《My billionaire husband spoils me too much》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¡®Why does my marriage end up like this?¡® That was the very first thought of Christina when she saw the strange maning out of the All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. bathroom. She was never that kind of person who believed that when one door shuts, another opens, till she met him. Christina felt that there was something wrong with her marriage. Her husband had courted her passionately and sincerely back then. He even couldn¡¯t wait to marry her when she justpleted her undergraduate studies. She was only 21 at that time. She couldn¡¯t understand why it turned out to be a loveless and sexless marriage. They slept in the same bed, but he never had sex with her. However, after that night, everything changed. That night, she had been led to a high-end hotel by her husband. She thought her three-year asexual marriage had finallye to an end, but she didn¡¯t expect that it was all a plot by her beloved husband. Shey on her side on a big white bed, sore and fragile. She was still a little ufortable, and her memory was vague, but she knew that her husband had taken her V card. Although he was not gentle, she still felt sweet and happy. After getting married for three years, they finally made love. But when she looked at the handsome man in the bathrobe who was not the man she had known for three years, she panicked. Before Christina could say anything, the man was the first to say, ¡°Why are you still here?¡± His cold voice was filled with discontent. The voice was low but manly, attracting her like a ma. ¡®Wait a second. That¡¯s not Cory.¡® Christina waspletely shocked and looked at the strange man in front of her in disbelief, ¡°Who are you?!¡° She didn¡¯t know him. He was aplete stranger to her. ¡°Who the hell are you? Why are you here?¡± She screamed in fear. ¡®Cory brought me here and this is our suite. How could this strange man be here? Where is Cory?¡® Christina grabbed the nket in panic and quickly got up from the bed. She looked vigntly at the man, who was standing by the bed, ¡°How did you get in? Where¡¯s my husband? Where is he¡­¡° The man¡¯s features were deep and cold, and he was tall and handsome. He looked impatient. Suddenly, he stepped forward, stretched out his arm, and pulled Christina up. The nket wrapped on her body was then slipped. ¡°What do you want?¡± His voice was cold, and a hint of contempt rose from the corners of his lips. ¡°Let go, let go of me -¡± Christina screamed in fear and her face was flushed. The man was wearing a soft white bathrobe. Drops of water trickled down his wet short hair to his cheek, his sexy jaw, and then onto his chest. Christina was shy before such a sexy bomb and the more she got shy, the more embarrassed and angry she got. ¡°Who do you think you are? You should get out of here after we had sex.¡± The man¡¯s voice was very cold, but his eyes fell on her delicate body, ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t mind one more time.¡° Christina¡¯s mind went nk. She didn¡¯t even pay attention to what the man was talking about¡­ ¡®So I was thrown to another man¡¯s bed by my ¡®dear¡¯ husband? Was it a lie of Cory? What the hell is going on here?¡® Before she could react, she was pressed against the wall. The man leaned forward, his burning chest close to her. He bent down and kissed her on the lips. His burning lips invaded hers. ¡®Why did everything be like this?¡® The very next moment, Christina fell heavily on the bed. She came back to her senses, struggled against his chest, which however made the man hornier. Christina felt the man¡¯s eagerness, and she was frightened. All her struggles were futile, which made her anxious and angry¡­ She made up her mind and suddenly raised her right hand and put it around the man¡¯s neck. Christina tilted her head and took the initiative to deepen the passionate kiss. The man was surprised by her initiative and he was in a daze, so Christina grasped the opportunity to take a bite at the tip of the man¡¯s tongue. The sting made him immediately release her in anger. Christina was panicked, but she took the opportunity to give the man a shove. She quickly got up from the bed and rushed to the door. She pulled off a random coat hanging at the door and ran out quickly¡­ She could vaguely hear the man roaring at his bodyguard, ¡°Find out who sent that woman to me!¡° Christina was anxious. After rushing out of the hotel, she stood by the side barefoot of the road. She wasn¡¯t even wearing her underwear, which made her feel insecure. Wrapped tightly in the coat, she shrank and looked around nervously. At this moment, a taxi came¡­ Christina reached into the pocket and found a ck LV wallet. She quickly opened the wallet and found that there were five credit cards in it but no cash. Christina was sure that the man must be rich and noble. ¡°I don¡¯t have any cash. Take the pocket watch here. Please drive me to ASTON Vi of the Hampton Family in the west of the city¡­¡± She got in the taxi. She had found an exquisitely crafted gold pocket watch from the man¡¯s ck wallet. She stuffed it into the driver¡¯s hand, ignoring the driver¡¯s weird look, ¡°Go!¡° Sitting in the car, Christina began to recall what had happened. She learned from the man¡¯s words that the man thought she was a prostitute. ¡®But why did everything be like this?¡® It wasn¡¯t until she took a taxi to the vi that she understood¡­ After seeing Christina getting into the vi, two maids immediately stepped forward to stop her, with panic on their faces, ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s sote. We thought you¡¯d better stay at the downtown apartment¡­¡° Seeing their expressions, Christina knew that something was wrong. Ignoring them, she strode straight to the master bedroom on the second floor. She had just gone upstairs when she heard the groan from a man and a woman, which were both familiar to her¡­ Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Christina bit her lips, held her breath, and held the doorknob with a trembling hand. The door opened¡­ Christina¡¯s face turned pale. The room was littered with clothes, and the man and the woman were intertwined on the bed. ¡°Cory¡­¡± The woman moaned in a hoarse voice. Christina froze. The woman raised her head and kissed the man on top of her. She turned her head and nced at the door. Her voice grew louder. ¡°Cory, when are you going to divorce your wife¡­¡± The woman put on airs, and her tone was tinged with grievance. ¡°After tonight, I got someone to take those pictures of her. Even if my mother liked her, she wouldn¡¯t tolerate Christina falling into disrepute¡­¡° Cory lowered his head. In a hoarse voice, he said, ¡°Babe, I love you. I will definitely divorce Christina¡­¡° Christina¡¯s mind exploded. She bit her lips so hard to suppress her anger that it was bleeding. ¡°Cory, you bastard!¡° Christina¡¯s sudden voice shocked the man on the bed. Cory looked at the door, and a sh of surprise and guilt in his eyes when he saw Christina. But he put on a cold face again instantly. ¡°Get out of here!¡° ¡°You two should get out, not me!¡± Christina¡¯s chest heaved up and down in anger, shouting at the bed. ¡°Christina, be smart. Get a divorce and leave. Otherwise, I¡¯ll show everyone the sexy pictures of you with a man tonight. I don¡¯t think you can still stay in the Hampton Family. You don¡¯t deserve it.¡° Christina had never hated a man like this before. She red at the man in the bed, stepped forward, and pped directly on his face. Her eyes were red and filled with tears. She tried to endure the bitterness in her heart. She didn¡¯t want to stay here for another second. She would divorce. She didn¡¯t want such a meaningless and disgusting marriage! She wiped away the teardrop from the corner of her eyes and walked out of the room, her messy footsteps revealing her embarrassment and disappointment. ¡°Ah¨C¡° Suddenly there was a childish cry. A three-year-old girl crashed into Christina at the door, and the girl fell to the floor. Christina lowered her head in a daze and saw the girl in front of her. ¡°Sweetheart..¡± The woman rushed out of the room. She stood in front of the girl and looked at Christina warily. ¡°Vent your anger on me. Don¡¯t bully my All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. daughter!¡° ¡®Daughter?!¡® Christina¡¯s mind went nk when she saw the woman. ¡°Carrie!¡° Christina¡¯s eyes widened, unable to believe that her husband¡¯s lover was actually an old friend of her. ¡°So you are the one who hooked up with my husband -¡± Christina pped hard the woman in front of her. ¡°Carrie, you b*tch! Your sister had hooked up with my father, and you hook up with my husband. Should I call you Slut Sisters or Mistress Sisters?¡± Christina¡¯s chest was heaving, and the thought of the past made her furious. Christina was pushed violently and her head hit hard against the wall. ¡°Christina, how dare you to hit her!¡° Cory had changed his robe and he rushed out to protect Carrie. Tears fell from her eyes, and she was unable to describe her feelings. Her husband was even protecting her enemy, the b*tch who had destroyed her home. ¡°What happened!¡° At the stairwell, Laurie walked over with a serious face. ¡°What the hell is going on¡­¡° ¡°Mom¡­¡± Cory stammered. Cory had always been afraid of his mother, Laurie. It was Laurie who asked him to pursue and married Christina¡­ ¡°I want a divorce¡­¡° Christina supported herself by the wall and stood up, and her choked voice was determined. ¡°Christina, you don¡¯t have to divorce Cory¡­¡° Laurie nced at Carrie and ordered the butler, ¡°Who is the crazy woman here? Get her out¡­¡° ¡°Mom, she¡¯s Carrie¡­¡± Cory spoke for the woman behind him. At this moment, the child suddenly cried out in grievance. Laurie was surprised to hear the child¡¯s voice. Cory immediately picked up the three-year-old girl. ¡°Mom, she is your granddaughter.¡° Christina¡¯s face was ashen when she heard this. Laurie kept nagging about why Christina had never been pregnant after they had been married for three years. And the suddenly appeared lovely granddaughter surprised her. Carrie suddenly knelt on the ground, pleading with tears, ¡°I know you don¡¯t like me, but Jasmine is your granddaughter. She was pushed by Christina, and her arm was broken. I beg you to send her to the hospital. The child is innocent. You can scold me and beat me up, but don¡¯t hurt my child¡­¡° Christina¡¯s eyes were red with anger. ¡°I just bumped into her. How could I have broken her bones?¡° The Hampton Family was in a panic. Cory and Carrie ran to the hospital with the girl in their arms, and Laurie followed them. In the early winter morning, the night was quiet and cold to the bone. Christina leaned against the wall with her hands hugging her knees, trying to hold back her tears. At that time, she realized that her and Cory¡¯s three-year asexual marriage was just the beginning of the conspiracy, while being sent to the bed of a strange man was the end. ¡°You can¡¯t divorce her!¡° At this time, in the corridor of the hospital¡¯s pediatrics. ¡°Cory, you can have a mistress and baby outside. I don¡¯t care that, but I definitely don¡¯t agree with you on divorcing Christina! I¡¯m doing it for your own good¡­¡° Cory did not have a chance to refute. Laurie¡¯s face was serious. She ordered in a cold voice, ¡°Next month, there will be a grand reception in Hopkins Family. You should bring Christina to attend. Don¡¯t embarrass me in front of your grandfather. Remember that your cousin has just returned from the United States. Don¡¯t offend him.¡° His cousin¡­ When Cory heard the word ¡°cousin,¡± his expression wasplicated. ¡°Patrick¡­¡± The new president of the IP&G Group. Laurie didn¡¯t stay for long before she turned around and strode away. Cory stared at his mother¡¯s figure, looking thoughtful. ¡°Cory, is your mother unwilling to ept me and the child¡­¡± Carrie had been hiding in the corner eavesdropping on their conversation and began to feel anxious. She coquettishly took Cory¡¯s arm and sobbed injured, ¡°Cory, I know you¡¯re married. I shouldn¡¯t have ¡°I will definitely divorce Christina. Just give me some time¡­¡° After Coryforted Carrie in a gentle voice, they went to see the child. Her bones were not broken, but Carrie said she was worried so she wanted to keep her in the hospital overnight. ¡°Cory, go back and have a rest now. I¡¯ll stay here.¡± Carrie tried to persuade him to leave like a good wife. Cory looked at her with more tenderness in his eyes. ¡°Carrie, you¡¯re so nice. You¡¯ve suffered a lot. I bought you an apartment in the east of the city and got you a nanny. I¡¯ll take you and the kid over there tomorrow¡­¡° Hearing that Cory had bought her an apartment, Carrie blushed slightly. ¡°Cory, finally we can live together as a family. I don¡¯t want to be a mistress anymore¡­¡° ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Carrie. I¡¯ll divorce her soon.¡± Men were always sweet talkers. It was after Cory kissed her deeply for a while in the hallway that he left. Carrie watched him leave with a smile. The moment Cory disappeared from Carrie¡¯s sight, her look changed suddenly. She took out the phone from her bag at once, dialed a number, and ordered in a cold voice, ¡°Send me the video of you having sex with Christina!¡° ¡°What? I gave you so much money, yet you can¡¯t even deal with her? You idiot!¡° Holding the phone, Carrie walked towards the empty balcony with a sullen face while roaring to the phone. ¡°The suite was upied by someone else? How could that be? I¡¯ve already spoken to the manager. Who dared to take the suite I booked¡­¡° The person on the other end of the line exined, ¡°Carrie, he brought eight bodyguards with him, and the manager weed him in person. I wouldn¡¯t dare to offend such a person¡­¡° ¡°Who the hell is he?¡± Carrie roared angrily. Carrie had nned that once she took the video of Christina hooking up with some other man, Christina would get out of the Hampton Family notoriously. However, someone else broke her n. ¡°They didn¡¯t dare reveal his identity to me, but I found out that the man¡¯s surname was Hopkins¡­¡° When Carrie heard his words, her face suddenly turned pale. ¡°Patrick Hopkins!¡° Chapter 3 Chapter 3 ¡°Patrick, you still know toe back?¡° In the middle of the wide sofa in the living room sat an old man with a solemn face. He was in a ck suit embroidered with gold thread. Holding a walking stick, he was shouting angrily at his grandson. Around 5 am, Patrick got back home from the hotel. Patrick nced at his grandfather on the sofa, whom he had not seen for many years, and decided to ignore him. He walked straight to the study on the second floor. ¡°Stop right there! Do you hear me?¡± His grandpa got so angry that his face darkened. ¡°Patrick, old master heard that you woulde homest night, and has been waiting for you at home all night long.¡° The old butler, who was standing aside, said slowly with a smile on his face, ¡°Young master, I haven¡¯t seen you for so many years. You¡¯re getting more handsome¡­¡° Patrick nodded at the old butler and turned to look at his grandfather on the sofa. His grandfather was in high spirits, but with a sullen face now. ¡°I have something important to do¡­¡± Patrick said tly and walked straight up the stairs as he spoke. Mr. Hopkins red at him furiously, but he knew Patrick¡¯s cold nature very well, so he could only roar to his back, ¡°Go to Gordon Hotel for a blind date at seven tomorrow night¡­¡° ¡°No.¡° When Mr. Hopkins saw Patrick ignore himpletely and stride towards the study, he got so angry that he wanted to hit his unfilial grandson with the walking stick. ¡°Look what he is like now!¡° ¡°Old Master, young master has just returned from the United States. Don¡¯t force him to go on a blind date in such a hurry¡­¡± The old butler couldn¡¯t helpughing and advised. Mr. Hopkins stared at him, ¡°How can I not be in a hurry? I have only one grandson. He¡¯s almost 30 years old but doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend. When will he give me a great-grandson?¡° ¡°Young master has never fancied women that much since childhood¡­¡± The old butler also looked worried. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Old Master, we will hold a party next month, and there must be manydiesing. Then young master can pick one he likes¡­¡° When Mr. Hopkins thought of the party, he raised his brows slightly and told in an old and stern voice. ¡°Make it grand, and tell them. Any girl who is able to make him settled down, I will recognize her as the granddaughter-inw of the Hopkins Family, no matter what her family background is¡­¡° It was the end of January. Winter hade, and the New Year was half month away. Big rednterns were hanging in the air, while the colored lights were shing on the streets. Everywhere was bathed in a festive atmosphere of the New Year. However, Christina was sitting in a coffee shop with a gloomy face. Looking blue, she was stirring the cold coffee with her right hand. Ever since she had caught her husband and his mistress¡¯s ¡®love story¡¯ that day, Christina had moved back to her old apartment, hidden in the small apartment, and lived an unexamined life. Christina rubbed her temple with her right hand. She paid the bill and wanted to go back to the apartment to sleep for a while, but when she scrabbled around in the bag, she frowned. Suddenly, she remembered the night she had spent in the hotel with that strange man and she had left in a hurry and left behind her clothes and bag, in which there were her driving license and ID card. ¡°D*mn it!¡° ¡°Stop pretending to be miserable! Christina, what kind of trick did you y to make my mother disapprove of our divorce? Can you please let me go? I don¡¯t want to do anything with such a shameless woman!¡° All of a sudden, the cafe door opened. Cory was staring at her, who was paying the bill at the counter, as if she was an enemy, his cold voice full of mockery. When Christina heard the voice, a hint of pain shed across her eyes. She pursed her lips, raised her head, and pretended to be strong. Then she turned around and strode straight past him. Cory was surprised. Seeing her ignore him like this, he felt angry and reached out to grab her arm. ¡°Let go of me!¡± Christina threw his hand away in disgust. Cory got even more fretful at the sight of her disgust for him, and sneered, ¡°Christina, don¡¯t tter yourself and don¡¯t ever think that I¡¯m here to coax you. It¡¯s just that my Mom asked you to go to the party held by the Hopkins Family.¡° ¡°I¡¯m not interested!¡± Christina didn¡¯t feel well right now and was having a splitting headache. For more than a month, Christina had wanted to get a divorce but was rejected by Laurie, who only told her not to make a fuss, while Cory also listened to his mother and didn¡¯t dare to mention the divorce again. ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time! You¡¯d better stay in the corner. You were originally unqualified to go to the party.¡° Cory warned in a cold voice. Leaving her alone, he turned around and strode away. In the hall of the Hopkins Family¡¯s mansion, the party was held in a splendid and magnificent way. The eight-meter-long European crystal chandelier was shining above. It felt like a grand blind date, with stunning beauties in full makeup everywhere. They talked,ughed, and toasted, looking very excited. Christina felt depressed and unwell, so she walked towards a quiet corner. However, at this moment, a pair of piercing eyes were sticking to her, but she knew nothing of it. ¡°Patrick, do you know that woman?¡° Two charming men were leaning against the railing on the second floor, and one of them asked curiously. Patrick gazed in Christina¡¯s direction with a grim face, not answering. Christina felt someone was looking at her intensely¡­ She turned around suddenly, and her face darkened when seeing the person in front of her. ¡°Why are you here?¡° Carrie looked at her and asked discontentedly in a sharp voice. Christina gritted her teeth and sneered, ¡°Miss Mistree, how dare youe here?¡° Carrie held a three-year-old girl in her right hand and stared at her with a sinister gaze. ¡°Christina, who do you think you are? You will be kicked out of the Hampton Family very soon. If you think you could be Mrs. Hampton forever, then you¡¯re daydreaming ¡­¡° With that, Carrieughed out loud, ¡°Christina, seriously, poor you. Your husband sent you to another man¡¯s bed so he could divorce you. How did you feel? Is it good¡­¡° ¡°Shut up!¡° When Christina heard her words, she lost control and screamed. Carrieughed even more arrogantly, ¡°Cory told me that you were married for three years, but he didn¡¯t even want to touch you. Christina, that¡¯s really pathetic. Now everyone in the circle know that you¡¯re a hen who can¡¯ty eggs¡­¡° ¡°Cory brought me and my daughter to the Hopkins Family¡¯s party today. He said he wanted to introduce me and my daughter to the rich and famous businessmen. I advise you to get out of here I felt disgusting seeing you here.¡° ¡°Well done, Carrie, no, no, I should call you Miss Mistress. After all, I believe that you really love to be a mistress.¡± Christina gritted her teeth angrily and red at Carrie. ¡°Listen, as long as Cory and I don¡¯t get divorced, you can¡¯t marry him. You can only be a shameless mistress and your dear daughter will always be a bastard¡­¡° When Carrie heard this, she immediately wore a grave expression. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Christina, I brought up my daughter all these years abroad all by myself because I wanted to be Mrs. Hampton. If you dare to go against me, you will regret it!¡° Just as Carrie¡¯s voice fell, she suddenly bent down, raised her hand, and gave her daughter a hard p. Suddenly, the girl¡¯s face turned red and swollen, and her small body staggered backward and fell down. The girl bumped into the foot of the table behind her, and a few of the buffet porcin tes on the table fell to the ground, shattering and sttering. Blood immediately flowed out from the girl¡¯s arms¡­ The child cried out in pain. Christina was stunned when she saw this. ¡®Carrie hit her own daughter?!¡® The next second, Carrie shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t hit my daughter. Please let us go. The child is innocent. Don¡¯t hit her¡­¡° Carrie¡¯s high-pitched voice quickly attracted the attention of the people around them. Carrie held the bleeding girl in her arms and cried with a grievance. ¡°Christina, Cory and I really loved each other years ago. You forced me to go abroad. I know I shouldn¡¯t havee back, but my daughter wanted to see her father. I didn¡¯t dare to ask you to give Cory back to me. Don¡¯t hurt us¡­¡° Christina could not believe that Carrie had abused the child in order to frame her. ¡°I didn¡¯t touch her. She hit her own daughter to frame me..¡± Everyone around her was curious and Christina exined herself nervously. But before she could finish her sentence, a figure on the right rushed over. ¡°Christina, what the f*ck did you do?¡° Cory broke through the crowd and gave Christina a hard push. Before she realized it, she fell straight down. Her brain was nk. She was dizzy. She looked up, her eyes blurry, and saw Cory standing in front of Carrie and protecting her. ¡°This Christina has been married to Cory for three years and hasn¡¯t been pregnant. She can¡¯t bear that someone had a child before her, so she actually hit that girl. She is too vicious¡­¡± The guests around whispered. Christina bit her lip tightly and tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to hold back her grievances. She could not cry. She could never cry. Her arms and palms were pierced with broken porcin, and her face was pale with pain. Arge blood vessel was punctured by a broken piece of porcin on her arm, and bright red blood flowed down her fair arm. The smell of blood drifted away, and soon the clean marble was filled with a pool of dark red. It was shocking and scary. ¡°Kick her out!¡° Cory looked at her without any pity, and there were only hatred and disgust in his eyes and ordered the servants. Soon a man appeared behind Christina and helped her, ¡°Let me go. Don¡¯t touch me¡­¡° But the grip on her did not loosen but tightened. ¡°You bit me but you ran away¡­¡± A deep, clear male voice sounded in her ear. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Christina found the voice familiar. She was pale due to the loss of blood. She looked back at the man in a blurred vision. The man was half squatting behind her. His sword-brows were hidden behind his short ck hair hidden, and his nose and the outline of the Eurasian hybrid made him handsome and delicate. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. This man was born noble and aloof. Just a nce at him left a deep impression on others. Of course, Christina recognized him. ¡®It was him.¡® ¡®That bastard who slept with me¡­¡® ¡°Don¡¯t touch me¡­¡° Christina struggled and shouted stubbornly, unwilling to let him touch her. The loss of blood made her pale, and there were whispers of discussion all around her. The people here wereughing at and cursing her but defending Carrie and her daughter. ¡®I didn¡¯t hit the little girl. ¡® She was like being isted by the whole world. Desperately and helplessly, She was pushing the man, unwilling to give in. ¡°Go, go away¡­¡± Christina struggled and shouted. But all of a sudden, she passed out¡­ Patrick saw her suddenly close her eyes. Only then did he notice that her body was so hot and even though he shook her, she had no reaction. Anxiety appeared on his cold and indifferent face, and he immediately picked her up¡­ ¡°Christina¡­¡° Christina was weak and her eyes were tightly closed, and she was drawn to sleep. ¡°Tina.¡± She even heard someone call her by her nickname anxiously in her dream. When her mother was alive, she often called her Tina. She was once the apple of the eye of the Dickens Family, but¡­ When she was 17, her father, Donald, brought home his mistress. After her mother died, she broke up with her father. After leaving the Dickens Family, she lived a life of poverty and frugality. No one knew that she was the daughter of the richest man in the neighboring city. Marrying Cory, she never coveted his family¡¯s money but just wanted a happy family. But this marriage was aplete tragedy to her. Christina struggled in pain on the bed. It seemed that she was having a nightmare. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and gasped for air, sweat oozing from her forehead. She looked at the white ceiling above her head in a daze. She regained her senses and smelled of disinfectant at the tip of her nose. She knew she was now in a hospital. ¡°Miss Dickens, you¡¯re awake.¡° A nurse stood by the bed and greeted her with a smile after seeing her wake up. Christina wiped the cold sweat off her forehead, took a deep breath, and looked at the nurse. ¡°What- what¡¯s wrong with me¡­¡° Her body was still very weak and her memory was messy. She remembered she had quarreled with Carrie, then she was pushed by Cory and fell down, and there was blood, and that man¡­ The nurse carefully changed the injection, and she whispered in a respectful tone, ¡°Miss Dickens, you¡¯re pregnant.¡° ¡°What?¡° Christina was startled. She thought she was hearing her wrong. The nurse smiled with blessing, ¡°Congrattions, Miss Dickens, you¡¯ve been pregnant for six weeks¡­¡° Christina¡¯s face waspletely devoid of joy. Instead, there was a look of shock and trepidation. ¡®I¡¯m pregnant?¡® Christina subconsciously stroked her t abdomen with her right hand. With a shocked expression, she got up from the bed excitedly, ¡°How-how could I be pregnant!¡° ¡®How could¡­¡® ¡®How could I get pregnant¡­¡® Christina¡¯s mind went nk. It was as if something serious had happened in the hospital, and everyone looked nervous. The door of the ward was hastily pushed open and several doctors walked in quickly¡­ The nurse saw that she wanted to get up and quickly pushed her back onto the bed. ¡°Miss Dickens, you can¡¯t move now.¡° ¡°Miss Dickens, the injury in your arms has caused excessive loss of blood, and recently, you¡¯ve been malnourished and under too much emotional stress¡­ Luckily you were sent to the hospital in time, otherwise, you would lose your baby. For the time being, you can¡¯t move¡­¡± An old doctor in a white coat said. ¡°Chief, Miss Dickens¡¯s vital signs have all returned to normal¡­¡± The other doctors quickly check on her. ¡°Miss Dickens, how are you feeling now? Are you feeling well?¡° Christina¡¯s eyes were dazed, and her mind went nk as she looked at the group of nervous and busy doctors in front of her. The hallway outside the ward was even noisier¡­ Cory¡¯s angry voice came over, ¡°Mom, why did you ask me to be here? I don¡¯t want to see her!¡° ¡°Did you hear about her great behaviors? She hit my Jasmine, who is your own granddaughter.¡° ¡°How dare you mention this?¡° Laurie¡¯s face darkened with anger. ¡°Cory, I¡¯ve told you before. I don¡¯t care how you mess around with them, but how dare you brought them over to the Hopkins Family¡¯s party¡­¡° ¡°Now that Christina is pregnant, you should be nice to her. You should pray that your grandfather won¡¯t know you cheating. Go in and see her¡­¡° ¡°Christina is pregnant?¡± Cory was stunned. Then his face grew grim, and he stepped forward and urged, ¡°Mom, what did you just say?¡° ¡°Christina is pregnant! How could she be pregnant? I¡¯ve never slept with her¡­¡± He yelled angrily. Laurie looked shocked. ¡°You¡¯ve been married for three years. How could you¡­¡± Never touched her. So, now that Christina was pregnant. It was¡­ ¡°The child is mine.¡° The cold voice, word by word, followed by footsteps, came slowly from the other end of the corridor. In the corridor of the VIP floor of the hospital, a group of people came quickly, even Mr. Hopkins. At this moment, the entire corridor fell silent. Laurie and the others were speechless in shock, and that cold voice kept ringing¡­ ¡°The child is mine.¡± It was Patrick. Laurie looked at Patrick in front of her and she forced a smile. ¡°Patrick, stop joking. You¡¯ve been living abroad, and you two never know each other.¡° ¡°I know Christina¡­¡± Patrick¡¯s face was cold. As he spoke, he looked around at everyone. He repeated in a cold voice, ¡°She¡¯s carrying my baby.¡° ¡°What did you say?¡° With a bang, Mr. Hopkins smashed the crutch in his hand hard on the floor. ¡°Patrick, exin to me!¡± The old man warned coldly. In the corridor of the hospital, everyone around them was trembling with fear. It had been many years since Mr. Hopkins lost his temper. The butler at the side saw Mr. Hopkins so angry that he hurriedly stepped forward and said nervously, ¡°Old Master, take care of yourself. You are with high blood pressure.¡° He added, ¡°This must be a misunderstanding¡­¡° Patrick pursed his lips and did not intend to say anymore, and his eyes looked thoughtfully into the ward. On the hospital bed, Christina¡¯s face was pale, her eyes empty, and her mind in a mess. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Laurie looked at the meaningful looks shared by them, and her mind went nk. ¡®What-what¡­¡® ¡°Patrick! You don¡¯t even care about me or the Hampton Family at all!¡° ¡°You! You¡­¡± Laurie was so angry. She turned to look at Mr. Hopkins, ¡°Dad, look at him¡­ He¡¯s absurd. Patrick, Christina is my daughter- inw. How dare you, how dare you to sleep with her¡­¡° The rules in the Hopkins Family were strict, and Mr. Hopkins had always been strict with his descendants, especially with Patrick. But now¡­ Mr. Hopkins was so furious that he kept coughing and felt suffocating. The butler immediately walked over and patted his back to calm him down, and the bodyguards and servants who had followed him here were so frightened that they all held their breath. Laurie cursed, ¡°Dad, I know Patrick is your only grandson and the heir of the Hopkins family. Everyone dotes on him and favors him. You¡¯ve been in a hurry to get him a wife, but now he¡­¡° Laurie shouted in the grievance, ¡°Patrick slept with his cousin-inw. Christina is Cory¡¯s wife. But Patrick took the advantage of his identity as Young Master of the Hopkins Family to do such an immoral thing. How embarrassed Cory will be? How will others gossip about the Hampton Family¡­¡° Laurie was so angry that she yelled at the ward, ¡°You two are so shameless!¡° Laurie¡¯s voice was shrill and loud, and in the ward, Christina¡¯s face turned pale. Her heart was hurt by those harsh curses. ¡°Cory, what do you think? That night at the hotel¡­¡° Patrick asked in a cold voice meaningfully. Everyone looked at Cory. Cory¡¯s face was extremely gloomy. When he heard the word ¡°hotel,¡± he immediately remembered his n. ¡°Auntie, why don¡¯t you ask your son why did he send Christina to my bed¡­¡± Patrick sneered and looked at Laurie. Laurie suddenly fell silent in shock. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Guilt shed through Cory¡¯s eyes, but at the same time, he was angry. He retorted loudly, ¡°I admit I wanted to divorce Christina, but I just wanted to take some pictures of her to threaten her. Even if I hated Christina, I couldn¡¯t really find a man to sleep with her and cuckolded myself!¡° That night, he had only arranged for someone to drug Christina, take some photos, and humiliate her, so he could threaten her to divorce, but how¡­ ¡®How did this happen¡­¡® ¡®How could she really sleep with another man?¡® ¡®And the man who slept with her was Patrick¡­¡® ¡°Mr. Hopkins, I got the report!¡± Suddenly, a doctor rushed over. The doctor respectfully handed him a paternity test report. The report used maternal vein blood as the sample for the paternity test, which was thetest gic technology. It helped identify the father of a baby in the gic term. No one dared to say anything. They looked at the report in the old man¡¯s hand withplicated eyes. Mr. Hopkins looked at the report and became silent. He raised his head and looked sharply at the woman in the ward. Christina was stared at by this respectable old man. Her face was pale and she was clutching the sheet tightly. Her mind seemed to be nk and she was in a state of unease. ¡®Why did it be like this¡­¡® ¡®What should I do, what should I do¡­¡® She thought. After a long while, Mr. Hopkins suddenly spoke in a deep voice. His voice was serious and stern. ¡°Keep the baby¡­¡° *** Christina came to a spacious master bedroom. She was upset as she looked around at the unfamiliar decor. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh. When they were in the hospital that day, Mr. Hopkins¡¯s words shocked everyone. She was forced to stay in the hospital for three days. After that, she was taken to the Hopkins Family this morning. She caressed her t underbelly unconsciously. Although it had been three days, her mind was still messy. In the evening at the hotel, she got extremely upset and thus forgot to take the after pill¡­ She was pregnant. She was actually pregnant with a baby of the Hopkins Family. She felt that everything was unreal and illusory¡­ Suddenly, someone came in from outside the door. An elder woman walked up to her with a kind smile. ¡°Young Madam, hello, my name is Nanny Faang. I will be in charge of your diet and daily life from now on. If you need anything, please tell me.¡° Christina stared at Nanny Faang and looked embarrassed. She was not used to being called ¡°young madam¡± by people of the Hopkins Family. Nanny Faang could see her reserve and smiled amiably. ¡°Young madam, old master has already given the order and the Hopkins Family is now busy preparing you and young master¡¯s wedding. We will do our best to take care of each detail of the wedding. During this time, all you need to do is look after the baby¡­¡° Hearing that, Christina began to calm down a little. ¡°Young madam, have a rest first. There is a maid outside the door. You may ring the bedside bell if you need anything.¡° Christina nodded at her. Nanny Faang walked out knowingly and closed the door for her. Christina turned her head and looked unconsciously at the two red booklets on the bedside table. She stood up, walked over, and picked up one of the marriage certificates with her right hand, her facial expressionplicated. ¡°I actually got married to him.¡± She muttered. Even she herself found it incredible. Christina opened the marriage certificate. In the picture, both of them looked stern. She was really nervous at that time. When Christina left the hospital this morning, the driver sent her to the civil affairs bureau first. Mr. Hopkins ordered Cory to divorce her, and soon after she got divorced, she turned around, took a photo with Patrick, and got married at the registry. Christina gave a helpless smile. She was unable to put her feelings in words. Laurie never agreed that she divorced Cory, but now that Mr. Hopkins took up the matter himself this time, no one dared to object to it. As for the marriage, Christina felt that she didn¡¯t have a voice at all. At first, she thought that the old man just wanted her to give birth to the baby, but she didn¡¯t expect that he would let her and Patrick get married. ¡®It¡¯s said that a child makes his mother more respected. Is that my case?¡® Sheughed at herself. In fact, she didn¡¯t want to marry into the Hopkins Family at all. When she was taken to the civil affairs bureau at that time, she was totally stunned and didn¡¯t dare to resist at all. Several bodyguards were following behind her, and in this situation, she could only y along. What made her even more confused was that Patrick actually didn¡¯t talk back to Mr. Hopkins. In her opinion, that man was not an obedient person. Christina felt restless. That old man of the Hopkins Family looked very stern, while she couldn¡¯t offend Patrick either. She had been tense during most of the day she spent in the Hopkins Family. The maids were very polite to her. Nanny Faang arranged for her diet and told her some dos and don¡¯ts during pregnancy. After she finished her dinner alone, she was sent back to the master bedroom and told to go to bed early. In fact, Christina was very tired at night, but looking at the double bed in front of her, she got very embarrassed. Although the maid had changed the sheets, it was still Patrick¡¯s bed. She felt ufortable lying on this bed. Christina stayed up until 12 am. She couldn¡¯t keep her eyes open anymore and looked at the door. ¡®Maybe Patrick is working overtime and couldn¡¯te back.¡® Sheforted herself and climbed onto the big soft bed. ¡®I will sleep for a while first. When hees back, I must talk to him about the issue of sleeping.¡® Chapter 6 Chapter 6 In the early morning, Fireworks Bar, the biggest and most luxurious bar in the city center, was bustling with people from rich families, and some famous movie stars and models often came to y up to them. There were loud music and dim lights. asionally, bright colorful beams of light shed across the dance floor. Handsome men and beautiful women twisted their bodies to the rhythm of the music and fully indulged themselves. When a bright yellow light shed across the bar¡¯s VIP entrance, a man walked in slowly. Under the bright light, his figure was tall and straight, his face was cold, and his thin lips were slightly pursed, looking cold and indifferent. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, please follow me¡­¡± The general manager of the bar waited at the entrance. They entered the elevator and went straight to the top floor of the bar. The bar on the top floor was much quieter, different from the one downstairs, which was very noisy. The bar upied the entire top floor, and it was very spacious, simple, and exquisite, with expensive oil paintings hanging on the walls and antique vases and statues disyed in it. At the end of the east side was a ce for famous wine, and in front of it was a semi-circr bar counter. There were usually no waiters and very few people coulde here. ¡°Women are usually not allowed in here. I only take you here today because you have promised me to straddle yourself over me when we have sex¡­¡° Suddenly there was a clink of sses, followed by a man¡¯s giggle. ¡°Mr. Shepherd, it¡¯s agreed that I¡¯m the female lead in the new movie. Don¡¯t forget it.¡° The woman said coquettishly. Then she raised her ss to feed him with an ingratiating smile. ¡°But the director said you¡¯re not a good actor. What should we do?¡° ¡°Mr. Shepherd, why don¡¯t you ask them to leave first?¡° The general manager of the bar walked over quickly and said something nervously to Charles. Charles was having a good time and red at the general manager discontentedly. On the dark green sofa across the bar, another man suddenly chuckled, ¡°Charles, you¡¯re going to die.¡° ¡°What?¡° Seeing Chandler¡¯s treacherous smile, Charles immediately raised his head vigntly. When he looked up at the man in front of him, he immediately pushed the woman away from him. He jumped off the bar counter and pretended to be disgusted, ¡°Get out, all of you!¡° Seeing Charles¡¯s attitude change so quickly, the movie stars and models turned around and looked behind them, startled. ¡°Mr. Hopkins.¡± They could not hide their adoration, and they called out coquettishly. However, Patrick was expressionless and looked coldly at Charles. Charles felt a shiver down his spine and was really desperate. All of his childhood friends knew that Patrick hated women for some reason. Charles hurriedly chased these women downstairs. He was relieved when he saw that Patrick was not angry. ¡°Patrick, I heard that your grandfather forced you to get married today.¡° Chandler poured Patrick a ss of red wine and asked with a faint smile. Before Patrick could say anything, Charles was the first to get excited, ¡°What?! Patrick, are you married?¡° Mr. Shepherd didn¡¯t believe it. Even if Mr. Hopkins forced him, it was basically useless. How could Patrick be so obedient? ¡°Patrick, what¡¯s so special about that woman?¡° Patrick didn¡¯t want to talk to Charles and he said in a low voice, ¡°Where¡¯s my pocket watch?¡° Just as Charles was about to return the pocket watch he had found to Patrick, he suddenly remembered something and he was shocked. ¡°Patrick, do you marry¡­¡± Charles shook the exquisite gold pocket watch in his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you married the woman who bit you, stole your coat, and pawned your pocket watch Charles heard that when Patrick had just returned from the United States, he had gone to a club to rest and had sex with a woman. That day, Charles almost couldn¡¯t believe it. Patrick was a woman- hater. How could he have sex with a strange woman the day he returned home? That was insane! Nheless, Charles also heard that the woman was so audacious that she even dared to bite Patrick, rob him of his coat, and give the pocket watch, which Patrick had always cherished, to a taxi driver for a taxi fee. Charles thought that the woman would probably die. However, Patrick married her! ¡°Patrick, why do you agree to marry her?¡± Charles was curious. Patrick ignored him and stood up from the sofa, reaching for his pocket watch. Chandler looked at the pocket watch in Patrick¡¯s hand with a thoughtful expression. ¡°Patrick, Christina looks like her.¡± Chandler suddenly blurted out something. Patrick took a sip from his ss and held his watch tightly, but did not answer. Chandler looked at the pocket watch in his hand. They all knew that there was a picture of Cecilia, Patrick¡¯s ex-girlfriend, in his pocket watch. Christina really looked like Cecilia, who was already dead¡­ Bang! It sounded as if some small metal object had fallen on the floor. Christina woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to go to the bathroom, but she forgot that she was in the Hopkins Family. When she turned around, she identally hit the bedside table, and something fell on the floor. She lowered her head and bent over to pick it up. It was a gold pocket watch. Christina looked at the golden pocket watch in her palm and suddenly became sober. ¡®This pocket watch¡­ It looked familiar!¡® ¡®This is the pocket watch in Patrick¡¯s pocket that night when I snatched his coat. I had given this to the taxi drivers for the fare. Why is it here?¡® She looked at it carefully, lifted the lid of the pocket watch, and found a small picture embedded in it¡­ ¡°What are you doing?¡± Suddenly, a cold voice came from outside the door. Christina immediately hid the pocket watch behind her as if she was guilty. She raised her head and saw Patrick stride towards her. Christina watched him approaching her and ring at her. Yes, his eyes were fierce, as if something was making him angry. ¡°Give it to me!¡° ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± It must mean a lot to him since he took efforts to get the pocket watch back. But just as Christina was about to apologize, Patrick seemed impatient and quickly extended his right hand to grab her shoulder. Patrick tightened his grip and held her. She felt pain. He snatched the watch from her. ¡°Christina, do you really think that you will be my wife? Are you daydreaming?!¡± He sneered and said. He was standing right in front of her. His tall figure made her feel a bit scared. Christina raised her head and looked into his cold eyes. She was angry, ¡°You think I want to marry you? I don¡¯t¡­¡° ¡°Stop pretending to be innocent. Is there a woman who doesn¡¯t want to marry into the Hopkins Family? Christina, do you really think you¡¯re special¡­¡° Patrick lowered his head and red at the face in front of him. His eyes were deep¡­ with reminiscence. He seemed to be recalling something. They were so close that Christina felt ufortable. She struggled to push him away. Patrick, on the other hand, was suppressing the growing irritation in his heart. When his eyes fell on her bright red lips, he felt an inexplicable impulse. Without saying a word, he kissed her on the lips, a bit fiercely. Christina was stunned. There was a slight pain in her lips, and she tasted blood¡­ ¡®Who does he think I am!¡® Christina was panicked and angry. ¡°Let me go!¡° She raised her right hand and swung it at the man in front of her. The moment she raised her hand, Patrick let go of her, as if her voice had broken his memories. Patrick held her wrist in midair at an extremely fast speed and looked at her face again with only an indifferent look in his eyes. ¡°Christina, remember why you are here. You¡¯re here because you have my child! This is just a deal. Don¡¯t talk to me about your so-called love. Don¡¯t say you will be loyal to some man. We are adults, and it¡¯s an adult¡¯s game. Even dignity is worthless¡­¡° His voice was cold and clear. He took off his coat and threw it at the end of the bed as if he was very upset. Christina was so angry, but the big man suddenly pinned her down on the bed and she couldn¡¯t break free. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. With both hands against his chest, she was filled with anxiety, ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t touch me¡­¡° Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Christina was struggling, and her right hand identally tripped the bedside crystalmp. With a ng, the debris flew¡­ ¡°Ma¡¯am, is something wrong?¡° Nanny Faang, who was outside the door, heard the sound and immediately ran in nervously. But she bumped into Patrick pressing Christina on the bed. She froze at the door, not knowing whether to stay or leave. Christina was so embarrassed. ¡°Go away, go away!¡± She pushed the man hard. Patrick looked at her coldly as if he had suddenly lost interest and stood up straight. Without saying a word, he strode out of the room. Christina was relieved to see him leave. The way Patrick looked at her just now was strange, which seemed to be contradictory, hateful, and he seemed to be in a nostalgic state. Christina frowned, wondering why Patrick¡¯s look was so weird. It was two in the morning and the room was quiet. Christina stood by the bed. She lowered her head to look down at her toes with a stiff expression. In Hopkins Family, she felt like an outsider. Nanny Faang swiftly cleaned up the debris on the ground. She caught a glimpse of Christina¡¯s unhappy expression and persuaded her, ¡°Our Young Master has been aloof since he was a kid. He probably went to the study to sleep tonight.¡° But then Nanny Faang became hesitant. ¡°Patrick¡­doesn¡¯t want to have an intimate rtionship with any girls. He has only had one girlfriend since he was a child.¡° Patrick¡¯s girlfriend? Who was so unlucky that was liked by him? When Christina heard this, surprise appeared on her face. Why didn¡¯t he marry the one he liked? Looking at the kind-hearted Nanny Faang, Christina was about to ask. She curiously wanted to know more about him. But Nanny Faang didn¡¯t dare to say much, and she walked towards the door. She said in a haste, ¡°Ma¡¯am, you are pregnant and you should rest early. And there¡¯s a habit in Hopkins Family, you should have breakfast with Mr. Hopkins.¡° Then she heard a click. The door was closed again. In the silence of the room, Christinay back on the bed, looking at the luxurious ceiling above her in a daze, unable to sleep. The Hopkins Family was foreign to her, and Patrick was temperamental and unapproachable¡­ The clock on the wall was ticking, and she lifted the nket to cover her head. ¡°I have to have breakfast with that old man in Hopkins Family tomorrow morning¡­¡° Christina was very anxious the whole night. The sky growly became bright. ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s time to get up.¡° Early in the morning, a maid knocked on the door and walked in. Christina looked at each other with dark circles under her eyes and looked haggard. Her thoughts were in a mess all night and she couldn¡¯t sleep. And she was just a little sleepy now, so theck of sleep made her feel a little upset. Then she looked at the clock on the wall. It was only five o¡¯clock. ¡®Five o¡¯clock! It was only five o¡¯clock! But the old man in Hopkins Family wants me to greet him! ¡®These rich people are really troublesome.¡® She could not help butin in a low voice. But Christina was onlyining secretly. She had no human rights because she was just an outsider in the Hopkins Family. Everything should be done ording to the rules of the Hopkins Family, and she had to be careful. She went into the bathroom to wash up, changed her clothes, and followed the maid to the dining room. When Christina arrived at the dining room, she saw Mr. Hopkins and Patrick had already sat down. They did not talk, but each held a newspaper in their hands. The atmosphere was a little solemn. Christina nced at the old man and thought for a while. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Hopkins.¡± She greeted him nervously. Although the old man was nearly eighty years old, his body was strong and his face was serious. When he heard Christina¡¯s greeting, he did not even raise his head, but just looked at the butler beside him. The butler immediately understood and quickly asked the servants to serve breakfast. He turned to Christina and smiled kindly. ¡°Ma¡¯am, pleasee over here¡­¡° The butler signaled her to sit on Patrick¡¯s left. Christina nodded at the butler but hesitated. She didn¡¯t want to sit next to Patrick. Just then, Patrick raised his head and looked at her¡­ Patrick¡¯s eyes were cold and indifferent as if he were looking at an irrelevant person. Then he put down the newspaper and ignored her. Christina had no choice but to sit reluctantly on his left. The servants quickly put breakfast on the table and prepared various food, including scallop porridge, paste, milk, and so on. Patrick and Mr. Hopkins did not speak during the meal. They ate gracefully and quietly. ¡°Ma¡¯am, you are pregnant now. The nutritionist has prepared a nutritious meal for you¡­¡± The maid brought her a bowl of porridge. Christina didn¡¯t dare to be picky. She took a sip. It was nd and bitter and tasted terrible. Just as Mr. Hopkins¡¯s sharp eyes nced at her, Christina immediately lowered her head nervously and obediently drank the bowl of medicinal porridge. Mr. Hopkins seemed to be satisfied with her obedient attitude. He had half a bowl of scallop porridge and put down the spoon. The butler hurriedly handed him a cup of warm water. Mr. Hopkins took a sip and gently wiped his lips with a napkin before he said in a deep voice, ¡°Take care of yourself since you¡¯re pregnant.¡° Christina felt that the old man was ordering her, and she replied, ¡°Yes, I see.¡° ¡°I said she¡¯s pregnant. There are many things you should pay attention to!¡± Mr. Hopkins repeated, raising his voice in displeasure. Then Christina suddenly realized that the old man was talking to Patrick. Patrick¡¯s expression was indifferent. He ate half of his paste, put down his fork, raised his eyebrows and looked at his grandfather, then asked, ¡°What should I pay attention to?¡° Mr. Hopkins¡¯s face darkened. ¡°In the early stages of pregnancy, there are some things you can¡¯t do! Control yourself!¡± The old man reminded Patrick angrily. When Patrick heard this, he looked at Christina with a meaningful look. Christina blushed. Mr. Hopkins got up from his chair. With a crutch in his right hand, he nced at Christina and suddenly said, ¡°Call me grandpa in the future!¡° Christina looked a little surprised. After breakfast, Patrick went to thepany, and Mr. Hopkins went back to his room to rest. ¡°Ma¡¯am, in the afternoon, the wedding shop will send over some designs. You can choose the style you like and choose the wedding ring style¡­¡° Christina was a little busy. She sat on the sofa in the living room, and the housekeeper told her a lot about the marriage. When Christina heard this, her expression was veryplicated. ¡°Butler, let Mr. Hopkins decide. I-I am ok with everything¡­¡° This marriage was very absurd in others¡¯ eyes, andst night, Patrick also said that they only got a contractual marriage, so there was no need to be so serious. ¡°Mr. Hopkins said that if you have your favorite wedding dresses and jewelry, you can tell you. If there are no special requirements, then we will find a designer to customize them for you¡­¡± The butler spoke to her in a friendly and respectful tone. Christina was ttered to hear that. ¡°I¡¯m okay with that.¡± Actually, she didn¡¯t expect this marriage at all. The butler heard her say this and did not ask her anymore. Seeing that she was a little tired, he chuckled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get used to sleeping in Hopkins Family?¡° Christina looked embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡° ¡°Send Young Madam back to her bedroom to have a rest.¡± The butler turned to give an order to a maid. After some thought, he added, ¡°Ma¡¯am, you are pregnant with the child of the Hopkins Family. Mr. Hopkins will not treat you badly. You can rx.¡° Christina nodded to the butler. ¡°Thank you.¡° She was really grateful to him. In her life, few people have treated her well. The masters of the Hopkins Family were difficult to deal with, but the servants here were very kind. Christina was really sleepy and she didn¡¯t sleep muchst night. She went back to her bedroom with N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. the maid. The butler looked at her back and his eyes became meaningful. ¡°What the hell is going on? Are they really going to have a wedding? So embarrassing!¡° Not long after Christina left, Laurie rushed to Hopkins Family in a huff. Seeing the butlers and maids in Hopkins Family busy with Patrick and Christina¡¯s marriage, she became even angrier. ¡°Everyone in the circle knows that Christina used to be Hampton Family¡¯s daughter-inw, but now suddenly¡­¡± Laurie¡¯s chest heaved with anger. ¡°This wedding will only bring shame to Hopkins Family and the Hampton Family. No, this can¡¯t be¡­ Besides, just let Christina give birth to the baby. There¡¯s no need to get marriage licenses.¡° The butler looked at her and said slowly, ¡°The child of the Hopkins Family of course won¡¯t be an illegitimate child. Besides, most importantly, Patrick agreed to marry her¡­¡° Laurie¡¯s face was dark. She never thought that Patrick would agree to get marriage licenses with Christina. Seeing the anger on her face, the butler added in a low voice, ¡°Miss, you know the old man¡¯s temperament very well¡­¡° Laurie did not stay in Hopkins Family for a long time. She knew that she could not disobey the old man¡¯s idea, so she had to start from other aspects. ¡°Contact the Dickens Family in C City¡­¡° Laurie grabbed her phone and called her son, Cory. Cory heard her voice and asked impatiently, ¡°Mom, you are in the Hopkins Family? What did grandpa say? Cousin and Christina¡­¡° Laurie was immediately furious. ¡°Your grandfather was biased towards your cousin. As soon as Patrick returned home, he became the president of thepany, and he¡¯s always against me in the with Christina. I won¡¯t just let it go¡­¡° Chapter 8 Chapter 8 ¡°Cory, did your mother call you just now¡­¡° Carrie held his arm, and she noticed that he had been receiving calls from Laurie over the past few days. Every time Cory answered the call, his expression wasplicated and serious. ¡°Did your mother mention me and our daughter?¡° They walked side by side into thergest shopping mall in the east of the city. Carrie nervously held his arm and said aggrievedly, ¡°It must have been Christina who spoke ill of me to your mother.¡° Cory suddenly paused when hearing Christina¡¯s name. ¡°Cory, what exactly happened?¡° Cory looked down at the little girl who was holding his left hand and took a deep breath. ¡°Nothing.¡± He didn¡¯t want to say much in front of their daughter. He looked up at the elevator and said, ¡°Carrie, take our daughter for a walk. I¡¯ll wait for you in the smoking area¡­¡± He looked very uneasy. Carrie had felt something was wrong with him and decided to ask him at night. With a smile on her face, she held him intimately. ¡°You should take Jasmine to the children¡¯s center on the fifth floor. Jasmine always wanted to y games with you¡­¡° Carrie nced at the little girl, who seemed to be very afraid of Carrie. Her small body shrank towards Cory, and her small hand tugged at the corner of his clothes. She immediately said in a low voice, ¡°Dad, I want to go to the children¡¯s center.¡° This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Cory strobed his daughter¡¯s head and thought for a while. ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the fifth floor.¡° A mid-age woman passed by, who looked at the girl and Cory, and said, ¡°Your husband and child are so pretty¡­¡° Carrie¡¯s face was full of pride, and she called out to the two figures who had gone far away, ¡°Jasmine, don¡¯t let those beautiful aunts get close to dad¡­¡° The little girl replied from afar and nodded in fear. Carrie went to the clothes shops on the second floor in a good mood. She went straight to an Italian brand for men¡¯s clothes. ¡°Has the suit I reserved for my husband ready yet?¡° Carrie walked to the counter and proudly put a membership card on the table. ¡°How dare a mistress call another woman¡¯s husband in the public? Shameless¡­¡± On the left side of the counter, a cold voice suddenly came. Christina was bored shopping in the mall but she bumped into Carrie, which made her furious. When enemies met, there would of course be battles. When Carrie heard the voice, she turned around and found Christina was also at this shop. Her face immediately turned sullen. ¡°Christina, who are you talking about?¡° The sales clerk was afraid that they would fight in the store. She immediately walked over to Carrie and tried to calm her down, ¡°Miss Ye, the suit you ordered is ready. I¡¯ll take you to have a look¡­¡° Carrie recently met many socialites in the upper ss, thanks to Cory. She thought that she would be Mrs. Hampton in the future, so she couldn¡¯t ruin her reputation in this kind of shop. ¡°Wrap it up.¡° Carrie red at Christina angrily andughed at her. ¡°Even though she dresses up beautifully, she doesn¡¯t have much money. It¡¯s impossible for the poor woman to buy any clothes. You¡¯d better chase her out!¡° Christina was biting her lips and holding back his anger, while the sales clerk nced at her suspiciously with some contempt in her eyes. ¡°Miss, please don¡¯t touch this suit. It belongs to Miss Ye¡­¡± The shop was a membership-based shop, and Christina was really just passing by and not a member of it. Carrie¡¯s expression was smugger and she said, ¡°Be smart. Let go when you need to. There are things that don¡¯t belong to you that you¡¯ll never get -¡° Christina knew that she was insinuating her dead marriage to Cory. ¡°I don¡¯t care those don¡¯t belong to me!¡° She clutched the trousers in both hands and tightened her grip. ¡°Carrie, I won¡¯t allow you to be so proud!¡± She sneered.¡° Hiss ¨C With a sudden push, the expensive trousers in her hands were ripped open. ¡°Ah, what are you doing?!¡± The sales clerk screamed in shock. Carrie, who was standing opposite her, was furious and she shouted, ¡°You! You¡­ Christina, you deliberately went against me!¡° With a cold face, Christina grabbed the expensive trousers and threw them at Carrie. ¡°The defective products are most suitable for Cory, you can take it if you want -¡° Carrie¡¯s face was covered by these torn trousers, and she was livid. ¡°Miss, you are deliberately messing around!¡° The manager of the shop rushed over and shouted at Christina with a serious face. Christina stood up straight and looked at the clerk. ¡°What are you talking about? Indeed I identally tore the trousers. But did I say I won¡¯t pay for it? And I¡¯m your client too¡­¡° She looked around and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m here to buy my husband underpants!¡° ¡°Haha¡±. An extraordinary man across the counter suddenly chuckled. He quickly took out his cell phone and dialed a number. ¡°Patrick, I¡¯m at the shopping mall in the east of the city. Guess who I saw. Hahaha¡­ It¡¯s Christina. She said she would like to buy you underpants¡­¡± Charles sniggered. The man on the other end of the phone didn¡¯t want to talk to him, but when he heard Christina¡¯s name, something shed across his grim face. ¡°Who is she with?¡± Patrick asked in a cold voice. Charles raised his eyebrows. He thought that Patrick would think these things were boring and hang up. ¡°She just got out of the hospital after a prenatal checkup. She didn¡¯t want to go back to the Hopkins Family so soon. So she just wandered around here and met her great enemy, Carrie. The two women were almost fighting in the counter¡­¡° ¡°Is she injured?¡± Patrick asked. ¡°No.¡± Charles chuckled. ¡°But they seem like there is a blood feud¡­¡° ¡°Do something!¡° Patrick seemed to be really busy. He said that coldly and hung up. Charles was stunned. What did he mean?! ¡°I should be held ountable if Christina got hurt?¡± Charles thought. ¡°Mr. Shepherd¡­¡± His new girlfriend, who was a famous model, next to him called him coquettishly. ¡°Mr. Shepherd, why are you staring at that woman all the time? You¡¯re not interested in her, are you?¡° ¡°Baby, go choose something you like¡­¡± Charles said a few words to his girlfriend. The woman was a little jealous, but when she heard what Charles said, she was shocked. ¡°I see.¡± She strode over in high heels. ¡°What did you say!¡° ¡°What do you mean by not epting my membership?!¡± Five minutester, Carrie red at the manager. ¡°Do you know who I am? How dare you offend me!¡° ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡± The manager didn¡¯t exin but apologized formally. ¡°You must make it clear to me today!¡° Christina didn¡¯t know what was going on either. She looked at the famous model who had just walked over, then looked at Carrie and smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? They don¡¯t want to sell you clothes!¡° ¡°This isn¡¯t over!¡± Carrie red at Christina and turned around to warn the manager fiercely, ¡°I¡¯m calling my husband down now¡­¡° Christina knew that the husband she was talking about was Cory. Before she and Cory got divorced, this woman had already called Cory her husband, which made her very upset! How shameless! Christina swiped her card, bought a dozen men¡¯s pants, turned around, and walked out of the store. Carrie looked at the shopping bag in her hand and mocked her angrily. ¡°Christina, Cory has dumped you!¡° ¡°These are of arge size,¡± Christina looked back at her and coldly said,¡­ ¡°I¡¯m afraid they are not fit for Cory.¡° What?! Carrie was slightly stunned, but at this moment, the fashionable model said softly in a ttering tone, ¡°Mrs. Hopkins, see you next time.¡° Carrie guessed something and was panicked¡­ She quickly ran to the fifth floor to Cory. ¡°I just met Christina. Someone called her Mrs. Hopkins. What does that mean?¡° Cory¡¯s face darkened instantly. He was ying games with his daughter in his arms. Now he put her back on the ground. With a troubled face, he strode to the window, lit his cigarette, and took a few puffs. He frowned, blew out a stream of smoke, and said angrily, ¡°Christina has already gotten a marriage license with my cousin!¡° Christina was his cousin¡¯s wife now, and the thought of it made Cory even more upset. Carrie¡¯s eyes widened in shock¡­ Christina had married into the Hopkins Family?! Christina was in a bad mood. As soon as she returned to the Hopkins Family, she was told by a servant that Mr. Hopkins wanted to see her. She had been living in the Hopkins Family for almost a week and had been very careful. In the morning, the maid of the Hopkins Family had apanied her to the hospital for a prenatal checkup. It was rare for her to go out, so she went to the square. She did not expect to meet Carrie, and the more she thought about it, the more upset she became. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± She rarely saw the old master except at breakfast. Patrick had disappeared in the past few days. She heard that he had gone on a business trip. Christina secretly rejoiced. She hoped that he would note back. In that way, she would be more at ease. As soon as he entered the main hall of the Hopkins Family¡¯s residence, he heard a deep voice. ¡°That bastard got married to that woman. And he just left her here!¡° ¡°Sir, the young master has gone to Berlin on a business trip. I heard he will be back tomorrow.¡° ¡°He was rxed. He went on a business trip as soon as he got his license.¡± Mr. Hopkins grunted angrily. ¡°His auntse to see me every day. They are so annoying!¡° ¡°Master, it¡¯s good that the young master cares about his wife.¡± The butler made him tea and said. In the past, they were worried that Patrick would never get married. Fortunately, he agreed to marry Christina. When Mr. Hopkins heard this, his face immediately darkened. ¡°All these years, I¡¯ve been urging him to get married and have set up so many famousdies for him. He just likes that dead ex-girlfriend, Cecilia. If Christina didn¡¯t look like Cecilia, I think he would never get married, and there will be no offspring of the Hopkins Family!¡° Mr. Hopkins cursed angrily, but at this moment, Christina was frozen by the door. She didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop on these secrets. She was panicking and her phone fell onto the floor. Mr. Hopkins and the butler heard the voice and turned to look¡­ Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Mr. Hopkins nced at her, and it seemed he didn¡¯t mind her overhearing. He warned told her in a dignified voice, ¡°You should avoid using smartphones too much since you¡¯re pregnant.¡± And he looked at the cell phone that had fallen on the floor. Christina quickly picked up the phone. ¡°I see,¡± she replied obediently. ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s nearing the new year. We¡¯ve arranged your wedding after the new year. Because you¡¯re pregnant and shouldn¡¯t walk a lot, the wedding will be simple. We¡¯ll only entertain some important guests. After the baby is born, we¡¯ll hold another grand banquet for the baby¡¯s first-month birthday.¡± The old butler told her about the wedding. ¡°Okay.¡° Christina followed their arrangements, and she thought after the baby was born, she probably had have left Hopkins Family. But as the new year approached, Christina remembered something else. She thought her aunt might have already returned to the apartment. ¡°About your aunt¡­¡° The old butler seemed to have guessed what she was thinking about and said in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on her with a look. ¡°Your aunt Betty has a heart attack. We¡¯ve already sent someone to contact the hospital and are actively looking for a suitable source of heart¡­¡° When Christina heard this, she was stunned and her eyes turned red. What she had been most worried about was her aunt¡¯s illness, which had worsened over the past few years. But she had nothing could do but watch her rtives be increasingly haggard and thin. ¡°Thank you.¡± She lowered her head and said in a choked voice. She never thought that Mr. Hopkins would be willing to help her aunt. If he could really save her aunt¡¯s life, she could do anything for him. Christina looked up at Mr. Hopkins sitting on the sofa again and asked carefully, ¡°Grandpa, can I go back?¡° Mr. Hopkins looked at her in a dignified manner and narrowed his eyes. He did not answer. Instead, he turned his head and ignored her. Christina was a little anxious when she saw that the venerable old man ignored her. ¡°We will not confine your freedom,¡± said the old butler kindly. Then the butler ordered a maid outside the door to call the driver to take her back to the small apartment in the old district. Christina cast a grateful nce at the old butler and respectfully said to Mr. Hopkins, ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll go back very soon.¡° Christina¡¯s footsteps were stiff and she followed the maid to the door. ¡°Do I look so terrifying?!¡° Just as Christina walked out of the door, Mr. Hopkins asked with dissatisfaction in a deep voice, ¡°Is she afraid of me?!¡° The old butler could not help butugh. ¡°Old Master, except Young Master, everyone is afraid of you.¡° Even the top businessmen respected and feared the Old Master in Hopkins Family. Besides, Christina was just a woman. Well, the Old Master and Young Master of the Hopkins Family had the same temperament and were unapproachable. ¡°Old Master, you seem to like Christina very much.¡° ¡°Who said I liked her?¡± Mr. Hopkins¡¯s expression wasplicated and he red at the butler. ¡°I just think Christina is better than Cecilia.¡° The old butler chuckled and said nothing. Christina was sent to her own apartment by a driver from the Hopkins Family. ¡°Can you stop here? I¡¯ll go into thepound myself¡­¡° Christina suddenly spoke to the driver. She knew that a Hopkins Family¡¯s luxurious car would definitely provoke gossip from the neighbors. She didn¡¯t like the re of publicity. ¡°Yes, Young Madam. I¡¯ll wait for you here. Please be careful.¡° The driver agreed and reminded her to be careful. After all, she was pregnant with a child of the Hopkins Family. If anything happened to her, no one could afford the consequence. Christina nodded at him, opened the door, and walked out. The five-story old apartment building didn¡¯t have an elevator, and even the streetlights didn¡¯t work. Because it was in the old district and far from the city center, the rent was rtively low. She finally reached the fifth floor and took out the key to open the door, only to see that the door had been opened. Christina was happy. She thought her aunt probably hade back from the sanatorium. ¡°Auntie, are you back?¡± She pushed the door open and walked in quickly. However, as soon as she entered, she saw a man standing in the small living room¡­ Christina looked at the man and put on a long face. ¡°Cory, why are you here?¡± Christina¡¯s voice was full of disgust. Cory looked at her but did not speak immediately. Instead, he looked at her with a strange look. He didn¡¯t know that Christina and her aunt were living in such a small and dpidated apartment, which was worse than the servant¡¯s room at his ce. During the three years that Christina married him, she never asked for money from him. Suddenly, Cory felt that he had never really taken her seriously. In fact, Christina was 1.68 meters tall and was as exquisite as a famous model. Her face was white and delicate, and she was more beautiful than Carrie. ¡°Cory, you are not wee here!¡° Christina felt disgusted when he looked at her, and she said in a cold voice, ¡°Give me the key!¡± She knew that this key was given to him by her aunt. ¡°Christina, when your aunt gave me the key, she asked me to take good care of you¡­¡± Cory looked at her with more affections. ¡°Cory, don¡¯t pretend that you care about me.¡° Christina didn¡¯t want to see him, so she rebuked him. ¡°Get out. This ce is too shabby for you, Mr. Hampton.¡° Cory felt guilty when she scolded him. All these years, he was used to her obedience. It was aplicated feeling for him to hear her cold voice. It suddenly urred to him that she had married his cousin, and the feeling in his heart grew even more indescribable. ¡°You¡¯re sarcastic to me because you married my cousin, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cory was jealous. ¡°Why do you think my cousin wants to marry you? You really think that you¡¯ve be upper ss, don¡¯t you? Patrick has just taken over thepany. He¡¯speting with my mother and the others for power. You¡¯re just a pawn of him. After you give birth to the child, he¡¯ll kick you out. You¡¯ll be nothing but aughing stock by then.¡° Christina held back, gritting her teeth and scolding, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Get out of here!¡° N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. She couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and took a step forward. She reached out and quickly grabbed his right arm, snatching the key from his hand. Just as Christina was about to push him out of the room, Cory held her in his arms. ¡°Christina, I know you¡¯re mad at me, but I¡¯m doing it for your own good. I¡¯ll give you three million. With that, You and your aunt can leave here and live a better life somewhere else.¡° Christina was held tightly by him and had a hard time struggling to break free of him. Suddenly there was an urgent sound of footsteps outside the door¡­ ¡°Why are you hugging each other?¡° Carrie¡¯s shrill voice came, and she nervously grabbed Cory¡¯s arm and separated them. She was anxious when she noticed that Cory¡¯s gaze was fixing on Christina. Holding his arm, she urged, ¡°Cory, didn¡¯t you say you prepared three million for her to leave? She is so poor. She must need the money.¡° With that, Carrie took out a check from Cory¡¯s wallet and threw it on the table proudly. Christina nced at the check on the table and sneered. ¡°Carrie, no matter how poor I am, I am better than an ungrateful bitch like you.¡° Cory heard her scolding Carrie and subconsciously helped thetter. ¡°Christina,e at me and don¡¯t target Carrie. Carrie is a good woman. It was she who asked me to give you the money. She¡¯s very tolerant of you.¡° Christina grabbed the check and said, ¡°Cory, do you want to pay me off?¡° Then, she tore the check into pieces and scattered them to the ground. ¡°Do you know why I hate her? Cory, you know nothing! It¡¯s been three years, and you don¡¯t know anything about me. You never care about me!¡° ¡°Cory, you¡¯ve always been disdainful to know me, haven¡¯t you?¡° ¡°¡­ Well, I¡¯ll tell you now, I¡¯m the real me now!¡± She scolded in a cold voice. As soon as Christina finished speaking, she suddenly turned around, her back against his chest, her hands clutching his front cor and his belt, moving swiftly¡­ She turned her right foot back and threw herself forward. With a force, she threw the man over her shoulder heavily in a karate move¡­ Bang! ¡°Cory, I¡¯m not as stupid as I used to be. You¡¯d better not provoke me again!¡° He fell out in the air. He was shocked when his back hurt from the collision, and he looked up at her¡­ ¡°Bang-¡° Christina mmed the door and chased the scum couple out. Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to hold back the sadness in her heart. She had to admit that she felt really sorrowful. She used to love this man with all her might. She didn¡¯t regret it. She just hated that she didn¡¯t see him clearly back then! Christina looked at the dpidated little apartment in a daze. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She tried to walk towards the wooden chair on the left, but suddenly there was a sharp pain in her ankle. Christina frowned and stepped over to the chair to sit down. She had just thrown that scum Cory over her shoulder and used so much force that she identally sprained her ankle. She bent down and was about to pull up her pants to check her ankle. At this moment, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. Christina¡¯s first thought was that Cory was not afraid of death and dared toe back to provoke her again. Then she thought it was impossible because she beat him so much that he could only go to the hospital. Perhaps it was the driver from Hopkins Family who came up to look for her. At the thought of this, her face softened and she turned to look at the door with a smile. But as soon as she looked up, her smile froze. Christina¡¯s eyes widened slightly as she looked at the man who suddenly appeared. He¡­ Didn¡¯t hee back tomorrow after a business trip? Why was he here? Patrick suddenly appeared in the small old apartment and he looked around. His face was grim and he didn¡¯t say a word but just walked straight towards her. Christina looked at his unfriendly face as if he hade to seek revenge. She didn¡¯t offend him before. ¡°You, you came to see me?¡± There was a little uncertain in her tone. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡° Patrick did not answer but asked in a cold and deep voice. Christina did not understand what he was asking for a moment. She sat on a wooden chair while Patrick stood. He was already 1.85 meters tall, and now he looked down on her from above. She was a little nervous. Christina didn¡¯t want to be looked down upon like this, so she stood up subconsciously and exined, ¡°Grandpa agreed to let me out¡­¡° But Patrick didn¡¯t wait for her to finish. With a cold face, he suddenly took a big step and said. ¡°Sit down!¡° Christina leaned back in fear and slumped back into the chair. ¡°Take off your clothes!¡° He squatted down, looked her in the eye, and suddenly ordered in a cold voice. Christina panicked and quickly protected her chest with her hands. ¡°What are you doing?¡° But Patrick seemed to lose her patience with a gloomy face. He reached out his hands to pull her clothes. He was so strong that Christina¡¯s coat was quickly pulled down by him. ¡°Patrick, although I want you to help me with something, you can¡¯t force me to -¡± she defended and ¡°Shut up!¡° Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Laurie looked at the meaningful looks shared by them, and her mind went nk. What-what¡­ ¡°Patrick! You don¡¯t care about me or the Hampton Family at all!¡± ¡°You! You¡­¡± Laurie fumed. Laurie turned to look at Mr. Hopkins and scolded them angrily. ¡°Dad, look at him, look at him¡­ He¡¯s absurd. Patrick, Christina is my daughter-inw. How dare you, how dare you to sleep with her¡­¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Hopkins Family¡¯s rules were strict, and Mr. Hopkins had always been strict with his descendants, especially with Patrick. But now it happened¡­ Mr. Hopkins was so furious that he kept coughing and felt suffocating. The butler immediately walked over and patted his back to calm him down nervously, and the bodyguards and servants who had followed him here were so frightened that they all held their breath. Laurie cursed angrily. ¡°Dad, I know Patrick is your only grandson and the heir of Hopkins family. Everyone dotes on him and favors him. You¡¯ve been in a hurry to get him a wife, but now he¡­¡± Laurie cried out in grievance, ¡°Patrick slept with his cousin-inw. Christina is Cory¡¯s wife. But Patrick took the advantage of his identity as Young Master of Hopkins Family to do such an immoral thing. How embarrassed Cory will be, how will others gossip about the Hampton Family¡­¡± Laurie was so angry that she yelled at the ward. ¡°You two are so shameless!¡± Laurie¡¯s voice was shrill and loud, and in the ward, Christina¡¯s face turned pale. Her heart was hurt by those harsh curses. ¡°Cory, what do you think? That night at the clubhouse¡­¡± Patrick asked in a cold voice meaningfully. Everyone looked at Cory. Cory¡¯s face was extremely gloomy. When he heard the word ¡°clubhouse,¡± he immediately remembered the photos taken there. ¡°Auntie, why don¡¯t you ask your son why did he send Christina to my bed¡­¡± Patrick sneered and looked at Laurie. Laurie suddenly fell silent in shock. Guilt shed through Cory¡¯s eyes, but at the same time, he was angry. He retorted loudly, ¡°I admit I wanted to divorce Christina, but I just wanted to take some pictures of her to threaten her. Even if I hated Christina, I couldn¡¯t really find a man to sleep with her and cuckolded myself!¡± That night, he had only arranged for someone to drug Christina, take off her clothes, take some photos and humiliate her, so he could threaten her to divorce, but how¡­ How did this happen¡­ How could she really slept with another man! And the man who slept with her was Patrick¡­ ¡°Mr. Hopkins, I got the report!¡± Suddenly, a doctor in a white robe rushed over. The doctor respectfully handed him a paternity test report. The report used maternal vein blood as the sample for the paternity test, which was thetest gic technology. It helped identify the father of a fetus in the gic term. No one dared to say anything. They looked at the report in the old man¡¯s hand with L Mr. Hopkins looked at the report and became silent. He raised his head and looked sharply at the woman in the ward. Christina was stared at by this respectable old man. Her face was pale and she was clutching the sheet tightly. Her mind seemed to be nk and she was in a state of unease. ¡®Why did it be like this¡­ ¡®What should I do, what should I do¡­¡¯ She thought. After a long while, Mr. Hopkins suddenly spoke in a deep voice. His voice was serious and stern. ¡°She must give birth to the child¡­¡± Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Christina came to a spacious master bedroom. She was grim-faced as she looked around the unfamiliar decor. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh. When they were in the hospital that day, Mr. Hopkins¡¯s words, ¡°keep the baby¡±, shocked everyone. She was forced to stay in the hospital for three days. Also, she was taken to the Hopkins Family after leaving the hospital this morning She caressed her t underbelly unconsciously. Although it had been three days, her mind was still messy. In the evening at the club, Christina caught Cory and that vixen Carrie hooking up with each other at home, so she got extremely upset and thus forgot to take the after pill¡­ She was pregnant. She was actually pregnant with a baby of the Hopkins Family She felt that everything was unreal and illusory¡­ Suddenly, someone came in from outside the door. An elder woman walked up to her with a kind smile. ¡°Young madam, hello, my name is Nanny Faang. I will be in charge of your diet and daily life from now on. If you need anything, please tell me.¡± Christina stared at Nanny Faang and looked embarrassed. She was not used to being called ¡°young madam¡± by people of the Hopkins Family. Nanny Faang could see her reserve and smiled amiably. ¡°Young madam, old master has already given the order and the Hopkins Family is now busy preparing you and young master¡®s wedding. We will do our best to take care of each detail of the wedding. During this time, all you need to do is look after the baby¡­¡± Hearing that, Christina began to calm down a little. ¡°Young madam, have a rest first. There is a maid outside the door. You may ring the bedside bell if you need anything.¡± Christina nodded at her. Nanny Faang walked out knowingly and closed the door for her. After Nanny Faang left, only Christina was left in this spacious master bedroom. Christina turned her head and looked unconsciously at the two red booklets on the bedside table. She stood up, walked over, and picked up one of the marriage certificates with her right hand, her facial expressionplicated ¡°I actually got married to him.¡± She muttered. Even she herself found it incredible. Christina opened the marriage certificate. In the picture, both of them looked stern. She was really nervous at the civil affairs bureau. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. When Christina left the hospital this morning, the driver sent her to the civil affairs bureau first. Mr. Hopkins ordered Cory to divorce her, and soon after she got divorced, she turned around, took a photo with Patrick and got married at the registry. Christina gave a helpless smile. She was unable to put her feelings in words Laurie never agreed that she divorced Cory, but now that Mr. Hopkins took up the matter himself this time, no one dared to object to 1. it. As for the marriage, Christina felt that she didn¡¯t have a voice at all. At first, she thought that the old man just wanted her to give birth to the baby, but she didn¡¯t expect that he would let her and Patrick register. ¡°It¡¯s said that a son makes his mother more respected. Is that my case?¡± Sheughed at herself. In fact, she didn¡¯t want to marry into the Hopkins Family at all. When she was taken to the civil affairs bureau at that time, she was totally stunned, and didn¡¯t dare to resist at all. Several bodyguards were following behind her, and in this situation, she could only y along. What made her even more confused was that Patrick actually didn¡¯t talk back to Mr. Hopkins. In her opinion, that man was not some obedient person. Christina felt restless. That old man of the Hopkins Family looked very stern, while she couldn¡¯t offend Patrick either. She had been tense during most of the day she spent in the Hopkins Family. The maids were very polite to her. Nanny Faang arranged for her diet and told her some dos and don¡¯ts during pregnancy. After she finished her dinner alone, she was sent back to the master bedroom and told to go to bed early In fact, Christina was very tired at night, but looking at the double bed in front of her, she got very embarrassed. Although the maid had changed the sheets, it was still Patrick¡¯s bed. She felt ufortable lying on this bed. Christina stayed up until 12 am. She couldn¡¯t keep her eyes open anymore, and looked at the door She thought to herself. Maybe Patrick was working overtime and couldn¡¯te back. Sheforted herself and climbed onto the big soft bed. She would sleep for a while first. When he came back, she must talk to him about the issue of sleeping. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 In the early morning, Fireworks Bar, the biggest and most luxurious bar in the city center, was bustling with people from rich families, and some famous movie stars and models often came to y up to them. There were loud music and dim lights. asionally, bright colorful beams of light shed across the dance floor. Handsome men and beautiful women twisted their bodies to the rhythm of the music and fully indulged themselves. When a bright yellow light shed across the bar¡¯s VIP entrance, a man walked in slowly. Under the bright light, his figure was tall and straight, his face was cold, and his thin lips were slightly pursed, looking cold and indifferent. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, please follow me¡­¡± The general manager of the bar waited at the entrance. They entered the elevator and went straight to the top floor of the bar. The bar on the top floor was much quieter, different from the one downstairs, which was very noisy. The bar upied the entire top floor, and it was very spacious, simple and exquisite, with expensive oil paintings hanging on the walls and antique vases and statues disyed in it. At the end of the east side was a ce for famous wine, and in front of it was a semi-circr bar counter. There were usually no waiters and very few people coulde here, ¡°Women are usually not allowed in here. I only take you here today because you have promised me to straddle yourself over me when we have sex¡­¡± Suddenly there was a clink of sses, followed by a man¡¯s giggle. ¡°Mr. Shepherd, it¡¯s agreed that I¡¯m the female lead in the new movie. Don¡¯t forget it.¡± The woman said coquettishly. Then she raised her ss to feed him with an ingratiating smile. ¡°But the director said you¡¯re not a good actor. What should we do?¡± ¡°Mr. Shepherd, why don¡¯t you ask them to leave first?¡± The general manager of the bar walked over quickly and said something nervously to Charles Charles was having a good time and red at the general manager discontentedly. On the dark green sofa across the bar, another man suddenly chuckled, ¡°Charles, you¡¯re going to die.¡± ¡°What?¡± Seeing Chandler¡¯s treacherous smile, Charles immediately raised his head vigntly. When he looked up at the man in front of him, Charles immediately pushed the woman away from him. He jumped off the bar counter and pretended to be disgusted, ¡°Get out, all of you!¡± Seeing Charles¡¯s attitude changed so quickly, the movie stars and models turned around and looked behind them, startled. ¡°Mr. Hopkins.¡± They could not hide their adoration, and they called out coquettishly. However, Patrick was expressionless and looked coldly at Charles. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Charles felt a shiver down his spine and was really desperate. All of his childhood friends knew that Patrick hated women for some reason. Charles hurriedly chased these women downstairs. He was relieved when he saw that see that Patrick was not angry ¡°Patrick, I heard that your grandfather forced you to get married today.¡± Chandler poured Patrick a ss of red wine and asked with a faint smile. Before Patrick could say anything, Charles was the first to get excited, ¡°What?! Patrick are you married?¡± Mr. Shepherd didn¡¯t believe it. Even if Mr. Hopkins forced him, it was basically useless. How could Patrick be so filial? ¡°Patrick, what¡¯s so special about that woman?¡± Patrick didn¡¯t want to talk to Charles and he said in a low voice, ¡°Where¡¯s my pocket watch?¡± Just as Charles was about to return the pocket watch he had found to Patrick, he suddenly remembered something and he was shocked. ¡°Patrick, do you marry¡­¡± Charles shook the exquisite gold pocket watch in his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you married the woman who bit you, stole your coat and pawned your pocket watch Charles heard that when Patrick had just returned from the United States, he had gone to a club to rest and had sex with a woman. That day, Charles almost couldn¡¯t believe it. Patrick is a woman-hater. How could he had sex with a strange woman the day he returned home? That¡¯s insane! Nheless, Charles also heard that the woman was so audacious that she even dared to bite Patrick, rob him of his coat, and gave the pocket watch, which Patrick had always cherished to a taxi driver for travel expenses. Charles thought that the woman would probably die. However, Patrick married her! ¡°Patrick, why do you agree to marry her?¡± Charles was curious about who that sister-inw was. Patrick ignored him and stood up from the sofa, reaching for his pocket watch. Chandler looked at the pocket watch in Patrick¡¯s hand with a thoughtful expression. ¡°Patrick, Christina looks familiar.¡± Chandler suddenly blurted out something. Patrick took a sip from his ss and held his watch tightly, but did not answer. Chandler looked at the pocket watch in his hand. They all knew that there was a picture of Cecilia, Patrick¡¯s ex-girlfriend, in his pocket watch. Christina really looked like Cecilia, who was already dead... Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Dong! It sounded as if some small metal object had fallen on the floor. Christina woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to go to the bathroom, but she forgot that she was in the Hopkins Family When she turned around, she identally hit the bedside table, and something fell on the floor. She lowered her head and bent over to pick it up. It was a gold pocket watch. Christina looked at the golden pocket watch in her palm and suddenly woke up. ¡°This pocket watch¡­¡± It looked familiar! This was the pocket watch in Patrick¡¯s pocket that night when she snatched his coat. She had given this to the taxi drivers for the fare. Why was it here? She looked at it carefully, lifted the lid of the pocket watch, and found a small picture embedded in it¡­ ¡°What are you doing!¡± Suddenly, a cold voice came from outside the door. Christina immediately hid the pocket watch behind her as if she guilty. She raised her head and saw Patrick strode towards her. Christina watched him approaching her and ring at her. Yes, his eyes were fierce, as if something was making him angry. ¡°Take it out!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± He took efforts to get the pocket watch back, so it must mean a lot to him. But just as Christina was about to apologize, Patrick seemed impatient and quickly extended his right hand to grab her shoulder. Patrick tightened his grip and held her. She felt pain. He snatched the watch from her. ¡°Christina, do you really think that you will be my wife? You¡¯re daydreaming?!¡± He sneered and said. He was standing right in front of her. His tall figure made her feel a bit scared. Christina raised her head and looked into his cold eyes. She was angry. ¡°You think I want to marry you? I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Heh, don¡¯t pretend to be innocent and lofty. Is there a woman who doesn¡¯t want to marry into the Hopkins Family? Christina, do you really think you¡¯re special¡­¡± Patrick lowered his head and red at the face in front of him. His eyes were deep¡­ With reminiscence. He seemed to be recalling something. They were so close that Christina felt ufortable. She struggled to push him away. Patrick, on the other hand, was suppressing the growing irritation in his heart. When his eyes fell on her bright red lips, he felt an inexplicable impulse. Without saying a word, he kissed her on the lips, a bit fiercely. Christina was stunned. There was a slight pain in her lips, and she tasted blood¡­ ¡°Who does he think I am!¡± Christina was panicked and angry. ¡°Let me go!¡± She raised her right hand and swung it at the man in front of her. The moment she raised her hand, Patrick let go of her, as if her voice had broken his memories. Patrick held her wrist in midair at an extremely fast speed and looked at her face again with only an This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. indifferent look in his eyes. CE ¡°Christina, remember why you are here. You¡¯re here because you will give birth to my child! This is just a deal. Don¡¯t talk to me about your so-called love. Don¡¯t say you will be loyal to some man. We are adults, and it¡¯s an adult¡¯s game. Even dignity is worthless¡­¡± His voice was cold and clear. He took off his coat and threw it at the end of the bed as if he was very upset. It was a game of adults, and dignity was worthless. Christina was so angry, but he suddenly pinned her down on the bed and she couldn¡¯t break free. With both hands against his chest, she was filled with anxiety. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t touch me¡­¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Bang ¨C Christina was struggling, and her right hand identally tripped the bedside crystalmp. With a ng, the debris flew¡­ ¡°Ma¡¯am, is something wrong?¡± HT Nanny Faang, who was outside the door, heard the sound and immediately ran in nervously. But she bumped into Patrick pressing Christina on the bed. She froze at the door, not knowing whether to stay or go. Christina was so embarrassed, ¡°Go away, go away!