Renata had just finished speaking when she heard a soft cough coming from the doorway. Raising her eyes, she saw that it was Charles.He had come to Brookesville for a debrief. Upon hearing about Gwynn’s birthday, he took the opportunity to come over with a gift, only to overhear his ex-wife speaking ill of him.It was very awkward.After a moment, she said embarrassingly, "Life isn’t easy."Charles stared at her...After a while, he handed the gift to Gwynn and sincerely said, "This is a birthday gift for you, Gwynn. I also brought a little something for Ocelotte. I just saw the kids. They look really healthy."Gwynn didn’t refuse the gifts. After all, there was no need to make enemies, even on a surface level. She accepted the gifts and exchanged a few pleasantries with him. However, it was obvious that he was distracted, especially after Renata took her leave. He even responded to several questions with irrelevant answers.Gwynn smiled and sent Charles off after a brief con
Charles carried himself with such dignity that the servant recognized him as an important guest and attended to him diligently.Renata frowned and said, "Use the Lipton tea for Charles. The Earl Grey tea is reserved for Kian Carter."He retorted, "So I'm below someone now? What kind of relationship do you have with Kian? Have you two been doing the unspeakable things?"Renata completely ignored him. She leaned back on the sofa and dialed a number. When the call connected, her voice was soft and gentle, "Dr. Rueben, could you please come over? I have someone here who needs a check-up to ensure he doesn’t have any STDs."He almost jumped up in outrage. Pointing at her, he said, "We've only been divorced for three months. Do I really have to do a body checkup before I can sleep with you? I’m clean.“How many men have gone through the same thing? Tell me, Renata, did you come to Brookesville just to sleep with men?"She put down the phone and lit another lady's cigarette. She said
Charles felt deeply satisfied. As Mrs. Chu went to soak in the bath and clean herself up, he leaned against the bedside, smoking and reminiscing about the sex they just had. He couldn't help but feel that he could go for another round.Being away from her for this long seemed to have stoked his deepest desires and gave him renewed vigor. Any man would’ve been pleasantly surprised!After he smoked two cigarettes, Renata emerged from the bathroom. She hadn't dried off completely and was wrapped in a snowy white bathrobe, her body adorned with water droplets, looking radiant and enchanting. As she applied lotion, her graceful figure became even more alluring. He couldn’t resist it anymore. He got out of bed and embraced her from behind. The comfort of the moment made him forget the humiliation and anger from the doctor's examination. Now, all he felt was that she was mischievously adorable.Resting his head on her shoulder, he asked tentatively, "Come back home after you've h
Gwynn asked Renata about her feelings on this. Renata was extremely nonchalant about it. She said, "He thinks I have an active sexual life in Brookesville, and I didn't explain anything, either. In any case, we won't get back together! I just can’t be bothered."Gwynn agreed with her wholeheartedly. She believed that Renata deserved a better life.…In the blink of an eye, it was Gwynn’s birthday celebration. At the same time, they were also celebrating because Ocelotte was three months old now. Noah rented out the entire Imperial Hotel for the occasion. He was now a powerful figure in Brookesville, able to command great influence.That evening, the venue was filled with prominent members of the high society. Even Gregory showed up. Noah recalled the phone call from years ago and still felt a pang of jealousy. He even nearly started a fight with Gregory on the spot. Fortunately, both men had reputations to uphold and managed to keep the peace, though it was a strained cour
That evening, Noah had a bit of alcohol in him. It wasn’t enough to make him drunk, but he certainly drank enough to become shamelessly clingy with his wife. He insisted on sharing a private limousine with her to enjoy some alone time.His playful antics were relentless. Gwynn, who had been busy caring for their three children and inadvertently neglecting him, decided to indulge him.However, as they were leaving the hotel, they unexpectedly ran into Anderson in the hallway.Noah narrowed his eyes slightly.He had rented out the entire hotel tonight. So, this encounter couldn't have occurred out of coincidence. He regarded Anderson with an indifferent gaze, who reciprocated in kind. It felt suffocating in the narrow and quiet corridor for the three of them.They didn’t say anything to each other until the very end. Instead, the two of them simply brushed past Anderson and headed toward their vastly different lives.…Gwynn remained silent as they sat in the car in the park
In the dead of night, they finally met again. It had been a year since their last encounter. Anderson had endured so much, yet Ayanna’s eyes still held a trace of innocence, an innocence that he despised. How could she live so peacefully after deceiving him? How could she appear before him again as if nothing had happened?He was filled with so much hatred that he wanted to tear apart this false beauty."It’s been a long time."They stood facing each other, the scattered neon lights casting a faint glow on his features, obscuring his expression. But his voice was very gentle, like the whispers between lovers.Underneath the starry sky, she wore simple clothes, carrying a bag with apples she had bought for Daphne. She planned to make applesauce for the latter when she got home. Dpahne was her and Anderson’s child. Her baby girl had fallen ill, so Ayanna brought her to Brookesville for treatment. After a month, her daughter’s condition had improved significantly. She hadn’t
Then, Ayanna laughed softly. That’s right. She came from a humble background. How could she refuse him?She got into his car. It’s a black Land Rover. He never used to drive such a car. Instead, he used to sit in the back seat of a black limousine, driven by a chauffeur. He would never smoke casually in the car either.The man before her was still Anderson, yet he wasn't. He had changed so much.He didn't ask for her address. It wasn’t like he cared. Stepping on the gas pedal, he took her straight to a villa.As the car entered a familiar alley, she exclaimed, "Why are we coming here?""Why not?" he replied.He turned off the engine and looked at her. The car's interior was dim, their profiles flickering in and out of shadow.He stared at her for a long time before speaking coldly, "I bought this place again last month. You’d be wrong if you think I did it out of nostalgia, Ayanna. I did it to remind myself of this disgraceful past, to remind myself never to trust a woman
Ayanna thought that once he vented his anger a few times, he would grow tired of it. Anderson might not have mentioned it, but she could tell from the sexual positions and kinks that his private life had likely been wild and reckless over the past year.Holding the gold card, she whispered, "I have a place to stay. I'll come over when you want to see me."He didn’t object to it. He didn't care where she stayed. All he wanted was to vent his hatred towards her. What he sought was not just physical release but to make her experience utter ruin and taste the bitterness of betrayal by a loved one. Merely toying with her a few times would be too merciful.Later, he left under the cover of night.…After a long while, Ayanna dragged her exhausted body to take a shower. Everything here was just as it used to be. Even the bathrobe was placed exactly where it had been before.Wrapping herself in the bathrobe, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She might’ve seemed pale, bu