Arthur, that''s not necessary. You are a good doctor, but I know my health condition very well. I know I''m dying." Emily had given her whole life in service of the Zhao family. Arthur was deeply grieved by her physical condition. "Emily, you..." he murmured. "Don''t be sad." Emily smiled. "Everyone dies. I can take care of Bowen in the other world after my death. Arthur, could you please take Autumn home with you?" Emily worried that Arthur would refuse to acknowledge Autumn because of Wendy. She asked with a hopeful expression, "You will take Autumn back home, right? After all, she is your granddaughter." Before Arthur could say anything, Emily continued, "Autumn is a good girl. She was well behaved just like Bowen. She was also obedient towards Bowen and me. Sometimes too obedient that Wendy manipted her. That''s why I''m so worried about her." "Rest assured, I''m here to take her back." Arthur patted Emily''s hand tofort her. "I will take both of you back to the Zhao family." Emily was ted at Arthur''s first half of the sentence, but after listening to thest half of it, she frowned slightly. "I don''t have to." It was enough for Emily that Autumn could go back to the Zhao family. She had long felt responsible for Bowen''s early death because she didn''t take good care of him. She fell into low spirits and refused to get treatment. She also had to take care of Autumn who was just a child at that time. As a result, her health gave in. "That''s an order." Arthur insisted. Emily had devoted herself to the Zhao family. Arthur made up his mind to have her spend her remaining years in happiness. Emily said no more. Arthur adjusted the covers for her and said, "I''m going to check with the doctor regarding your condition. Have a good rest, Emily." When Autumn came back to the ward, Arthur had already left. Autumn asked, "Grandma, who was that man? I have never seen him before." "He..." Emily hesitated. She was unsure whether she should tell Autumn his true identity "He is an old friend of mine. We haven''t seen each other for decades. I didn''t expect to see him here. Maybe he heard that I was ill and came here to visit me." "Is he your old sweetheart?" Autumn was joking, but Emily did not find it funny. "Autumn, how can you say that?" This was the first time that Emily got mad at her. Autumn was startled and immediately retreated, "Grandma, please don''t get angry. I was just joking." "Please don''t make such jokes." Emily said in a cold tone, "I''m tired and want to rest. You may leave now." "Okay." Autumn smiled awkwardly, "Grandma, have a good rest. I''ll be backter." At that time, Yvonne was also at the hospital. Autumn had to take care of both her grandma and Yvonne. Although Autumn vowed that she would never take care of Yvonne, she did otherwise. After all, Yvonne was her sister who just had a miscarriage. Before Autumn reached Yvonne''s ward, she heard yells and screamsing from the room. "Get out! I don''t want to see your face!" Chris came out of the ward, crying. Autumn ran towards her and asked, "Chris, I told you to stay home and not toe here. Why are you here?" "Autumn..." Chris said in a choked voice, "I was worried about her, so I bought some fruits. I just wanted to check if she was alright. But..." Chris cast a nce at the closed door, and cried even harder. "Chris." Autumn grabbed her hands andforted her, "She is an ill-tempered person. She always mes other people and never reflects on herself. I will take care of her. You can go home now." "Autumn..." Chris stopped Autumn and gave her the fruits. "Please bring these fruits to her. If she refuses to forgive me and insists on calling the police, I''m okay with that." "Don''t worry about it. You will be fine!" Autumn pushed the door open. Yvonney on the bed with her back to the door. "I told you, get out of my room. Why are you still here?" "It''s me." Autumn put the fruits on the table and asked, "Yvonne, are you feeling better now? Are you still ufortable?" "Autumn!" Yvonne gnashed her teeth and demanded, "Why are you here? Are you here to mock me?" Autumn sneered as she looked Yvonne in the eye saying, "Your mother didn''t evene here to take care of you. How pathetic you are! Yvonne, you are such an ungrateful person and a loser. Shame on you!" "Bitch! I hate you!" Yvonne screamed as she pounced on Autumn. She detested Autumn. If it weren''t for her, she would not have ended up like this. She just had a miscarriage and Charles probably already knew about it. She was totally screwed. "Behave yourself, Yvonne Gu!" Autumn pushed Yvonne away. Yvonne was weak after the miscarriage. She crumbled to the floor, "I''m screwed. Charles knew I was pregnant. He will never ever fall in love with me now..." "I''m here to tell you that I will hire a nurse for you. She will take care of you while you are here. Don''t worry. I''ll pay for everything." reassured Autumn. She looked at Yvonne and felt sad for her. "Don''t worry. I won''t tell anyone that you lost a baby." People in Y City are very conservative. If they found out that Yvonne had gotten pregnant before marriage, she will be the talk of the town. It would be very hard for Yvonne to find a good husband in the future. Yvonne, however, was ungrateful and only managed a bitter smile "Autumn Ye, do you think I will appreciate that? I''m telling you, as long as I''m alive, I will fight you." Autumn looked Yvonne in the eye and said in a cold voice, "Yvonne Gu, I''ve never thought of here, Charles would never ever fall in love with you. So stop with your delusions!"