¡± She pushed the man hard. Patrick looked at her coldly as if he had suddenly lost interest and stood up straight. Without saying a word, he strode out of the room. Christina was relieved to see him leave. The way Patrick looked at her just now was strange, which seemed to be contradictory, hateful, and he seemed to be in a nostalgic state, Christina frowned, wondering why Patrick¡¯s look was so weird. It was two in the morning and the room was quiet. Christina stood by the bed. She lowered her head to look down at her toes with a stiff expression. In Hopkins Family, she felt like an outsider. Nanny Faang swiftly cleaned up the debris on the ground. She caught a glimpse of Christina¡¯s unhappy expression and persuaded her, ¡°Our Young Master has been aloof since he was a kid. He probably went to the study to sleep tonight.¡± But then Nanny Faang became hesitant. ¡°Patrick¡­doesn¡¯t want to have an intimate rtionship with any girls. He has only had one girlfriend since he was a child.¡± Patrick¡¯s girlfriend? Who was so unlucky that was liked by him? When Christina heard this, surprise appeared on her face. Why didn¡¯t he marry the one he liked? Looking at the kind-hearted Nanny Faang, Christina was about to ask. She curiously wanted to know more about him. But Nanny Faang didn¡¯t dare to say much, and she walked towards the door. She said in a haste, ¡°Ma¡¯am, you are pregnant and you should rest early. And there¡¯s a habit in Hopkins Family, you should have breakfast with Mr. Hopkins.¡± Then she heard a click. The door was closed again. In the silence of the room, Christinay back on the bed, looking at the luxurious ceiling above her in a daze, unable to sleep. The Hopkins Family was foreign to her, and Patrick was temperamental and unapproachable¡­ The clock on the wall was ticking, and she lifted the nket to cover her head. ¡°I have to have breakfast with that old man in Hopkins Family tomorrow morning¡­¡± Christina was very anxious the whole night. The sky growly became bright. ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s time to get up.¡± Early in the morning, a maid knocked on the IT door and walked in Christina looked at each other with dark circles under her eyes and looked haggard. Her thoughts were in a mess all night and she couldn¡¯t sleep. And she was just a little sleepy now, so theck of sleep made her feel a little upset. Then she looked at the clock on the wall. It was only five o¡¯clock. ¡®Five o¡¯clock! It was only five o¡¯clock! But the old man in Hopkins Family wants me to greet him! ¡®These rich people are really troublesome.¡¯ She could not help butin in a low voice. But Christina was onlyining secretly. She had no human rights because she was just an outsider in the Hopkins Family Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Everything should be done ording to the rules of Hopkins Family, and she had to be careful. She went into the bathroom to wash up, changed her clothes, and followed the maid to the dining room. When Christina arrived at the dining room, she saw Mr. Hopkins and Patrick had already sat down. They did not talk, but each held a newspaper in their hands. The atmosphere was a little solemn. Christina nced at the old man and thought for a while. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Hopkins.¡± She greeted him nervously. Although the old man was nearly eighty years old, his body was strong and his face was serious. When he heard Christina¡¯s greeting, he did not even raise his head, but just looked at the butler beside him. The butler immediately understood and quickly asked the servants to serve breakfast. He turned to Christina and smiled kindly. ¡°Ma¡¯am, pleasee over here¡­¡± The butler signaled her to sit on Patrick¡¯s left. Christina nodded at the butler, but hesitated. She didn¡®t want to sit next to Patrick. Just then, Patrick raised his head and looked at her¡­ Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Patrick¡¯s eyes were cold and indifferent as if he were looking at an irrelevant person. Then he put This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. down the newspaper and ignored her. Christina had no choice but to sit reluctantly on his left. The servants quickly put breakfast on the table and prepared various food, including scallop porridge, paste, milk and so on. Patrick and Mr. Hopkins did not speak during the meal. They ate gracefully and quietly. ¡°Ma¡¯am, you are pregnant now. The nutritionist has prepared a nutritious meal for you¡­¡± The maid brought her a bowl of porridge. Christina didn¡¯t dare to be picky. She took a sip. It was nd and bitter and tasted terrible. Just as Mr. Hopkins¡¯s sharp eyes nced at her, Christina immediately lowered her head nervously and obediently drank the bowl of medicinal porridge. Mr. Hopkins seemed to be satisfied with her obedient attitude. He had half a bowl of scallop porridge and put down the spoon. The butler hurriedly handed him a cup of warm water. Mr. Hopkins took a sip and gently wiped his lips with a napkin before he said in a deep voice, ¡°Take care of yourself since you¡¯re pregnant.¡± Christina felt that the old man was ordering her, and she replied, ¡°Yes, I see.¡± ¡°I said she¡¯s pregnant. There are many things you should pay attention to!¡± Mr. Hopkins repeated, raising his voice in displeasure. Then Christina suddenly realized that the old man was talking to Patrick Patrick¡¯s expression was indifferent. He ate half of his paste, put down his fork, raised his eyebrows and looked at his grandfather, then asked, ¡°What should I pay attention to?¡± Mr. Hopkins¡¯s face darkened. ¡°In the early stages of pregnancy, there are some things you can¡¯t do! Control yourself!¡± The old man reminded Patrick angrily. When Patrick heard this, he looked at Christina with a meaningful look. Christina blushed. Mr. Hopkins got up from his chair. With a crutch in his right hand, he nced at Christina and suddenly said, ¡°Call me grandpa in the future!¡± Christina looked a little surprised. After breakfast, Patrick went to thepany, and Mr. Hopkins went back to his room to rest. ¡°Ma¡¯am, in the afternoon, the wedding shop will send over some designs. You can choose the style you like and choose the wedding ring style¡­¡± Christina was a little busy. She sat on the sofa in the living room, and the housekeeper told her a lot about the marriage. When Christina heard this, her expression was veryplicated. ¡°Butler, let Mr. Hopkins decide. I-I am ok with everything¡­¡± This marriage was very absurd in others¡¯ eyes, andst night, Patrick also said that they only got a contractual marriage, so there was no need to be so serious. ¡°Mr. Hopkins said that if you have your favorite wedding dresses and jewelry, you can tell you. If there are no special requirements, then we will find a designer to customize them for you¡­¡± The butler spoke to her in a friendly and respectful tone. Christina was ttered to hear that. ¡°I¡¯m okay with that.¡± Actually, she didn¡¯t expect this marriage at all. The butler heard her say this and did not ask her anymore. Seeing that she was a little tired, he chuckled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get used to sleeping in Hopkins Family?¡± Christina looked embarrassed, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Send Young Madam back to her bedroom to have a rest.¡± The butler turned to give an order to a maid. After some thought, he added, ¡°Ma¡¯am, you are pregnant with the child of the Hopkins Family. Mr. Hopkins will not treat you badly. You can rx.¡± Christina nodded to the butler. ¡°Thank you.¡± She was really grateful to him. In her life, few people have treated her well. The masters of the Hopkins Family were difficult to deal with, but the servants here were very kind. Christina was really sleepy and she didn¡¯t sleep muchst night. She went back to her bedroom with the maid. The butler looked at her back and his eyes became meaningful. ¡°What the hell is going on? Are they really going to have a wedding? So embarrassing!¡± Not long after Christina left, Laurie rushed to Hopkins Family in a huff. Seeing the butlers and maids in Hopkins Family busy with Patrick and Christina¡¯s marriage, she became even angrier. ¡°Everyone in the circle knows that Christina used to be Hampton Family¡¯s daughter-inw, but now suddenly¡­¡± Laurie¡¯s chest heaved with anger. ¡°This wedding will only bring shame to Hopkins Family and the Hampton Family. No, this can¡¯t be¡­ Besides, just let Christina give birth to the baby. There¡¯s no need to get marriage licenses.¡± The butler looked at her and said slowly, ¡°The child of the Hopkins Family of course won¡¯t be an illegitimate child. Besides, most importantly, Patrick agreed to marry her¡­¡± Laurie¡¯s face was dark. She never thought that Patrick would agree to get marriage licenses with Christina. Seeing the anger on her face, the butler added in a low voice, ¡°Miss, you know the old man¡¯s temperament very well¡­¡± Laurie did not stay in Hopkins Family for a long time. She knew that she could not disobey the old man¡¯s idea, so she had to start from other aspects. ¡°Contact the Dickens Family in C City¡­¡± Laurie grabbed her phone and called her son, Cory. Cory heard her voice and asked impatiently, ¡°Mom, you are in the Hopkins Family? What did grandpa say? Cousin and Christina¡­¡± Laurie was immediately furious. ¡°Your grandfather was biased towards your cousin. As soon as Patrick returned home, he became the president of thepany, and he¡¯s always against me in the certificates with Christina. I won¡¯t permit that¡­¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 ¡°Hey, let me go!¡± Christina heard someone calling her. As soon as she turned around, she was caught by Cory and trapped to the guardrail by the river. She angrily pushed him away. ¡°Cory, let go of me!¡± ¡°Christina, just calm down. I have something to tell you.¡± He looked at her withplicated cyes and gripped her wrist with his right hand. ¡°You should leave my cousin.¡± ¡°Cory, it¡¯s none of your business. We¡¯re divorced!¡± Christina was irritated and was struggling Cory looked into her eyes. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have divorced you. It was my fault that I hired someone to take candid pictures of you at the club that day. But Christina, Patrick is really not a good match for you. I¡¯ve investigated him. Patrick agreed to marry you because you looked like his dead girlfriend. He Only regarded you as that girl¡¯s sedaneum. Besides, when you kissed him that day, he was unwilling..¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you, it¡¯s none of your business!¡± She had been depressed and upset for the past two days. Hearing his words, she was enraged. ¡°You came here to mock me, didn¡¯t you? Cory, I told you, if you dare to provoke me again, I won¡¯t be polite to YOLL.¡± Christina was an expert in karate. As soon as she spoke, she grabbed his right arm, turned around and pinned him against the railing She leaned forward, trying to teach him a lesson. Cory was stunned to be suddenly pressed under her. Unexpectedly, he stepped on a pebble with his right foot. Somehow, his entire body fell into the river with a thud. Christina looked at the huge ssh in the dark river, dumbfounded for a moment. ¡°Cory!¡± A secondter, she screamed in shock at the river. There were only a few dim yellow streetlights on the bank, and she could not know the situation at all. ¡°Cory!¡± She continued to scream in panic at the river. ¡°Help, help me.¡± Vaguely, she heard a Cry for help. Christina was extremely anxious. She had never thought of pushing him down the river. Cory was unable to swim. She looked nervous. No matter how much she hated him, she didn¡¯t want him to die. She immediately took off her shoes, climbed onto the railing, then jumped into the river. ¡°Cory where are you¡­ In February, the river could almost freeze the bone Christina Shivered in the water but still swam around. She kept shouting. ¡°Cory, where are you? I¡¯m here to save you¡­¡± Under the dim yellow light of the streetmps, she saw some blisters on the right side of the river. Her eyes lit up and she swam over immediately¡­ ¡°Cory hold on.¡± At this vital moment, she hugged his waist with both hands. Clenching her teeth, Christina swam with all her might towards the river bank There was a trace on the surface of the river. Christina was anxious and tried her best to drag him ashore. She patted him nervously on the face. ¡°Wake up! Cory, wake up. Don¡¯t scare me.¡± Cory¡¯s face was pale. He closed his eyes tightly and remained unresponsive Christina¡¯s eyes were red and she was cold to shiver in the night wind. She continued pressing down on his chest to resuscitate him. ¡°Cory, wake up! Wake up!¡± What if he really died? with all her might towards the river bank. There was a trace on the surface of the river. Christina was anxious and tried her best to drag him ashore. She patted him nervously on the face. ¡°Wake up! Cory. wake up. Don¡¯t scare me.¡± Cory¡¯s face was pale. He closed his eyes tightly and remained unresponsive. Christina¡¯s eyes were red and she was cold to shiver in the night wind. She continued pressing down on his chest to resuscitate him. ¡°Cory, wake up! Wake up!¡± What if he really died? She shouted anxiously, raising his chin with her right hand and lowering her head to give him artificial respiration. Soon, the man under her coughed up a mouthful of river water. Cory opened his eyes and looked at the woman in front of him with blurred vision. He called out her name in a hoarse voice. ¡°Christina¡­¡± Seeing him wake up, Christina was so excited that she was about to cry. She really thought she had killed him by mistake. Suddenly, Cory feltplicated in his heart when he looked at her teary and excited expression. Although he had just fainted in the river, he could feel her upset, anxiety and worry, which were more moving and charming than other dramatic women¡­ ¡°Christina, I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I was really wrong. My mother forced me to marry you, but I neglected and hurt you in these three years. I really deserve to die¡­ Suddenly. Cory tightly held her in his arms. Their clothes were soaked. The river and wind were cold, but their bodies were hot. ¡°Christina, I really didn¡¯t betray you during our marriage. Carrie suddenly came me with a childst two months ago. She¡¯s my ex-girlfriend. I didn¡¯t know she was pregnant when she went abroad. Now she came back suddenly, so L.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for you. Can you give me another chance? I¡¯ll take good care of you. I won¡¯t mind that you¡¯ve been raped by turns. Christina did not react. She jumped into the river in a hurry to save Cory and was scared out of her wits. Now her body was cold and her brain was numb. She was hugged by him so tightly that she did not have the strength to push him away. Cory¡¯s voice echoed in her ears. He had never confessed to her so gently. e had been forced to marry her three years ago, and his past sweet words were false, what he said now sounded went abroad. Now she came back suddenly so L.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for you. Can you give me another chance? I¡¯ll take good care of you. I won¡¯t mind that you¡¯ve been raped by turns¡­ Christina did not react. She jumped into the river in a hurry to save Cory and was scared out of her wits. Now her body was cold and her brain was numb. She was hugged by him so tightly that she did not have the strength to push him away. Cory¡¯s voice echoed in her cars. He had never confessed to her so gently. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. e had been forced to marry her three years ago, and his past sweet words were false, what he said now sounded went abroad. Now she came back suddenly, so ¡°I¡¯m sorry for you. Can you give me another chance? I¡¯ll take good care of you. I won¡¯t mind that you¡¯ve been raped by turns¡­ Christina did not react. She jumped into the river in a hurry to save Cory and was scared out of her wits. Now her body was cold and her brain was numb. She was hugged by him so tightly that she did not have the strength to push him away. Cory¡¯s voice echoed in her ears. He had never confessed to her sogently. e had been forced to marry her three years ago, and his past sweet words were false, what he said now sounded sincere But it sounded strange¡­ ¡°What do you mean by raping by turns? Christina frowned and struggled to push him away. In the quiet night by the river, her eyes suddenly became bright. ¡°Cory, what did you just say?¡± She asked persistently Cory choked on water and recovered quickly. He got up and looked into her eyes as if he were deeply in love with her. ¡°Christina, I won¡¯t mind that anymore. No matter how many men had raped you that day. ¡°I am asking you what exactly are you talking about!¡± Suddenly, Christina felt like someone hit her head and she raised her voice to shout. Cory looked at her persistent eyes. *Your high school graduation trip_.¡± High school graduation trip¡­ Christina waspletely shocked. She looked at him with a perplexed, confused and disbelieving gaze. ¡°Did you say that I was raped by gangsters during my high school graduation trip?¡± She mumbled with a confused expression Cory lowered his head, his face twisted with hatred and guilt. During their three years of marriage. he lived under the same roof with her The real reason why he didn¡¯t want to sct dose to her was not that he hated her. Instead, he couldn¡¯t forget what he had seen: she was covered in scars, and her clothes were torn¡­ Then he thought she was dirty ¡°Christina, you even sacrifice your life to save me. I really don¡¯t mind that anymore.¡± He approached her and promised her in a low voice, ¡°Carrie only approached me for money. I¡¯ll handle it. Please trust me apain¡± Hearing his extremely gentle promise, Christina didn¡¯t show any emotion. It was as if she didn¡¯t care if he cheated on her, if he had an illegitimate daughter outside, or if Carrie had stolen her husband. She was stunned. ¡°Cory. you¡­ So.¡± It took a long time for her to speak. Cory stared at her. At this moment he felt that Christina¡¯s sight was quite strange ¡°Cory, it turns out that you weren¡¯t the one who saved me on my high school graduation trip!¡± She took a deep breath and questioned him loudly, her tone filling withplex emotions. ¡°Somcone timely saved me on that high school graduation trip. I wasn¡¯t tarnished by those gangsters at all. Not at all!¡± She roared out in a hoarse voice Cory was astonished when he heard this. When he arrived, all the gangsters had already run away. And he just saw her disheveled and thought that she had been raped and abandoned under the hill ¡°Cory, you lied to me! You said you saved me. You liar!¡± Christina became agitated, her hands gripping his clothes tightly, her fingers turning white. ¡°It wasn¡¯t you. It wasn¡¯t you who saved me that day! Why did you lie to me?¡± She mocked herself and recalled what happened that day. Christina pushed him away abruptly. She stood slowly, her expression bing confused, ¡°Who, who saved me that day¡­¡± Her lips were white and she mumbled stubbornly. She could not remember that man¡¯s face, but she would never forget that day. Cory sat by the dirty river. He raised his head and gazed at her. Suddenly, he seemed to understand the whole story. The reason why Christina had just tried so hard to save him, endured his indifference and loved and cared for him all these years, was because she mistook him for the man who saved her that year. Cory didn¡¯t know how to describe his mood. He felt ridiculous, as if he was fooled by god. When he suddenly understood what was true love at the moment of life and death, he had no right to pursue his true love, Because he wasn¡¯t the one who saved her that year. That day, he just casually admitted it. He now wasn¡¯t sure if Christina fell in love with him first or it was he that owned Christina. At this time, the river was already crowded with many onlookers. They called the police, and soon the ambnce came. When the doctor walked up to Christina and asked her about her condition, her vision was blurred. She might have caught a cold or suffered a mental blow, then she felt dizzy suddenly and fainted. Christina¡¯s temperature was very high. The cold of the river in February prated her bone marrow, especially at night. The reason why she was so desperate to save Cory was that she thought Cory had saved her that time She was sent to the hospital, and the high fever made her dizzy. She kept dreaming, and the horrible experience of escaping from death on her high school graduation trip became her worst nightmare. While Christina was in aa, she didn¡¯t know that she had hit the headline of all social media. ¡°Superheroine Saved a Handsome Man from the Cold River¡± ¡°Beautiful Girl¡¯s Sincere Kiss Waked up Her Boyfriend¡± ¡°Sacrifice for Love¡± Every exaggerated headline was followed by the video recording Christina jumped into the river to save Cory These videos were captured byizens who were passing by the river. Some of them captured the video when she had just jumped off the river. and some of them recorded she gave Cory artificial respiration. There were variousments and it became a hot issue. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 ¡°Don¡¯t run! Catch her.¡± The footsteps behind her were approaching. After hearing that rough voice, Christina¡¯s face turned pale from fear. She ran away in panic in the direction of the elevator¡­ ¡°Ah, let me go.¡± She kept pressing the elevator nervously. As soon as the door opened, she wanted to rush in. Unexpectedly, on the other side of the stairs, a tall and ferocious man rushed over and caught her. The man roughly grabbed her by the neck and warned her, ¡°You heard it just now. It was Patrick who said the child 3:05 PM should be aborted. You¡¯d better cooperate, or else don¡¯t me us for being rude!¡± When Christina heard the man mention the name Patrick, her eyes reddened and she retorted, ¡°No! It is my child. I won¡¯t abort it!¡± ¡°Mr. Hopkins said that you have no right to bear his child!¡± Aman in doctor¡¯s robe rushed over, he shouted impatiently at the other two men, ¡°Hurry up and do it!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± She was so scared that she almost burst into tears. ¡°Let me go, I don¡¯t want an abortion¡­¡± She was so frightened that she trembled and kept struggling and writhing. She cried out in shock, ¡°Save me. Help me, I don¡¯t want that. Let me ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± It was the hospital shift time, and the corridor of the inpatient department was rtively quiet Two nurses happened to pass by and looked around in confusion ¡°What are you doing?¡± The nurses walked towards the source of the sound and saw three men sneaking around the stairs. ¡°We¡®re cleaning up some special medical waste¡­ Then there was a loud bang, and two men in white doctor¡¯s robes heavily covered arge lid. The nurse felt a little strange, but the three men opposite had already pushed the white bucket into the elevator. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen these doctors. Which department are they from? ¡°Never mind, our hospital is big with many interns¡­¡± The other nurse watched the elevator doors slowly close and said casually The elevator doors closed and it quickly descended to the underground parking lot. Christina was thrown into the big bucket of dirty bedsheets and the lid on her head was pressed tightly. She was suffocating. breathing stiffly, and losing losing oxygen consciousness¡­ Why was Patrick so cruel? to my Why didn¡¯t he listen exnation. She was depressed and desperate, and her mind was in a mess. Before she fainted, she heard a sinister voice, ¡°We got the money, we should get rid of her as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Have you done?¡± The door was impatiently pushed open, and Patrick¡¯s cold voice came. Charles had just hung up the phone and looked up at him. Patrick looked aggressive and furious. No wonder he was so angry at the hospital. It was because of this video. ¡°All relevant videos on the Inte have been removed, and the major media have been notified to keep an eye on users from uploading and Spreading¡­¡± Charles said and casually asked, ¡°By the way, how is Christina now?¡± Patrick¡¯s face darkened when he heard the name. Charles lowered his head to avoid provoking Patrick. He swiped his phone and opened a video he had saved. He couldn¡¯t believe that Christina had the guts to jump into the river to save Cory. When Charles saw Christina crawling up the river with a soaked body, he whispered, ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was so hot. No wonder this video is so popr When Patrick heard Charles muttering his face immediately darkened and he gave Charles a warning look Charles shrank and quickly deleted the video fearfully. Charles quickly changed the subject. ¡°Patrick, it seems that every time something happens to Christina, you will receive an anonymous message. Did you find out the source.¡± Charles asked a serious question, which was very rare for him, but Patrick looked a little absent-minded. He was thinking about something else. Charles secretly looked at him and was very curious about what Patrick was thinking All of a sudden, Patrick stood up. He said coldly with an irritable expression, ¡°Send the anonymous information to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to check, we¡¯ll know the situation tomorrow.¡± With that. Patrick strode straight towards the door with mixed feelings. Charles looked at his back and shouted at him, ¡°Are you really going to ignore Christina and go back to A City on your Patrick had never been patient with women. He would leave Christina alone under such circumstances, but.. After spending a few days together with Christina, Charles somewhat took Christina as his friend. So he muttered, ¡°Christina must be very weak after being soaked in the river during the winter.¡± Was he really going to leave her alone? Patrick¡¯s footsteps suddenly stopped. Inexplicably, the thought of Christina being scolded by him in the hospital upset him. The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. Just then, the front door was forced open. ¡°Where is Christina now?¡± Cory¡¯s eager voice came, and his sudden appearance surprised Charles and the others. Charles remembered the video in which Cory was rescued and suddenly confessed to Christina for forgiveness. Was he concerned about his ex-wife? Patrick looked at Cory and his face darkened. There was no need for Patrick to speak. The bodyguards outside the door quickly ran in. Then two bodyguards grabbed Cory from both sides. ¡°Take him out!¡± Patrick ordered impatiently. Normally, Cory was a little afraid of his cousin. However, he didn¡¯t care now. He just struggled desperately and shouted at Patrick, ¡°Where is Christina now?¡± ¡°Patrick, I admit that I betrayed her. But you slept with her, so she got pregnant by ident, and Christina herself was not willing to have this child. What about you? You forced her to get marriage certificates with you through the power of the Hopkins Family. You never respected her wishes. You¡¯re no better than me.¡± Charles was shocked that Cory dared to scold him. He turned his head to look at Patrick. As expected, Patrick was holding back his anger and would explode at any moment. He immediately urged the bodyguards, ¡°Get him out of here!¡± Cory was pulled by two tall bodyguards, looking livid with anger and asking anxiously. ¡°Patrick, where¡¯s Christina?¡± ¡°Patrick she¡¯s so weak now. I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯ve asked someone to abort her child. She¡¯s been nothing to you but a tool for you to have a child¡± Patrick was on the verge of exploding. His face darkened. Suddenly, he reached out his right hand and grabbed a fruit knife from the table. Without hesitation, he threw it at Cory. The fruit knife narrowly brushed past Cory¡¯s head, cut off a strand of his hair, flew straight over, and suddenly settled on the carved solid wood door. Its de was glearning with cold light. Cory seemed to be frightened by the sudden move. He immediately shut up and a drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead. ¡°You have no right to judge what I did to her!¡± Patrick¡¯s suppressed voice sounded cold and deep. The words were squeezed out of his teeth word by word, and his eyes were filled with intense jealousy. Even Charles was a little shocked. He had known Patrick for so many years and had never seen himact that way. ¡°Get him out of here!¡± Cory was pulled by two tall bodyguards, looking livid with anger and asking anxiously. ¡°Patrick, where¡¯s Christina?¡± ¡°Patrick, she¡¯s so weak now. I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯ve asked someone to abort her child. She¡¯s been nothing to you but a tool for you to have a child.¡± Patrick was on the verge of exploding, His face darkened. Suddenly, he reached out his right hand and grabbed a fruit knife from the table. Without hesitation, he threw it at Cory The fruit knife narrowly brushed past Cory¡¯s head, cut off a strand of his hair flew straight over and suddenly settled on the carved solid wood door. Its de was gleaming with cold light. Cory seemed to be frightened by the sudden move. He immediately shut up and a drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°You have no right to judge what I did to her!¡± Patrick¡¯s suppressed voice sounded cold and deep. The words were squeezed out of his teeth word by word, and his eyes were filled with intense jealousy. Even Charles was a little shocked. He had known Patrick for so many years and had never seen him act that way. He had always been indifferent to anything, but now he seemed to be jealous. It seemed that something very important to him was being invaded, which agitated him Patrick would be jealous too? Cory said that Patrick had Christina¡¯s baby aborted. Was that true? Charles thought it was impossible. Patrick only said that because he was in anger. Charles was the first toe back to his senses. He looked at Cory thoughtfully and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t Christina in the hospital?¡± Why did he keep asking where Christina was? ¡°Hospital?¡± Cory sneered with sarcasm. ¡°Patrick, the nurse at the hospital said that you went to look for Christina at noon. When she woke up, you scolded her with sarcasm and even told her to have an abortion. She was so scared that she almost cried when you scolded her. You only did this to her because she jumped into the river to Save me.¡± ¡°You said that she was not qualified to have your child. Well, if you want to abort this child, I will make a thorough break with you. Now tell me, where exactly did you hide Christina?¡± Patrick was so angry that he was stunned by the words. He immediately grabbed hiscellphone 106 FM and called the hospital. He looked gloomy and surprised. ¡°She¡¯s not in the hospital!¡± ¡°Patrick, don¡¯t pretend to be innocent. I checked at the hospital an hour ago. Not long after you left, three strangers took Christina away by force. Besides you, no one else dares to do such a thing openly!¡± Cory yelled at Patrick angrily. Patrick was ruthless. Within just over a month after he returned home, he had reformed thepany. Even when the top management of thepany was dissatisfied with him, they dared not say anything Patrick ignored him and looked at Charles behind him. The two immediately hurried out of the room. As Patrick walked, he said to the bodyguards beside him. ¡°Send someone to the cemetery to see if Young Madam is there. Update me.¡± Charles became tense and anxious. and he went into the elevator side by side with Patrick ¡°Patrick, who dared to openly kidnap Christina? I think that the people who know us would not dare to hurt her.. After all, Christina was the granddaughter-inw of the Hopkins Family. Whoever intended to hurt her would be doomed. Cory saw them in such a hurry and immediately rushed into the elevator ¡°Didn¡¯t you send anyone to take her away?¡± He red at Patrick and questioned. If it wasn¡¯t Patrick, then who was it? Patrick didn¡¯t even look at Cory. Instead, he continued to order coldly on his phone. ¡°Send someone to contact the local head of the gangs and say I¡¯m looking for someone.¡± If it was not done by the people who were in their circle, then it was done by the gangs. The bodyguards noticed their young master¡®s impatient tone over the phone and did not dare to dy for a moment. They said yes a couple of times and immediately sent someone to do it. The elevator arrived on the first floor, and Patrick, Charles and Cory quickly walked out of the lobby. The car outside was already waiting, ¡°To the Dickens Family!¡± He ordered in a cold voice. It was C City, and the Dickens Family was the most powerful in C City The car sped all the way to the Dickens Family. To their surprise, the door of the Dickens Family was already crowded with media reporters. Donald was being questioned by reporters. He seemed to be annoyed and shouted, ¡°Christina is not my daughter! Her shameful things have nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°She¡¯s my wife!¡± Patrick strode out of the car with a darkened face. The reporters turn around surprisedly after hearing the cold and gloomy voice¡­ Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Reporters swarmed outside the house of the Dickens Family, all of whom were agitated and stretched out to hand microphones to Donald to ask questions. ¡°Mr. Dickens, it is known that the heroine in the popr video online is Christina, your biological daughter.¡± ¡°Miss Dickens jumped into the river to save her ex-husband, Cory. Is she doing this because she was abandoned and is now dying to win Cory¡¯s heart back?¡± ¡°Mr. Dickens! Mr. Dickens, I just got thetest news from the hospital that your daughter Christina disappeared for no reason. What is your opinion on this matter?. Donald was annoyed by these aggressive questions. His face clouded over and he coldly spoke into the microphone, ¡°Christina is not my daughter!¡± ¡°She¡¯s my wife!¡± Patrick Strode out of the car. His low. cold voice made the reporters in front of him turn their heads abruptly¡­ Patrick stepped forward and stood in the spotlight, staring at the cameras and looking around coldly. Charles then got out of the car, who was very surprised. Patrick kept a very low profile and had always been very dismissive of media interviews. However, when Patrick now stood in front of the camera, he had a haughty manner. The reporters looked at Patrick, who suddenly appeared, with a puzzled expression. They did not know him, but judging from his temperament, they thought that he must be born with a Silver Spoon. One of the reporters handed Patrick the microphone and asked timidly. ¡°Excuse me, sir, since you said you are Miss Dickens¡¯s current husband, what do you think of Miss Dickens jumping into the river at her own risk to save her ex-husband?¡± Patrick¡¯s face clouded over. Instead of answering her, he stretched out his long arm to grab the microphone. He stared at the camera with a sinister look. His eyes were fierce, and he was like an angry beast, full of rage and fury. The reporter in front of him was so frightened by his murderous look that she took a step back subconsciously. He clenched the microphone in his hand. His lips were slightly parted, and he warned fiercely. ¡°Whoever kidnapped her, bring her back intact within two hours! Or I¡¯ll have you all buried with her.¡± His words stunned everyone present. Most of the interviews were live, so his menacing warning was spread everywhere almost at the same time. ¡°Did Miss kidnapped?!¡± Dickens really get Someone screamed excitedly However, the reporters present were also very confused. It wasmon for rich people to be kidnapped, but no one dared to give a warning like this in front of the camera for fear that kidnappers would be enraged and kill the hostage. Some people did not even dare to call the police Someone asked hesitantly. ¡°Who are you, sir?¡± Cory seemed very angry. He rushed forward and grabbed Patrick by the cor, ¡°Are you crazy? ¡°Before we find out who kidnapped her, we can¡¯t make it widely known?. Those kidnappers will kill her!¡± Patrick hated being approached and he pushed Cory away When Charles saw that Patrick was about to start a fight, he immediately ran over to stop them. Charles faced the camera with a rtively calm look. ¡°I would like to make a statement here about the kidnapping of Christina¡±said Charles, who was in constant contact with the media and had excellent social skills. He said calmly, ¡°No matter what your intentions are or whether you are being taken advantage of, you¡¯d better not touch her. Christina is the granddaughter-inw of Hopkins Family. If you send her back intact, we will consider not investigating and affixing the responsibility for the incident. Otherwise¡­¡± He did not continue. Everyone knew the consequences of going against Hopkins Family Shock and disbelief were on the faces of the reporters. Of course, they knew Charles, but the one beside him¡­ He was Patrick, the grandson of Hopkins Family, who had just returned home. At this moment, a bodyguard rushed over to report to Patrick, ¡°Young master, there is no news of Young Madam in the cemetery¡± Patrick seemed impatient. He walked to the left. The reporters seemed afraid of him and immediately got out of his way. His gloomy face took on a ghastly expression, and all the reporters were quiet. No one dared to say anything Looking straight at his cold face, they inexplicably became nervous. Patrick approached Donald, the middle-aged man, and surveyed him. Donald was stared at Patrick. Although Patrick was his junior, he was still a little afraid of Patrick Donald did not know how did his stubborn daughter hook up with him. Patrick disdained to marry her even when he knew that she was the daughter of Dickens Family and that she was pregnant ¡°Send your men to look for her!¡± Patrick looked at Donald with cold eyes. Patrick showed Donald no respect and spoke to Donald in an almostmanding tone. ¡°Send your men to look for her. If you can¡¯t find her, then we don¡¯t have to be inws!¡± Patrick¡¯sst words were clearly a warning If the Hopkins Family and the Dickens Family couldn¡¯t be inws, then they would be enemies. No one would be that stupid to annoy Hopkins Family In C City, the Dickens Family had more local connections and was more familiar with locations. When Patrick asked Donald for help, if he refused to help Patrick, he would go against Patrick Donald¡¯s face clouded over. He could not refuse Patrick, who was as ruthless as the story had it, leaving no leeway for the other party ¡°Mr. Hopkins, we¡¯re a family. Pleasee in first.¡± Mrs. Dickens walked out the house and said to Patrick with a fawning smile on her face. Patrick nced at Mrs. Dickens. He didn¡¯t even bother to show respect to his own grandfather, let alone a strange old woman. However, when Patrick nced over the living room of the Dickens Family, he noticed that Carrie and Connie were both in the house. Carrie was frightened. Her hand was shaking as she held the phone, as if she was afraid of something Patrick looked at the two women with a thoughtful expression and said to the bodyguard beside him, ¡°Tell the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology that I want anonymous information today..¡± As soon as he said these, there was a loud bang, Carrie looked startled and dropped her phone on the floor. Patrick turned his head and looked at her with a fierce look. His sharp eyes made Carrie¡¯s legs weak¡­ ¡°Mr. Hopkins, I have news!¡± The This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. two bodyguards ran over Chapter 20 Chapter 20 It was getting dark. Christina face was pale She kept running and running as if she was frightened by something The mountain path was rough and rugged. She tripped and lost a shoe She couldn¡¯t care less. She was running all the way west as if someone was chasing her and panting She remembered that there was a vige here, and she had to ask someone for help¡­ The surrounding area was deste, and the thick douds in the sky were rolling violently. Soon it began to drizzle, and she was drenched in the Suddenly, her eyes lit up. There was a simple tiled house in front of her and she ran over excitedly. ¡°Is there anyone here?¡± She shouted and looked behind her warily. When she reached out to knock on the door, she found that the door was not closed. She pushed the door open and looked inside. Because it was gettingte and there were dark clouds in the sky, she could not see clearly what was going on in the house. ¡°Hello, I was captured here by bandits. Please help me.¡± She eximed in panic and walked cautiously in. She was forcibly taken from the hospital by several men to this remote suburb. Just nowy, she took the opportunity to break the thick rope in her hand against the rusty hoe in the corner of the wall, and immediately untied the rope on her feet, and ran out in panic. There were many scratches on her wrists and blood was dripping down. She couldn¡¯t care less about the injuries but ran like mad, afraid that they would catch her back. Her injuries were soaked in the rain. causing her face to crease up in pain But when she stepped into the quiet tiled house, Christina froze, There was no one. The house was quiet. Christina¡¯s face was pale She looked around and stared nkly at the shabby and dirty tiled house where the objects were scattered all over. At this moment a terrible bolt of lightning fell from the sky, and then thunder rumbled. So she trembled in fear It was raining cats and dogs outside as if the sky was about to copse. Lightning shed, and thunder rumbled She kept shrinking and looking around in fear. She caressed her abdomen with her right hand and she felt a little ufortable. She lowered her head and her face turned pale instantly. She remembered what Patrick had scolded her before, his voice cold and heartless. [There are so many women who want to give birth to my children, and you, Christina, you don¡¯t have the right¡­ Abort the child!) [You heard it, too. It was Mr. Hopkins who told us to abort your child. You¡¯d better be obedient or we won¡¯t be so Bentle!] Her mind was in a mess, and she couldn¡¯t help thinking about those harsh words. Her eyes were red, her right hand was tightly covering her t abdomen, and her heart was full of grievances and difort. She had been forcibly taken to such a ce, threatened and frightened by those ferocious bandits, and fled in panic. Now, in this dark night and torrential rain, she was alone and helpless. It was all because of Patrick! That man was too cruel and too heartless! The heavy rain caused a torrential flow and the yellow soil on the mountain slid down.. ¡°Come out! Hurry up ande out! The house is going to copse!!¡± A figure outside rushed over and someone screamed in shock. Christina was standing in the middle of the house, and she turned around abruptly. She kept trembling violently. She saw the huge rocks falling down from the mountain torrents outside the door, and the house began to crumble¡­ Christina seemed to be frightened. She was so nervous and wanted to step forward, but she couldn¡¯t control her body. Her feet seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. She was so scared that she lost all her strength. Her eyes were nk and desperate¡­ There was a loud crash, and the deafening sound resounded through the sky ¡°What is this sound?¡± Patrick suddenly stopped and looked around with a grim face. At this time, thunder, lightning and the sound of rain covered many VOICES. Some people said uncertainly. ¡°Maybe thendslide knocked down the houses.¡± Charles frowned as he watched the heavy rain and thunder. He was anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t go to the houses at the bottom of the mountain. Be careful, or you will be buried.¡± ¡°Mr. Hopkins, we have sent all of our men to look for her separately. It¡¯s very dangerous here. You should leave. We will inform you as soon as we get any updates.¡± Afat man standing next to Patrick held an umbre for him and said respectfully ¡°Patrick, this is a big ce. We don¡¯t know where to find her for a while. We should leave now. It¡¯s really dangerous to stay here!¡± Charles also shouted at him. Now the thunder was rumbling. The rain was pouring down, destroying Christina¡¯s footprints. Where should they go finding her? Patrick had been pursing his lips and ignored them. He looked nervous and seemed to be holding back his other emotions. He looked around with sharp eyes, his heart beating wildly. Suddenly, he looked startled, strode out and ran to the left despite the rain The people behind him Saw that Patrick was in the rain and immediately chased after him nervously. They saw that Patrick was drenched and he was squatting on the ground. There was a woman¡¯s shoe in the dirty soil. Patrick red at the shoe in the dirt. This was Christina¡¯s shoe¡­ His heart beat even fast. He raised his head, followed the direction of the tip of the shoe, ignored the person behind him, andran forward. Patrick didn¡¯t run far before he suddenly stopped. He lookedpletely shocked as he looked at the dpidated house buried in mud before him, which was in ruins. ¡°This, this tiled house copsed and caused the sound we just heard. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anyone inside¡­¡± No one knew if anyone was buried inside. Charles and the others rushed over and looked at the ruins with astonishment ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here as soon as possible.¡± Someone immediately suggested, ¡°Christina!!¡± Patrick, however, seemed to have been stimted. Suddenly, he threw himself in front of the ruins, raised the brokenN?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. door, and shouted His impatient voice, apanied by thunder, made people uneasy. The people behind him immediately came to their senses and helped him Christina was in this house? Charles was also surprised. He looked around at the destion. Her shoe was found here. If she really came here, she would have run into the house to shelter from the heavy rain, which meant¡­ She was buried underneath¡­ Charles couldn¡¯t care less about his usual image as a noble, rich young master, and looked anxious. He immediately helped to move some big. heavy things. Everyone shouted Christina¡¯s name in the heavy rain, and everyone was in a panic. All of a sudden, Patrick knelt down and smashed his fists fiercely into the mud in the ruins, overwhelmed by too many emotions He kept smashing the ground. His eyes were filled with anxiety. They knew that in such heavy rain, the rescuers would not be able to arrive in time and that the person buried below would have been. His heart was filled with regret and helplessness. He hated himself. He always got what he wanted and seed in what he did. But he couldn¡¯t stop this. He couldn¡¯t.. Charles looked at Patrick like that and waspletely shocked. He didn¡¯t know that Patrick, who had always been indifferent would care so much about a woman The rain was still pouring down, and the thunder never stopped, but suddenly. Charles vaguely heard some voices behind him.. Patrick¡¯s panicked and impatient expression scared the servants who followed him. They didn¡¯t dare to hesitate and were digging desperately. Only Charles turned around and looked back All of a sudden, Charles looked like he had seen a ghost. The next second, he rushed forward and grabbed Patrick¡¯s shoulder, so excited that he stammered. ¡°Patrick, look, look back_¡± Patrick ignored him until Charles shouted anxiously. ¡°Christina isn¡¯t dead. She¡¯s right behind us!¡± Patrick¡¯s body shook, and he raised his head to look at Charles in shock. At that moment, Charles was more shocked because he saw Patrick¡¯s eyes turn red. Before Charles could regain his senses, Patrick had got up and run behind him. Patrick was covered in filthy yellow mud. Under the heavy rain and in the mud, he was staggering. His eyes were filled with astonishment. There were many emotions in his eyes, such as surprise and happiness, and they kept changing, which confused others. He was standing right in front of her, reached out his finger, and touched her face. Christina seemed to be frightened by his sudden action, and stood still, stunned. Then when Christina wanted to say something, Patrick stepped forward and hugged her tightly. Her body was warm, and he kept tightening his grip and hugged her more tightly. Christina was very ufortable being held by him. Their bodies were pressed together in the heavy rain. Her first reaction was to push him, but.. She was surprised to find that Patrick was trembling, as if he was suppressing a violent emotion, or as if he was afraid. Afraid? How could a man like Patrick be afraid? Christina thought it was a ridiculous idea, especially when she remembered his cold and heartless words. ¡°Let go of me! Don¡¯t touch me!!¡± She looked disgusted and her eyes were filled with rejection of him. Charles and the others followed with umbres. ¡°It¡¯s great that you are fine. Christina, we all thought you were buried in this tiled house.¡± Hearing Charles¡¯s voice, Patrick seemed to be shocked and came back to his senses. He immediately let go of the woman in front of him. A trace of awkwardness shed across his usually stern face, and he realized his gaffe, Christina took a step back from him and did not look at him again. Her face was cold. It was still raining heavily, the thunder still rumbled, and the atmosphere in front of the deste ruins was strange. Someone held the umbre for Christina. And someone was trying to ease the tension by saying with a smile, ¡°Since we have found the Young Madam, we¡¯d better get going now¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t leave here!¡± Suddenly, a strange voice sounded. Christina heard the voice and immediately turned to look. ¡°Leo¡± She was indeed in this tiled house just now. Fortunately, Leo, saved her. She was very grateful. Christina walked to the man and spoke in a gentle manner. She didn¡¯t look like the person who had been cold to Patrick Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Dark clouds rumbled in the sky with thunder and lightning roared. Ona rainy night several people walked along the rugged mountain road and came to a cave house finally, ¡°A few days ago, our vige had been informed of the relocation because of the torrential rain. There is no one living down the mountain. The river has already surged up. The mountain road you are going back to is very dangerous with the torrential flood at any time. You can stay here for the night.¡± With the help of this warmhearted viger, Leo, they followed him here and arrived at the simple but spacious Cave house. ¡°Is it safe here?¡± Charles looked at the howling storm outside and felt a little uneasy. ¡°This mountain is built of the hard granite, so the cave here is very strong.¡± After hearing what he said, they were slightly relieved. It was a bad day. and they encountered a terrible condition, They would be drowned by a torrential flood and mudflow if they were not alert. ¡°Light more fire, take off your clothes and dry them¡± Leo went into the kitchen and brought out arge pile of firewood Without any hesitation, Charles and the others quickly piled up the firewood and took off their sticky clothes. When Christina saw these men taking off their clothes together, she immediately turned around awkwardly. ¡°Don¡¯t take off your pants, understand?¡± Patrick, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke. When Charles heard him, he remembered that Christina was here: It was really awkward. He took off his coat and shirt his chest naked, but he was still in his trousers, He moved close to the fire and sat Cross-legged, letting the heat of the fire dry his pants. His whole body was sticky and ufortable. ¡°No signal. We can¡¯t get through with anyone else.¡± While they were lighting the fire, they discussed. ¡°Cory and others should find a ce to shelter from the rain.¡± Christina was a little surprised when she heard the name Cory. Patrick¡¯s eyes had been fixed on her, so the surprise on her was clearly seen, which made him have a special feeling He pursed his lips tightly, and his expression wasplicated. ¡°You can call me Anna. I have some clean clothes. Come in to change with me.¡± In a short while, a inly dressed woman came out of the inner room and smiled kindly at Christina. Christina nodded at her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Christina was 1.68 meters tall. Anna¡¯s dark blue cotton-padded jacket and her long-sleeved trousers were much shorter in her, but now she didn¡¯t care about it, so she thanked Anna and walked out. Anna came out with her and saw the bruises on her fair wrists and ankles. She was shocked, ¡°How did you get all these bruises? Oh, they had inmmation.¡± As soon as Anna said so, Patrick stepped forward subconsciously. Christina looked up at him, as if she was afraid of him, and instinctively took a step back When Patrick saw her like this, his expression becameplicated and he turned his gaze as if he had not been looking at her before ¡°We have some iodophor disinfectant at home. Let me help you to apply¡­. Anna ran back to her room to get the disinfectant and apply it to Christina. After that, Christina¡¯s hands and feet became blue. The disinfectant made her a little bit hurt, but she only frowned slightly and tried not to make too much expression. A small round clock hung in the cave. It was only around 7 pm, but it was dark and thunderous outside. They had to endure this rainy night. There was no furniture in the cave, only a few wooden chairs and a round dining table in the main room. After a while. Anna treated a pot of sweet potato porridge to them. ¡°We¡¯re not hungry, thank you.¡± Charles knew that the family had not prepared dinner for them before. Now that they were sheltering from the rain in their house, they thought they couldn¡¯t eat their food for free. After thinking about it, he looked at Christina. ¡°Christina, you should eat some. You¡¯re pregnant.¡± As soon as Charles said this, everyone else looked at her. Anna was serving her a bowl, and Christina was looking at the sweet potato porridge in front of her with a worried expression. Now that so many people were staring at her, she looked a little embarrassed. She didn¡¯t like sweet potato porridge¡­ ¡°Pregnant?¡± Anna, on the other hand, got excited and looked at Christina with a bright look. ¡°God. How can you give birth to a baby since you¡¯re so skinny? You need to get more nourishment.¡± With that, Anna ran into the kitchen and muttered, ¡°I have two more eggs. I made them for you¡­¡± Christina didn¡¯t know how to react when she saw how enthusiastic Anna was. She didn¡¯t like eggs, so she had not eaten a single bite. Christina really hated her bad habit of being picky about food. She had this bad habit in the Dickens Family when she was a child, so it was hard for her to correct her bad habits even if she wanted to She was embarrassed and ran into the kitchen. ¡°Anna. I can have porridge or steamed buns. You don¡¯t have to make eggs for me..¡± Just as Christina entered the kitchen, Patrick ordered a few people to ask Leo for a shlight and some tools, and then opened the door and walked out. ¡°Although the storm is heavy, tomorrow morning will be fine. There¡¯s no need to go out now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? When Anna and Christina came out again, they found a few people had gone out. Leo sighed. ¡°He said he would go out to get something to eat.¡± ¡°How can he get food in this rainy day? Why don¡¯t you stop them? It¡¯s dangerous outside. If.¡± Anna scolded her husband. Leo looked helpless. ¡°I can¡¯t stop him¡± He was a little afraid of the man, Mr. Hopkins. Christina¡¯s face darkened as she looked at the door, her expression bing a littleplicated. ¡°No one can stop him from doing what he wants to do. Leave them alone¡± She said something with an ambiguous meaning and implied Anna not to me her husband Anna was a little worried. Looking at Christina¡¯splicated face, she asked curiously, ¡°Girl, you should all be from the city. I heard they came to look for you. Why did youe to this remote vige?¡± ¡°Come to find me?¡± She wondered. Christina froze and retorted in a low voice, ¡°No.¡± How could he havee looking for her? There was no electricity in the cave. In the middle of the shabby room was equipped with an oil and gasmp. Under the dim yellow light, their he wants to do. Leave them alone.¡± She said something with an ambiguous meaning and implied Anna not to me her husband. Anna was a little worried. Looking at Christina¡¯splicated face, she asked curiously, ¡°Girl, you should all be from the city. I heard they came to look for you. Why did youe to this remote vige?¡± ¡°Come to find me?¡± She wondered. Christina froze and retorted in a low voice, ¡°No.¡± How could he havee looking for her? There was no electricity in the cave. In the iniddle of the shabby room was equipped with an oil and gasmp. Under the dim yellow light, their he wants to do. Leave them alone.¡± She said something with an ambiguous meaning and implied Anna not to me her husband. Anna was a little worried. Looking at Christina¡¯splicated face, she asked curiously, ¡°Girl, you should all be from the city. I heard they came to look for you. Why did youe to this remote vige?¡± ¡°Come to find me?¡± She wondered. Christina froze and retorted in a low voice, ¡°No.¡± How could he havee looking for her? There was no electricity in the cave. In the middle of the shabby room was equipped with an oil and gasmp Under the dim yellow light their shadows swayed. They ate sweet potato porridge in silence and looked at the door with worried eyes from time to time. Why did he suddenly run out in this heavy rain¡­ ¡°These young people are not familiar with the mountain roads. I¡¯d better go out and take a look¡± Leo couldn¡¯t stop worrying and was about to go out in his draft clothes and straw hat. Anna looked anxious, grabbed him and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s raining so hard. Thunder and lightning are roaring. You don¡¯t have a shlight, and if you falll down the hill identally, what am I supposed to do¡­¡± Christina looked at the simple couple and hated Patrick more in her heart. It was a stormy day, after causing this couple trouble, they actually made them worried. He thought he was a Specially privileged person, SO everyone would Geoffreyeld to him? How annoyed. ¡°Nonsense. I¡¯m very familiar with this area. Nothing dangerous will happen.¡± Leo patted his wife on the shoulder and pushed the door to get out. But as soon as the door opened, Patrick and the others came back They were drenched and looked disheveled, but with arge in their hands, there were more than twenty pounds of fish in the. ¡°On this stormy day, you actually went to the river to fish?¡± Seeing that they had returned safely. Anna heaved a sich of relief and rushed forward to help. ¡°No, we¡¯ll do it ourselves¡± Patrick looked up at Anna and said in a deep voice. Anna looked at his stern face and was startled. She only felt that this man was very noble and handsome. No wonder her husband did not dare to talk to him. Anna was really worried that those men would destroy her kitchen, but she didn¡¯t dare to stop them. helpless Christina saw Anna¡¯s expression and was angry. She started walking towards the kitchen. They were just guests. And they showed no respect for the host just because they were rich. ¡°Patrick, you are so good. You can kill the fish This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Charles yelled excitedly in the kitchen, holding arge iron pot in his hand and drooling. ¡°This fried fish looked good. Make more¡­¡± Christina froze outside the kitchen. She was very surprised. Patrick actually knew how to cook A man like him actually knew how to cook¡­ ¡°Charles,e to help me!¡± Patrick seemed to have sensed something and turned around to look at the kitchen door. Christina had already left. With a cold face, he handed the long bamboo chopsticks for the fried fish into Charles¡¯s hand. ¡°Do it yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid of boiling oil. Patrick your cook is better than me¡­ What are you doing?¡± Mr. Shepherd seldom go to the kitchen. He didn¡¯t know how to cook oily fish Patrick ignored him, and in the kitchen, Charles howled because of the sshed boiling oil Finally, he came out with a big pot of crispy fried fish, satisfied. ¡°Come on, guys. I made some fried fish. Come to have a taste.¡± Charles was Shameless and asked the others to one over to eat. Although Christina was dissatisfied with Charles and the others, the fried fish seemed to be attempting and she was really hungry. ¡°This is for you.¡± When Patrick came out, he held a rough porcin bowl in his hand and ced it in front of her. Charles craned his neck to see what it was. ¡°Braised eel with ck beans? Nanny Mod took the lead and smiled at Christina. ¡°Your husband is so considerate and capable. This is good for your bady. You should eat more and your body will be stronger.¡± ¡°Your husband¡± from Anna made Christina¡¯s face immediately darkened. ¡°No.¡± She did not even look at Patrick but coldly refused. She was not qualified to cat what this noble princess had cooked! Patrick seemed to have guessed that she wasn¡¯t willing to eat. He stepped forward, with his clothes still wet. suppressing his emotions. ¡°Be good.¡± ¡°Be good?!!!¡±Christina was furious. It was as if she was messing around. but he was the one who made her in this bad situation! The atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment. Charles looked at Christina¡¯s unhappy face and exined slowly. ¡°Christina, we didn¡¯t send the person to take you away.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Patrick yelled before he could finish As soon as he finished speaking the others noticed that Christina¡¯s eyes were red, probably because she had remembered what happened to her before. ¡°Is there any misunderstanding?¡± Anna looked at Christina with a curious look She shook her head and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± She walked into the inner room as if she didn¡¯t want to see him. ¡°Patrick, if you don¡¯t exin to her clearly. Christina will hate you.¡± Charles sighed gloomily Anyone would hate him if they suffered something like this, but Charles found it strange that Patrick knew Christina was picky about food. She was hard to serve Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Christina sat alone on the nk of the small inner room of the cave dwelling, looking down at her t abdomen with a sullen expression. Thinking of Patrick¡¯s words, she pulled a long face, ¡°Christina, don¡¯t be angry with your husband¡± Anna walked in slowly and kindly advised. Christina immediately retorted, ¡°He¡¯s not my husband!¡± Husband! She was unable to stand hearing that Patrick was her husband. Anna said with a smile, ¡°It happens that couples have conflicts. Sometimes men are dull and not good at expressing themselves. Communication solves misunderstandings.¡± Christina remained silent. ¡®Did Charles just say that the person who took her away was not sent by Patrick? Is it true? But he was so mean to me in the hospital before. She thought to herself. ¡°Drink while it¡¯s hot. Don¡¯t starve the baby in your belly.¡± Anna handed her arge porcin bowl of ck bean stewed eel. Christina looked up at the soup with hesitation. ¡°Your husband cooked this for you himself. Come on, drink it quickly.¡± Anna Smiled kindly and urged. Thinking of Patrick, she couldn¡¯t help but exim. ¡°Your husband is really handsome. He has such a good temperament, way better than my husband¡± Anna, who was not well-educated, could only describe Patrick as handsome. Christina¡¯s face immediately darkened and she said angrily, ¡°When he¡¯s angry. he yells me¡± Anna was blinded by Patrick¡¯s appearance The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She red at the big bowl of ck beaneel soup in front of her grumpily. Why should I starve myself?¡± I thought. Christina took the bowl in Anna¡¯s hand with a straight face and stuffed it into her mouth with a spoon, cursing Patrick in her heart. ¡°Your wife is really.. sassy.¡± Charles could not help but sigh outside the drapery of the door. Originally, he was worried that little Christina would refuse to eat, but he Was surprised to see that she was wolfing down the soup, treating it as h§Ör §Ön§Ö§ä§å. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Patrick didn¡¯t say anything, and there was a faint smile in his eyes. Christina quickly finished the big bowl of soup and was in a particrly happy mood. She smiled brightly at Anna, ¡°Thank you.¡± She beamed a smile, with two shallow dimples on her fair cheeks. Patrick looked at her and lost his mind for a moment. heard ¡°Who¡¯s outside?¡± Anna something and called out. Charles, who was caught red-handed. pursed his lips awkwardly. ¡°Well. Patrick was worried.¡± As soon as he spoke, he turned around and saw Patrick was out of sight, only to realize that he had left Christina snorted at Charles outside the door, ¡°Standing outside eavesdropping on women, Charles, You bastard.¡± Charles looked depressed and wanted to teach her a lesson! But¡­ Christina, the witch, domineered over them relying on Patrick There was only a wooden bed in the cave, which was originally where Mr. and Anna slept. They gave up the bed to Christina to rest, but she refused, ¡°Christina, aren¡¯t you thick-skinned? Why do you want to sleep on hay with us tonight? Charles teased her coldly. Christina shot an angry nce at him, ignored him, and went to the corner to sit on a haystack and take a nap. It was already 12 o¡¯clock. Patrick and the others had burned three fires in the empty hall of the cave. They sat cross-legged near the fire and their wet clothes had been dried. But the wind was howling outside the door, apanied by heavy rain. This horrible and strange voice had been ranging all night making them sleepless. Huddled, Christina leaned back against the wall, holding hers knees. She was very sleepy. She bent over and buried her head between her knees. She soon fell asleep with her mind in a fog Unable to fall asleep. Charles and others were talking All of a sudden, Patrick gave them a look, then they noticed that Christina was asleep and immediately shut up. One of themelbowed Charles in shock and asked incoherently. ¡°Did Mr. Hopkins get struck by lightning?¡± Charles looked at Patrick with a twisted expression Mr. Shepherd reminded them seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t offend that witch. Patrick stood up and approached Christina. He sat beside her by the hay and gazed down at her. Christina leaned against the wall with her head rested on her knees. She tilted her head, her face pale and haggard, and a few loose strands of hair hanging from her forehead. Patrick reached out and smoothed a few strands of her messy hair on her forehead, and he did not notice that he was extremely gentle He touched her face with his big hand. Feeling it was cold, he put his coat on her and looked at her in a daze. She looked very sweet and quiet when she fell asleep. But she was a tough women when she woke up. Suddenly, there was a loud bang. The shabby and thick wooden door in front of them was opened by the strong wind because it was not locked, The three small fires were instantly extinguished by the strong wind and rain, and the gas and oilmp above the hall was blown down and smashed. In an instant, the cave was pitch ck Christina shuddered at the sudden loud noise ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Adecp voice sounded in her ear. The warm masculine scent brushed her checks, making her skin itchy. Christina was even more flustered, ¡°Why is he sitting next to me?¡± she wondered. She pushed him away instinctively, but Patrick held her even tighter. ¡°Don¡¯t move. The oilmp is broken, and debris is scattered all over the floor.¡± He added in a deep voice, and his tone somewhat helpless Soon, Charles and the others locked the door and found a lighter to light the previous fire. Only then did the cave get light again ¡°Hehe ¡°Charles Smirked. The mes danced in the fire and reflected on the man and woman in the Corner Christina looked at these men with a curious look, her cheeks flushed, and she struggled, gritting her teeth and whispering, ¡°Let go of me!¡± She was embarrassed. ¡°Just ignore them.¡± Inexplicably. Patrick hugged her and Suiddenly felt reluctant to let go. He looked down at her stubborn and clear cyes, and coaxed, ¡°Close your eye and sleep. Don¡¯t make a fuss. Christina was angry. ¡°Let go of me,¡± she resisted in a low voice, not daring to speak too loudly. Bewildered, Patrick didn¡¯t know what to do for a moment. He really didn¡¯t know much about women. After a moment of silence, he suddenly reached out and stroked her head, trying to calm her down. Christina¡¯s face darkened. Charles and the others turned around sensibly. thinking that they would turn a dealear if Patrick did something rashi tonight. It was a long night, and gradually everyone closed their eyes and fell asleep listening to the roaring wind and rain outside the door. But Christina couldn¡¯t sleep at all! ¡°Go away.¡± She still insisted on pushing away the man beside her. But she could not break free from Patrick at all The helplessness and grievance came in Christina¡¯s heart in waves. She did not like to be affected. But on the rainy might her eyes were wet with tears She was too embarr.issed to wake anyone up and said angrily in a low voice, ¡°Patrick. youe of a very good family and everyone obeys you, but what did I do wrong? Somehow I slept with you and got pregnant, and I was taken to the civil affairs bureau like a prisoner to get your license. What do you thinkm..¡± She choked, ¡°Then you said you didn¡¯t want this child. I know I¡¯m out of your league, but why did you do this to me!¡± She tried ter best to suppress her voice, but Patrick could hear it clearly. and he trembled. He looked down at her, and the weak me reflected on Christina¡¯s face, which was holding backtears. She wasn¡¯t affected. She tried her best to resist whenever she was unhappy Patrick¡¯s cyes shed with mixed emotions. He loosened his grip on her slightly¡­ Suddenly, something urred on Christina and she nervously pulled him back. ¡°1. i don¡¯t want to abort this child!¡± Her voice trembled. ¡°Patrick, I don¡¯t want to abort this child. If you don¡¯t want the child, I can raise him myself. I can¡¯t provide the best environment, but I will do my best.¡± She sped his arm tightly and pleaded humbly, ¡°I want to keep this child. i beg you.¡± Tears welled up in hercyes With deep eyes, Patrick bent down his head and impatiently kissed her trembling lips. In an instant, she bit back the words she would like to have Hidand froze ot because he suddenly kissed her, but because ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. Patrick¡¯s voice was low and hoarse, as if it he made much effort to say these words. Christina¡¯s heart trembled in disbelief. He tightened his grip and held her in his arms. They snuggled together, and their breath intertwined. He lowered his head and whispered in her car, ¡°Christina, I¡¯m sorry¡± Patrick was not used to saying sorry to others. Since he grew up, no one could make him say that, but thest time he was in the hospital He was unable exin why he cared so much. He was furious. Christina seemed to be frightened by him and her mind was in turmoil. She couldn¡¯t believe that he apologized to her. After that no one spoke again. He held her tightly and did not let go. She could not get away from him. Each of them were in deep thought Chapter 23 Chapter 23 The rain had stopped. Christina ate the steamed bums that Mrs. Morris and Mr. Morris had prepared for her. After thanking the enthusiastic couple, they wanted to rush back. Because today is the New Year¡¯s eve, everyone wants to go home and reunite Christina took a peek at Patrick. They had nned to go back to A City the day before yesterday to spend the New Year with Mr. Hopkins. They didn¡¯t expect this to happen. It seemed that they had to hurry back. The Old Man had a bad temper. But just as Christina was about to kave with them, Mr. Morris stopped her and said, ¡°I think you had better stay here with us.¡± **The torrential rainst night caused a mudslide that buried many farnds and houses nearby. The surrounding residences were destroyed, making it harder to get through the mountain Charles said with a rare seriousness, ¡°Christina should stay. Now the hillsides will copse at any time. The flood hasn¡¯tpletely subsided. We¡¯ll send someone to pick her up when we get back. After all, Christina was pregnant, she couldn¡¯t exertherself too much since she was still weak. The few of them looked at each other for a moment in sikence, and then they all looked at Patrick Patrick took a look at Christina and suddenly strode to her. Without saying anything he held her hand and led her straight out the door. ¡°She¡¯s with me.¡± Patrick only left a faint sentence. Charles and the others looked at each other from Patrick¡¯s cold profile, knowing that his decision would not change ¡°Then we are leaving now. Thank you so much for taking us inst night.¡± Charles and the others finally exchanged a few words with Mr. and Anna and followed them ¡°Patrick I think it would be better for Christina to stay for another night¡± Charles and the others plodded upward, winding their way back and forth across the face of mountain with great difficulty. They also had to pay careful attention to the surrounding mountains. Patrick tightened his grip on her wrist as if he didn¡¯t care about Charles¡¯s words. He looked around vigntly and led her forward step by step. ¡°She¡¯s with me¡± He repeated again. Patrick¡¯s deep eyes fell on the woman¡¯s face beside him. Only by keeping her by his side would he be relieved. Christina didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. He held her too tight as her wrist hurt. She looked up at him and Said, ¡°I. I can actually.¡± ¡°Christina, don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Patrick said in a calm volce and immediately refuted. Christina was depressed. Why was he so cold? She didn¡¯t even finish her words. After walking for about half an hour, a shallow river three meters wide appeared in front of them Originally. this river did not exist. It should form from therge influx of the heavy rain ¡°It was not too deep, about 30 centimeters. You cane over¡­¡± Someone had already stepped across the water Christina watched them cross the shallow river in an orderly fashion, ready to follow. However, she was suddenly carried by Patrick who turned around. Surprised at his movement, she screamed in shock, ¡°Ah, what are you doing?¡± Patrick saw that she was not at all at ease as she kept struggling, and he angrily reminded her, ¡°Do you forget the injury on your foot?¡± She stopped struggling, blushed his stare. She almost forgot that her hand and foot were injured, and she might have inmmation at the touch of water Patrick was 1.85 meters tall, had been practicing Muay Thai since he was young. He was very so strong that it was easy to carry her across this shallow river. But Christina noticed, however, that Patrick took a firm grip on her legs, and he walked every step steadily even as if he was treading on eggshells. This man seemed to take everything seriously. She looked at him with her eyes sideways. To be honest, he looked very handsome when he was focused. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Patrick lowered his eyes and noticed that she was a little absent-minded, so he asked casually While Christina immediately turned her head away as if she had done something wrong. She replied, ¡°Nothing¡± However, as soon as she turned her head, her eyes widened as if she were extremely nervous, and her hand directly inched toward his crotch¡­ ¡°Christina, what are you doing.¡± The next second, Patrick¡¯s cold face froze, and he even stopped his way forward. He couldn¡¯t believe that the woman in his arms could not wait to untie his belt. When Charles and the others heard Patrick¡¯s surprised inhtion, they and were all turned around dumbfounded. ¡°Christina, don¡¯t be so insatiable.¡± Charles moaned at her angrily. In public, she untied the man¡¯s belt, and the witch became rasher. Patrick seemed to be startled by her sudden initiative and did not stop her. p! Christina ignored their strange expressions and pulled out the belt around Patrick¡¯s waist. Without a word, she quickly whipped down a fruit tree on the right When Patrick and the others saw clearly, they noticed that there were many green bamboo venomous Snakes on the trees in the orchard they were shuttling through Just a meter or so, Christina hit its tender spot and it remained motionless ¡°Put me down!¡± They had already crossed the shallow river. Christina broke free from his arms and ran all the way to the snake. She picked up a big rock and threw it directly at the snake. Seeing that the snake waspletely dead, she put her arms around her waist and said proudly. You don¡¯t even have a chance! At this moment, the men behind Christina were all dumblounded, and even Patrick¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly in surprise Most women are afraid of snakes, especially poisonous ones, but she just¡­ Charles was the first tough out loud. ¡°Christina, you can¡¯t wait to untie Patrick¡¯s belt and protect him bravely. You deserve to be a heroine.¡± You didn¡¯t see the snakeing at us, who was about to attack us.¡± Seeing that they were allughing at her, Christina became a little angry and shouted at them angrily. ¡°Charles, if you dare to say another word, I¡¯ll hit ¡°Come on, we were worried about her just now. She¡¯ stronger than US. Hahaha¡­ Patrick, it¡¯s said that a man should marry apliant and gentle wife. Women that are cute and coquette are most lovable Christina, don¡¯t be too violent. Be careful that Patrick might be squeamish¡± Christina looked embarrassed as they teased her She was just used to protecting herself. It was useless to pretend to be weak She was always alone. She could rely on nobody, so she had to be strong, Patrick¡¯s rubbed her head with his hand when she came back to her senses. Christina raised her head and looked into his joyful eyes. For the first time, she saw that he was actually smiling ¡°Christina, I need you to protect me from now on.¡± Patrick seemed to be in a good mood and actually made fun of her. Christina¡¯s face turned red as he held her hand and continued walking, Although the vige was deste and in disarray due to the heavy rain, the few of them were talking andughing and the atmosphere was very cheerful. ¡°Patrick, can I ask you something?¡± Seeing that he was in a good mood. Christina dared to approach him. ¡°Can I name our baby in the future?¡± She tugged his arm and looked at him nervously. Patrick on the other hand, was a little distracted when he heard the words ¡°our baby.¡± He looked down at her bright eyes as she was really looking forward, which made him want tough. His eyes were alight with joy and answered her. Yes.¡± When Christina heard his promise, she became more and more excited and grabbed his arm tightly. ¡°Then if the baby were a little boy. I think¡­¡± ¡°Our cell phone finally can through!¡± get The person in front of her suddenly shouted and interrupted her. Everyone was very excited, because they didn¡¯t need to wind around the mountain if they can make a call to ask for help. ¡°Chandler?¡± Charles answered his phone very quickly. ¡°Chandler, let me tell you, Patrick and us are now.¡± Charles was about to give him their location, but Chandler seemed to have known about their being trapped in a deserted vige and said eagerly. ¡°I know. I¡¯m rushing over to pick you up¡­¡± ¡°Charles, give Patrick your phone. I have something urgent to tell him.¡± Chandler sounded very strange. ¡°What is it?¡± harles was delighted to hear that Chandler had sent someone to rescue them. He turned to look at Patrick and Christina Giggling, he guessed, ¡°Have you found out who kidnapped Christina from the hospital? | assume his days are numbered. Patrick will never let them ¡°It¡¯s not that. There¡¯s another thing¡­ Charles, it¡¯s very important. Give the phone to Patrick immediately!¡± Chandler urged and he seemed really anxious. Charles could not help but frown at his tone. What could be more important than Christina¡¯s? But Charles didn¡¯t dare to dy, so he ran back and stuffed his phone into Patrick¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s Chandler, he said he has something important to tell you.¡± Patrick and the others knew that Chandler had sent someone to pick them up and stopped to rest. Taking Charles¡¯s phone, Patrick¡¯s expression was cold. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± He didn¡¯t care much about the so called important things. When Chandler heard Patrick¡¯s voice. he was really anxious. He replied in a hurry, ¡°Patrick, I was so Stunned when I saw her. I don¡¯t know much about. She went there herself. I can¡¯t persuade her¡­ Chandler seemed to have been shaken up, and even his words sounded a little Patrick was trying to calm him down and make himself clear, but just then, a helicopter hovered above them. and the raspy sound made it even harder for him to hear Chandler. The helicopter soonnded safely not far from them Patrick and the others knew that it should be sent by Chandler to pick them up, but the next second, they were all very surprised. As soon as the helicopternded, a woman inside hurriedly got off and ran over here anxiously. When Patrick saw the familiar face, he was not only surprised, but his eyes strained to her, and he even doubted whether he was hallucinating *Patrick!¡± The clear and sweet voice shouted excitedly. The slender woman threw herself to Patrick¡¯s arms and hugged him tightly. ¡°Do you know how worried I am about you? Chandler told me to wait for you at the hospital, but I can¡¯t stay any longer. I.¡± She choked with sob, being so excited, her tears oozing from the corners of her eyes. She nestled her face against his chest, unable to suppress her emotions, she repeated his name, ¡°Patrick, Patrick! miss you very much. I miss you so much¡­¡± Patrick¡¯s cold face froze, only feeling her tears to drip his chest, permeating his clothes¡­ His hands trembled slightly as he raised his fingers caressing her familiar and beautiful face. His hoarse voice was filled with disbelief. ¡°How could you¡­ ¡°Cecilia¡± Charles screamed out like he saw a ghost, ¡°You, aren¡¯t you dead?!¡± Howe she was back from the dead! Christina was standing next to Patrick. She could see her very clearly. This woman¡­ This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. She was Patrick¡¯s ¡°dead¡± ex-girlfriend. Christina was shocked with mixed feelings, and she felt somehow ufortable. She had held Patrick¡¯s hand tightly and but she unconsciously released it¡­ Chapter 24 Chapter 24 ¡°They really take after each other._.¡± The people behind were surprised as they looked at Christina and Cecilia, who suddenly appeared. ¡°Christina, do you have a twin sister?¡± Even Charles approached her and asked curiously Christina ignored him but just nced at Patrick. She heard others exmations. Suddenly, she felt a loss. She was just like a poor imitation, Because the man and woman who had finally reunited were hugging each other affectionately. She never knew that a man as cold as Patrick could stare at the woman in his arms so gently. The thin woman in Patrick¡¯s arms seemed to notice Christina¡¯s gaze, and she looked up at her with moist eyes. Cecilia was shocked at how simr they look with just a nce. Christina¡¯s face was still stiff, and she didn¡¯t know what expression should she put on. All of a sudden, the woman opposite her suddenly became weak and closed her eyes ¡°Cecilia.¡± Patrick shook her, looking anxious. ¡°Cecilia is very weak¡± Chandler ran over after another helicopternded. Heurged Patrick ¡°Send Cecilia back to the hospital immediately. The doctor didn¡¯t allow her to leave, but she insisted oning to you as soon as possible.¡± After hearing what Chandler said, Patrick quickly carried her towards the helicopter The attendants immediately opened the door. Patrick carefully ced the pale and weak woman in his arms in the seat. Christina stood behind him and stared at him steadily. The helicopter immediately flew towards the hospital. Christina watched the helicopter take off, her right hand slightly clenched¡­ She lowered her head and felt at a loss. She thought. ¡°He forgot me.. ¡°He carried the woman he loved the most and left in a hurry. ¡°And left me behind¡± ¡°He just said that he was going to take me out of here with him. But he had forgotten it so quickly¡­¡± She looked at her left palm in a daze. She still remembered his grip. ¡°No wonder he treated me so well. It turns out that the so-called concern does not belong to me from the beginning¡±She thought. She seemed to have suddenly figured something out. She smiled bitterly. ¡°What am I thinking about? I¡¯ve been hurt by Cory. I won¡¯t be stupid anymore.¡± At this time, at the window of the helicopter, Patrick suddenly poked his head out and looked at her with a deep gaze, but Christina did not know because she had lowered her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Charles felt she was feeling a little down and deliberately patted her on the shoulder hard, ¡°What are you staring at? Hurry up. I don¡¯t want to stay in this bleak ce anymore.¡± Charles grabbed her arm and took Christina to another helicopter. ¡°Hey, Charles, that woman.¡± After boarding the helicopter, they head straight to A City. Christina asked curiously in a low voice, ¡°She seems to have a good rtionship with Patrick¡± Her tone was calm as if she were talking about the gossip of a stranger Charles sat in the passenger seat and turned back to nce at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you mind? Christina was embarrassed at his gaze. She shouted, ¡°Why should I mind that? I just wonder how can a woman love him so deeply since he has such a bad temper.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like Patrick?¡± Charles was surprised by her disdainful tone. It was too easy for a woman to fall in love with a man like Patrick. At least he knew that there were many socialites who were enchanted by him. ¡°Why should I like an unreasonable ice cube like Patrick? I like sweet guys.¡± Christina retorted somehow excitedly. Seeing that she really didn¡¯t care, Charles Shrugged and suggested, ¡°Christina, after you give birth to the child, you should make way. You are not a match for Cecilia. You can¡¯t ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wanted topete with her.¡± She whispered, ¡°I¡¯m just curious.¡± That a cold man like Patrick also knew to love someone. ¡°But to be honest, I¡¯m curious too.¡± Charles suddenly became excited too. ¡°Cecilia is dead, how can shee back to life? I almost thought I had met gh-5t.¡± ¡°Christina, I¡¯m telling you. Cecilia is Patrick¡¯s girlfriend when he was in the United States. They loved each other very much. Three years ago, they were about to get married and they went to Paris to take wedding photos. But something happened. Cecilia fell into the Seine. Patrick was very anxious. We got the French government to help us, but we never found her¡­ Charles¡¯s When Christina heard words, she feltplicated, It turned out that they were about to get married. No wonder they were so intimate. Seeing that she was in a daze, Charles nudged her and reminded her ¡°Christina, although you got the marriage certificates with Patrick¡­ Anyway, you should know what to do. Don¡¯t tter yourself. Otherwise, you will be hurt.¡± Charles¡¯s advice made her lost in thought. ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself ¡°I don¡¯t like an ice cube either,¡± she retorted in a low voice. The helicopter sent her back to Hopkins Family. The butler saw that she was a little pale and immediately called the private doctor to examine Christina She knew that she was just a tool to give birth to a child for the Hopkins Family ¡°Where has Patrick gone on the first day of the spring festival?¡± The next day, she apanied Mr. Hopkins to have breakfast at 5 o¡¯clock. Seeing the shiny new furniture and red festive decorations in Hopkins Family, Christina realized that today was the first day of the new year. ¡°I asked you to go back to the Dickens Family: Why did it take you so long?¡± Mr. Hopkins stared at Christina with deep eyes and immediately asked, ¡°Did something happen?!¡± Christina was stuttered by the old man¡¯s sharp gaze. ¡°Well, I we¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know what should she say. If she told him that she ignored his precious great-grandson and jumped into the river to save another man, she would be scolded. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m sorry. I know I was wrong. I promise I won¡¯t do that in the future. Patrick had scolded her at the hospital angrily, and she realized she had ignored her child¡¯s safety, and she solemnly said to Mr. Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins did not understand what she was saying, but with a straight face, he said to her. ¡°You have no ambitionat ¡°On the first day of the new year, another woman stole your man, but you¡¯re still indifferent! Won¡¯t you fight for your marriage? You¡¯re useless¡­¡± Old Master shorted at her. Christina was confused to hear that. Grandpa didn¡¯t seem to know that she broadly jumped into the river, and all the videos on the Inte suddenly disappeared. Although she didn¡¯t know who gave the order, Christina felt relieved. ¡°Old Master, are you going to start eating now, or are you waiting for Young Master?¡± The butler asked. This question made Old Master¡¯s face even more sullen. He cursed, ¡°Isn¡¯t Cecilia already dead? How can she ¡°Sir, Young Master has always been reluctant for us to interfere in affairs about Cecilia.¡± The butler was in a dilemma ¡°Is that actress good-looking? She¡¯s a fox!¡± Mr. Hopkins disliked Cecilia and said in a disdainful tone. Then he turned to stare at Christina with a meaningful expression. Christina was a little nervous under Old Master¡¯s gaze. He said that Cecilia looked like a fox. But she looked simr to Cecilia. Did that mean Mr. Hopkins dislike her either? ¡°We¡¯ll have breakfast now,¡± he urged the servants beside him to serve the food. He ordered in an indifferent voice, ¡°You go to the hospital¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Christina was eating the scallop porridge with a spoon and looked at him in a daze. Why should she go to the hospital? Seeing that she was confused, Mr. Hopkins lectured her with a serious expression, ¡°Your husband is in the hospital with that fox. Shouldn¡¯t you teach her a lesson?¡± Christina was dumbfounded. What!! She was asked to go to the hospital and teach Cecilia a lesson? She had no chance to refute. After having half a bowl of porridge, she was stuffed in the car and sent to the hospital¡­ Christina looked out the window at the speeding scenery, feeling uneasy. ¡°Grandpa doesn¡¯t seem to like that Cecilia¡­¡± She muttered to herself. looking dejected. ¡°Old man, if don¡¯t like that Cecilia, you should teach her a lesson yourself, Why did you ask me to do that? How darel yell at her¡­¡± Christina didn¡¯t dare to challenge Patrick¡¯s lover, and she had no right to do that. She kept thinking about how to exin to Patrick when she got to the hospital. but her mind was in a mess and she couldn¡¯t figure anything out. All she knew was that after Patrick sent Cecilia to the hospital, he stayed Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. with her all the time. The car stopped smoothly, and Christina forced herself to take the elevator When she arrived at the door of a spacious VIP ward, some voices came from inside. ¡°Patrick, you¡¯d better go back first. I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s the first day of the new year. Your grandfather must want you to apany him.¡± It was Cecilia¡¯s voice, which was as sweet as her appearance. The man stared at the woman on the bed silently and slowly stood up¡­ Seeing that he was indeed about to go back. Cecilia suddenly grabbed his arm and pretended to be anxious, *Patrick¡­¡± She called out his name affectionately. Christina was standing still outside the ward. She thought she shouldn¡¯t Overhear them. There must be a lot of love words to exchange since they finally met again, so she turned around and stayed in the corner of the corridor waiting for Patrick toe out. But the next second, Cecilia¡¯s slightly excited question stopped Christina. ¡°Patrick, I, I heard from Chandler that you have married..¡± Her voice was unabashedly sad and depressed, but her grip on Patrick tightened, Patrick was startled when he heard her question. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied lightly. When Cecilia heard him say yes, she trembled slightly, as if she could not ept the fact ¡°Then, then your wedding must be very grand.¡± Cecilia forced a smile at him, but her voice was choked with suppressed pain. She thought about the beautiful memories of taking wedding photos with him, her tears slid down. Patrick looked at her haggard and sad face and thought for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll cancel the wedding!¡± Christina was stunned. Suddenly, Patrick¡¯s face darkened as if he had sensed something He turned his head and shouted coldly, ¡°Who¡®s outside!¡± Chapter 25 Chapter 25 ¡°What are you doing here!¡± When Christina pushed open the door of the ward, the man asked coldly from inside Christina subconsciously looked at the woman in the sickbed. She paused for a second before saying ¡°L. I just.¡± ¡°Miss Dickens. I¡¯m not feeling well. Patrick has been with me all this time We didn¡¯t do anything else! Don¡¯t be angry!¡± However, Cecilia, who was on the sickbed, looked timid. It was as if she was frightened by the sudden appearance of Christina. She hurriedly exined in a weak and nervous voice. ¡°Christina, go back now!¡± Patrick¡¯s Voice grew colder. Patrick turned to look at Cecilia¡¯s haggard and frightened face. It was as if she were the delicate beauty in the sickbed that Christina hade to bully. Christina felt a little aggrieved and angry when he yelled at her. ¡°Grandpa asked me toe over! On the first day of the lunar year, Patrick, if you don¡¯t go home, you can go anywhere you want. I don¡¯t bother to talk to you!¡± Patrick¡¯s face darkened. Christina pulled a long face, tumed around, and immediately strode away not wanting to see him at all. He almost subconsciously chased after her, but his right hand was held by the woman on the sickbed. ¡°Patrick don¡¯t make things difficult for her. Cecilia said in a soft voice ¡°Chandler told me before that you followed your grandfather¡¯s thoughts to marry her because she was pregnant. At least she is pregnant with your child. Don¡¯t be so mean to her¡­¡± And the VIP floor was really quiet. It was so quiet that even Christina, who had already walked out of the ward, could hear what Cecilia said in the end. ¡°Don¡¯t make things difficult for her.¡± * You followed your grandfather¡¯s thought to marry her because she was pregnant¡­. The woman inside actually pleaded Patrick for Christina gently. Christina¡¯s heart was filled with bitterness when she heard these words. Without hesitation, Christina walked quickly towards the elevator. Her footsteps were hasty as if she was afraid of staying here. Suddenly, she felt like that she was the other woman between them Christina forced out a smile humbly.Original content from N?velDrama.Org. She knew she had no right to interfere in Patrick¡¯s private affairs, but¡­ Why was he so cold when he spoke just now? It seemed that if she really hurt Cecilia, he would not let her go. Christina was in a bad mood and returned to Hopkins Family ¡°Where is he? Didn¡¯t Patricke back with you?¡± Sitting upright in the hall of the Main Residence Mr. Hopkins asked in a deep voice when he Saw Christinareturn. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Is he still with that actress?!¡± Mr. Hopkins¡¯s face darkened and he Then he looked at Christina with disdain. ¡°Why are you so useless! Didn¡¯t I ask you to bring him back? It¡¯s the first day of the lunar new year today. Keep an eye on your man!