Willow returned to the hotel at noon. She had just reached her room when she received a call from Helen. "Willow, I'm home. Don't worry, Mr. Bassett sent me straight to our doorstep."Helen was acting as if nothing had happened, which angered Willow. She said sulkily, "What do I have to be worried about? You got into his car. Why didn't you ask him in for dinner?""I did, but Mr. Bassett seems busy this afternoon, so I asked him for dinner this Saturday.""What?"Willow could not believe her ears. "Mom, do you know who he is? He would never agree to come for dinner at our place.""He already did.""He agreed? That's impossible.""Why is it impossible? No matter how important someone is, they still need to eat. They can't just survive on air. Besides, didn't you tell me that Mr. Bassett sold secondhand cars?""I …" Willow was flustered. "In any case, I've already invited Theodore, so remember to come home this Saturday. Cedar is at home for the holidays, too."Willow felt
The court session was set for Friday. On the day of the court session, Matthew met Willow in advance. "If they really decide to make the driver the scapegoat, then we won't be able to threaten them with the material that we currently have. They may say that the assets of Strand Real Estate are all premarital property. The situation doesn't look good.""If that's the case, then what should we do?""If that really is the case, we can appeal to the court to investigate Quentin and even the entire Strand family. We have reason to believe that he transferred marital property. However, if we do so, this lawsuit will be dragged out for a long time.""How long?""The shortest time will be three to five months; at the longest, it will be one or two years. It's hard to say."Willow frowned, and she clenched her fist involuntarily. She had been too naïve. She had handed over all her property to Quentin for safekeeping during their marriage, and she didn't have much money in her account
There was a series of knocks on the door. Theodore looked up and saw the woman standing behind Clark. She looked very refreshing in blue and white. She wore a white, puff-sleeved blouse tucked into her blue, high-waist jeans, and she carried a beige-colored bag. Her mature and minimalistic style made her look effortlessly elegant. "Mr. Bassett."The formal greeting jolted Theodore out of his good mood, and he frowned slightly. Willow entered the office, and Clark tactfully closed the door behind him. "Mr. Bassett, I came here especially to thank you. Thank you for helping me.""I'm tired of hearing that all the time. I'm not helping you. I'm helping myself.""Huh?" Willow could not understand. Theodore asked, "What plans do you have for the future?"Willow thought Theodore was asking her about work. She said seriously, "Although I've left Strand Real Estate, I'm still the one who signed on for the project with Bassett Corporation. I will continue to take responsibility
Theodore's gaze swept coldly over Hailey. "What did Grandma ask you to send over?"Hailey gritted her teeth but maintained her smile while looking at Theodore. She raised the lunchbox in her hand. "Grandma's worried you're not eating well, so she asked me to send you lunch.""Leave it."Hailey took a deep breath and she started opening the lunchboxes one by one in front of Willow. "Theo, these are all made according to your taste. Especially this soup—Grandma taught me how to make it. Try it!""Really? Then I should try it."Hailey didn't even have time to be happy. Theodore stuffed a fork and knife into Willow's hands right before Hailey. "You haven't had lunch yet, have you? Have some."Willow was shocked, and so was Hailey. When the secretary in the doorway saw this scene, he slowly backed away, eager to avoid the bloodbath. Willow's lips twitched. "It's fine, I'm busy. I …""Theo wants you to try it, so try it. I made a lot, anyway." Hailey pretended to be generous, and
When Hailey had left, Theodore called his secretary in."Mr. Bassett, you called?""Throw it all away."The secretary took a moment to realize that his boss was referring to the lunchboxes on the table. "Okay.""In the future, do not let her come to the office without my permission.""But Madam Sara is the one who told Ms. Godfrey to come. If Madam Sara tells her to come again …"Theodore looked coldly at the secretary and said accusingly, "Am I the president of Bassett Corporation, or is it Madam Sara?"The secretary jumped and broke out in a cold sweat.Luckily, Clark returned then and immediately told the secretary to clean up and get out. When they were out of the office, he scolded the secretary. "Is this your first day working here? Don't you know who's in charge at Bassett Corporation? Don't you know what the boss hates the most is when people use Madam Sara against him?"The secretary had turned white. "But Clark, Ms. Godfrey said that she and the boss are childhood
Willow stopped in her tracks. Theodore was getting married? Just moments ago, he had been whispering sweet words into her ear."Miss, where do you want to go?" the driver questioned, bringing Willow out of her daze.After a brief pause, she replied, "Grandiose Hotel."As the car navigated through the city, Willow fixed her gaze on the towering Basette Corporation. Hailey's words echoed in her mind, and a wave of irritation swept over her. She should have known better than to believe Theodore had fallen for her. He was well aware of her recent divorce and the unlikelihood of her remarrying soon. Yet, he was toying with her feelings all along, pretending to consider marrying her. He was no different from other men!As night descended, Quentin stumbled home in a drunken haze, assisted to the door by his chauffeur. Stephanie quickly rushed to take over from the driver upon spotting Quentin."Welcome home, Quentin! Seriously, why did you have to drink so much?" she chided. "I'm
The next morning, Willow stepped out of the elevator and into the hotel lobby. She then spotted Matthew waiting in the lounge.Willow quickly approached him and apologized, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Matthew."Glancing at the time, she added, "Was I late? I thought we agreed on meeting at 9:30 pm?"The truth was, she and Matthew were planning to house-hunt together. Since leaving Strand Villa, Willow had been looking for a new place. Unfortunately, the lawsuit had been keeping her occupied. Now that the case was resolved, she could finally focus on finding her new residence. Conveniently, Matthew's friend had a room available in an apartment.Smiling, Matthew reassured her, "You're not late. I came early to avoid traffic.""On a Saturday? Isn't it unlikely to have traffic jams?" Willow questioned in confusion."I guess it slipped my mind." Matthew chuckled."Looks like even great attorneys make mistakes," Willow teased.Matthew simply smiled in response. He suggested, "Shall
Willow felt satisfied as she finally moved out of the Strand Villa and severed all ties with the Strands. Plus, she found the perfect home. It felt like the tides were finally turning in her favor.Matthew gazed silently at the inspiring woman before him. The admiration in his eyes slowly shifted to a longing gaze, and then a determined resolve took over. This time, he wouldn't let the chance slip away.He suggested, "How about we grab something at the nearby Walmart? It's just a 10-minute walk. I can help you carry things back. You might not manage it all on your own. Your car is still at the Strands', right? Why not use mine for these two days?"However, Willow shook her head and replied, "No, it's alright. I'm not working right now, and I don't have to go to the office unless there are projects to follow up on. I'll just take a cab."Matthew felt a twinge of disappointment at her response. Still, he said, "I see. Let me know if you need anything.""Thank you for your concern an