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 188 Dislike Chapter 188 Dislike "No, you''re lying!" Yvonne retorted. She always had the assumption that Charles refused to ept her because of Autumn. "Autumn, I will not spare you!" she continued with hatred in her voice. Autumn could feel a headache approaching. Somehow, she still felt sorry for Yvonne. Sighing, she said, "Yvonne, I hope I won''t see your face again. Take care of yourself." But Yvonne yelled at her, asking her to stay. "I need to see Charles, do you hear me? I need to see him right now!" She demanded as she grabbed her hand to keep her from leaving. "Yvonne, why do you..." Autumn asked, her forehead wrinkling into a frown. ''Everything can''t be salvaged, what''s the point of her meeting with Charles? Besides, he won''t even agree to meet with her.'' Autumn thought to herself. "Stay!" Yvonne cried out once again, looking distressed. "If you don''t bring him here, I will call the police. I''m sure he''lle to see me after Chris has been put behind bars." She threatened. "You..." Autumn trailed off, now looking at Yvonne with much distaste. After a few moments of silence, she finallyplied, "Alright. I will find him and bring him here." When Autumn walked out of the room, she immediately saw Charles who was standing just outside. He had left Emily''s ward when he was told that Autumn was with Yvonne. Not wanting to see the face of Yvonne, he didn''t enter the ward. Autumn stepped forward at the sight of her husband. "Charles, here you are, " Autumn uttered gently as she embraced Charles. So much had happened these past few days. If Charles hadn''t kept herpany, she couldn''t have gotten through all of those days alone. Therefore, she felt really lucky to have him by her side. "What''s wrong?" Charles asked, staring at Autumn in his arms. "Did Yvonne give you a hard time again?" He continued, concern painting his face. Hearing the name of that woman made Autumn frown. "No, she didn''t¡­" She muttered, unable to finish her sentence. She took a deep breath and thought of ways she could tell Charles about Yvonne''s demand to meet him. "Tell me. What did she want this time?" Charles asked, noticing the hesitation on Autumn''s face. "Well, she¡­ She asked to meet with you alone. Otherwise, she will call the police and make sure that Chris will be jailed." Autumn answered, raising her eyebrows. ''Yvonne is my sister. I''m really sorry that she has brought the Lu Family so much trouble, '' Autumn mused guiltily. "Charles, I am really sorry. I..." Autumn couldn''t help but put the me on herself for getting Chris into so much trouble. After all, Chris had pushed Yvonne for her sake. But now, Autumn didn''t know what to do to make things better. She found herself at a loss. "Chris is fine now. You should stop ming yourself. If she really wants to see me then I will go see her. It''s really not a big deal, Autumn." Charles tried to console her, stroking Autumn''s hair tenderly. "Charles, you don''t have to¡­" Autumn said, frowning. "You don''t need to force yourself if you really don''t want to see her, I''ll go talk to her, " she continued after a pause. "It''s alright, don''t worry. I can handle this, " Charles responded, smiling reassuringly. He wasn''t afraid of Yvonne''s threat. He knew that it was the right time to finally settle things between him and Yvonne. "I''ll go inside. Wait here and I''ll be with you shortly, " he instructed Autumn. "Okay, " Autumn nodded in response. She watched Charles enter the ward as she sat on the bench anxiously. As soon as Charles stepped into the ward, Yvonne immediately ran towards him and grasped his arm. "Charles, I''ve been waiting for you! It''s so good to see you, " she said with a happy smile. "I heard that you wanted to see me. Here I am. What do you want to tell me?" Charles asked, pushing Yvonne away. "I¡­" Yvonne became upset as she looked at Charles. ''This handsome, rich man was almost mine. Now, everything is gone, '' she thought to herself. "Charles, can you stay here and talk to me? I have so many things to tell you, " she told Charles, staring at him obsessively. Charles red at Yvonne, contempt clear in his eyes. "Yvonne, I came here for Autumn''s sake. Say whatever you have to tell me now. I''m not going to waste any more time here with you, " he said coldly. Yvonne finally snapped when she heard him say her sister''s name. "Autumn! Autumn again!" She screamed crazily. "What is it about her? Why did you choose her instead of me?!" She yelled out in rage, gnashing her teeth in the process. "I admit that I shouldn''t have run away from our wedding ceremony. But I''ve finally realized my mistake. I fell in love with you the first time we met. I did everything just to be with you, even after you became my brother-inw. Please, Charles! Can you give me one more chance..." she begged, gripping Charles''s sleeves desperately. But before Yvonne could even finish her words, Charles shook her off and stepped away. "Yvonne, I came here to see you because I have something to tell you, " he said. "When Autumn and I got married, I was initially unkind towards her because we were forced to marry. In the beginning, we promised not to touch each other and made sure that our marriage was just for N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. show. But then I got to know her and found out that she waspletely different from what I initially thought. I started to doubt and see her real identity. When I realized she''s not the same as you, I was filled with joy. I couldn''t stop my feelings for her ever since then. And before I know it, I was already falling deeply in love." "You always thought that I should love you just because you''re the real Yvonne. If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have met her. Today, I want to tell you that the one I really love is Autumn, and it will always be her. Have I made myself clear?" he said, scowling at her. Yvonne''s face turnedpletely white with embarrassment. She never expected that Charles could say those words directly to her face. ''He even felt d I escaped from our wedding. How ridiculous!'' "Charles, don''t you have any feelings for me? Have you ever loved me?" Yvonne asked, unable to ept the words he said, clearly in denial. "I have never liked you, " Charles replied straightforwardly. "If you hadn''t done all the things you did, we might still be rtives. But now¡­ you''re just a mere stranger to me." "I''m done here. Have a good rest and take care of yourself, Yvonne, " Charles dered, giving her a