¡± Christina had just been reprimanded by Patrick in the hospital and was taught a lesson again by the old man when she came back. The grandfather and grandson of Hopkins Family were really unreasonable¡­ She couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and retorted angrily. ¡°If you want Patrick toe back, just call him yourself. I won¡¯t go to him!¡± With that said, Christina could not care about her usual reverence for the old man. She was so angry that she turned around and went straight back to the bedroom ¡°Stop! I still have something to ask you, How were things going on when you and that bastard went to the Dickens Family ¡­¡± Mr. Hopkins shouted at her back. Christina walked faster when she heard the words ¡°Dickens Family¡±. Mr. Hopkins couldn¡¯t believe what he saw as Christina left in a rage and ignored him! ¡°Old Master, I think Christina¡­ The butler wanted to say something to ease the tension ¡°All right. All right. Now the whole world is not afraid of me, is it? Everyone thinks I¡¯m dead, and they dare to ignore me!¡± Mr. Hopkins looked very gloomy. The butler smiled bitterly. ¡°Old Master, Mr. Dickens called. He said that Patrick rsonally informed them that the wedding was canceled.¡± Mr. Hopkins was amery that Christina was disobedient. He was startled and raised his head as he heard what the butler said. He was really angry now. Fires were burning in his eyes. ¡°What did you just say?¡± *Patrick said he would cancel the Wedding because of that damn actress! He dares!!¡± The old man gnashed his teeth in anger. The butler sighed and muttered, ¡°It was indeed the Young Master who canceled the wedding¡­¡± He guessed that Christina was unhappy because the wedding was canceled. Mr. Hopkins¡¯s chest heaved with anger and he shouled, ¡°Cecilia. This woman has been missing for so many years. but she just pops up at this time, What¡¯s her intention? Patrick¡¯s mind is in a mess. He can¡¯t tell the good from the bad. He shouldn¡¯t care about Cecilia, a bitch¡± The butler ¡°Actually, Christina.¡± thought of something Mr: Hopkins was furious and snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t mention this Christina. She¡¯s so stupid! I¡¯ve agreed to let her marry into Hopkins Family, but she won¡¯t take the opportunity to curryvor with this Patrick. Now, Cecilia is back, but it still looks like that she doesn¡¯t care. She is so ipetent!¡± The butler couldn¡¯t help butugh when he heard this. The butler said, ¡°Old Master, Christina¡¯s pregnancy was just an ident. She has no feelings for Patrick ¡­ The butler left thest sentence to his heart. ¡°So it¡¯s normal that Christina doesn¡¯t care much about the returning of Patrick¡¯s ¡°What do you mean!¡± Mr. Hopkins frowned. ¡°You mean that Christina turns her nose up at Patrick!¡± After all, Patrick was brought up by him but now, Patrick was despised by a woman. No matter what the Old Master still cared more about his grandson The butler smiled helplessly In his heart, the butler sighed. Sure enough, every man of Hopkins Family had a strange temper. It was really not easy for Christina to deal with both Mr. Hopkins and Patrick ¡°It¡¯s the first day of the lunar year. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go back to the Hopkins Family for dinner?¡± Charles received a call from Patrick and drove over to pick Patrick up. Charles was waiting for the traffic light. After thinking about it. Charles couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Patrick, I heard that you canceled the wedding, right?¡± Patrick leaned against the back of the car, refreshing his spirits with eyes half-closed. He didn¡¯t want to be bothered by his grandfather, so he asked Charles to drive over Now hearing Charles mention the wedding cancetion, he thought of Christina again and some thoughts shed in his eyes Charles turned the steering wheel and nced at Patrick from theer of his eye when he saw that Patrick didn¡¯t pay much attention to him. ¡°Patrick, you don¡¯t really cancel the wedding because Cecilia is back and you¡¯re afraid that Cecilia will be sad. do you? Anyway, Christina is legally married to you. It¡¯s very¡­ Charles continued to say in his heart, ¡°It¡¯s very unfair for Christina as the wedding was suddenly canceled¡± Charles didn¡¯t say what he thought in his heart out because Patrick suddenly Snapped. ¡°Stop the car!¡± Charles didn¡¯t know why, but his hands were moving fast and the car stopped steadily ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Charles noticed that Patrick was staring gloomily at the left side of the car window. He followed Patrick¡¯s gaze and he was stunned That woman was Christina? How could she wander around the city alone in the middle of the night? ¡°Christina¡± a familiar excited shout was heurd. Christina was very depressed today because Patrick didn¡¯te back tonight and Mr. Hopkins pulled a long face and inexplicably taught her a lesson. She felt that she was wronged, So she had to go out and take a walk to rx Suddenly, she heard someone calling her. She looked over, and she became more depressed. ¡°How are you? Are you feeling any difort? You were kidnapped that day. I was worried about you. I followed Patrick and the others to the vige to find you¡­¡± Cory happened to drive past her and he got out of the car excitedly. He ran over and spoke quickly ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡± Christina¡¯s voice was cold. She took a step back consciously to keep the distance clear between her and him. Cory always felt ufortable when he saw that she was clearly alienating herself frorni him They used to be husband and wife Although he had snubbed her in the past. Christina had been amodating him for the past three ¡°Last time,¡± Cory looked at her with burning eyes. He paused and asked nervously, ¡°I want to ask youi. Christina Did you jump into the river to save me because you loved me, on or because you thought that I was the one who saved you on the high school graduation trip?¡± Christina felt that all kinds of feelings welled up in her heart when she heard Cory mention the past. She had always avoided mentioning the nightmare of her high school graduation trip. She clenched her right hand slightly and she took a deep breath ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± she replied lightly As she spoke, she turned around and wanted to leave ¡°This is very important to me!¡± Cory Suddenly took a big step forward, grabbed her armagitatedly and urged, ¡°Christina, tell me if you still love me!¡± She paused and looked at the persistence on the man¡¯s face, only to find itughable. In fact, Christina didn¡¯t know whether it was because she misunderstood him as the man who saved her on the graduation trip that she jumped into the river in disregard of everything to save him She just inexplicably wanted to find the man who saved her that day. She wanted to find him very much. It was as if she owed him a very important promise. Christina was annoyed and didn¡¯t want to talk to him. ¡°Cory, it¡¯s the first day of the lunar year. Please go back to apany your beautiful lover and daughter.¡± He felt guilty when he heard her say that He quickly exined, ¡°Christina, if you still love me, why don¡¯t you admit it? | promise I¡¯ll make it up to you. I¡¯m with Carrie only because of my daughter. Give me some time to deal with it. And Talso heard that Patrick¡¯s ex-girlfriend came back, and he even canceled your wedding with him¡­¡± Though Christina never cared about the wedding when she heard that Cory and others said that the wedding was canceled, she still found their words annoying as she became the one whow¨¡s abandoned in their words. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Christina was in a worse mood after being pestered by Cory so she immediately took out her phone and called the driver of Hopkins Family to pick her up Cory watched her get into the car of Hopkins Family and he couldn¡¯t pester her. He could only stare at the car which went away unwillingly_ And just as Christina left. Patrick said in a deep voice, ¡°Go back to the mansion ¡°Uh. Patrick, didn¡¯t you want to go to a bar?¡± Charles¡¯s heart trembled as he felt the ferocity all over Patrick¡¯s body ¡°Back to the Hopkins Family!¡± Patrick repeated imputiently. Charles was shocked. Patrick wouldn¡¯t have rushed back to trouble Christina. would he? ¡°Thest time, Christina jumped into the river to save Cory. She probably had no other thoughts other than saving one¡¯s life. There was nothing else ¡°Charles was kind enough to help Christina. ¡°And¡­¡± ¡°Patrick, given that now.Cecilia is back, the wedding has been canceled and Christina said that she would respect your decision after giving birth to the baby, don¡¯t make things difficult for Christina¡­¡± Along the way. Charles was a little scared. He raised his Cyebrows and looked back. He was surprised to find that Patrick¡¯s expression became gloomier. ¡°Don¡¯t make things difficult for Christina This was the second time he had heard such a thing today. Patrick¡¯s expression was cold, and his eyes were filled withplicated emotions. His right hand was clenched into a fist. He made things difficult for her?! ¡°When did I make things difficult for her?¡± Patrick shouted in his heart. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 ¡°This year. Hopkins Family actually spend the first day of the New Year here.¡± It was alreadyte at night. Christina was depressed all day and couldn¡¯t sleep at night, so she ran to the back garden to enjoy the scenery. Looking at the expensive flowers and exquisite cloisters in the garden of Hopkins Family. she felt that everything was illusory. She never thought that she could live in such a magnificent ce. ¡°No wonder those women are looking at Patrick like they¡¯re looking at a treasure.¡± After all, marrying into the Hopkins Family was really something to brag about A gust of night wind blew and Christina cringed and rubbed her hands. It was cold. ¡°What are you doing standing here?¡± Suddenly, a deep voice sounded behind her. As soon as Christina heard this voice, she immediately became alert. She turned around and watched Patrick stride towards her. For a moment, she didn¡¯t know what to say. What did hee back for? Didn¡¯t he stay in the hospital with Miss Jones? It was quiet all around. The moon was dim tonight, and only the orange Patrick saw her cheeks reddened by the cold wind. ¡°What are you doing standing here in the middle of the night when you¡¯re not sleeping¡± For some reason, his voice became a little anxious. She wanted to retort, ¡°Can¡¯t I just walk around the garden?¡±, but she didn¡¯t dare. ¡°Go back to bed after 10 pm!¡± Patrick seemed to be able to read her mind and ordered her coldly. ¡°Why?¡± She yelled out angrily. Christina thought, ¡°He is so gentle with Miss Jones, but as soon as he came back, he was mean to me.¡± Patrick¡¯s eyes became deeper and moreplicated as he stepped forward, his voice somehow filled with anger: ¡°Do you think it¡¯s suitable for a pregnant woman to fool around?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± She was about to retort but she remembered that she had actually gone out earlier. Patrick looked down at her palms turning red from the cold, and he looked more impatient. Without saying anything, he reached out and dragged her straight into the house. Sure enough, her hands were cold, and Patrick¡¯s footsteps were even more irritable. Christina was disgruntled when he ¡°Hey, let go. I¡¯ll walk mysclf¡­¡± Patrick heard the noise behind her, and became sullen. He took her into the house and immediately let her go. ¡°Go back to the bedroom!¡± His voice sounded impatient. Christina looked at his cold face and felt even more displeased. ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping!¡± She puffed up her face and replied, ¡°You!¡± Patrick was so angry that his face turned green. How dared she talked back ¡°Christina, what did you beg me forst time? You said you would reflect on how to be a mother. You¡¯re pregnant and you go out into the night air. Do you have anymon sense?¡± Christina pursed her lips and did not dare to refute anymore. She lowered her head and looked a little ashamed. Patrick saw that she suddenly became silent, drooping her head as if she was really reflecting on herself. He was angry and couldn¡¯t do anything with her. ¡°Go back to your bedroom and rest.¡± This time, his tone softened as much as possible. ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping.¡± she said it again. Patrick narrowed his eyes and stared at the woman opposite him. He already knew this woman was a pain in the ass and would make many more demands¡­ ¡°Christina, what exactly do you want to do.¡± Patrick remembered that other people had advised him not to make things difficult for Christina. Looking at her now, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± Christina was a little embarrassed by his stare. She looked down at her toes and said unhappily. ¡°Grandpa said I can¡¯t eat too much because I¡¯m pregnant. But I can eat an elephant.¡± Patrick¡¯s face froze for a moment, and he was stunned at her words. It¡¯s rare for ady to say things like ¡°I can eat an elephant¡± in front of a man. Christina lowered her head and did not dare to look at him. She looked a little embarrassed, and she was too hungry to sleep. ¡°No, don¡¯t call the chef¡± She peeked up and saw Patrick¡¯s stance of preparing to call for the maids, and immediately stopped him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to wake someone up in the middle of the night.¡± She looked guilty. ¡°I don¡¯t like that so called tasteless nutritious meal.¡± Who wanted to eat that? It was worse than porridge! This woman was really picky about Patrick¡®s face darkened with anger and his eyes were fixed on her for a long. long time. Actually, Christina didn¡¯t know what was going on cither. Anyway¡­ Finally, the two of them sneaked into the kitchen. Originally, she had thought of sneaking into the kitchen to find something she could eat and casually fill her stomach while everyone was asleep, but Patrick actually cooked noodles for her! Christina was a little ttered. ¡°Can you cook?¡± Patrick nced at her and motioned for her to stay out of the way Christina wouldn¡¯t. She was basically a kitchen waste. She was basically a kitchen scrapper who had trained hard for years and still had no talent. She could cook the noodles to a mush. Christina stayed in the corner and watched as Patrick took out some dragon beard noodles and cut some scallion and beef slices. He also marinated the beef with some ingredients. Thinking of the carp soup with ck beans that Patrick stewed a few days ago, she was a little surprised. She didn¡¯t expect him to cook so well. ¡°Patrick, do you have a special hobby of cooking?¡± She eximed. Patrick¡¯s hand with the kitchen knife paused for a moment and turned to look at her, as if he was a little annoyed, Then he ignored her. Christina noticed that he was a little angry and quickly added, ¡°Actually. I wanted to say that a man who knows how to cook is awesome. Really. I was thinking about finding a cook to marry.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He casually replied, remembering some things in the past, his expression was a little Christina felt that he was different tonight. She thought it might be the new year ¡°Patrick, can you make a tempura?¡± She asked carefully. He looked up at her and clearly saw Christina¡¯s greedy face and her big Cyes staring at him, eager to eat some. Patrick was furious. ¡°No shrimp!¡± He didn¡¯t know why he would reply to her. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I saw a lot of soft-shelled crabs in the small pond at home. They came from Australia. Her voice was a little excited. ¡°Fried soft-shelled crabs are delicious!¡± He mixed flour, eggs and water to make a batter. The fresh soft-shell crabs from the pool were gilled and battered directly into the frying pan and fried until golden brown, then.a te of crispy fried soft- shell crabs was finished. ¡°Patrick, you¡¯re excellent!¡± Christina was a little excited and took the big bowl of noodles in his hand. She used the chopsticks to pick up two soft-shelled crabs and threw them into the noodle soup. ¡°I¡¯m easy to raise. You don¡¯t have to help me dip them in soy Sauce.¡± She would just eat it with noodle soup. Patrick looked at her excited look, he was speechless that she had the nerve to say she was easy to feed. Christina took her delicious meal out to the dining table and gobbled down the food. Patrick stood by and watched her eat with satisfaction. Suddenly, his expression was a littleplicated. He didn¡¯t know why he actually helped her do such a boring thing Christina was full and in a particrly good mood. She approached him and thanked him sincerely. ¡°Full? Happy?¡± Patrick looked at her silly smile and ordered angrily. ¡°Sleep!¡± Christina immediately changed into her pajamas andy down on the bed, not daring to have other demand. She hugged the quilt, and her small expression showed happiness and disbelief. The Young Master personally cooked noodles for her, and also made a soft-shelled crab that she had been drooling for a long time. If only he could treat her as well as he did today every day, she would be so happy. When Patrick took a shower and came out, he found that the woman on the bed was already asleep. Under the dim light, her brows were wide and her side face was slightly smiling, which was much more natural than her previous vignce Patrick looked at her like this, lost in thought. He lifted the quilt andy on the other side, only to find that the center of the big bed was separated by her with a long pillow. Out of nowhere, Patrick¡¯s face darkened, his body crossed the pillow, and his right hand pinched the tip of her nose, punishing her by covering her mouth and not letting her breath. Christina couldn¡¯t breathe and felt ufortable. Her little face was wrinkled together. She subconsciously waved her hands. ¡°Let go of me, let go of me.¡± she would resist in her dream. Patrick let go of her when he saw how ufortable she was. He chuckled, which included a sense of indulgence. He adjusted the temperature of the room, threw away the long pillow in the middle of the big bed, pulled the quilt for her, then dimmed the bedsidemp and closed his eyes to rest. Earlier, he had been busy with Christina being kidnapped. When Cecilia suddenly came back, he wasn¡¯t idle, either. Tonight, he was actually more tired than her. Although Patrick also slept heavily, he nevertheless kept a certain amount of vignce during his sleep. Around four in the morning, he felt the woman beside him suddenly curl up and tremble. He opened his eyes and looked at her. Patrick ¡°Christina!¡± Startled, immediately woke up. The woman next to him still closed her eyes and did not respond, but Christina¡¯s face looked a little pale and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. Patrick¡¯s brows were furrowed, and his was very hot He immediately got out of bed and grabbed the phone. ¡°Call the doctor right away.¡± When the private doctor of Hopkins Family heard that the Young Master had personally called, he rushed over nervously ¡°What¡¯s wrong!¡± Patrick Saw the doctor examine Christina with a serious face and felt a little impatient. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± She had gone out for a night breeze earlier and nothing had happened. How could she sleep in the middle of the night and suddenly have a high fever? The doctor heard his unkind tone and immediately said nervously. ¡°Young Master, did Young Madam catch a cold before?¡± ¡°L. I just blew the night breeze.¡± Christina was awake on the bed, but her mind was heavy, and her voice was still a little hoarse. Afraid that Patrick would scold her, she exined guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m wearing thick clothes tonight.¡± Patrick looked at her face, which was flushed red and weak from the fever, and he was a little upset. He turned to the doctor in front of him. ¡°She jumped down the riverst week and got cold¡± Christina almost forgot about it and became even more anxious. She reached out and tugged at the corner of his shirt, begging for mercy. ¡°Patrick don¡¯t tell grandpa. I beg you not to tell grandpa¡­¡± The videos have been deleted. Grandpa doesn¡¯t know about it.¡± He looked at her frightened face and said in a low voice ¡°Young Master, if this is the case. Young Madam should take a rest at this time.¡± Of course, Patrick knew. And that was why he canceled the wedding. ¡°But Young Master, did Young Madam eat something cold tonight?¡± The doctor asked again. Patrick thought about it and told the truth. The doctor was stunned, ¡°Young Master, pregnant women can¡¯t eat crab. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t eat much! ¡°She wants to eat¡­¡± The doctor thought. ¡°You can¡¯t spoil her by giving her the wrong food.¡± Chapter 27 Chapter 27 ¡°You allow a pregnant woman to eat crabs, do you have anymon sense? This sentence sounded familiar. Christina buried her head in the quilt guiltily. Last night. Patrick was still Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ming her for not having anymon sense, but now¡­ Now it was Patrick who was scolded. Christina suddenly had a fever at four in the morning and called a doctor. Since Mr. Hopkins had always been an early riser, it was hard to hide what happened from him. The old man came over angrily with his crutch and scolded. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s actually me.¡± It was me who wanted to eat crabs. Christina popped out of her head and was about to admit her fault, but Mr. Hopkins was in a bad mood and looked at her with a darkened face. Therefore, Christina immediately became timid and stopped speaking Patrick was yelled at by his grandfather and did not refute, but he didn¡¯t look good. He nced at Christina meaningfully. ¡°From now on, You two will report to the parenting center every Sunday and learn how to be parents. Hmph.¡± Mr. Hopkins¡¯s face was especially grim. He Ordered seriously. Christina had to go to ss every Sunday, so she didn¡¯t care. She had nothing to do anyway, but Patrick was busy with work. Seeing his grandfather go downstairs, Christina turned to look at Patrick. As expected, he was not very happy. ¡°Christina.¡± He looked into her guilty eyes, muttered her name, and warned angrily, ¡°You better behave yourself!¡± She did not dare to refute, because he had taken the me for her. Patrick left with a darkened face, leaving Christina in bed. Nanny Faang brought her breakfast, not forgetting to remind her. The young master has said that you must return to your bedroom before 10:00 pm this evening and call him in advance before going out.¡± Halfway through. Nanny Faang suddenlyughed again ¡°By the way. Old Master let me ask you about Patrick¡¯s cooking skills.¡± Christina was a little surprised. Hadn¡¯t Old Master try anything cooked by Patrick? In fact, Mr. Hopkins said before, ¡°Can what cooked by that rascal be eat? It must taste awful!¡± Yes, he had never eaten it. Mr. Hopkins was rather displeased. He red at the doctor with a stem and cold gaze. ¡°What else does he hide from me? The doctor felt innocent, so he just said. ¡°It is not suitable for Young Madam to get too tired now.¡± ¡°I actually knew about the video of Christina jumping off a river in C City!¡± Mr. Hopkins¡¯s face became even more grim and he gritted his teeth. ¡°He made her supper in the middle of the night!¡± Why didn¡¯t he cook me a bowl of noodles? Mr. Hopkins was upset for several days because he didn¡¯t eat a bowl of noodles cooked by his grandson Even Laurie. who came to pay a New Year call, felt the anger of the old man. Only after inquiring about it did she know that Christina almost had a miscarriage. He tumed around and went back to the study with his briefcase. ¡°Patrick, we caught some people, who might have something to do with the kidnapping in C City¡± Charles was reporting something when suddenly his voice became sarcastic. ¡°Carrie sent someone to do it.¡± When Patrick heard this, he was not too surprised. He just looked out the window at the dark sky, seeming to think about something. ¡°Patrick, how are you going to deal with it?¡± Charles asked after Patrick¡¯s silence. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere. I have ns,¡± he didn¡¯t answer directly. Just as he was about to hang up the phone, he thought of another woman and said, ¡°Let me be the leading heroine of yourpany¡¯s first TV series this year¡­¡± Then the phone was hung up. Charles heard hisst words and looked at the entertainment headlines on TV with a stiff expression. ¡°Cecilia returns to the entertainment industry.¡± ¡°Are you so busy these days because of Cecilia? Charles murmured. He couldn¡¯t handle Patrick¡¯s personal affairs, but¡­ Since Cecilia was back, Patrick didn¡¯t even bother about Christina¡¯sst kidnapping ¡°It¡¯s not easy for Christina.¡± Charles sympathized with her. Christina?! Patrick came out of the study pushed open the bedroom door, and watched the TV on. The woman curledupon the sofa and fell asleep. Well, he rushed back to check if she went back to her bedroom at ten o¡¯clock to rest. However, it turned out that she fell asleep on the sofa, Patrick approached her with a darkened face. He really wanted to wake her up and teach heralesson. Although he didn¡¯t look too good, he bent down and hugged the woman on the sofa. ¡°You¡¯re really troublesome¡­¡± Perhaps Patrick was being too imposing Christina felt something staring at her. She was so uneasy that she opened her eyes. ¡°Patrick, what do you want to do?¡± ¡°What do you think I want to do!¡± Patrick was so angry that he threw the woman onto the bed. She that he was in a bad mood. He turned around and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Christina was so frightened by him that she wasn¡¯t sleepy any logner. Looking thoughtfully at the TV in the small living room on the left, a piece of entertainment news was just broadcast about that Miss Jones. ¡°Patrick, there¡¯s one thing I want to As soon as he came out of the bathroom, Christina mustered up the courage to negotiate with him ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Unfortunately, as soon as Patrick spoke, Christina¡¯s heart trembled. The man was really fierce. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you in a bad mood?¡± Patrick wiped his wet hair casually with a towel in his right hand and nced at the woman on the bed who wanted to speak but stopped, signaling her to continue ¡°Patrick, I know that anyone would be angry at something like this.¡± She pointed to the TV on the left, looking sympathetically. ¡°Those people asserted that Miss Jones dated a rich man after seeing a randomly taken photo. They were talking nonsense. Don¡¯t be too angry. Miss Jones loves you so much. She¡¯ll never cheat on you.¡± Patrick listened to her inexplicable words, turned around, grabbed the remote control, and dialed back to the news. It was indeed a scandal about Cecilia ¡°Christina, how did you know that the Derson wasn¡¯t me?¡± He looked at a blurry photo on the high-definition screen. The news was actually a publicity stunt did by the industry¡¯s managers, but he suddenly became interested. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re so handsome. I can tell from the back of thatmon man that it¡¯s not you.¡± Patrick had taken the me for herself a few days ago, so she felt a little guilty about him. Now she wasughing heartily. Seeing her silly smile, Patrick raised his eyebrows and asked in aplicated voice. ¡°Do you know me well?¡± Christina continued to tter him. ¡°Patrick you are so handsome that no one else can simte your temperament. You are absolutely eye catching and impressive. You can attract the attention of a crowd of women the moment you appear.¡± ¡°Really? Hearing this, Patrick was a little angry. ¡°Christina, do you find me impressive? Then why did you forget me? She didn¡¯t know why he suddenly got angry. This man was really hard to get along with However, Christina had something serious to talk to him tonight. She had been looking at him for a long time, so she nerved herself! The moment she opened her mouth, she said, ¡°Patrick, I like you very much!¡± She roared out bravely. The man who was standing by the bed and wiping his hair with a towel in his right hand suddenly trembled and the towel fell to the floor. Patrick was mixed with many emotions. He red at the woman on the bed. ¡°What did you say?¡± His voice was suddenly very low. She sensed that he was acting strangely. Did she just piss him off when she said she liked him?! ¡°Patrick, don¡¯t get me wrong.¡± she quickly exined. ¡°I mean, a man like you is too good. There are so many women who love you. I know I¡¯m not good enough for you¡­¡± She lowered her voice deliberately. Patrick¡¯s expression grew colder and colder ¡°You can rest assured that I will never take over the position of Mrs. Hopkins for long. After I give birth to the child, I will make it clear to grandpa that I will be happy to see you and Miss Jones together. I hope that you will be together openly as soon as possible.¡± Christina felt that she spoke very fluently. She even expressed her heartfelt blessing But why did the man look cold and aggressive? ¡°Christina, you dislike me!¡± He clearly saw the excitement and joy in the woman¡¯s eyes. She seemed to be very happy that he was with Cecilia. ¡°How dare 17¡± Christina refused to admit it ¡°You dare not?!¡± Patrick approached the bed aggressively and pressed her down angrily. He stared at her face fiercely. ¡°Christina, you dare to do anything. You jumped down from the tree and pressed me down. You did something wrong but you shifted the me on me.¡± He knew that the woman was too bold Christina looked at his face and felt guilty when she heard his usations. She admitted that she had bullied some people, but¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t hold me down. Grandpa said that in the first three months¡­¡± The two bodies were so close together that her cheeks reddened and she struggled to push him away. She even had learned to deal with him using grandpa ¡°Then three monthster, we¡¯ll do it!¡± Patrick let go of her and red at her with a heavy gaze. ¡°Who wants to do that with you.. Christina was embarrassed. ¡°If you move again, we¡¯ll try something else!¡± She was very quiet on the bed. Her body tensed up and she did not dare to move. And the man on her left seemed to be very satisfied with her as a pillow. He buried his head in her neck. It seemed that they had been husband and wife for a long time. Before turning off the lights, Patrick shamelessly praised, ¡°Christina, your body is very soft. Mmm, it smells good. Damn it! Christina cursed in her heart. Why was this tyrant Patrick not interested in my proposal? She didn¡¯t understand why every time she saw Cecilia¡¯s face, she felt ufortable. Christina didn¡¯t want to be anyone¡¯s Chapter 28 Chapter 28 ¡°Miss Jones, Universe Studios has already confirmed that you will be the heroine of their first y of the new year. This is a remake of the blockbusterst year. After rounds of selection, you got the role as soon as you made aeback. How do you feel?¡± Christina was sitting in front of the small sofa of her bedroom, watching the entertainment gossip. The news about Cecilia¡¯s return to the entertainment industry was being broadcasted. ¡°Miss Jones, since you debuted six years ago, you have been ying important leading roles. There are also rumors that you refuse to ept ordinary ys. Everyone has been very curious about your emotional life. Can you reveal the identity of the man a little bit? ¡°Miss Jones, did you marry into a rich family when you suddenly disappeared three years ago? Did you Cecilia smiled but didn¡¯t answer. She was dressed in a light yellow suit jacket and a long chiffon dress, looking fashionable and elegant. When she was asked about her affair. her face flushed slightly and she looked happy and shy. ¡°Patrick is so good to her.¡± Christina looked at the face on the TV that was almost eighty percent like herself. She suddenly felt a little depressed. Christina never paid attention to entertainment news, but recently she took an interest in Miss Jones. She didn¡¯t know if she was too bored or¡­ Concerned. She suddenly wanted to know more about Cecilia. Theoretically speaking, Cecilia was also her rival in love.... ¡°Charles!¡± Christina picked up the phone and called Mr. Shepherd. She did not dare to ask Patrick directly. but Charles was different. She felt that Charles was much easier to get along with than Patrick. Charles was a little surprised when she called He thought for a moment before answering ¡°Christina. what¡¯s the matter? Have you been bothered by the recent news? Are you jealous?¡± He gloated in an unserious tone. When Christina heard the word jealous her face darkened. She raised her voice and retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not jealous. I just want to know if | really have a half-sister.¡± Speaking of this, Charles once doubted, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Cecilia is not rted to you at all.¡± Cecilia has been an orphan since she was a child. She was adopted by an old couple in Canada when she was a baby. After she grew up, she went to a university in the United States. Patrick met her in New York six years ago...¡± Christina looked a little awkward. She also knew that Miss Jones was unlikely to be her biological sister. She just wanted to know more about her rival in love Then she suddenly thought of something that she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Charles,st time in C City, did you say that Patrick went to pray at her tomb? ¡°You thought she was dead and buried her in C City? Is Cecilia¡¯s ancestral home in C City?¡± Christina¡¯s ancestral home was exactly in C City Speaking of this, Charles looked strange and his voice was low. ¡°I don¡¯t know about her ancestral home, but.. Cecilia talked a lot about the high school in C City with Patrick.¡± ¡°Is it my alma mater? Hey, Charles,st time you said that Patrick was back in C City for half a year at the No. 1 High School¡­¡± Christina seemed a little excited when he mentioned that high school ¡°I advise you not to mention the high school in front of Patrick. He doesn¡¯t like it to be mentioned.¡± Charles interrupted her Christina listened to his serious tone and did not ask any further questions. It seemed that every time he talked about Patrick¡¯s six months in C City six years ago, he was hiding something which seemed to be a secret. ¡°To be honest, apart from the fact that you have simr facial features and bodies, hehe¡­ Christina, you are so violent. Cecilia is such a gentle and beautiful girl. You are no match for her.¡± Charles teased her before hanging up. Christina didn¡¯t bother him anymore. She just felt a little ufortable at the thought of Miss Jones. ¡°As soon as Cecilia came back, Charles treated her well. He was nicer to her than to me. He has never given me a gift.¡± Christina was jealous. Originally, she was looking forward to the remake, but, ¡°Cecilia¡¯s character is not suitable for that y. Patrick is obviously throwing money to support her.¡± Patrick had been busytely, and she guessed that he was busy with the career of Miss Jones. After all, this time Cecilia took the role of another woman. ¡°You took the role that belonged to Connie!¡± The door of the office was pushed open and Cory anxiously stormed in. ¡°Universe Studio attaches great importance to this TV y. Last year, they had already started to choose roles Cecilia¡¯s temperament is not suitable to be the female lead at all. You actually interfered in the investment for a woman!¡± Since the TV y was a remake, the crew was top-notch, and the goal was to break through the ssics. This temporary change in the lead increased the risk of investment, and Cory was one of the investors. Compared to the agitation and anger of Cory, Patrick, who was sitting at his desk, looked indifferent. ¡°You can withdraw your funds if you want. Patrick continued to hold the pen and sign the document. He didn¡¯t even raise his head and his voice sounded Patrick¡¯s cold attitude provoked Cory. ¡°Cousin! You know this isn¡¯t just about investing!¡± He almost gnashed his teeth when he said ¡°cousin¡± ¡°Cousin, you should know that Connie is Donald¡¯s current wife.¡± Connie was Christina¡¯s stepmother as well. Patrick¡¯s hand paused and he chuckled. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°At least Connie is also from the Dickens Family. You and Christina are legally husband and wife. You are doing this openly to curry favor with your lover and go against the Dickens Family. Cousin, isn¡¯t that disrespectful of Christina?¡± Patrick didn¡¯t pay much attention to Cory. However, when Cory mentioned Christina¡¯s name. Patrick Suddenly raised his head and asked in a cold voice. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Cory had always been afraid of his cousin since he was a child. Apparently, Cory was displeased now. He was careful about his wording. ¡°Cousin, I know you¡¯re using Christina as a substitute for Cecilia. But no matter what, don¡¯t hurt Christina.¡± Patrick looked at him and his eyes grew colder. ¡°You came here today to rernind me not to hurt Christina. You seem to care about her!¡± ¡°I told you. Don¡¯t interfere with me and Christina!¡± Cory blurted out, ¡°I¡¯ve been married to Christina for three years. I know her personality. She can¡¯t give in to being anyone¡¯s substitute, and I just had a misunderstanding with her.. ¡°What? Are you regretful? Do you miss Your ex-wife?¡± Patrick suddenly sneered, suppressed his anger, and looked at Cory fiercely. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that she¡¯s your sister-inw now! A good horse will never turn round to graze on an old pasture.¡± ¡°Some things are destined to be impossible in the beginning. So don¡¯t dream about it!¡± Patrick said word by word, suppressing his fury that was about to explode. ¡°Get out!¡± He suddenly stood up from his chair and gave a stern shout Cory was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect Patrick to be so emotional. It seemed that Patrick had been irritated by something. Patrick hadplex emotions with his eyes burning fiercely, like. Bang! Patrick raised his hand and mmed the vase on the left counter onto the floor. ¡°Tve been married to Christina for three years. Three years. Three years..¡± Cory¡¯s words echoed in Patrick¡¯s ears¡­ Patrick was mad from being jealous, They had been together for three years, but he had waited for six years. People at the top floor of the IP&G Group were nervous¡­ N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. On the sixth day of the new year some of the senior executives who were lucky enough to be called back to thepany for the first meeting were a little excited. However, they didn¡¯t expect that Patrick had a gloomy face during the afternoon meeting. ¡°In terms of the undersea tunnel project with Germany, all the raw materials are transported from Germany, and the price has been agreed on. But the construction time needs to be postponed for two months.¡± The project director spoke carefully With a cold face, Patrick grabbed a document from the table and flung it out with a bang. ¡°Two monthster?¡± He looked up at the project director The project director could tell from the grim tone that the president was dissatisfied with the result. The project director broke out in a cold sweat and quickly exined, ¡°President, this is because there are some core issues in the engineering department that need to go abroad.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s pointing of paying them?¡± Patrick interrupted him in a cold voice. looking grim ¡°Bring the foreign team back directly. Fools! Don¡¯t you know that time is money?¡± In front of the huge circr conference table on the top floor of the IP&G Group, the elite executives lowered their heads and did not dare to make a sound The more Patrick looked at these people, the more displeased he became. Suddenly, he stood up. The rest of the people immediately tensed up. only to hear Patrick impatiently instructed, ¡°Discuss the rest of the project yourself and send the decision reports to my office by tomorrow morning.¡± It was not until Patrick strode out of the conference room that the nervous executives breathed a sigh of relief. They all looked at each other with bitter faces. The president was not easy to get along with. Today, he seemed to have eaten explosives and was not satisfied with any proposal. Who the hell offended their president! Today was the first day to work after the new year. Patrick was standing in front of a French window in his office on the top floor of the sixty-eight floor of the grand IP&G Group Building. He was in a bad mood as he watched the Sunset ¡°President, the flight to New York is already booked.¡± The chief secretary pushed the door and came in to report. As long as their president was in a bad mood, he liked to work overtime and travel. He was literally a workaholic Patrick was still cold-faced and upset. He walked straight to the door with his long legs and was about to leave for New York to negotiate on a new project. However, just as Patrick was about to leave the office, he paused. He looked at the calendar on the wall thoughtfully. It was Sunday tomorrow¡­ ¡°Let the vice president rece me to needs to be postponed for two months.¡± The project director spoke Carefully With a cold face, Patrick grabbed a document from the table and flung it out with a bane. ¡°Two monthster?¡± He looked up at the project director The project director could tell from the grim tone that the president was dissatisfied with the result. The project director broke out in a cold sweat and quickly exined, ¡°President, this is because there are some core issues in the engineering department that need to go abroad.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s pointing of paying them?¡± eased a lot He joked and asked, ¡°Scolded by grandpa?¡± ¡°Come on! You saidst time that the video of me jumping into the river was withdrawn Now grandpa is ming me. That old man is so insidious. He keeps scolding me. You will also be scolded when you go home!¡± Christinained to him with a darkened Also, grandpa said that we have to take notes for the maternity course tomorrow. I don¡¯t care. I won¡¯t do this. You can do it yourself.¡± The man was silent, listening to herints. The thick ss reflected Patrick¡¯s handsome profile. He raised his thin lips and chuckled¡­ Chapter 29 Chapter 29 ¡°In the early stages of pregnancy, some foods are inedible, such as soft-shelled turtle, aloe vera, crab, and bitter gourd.. These foods can cause UC or miscarriage. You must be careful. There are also some tonics, including ginseng and cordyceps, which should not be abused without the doctor¡¯s permission.¡± Today was Sunday. Patrick and Christina were ordered to attend the parent-to-be ssroom by Mr. Hopkins. When they heard that they couldn¡¯t eat crabs anymore, their expressions were somewhatplicated ¡°Keep it in your mind!¡± Patrick said to the woman beside him in a deep voi Christina knew it was her badst time, but, ¡°You were the one who made that soft-shelled crab for me that day.¡± Sheined, so Patrick was also at fault. Patrick¡¯s face turned annoyed when he heard Christina¡¯sint. ¡°Folic acid should be added in the first three months of pregnancy. If you need a vitamin supplement, you can take a multivitamin or powdered milk after asking for the doctor¡¯s advice, but don¡¯t take both at the same time to avoid excessive vitamins supplement which will affect the baby¡­¡± The teacher on the stage continued to teach these prospective parents. Sitting upright. Christina tumed onth recording of her cell phone, and llistered while taking notes Patrick looked sideways at her seriousness and thought about that he had med her not to take her baby seriously The lecturer on the stage continued to talk ¡°The temperature of the bath for expectant mothers during pregnancy should not be too hot, which should be below 40 degrees. It is best to take a shower not a bath. Don¡¯t lift heavy objects, and don¡¯t sit up at once when you wake up¡­¡± Patrick¡¯s grim face was in different, but these precautions were all in mind. Suddenly, one of the women burst into child tears. ¡°I don¡¯t want this anymore.¡± Christina and the others immediately turned their heads to look at the woman, their gossipy eyes fixed on her husband. ¡°Patrick do you think that bastard cheated on his wife?¡¯ Christina lowered her voice and spected. Patrick ignored her and saw that the crying woman¡¯s face turned slight purple, her lips pale and weak and she looked sick. The next second, the woman bent down and vomited. ¡°Lili, how are you?¡± Her husband looked distressed andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± The pregnant woman was very angry crying and velling ¡°I¡¯m nine weeks pregnant, and | basically vomit whatever I eat. Now | huve a slice of ginger in my mouth every day. I even vomit when I smell it. It makes my stomach ache.¡± When the people around her heard what her said, the lecturer and others came forward tofort her, ¡°It¡¯s normalto vomit during the pregnancy.¡± The pregnant woman cried with grievance. ¡°But I¡¯ve lost ten pounds since I was pregnant, and they¡¯re all looking forward to the birth of the baby. What about me? | feel so miserable and tortured every day. | even spit out blood, and they even acoused me of being too delicate¡­¡± Christina heard herin and recalled that she was also about nine wecks pregnant Patrick subconsciously stroked her head. Christina looked up at the man beside her. His face was solemn and he looked at her thoughtfully. He said in a deep voice, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you¡¯ve been through a lot and could bear it.¡± Rtively speaking, Christina was not so delicate. What did he mean by that? Christina¡¯s expression was gloomy. ¡°I want to drink. I want to be in drunk i don¡¯t want to get pregnant. I don¡¯t want to have children. The crying pregnant woman was finally helped out. Patrick looked at the woman who was in pain, turned to look at the lively woman beside him, and put his right hand around her waist, feeling her still t abdomen. ¡°Christina, one baby is enough.¡± He almost held her in his arms. Christina leaned against his chest. His voice was low and gentle, as if he wasforting her. At that moment, Christina was not used to his affection. and her cheeks turned slightly red. ¡°You dare to want more babies? Of course, one is enough for me.¡± This pregnancy was an ident, and even if there was a second child, that must be Cecilia and his. The lecturer then told them about the reaction of morning sickness and themon sense that pregnancy might cause leg cramps and swelling. When the lecturer showed them some pictures of stages ofbor, Christina opened her eyes wide. The picture that the bloody baby was delivered by C section was quite scary She didn¡¯t expect to cut open her belly to have this child! However, the man next to her reacted even more. Patrick red at the photo of the C-section and turned to look at Christina for a long time. Christina even suspected that he was overly frightened. She heard that men had blood ph in the delivery room. She wondered if Patrick would faint. ¡°In fact, in addition to the early andte stages of pregnancy. having sex moderately in the middle of this period could help mom to keep healthy mentally and physically.¡± At the end of the lecture, the lecturer teased the prospective parents. Their lesson for today was finally over. Christina sneakily dragged Patrick to a corner. ¡°Patrick, let me tell you.¡± Patrick looked at her blushing cheeks. He didn¡¯t know if it was because she was pregnant or not. He felt that her skin had be more delicate recently. Looking at her red lips, he was thirsty His voice was a little hoarse. ¡°After the first three months, moderate sex is good for you. Christina, let¡¯s try it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you even think about it.¡± When Christina heard him say that, she became angry from embarrassment. She found that men were controlled by their penises. ¡°I mean, those women just now, they all looked at you like hungry wolves.¡± When Patrick heard her say that he let out a sigh casually. He didn¡¯t care and he was used to it anyway. Christina, on the other hand, seemeda little excited. She approached him and smiled as sly as a fox. ¡°Patrick, just nu in the bathroom, those women Surrounded me and told me how handsome you are. Someone asked if you are a star¡­¡± Her face was full of pride and she smiled smugly. ¡°Patrick, our child will definitely be beautiful. Of course, it¡¯s mainly inherited from me. It¡¯s hard for him to be ugly since his mother is so beautiful..¡± Patrick looked at her and chuckled. He reached out to pinch the tip of her Mose. ¡°Proud?¡± ¡°You two look so good. Whoever the baby inherits, it must be beautiful.¡± At this moment, a strange voice came from their right side. It was the lecturer ¡°No.¡±She lovered her head, her volCL little awkward. Especially when he was holding her shoulder and walking together, she was not used to it, but suddenly. It felt good to rely on this man. Patrick was a Hopkins Family¡¯s man, He was born with a noble and cool aura. Although it was difficult to get close to him, it was undeniable that his cold aura always gave people a sense of security, as if there was nothing to be afraid when being with him Patrick was in a good mood. ¡°Christina, didn¡¯t you say you are the king of eaters? He noticed that her cheeks were Slightly red and he chuckled. This *Christina, don¡¯t look at me as if y were looking at meat.¡± Patrick nced ather angrily Feeling embarrassed, Christina turned to look out the window. For a moment, the car quieted down, neither of them spoke, and the car was moving stably. Patrick had never been a man of chatting. He looked at the woman beside him from time to time and found that she was a little silent. She was a very lively girl, but now what was she thinking? He was not Charles, he rarelymunicates with women, and he didn¡¯t understand women at all. Christina looked up right outside a ss door on their right. A group of people heard their conversation clearly What a shame! With a flushed face, she turned around and immediately buried her head in Patrick¡¯s chest. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me there is someone at the ss door.¡± Sheined. Patrick did not exin. As he looked down at her shy little woman andbed her long hair affectionately, heughed even more wantonly. Even Christina could feel his chest heave and tremble. The women outside the ss door looked straight at him. The man¡¯s smile W¡­ Charming Was he that happy for my embarrassment? Christina was unhappy, but.. She secretly looked up at the man above her head Patrick seemed really happy. It was the first time she saw him Smile so pure. Christina looked at him being like this. not like the usual cold Patrick, which made her a little bit lost. He was really handsome. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Seeing her dazed look, Patrick put his arm around her shoulder and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Patrick grunted softly, noticing that¡¯s eyes were slightly red and moist. She was really grateful to him, to the Hopkins Family Her aunt and her relied on each other for a long time, and the doctor said if she couldn¡¯t find a match for her to transnt. Her aunt could not survive three years, and she was worried and afraid that her family would die. Christina took a deep breath and gave him a firm promise. ¡°Patrick, I promise you, I will never eat anything | shouldn¡¯t again. I will pay great attention to the health of the baby. and I will never let anything happen to the child.. WOTai Wactually reserved. ¡°What do you want for lunch?¡± The two of them got into the car. They didn¡¯t call the driver today. Patrick drove the car himself. He reversed the car and asked For some reason, at this moment, Christina had the illusion that the two of them were like ordinary Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. couples. If if he and she were like a normal couple. How could that be? He married her because she was pregnant by ident. ¡°I¡¯m not picky about food,¡± she replied Casually ¡°Christina, you actually say you¡¯re not the knew that her only value Hopkins Family was to give birth to a healthy heir. She was not a pretentious person. She did not care if she was being used. As long as her family was safe and sound, she was willing to do anything However, in this way, all of this became like a deal. Between him and her, it was actually just a deal from the beginning. She was just a tool for giving birth¡­ However, when Patrick heard what she said, his face changed. He became silent and looked at her whose eyes shed across a look of humility. He wanted to say something¡­ ¡°Why are you so furious all of a sudden..¡± She stood on the side of the road and looked down at her toes unhappily. She recalled that ten minutes ago, Patrick had asked her gently where she was going for lunch, but now he left her here. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go, but what right do I have to do that..¡± She couldn¡¯t ask him to stay. Not long after, the driver of the Hopkins Family came to pick her up. Christina had been a little depressed after she returned to the Hopkins Family. The cook made her a picky about food,¡± Patrick said as drove, looking at the woman in the passenger seat for the rest of the time. feeling that she was a little unhappy. ¡°Apart from the food you can¡¯t eat during pregnancy. you can eat everything you want today. I won¡¯t tell grandpa. You¡¯ll have a nd nutritious meal when you go back to the Hopkins Family: Patrick turned the steering wheel and headed to a famous star level hotel in A City. Christina looked at the destination in GPS, which was her favorite hotel, and turned to look at Patrick¡¯s grim profile with a burning gaze. She wondered why he was so nice to her. Patrick didn¡¯t wait for her to fini-h. Suddenly, he seemed very angry and shouted at her. Christina was stunned. Then she saw his cold face and his angry gaze on her. Her heart trembled. told you to get out of the car immediately. Did you hear me? When Patrick saw her bewildered expression, the anger became stronger in his heart. Christina waspletely stunned. The minute she got out of the car, Patrick had driven away. She stared nkly at the departing car and said with a sullen expression. berson on the phone ¡°Mr. Hopkins, I¡¯m sorry to bother you, but something happened to Miss Jones. Today is the first day of her new TV series. She felt unwell, but she insisted oning over. She fell into theke when she was taking photos by theke¡­¡± The person on the other end of the phone was Cecilia¡¯s manager. She spoke anxiously in a trembling voice. Even Christina could hear some of her words. Cecilia fell into theke? Christina looked a little surprised. ¡°How is she doing?¡± Patrick asked with an indifferent expression Do you want to visit your aunt Patrick suddenly asked inadeep voice. Christina perked up at his words. ¡°Patrick, do you really agree to let me visit my aunt? Patrick¡¯s face was indifferent and he nced at her excited profile. He knew that the person she was most worried about was her ailing aunt. He added faintly. ¡°The hospital has found three match recently. Your aunt¡¯s heart disease has a chance to be cured.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t worry about her.¡± He said to himself Christina was stunned for a moment and then grabbed his arm excitedly. ¡°Really? Is that true?! My aunt can really be cured?¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30 The car was quiet and neither of them spoke Patrick looked at the humbleness in her eyes and wanted to say something that he had wanted to tell her a long time ago. But then, someone¡¯s phone rang. The phone kept ringing as if the person at the other end of the phone had something urgent. The ringtone broke the rare silence in the car. Christina looked at him suspiciously and saw that Patrick answered the phone impatiently. After a while, he looked surprised for a second, as it something had happened to the ¡°The rescue was timely and she was of danger, but she¡¯s si unk onscious¡± The manager answered quickly but hesitated. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, could you Original content from N?velDrama.Org. pleasee over¡­ ¡°Miss Jones was in aa and kept calling your name. When she wakes up. she needs to be injected and take medicine. You know her very well, so you must know we won¡¯t be able to talk her into_¡± So she wanted Patrick to go over and persuade Miss Jones, who was indeed acting like a big star. Christina stole a nce at the man beside her. She was surprised that Patrick had coaxed a woman to take medicine. This cold man was SO insiderate to his Miss Jones, Christina saw him hanging up the phone thoughtfully. She quickly said, ¡°Just drop me off here.¡± When Patrick heard her, he frowned and looked at her. Christina looked a little embarrassed. ¡°Miss Jones is sick. If you want to see her, 11 leave you to it. You let me out of the car. I¡¯ll call the driver to take me back to the Hopkins Family¡± She was sensible and knew that she was no match for Cecilia. Besides, she didn¡¯t want to hear about them either because this made her feel like she was the oneing between them and ufortable. When Patrick heard her say this he slowly stopped the car and leaned over to her. His deep eyes were fixed on her, and he asked in a deep voice, ¡°You want me to go?¡± His words were tinged with an ambiguous emotion Christina felt nervous, and she forceda smile. ¡°Patrick, I know this is just a deal. I don¡¯t want anything, and I won¡¯t dare interfere with your rtionship with Miss Jones¡­¡± ¡°I really thank your family for curing my aunt¡¯s heart disease. I know my ce and what I should do. After the baby is born, I will..¡± I would leave. ¡°Get out of the car!¡± done. While she was eating the nutritious meal, Mr. Hopkins came over and noticed something was wrong with her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The old man asked in a deep voice. ¡°Where¡¯s Patrick? He didn¡¯t go to ss with you? ¡°He went with me, but he.¡± Christina reported truthfully and paused. ¡°But he received a phone call. It seemed that someone needed him at thepany, so he left first.¡± She lied for him. Mc. Hopkins did not like Miss Jones, so she did not dare to let him know where Patrickwent, lest he med Patrick. Christina didn¡¯t know when she Started to feel like helping Patrick. The old man did not think much about it. He looked at her abdomen and asked, ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°The child is very healthy.¡± When the old man heard that the child was healthy, he looked quite satisfied. He ordered her. ¡°At night, you can read some books about how to make your child more healthy. Don¡¯t eat crabs in the middle of the night. You don¡¯t have anymon sense.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Christina nodded and said softly Then she looked up at the clock on the wall. Patrick might not be back tonight. After all, his Miss Jones fell into the water and got sick. He had to be with his little darling Thinking about it for a while, Christina felt a little jealous. She looked down at the bowl of nutritious but nd congee on the table expressionlessly. She felt sad and angry, which she didn¡¯t know why. She held the spoon and stuffed the congee into her mouth Charles was the biggest shareholder of Universe Studio, so Charles, as the big boss, also appeared at the opening ceremony of the new drama, but did not expect an ident. This great work would be remade, which was a huge deal, so I y famous actors took part in the ceremony today, but Cecilia was the one that had an ident¡­ Charles felt his head ached. He didn¡¯t care about anyone else, but it was Patrick¡¯s woman. ¡°Cecilia is in the lounge of the vi now..¡± Charles saw that Patrick had driven by himself and immediately went forward to tell him about the situation. There was an artificialke near the set. Theke was clear and blue. Because today was the first day of the shooting, everyone was in a good mood. Many actors went to theke to take pictures. They didn¡¯t expect Cecilia to fall into theke. But before Charles could say anything more, he saw Patrick pursing his lips tightly. He knew Patrick was clearly in a bad mood as if he had been irritated by someone Who offended him?! ¡°Mr. Hopkins, good to see you. This way.¡± When Cecilia¡¯s manager saw Patrick she immediately ran forward happily to lead the way. ¡°Cecilia fell into the water three years ago once. Although she was not in any serious condition this time, she kept trembling and having nightmares and calling out your name. The manager walked with Patrick, telling him her situation This great work would be remade, which was a huge deal, so I y famous actors took part in the ceremony today, but Cecilia was the one that had an ident¡­ Charles felt his head ached. He didn¡¯t care about anyone else, but it was Patrick¡¯s woman ¡°Cecilia is in the lounge of the vi now¡­¡± Charles saw that Patrick had driven by himself and immediately went forward to tell him about the situation There was an artificialke near the set. Theke was clear and blue. Because today was the first day of the shooting, everyone was in a good mood. Many actors went to theke to take pictures. They didn¡¯t expect Cecilia to fall into theke. But before Charles could say anything more, he saw Patrick pursing his lips tightly. He knew Patrick was clearly in a bad mood as if he had been irritated by someone Who offended him?! ¡°Mr. Hopkins, good to see you. This way.¡± When Cecilia¡¯s manager saw Patrick, she immediately ran forward happily to lead the way. ¡°Cecilia fell into the water three years ago once. Although she was not in any serious condition this time, she kept trembling and having nightmares and calling out your name.¡± The manager walked with Patrick, telling him her situation Patrick listened, expressionless, ar pushed open the door. This was originally a set, but now it was temporarily lent to Cecilia to rest. The other actors saw the crew being so partial to Cecilia and did not dare to offend her because they knew she was supported by some big shot¡­ ¡°How are you feeling?¡± When Patrick came in the frail woman on the bed had opened her eyes and he asked faintly. When Cecilia saw himing, her eyes immediately turned red and tears welled up, as if she were very aggrieved. ¡°Patrick, I, I was very afraid.¡±She said in a choked voice. ¡°I dreamt of the day when we were wappily taking our wedding photos River Seine, and then I fell into a dark abyss. I kept struggling and shouting your name¡­¡± She was crying bitterly, looking pitiful. ¡°I thought I was going to die. I thought | would never see you again.¡± Patrick stood by the bed and looked at her familiar face. Seeing she crying so bitterly and helplessly, he felt his heart seemed to be touched by something He reached out and touched the tears in the corner of her eyes. ¡°You are okay.¡± His voice was low and soft as if he was Speaking to her, but he also sounded like he was speaking to another woman. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, Cecilia really wanted to marry you three years ago. After the ident of River Seine, although she had a narrow escape from death, she is now much weaker than before¡­¡± The manager standing by said with a sigh. Patrick looked at her pale face and said faintly, ¡°Ask the doctor toe in.¡± Then he looked like he was leaving. When Cecilia saw this, she cried even more violently. She got up from the bed and wrapped her arms around his strong waist eagerly. ¡°Patrick, don¡¯t go. I¡¯m scared. Patrick looked down at her face and suddenly remembered the woman at home. He stared fixedly at the face, and a mplex feeling arose in his heart. h. felt he didn¡¯t want to see this face, he felt a little resentful, and he felt¡­ this face appealed to him irresistibly. He sat by the bed slowly, his eyes bing deeper and deeper. He lifted her hair hanging loosely on her back with his right hand, lowered his head, and whispered in her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± He was extremely gentle and wasforting her. Cecilia¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as she looked into his affectionate eyes, and her cheeks flushed. She raised her arms to hold his neck.. The two bodies snuggled together and Charles and the manager immediately turned around walked out and closed the door. Without looking at it. Charles who was expressionless knew what would happen. The scene of a man and a woman doing it in the room came to his mind. ¡°What about Christina.¡± Charles looked at the sun setting in the sky and murmured sympathetically. In fact, he liked Christina tobe his friend¡¯s wife, but unfortunately¡­ Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t the one Patrick liked. Christina suddenly felt that the night was a little long After dinner, she took afortable warm bath and rolled around on the bed with the quilt, but she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. She thought of Patrick¡¯s cold face for some reason. She pursed her lips and looked a little troubled. ¡°He¡¯s with a beautiful woman now. He won¡¯te back. Because she was pregnant, Patrick didn¡¯t make love with her. But¡­ But he had forced her to be in his arms recently. Now that he was not here, she was relieved, but she was also not used to his absence. a long time before falling asleep in the middle of the night. She didn¡¯t understand why she felt a little irritable. The next morning, she stretched her arms to push away the man beside her, only to find that the pillow and quilt beside her were cold and that he did note back all night. At five in the morning, it was customary to have breakfast with the Old Master As she walked, she secretly looked at the posts that Cecilia had posted on her blog¡­ Suddenly, she paused and stared at her phone with aplicated expression. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Se 5 her being sneaky, Mr. Hopkins growled at her. Christina immediately put her phone into her pocket and looked embarrassed. ¡°No, nothing¡± She tried to force a smile, but it was a little forced. She just saw from the notification that Cecilia was trending on the blog now This morning, a reporter took a photo of Cecilia with hickeys on her neck and the fans andizens were thinking about the romantic, wild night.. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 After breakfast, Christina went back to her bedroom and held her cell phone to browse the gossips about the hickey of Cecilia. ¡°Patrick must have had a crazy night with herst night.¡± As Christina browsed Twitter, sheined with aplicated expression on her face. Even she didn¡¯t know why she cared so much¡­ It was as if she was jealous. Jealous? Christina was shocked at the thought ¡°How can I be jealous? Patrick had made it clear to me that it was just a deal¡­¡± Just as she was thinking, suddenly, her phone vibrated and she received a message to add friends on her WhatsApp ¡°Who is this?¡± Christina frowned and looked at the screen of her cell phone. A user nicknamed ¡°Brother Charlie¡± had just sent a request to add her to his friends. What Brother Charlie or Brother Sweet? He was such a narcissist. Christina was speechless and ignored the request. The other party might have thought that Christina would not pass his request and immediately sent a temporary conversation, ¡°I¡¯m Charles.¡± ¡°Charles, your nickname sounds like a bitch¡¯s.¡± Christina agreed to add him to her friends and she immediately teased him. Brother Charlie: ¡°My nickname is better than yours. Tina? Christina, your nickname is dull Invincible Tina: ¡°Charles, this is why you want to add me to your friends? Quarreling?¡± Christina felt that there was nothing wrong with his WhatsApp nickname. It was simple and easy to remember. What was more important was that it made one feel that she was daunting. Looking at the nickname of Charles on WhatsApp, she suddenly remembered that Charles had reminded her to stop being so self-sentimental as Patrick couldn¡¯t possibly like her. She was just a substitute for Cecilia¡­¡­ The more Christina thought about it, the more depressed she became. Invincible Tina: ¡°Charles, I¡¯m busy. Don¡¯t look for me if you have nothing to do. Never look for me if you have anything to do.¡± She replied quickly and wanted to log out of WhatsApp. Brother Charlie: ¡°Wait, Christina, I¡¯m looking for you for something serious!¡± Christina hesitated to see what this unreliable Mr. Shepherd would say. Brother Charlie: ¡°Patrick has been rather busytely. He may not have time to apany you. Well, you know that Cecilia is his true wife, so¡­¡­¡± Invincible Tina: ¡°I told you, I know. Why are you so annoying? | don¡¯t like Patrick. I know I don¡¯t have the right to think about that. I won¡¯t forcibly take this position.¡± Christina roared angrily as if she had been provoked. She sent him a voice message. Charles raised his eyebrows and could feel the fury of that woman through the phone screen. This woman lived with Patrick all day long, so how could she not have any mood swings¡­ Jesus! Brother Charlie: ¡°Hey, Christina, don¡¯t be angry. I won¡¯t talk about that. Actually. Patrick has been busy recently, so he doesn¡¯t have time to apany you. He asked me to take some time to send you to visit your aunt.¡± Christina looked at the message Charles had just sent and thought for a while. Patrick was busy staying with his Miss Jones and probably wouldn¡¯t apany her anymore. She was editing the message and was about to reply and agree to go out together. At this moment, the maid knocked on the door. ¡°Ma¡¯am, the Old Master wants you to go to the main hall of the mansa People from the Dickens Family are here.¡± Christina looked up at the door. Her movements stopped abruptly when she heard the people from the Dickens Family hade People from the Dickens Family¡­ The phone vibrated again and Charles sent her a message. ¡°By the way. Christina, did Patrick go back to the Hopkins Familyst night?¡± Christina ignored him, tidied up her clothes, and went downstairs with a serious expression. To Christina¡¯s surprise, when she went to the Main Residence of the Hopkins Family, she saw that Patrick came ba Not only did Patricke back, but also those people behind him. Those people were from the Dickens Family: ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Patrick walked past her. He naturally wrapped his right arm around her waist and led her into the Hopkins Family hall. Christina was a little stunned. She looked at Patrick beside her and turned to look at Donald behind her. How could they happen to be together¡­ ¡°It¡¯s an honor for us that Patrick personally picks us up at the airport.¡± The beautiful woman standing next to Donald was her stepmother, Connie. Patrick went to the airport early in the morning to pick up the people from the Dickens Family? Didn¡¯t he hang out with Ceciliast night? He must have been ordered by Mr. Hopkins as he came back so early. The hall of the Hopkins Family was spacious and luxurious with the eight meter luxury crystal chandelier sparkling above. Christina sat next to Patrick, and opposite her were Donald and Connie. Mr. Hopkins sat on the seat of honor. Everyone did greetings politely, while Christina¡¯s expression was ¡°Since the two of them have already got their certificates, we are inws. There¡¯s no need to be too polite¡± Mr. Hopkins spoke with authority. ¡°As for the wedding, we¡¯ll wait until Christina gives birth to the baby.¡± Donald¡¯s face did not show any joy. He said with a calm face, ¡°Mr. Hopkins, I have always respected you Hopkins Family very much, but in this matter, I don¡¯t think my daughter is worthy of Mr. Hopkins. I don¡¯t agree. Christina listened to her father scolding her. She lowered her head and endured. Donald continued to speak slowly. ¡°And I heard that she and Mr. Hopkins have no feelings for each other. It¡¯s just an aocidental pregnancy. They do¡­. have to get married.¡± ¡°You are worried that Christina will be wronged after marrying into Hopkins Family. You are afraid that 1 and Hopkins Family will abuse her!¡± Mr. Hopkins seemed unhappy and asked in a cold voice. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, we don¡¯t mean that. Please don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± Connie quickly smiled and ttered as she exined. Just as Connie¡¯s words fell, two men Strode in the hall. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s so busy today. Who pays you a New Year call?¡± Laurie smiled demurely and walked in with bags of tonics, and Cory S walking in next to her. Donald looked up and happened to see Cory. Both of them had mixed expressions of surprise and Donald turned his head and looked at Mr. Hopkins withplicated expressions in his eyes. ¡°My daughter has married someone before, and I¡¯m afraid she doesn¡¯t deserve Mr. Hopkins. And her ex husband happens to be the Young Master of Hopkins Family. That¡¯s ridiculous. She will bring shame to Hopkins Family Donald was unusually insistent as if he was very resistant to being the in-! of the Hopkins Family Mr. Hopkins¡¯s expression became sullen. He shouted coldly, ¡°Who dares ridicule Hopkins Family -¡± The whole hall went quiet and the people present did not dare to speak Even Donald looked a little embarrassed. He knew he could not offend the old man. The atmosphere was suddenly solemn and strange. Laurie¡¯s eyes were filled with ambiguous emotions. She found out that the Dickens Family would be here today, so she specifically asked her son toe to Hopkins Family with her because she also strongly disagreed with Patrick and Christina¡¯s marriage ¡°Serve the dishes¡± Patrick suddenly ordered the butler beside him. His words ended the serious silence. The rest of them didn¡¯t dare to talk nonsense. Mr. Hopkins nced at Patrick as he pulled a long face. Mr. Hopkins took the lead in walking towards the restaurant with the help of his walking stick. The servants in Hopkins Family served the dishes in an orderly manner. It was obvious that Mr. Hopkins had already asked people to prepare a variety of dishes for the Dickens Family today. Originally, the Mr. Hopkins thought it was a happy thing to meet with the Dickens Family, but he did not expect that the Dickens Family woul. not agree to the marriage. Everyone sat straight and ate, the atmosphere was a little serious. asionally. Laurie smiled and said a few words about thepany, and Connie also smiled and talked about the trivial matters of the Dickens Family Cory, as a junior, did not dare to say anything. He ate in a well-mannered way, but his eyes always fell on Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Christina from time to time. Christina was not hungry, but she felt awkward as she was being stared at by Cory. She lowered her head. It looked like that she lost her head. She could not emain rxed when people from the Dickens Family were present. ¡°Christina, are you feeling sick as you¡¯re pregnant?¡± Connie pretended to care about Christina as always. Christina nced at her stepmother opposite her, her eyes filled with anger. Pretending! This woman was indeed an actress. She really knew how to act! ¡°Not feeling well?¡± Patrick immediately thought of the morning sickness reaction and stared at her thoughtfully. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t.¡± Patrick¡¯s cold face made her even more upset. Christina picked up arge shrimp on the table, peeled its shell in boredom, and naturally raised her head to send it to the lips of Patrick. ¡°Do you want to eat it?¡± Patrick¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the shrimp in front of him¡­ ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± The next second, however, Christina¡¯s ears turned red. Patrick lowered his head and ate Christina¡¯s shrimp as if it was a matter of course, but.. ¡°Don¡¯t keep my finger in your mouth Christina lowered her voice and There was warmthing around her fingers. So many people were looking at her, and she was so shy that she wanted to dig a hole and jump into it. ¡°Mmm.¡± On the other hand, Patrick said calmly. It was as if he was ustomed to the small ambiguous interactions between the two of them. Why was this man so thick-skinned? Christina was so angry that her face turned red and she quickly withdrew her hand, When she looked up, she saw that Laurie. Donald and the others looked at her thoughtfully. She felt extremelyplicated and said softly to the Old Master, I¡¯m full. Help yourself.¡± She quickly left the dining table and walked towards the back garden of the Hopkins Family When she left, she vaguely heard Mr. Hopkins¡¯s aged voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much about young people.¡± Christina dipped her hand in the white porcin stone pir basin and rubbed her fingers. Patrick¡¯s behavior was really strange just now. She walked alone to the pavilion in the back garden of the Hopkins Family and looked around at the precious flowers. Her thoughts were a little messy. Did he and Ceciliast night¡­ She suddenly cared about that much. Donald and Cory were in the IL. Christina didn¡¯t want to see them at all. Instead, she sat on a stone chair in the pavilion and took out her phone to browse some entertainment news to see if she could find Patrick¡¯s whereaboutsst night¡­ ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Suddenly, a familiar low voice came from above. Christina raised her head in shock and saw Patrick¡¯s deep eyes. While Patrick clearly saw that she was searching for Cecilia¡¯stest hickey scandal. He asked out of no reason, ¡°Jealous?¡± Patrick¡¯s voice was faint. It was as if he asked casually, but his right hand was slightly clenched. ¡°No!¡± Christina did not know why, but she just immediately raised her voice to refute. ¡°I, I was just thinking that you were with Miss Jonesst night, and then you came back early in the morning and had to go to the airport to pick up my father and the others. It¡¯s really troublesome.¡± Patrick looked at her condescendingly. He gazed at her with sharp eyes. ¡°I really don¡¯t care.¡± Christina wanted to say. But could she really didn¡¯t care about it all even if he intentionally left hickey on Cecilia¡¯s body? Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Patrick¡¯s face darkened gradually. He didn¡¯t say a word more. He turned around and strode away. Christina looked a little confused when she watched him leave without a word. Christina didn¡¯t understand what was wrong with him, but she felt that he might be angry. What was he angry about? She stepped forward and suddenly wanted to catch up with him. But she remembered what happened between him and Cecilia, and Christina¡¯s heart was blocked. Forget it! Patrick was indeed very angry. With a sullen face, he strode forward, took out his cell phone, and ordered in a cold voice. ¡°Send me the WhatsApp password of yourpany¡¯s entertainer¡­¡± Charles, on the other end of the phone, received the call and felt that Patrick was obviously in a bad mood, ¡°Patrick what do you want the WhatsApp password for? It is not good¡­¡± After all, this was about the privacy. ¡°I will find someone to crack it.¡± Charles became nervous when he heard this. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Send me Connie¡¯s WhatsApp Patrick sounded password¡­ impatient. Connie? Charles looked thoughtful when he heard the name. Connie was indeed an entertainer under hispany. But she happened to be robbed of the role of the leading actress by Ceciliast time, and Connie was a member of the Dickens Family¡­ ¡°Patrick, you¡¯ve registered for marriage with Christina. After all, Connie is also a member of the Dickens Family. Now Cecilia is very popr in the entertainment circle, and she can win the award at the end of the year without any threat. There¡¯s no need.¡± Charles said weakly, but¡­ In the end, Patrick didn¡¯t bother to exin. Charles had to resign himself to having someone send Connie¡¯s password to Patrick, lest Patrick really found a technician to crack it and made hispany¡¯s database revealed. However, Charles didn¡¯t understand why Patrick wanted Connie¡¯s WhatsApp password for no reason. Moreover, people like Patrick might never use WhatsApp. Christina sat in the pavilion in the back garden for a long time, and she looked a little angry. ¡°Why should he be angry? I¡¯m not angry yet!¡± She was unpleasant when she thought of Patrick¡¯s callousness. He went out to fool around and had an air with another woman. Why should he be angry with me? But just now. Patrick¡¯s look was very strange when he gazed at her. Christina was distraught and was about to go to the study to ask Patrick about the reason when a tall figure strode towards her. As soon as Christina turned around, she became wary when she met her father¡ª-Donald¡¯s stern gaze, ¡°Do you have any sense of shame?¡± The moment he opened his mouth, he scolded her sarcastically. She had been used to his father¡¯s scold. Christina¡¯s face was grim and her hands were clenched in fists. She walked away as if he wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Stop!¡± Donald seemed angry. ¡°You married Cory three years ago. Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± His tone was cold and inquisitive. ¡°Why should I tell you? You have had nothing to do with me since I left the Dickens Family the day my mother died!¡± Christina couldn¡¯t help but turn back and retort. Had you ever cared about me? Where were you when I was starving and freezing? Did you want to care about me? He didn¡¯t care about her, and she disdained his care. Donald red at his own daughter. He had only one daughter, Christina, but now they had a confrontation and viewed each other as enemies. ¡°Have nothing to do with me? The Old Master of Hopkins Family asked me to affects Dickens Family. Don¡¯t embarrass me outside!¡± Christina retorted angrily. ¡°My marriage with Hopkins Family had nothing to do with my identity as Miss Dickens. Hopkins Family epted me only because I was pregnant. Don¡¯t think that your Dickens Family is very powerful. I don¡¯t care!¡± ¡°Do you still have the face to talk to me about this? You climbed to Patrick¡¯s bed in order to marry into a rich family!¡± Donald¡¯s face also darkened. Yes! I love vanity. I climbed to Patrick¡¯s bed on purpose!¡± Christina bit her lips and asked back cynically. ¡°Why should you teach me a lesson? When my mother helped Connie and her sister go to college, Connie was only 20 years old. She had climbed to the bed of you, a 50-year-old old man at that time. Why didn¡¯t you tell her what shame was when you were fooling around? ¡°Shut up!¡± Donald¡¯s face was dark, and he raised his big palm and hit her in the face. ¡°What else would you do apart from beating me and teaching me a lesson!¡± Christina stood still, with her eyes red. She looked at her heartless father in front of her stubbornly. Donald¡¯s face was gloom. His hand stopped suddenly when it was half an inch away from her cheek. He withdrew his hand. He said coldly and ordered directly, ¡°I warn you to be docile in the future. Don¡¯t be a viin!¡± ¡°Your stepmother has already told me that you made use of Cory¡¯s case to ask him to marry you and drive Carrie out of the country. You became the mistress on purpose in an attempt to get revenge Don¡¯t think about malicious provocation all day, or I won¡¯t spare you!¡± ¡°Who is the mistress!¡± Christina held back the tears in her eyes and roared. ¡°Carrie¡¯s daughter has been over three years old this year. Do you still want to argue!¡± Christina suddenly fell suppressing the grievance resentment in her heart silent, and She took a deep breath and suppressed her emotions. ¡°I helped Cory back then. I didn¡¯t regret doing all the stupid things. I loved him back then. I was willing to bear everything. I didn¡¯t need his gratitude, and I didn¡¯t bother to fight for it with such dirty methods.¡± She, Christina, dared to love and hate.. Even if she loved the wrong person, she was willing to ept her fate. ¡°The reason why you say so much to me is because you worry about Carrie and Connie, isn¡¯t it? What are you worried about? Are you worried that I¡¯ll rob Carrie of her manter? What did my stepmother say to you? I¡¯m humble. I¡¯ve humiliated Dickens Family. Who is your real rtive?¡± Christina couldn¡¯t hold back and tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. She hated these people! She did not want to talk to him and did not want to see him. She straightened her back and walked with heavy footsteps. She strode past him and left. with her only dignity in her lone figure. Donald¡¯s eyes shed with surprise. He knew that his daughter was haughty and it was not easy for her to shed tears from childhood. Didn¡¯t Cory know about the case that year¡­ Three years ago, his stubborn daughter knelt down and begged him, using her mother¡¯s inheritance as a trade. Finally, he agreed to secretly help Cory avoid imprisonment¡­ ¡°Who is lying on earth?¡± Donald¡¯s face grew darker. That year, she used her mother¡¯s inheritance to ask Donald to help Cory¡­ Christina held back the tears in hereves. It was worthless to shed tears for these people. Regret? If there was any regret, this thing was what made her feel most regretful. She felt bad for her dead mother and grandpa. Cory, the ungrateful man, had an affair with Carrie behind Christina¡¯s back. But now it was Christina who was wrong and everyone was ming her. The more Christina thought about it. the angrier she became. She strode back to her bedroom, not wanting to see these people. However, just as she passed the Main Residence of the Hopkins Family, a familiar little figure ran past her excitedly. The little girl was wearing a cute pink bubble dress with two small braids. Christina¡¯s face darkened. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. She was Carrie¡¯s daughter. How could she be here¡­ ¡°Great-grandfather¡­¡± She called out with a childish and coquettish voice. Christina looked into the hall with her neck stiff only to see the little girl running to the front of Mr. Hopkins and called the old man lovely and sweetly. Mr. Hopkins had always liked children When he saw this cute little girl appearing suddenly, his old face was stunned. ¡°Who is she?¡± This question embarrassed everyone present Cory, in particr, looked fiercely at Carrie, who suddenly appeared. He said angrily in a low voice, ¡°Why did youe here all of a sudden?¡± Carrie ignored him and looked at Mr. Hopkins timidly. ¡°Her name is Jasmine. She is the daughter of Cory and me. She is three years old.¡± Mr. Hopkins looked at Carrie with sharp eyes and then looked at the child in front of him. His brows were furrowed as if he were deep in thought. Even Donald and Connie were surprised that Carrie had suddenly brought the child to Hopkins Family and looked at Christina at the door. For a moment, everyone fell silent. ¡°Grandma.¡± The little girl ran to Laurie again, ying coquettish at her feet. Laurie took the child to do the DNA test. The little girl was indeed Cory¡¯s daughter. So Laurie treated the child indulgently and doted on her. She rubbed her little head and said, ¡°Dad. this is the little granddaughter of Hopkins Family. She said and admitted the identity of the child. Christina looked at the harmony in the hall without expression. It felt like that it was a marriage between the Dickens Family and Hopkins Family but it was Cory and Carrie who got the blessing instead. She raised her lips and felt bitter. Mistress. Everyone thought she was the mistress Whether it was as for Cory or as for Patrick, she always seemed to be regarded as the mistress, pushed out by those women but she couldn¡¯t win¡­ Christina turned around and ignored the people in the hall. Just as she stepped forward, she heard Mr. Hopkins say in a calm voice behind her. ¡°Since the child has been three years old, you should get married as soon as possible¡­¡± Christina found it ridiculous that Mr. Hopkins actually urged Cory and Carrie to marry in person. In the hall of the Hopkins Family, Carrie looked surprised and excited. She grabbed Cory¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Cory, when are we going to register for the marriage?¡± Cory¡¯s face was dark and he didn¡¯t want to talk Connie leaned over and whispered in Cory¡¯s ear, reminding him, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you almost went to jail for the rape case youmitted back then. It was my little sister who helped you.¡± When Cory heard her mention the case three years ago, he became serious. At this moment, the little girl was approaching him and calling him ¡°dad¡± in a coquettish voice¡­ Cory looked up at the door subconsciously, Christina had already left. ¡°Isce¡± There was unwillingness in his eyes. But when he looked at Mr. Hopkins¡¯s majestic eyes, he could only nod his head reluctantly. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯m going to register for marriage with Carrie.¡± Cory said in a low voice. He had tried everything he could to divorce Christina, thinking that he would be happy to marry Carrie, but now¡­ ¨C It was different from what he had imagined as if something had been intervened and schemed. When Carrie heard that he was going to register for marriage with her tomorrow, she suddenly looked excited. She walked to Connie and they went to the bathroom together. Carrie took her arm and thanked her. ¡°Sis, thank you so much this time.¡± ¡°Why did you thank me?¡± Connie was confused. After thinking for a while. she asked, ¡°By the way, why did you suddenly bring the child to the Hopkins Family?¡± Carrie¡¯s happy face froze after hearing Connie¡¯s question. Immediately. Carrie nervously took out her cell phone. ¡°It isn¡¯t it because you just sent me a WhatsApp message saying there was an urgent matter and asking me to bring my child to the Hopkins Family immediately.¡± ¡°I didn¡®t send you any message!¡± Chapter 33 Chapter 33 ¡°How is that possible? This is your WhatsApp ount¡­¡± Carrie handed her the phone. Connie looked at the screen and immediately became nervous. ¡°It¡¯s usually my manager who helps me with my Twitter and WhatsApp¡± Connie felt that someone was manipting it and immediately called her manager, who said that he didn¡¯t post it today. Connie was in a panic. She suddenly thought of something She knew that some people could easily get her password¡­ Sis. if you didn¡¯t send the text, then who did it.¡± Carrie looked puzzled. Just as she asked, a tall figure happened to stride past a corridor on her left. Carrie looked into the man¡¯s deep eyes and was stunned. Patrick nced at them coldly, holding a stack of documents in his right hand, and strode past them. Carrie and Connie¡¯s hearts trembled. With that cold look, he was clearly warning. ¡°It¡¯s him?¡± Carrie spoke in a trembling voice and immediately grabbed Connie¡¯s hand in fear. ¡°Sis, what are we going to do? Did he know about the kidnapping of Christinast time.¡± Carrie quickly consoled herself. ¡°No way. Cecilia hase back, so he doesn¡¯t care about Christina¡¯s kidnapping anymore.¡± Otherwise, ording to his character, he must have done something already. But just now¡­ Connie¡¯s mind was in a mess. Clearly. It was Patrick who sent the WhatsApp text to Carrie ¡°Why did he suddenly ask me to bring the child to Hopkins Family?¡± Carrie was frightened. Connie¡¯s face was filled with fear. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Patrick wanted Carrie to marry Cory? But why did he do that¡­ What exactly did he want to do? ¡°Who knows what he¡¯s thinking? He¡¯s so hard to deal with Patrick, you bastard¡­¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Christina had a rough day. She soaked in warm water in the bathtub, sshing the water angrily, creating bubbles Donald and Cory had already left, but Christina had no appetite. She didn¡¯t even have dinner tonight. She was alone in her bedroom, sulking. Originally, she thought that a bath would calm her down. However, she became To§Ôe upset Cory and Carrie were about to get married. Donald was biased against the two bitches sumamed Ye, and Patrick was angry at her for no reason¡­ ¡°Why is it all my fault? Why is it so unfair? Why!¡± Her cheeks were flushed with anger and she had been venting herints in the bathroom. Even Christina herself did not know how long she had been soaking in it. She felt a little dizzy. When she tried to get up, she found that her limbs were weak With a thud, she fell back into the bathtub. With water in it, she was not hurt. Just as she was about to call the maid, she heard the door open quickly. ¡°Can you help me? My legs are weak¡­¡± She was soaking in the bathtub, ying with bubbles in boredom, ¡°You! You¡®ve been here since afternoon!¡± The voice was cold with suppressed anger. Christina¡¯s mind went nk. She raised her head and looked at the person in a daze. Before she could see the person clearly, the person seemed to be in a rage and went forward to pull her out of the bathtub¡­ He acted in a rush. Christina hit his strong chest with the tip of her nose. ¡°What are you doing? Can¡¯t you be gentle.¡± She rubbed her nose and immediatelyined. The man was so angry that he wanted to scold her¡­ ¡°I feel a little cold.¡± Suddenly, the woman in front of him muttered fearlessly. ¡°Christina, if you catch a cold, I¡¯IL.¡± As soon as his threatening words were spoken, Christina instantly looked up, only to see that the man in front of her was Patrick to time, sheined, ¡°Patrick, don¡¯t pull my hair so hard. It hurts a little.¡± Patrick lowered his eyes and red fiercely at her reddish face. He grabbed a towel in his right hand and dried her hair Mr. Hopkins had never served a woman, let alone blow-dry her hair. Therefore, it took Patrick a lot of effort to dry her long hair. ¡°Christina! Turn over.¡± Her hair was still wet on her forehead. Shey on him like a ko, not even bothering to move Patrick had no choice but to hold the hairdryer and point it at her forehead¡­ ¡°Ouch, why are you using the hair dryer to blow my face? It¡¯s so hot!¡± Christina screamed as if someone was going to murder her and she struggled to resist with both hands. Patrick¡¯s face darkened, trying not to get angry. ¡°Shut up!¡± But Patrick was really not good at blowing her hair. The hot fan blew on Christina¡¯s scalp, and she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore¡­ ¡°Please stop. Stop.¡± The maids outside the door looked nervous and wanted to go in, but they didn¡¯t dare. The voice was rather appealing Suddenly there was a thud in the room! The maids looked at eachother, fearing that something bad had happened. They immediately pushed open the door. ¡°Patrick, is something.¡± Before they could finish speaking the two maids who barged in froze in shock. What was the situation here? ¡°What do you want? I don¡¯t want it!¡± Christina was not being clever. Hearing the gloomy tone, she quickly turned over and moved away from him. To be honest, Patrick¡¯s body was hard, which made her ufortable. Now she was lying on the soft bed with dry hair. She enjoyed this moment and didn¡¯t want to move at all. ¡°I want to sleep,¡± she mumbled, closing her eyes. It meant that he should not disturb her! Patrick pursed his lips tightly and stared at her hatefully. He had married her for a month and he had been more patient. Although Patrick was angry and his face looked terrible, he pulled the quilt over the sleeping woman on the bed to prevent her from getting sick. ¡°Christina, you¡¯re troublesome.¡± ¡°It¡¯s itchy. She was half awake and felt: a pair of burning eyes staring at her. She turned away from him and prevented him from touching her face. Patrick was unhappy and stared at her. ¡°Christina, is Cory getting married soon?¡± He propped his head up with his right hand, his eyes still on her side face. And he asked that for no reason. ¡°I¡¯m not going to his wedding¡± Christina could hear his question. The name Cory had provoked her, and she immediately groaned unhappily. ¡°What? You don¡¯t dare to go because you care about him, right?!¡± Patrick¡¯s voice immediately cooled down. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see them¡± she mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t want to see the Dickens Family. I don¡¯t want to see Cory.¡± Suddenly, she thought of something unhappy and she felt depressed. ¡°They bullied me.¡± Christina rarely spoke with such grievances. She usually pretended to be tough, and she was very tired from meeting them on her own. Her words shocked him. Patrick had known her for a long time, but it was the first time he had seen her so fragile. ¡°Who bullied you?¡± He moved closer to her with his right hand around her waist. He seemed to be coaxing her. ¡°That old man in Hopkins Family is so fierce!¡± Christina was not fit to be sad. She would not indulge in sadness. In her mind, she forgot about the people she hated but she suddenly thought of Hopkins Family . And the hateful Patrick!¡± She mumbled the name in anger. Patrick was furious. The woman in his arms seemed to be very dissatisfied with him and keptining. Normally, he would shake her up and lose temper, but today¡­. 7: Patrick looked at her dull appearance. His face was darkened. He immediately grabbed therge towel beside him wrapped the woman up. and carried her out of the bathroom. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± He carried her to the side of the bed and wanted to throw her directly onto the bed, but her long hair was wet! Christina had bathed for too long, and her whole body was weak and powerless. It was rare for her to be obedient and let him do whatever he wanted. Forgot it. She just lied in his arms and rest her head on his shoulder. She felt it Today, forgot it! This woman must be not clear-minded from a long bath Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been so obedient in his arms. Patrick smoothed her long hair and fixed his gaze on her¡­ Christina was really tired. After all, someone from the Dickens Family came over today. She didn¡¯t like to quarrel, but every time she met her father. Donald, and stepmother, Connie, she would think of her mother whomitted suicide, Subconsciously, she moved closer to Patrick, hupped the man beside her with her face rubbing against his chest. She smelled his unique cool breath and felt peacelui Patrick chuckled in a low voice for no reason¡­ Christina slept until dawn. She rarely slept sofortably. When she opened her eyes and saw the handsome face, she was stunned. ¡°Get up.¡± Patrick woke up a long time ago. He knew she didn¡¯t eatst night. Christina immediately got up from the bed. She immediately went into the bathroom to wash up and kept thinking about what happenedst night.. But when she saw her hair in the mirror, she immediately ran out and velled, ¡°Patrick, what did you do to mest night?! Patrick was a little angry at the thought of her attitudest night. ¡°Christina, you hugged me forcefully all night!¡± Hugged him?! Christina¡¯s ears turned red. Why did the man say that way? She went back to the mirror with her head down andbed her hair, which had blown up. ¡°Son of a bitch, he must have retaliated on purpose to torture my hair¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know that Mr. Hopkins didn¡¯t know how to dry others¡± hair, especially women¡¯s long hair. It was too difficult for him. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Patrick had been very busy these days. Christina heard he went to New York on business Christina enjoyed the big bed when Patrick was abroad. However, Mr. Hopkins wanted her not to be so to teach! She thought Patrick would ignore Old Master, but she didn¡¯t expect him to agree to return before Sunday. ¡°Maybe he wants toe back to see Miss Jones.¡± Christina flipped entertainment through the magazines expressionlessly, hertone a little sour. Cecilia was so popr now that she could see her advertisement everywhere. It was all thanks to Patrick ¡°Cecilia, you¡¯ve been on the popr search list ever since the kiss mark thing. Today, your fans are over ten million, and the advertisers are making an appointment.¡± Anne, the manager, walked into the dressing room excitedly. Halfway through, she asked, ¡°Cecilia, what¡¯s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?¡± The woman in front of the dressing table hadpletely lost her delicate demeanor. She looked angry and turned around to scold the makeup artist behind her. ¡°Get out! There were only the two of them left in the dressing room. The manager, Anne, thought for a while and asked, ¡°Has Mr. Hopkins note to see you since you jumped into thekest time?¡± Hearing this, Cecilia¡¯s face became increasingly sullen. Anne guessed suspiciously. ¡°Could it be that Mr. Hopkins didn¡¯t stay with you that day? Mr. Shepherd and I saw you two lying in bed. ¡°Stop saying!¡± Cecilia looked angry. ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry. Even if Mr. Hopkins didn¡¯t stay for the night, at least he came over immediately when he heard the news that you jumped into the ¡°Anne, do you know that I¡¯m especially worried about that Christina in the Hopkins Family.¡± Cecilia said through clenched teeth ¡°Christina? The woman who got pregnant and married into Hopkins Family?¡± The manager was stunned for a moment and then smiled disdainfully. ¡°Cecilia, you don¡¯t have to worry at all. That woman is just your substitute. Think about it. You¡¯ve disappeared for three years, and there are no other women around Mr. Hopkins. He only thought of her as you that night because he missed you so much. To be honest, I think that Christina is rather pitiful.¡± ¡°No!¡± Cecilia quickly retorted with suppressed uneasiness in her eyes, ¡°Anne, you don¡¯t know¡­ As she spoke, Cecilia¡¯s expression became a littleplicated and she hesitated to say, ¡°I, I used to be with Patrick, but we, we never slept together ¡°What?! You never¡­ Have sex!¡± How could this be possible? The manager was shocked. ¡°I¡¯m especially worried right now. This Christina is pregnant. If they fall in love with each other in the Hopkins Family, Patrick will forget about me. Without Patrick, how am I going to continue my career¡­¡± Cecilia¡¯s face was full of unwillingness, and when she mentioned Christina¡¯s pregnancy, there was a fit of undisguised jealousy in her eyes. Why could Christina be so lucky and get pregnant? If she was the one who was pregnant, she would have been the young madam of the Hopkins Family! The manager patted her on the shoulder andforted her. ¡°Mr. Hopkins thought you were dead, so she got the chance. I heard that they just had the marriage license. Even the wedding was canceled by Mr. Hopkins himself. After giving birth to the baby, she will have no use. She paused and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re not the same. You two used to be lovers, and now everyone respects you. Mr. Hopkins is your backer. He makes you so popr now. It¡¯s all because he dotes on you.¡± When Cecilia heard this, her beautiful eyebrows raised with pride. Indeed, her career was at its peak and no one dared to offend her. ¡°That¡¯s true, but I still don¡¯t like that Christina. Anne, find a chance to remind her who the real mistress of the Hopkins Family is!¡± Cecilia red at herself in the mirror with a sinister look. Christina¡¯s face was simr to hers, and she was always uneasy On Sunday. Patrick really came back from New York. ¡°Patrick are you tired?¡± Christina and he had juste out of the parent-child prospective parents¡¯ ssroom and Christina asked him. Patrick got off the ne at seven in the morning and apanied her to the ¡®ss¡¯ at eight. He didn¡¯t even have time to rest, and there was some tiredness between his brows. However, when he heard Christina beside him asking if he was tired, he paused and looked at her suspiciously.¡± ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Christina was a little ufortable with his deep gaze. Patrick¡¯s expression wasplicated. He immediately turned his head and did not answer. Did she care about me? Did that count? Christina thought he was very strange, She guessed that he was probably under the pressure of Mr. Hopkins to apany her to the ¡®ss! Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Patrick, let¡¯s go to the opposite square and sit for a while before we go back.¡± She spoke softly, her eyes fixed on his tired face. She wanted him to sit down and rest for a while before driving back Patrick grunted as an agreement. The two of them walked side by side into the square Christina picked out a stone chair under the shade of a tree and sat down. Patrick sat beside her. The spring festival had already passed half a month today was 14th, tomorrow would be the 15th of the first lunar month, so there were big rednterns hanging around. Christina saw a vendor selling cutenterns across the street and she shook Patrick¡¯s arm excitedly. ¡°Patrick will thentern festival be held in Hopkins Family tomorrow? Will you hangnterns?¡± With a smile on her face, she asked, ¡°Are we going to have sweet dumplings tomorrow night?¡± But when Patrick heard this, his face immediately became gloomy. It was as if thentem festival was a taboo that could not be said.. Christina also noticed the change in his mood. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± She didn¡¯t understand. His expression seemed to have aplex. Hatred. Patrick didn¡¯t answer her, but Christina suddenly wanted to know. But just as she was about to ask, a new message came from hercell phone. ¡°Who is this?¡± Patrick casually saw the screen of her cell phone, but suddenly his eyes turned cold and his voice sounded displeased. Christina was opening the new message on WhatsApp and was about to tell him. But Patrick thought of some bad memories and thought she was guilty and refused to tell him. He was even more eager. ¡°Who is this? Brother Charlie? Christina. Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re married now!¡± His cold tone was tinged with a warning ¡°He is Charles.¡± Christina looked up and retorted angrily. Patrick¡¯s grim face froze when he heard the name He turned to the other side and said in a strange voice, ¡°I see.¡± He said softly. He had misunderstood her. Christina did not care much about this, but Patrick seemed to have suffered some irritation just now. ¡°Patrick, I just said thentern festival -¡°She said again. ¡°Christina, what¡¯s your WhatsApp ID?¡± Patrick seemed unwilling to answer her, and he changed the subject coldly. When it came to Christina¡¯s WhatsApp, she was very displeased. ¡°Charles has no connotation. He actually tells me that my WhatsApp nickname has no meaning.¡± She herphone Patrick looked at the ¡®Invincible Tina¡¯ WhatsApp nickname and paused for a moment before an imperceptible smile shed across his face. Christina clearly saw him smiling, Towered her eyes, and began to wonder if her name was really too childish. ¡°Hey. Patrick, what do you think of my nickname?¡± She approached him and asked. Patrick raised his eyebrows and saw her nervous face. He reached out and rubbed her head. ¡°Very good.¡± He said two words calmly. Inexplicably Christina looked into hi smiling eyes, and her cheeks were slightly flushed When he smiled, he was so handsome. Looking at him like this, Christina¡¯s face was getting hotter and hotter.. ¡°Are you blushing?¡± Patrick suddenly frowned and reached out to poke her forehead. His expression was a little serious. ¡°Did you catch a cold?¡± Christina was embarrassed, ¡°No!¡± She raised her voice and pointed at the convenience store across the street, feeling a little uneasy. ¡°Patrick, buy me a bottle of mineral water. I¡¯m thirsty Patrick looked at her for a while, then stood up and walked towards the convenience store across the street. Christina was still sitting on a stone chair under the shade of a tree, watching handsome Patrick buy water for her, and her heart beat a little faster for no reason She reached out her hands to hold her red cheeks and quickly cooled herself down, lest he suspect that she had caught a cold. It was really dangerous to be with such a handsome guy all day.. ¡°Miss Dickens. All of a sudden, a car stopped behind her and a woman stuck her head out of the window and shouted at Christina, Christina¡¯s face became a littleplicated when she heard the sweet voice. It was her¡­ Christina didn¡¯t have to look back and she could recognize the voice. It was Cecilia, the big star who had recently be popr. ¡°Miss Dickens, can you do me a favor?¡± Cecilia shouted at her again. Christina was a little confused. She called Christina Miss Dickens, not Mrs. Hopkins. It seemed that she did it on purpose, But this was Miss Jones, the person who Patrick liked, and Christina didn¡¯t want to offend her. She got up from her chair and walked towards the white Bentley ¡°What do you want?¡± She asked indifferently Cecilia was sitting in the car, wearing a stunning outfit and smiling. ¡°Miss Dickens, Patrick and I spent the night at my ce a while ago and he forgot his tie. I didn¡¯t got a chance to return it to him. If you don¡¯t mind, can you do it for me.¡± They spent the night together and he left his tie. Christina¡¯s face turned a little pale when she heard this. ¡°Ah. Okay Christina looked at Cecilia in the car, inexplicably feeling a sense of inferiority. Cecilia Saw Christina¡¯s lowly appearance, her lips curled up in arrogance, and pretended to look around in the car. She looked up and said embarrassingly, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been so busytely, and the tie seems to have been left in the lounge again.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll return it to Patrick myself next time. Miss Dickens, sorry¡± The smile on Cecilia¡¯s face deepened with a hint of pride. Christina stood by the side of the road and watched Cecilia¡¯s car away. What are you doing standing here?¡± Patrick bought some water and walked up to her and asked. Christina unconsciously took a step back and took the mineral water from his hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± Patrick narrowed his eyes and sensed her cold and distant attitude towards him. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 It was Lantern Festival today. After breakfast with grandpa Christina returned to the vi and sat on the sofa of the living room, looking a little depressed. ¡°So today is Patrick¡¯s birthday¡­¡± Yesterday, they went to the parent child prospective parents¡¯ ssroom to attend a ss. At that time, she noticed that Patrick had someplicated feelings about Lantern Festival and he didn¡¯t want to mention it. ¡°He didn¡¯t want me to know his birthday.¡± Was he afraid that I would bother him? Ever since she met Cecilia yesterday, she had been depressed. Cecilia deliberately mentioned the tie he left overnight to provoke her. But Christina Knew she wasn¡¯t qualified topete with Cecilia. ¡°Christina.¡± Suddenly a bantering voice came from outside the door. She looked up at the door and was surprised. ¡°Charles, what are you doing here? Patrick isn¡¯t home. He¡¯s probably back in thepany.¡± ¡°On this special day, Patrick can¡¯t go back to thepany.¡± Charles said with certainty. Halfway through, he stared at the living room table with wide by Christina, this is the birthday cake you bought, right?¡± He sounded frightened, Christina looked down at the birthday cake on the table and sighed, Charles frowned and sat down across from her, he asked seriously. ¡°Christina, do you know today is Patrick¡¯s birthday?¡± ¡°Yes¡±She replied sullenly. In fact, she only overheard the housekeeper talking about Patrick¡¯s birthday this morning, so she picked up her phone and ordered a cake. But when she came back with a cake in her hand, the housekeeper and the Hopkins Family maids both looked terrible ¡°Hey, Charles, do you know why.¡± She asked curiously pointing at the birthday cake on the table. ¡°Hopkins Family never celebrates Lantern Festival.¡± Charles said in a deep voice, raising his eyebrows and looking at her Christina looked a little surprised. ¡°Patrick doesn¡¯t like people celebrating his birthday. You¡¯d better not let him sce this birthday cake. I advise you to throw it away.¡± Charles remembered that six years ago, their friends celebrated Patrick¡¯s birthday for him and¡­ It was a disaster. ¡°I see.¡± Christina answered in a low voice, and she didn¡¯t ask much, because Patrick didn¡¯t want her to know too much. With her head down, she carried a One-pound delicious tiramisu cake and walked to the bedroom on the second floor. She decided to go back to her room to eat it! ¡°Christina, do you know why Patrick hates women so much?¡± Charles looked at her fragile back and suddenly shouted, ¡°He doesn¡¯t hate your cake, he hates.¡± ¡°Who does he hate? Christina turned around abruptly and looked at Charles. Charles looked embarrassed and didn¡¯t dare to say the rest. ¡°Every year on his birthday. Patrick doesn¡¯t go back to thepany. He might be at a club or a bar. Christina, do you want to go and find him?¡± In the end, he was only half-joking to tease her. ¡°Okay.¡± Christina agreed. Seeing that Christina actually agreed, he asked casually, ¡°Christina, are you very concerned about Patrick?¡± He got close to her and gossipped. Christina looked a little embarrassed and immediately denied it. ¡°No! I¡¯ll go upstairs and change my coat.. She quickly slipped upstairs. When Charles Saw hering downstairs, Christina was wearing a light pink Korean coat, white tights. Her long hair was tied up in a ball. She wore light makeup and she looked young and beautiful with delicate features. However, she was still wearing a scarf around her neck¡­ ¡°Christina, you don¡¯t have to dress like a mummy The two walked out the door side by side. Seeing that she dressed so much. Charlesined. ¡°I¡¯m going to dress tight. I¡¯ll get scolded if I catch a cold.¡± Christina took out her cell phone from her pocket and dialed a familiar number. Charles looked at the number she pressed and teased, ¡°you¡¯re going to apply to Patrick when you go out?¡± ¡°Yes, he said I had to call him before going out¡± Christina nodded solemnly. Charles was surprised as Patrick had always been indifferent to anything¡­ No one answered Christina¡¯s call. Suddenly, she became vignt and looked at Charles. ¡°If he scolds me, I¡¯ll say you¡¯re the one who¡¯s taking me ¡°Christina, don¡¯t be unreasonable.¡± Charles shoved her into the car with a darkened face and regretted bringing her out. The car drove smoothly and stopped at the Fire Club in the busiest ninthne east of A City about 30 minutester. Charles led her through the VIP passageway. It was the first time that Christina entered a high-ss bar. Looking at the luxurious decoration, she felt that she was a rustic viger. ¡°It¡¯s very lively here.¡± In the middle of the open lobby on the second floor, there was a huge triangr bath with a light blue mist. Those long-legged beauties were sitting by the pool, and there was a faint sound of men and womenughing in the mist¡­ Wow, Christina looked around curiously. ¡°It¡¯s even more lively in the early morning.¡± said Charles, a frequent guest of honor here. He smiled at her meaningfully. ¡°Christina, the bar is your husband¡¯s.¡± Patrick was the boss here! Christina¡¯s eyes widened slightly. No wonder he was so rich! Charles teased her when he saw how Surprised she was. ¡°All the women here want to climb into your husband¡¯s bed. Christina, be smart. Don¡¯t be angry with him all the time. Women should learn to be obedient and asionally act coquettishly to be liked¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Christina ignored him with a stiffened face. Charles knew what she was like and threatened her. ¡°You¡¯re done, Christina. After you give birth to a child, you¡¯ll be kicked out of Hopkins Family ¡°I don¡¯t need him to rush me. I¡¯ll get out myself¡± She said seriously. Charles noticed that she was clearly a little angry. Did she care about Patrick? This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Just as he was about to coax her into talking about Patrick, the door of the VIP elevator stopped on the 12th floor Two guests came in and a man immediately smiled pleasantly at Charles. ¡°Mr.Shepherd, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°Mr. Shepherd, is this your new girlfriend? She¡¯s so pretty¡­ She looks familiar.¡± Another man looked straight at Christina ¡°This is my sister-inw.¡± Charles didn¡¯t grin but said with a cold face. Charles¡¯s sister-inw? There were not many people who could make Charles call her sister-inw, and none of his childhood friends could be offended, especially the one in Hopkins Family ¡°We drank too much. We¡¯re terribly sorry.¡± The people in the business circle were very slick and sly. They immediately apologized respectfully. One of them seemed to have something important to say to Charles, Christina heard them talk about shares and investments. When the elevator reached the 22nd floor. Charles walked out of the elevator with a serious face. ¡°Christina go to the top floor with the waiters. I have something to talk to them about. I¡¯ll be up soon¡± Charles called a waitress to take her up to the topfloor. Christina nodded at him, not bothering him when she saw that he was busy. ¡°Don¡¯t run around!¡± Before the elevator door was closed, Charles said. Fire Club was actually the biggest nightdub in the city. This is the paradise for the richand celebrities, Fire Club was noisy and messy, but the status on the top floor waspletely different. It wasfortable and quiet, and no everyone could get in. Christina was very calm, standing in the elevator and watching the number of floors up. Suddenly, just as the elevator on the 35th floor opened, she rushed out. ¡°Miss Dickens.¡± The waitress behind her called out to her in embarrassment ¡°T¡¯ll go upstairs myself in a while. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Christina was in a hurry seeming to be attracted by something Soon she disappeared at the end of the turn. That woman just now.. Christina leaned over and stood in front of the luxurious private room. She quietly turned the door with her right hand and looked in stealthily¡­ She seemed to have just scen Cecilia¡­ It was her! They seemed to be having a party Besides Cecilia, there were a few other popr movie stars present. They drank together happily. Today, we invited Cecilia over to have fun. How can we ignore the main character¡­¡± ¡°Cheers, Cecilia. After you spoke to Director Leest week, he immediately removed Julia. Every time I think of her angry face. I can¡¯t helpughing.¡± hristina Saw Cecilia sitting in the middle of the sofa with her les Crossed. She held a cigarette in her right hand, looking cold and arrogant. The rest of the people kept ttering her Cecilia looked arrogant ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡± She said coldly, then puffed out a cigarette ¡°I can¡¯t believe that Patrick actually likes this kind of woman.¡± Christina Shrank back and muttered to herself. How many women in the entertainment circle were innocent? They just pretended to be innocent. Christina knew that her stepmother, Connie, was also good at ying the role of victims in front of her father. Why was leavesdropping here? Christina¡¯s expression was a little awkward. She admitted that she was a little jealous. Patrick was always cold to her. Christina was curious why Miss Jones was so charming When she went back to the top floor. she looked sullen and was about to close the door and leave when she suddenly heard some voicesing from inside Christina nced at them out of curiosity and was started. The two men and women inside were so bold, ¡°They¡¯re taking drugs here.¡± Who¡¯s outside!¡± At this moment, someone inside shouted at the door. The sound alerted the people in the private room. They were all public figures, and these things must not be spread Christina was stunned. She watched the two strong men inside run over angrily. Their faces were ferocious and they didn¡¯t even wear anything above the waist. Bang They flung the door open. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 ¡°The door has not been locked!¡± He was angry with his rough voice ¡°Where is the person?¡± Alter Cecilia finished tidying up her clothes her face turned pale. And she immediately ran over. There is nobody in the corridor. **Did I see a shadow here just now?¡± One of them doubted. ¡°Maybe I was wrong. The privacy of customers is specially protected in the bar. What¡¯s more, special protection is provided on the 35th floor¡­¡± ¡°There should be cameras in the corror and clevators. Who is the boss? I¡¯ll find him.¡¯ Cecilia veemed to be proud but she was still a little worried When other people heurd her words, their expressions changed ¡°Cecilia, I¡¯ve heard that the boss may be¡­ the young master of Hopkins Family.¡± Patrick I couldn¡¯t let him know it. Absolutely not! The panic attacked Cecilia for a moment but soon her face turned cold. She shouted at the actors, ¡°Remember that I was only forced to corne here today..¡± They were puzzled. But when they saw have nervous Cecilia will, something came to their mind Could it be that the mysterious Supporter was¡­ ¡°Why are you still standing here? Find the person! Did anyone cavesdrop outside the door just now?¡¯ Cecilia felt Uneasy, so she shouted at them. ¡°Hey.let me go, I don¡¯t know you!¡± Meanwhile, Christina was struggling to Scape the strange man in the men¡¯s room, which was located in the left corridor of the 35th floor of the bar. Just now, she was eavesdropping outside Cecilia¡¯s roon. She was almost Vred to death when she siw that the people inside rushed out to catch her Suddenly a strange man appeared and draced her to the men¡¯s room. ¡°Cecilia! The man was very forceful. His voice was hoarse with the smell of alcohol, and he seemed not to be sober. He grabbed her neck with his right hand and pushed her hard Christina was against the wall ¡°L.I¡¯minot Cecilia..¡± Christina was pushed into a narrow cell, and it was hard for hertoresist the man who suppressed her. She pressed hard against his chest, but the man was very excited. His cres were bloodshot and he red at Christina, which made her a little chilly. Cecilia. you bitch¡± Heshouted in a hoarse voice. And then he stretched out his right hand to m the door Seeing his cyes which were full of hatred and suppressed desire, Christina was scared. She hurriedly shouted for help but she was in vain. The Clistomers were experienced and they wouldn¡¯t interfere in private concems. ¡°Ah¡± She reached out to keep the door open. But her fingers were mped ?rid she screamed in pain With the final click, the thick door was locked Christina was trapped in this small space. The nerves of the fingertips arc linked with the heart and her face turned pale because of her fingers. At this moment, she was panicked by the man who was full of the smell of alcohol. She looked around nervously, but she didn¡¯t know what to do right now ¡°Really ¡­ I am not Cecilia¡± She spoke again, hoping that the man would be soberer. Perhaps he was so excited that he didn¡¯t hear her at all. He seized her by the throat with increasing strength ¡°Cecilia, it was you who cut off my part in the drama, wasn¡¯t it? His cyes were getting deeper and hotter. He seemed to be acting on impulse All of a sudden, he pressed Christina down on the closestool ¡°You bitch, don¡¯t you forget that when you first entered the entertainment circle Six years ago, you knelt down to beg me.¡± Christina saw that he took off his pants and she was panicked. She was disgusted, so she grabbed the toilet paper and the stand and threw them at him HOWEVE, sceing her resistance, he was more excited. He pressed her with his heavy body Christina leaned back on the closesstool, suppressing the lear ¡°You said that I cut off your part, sol apologize to you. I can give you whatever you want.¡± Christina Said quickly. She pretended to be Cecilia and negotiated with the man. ¡°Cecilia, you¡¯re on the top. Everyone in the circle has to respect you. You can get any role or be any spokeswoman of advertisement you want, can¡¯t you?¡± He looked down at her, getting more and more excited. ¡°Bitch!¡± With a snap, he mmed hard anainst hercheck with his thick palm. ¡°I know that you hooked up with the young master of Hopkins Family, so you could do whatever you want with the support of Patrick,¡± he burst outuching And his Laughter was terrifying ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not begging you! You have to obey me.¡± ¡°If you resist, I¡¯ll tell Patrick about your stic surgery. Christina¡¯s face was aching from his beatingAlthough the drunk man seemed to be a little vaguc, she was shocked once hearing the words ¡°stic surgery¡± The man ahead looked at her beautiful face. He felt passionate with desire in his eyes, and he was about to bend down to kiss her. ¡°Fuck off! Christina turned her head and pushed him iww.dy with both handk. ¡°Cecilia, if you dare to refuse me, I will tell Patrick immediately that you are not the woman whose photo is in his pocket watch.¡± He didn¡¯t finish threatening her. because Christina bent her right elbow and mmed him hard on the side of his head. He instantly fainted. Christina pushed the drunk man away and he fell to the floor. She stood up and took a long breath. ¡°Bastard, go to hell!¡± Christina was angry. She litted her right foot and kicked him several times in the sth . Ordinary men couldn¡¯t capture her if they weren¡¯t in the narrow space. The bustard wanted to touch me¡­ She felt sick when she remembered that he almost kissed her. However, Christina looked at the unconscious man at her feet and contemted, ¡°Did he just say that Cecilia did stic surgery?¡± Cecilia didn¡¯t look like what she used to besix years ago did she? It wasmon that the stars in the entertainment cirde did stic Surgery, but¡­ why did she have to look so much like me? Christina didn¡¯t think much about it. People from all walks of life mighte to the bar so she opened the door and ran out swiftly. However, is soon is she left the room. she heard some noise. It seemed that something had happened People in the corridor, elevators and rooms rushed out as if they were asked to leave. ¡°What happened?¡± The VIPs asked ¡°Is it on fire?¡± frantically ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s an ident on the 35th floor. Please follow us in an orderly manner. We will Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The bartender¡¯s politely exined to them. They scanned the guests as if they were looking for somebody. It never urred to Christina The bartender looked very anxious and nervous She thought of Charles at the moment, but she didn¡¯t have a cell phone now. So she stepped forward. She believed that Charles was a regr customer and they should know him. But before she could get closer, she was grabbed from behind. She was suddenly gripped tightly by the right wrist and was anxiously pressed against the wall. She was too frightened to react. ¡°Why are you here?¡± The man in front of her was grim. He scolded her coldly with overwhelming anger. Christina stared nkly at Patrick who suddenly appeared. She became THE ??L At this moment the bartenders and guests in the corridor looked towards them and recognized Patrick at a nce. The whole corridor was silent because no one dared to speak. ¡°I¡¯m asking you why you came here. Didn¡¯t I tell you that you weren¡¯t allowed to go out?¡¯ Patrick who seemed to be extremely angry. znashed his teeth and repeated. He tightened the grip on her wrist and she came to herself due to the pain. ¡°It hurts, let me go!¡± Christina felt wronged for his grim question. He scolded her again for no reason. He looked at her small face, which was tightly creased in pain. Seeing the obvious palm print on her right cheek and the bruise on her left hand, Patrick¡¯s face was even darker and scarier. He shouted at her coldly. ¡°Christina you like to piss me off, don¡¯t you? You have to make trouble for me. You don¡¯t know how to take care of¡­¡± ¡°The baby is fine¡± she retorted, biting her lips. Patrick immediately stopped. Baby? She thought he was just talking about the baby. He stared at her fiercely with his prating eyes. ¡°Get out of here right now! From today onwards. you are not allowed to step out of the house of Hopkins Family!¡± His voice was so cold that it made people shudder. Christina looked at his deep and cold eyes and became sad immediately. ¡°Patrick I brought her here.¡± Charles ran over in a hurry. He had already heard Patrick¡¯s words and could not bear it. He thought that Patrick was too harsh and nervous about Christina ¡°You!¡± Patrick saw Charles, and his face darkened ¡°Who asked you to bring her out? Did I give you permission? Hearing his cold words, Charles was shocked that Patrick was really angry. ¡°I asked Charles to bring me out.¡¯ Christina said. She was restraining her anger before. And she immediately stood in front of Charles and looked at Patrick, ¡°Why should I ask for your permission if I want to go out?¡± Seeing what she looked like, his expression became increasingly Christina looked sideways and swa familiar figure around the corner. So she turned around and took Charles¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Charles was shocked. How dare he go with her? Patrick would kill him for sure. Christina raised her voice and roared. ¡°Since Miss Jones came for him, why should we hinder them?¡± Patrick did see Cecilia, who was in the corner. He red at Christina and walked straight to Cecilia Christina and Charles were frozen and other people made way for Patrick Just like that, Patrick hugged Cecilia intimately and left before so muy Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Christina stood there, stunned. Her face filled withplicated looks as she watched Patrick leave with Cecilia in his amis. ¡°Christina, are you okay?¡± Charlesforted her. She lowered her head, her long eyshes covering the emotions in her eyes, and then murmured softly. ¡°I am fine. It¡¯s just a minor injury.¡± Charles was furious. ¡°I mean, don¡¯t be too sad about Patrick leaving with that woman.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s sad? Why should be sad? Christina seemed to be hit on the soft spot. She raised her head and yelled at him angrily. ¡°My right hand is hurting so much that I want to cry. What he wants to do has nothing to do with me!¡± Charles was speechless. What a stubborn giri. He clearly saw a sad look in her eyes, and he thought it was natural for her to feel bad since she just saw her husband leave with another woman in his arms. The two took the elevator down to the parking lot. Charles couldn¡¯t help scolding her. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to go up to the top floor? Why did you get to the 35th floor?¡± ¡°I saw Cecelia¡­ Nothing!¡± Christina¡¯s face was livid, and she didn¡¯t want to continue. Charles walked to his car, opened the door, and grumbled at her. ¡°Christina, I told you a long time ago that women should be obedient. Just now, when Patrickshed out at you, if you just listen to his lecture, you will be fine. But you chose to talk back to him.¡± After all, few people dared to talk to Patrick like this. If anyone else had dared to do that, they would have been beaten up and taken away. ¡°He¡¯s always been gentle to Miss Jones but scolds me every time he sees nie. What did I do wrong to him? Why did he scold me?¡± Christina¡¯s face turned even worse when she heard Charles mentioning Patrick Charles also felt strange. Patrick had always been indifferent to others. There were not many things that could really make him angry. However, he turned moody when Christina was involved. ¡°Go back to the Hopkins Family and find a way to please Patrick..¡± Charles sat in the driver¡¯s seat and gave her a suggestion ¡°I wasn¡¯t wrong!¡± Christina looked reluctant. Just as Christina was about to get into the passenger seat, a person rushed towards them. ¡°Ma¡¯am..¡± It was a bodyguard of the Hopkins Family The bodyguard asked anxiously ¡°Ma¡¯am, have you seen Mr. Hopkins?¡± Christina kept a straight face and did not answer. Charles rolled down the window and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± When the bodyguard saw that Charles. he immediately called out respectfully, ¡°Mr. Shepherd.¡± He quickly said, ¡°Today we¡®ve been practicing boxing with Mr. Hopkins at the club. Ten minutes ago, someone from Fire Club called him and said that Young Madam was not on the 35th floor.¡± As the bodyguard said this, he looked at Christina Strangely before he continued. ¡°Mr. Hopkins looked unhappy. After hanging up the phone, he immediately grabbed the car keys and rushed out. We don¡¯t know what happened. Mr. Hopkins overtook many cars and ran many red lights. He almost ran into someone else¡¯s car on the highway in the mountains¡­¡± Christina and Charles were shocked when they heard this. ¡°Mr. Shepherd, did something happen at Fire Club? I heard that Mr. Hopkins drove out all the people on the 35th floor?¡± The bodyguard then asked, ¡°Where is our Mr. Hopkins now?¡± Christina pursed her lips, and her eyes were a little dim. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. Patrick has left Fire Club_¡± Charles said faintly. The bodyguard nodded at them and left. Christina sat in the passenger seat with a heavy heart and remained silent Charles was sending her back to the Hopkins Family. Along the way, he was a little confused too. ¡°Christina, did you know before?¡± Patrick Charles couldn¡¯t help asking when the car was about to reach the Hopkins Family.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Christina said sullenly, ¡°Why? You want to say I look like Cecilia again, don¡¯t you? She has had stic¡­¡± She had had stic surgery, ¡°Forget it. Even if you knew him before, you must have offended him a lot.¡± Charles red at her. The car was parked outside the gate of the Hopkins Family. Charles turned around and grabbed a rose-red bag from the back seat of the car and handed it back to her. ¡°You left your purse in my car. I couldn¡¯t get in touch with you before meeting you at Fire Club. No wonder you didn¡¯t answer my After listening to hisints, Christina got out of the car and went back with a servant of the Hopkins Family She picked up her bag and suddenly thought of something. She immediately took out her cell phone. Sure enough, Charles called her twice, and¡­ She feltplicated and this emotion showed on her face. Her eyes were fixed on the missed calls. Patrick had called her twelve times.. ¡°He must be with his Miss Jones now.¡± Christina went back to the bedroom, feeling depressed. She mmed the door shut, feeling agitated for no reason. Patrick looked irritated and mmed the door with a bang ¡°Patrick.¡± The woman in the Dassenger seat called out to him softly with concern. ¡°Patrick, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Patrick¡¯s face was gloomy. He turned and red at the familiar face beside him. Cecilia was somewhat flustered by his deep gaze. ¡°Patrick, you came to Fire Club for me?¡± Cecilia¡¯s voice was tinged with guilt when she exined in a soft voice. ¡°Some of my colleagues forced me toe over, saying I had to have this meal with the producer.¡± As she spoke, she looked frightened and held Patrick¡¯s hand in fear. Her voice trembled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Fire Club would be so messy. It was really scary. Those people were really outrageous¡­¡± Patrick listened to her, his eyes fixed on her face, but he did not say a word, as if he was thinking about something. Cecilia noticed that he was a little distracted. He looked like he didn¡¯t care about what had happened to her at Fire Club at all. He was lost in his own thoughts. ¡°Patrick, I promise I won¡¯t apany my colleagues to such a ce. Don¡¯t be angry.¡± Cecilia said in a pleading tone. Her voice was sweet and soft. Patrick lookedather with a sheer in his heart. If she had been so good. He leaned against the back of the car, closed his eyes, and calmed down the agitation in his heart. His eyes were closed and his brows were furrowed. Cecilia sat quietly beside him and looked fixedly at him. Patrick was very handsome, with fair skin and well-defined features. Perhaps because he was born in a distinguished family, he looked noble and aloof, which fascinated many people. ¡°Patrick¡­¡± ¡°Patrick. I love you very much¡± She said in a passionate voice, ¡°Get out of the car!¡± Patrick was still motionless, but the voice was cold, breaking the romantic vibe in an instant. Cecilia didn¡¯t want to give up. Every time she wanted to go further with him, he would refuse. Tonight, she had to¡­ She whispered his name in his ear. ¡°Patrick.¡± Normal men wouldn¡¯t refuse when women made advances to them... ¡°I said, get out of the car!¡± Patrick pushed her away impatiently, Cecilia seemed to be frightened by his harsh, cold voice and was stunned, ¡°Patrick.¡± Cecilia didn¡¯t want to leave but was a little afraid of him. Patrick looked at her face and suppressed his frustration. ¡°Get out of the car,¡± he ordered again, Cecilia had always been obedient and sweet in front of him. She knew that Patrick was bad-tempered, so she should be submissive. She got out of the car and was sent back by Patrick¡¯s bodyguards. But Patrick still sat alone in the driver¡¯s seat of the convertible sports car and his right hand was casually put on the door. His head was raised, and his silent gaze fined on the vast sky above Cecilia felt a little uneasy when she Saw him like this. She had never seen Patrick being like this. He seemed to be irritated. Why would a man as powerful as him feel bothered? Cecilia got into the bodyguard¡¯s car and looked back, reluctant to leave¡­ All of a sudden, Patrick pursed his lips tightly as if he had remembered something. He mmed on the elerator, passed their car, and disappeared into the darkness¡­ Cecilia was shocked. He seemed to be filled with anxiety and irritation. Where was he going? Patrick went straight back to the Hopkins Family ¡°Patrick, may I prepare supper for you?¡± When the servants saw himing back, they immediately came forward to greet him. ¡°No.¡± Then Patrick paused and asked in a deep voice. ¡°Where¡¯s the Young Madam?¡± The maid reported to him truthfully. ¡°Half an hour ago, Mr. Shepherd sent the Young Madam back. She should be in the bedroom and she doesn¡¯t go to bed yet. When Patrick heard this, there was a mined expression on his face. He went straight up to the second floor, but he didn¡¯t go back to his bedroom He sat in the study for a long time¡­. It was not until the cold night wind blew from the French window did Patrick look at the clock on the wall coldly. It was one o¡¯clock in the morning She should have fallen asleep¡­ A hint of discouragement shed across Patrick¡¯s grim face. He rarely felt this way. This feeling became intense when he remembered her stubborn look when she was arguing with him before¡­ [Why are you scolding me?!] Her angry voice echoed in his ears¡­ He didn¡¯t want to scold her or argue with her. Patrick walked towards the bedroom. He held the doorknob and gently turned it. He immediately looked over to the bed. Under the dim lights, he saw the woman on the bed was sleeping soundly on her side. He stood by the bed and gazed down at her sleeping profile. In fact, he was in a bad mood today. Today was the Lantern Festival. and he hated this day. When he received a phone call saying that she went to Fire Club, he couldn¡¯t control himself andshed out at her. Patrick looked out the window at the quiet moon, adjusted his emotions, bent down. lifted the quilt, and looked at her right fingers. He didn¡¯t know what trouble she had got herself into this time and even her fingers were bruised, and there was ck blood in the flesh. He picked up her hand and examined 1. it. The woman on the bed felt pain and frowned slightly. She involuntarily withdrew her hand. ¡°Christina, when obedient. will you be Patrick stared at her with a burning gaze, his tone angry¡­ But he couldn¡¯t do anything about her. He turned and walked towards the cab, trying to take out the medicine kit. But Patrick had just taken two steps and froze. He looked at a birthday cake on the table in the small living room in the bedroom¡­ She bought him a birthday cake. Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Christina rolled over on the bed with the quilt in her arms and suddenly opened her eyes. It was already 9:00 in the morning, and she got up nervously from her bed¡­ She was slightly startled and felt a little strange. Usually at 5 am, the maid would wake her up to apany the old master for breakfast. Why didn¡¯t anyone wake her up today? Sitting on the bed, she nced around the bedroom and subconsciously looked at her side¡­ He didn¡¯te backst night. When Christina thought of Patrick, she was a little depressed She quickly got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. When she picked up the towel to wipe her face, she suddenly found that her right hand was almost cured. She frowned slightly and examined her fingers carefully. She leaned her nose closer to her fingers and smelled the medicine. ¡°Who gave me the medicine?¡± She was confused. ¡°Ma¡¯am, are you awake?¡± At this time, the maid pushed the door open and came in with a bowl of porridge. ¡°Did you call a doctorst night?¡± Christina popped her head out of the bathroom and asked the maid. The maid quickly ced the porridge on the table and looked worried. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that Young Master told us not to wake you up this morning. Ma¡¯am, are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Christina feltplicated in her heart for a moment. After finishing her porridge, she stayed alone in her bedroom, with her mind a little confused. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring at her right hand, she wondered if it was Patrick who drugged her. So he came back this morning¡­ Thenst night¡­ Did he stay with Ceciliast night? Christina suddenly was eager to know that. She felt awkward, Christina turned around, grabbed her cell phone, searched for Cecilia¡¯s name, and immediately a bunch of rted news came up. Her expression grew colder as she scanned the news. She fixed her eyes on a snap on her phone screen. In the underground parking lot of the Fireworks Bar, the woman could not be seen clearly with her back facing the camera, but the man¡¯s cold profile.. Christina immediately recognized Patrick ¡°How could they be so eager, in public..¡±She bit her lips and murmured, feeling a little ufortable. She stared at the photo and was annoyed. ¡°Are you blind? Why are you attracted by that woman? She has received a stic surgeon!¡± However, Patrick liked her. Charles also said that Mr.Hopkins only had one girlfriend, his precious Miss Jones. ¡°I¡¯d better not talk about her stic surgery, in case I would get scolded again.¡± Christina was in a bad mood, so she threw her phone away. She had just thrown her phone at the head of the bed when the door Suddenly opene. Christina looked up subconsciously, and the man at the door was staring at her. Their eyes met, then their expressions becameplicated. They all kept silent Christina turned her head and climbed to the head of the bed, as if she was hiding something. She picked up her phone and immediately deleted the information she had been browsing. She didn¡¯t want him to know that she was investigating Cecilia¡¯s affair with him. She didn¡¯t want him to know that and didn¡¯t want¡­ To make herself more humble. Patrick did not know what she was thinking. He just stared at her with fixed eyes and walked towards the bed. ¡°Why did you go to the Fireworks Bar with Charlesst night?¡± He suddenly asked in a deep voice. Christina¡¯s face darkened when he mentioned what happenedst night. ¡°Nothing.¡± she replied perfunctorily. Patrick¡¯s eyes became more and more ¡°Why!¡± Christina suddenly raised her head and red at him. ¡°Are you not letting me out because of the rules of the Hopkins Family? Or are you afraid that I will embarrass you?¡± When Christina thought about what happenedst night and the car sex photo, she became angry and unconvinced. ¡°Your Miss Jones is a famous movie Star. Her face is everywhere in social media and magazines. Since I look so simr to her, why can she.¡± ¡°You are different from her!¡± He blurted it out but his voice sounded Strange. Patrick looked at her with mixed emotions in his eyes and warned her in a cold voice, ¡°Do as my words! You¡¯ll always have bodyguards with you when you go out. Christina, don¡¯t make trouble for me. I don¡¯t have that much time to take care of you.¡± She could not understand the coldness in his eyes at this moment, but suddenly felt a little wronged. Every time, he used a different standard to measure her and his Miss Jones. She didn¡¯t want to argue with him. She kept reminding herself that she didn¡¯t have the right to ask for his justice, but sometimes, she just.. She just couldn¡¯t help but care about his attitude. Although he was indifferent, sometimes, he was gentle to her. She was trying to pretend to ignore his tenderness, but greedily wanted to get Christina lowered her head, her eyes slightly red She got out of bed and went to the closet to change her coat, then walked out the door. ¡°T¡¯ll go downstairs to apany grandpa.¡± She spoke in a weak voice, sounding like a stranger. Patrick gazed at her withplicated eyes. Just as she reached the bedroom door, he suddenly called out to her, ¡°Christina¡± Christina stopped, but did not turn back. Christina just stood there and waited for his order. Anyway, he would have nothing more to say than to order her. ¡°That cake.¡± He asked tentatively, sounding like he was hiding and bearing something When Christina heard the word ¡°Cake,¡± she turned around and looked at the table on the left of the living room. She almost forgot that she had ordered a birthday cake yesterday. ¡°I bought it myself because I suddenly wanted to eat it!¡± She raised her voice. as if denying something. Patrick was stunned when she said that While Christina walked quickly to the table, packed up the specially reserved tiramisu, turned around and threw it into the trash can. Patrick slightly widened his cyes and looked at her fiercely. Christina did not dare to look at his gloomy face. She pursed her lips, strode past him and went straight downstairs. While Patrick walked to the trash can and looked at the crumbling cake inside, his lips slightly raising He thought she was celebrating for him¡­ ¡°Yesterday was the birthday of that bastard. The Hopkins Family never celebrates the Lantern Festival.¡± In the hall of the Main Residence of the Hopkins Family, Mr. Hopkins was sipping his tea leisurely. When he yed chess with Christina, he was in a good mood and talked to her about Patrick However, Christina didn¡¯t want to hear anything about him. She had a serious look and pretended not to know that. ¡°Oh, really? So yesterday was his birthday.¡± Mr. Hopkins looked at the chess board and casually made a move, then asked. ¡°Yesterday the butler said you bought a cake¡­¡± ¡°I threw it away.¡± Christina looked a little angry. Then she picked up a horse¡¯ and ate Mr. Hopkins¡¯s car without hesitation ¡°You! What are you doing!¡± Mr. Hopkins lost a car and immediately shouted at her discontentedly, ¡°Do you know how to y chess?¡± ¡°There is no father or son on the battlefield!¡± Christina nced at him and had anger at every one of the Hopkins Family. ¡°Grandpa, do you want to repent?¡± Mr. Hopkins¡¯s face darkened. The butler beside themughed out loud. ¡°Young Madam is really good at ying chess,¡± He praised. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m better at the piano!¡± Christina was not humble at all. ¡°Piano?¡± Mr. Hopkins had been a little unconvinced, but when she mentioned the piano, his eyes shed with deep thought. ¡°Do you like ying the piano very much?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± Christina was an active girl since she was young. She suffered a lot when she was forced to practice the piano. ¡°However, I¡¯m really good at the piano. In addition to working in a milk tea shop, I was often employed as a pianist by the senior clubs.¡± When she talked about her past job, she was quite proud. Mr. Hopkins looked at her, thinking about it and muttering, ¡°Why don¡¯t we buy a piano¡­¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, you can¡¯t y the piano at home. Patrick hates the sound of the piano¡­¡± The butler spoke nervously, as if he was afraid of something. Christina was taken aback, noticing that the housekeeper was worried, and that Mr. Hopkins also looked grave. ¡°Why?¡± As soon as she asked, she saw the two of them raise their heads in unison and look at the gate withplicated eyes¡­ Christina followed their gaze and was a little surprised. He didn¡¯t go to work? Patrick, as usual, kept indifferent and did not even look at them. With a document in his right hand, he walked directly across the hall towards the study on the second floor. ¡°Since he doesn¡¯t object, then let¡¯s buy a piano.¡± Just as Patrick¡¯s figure disappeared at the staircase, Mr. Hopkins said suddenly. Christina always felt that the old man was nning Patrick returned to his study and heard his grandfather¡¯sst sentence, ¡°Buy a piano.¡± He was a little unhappy and he mmed the door of the study. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, we¡¯ve got the surveince ofst night on the 35th floor of the Fireworks Bar.¡± As he answered the phone call, the person in charge of the Fireworks Bar reported to him. ¡°At 8:05st night, Mr. Shepherd led Our Young Madam into the Fireworks Bar from the VIP entrance. Then Mr. Shepherd met Mr. Biden and the others and asked the waiter to send Young Madam up to the top floor first. The general manager of the Fireworks Bar said in great detail, afraid of being med for missing information. ¡°Young Madam suddenly stepped out of the elevator on the 35th floor and followed Miss Jones.¡± Speaking of Miss Jones, the reporting man hesitated and added, ¡°Miss Jones booked a private room with her other five colleagues. They were inside¡­ Taking drugs, and were seen by Young Madam¡­¡± Although the people outside did not understand, most of the people who followed Patrick knew the This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. rtionship between Cecilia and him, because of which they were very respectful to Cecilia for the sake of Patrick About Cecilia taking drugs¡­ He didn¡¯t dare to report it. On the one hand, he was afraid that Patrick would lose his temper when he found out. On the other hand, he was afraid of offending Cecilia However, Patrick was not angry. Instead, he urged impatiently in a cold voice, ¡°I want you to find out why Christina was injured!¡± The general manager of Fireworks Bar was a little surprised. It sounded as if he didn¡¯t care about Cecilia taking drugs or getting involved with other men. ¡°Young¡­ Young Madam was mistaken for Miss Jones by a man named Ted and dragged into the men¡¯s washroom on the 35th floor¡­¡± He said nervously. On the other side of the phone, Patrick¡¯s face was grim, his right hand holding the phone tightly. ¡°And then?¡± Hearing his tone, that man became more nervous and tried to speak calmly. ¡°Although there was no surveince in the bathroom, when we found Ted, he fainted on the ground¡­ Young Madam should be fine.¡± ¡°Fine? Do you think she would still be fine if she were covered in injuries?¡± Patrick was very dissatisfied and scolded him coldly. ¡°Find Ted immediately and strengthen the management of the Fireworks Bar. Don¡¯t let dangerous people in!¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The general manager was so frightened that he quickly responded. Suddenly, he thought of something else and whispered, ¡°Oh, Mr. Hopkins, actually the reason why Young Madam came here with Mr. Shepherd was to look for you¡­¡± Patrick was stunned. Did she go there for me? Chapter 39 Chapter 39 ¡°Why can¡¯t I y the piano in front of Patrick?¡± Christina did not expect that Mr. Hopkins had actually ordered someone to buy a piano and asked her to y a canon. She thought she yed well, but the butler on the side was nervous. The butler looked a little embarrassed. ¡°Because Patrick hates¡­¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t Patrick¡¯s birthday be celebrated? The Hopkins Family doesn¡¯t celebrate the Lantern Festival?¡± Christina looked at the butler curiously. ¡°This, this is actually¡­¡± The butler¡¯s voice wils muffled. ¡°Are you very concerned about that bastard?¡± Sitting in the middle of the sofa, Mr. Hopkins took a sip of tea, put down the white jade teacuip, raised his eyebrows. and asked back Christina looked a little awkward and immediately denied, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, Patrick doesn¡¯t like others to interfere.¡± The butler sighed as he Spoke. ¡°Keeping me in dark, poker face.¡± Christina immediately muttered in a low voice. Mr. Hopkins felt the same way and cursed angrily. ¡°I don¡¯t know hus bad temper inherited from who. Putting a poker face all day.¡± ¡°Old man, that¡¯s not what you used to When the butler saw that the two of them were on the same page, he couldn¡¯t help butugh, then picked up a photo album and handed it to Christina Christina took the photo album, opened it, and nced at it casually. She couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°This kid is Patrick!¡± In the photo, a little boy about three years old, dressed in a light blue sailor suit and wearing a small- cap, obediently stood at the entrance of a private kindergarten. He had a tender, fair face, bright eyes and smiled shyly at the camera Christina was a little excited. She grabbed the photo album and took a closer look. ¡°Is this really Patrick¡¯s, that poker face? The boy in the photo album was so cute and adorable, how could he¡­ Seeing Christina so excited, the butler could not help but sigh, ¡°Patrick was very quiet when he was a child, but then he was kidnapped.¡± At this point, Mr. Hopkins looked at the butler with a serious look in his eyes. The butler immediately shut up and dared not speak. Christina¡¯s eyes shed with astonishment as she looked at Mr. Hopkins She kept asking carefully. ¡°Grandpa, was Patrick kidnapped?¡± Kidnapping a child from a rich family was an asional piece of news, but this one didn¡¯t seem like a normal kidnapping Mr. Hopkins did not answer her, but looked up at the ck grand piano opposite him his dark eyes suppressing a painful memory. The butler looked at Christina and said slowly, ¡°Ma¡¯am, don¡¯t me Patrick for being too cold. He just hid too many secrets¡­¡± ¡°Maybe someday he¡¯ll tell you.¡± Christina heard him say that and did not ask. It was just¡­ Maybe there was no such a day because she would leave the Hopkins Family after giving birth. Thinking of Patrick, Christina felt a little depressed. Looking at the antique clock on the left, he got up from the sofa and said to Mr. Hopkins, ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m leaving now¡­¡± ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Charles drove to the airport, looked at the man in the back seat, and asked. ¡°Go back to the Hopkins House.¡± Patrick had just gotten off the ne, and there was a sense of weariness between his brows. He looked sideways at the speeding scenery through the car window, his expression somewhat thoughtful. The car drove smoothly. Charles looked back and noticed Patrick¡¯s absent-mindedness. Every time Patrick asked him to pick him up, he must be in a bad mood. Charles immediately thought of Christina. ¡°Did that woman provoke him again?¡¯ ¡°Patrick, actually. I took Christina to the Fire Club that day. She didn¡¯t¡­ Charles was being a peacemaker and took the me. ¡°Am I harsh on her?¡± Patrick suddenly interrupted him with a cold voice. When Charles heard his question, he raised an eyebrow and did not know how to answer it. Patrick who had always been indifferent to anyone, suddenly asked if he was being too harsh on a woman, which was really strange. ¡°Patrick, I heard that you almost got into a car ident¡­¡± Charles suddenly asked curiously. ¡°Did you know Christina before?¡± Patrick seemed really nervous that day. Patrick narrowed his eyes and stared out of the car window¡­ Charles shut up when he saw him being like this, but¡­ ¡°Patrick, you may not know much about women. For women, they know your feelings only when you tell them in words. Mr. Shepherd said in a serious tone. Patrick should be concerned about her, but he was cold and used tomanding people, and he probably didn¡¯t understand how to care about women. ¡°Well, you know her very well!¡± Patrick¡¯s face was cold and he Suddenly turned to look at him. Charles heard his displeased tone, weakly distancing himself. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Since the Lantern Festival, Patrick had gone to Paris on a business trip for five days. He had rushed back because his grandpa asked him to attend the ss every Sunday. But today, he rushed home and found the other person absent. ¡°Where is she?¡± Patrick returned to the Hopkins Family, looked at the old man leisurely trimming the potted nts in the back garden, and asked, suppressing his anxiety. Mr. Hopkins put his potted nt back on the shelf. As if he didn¡¯t hear Patrick¡¯s question, he turned to look at Charles, ¡°How¡¯s your grandfather?¡± ¡°My grandfather is in good health. Thank you.¡± Charles immediately replied respectfully. Patrick frowned impatiently and stepped forward. ¡°Where did she go?¡± He repeated. ¡°How are your father and mother?¡± Mr. Hopkins looked at Charles and continued to ask leisurely. Charles¡¯s forehead was sweating a little, and under great pressure, he whispered, ¡°My parents have been on a trip to Europe recently. Everything is fine. Thank you for your concern.¡± ¡°How are your three brothers these days?¡± Mr. Hopkins kept asking him. Charles¡¯s face was twisted. The old man clearly didn¡¯t want to talk to his grandson. Why did this old man take him as a shield? He looked up at Patrick, who looked really angry. Patrick turned and yelled at the bodyguard behind him. ¡°Where¡¯s she? Where did she go? I told you to follow her all day!¡± ¡°Do you think she is a dog and needs you to send someone to walk her every day?¡± Mr. Hopkins suddenly snorted. ¡°She¡¯s pregnant¡­¡± Patrick looked at his grandfather with aplicated expression. When he came back, Christina was gone! ¡°Do you care about the child in her belly, or do you care about her?¡± Mr. Hopkins raised his eyebrows and red at his arrogant grandson. Then he added coolly, ¡°I don¡¯t think you care about her. You even had sex with that Cecilia in the car. How can you care about your wife and your child.¡± The two men did not like each other, and their rtionship was tense. The rest innocent outsiders were nervous. The butler sighed helplessly. ¡°Patrick, Mrs. Dickens was sent to the hospital this morning with a sudden high blood pressure, so Young Madam rushed back to C City.¡± Patrick¡¯s face wasplicated. Christina did go back to C City. She went straight to the hospital to visit her grandmother. The old woman was asleep in the ward, and she didn¡¯t go in to disturb her since she was apanied by a nurse. She thought she should visit again tomorrow. She hated the Dickens Family. Besides her aunt Betty, Christina felt that she had no other family. But she was a soft-hearted person, and her grandma was eighty years old, and those things that she hated had passed for so many years¡­ Every time she went back to C City,she felt a little sad. Everyone had their own secrets, the pain that they didn¡¯t want to say, hidden in the bottom of their hearts¡­ She suddenly remembered Patrick. A man like Patrick must have a lot of past that he didn¡¯t want to talk about. Maybe he would talk to his beloved Miss Jones. It wouldn¡¯t be her anyway. Christina arrived in C City around 3 pm. It was still early. She didn¡¯t want to stay in the hotel, so she Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. called a taxi and went for a drive. Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure, and she was startled. ¡°Stop the car!¡± She asked the driver to roll down the window and squinted at an alley on the left¡­ There were two women arguing fiercely over there, and one of them was Cecilia Christina looked confused. Cecilia? Why would she.. It is ¡°You have the wrong person!¡± There was a quarrel in the alley. ¡°Maria, Maria. I know it¡¯s you. Where have you been all these years? Do you know how worried I am¡­¡± ¡°I told you. I¡¯m not! I¡¯m not Maria. My name is Cecilia now. I¡¯m a superstar. I won¡¯te back to live a poor life with you. Don¡¯te to me anymore.¡± The middle-aged woman was pushed violently and fell to the ground in the The woman tried to run after her, but She sprained her ankle and had tears all over her face. She could only shout at the figure running away in front of her, ¡°Maria¡­ ¡°Sophie, are you okay?¡± Christina got out of the car and rushed over to help the woman. Sophie looked at the disappearing figure at the end of the alley and couldn¡¯t stop crying. She raised her right hand and wiped her tears. ¡°Christina, I¡¯m fine. Thank you.¡± Christina knew this woman because she was the owner of the milk teashop. Christina used to work part-time in her shop She helped Sophie back to the milk tea shop. Christina thought for a while and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°The one just now¡­¡± Sophie sat in her chair and looked at Christina¡¯s face withplicated eyes. ¡°She¡¯s my daughter,¡± she said in a choked voice. Cecilia is Sophie¡¯s daughter?¡¯ Christina was shocked. ¡°Is possible that you mistake her?¡± that Charles said that Cecilia was adopted by a couple in Canada when she was a baby¡­ ¡°Do you care about the child in her belly, or do you care about her?¡± Mr. Hopkins raised his eyebrows and red at his arrogant grandson. Then he added coolly, ¡°I don¡¯t think you care about her. You even had sex with that Cecilia in the car. How can you care about your wife and your child¡­¡± The two men did not like each other. and their rtionship was tense. The rest innocent outsiders were nervous. The butler sighed helplessly. ¡°Patrick, Mrs. Dickens was sent to the hospital this morning with a sudden high blood pressure, so Young Madam rushed back to C City.¡± Patrick¡¯s face wasplicated. Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Around eight o¡¯clock in the evening. Christina returned to the hotel from the milk tea shop. After taking a bath, shey down on the bed to rest, but couldn¡¯t sleep. ¡°Cecilia is Sophie¡¯s daughter? She held the quilt and was thinking Sophie, the owner of the milk tea shop. was single and had a daughter named Maria. However, Christina had never met her. She only knew that Sophie¡¯s daughter had dropped out of school in junior high school and would often hang out until midnight before returning home Cecilia was Maria. different..¡± What Sophie said to her this afternoon echoed in her ears. ¡°No wonder every time I worked overtime and someone would order more than a hundred cups of milk tea¡­ Christina thought of the past and found it strange When she left the Dickens Family that year, she was too stubborn to ept the money from the Dickens Family. She worked part-time when she was still in school. In her third year of high school, she had a lot of sses during the day, so she often worked night shifts. But strangely every time she worked night shifts, there woulde some salespeople who said it was for thepany¡¯s needs or public welfare activities, and then they directly ordered more than 100 cups of milk tea After receiving such arge order, Sophie woulde over to help. After that. Sophie would directly ask her to go back to rest. At that time, her so called night shift was usually two hours of work, and she got the highestmission ¡®Who is it?¡± ¡°Who sent them to support me?¡¯ Feeling tired, Christina rolled over in bed and didn¡¯t bother to think about it. At that time, she was busy with her study and a part-time job and had no impression of the mysterious man at She woke up at five the next morning Christina sat by the bed in a daze for a while and found that she had developed the habit of getting up early, She turned her head and looked awkwardly at her side¡­ She actually thought of Patrick She had a quick breakfast, packed her bag, and was about to go to the hospital to visit her grandmother. Inexplicably, she wanted to go back to the Hopkins Family as soon as possible. She didn¡¯t know from when she had a sense of belonging to the Hopkins Family But just as she walked out of the hotel lobby, she met someone. ¡°Get in the car. A white Bentley parked outside the hotel as if waiting for her specially, and the woman¡¯s cold voice came from the window. Christina frowned and looked at the woman in the car. ¡°What does she want from me? ¡°Why? Afraid of me?!¡± Cecilia in the car smiled with disdain. Christina thought for a while, then opened the door and sat in. Cecilia stepped on the gas and drove directly to a quiet Western restaurant. When the door of the box was closed by the waiter, Cecilia said, ¡°Where did you do the stic surgery?¡± Christina looked at Cecilia in a daze,pletely confused. Cecilia saw her dumb look and sneered. ¡°You¡¯re quite suitable to be an actor¡­¡± As she spoke, she cast a disdainful nce at Christina, took out her cigarette from her bag, lit it, raised her haughty chin, took a deep breath, and spat out a white smoke at Christina. Christina choked and quickly got up from her chair. ¡°Miss Jones, shoot it!¡± She was pregnant, and even Patrick and Charles did not smoke in front of her. Now, looking at the arrogant demeanor of this big star, she felt disgusted. Cecilia¡¯s eyes fell on her abdomen, her eyes full of suppressing jealousy, and She said directly. ¡°Name your price and abort the child.¡± ¡°No.¡± Christina looked at her, bit her lip, and quickly spat out a word. ¡°Christina, don¡¯t go too far!¡± Cecilia¡¯s voice turned colder, and she looked at Christina fiercely. ¡°You are really awesome. You hooked up with Patrick while I was away for three years. But look, Patrick is mine! You want to fight with me, how dare you.¡± She pped the table and stood up. She was dressed in a famous brand. Herjacket was ck leather. The metal rivets on her shoulders were very conspicuous. Her arrogant eyes indeed made her more like a superstar. This waspletely different from the aura she had on stage as an innocent actor ¡°I won¡¯tpete with you, but the child is mine.¡± Christina knew the situation, but there were some things that she insisted on and could not agree on ¡°Christina, what are you nning? Do you think you can continue to be with Patrick after giving birth to the child?¡± Cecilia sneered and picked her cigarette in the crystal ashtray on the table with her right hand. ¡°Let me be honest with you. When your child is born, Patrick will kick you out of the Hopkins Family. And I will definitely abuse your child!¡± Her eyes were filled with malice. Christina¡¯s expression shed with mixed emotions when she heard this. ¡°You should know that Patrick dotes on me. No one in the media dares to report my bad news now,¡± Cecilia said, her tone growing more proud. With a cold voice, she warned, ¡°Noone who goes against me will get any good results. Ted, who had gone against me, was sent to hospital with his leg broken. Christina, if you offend me, I will report to Patrick, and I will make your whole family suffer!¡± Christina¡¯s right hand slightly and stared at her. tightened ¡°I¡¯m going to keep this baby. I won¡¯t interfere with you and Patrick..¡± She lowered her head slightly, her voice with suppressed humbleness. Cecilia was his lover from the past. Christina couldn¡¯t help but be humble and she never thought about As Cecilia saw that she insisted on keeping the baby, she immediately lost her patience. She raised her face and said in a ferociousmand. ¡°Don¡¯t you hear me! I told you to abort this f*cking kid!¡± ¡°If Patrick wants a child, I will give birth to him. Your child is nothing but a bastard.¡± ¡°Cecilia, what did you say?¡± Christina raised her head, her eyes filled with anger. ¡°You can scold me with any words you want. Don¡¯t talk about my child. I¡¯m not a pushover!¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Cecilia yelled at her angrily. ¡°Christina, you are just a poor girl. I¡¯m a famous movie star! How can youpete with me? Don¡¯t think you can fool Patrick by doing the stic surgery. I¡¯m his true love!¡± ¡°I did the stic surgery?¡± Christina looked at Cecilia¡¯s face and sneered. ¡°Maria, this question is for yourself. Why did you do the stic surgery to look like me?¡± When Cecilia heard what Christina said, her eyes were stunned, and then she became angry. ¡°What did you say? Who is Maria? Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the daughter of the owner f the milk tea shop across from First High School of C City, Maria? Not only did you get stic surgery, but you also hid your background from Patrick. You lied to him so many things...¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Cecilia roared as if she had been stimted ¡°Christina, I did stic surgery, so what! stic surgery is amon thing for a star, and Patrick wouldn¡¯t mind if he knew about it!¡± She red at Christina grimly, who sat across her. ¡°You saw the photo in Patrick¡¯s pocket watch and did the stic surgery as well, right? But I tell you, I have been with him for three years. What if you did the surgery? I¡¯m the one that Patrick loves.¡± He loved Cecilia This sentence, for some reason, was especially harsh to listen to. With a bang. the door was forced open. and Christina Tooked up subconsciously, and then she was stunned. It was him.. ¡°Miss Jones, we¡¯re not interested in taking who Patrick loves, but I¡¯m Christina away!¡± Before Christina could react, she was grabbed out of here by the man who Strode in ¡°Let go.¡± Christina felt ufortable being dragged by him. However, the man held her tightly until she was stuffed into the car and then released her. Christina looked at him with an awkward expression. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Patrick, why do youe to C City?¡± At this moment, in another car, Chandler was driving and looked suspiciously into the rearview mirror. ¡°Charles, how about you? What are you doing here?¡± The Stephenson Family was in C City. but Chandler didn¡¯t think his two friends were just here for fun today. ¡°Patrick is here for his wife.¡± Charles grinned. As for him, on the other hand, he was joining the fun. Patrick ignored them and looked out the window. He looked like if he was thinking about something. His right hand held his phone and he looked down at the screen from time to time, as if he was waiting for someone¡¯s calling. ¡°Christina always throws her phone around. She might not see your text and call.¡±Charles muttered. Patrick looked up at him coldly. Charles tensed up and quickly added. ¡°I was just guessing.¡± Chandler, who was driving, looked at Patrick through the rearview mirror and noticed that his brows slightly frowned as if he was thinking about something ¡°Christina went to the Dickens Family in C City ?¡± They all knew that Christina had a bad rtionship with the Dickens Family. Patrick¡¯s face darkened when he heard ¡°the Dickens Family.¡± ¡°We went to the Dickens Family and the hospital before. She wasn¡¯t there. She didn¡¯t answer the phone. I don¡¯t know where she is now.¡± Charles said calmly and turned to Patrick. ¡°Do you want to send someone to find.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Patrick said two words in a deep voice. Chandler and Charles looked at each other, not knowing what Patrick was thinking, while Patrick This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes to rest ¡°¡­ To the First High School of C City.¡± When the car stopped at an intersection, Patrick suddenly spoke. Chandler was stunned and turned the steering wheel quickly. At the First High School of C City They all remembered that when Patrick came back from the United States six years ago, he had been a consultant lecturer at that high school for half a year. That half-year.. Chapter 41 Chapter 41 The car got off the highway and headed for C City¡¯srgest private hospital. Cory, who was in the driver¡¯s seat looked at Christina from time to time and said, ¡°Christina, Cecilia and you look very alike. She.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not rted to me!¡± Christina said quickly with a straight face, ¡°Please pull over.¡± The man parked the car by the side, turned to stare at her side face, and he said in a deep voice, ¡°I just care about you¡­¡± ¡°Cory! I don¡¯t need you to care about me!¡± snapped Christina Christina opened the door urgently, trying to get out. ¡°Christina, you don¡¯t have to avoid me like this. I don¡¯t mean any harm to you. If I really wanted to hurt you, I would have¡­¡± Cory paused He said in a calm voice, ¡°I just want to remind you that don¡¯t be fooled by the look of the women in the circle. They are not as simple as you think. Cecilia looks like you so much. She must have had stic surgery. You have to be careful.¡± Christina was surprised. He seemed to care about her¡­ She opened the car door, walked out looked down at the man in the car, and said word for word, ¡°Cory. you came to C City this time to deal with the marriage with Carrie, right? Frankly. I¡¯m not broad-minded, and I won¡¯t forgive you. You won¡¯t get my blessing! But I won¡¯t bring you any trouble. Please remember, we¡¯re done.¡± She knew her feelings clearly, and if she loved, she would do her best, but she didn¡¯t care about those expired concerns. Cory, however, sat in the car, narrowed his eyes, and stared at the woman walking away step by step¡­ ¡°Christina!¡± He shouted at her back. ¡°Christina, it¡¯s not because you¡¯re from Dickens Family that I care about you, but¡­¡± But because.. Cory watched her disappear around the corner and was lost for words.. Even he couldn¡¯t exin himself. Because thest time he agreed to marry Carrie in front of Mr. Hopkins, he and Carrie went to the civil affairs bureau to sign for their certificate the next day. These days, they were busy with the wedding. Everything went well, but he felt a little disappointed and unresigned. Cory punched the steering wheel angrily. The horn of the car gave a sharp beep. He was irritable and confused as if some truth had been hidden by something, and he had been deceived and schemed. At the corner, Christina took a deep breath. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Frowning, she was angry. However, just now when Cecilia was making a fuss about her rtionship with Patrick in the private room, his sudden appearance made her less embarrassed. Without thinking further, Christina calmed down and walked to the hospital across the street. She came to C City this time to visit her grandmother in the hospital. She would go back to A City soon to leave the ce that upset her. When Christina arrived at Mrs. Dickens¡¯s ward in the inpatient department, she was in good spirits. She sat on the hospital bed and was overjoyed to see Christina ¡°Christina, you¡¯re here.¡± Christina, however, said with a calm expression. ¡°Grandma, are you feeling¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Patrick?¡± Mrs. Dickens looked behind her excitedly without waiting for her to finish her words. However, seeing that there was no one behind Christina, Mrs. Dickens immediately darkened her face and Said with reproach, ¡°Christina, don¡¯t pull a long face all day. Mr. Hopkins won¡¯t like that. People will judge that you¡¯re ill-bred.¡± Christina stood on the spot. motionless. She wanted to refute but bit back the words she would like to have said. Mrs. Dickens looked at the only granddaughter and couldn¡¯t help but recall the past. She said in anger, ¡°Back then, your mother pushed Connie down the stairs and caused her to miscarry. My eldest grandson was gone!¡± ¡°Grandma, that has nothing to do with my mother. Connie fell down on her own!¡± Christina clenched her hands and couldn¡¯t help but retort. ¡°Connie was pregnant. How could she fall down on her own!¡± Mrs. Dickens didn¡¯t expect Christina to retort. Her face darkened immediately. The previous generation always prioritized men over women. After Connie¡¯s miscarriage, she fell ill and couldn¡¯t get pregnant again. Mrs. Dickens hated the dead Mary even more and felt that it was Mary who caused Dickens Family¡¯s misfortune. ¡°Grandma, I have something urgent to go back to A City. If you need anything, just call the nurse.¡± Christina didn¡¯t want to stay for a moment when it came to her mother. ¡°Wait a minute. I haven¡¯t finished!¡± 1. MS. Dickens was immediately displeased to see that she couldn¡¯t wait to leave. ¡°How can you serve the young master in Hopkins Family with your rude character? Do you want to be abandoned by a man for a second time? Our family can¡¯t afford to be more embarrassed,¡± Mrs. Dickens said. Christina stood outside the ward, holding her bag tightly in her right hand. Mrs. Dickens didn¡¯t like her very much. Christina¡®s temper was not as gentle as Carrie¡¯s. She was too stubborn, too lively from a young age, unlike other socialites who were amenable. Besides her looks, nothing about her was to Mrs. Dickens¡¯s liking But now.. After all, her granddaughter married into Hopkins Family, and Mrs. Dickens¡¯s tone softened at the thought ¡°Christina, you are my granddaughter. Of course, I want you to be happy, but there are some things that you may not like to hear. Men like women like Connie and Carrie. Be good and be gentle. That¡¯s what makes you likable.¡± She wanted her to learn from Connie and Carrie¡­ There was suppressed mockery in Christina¡¯s eyes. She raised her head and looked at Mrs. Dickens on the bed. ¡°Grandma, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go back and learn how to please that Patrick.¡± With that, Christina walked out. This time, she no longer hesitated. ¡°Stop. I haven¡¯t finished¡­¡± Mrs. Dickens also knew Christina¡¯s stubbornness. Seeing that she had left directly, she shouted at her back and ordered. ¡°Help your dad with the business¡­ Use your baby as the chip, so that the women outside won¡¯t get in the way.¡± Bang.. It was not until Christina mmed the door of the ward that the sound gradually faded. ¡®I really shouldn¡¯t havee here. She really hated herself for being soft hearted. With that, Christina walked out. This time, she no longer hesitated. ¡°Stop, I haven¡¯t finished¡­¡± Mrs. Dickens also knew Christina¡¯s stubbornness. Seeing that she had left directly, she shouted at her back and ordered. ¡°Help your dad with the business. Use your baby as the chip. so that the women outside won¡¯t get in the way.¡± Bang.. It was not until Christina mmed the door of the ward that the sound gradually faded. Treally shouldn¡¯t havee here. She really hated herself for being soft hearted. Christina leaned against the hospital wall with her eyes closed. She calmed herself down and said to herself. ¡°.. Back to A City.¡± Even though the old man in Hopkins Family had a stern face and was cold and dignified all day, she¡¯d rather go back to the Hopkins Family¡­ She knew that she no longer had a home and that the Dickens Family was only using her. She also knew that Hopkins Family was only her temporary residence, but at least.. She suddenly wanted to go back. She took out the phone from her bag and wanted to book the fastest return ticket, only to find that there was an 1. ww. der for a while, However, half a minuteter, Christina immediately lowered her head in frustration because Patrick¡¯s phone was not answered, ¡°What? Is it because I missed his call that he purposely didn¡¯t answer?¡± She mumbled, telling herself that he would answer if she called again. But in fact, Patrick still didn¡¯t answer the phone. Christina was awkward. ¡°Should I wait for him to go back to A City now?¡± she wondered. Listening to the cold mechanical toneing from the other end of the phone, she pursed her lips and left him [Patrick, I¡¯m staying at W Hotel¡­] Patrick¡¯s phone rang a few times when it received a new text message. However, he did not notice as the ck phone and an expensive suit jacket were left in the car. ¡°It seems that Patrick¡¯s cell phone is ringing?¡± Charles immediately turned to the back seat of the car when he heard the sound. He turned to Chandler in the driver¡¯s seat and asked, ¡°Shall we give him his phone? Chandler looked at the gate of First High School of C City, looked down for a while, and replied, ¡°Leave him alone.¡± Charles looked up. Patrick got out of the car and walked towards the high school alone. He looked a little weird and obviously didn¡¯t want to be disturbed. In that case, none of them dared to follow Charles. Some of the memories of this high school were heavy for Patrick. After six years, they almost avoided talking about it. Charles noticed that Patrick was holding a small golden object in his right hand and patted Chandler on the shoulder curiously. ¡°Chandler. Patrick seems to treasure his pocket watch...¡± he said. Chandler nodded in agreement. He remembered one time when they hung out in Fire Club, Patrick identally lost the pocket watch, and he was so desperate to look for it. Charles approached him with a curious look and said, ¡°Hey. Chandler, you saw the picture of the woman embedded in Patrick¡¯s pocket watch. You said it was Cecilia. Are you sure about that?¡± Chandler was a little uncertain. That time, he just nced at it and was about to take a few more nces when Patrick snatched it back. He didn¡¯t take a closer look ¡°It should be Cecilia. Who else would it ¡°Cecilia, where are you going?¡± At this moment, a woman in a student costume ran out of the school gate excitedly.pletely ignoring the manager behind her. ¡°Patrick!¡± Cecilia ran up to him with a look of surprise. ¡°Patrick, are youing to visit me?¡± As she spoke, her face flushed. Patrick looked at the woman who suddenly appeared, but did not answer her. He stared at her face, his thoughts drifting away... iing call and a text message on her phone It was Patrick who called. [I¡¯m in C City ] His message was very short. ¡°Patrick is in C City. Christina felt strange Looking at the phone screen number withplicated eyes, she hesitated for a moment, lightly touched the callback button, and waited for him to answer nervously¡­ She wondered if she was supposed to ask him why he came to C City, for official business? Or for her?! She blushed after letting her mind Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Being stared like this, Cecilia held his arm intimately. ¡°Patrick, I¡¯m d you came to see me,¡± said she with a bright Smile. ¡°Our crew has been filming in this high school recently¡­¡± Cecilia looked at the man in front of her and blushed. She asked him shyly. ¡°Patrick, what do you think of my student look? Is it nice?¡± It was a one billion dor remake of the television series by Universe Studio, which was about a daring and honest female student in the Republican period. In an ident, the female student saved the life of the most powerful and handsome young warlord of the time. The drama depicted the misunderstanding between the lovers, and the touching story of their life and death together in the revolutionary cause. The original female lead of the show was not Cecilia, and the media did not think much of her for the sudden change in the lead role. After all, Cecilia¡¯s delicate temperament was very different from the female lead¡¯s personality in the script. Patrick¡¯s eyes gazed down at her face thoughtfully. ¡°It is,¡± he replied in a low voice. Cecilia held his arm intimately and was ttered to hear him praising her. She understood that with Patrick¡¯s cool personality, he was unlikely to praise others. At this moment, she looked at his handsome profile, and she became more and more proud. ¡°Cecilia, you have to work hard. With Mr. Hopkins supporting you like this, you have to make an effort. Don¡¯t let those people outside look down on you.¡± Cecilia¡¯s manager walked up to them with a fawning smile. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, you came to visit us. Do you want to go in and rest for a while?¡± Manager Anne asked with a smile, her eyes filled with joy. Everyone in the entertainment business guessed who Cecilia¡¯s sugar daddy was. If Patrick was willing to show up today, then in the future¡­the producers and directors had to be subservient to Patrick. Patrick ignored the manager and looked around with aplicated look. This high school still looked like it was six years ago, but¡­ ¡°I just passed by here¡­¡± Patrick said in a cold voice. He withdrew his hand and pushed Cecilia Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. away. He didn¡¯te here to visit Cecilia. Cecilia looked embarrassed as she watched him stride towards the campus alone,pletely ignoring her. Cecilia thought, ¡°Patrick isn¡¯t here for me. So why did hee here?¡± The manager quickly gave Cecilia a push and whispered, ¡°Mr. Hopkins seems to be in a bad mood. Follow him and be careful to pacify him¡­¡± When a man was lost, he always yearned for the gentleness of a woman the most. ¡°Patrick, is it something wrong with thepany?¡± Cecilia trotted after him, her voice softly caring Patrick nced at her face from the corner of his eye and ignored her, but did not say anything to drive her away. The two walked around the campus quietly and randomly. Cecilia found that he was very familiar with the school. She wanted to ask more questions, but looking at his cold profile, she did not dare to speak. Patrick was such an indifferent man, His aloof and cool temperament always made people cautious and not dare to approach him. This century-old high school had along history. Because the film crew was filming in the front school building and the students were on holiday, there was no one at the back door of the school. Patrick strode out of the back door of the school. Immediately, a milk tea shop came into his sight. He suddenly stopped and looked at the milk tea shop across the street, ¡°Patrick¡± Cecilia called him softly. She looked at the milk tea shop across the street, her expression suppressingplicated emotions. Cecilia wanted to ask him something ¡°Patrick, you used to go to that store a lot?¡± She pointed nervously at the milk tea shop across the street. ¡°Very sweet.¡± Patrick seemed to be reminiscing and said two words. Those milk teas were too sweet. He didn¡¯t like sweets very much, but¡­ His gaze deepened as he looked at the milk tea shop opposite him, It was as if he had returned to the past and he was standing here, while the woman of the night shift at the window of the milk tea shop opposite him was still busy. She made all the milk tea personally. Cecilia was stunned when she heard what he said. She didn¡¯t know what he was thinking But his gaze made her cheeks redder. She looked up at him shyly, like a young girl who had just fallen in love ¡°Six years ago, he was the one who sent people to by milk tea inrge quantities! She was filled with excitement and joy ¡°Then is it because.¡± Cecilia¡¯s voice grew softer, suppressing excitement and anticipation. ¡°¡­ Because it¡¯s a hassle to change jobs¡­ leave work early.¡± Patrick dropped a confusing sentence. He turned his eyes sideways and stopped looking at the milk tea shop opposite him as if nothing had attracted him there. He strode straight down the school road back to the front gate¡­ Cecilia was frozen in ce. ¡°What did he mean?¡¯ Her expression wasplicated as she watched the heroic figure in front of her slowly leave¡­ ¡®What did he mean by those words?¡¯ Somehow, Cecilia felt a surge of uneasiness in her heart. Six years ago, the milk tea shop opposite was about to close, but in the next six months, it sold nearly a million cups of milk tea. This amazing amount of milk tea brought this small shop back to life, and it had been thriving ever since¡­ Cecilia knew very well since this milk tea shop was owned by her mother. Six years ago, she had noticed that her milk tea shop often had salespeoplee in the middle of the night to cerge orders and the required time was very loose, a week or a half months would be fine. It wasn¡¯t buying milk tea at all, it was like directly sending money to the shop. ¡°It was Patrick who sent someone over. It was really him¡­¡± But, ¡°Didn¡¯t he do it that year because he wanted to help my family? What was the reason¡­¡± Cecilia¡¯s face turned pale. Could it be¡­ ¡°So it¡¯s the Young Master of Hopkins Family. No wonder you took my role!¡± Suddenly, a tall and arrogant figure strade up behind her, and Connie¡¯s voice was full of sarcasm. Cecilia heard the voice and quickly tumed around, raising her chin haughtily, looking at the other party. ¡°Connie.¡± She mumbled the name in disdain. Cecilia stepped forward with a fake Smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s true that Patrick is helping me. Jealous?¡± Connie red at her. ¡°Cecilia, how dare you!¡± This mega-budgeted remake of Universe Studio was making a huge ssh from the media to the publicity. Sincest year, famous actors from all over the nation have beenpeting for the lead role. She had a hard time getting through and taking the female lead position, everything was done, but in the end, the role was snatched away by Cecilia Connie gritted her teeth angrily as she looked at Cecilia¡¯s smug arrogance, but.. ¡°Cecilia, I hate your face every time I see it. Do you know why?¡± Connie suddenly calmed down, as if something had made her very happy. andughed out loud. ¡°Because your face is almost the same as my daughter, Christina. Hahaha¡­ Cecilia was originally proud to refute, but when she heard the name ¡°Well, what exactly happened here.¡± As soon as manager Anne opened the door of the lounge, she looked in astonishment at the mess in the room. ¡°Get out, get out of here.¡± Cecilia¡¯s face was extremely gloomy, and she angrily swept all the makeup equipment in front of the dressing table to the ground, shattering the ss bottles and sshing all over the floor.. Anne looked nervous and quickly closed the door to the lounge. ¡°Cecilia, calm down. There are a lot of big directors and producers out there. It would affect your image. ¡°What happened? Didn¡¯t you just walk around campus with Patrick on good terms? Did you make him angry?¡± When Cecilia heard Patrick¡¯s name, she suppressed a sense of guilt and horror. She turned around and grabbed arge ceramic te on the counter and threw it on the floor as if she were venting. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! The woman in his pocket watch can¡¯t be her¡­ Impossible!¡± She shouted incoherently. Anne heard her mention her pocket watch and immediately asked nervously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did Patrick know about your stic surgery?¡± ¡°Three years ago, I told you not to jump into the river and pretend to be dead. You just insisted on making a scene and say you didn¡¯t want to be a substitute for that woman in the pocket watch, but now¡­¡± Anne was also anxious. ecilia¡®s eyes were bloodshot, and she turned to the manager angrily. ¡°Three years ago, I had a stic surgery sequ. I had no choice. You think I don¡¯t want to marry into Hopkins Family?¡± Cecilia thought, ¡°I almost became the Young Madam of Hopkins Family!¡± But now it was Christina he married. ¡°Christina,¡± Cecilia muttered the name in a cold voice. The thought of the woman¡¯s face made her feel uneasy¡­ ¡°Where are you going now?¡± When the manager saw Cecilia¡¯s cold face and sudden stride out, she rushed to catch up with Cecilia Cecilia¡¯s expression was sinister, and she said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m going to get rid of those eyesore things today.¡± Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Christina Steals My Man ¡°Christina steals my man¡­¡± ¡°I was forced to leave my home. It¡¯s all her fault that I suffered so much during these years.¡± Cecilia sobbed, her trembling hand gripping the hand of the middle-aged woman ¡°Mom, you must help me.¡± ¡°Is Christina really the daughter of the richest man in our city?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of Donald. Why does such a rich girl work in our shop? And she even works the night shift? There are some things I¡¯ve never dared to tell you. Every time shees to our shop, sheughs at me and makes things difficult for me. She also says that her family can make us homeless. She scares me¡­ This time she really went too far¡­¡± Her voice became more and more agitated, and she was choking with sobs. ¡°Mom, I. I don¡¯t know what I should do. Christina wants me to die. She wants to kill me. She¡¯s going to kill your grandson. ¡°What?!¡± When Sophie heard the word ¡°kill¡¯, she was very anxious. Seeing her hands protecting her abdomen, Sophiee asked in a trembling voice. ¡°Are are you pregnant?¡± ¡°Christina is pregnant. Where can she Charles sat in the back seat of the car, feeling bored. He propped up his chin with his right hand as he looked out the window at the sunset, muttering in a low voice. He suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Chandler beside him. ** Just now. Patrick¡¯s phone rang a few times. It should be Christina who called him. Should we tell him¡­¡± The car got off the highway and left the First High School of C City The driver of the Stephenson Family rushed over and said something urgent happened to the Stephenson Family Chandler and Charles hurriedly left. They left a car outside the school for Patrick, along with his coat and cell phone init. Chandler also looked out the window at the sunset and said lightly. ¡°It¡¯s past six o¡¯clock. Patrick should be in the car. He will drive directly to the W hotel. There is no need for Christina to tell him. He has known where she¡¯s staying.¡± Charles thought his words made sense. Before they came over, Patrick had asked him to check where Christina stayed, but. ¡°But what if Christina has something else to do with him? Thest time I took Christina to Fire Club. Patrick heard that and yelled at me angrily. He really scared me.¡± Charlesined. From that time on, Charles was very careful about anything about Christina Chandler also heard that andughed out loud. ¡°Patrick doesn¡¯t like Christina to show up in public. You Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. are a fool!¡± ¡°How do I know that? He¡¯s too strict with that witch.¡± Charles sighed. ¡°Cecilia¡¯s advertisements are everywhere. Patrick has made her so famous. He treats them so differently.¡± Why did he have to hide Christina? Charles really couldn¡¯t figure it out When Chandler heard this, he lost in his thoughts and did not answer. ¡°Patrick are you in the car now?¡± Charles grabbed his phone and called Patrick ¡°You¡¯re going to the W Hotel, right?.. Oh, nothing. I just wanted to tell you that your phone rang a few times before, and there seems to be a text message from Christina.¡± Before Charles could finish his sentence, he heard a loud ¡°bang¡± from the phone ¡°Patrick what¡¯s wrong?¡± Charles¡¯s expression changed and asked anxiously. Chandler also heard the sound because he sat beside Charles, and he became nervous. ¡°A car ident?¡± ¡°I have something important.¡± Patrick quickly opened the door, got out of the car, and said that hastily. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you need any help?¡± Charles was a little worried. ¡°Patrick, it hurts_.¡± Patrick didn¡¯t answer him and directly hung up. Charles only heard a weak female voice, which was from. Charles¡¯s face turned cold when he heard that voice. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Should we send someone over?¡± Chandler asked him anxiously. Charles said coldly. ¡°The most important thing for Patrick is to be with Cecilia¡­¡± He was somehow indignant at what Patrick had done for Christina Cecilia? Chandler was a little surprised. Patrick was with Cecilia now. Did heetoc City for Cecilia? Although they were all childhood friends, they had never dared to interfere with Patrick¡¯s personal affairs because of his aloof and cruel personality. ¡°What¡¯s Christina doing? Her man will be stolen by another woman¡­¡±Charles cursed and called Christina to inform her Chandler saw his nervous expression and asked with a smile. ¡°You seem to like Christina?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t like Cecilia.¡± Charles shorted, his tone somewhat simr to that of Mr. Hopkins. He ran an entertainmentpany. He knew women well. ¡°Although Patrick doesn¡¯t have many women around him, he doesn¡¯t.¡± Seeing Charles¡¯s exaggerated expression, Chandler retorted. ¡°You know he had been kidnapped¡­ He doesn¡¯t know anything about these affairs.¡± Charles thought of what happened in the past and became worried about his bro. Christina¡¯s cell phone was ringing anxiously¡­ She happened toe out of the bathroom, so she walked to the bed with her phone, and took a look at the strange caller ld. After a moment of hesitation, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Christina.¡± She answered the call. Christina was surprised to hear the voice over the phone. ¡°Oh, okay, okay.. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± At the same time, Charles stared at his phone with a dark face. ¡°This witch¡¯s phone is busy. Who is she talking to?!¡± He grumbled immediately ¡°Charles, if you¡¯re really worried, why don¡¯t you go to the hotel.¡± Chandler asked. Charles was expressionless. ¡°It¡¯s none of my business. She¡¯s not my wife.¡± ¡°And Christina is such a violent girl, we two may be defeated by her karate. That was true. ¡°Watch out!¡± Christina took a taxi and hurried to the milk teashop. As soon as she got out of the taxi, she saw Sophie, the owner of the shop, look panicked. She almost slipped because of a puddle of water. Christina stepped forward quickly and held her. ¡°Sophie, you should be careful,¡± she said lightly. ¡°1. I¡¯m fine.¡± Sophie immediately pushed her away, as if she did not like to be touched by her Christina kept a distance of half a meter from her and lowered her eyes in confusion. She didn¡¯t know if it was her illusion She felt that Sophie was a little cold and distant to her. ¡°By the way, Sophie, you just called and said you needed my help. What¡¯s the matter?¡± She didn¡¯t think too much about it, and she went straight to the point. Sophie¡¯s expression became moreplicated when she heard her Caring words. ¡°Well, a few hooligans came over and was scared, so I asked you toe OVEC¡­ Her voice grew lower, and she finally lowered her head as if she felt guilty Instead of looking at her expression, Christina walked up to her and pulled out a chair for her. ¡°Sophie, sit down first. We can discuss it¡­¡± When Sophie saw her action, she became more and more guilty and ashamed. They sat face to face. They were the only two in the quiet milk tea shop. which was closed today. ¡°You said hooligans ckmailed you?¡± Christina believed her words. ¡°Did you call the police?¡± ¡°Did they hurt you? Did you lose anything? Sophie kept her head down and stammered, ¡°No, it¡¯s OK. They¡¯re all gone.¡± But Christina was indignant. ¡°Those freeloaders must have scolded you, right? There used to be a lot of hooligans.¡± When she talked about the past, Sophie had mixed feelings. In the past, when she just started her shop here, some local ruffians often came to eat and drink without paying because they thought they could bully Sophie, the widow. And they swore and threatened her not to call the police. But after Christina came to her shop as a part-time worker¡­ ¡°¡­And I got you into trouble that time. You were even taken to the police station. Sophie mumbled in shame. On her first day at the store, Christina happened to meet these hooligans. Sophie didn¡¯t dare to drive them out but decided to let them eat and drink for nothing. However, Christina couldn¡¯t bear to sce that She directly grabbed a chair and threw it at them. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s their fault.¡± Christina smiled awkwardly Christina admitted that she was bad tempered. She had been pampered in the Dickens Family since she was a child. She couldn¡¯t bear those hooligans. She couldn¡¯t control herself and grabbedachair to fight with them. ¡°Christina, .¡± Sophie looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and suddenly stood up. ¡°I squeezed some fresh mango juice. I¡¯ll go get you a cup¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Christina saw her walking towards the counter and thanked her softly Sophie knew she liked mango juice, but. Christina nced at the counter casually and felt that Sophie was acting strangely today. She looked furtive¡­ ¡°Christina, i want to ask you Something.¡± Sophie returned to the at her with table and lookedplicated eyes. You were quickly bailed out that time, Who was the person who bailed you When Christina heard her suddenly ask about it, she lowered her eyes and felt a little sad and angry. ¡°It¡¯s my dad,¡± she replied indifferently. She didn¡¯t like to lie. That day, she fought with hooligans and was sent to the police station. But the police chief sent her out politely in person. She guessed that it should be Donald who bailed her out. However, after many days of hesitation, she made a call to the Dickens Family. She had decided to say thanks to her father, but Donald scolded her as soon as the phone got through. He scolded her for humiliating the Dickens Family, which made her feel even sadder. ¡°Is your father really the richest man in our city?¡± Sophie¡¯s surprised voice interrupted her memory. Christina raised her head and nodded reluctantly. ¡°Yes.¡± Sophie¡¯s eyes were full of mixed emotions, and her heart hardened¡­ She tightened her grip on the mango juice in her right hand. Finally, she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Christina, I prepared this for you myself.¡¯ As she spoke, she handed the mango juice to Christina. Christina took a sip and smiled. ¡°It tastes good.¡± But Sophie turned around in panic, her face turning pale ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go first. My husband might be waiting for me at the hotel. He has a bad temper, and he¡¯s probably going to get mad because he¡¯s waiting for me.¡± Christina finished the juice, grabbed her bag, and waved goodbye to Sophie. Sophie stood at the door of the store, watching her gradually disappear.. ¡°Mom, have you done? Just then, Sophie¡¯s phone rang. Sophie¡¯s hand trembled as she held the phone. She had never done anything guilty, but this time¡­ ¡°She finished the drink.¡± Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Save My Child ¡°Wait. Wait¡­¡± Christina suddenly asked the taxi driver to stop, but after a while, she showed an embarrassed expression. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Keep driving.¡± ¡°Miss, you look a little pale.¡± The taxi driver turned to look at her and said with concern. Christina smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She looked out at the left side of the window and she looked a little disappointed. Just as the taxi passed the traffic lights at the intersection, she seemed to see Patrick driving past the taxi she was in. It seemed to be¡­¡­ ¡°Why should I think about him?¡± She lowered her head and muttered. Back in the suite of the W Hotel, she looked at the clock on the wall. It was already eight o¡¯clock in the evening. Christina was a little upset and suddenly remembered something. She immediately ran to the bed, grabbed the hotel phone, and called the receptionist. ¡°Hello, mask if anyone hase to see me while I¡¯m out?¡± As she heard the polite reply from the receptionist on the other end of the phone, her expression became more disappointed. ¡°Oh, okay¡­ Thank you.¡± Patrick didn¡¯te looking for her. Jesus. When she was just at the milk tea shop, she was worried that Patrick woulde over and she would miss her: She was instantly a little stunned. ¡°I am worried that I would miss him? Inexplicably, some throbbing emotions surged into her heart. This made her feel very strange ¡°What the hell is he up to?¡± Christina sat by the bed, turned to look ather suitcase, and hesitated, ¡°Should I wait for him toe back to A City?¡± Finally, she went to the bathroom to Wash her face and decided that if Patrick didn¡¯t contact her tonight, she would book a flight back to A City tomorrow morning alone. ¡°Is he always so busy? He is at work on with others?¡± She knew that Patrick was a busy man. and he had a lot to deal with in IPSG Group. He had to personally approve and sign big projects. She often saw that he stayed upte in the study She was at least his nominal wife. In fact, seeing him so busy she felt distressed to see him being so tired, but she didn¡¯t know how to express her feelings Christinay on her side on the bed, flipping and ying with his phone with her right hand. She hesitated, ¡°Would it bother him to call him now?¡¯ Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her abdomen that caused her to curl up. The phone in her right hand fell to the floor ¡°Ah, it hurts Her face was pale and a little livid. She bit her lip tightly and pressed her abdomen with her hands hard, The sharp paining from her abdomen made her breathe faster. Cold sweat was dripping from her forehead, and her body trembled. She supported herself with both hands and tried to get up from the bed, but she had nostrength Christina gasped. ¡°Why is this. She didn¡¯t understand why it hurt so much as she didn¡¯t eat junk food and everything was normal today. Why.. Her face was pale. She turned to look at the phone that had fallen on the floor.. Patrick¡­ Her heart was filled with fear and helplessness, but she recalled his name in her mind. Her eyes were red. She gritted her teeth, supported herself with her elbows, and crawled closer to the bed. Her right hand was trembling as she tried to grab the phone on the floor. ¡®Yes. To find him. Tocall Patrick! Her breath was disordered and her body had nostrength. Christina flipped over on the bed and fell to the floor. She endured the pain in her back. At this time, her hair was messy. Cold sweats broke out all over her body. She crawled forward, losing her beauty andposure. She finally grabbed the phone. Her trembling fingers swiped across the screen several times before dialing his number¡­ ¡°Pa¡­ Patrick.¡± It was as if she had grasped thest straw, she said his name with her weak and trembling voice intermittently ¡°Patrick¡­ Come to the W Hotel, please, I¡¯m not feeling well Come here¡­ Help.¡± ¡°Where?¡± The callwas put through and a woman answered the call. The woman¡¯s voice was soft, delicate, and sounded ambiguous. ¡°Patrick is with me. We are very busy. He¡¯s staying over tonight. ¡°Christina, he¡¯s not free to talk to you right now. Do you need me to tell him anything? Beep Christina couldn¡¯t say a word. Something was choking in her throat, and she felt really bad.. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes. She crawled on the floor, her right hand clutching the phone tightly. She felt a sense of desperation and humility. ¡°Ah¡± It hurt There was another sharp painine from the abdomen. When she looked down, Christina¡¯s face turned pale and her eyes widened in horror She held her breath, but she could not suppress the frenzy of her heartbeat. She saw a shocking dark red streamed out from under her legs¡­ ¡°My child.¡± She only had one thought in her mind, the child. Her pale lips trembled and she kept mumbling. It was as if she had been too frightened and scared. She had forgotten the pain in her body but she was drowned in greater fear. She grabbed the phone again, and even her breathing became intermittent ¡°Patrick, Patrick.¡± That fear came to her heart and made her totally lose her ¡°Save. Save my child.¡± She cried in despair and shouted at the phone. ¡°Cecilia, give the phone to Patrick. Give it to him. The child! Tell him to send someone Over quickly.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, I want_.¡± She was Original content from N?velDrama.Org. terrified and said incoherently. ¡°I can raise the child myselt¡­ ¡°I won¡¯t disturb your lives. I beg you, Save Mly_¡± She could not help but sob and any out. Her low voice trembled and she begged. ¡°Save, save my child.¡± ¡°The number you dialed is power off.¡± It was this cold mechanical voice that replied to her. It was repeated over and Over again, making her heart fall into the abyss. It was as if she would never Save my¡­ Her eyes were empty as she stared at the dark red patch between her legs. The whole room was filled with the smell of death¡­ Her eyes were blurred by tears when she looked at the screen of the phone. Her fingers trembled as she tried to call 120. But all of a sudden, she stopped. The screen of the phone was on, but the woman next to her closed her quieted down The whole suite instantly Save my child¡­ ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± At this time, in the hospital emergency clinic, the woman was lying on the bed. Her voice was coquettish and she asked the man who was standing near the window of the ward. She felt that he was a little absent- minded. ¡°I have something important to do.¡± Patrick grabbed his phone and nced at it quickly. There was no caller ID but he was inexplicably upset. ¡°Patrick, don¡¯t leave me alone in the hospital. I¡¯m scared.¡± When she saw that he was about to leave, she immediately got up from the bed in panic. She was even unable to take care of the infusion apparatus in her hand, and she just rushed to him. ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Miss Jones, you¡¯re still very weak since you haven¡¯t recovered yet. You have to stay in the hospital for observation tonight. You can¡¯t leave.¡± The nurse sw Cecilia get up from the bed, so she quickly stepped forward to help But Cecilia was very persistent, holding Patrick¡¯s right arm tightly with both her hands. Her voice was low and she pleaded, ¡°Patrick, please don¡¯t go.¡± Patrick turned to look at her with mixed emotions. The nurse quickly persuaded, ¡°It¡¯s also your duty as a boyfriend to apany your girlfriend. Handsome, you should apany her. After all, you are also responsible for this traffic ident.¡± Just two hours ago, when Patrick had just driven away from First High School of C City and answered Charles¡¯s phone call.coincidentally, his car ran into Cecilia¡¯s car at the corner. ¡°How is she doing?¡± He looked up at the doctor who was approaching The young doctor nced at Cecilia, then looked at the stern expression of Patrick and said faintly. ¡°She is fine Her brain is slightly concussed and her right wrist is broken, so she can¡¯t work hand for the time being¡± ¡°My show just started filming How can I rest...¡± Cecilia¡¯s eyes were filled with tears and she looked anxious. ¡°What if the crew thinks | slow down the progress and changes me?¡± ¡°-Comfort your girlfriend¡± The doctor and nurse spoke casually and walked out. Cecilia was asked to lie back on the bed and continue having the intravenous drip.but she looked anxious and pitiful. Patrick stood by the bed with hesitancy on his face, He dialed a familiar number¡­ The repeated ringtone was not answered. He looked at his cell phone, his face showing impatience. He thought that Christina deliberately did not answer his call! ¡°Patrick you are in bad mood. Is there something bothering you?¡± Cecilia, who was on the bed, held his big hand tightly and asked in a weak voice. ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Patrick coldly pressed the button on the screen of the phone and then hung up! ¡°Christina!¡± ¡°Christina, how are you? Wake up! Don¡¯t scare me¡± The locked hotel suite was suddenly banged in, and a strong smell of blood made them hervous. The phone kept ringing on the floor, but the ringtone suddenly stopped. Everyone looked at the woman by the big bed and the shocking dark red bloodstain under herlep. The man rushed over with anxiety and squatted beside her, whispering in her Car over and over again, trying to wake her up. There was no response¡­. Christina¡¯s eyes were closed tightly. Her face was pale. Her skin was cold. And shey prostrate on the floor, not moving at all. ¡°Christina, hang on. Don¡¯t leave me.¡± He felt as if her thin body would leave this world forever in the next second, and she would never wake up again. ¡°Christina, Christina, you have to hold on. Holdon. Do you hear me?¡± His eyes were bloodshot. He fixed his eyes on her face and clutched her wrists. The ambnce arrived very quickly. The man and the medical staff carried Christina onto the stretcher as fast as they could and they followed the ambnce to rush to the hospital The sound of the ambnce¡¯s siren was heard. It always made people feel uneasy in their hearts when they heard Twenty minutester, the car arrived at the emergency clinic, and the hospital staff rushed out in a hurry to help.. ¡°Send her to the operating room immediately.¡± ¡°She requires a blood transfusion.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the patient¡¯s family?¡± ¡®If you weren¡¯t by my side when I needed you the most, then maybe | wouldn¡¯t need you anymore.! Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Chapter 45 She Has Been Waiting for You The night seemed especially long and irritable Standing outside the balcony of the hospital emergency room, looking ati the busy, stony faces of the paramedics outside and listening to the annoying sound of the emergency vehicles beeping he lit his cigarette ¡°Patrick do you worried about something?¡± The woman on the side of the bed asked in a low voice. Patrick didn¡¯t answer her. The cold night wind was blowing towards him. Perhaps because this was the emergency department of the hospital, he could feel the air have a faint smell of blood. Somehow, this made him feeluncasy. He didn¡¯t like smoking very much. He just smoked tonight because he was very upset. He was holding his phone in his left hand, and the screen was still on. showing a familiar number. He had called it nine times, but no one answered Patrick¡¯s left hand tightened. He looked impatient and then sulkily switched his phone off. ¡°¡±The patient has arare RHblood type. There is no such blood type in the hospital.¡± ¡°Get the blood station to transfer the blood quickly!¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use. There are only 200 milliliters at the blood station. The patient is bleeding too much. The blood she needs is much more¡­¡± Outside the ward came ¨¤ nervous shout. This was the emergency department of the hospital. All patients with sudden illnesses appeared here and if the patient did not make it through, then.might die. Patrick was very upset. He had always been indifferent to outsiders. But this time, perhaps the voice outside was too anxious, he turned around and looked out the door. A group of doctors and nurses looked grave and talked quickly about the operation n. ¡°My blood type is the same as hers. Take my blood.¡± A familiar figure hurried past the door of the ward. It seemed that the person was great anxious. Patrick frowned slightly and strode out of the room, trying to see who had just passed by: ¡°Patrick I¡¯m thirsty¡± When Cecilia saw that he was about to leave, she called out to him in a weak voice. He stopped and looked back at her. ¡°Call the nurse.¡± Patrick replied coldly, quickening his Steps to catchup with the figure before Thim. Cecilia heard his cold voice and watched as he strode away. Her face Suddenly became gloomy. Cecilia clenched her right fist and hammered at the bedte. ¡°Patrick, where are you going? You promised to Stay with me tonight.¡± She yelled at him. Unfortunately, no one saw her sickly and frail posture, and the man in front of her had disappeared. ¡°Where is the going? He seems to be in a hurry¡± Cecilia looked out of the ward and suddenly felt uneasy. Patrick walked out quickly. Hest the man at the corner of the corridor ¡°Cory?¡± He stopped and looked suspiciously around the corridor around the hospital. Why did his cousin appear at the emergency department of C City hospital in the middle of the night? Every time he met Cory, he would always remember his three-year marriage with Christina. Cory had been pestering Christina ever since Christina jumped into the river to save him. Patrick looked grim and unpleasant. He took out his phone and was about to turn it back on. He suppressed his agitation and called Christina again, However, the result was the same, no ansver She still doesn¡¯t answer my phone!¡± Patrick¡¯s face darkened, and he pursed his lips and gave a cold scolding He suddenly remembered thest time he was at the club and suddenly got the news that Christina had lost contact with him over at the Fire Club That time he was speeding and driving while calling her 12 times, but she didn¡¯t answer either Patrick looked out the window into the dark night and tightened his phone. ¡°Go to the W Hotel and find out what she¡¯s doing!¡± In the end, he called Charles. His cold voice sounded like he was about to explode. When Charles received his call, he was stunned for a moment before he fualized that the ¡®she¡± Patrick Was referring to was Christina ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Christina? Hearing his tone, Charles realized that he was in a bad mood. The hospital window reflected Patrick¡¯s gloomy profile. He urged in a cold voice, ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°I called Christina earlier and the line was busy. Besides visiting Mrs. Dickens, she seems to have met some people in C City¡­¡± Charles said as he grabbed the car keys. ¡°Tll drive over and take a look novi.¡± Charles thought for a while and couldn¡¯t help but askarefully, ¡°Patrick. where are you now? Aren¡¯t you going to find her at W Hotel?¡± Patrick¡¯s expression wasplicated, Instead of answering Charles, he hung Charles looked at his cell phone being hung up and shrugeged gloomily. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Patrick cared about her, but he didn¡¯t want to go. The time was slowly scratched from 12 am to 12.30 am. Half an hour was not a long time, but Patrick was standing in front of the window in the corridor of the hospital and had lost his patience It took Charles about an hour to get to the W Hotel and the hospital was a little closer to the W Hotel, which was about 20 minutes away. Patrick walked straight to the elevator and his lips curled into a self deprecating smile. He didn¡¯t know what he was struggling with Why should he be angry about something as trivial as her not answering his phone calls? He had always been an indifferent person, but recently he felt more and more out of control of his emotiois. Every time she wis ITvolved, it was out of his control. He wils anery for one reason only, and that was that he cared for her. He put his right hand in his pocket and took the car keys. As he strode towards the elevator, he inadvertently nced at the rowofwards on his left. A familiar figure stopped him. It was Cory If it was just his cousin, he wouldn¡¯t care about it, but.. ¡°What are you doing!¡± Patrick mmed open the door and shouted angrily at the man and woman on the other side of the bed. ¡°Get out of my way.¡± Patrick was like a raging lion like he had been provoked to the bottom line. He strode forward angrily, grabbed Cory¡¯s arm with his right hand, and flung it behind him fiercely. Cory was caught off guard and turned back. Cory happened to hit the hospital carti with tools on it. He fell to the ground in a panic. He grained in palin. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The woman on the bed seemed to have just woken up: Christina shouted at Patrick in 3 hoarse and weak voice, ¡°You should be the one going out Get out. I don¡¯t want to see you now!¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll go out and let you do something shameless in the hospital! Christina how dare you!¡± Patrick red at her. Shameless.. ¡°Get out. Patrick, get out right away.¡± She looked as if she had bech stimted by something. Her face was pale, and her breathing was disordered. She leaned over, her trembling hands grabbing a hot kettle on the counter in front of the hospital bed and mming it fiercely at him. ¡°F*ck off!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you. I don¡¯t need your help. You should apany with your Miss Jones and disappeared before my Cyes!¡± Sheshouted out of control, The hot kettle fell to the floor, and the ss inside was broken, and pieces of ss flew out, leaving a puddle of water in the ward, looking messy Patrick looked at her losing control as if he had only noticed her pale face and her empty, hateful eyes for a moment. Patrick¡¯s pants were half wct from the hot water, but he ignored them. He stepped forward and tried to get closer toler Christina, how are you.¡± Cory got up and immediately dragged himnout, as if afraid of provoking her. ¡°Let go.¡± Patrick¡¯s expression wasplicated. The two men had just walked out of the ward when he flung Cory¡¯s hand away. He just say it Cory bent down and approached her. He kissed her quietly_ ¡°I told you, she¡¯s my wife!¡± Patrick looked at the man in front of him with a wamine re. ¡°You better not provoke my bottom line.¡± ¡°Christina, what¡¯s wrong with her? Why is she in the hospital.¡± His voice was cold and eager. ¡°Ah Before Cory could exin, Christina seemed to be frightened by something in the ward. Her mood was extremely unstable, and she screamed in horror. Cory looked anious and said in a deep voice ¡°Patrick, if you want to make her feel better, you¡¯d better not show up in front of her.¡± As he spoke, he walked in quickly ¡°Christina, it¡¯s okay. This is the hospital. it¡¯s okay.¡± Cory was whispering softly inside. Patrick stood outside the ward, his face frozen. The doctors and nurses rushed in again. They were holding her medical record and therge and small bottles of medicine, looking nervous. ¡°Patrick! Where are you now?¡± Charles¡¯s sudden phone call brought Patrick back to his senses, which sounded urgent. ¡°Something happened to Christina¡± Charles yelled at his phone. ¡°The people in the hotel said that four hours ago, Christina was unconscious in the suite with a pool of blood in the room. She was unconscious at that time, and the details were not very clear. But I heard that she was sent to the nearby Second People¡¯s Hospital¡­ Apool of blood. Patrick stood outside the ward, holding his phone in his left hand. listening to Charles¡¯s report. His deep andplicated eyes fell firmly on the side of the hospital bed. Her pale face showed her weakness, Her thin body wrapped in white sheets, was still trembling as if she had been frightened, and the way she held back her tears made him distressed. Patrick almost subconsciously stepped forward, but on the other end of the phone Charles sighed and said in a low voice. ¡°The housekeeper said that Christina has been waiting for you. She was waiting for him, but he didn¡¯t show up. Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Shut Out ¡°Luckily, she was sent to the hospital in time¡­¡± ¡°The patient is very unstable and cannot be emotionally stimted. We rmend that she stay in the hospital for at least a week. In terms of the bleeding.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Get out. Get out.¡± In the middle of the doctor¡¯s words, the woman on the bed suddenly got up nervously, her face pale and her lips trembling as she shouted at the door. The doctors and nurses in the ward immediately turned their heads, while Cory rushed to the door and lowered his voice. ¡°Don¡¯te over to upset her! Patrick stood at the door of the ward, his cold face asplicated as ever. ¡°Patrick, Christina may be really ufortable. Let¡¯s askter¡­¡± Charles behind him advised. He was most afraid that Patrick would lose his temper on the spot. Who would dare to shout at him so loudly to let him out? Bane The door of the ward was flung up quickly. Just like that. Patrick was shut out But Patrick did not stop Cory. Patrick could not hear the sound inside, but he did not move. Looking at the locked door in front of him, he Suddenly became silent. ¡°Don¡¯t bring this up in front of her in the future.¡± After a long time, Patrick suddenly spoke in a deep voice, turned around and strode towards the elevator Charles was stunned for a moment. Seeing Patrick directly leave, he did note to his senses for a moment. Someone mmed the door upon Patrick¡¯s face. But Patrick just left without making any trouble. Whendid Patrick learn to be tolerant? Christina stayed in the hospital for two days and one night, most of the time in 1 dazc She didn¡¯t speak much didn¡¯t eat anything, and just relied on the nutrient solution. Cory was with her. ¡°Christina, would you like some water?¡± Around 9 pm Cory saw her open her Sves and immediately walked to the Christina fixed her eyes on him for a long time, and her voice was a little hoarse. ¡°No need¡± She slowly refused. By this time her mood had be much more stable. ¡°The doctor said that there was a small amount of drug reaction in your blood. These drugs can stimte the nerves and make people lose control of their emotions. If a prenant woman takes them, it will giuse.¡± *You can go back. She suddenly interrupted him. Cory shed aplicated look. ¡°You may think I did this for some reason, but no! Christina, you called mest night. I didn¡¯t feel right so I rushed over to check. I really didn¡¯t have any other ulterior motive..¡± Perhaps it was because he had done too many things in the past which hurt ter, Cory felt ashamed and uneasy being stared at by her. ¡°Thank you.¡± She lowered her eyes. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him, maybe¡­ I would She slightly grabbed the white sheet and tightened It suppressing her Emotion ¡°You called mest night, and I thought something was wrong so I rushed over to take a look. What he said was really funny. She would never have thought that she Was saved by Cory after identally pressing the wrong key to call him. On the contrary, she was almost begging Patrick for help so humbly. Why washe So heartless¡­ Cory stood by the bed and noticed that her eyes were a little red. Christina was not good at pretending. All her Emotions were written on her face She was disappointed, angry, and sad. For what? ¡°You can go back.¡± she repeated in a Cory hesitated for a moment. ¡°But now.¡± Christina raised her head and forced a smile. ¡°Cory,st time I jumped into the filver to save you, this time you saved me. We¡¯re even. Then cherously wish you and Carrie and your daughter happiness. Happy marriage.¡± Her words made him awkward. He was the one whocheated. He suddenly spoke in aplicated voice, ¡°Christina, It.¡± *There are no ifs in this world. You can Her eyes were clear and her look was much better than during the day. ¡°Cory you may never know me, but you don¡¯t have to worry about me because I¡¯ve been alone ever since i left the Dickens Farnily¡­ Living alone Even if she was alone, she could still be strong Cory pursed his lips and tried to say something, but felt that he was not qualified ¡°By the way, when you go out, help me lock the door. I don¡¯t want to see anyone¡± Christina tugged at the sheet and leaned over. It seemed that she was going to sleep for a while. She didn¡¯t turn around. Later, she heard footsteps, and then the door was locloed. Christina unconsciously stroked her uppe abdomen with her right hand. Her open eyes were unfocused and she looked at the balcony window in a daze. She was in heavy thought¡­ Around 1 am, a sapphire-blue Maserati stopped outside the hospital in a hurry ¡°The drug reaction in Miss Dickens¡¯s blood has disappeared and her mood has stabilized.¡± The dean and several attending doctors were waiting ¡°What about the child?¡± Charles couldn¡¯t help but ask. After hearing the word ¡®child. Patrick squinted his eyes and nced at them. He said in a cold voice. ¡°No matter what happens to the child, tell her everything is fine!¡± The dean and a few doctors suddenly felt pressured. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, there¡¯s no need to worry too much about the child. The child is indeed saved for Charles didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of blood in the hotel suite. There¡¯s no need to hide the fact from us.¡± Everything had happened and they were dealing with it, but Patrick said he wouldn¡¯t let Christina know, which Surprised Charles ¡°We did detect a drug reaction in MSS Dickens¡¯s blood, but we¡¯re not sure what the patient was taking Luckily. it¡¯s not a big dose, and it won¡¯t cause a miscarriage. One of the attending doctors exined quickly. ¡°Then why did she bleed so much?!¡± ¡°Well, we found out that Miss Dickens has a cervical polyp, which ismon chronic cervicitis. Since Miss Dickens is currently pregnant, the situation will be more serious. Her bleeding was caused by the previous drug stimtion, as well ascervical polyps_¡± Patrick heaved a sich of relief when he heard it Not because of the child, but¡­ If the child was gone, then him and her. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s saved for now¡¯? Is Christina seriously ill? Why hasn¡¯t she been tested before?¡± Charles had a lot of girlfriends, and women asionally mentioned pregnancy-rted matters to him. ¡°For cervical polyps, we now choose to treat them with drugs. If Miss Dickens¡¯s inmmation can¡¯t be eliminated, then we¡¯ll consider minimally invasive surgery. The damage to the womb is very small. As long as she takes goodcare of the body, it won¡¯t affect It much¡± As he spoke, the doctor seemed to be afraid that Patrick would blure him and immediately added ¡°Miss Dickens is pregnant with twins. The cervical polyp has only been inmed in recent days, so it¡¯s not. ¡°¡®Twins¡± Charles was not in the mood to hear the consequent jargon, and he looked a little surprised. But when Patrick heard twins: he looked unhappy He ignored the group of doctors and walked straight to the elevator. Charles and the remaining doctor looked at each other. ¡°Mr. Hopkins doesn¡¯t like twins? One of the doctors muttered in a low voice. After all, most fathers would be especially excited to have twins. * Twins?¡± It was early in the morning and the hospital building was rtively quiet. Patrick was alone in the elevator, and he muttered. Inexplicably, he remembered the bloody pictures of women giving birth. Tonight was the same asst night. It was in the small hours in the same hospital building. But at least he was not as irritable as he was yesterday. Patrick walked to the ward. He stood still for a while before he reached out to open the door He thought that she should be asleep. Or maybe she was still on a drip and didn¡¯t know what was going on.. He just wanted to go in while she was asleep but the door was locked! Patrick¡¯s grim face sank and he turned the doorknob with all his might. It was Stuck His face flushed with discouragement. She hated secing him so much! At night, the windows in the ward were not closed. It was early summer and the night wind was a little damp.. The woman on the bed was indeed fast asleep. Suddenly, a figure stood up and walked towards the window, gently closing it He walked to the bed and pulled the quilt for her. Because the room was locked, he had told the doctors and nurses not toe in and disturb her Soat this time, there was only him and her in the room He stood by the bed and stared at her with aplicated gaze. Suddenly, he bent down and caressed her lips with his outstretched fingertips. All of a sudden, he wanted to get close ta her He bent his head and kissed her gently. She seemed to be very sensitive Suddenly she turned her head, and the man next to her seemed to be frightened and guilty. He immediately stood up straight. ¡°Patrick! The next morning at seven o¡¯clock, Charles rushed to the hospital. He thought that Christina¡¯s drug reaction had passed, and she was no longer so irritable, so he came to see her. Unexpectedly, he saw Patrick sitting in achair outside the door. ¡°Hesat here all night?!¡¯ ¡®Didn¡¯t he go in?! Patrick didn¡¯t look very good. When he looked up, the doctor in the hospital began to work early. The nurse nodded at them and went forward and knocked on the door. ¡°Good morning, we¡¯re going in now.¡± The nurse said politely inside. When Charles heard this, he immediately knew that Patrick was locked out by Christina¡­ He felt that Patrick was much more patient than before However, when the door was opened, Patrick slightly opened his eyes, pushed open the doctor and nurse in front of him, and strode in. ¡°You!¡± He red angrily at Cory. They were together all night! In this locked room! Christina had already woken up. She was much better than before, but she still looked at him with a stiffened face. ¡°What do you want to say?¡± She looked at Patrick and sneered, ¡°You want to say that I¡¯m fickle and flirt with men everywhere?¡± Chapter 47 Chapter 47 ¡°Christina, we are just concerned about your condition. You don¡¯t have to be so vignt.¡± Charles found it strange. Christina was straightforward. Although she was not gentle and coquettish like those women, there was no need to be so vignt. ¡°Yes, I am. I don¡¯t deserve your concern Get out.¡± She suppressed her strong emotions in her clear eyes and stared at Patrick at the door with a cold and distant expression ¡°Christina, enough!¡± Patrick looked at her. ¡°Enough?!¡± Christina remembered what happened that night, her eyes red, and she tried to suppress her emotions. She bit her lip andughed at herself ¡°Patrick, Every time there¡¯s an ident, it¡¯s my fault ¡°What are you trying to teach me? Are you going to say thatte so much that my child almost miscarried and I was not qualified to be a mother? Or do you think that Cory and I had done some shady things because he was here with me for the whole night, thus ming me for being a slut? Every time you would only me me.¡± She red at him. ¡°You don¡¯t like me, 50 everything I do is wrong!¡± I called you. I begged you. It was still my fault. ¡°Patrick the worst thing I have done is to trust you.¡± she thought of him immediately that night. It was ridiculous. The pool of blood fromst night came to her mind. She was not afraid of death but worried about her child. She couldn¡¯t let the child miscarry. So she kept begging them on her phone¡­ ¡°Patrick, do youe here today to see ifl was dead or if this eyesore in my abdomen had miscarried? Then let me tell you, I¡¯m sorry, this illegitimate child ¡­ I¡¯m sorry. This illegitimate child is still alive. Her words shocked everyone present. ¡°What are you talking about!¡± Patrick¡¯s cold voice nearly exploded from his teeth ¡°Patrick, it¡¯s you who poisoned Christina!¡± Cory misunderstood. He rushed to Patrick with a dark face and grabbed Patrick¡¯s shoulder excitedly with both hands. ¡°What the f*ck did you do? She won¡¯t threaten you to be with Cecilia, but you even want to kill her.¡± ¡°Let go..¡± Patrick looked impatient, especially when he saw Cory¡¯s concern for her. ¡°I told you. It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Patrick seemed to be extremely angry. He raised his fist and directly hit Cory in the chest. Cory gentle and noble, was no match for him at all. Cory was hit hard and immediately bent down in pain ¡°Patrick, if anything happens to Christina, I won¡¯t let you go!¡± Cory clutched his painful chest, gritted his teeth and warned boldly. ¡°You won¡¯t let me go? Patrick sneered, raising the corners of his lips cruelly. Then he said word by word, disdainful, ¡°You? How dare you fight with me?¡± Just as his voice fell Patrick pushed him against the wall. Patrick strode forward with a sullen expression and grabbed his throat with his right hand. As Patrick tightened his grip. Cory¡¯s face turned pale, his breathing hard, and he struggled, but he couldn¡¯t resist Patrick Charles and the doctors were so scared that they rushed over to persuade them. ¡°Patrick, Patrick, calm ¡°Let him go.¡± There was a sudden panic on the other side of the bed. Christina nervously pulled the needle out of her hand and rushed forward to protect Cory. ¡°Let him go.¡± She repeated coldly, raising her head and looking at Patrick in front of her. ¡°Miss Dickens, you¡­ You can¡¯t get out of bed now¡­¡± The nurse didn¡¯t dare to get close. 50 she stood behind Christina and shivered. For a moment, the atmosphere in the ward was suffocating. She confronted him, her eyes filled with hostility as if she would fight him if he did not let go. Charles felt numb and wanted to say something, but Patrick suddenly let go of Cory, turned around, and left. ¡°How are you?¡± Christiria immediately supported Cory and asked in a low volte Cory didn¡¯t look well and wanted to Say that he was fine, but his throat hurt and he couldn¡¯t make a sound for a while. His body was weak and he was panting heavily The man who had left heard her caring Words vaguely, his right hand clenched, his veins throbbing as if suppressing great anger. Charles was startled. Looking at Patrick¡¯s cold back, he did not dare to follow him. When Charles tried to persuade him, he found that someone had gotten into trouble And to his surprise, it was her. ¡°Patrick, you suddenly leftst night. Where were you? Did something happen? Cecilia, dressed in a patient gown, got out of the elevator walked to Patrick¡¯s side, and held his arm. Her soft voice was full of concern ¡°You were with herst night?¡± Charles¡¯s voice sounded stiff. Last night, Patrick was with her¡­ Looking at Cecilia in front of him, he felt a littleplicated, especially when he saw her face¡­ Patrick¡¯s face was dark and he was impatient to deal with the woman. He jorked back his hand. ¡°Go away!¡± As he spoke, he strode into the elevator and angrily pressed down on the first floor underground with his left hand. Then the elevator door slowly closed. Charles hurriedly walked into the elevator, while Cecilia stood outside the clevator. She pursed her lips tightly and looked at the man in the elevator with tears in her eyes, ¡°Patrick, Patrick. She called out his name in a low voice. She tried to get close to him but did not dareto, looking very pitiful. ¡°Is Cecilia sick too?¡± Charles took pity on her somehow and asked. The elevator door was already closed and was descending. Patrick¡¯s face was cold and he did not answer him. In this narrow elevator the atmosphere was too heavy. and Charles was ufortable. He hesitated for a long time before he said, ¡°I think Christina might have misunderstood something.¡± Just now, she looked at Patrick with obvious hostility, and said something like ¡°the illegitimate child was stili alive¡± ¡°Patrick, although Christina and Cecilia look alike, their personalities.¡± Charles was just trying to put in a good word for Christina But to his surprise, Patrick seemed to have been touched by something. He turned his eyes and scolded coldly. ¡°They look alike?¡± ¡°At least Cecilia is more obedient than her The elevator door opened and Patrick strode out angrily Charles was left alone in the elevator inadaze. Hejust. To be honest. Charles had known Patrick since he was a child, but he had never seen Patrick lose control. Just as the clevator door was about to close again. Charles walked out Bloomily and muttered, ¡°No, no, no How could he do such a childish thing¡­¡± ¡®Did Patrick make Christina jealous of Cecilia on purpose? Just then, a strange thought shed through his mind. * That¡¯s impossible.¡± Charles felt a little unsure of himself Charles struggled in his heart and wanted to ask, but he didn¡¯t dare. He walked to the car and saw Patrick sitting directly in the driver¡¯s seat. Patrick didn¡¯t usually drive much. Just as Charles was confused, Patrick coldly urged him, ¡°Car key.¡± He handed the car key to Patrick, but before he could open the back car door, Patrick turned the car key with a sullen expression and mmed on the elerator. The car sped way. Charles stared nkly at the rear of the car. ¡°Where are you going?¡¯ ¡®Hey, at least tell me!¡¯ Charles stood in the hospital¡¯s underground parking lot feeling extremely embarrassed. He silently took out his cell phone to call another of his friends. ¡°Chandler,e to C City¡¯s Second People¡¯s Hospital.¡± As he spoke, Charles did not forget to remind him, ¡°If you meet Patrick, you¡¯d better be careful.¡± Patrick¡¯s gloomy aura just now was really scary. ¡°Where is he going? Looking for someone? Creak The sound of the brakes was harsh. A Sapphire-blue Maserati Suddenly rushed across the sidewalk, scaring a group of women in front of the car. ¡°Get in the car!¡± Before these socialites could scream in panic, a cold and impatient voice was heard in the car. This voice. When Connie and Carrie heard this. they became even more scared. Patrick rolled down half of the window and looked straight at Carrie with a stern andmanding guze. Carrie suddenly felt weak facing his Strong attitude. Connie pushed her and lowered her voice ¡°Do as he says.¡± ¡°Pa.. Mr. Hopkins, what can I do for you?¡± Carrie had no choice but to get into the back seat tremblingly. With a cold face. Patrick steered the car towards the highway, further and further away and her heart sank. ¡°Who was that man just now?¡± Just as the carlelt, a few socialites with Connie dared to ask in a low voice, ¡°It seems that I have met the man somewhere.¡± ¡°How did Carrie know that man? Did hee all the way here to pick her up?¡± Some women¡¯s voices were filled with envy. Connie, on the other hand, looked in the direction of the car, her lips pursed tightly and her face grim. ¡°What exactly does he want to do?¡± ¡°Mr. Hopkins, what¡¯s the matter? Carrie tried to calm her voice and spoke again Thirty minutester, the car stopped on a deste hillsideoutside C City ¡°What do you think? Patrick tumed sideways, his deep eyes looking right into her eyes, and his voice didn¡¯t show any joy or Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. anger. Somehow, Carrie¡¯s face reddened as hestared at her. Any woman who was stared at by such a man would be unconsciously shy. ¡°Mr. Hopkins. ¡± Carrie spoke nervously ncing out the window. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m going to be like those people, driving a car and bringing a woman here to have sex in the car¡­¡± Patrickughed coldly. He suddenly remembered something, and his eyes were filled with disgust. ¡°Women are so greedy and disgusting.¡± He hated women since he was young He hated them very much¡­ Carrie¡¯s face turned pale when she heard his sarcasm. Halfway up the mountain, it was usually a ce for couples to have sex outdoors. It was liable to cause misunderstanding Carrie looked at him warily and carefully said, ¡°So why do you take me here.¡± ¡°Cory is in the hospital now. You don¡¯t even have the ability to keep your own man. Then why do I have to keep you?¡± Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Wrong Love Patrick looked straight at her, his cold voice trying to suppress his anger. Patrick leaned against the back of his seat with his eyes half-closed. His right hand slightly bent, tapping on the window as if he was bored. ¡°Not only did you lie to my cousin, but you also framed him. He would have never thought of that.¡± Carrie¡¯s face turned pale at the sound of his cold, low voice as if he had told some secret that she could not bring 1. ¡°No, no.¡± Her lips were white and trembling as she denied it. ¡°No, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Carrie became more and more agitated and uneasy. Staying in the car with this man-made her chest tighten. She shook the door in a panic and tried to escape But the door was locked. Patrick seemed to hate it when people were restless in front of him. He Opened his eyes and looked straight into the rearview mirror. ¡°This hospital report shows that you are infertile. May I ask where your daughteres from¡­ He grabbed a stack of documents and threw them at her face, his eyes looking straight at her with disgust and impatience. ¡°Your daughter is indeed a Hampton, but her DNA doesn¡¯t match ¡°Initially, you nned to get Cory involved in awsuit, and then ask your brother-inw to save him and make him grateful to you, so you could marry into a rich family, but Laurie insisted upon him marrying someone else, so You went abroad and waited patiently. waiting for an opportunity to bring his daughter back.¡± ¡°No! No-¡± When Carrie heard him say these words, her heart clenched and she looked terrified. ¡°No.¡± He couldn¡¯t have known. She was momentarily distracted. Even her sister Connie did not know this old case that happened a few years ago. Why was he soclear about it¡­ Did he.. Carrie raised her head in panic, and Patrick¡¯s long. dark eyes were reflected in the rearview mirror, unfathomable and sinister. Carrie¡¯s mind was in a mess, and her eyes were filled with fear and uneasiness. The ringing of her cell phone in her pocket made her slowly recover from the confusion Carrie suddenly realized that she had been driven out of the car by Patrick She looked in the direction of the highway, her neck stiff. The man had already driven away, but her heart was still beating wildly. ¡°Carrie, how are you? Are you okay.¡± As soon as the call was connected, Connie asked anxiously, ¡°Why did Patrick take you away all of a sudden¡­¡± Carrie held the phone and her lips trembled. ¡°He knows everything.¡± She murmured in a low, hoarse voice, ¡°Sis. he knows everything¡± Carrie seemed frightened, raising her voice and shouting at the phone. Her trembling voice was suppressing her panic ¡°What?¡± Connie on the other end of the line quickly stood up from her chair. ¡°Did Patrick really know that we did Christina¡¯s kidnapping? Did he really find out? ¡°If you dare to touch her again. I will send you to prison to enjoy¨C Patrick¡¯s cold and clear voice echoed in Carrie¡¯s ear, which made her shiver. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. If he does find out, then..¡± Connie¡¯s voice indicated her mixed feelings. She was somehow a little relieved. If he really found out, with his power, how could they be safe and sound all this time¡­ ¡°Sis, he really knows.¡± Carrie shouted excitedly, so afraid that her voice was shaky, which broke Connie¡¯s fantasy Connie, who was on the other end of the line, tumed pale and gripped the phone tightly. ¡°Then what does he want? [What exactly do you want to do? ] Carrie asked him the same question. [ ¡­ I won¡¯t keep anything of no value. ] He told her word by word. Carrie looked at the deste hillside in a daze, and her heart was filled with This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. fear. She felt as if she had provoked a cruel and heartless devil. He had so many of her secrets in his hands that she didn¡¯t even have a chance to fight back. She could only obey. ¡°He just wants you to pester Cory_¡± On the phone, Connie¡¯s voice came faintly, confused and surprised. Patrick wanted Carrie to pester Cory ¡°Cory.go back.¡± Christina looked at him withplicated expression and urged. a In the morning. Cory was punched in the chest by Patrick. Fortunately, it was convenient to bandage him in the hospital, but Christina saw the bruise on his chest. Cory was a handsome, fair, and decent gentleman. It seemed that the bruise would not heal until half a monthter. and it was because of her that Cory had an argument with Patrick. Christina was in a bit of a dilemma. ¡°Don¡¯t provoke him. He has a bad temper. Christina was furious at the thought of Patrick. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Cory lowered his head and nced at the wound on his body. He suddenly felt that Patrick was better than him in many aspects, including family background, career status, and thisbat skill. ¡°He¡¯s been practicing Thai boxing andbat since he was young. You don¡¯t have topare yourself with him.¡± Cory raised his head and chuckled at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you tofort me.¡± Patrick had many cousins, but he had been a bit nobler than them since he was young After all, he was the only eldest grandson in the Hopkins Family There was always a difference between them even though they were all grandsons. His cousins could not outdo him in any aspect. ¡°In fact, in the past, you were the best in my heart¡­ Christina sat beside him. rarely speaking in acalm tone. Cory stared at her in surprise. Christina shrugged at him casually ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of it? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.¡± At that time, that was probably the case. ¡°Now..¡± He looked at her with piercing eyes and spoke nervously. ¡°Cory, go back. Your wife and child are waiting for you,¡± she urged again, emphasizing. ¡°We¡¯re both married. We can¡¯t go back to the past.¡± She and he had missed the chance to be together. However, Cory looked confused and uneasy. Every time he heard others mention Carrie and his daughter, he was always frustrated, feeling that they were scheming against him. ¡°But Christina, I think ¡± Cory suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. ¡°Your phone is ringing¡± Christina shook him oft. Cory¡®s cell phone rang over and over again as if there was an emergency. ¡°Cory, where are you now? Our daughter fell down when she was ying in the amusement park. She was crying for you. Come back quickly.¡± It was Carrie. Her voice was so loud and anxious that even Christina could hear it. Holding the phone, Cory looked at Christina and whispered, ¡°Okay.¡± Then he hung up. ¡°Your child is hurt. You should go back quickly.¡± Christina¡¯s tone was t. nearly emotionless. Cory looked at her intently. There was no sign of embarrassment or anger on Christina¡¯s face His ex-wife was able to speak in such a calm tone about his daughter. At that moment, Cory was a little nervous. It was as if she really didn¡¯t care about him at all. ¡°Christina, I really only knew about my daughter when Carrie came back.¡± Cory hesitated and tried to exin, but it was already the fact. ¡°No matter what you and the child did a DNA test. She is indeed your daughter. Treat them well.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t care?¡± Cory stood up and wore a self-mocking smile. ¡°Christina, you can actually talk about your ex-husband¡¯s child in such a calm tone after just around a month. You are really generous.¡± This also surprised Christina herself. She had thought that she would hate him and his daughter When Cory saw her confused face, he felt an inexplicable bitterness in his heart. That she didn¡¯t hate him might mean that she hadn¡¯t loved him that much, or that her love for him was reced by some other feelings He suddenly turned around. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Cory!¡± Christina suddenly shouted at him. He stopped in his tracks, his heart bubbled with joy. He was just about to turn around when Christina said in a serious voice, ¡°Cory. there¡¯s something I have to tell you. Whether you believe it or not..¡± ¡°That day, Carrie and I were at a cocktail party held by the Hopkins Family. Everyone said that I pushed your daughter down and caused the ss shards to pierce her hands.¡± She paused and her tone became more Serious. ¡°It was not me!¡± ¡°Cory, it was Carrie who beat your daughter that day.¡± Cory heard this and retorted subconsciously. ¡°Carrie is the child¡¯s mother, that¡¯s.¡± Impossible. But Christina¡¯s face was solemn, and there was no need for her to lie. Besides, she never liked to sow discord. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else. I just want to say that you¡¯d better watch your child yourself..¡± Christina¡¯s face was calm. At that moment. Cory seemed to have thought of something and immediately Stepped forward. ¡°Although Carrie is not an upright person, she is only a weak woman after all. Even if she has any ns, if no one secretly helps her, she will not be able to stir upany big trouble. But Patrick is different... Cory¡¯s expression grew more serious. ¡°Patrick always pays attention to results only. Thepanies and subordinates who work with him know that he is ruthless. He is very dangerous. You have to be careful with him, or the consequences will be unimaginable just like the bleeding this time.¡± Christina was stunned when he mentioned Patrick She lowered her eyes and hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°He didn¡¯t Cause the bleeding.¡± ¡°You still believe him!¡± Cory got excited, and jealousy was building up in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you almost..¡± Died that night. Although the doctor said it was caused by cervical polyps and a small amount of drug stimtion, if no one found her bleeding and unconscious that night, she might never wake up ¡°I won¡¯t believe him anymore, but this time it really has nothing to do with him.¡± Christina said softly and suddenly fell silent. ¡°Christina, you must be wary of him¡­ Corystrode towards her. ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re really free.¡± At this moment, Patrick suddenly appeared at the door. ¡°Carrie wants to see you for an emergency. Why aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± There was a sense of cold warning at the end of his words. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Cold War The phone rang over and over again, which seemed to be noisy in this quiet Ward. Cory looked at his phone with aplicated expression. He knew that Carrie had called to ask him back¡­ But at this moment, he didn¡¯t want to leave ¡°Cousin, didn¡¯t youe to C City just for your wedding? Remember to send me the invitation. My wife and I will be there on time.¡± Patrick looked at him and said in a cold voice. Cory¡¯s face darkened at his words. ¡°Cory you should go back¡± Christina was afraid that they would fight again like this morning. In terms of fighting. Patrick could definitely cripple Cory if he got serious. ¡°What about you?¡± Cory asked with concern. ¡°What do you think I will do to her?¡± Patrick was displeased at the way they cared about each other. Then he sheered contemptuously. *People from the Dickens Family are in the parking lot. They¡¯lle upter and I wonder if you want them to see you two here.¡± Cory¡¯s face turned worried when he heard the Dickens Family people woulde. He looked at Christina and said quickly Christina, take care of yourself. Call me if you need anything.¡± He didn¡¯t stay here anymore. Their rtionship was veryplicated. If there was any misunderstanding it would directly affect their reputation. When Christina saw him leave, she did not care. With a gloomy face, she turned to walk straight to the hospital bed in a bad mood. While Patrick stared at Cory¡¯s back with deep eyes, his right hand slightly clenched as if he was angry at something ¡°Call me if you need anything. It echoed in Patrick¡¯s mind. was especially What he said unpleasant to hear! ¡®Why didn¡¯t she call me if she needed anything? Why she had to look for Cory¡­ He thought People from the Dickens Family came to see Christina, but they found that Patrick¡¯s face was gloomy, as if someone had pissed him off. ¡°Christina, you should take care of yourself. You mustn¡¯t eat something you can¡¯t next time. Fortunately, the baby is safe¡± Mrs. Dickens had recovered from high blood pressure, and now she was lecturing Christina loudly. The old woman turned her head, her wrinkled old face with a fawning smile. ¡°Mr. Hopkins. Christina has been pampered by us since she was young. She is a little bit childish and not sensible sometimes. Please forgive her. She will definitely change.¡± Christina was judged as a worthless person. Shey on her side in the hospital bed, facing them with her back, not even bothering to look at them. Donald was forced toe over by Mrs. Dickens. He just nced at Christina on the bed. It seemed that he was indifferent to whether she was seriously ill or not. On the contrary, Donald¡¯s eyes asionally fell on Patrick with deep thought. ¡°Christina, you must take care of yourself I made you a boiled donkey hide gtin medicinal soup. I heard it¡¯s especially effective for stopping bleeding. You should eat some now.¡± As the daughter-inw of the Dickens Family, Connie came with Donald. With a concerned smile on her face. she put a ceramic pot on the table. When Mrs. Dickens saw Christina lying on the bed, ignoring them, she was immediately displeased. ¡°How could you forget the most basic manners! If it weren¡¯t for Patrick¡¯s presence, she would have scolded her, suppressing her anger. ¡°Get up quickly and eat the soup that your mother cooked. It¡¯s important to care for the baby!¡± Christina¡¯s face was dark and she was lying on her side on the bed, as if she didn¡¯t hear her grandma, refusing to move. She would never eat the food that. Connie made! ¡°She needs rest¡± Patrick, who had been silent for a long time, looked at them and suddenly spoke coldly. Obviously, it was an order to leave. When the Dickens Family heard him, they didn¡¯t linger much. After fake Care, they left Family toe over to disgust me?¡± Christina looked at him with a cold face ¡°How¡¯s your Miss Jones doing? Don¡¯t you need to be with her? What do you want to do here? Just shoot it!¡± Hertone was cold and distant. Patrick was standing by the bed, but she was lying t. His gaze was condescending and Christina could clearly see the corner of his lips slightly pursed in an attempt to speak, but she waited for a few minutes, but the man remained silent. ¡°Cory and I were locked in the wardst night, but we didn¡¯t do anything.¡± She thought that he hade here only to warn her and teach her a lesson. It seemed reasonable for men to cheat on their wives and keep mistresses, and for women, it was dissolute to get close to other men, How ridiculous. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. At this moment, she did not hide her anger and looked at him with an angry face. Patrick looked at her but did not speak. Christina felt that he didn¡¯t believe her. and she grew angrier. ¡®Why should I exin! What he did with Cecilia. She shouted in her heart. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She covered her head with the white sheet in the end. Thinking of Cecilia, she tightened her grip on the sheet. ¡°Name your price and abort the child¡± ¡°If Patrick wants a child. I¡¯ll have one with him.¡± ¡°Even if you give birth to this bastard, i will abuse him.¡± That day in the dining room, Cecilia shouted arrogantly. She wanted to refute, but those words were stuck in her throat. There was a faint sadness in Christina¡¯s eyes as her right hand subconsciously stroked her abdomen. After giving birth to the child, I must leave,¡¯ she said to herself in her heart. ¡°Mr. Hopkins should not let his great grandson be bullied.¡¯ Thinking of the old man, Christina felt relieved as if she had found her hope. She lifted the quilt over her head and was anxious to find her cell phone. Now she wanted to call him. But as soon as Christina lifted the sheet. ¡°Don¡¯t move¡± There was a muffled voice above her head. She was all tensed up and looked sideways at the man beside the bed. He hadn¡¯t left yet! ¡°The doctor said you have to stay in the hospital for a week,¡± Patrick¡¯s voice sounded a little strange as if he had deliberately calmed down his voice, ¡°You can¡¯t get out of bed.¡± Christina withdrew her hand and stopped looking for her phone. Shey back on her bed obediently. Patrick looked at her for a long time and struggled. She was not that obedient before! Inexplicably, he remembered what Charles had said. Woman was such a Creature. If you didn¡¯t exin it to her clearly, she would imagine things. All of a sudden, Patrick¡¯s expression was a littleplicated. In the end, he said a few words with difficulty and awkwardness, ¡°Im not the one who drugged you to make you bleed.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The woman on the bed replied coldly as if she didn¡¯t want to hear his voice Patrick was surprised and a little happy to hear her saying that. ¡°I didn¡¯t go to the hotel to see you that night because.¡± Christina thought of the phone call and her face turned pale. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in you two. Please shut up!¡± She interrupted him with a cold face, grabbed the sheet, and wrapped herself up. Patrick then fell silent. Not long after she heard the sound of his footsteps, and his clear and cold voice telling the nurse, ¡°Take care of her.¡± The door of the ward was shut. Christina heaved a long sigh as if his existence would bring a sense of oppression. After this time, she became more and more aware of the gap between her and him. And the thought that she had hidden in her heart that she should not have. were all cut off by her. The disease of cervical polyps was not too serious, but pregnant women with this inmmation must be carefully treated. Christina was very cooperative to take medicine. After two days of treatment, she has obviously been better. The doctor said that there was no need for surgery. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll go back after the hospital allows me in a few days.¡± At around seven o¡¯clock in the evening, Mr. Hopkins called her. Christina was a little nervous at first, thinking that the old man would scold her. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t Mr. Hopkins seemed to have known that her physical condition had stabilized, but he was in a good mood and asked if she was really pregnant with twins. Christina rarely smiled at the mention of twins. ¡°Before, the embryo was too tiny to notice, but now it¡¯s confirmed to ?xe twins. And the hospital confirmed that they are boys through the sex test: offetal amniotic fluid.¡± It was not that Christina valued boys over girls, but that she grew up in the Dickens Family and knew that in the rich families, daughters were used as tools through marriage, and sons were the heirs that they focused on and cherished. If they were boys, then at least the people of Hopkins Family would value her children, even if she couldn¡¯t be with them in the future.. Her eyes darkened at the thought. On the other side of the phone, Mr. Hopkins was very excited. Christina could hear him shouting at the butler through the phone. ¡°Christina is pregnant with twins. We can have two grandchildren in Hopkins Family by the end of the year. Hahaha.¡± Christina was infected by Mr. Hopkins¡¯s joyful voice and a smile appeared on her lips. ¡°Miss Dickens, what makes you smile so happily?¡± The nurse came in with the dinner. ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner.¡± ¡°Eat more. Don¡¯t grandchildren.¡± Starve my Mr. Hopkins vaguely heard that she was about to eat dinner. After thinking for a while, he added, ¡°Where¡¯s Patrick? What do you want to eat? Let that bastard buy for you.¡± Christina was in a good mood. When she heard the name Patrick, her face turned gloomy ¡°I see,¡± she replied sullenly and hung Christina grabbed her chopsticks and was about to eat, but when she opened the lunch box, she saw eggs fried shrimp, fried pork liver, and spinach. They were all good for her body, but all on her cklist. 1..Formy children Imust do my best to get rid of the habit of being picky about food She picked up a piece of pork liver and stuffed it into her mouth angrily. She chewed it expressionless and really wanted to spit it out. The nurse was surprised to see that Christina was in pain as she was taking poison, and she only ate prawns of the fried prawns with eggs. purposely picking the cess off with chopsticks. ¡°Miss Dickens, is there a problem with these dishes?¡± The nurse asked. Christina blushed. L¡± She was embarrassed. ¡°She¡¯s picky and doesn¡¯t eat eggs.¡± Outside the room, a deep and clear voice came Christina¡¯s face darkened as she looked at the door. Why is he here again?¡¯ Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Tell You a Story And. She looked at him withplicated expressions on her face. Patrick had arge lunch box in his right hand and a book in his left hand. ¡®What is he going to do?¡¯ ¡°Eat these..¡± Patrick opened the lunch box he had brought and ced it directly in front of her. It sounded like he was ordering her. ¡°No.¡± Christina pulled a long face and she didn¡¯t know what she was sulking about. She carried the food made in the hospital, picked up the eggs and pig liver that she hated, and stuffed them directly into her mouth. At this time, they were in the small side-hall of the ward, where there was a set of simple wooden chairs and a ss tea table. Dinner brought by Patrick was ced on the tea table, emitting a strong fragrance. ¡°Miss Dickens, didn¡¯t you just say that you dislike the food in our hospital? This Chicken Soup is suitable for you. It¡¯s not greasy and it doesn¡¯t taste like Traditional Chinese Medicine, and it¡¯s made by the chef of a five-star hotel¡­¡± The nurse tried to persuade Christina. Christina smelled the strong aroma and found that it was exactly the soup she liked. She did not know what this man was thinking. But she knew he was never such a kind man. What if it was poisonous?¡¯ She was a little childish and got in a rage with herself. ¡°No, I love these.¡± With a sullen face, she took arge piece of egg into her mouth,chewed it, and pretended that it was delicious. Patrick remained silent. Instead, he sat in the chair opposite her and looked at her thoughtfully. Christina disliked him in her heart even more. He looked at her and made her unable to go back on her word. After dinner, she went back into bed and became an obedient patient. She looked expressionless at the boring TV series. From time to time, she secretly nced at the small side hall. The man hadn¡¯t left yet! The atmosphere in this ward was very weird¡­ He was in the same space as her, but they were not talking. She was watching TV absent-mindedly, and he was reading Christina opened her eyes slightly. ¡®He¡¯s reading a fairy tale book! Just then, Patrick also looked up at her, and their eyes met. She immediatelyy back on the bed with her back to him While Patrick approached her with the Grimm¡¯s Fairy Tales¡­ He stood by the bedside. His beautiful brows on his handsome face slightly drew closer. It was as if he was struggling with something. ¡°Do you want to hear a story?¡± He said in a deep voice thought Christina hallucinating she was She didn¡¯t believe what she heard until the man sat on the chair beside the bed and read the story of Snow White word by word. This romantic love fairy tale waspletely inconsistent with the cold and stern temperament of Mr. Hopkins. But Christina could tell that he was very attentive and, of course, awkward. ¡°Why are you reading this? I don¡¯t like this story.¡± She still turned her back to him and muttered to herself, but it was undeniable that a strange fecling welled up in her heart. When he read that Snow White had taken a bite of the poisoned apple, Patrick¡¯s deep eyes lit up slightly. He seemed to be surprised. Such a surprising expression was clean and pure but it was unlikely to appear on his cold face. But now, Patrick was a little stunned. ¡°So it really works.¡± He murmured, his heart throbbing with excitement. The woman in the hospital bed fell asleep. Patrick lowered her eyes and took a deep look at the Grimm Fairy Tale in his hand. When he met a couple in the lobby of the hospital, the patient woman acted coquettishly and asked her boyfriend to tell her a story to coax her to sleep. At that time, he thought it was an extremely childish and unscientific method. But somehow, he bought this Grimm Fairy Tale. Suddenly, he heard a chuckle from the door. When Patrick looked up, he had already returned to that cold and indifferent man. The nurse at the door was immediately shocked. She quickly packed her things and walked out. The doctors and nurses here all knew that this ward was upied by the Young Master and Young Madam of the Hopkins Family, but this Mr. Hopkins did not seem to be as sinister and terrifying as the rumor hadit. His surprised look just now was inexplicably cute Unfortunately, Miss Dickens fell asleep and didn¡¯t see it. Christina was sleeping soundly. She dreamed of the scene that Patrick read in the story of Snow White. Connie, the old witch, took a poisonous apple and let her eat it. She snatched the poisoned apple and crushed it into pieces with one hand, ¡°F*CK YOU!¡± She kicked Connie in anger. Suddenly, the dream changed. She stood on a beautiful stone bridge, and a man slowly approached her on a white horse. ¡°Prince Charming?¡± She fell in love with that man, and she looked forward to seeing the man who was approaching However, when she saw the man¡¯s cold face, Christina panicked and screamed as if she saw a ghost, ¡°I don¡¯t want ice!¡± She screamed and opened her eyes, only to find that she was dreaming The morning light shone in, and the clock on the wall showed that it was 7:00 am. She was alone in the ward and it was quiet. Christinay on the bed and took a few deep breaths, her heart still beating a little erratically. ¡°Give me back my gentle Prince Charming!¡± She was a little angry inexplicably. Why did she dream of Patrick? In her opinion, if Patrick was riding a horse, he should have a machete. This would make his cold and sinister temperament more like that of the god of death. She got up and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Since the doctor had to make the rounds of the wards at 8:00, she stayed in bed obediently after washing up. As soon as she sat back on the bed, the door to the ward was opened. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Christina subconsciously looked up at the clock on the wall. It was only 7:30. The doctor should not be at work yet. The door was open with a click, and Christina froze. ¡®It is him. What is he doing here again? When Patrick was looking at her, his face suddenly darkened. Then, with a cold face, he walked quickly towards her. Christina was a little frightened by his imposing manner. ¡°Hey, what are you doing.¡± As soon as he came over, he bent over and leaned closer to her. His hands were still moving around her chest. Christina nervously pushed him away. ¡®Is sex the only thing he thought in the morning? Patrick saw that she was on guard and repelled him, he was a little angry. ¡°Button up, Charles and Chandler areing overter.¡± When Christina heard him say this, she lowered her head and noticed that the cor of her gown was wide open. His long fingers were indeed just buttoning her clothes. He didn¡¯t do anything else. ¡°I¡¯m a woman. It shouldn¡¯t matter if ! see it.¡± The nurse brought in some injection bottles and chuckled. Christina and the nurse looked at each other and Christina¡¯s face turned red. She pushed the man in front of her away, feeling both embarrassed and angry, ¡°Okay, the top button doesn¡¯t need to be buttoned!¡± Patrick insisted, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Seeing that Christina was embarrassed, the nurse quickly helped her to have an intravenous drip and walked out ¡°If only I had a boyfriend like that.¡± ¡°Keep your voice down. Stop dreaming. That¡¯s Patrick Hopkins. The nurses in the hospital had been very excited these days. Christina could vaguely hear them talking about Patrick ¡°He didn¡¯t seem to have eaten all day yesterday. He had brought dinner for two, but the woman refused to eat.. ¡°It is none of my business! ¡°However, Patrick did bring dinner for twost night. Was he nning to have dinner with me here? Christina looked over to the balcony of the ward. Patrick was making a phone call. It seemed that the and waste his time. ¡°Christina, why are you staring at Patrick covetously? As soon as Charles came in, heughed and teased her. Christina was speechless and she didn¡¯t show any respect to him. ¡°What are you doing here? I don¡¯t want to see you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to look in on you. Why are you still so irritable?¡± Charles was shameless and sat down on the chair beside the bed, clearly trying to anger her. ¡°Miss Dickens, we are here to ask you something.¡± Chandler was dressed in a ck suit with silver-rimmed sses. He spoke politely ¡°Chandler, you don¡¯t have to be so polite with her. Christina likes Simpleness and roughness. She prefers to get straight to the point.¡± Charles had light brown hair, and a shiny blue diamond stud appeared on his left ear. These fit him very much as he was such a swanking man. Christina looked at them and suddenly remembered the difference between her and them. Her long eyshes were hanging down, covering the humbleness in her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Charles noticed that she didn¡¯t seem to be happy. He turned around and grabbed a book by the bed in surprise. He immediately teased, ¡°Christina, look at the Grimm Fairy Tale. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so childlike as you are already so old.¡± Christina immediately red at him.¡¯It was bought by Patrick!¡± ¡°Put the book down.¡± Patrick hung up and walked over from the balcony When Charles Saw Patrick, he immediately behaved himself and put the book back honestly. Chandler stood by and looked at them. He couldn¡¯t help butugh. They all knew that no matter how arrogant Charles was, he could only admit defeat in front of Patrick. ¡°Miss Dickens, who did you talk to on the phone the night of your ident? Chandler asked questions seriously. ¡°No one special¡± she said casually. Charles immediately ¡°No one?¡± disagreed. ¡°Christina, I happened to call you that night. Your phone was always busy. Besides visiting your grandmother in C City, did you see anyone else?¡± Christina looked at their scrutinizing Cyes and felt that they were interrogating her. She lowered her eyes and felt a little ufortable in her heart. ¡°We just want to tell you that you may have been used by some people.¡± Chandler was thoughtful and could tell at a nce how overcautious she was. Christina raised her head and found Patrick standing beside her. His eyes were deep and burning. It was as if he was waiting for her to continue Speaking But¡­ Christina was hesitant and she had her own scruples. ¡°I didn¡¯t meet anyone.¡± She finally said this in a low voice. Patrick¡¯s eyes narrowed, while Charles and Chandler looked at each other in speechless despair. They knew that Christina was hiding something. In fact, before they came over, they had already investigated and found that Christina received a call from a stranger at 6:00 that night. Not long after, she went out of the hotel, called a taxi, and went out. Christina was indeed a beauty, and she had an outstanding appearance. The driver quickly recalled her and told them where he had sent her. And even if she didn¡¯t say anything. they could easily find out who she saw that night by checking the newsletter, but it was a little strange that she didn¡¯t Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Please ¡°That year, I was chased out by thendlord. My luggage was thrown onto the road like garbage. You wouldn¡¯t understand how humiliated and helpless I was.¡± Christina sat beside the hospital bed and talked about her past in a low voice. ¡°My aunt and I just left the Dickens Family. We were short of money, so we found a low-rent house. I was in my senior year, and my aunt cooked at home to save money. It was my birthday, and she wanted to make me fried tempura, but,¡± ¡°¡­ The house was on fire.¡± ¡°By the time got back from school, the fire in the kitchen had been extinguished. Thendlord immediately chased us out without a word and said she wanted 20.000 dors forpensation. At that time, we couldn¡¯t afford that. 800 dors was all we had.¡± Christina fixed her eyes on them. She didn¡¯t expect Patrick and the other young men to understand the helplessness and lowliness of being Her aunt¡¯s right arm was burned but she covered it with long sleeves without wanting her to know. Without the money to pay the Without the money to see a doctor, she could only bear the pain. ¡°That night, we huddled around the corner like vagrants. We were hopeless. At that time, a kind- hearted man gave us a hot meal, offered us a temporary stay at her house, and lent us money to go to the hospital. Christina paused, and she stretched out her right hand to tug at Patrick¡¯s hem. ¡°It was an ident.¡± She said in a low voice with an imploring tone. She could guess that there was something wrong with the mango juice that Sophie gave her the other day, and Patrick would definitely find it out. However, she didn¡¯t want to reveal the truth Someone once treated her well, and she would remember it for the rest of her life. Christina was a little worried. After all, Patrick was not an ordinary person. If she wanted to deal with Sophie, she might never turn around. ¡°Why are you still be kind to the person who hurt you?¡± Patrick stood by the bedside, looking down at her profile with sharp eyes. Suddenly, he spoke coldly with mild anger She was saved once by Cory, who had treated her the way he had treated her. She was able to calm down and talk andugh with him. ¡°My heart is too small to remember something unhappy to displease ITTY Self She raised her head and looked Straight at him with clear eyes. Patrick pursed his lips tightly and looked into her cyes, but he suddenly became silent Charles and Chandler did not speak again. They were surprised to hear what happened to Christina. They looked at each other and their gazes fellon Patrick This matter depended on how Patrick dealt with it. ¡°Patrick, can you please just let her go once?¡± She tugged at the hem of his clothes and pleaded maluw voice It was the first time she had begged him in such a soft voice. But she did it for an outsider! Patrick stared at her and was furious. But instead of shaking her hand away. he took a step forward, bent down, and put his lips close to her ear. His Wanim breath sprayed on her sensitive rock, and Christina tenedup instantly. He murmured, ¡°Christina, if one day I do something bad to you will you forgive me like this.¡± Christina was stunned and didn¡¯t react. His words echoed in in her cars. What did he mean by that? When she looked up. Patrick and his friends had walked out of the ward. leaving her sitting on the bed, looking at their departing figures in confusion¡­ She heard vaguely Chandler¡¯s question ¡°Cecilia is also in this hospital. Should we go and see her?¡± ¡°. She was discharged.¡± Christina watched the nurse close the door, and their conversations werepletely inaudible. She lovered her head and looked at her abdornen Actually, there was one more thing that Christina didn¡¯t say. ¡°Sophie is Cecilia¡¯s biological mother¡­¡¯ She thought, perhaps Patrick did not know about this. Inexplicably sheughed at herself. Perhaps she did not need to worry about Sophie at all. Even if Patrick did not listen to her, Cecilia would personally speak for her mother. In the corridor of the hospital, Patrick¡¯s cellphone suddenly rang, It was some urgent business at A City head office. His face was cold and he gave orders as usual. Chandler and Charles walked side by side with him. liver that she hated, and stuffed them directly into her mouth. At this time, they were in the small side-hall of the ward, where there was a set of simple wooden chairs and a ss tea table. Dinner brought by Patrick was ced on the tea table. emitting a strong fragrance. ¡°Miss Dickens, didn¡¯t you just say that you dislike the food in our hospital? This Chicken Soup is suitable for you. It¡¯s not greasy and it doesn¡¯t taste like Traditional Chinese Medicine, and it¡¯s made by the chef of a five-star hotel.¡± The nurse tried to persuade Christina Christina smelled the strong aroma and found that it was exactly the soup she liked. questions. After they got out of the elevator, they went on their own businesses ¡°You¡¯re not even capable of doing one thing I asked!¡± In a milk tea shop opposite the north gate of First High School of C City. A mother and daughter sat opposite cach other, and the young woman shouted angrily, ¡°I told you to add the whole package of medicine to her drink_.¡± ¡°Maria¡­ Sophie kept her head down? and called the young woman across from her with a look of embarrassment ¡°Shut up!¡± Cecilia seemed pissed off, She pped the table and stood up from her chair. ¡°How many times have I told you not to call me that name? Are you suffering from senile dementia or are you helping that Christina to kill me?¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Sophie was nervous and stoodup. ¡°Cecilia, you asked me to drug Christina, but..¡± But her conscience was troubled. ¡°You still have the nerve to speak up for her. I am your daughter!¡± Cecilia red at her with a straight face. She heard that Christina was bleeding profusely in the hotel that night and was in aa. Cecilia thought she would lose her baby. But things didn¡¯t go as she wished. Cecilia yelled at her mother in anger. ¡°Mom, we are dependent on each other. I have suffered so much since ! left home for so many years, and you¡¯ve been on my mind constantly But you, you always help This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. those outsiders. Do you know that bitch Christina stole my man? Patrick was supposed to be your son-inw.¡± Sophie realized that since she became a famous movie star, she was getting arrogant. Looking at her well-dressed daughter, she was extremely humble. ¡°Cecilia, I know. I¡¯m useless. I can¡¯t provide you with a good living environment, but.¡± She looked at her daughter and cautiously tried to persuade her, ¡°Cecilia, you told me before that you were pregnant and Christina wanted to kill your baby, but she is not that kind of person. If her husband really doesn¡¯t love her, she won¡¯t pester him.¡± ¡°You really know Christina!¡± Cecilia lost her patience and yelled at her. Then, with a dark face, she quickly took out a bag of suspicious powder from her new LV bag and patted it on the table. She raised her chin and ordered proudly. ¡°That brainless Christina hasn¡¯t found you yet. Go to the hospital tomorrow and bring her a cup of soup. Remember to add all the medicine this time!¡± ¡°No, this is murder.¡± When Sophie saw the bag of medicine again, she felt uneasy. ¡°Even if they do find out, it¡¯s fine. Patrick will protect you for me.¡± Cecilia¡¯s voice sounded confident andcent. As if she was tired ofmunicating with her mother, she grabbed her bag, turned around, and walked out With an anxious look, Sophie ran out, trying to catchup with her¡­ ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± A young man in a suit and leather shoes walked up to her and bumped into Sophie. ¡°Our shop is closed today.¡± Sophie said apologetically to the man in front of her. Her eyes had been fixed on Cecilia, and she wanted to catch up with her and persuade her. ¡°Madam I¡¯m here to order 10,000 cups of milk tea.¡± The man did not leave, but stepped forward, stopped in front of her with a bright smile. Sophie froze when she heard ¡°Ten thousand cups of milk tea.¡± She turned around in panic. ¡°You¡­ ¡°Madam, you don¡¯t remember me? Six years ago, I came to visit your milk tea shop very often.¡± The man was polite, but his tone was not so friendly. ¡°I also came here today to order 10,000 cups of milk tea, but this time it¡¯s a little different¡­¡± With a faint smile, he handed over a handwritten letter. ¡°This time, these milk teas must be made before sunset today.¡± **This, this is impossible.¡± How could she make it in only half a day? The man shoved the letter into Sophie¡¯s hand and reminded her in a cold voice, ¡°There are things that must be done, even if they are impossible to be done.¡± Sophie grasped the high-quality paper and unfolded it, trembling. There was a faint smell of ink. It was written in a very expensive pen. These words were vigorous and powerful. and even Sophie, who did not know much about calligraphy, could tell that the handwriting contained a sense of anger and warning. [ If there is a next time, your daughter will be ruined ] Sophie¡¯s heart was filled with anxiety as she read the words. Especially when she saw Patrick¡¯s name was signed on the right side of the paper, her face instantly turned pale. ¡°He knows everything.¡± Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Chapter 52 His Kiss ¡°¡­ She can be discharged from the hospital.¡± Christina had been in People¡¯s Hospital of C City for a week, causing the medical staff here to be very careful. They finally made sure she was safe and sound to be discharged. ¡°Miss Dickens¡¯s inmmation of the cervical polyp was diagnosed in time. After taking the medicine these days, she has been better significantly. There is no need for surgery during pregnancy. If there is a recurrence or aggravation after delivery. then a minimally invasive surgery would be Chough.¡± Christina was indeed a lot more energetic now, but she was a little worried, ¡°Does the medication these days affect my baby?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Although she had heard it many times, it was medicine after all. She was still worried, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will affect my sons¡¯ IQ..¡± The attending doctor was stunned and couldn¡¯t help chuckling. Christina looked embarrassed, but after thinking about it, she muttered, ¡°If my sons inherit their father, then there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± When Patrick entered the doctor¡¯s office, he heard her say ¡°their father¡±. He found it especially pleasing to his ¡°Mr. Hopkins.¡± The attending doctors stood up nervously. Ignoring them, he walked up to Christina and put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go back home.¡± He lowered his head and whispered in her ear. Christina¡¯s face reddened slightly and it was awkward to be held by him, but since there were so many people here, she didn¡¯t push him away. With a soft ¡°oh¡± sound, they walked out of the doctor¡¯s office together. ¡°Do we go back today?¡± As soon as they reached the elevator door, Christina saw someone that she didn¡¯t want to see the most people from the Dickens Family ¡°Christina, when you go back, you must take care of yourself. The babies in your belly are our two families¡¯ grandsons. You must keep them safe.¡± Mrs. Dickens taught her a lesson in an imposing manner as an elder. Christina nced at them and nodded. She didn¡¯t know why the Dickens Family knew that she was discharged today. Maybe Patrick had informed them, but no matter what, their rtionship was distant so that she didn¡¯t bother to pretend to be nice and just wanted to leave. She tugged at Patrick¡¯s arm, trying to tell him that she wanted to leave. Patrick was the first to say, ¡°Excuse us.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Mrs. Dickens nced at Christina unhappily, then turned to look at Patrick and put on a fawning smile. ¡°We are family. There are some things.¡± When Christina heard this ttering tone, she felt so annoyed. She strode to get into the elevator. But Patrick dragged her as if he was suddenly interested in listening to the Dickens Family ¡°Tell me what you want.¡± He looked at the Dickens Family people and said coldly. Just likest time. Mrs. Dickens, Donald, and Connie all came over. Suddenly. Christina remembered something. Ever since Cory was called back by Carrie that day, he had nevere to the hospital again. She felt strange since she knew him well. ¡°Patrick, you know that our Dickens Family mainly are engaged in metal mines business, but recently we want to try to develop in the service industry. Hopkins Family has always been the giant of high-end hotels and media, so we think..¡± Mrs. Dickens said slowly ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll take care of ourpany.¡± When Donald heard Mrs. Dickens talking about business, he immediately interrupted. Mrs. Dickens immediately red at him, signaling him not to interrupt. Connie took Donald¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°Donald, mom is doing this for the good of thepany. The metal mines business has been in a downturn in recent years, and we could make easy and fast money in the service industry.¡± But Donald¡¯s face was gloomy as if he didn¡¯t like working with Hopkins Family ¡°When we get back, I¡¯ll send someone to follow up.¡± Patrick looked at Donald Suspiciously and agreed immediately When Mrs. Dickens heard him say this, she immediately smiled and her voice became more ttering, ¡°Patrick which flight are you going to take? We have a lot of connections here in C City. Do you want us to arrange...¡± Instead of looking at them. Patrick turned sideways and reached out tob the messy hair on the woman¡¯s forehead. He lowered his head and his thin lips kissed her gently between her eyebrows. The kiss was so natural. Say goodbye to your grandma. We gotta go.¡± He said in a low voice. His low voice was cold as usual, but it was clearly deliberately toned down, adding a touch of gentleness. Christina couldn¡¯t think at all, but her face turned red first. Finally, Patrick took a look at these people, and with a cold face, he led Christina straight into the elevator and left. The Dickens Family people felt really ¡°Patrick seems to be nice to Christina.¡± Mrs. Dickens watched the elevator door slowly close, mumbling in an ambiguous manner. Patrick¡¯s action was clearly a warning¡­ Christina followed him down to the hospital¡¯s underground parking lot, her cheeks still burning Why did this man kiss her for no reason? She felt embarrassed. She got in the back seat and immediately turned to look out the window, not wanting to meet his eyes. Patrick nced at the woman beside him and found out that she seemed to be unhappy Patrick had already known a little bit about how to deal with women. The more he asked her about what was wrong, the more agitated Christina became, so he let her go and ignorer her Leaning against the back. Patrick remembered something else. The car drove smoothly towards the airport. There was some traffic jam in downtown C City. Christina would asionally look at the man beside him, out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be thinking about something serious ¡®What is it?¡± But she didn¡¯t care much. After all, a man like Patrick had too many things to think about And just now, he actually agreed to help the Dickens Family, which surprised her. Patrick was not the kind of capitalist who would help the family for no reason unless he had another purpose. Just as she was imagining things, the car had stopped steadily. As soon as they got out of the car, Christina saw Charles and Chandler walking towards them. ¡°The ne has arrived.¡± Charles motioned to Patrick. They checked in quickly and boarded a private jet. ¡°Christina, your babies are indeed priceless. This ne is especially sent over by Mr. Hopkins¡­¡±Charles smiled a little wilily Christina ignored him, but the high end configuration of the ne really fed her sight, exquisite machinery, a huge LED disy, a sofa made in Italy, and equipped with satellite signal mode, which meant that they could use the Inte on the ne. ¡°Most airlines consider the cost performance, the instation and maintenance costs, and the pressure that if the price of tickets is high, so the satellite Inte model is not universal. Here you can. The stewardess smiled and introduced, and then handed her the controller. The ne gradually rose and flew steadily at a certain height. Patrick and the other men went to the first floor of the cabin as if they were talking about business, while Christina was on the second floor, idly ying the remote control. On the huge LED screen, there was hot news. ¡°Cecilia Christina¡¯s face darkened slightly. She wanted to switch the channel, but she hesitated. ¡°Miss Jones, I heard you were injured, and the fans are worried about you, and whether the progress of this year¡¯s hit show will be affected¡­ The woman on the screen was beautiful and attractive. Cecilia was still wearing the costumes of female students from the Republic of China (1912-1949). Her face was young and beautiful. She looked like she was not feeling well, her face a little pale, and a habitual smile was on her face when she faced the camera. ¡°I hurt my wrist in a car identst week, and I identally triggered the old wound in this shoot. Thank you for your concern. I will recover soon. I will do my best to get this film done. I hope I won¡¯t disappoint him.¡± Cecilia¡¯s soft voice was firm, and there was obvious persistent affection in her eyes. Christina¡¯s eyes turned pale and immediately switched the channel with the remote control. ¡°I know how to use this. You can go to do your work¡± The stewardess was standing right beside her, which made her really awkward. ¡°I¡¯m working now,¡± the stewardess maintained her standard smile. ¡°Mr. Hopkins just ordered me to stay with you in case you will be afraid when encountering turbulence.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Christina was stunned for a moment. her cheeks reddened and she muttered, ¡°How could I be afraid?¡± Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Misunderstanding Perhaps because she was too tired recently, Christina who had nned to take a nap on the ne fell into a deep sleep. She was even carried off the ne to the Hopkins House without waking up. When she woke up, it was eight o¡¯clock the next morning Christina was used to looking at the man beside her every morning she opened her eyes. She looked a little awkward and surprised that he hadn¡¯t gotten up yet. She was lying on the same bed as him, covered with the same quilt and holding the same marriage license, but she was not happy at all when she looked at his face that was handsome enough to captivate any woman. AmThis wife?¡± Christina wasn¡¯t sure either, but she thought through something since thest time she bled in the hotel. She didn¡¯t deserve such a powerful. handsome man. Carefully removing Patrick¡¯s arm from her waist, she moved away from him and wanted to get out of bed quickly. ¡°Morning.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The man next to her suddenly opened his eyes, put his arm around her waist. and pulled her back. ¡°Morning..¡± Christina was pulled back into his arms, the tip of her nose hitting his chest as she nervously pushed him away. Patrick looked down at her reddish profile he was rejecting him. Ever since the massive hemorrhage at the hotel in C City, she had be much more obedient but she had be increasingly distant. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I need to get up.¡± Christina exined herself casually. She was hungry, which meant the child in her belly was hungry, and the Hopkins Family always prioritized everything concerned with the child. Patrick didn¡¯t stop her, so Christina immediately got out of bed and went Straight into the bathroom, mming the bathroom door shut. Patrick didn¡¯t like to sleepte. He woke up a long time ago, but since he had juste back, he didn¡¯t want to go to work for the time being. He thought it would be good to just lie in bed with her. He sat up and frowned as he looked at the closed bathroom door. After washing up, the two of them had a simple breakfast and went to the Main Residence of the Hopkins Family. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Not Your Daughter When a woman was in love, she always worried that her boyfriend might not love her anyinore. In fact, if a woman wanted a man to fall in love with her, she must first learn to love herself When a woman was attractive enough to others, she would be wooed by men. It was so hard for women to find true love. Thus, women should not fall in love with anyone too easily. Whoever fell in love first was destined to pay more and be the loser¡­ Christina was not the sort of woman who was sentimental. However, she did not know if she had been living sofortably in Hopkins Family recently that she suddenly remembered the principles of love that Betty had taught her in the past. ¡°Grandpa, I want to go to the sanatorium in the North of the City to Visit my aunt.¡± After having breakfast with Mr. Hopkins in the morning, Christina said. Mr. Hopkins did not object. He nced at Patrick and said in a low voice, ¡°The 50th-anniversary celebration for IPSG Group is almost done. If you are free, go with her¡­¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t bother him.¡± Christina refused subconsciously. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Patrick looked straight at her. Christina felt ill at ease. She lowered her head and exined, ¡°Charles promised to go with me. He¡¯s been idling around all day and he is freer.¡± Christina would rather ask Charles to go with her than let Patrick go with her¡­ Around 8 a.m. in the morning, Charles drove over to pick her up reluctantly. ¡°Keep an eye on her!¡± Patrick said coldly, looking terrible. Charles sat in the driver¡¯s seat and held the steering wheel. Patrick¡¯s words made him scared. When he looked up in the rearview mirror, he saw the woman gesturing for him to drive quickly. ¡°Christina, Patrick is free at home today. Why do you ask me to drive you to the sanatoriumn?¡± When they left. Charles raised his voice and shouted at the woman in the back seat. Christina knew she was sorry for him. so she didn¡¯t say anything. After thinking about it. Charles felt something was wrong. ¡°Christina, has Patrick not officially met your aunt yet?¡± He asked as he drove. ¡°Yes.¡± She told him honestly Charles braked suddenly, and the car almost hit themppost opposite. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± Christina was startled. Charles was furious and turned to look at her, ¡°Christina, do you have anymon sense? Do you have any idea what it means to take a man to meet your rtives for the first time?¡± I¡¯m done! No wonder Patrick just looked at me with a murderous look! ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? Why are you so agitated?¡± Christina felt guilty when he looked at her. She turned to look out of the window and muttered, ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends? You just pretend. ¡°I¡¯m not your friend.¡± Charles was so angry, ¡°What do you want me to pretend to be? How dare you ask me to take Patrick¡¯s ce and pretend to be your husband? I want to live a few more years!¡± Charles felt that he had fallen into the trap of Christina. No way, he must immediately send her back to Hopkins Family When Christina saw that Charles was going to drive back to the Hopkins Family, she immediately became anxious, ¡°Hey, Charles, please help me. I really can¡¯t think of a good way.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t told my aunt about my divorce with Cory, and I married into the Hopkins Family because I was identally pregnant How can I tell her about these? My aunt has a heart attack¡­¡± Christina said in a low voice, grabbing Charles¡¯s arm with her right hand. She showed a rare expression of frustration ¡°Charles, just help me this time. I¡¯ll tell my aunt about my divorce, but don¡¯t mention my marriage to the Hopkins Family and my pregnancy.¡± ¡°Are you going to hide your marriage to your aunt?¡± Charles looked up and down at her with aplicated expression, ¡°Christina, she¡¯ll find out sooner or ¡°Gy then, I would have left,¡± she Imured, Charles couldn¡¯t hear her, ¡°What? Christina did not repeat it. There was a somber look in her clear eyes. Charles had known her for a while and knew that this woman was stubborn and she rarely asked for help. Besides, he was a soft-hearted man¡­ ¡°Christina, look, you should tell your aunt that we are just friends. Don¡¯t ever say that we¡¯re in a dubious rtionship, or I¡¯W expose you right away! We¡¯re just friends, remember, friends! Christina smiled brightly at him and patted him on the shoulder with her right hand ¡°I got you, Charles, I never know that you are such a kind yboy.¡± ¡°Dimin it, I only help you for the sake of Patrick.¡± Charles shorted. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°We should at least buy some fruit when we go visit our elders.¡± Charles was a little nervous for no reason There were some fruit shops across the street. Charles pulled over and got out of the car. Christina was still in the back seat watching as Charles walked into a fruit store to buy afruit basket ¡°No wonder he¡¯s so popr with women. He¡¯s very considerate. She thought But all of a sudden, Christina sat up straight, narrowed her eyes, and looked across the street.. It was them. Cecilia and Carrie? Carrie wears such a strange look on her face.¡± Christina got out of the car quickly ¡°Cecilia, don¡¯t talk nonsense. That¡¯s not the case!¡± The two women walked to a quieter of an alley, Carrie¡¯s face was overcast with sadness, and she was warning Cecilia angrily with her shrill voice. ¡°You and my sister are in the same circle. If you offend me, I will make your life miserable!¡± Cecilia sneered, ¡°Your sister? Do you think I¡¯m afraid of her?¡± ¡°Cecilia, I know you¡¯ve been treated coldly by Patrick recently, and now everyone in the circle knows what happened to you. Why do you still pretend? I¡¯m the Young Madam of the Hampton Family, and my sister is the daughter-inw of the Dickens Family. Do you really want to go against both of us?!¡± Carrie looked at her and said in a mocking tone. Cecilia¡¯s expression changed slightly when she heard Patrick¡¯s name. She bristled with anger and gritted her teeth, ¡°Patrick and I are just bickering It¡¯s none of your business!¡± ¡°Carrie, I know you want to be the Young Madam of the Hampton Family. However, I¡¯m afraid you will lose your identity before you can consolidate your position in the Hampton Family¡­. ¡°Shut up!¡± Carrie reacted violently. She and Cory had already got a marriage license and everything went well with the wedding, but¡­ Since thest time Patrick personally talked to her, she felt a strong sense of ¡°You feel guilty, right?¡± Cecilia¡¯s lips curled in contempt. ¡°Carrie, we are the same kind of people You don¡¯t have to pretend in front of me.¡± Carrie was enraged, ¡°Cecilia, if you talk nonsense again, don¡¯t me me for being rude!¡± Cecilia quickly took out a document from her bag and threw it directly at Carrie¡¯s face. ¡°Carrie, you didn¡¯t give birth to your daughter!¡± That girl isn¡¯t Carrie¡¯s biological daughter?! At this moment, Christina was shocked. She hid behind themppost and eavesdropped. She didn¡¯t expect to hear these. Carrie picked up the birth certificate, staring at it. ¡°How is it? You can¡¯t deny it.¡± When Cecilia saw Carrie¡¯s expression change, sheughed arrogantly, ¡°I had met you before, in America, right?¡± ¡°You hired Amanda as a surrogate mother to give birth to your daughter. The sperm is Cory¡¯s. The Hampton Family will never expect that although the daughter you brought back was a child of the Hampton Family, you are not her biological mother.¡± ¡°Shut up! Cecilia, shut the f*ck up!¡± Cecilia raised a big smile, ¡°Carrie, in fact, I sympathize with you for not being able to give birth to a baby. If you want to keep a man, you have to find a surrogate mother. Do you think when you take Cory¡¯s daughter back, you can enjoy being the Young Madam of the Hampton Family? Coincidentally. Amanda also had worked for me. ¡°What do you want?¡± Carrie tore up the birth certificate in her hand and stared at Cecilia. ¡°Carrie, we can be allies¡± Cecilia looked at her and calmed down, ¡°You should know that we have amon enemy.¡± Carrie¡¯s eyes darkened when she heard this. You mean Christina?¡± ¡°Christina keeps a dubious rtionship with Cory. Don¡¯t you think she¡¯s an eyesore.¡± ¡°Carrie, here¡¯s a chance and I¡¯ve got a perfect n in my mind. I will im to have received an anonymous threat letter. You help me make a bloodletter and spread rumors that it¡¯s Patrick who implicates me. In this way, he will definitely feel sorry for me and I¡¯ll take the opportunity.¡± Carrie suddenly sneered, ¡°Cecilia, the only reason why you¡¯ve been investigating so many of my secrets is that you want me to team up with yoli against Christina¡­ Is it because Patrick has been treating you coldlytely?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t help you!¡± To Cecilia¡¯s surprise, she refused. ¡°Even if you tell others about my surrogacy. I won¡¯t help you¡­ Cecilia, look, the reason why I got married to Cory is that Patrick wanted me to do so. Do you dare go against Patrick?¡± ¡®What?¡¯ Cecilia was shocked and confused at her words. ¡°Christina¡± Carrie murmured the name with a gloomy look. She stepped forward and whispered in an eerie voice in Cecilia¡¯s ear. ¡°¡­ I advise you not to touch her.¡± ¡°Christina!¡± The two women had been gone for a long time, but Christina was still standing behind themppost, confused. What Carrie just said¡­ ¡®Patrick already knew that the little girl was not Carrie¡¯s biological daughter?¡¯ .. Why didn¡¯t he say it?¡¯ No matter what, Cory was his cousin. Not only did he not say this, he secretly helped Carrie marry into the Hampton Family. Moreover, Christina hated the two Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Chapter 55 I Want the Truth Looking at the man in front of her. Christina frowned. It was not strange to meet Cory here. Just now, Carrie was trying on her wedding dress at a big wedding shop nearby, but¡­ ¡°Christina, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡± Cory¡¯s voice was calm but filled with joy. Looking at him, Christina did not answer immediately. She looked at the little girl on his left. She hesitated for a moment¡­ ¡°Are you avable to go to the coffee shop opposite me?¡± As she spoke, Christina pointed to an open cafe behind her. Cory was surprised and chuckled. ¡°I thought you were very careful about our rtionship..¡± Too many things happened between them. She jumped into the river to save him while he gave her a blood transfusion and sent her to the hospital to save her. They were once husband and wife, However, he betrayed their marriage. And this little girl in front of her¡­ ¡°Cory. I have something important to tell you.¡± Christina looked serious. ¡°What is it?¡± Cory called for a bodyguard to pick up his daughter. He and Christina went to the open-air cafe across the street to sit down. Christina looked at him but hesitated to talk The conversation between Cecilia and Carrie just now should be true, ording to their expressions. Patrick had been hiding the thing that he helped Carrie to suppress me. ¡°Christina, are you in trouble?¡± Looking at herplexion, Cory asked with concern Christina¡¯s mind was in a mess. She was fed up with the frame from the two sisters. She hated being tricked. ¡®Would Patrick harm me? Would Cory hurt me? ¡®I just want the truth. Christina said solemnly. ¡°Cory, go check on your daughter and Carrie¡¯s.¡± DNA identification. Before she could finish speaking, her eyes widened slightly and she fixed her eyes on a big tree on the left side of the road. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Realizing something was wrong. Cory stared at her. Christina was silent for a moment and smiled at him inexplicably. ¡°Try this cake. It tastes good.¡± As she spoke, she pushed a small te of cake to him. Cory looked down at the te, feeling surprised and confused. Without asking the reason, he picked up his fork and took a small bite. ¡°Cory, why are you eating like a child.¡± Christina leaned closer to him with a smile and wiped his lips with a tissue. Cory waspletely dumbfounded. What¡¯s more, when he met her bright. Smiling eyes, he suddenly blushed. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the park behind the restaurant.¡±Christina whispered in his ear. Cory was a little stunned. Before he reacted, Christina pulled him away. They walked together to the park bchind the restaurant, ¡°Christina, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Cory spoke nervously and looked down at her as she took the initiative to hold her arm tightly. Her body was So close to him. It was the first time they were so close. ¡°Stop him!¡± But the next second, Christina called out in a cold voice Cory returned to his senses and looked at a sneaky man in a gray cap, who was at the corner of the alley. Christina pushed him violently and he immediately ran over. Seeing that he was found, the man in the front immediately ran away. ¡°Catch him!¡± Christina saw that the man was about to run away and hurriedly surrounded him from another direction. She did not care so much and immediately threw the bag in her hand at the man in front of her. Christina was so anxious that she took off her shoes and aimed at the back of the man¡¯s head, ¡°Ouch-¡± At this moment, Cory swoop on and suppressed the man Picking up the two shoes that she had thrown, Christina walked up to the man with no ernbarrassment on her face. She grabbed her shoes and pped him hard on the head again. ¡°It was a great photoshoot, wasn¡¯t it?¡± She looked down at him. ¡°Hand over the camera!¡± The man was pressed by Cory and weakly wanted to refute, ¡°I was just passing by, you can¡¯t. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been pregnant, you would have been crippled by now!¡± Christina red at him and shouted, ¡°Take out the camera immediately.¡± As she spoke, Christina gestured to Cory and said directly, ¡°Strip him of his clothes.¡± The young ma was in a terrible state. He looked at Christina with fear in his eyes and exined obediently, ¡°I just didn¡¯t dare to hurt you.¡± Cory did find a camera from this strange man. They took a look at the photos taken by the digital camera. They were all intimate snaps of them. ¡°Who send you to follow me? Christina looked at him intently. She had no impression of this strange man, but it seemned that he had been following her for a while, ¡°You¡¯re areporter?¡± Cory guessed. The young man was silent and lowered his head. He didn¡¯t seem to want to answer ¡°Cory, call someone you can trust to help,¡± Christina said suddenly in a cold voice. She lowered her eyes and looked Straight at the man who was pinned down on the floor. ¡°Lock him up in a remote warehouse, and let him stay away from food and drink for days and nights.. ¡°You!¡± The strange man¡¯s eyes shed with shock and his voice was worried. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Even Cory was a little embarrassed, ¡°Christina, are we really going to kidnap him? Although he was not a phnthropist, he had never done such a terrible thing before Blending down, she stared at the man on the ground with burning eyes, y indeed am going to kicinap you!¡± she said with a mboyant and arrogant tone She sounded like she was raising her voice on purpose, and she warned, ¡°Y will kidnap you. Abuse you! What can you do? Do you dare to call the police? Wil Patrick put me in jail for a staff? ording to Patrick¡¯s style, he never raised useless people. He will only feel that you are ipetent!¡± Cory was shocked when he heard what she said N?velDrama.Org content rights. The man on the ground, however, was a fie confused Hearing Patrick¡¯s me, he seemed to be frightened and quickly begged for mercy ¡°Young Madurn, , ¡®m sorry. Please let me go Christina didn¡¯t know what she was angry about She kicked an empty bottle at her feet which few far away. Damn it! So it is really hin!¡± Christina sat alone on a stone chair in the park her face was full of anger and disappointment She had thought that Patrick would protect her for the sake of her child¡­ It looked like I was wrong! Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Want to Hear Your Voice ¡°Christina A dark blue Bentley pulled over in a hurry. Charles Deeked out of the window and looked at the woman sitting in the stone chair with aplicated look. Heshouted angrily. ¡°Christina, you said you went to visit your aunt in North of the City, but it was just an excuse for your dating Cory?!¡± ¡°What?¡± Having heard Charles¡¯s voice, Christina immediately raised her head and came back to her senses. *I¡¯ve seen how intimate Cory and you were * Charles did not look at hier anpinore nd his voice became cold. ¡°Get in the car. Your date is over. I have to take you back¡± ¡°Christina, don¡¯t do anything you Shouldn¡¯t. Charles¡¯s face was suflen Seeing her get into the car, he started the car quickly and reminded her in a meaningful tone. ¡°Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to bear the Consequences! If Christina hadn¡¯t totally cut off from her rtionship with Cory Charles could tell that Patrick would not let her Boeven though she was pregnant with his child. Patrick would make her Christina sat quietly in the back of the G listering to his warning silently At this moment, Cory, who was outside the car, saw that Christina sitting in Charles¡¯s car and leaving He subconsciously wanted to chase after her but he stopped Cory was a little upset, and he didn¡¯t understand his emotions. Christina was this cousin-inw now. He shouldn¡¯t have coveted her but.. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°She said she had something important just now. Whatonearthis? After sending Christina back, Charles drove away without saving goodbye as if he was dissatisfied with her The butler was surprised to see Christinaing back so soon. He wanted to ask why, but he decided not to bother her since she didn¡¯t look She was really not in the mood to visit Betty. She wanted to go straight back to her bedroom, but when looking up at the exquisite and thick door at the end of the corridor on the second floor, Patrick is not at home now, so. Patrick spent most of his time in this study after he came horneChristina had never entered the study before. but she thought that if this man had any secrets, they must be ridden there Chwistina carne to the study. She looked around to make sure there was no one else She secretly twisted the doorknob and immediately slipped in. The study was spacious, simple, and dark-colored, with a lounge and bathroom Sometimes Patrick slept here. There were five rows of bookshelves on the left with books and documents on ther, a coffee table by the French window, abined sofa, and threeputer screens on the wall. It was Christina¡¯s first time to enter here. # was said that a man¡¯s study room represented his personality and ability. The books here were written in at least eightnguages. And his concise notes showed his bravery and cautiousness. She quickly rurnaged the bookshelf for some useful information, such as Some about Carrie, or Cory¡­ Christina¡¯s Eyes suddenly lit wo. She didn¡¯t expect that she could really find something In the bottom rowofthe nith shelf, ia yellowed document bag there were many documents about Carrie and Cory And these were all old documents from a few years ago¡­ Most of them were from six years ago. She carefully took out one of the documents about Cory and gently opened it ¡°Malicious usations, Semenevidence, rape cases.¡± Christina became more nervous and She anxiously took out the entire document to read it carefully, ¡°What is this¡± She mumbled. Reading the content, she couldn¡¯t help tensing ¡°You forgot to close the door!¡± At this moment, suddenly a maid¡¯s scolding voice came from outside. Apart from Clearwng regrly every day. Young Master does not allow arryone to enter the study. There is not reach time left Hurry up ande in tocheck and tidy up. When Christina heard the sound of the door opening and the approaching footsteps, her heart skipped a beat. She immediately put the document back in its originar position, looked around, lowered her body, and quickly tiptoed to therge curtain behind the bookshelf to hide. The maids were deaning in the lounge and the bathroom. Although Christina could not see their faces behind the curtains, she could feel the atmosphere. The maids did not dare to Say much. Their movements were Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Fall in Love with Him In the past week, every time Christina passed by the study, she would stare at the thick door. She wanted to go in. The old documents in the study made her curious. But she never had a chance. It was said that Patrick was very busy on the fiftieth anniversary of the group. These days, she saw Charles and the rest of them oftene over. They discussed the study veryte before leaving I am not invited to the opening ceremony...! They had just finished breakfast when Patrick¡¯s phone began to ring again. Someone was reporting from the other end of the phone. Patrick¡¯s look went gloomy. He said in a cold voice. You can¡¯t even handle such a small matter? Idiot Christina heard the anger in his voice and looked up at him secretly. There seemed to be some trouble at thepany, but Patrick was generally casual about work, so he rarely got angry aboutpany-rted matters. ¡°Did those old men¡­¡± Even Mr. Hopkins, who was sitting in the middle of the sofa, looked up at him. With slight anger on his face, Patrick didn¡¯t answer the old man¡®s question and hung up the phone. ¡°Alter all, they have been in thepany for 30 years. Don¡¯t go too far.¡± Mr. Hopkins warned. Patrick was in charge of the group. As a retired old man, Mr. Hopkins would not interfere too much. Mr. Hopkins suddenly turned to look at Christina beside him. ¡°Christina, have you learned ballroom dancing? Tonight is the IP&G Group¡¯s fiftieth anniversary party. The first dance requires yourpany.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not going Patrick suddenly spoke coldly. Christina was stunned for a moment, looking bad. And she lowered her head without refuting. The IPSG Group¡¯s fiftieth-anniversary party would be grand, and the first dance at the party should be performed by Patrick and his partner. It was obvious that Patrick¡¯s partner was not her. His partner should be Cecilia. Christina sat with the old man for a while and then went back to her bedroom She didn¡¯t pay any attention to Cecilia. Recently, Cecilia posted a wedding photo from three years ago on her Twitter, which quickly became a hot topic. The grim-faced man in the photo seemed to be the eldest grandson of the Hopkins Family as well as the president of the IP&G Group, The media did not dare to report on Patrick. When Cecilia took the initiative to post the photo, the wealthy family. ¡°No wonder she hates me so much.¡± Christina sat on the bed and swiped her phone, theny down and stared at the ceiling If she had not been pregnant by ident with Patrick¡¯s child, Patrick ¨C would have married Cecilia. Christina subconsciously stroked her abdomen with her right hand. She was already three months pregnant. Although she was pregnant with twins, it didn¡¯t look obvious as she was thin. But her palm could feel the life in her stomach ¡°He married me because I was pregnant.¡± The marriage will end soon. Thinking of Patrick, she felt a little reluctant to leave. Christina was startled and she quickly got up, forcing herself not to think about him. At this moment, the phone beside the bed rang Christina looked at the number disyed on the screen. It was a call from the sanatorium where her aunt Betty stayed. She immediately pressed the answer button. Before she could speak, the nurse quickly said, ¡°Miss Dickens, your aunt Suddenly fainted yesterday. ¡°How is my aunt now? Why did she faint?¡± Christina immediately became anxious. Betty had been living in that sanatorium for two years, and the doctors and nurses in the hospital were familiar with them. ¡°Miss Dickens, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Ms. Eisenhower is fine now.¡± ¡°You should have told me yesterday Christina didn¡¯t mean to me the nurse. She was just worried, ¡°Ms. Eisenhower insisted that we don¡¯t contact you yesterday¡± the nurse hesitated. As she spoke, the nurse sighed and told her honestly, ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the situation. Ms. Eisenhower¡¯s getting better recently. Yesterday, she was watching TV alone. Suddenly, she cursed loudly after watching a piece of entertainment news. Then she fainted.¡± ¡°What kind of news?¡± Christina looked confused. ¡°I already know about your divorce with Cory! Betty snatched the nurse¡¯s phone. Her voice was unusually angry. ¡°Christina, why did you keep it from me about your divorce? f I hadn¡¯t seen the wedding report on Cory and that slut on the TV you would have kept it from me for the rest of your life!¡± Christina was surprised and guilty when she heard Betty¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Auntie, I didn¡¯t mean it. I just¡­¡± She exined nervously. Betty was gentle and rarely spoke in such a cold voice. ¡°Christina, you know why I¡¯m angry. I¡¯m angry that you didn¡¯t tell me anything. I¡¯m angry that my heart is too weak, bring you trouble.¡± Betty sounded excited, and she held the phone tightly in her right hand. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about my illness, but you have to tell me the truth. Why did Cory divorce you? Why did he marry Carrie? Did the two sisters make trouble for you? My sister has been forced to die by them.¡± Christina thought of her mother who hadmitted suicide, and she was getting more depressed. ¡°Auntie, I divorced three months ago. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± she said in a low voice after a moment of silence. ¡°I don¡¯t like Cory anymore. It doesn¡¯t matter to me whom he marries.¡± 9STina, I know you haven¡¯t been happy marrying into the Hampton Family in the past few years. I can tell even if you don¡¯t tell me.¡± Betty¡¯s voice was faint and sad. You left the Dickens Family with me to suffer. I can¡¯t help you with anything Now I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve wronged yourself for my illness.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Christina retorted almost subconsciously ¡°Tina, don¡¯t fall in love with people you shouldn¡¯t love. You¡¯ll be in pain. Living a normal life is a blessing.¡± Betty did not ask about the divorce. Betty repressed her memories. She knew the pain and did not want Christina to repeat her mistakes. Christina held the phone and looked down at her belly ¡°I see,¡± she replied softly After hanging up the phone, Christina looked around the luxurious and Spacious bedroom with ¡®Patrick¡¯ She murmured the name in her heart. Christina had to admit that it was really easy to fall in love with a man like him. She was not sure if it was love. However, she indeed liked him. No matter how much she denied it, she really cared about him in her heart Patrick was someone she shouldn¡¯t fall in love with She wouldn¡¯t let herself be too attached to him. Even if she liked him, she wouldn¡¯t say it. What did Patrick have to do with Carrie? Why did he want to help Carrie? She wanted to know. After thinking for a long time in the bedroom, she suddenly got up and went to the study again. She twisted the doorknob and found out that the door was locked. This week, she had tried several times and had no chance to go in. Tonight was the 50th anniversary of the IPSG Group, and Hopkins Family was filled with festivities. Mr. Hopkins, apanied by the butler, attended the celebration party, while Christina remained at home and did not go because Patrick insisted that she did not need to attend. Patrick didn¡¯t really like her going out. Maybe he thought she would embarrass him if she went out. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Christinae?¡± The IP&G Group¡¯s anniversary party was held in Gordon Hotel. Sessful businessmen and celebrities, as well as famous movie stars, all came to congratte them. At 7 pm, before the party officially Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. started. Charles and Chandler had already arrived early, drinking and chatting in a private room. ¡°Patrick, you don¡¯t let her out? Charles nced at the man on the opposite sofa and handed him a ss of red wine. Patrick took the ss but remained silent. Charles shrugged. He was used to Patrick¡¯s act of evading questions. ¡°When the party officially begins, you¡®re going to dance. Who¡¯s your partner tonight?¡± The women at the venueprised secretaries, socialites, movie stars. who were all looking forward to it. As long as Patrick was willing, he didn¡¯tck women ¡°It can¡¯t be Cecilia?¡± Charles muttered gloomily. Was Cecilia Patrick¡¯s partner tonight? ¡°No.¡± Patrick said coldly. At the fiftieth anniversary party, even Mr. Hopkins and the major shareholders came over, but Patrick let the group¡¯s vice president do the first dance. It didn¡¯t seem to be appropriate. However, since Patrick said yes, then that was fine. Patrick didn¡¯t seem to care much about IPSG Group¡¯s 50th anniversary, but there was nothing he could care about. Charles suddenly thought of something else. ¡°By the way, Patrick Cecilia recently received a series of anonymous letters threatening her. One of them was written in blood.¡± Cecilia was one of his artists, who had an affair with Patrick, so Charles paid more attention to her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me about her Patrick replied indifferently. Charles was surprised. Patrick didn¡¯t seem interested in Cecilia. ¡°How¡®s the investigation about the Dickens Family?¡± Patrick ignored Charles and suddenly remembered something else and asked Chandler directly Chandler was using hisptop, and he was typing quickly and skillfully. TIL send you the information.¡± Chandler looked across at Patrick and thought for a while. ¡°Are you really going to help Donald?¡± In fact, C City¡¯s so-called richest man had high debt. The so-called transformation was fake. In fact, Donald wanted Patrick to support him. ¡°Judging from the situation, this sum of money is quiterge.¡± Chandler looked at the data in the notebook and asked, ¡°Is it really worth ¡°We should check the surplus and deficit in the future. After all, the foundation of the Dickens Family is stable.¡± Patrick suddenly picked up a ss of red wine on the table and shook it, sipping lightly. ¡°¡­ Only when the two things are closely corrted can you take control of it.¡± He seemed to be indicating something anything instead of talking about work Charles looked at Patrick with wide eyes, thinking that fortunately, he was not Patrick¡¯s enemy. Chandler smiled. ¡°I noticed that Donald doesn¡¯t seem very happy to ask you for help.¡± This was really strange. ¡°He may be scared of him,¡± Charles muttered. Since Patrick entered IP&G Group, he had spent three months in a ruthless and forceful manner, transforming this huge group empire. Now both the new generation and the elders in the circle were very afraid of Patrick. Chandler knew that Patrick had provoked public anger by stirring up the interests of arge number of people. Therefore, he reminded, ¡°Patrick, I heard there was a blood case at the Venice branchst week. Be careful. Those who were caught in a desperate situation could do anything, so they Thas to bring more bodyguards when they went out. Patrick nced at the clock on the wall from the corner of his eye. He was not interested in this grand reception and suddenly wanted to rush back... To see his wife. Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Devil¡¯s Wife Christina sneaked into the wine party. In fact, she did not understand why she came over. She was a little concerned and upset: She thought that Laurie and Cory would definitely attend IP&G Group¡¯s anniversary celebration. Carrie mighte too. She wanted to know what was hidden between Patrick and Carrie. She wondered whether he helped Carrie against her. To her disappointment, Carrie wasn¡¯t there tonight. The celebration had begun. ¡°The one on stage is the President of IPAG Group¡­¡± A stranger beside her pointed to the rostrum and whispered. Immediately. he looked down at Christina ¡®and smiled. ¡°Miss Jones, I heard that you are his girlfriend.¡± He Smiled casually as if he were simply curious about their rtionship. Christina looked a little embarrassed. The man mistook her for Cecilia. She had no way but to pretend to be another woman because she didn¡¯t have an invitation At this time, the lights of the venue were dimmed. Patrick was making a speech on the rostrum. He was surrounded by the spotlight, setting off his outstanding temperament Instantly, he became the focus of the entire venue. Christina stood in the crowd and asionally heard some women whispering These women looked at the stage with adoration. The distance between her and him was not that far. But at this moment, Christina really understood the distance between them. The distance between her and him reminded her of what Betty had said before Patrick was the kind of man whom anyone shouldn¡¯t be in love with. Falling in love with him was doomed to end in misery What kind of woman would own such aman? Christina didn¡¯t know. But that woman was definitely not her. Just as she was thinking about it, a burning gaze suddenly fell on her from the stage. Christina was shocked when she looked into his deep eyes. Patrick¡¯s speech was brief. He quickly handed the microphone back to the host. He seemed to find something and then strode down the stage. ¡°Patrick.¡± This soft voice came from a woman who threw herself to Patrick when he just stepped down In the distance, Christina was stunned. After a second of hesitation, she turned around and walked straight to the exit. ¡°Why on earth did Ie here.¡± Christina lowered her head and walked a little faster, mocking herself in a low voice. ¡°Go away!¡± Patrick¡¯s voice was cold and deep, with a hint of displeasure. ¡°Patrick, I have received those anonymous threatening letters recently. They are terrible.¡± Cecilia held his arm tightly. Her volce Wils solt and low, making people softhearted. ¡°Miss Jones, please don¡¯t bother me!¡± Patrick looked impatient. Without any pity, he pushed her away. ¡°Go away ¡ª He looked anxiously at the previous position but found nothing. Did he make a mistake? It was Cecilia not her? ¡°Patrick, are you going back so soon?¡± Charles and Patrick left the party together and took the elevator directly to the underground parking lot. Patrick looked cold and did not answer him. At this moment, the two of them walked side by side to the car. Mr. Hopkins was at the celebration today. So, Patrick asked all the bodyguards to protect his grandfather from any ident Charles took out the car keys. ¡°Patrick, Why don¡¯t you let Christina out..¡± As he spoke, he reached out to open the door. ¡°Patrick!¡± A gloomy voice suddenly sounded. Then, there was a sharp and piercing gunshot. Bang ¨C ¡°Get down!¡± Patrick shouted at Charles almost at the same time. Charles was startled and quickly turned over. The two of them were hidden under the car. The bullets hit the metal body of the car, making a soul-stirring noise. ¡°Patricke out!¡± The man was dressed in a suit, looking like an elite. But at the moment, he was out of control. His face was ferocious, his eyes were bloodshot, and his right hand held a gun. He was striding towards them. ¡°Patrick!!¡± He seemed to hate the name and kept roaring! Christina, who was hiding behind a white Bentley, turned pale with fear. ¡°What should I do? She just walked out of the elevator and wanted to drive back to Hopkins Family. She didn¡¯t expect to meet such a terrible gunfight. That man wanted to kill Patrick¡­ Christina could not help but tremble. Her mind went nk. She kept telling herself to calm down and find a way to help them But when she looked up at the mirror, she saw that the ferocious man holding the gun tightly with his right hand. He was about to reach Patrick¡­ Bang ¨C The bullet flew out of the muzzle. The horrible and ear-splitting sound scared her ¡°No" Christina could almost hear herself shouting in her heart. Her feet were weak and her trembling body was about to run towards them¡­ However, as soon as she took a step. she heard a familiar voice. ¡°Patrick, today is the anniversary celebration. It¡¯s bad luck to see blood¡± Soon, Charles¡¯s voice came from the huge parking lot. His tone was calm and didn¡¯t sound too panicky. Christina leaned out half of her body and looked at them with a [11]. ¡°III I MIXI MA, B.if IT, Then she breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they were fine. The man with the gun was pinned down on the car by Patrick. Patrick pped his hands with his right hand and pressed his neck with his left hand. ¡°You want to kill me?¡± Patrick asked him. His voice was cold as if he did not care at all about the horrific scene just now. ¡°Patrick, you motherf*cker.¡± The man roared out of control. His voice was full of hatred, and he resisted with all his might. However, his gun had fallen to the ground. He was suppressed by Patrick and all he did was in vain. ¡°Your father¡¯s death has nothing to do with Patrick.¡± Charles was not too shocked by this scene. It was not the first time they had encountered such a situation. Seeing the man in front of them, they could immediately guess the reason ¡°He killed my father! Patrick, you cold blooded beast, it was you! You killed my father!¡± The man¡¯s face, which was pressed against the car window, was deformed. The voice he uttered was eerie and ¡°My dad worked for IP&G Group for nearly 30 years. Patrick, you suddenlynded as president of the group this year. In order to consolidate your power in the group. you did not hesitate to suppress these previous managers who worked hard for the group.¡± ¡°Patrick, you asshole, I¡¯m gonna kill you.¡± Patrick motioned to Charles, took the gun in his right hand, and loaded it skillfully, and pressed the cold muzzle against his temple. He didn¡¯t seem to mind the scolding at all. Instead, he sneered¡­. ¡°You want to go to the hell to apany that useless old thing? The man¡¯s face turned pale. The cold and terrifying metallic touch on his temple made him tremble instinctively. ¡°Patrick, you, don¡¯t be too arrogant. There are a lot of people who want you to die¡­¡± He suppressed the fear in his heart and shouted with trembling. Patrick was too ruthless. He did everything he could without leaving leeway, which had offended many people in the business circle. Those people didn¡¯t dare to challenge him directly, but they all hated him. ¡°Do you have the ability to kill me?¡± Patrick pressed the muzzle closer to him. His cold and deep voice was filled with contempt. Charles looked at the gun in Patrick¡¯s hand. He was very worried that if this man would shoot him. In this confrontation, one must die. Patrick was never softhearted on his enemies. Charles persuaded the man, ¡°Your father jumped off the branch building in Venice. Who else can you me? The police have also decided that it was a suicide. I advise you to calm down¡­ ¡°No! No!¡± When the man heard that his father hadmitted suicide by jumping off a building, he became agitated again, ¡°Patrick, it¡¯s you. You must have forced my father to leave. He has worked for the group for 30 years. He can¡¯t take the initiative to leave.¡± ¡°Also, I found out that you weren¡¯t there on the opening day of branchpany in Venice. When my Original content from N?velDrama.Org. dad was standing on the rooftop asking for a phone call, what did you say to him?¡± ¡°Patrick, you son of a b¡¯tch! You didn¡¯t persuade him not to. You said you would have to find a cleaner to dispose of his body if he jumped down. You¡¯re not a human being. You¡¯re a devil. You¡¯re the one who deserves to die!¡± The man¡¯s voice was filled with hatred and despair His roar echoed in the spacious underground parking lot. In the distance, Christina was stunned. She didn¡¯t know what kind of person Patrick was. But he really wasn¡¯t the man who could persuade a person to cherish his life. He didn¡¯t have so much sympathy. She knew that long ago that Patrick was a very dangerous man. But after Spending time with him recently, she had somehow forgotten his true nature. Now that she suddenly heard these words,plex tangled emotions surged into Christina¡¯s mind. Her hands tightened into fists. Charles looked at Patrick in front of him and saw his cold side face. He knew that this man was not going to exin. Charles did not want to see blood here. Anyone who provoked Patrick would not have a good result. ¡°Why do you think your father agreed to resign so easily.¡± Charles said quickly. ¡°Your father privately made hundreds of millions of dors, and he even used the The man was stunned. Then he retorted excitedly, ¡°No, impossible!¡± ¡°You want to fabricate the truth. My dad can¡¯t do this.¡± Patrick¡¯s face was coldpared to his excitement. ¡°Your father is a waste.¡± ¡°Patrick, shut up, shut up!¡± He couldn¡¯t stand people mocking his father who had just passed away. He shouted ferociously, ¡°Patrick, you have a family too. I won¡¯t let you go. I¡¯ll kill your wife and let you taste the pain of loss¡­¡± Bang ¨C He had no chance to say the rest because Patrick pressed the man¡¯s head against the car window and smashed it hard. The ss shard cut: half of his cheek and blood slid down his cheek Patrick¡¯s slender fingers were stained red. Charles stood right beside them and was startled to see this scene. Patrick looked very terrible. ¡°Your father called me. He begged me. He wanted his dignity back. He wanted to be powerful and mighty. He wanted to threaten me with his life¡­¡± Patrick¡®s bloodstained fingers tightened and grabbed the man¡¯s throat. He sneered. ¡°There¡®s nothing left If he died. He doesn¡¯t even have the ability to bear failure. This kind of trash wants to threaten me with his lowly life and make me feel guilty. What a joke!¡± Patrick¡¯s expression was grim. He threw the bleeding man directly onto the floor ¡°Put him in prison for a few years.¡± Patrick said to Charles in a cold voice. But just as he spoke, he seemed to feel something and suddenly turned around and looked behind. Patrick narrowed his eyes. ¡°Who is it? Come out!¡± His cold voice echoed in the spacious underground parking lot.. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Kill You Tonight Patrick¡¯sce was krim. He strede forward and looked at the white Bentley in front of him. Just now, he felt¡­ Who¡¯s there?¡± Charles hurriedly walked over. They looked around but didn¡¯t find anything¡­ ¡°Help Help.¡± At this moment, a woman rushed over from the east entrance of the underground parking lot. She looked frightened as she ran, panting and screaming anxiously, ¡°Mr. Hopkins, Cecilia was taken away. Please help her.¡± It was Cecilia¡¯s manager, Anne. Patrick just ignored her. His face was filled with impatience, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes kept looking around. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, those people are threatening us with guns. I really don¡¯t know what to do. Please help.¡± Anne looked at him anxiously and stammered ¡°You should report this to the police.¡± Charles told her kindly. He looked indifferent, which indicated that he didn¡¯t care much about Cecilia being taken away. This world was very realistic. They were not phnthropisis, Anne hurriedly took out a few pieces of paper from her bag and said nervously, ¡°Mr. Hopkins, Cecilia has been receiving a lot of anonymous threatening letterstely. At first, we thought it was the prank of her fans and herpetitors, but then we found out it wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°These anonymous letters are targeted at IP&G Group and you.¡± Charles¡®s face changed when he heard what Anne Said and immediately took those letters from her. These letters, ording to the handwriting, were written by the same person. Anne did not lie. These letters were indeed directed at Patrick and IPSG Group ¡°Your man is a heartless asshole.¡± *The IP & G Group drove us into despair. It is you and Patrick that are the ones who should die!¡± ¡°B¡±tch, I¡¯m going to kill you. I¡¯m going to take a picture of you and let everyone know that Patrick is cuckolded. I want to insult him, and I want him to regret all he has done.¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. In particr, thest line of writing was written so forcefully that the paper was punctured. Seeing the paper Charles could feel the hatred of the writer, he felt nervous. Who wrote this.. ¡°Patrick¡­¡± Charles grabbed the letters and approached Patrick Patrick was squatting down and found a drop of blood on the floor behind a white Bentley. He touched the drop of blood and founded it hadn¡¯t solidified yet. There was really someone here just §±§°§­§ª§®. Patrick looked at the drop of blood and elt inexplicably agitated. ¡°Patrick, look at these.¡± Charles did not know why Patrick suddenly squatted down. He just handed Patrick the letter in his hand. It seemed that Cecilia¡¯s abduction had something to do with Patrick. But Patrick stood up straight with cold his face, as if he didn¡¯t care. He just nced at the letters casually. He turned to look at Anne and said in an indifferent voice, ¡°I¡¯m not a policeman¡± Anne¡¯s face turned pale. She didn¡¯t expect the man to be so indifferent. But this matter was of great importance, and she continued to plead, trembling. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, Cecilia has been with you for so many years. She may have offended you before, but there must be a misunderstanding. I apologize to you for her¡­ She is in danger now. I know you are broad minded, please ask some people to look for her. I am afraid that something bad will happen to her..¡± Patrick hesitated and looked behind him. Looking at the man who had lost much blood and fainted, he frowned, as if something urred in his mind, and he Strode straight towards the car. ¡°What did you find?¡± Charles noticed that Patrick was a little anxious. ¡°You stay here and deal with the stuff.¡± Patrick¡¯s eyes grew cold and he spoke in a deep voice As he spoke, he seemed to have no patience to waste time here. He grabbed Charles¡¯s car keys, got into the driver¡¯s seat, and sped away. Charles was stunned as he watched the car leave. ¡°Why is he so hurried to get back?¡± ¡°Mr. Hopkins, what about Cecilia! You, how can you¡­¡± Anne was astonished and she didn¡¯t believe that this man had left without even saying a word to show his affection for Cecilia ¡°Call the police. Cecilia¡¯s kidnapping may have something to do with the person surnamed Preston.¡± Charles spoke in a low voice, turned his head, andplicatedly looked at the man who was unconscious due to excessive blood loss. He picked up his phone and contacted the police to handle the previous attack and Cecilia¡¯s kidnapping. The IPSG Group waspletely changed by Patrick. The old faction who had worked in the group was unwilling. They hated Patrick, but they didn¡¯t dare to attack him directly. So¡­ The people around Patrick naturally became the first target of their revenge¡­ ¡°Where¡¯s Christina?¡± Patrick drove back in a hurry, looked at the maid in front of him, and the first thing he asked was where Christina was. It was 9:30 pm. When the maid saw that Patrick¡¯s face was very serious she immediately responded, ¡°Young Madam has been in the bedroom since dinner Patrick had told her to keep an eye on Christina ¡®and not let her out. And Christina must go back to her bedroom after 10 pm. Patrick¡¯s cold face softened when he heard her in the bedroom. He strode straight back to the east vi. As soon as he stepped through the door, there was something wrong with the cold atmosphere. ¡°Did Christina go to bed so early?¡¯ ¡°How could she be so obedient?¡± Inexplicably upset, he quickened his prace, went straight up to the second floor, and pushed open the bedroom The spacious bedroom was brightly lit and everything was in order as usual, but¡­ Patrick¡¯s face changed. He pressed his lips tightly and strode to the bathroom With a bang. the door of the bathroom opened and it was empty¡­ ¡°Where is she?!¡± There was no one in the study on the right, cloakroom, or balcony¡­ ¡°Patrick, we really don¡¯t know¡­¡± The maid shuddered when she learned that Christina had disappeared. ¡°Young Madam went back to her bedroom after dinner and didn¡¯t tell The nanny, who had been in charge of taking care of Christina, rushed over unable to suppress her anxiety. ¡°We looked for Young Madam in the whole residence but couldn¡¯t find her. The guard didn¡¯t have any records of her going out.¡± Patrick¡¯s face was terrible. ¡°Why she could escape under your nose!¡± ¡°Go out and look for her immediately!¡± ¡°Yes, yes. A group of servants nodded in panic. Coincidentally, the group banquet was held tonight. So Mr. Hopkins and the butler went to the banquet. Usually, these servants were quite in awe of Patrick. Now they were trembling with fear and panic In the quiet night, a full moon hung high. Standing in the exquisite and elegant corridor, Patrick held his phone impatiently and constantly dialed Christina but he always heard a cold mechanical voice. She turned off her phone! He narrowed his eyes, looked down at the bloodstain on his finger, and tightened his fist. Where did she go? ¡°Sir, the surveince outside our wall captured Young Madam¡¯s figure. She climbed out of the north wall at 7:40 ..¡± Aguard rushed over Did she go to the banquet? Patrick¡¯s mind shed with the attack on the parking lot tonight and the anonymous letters that Cecilia¡¯s manager brought¡­ ¡°Get the records of reception entry and exit and the surveince video immediately. Let me know if there are any updates about Christina!¡± Patrick held the phone tightly in his palm as if something missed from his heart, which made him very upset. ¡°Charles, where is Sean now? Charles suddenly received Patrick¡¯s call, feeling very strange, and listening to his gloomy voice which was full of anxiety, it seemed that something bad had happened. ¡°I¡¯m at the police station now. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you where Sean is now!¡± Patrick¡¯s voice was rather impatient. Sean was the man who attacked Patrick tonight. He was the eldest son of Robert, the former president of IPSG Group, who jumped off a buildingst week When Charles heard how anxious Patrick was, he said without hesitation, ¡°Sean lost too much blood and passed out. The police sent him to the hospital for the time being. ¡°Send someone to wake him up immediately!¡± Patrick gnashed his teeth as he said, ¡°Go check if the handwriting of those letters Cecilia received is rted to Sean, and have forensic expert immediately go to the hotel parking lot to take a blood sample from the EC5620 parking space and do a blood sample analysis topare the one of Christina. There was a suspicion in his heart, and it may be the truth. Patrick looked at the full moon above him and became more and more agitated. ¡°Christina? She didn¡¯t stay in the bedroom, which made Patrick very upset, especially after so many things happened tonight. He said in a cold volce to the servants in Hopkins Family, ¡°Immediately send someone to the Dickens Family and Betty¡¯s sanatorium to find her¡­¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± Patrick stood still in the dark,raised his head, and looked at the full moon above him. Concern? ¡°Perhaps this is the so-called concern.¡± He was always worried uncontrobly that something might happen to her. No matter where she was, Patrick was Worked about her This feeling should not have belonged to him. It was a little ridiculous because Christina didn¡¯t need his concernant all For six years, she had been living well without him. She didn¡¯t need him. The silver moonlight cast a shade on his upright posture, making him look lonely. He wanted to get her back. Christina rarely attended public banquets, and few people knew about her, but if Sean and the others attacked her¡­ Patrick gritted his teeth and muttered, ¡°No one would dare to hurt her ¡°Do you think we really don¡¯t dare kill you!¡± A woman was tied up in the dark and dirty abandoned factory and struggled in panic. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you have Patrick to rely on, then we¡¯re scared,¡± he said in a rough voice, pping that woman with his big and thick palm. ¡°Bitch, I¡¯ll kill you tonight.¡± Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Nuver See Her Again The woman, who was kidnapped, shivering in a corner, was begging for mercy. ¡°No, no¡­¡± Her face was beat red and swollen, and her long hair was disheveled. ¡°Do you want money? How much do you want? I can give it to you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Go away. Go away.¡± Her lips were pale and she trembled incoherently. ¡°Shut up, bitch!¡± The stout man looked impatient and dragged her long hair¡­ ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The closed iron door was suddenly opened with a ng: A man in a ck tuxedo dragged another woman and came back. ¡°Two Cecilia?¡± Christina was suppressed by the man in the tuxedo. When she looked up anxiously, she saw Cecilia lying on the ground in the middle of the dirty abandoned factory. Christina was shocked. ¡°Let me go!¡± Christina struggled. The man pinched her jaw and felt very surprised. He narrowed his eyes to examine her and the other woman on the ground, ¡°Forget it. F*ck both and take a video to send that bastard Patrick. ¡°No, don¡¯t touch me. I beg you. Let me go¡­¡± Cecilia looked at the rogue on her body, trembling with fear. She twisted her body, which made him even more irritable. The man pinched out a trail of bruises on her fair body. Cecilia¡¯s face was covered in tears, and she turned her head sideways and shouted, ¡°Christina, help me!¡± ¡°Christina?¡± The man in the ck tuxedo was stunned when he heard the name ¡°I¡¯ll send this tetal body to Patrick¡­ He held a fruit knife in his hand and pointed it at her belly In the abandoned factory, the eerie voice echoed at the quiet night¡­Anoldmp above shook, and the de gleamed under the dim yellow light. The sharp edge of the cold metallic knife fell on her abdomen¡­ Christina was so scared that her face turned white and her whole body stiffened. ¡°No, don¡¯t touch my child.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.. ¡°It¡¯s been confirmed. The anonymous letter that Cecilia received recently was written by Sean¡¯s brother Todd. The two brothers had a gruce against you because of their father, so they had been waiting for an opportunity to retaliate.. ¡°Tonight was the anniversary of the group. They took the opportunity to kidnap Cecilia, probably to retaliate YOLL..¡± Charles rushed over, and the police also began to search everywhere. It was not Cecilia. Patrick received a short video on his phone. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, did you receive a message from the kidnappers about Miss Jones being hijacked¡­¡± The police officer next to him looked at him. Patrick stared at the screen of his celi phone, feeling bad. He recognized this face. No matter how simr the two looked, he could still recognize the woman he loved deeply. It wasn¡¯t Cecilia, it was Christina. Sean really kidnapped her¡­ ¡°Patrick, where are you going now?¡± Charles saw that his face was gloomy and he sat in the car without saying a word. It seemed that he was in a hurry to go somewhere. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, do you know any clues?¡± Several special police officers followed him, whispering, ¡°We must be patient in negotiations with the kidnappers to ensure the safety of the hostages.¡± Patrick didn¡¯t answer them. He mmed the elerator, and the car Sped into the road at top speed, passing cars dangerously¡­ ¡°Young Madam did attend the reception tonight. Someone mistook her for Cecilia and brought her in¡­¡± At this time, themunicator in the car kept seriding out reports. ¡°The drop of blood left in the car EC5620¡¯s parking ce was confirmed to be Young Madam¡¯s blood.¡± The news made Patrick really annoyed. Patrick pursed his lips tightly, gripped the steering wheel, and spun the car around abruptly. The car turned sharply, making a harsh noise. The car shook as he mmed on the brakes. Patrick had already thrown the door open and rushed out. Charles and the others were confused. They opened the door and caught up with him Patrick was about to look for Sean in the hospital. ¡°Mr. Hopkins, Sean hasn¡¯t woken up yet. I can¡¯t ask him what¡¯s going on.¡± The police officer behind him ran to him and added. They felt it was useless to rush over How In the hospital building, the elevator rose rapidly. With a ding, the elevator door opened. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Patrick¡¯s eyes were dark and he strode straight to the first ward on his left, which was guarded by two police officers. But he suddenly stepped forward and snatched a pistol from the police officer¡®s waist with great speed. Another officer, unaware of the situation, pulled out his gun vigntly and threatened him. Charles and the others rushed over and shouted, ¡°Stop¡± Just as Charles¡¯s voice fell, the door of the ward was kicked open. ¡°Ah¡± The nurse in the ward was changing the injection for Sean. When she saw Patrick suddenly barging in she Screamed in fear. ¡°Where is she now!¡± Patrick asked anxiously with his left hand holding Sean¡¯s cor and his right hand holding the gun against his temple. ¡°Patrick, it¡¯s no use killing him. He lost blood and fainted after you beat him, Calm down. Charles ran in, looked at the scene in panic and immediately tried to persuade him ¡°Mr: Hopkins, it¡¯s improper to.¡± The officer behind him was also terrified when he saw Patrick¡¯s threat. ¡°Where is she now?!¡± Patrick narrowed his eyes and Scrutinized the weak man on the bed. Suddenly. Patrick removed Sean¡¯s Oxygen tube and all infusion devices and lifted him from the bed. Sean seemed to be choking, he coughed but couldn¡¯t open his eyes. Charles anxiously tried to stop him, but Patrick threw Sean into the corner of the ward. He fell heavily and gasped in ¡°Mr. Hopkins, you can¡¯t do this!¡± The officer stepped forward and grabbed his arm. ¡°The main thing we have to do now is to save people, not¡­ Patrick impatiently shook off the police officer behind him and stepped forward. He stepped on Sean¡¯s injured left arm by his right foot ¡°Ouch!¡± Sean screamed in pain and opened his eyes wide. ¡°Send her back to me immediately!¡± Patrick raised the gun and pointed it at the center of his eyebrow. warning him word by word. Sean¡®s face was pale as if he had been startled. Then he burst outughing ¡°Patrick, you really care about that Cecilia. Patrick, even you will care about someone¡­ Eh-hem.¡± His voice was hoarse and he coughed violently. His eyes were filled with hatred as he looked straight at him. ¡°My brother kidnapped her. He will kill her and you will never see her again in your life!¡± Bang, ball bang ¨C ¡°No!¡± Charles screamed, but before he could stop it. the bullets were fired continuously at Sean. The sound of the gunshot was shrill and frightening, Suddenly. it quieted down and everyone panicked. The bullet nearly hit Sean on his forehead, and if Patrick deviated slightly. his head would immediately explode Sean was trembling all over, and he even peed with fear. Patrick¡¯s face was grim. He squatted down, grabbed Sean¡¯s neck hard with his left hand, while his right hand was holding the weapon with thest bullet in it. ¡°Where is she?¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. At 11:00 in the evening, police cars honked on the highway. The cars and pedestrians who passed by could not help but look around and guess what had happened. The police arrived at an abandoned factory in the suburbs and quickly surrounded the area. Patrick was the first to get out of the car. The officer behind him was worried and reminded him, ¡°Stay here. We got it.¡± After all, he was the young master of the Hopkins Family. If something happened to these rich kids who usually only knew how to have fun, no one could take the responsibility. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You just stay put. Our people will handle it.¡± Charles said to the police chief. Soon a group of mighty bodyguards came running in an orderly manner behind him. ¡°Patrick is in the front checking out the situation. Keep him safe. Ensure the hostage¡®s safety first.¡± Charles told them, not forgetting to add, ¡°You can shoot if necessary.¡± ¡°Yes¡± The bodyguards broke into the abandoned factory. In the dark of the night, they were still able to move freely. Obviously, they were not ordinary bodyguards. ¡°Officer. I¡¯m d you helped us out tonight, but we have the final say here.¡± Charles reloaded his gun very skillfully and coldly warned him. His tone was no more yful. They were never ordinary people. He didn¡¯t know if Patrick was so anxious for Cecilia or Christina But he knew that Sean and Todd would not end up well. They broke his bottom line¡­ This night was destined to be unusual. At this moment, Patrick leaped over the wall rapidly. Hended steadily, his right hand gripping the pistol, his body leaning against the wall, his eyes zing through the dusty window. In the dim yellow light, there were two men guarding the front. In the center, there were three men sitting around drinking and eating peanuts, with a DV camera beside them. Perhaps these people had never thought that they would be found so quickly, so they were chatting rxedly. On the left side of the old mechanical assembly life, there was a disheveled woman tied with a thick rope. The woman was Cecilia. However. Patrick was startled, his right hand holding the pistol, and he suddenly tensed up. ¡°Where is she? Cecilia was tied up, then what about Christina? ¡°Is she not here? Chapter 61 Chapter 61 ''She is not here?'' Patrick anxiously reached out his hand and ripped a big hole in the rusty wire in front of him. He jumped and dived into the abandoned factory. The abandoned factory was located in the outskirts of North of the A City. There was a forest in the east and a big river in the west. It was about 11 o''clock in the evening, and it was dark in the surroundings. There were no streetlights, but a few stars and a full moon overhead. Because the ce was near a big river, the air was rather cold and humid. The factory covered an area of over a thousand square meters, with arge workshop set up with heavy, abandoned, andrge machinery. The factory had threerge warehouses, two quality control rooms, and an office. The surrounding walls, doors, and windows were crumbling and dirty. Cecilia and the five gangsters were in the big workshop, but Patrick couldn''t find Christina! He strained his temper and walked lightly in the dark factory, searching every room... Suddenly, there was a bloody smelling to his nose. Patrick stopped in his tracks. He looked to a small room on the right in front of him. Gripping the gun tightly in his hand, he pressed his body against the wall and approached at a brisk pace. The dpidated mahogany door panel in front of him was unlocked, and he reached out with his left hand and gently pushed it open. A faint moonlight fell through the window, he could see... The next second, his eyes widened, and he immediately rushed in. Inside this messy and dpidated office, a pool of blood remained in the corner of the long wooden table, dark red blood running down the legs to the floor, the blood mixing with the dirt in a shocking way. Patrick looked gloomy. He pursed his lips, raised his gun in his right hand, and called out impatiently, "Christina..." However, he was startled as he noticed something unusual. He couldn''t shoot easily. He couldn''t alert the gang to ensure her safety until he found Christina. He wanted her to be safe and sound. There were faint, painful, low breathsing from the room. Patrick walked vigntly behind the desk. He was surprised as he saw Todd, who was unconscious and paralyzed... ''Todd is the mastermind of the kidnapping. Why is he unconscious?'' Patrick smelled the thick smell of blood. Unable to suppress his rage, he squatted down and dragged Todd up. "Where is she?" Patrick wanted to shoot him. Todd was violently pulled up by him. His mind was foggy, his face was pale and he kept panting roughly. Opening his eyes to look at Patrick in front of him, he was powerless to break free. Patrick was extremely impatient. He pressed the wound on the back of Todd''s head with his right hand and pressed his entire face on the table. "Christina, where is she?" The wound was pressed down by Patrick, and the pain made Todd gasp and tremble. "I don''t know..." "Mr. Hopkins, Miss Jones is at the big workshop..." And at that moment, the bodyguard who had infiltrated with Patrick immediately rushed in, his voice urgent, when he spotted Patrick on this side. "Mr. Hopkins, we have to get out of here now. We found a lot of..." "Patrick, I''ve prepared a batch of explosives for you!" Before the bodyguard could finish speaking, Todd hysterically burst outughing. His teeth were bloodied, and he yelled in hatred, "Patrick, that''s a gift for you!" "... I can''t deal with you, so I''m going to die with you today!" When Patrick heard this, he was shocked. With all his strength, Todd took out the remote control from his pocket. The red light flickered, and he pressed the button. Patrick looked sullen and reached out his left hand to try to grab the remote control from Todd''s hand. The bodyguards immediately rushed forward to help suppress him. The remote controller fell between Todd''s fingers. Todd lifted his foot and stomped on it. There was a loud bang in a warehouse in the north! It was toote. Then there was a series of explosions. The sound of shock reverberated through the sky, and even the house began to crumble. In a short while, the thick smoke rose from the sky, and the golden fire dragon flew up. On this dark night, it looked especially dazzling. "Mr. Hopkins, we have to get out of here immediately. The house will copse..." The bodyguard shouted anxiously at Patrick. There were also two bodyguards running up ahead. "Mr. Hopkins, the bandits are under our control. Miss Jones has been taken out by us. Hurry up!" Everyone looked at the wanton fire on the east side and panicked. Charles and the others were ambushed outside. They had been waiting for the opportunity, but when they saw the sudden explosion and fire, they all looked at each other in horror. Without thinking, Charles immediately sent people to shoot at the big iron lock in front of him. The lock broke, and the police behind him rushed in to rescue people. This was originally an abandoned factory, and the waste materials were instantly ignited... The tins and the surrounding windows kept exploding, scaring people. The fire spread rapidly and the old walls rustled. Charles''s eyes widened as he watched the main pir of the boulder slowly tilt in front of him. "Patrick, go! The house is going to copse..." "You two raise the wooden table, block the mes, and rush out of the door..." "No! The fire at the front door is too strong to withstand!" Everyone was in a panic as they were terribly dangerous. The mes quickly engulfed them and spread all around them. The hot waves burned their cheeks and bodies, and the burning light was blinding. "Get out the back door. Quick." someone screamed in horror. "Mr. Hopkins, hurry up!" The two bodyguards in front of them saw Patrick frowning and were still hesitating in this room, dragging him out by the arm in a hurry. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "You guys go first..." Patrick shook them off. The smoke made his voice hoarse. ''Where is Christina?'' ''Where is she?'' The bodyguards were startled. Seeing that Patrick had actually rushed into the fire, the two of them could not care less about their respect and dragged Patrick by the arm... But there was no need for them to stop them. The huge stone pir in front of them copsed. The sand and dust raised prevented them from opening their eyes. mes were roaring around them, and their skin was burning... "What should we do now?" One of the bodyguards was so scared that he lost his mind on the spot. In this fire, there was no way out. People could only wait for death. Time seemed to have stopped at this moment. There was the sound of sting, cries of horroring from all around, and... A small metal knife fell to the ground, making a crisp sound, very subtle. "Help me..." In the small room, a woman''s soft voice sounded, "I''m here. Help..." In the fire, Patrick seemed to have sensed something. He turned around abruptly... The huge abandoned factory copsed. The deafening noise spread out in the early hours of the quiet night, and a ck cloud of dust rose from the sky, sweeping up for a dozen miles. The strong impact of the airflow caused the people outside the abandoned factory to immediately lie down and lift their hearts. Then there was a terrible silence. "Patrick!" Charles covered his nose with his left hand and hurriedly got up from the ground to look around. The abandoned factory in front of him was in ruins. There were still a lot of scattered mes burning. But in the dark of the night, they could not see the situation clearly. "Turn on all the lights!" As soon as Charles said this, he noticed some movement in the west river. The police and the others rushed over. "Where''s Patrick?" Some figures swam towards the bank in the dark river. Those who had escaped from death immediately grabbed the water grass by the river and gasped for air. They really thought they were going to die just now. "Mr. Hopkins is behind..." The bodyguard replied immediately as he smoothed his breath. They were surrounded by the fire, and there was no road in front and back. The ss windows were shattered by the explosion. Patrick led them into the fire and jumped out of the window on the west side. Outside was the river. That was how they escape. Patrick was ruthless and inhumane, but they were willing to follow him. Because he would not easily abandon hispanions, and he had the ability to save them in panic. "Patrick, are you okay?" Charles saw that after Patrick finally swam back to the shore, he was still staring intently at the ruins in front of him. Patrick did not answer him. He got up from the shore and was drenched. "Have you seen Christina?" His voice was hoarse, not sure if he choked on the river or because he was suppressing some emotions. Charles was stunned and did not know how to speak for a moment. There were no casualties in the ident. Even the bandits and Todd were brought out by them, but... ''She...'' ''Why not her?'' "Where is she?" Patrick turned around abruptly, grabbed Todd''s front cor, and lifted him up in a rage. There were obvious signs of a fight in that small room. Todd was attacked. ''Where is Christina? Where is she?'' "Patrick..." Suddenly a woman''s delicate voice trembled. Cecilia seemed frightened. She ran forward and hugged him tightly around Patrick''s waist. "I know. I know you wille to save me. I''m so scared..." Her clothes were in a mess, and she cried out uncontrobly. And at that moment, several cars came rushing behind them. "Young Master, how are you? Are you hurt?" The Hopkins Family butler got out of the car and ran over anxiously. In another ck Maybach, Cory rushed over. "Patrick, where''s Christina?" When he saw Cecilia, Cory''s tightly clenched lips were filled with mockery. "You only care about saving your mistress. Patrick, it is your fault! It''s because you''ve been so ruthless and offended so many people that you''ve put her through this..." Cory looked around, especially when he saw the guilty look on Charles''s face. He was so angry that he raised his fist and punched Patrick''s left face fiercely. "Where is Christina? You abandoned her regardless of her life!" ''Where is she...'' Patrick''s expression wasplicated and confused. He didn''t dodge Cory''s fist. In the fire just now, he seemed to see a man and a woman... "So he came to save Cecilia..." In the distance, the woman floating in the river fixed her gaze on the shore. "Tina, we can''t stay in the river too long." In the dark river, the man forced her to swim in another direction... Chapter 62 Chapter 62 "Tina" The man''s warm and clear voice rang in her ear, "Tina..." It was repeated over and over again. His tone was extremely gentle when he was calling out her name. "Don''t call me that name, it''s disgusting!" Christina frowned. She seemed a little confused and thought the voice was familiar. She must have heard this gentle voice before. ''Who are you...'' She opened her mouth and wanted to shout, but her whole body trembled in fright. She opened her eyes immediately only to see the white ceiling above her head in confusion. She smelled the faint smell of disinfectant. Only then did she realize that it was a dream. And she was in the hospital. "Hospital?" She murmured. She was weak and her mind went nk. She looked around in a daze and heard the sound of blood pressure and heart rate machines dripping... "Why am I in the hospital?" She had a low fever so she was blunt now. She hadn''t regained her senses. "What did you say?" At this time, in the quiet night of the morning, at the abandoned factory, the police, and rescue team were still working... "You said Christina was in the hospital?!" Charles held the phone in disbelief. "What?" Patrick rushed forward and grabbed his phone. His voice was low and shocked. "Christina is in the hospital!" How could she be in the hospital! "Why am I in the hospital?" She remembered there might be a man... Suddenly, Christina seemed to remember something. She appeared anxious and her heart was racing. She immediately threw back the white hospital sheet and put her hands on her belly... She looked down at her fair and smooth belly. She took a long breath then. ''Fortunately...'' She remembered that when she went to thepany''s wine party, she met a man who looked polite and wore a ck tuxedo. At first, Todd mistook her for Cecilia and took her to the party. Then she left. However, Todd followed her. When she bumped into the gunfight between Patrick and Sean in the underground parking lot, Todd tightly covered her mouth and forcibly took her away. Finally, Todd held a steel knife and was going to cut her belly open with the sharp de... Suddenly, Christina lost her mind. She looked at the door in confusion. There was some noise outside the door. This sound... "In the past, when we sisters were in charge of the group, this never happened!" "Today happens to be the 50th anniversary of the group. But such a big scandal has happened. The stock price will definitely fall tomorrow! Dad, I already said that Patrick is too young to have full control of the group..." Laurie and her sisters came to the hospital with Mr. Hopkins. Though they seemed to be here to visit Christina, they all took advantage of the opportunity to hit Patrick when he was down. It was past 1: 00 in the morning and the night wind was chilly. The corridor of the inpatient department was noisy. Mr. Hopkins held the walking stick by his right hand and listened to theints of his daughters. He Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. looked gloomy and irritable. The 50th anniversary of the group was originally a great day. But such a thing had happened! "Be quiet. Go in and see how Christina is doing!" The old man looked displeased and scolded his daughters. "Where''s Christina?" At this moment, a tall figure rushed from the left elevator entrance of the hospital. Patrick''s clothes were wet and he looked obviously impatient. "Where''s Christina!" When Laurie saw himing, she immediately stopped him with a dark face in her senior posture. She scolded him. "Patrick, you not only suppressed your close rtives but also offended so many people for your own selfish desires. This time Christina was injured. Next time, the rest of us will get into trouble too. You are really selfish!" "Go away -" Patrick was not in the mood to argue with her. He looked agitated and pushed her away regardless of her identity as his aunt. "Is Christina here?" He looked at Mr. Hopkins. His tone was full of disbelief. Mr. Hopkins grunted angrily, "Bastard, you even didn''t care about your wife. You''ve been fooling around with that slut. You still have the face toe here?" Patrick was scolded by his grandfather. A trace of astonishment shed across his stern face. He wasn''t angry. He just felt a little unbelievable. Christina was really in the hospital. But why was she here... "Dad, criticize hispany management!" "I don''t think he''s fit to sit in this position. We''d better hold a shareholders'' meeting tomorrow..." Laurie and her sisters took advantage of the situation to me him. But Patrick was not in the mood to think about thepany at all. He frowned and strode to the ward, shaking the doorknob with his big hand and twisting it quickly. When his eyes fell on the bed, he almost lost his breath. She was really here. Christina was lying on the bed. Watching the man in front of her walk towards her, she was inexplicably nervous. Patrick quickened his pace. When he came to the hospital bed, his condescending gaze scrutinized her as if questioning something... Christina trembled with fear because of his sharp and scorching gaze. "Why are you here?" Suddenly, he spoke in a deep voice. Christina pursed her lips tightly and did not answer him. She lowered her eyes and thought of something. As if she did not want to see him, she leaned over and turned her back to him. But Patrick was a little upset. He bent down and pressed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him directly. "Who saved you?" When he sneaked into the abandoned factory, he found Todd being attacked. He also remembered that at thest moment in the fire, he vaguely saw a man and a woman hugging each other intimately... "Answer me. Who saved you in the abandoned factory?" Patrick was getting more and more agitated. His voice was cold and he kept repeating his question. Christina''s shoulder hurt a little from his pressure. Her small face wrinkled and she red at the man on top of her head. "Let go!" He went over there to save Cecilia and didn''t care about her life. Now he came over and questioned her. What''s right did he have to ask her? "It''s none of your business who saved me!" She looked at him and retorted stubbornly. Patrick''s face darkened when he heard her reply. Looking at her weak face at this moment, he felt pain. He withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at her. Then he released her and stood up straight. "Why did you appear at the party?" He tried his best to suppress the impatience in his heart and continued to ask in a cold voice. The woman in the hospital bed, with a serious face, did not want to answer him. "Christina!" Patrick seemed agitated that he turned around and red at her stubborn face again. He yelled her name, a name that was so familiar to him from the bottom of his heart! His anger seemed to have shaken her heart. She also felt his impatience. Christina had aplicated expression on her face and an indescribable emotion in her heart. He seemed... worried. "I don''t know," Christina suddenly whispered. "I don''t know who he is." She didn''t lie. She really didn''t see the man''s face. All she knew was that he showed up in time and grabbed the knife from Todd''s hand. That man saved her... Christina half-closed her eyes. She looked pale and painful. She hadn''t recovered from the shock. Patrick looked at her. His anger seemed to dissipate. "Why did you go to the party? Who told you to go there? What did you see in the parking lot?" He spoke slowly. After thinking about it, he added, "Christina, don''t hide it from me..." "What about you? What are you hiding from me?" She interrupted him. Patrick narrowed his eyes as if he did not expect her to retort. Christina''s left hand, which was hidden in the sheet, tightened slightly as if she had summoned up courage. She looked straight at him and asked, "Patrick, your study..." "Have you been to my study?" Patrick''s voice immediately sounded cold. Christina''s face turned pale. She had expected him to be angry, but she didn''t expect such a big reaction. "I, I just..." She answered vaguely and was eager to find an exnation. Patrick seemed to have remembered something. His face was filled with a warning. "Who allowed you into my study?" "Christina, you have no right to step into my life!" His deep eyes scrutinized her closely. "Who have you been in contact withtely, you..." "My business has nothing to do with you!" She suddenly felt really disappointed. "I''m not feeling well now. Please go out!" Christina pursed her lips, showing her decision. "Christina, you..." Patrick looked angry. "Your Miss Jones is safe now. I don''t need you to worry about my business. Mr. Hopkins, please go out now. I don''t want to see you!" Christina yelled at him. Bang - The door of the ward was mmed close. Patrick, tall and upright, leaned his back against the hospital wall. He nced at the door of the ward on his left withplicated eyes. Then he suppressed a sense of annoyance and closed his eyes tiredly. He wanted to say that all he wanted was her safety. He wanted to say that he was worried about her. But he didn''t. He wasn''t fit to say that. He didn''t know how to say it... "Patrick, where''s Christina?" Charles rushed over to the hospital. But he bumped into Patrick standing outside the ward. A sh of loneliness shed across his cold face. "... keep an eye on her." After this sentence, Patrick stepped away and headed straight for the elevator. Charles was in a daze. He clearly wanted to stay here for a while longer but left so soon. "Christina, did you quarrel with Patrick?" He opened the door and asked tentatively. Christina breathed a sigh of relief and felt rxed when seeing Charles. "You are so heartless. Patrick almost lost his life in order to find you. He was worried about you..." He was worried about you. Chapter 63 Chapter 63 "Christina, why did you suddenly turn up in the hospital? Who saved you?" ''Who was he?'' "I don''t know." She shrank back and buried her head in the quilt, ignoring him. "You can''t be jealous, can you? Patrick found that you weren''t in the Hopkins House, so he was worried about you. We found Cecilia in the abandoned factory..." Charles opened his mouth to exin, but when Christina heard "Cecelia", she went upset. "You were not the one almost being stabbed in the stomach. You don''t know how scary it was! You all think I''m strong. I''m not as weak and lovable as Cecilia and the others, that''s true, but I''ll be scared too." she roared angrily through the quilt. Back then, she was trembling, wishing someone coulde to help... Charles didn''t say anything more. He knew that after the kidnapping, the victim was bound to have some psychological shock. So he turned around and walked out, closing the door for her. Looking in the direction of the corridor elevator, he sighed, "Where is Patrick..." "Patrick!" Patrick had just stepped out of the elevator when he got entangled by a woman. Cecilia was dressed in hospital clothes. After being rescued from the abandoned factory, she was sent to this hospital for observation. Although she was not seriously injured, she... She ran towards him in anxiety and held his arm nervously. "Patrick, don''t believe those doctors'' guesses. Although my clothes are taken off, I''m not... not vited by those bandits. Really not..." She emphasized in an agitated voice. Patrick looked at her coldly and withdrew his hand without a word. "I''m not interested in that." His voice was cold. Cecilia''s face froze and he continued to exin with difficulty, "Patrick, I have only slept with you. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Believe me, I wasn''t..." "As I said, I''m not interested in these things. I don''t care about the truth." He looked straight at her, his tone cold and ruthless. "No. No..." She seemed to panic all of a sudden. She strode forward, wrapped her arms around him again, and said anxiously, "Patrick, we used to love each other so much. You are angry, aren''t you? You are angry that I left three years ago. You didn''t want me to get hurt, so you rushed over to save me tonight..." "Let go!" He looked at her impatiently and fiercely pushed her away with his right hand. Cecilia leaned back and almost fell against the wall. Patrick didn''t exin much. "Miss Jones, please stop bothering me." He warned coldly word by word. "Why!" She didn''t want to give up! "Patrick, you used to indulge and pamper me so much. I know you love me. The person you love is me!" She raised her voice and shouted at him with a guilty and frightened look. He took a step closer to her. "Because it doesn''t work..." He said inexplicably. Cecilia looked at his cold face that was handsome enough to make a woman obsessed. She didn''t understand what he was saying. What did he mean by saying ''doesn''t work''? "Cecilia, I don''t care about you. I don''t care if you hide it from me. I don''t care..." Patrick suddenly extended his right hand to her. The slender fingertips touched her familiar face. "I don''t care if you have stic surgery or not." When she heard the word "stic surgery," she turned nervous. He knew. He already knew. Patrick looked at her face and smiled. He seemed to beughing at himself. "I''m not going to pursue whether you hid your stic surgery and background from me or even more... Not because I indulged you, but because I didn''t care." His low, light, and heartless words rang in her ears. Cecilia''s face turned pale. Standing right beside her, he was enough to make her feel a sense of alienation and oppression. Once, he would smile at her gently and indulgently. However, every time he looked at her, his eyes drifted away. Cecilia was a smart woman. She knew that Patrick had ulterior motives for treating her well, but she fell in love with him and wanted more from him, like his love. Every time he gazed at that high school in C City, there was a sense of loneliness in his eyes. She wanted to go up and hug him. But he didn''t want her to get close. Patrick looked at her face and thought of the woman upstairs. He became increasingly agitated. Then he turned to look in the direction of the elevator, hesitated for only a second. Afterward, he stepped back... Cecilia watched him leave with resentment and jealousy in her eyes. "Patrick, I can... I can do better than her!" She shouted at his back as if begging. He didn''t respond at all. The elevator door closed. Patrick was as heartless to her as to any strangers. He didn''t even hesitate for a moment before leaving her. What should she do? Without Patrick as a backup... Cecilia red at the closed elevator door in a panic. "Christina!" She muttered the name in a low voice, wishing that the woman would disappear forever. "Christina, she seems to be asleep inside." When Charles saw that Patrick returned, Charles quickly approached him. "Christina seemed to have been frightened by Todd''s knife. I think she was really scared..." She was scared, not because she was unsafe, but because the safety of her unborn child was threatened. When Patrick heard what he said, he looked thoughtful. After a moment of silence, he opened the door and walked straight in. The woman on the bed was not asleep. When she heard the door open, she subconsciously looked up. Thinking it was Charles, she yelled at him angrily. "You''re really annoying. I told you to go out. My kids need to rest." As soon as she spoke, she met those deep eyes. For a moment, Christina was stunned. ''Why is he here again!'' Patrick looked at her, turned his head away, and walked straight to the bathroom. It seemed that he hade here not to look for her, but to take a bath. After a while, the sound of water sounded from the bathroom... She was a little nervous for no reason. She saw that he was soaked, his short hair was in a mess and his clothes were unclean. It was rare to see this Young Master be in such a mess. But why didn''t he go back to take a bath? He came out wearing a hospital gown. There was a hairdryer in the VIP ward, and the hospital clothes were specially prepared. She was surprised to see that Patrick was dressed in the same hospital clothes as her. He stood in front of her bed. She feltplicated and ufortable. "What do you want to do..." As soon as she asked, he lifted the white sheet and said, "Move!" What? She could barely react. He justy beside her, as if this was their bedroom. "Sleep." He just said one word in a low voice. He didn''t know how to express it. Since he didn''t know, he simply didn''t say it. He naturally wrapped around her waist, wanting to hold her tightly in his arms... It was past two in the morning and the night was cold. She was really shocked tonight, and he was really... tired. Chapter 64 Chapter 64 He slept soundly. Faint sunlight was out the hospital window. When Christina woke up, it was around 6:00 am. For most people, it was still early, but... She looked at the man lying next to her with aplicated expression. Patrick was used to getting up early, and he rarely slept so deeply. He seemed very tired. Yesterday was the anniversary party of the group. And the kidnapping must have exhausted him. Christina looked at his face and had a strange feeling. He was so close to her and she could feel his unique cool breath... He slept soundly with his right arm wrapping around her waist. This cold and dangerous man was sleeping so rxed beside her. ''It is as if he belongs to me at this moment.'' ''What am I thinking about!'' Her cheeks were slightly red. Christina lowered her head not to look at him. She turned down the guard bar of the bed on her side. Sheined secretly. She really didn''t understand why he didn''t go back to rest but insisted on sleeping with her in the hospital bed. She could never know what Patrick was thinking. He hid too many secrets in his heart. She moved to the side of the bed and gently removed hisrge hand from her waist. He had the habit of sleeping with her in his arms, and she didn''t notice when he got the habit. However, just as Christina carefully raised his right hand, she paused. "He''s hurt," she murmured, a little surprised. There was a deep cut on his right palm. It seemed that he was hurt by a wire, and the cut had already solidified into blood, but it was obtrusive in his slender and fair hand. She stared at the scar on his palm, feeling a little ufortable. Christina reached out her other hand and gently touch the wound even though she didn''t know why she did that. It should be very painful. Her eyes were focused as if she was thinking about something. "What are you thinking about?" The husky voice suddenly came. Christina looked guilty. "When-when did you wake up?" Embarrassment shed across her face and she let go of his hand as if nothing had happened. "I just woke up." She wondered if he caught a cold because Patrick''s voice was a little hoarse. He did not notice her movements. He looked up at the clock on the wall and frowned as if he felt that it was a littlete to wake up at 6 o''clock. He quickly lifted the quilt and got up with his right hand pressed against the bed... "Pay attention to the wound on your hand..." She looked at him and spoke subconsciously. Patrick sat up straight from the bed, turned to look at her curiously. His dark eyes lit up because he noticed that she was worried. He raised his eyebrows and stared at her with a burning gaze. "What''s the matter?" His hoarse voice sounded blurred. Christina blushed slightly and pursed her lips. "Your palm is bleeding." Only then did Patrick check the wound on his right palm, which was oozing blood again, but he didn''t pay much attention. "Last night..." He stood up directly and changed the subject. "What happenedst night won''t happen again." He stood up straight and narrowed his eyes, looking into hers. He spoke in a low voice, but it seemed like he was promising something. Christina looked at the man with a confused expression. She did not reply but was flustered. He was promising her. N?velDrama.Org content rights. She knew that this man would not say sweet love words, but what he said was more reassuring than that because he would do what he said. Christina sat quietly by the bed while Patrick went into the bathroom to wash up. "Are you awake?" Not long after, the door of the ward was knocked on. It was Charles''s voice. Charles brought some clothes to them. Patrick got dressed directly in the bathroom. He didn''t have cleanliness fetishes like that pampered rich kids, and he was even tougher than special forces. Patrick changed into an expensive and close-fitting suit of ink-blue. He was outstanding. As he wearing a tie, he came out and asked, "What''s the situation?" "Because ofst night''s incident and the media''s reports, IP&G Group is impacted, and the early morning trading will definitely be affected..." Charles told him the truth, and as he spoke, he chuckled. "Your aunts have been in high spirits since will be amazing. Be careful, Patrick..." His aunts were already very dissatisfied with that he suddenly returned and took the position of president of the group. They would make things worse after what happened yesterday and try to kick him out. Patrick was indifferent as if he did not take his aunts seriously. He tidied up his clothes and walked straight to the door. Christina looked at his back with some emotions in her eyes. It turned out that Laurie and the others were making things difficult for him at thepany. It seemed not easy for him to make the original executives obey him. "Christina, why are you showing that expression? Don''t worry too much." Charles teased her, "Patrick can handle that, and even if he''s not the president of IP&G Group, he won''t let you and your sons suffer..." She looked embarrassed. The man outside the door paused and looked back at Christina on the bed. "Watch her. She''s not allowed to leave the hospital until I get back." Patrick said to the bodyguard at the door and left without stopping. The woman in the ward clearly heard his coldmand and frowned. He stopped her from going out again. "Christina, Patrick does that for your own good." Seeing Patrick leave, Charles sat down on the chair beside the hospital bed with his legs crossed casually, peeling an orange while teasing her. "Christina, I''ve seen so many women, and you''re the most troublesome." Lord Christina didn''t bother to quarrel with him but wanted to ask him something. "Last night..." "Don''t ask me, Patrick won''t allow you to know. I won''t tell you," Charles refused to tell her. And he added coldly, "But I don''t think that Preston brothers can still enjoy their good life..." "What do you want to do..." Christina''s expression was a littleplicated. "What do you think we''re going to do?" Charles put down the orange in his hand and looked at her thoughtfully. "Christina, do you think that we are insidious and shameless and will bully the weak..." Christina did not speak, feeling embarrassed. Indeed, she had thought that Patrick could deal with anyone with the power of his family. "Let''s not talk about Sean''s sudden gun attack in the underground parking lotst night. Todd had kidnapped you and Cecilia, which was a crime. Todd also blew up the abandoned factory and almost killed Patrick and the others..." Charles''s voice suddenly turned cold. "Christina, you don''t know him. You think he''s dangerous, but no matter how dangerous he is, he''s always been patient with you..." ''Otherwise, Id would not bother to chat with a woman.'' Just because Patrick asked him to apany her. She had never tried to understand him but just avoided him. "Christina, there''s a kind of silent love." Christina''s expression was stunned, and she was a little confused when she heard his reproachful words. Charles somehow felt ignorant for his bro. "Do you know that Patrick cares about you very much?" Although he didn''t know what Patrick was thinking, they all saw how anxious he wasst night. There was no doubt that he really cared about her. The woman sitting on the hospital bed tensed up, and her astonished expression showed that she had heard something very shocking. "Christina, you fool! Cecilia is more attentive than you are. Patrick likes you..." Charles yelled at her. "He likes you! Can''t you feel that at all?" Chapter 65 Chapter 65 "After the previous general manager of IP&G Group, Robert, jumped off a building to demonstrate in Venice branch, his two sons threatened the Group with gunfire, kidnapping, and other criminal offenses. Now they have been arrested and are likely to be sentenced to more than 30 years..." The big TV screen in the VIP room was reporting a live press conference. Christina sat beside the bed, watching TV with aplicated expression. The reporters asked anxiously, "I heard that Hopkins Family''s eldest grandson was appointed as the CEO of IP&G Group three months ago, which caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the senior management. The incident has directly affected the group''s stock price. Will the board take it into consideration.." "This incident did have some impact on the group, but we will neverpromise because of the vicious threat!" In front of the camera, the current vice president of IP&G Group replied solemnly and slowly, showing the forceful attitude of the current management. That was Patrick''s style. "Robert has been working for the Group for more than 30 years with outstanding results. There are many doubts about his sudden departure and suicide..." "Both of his sons are elites of famous international schools. This time, due to the impulsive act of losing their father, they did such things. Do you consider bringing a reduction of sentence to the court on ount of Robert''s previous contributions..." A female reporter was agitated and asked loudly, "The current president is only seeking personal gain and ruthlessly oppressing the old employees. Is this the culture that an internationalpany should have?" Christina was inexplicably annoyed by the noise on the television. Most people favored the Preston Family, thinking that they were disadvantaged groups, and Patrick was obviously the vicious wolf who mercilessly put them into a desperate situation. Picking up the remote control, she turned off the TV. "Patrick..." She sat on the bed in sorrow and murmured the familiar name. What kind of person was Patrick? Christina looked at the spacious ward withplicated eyes. There was no one else but her inside and four tall and sturdy bodyguards were guarding the door outside because she was grounded. ''He is a very strong, and very... dangerous person.'' "I''m going in. Let me in!" All of a sudden, there was a loud argument outside the door. "I beg you. Please let me in for a while... I would never dare hurt her. I just want to talk to her..." It was the voice of a middle-aged woman. She trembled and pleaded repeatedly. "Please leave immediately!" Not long after, the bodyguard''s cold and serious voice came with a warning. "Young madam, I beg you toe out. We just came here to apologize to you..." The woman raised her voice nervously and shouted. Christina walked to the window of the ward and saw a well-maintained middle-aged woman sitting on the floor, hugging one of the bodyguards'' calves regardless of her image. Her face was covered in tears. She seemed too decisive and kept pleading, "Please let me in to talk to her, just five minutes. Please." she said in an extremely humble tone. "Get out of here now!" The stern bodyguards pointed the gun at her head to warn her. "No, don''t kill my mother..." On seeing the gun, another young woman was trembling with fear. She immediately jumped in front of the woman and shielded her. "F*ck off..." The bodyguard lost his patience. "Let them in." Christina wrenched the door open and ordered the bodyguards. The two women, who fell to the ground, heard the sound and immediately raised their heads. When they saw that it was Christina, they crawled to her feet. "Mrs. Hopkins, I know that you were scaredst night. My two sons were ignorant and muddle-headed. I can''t believe that they had done such an ungrateful thing. I apologize to you on their behalf. I can do anything for you..." The middle-aged woman tugged at her feet and spoke in a trembling voice, unable to control her emotions. Her forehead was really pounding against the floor, making a thud sound... The middle-aged woman seemed to be anxious, with a helpless look. Christina''s eyes widened slightly as she looked down at the dignified woman at her feet, who was kowtowing to her, and she was stunned. "Mrs. Hopkins, my brothers have never been like this before. They have also participated in international volunteer work, but my father''s sudden departure affected them deeply... Please forgive them. They will change. I promise..." The young girl was anxious as well, holding back tears in her eyes and tugging on her other leg. This was Sean''s sister, looking like a college student. "Drive them away!" The bodyguards behind them lost their patience. They immediately went forward and dragged them, afraid that Patrick woulde back and me them. "Let them go," Christina said hesitantly. The bodyguard did not listen to her at all, but replied in a formal manner, "Young madam, please don''t make things difficult for us." Yes, they were Patrick''s men, so of course, they only listened to his orders. Christina pursed her lips tightly without speaking. The fragile mother and daughter could not resist the pull of the bodyguards. They were carried by the back cor and ruthlessly dragged to the elevator. Mrs. Preston''s face was covered in tears. She turned to Christina and shouted, "I know that my husband, Robert, got what he deserved. He was greedy. He was in a high position and used the group to smuggle, making billions of dors..." "Given that he has worked for the group for more than 30 years, Mr. Hopkins agreed to preserve his sons to look down on my husband, so I didn''t tell them..." Mrs. Preston couldn''t help but cry bitterly. "Both my sons are in their early 30s. If they are in jail for 30 years, their lives will be over..." They had been dragged to the elevator by the bodyguards, and Christina was still standing in front of the door, clearly hearing their voices echoing in the corridor of the hospital... As for the daughter who was dragged behind, she looked at Christina who had an indifferent expression. Hatred rose in her eyes. "You are pregnant. You will be a mother. If you do those things to my brothers, the children you give birth to will be punished!" Bang... The door to the ward was closed. Christina could no longer hear their voice, but her eyes darkened and she sat back on the edge of the hospital bed, the girl''s cursing echoing in her ears. In fact, she was not a good person, but the Preston Family''s sons kidnapped herst night, and even held a steel knife in her abdomen, trying to kill her child. Patrick didn''t do anything wrong, but... She caressed her abdomen, thinking that there was human sympathy beyond thew. She wanted to reduce the sentence for them in the name of the Group, taking it as a blessing for her unborn twin sons. But she was not sure if Patrick would listen to her. Christina sat by the bed and suddenly blushed a little. She remembered Charles''s strange words this morning. [ Patrick personally went to the abandoned factory to find you! ] [ Christina, what''s wrong with you! Cecilia is more attentive than you are. Patrick likes you, he likes you! Can''t you feel it at all! ] ''He likes me?'' She pursed her lips and looked up awkwardly at the clock on the wall. It was five in the afternoon. The bodyguard had previously reported to her that Patrick was rather busy today and asked her to have dinner in the hospital by herself. At eight o''clock in the evening, he would pick her up and go back to Hopkins House. Before that, she was not allowed to go anywhere. Frankly speaking, he treated her fairly well. After she married Patrick, she had a good life, and he didn''t put her in a difficult position. Moreover, Patrick would send someone to inform her when he couldn''t be able toe home for Original content from N?velDrama.Org. working overtime. He seemed to like to tell her his schedule. At first, she felt that it was because of Hopkins Family''s good upbringing. Now in retrospect, it seemed that he cared about her... It was not that she couldn''t feel it, but that she didn''t dare to think about it. No. Because there was a huge gap between him and her. "How could he like me?" She blushed a little and retorted to herself in a soft voice, suppressing an expectation. ''I''m not good at pleasing him, and I''m always against him...'' The thought of that made her even more upset. But there was a thought in her heart weighing her down, and she wanted to figure it out, but she was a little scared... "You''re really afraid of what''s going to happen if you leave her alone at the hospital. There are still a few bodyguards outside." It was Charles''s bantering voice. When Christina heard the sound and raised her head, the door to the ward had been opened. Christina stared at the man in front of him in a daze. ''Didn''t he say he wouldn''t be free until 8 pm?'' "How do you feel?" Patrick asked in a cold voice. Christina quickly lowered her head nervously. "I''m ready to leave the hospital," she said. Patrick seemed to be satisfied with this answer. He grunted, "Let''s go home." Christina had already changed her clothes, leaving her luggage to the servants. She went to the bathroom and straightened herself in the mirror before leaving with him. Charles walked up to her and whispered, "Christina, go andfort your husband..." "What?" Christina looked up at the balcony. It was sunset, and Patrick seemed to be in deep thought. He frowned and held his phone in his right hand. The dim light hit the man''s silhouette, revealing a sense of loneliness. ''What is he thinking?'' Inexplicably, she wanted to know. "Patrick, you soaked in the riverst night. Is the fever gone?" Charles red at her with hatred, then raised his voice and shouted. Christina was startled and realized that he had a fever. When he woke up next to her in the morning, his body was indeed hotter than usual. "Hurry up and do your duty as a wife..." Charles was so angry that he secretly pushed Christina on the balcony. Christina took a few steps forward and hit Patrick''s back with her nose. "Watch out." Patrick turned around and helped her up. She was ashamed to hear that and took a step back, whispering, "Got it." She said after a moment of hesitation, "Patrick, do you have a fever?" "It''s all right." He was still in his cool demeanor. Christina looked a little awkward. "Well... Were you looking for mest night, too? Patrick looked at her who swallowed back the words on the tip of her tongue. He thought of something and said in a cold voice, "Leave the mother and daughter of Preston Family alone." Christina looked at his resolute face and bit back the words she wanted to ask. Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Christina and the others left immediately after finishing the discharge procedures. As soon as they got out of the elevator, they heard a loud noiseing from the hospital lobby. Arge group of reporters was blocking the entrance of the hospital. The cameras and shlights were all on a woman. The security guards of the hospital were trying to keep order, but the reporters were in a hurry to interview her and ignored the guards. For a moment, the lobby was congested. "Miss Jones, someone caught you in a photo that night. Your clothes were in a mess. What exactly happened? Did Todd and the others do something to you..." The urgent questioning kept going. The explosion at the abandoned factory in the north of the cityst night was toote for the PR to deal with and had already been widely reported by the media. Todd and the others were arrested, and the kidnap was uncovered. Moreover, the scene of Cecilia getting into the ambnce in an awkward statest night was taken. After all, Cecilia was a public figure and a female star, so her disheveled image was easy to draw people''s imagination, and some irresponsible media made some exaggerated guesses. "I wasn''t raped!" Cecilia retorted excitedly in a shrill voice. The world was so cruel thatizens nowadays just gossip without sympathizing with people''s misfortune. Many people poked their heads and looked curiously at the door, including Christina. She looked at Cecilia, who looked pale and anxious, helplessly shouting at a group of reporters. Christina nced sideways at the man next to her. Patrick''s face was cold. "The two brothers from the Preston Family kidnapped you and blew up the abandoned chemical nt to retaliate against IP&G Group, and Miss Jones, were you kidnapped because of your rtionship with Mr. Hopkins..." "Did Mr. Hopkins, or people from IP&G Group send someone to visit you..." Compared to a female star who was suspected of being vited, the media preferred to spread the news about the big corporation, especially rted to the Hopkins Family and Patrick... "Patrick!" A reporter seemed to have discovered something and suddenly shouted excitedly. When the others heard the name, they all looked in the direction in surprise. Even Cecilia and her manager were shocked. In an instant, the noisy hospital lobby fell silent. "Did Patricke to pick up Cecilia from the hospital himself?" A reporter asked his colleagues in a low voice. "I don''t know..." Compared to the previous mor, the group of reporters now appeared cautious. Christina felt a little ufortable when she saw so many eyes looking this way. For some unknown reason, the man next to her stepped forward and covered half of her face. "Take her to leave first." Cecilia said in a low voice to Charles. Christina was not surprised to hear him say that, thinking that Patrick might see his Miss Jones too pitiful and helpless so he decided to help her. Charles did not leave immediately but looked at Cecilia''s side. Charles was the boss of thepany, and Cecilia was his employee. This time, a car had been arranged to pick Cecilia up, but he didn''t expect this woman was discharged early. "Cecilia will be picked up in ten minutes. Patrick, you don''t have to..." Charles''s voice was no longer joking, but a little more disgusted. For stars, they must attract the attention of the public from now and then, whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. Only the frequent appearance in front of the camera could make people remember them in order to maintain their status. "Take her out of here!" Patrick''s voice was clearly a little more imposing. Christina reached out to tug at the corner of Charles''s shirt, implying to him with her eyes that they should leave quickly. "Christina, are you so fond of giving up your man to another woman? Can you be tough, or at least fight for yourself!" How dare Charles say no? In the end, he had to follow Patrick''s order and take Christina to the back door of the hospital. Christina''s face was numb as she silently listened to Charles scold her. ''Fight for myself?'' If it was for something else, she would never hesitate to go forward, doing her best to fight for, but... It was Patrick, forget it. "Is Patrick looking for Cecilia?" Christina turned her head and asked curiously. Because just now, she saw Patrick walk in another direction. "Patrick didn''te to pick her up from the hospital..." "It looks like Cecilia was really given up by Patrick... Maybe it was because someone else touched Cecilia the night she was kidnapped, and she lost her virginity..." The reporters in the main lobby of the hospital were discussing in low voices. Cecilia, who had already walked out of the hospital, held her LV''stest white handbag tightly, and her bright orange nails were deeply embedded with a few pinches. The reporters no longer seemed to be interested in her. The manager led her out, and at this moment, both of them looked very pathetic. Originally, they wanted to use this incident to hype up. A vague exnation would allow Cecilia and Patrick to be rted, but... Cecilia couldn''t help but turn around and look at the hospital waiting room. At that moment, she saw clearly that Patrick was deliberately blocking Christina with his body. He didn''t want her to be gossiped about by the media. He kept hiding her. Who was the substitute? Cecilia burst intoughter andughed at herself. So this was the case... He was nice to her, just to make her wife jealous. Then he said, it didn''t work. "It doesn''t work..." She muttered in a low voice, but she was still thinking about that fascinatingly handsome face. Because it didn''t work, because Christina waspletely indifferent to those rumors, so she was worthless for it. So he stopped protecting her and didn''t even look at her. Working in this filthy industry, she knew what reality was. However, every woman had a princess''s dream that they wanted a prince to protect them. She used to think she was the lucky dog. But no, those indulgences belonged to another woman. "Patrick, I really love you." She looked straight ahead, her vision gradually blurring. He was extremely deep, ruthless, and could only measure everything by its value ruthlessly, never taking a woman to heart, but she loved him. But from this man''s point of view, her love was so cheap that he couldn''t take it seriously. ''So many women adored you, and you look down on them arrogantly, but...'' "Does Christina know your tricks? Does she know your ns? If she knows..." Cecilia''s heaving chest was full of thoughts, and she looked angry and unwilling. "She will definitely run away. She won''t stay for you. She won''t love you as I do!" It was like venting. Her suppressed voice and growling were unable to conceal the jealousy in her eyes. ''Patrick, the woman you love would never love you.'' ''Because she was forced!'' She was very dissatisfied and unwilling to give up, but at this moment, she just wanted to curse and let everyone be unfortunate together. The manager next to her saw the unwillingness in her eyes and reminded her in a cold voice, "Cecilia, N?velDrama.Org content rights. if you want to continue your career in the entertainment industry, you have to find another backer..." Looking for another backer? Cecilia thought of her future and quickly calmed down, feeling even angrier. Because of her ambiguous rtionship with Patrick before, even if it was no longer rted now, those people were very cautious about her. "Cecilia, let''s go. Stop looking over there..." When the manager saw thepany''s vehicle approaching, she dragged her to the side of the road. Cecilia was dragged along, and her eyes were still fixed on the two extraordinary men in the waiting room of the hospital. Suddenly, she thought of something. She lowered her voice and said, "Anne, I think I''ve found a backer..." When the manager heard her, she was a little surprised and followed her gaze. In the waiting room of the hospital, it was Patrick and Cory. "Cory?" It was obvious that Cory was here to pick up Christina from the hospital, but Patrick let Charles take her away first. Cory didn''t even have a chance to see Christina and say a word. "She''s my wife." Patrick looked straight at his cousin, his voice cold and deep, reminding him word by word. "Cousin, there''s no need for you to be overly concerned about my wife." "I just..." Cory paused, his face grim and sore. He looked at the man in front of him and retorted with gritted teeth, "I just care about her as a friend." "Just as a friend?" Patrick chuckled. Cory was angry, "What about you? You married Christina. Do you dare to say that you are innocent? Are you hiding something from her?" "And you don''t know her. Otherwise, the person who saved her that night, why haven''t you found out all these days..." Chapter 67 Chapter 67 "We got nothing." "There''s only one national highway near the factory, but we haven''t found anyone suspicious in surveince video of the past few days..." The long, dark gray Bugatti was driving smoothly on the highway. Patrick picked up Christina from the hospital today, but the atmosphere crackled with tension. The back seat of the car was spacious and well-equipped. The two rows of seats were opposite each other, like small sofas. Now the bodyguard opposite Patrick was solemnly reporting something to him. Patrick''s face was grim and he was clearly in a bad mood. "Since we got nothing, let''s start with Gordon Hotel..." He ordered in a cold voice. Patrick squinted casually at Christina beside him. The bodyguard who had followed him for many years immediately understood and nodded. "Yes." The mysterious man must have known Christina well since he could reach the abandoned factory ahead of them and save Christina. In other words, this mysterious man had been following Christina and probably witnessed Todd forcibly taking her away from the hotel, so he followed her all the way to the abandoned factory. Christina sat quietly in the corner and listened to their conversation. She knew they were talking about the mysterious man who saved her from the abandoned factory that day. Patrick didn''t care about being heard by her. Or perhaps, he did that on purpose. She could tell Patrick was eager to find out the identity of the man. It seemed that he wanted to get even with him. But in fact, the man had saved her and could be considered as her lifesaver. Raising her head, she suddenly wanted to say something. She wanted to tell Patrick not to scare the man with a straight face if they could find him. But before Christina could speak, Patrick asked her in a gloomy voice, "What''s your rtionship with him?" Christina''s expression froze, and she became a little angry to hear his cold tone. "I''ve told you, I don''t know him." But Patrick didn''t believe her at all. He sneered, "You don''t know him?" "What do you mean?" She could tell he was questioning her. "Why are you so eager to find him? He didn''t offend you. Why do you look like you''re going to kill him?" Christina pouted in anger without hiding her dissatisfaction. She shouted back at him. Christina thought that Patrick wanted to do something to that man. Patrick seemed to be very unhappy that the man had saved her. Patrick''s face darkened with anger as he looked into her stubborn eyes. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. He gnashed his teeth and said in a cold voice, "I want to thank him for risking his life to save my wife!" If he was just her acquaintance, how could he risk his life to save her in such a dangerous situation? Christina felt even more aggrieved after hearing his words. She was kidnapped because of him, but he wanted to get the man who had saved her into trouble. "I don''t know who he is. It was too dark that night. I didn''t see his face clearly." She was too scared to notice that. And that man... Although she did not see his face, she remembered his voice was very low and gentle. It was her first time to see him, but she was not afraid of his approach. And the man called her "Tina." This was her nickname. Only her mother would call her nickname when she was still a young kid. No one else knew that unless... Impossible. Thinking of some bad memories, she became more and more irritable. Why should Patrick care about that man? Christina looked straight into his deep eyes, and she pouted and yelled at Patrick,"...Even if I know who he is, I won''t tell you. This is my privacy!" How dare she! Charles and the bodyguard opposite them were startled to hear that and they sighed in their hearts. He stole a peek at Patrick. As expected, his face was very sullen. The car quieted down instantly, and the atmosphere was thick with tension. Patrick suppressed his anger and red at the woman beside him fiercely. And Christina''s looked back into his eyes with a grim expression. She was angry too. The car reached Hopkins Family, and Patrick walked out and mmed the door. "Christina, you''d better not mess with other men outside!" Standing upright outside the car, he turned to look straight at the stubborn woman in the car. He said that word for word, his cold voice was full of warning. Christina was stunned at his sudden warning and her face turned pale. Patrick strode towards the east vi as if he were in a very agitated mood. "A stranger suddenly approached you, so Patrick must be cautious..." Charles exined tofort her, "He just..." Cared about you. Christina ignored Charles. She quickly got out of the car, but she stomped angrily. She was clearly in a bad mood. Charles looked at the handsome figure on the east side and then at Christina, who was walking towards the Main Residence, muttering to himself, "Patrick is already very moody. Ever since he married Christina, he was like insane..." Charles thought that he should not intervene in their affairs and was about to go back immediately. However, Mr. Hopkins said he had something to do with him, so Charles had to brace himself and follow the servants to the living room of the Main Residence. As soon as he stepped into the living room of the Main Residence, Charles was surprised to see a piano. The piano was on the left-center of the luxurious living room. This custom-made ck Steinway grand piano was very expensive and dazzling... Especially when it showed up in Hopkins Family. Who dared to put a piano in here? Everyone knew that Patrick hated the piano. He thought of something and he tilted to nce at Christina on the other side. Charles was curious and he would like to ask about the piano. "Charles,e here." But Mr. Hopkins came in with a walking stick and said to him. "Although higher management pleaded for the Todd and his brother, Patrick would not spare them." Mr. Hopkins asked about how Patrick dealt with that matter, and Charles had no choice but, to tell the truth. "What do you think about it?" Charles looked at the old man and said with hesitation. "Todd kidnapped Christina and Patrick was very angry. I don''t think it''s worth destroying your rtionship with Patrick for those outsiders." "He doesn''t take me seriously at all ..." Mr. Hopkins grunted with a hoarse voice. Mr. Hopkins poured the tea through the purple y teapot. A fragrance could be smelt from the white jade teacup. After passing the teacup to Charles, Mr. Hopkins looked up and asked, "Did anyone of the Preston Family go to the hospital to visit Christina today?" Charles was surprised, not understanding why he suddenly asked this question. Then he understood."It''s you who ask them to visit Christina?!" Mr. Hopkins took a sip from his teacup and muttered, "Christina is implicated. They should apologize to her in person." Charles knew that Mr. Hopkins was affectionate although he was dignified and cold. Robert, who "Todd and his brother went too far. They almost killed Christina. Although others said that Patrick was ruthless, he did that was just in case Christina would get into trouble again..." "Patrick has many methods to prevent that happening again." Mr. Hopkins put down his teacup and said in a deep voice. "They''re indeed wrong. We should teach them a lesson, but there is no need to be ruthless..." The old man''s eyes darkened and his tone became solemn... "Well, I won''t intervene." Charles understood what he was worried about. Patrick''s father died young and his mother lived abroad all year round. As the only heir of the Hopkins Family, he was talented and tough and absolutely God''s favored one. However, he was cruel and unapproachable. He ignored everything. Patrick was not heartless, but he didn''t care about most of the people around him. Such as, the one who was seriously ill and unconscious in the United States... Mr. Hopkins poured himself another cup of tea, which was very fragrant, but he didn''t take a sip but just lost in his thoughts. It was not until the tea was cool that Mr. Hopkins put down his teacup as if he had suddenly lost interest in tasting tea and was concerned about something else. "Is there anything new in the United States?" He suddenly asked in a deep voice. Charles was thinking about it too. He looked up and shook his head with a solemn expression. "No." "It''s the same as six years ago. The person is lying in the hospital bed and relying on machines to survive..." When Mr. Hopkins heard that, his eyes were filled with helplessness. "It''s our debt... we should do our best..." "Patrick has already arranged everything," Charles said in a low voice. Patrick felt more guilty than anyone. And he was concerned about that very much. And because of that he lived in America for a long time and came back sote to take over IP&G Group. Both of them felt a little sad. No one wanted to talk about the disaster six years ago, especially in front of Patrick. Mr. Hopkins poured Charles more tea and said something meaningful, "The one who is lying down can''t speak and is suffering from the illness, but the one who survives may not feel better..." They were all in pain. Charles looked at him in a daze. Patrick had been feeling guilty all these years. He wished he was the one lying on the bed, but he never said anything. He never mentioned the disaster at all. Even Charles forget about it, but whenever he saw his men send him the weekly medical report from America, he knew that Patrick never forgot it. Patrick was used to being alone. Maybe he didn''t know who to tell or how to express the pain. "Tell me if there''s any update." Mr. Hopkins looked at Charles with a more amiable look. As a grandfather, he wanted to care more about his only grandchild, but his grandchild didn''t want to talk to him. Charles felt sorry for this respectable old man. He nodded and agreed, "Okay, I''ll secretly tell you." Then he was turned his head and caught a glimpse of the long wooden table on the other side of the living room. Christina was in a bad mood and was gulping down juice. Charles''s eyes widened. He was not surprised that Christina was in a bad mood and that she was not "Patrick has been allergic to mangoes since he was a child. How can there be mangoes here?" Charles asked surprisedly. When Mr. Hopkins heard what he said, he also looked towards Christina. "Christina likes mangoes..." Christina was now pregnant with a child, so of course, she could eat whatever she liked. But he was surprised that Patrick could tolerate her. Charles was now certain that this dazzling Steinway grand piano must have been bought in the name of Christina. Mr. Hopkins raised his eyebrows slightly and he suddenlyughed when thinking about something. He was no longer in a bad mood. He drank the cold tea in one go... A reckless and ruthless man like Patrick could be decisive in dealing with business, but he may feel empty and lonely. He hesitated because he cared about her. Sometimes, even he himself did not know that his hesitation actually represented his concern. The one he was concerned about the most was the one he loved the most. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 "Hopkins Family seems to have changed a lot this year..." The butler chuckled as he took a te of fruit and approached them. Mr. Hopkins looked at the piano on his left and then turned to look at Christina, who was drinking juice in a huff. Old Master seemed to be in a good mood. Heughed heartily. "When Christina gives birth to the child, the Hopkins Family will be more different. Hahaha..." "When the baby is born, I will leave!" Christina did not know why the old man was smiling so happily. Anyway, she was very unhappy now. "Ma''am, please don''t drink too much juice now. Dinner ising." The butler said as he turned to walk towards the east vi. Mr. Hopkins suddenly shouted, "Christina, go and get that bastard over for dinner." Christina was stunned and looked very reluctant. Why? Thest thing she wanted to see right now was the cold-faced man! As soon as Patrick came back, he went to the study on the second floor. The lock on the door here was custom-made. There were many documents and materials stored here, which he did not want others to know about. Looking thoughtfully at the fifth row of bookshelves, he remembered that Christina said she had entered his study. Did she see those documents? How dare she sneak in! He really underestimated her. Patrick was a little angry, but he wasn''t so furious... What could he do with her? As long as he started to scold her, she would keep a straight face and retort him! Suddenly, Patrick felt that Charles was right. Women shouldn''t be spoiled, or they would be more unscrupulous! He didn''t want her to be afraid of him, but he wanted her to be more obedient. What a contradiction! Patrick sat on his desk chair, his brows suddenly furrowed, his elbows resting on the ss table, and his right hand clutching his head. It hurt. He lowered his head and smiled bitterly for no reason. He was not sure which caused him to be ufortable, Christina or the fever. Patrick seemed to be in great pain. He pulled a few strands of his short ck hair off and suppressed the pain. "Mr. Hopkins, do you want to call a doctor?" The bodyguard on the side hesitated for a long time before he dared to speak. Patrick never liked to be interfered with, including when he was unwell. "Continue to send more people to investigate the identity of that man. Report any news immediately..." Patrick did not raise his head and ordered in a cold, deep voice, "Get out!" He often had migraines, but he could handle them. After he left the hospital today, he met Cory, who said, "You don''t really know Christina. You can''t even find out who saved her..." Patrick admitted that he was inexplicably agitated because Cory said, "don''t know her". So he was eager to find out the identity of the man. The two bodyguards in the study respectfully walked out. He adjusted his breathing slightly, lowered his eyes, and continued to review the documents on the table. Even his breath was hot, but he still had a lot of work to do. There were more than a dozen expedited group final judgment documents, as well as the Preston Family case proposal, and... His eyes suddenly darkened and he fixed his gaze on the medical record report with the conspicuous blue logo at the bottom, which was sent by the famous American medical institution. This wasst week''s report, and he had been reading it carefully every week since six years ago. He picked up the medical record report, which was only six pages long. He felt it heavy. Her eyes were fixed on the documents and he read them word by word... All of a sudden, he pped the documents back onto the table, frowning and leaning back weakly against the chair, his head half raised, his face pale. It seemed that he was trying to endure a sharp pain. He was panting with his eyes closed and his chest heaved, trying to ease the difort. Although there was no one else in the room, he still didn''t allow himself to act like an ipetent weakling. There were still many things to do, and some people needed him... "Ma''am, sir is working inside..." "Grandpa asked me toe over!" Christina didn''t want to be here at all. Just then, a small sound came from outside the door, so Patrick suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at the monitor screen on the left wall immediately. It was her outside the study. The migraine was torturing him. No matter how much he tried, he could not hide the pallor on his face. "Ma''am, sir told me that no one could enter." The bodyguard repeated seriously. The bodyguards were trained by Patrick in the United States and had little to do with the Hopkins Family. Therefore, they would only show proper respect to Patrick and Christina, but would not listen to them. Christina''s face was darkened. She knew that Patrick''s men had the same bad temper as their master. When she got back in the car, what Patrick said had already upset her. Her grandfather forced her to Christina was petty and decided to turn around and leave. "Why does shee here?" Suddenly, the bodyguard''s tiny headphones made some noise. The two bodyguards outside the door subconsciously held their headphones in their right hands. Just now, they heard Patrick''s words clearly and looked suspiciously at a surveince camera overhead. They thought that Patrick should have seen hering. Christina noticed that they were holding the tiny earphones by their ears with their right hands. She hesitated and stared at them. The two bodyguards looked at each other, and when they looked at her again, they asked carefully. "Ma''am, what are you doing here?" Christina did not answer immediately. She frowned at them, raised her head, and looked around the ceiling. Sure enough, she found a monitor. Her eyes were fixed on the monitor above her head, and her face was grim. She let out a loud roar without suppressing her discontentment. "Grandpa asks you to have dinner together!" She knew that he could see her. But Christina became even angrier for no reason. She just came to look for him. But he asked the bodyguards to pass on the message. He was so superior. The man in the study was stunned as he didn''t expect her to yell directly at the monitor, while the woman on the screen looked straight at the camera with her clear eyes. Christina had a pair of beautiful and clear eyes. Her personality was also straightforward and simple. He could tell at a nce that she was in a bad mood. "I don''t want to eat." Patrick said five simple words to themunicator. The bodyguard didn''t find it strange, because apart from having to eat with the old man for breakfast, Patrick spent more time eating by himself. Christina''s face turned livid and then darkened when she heard what he said. She stopped repressing her unhappiness and yelled at the monitor, "Patrick, grandpa is waiting for you!" "You always concentrate on your own work. Have you ever thought that grandpa is always waiting for you to have a meal together as he looks at a table of cold dishes? You have people waiting for you now. But how about tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. He''s already 80 years old, so how many years can he have..." "Forget it. People like you will never understand the feelings of others waiting for you!" Christina was so angry that she turned around and strode off. The two bodyguards outside the door were stunned. How dare she curse Mr. Hopkins... Looking at Christina''s angry back, no one came forward, only to hear her stomp heavily on the floor... The man in the study had a rather dull face and slightly widened eyes. He was somewhat shocked. Christina had been so bold in front of him a few times before, but it was not the same as the previous He looked up at the clock on the wall. It was exactly 7:15 pm, the time for dinner at the Hopkins Family. He looked down at the medical record report from the United States and couldn''t concentrate. N?velDrama.Org content rights. "People like you will never understand the feelings of others waiting for you!" Her words echoed in his ears. Patrick closed his eyes and was very upset. He suddenly got up from his chair and went straight to the door. When he held the doorknob, he remembered something. He pursed his lips and murmured, "I''ve been waiting for you for six years..." He lowered his eyes thoughtfully. "Where''s Patrick?" Christina returned to the main house in a huff. When the old man in the hall saw that her face was darkened, he knew what had happened. "Let''s eat," the old man said to the housekeeper beside him in a deep voice. In fact, Mr. Hopkins was not as miserable as Christina thought. The old man already knew Patrick''s temperament. Unless it was a special day, his unfilial grandson was toozy to pay attention to him. She was very angry because she recalled that after she married into the Hampton Family, every day, she waited for Cory toe home to eat like an empty widow. ''Why was I so stupid before?'' However, during her three years of marriage with Cory, she mistook Cory for her savior. She didn''t know if it was love or not. She only knew to treat him well and be obedient to him. Then she thought about the cold-blooded Patrick. "What a horrible man!" All men were hateful. Christina''s face was darkened and she angrily cursed. As she sat down at the table, the maid served her the tasteless nutritious meal she hated the most. She stared at the bowl of so-called nutritious porridge. She knew that the old man was going to "torture" her in order to make her have a healthy and chubby grandchild. However, for the sake of the child''s health, she did not dare to resist. Christina became more and more indignant. She grabbed the spoon and stuffed it into her mouth. "Eat slowly." Mr. Hopkins, who was sitting opposite her, wanted to speak, but he raised his head in surprise. Some emotions shed in his eyes. When Christina heard this low voice, she subconsciously raised her head. When she saw Patrick, she choked and coughed in surprise. "Focus!" He looked at her disheveled face andined. As he spoke, he handed her a clean handkerchief to her lips. Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Christina had dinner in Hopkins Family. Although she was not as restrained as she used to be, she watched her manners carefully, not daring to be rude. Patrick and Mr. Hopkins paid great attention to table etiquette. They ate elegantly with chopsticks and rarely talked. She stuffed a spoonful of nutritious porridge into her mouth and secretly looked at the man beside her from the corner of her eyes. Patrick didn''t seem to have any appetite. He only chewed on a few vegetables and then put down his chopsticks. Christina''s eyes suddenly lit up. She seemed to notice that Patrick''s brows were slightly knit as if he was holding back something. Even there was a little sweat on his forehead... Christina peered into his eyes and unconsciously leaned closer to him. "Christina, what are you looking at?" Mr. Hopkins sitting opposite her asked in a calm voice, feeling that she was not decent with her body leaned when having dinner. Patrick turned his head and happened to have eye contact with Christina. Suddenly, his eyes met hers. They were surprised at first, then Christina blushed and turned away quickly and guiltily as if she had done something wrong. "... Nothing." She nced around awkwardly and then her eyes fell at the pot of delicious sea cucumber stew on the table. She made an excuse. "I want some soup..." The maid, who was at the side, heard her and immediately went forward to fill her a bowl. Although she should avoid certain food during pregnancy, she could have this chicken stewed with sea cucumber. But the soup was very hot. To cover up her behavior, Christina lowered her head and leaned closer to the bowl of soup, blowing it continuously, looking like she was greedy and really wanted to drink it. "Take your time." Patrick stood up from his chair and his voice was a little hoarse. He left the table and ced his not-so-hot bowl of soup in front of Christina. Christina slightly widened her eyes and raised her face, but her face happened to touch Patrick''s retracted hand. "Your hand is so hot." She said subconsciously. She frowned slightly and looked straight at him. Patrick seemed to be hiding something that he didn''t want people to know. He looked cold-faced and unhappy. Not wanting to look at her, he quickly turned around and left without saying a word. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Hey, did you catch a cold because of soaking in the river before..." Christina remembered that when she was discharged from the hospital, Charles said that Patrick had a bit of cold. She moved very quickly, as if it was her instinctive reaction, and reached out to grab Patrick''s wrist. In the middle of what Christina said, his face suddenly changed and he suddenly stood up from his chair. "You have a high fever!" Patrick heard her exmation, and his face was a little unhappy. With a wave of his right hand, he tried to get rid of her. "Let go." His deep voice was hoarse. But she held on tight, or perhaps Patrick didn''t use too much force. Christina only felt his skin hot, and anxiety and nervousness welled up in her heart. "Patrick, have you taken any antipyretic?" Patrick didn''t answer her. He looked annoyed. "Let go. Did you hear me?" He seemed to have lost his patience. This time, he used his other hand to remove her fingers. Soon, Christina was pushed away by him. "You have no right to ask about me!" He seemed to be disgusted by her concern. Christina felt so aggrieved. Patrick didn''t seem to want to see her expression. He turned around quickly, stepped away, and walked towards the door in a hurry. Christina watched him with an angry expression on her face as he strode away. All of a sudden, she seemed to want to have a contest with something. She lunged forward again and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Patrick froze in ce this time. Even the other servants of Hopkins Family standing aside were stunned. Everyone watched in shock as Christina rushed over, all eyes fixed on Christina, wondering if their usually grumpy young master would p her away. Christina hugged him tightly in this way. She turned around and shouted nervously at Mr. Hopkins, "Grandpa, he has a high fever!" The old man at the table was stunned for a moment, then frowned. Christina had thought the old man would yell at Patrick, but he didn''t. As if Old Master was used to it, he put down his chopsticks and said, "Take care of your body." "Christina ----" Patrick turned his head sideways, his face darkening. He gritted his teeth and shouted her name in a low voice, looking clearly dissatisfied with her pestering. He hated the women who pestered him the most. "Do whatever you want. I''m just so annoying!" Her face was full of anger. She shouted, with her clear eyes looking straight at him. "Patrick, did you know that a high fever can kill people too?" She seemed to have remembered something, and she felt a little excited. "When I was a kid, I had a ymate. He had a high fever at home all day, but no one took him to see a doctor. A weekter, I found him in the kindergarten. He had been silly and autistic, being not able to speak." "Everyone said his brain had been burnt out and he had be a fool..." She almost screamed out as if she was angry at the memory. Patrick had mixed feelings. He looked sideways at the hands she was holding on to his waist. He could feel her strength, tremors, and nervousness. ''Is she so nervous because of me?'' "Patrick, you have to have an intravenous drip today." She sounded serious. Patrick didn''t know if it was because of his high fever or some other reason, but he let Christina drag him along... At the dining table, Mr. Hopkins looked at the two people leaving, then looked up at the housekeeper beside him. Both of them were a little surprised. Mr. Hopkins was quite pleased and his appetite improved a little. He picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of beef to chew on. Sure enough. After marrying his wife, Patrick was more patient. Patrick was dragged back to the bedroom by her. Soon the doctor came over and took Patrick''s temperature. But it was not a serious illness, so the doctor just prescribed some medicine for Patrick. Christina stood by, looking at the thermometer showing 39 degree. She was very worried and urged Patrick to have an intravenous drip. Seeing the strange atmosphere, the doctor and the servant quickly left. Patrick didn''t look very happy, especially when his eyes fell on the infusion set in his left hand. Damn it, he couldn''t work with this. He was used to signing with his left hand! Christina knew that he was in a bad mood and she asked softly like a good wife, which was rarely happened in usual, "Do you want to lie down on the bed?" He ignored her. Looking at the two bottles of potions on the iron frame, he calcted the time. He still had a lot to do. "Patrick, it will be morefortable to lie on the bed..." She approached him and continued to ask him gently and insistently. Patrick raised his eyebrows and stared at the face in front of him. She was really worried about him. He felt somewhat touched. For some unknown reason, Patricky on the bed subconsciously. "Patrick, are you feeling any difort?" "Your forehead is still very hot. How about I put a fever pad on it... Or do you prefer cold water or alcohol to cool it down physically?" She was very noisy. Patricky on a wide bed. He had a high fever and had no strength. He closed his eyes and only heard the woman beside him nagging and bustling around him. "Patrick..." Christinay down by the bed and saw that he had closed his eyes and had not spoken, so she called out his name in a low voice. "Anything else?" The man on the bed had a high fever so his voice was a little hoarse, but it was easy to detect the anger and impatience in his tone. "Oh, nothing. I had thought you were asleep, so I called you," Christina began to reflect on herself. "Then I won''t disturb you. I''m going out. You can rest here." "Wait a minute." Patrick suddenly opened his eyes when she said she was leaving. "Are you feeling unwell?" Christina stood by the bed and stared at him. Patrick''s face shed with awkwardness and he said a word with a strange tone, "Headache." "Massage me..." Christina regarded him as a serious patient. She took off her shoes and climbed to the bed directly. She looked down at the man lying on the bed and told him very honestly, "Rub your temples? I don''t have much experience." "It doesn''t matter..." It turned out that Christina could not lie. She was really inexperienced. Dead woman. She rubbed them so hard. Patrick''s head was under her ws, and she rubbed it at will. He felt more painful than before. Christina knew what she was doing, so she tried to rub it more gently. "Patrick, can you turn over?" "Hmm?" He was choked on the forehead by her. He had a high fever and was tortured, so he didn''t want to talk anymore. Patrick was lying on the bed like a salted fish, and his face was still pressed on the pillow by Christina. His breathing was a little ufortable. He suspected that Christina was taking advantage of his illness to seek revenge. Christina, on the other hand, felt that he was more approachable when he was sick. Now Patrick was facing her from behind, so she wasn''t so embarrassed. Her massage technique was still not very skillful, but it was obvious that she had known how much force should she exert. Patrick was a little relieved and felt that it was worth it to lie down like this. "After Eric''s high fever, he didn''t speak for two years..." It was so quiet in the bedroom that Christina recalled the past and told to him directly in the back of his head. ''Eric?'' Patrick didn''t stop her from talking, and the only thing he cared about right now was who the hell that Eric is. "Eric''s grandfather and my grandfather are very goodrades in the army. I knew Eric when I was very young." Christina thought of her childhood ymate and sounded a little sad. "He was an illegitimate child, and his mother was deceived by a man. At first, she didn''t know that the man had a wife, but then she went back to her mother''s house when she was pregnant. There was nothing serious to be a single-parent family, but Eric''s mother died in childbirth when she gave birth to him..." "Not long after, he was picked up by his father, but his father and his stepmother treated him badly. His stepmother often locked him up on the dirty and narrow top floor, throwing food at him like raising animals at regr intervals. Once, she even locked him in the trunk of the car to scare him on purpose..." As Christina spoke, she became agitated. "Eric was really stupid. He had been quiet since he was a child. He didn''t like to talk. He wouldn''t resist when he was bullied. Those people hit him with a pole, but he didn''t know how to escape..." At that time, she didn''t like this boy very much. She thought he was too stupid. She mocked him for being like a pir. He was so stupid that he even didn''t know how to escape. Butter... "What happened to himter?" Patrick, who was on the bed, suddenly spoke in a persistent voice. However, just as he turned his head, he saw that Christina''s eyes were red and it looked like she was about to cry. "Christina!" He suddenly raised his voice and called her name with anger. Christina was yelled at and immediately came back to her senses. "What, what?!" Patrick didn''t know what happened to Ericter on. Maybe something unfortunate happened, but Patrick wasn''t interested in these. "Christina. Shoulder! Rub my shoulder." his voice was a little stifled, and he said impolitely. After thinking for a moment, he lowered his voice and emphasized, "Don''t talk!" Chapter 70 Stole Your Wife Chapter 70 Stole Your Wife ''Where is he?'' N?velDrama.Org content rights. Christina pushed the door open and went into the bedroom. She put down the bowl of hot congee in her hand, turned but found he wasn''t on the bed. There was still half of the infusion hanging in the iron rack. The syringe was forcefully removed, and the liquid was dripping... ''He asked me to go downstairs and bring congee for him...'' ''The man must take the opportunity to slip away.'' Christina was a little angry. Without thinking, she knew where he was. She immediately turned and walked towards the study. "Are you that eager to know what''s hidden in my study?" However, when Christina held the doorknob of the study, a deep voice tinged with anger came from behind her. Christina turned around and looked at him, confused. The next second, she came to her senses and took a step forward. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Yes, I just wanted to sneak into your study while you were sick tonight and see what cruel things you have done in there!" "You!" Patrick looked angry too. There were fewer servants on the east side of the vi, and the corridor on the second floor was quiet. And they just stared at each other. He did not speak again, but suddenly turned around and went back to his bedroom. Christina stood still. Watching him striding away, she was even pissed off and a little aggrieved. "... I just wanted toe and ask you to go to your bedroom for a rest." She didn''t want to exin this to him. Because when he saw her standing outside the study, her first thought was that she was up to something. Christina always felt that she and he were from different worlds. There was such a gap in their status. Besides, he was too vignt and suspicious, but she liked to keep everything simple. The maid came in and took away the iron rack and the syringe by the bed, while Patrick sat in the small living room in the bedroom, hesitating over the bowl of congee on the coffee table. Christina went straight into the bathroom to wash up quickly, then got into bed and fell asleep, She had been running around for Patrick. He was the one who was having a high fever, but she was the one that had been busy. The bastard even removed the syringe before the infusion ran out... She was very upset. She held the quilt and moved several times. After all, she was sleepy and fell asleep quickly. The night was quiet. And it was 11 now, not veryte. Patrick walked to the door and was about to return to the study. However, he stopped and looked back at the woman on the bed. Patrick frowned. His fever was gone, but the medicine made him a little dizzy. With some thoughts in his eyes, he turned off all the lights in the bedroom, walked to the bed, lifted the quilt, andy down. Christina was sleeping on the edge of the bed with her back to him. Patrick reached out and held her in his arms naturally. She struggled once against his chest. Patrick hugged her tightly, and she gradually gave in, as if she was used to him being so domineering. Christina was in a bad mood tonight, and even when she fell asleep, she kept a straight face. The bedsidemp was very dim, and Patrick looked down at her quietly but wanted tough for some reason. He knew that she had just been to the study to look for him, but he was... too nervous. He didn''t want her to know about those things. He caressed her brows gently with his slender fingers. Perhaps because she felt itchy, she turned her head and rubbed her face against his chest, as if to stop him. Then she didn''t frown now and was sleeping soundly. Patrick''s eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his grim face as he watched her like this. He withdrew his hand and stopped caressing her face, but his eyes fell on her bright red lips... He then leaned over to her, their breaths intertwined, very low and soft. He couldn''t help holding his breath as he approached her. Christina''s long eyshes trembled, but he didn''t notice that she was pretending to be asleep. Her heart was beating a little fast, but she was nervous even with her eyes closed. She also felt a little strange. She didn''t know why she didn''t want to reject his kiss... But just as Patrick was about to kiss her soft lips, he seemed to have remembered something and stopped. Christina felt it was such a hard night. She felt a little disappointed and a little sad. But she was very angry. He teased her first! She really wanted to punch him in the chest and kick him, but if she did these, he would know she was not asleep. Christina didn''t sleep well and kept tossing and turning in his arms. And Patrick did not sleep well tonight. He reached out to touch her forehead several times to see whether she was infected by him. Christina didn''t sleep well in the first half of the night because she was angry. Early in the morning, her phone rang. What bastard was calling her? "Who is it?!" After grabbing the phone by the bed, Christina asked with resentment. The man on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, then he said with some embarrassment, "Christina, it''s me." Christina didn''t get enough sleep and was dizzy. She only felt that the voice was familiar. She pressed her phone on her ear casually and asked, "What''s the matter?" "Who is it?" The man next to her suddenly asked. When Christina opened her eyes, she realized that she was so close to Patrick, and his hand was naturally resting on her chest. He was a pervert! "Hey, take your hand away from me." Now, her mind waspletely clear. "Christina, what''s going on over there?" Hearing Christina''s scream, the person on the other end of the phone asked anxiously, "Where are you now? Do you want me to go..." Patrick could hear the nervousness and worry in the person''s voice through the cell phone. He knew it was his cousin. Patrick suddenly rolled over and pinned Christina down. "What, what are you doing..." Christina was so scared that her mind was in turmoil. "I want to do you," Patrick whispered in a husky voice in her ear to mislead his cousin. The man on the phone heard their conversation and his face turned livid. The next second, the phone was impatiently hung up by Patrick. "Cory!" Outside the gate of a prestigious private kindergarten in A City, a man clutched his cell phone and looked gloomy. He had just sent his daughter to kindergarten when he suddenly remembered something and called her... "Cory." A person hurried towards him, and she called him twice before the man regained his senses and looked up. When he saw the woman in front of him, Cory was a little stunned. His gaze fell on her face for three seconds, and heughed at himself. This woman looked very much like her. "Miss Jones, we don''t seem to know each other very well," Cory spoke in a cold and distant voice. When Cecilia heard his tone, she looked a little unhappy. Since she started her career as an actress, everyone had been kind to her, but recently because of Patrick... She held back her anger and forced a perfect smile. "Mr. Hampton, there might be some misunderstandings between us. Today I came here to see you..." Cory was sneering. He didn''t believe her at all. He then interrupted her. "Cecilia, I''m not Patrick. I won''t buy anything you say. I''m not interested in a fake who got this face thanks to stic surgery." Cecilia''s face froze at the words stic surgery. Cory narrowed his eyes and red at her face. For the past three years, he could see it every day when he came home... He felt he could still hear the conversation between Patrick and Christina. His face was gloomy and he felt irritable. He turned around, ignoring the woman in front of him, and walked straight to the shiny ck Ferrari parked on the right side of the road. Seeing this, Cecilia felt anxious, ran over, and grabbed his arm regardless of her image. "Cory, I really have something important to talk to you about today." "Let go of me!" Cory looked gloomy and felt worse when he saw her simr face. "Cory, you know how I am doing now. I just want to find someone to support me..." Cory lost his patience and pushed her away. "Miss Jones, I am not cut out to be anyone''s sugar daddy. Don''t forget. I''m kind of rted to the Hopkins Family!" He said through gritted teeth. Christina was his cousin''s wife now, a fact he didn''t want to ept at all! "Then have you ever thought about why your cousin Patrick slept with no one but Christina after he came back from abroad for the first time in six years? You really think it''s just a coincidence?!" Cecilia seemed to be cornered and shouted at him. This sentence stunned Cory. "What do you mean?" He looked intensely at her. Suddenly, Cory looked excited. "Cecilia, do you know something?" When Cecilia saw his nervous look, she felt relieved. She put on air and changed the subject. "I heard that your daughter is not very close to your current wife, Carrie..." Cory didn''t understand why she suddenly mentioned Carrie, but in fact, his daughter was afraid of Carrie. "Cecilia, you''d better not y tricks," he warned in a deep voice. Cecilia straightened her back and looked straight at him. "Cory, I told you before, I just want someone to support me." "You still care about Christina, don''t you..." "If Carrie hadn''t returned with her child, you would still be married to Christina. You were still her husband, but things are different now." Cory''s face darkened even more at her words. While Cecilia was smiling. She reached out and tugged at his tie. She tiptoed, leaned closer, and leaned her lips against his ear. It looked like they were flirting with each other. Cory was unhappy and tried to push her away, but her words froze him. "Cory, I can tell you the truth about everything..." Cecilia lowered her voice and said word for word, "For example, Patrick started plotting against you so as to steal your wife a few years ago..." Chapter 71 Chapter 71 "What are you doing?!" "Cecilia, you b*tch, stay away from my husband!" When Carrie drove past the kindergarten, she saw Cory, and Cecilia''s body was pressed against Cory. She got out of the car in a rage and rushed over, pushing Cecilia away. "Who''s the b*tch, Carrie? Didn''t you steal your husband from Christina..." Cecilia has pushed away but was not angry. Instead, she smiled and ridiculed Carrie. "What did you say?!" Carrie''s face darkened instantly, and she took a big step forward as if she was about to pounce on Cecilia and tear her apart. "We are in public. Stop it." Cory standing there, silent, reached out and grabbed Carrie. Carrie looked angry and like she didn''t want to give up, but she didn''t dare to mess around in public. She looked up, red at Cecilia, and shot her a warning look. While Cecilia put on a perfect smile and gently said to Cory. "Don''t forget toe to me..." "When did you hook up with that b*tch?" As soon as Carrie got into the car, she immediately shook his arm nervously and asked. "Are you crazy? I have nothing to do with her." Cory looked in the direction of Cecilia''s departure and remembered what she had just said. He shook off Carrie''s hand impatiently, stepped on the elerator, and the car drove steadily down the highway. Carrie sat in the passenger seat and yelled angrily at the man beside her. "Cory, don''t try to lie to me. That b*tch was pressed against your body!" "Cory, we have been married. I''m your wife now. But you are still thinking about your ex-wife, Christina, right? This b*tch looks so simr to her..." "Shut up!" Cory''s face was gloomy. He clenched the steering wheel with her right hand. He could not control himself and yelled at her as she shouted and mentioned Christina''s name. "Carrie, I told you, once we are married, I won''t have an affair, believe it or not. At least, Christina was willing to believe me..." Cory''s voice dropped, tinged withplex emotions. During the three years of marriage between him and Christina, she had always believed in him, but he cheated on her... This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. If Carrie had not suddenly returned from abroad with his daughter, he wouldn''t get a divorce but remained to be indifferent to Christina. Carrie saw the guilt on his face clearly and immediately bit her lips, angry and not willing to ept this. The look in his eyes made her more worried than when she saw him snuggling up with Cecilia. He really cared about his ex-wife... "Cory, I told you a long time ago that I came back because our daughter wanted to see her father. I didn''t want to break up your family. It was you who said you didn''t love Christina at all. You asked her to get a divorce, and you took her naked pictures..." Carrie lowered her head and her voice became aggrieved as she sobbed. "Do you know that those people are saying that I stole Christina''s husband and that I''m a homewrecker..." Cory''s face was grim and livid. As he listened to her cry and talk about the past, he became even more agitated. The car got off the highway and stopped abruptly at the red light. He took a deep breath and opened said to her as gently as he could. "Carrie, you are being paranoid." "We''ve got married, and we''re going to have a wedding soon. As for Christina..." He paused for a moment, then turned around and nced casually at the window. "I''ve been decorating our new house recently. I found something Christina left behind in the apartment. I just wanted to send those items to her..." "Why not use the express?" His tone became gentle, Carrie did not dare to be unreasonable for fear of offending him. "No." However, Cory was a little tough this time. The light in front of him turned green. He stepped on the elerator and thought for a long time before continuing, "That''s Christina''s wooden box. I have to return it to her personally." It was ridiculous that although he had been married to her for three years, he didn''t know anything about Christina''s family background, her parents, or her hobbies. But this rosewood box, which Christina had locked in a secret drawer in her closet, had always been very precious to her. This wooden box, as Christina had said, seemed to be the only thing left by her missing childhood friend, named Eric or something. "What''s in that wooden box?" Carrie was alert and curious. Cory''s face changed and immediately changed the subject. "Our daughter said that she wants to wear the pink princess dress at our wedding next week..." "This is my wedding. I just want it to be perfect. Her pink dress doesn''t match my white dress. Or she can''t attend the wedding. Your family only cares about our daughter, and they don''t care about me. Do whatever you want. It''s up to you and your family anyway!" Carrie angrily turned to look at the window. Every time she asked him about Christina, he deliberately changed the subjects, and he was always partial to their daughter. Cory had thought that she was just jealous of him being better to their daughter, but now, he saw Carrie''s gloomy side face, he couldn''t help thinking of something else. [Is your daughter not very close to Carrie?] Cecilia just told him about this, but why did she know this? He looked down and his eyes fell on the screen of his phone. Cecilia had entered her phone number into his phone... He wasn''t interested in having a mistress, but... The car stopped in front of the Hampton Family, and Carrie got out of the car. But Cory turned the car around and went straight back to thepany. He typed very quickly on his phone and sent a text message. [Meet me in Beachside Hotel tonight. You said before that Patrick plotted something against me. What is it exactly... ] The phone vibrated and a new message came in. Christina looked curiously at the screen of her phone on the bedside table. The line of text shed, so she didn''t see the message clearly. But she saw it was sent by a private hospital in Seattle. "... Are you awake?" She read the text and reached out to grab her phone. "Don''t touch my phone." However, the man in the bathroom called out to her in a low, anxious voice. Then Patrick walked over quickly. He grabbed his cell phone as if he didn''t like people intruding on his privacy. Christina was yelled at and immediately withdrew her hand guiltily before she turned to look at him awkwardly. "There was a new message from the United States... saying that someone woke up." She suddenly remembered something and reminded Patrick, who was always busy. "Grandpa just asked to go to the Hampton Family this afternoon. Don''t forget..." Cory and Carrie would have a wedding soon, and the Hopkins Family would be there. On the day of the wedding, it was a little improper for her, Cory''s ex-wife to go, but she had to go over for dinner tonight. She reached the bedroom door, but the man inside still did not reply to her. Christina frowned and looked back, a little dissatisfied. "Hey, don''t get caught up in your meetings. If you don''t go tonight, grandpa will be angry again..." Before she could finish her words, she noticed that Patrick''s face wasplicated. He looked perplexed but also surprised. He stared at the phone and was stunned. "Patrick, are you okay?" She had never seen him look so shocked. "I need to go to the United States right now..." Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Christina stood still, watching him as he walked out of the bedroom door with his phone clutched in his hand. "Patrick, did anything happen?" Christina said to the man in front of her. She did not know if it was her illusion. She felt his footsteps a little hasty and heavy. "That message just now..." As she guessed, she followed him downstairs. "A message from the United States..." Christina had just arrived at the Main Residence of Hopkins Family when she heard from afar that Mr. Hopkins was in a hurry to ask, "There is really a new situation. He has woken up. Is there a chance to recover?" "Young Master has rushed to the international airport." The butler was also very excited. She couldn''t understand what they were talking about, so she walked up to him worriedly. "Grandpa, Patrick..." The old man looked up at her and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Didn''t he mention it to you?" Christina smiled awkwardly and shook her head. Thinking about it, she really worried for nothing. She had no right to interfere with Patrick''s personal affairs. "There are some urgent matters in the United States. Patrick needs to rush over immediately. He may be staying there for a long time." The butler smiled kindly and exined briefly to her. "Oh." Christina lowered her head. Her tone was somewhat sad. She did not continue to ask about it. She pretended not to care and sat with the old man for a while. When she returned to her bedroom, she immediately grabbed her cell phone and opened WhatsApp. Invincible Tina: "Charles! Come out. Come out!" Brother Charlie: "Why?" Originally, Charles didn''t want to talk to her since he was at thepany meeting, but Christina seemed a little agitated today. Christina entered a string of words in a flurry, but she felt it rather awkward when she was asked by Charles so calmly. After thinking for a while, she calmly replied as she typed a line of words, "Patrick received a text message from Seattle hospital today, saying that someone woke up, and then he acted abnormally and rushed out..." Brother Charlie: "Really? Woke up?" Even Charles was shocked. He spoke to his assistant, stood up, and walked out of the conference room. After thinking about it, he replied to Christina, "Patrick is going to Beauty Ind." Invincible Tina: "What? Beauty Ind?" Charles looked at the emojis of anger she sent, raised his eyebrows, and teased, "Christina, do you think Patrick went to the US to find beautiful girls? Are you jealous?" Brother Charlie: "Don''t worry. Patrick has suffered enough from you alone. Beauty Ind is a rich area in Seattle, where a friend of his lives." Invincible Tina: "Who?" Charles did not answer her and he looked thoughtful. Christina knew that Charles was also a busy man, and did not dare to disturb him. She thought of quietly withdrawing from WhatsApp as she felt a little silly to inquire about Patrick''s personal affairs. Brother Charlie: "When there''s a chance, perhaps Patrick will introduce the person to you." Atst, Charles sent the message and Christina looked at it in a daze for a while. She browsed her WhatsApp content and read some inspirational articles. She found that she hadn''t updated her Moments for a long time, so she sighed and wrote a paragraph. "Being pregnant with no appetite and brain''s swelling. It is as if I''m getting increasingly stupider."Christina then added a meme of a drooping orange cat at the end. To Christina''s surprise, someone instantlymented on the boring exmation in her Moments. "Tina, don''t be too tired. Take more rest as much as possible." It''s a very polite saying. Christina only nced at the word "Tina", which was a little nauseating... "Who is this?" She checked the other party''s message. The nickname was Sleeping Beauty. This was a new WhatsApp ount. The other party had not updated any things in Moments. "Sleeping Beauty? Why does a man use this nickname? Is he really so beautiful..." Christina didn''t take it to heart and withdrew the WhatsApp directly. Cory and Carrie were officially getting married next week. They and family rtives were supposed to have a meal this afternoon to talk about the details of the wedding. Patrick suddenly went to the United States, so Christina naturally did not go. In order to have a healthy big fat baby, Christina had a regr routine. She stayed at home for a week and she didn''t go anywhere, but asionally, she subconsciously looked at her cell phone. After Patrick went to the US, he didn''t call her. "What do you miss him for?" Getting used to getting up early, Christina picked up her phone to check as soon as she got up, and her expression was a little unhappy. "Ma''am, why have you been so distracted all week? Are you feeling unwell?" Early in the morning, Christina had breakfast with the old man. When the butler served them, he asked with concern. Before Christina could answer, Mr. Hopkins raised his eyebrows and said in a deep voice, "Patrick will not return until the end of the month..." "Ma''am, it turns out that you miss Young Master. He has something important to do..." The butler understood a little and immediately exined to her. Christina was embarrassed. Mr. Hopkins teased her as well and said leisurely, "Don''t stay at home all day long. Depression does no good to my great-grandson''s IQ. Find yourself some things to do..." Thirty minutester, Christina sat in the car expressionlessly. The car was driving forward steadily, heading for the church on the east side of the city. She thought that the old man had just asked her to y chess with him when he said that she shall have something to do. Why didn''t she expect that he wanted her to attend the wedding? "Grandpa, I don''t think I''m a good fit..." "What, are you feeling guilty?" Mr. Hopkins did not let here alone. He sat with her in the car. "Christina, remember that you are the granddaughter-inw of our Hopkins Family. It makes sense that you attend the wedding of the Hampton Family. Hiding or escaping from it will only end up in making trouble." "Not because of this. I don''t want to..." I didn''t want to see those people. Seeing that she hesitated to speak, the old man immediately frowned and looked at her. "You must keep a suitable distance from other men, you know. Don''t do anything to make Patrick misunderstand..." In fact, today, the old man proposed to attend the wedding with Christina with another purpose, which This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. was to clear the rtionship between her and Cory. Christina was stunned for a moment. It sounded like a joke, but when it was said by the old man in his deep and aged voice, it was more like a warning. She turned to the window and answered, "I know." But deep down in her heart, she was very dissatisfied. "Patrick may have a beautiful woman in his arms in the United States. It''s really unfair..." He didn''t even send her a text! The wedding ceremony became more solemn with the presence of Mr. Hopkins. The people present all went to greet Mr. Hopkins one after another. Christina was always by the old man''s side. Indeed, no one dared to look at her even a little strangely, and no one dared to gossip. Laurie was clearly unhappy when Laurie saw Christina was here, but she also smiled. Everything was going smoothly, just waiting for the main character to enter... "Why did the groom take so long..." Chapter 73 Chapter 73 The morning light was mild. The entire eastern cathedral was thoroughly decorated with gorgeous flower corridors, festive red carpet spread all over the floor. The fragrance of champagne and wine wafted away. "What takes the groom so long?" A grand wedding was about to be held here. The guests were all present. Even the bride and her rtives arrived. Christina apanied Mr. Hopkins to the venue. When she saw the guests around her discussion, she curiously looked around. Carrie was wearing a white tube dress. Her makeup was delicate but she looked a little anxious at the moment. Laurie walked towards Carrie and asked in a low voice to avoid embarrassment, "What''s going on? Didn''t youe with Cory?" "Why haven''t we seen Cory for so long? Could it be that he was too happy drinking wine with his friendsst night to wake up?" Connie also asked nervously. Carrie didn''t look well and exined, "Cory said something urgent happened at thepany. Our wedding car will arrive first, and then he''ll rush over." "He''s getting married today, but he''s still working. Obviously, he was not respectful to us." Mrs. Dickens also came over, his face darkened as she was dissatisfied with the Hampton Family''s impolite behaviors. There were so many famous guests here. The only family member Carrie had was her sister Connie, so the Dickens Family offered to serve as Carrie''s family. The wedding was held in the name of the Hampton Family and the Dickens Family. If anything went wrong, it would be shameful. "Men should focus on their careers. Just wait a little longer." Donald said in a deep voice. Naturally, Laurie felt that her son did nothing wrong. She smiled. "There must be something urgent at thepany. Cory will be here soon. Let''s have some food first..." Christina was bored. She didn''t want to go to the wedding. Seeing the old man talking to his old friend, she went to the open dessert buffet in front of her to get something to eat. "Go away, you stepped on my wedding dress." All of a sudden, an angry voice came from Carrie''s side. Then came the sound of the child crying loudly. The girl looked at the small footprints on Carrie''s long white veil and hurriedly fell to the floor, crying and wiping the dress with her small hands. But the more the girl tugged at Carrie''s wedding dress, the angrier Carrie became. "Go away." Thinking of Cory''s dy and looking at the child in front of her, she felt angry. "What''s wrong?" When Laurie and the others heard the child''s cry, they immediately looked in the direction of the voice. All of a sudden, a lot of curious people looking at Christina. Christina lowered her head in astonishment and looked at the girl hiding behind her. "Don''t hit me..." The child struggled behind Christina as she was scared out of her wits. Christina naturally knew that she was Cory''s daughter. "She seems scared." When Christina saw Laurie and the others approaching her, she said faintly. Carrie walked up to her in a beautiful white dress. She looked unfriendly, lowering her eyes and shouting at the girl, "Jasmine,e to mommy." She ordered seriously. But the girl tugged at the corner of Christina''s clothes with her small hands and refused to let go. Christina was a little embarrassed. "Jasmine,e to grandma." Laurie stepped forward and looked at her granddaughter. Her normally serious face became more gentle. The girl looked at Laurie for a while before running over and hugging her. "Why did the girl hide behind you just now? What did you do to her? You''d better behave yourself!" Donald looked straight at his daughter, whom he had not seen for a long time, and started lecturing her coldly. Christina bit her lips and did not answer. She was angry. She couldn''t believe that her own biological father always med her without figuring out what happened. "Well, there are so many guests here." Mrs. Dickens walked up to Christina and took her hand very kindly. "Christina, why didn''t I see Patrick? Whom did youe with?" Christina, who was held by the olddy''s arm, felt ufortable and replied softly, "Patrick has gone to America. I''ming with grandpa." Mrs. Dickens''s eyes narrowed when she heard that. "Oh, we''re ttered that Mr. Hopkins is present today. Where is he? I''ll go over and say hello to him and thank them for their help to our Dickens Family..." Before, they asked Patrick for help from Hopkins Family. Patrick not only solved their funding issues but allowed Dickens Family to participate in many big projects. Half of the Dickens Family''s projects relied on Hopkins Family''s investment. "It''s great that Carrie married Cory, but my own granddaughter married the best guy." Mrs. Dickens was in a good mood. As she praised, she touched Christina''s head. Christina was expressionless. She was not close to grandma as she didn''t like the snobbish olddy. "Christina, I''d like to tell you something from the bottom of my heart. You have to remember it." Mrs. Dickens lowered her voice and told her mysteriously, "Men like fresh and exciting experiences. Although you''re pregnant now, you should take the initiative to..." "I see." Christina blushed and immediately interrupted the olddy. "Your mother is gone. So I have to tell you about these things... Anyway, be smart. Even if Mr. Hopkins has a mistress, don''t offend him. Don''t argue with him. Now that you''re pregnant with his child, you''ll be able to keep your ce at home..." Christina was annoyed by Mrs. Dickens and purposely raised her voice. "When will the wedding begin?" Christina''s voice made the rest of the people anxious again. The bride was there. Where did the groom go? "Why are you here?" Carrie was in a hurry to call Cory when he turned around and saw Cecilia. Her face darkened. "I don''t wee you here!" She was already very dissatisfied with Christina''s presence at her wedding today, but Christina could rely on Mr. Hopkins, so she could not chase Christina away. However, there was no need for her to be polite to Cecilia. "Ie with Mr. Fisher." Cecilia wore a bright smile. The Fisher Family was famous in F City. Carrie did not remember that she had once given an invitation to the Fisher Family. However, since they came, she did not dare to offend. "Carrie, your wedding is really lively. How can I miss it?" Cecilia took a step forward and whispered something in her ear. "What do you mean!" Carrie suddenly became nervous. "The groom is here. The groom is here!" At this moment, a bright ck Ferrari came over. Someone in the crowd cheered loudly, "Cory, you''ve kept us waiting for a long time." Carrie looked at Cory and immediately walked towards him. She said coquettishly, "Well, why does it take you so long?" "All right, everyone. Please enter the church. The wedding is starting now." Laurie greeted the guests with a smile. Laurie walked over to her son and reminded him in a low voice, "Your grandfather is here today. Hurry and salute him." The guests had smiles on their faces and were all looking forward to the wedding. A joyful piano concerto was on... The bride and groom approached the altar together, but... The guests on both sides noticed that something was wrong, because the groom did not look straight ahead, nor did he look at the beautiful bride beside him. Instead, he kept staring at a woman in the first row on the left. Christina looked puzzled. Cory was staring at her. What was he doing? Someone was already whispering, "The young master of the Hampton Family has been staring at his ex-wife..." "It can''t be a revival of old love, can it?" "No way. Christina married into Hopkins Family. She''s Hopkins Family''s granddaughter-inw now." Carrie was worried and whispered his name, "Cory!" This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Cory suddenly stopped and turned to look at Carrie. "Cory, is something wrong? What''s wrong with you?" Carrie felt a little nervous for some reason. Cory did not answer. He expressionlessly let go of Carrie''s hand and strode to the altar, pushing the priest who was holding the wedding down and snatching the microphone from his hand. "What''s the matter?" The guests below the stage looked surprised. "Cory, what do you want to do?" Laurie saw that her son was too abnormal today and hurriedly stood up from her seat. Before Laurie could step forward to dissuade him, Cory held the microphone tightly and looked around coldly. He gritted his teeth and said, "I won''t marry her. The wedding is canceled!" Chapter 74 Chapter 74 "What the hell is going on!" "Do you know that the guests invited today are all dignitaries in the circle? You are deliberately humiliating us!" The wedding was canceled midway. The people of the Hampton Family and the Dickens Family This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. embarrassment, they rushed back to the Hampton Family. Samuel pped his son hard. "You bastard, do you know what you did?" Samuel yelled at Cory angrily. He was a well-mannered college teacher and had never been so angry. "Okay, calm down," Laurie said, feeling sorry for her son. She immediately stepped forward in anxiety. "Cory, what''s going on? Why did you cancel the wedding? Have you met any troubles? Tell us." The lobby of the Hampton Family was filled with immediate rtives. Mr. Hopkins and the people of the Dickens Family were present as well. The atmosphere was heavy as everyone was waiting for an exnation! Cory was pped so hard by his father that blood oozed from the corners of his lips, but he didn''t care. He lowered his head and spoke in a cold and determined tone. "I''m going to divorce her now!" "What did you say?" Connie''s face darkened with anger and she shouted in a shrill voice, "Cory, do you think you can bully my sister? You just said that the wedding was canceled in front of so many people, and now you dare to say that you want to divorce her! Do you have any conscience at all?" "Cory, why are you doing this to me..." Carrie, whose makeup was messed up, couldn''t help crying loudly. Her voice was aggrieved. "Did I do anything wrong? You said that you were canceling the wedding in public. Have you ever thought about how I feel and how embarrassed I''ll be in the future..." Her voice grew more excited. "You''re still thinking about Christina, aren''t you?" She roared, her eyes wet with tears and filled with resentment. She stared in Christina''s direction. "She''s already your cousin''s wife. How can you covet her?" For a moment, everyone looked at Christina. Even Mr. Hopkins frowned and looked at the woman beside him. Christina''s expression was tense. Her face lookedplicated and stiff. She did not understand the situation. "Canceling the wedding has nothing to do with her. Carrie, don''t me everything on Christina!" Cory''s face darkened and he yelled at Carrie. "You know why I canceled the wedding," Cory red at her hatefully. He gritted his teeth and growled in anger, "Carrie, tell me how I got my daughter!" Carrie''s sobbing face froze in an instant. "What''s wrong with Jasmine?" Laurie hugged her granddaughter and asked Cory anxiously. Everyone was confused and didn''t know what was going on. Why did the canceling of the wedding have something to do with his daughter? "Cory, is there a misunderstanding?" Some rtives of the Hampton Family asked. Cory bit his lips. His face was darkened. He turned around and walked towards the door. He didn''t want to stay here or exin. "Cory!" Seeing he leave, Carrie rushed forward to hug him in a hurry. "Cory, don''t go. I''m your wife. I''m your wife. Don''t go..." Tears streamed down her face and she spoke incoherently, pleading with him. Everyone present looked at Carrie with sympathy. Mr. Hopkins was most annoyed by the trifles of love affairs. He had always been strict with his children and grandchildren. Although Cory was his grandson, he was still mad at Cory''s behavior. The old man''s face darkened and hemanded sternly with his horse voice, "Make it clear!" "Cory, Carrie has been with you for so long. You can''t do that." "Carrie still has a sister to back her up. Have you ever taken the Dickens Family seriously?" Everyone was ming him, but Cory smiled coldly. "Am I wrong?" He turned to look at the woman who was hugging him, raised his voice, and shouted angrily, "Carrie, what do you think? Who let this happen today?!" With that, Cory mercilessly pushed Carrie away in disgust. "Carrie, I know it all -" he stared at the woman on the floor, almost strangling her to death. "I know everything. I know everything!" Cory''s eyes were red and he roared emotionally. His voice became rather hoarse. The people in the Hampton Family''s hall were stunned by Cory''s sudden uncontroble emotions. They looked at each other in confusion, wondering what had happened. Carrie crawled on the cold marble floor, her hands grabbing Cory''s legs. She cried and muttered, "I love you, Cory. It''s all because I love you. I love you..." She wept bitterly, her lips trembling, and she kept repeating the words ''I love you¡¯, trying to wash away the mistakes she had made. "Love me?" Coryughed out loud and roared self-deprecatingly, "Carrie, what right do you have to say you love me? Should I believe you or not?" "Six years ago, I followed my mother''s instructions to pursue Christina. I broke up with you. A month married woman said I slept with her, and her husband called the police. I was locked in." "I knew at the time that I was drunk, but I didn''t touch that woman. Back then, mypany was just listed, I didn''t want to make it public. I thought that after the investigation, I could just leave. But damn it. The police said that my sperm was found on that woman and on her bed, and I was charged with rape." When the Hampton Family heard him say this, their faces darkened in horror. No one in their family knew that had happened. Cory looked at Donald with a sneer. "I really want to thank Mr. Dickens for your help back then." That year, he was arrested at the C City''s police station. The Hampton Family was in A City, so he knew that the Hampton Family was not powerful enough to help him in another city. It was obvious that someone had framed him, but he had no way out as all the police had evidence. Christina sat beside Mr. Hopkins and suddenly recalled something. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Carrie, who was lying on the floor. "Carrie, you said that you went to ask your powerful brother-inw, Donald, to secretly help me, so I could be released. Really? Is that true?" Cory shook her hand off in disgust. At this moment, he felt that the woman at his feet was like a scorpion. "What you told me was a lie!" He red at her, and Carrie''s sobbing face was filled with apprehension. She wanted to refute, but could not think of an excuse. "And then you told Christina about my imprisonment. It was Christina who went to beg her father! Christina gave up her mother''s inheritance to let Donald agree to use his connections to secretly let me out! After that, you intentionally reminded me that you''re my benefactor." "And six yearster, when you came back with my daughter, you even lied about that! Carrie, what do you think? Now that you say you love me, should I believe you or not? Can I still believe you? Even the baby wasn''t born by you!" This girl was not born by Carrie! "You already had a n when you were dating me. When we were having sex, you deliberately left my sperm... It was you who looked for the couple. It was you who left the so-called sperm as evidence. It was you who went to the ck market to find a surrogate!" "Carrie, you think you can marry into the Hampton Family if you have my child. After you have Patrick''s secret help, you and Patrick could plot against me together, right?" Cory roared hysterically. Patrick - Christina was stunned. Mr. Hopkins was grim-faced with a crutch in his right hand. Cory''s eyes were bloodshot, and he turned to look at Christina and red fiercely at her abdomen. She was pregnant with Patrick''s child. But she used to be his wife! ''Patrick, you have been scheming since six years ago. You''re horrible.'' "Ridiculous! This is ridiculous!" Mr. Hopkins stomped hard on the floor and yelled, "Get Patrick here immediately." Chapter 75 Chapter 75 "We can''t get through Young Master..." "There must be something important for Patrick to do in America. We''ll discuss it when hees back." In the lobby of the Hampton Family, the immediate rtives all spoke politely and did not dare to jump to conclusions. After all, what Cory had said had something to do with the young master of the Hopkins Family. Patrick framed Cory? No one dared toment on the matter until it was cleared up. Everyone sat upright. Mr. Hopkins looked solemn. His bleared eyes were deep in thought. His right hand held the crutch tightly as if his anger was about to erupt at any moment. The others were trembling, ncing over at Christina with suspicion from time to time. "Let''s go." The others thought that Mr. Hopkins was going to lose his temper, but he leaned on his walking stick and sat up from his chair. Their heart skipped a beat. This meant that it was not suitable to mention this matter for the time being. Everyone was smart. Seeing Mr. Hopkins''s attitude, they were all ready to leave. Christina walked out of the Hampton Family with the old man on her right side. She put on a straight face. She was thinking about something. She remembered she had broken into Patrick''s study and flipped through some documents... Cory just mentioned that he was framed in a rape case six years ago... It was Patrick who had it done. "Carrie, you can''t me Cory for canceling the wedding today. You''re so vicious, you had told so many lies to us, and may have plotted something else. How dare you dream of marrying into the Hampton Family!" Laurie''s voice came faintly from the lobby of the Hampton Family''s. "Mrs. Hampton, I just lost my head for the moment..." Carrie cried with tears all over her face. "I admit that I can''t have children because of my physical problems. That''s why..." As she spoke, she turned to the angry, cold man and pleaded, "Cory, I was in love with you. I really loved you. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, but I was afraid that you would despise me for not being able to give birth, so I secretly hid the used condom..." "Stop it!" Cory snapped at her impatiently. When he thought of these things, he could not calm down. Seeing how ruthless he was to her, Carrie became anxious, raised her voice, and shouted, "Cory, believe me, I really didn''t know you were framed at that time. I only guessedter that it had something to do with Patrick. I really didn''t think about setting you up..." "Believe you?" Cory muttered in a deep voice. He lowered his head and did not want to look at her again. Somehow, he felt very tired. He had been fooled by Patrick. What could he do? The die was cast. Laurie also felt that his son was too aggrieved and angrily promised, "Patrick has gone too far. Cory, don''t worry. I promise you that I''ll get even with him for this even if it would cost my life!" Cory looked sullen, his handsome face much more haggard. He did not want to hear the noise of Carrie and his mother anymore. He ran out in a huff. Carrie looked at his angry figure and sobbed because she was really afraid of being abandoned by him. Lifting the white gown, she quickly chased after him. "Cory, don''t go. Listen to me, listen to me..." She shouted as she ran. Her voice disgusted Cory and made him want to leave even faster. All of a sudden, at a corner outside the door... "Ah--" Carrie screamed in horror. It was already sunset, and the farce of the wedding took most of the day. Around six in the afternoon, the sky was dark and the air was cold. "Cory! Cory, run away!" Laurie who was following him shouted, her voice breaking up with fear. Cory instinctively raised his head. Less than five meters ahead, arge red truck carrying construction steel rushed straight at him. It was obvious that the driver of the truck was also stunned. He had been driving smoothly and did not expect that someone would run out of the corner. The driver was in a panic. He was so flustered that he did not know whether he stepped on the elerator or the brake. The rtives who were about to leave were shocked to see the scene. The heavy truck in front of them with at least 20 tons of steel rushed straight to Cory... "Cory!" He heard a clear voice shouting. The next second, the truck roared past. It was toote for the driver to hit the brakes at thest moment. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The screeching sound of the brakes echoed in the quiet dusk, and the truck ran for a long distance before stopping. "Cory, Cory, are you all right? How are you feeling?" Laurie was incoherent with fear and ran over there with trembling legs. "Thank goodness, thank goodness, God bless him..." Laurie almost burst into tears when she saw Cory fall to the side of the road without being mutted. "Are you okay?" It was the same clear voice. Christina looked at the man below her awkwardly. Cory was stunned as if he had not recovered from the thrilling scene. "Cory!" Carrie and the others ran over anxiously. "Get out of here!" Laurie looked at Carrie with hatred in her eyes and pushed her away. "See, how dare you say that you love my son? You only stand there at the crucial moment. You''re the closest to Cory. Why can''t you help him like Christina? He was almost hit by that truck!" In fact, none of them had ever thought that Christina would react so quickly and jump at him to save him. The suspicion in everyone''s heart was even stronger. If Patrick didn''t stir up trouble, they were actually a loving couple. "Christina, we gotta go." Mr. Hopkins, who was already sitting in the left seat in the car, suddenly shouted in a deep voice. Christina pretended not to see those piercing eyes and quickly got up from Cory. It was impossible for her to watch Cory hit by the truck. She had the ability to save him, so she must save him. Suddenly, Cory reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly. Christina looked at him. It was not very bright, but her eyes widened slightly in surprise, looking into Cory''s red eyes. He seemed to have a lot to say to her, and his expression was painful. "I''m going back to the Hopkins House." Christina looked away from him and said in a faint voice. Cory''s expression froze. When he heard the words "Hopkins House," he bit his lip. "Why did this happen?" "Why did this happen?" He seemed to have lost control. He growled, angrily but also helplessly, seeming to give up on himself. He flipped over and punched the rough concrete floor with his fists. Bruises were seen on his knuckles. That manic mood filled his blood and nerves. He was shouting that he was mortified! Christina stood by and looked at him in shock as he was so decadent and self-destructive. She had known him for so long, and this was the first time she had seen Cory struggling like this. He seemed to be in pain. He was fooled, but he couldn''t do anything. Laurie looked at his son, her heart aching. She couldn''t hold back her tears and quickly helped him up. Carrie stood still. She wanted to go forward, but she didn''t dare. Christina lowered her head and walked quickly back to the car. Mr. Hopkins signaled the driver and the car immediately started to leave. The car was a little quiet and depressing. Mr. Hopkins was in a bad mood, and Christina looked at the window, silent. "Mr. Hopkins, actually I just..." Christina looked out the window at the streetlights that were already on one by one and suddenly spoke. She rushed to save him because she could. It had nothing to do with love. "Christina, figure out who you really like." Mr. Hopkins interrupted her in a deep voice. His words made Christina look down, her eyes gloomy... Chapter 76 Chapter 76 When they were back, the servant already prepared dinner for them. Coming back from Cory''s wedding, they were in a bad mood and had no appetite. Christina ate some and went back to her bedroom. She went to the wardrobe to put away her pajamas, and she would take a bath after a short rest. When Christina was putting away her pajamas with her head down, she saw that there was a faint bruise on her right wrist. It was made by Cory, who grabbed her a little hard just now. Her heart sank when she thought of Cory''s angry and self-destructive look. She did not know whether it was Cory''s emotion or the knowledge of what Patrick had done that made her sad... "He''s so cruel!" Original content from N?velDrama.Org. If it hadn''t been for the fact that Patrick happened to be in America and couldn''t be reached, grandpa would have hit the roof on the spot. What was Patrick doing in America... Suddenly, the phone on the bedside table rang. Christina froze for a moment, threw her pajamas back into the closet, and ran to answer it. "Christina, are you okay now?" Christina looked surprised and disappointed. She called her in a gentle tone, "Auntie." "What''s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" Betty could tell that Christina was disappointed. She immediatelyforted Christina, "Is it because Cory and Carrie held a wedding today? Christina, don''t be sad. He''s just a bastard and you deserve someone better." Betty had spent most of the past two years living in the sanatorium because she was ill, but she had learned about the wedding held by the Hampton Family through TV and magazines. The more she knew about it, the angrier she became and the more worried she was about Christina. Christina, on the other hand, was not angry. She muttered, "Actually, Cory is not that bad..." He was a wonderful manpared to that bastard, Patrick. "Christina, do you still like Cory?" When Betty heard her say this, she immediately became nervous, "Christina, listen to me. Hampton Family is way out of our league, and we don''t give a crap about it either." "... There is a difference between loving someone persistently and being loved. I don''t want you to be so tired. Thus, I just want you to find someone who loves you and to live a simple life." Her voice was low and gentle, and she was trying her best to persuade Christina. Christina held the phone and did not reply immediately. In fact, she was not a shy and delicate woman herself. If a man was worthy of her love, she would definitely do her best. But all of a sudden, she didn''t know what love was... She thought, ''Do I still like Cory?'' Christina was stunned for a moment. She recalled the night she had been trapped in a remote vige. The mudslide destroyed and buried the vigers'' houses, and Patrick thought she was dead. She remembered that the rain fell on her cheeks and her clothes were cold and wet. Patrick ran towards her. He held her in his arms and trembled slightly. He seemed very nervous. "Auntie, I have nothing to do with Cory. It''s just a misunderstanding from the beginning." She said softly to Betty. At first, she thought Cory was her savior. Therefore, when she heard from Carrie that he was framed and imprisoned, she used the inheritance she received from her mother to negotiate with her father to secretly release him. "Well, it''s good that you break up. You two are not a perfect match anyway." Betty was relieved to hear her calm tone. Thinking of something else, she asked in a joyful voice, "Christina, do you remember the little boy who yed with you when you were a child?" "The one you bullied, Eric..." "I didn''t bully him. It was him..." Christina retorted almost subconsciously, but in the end, she could not continue. Lowering her head, she silently repeated the name of this long-lost friend in her heart, Eric... Betty knew what Christina had done when she was young andforted her, "Christina, don''t feel guilty. I know you''ve kept that little wooden box all these years..." After a pause, Betty lowered her voice and asked tentatively, "Christina, if hees back..." Just then, a new text message popped up on Christina''s phone... Christina didn''t hear what Betty was saying. She stared at the message notification in astonishment and almost subconsciously opened the message with her fingers. [Something''s wrong. I won''t be back until next month.] ''Patrick.'' She was inexplicably nervous. ''What happened?'' Christina pursed her lips tightly and dialed his number, but she couldn''t get through to him. Christina sat by the bed with a dejected look on her face, staring discontentedly at the new text message that she had just received. ''Why haven''t you contacted me for so long? Why did you fly to the United States for no reason? Why don''t you make it clear when you sent me a message?'' She had a lot of resentment against Patrick. Afterining for a while, she suddenly came back to herself and hung up on her auntie! Betty reacted faster than Christina, and she immediately sent Christina a message. [Christina, why did you hang up suddenly? Is your phone dead?] Christina was so ashamed. She didn''t know what was wrong with her that she was so excited to see the text message from Patrick. [Auntie, I''m sorry. If there''s nothing important, I''ll call you tomorrow. I''m a little tired tonight.] Christina sent Betty a message back. She was really tired tonight. There was so much trouble at Cory''s wedding, and... She touched the screen with her fingers and read the text message from Patrick. She was worried about him. "It''s so annoying." Shey on the bed, tossing and turning. She hadn''t been sleeping very welltely, but Christina didn''t want to admit that it was because Patrick wasn''t home and she wasn''t used to sleeping alone. It was hard to fall asleep on a quiet night... She didn''t wake up until 10 o''clock the next day in a daze. Christina quickly washed up, ate something, and went to the Main Residence to look for Mr. Hopkins. Yesterday, when she talked to Betty on the phone, she suddenly remembered something. Today, she wanted to go back to her old residence. "Patrick didn''t answer the phone... The assistant reported that the person had woken up, but he left without permission. The young master has sent his men to look for the person. Besides, Mr. Shepherd also got the news and got therest night." As soon as Christina entered the Main Residence, she heard the butler''s voice, which sounded a little anxious. "Let''s wait until Young Master is done with the things in American before telling him what Cory mentioned yesterday. He is having a tough time in America too..." "It''s all Patrick''s own fault!" Mr. Hopkins cursed angrily with a sullen look. The butler sighed, "Master, it was just an ident. They were so close that they were just like brothers. Patrick doesn''t like to talk about it, but he also feels bad..." "Grandpa, what are you talking about?" Christina said suddenly. Mr. Hopkins did not notice her when he was talking to the butler. In a daze, he looked up at her. They replied almost simultaneously, "Nothing." Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Christina looked at them suspiciously. Since they didn''t want to say anything, she didn''t continue to ask. "Grandpa, I want to go back to my old apartment and pack something up." "Be careful." Although Mr. Hopkins pulled a long face all day, he was not as cold and domineering as the rumors. He was more open and easy to get along with than his grandson. "Got it." She answered and followed the driver out. Yesterday, when she talked to her aunt on the phone and mentioned the past, Christina remembered that her little wooden box had disappeared. There were so many things that happened in the past few months and she was not sure where she left it. The car was moving steadily and rapidly. In a moment of thought, Christina turned to look out of the window and found that they had arrived at the old house she used to live in. "I want to stay in the apartment for half a day. You go back first. I''ll call you if anythinges up and then youe to pick me up." As she spoke, she opened the car door and walked out. "All right. Ma''am, take care." The driver nodded at her and did not dare to apany her forcefully. He stepped on the gas and left quickly. Christina walked into the dpidated apartment. Without an elevator, she could only climb the stairs step by step. She took the key out of her bag and wondered where her little wooden box was... "Miss Dickens, you''re here." A man came out of the opposite door and greeted her with a smile. Christina didn''t know him and he looked like a new resident. She replied politely, "Hello." She took out the key to open the door of her apartment and walked in. When the door was closed, Christina suddenly realized something, ''How does he know my surname is Dickens?'' Out of curiosity, Christinay prone on the door. From the peephole above the door, she could see that the other party had locked the door and gone downstairs. She didn''t think much about it. Anyway, she would return to the Hopkins Family in the afternoon. After rummaging through the small apartment twice, she still couldn''t find her small wooden box. "Could it be left in the Hampton Family..." Feeling a little depressed, she looked up at the electronic clock on the wall. It was almost noon. She packed up and stuffed back the clothes which were in a mess as she rummaged through them. Thinking about it, she felt a little awkward going to the Hampton Family to get her little wooden box. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Christina was startled and hurried out of the small bedroom. However, before she could go forward, the door had already been opened with a click. Who had the key... "What are you doing here?" Christina looked at the person in front of her warily and puzzledly, especially when she saw that he was carrying arge bag of fresh ingredients in his right hand. "I bought some food and came to cook for you." He seemed to be in a good mood, and his tone sounded very natural. As he spoke, he walked towards the kitchen. "Cory!" Christina shouted at him in a voice ofplicated emotions and quickly followed him. He was really strange today. He was dressed in casual clothes which outlined his tall and thin figure. His handsome face had no angry and decadence he had yesterday. He turned on the tap in the small kitchen and washed vegetables seriously. "What exactly do you want to do?" Christina stood behind him, a little afraid to approach him. He didn''t seem to hear her question, and his expression was calm. He looked down at his expensive Patek Philippe watch and whispered, "It''s almost 12 o''clock. Christina, wait for me for a while. I''ll be quick..." His voice was light. It was as if cooking was his usual hobby. But Christina knew that this Young Master, Cory, never had the habit of cooking. "What''s wrong with you?" She couldn''t help but step forward and snatch the big shopping bag from his hand. "Christina, I know you don''t like eggs..." He still had a smile on his face, and he said slowly. It sounded like he was trying to coax her. "I bought a lot of things you like to eat today. Give me these ingredients. You can just wait outside." Christina stood beside him with a look of astonishment. ''What happened to him?'' She looked at a ferocious Australian lobster on the table which was struggling hard. Cory didn''t know how to cook at all. He was a little confused, and his fingers were bleeding as his fingers were stabbed by the hard shell of the lobster. "Cory, stop messing around!" Christina couldn''t bear to see this. She grabbed the big kitchen knife and cut the poor lobster into pieces. Yes, she didn''t know how to cook either. So thest time when she saw Patrick fry soft-shelled crabs for her, she was very surprised. Cory looked a little embarrassed. "Christina, I heard from your aunt that you like men who can cook. I can..." She looked at him and found that he had a fawning expression on his face. If he had said these things to her when they just got married, she would have been very touched. "Cory, I know you feel bad about being tricked by Patrick, but it''s toote..." She didn''t want to get involved with him anymore. "Christina, do you want this lobster steamed or stir-fried?" He continued to work and asked patiently as if he had not heard her at all. Christina looked at his pretense. She saw his clumsy movements as he tried to hold pots and tes... "I don''t eat seafood when I''m pregnant." She suddenly raised her voice and said. At this moment, the smile on Cory''s face frozepletely. Pregnant. Pregnant with Patrick''s child. As if he could no longer pretend, he held back his anger and shouted angrily, "If Patrick didn''t get in the way, we would be a very good couple..." "Enough!" Christina couldn''t stand him. She grabbed his arm quickly and dragged him out the door. "Cory, don''t go crazy here. Get out!" She was so angry that she mmed the door and locked it. The sound of banging came from the old iron door. The man on the other side of the door screamed out like he was out of control but asionally, he would soften his voice. "Christina, I''m not messing around anymore. I listen to you. Whatever you like, I can change... We were husband and wife!" In the end, he could not suppress his anger and unwillingness. Christina ignored him and looked at the shaking iron door, feeling very upset. The things that Patrick did, and Cory, Carrie, and the rest... She didn''t want to talk to them anymore. Christina went into the kitchen to clean up and threw the big bag of ingredients into the trash can. Cory''s annoying voice still rang in her ears. He probably had to pester her when she went out. Although she was usually fierce, she hated the softness deep in her heart the most. She flipped through the bag of ingredients expressionlessly, picked out some vegetables and beef, and decided to make her own lunch. She remembered that there were some instant noodles at home. She threw them into the pot and boiled beef noodles. Although the beef was hard to chew and the vegetables became a little yellow, she had to eat them. After Cory left, she would go out. "Sure enough, I should find a cook to be my husband." As she chewed on the horrible beef, she sighed with emotions. She had this realization a long time ago, so her birthday wishes in her third year of high school were to ask God to give her a man who could cook well and be obedient. But then she didn''t know who took the wish card. Christina thought that maybe some unscrupulous person got and ruined her wish card, so her wish didn''te true. It had been a long time since thest time she came back to this small and dpidated apartment. Hopkins Family was too big and luxurious. Returning back to here gave her a sense of rxation and security. After eating, she cleaned up and went back to her little room, preparing to lie down for a while. Gradually, she became sleepy. By the time she woke up, it was almost sunset. "Oh no." She promised the old man that she would return by six. She quickly got up from the bed, tidied up her clothes, grabbed her bag, opened the door, and walked out. But as soon as she opened the door, she smelled a strong smell of alcohol. The lights on the stairs of the old apartment had been out for a long time, and the light was a little dim at sunset, but she could clearly recognize the man sitting on the stairs. "Cory!" She called out to him with aplicated look on her face. There were at least eight empty beer bottles at his feet. He didn''t take his image seriously at all, and he sat on the dirty ground. He leaned against the rusty staircase railing, grabbing the beer bottle. "Christina..." When he heard the voice, he turned to look at her and forced out a smile. "Christina, you, you''re finally out." His words were intermittent, and it was obvious that he had drunk too much. Christina became gloomy with anger. "What are you doing here?" "I don''t know where to go." When she yelled at him, he seemed to have sobered up. He had s strong smell of alcohol all over his body and he mumbled, "My mother and Carrie are very annoying. I, I don''t want to go back..." "Christina, I don''t even know where I shall go. Where do you think I should go..." He kept talking as he was drunk. As Cory spoke, he slowly straightened himself with his right hand on the rusty staircase railing, but his feet were unsteady, and the leather shoes kicked at the empty bottles at his feet, causing the bottles to fall down and the sses were shattered on the floor of the stairs. "Cory, be careful..." When Christina saw this, she immediately stepped forward to help him. She wanted to scold him, but she couldn''t bear it. She shouted at him in a bad mood, "Go back. Your family is worried about you." "I''m not going back to the Hampton Family!" He retorted angrily. He drank too much, and his body was so heavy. He leaned against Christina. She just wanted to help him to the side, but Cory put his arms around her and refused to let go of her. He hupped and his voice grew angrier. "It is Patrick who causes all the trouble. He causes us to divorce... Christina, can we start over?" "Cory, we can''t! Sober up!" Christina wanted to p him angrily. Seeing that he was so drunk and he lost hisposure, she endured. She reached into her coat pocket with her right hand and took out her cell phone. She wanted to call the Hampton Family and ask Laurie to get Cory back so that she won''t be med for any idents. "Christina, you like Patrick, don''t you?" "How can you like him?" Cory seemed to have been angered by something. He grabbed her cell phone and threw it to the floor as hard as he could. "You think he''s the eldest grandson of Hopkins Family, so you look down on me!" He became more and more agitated. His hands sped tightly around her shoulders and he shook her shoulders violently. He roared in anger, "You know he was the one who saved you on that high school graduation trip, so you fell in love with him wholeheartedly, right?" "You can''t fall in love with him. No! No way!" Christina was stunned. She sensed his anger, the smell of alcohol, and his words... Patrick. It was Patrick who saved her that time... She was stunned, and she felt confused andplicated. Her feelings were indescribable. She mumbled in a daze, "Did he save me?" Cory flushed after drinking too much. Seeing that she had no reaction, he nervously straightened her face with both hands and forced her to look at him. He said agitatedly, "Christina, listen to me. He must have sent someone to harm you when you were held hostage by the mountain bandits during your high school trip... He deliberately created an illusion. Patrick made it all the way through..." Christina did not speak and looked directly at Cory, her mind totally in a mess. "Christina, that''s all fake! You don''t know him. No one knows him. What kind of person is Patrick? He is ruthless..." This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Then what kind of man do you think I am?" Suddenly, a deep voice came from the stairs. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 "Let me go..." "Patrick, let go of me..." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the stairs. Christina frowned and looked at the cold profile of the man in front of her. He suddenly appeared in this old apartment and coldly asked her what she thought he was like. Then he reached out and dragged her away. She had no idea what he was thinking. Christina turned around and looked up the stairs with a worried look... He dragged her away. Cory tried to stop him and lost his bnce and fell down. His arm seemed to have been pierced with broken ss. "Worried about him?" His voice was cold and deep, and his eyes were fixed on her, which sent a chill through Christina. Patrick looked at her cringing look and told her word by word, "My cousin specially sent someone to watch over your apartment. He... really cares about you." Thest four words carried a hint of sarcasm. Christina was furious. "Patrick, what do you mean by that? I helped Cory because he was drunk. We didn''t..." "Get in!" He lost his patience and ordered her to get in the car. The car started quickly and steadily up the highway. He looked straight ahead. Christina in the passenger seat looked at him with aplicated look. He was silent, and the atmosphere suddenly quieted down. Christina looked at him and wanted to speak but didn''t know what to say. He texted herst night that something was going on in the United States and that he wouldn''t be back until next month. But now he was in A City... He was dressed in an expensive suit, still handsome, but he seemed to have lost some weight and looked tired with his brows furrowing a little. He had been in America for only about two weeks, but somehow she felt like she hadn''t seen him in a long time. Christina turned her head and her mind was in turmoil. She wanted to ask him a lot of questions. Especially what Cory said about six years ago... She hesitated for a long time and made up her mind to ask him, but when her eyes swept over the unfamiliar scenery outside the window, she was shocked. "Where are we going?!" This was not the way back to the Hopkins Family. He didn''t answer her. It was evening, and the sky was dark, and the street lights were lit up. It was rare for Patrick to drive by himself. His grim profile was expressionless. He held the steering wheel in his right hand and turned at a junction ahead, speeding towards the depths of the darkness. About 30 minutester, the car got off the highway, and the surrounding streets gradually brightened up, with lights and billboards shing. It was a very famous entertainment district in the east of the city, and some people secretly called it the lesser version of Las Vegas. It was said that this ce was empty in the daytime, but when night fell, it would be like a lively carnival. It was so famous that it attracted many tourists at night, but if they had no friends here, they wouldn''t know where the interesting ces were. And this ce was very strange to Christina. Patrick did not enter the busiest area, but turned left and headed for a remote alley. Christina looked at this strange ce in front of her and suddenly felt uneasy. ''Why is he bringing me here?'' Christina thought. After a while, the car stopped in a quiet and spacious dark alley. Just as Patrick opened the car door, two people hurried over. The two men bent down slightly with a fawning smile and whispered something in Patrick''s ear. "Get out." Patrick turned around and said into the car. His tone was cold, and no one could tell his emotions at all. She was very anxious in the passenger seat. She opened the door and walked slowly out with caution on her face. Seeing Christina, the two men standing behind looked surprised, as if this was the first time that Patrick had brought a woman over. The two men didn''t dare to look at her. They nodded slightly at Christina and then led the way for them with a serious face. After they walked all the way to the end of the dark alley, one of the men stepped forward and knocked five times on a verymon big iron door, three long and two short. Soon, the heavy metal door was pulled open. Christina looked over and was startled. Although it was not so bright inside, it could be seen that the decorations and furnishings were magnificent. As they walked inside step by step, they could hear some noisy musicing out from time to time, and as they continued walking in, the light became brighter. And she felt more nervous. She followed Patrick into the elevator and went down to the fourth floor underground. She felt that the number four was ominous, while the man next to her kept a cold face and did not say a word. When they reached the fourth floor underground, Christina saw a quaint corridor with European-style crystal lights hanging on both sides of the wall and they gave off orange lights. They were not so bright, but kind of eerie. Every step Christina took, she could hear her own footsteps. This floor was really quiet. Moreover, when some passers-by saw them, they would immediately stand still and half-bow their heads to make way for them. And these people couldn''t help sizing up Christina as if it was strange for her to be here, which made Christina''s scalp a little numb. What the hell was this ce? The phone of the man who had been leading the way suddenly rang and he answered it. After he hung up, he walked over to Patrick and reported in a low voice. "Mr. Hopkins, Laurie gave the project of Hai City to Hampton Group, but the budget exceeded 30% of the market price..." They were talking about business. Laurie used her power at Hopkins Group to help her husband''s family. She had heard Patrick''s aunts'' had been coveting the corporation. But Christina found it strange that this man addressed Laurie by her name. Laurie was Patrick''s eldest aunt anyway. The man''s tone sounded a little disdainful, without any respect. These people were not from the Hopkins Family. Christina recalled that the people working for Mr. Hopkins usually called Patrick Patrick. "He can get the money if he wants," Patrick said coldly as he walked to a heavy ck wooden door. "We''ll see if he''s worth it." "Yes, sir." The man nodded, turned, and left. Christina did not quite understand what they were saying, but judging from Patrick''s cold voice, she knew that person would end up in misery. The luxurious and exquisitely carved ck wooden door was opened, and Patrick strode in, while Christina stood at the door, unable to move her feet. She didn''t want to go in. Because some of the soundsing from inside sounded scary... Someone was desperately kowtowing, his head pounded against the cold marble floor. His hands and feet were tied up with thick ropes and he was kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy in a trembling voice. "I was wrong. I was wrong. I won''t dare to do it again..." "Do you think there will be another time?" A man at least 1.9 meters tall cursed in a low, disdainful voice. He raised the long ck whip in his hand andshed the man on the ground hard. It caused a crisp and harsh sound, and Christina''s heart trembled. The man''s back wascerated and he screamed in pain. "Mr. Hopkins." "Mr. Hopkins..." As Patrick approached, the men with whips immediately stood up straight and greeted him respectfully in unison. The wretched man on the floor raised his head nervously. When he saw Patrick, his eyes widened and he stammered in a trembling voice. "Mr. Hopkins, I... I will take responsibility for this batch of steel tes. I will definitely think of a way..." Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The man was in fear and felt uneasy, but Patrick was calm and indifferent, which was even more frightening. "Uncle George, we are inws. Don''t be so nervous." Patrick said faintly, so no one was able to hear his emotions. But his address scared the man on the ground." Mr. Hopkins, please..." Patrick did not even look at him again. He turned to the door and called out softly, "Christina,e and say hello to your uncle." Christina froze and was in a panic. His voice was very gentle, but Christina felt a chill down her spine. At this moment, she recognized the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground. He was a distant rtive of her father. "Christina? Christina!" The man on the floor shouted excitedly at the door. "Christina, I''m Uncle George. I held you when you were little. Do you remember me..." He tried to force a ttering smile, but that made his blood-stained face look even scarier. Christina was ''invited'' by two sturdy men behind her to Patrick''s side. Reluctantly, she approached Patrick who was sitting on the dark red leather sofa in the middle of the room. As she got near, he stretched out his long arm and pulled her to his legs. His movements were quick and he did that masterfully. Christina was trapped in his arms and felt extremely ufortable. She wanted to break free, but Patrick put his arms around her waist tightly, not letting her move. But he looked calm. He put his head on her left shoulder sluggishly. From afar, they looked like an intimate couple in love. "Christina, your uncle did something that he shouldn''t have done. What do you want me to do?" Patrick pressed his thin lips to her ear and asked in a low voice as if he didn''t care much about it and was really entrusting her to handle it. Christina''s eyes were filled with anxiety and she pursed her lips, not saying a word... "Do you know that over 70% of Dickens Family''s projects now rely on Hopkins Group?" Patrick leaned on her shoulder and continued in a calm voice. "Your uncle here reced the German steel te with a batch of domestic ones in a project and pocketed 600 million." Christina''s face turned pale when she heard this. Patrick seemed to be satisfied to see her anxious face. He reached out his right hand andbed her long hair as if he was bored. He murmured, "If I turned him to the police since this matter involves the Dickens Family, your father Donald would be doomed." "What, what do you want to say?!" She couldn''t suppress her faster heartbeat and asked him anxiously. Christina soon realized that he was telling her these things on purpose. "I sent someone to do that to Cory that year." Patrick suddenly straightened up and his face darkened. His eyes were fixed on her terrified face. She was looking at him, and he boldly admitted it. He did that, but so what? "Christina, you''re smart. Don''t be like your Uncle George and do something I don''t like..." He sneered and said in a low voice. Patrick seemed very upset and pushed her away. Christina immediately stood up, her face taut as she stood by. She saw him grabbing the wine on the Then Patrick mmed the sparkling crystal cup back onto the table, raised his head, and ordered coldly. "Bring him to the ring for 15 minutes. If he is still alive, let him go..." "No, no, Mr. Hopkins, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me..." George looked terrified, and his whole body trembled as he begged for mercy. But he was still dragged into the boxing ring. He could not stand these professional boxers'' fierce hitting for 15 minutes. There were shrill cries of pain, crying, and intermittent pleadings... The boxer punched his right shoulder bone fiercely, and the bone broke... Christina''s face was pale and her eyes were wide open as she watched the beating, the brutal scene. Her body trembled uncontrobly... He was warning her. [What do you think I am?] She remembered what he said before. And now he brought her to this ce because he wanted to show her that he was such a person. If she made a mistake, he would do the same to her... Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Christina was in a daze, not remembering how she got out of this horrible basement. It seemed that she could still hear the sounds of fighting and bones breaking and the shrill cries... In the quiet night, there was a champagne golden Rolls-Royce stopped in this dark alley. Someone opened the door for her. She stood by the door and turned to look at the left... Just then, an anxious footstep came, and she heard someone reporting respectfully, "It''s confirmed... After waking up at the Seattle private hospital, he immediately flew back, probably back to the Fisher Family in F City ..." Christina didn''t know what they were talking about and didn''t want to know. Patrick strode towards her expressionlessly. Under the dim streetmp, he was even more outstanding and dominating. She lowered her head and quickly sat in the car without waiting for him toe near. She sat up stiffly and clenched her hands into fists, trying to hide her anxiety. Patrick walked to her and looked at her profile withplicated eyes... Bang - Suddenly, he mmed the door. "Send Christina home." His cold and deep voice echoed in this wide and creepy dark alley. Christina was startled, but she didn''t look up. The car started quickly and drove away. Until the car slowly drove out of the corner of the alley, she couldn''t help but look behind her... He was nowhere to be seen. Along the way, she was very quiet. Her eyes were dazed as she looked at the speeding scenery through the car window, and her mind was in a mess. Around 9 pm, the car arrived in Hopkins Family. As soon as the car stopped, a maid ran up to her, looking nervous. "Ma''am, where have you been? Old Master is looking for you." "Hello, grandpa." She went to the mansion and found Mr. Hopkins was sitting on the sofa in the hall. His face was dark and he was obviously unhappy. The old butler looked up and down at her. Seeing that she was safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Ma''am, we are worried about you. We couldn''t get through you..." Her phone was broken by Cory. But Christina didn''t tell them. She looked up at the old man and said with hesitation. "I-I''ve been with Patrick." "Patrick is back?" The old butler looked surprised. Christina muttered a yes and looked down at her toes again, not wanting to speak. Mr. Hopkins stood up from the sofa with his walking stick and walked to her and asked in a deep voice, "What happened?" The old butler also looked at her suspiciously. Her expression was a little strange. It seemed that she was frightened. She pursed her lips, not wanting to say anything. Mr. Hopkins did not force her. He walked straight towards the door with his walking stick, leaving behind a sentence, "Nanny Faang made soup for you. Go to the dining room to eat something, and then go back to your bedroom to rest." Christina felt warm. She followed Nanny Faang to the dining room for a simple dinner and then went back to her bedroom. [ Don''t do anything I don''t like as he did... ] "He''s warning me." She soaked in warm water in the bathtub. The bloody and cruel scenes she saw tonight came to her mind again. She had never seen a basement like this, and he had never been an ordinary person. That ce was strange and scary to her... The water vapor blurred her vision and confused her thoughts. [ Because Patrick was the one who saved you during your high school trip, you fell in love deeply with him... ] [Christina, listen to me. He must have ordered those hooligans to harm you during your high school trip... He deliberately made the show. It was Patrick''s show... ] Cory was drunk. He shook her shoulders and yelled at her angrily. Feeling a little dizzy, Christina got out of the bathtub. She wrapped herself in arge towel and turned to look at the full-length mirror on the wall. She was lost in her thoughts, then lowered her eyes and muttered, "So, he saved me..." [ You don''t know him. No one knows him... ] It was the end of March. She wore the bathrobe and walked to the window. In the distance, under the night, the street was brightly lit. The spring wind blew in with some drizzle, and the night wind was a little chilly. She stood in front of the window, her eyes looking ahead, her mind in a mess... Constant streams of traffic flowed past, rushing to the next destination. At a crossroad between A City and F City, a car suddenly rushed out from a sidene. The drivers who were normally driving turned the steering wheel in a hurry and mmed on the brakes. The tires screeched against the ground. "Who is it?" Who dared to block their way? The bodyguard in the driver''s seat angrily opened the car door and walked out. That driver suddenly changednes, which was obviously a provocation. Patrick sat in the back. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the car ahead expressionlessly. But the car owner seemed to be even angrier. "Patrick, get out!" It was his acquaintance. He pursed his lip and watched the women outside cursing him like a shrew with a teasing expression. "Go away!" Laurie''s face darkened and she pushed away from the bodyguard who was blocking her. "Patrick,e out!" She yelled angrily at the silver-gray Bugatti. "You hurt my son. There are ss shards in his arms and back. How cruel you are! Cory is your cousin. How could you hurt him? He has suffered a lot. You can''t bully him anymore. I must get justice for him. Come out and give me an exnation!" "Is he dead?" In contrast to her excitement, he asked back coldly. "What did you say, Patrick? You heartless asshole!" Laurie flew into a rage and pulled the door handle with all her might. The door was locked and she couldn''t open it. Patrick''s face became more sullen. He had already in a bad mood tonight. He nced at the bodyguard outside the car. "Drive." "Patrick, you can''t leave!" Laurie screamed in a shrill voice. She was no longer the elegant rich madam anymore. She was so angry that she ran straight to the front of the car and spread her arms to stop him from leaving. The bodyguard was in a dilemma. He knew that Patrick was not on good terms with his aunt, but Laurie was blocking the car... This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Hit her!" The man in the back of the car ordered in a cold voice. The bodyguard who was holding the steering wheel paused. Laurie, who was in front of the car, turned pale and hesitated. "Bastard!" All of a sudden, a ck car and stopped behind them. Mr. Hopkins came out of the car in a hurry. His eyes were fixed on the car opposite him. He hit the ground with his walking stick and scolded Patrick angrily. "Go to the hospital and apologize to your cousin immediately!" They found Cory at the stairs of Christina''s apartment. He passed out drunk and had broken ss on his body. Needless to say, it must be Patrick who did that! The bodyguard did not dare to move. He looked nervously at the rearview mirror... "Dad, you must help me..." Laurie looked aggrieved and immediately ran towards the old man. Patrick looked at the old man in that car. He was irritated. "Mr. Hopkins, should I call someone over..." Another bodyguard in the car asked in a low voice. "You want me to apologize to someone who covers his cousin-inw?" To their surprise, Patrick got out of the car and asked in a cold and mockery tone. "Patrick, we know what you did in the past! You secretly helped Carrie marry into Hampton Family. How dare you mention ''cousin-inw''? Christina was my daughter-inw!" Laurie was angry and she couldn''t suppress her emotions and was about to p him. Patrick grabbed her wrist immediately and said with a cold and cruel voice. "Now, she''s mine." Chapter 80 Chapter 80 "Get out." "Get out, Carrie. I don''t want to see you." Late at night, impatient roars came from the brightly lit VIP ward. "I''m your wife now. You''re hurt. I should stay with you," the woman said in a low, aggrieved voice. She looked at the man on the sickbed and raised her voice as she bit her lips. "Christina has married Patrick. Don''t go against him. Patrick is too cruel. He can do anything horrible..." With a click, the door was suddenly opened, and Carrie turned around subconsciously, her face turning white. It was Patrick. How could hee here... Cory, who was on the bed, was startled to see Patrick''s sudden appearance. Then he sat up angrily and was about to rush to the door... "Cory, you''re injured. You can''t move." Carrie looked flustered and walked to the sickbed, pressing his shoulder to stop him. Laurie, who was near the door, also rushed over and tried to dissuade him. "Cory, you have to take care of yourself." "Get out." "All of you, get out!" Cory held back his anger and scolded angrily. Laurie looked at him as he was covered in white gauze. She couldn''t bear to see it. After hesitation, she said. "Mom will go outside first. Remember to call me if you need anything..." As she said this, she pulled a long face and vented her anger on Carrie. "I told you. You are not qualified to be the daughter-inw of the Hampton Family. Cory was hurt and you came here to piss him off." Carrie was too scared to say a word and followed Laurie out. As they passed by the door, the expressions on their faces became moreplicated. The sounds of Laurie''s footsteps were heavy and loud as she suppressed the anger in her heart while Carrie lowered her head even more. The door was closed. The ward was very spacious, and the night wind outside the window was a little strong, making the curtains sway. Neither of the two people in the room spoke. The ward was cold and quiet. Patrick''s expression was calm, and he looked around casually, pretending that his cousin in the sickbed did not exist at all. Finally, his eyes fell on the dark night sky outside the window, and he could feel the cold night wind blowing in. "She''s asleep" He looked down with thoughts deep in his eyes. It was as if he was thinking of something else. Cory, who was on the sickbed, on the other hand, was angry and red at Patrick fiercely. He didn''t expect his cousin to say a word of apology, but he had to figure out some things with Patrick. The first thing he said was to ask Patrick to let Christina go. Christina. The name Cory mentioned made Patrick turn his head slightly. Patrick examined the anger and unwillingness of the other party with his deep eyes. Patrick''s thin lips were slightly pursed, revealing contempt. Cory hated Patrick for standing high above the masses since Patrick was a child. Yes. Cory was afraid of Patrick, but there was no doubt that none of their rtives liked to get close to Patrick. Cory''s expression was sullen as his right hand was clenched into a fist. He tried to calm himself down. "Let her go. Christina is different from you. Her world is very simple. It is unlike your world which is full of plots and fights, I don''t know what your purpose is as you try your best to take her away from me!" In the end, Cory roared angrily, "Patrick, what are you trying to do? Let Christina go. Don''t try to hurt her!" "Christina owes me this," Patrick said suddenly and inexplicably. Patrick paused, his deep eyes staring straight at the man in the sickbed. Then Patrick said inexplicably "I want her to repay for the rest of her life..." "Christina owes me." "I want her to repay for the rest of her life..." Cory did not expect Patrick to say such a strange thing, and he was stunned for a moment. Patrick lost his patience. He came just to do what Mr. Hopkins asked him to do perfunctorily. After finishing his mission, he walked straight to the door. "Patrick, stop!" Cory became a little anxious when he saw Patrick leave. "What did you mean by that?!" There was anxiety in Cory''s eyes, and that strange sentence kept echoing in his mind. "I want her to repay for the rest of her life?" What did this mean? A man wanted a woman to repay for the rest of her life... Cory looked even more agitated than before. He pulled the needle out of his left hand and strode forward to grab Patrick''s arm. "You better remember. She''s your cousin''s wife." Patrick stopped, turned around, and grabbed Cory''s injured left arm backhand at an extremely fast speed. Patrick gave Cory hisst warning, "Next time, I will show no mercy!" Cory looked into Patrick''s eyes, suppressing the panic in his heart. Suddenly, Cory shouted sarcastically, "Patrick, you''ve been plotting against her. Even if you keep her by your side, so what? Christina will only be afraid of you and hate you. She will never fall in love with someone like you." This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. There was no emotion on Patrick''s face, but his increasingly stronger force made Cory pale and pant in pain. Blood was oozing from the white gauze on Cory''s arm as Patrick exerted more and more strength. "It doesn''t matter if she loves me or not. I love her. This is enough!" Patrick gritted his teeth and his deep voice was filled with years of discouragement and indignation. Bang. With a strong force, Patrick threw Cory into the corner. "What''s wrong!" "Cory, how are you? Are you hurt..." Outside the door, Laurie and Carrie heard the sound and immediately opened the door nervously and rushed in. Cory leaned back against the wall, looking surprised and ignoring them. With a sullen face, Patrick strode away. "Did he do something to you? Did he threaten you?" Laurie saw that her son was in a trance. She angrily chased after Patrick, shouting abuse. "Patrick, stop right there!" "My father asked you toe over and apologize. You go too far... Patrick, don''t be so arrogant. Someone will make you suffer!" Laurie''s angry and unwilling voice echoed in the corridor of the hospital. Cory, on the other hand, suddenly fell silent and looked at the white floor in a daze. He was utterly shocked, and he even wondered if he had heard it wrong. "It doesn''t matter if she loves me or not. I love her. This is enough." "How is that possible?" A gust of night wind blew in through the window, and the ward was quiet and cold. Cory was stunned. His fingers were tightly clenched, and there was a strong sense of contradiction in his heart. He muttered the name with difficulty, "Christina..." "Where''s Christina?" The dark night quickly turned white, and the first rays of the morning sun shone down. Mr. Hopkins had already woken up and finished his morning exercise, as usual, preparing to go to the Main Residence for breakfast. "Nanny Faang said the Young Madam didn''t sleep until earlyst night. She shouldn''t have gotten up so early." The butler said as he served breakfast to Mr. Hopkins. The old man didn''t seem to have a good appetite. He just drank half a bowl of porridge and then he put down his spoon. He frowned and thought about something. "Old Master, do you have some urgent things to talk to Young Madam?" The butler, who had been apanying Mr. Hopkins for many years, felt a little strange at first sight and asked slowly. Mr. Hopkins looked up and asked in a deep voice, "Did they know each other before?" Chapter 81 Chapter 81 "Christina has been in Hopkins Family for a while." In the early spring morning, the sun rose earlier than it did in winter, and the grey sky gradually turned white. The old man stood beside the carved wooden fence in the corridor with the help of a walking stick, looking at arge area of precious flowers and nts which had just sprouted and overflowed with vigor in front of him. Time flew. The butler felt that the climate early in the morning was wet and came over with a thin coat in his hand. He smiled faintly. "Young Madam will give birth to twins at the end of the year, and Hopkins Family will be very lively." "My mind is clear and my body is still very strong. I don''t need this coat." Mr. Hopkins raised his right hand slightly and asked the butler to take the coat back. Mr. Hopkins turned his head and looked straight at the east side. With his mind full of thoughts, he muttered, "There''s one thing..." There was one thing that Mr. Hopkins couldn''t figure out. "Old Master doesn''t understand why Patrick is trying so hard to marry Christina?" The butler remembered the old man''s question in the dining room that did Christina and Patrick know each other before. "It seems that Christina has no impression of Patrick..." The old butler paused and his expression became more solemn as he knew that his Patrick clearly kept her in mind. "Do you remember that Oreo before?" Mr. Hopkins walked slowly towards the pavilion at the end of the corridor and asked in a deep voice. The butler followed behind him. When the butler heard the word "Oreo", he was startled for a moment, then nodded and answered, "Yes." Of course, the butler remembered... Oreo was the name of a puppy in Hopkins Family. "Grandpa, he wants to eat my cookies." When Patrick was three years old, he brought back a filthy Labrador from outside, which looked like an abandoned stray puppy. How could their only Young Master in Hopkins Family have such a thing around him? It was too dirty and dangerous. The servants at home immediately nervously took the puppy away. "It''s mine." The three-year-old boy''s voice was a little childish, but his words were clear and his tone was firm. A group of servants felt helpless as they saw their Young Master pull a long face, hold the dirty puppy in his short hands, and refuse to let go of it. "You want to raise him?" Mr. Hopkins did not dislike the stray puppy much, so he looked at the child and asked in a low voice. Their Young Master was straight-faced. He thought about it, raised his head, and told the old man in a childish voice, "He has been following me all the way, secretly following me all the way..." Before their Young Master could finish speaking, perhaps the half-month-old puppy was a little heavy for him, he ced it on the bright clean floor. He squatted down and opened a bag of Oreo cookies in his hand to feed it. The little dog may be really hungry, and it nibbled on it hurriedly. He pinched the dog''s ear with his little hand. "Grandpa, I think he might like me." He seemed very happy and told the old man happily. "You think he likes you, so you bring him home. Do you ask him if he likes living here?" Facing his three-year-old grandson, Mr. Hopkins was very kind and he smiled. "If you take him home, you have to take responsibility and take good care of him. Can you raise him?" "I have a lot of snacks." He raised his little head, very confident. Mr. Hopkins shook his head and deliberately lowered his voice. "A dog can''t eat chocte. He will get sick if he eats too much of the biscuit." The child''s expression froze instantly and he spoke nervously again. "Then, I have something else to give him. He will like me." In the end, the stray dog was kept in the Hopkins Family. The servant carried it to take a bath and get vinated. The dog had white hair and two earlobes that looked cute. Labradors were docile and stable. They were neither slow nor active. They were friendly and loyal to people. The old man felt that it was good for his grandson to develop a sense of responsibility as his grandson raised this dog since he was young. In fact, there was a more important reason for agreeing to keep the puppy. The Young Master of Hopkins Family was too lonely. Ordinary people were not allowed to approach him. Although there were always a group of servants following him, the old man suddenly realized that this kind of overprotection was a kind of harm to the child. "He has been following me." "I think he might like me." The children''s simple and direct words made them understand that perhaps their Young Master of Hopkins Family had always been eager to get in touch with others. Hopkins Family was different from ordinary families. Even if one just walked in the Hopkins Family, he/she would make others feel a bit more serious and solemn. Their Young Master had been growing in this kind of atmosphere since he was young, and he was very serious about taking care of the dog. At that time, everyone felt that it was a good thing to have this stray puppy in the Hopkins Family because their Young Master was more lively than before. But good things didn''tst for long. When Mrs. Hopkins returned from abroad a monthter, she saw Oreo running around the house and her expression changed suddenly. She was afraid of dogs. "Dad, where did this mongrel stray doge from? Patrick is still a child. What if he goes crazy and bites Patrick one day?" Although the adults would not discuss things in front of the children, their Young Master was very sensitive. He could feel that his mother did not like his little partner. One morning, their Young Master''s mother''s high heels were bitten and yed by Oreo as a toy. When this was found out by her, she scolded Oreo seriously and asked the servants to catch the dog and throw him out. But the servants couldn''t find that Oreo for a long time that day. He was hidden by their Young Master. Hopkins Family''s three-year-old child had to start receiving education. Every day, a teacher came to ss, and the Young Master kept the dog in a storage room in a house in the west of the Main Residence. Perhaps he was worried that the dog would be chased away by his mother. He hoped to wait for his grandfather toe back and then he could plead. But when Mr. Hopkins returned, he was told that his grandson''s dog had died. It was trapped in the storage room. Perhaps he was out of unfamiliarity and hunger, the dog tried to run out many times, but the main door was closed. However, this remote storage room used to be connected to a rockery. A big gap was left under the wall. The gap was simply blocked by workers with barbed wires which rusted over time. The puppy probably wanted to get out of this hole, but it was stuck in the middle by the sharp wires. As he bled, he was unable to get out or get back in. He bled a lot. He probably struggled and screamed for a long time. When the servants finally found him, he could not move. "Grandpa, Oreo said he knew he was wrong. He promised that he wouldn''t dare to do it again." The child finished ss at four in the afternoon and immediately went to the old man to talk about the dog biting his mother''s high heels in the morning. Mr. Hopkins''s expression was grave. He did not say anything but nodded at the child. The child was very happy as he ran to the house in the west of the Main Residence. He opened the door saw that the creamy white fluffy Labrador huddled in fear in a corner. "Are you sick?" He felt that his little friend was a little timid today. He touched his fluffy head with his shorthand and held him in his little arms. He took him all the way back to the dining room of the Main Residence of the Hopkins Family, brought his dinner down, and put his dinner in front of him. "Eat. Hurry." He squatted next to him and looked at him with big clear eyes. But the little dog seemed to be a little afraid of strangers. He wagged its tail and walked to the corner of the wall, shivering and ignoring him. Mr. Hopkins looked at him with a hesitant expression. But then Mr. Hopkins saw that the child was very patient and ran to the dog again and said, "Oreo, are you angry with me? Don''t be angry. I will treat you well in the future..." Murmuring the innocent words of the child, Mr. Hopkins felt sorry for the little guy. But three dayster, the child stopped ying with his little friend. "Patrick, the teacher said that you were not in the mood for ss these days. What happened?" Around five o''clock in the afternoon, Mr. Hopkins went to the back garden of the house in the west of the Main Residence and found the child. The child was squatting in the rockery with his head down. The child''s expression was sullen. "Grandpa, I''m not happy." The child spoke childishly in a low voice. The old man''s expression froze. He squatted down and softly coaxed, "Tell grandpa what happened." He raised his head, looked at the old man with big clear eyes, and said nervously, "Grandpa, where did you hide my Oreo? I can''t find him. I''ve been looking for him for a long time, but I still can''t find him..." For a moment, the old man did not know what to say and his words were stuck in his throat. The child came out of the rockery, shook the old man''s arm nervously, and begged the old man in a baby voice, "Grandpa, does mother dislike him. Does mother drive him away? Go tell mother, I will teach him and he will be good... Grandpa, can you tell mother to let her return Oreo to me?" Their Young Master in Hopkins Family rarely acted coquettishly. The housekeeper stood by and watched, his eyes turning red. At this moment, a puppy ran over happily. "Young Master, look. Oreo hase to y with you..." The housekeeper squeezed out a smile and gently coaxed the little boy. The child did not even look at the dog next to him. The child exerted more strength at his hands which tugged at the old man''s arm anxiously. His childish voice was full of grievance and he retorted, "He is not Oreo." The housekeeper was stunned. "He''s dead. I asked someone to have him buried." Mr. Hopkins remained silent for a long time before he spoke slowly. A three-year-old child could not understand the meaning of the word "dead" which was too heavy, but the child in the Hopkins Family must be precocious, less naive, and childlike, and shall learn to ept and bear. His eyes were dark and bright, and his handsome white face showed some puzzlement. The child asked childishly, "Is he noting back?" "If he dies, he won''te back." "How could he die?" "He tried to escape, but he got stuck in the wires of the gap." Perhaps they shouldn''t have lied to the child from the start because the child in Hopkins Family was very sensitive and he would know that the substitute was not real. That day, Mr. Hopkins watched the sun slowly setting with the child. When thest piece of light disappeared, the old man took the child''s hand and went back to the Main Residence together. "Grandpa, I shouldn''t have brought Oreo home. He probably doesn''t like me..." The words that the child said in a low voice that day made Mr. Hopkins and the housekeeper unable to forget. "We haven''t had any pets in Hopkins Family since then," said the butler. Then, the butler looked down at Mr. Hopkins who was in the pavilion and sighed with some emotions. "Patrick has a cold temperament, and he doesn''t like to be close to people ever since..." So, Christina... This was really strange. "Send someone to find out how they met in the first ce." "Since six years ago, in C City..." His grandson was no longer the naive child he once was. He would definitely try to get what he wanted immediately. Why did he keep waiting for six years and why did he try to snatch Christina from Cory six Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. yearster? Chapter 82 Chapter 82 "Patrick..." Christina suddenly opened her eyes. She breathed an inward sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off her forehead. It was a dream. It was still that nightmare. That year, she went on a high school graduation trip and went camping in the suburbs. At dusk approached, she was suddenly attacked by five violent bandits from the mountain vige. They covered her mouth, dragged her to the depths of the mountain, and tore her clothes... She was so scared that she shivered. All she knew was that a man rushed over. "He seems to be injured..." She sat by the bedside, frowning and reminiscing about the past that she did not want to remember. Christina''s mind was in a mess. She grabbed her long hair with her right hand and couldn''t remember. At that time, she was only 17 years old. That year, too many misfortunes happened. Her father brought his mistress home. Her mothermitted suicide in prison, and she and her aunt left the Dickens Family to live all by themselves... She tried to get used to it, but reality didn''t even give her time to breathe, forcing her to face such a cruel scene. Did Patrick save her? She was in a daze. She really wanted to ask him those questions, which she had never dared to bring up. She subconsciously looked to her side, her expression slightly gloomy. Patrick had returned to the country for almost a week but had never gone back home. ''What is he busy with?'' Thest time he took her to the basement of the entertainment center in the east of the city... He seemed anxious to find someone. Her eyes darkened. He was always like this, hiding so many secrets. Wouldn''t he be tired? She got up from her bed, went to the bathroom to wash up, and spent the whole week in the Hopkins Family listless. Today, she wanted to go to a ce... "Where do you think he went?" Charles paced restlessly around the top floor of hispany''s president''s office. "Patrick has turned F City upside down, but there''s still no news of him." "He doesn''t want to be found. Even Patrick can''t dig him out." Chandler sat on the sofa drinking tea. Strangely enough, after lying alone in an American hospital for six years, the man unexpectedly woke up and disappeared. Charles was still very upset. He grabbed a cup of tea from the coffee table and took a swig. "Chandler, do you think he''s been a vegetable for too long? Something''s wrong with his brain!" Charles suspected that something was wrong with his brother. Otherwise, how could he leave without a word, causing them to keep looking for him? Chandler chuckled unhappily. "Charles, don''t forget who he is. Don''t worry too much. He''s been sleeping for so many years, and maybe he has something on his mind." "A man like him is more difficult to understand than Patrick. What will he have on his mind?" Charles put on a long face, and could not help butin, "What a freak." "Oh right, I have something to do." Charles suddenly remembered something important today. He almost missed it. He immediately grabbed his phone and edited the text message. "Christina?" Chandler saw his sneaky expression and nced curiously at the screen of his phone. He was texting Patrick. The next second, Chandler sighed, shook his head, and coldly said, "Charles, you really like asking for trouble." Chandler wondered, ''How dare you lie to Patrick about Christina? You''re going to hell for this.'' Charles sent the message out with a righteous look on his face. He looked up and smiled slyly. "Christina has been bullying me all day long. Today is a special day, and I want to take the opportunity to retaliate against her." "Charles, don''t you know that Patrick brought Christina to the basement himselfst week?" Chandler''s silver-rimmed sses glowed. He smiled gently and gloated. Mr. Shepherd''s smug smile froze, and he immediately became nervous. "That''s impossible!" How could Patrick bear to take her to that ce? "I called Mr. Hopkins and confirmed it. Christina was so scared that day..." It meant that Christina made Patrick angry again. Charles''s heart sank when he heard this. He was done. He red at the text message he had just sent, regretting. Why couldn''t the text message be retracted! "Christina, remember that today is April 1st! If Patrick wants to see you, just tell him..." Christina was sitting in the car and her phone kept ringing. As soon as she pressed the answer button, there was a howl of anguish on the other end of the line. After a while, there was some problem with reception. She got disconnected after hearing the buzzing sound. Christina looked at her cell phone with a straight face. The coverage was terrible probably because the ce was too remote. "What was Charles doing?" She couldn''t help butin. Without much thought, she turned to look out the window at a vast field. The farmers in the field were bending over to nt rice. The surrounding environment was very quiet and peaceful. Christina''s eyes suddenly fell on an old locust tree in front of her. As if she remembered something, she suddenly shouted to the driver, "Stop here." She got out of the car and walked to the old locust tree in front of her. She reached out and stroked the rough, dark brown bark of the tree. The tree trunk was very sturdy, perhaps a hundred years old. "This locust tree looks a little like the one in front of the high school gate in C City..." In the past, she used to like to climb up trees and hide from the school''s relentless pursuers, and... "Ma''am, it looks like it''s going to rain heavily." Suddenly, the driver in the car shouted at her, interrupting her thoughts. "Got it." Christina didn''t insist on staying there and immediately walked back to the car. She looked up at the horizon, and as expected, the wind was blowing and the clouds were scudding along. The sky was getting darker. In a short while, dazzling lightning shed across the sky, and thunder rumbled. It rained suddenly and This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. heavily. The farmers in the field did not have time to pack their farm tools, and they were drenched. "Ma''am, are we going to the sanatorium now?" The driver in front looked at the heavy rain with a worried expression. Christina looked out the window and saw that the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and even the air was getting cold. "Back to the Hopkins Family," she said, resting her chin on her right hand in boredom. She thought, ''Forget it, I''ll go back to the Hopkins Family given this weather, lest Mr. Hopkins would worry.'' The driver turned the steering wheel. It was raining, so he didn''t dare to drive too fast. The car slowly drove out of this remote suburb and headed for the expressway ahead... But suddenly, a ck Bugatti rushed towards them at such a high speed that the driver immediately stepped on the brakes. The car stopped abruptly and Christina was scared. "It''s raining so heavily yet you''re driving so fast. Are you insane?" She cursed angrily. She turned to look through the window fiercely to see which immoral bastard it was. However, the window of the car was blurred by the heavy rain and she could only vaguely see that the ck Bugatti opposite also stopped and a man came down from the car. This figure was somewhat familiar... Chapter 83 Chapter 83 At night, it was raining cats and dogs. A tall figure in the rain was approaching step by step. She sat in the car, pursed her lips, and stared at the figure from the window. She was so nervous that she shrank back subconsciously... Bang. Christina was startled when the door was violently opened. She opened her eyes a bit wide and stared in shock at Patrick, who suddenly appeared. He was in an expensive dark purple shirt. His ck trousers and shirt were drenched by the heavy rain, clinging to his skin. The water in his short hair dripped down along his cold face. He had white and stunning features. But from his brows, she could tell that he was anxious. "Who did you meet?" He looked straight at her with mixed feelings in his deep eyes. She could tell that he was eager from his hoarse voice but she didn''t respond to him. There were thick dark clouds rolling in the sky. The thunder was rumbling and it was pouring with rain. He stood outside the car and stared fiercely at the woman, who was panicked in the car. Patrick didn''t have too many expressions on his grim face but he quietly tightened the phone in his right hand. He curled up his thin lip in a self-deprecating manner. It was ridiculous. He turned and left without waiting for her answer. "Wait..." Christina didn''t know what to say, but she stretched out her arm to grab his shirt subconsciously. He stopped. "Mr. Hopkins." A bodyguard rushed out of the ck Bugatti in front of Christina''s car. He held an umbre and walked to Patrick. He didn''t keep up with the young master just now. It rained suddenly. He was drenched by the cold rain in early spring but he felt a bit warm. Patrick stood with his back to her. He looked down and saw her white fingers grabbing his shirt. "Leave me alone." He said in a deep voice. He seemed to be colder and more distant under the heavy rain, but his tone was light. It seemed that he had mixed emotions and was expecting something. She didn''t grab so hard, and he could just leave. Hearing his cold and clear words "Leave me alone", Christina lowered her head and tightened her fingers. She was very upset and confused... Suddenly, there was a rumble, and it thundered constantly. "Leave me alone!" Patrick was a little agitated. The cold rain slid past his lips. He scolded her coldly. And then, he turned sideways and was about to shake off her hand. "Patrick, you haven''t been home for a long time!" Christina did not know how she was so courageous and she tightened her grip on his shirt and wrinkled it. And then, she said the words, which she didn''t know why to say. You haven''t been home for a long time. He was slightly stunned and gazed at her passionately. She flushed because of his gaze. And she added awkwardly, "Grandpa misses you very much." ''I miss you too...'' The rain was blown into the car. Christina was refreshed due to the cold rain. She opened her lips slightly and said nothing. Her right hand slowly loosened because she did not dare to pester him. What was she thinking about? She didn''t know what she was thinking... The bodyguard shared the umbre with Patrick by his side. Patrick did not speak again. He stared at his wrinkled shirt and went back to his car. In a moment, the bodyguard mmed the door. Christina raised her head and looked at Patrick''s blurry face from the window. She opened her mouth but didn''t know what to say... This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. His car was started quickly. He must have a lot of undone things to deal with. "Patrick." Just as the Bugatti was about to run, Christina suddenly shouted, "Patrick, it''s April 1st, April Fool''s Day." She said anxiously. Her words were weird and illogical. But it seemed that she wanted to exin something to avoid misunderstanding. He didn''t pull up for her words and the car was slowly driven away. Patrick, who sat in the back of the car, heard every word. He nced down at a text message again and was stunned for a second. Leaning against the back of the car, Christina closed her eyes and felt a little tired. So... It was just a prank. "Why did he suddenly look for me?" Christina didn''t understand him. She turned her head to look out the window. She was still thinking of Patrick, who was drenched. An hourter, her car was pulled up at the house of the Hopkins Family. Before she got out of the car, the butler, who was anxious, came quickly with an umbre. "Ma''am, what''s wrong with you?" Christina was confused. "I''m fine. What happened?" The butler found that she was fine and took a long breath. "It''s fine." "Patrick suddenly rushed back to Hopkins Family to look for you." The butler held an umbre for her and walked towards the house with her. "We don''t know what''s going on, so we''re all worried about you." "I told grandpa today that I was going to the sanatorium..." She was puzzled. "Patrick sent someone to the sanatorium. But he didn''t find you and Patrick failed to call you... So he rushed out in a car. Didn''t you meet him?" Christina was stunned and murmured, "I met him." "Didn''t that nerde back with you?" As soon as she entered the living room, Mr. Hopkins nced at her and frowned slightly. He was puzzled that Patrick didn''te back. Christina didn''t know how to reply to him and she said, " He''s busy with something important." Seeing that she was embarrassed, Mr. Hopkins''s face darkened. He was exasperated at her and scolded her, "If you ask him toe back, he will do it." Christina was frozen and startled. "I asked him toe back, but I failed." She went back to her bedroom. She felt wronged after she was scolded by the old man. ''How dare I pester Patrick?'' Her clothes were wet from the rain, so she changed into pajamas. She sat cross-legged on the bed, muttering in a daze, "Did he change his clothes..." His clothes were soaked. "Why did he look for me so anxiously..." And he didn''t tell me just now. Christina was very upset. All of a sudden, she thought of Charles, "April Fool''s Day." She didn''t know what was going on just now. She was so worried that she thought of Charles''s call. "Patrick is so serious. He will not pay attention to the dull holidays." He called Charles furiously. "Charles!" "Charles, what did you say to Patrick?" As soon as they got through, Christina growled at him as if he was in debt. After Mr. Shepherd heard her roar, he was not uneasy anymore. He replied very irresponsibly, "You''re fine, aren''t you? Don''t worry. Patrick loves you so much and he won''t beat you. Even if he wants to teach you a lesson, he will just warn you. It''s okay..." "Charles, what exactly did you say to him?" Christina was so furious. Her face darkened. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. "Charles, I''ll tell Patrickter that it is you who cause my stomachache in my pregnancy!" "Christina, don''t be so shameless!" Charles immediately became nervous. Mr. Shepherd was gloomy. He gritted his teeth and yelled at the phone unwillingly. "I just sent Patrick a message. It''s April Fool''s Day. I was just joking with him. I told him that you were dating the mysterious man who saved you in the abandoned factory." ''The mysterious man who saved me in the abandoned factory...'' ''It had been a month, but I didn''t expect Patrick to care about it.'' He was the man who called her by her nickname ''Tina''. Maybe Patrick and other people didn''t believe her. She really didn''t know who the man was... The phone vibrated. It was a new message... "Sleeping beauty?" Chapter 84 Chapter 84 "Sleeping Beauty, is that you?" Christina suddenly received a friend request, so she hung up Charles''s phone, and logged in the WhatsApp. Pig Is Rising, "Sleeping Beauty? How can I have such ame name?" The person was a little agitated and sent several messages in a row. Pig Is Rising, "Christina, you''re so cruel. Don''t you remember me? I am Crystal." Pig Is Rising, "I used to be your roomie in high school, you used to skip sses all day. I was forced to pretend to be you to sign in." Christina suddenly remembered that she had a softrade in high school, Crystal. Invincible Tina, "Why don''t you change your name to Pig Is In Love? Didn''t you go abroad? Did you return to your country''s arms?" Pig Is Rising, "Bah. I don''t even have a boyfriend. How can I be in love?" Christina watched her send a bunch of growling expressions of pain and she chuckled. It was as if she was back in high school. She and Crystal used to be close friends, and then after attending the university they had lost contact with each other for some reason. Pig Is Rising, "Christina, are you married?" Christina replied expressionless, "Twice." The woman on the other end of the phone was about to copse. "Are you kidding me? You''ve married twice. Why can''t I have a boyfriend?" Invincible Tina, "Men are shit." Pig Is Rising, "Who are you married to? What do they look like? Are they one-tenth as handsome as our former teaching assistant?" Invincible Tina, "Who''s the teaching assistant?" Christina remembered that her high school had its directly affiliated college. In the second half of her senior year, the school would ask some professors from that college to give the top students extra lectures. Most of them were bald middle-aged men. Pig Is Rising, "Christina, I bet your husband must be a super fat nerd... You dare not to remember that handsome teaching assistant." Christina felt that her roommate''s temper had not improved at all after all these years. She was still as optimistic as before and favored pretty men. Christina had a slight impression since Crystal was so excited. In the second half of senior year, there seemed to be a male teaching assistant who was even fairer and more handsome than an international model. The most important thing was that the assistant''s background was very strong. It was said that even his voice was very charming, and all girls in the school were crazy about him. However, Christina had never met the legendary handsome assistant because she was busy working part-time at a milk tea shop in the second half of her senior year. Pig Is Rising, "Christina, I''m working in a very outstandingpany now. You can go to meet me tomorrow, and I''ll treat you to lunch..." Invincible Tina, "Where?" Pig Is Rising, "I''ll treat you to a feast in Gordon Hotel! Remember to dress better. The waiters there are a little bit supercilious. I got my sry today. Tomorrow, let''s have fun." Christina looked at "Gordon Hotel" with a thoughtful expression... Crystal added arrogantly, "I work for IP&G Group now. Am I really awesome?" Sure enough. Thergest hotel near the Hopkins Group''s IP&G Group is Gordon Hotel. "Patrick usually has meal there..." She put down her phone and was surprised that this good friend was working at the Hopkins Group. She turned to look out the window. It was still raining, and the sound of the rain made her sleepy. Holding the soft quilt, she closed her eyes. She couldn''t help but mutter, "What is he doing now..." He still did not return to the Hopkins Family. Christina went to bed earlyst night and woke up early in the morning. She was energetic, but she turned her head to look at the empty bed, feeling inexplicably disappointed. "Grandpa, I''ll have lunch with an old ssmate." Now she had to report wherever she went. Mr. Hopkins did not care much about where she wanted to go but just reminded, "Don''t eat anything you shouldn''t eat." "Got it." As she went out with the driver of Hopkins Family, the old man seemed to suddenly think of something and shouted at her back, "Christina, if your ssmate is a man, be smart and don''t let Patrick know." Christina paused, her expression startled. Mr. Hopkins continued saying, "That bastard will be angry." "Oh." She replied with an embarrassed expression. Christina was a little nervous. She didn''t know if it was because she was meeting her best friend she hadn''t seen for years, or... Because the entire IP&G Group building was right in front of her. The driver sent her to a coffee shop across from the IP&G Group building. Crystal had a 12: 00 lunch break and Christina arrived here 15 minutes earlier. She had never been to the IP&G Group, and she guessed that Patrick''s office should be on the top floor. Subconsciously, she raised her head. It was so high. The building was solemnly styled, its dark ss walls reflecting light, and its striking metal logo, IP&G Group, was too dazzling, which made people fear. It was almost lunchtime, and the wide road was gradually crowded. Thesemuters rushed out of theirpanies, chatting and discussing some things at a fast speed. "Now over 70 % of Dickens Family''s projects are backed by the Hopkins Group. They messed up a big projectst week, but the president didn''t lose his temper today." "I don''t know what that Donald is capable of. Why is our president helping Dickens Family..." Christina looked down at her phone. It was already 12: 03, and most of the employees had already been off work. Crystal was still nowhere to be seen. "I haven''t seen her for so many years. She won''t have stic surgery, will she?" She looked up at the building across the street and suddenly froze. The man standing across her recognized her at a nce, and his grim face was slightly startled. "Here for me?" This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. He strode over and said something in a deep voice that sounded casual. Christina looked at him with a nervous expression. She didn''t expect to meet him. He thought she wasing here for him? She turned her head away, not daring to look into his deep eyes. "No." She decided to tell the truth. She whispered, "I have a date with my old friend today..." But before she could finish her sentence, the man in front of her frowned slightly, his face not looking very good, and in the end, he was impatient. "Christina, you really like to piss me off." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her away. "Patrick, where are you taking me..." Christina was dragged away by him, afraid that he would take her to that horrible basement likest time, and hurriedly exined, "I really have a date with a friend, a former high school ssmate, a girl!" The man in front of her suddenly stopped. Christina was rushed forward so the tip of her nose hit his back. She lowered her head and reached out to rub her nose, feeling innocent. Patrick turned around, looking down at her, and pursed his thin lips, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn''t. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Gordon Hotel. In the luxurious private room, there was a table of delicious food, but Christina was very restrained. She put down her knife and fork, nervously took up a ss of milk in her right hand, took a sip, and secretly nced at the man opposite her. He didn''t eat anything. Christina hesitated for a moment and couldn''t help but say, "Patrick, you..." ''What does he want to do?'' She was just waiting for someone at the IP&G Group, then she was inexplicably dragged hereby Patrick. He had the manager serve a table of food, but he just sat there with a straight face and he didn''t eat. Patrick leaned back against the chair, his brows slightly furrowed with weariness, andzily nced at the food on the table as if he had no appetite. Hearing her voice, Patrick looked up at the woman opposite him. He was a little strange today, and his burning eyes stared straight at her. The corners of his lips were slightly pursed, as if he was hesitating if he should say that. All of a sudden, a series of crisp ringtones rang from the coffee table in the private room. Christina was stunned and immediately stood up and walked over. It must be Crystal. "Hey, it''s my phone!" Patrick moved faster than her. He walked up quickly, picked up the phone on the coffee table, refused the call, turned it off, and threw the white phone on the sofa. Christina stood aside, annoyed. "What are you doing? That''s my friend..." She didn''t finish her sentence when Patrick suddenly put his arms around her waist... Christina was astonished. He held her in his arms... Christina was pushed onto the sofa. She lowered her head, opened her eyes wide, and looked at Patrick in disbelief. Patrick''s head rested on her legs, his face buried in her soft belly, his hands around her waist, and he "Hey..." She called awkwardly, her cheeks reddening. He didn''t respond. His breathing was deep and gentle, as if he was exhausted, and he wanted to have a good rest. "Patrick." She lowered her voice and called his name again. Christina didn''t know if he was just ignoring her question, or if he was really tired. She didn''t believe this man just treated her as a pillow. Christina was very embarrassed. She looked around the luxurious room and looked down at the man lying on herp. Her face was redder and redder... ''What does this guy want? He doesn''t say anything!'' With her eyes falling on his side face, somehow Christina was obsessed with his handsomeness. She was not a boy crazy, but this man was really amazing enough to make her eyes fix on him. He was a Eurasian hybrid with deep facial features and fair skin, and his figure was very... Without a doubt, he could make any woman scream because of his appearance, not to mention his background and decisive temper. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ''Such a man is mine...'' Christina was a little confused. She would never forget that a man like him was dangerous. "Christina must be afraid of him..." "Patrick usually kept her at home, so how could he bear to take her to the basement..." There was a faint sounding from outside the private room. Christina could not hear it clearly, but she felt that the sound was familiar. When she looked up, the door was opened. All of a sudden, their eyes met. Charles was standing outside the door, staring at the sofa with his eyes widened like he saw a ghost. Christina felt awkward. She looked down at Patrick on herp and opened her mouth, intending to say something to Charles, but she failed. Click. The door to the private room was quickly closed by Charles! "Is there anyone inside?" It was Chandler''s voice. Charles lied, "No." Christina, in the room, was furious with Charles. He must have said it on purpose! Christina wanted to shake Patrick awake, but... "My legs are numb!" Christina struggled in the private room, while Charles, who was outside, smiled insidiously and was happy because they did not disturb Patrick. Last April Fool''s day, he identally offended Patrick. This time, if he obstructed Patrick again, he would mit a crime". Chandler nced at the door and chuckled. He knew that Christina must be inside. "Patrick is not feeling well these days. Don''t disturb him." Chandler said lightly and turned around to walk back. Charles strode beside him and spat, "If Patrick is sick, it''s caused by Christina." Chandler went down to the lobby with him for dinner. "Charles, you only me it on Christina. You also should be responsible for that. Thest time you sent that tricking message to Patrick on April Fool''s day, then he thought it was true and rushed to find Christina. I heard from his assistant that he was caught in the rain, and that night his migraine red up again..." Charles was forking a piece of beef and suddenly felt guilty. When he saw Patrick lying on the sofa with that witch in his arms, he would have thought he was dreaming. Munching on the small piece of beef, Charles became serious and muttered, "Patrick seems really nervous about her..." "The mysterious man from the abandoned factory," Chandler took a sip from a ss of water, his eyes heavy and indifferent. "Patrick ordered his people to investigate for so long, but they still didn''t find any information of that man. That man is not simple..." If Christina really dated such a man who was strange, Patrick would certainly care about her. But to their surprise, he was really... quite nervous about her. They both frowned and fell silent. Patrick had a fever. In the private room, Christina was thinking about how to wake up the man on herp. She gently pressed the back of her hand against Patrick''s side of his face and felt his high temperature. Patrick was usually very strong, except for thest time he had a high fever because of falling into the cold river, she had never seen him sick. He seemed to be very busy and tired recently... "Patrick, do you have a headache?" Seeing him frowning and his pained expression, Christina asked him gently. Her hands were slightly cold and pressed against Patrick''s forehead. Probably because he felt the gentle touch, Patrick opened his eyes which were not as cold and sharp as usual, and then looked at her face. Christina felt a little shy when she was stared at by him. She was about to say something when the man on herp sat up. Patrick''s body was indeed hot, but he did not sit up straight. Instead, he leaned sideways and put his hands around her neck. His body was very heavy, and his big head just rested on her shoulder. Christina was stunned. What was he doing! If he were a child, she would think that he was acting coquettishly, but this was Patrick! He seemed to feel that her body was very soft andfortable to hold. He made a deep sigh, seeming he was tired. He breathed weakly and hugged her tightly. "Christina." He called out her name. His voice was a little hoarse. "Christina..." Her whole brain was buzzing, unable to think, only to hear the deep voice softly calling her name over and over again. Patrick''s voice was low and deep as if he just wanted to call the name. About five minutester, he closed his eyes and fell asleep again. Christina turned her eyes stiffly and her face was now red. His body was heating up, and she could feel it clearly, including his breathing and the powerful heartbeat. