Sure enough, the next moment, Haley's father, Joe, slowly spoke, "Haley, is it true or false that you're marrying Mr. Ford?""Does it make any difference to you whether it's true or false?"Joe was caught off guard by her words, momentarily unsure of what to say. After a brief silence, he finally found his voice again and smiled, "Of course, it matters. You're my daughter. How could you not discuss such a big decision with me?"Haley scoffed, "Even if I told you, would you have a say in it?"Joe choked again, his face burning hot. He really did not have a say in it. Shane was the one who called the shots in Jasper City. Who dared to provoke him? If he wanted a woman, wasn't it just a matter of saying so?But facing Haley, he did not want to lose face, so he said sternly, "Haley, how can you say such things to your father? I hope you'll be happy."Haley did not buy into his nonsense, deciding not to waste any time on him. She got straight to the point, "Alright, what do you want f
Joe felt his face flush with embarrassment, wishing he could dig a hole and bury himself in it. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would be on the receiving end of a lecture from Shane. Yet, he could not find any excuse to refute, so he could only retort in annoyance, "Mr. Ford, this is a matter concerning our Carter family. You shouldn't meddle in it!"Shane's lips curved into a chilly arc, his gaze growing colder by the moment. "Haley is my wife, so her affairs are mine as well. Or do you think I'm not worthy of being your Carter family's son-in-law?"Joe's heart sank, hastily denying, "No, that's not what I meant, Mr. Ford. I admit I was a bit harsh with Haley just now. I'm sorry."He now needed Shane's help and had no choice but to swallow his pride, even though he did not feel he was in the wrong. Haley was his daughter, and it was only natural for a father to discipline his daughter. In his view, Haley's arrogance stemmed from the favoritism shown to her by Shane.
"It seems like you're not doing too well. Did you not rest well last night?" Although Shane still appeared indifferent on the surface, his tone was filled with concern and care. Haley was immersed in guilt, her brows tightly furrowed. She pursed her lips, feeling overwhelmed with apology, making it hard for her to breathe."I'm sorry, Mr. Ford." Shane sat down beside her, but instead of getting close as usual, he maintained some distance. After a moment of silence, he asked her, "Haley, are you afraid of me?" Haley hurriedly denied, "No, I'm not!" How could she be afraid of Mr. Ford when he was so kind to her?"Then why are you avoiding me? Since last night, you've been avoiding me. Can you tell me what happened? Did I do something wrong?" Haley nervously swallowed, lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing. It was not fear or avoidance, just worry.She was worried that she would repeat her mother's mistakes. Initially, although Haley's father married her mother, his heart
After leaving Violet Grove, Shane went straight to his car. Dean, sitting in the driver's seat, felt a continuous low pressure emanating from the backseat and could not help but shiver. He hesitated for a moment but could not resist asking, "Mr. Ford, are we heading back to the company?"Shane slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping over Dean. Dean's back instantly stiffened, not daring to even take a breath. Fortunately, Shane quickly averted his gaze and instructed him, "Go to Nightshade Bar.""Yes, Mr. Ford."Although somewhat surprised, Dean followed Shane's orders and started the car towards Nightshade Bar. Shane stared out of the window at the scenery receding behind them for a while, then took out his phone and messaged Henry and Zac, "Meet at Nightshade Bar in 20 minutes."Approximately 20 minutes later, Dean parked the car in the underground parking lot of Nightshade Bar. Shane got out of the car and took the elevator directly to the top floor, entering a private r
This was also Shane's purpose in bringing the two of them together. Among the three of them, no one understood women better than Henry. As for Zac... he was just there to make up the numbers. At his age, never having been in a relationship, he surely could not help with anything. Shane pondered for a moment, then explained the recent abnormal behavior of Haley. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled, the thin smoke clouding his cold, stern face. Henry pondered for a moment, then exaggeratedly said, "Bro, you're hopeless. It's been how many days since you got married, and you've only been intimate once?" Shane was speechless. Was that the main issue here? Under Shane's deadly gaze, Henry quickly backtracked, "Bro, my bad. Could you elaborate more? Did your wife really suddenly change out of the blue? Was there no warning signs at all?" Shane fell into contemplation, then shook his head, "None." Just yesterday they had dinner together, and suddenly everything cha
At ten o'clock in the evening, Shane still had not returned. Haley lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Frustrated, she got up and dialed Shane's number. This was the tenth time she had called him tonight, yet he had not answered once. Listening to the busy tone on her phone, Haley could not help but start to worry. Could Mr. Ford still be upset about what happened during the day? She had not meant to upset him. At that time, her emotions were complicated, and she did not know how to face him. So when he approached, she instinctively dodged. In fact, in the split second when she met Shane's surprised gaze, she regretted it a bit. Regardless of whether Shane had a so-called unrequited love, at least she was his legal wife now. She should clarify things. If Shane really had feelings for someone else, then at least he should be honest with her. But if not...If not, what should she do? Haley did not dare to think about it, nor did she dare to hope. She closed her e
Upon hearing Shane's response, Haley felt like crying but could not shed a tear. Still, she attempted to reason with him, "Mr. Ford, I can hardly breathe. Could you loosen your grip a bit?" Shane slowly loosened his arms slightly but continued to hold her tightly, showing no intention of letting go. Haley sighed inwardly. If it weren't for the strong smell of alcohol emanating from him, she would have suspected that Shane was feigning drunkenness. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Could we at least sit on the couch? My legs are getting tired." Finally, Shane reluctantly lifted his face from Haley's shoulder. His gaze shifted downwards and he noticed Haley standing barefoot on the cold floor, causing his expression to soften. His eyes lingered on her fair and delicate feet for a while before he cleared his throat and bent down to scoop her up into his arms. As her body suddenly lifted off the ground, Haley could not help but gasp nervously, clutching onto Shane's neck tigh
Upon encountering Shane's deep and intense gaze, Haley's heart couldn't help but flutter. Shane was so close, his strikingly handsome face nearly touching hers.It felt like if he moved his lips slightly, he could kiss her. She panicked and averted her gaze, the fear in her bones suppressing the hint of emotion, making her subconsciously want to escape. But she forgot, Shane's hand was still tightly gripping hers. Shane was originally bent over, and when she retreated, his body followed suit, leaning forward. In an instant, Shane's body fell onto the sofa, pressing Haley beneath him. Time seemed to stand still... Everything around them fell into silence. The only sound in her ears was the erratic pounding of her heartbeat, louder than ever. Shane gazed at Haley affectionately, his well-defined fingers unconsciously caressing her fair and delicate cheek. In his deep and ancient eyes, there was years of suppressed, unspoken deep love. Haley stared blankly into Shane's profou