The next morning, Yvonne packed her stuff and got ready to go to work at Miller Jewels after breakfast. "I'll pick you up after work tonight." Yvonne turned to look at Stephen. "Why?"Stephen said plainly, "I have two tickets to a musical, and going alone would be such a bore."Yvonne was momentarily stunned before getting her senses back. Was he trying to ask her out on a date? Not just any date, but a classy, romantic musical date. But she had zero interest in music! Words of rejection were already at the tip of her tongue when she met his firm gaze. He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Do you refuse?" Yvonne was tongue-tied. She sensed danger. Perhaps he wasn't discussing it with her but just informing her. At that point in time, she didn't want to have any misunderstandings with Stephen for fear that he'd get upset and cause new problems. Yvonne composed her emotions and nodded. "Okay, then I'll let you know when I get off work."After leaving Oceania Villa, Yvonne

Stephen had said it very softly, and Yvonne couldn't catch it because she hadn't been paying attention. She asked casually, "What?" "Nothing," said Stephen, and he steered his Maybach into the traffic, ending the conversation. They didn't have time for dinner because the musical started early. Yvonne felt hungry after a whole day at work and wanted to buy some snacks on the way to the musical theater. However, the theater was located on water, and she couldn't spot a single convenience store until they were in the parking lot.One's mind failed to function normally when they were hungry. When Stephen held out his hand, Yvonne went blank until she heard him say, "Hold my hand." Only then did she belatedly put her hand in his. They went inside through the VIP entrance and missed the two people who came in through the ticket collection entrance.Ariel was in a bad mood, and Katie had brought her out to cheer her up. "Hasn't Mr. Anderson returned from his business trip? Have you made u

A sudden drumbeat woke Yvonne up. Only when she opened her eyes did she realize that her head was resting on Stephen's lap. She was speechless for a moment. She didn't know when she'd fallen asleep or when she'd moved to sleep in such a scandalous position! Stephen sensed her movements and brushed some loose strands of her hair away from her face. "You're awake?"Yvonne felt slightly embarrassed and sat up hastily. "Why didn't you wake me up?""You were sleeping very soundly." It was also Stephen's first time seeing a woman slide her head from his shoulder to his chest, then onto his lap in her sleep without stirring. How could he bear to wake her up when she was sleeping so peacefully and also so comically? The tender smile in his eyes was shadowed under the dim light.Yvonne licked her lips and said, "Maybe the music's too good." Yvonne had been very smart and had been able to learn anything quickly since she was young, but she just had no talent in music. Not only did she not a

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Anderson. I'm the director of Rising Sun Group's Northerna headquarters, Peter Bowie.""A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bowie." Stephen shook Peter's hand and introduced Yvonne at Peter's inquiring look. "This is Yvonne Miller, CEO of Miller Jewels." There was nothing wrong with the way he introduced her, but Yvonne felt an inexplicable sense of displeasure. She gave Stephen a look before nodding at Peter in acknowledgement. Peter smiled back and turned his gaze to Stephen, handing him a business card. "It's an honor for Rising Sun to work with Anderson Group. I've always wanted to find a chance to thank you personally. Would you have the time to give me this honor, Mr. Anderson?"Stephen took the name card and said, "You're being too humble. I would surely make time if you sent me an invitation.""That's great!" Peter laughed jovially and said, "Then let's meet this weekend. My friend owns a turf club. How about we hang out there?" He looked at Yvonne and said,

"Shut up! Don't bring that up!" Ariel yelled, shocking Katie. The next moment, Ariel realized that she'd lost her composure and apologized hastily. "Katie, I'm sorry. I … I just don't like to hear about what happened in the past." She lowered her gaze and said, "That incident was a very huge blow to me."Katie got her senses back and said, "It's okay; I shouldn't have mentioned it." Katie had heard from Monica that Ariel had conceived Stephen's child. She could understand Ariel's feelings. Ariel had gotten pregnant with Stephen's child, but he'd forced her to abort it. That kind of pain would have been excruciating for any woman. She'd only brought it up by accident. Nevertheless, she hadn't expected Ariel to have such an explosive reaction."I'm feeling a little tired," said Ariel softly. "Katie, thanks for keeping me company for so long today." Katie didn't dwell on it and patted her on the shoulder. "Okay, then I'll get going now. Call me whenever you need me." Ariel nodded an

"What brings you here?" Peter asked as though he knew everything.Katie smiled and said, "I was the one who proposed the idea of Anderson Group's collaboration with Muguet, and you're in charge of entertaining Mr. Anderson today. How could I not tag along?"Peter knew what she meant by that. She could easily bypass him and meet with Mr. Anderson if she really wanted.He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Then he asked, "Are you saying that I've been neglecting you?"Katie waved her hand hurriedly and replied, "Oh, I wouldn't dare!"As they chatted with each other, Stephen and Yvonne finished changing their clothes and came out of the room.Stephen was a good-looking man with a great body. His clothes were fitted to his physique and showed off his beautiful silhouette.Yvonne also looked stunning as she stood beside him. Her neat riding clothes made her look sharp and heroic.Katie's facial expression soured when she saw that Yvonne was also here. She thought, "What is this u

Since she'd made a fool out of herself earlier at the racetrack, Katie wanted to redeem herself at dinner.Once they were all seated, the waiters began to bring out the dishes. It seemed like they were all Peter's favorite foods.Naturally, Peter was pleased with it and praised Katie for making the right selections.His praise boosted her confidence, so she raised her glass as a toast to all who were present.The second Stephen raised his glass, he could smell that something wasn't right.He glanced sideways at Katie just in time to see the smugness in her gaze. She knew that Stephen had driven over to the venue, so she was trying to show her consideration for him by swapping his glass of wine for a glass of grape juice. Katie was sure that this kind gesture would definitely win over his heart.However, Stephen held Yvonne's hand—the one she was using to hold her wine glass with—the very next second.Before Katie could react, he swapped glasses with Yvonne.Katie tightened he

Dinner ended when Peter got extremely drunk.Katie was very embarrassed and couldn't bring herself to face Stephen, so she used the excuse of taking Peter home to escape from the dining table. She then arranged for the racetrack employees to take Peter away.Yvonne and Stephen were a good distance away from the racetrack, and Yvonne was driving. She could barely keep her hands stable on the steering wheel because she was trying to hold back her laughter whenever she recalled the devastated look on Katie's face.Stephen had consumed a bit of wine during dinner, so he sat in the passenger seat with a hand propped on his forehead. His eyes were half-open as he glanced at Yvonne from the corner of his eyes. His lips were parted slightly in a faint smile.He hadn't expected that this little trick would make Yvonne so happy.Although Stephen had seen many sides of Yvonne, this was the first time he'd seen her like this. As such, he thought it was quite a novel scene.For a moment, Step

"I actually guessed that you had been acquainted with Mr. Bowie the first time we met."Stephen stared at Yvonne calmly and said, "You're acquainted with the director of Rising Sun Group's Northerna headquarters, and you're also acquainted with the head of QT. Yvonne, Yvonne, Yvonne … What other secrets do you have that I don't know about?"Yvonne had come up with another plan after speaking with Andy on the phone.Moreover, now that Stephen had already caught her in the act, there was no longer a need for her to conceal her appointment with Peter tomorrow.Yvonne thought for a moment before whispering, "The perfume that I gave you was actually specially produced in Mr. Bowie's studio."Stephen narrowed his eyes and asked, "You mean that perfume is one of its kind?""That's not it. What I mean is that I know how to blend perfumes. I once blended a perfume for Muguet, and Mr. Bowie has been trying to take me in as his apprentice ever since. Though I've never accepted his offer. Yo

Slowly, Ariel said, "I've promised Madam Elizabeth that I would drop by the suburban manor during Thanksgiving and spend some time with Old Mr. Anderson."Since Stephen was being so protective of Yvonne, Ariel was determined to pay her a visit and see what kind of person she was."Really?"Excitedly, Katie held Ariel's hand and said, "That's great, Ariel! Everyone knows that you're way more qualified to be Stephen's wife, you …"Ariel shook her head and said, "Don't say that. I still don't know what's going to happen for sure.""In any case, it's wonderful that you're willing to take that step!"Katie had forgotten whatever bad memories she'd had because of Yvonne. She was too busy being happy for Ariel.As long as Ariel could reclaim her rightful place by Stephen's side, she'd definitely make Yvonne pay for what she'd done.… Yvonne felt a shiver run down her spine the moment that she walked out of Cougar Coffees.She calculated that it would be two weeks before Thanksgivin