Afterward, Calla prepared to go out despite Jasmine's fervent disapproval. Jasmine was responsible for Calla's well-being, after all. She wouldn't let Calla leave and stopped her by the door. "Ms. Sherman, Mr. Garland said you aren't allowed to leave the house. If I let you out, he'll reprimand me later." As Calla put on her shoes, she explained, "I'll bear the consequences. Jasmine, I don't have appropriate clothes to visit my parents-in-law. You know how important first impressions are. Do you want me to become a thorn in their eye?" Jasmine thought for a moment and eventually relented. She could only insist, "I'll go with you. If anything happens, at least there'll be someone to take care of you." Calla exclaimed, "Jasmine, you're wonderful!" Soon, the two went to the mall.In the span of one afternoon, Calla bought multiple sets of clothing, a few pairs of shoes, and many bags. She used Mercer's card to pay for all of them, of course. After all, she was going to visit hi

His eyes passionately bore into hers, and Calla held her breath as she stared back. She whispered, "You… what are you trying to do?" She looked like a deer in headlights. Mercer was intrigued. He smiled slightly and asked, "What do you think I'm going to do?" Calla replied nervously, "About that… The doctor said I'm pregnant and that we can't…" Calla bit her lip. She was too embarrassed to finish her sentence. Mercer's gaze was dark as he pressed on, "What can't we do?" "We can't have sex," Calla spat. As the words left her mouth, her entire face flushed. Even the tips of her ears turned red. She was extremely nervous because he was a largely built man. If Mercer resorted to violence, she wouldn't be able to stand her ground, even for a moment. Mercer seemed to be satisfied when Calla said those words. He got up and walked toward the windows, pulling the curtains open. He turned back and glanced at Calla, who'd sat up. He exclaimed, "Who said I wanted to have sex with y

There was a fairly large foyer that led into the villa. It was decorated in a minimalist style, and even the shoe racks were made of expensive mahogany. The vases placed on the foyer's cabinets were all antique. Although Calla did not know much about antiques, she remembered seeing some at museums or the homes of executives. She changed into a pair of indoor slippers and finally entered the living room, which had heavy mahogany furniture that seemed rather imposing. Calla held her breath as she looked around. The decor of the house was punctuated with porcelain, ceramics, and paintings—making it appear all the more grand.A middle-aged man who was around 50 years old was seated on an antique mahogany chair. There was a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, and he wore black pants with a white shirt, looking every inch like an important government official. Luckily, his features weren't as stiff as Mercer's, so he looked very easygoing when he smiled. Mercer strongly

Before Rose could speak, Calla said, "Mom, do you have anything else you want to know? You can ask everything all at once, and I'll tell you everything."This instantly provoked Rose to anger. She put her teacup down on the coffee table heavily and said angrily, "Do you know who you're talking to? I'm your elder! How could you be so rude? Don't you have any manners at all?"In the face of Rose's anger, Calla answered calmly, "Mom, you say that you're an elder of mine. Does that mean you accept me as your daughter-in-law?"This put Rose in a difficult position. Her original intention had been to ask Calla some questions which she knew would humiliate her, and then she would reject her as her daughter-in-law on the pretext of their unevenly matched family backgrounds. She hadn't expected Calla to pull this move. Mercer had been planning to step in if Calla was defeated, but the latter had managed to anger Rose with just a few sentences. Rose wasn't an easy person to deal with and ha

After about half an hour, the door was pushed open gently.Calla was standing in front of the wall and admiring one of the paintings. She turned to see Mercer walking in, and she scrutinized his expression. Although he looked as cold and impassive as always, he did not betray any sign of having argued with Rose. "These paintings are pretty good." Calla smiled slightly to mask the awkwardness.Mercer's lips twitched, and he said, "These are genuine Karl John paintings."Calla stuck out her tongue, realizing that she had revealed her ignorance. She asked, "How famous is he?""Among his contemporaries, he's probably ranked between third to sixth. The ones ranked first and second are in my father's study and safe. Even I'm not allowed to look at them for no reason," he answered.These paintings probably cost millions or more. Those that were ranked first and second would probably be hundreds of millions. Calla had known that Mercer's family was rich, but she hadn't expected him to b