I must look fierce right now, like a small, angry beast baring its teeth. My eyes are red and glaring at Luke, inexplicably directing all my anger towards him.Normally, Luke would chase me out of the car, give me a cold look, and say something icy to silence me. But to my surprise, he didn't do that.Instead, he pulled a checkered handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to me. Yes, another checkered handkerchief. I find it endearing that a grown man always carries a clean handkerchief with him.But I'm angry right now and don't want to use his handkerchief. Plus, the last time I borrowed his handkerchief to wipe my nose, I promised to wash it and return it, but I couldn't find it. How could I use his second one?Seeing that I didn't take it, Luke sighed impatiently, then leaned over and stuffed the handkerchief into my hand. "Don't get your snot on my car. I have OCD.""…Fine," I mumbled, wiping my tears and nose with his handkerchief. "This time, I'll remember to wash it an

"Susanne refused to reveal the father's identity and was pressured by the Lansworth family to have an abortion. She adamantly refused, and even threatened to die if they didn't accept the child or let her leave the family to live on her own.""At that time, Lucy Peterson, the matriarch of the Lansworth family and Paul's mother, couldn't accept Susanne's rebellious actions. She ordered Paul to take Susanne to the hospital for an abortion. However, before the procedure, the doctor told Paul that Susanne's health was poor, and if she had the abortion, she might never be able to have children again.""Paul, who always doted on his sister, was worried about her health. Seeing Susanne pleading, saying she would never marry and would only care for the child, he finally relented. Susanne was sent to Estaland to have the baby. Lucy, feeling humiliated, refused to forgive Susanne and banned her from returning home. Until the baby was born, Susanne stayed in Estaland, cared for only by a nanny.

Luke glanced at me, as though he had something to say but hesitated.Suddenly, a more urgent question came to mind. "Luke, what compelled you to dig into Cindy's background?"This was a deeply hidden family secret. Even Steven, a renowned private investigator in Johnsonville's upper echelons, had only managed to uncover surface-level details. The explosive information Luke had discovered must have required substantial effort and resources.Luke responded calmly, "You mentioned that Cindy seemed to have a vendetta against you, but you didn't know why. Later, Stephen also found it peculiar. We analyzed Cindy and Max's actions and concluded that you were indeed Cindy's target. Stephen suggested I start by investigating Cindy's background. During my investigation, I discovered that Cindy's mother, Susanne, had a brief connection with the teacher."At this point, Luke pursed his lips and looked at me earnestly. "I apologize, Jen, for acting without your permission."In that moment, I s

When Luke dropped me off at the entrance to my complex, it suddenly started pouring rain. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car, thanking him politely."There's no need," Luke replied flatly.His handsome face showed no emotion as he looked out at the heavy rain. He took out an umbrella and handed it to me. Instinctively, I declined, saying, "No need, I'll just run inside. You keep it."I thought he might need the umbrella himself, but Luke insisted, pushing it into my hand. "Take it. I don't need it.""But—" I began."Aren't you going to see Max? Stephen has already arranged the meeting time. If you get sick from the rain and delay things, what will we do? The detention center doesn't allow visits whenever we want." Luke's tone left no room for argument. "Take it."It would have been rude to refuse again, so I accepted the umbrella. "Thank you, Luke."Luke frowned slightly.I hesitated, "What's wrong?""Jen," he called me by my name."Yes?" I responded.Luke sighed

Max's three sisters chimed in with twisted and vulgar faces, "Who do you think you are? Our family matters are none of your business. An outsider like you should keep your mouth shut!"Wendy, my best friend who is like family to me, was clearly out of line. So, I didn't hold back and said to Annie, "Wendy is my best friend and like family to me. She's not an outsider. And she's right—here in Johnsonville, it's unheard of for a bride to give gifts to her husband's sisters."Max tried to explain, "Honey, no, the gift cards shouldn't be from your pocket. They were from me... I'm sorry, I should have explained it better."I felt for Max, caught in the middle. I wasn't angry with him, but his sisters were really out of line. They made both of us look bad at our wedding reception and showed a complete lack of decency.His eldest sister immediately expressed displeasure, sarcastically asking Max if marrying a city girl made him forget his sisters' hard work. She pointed out that without t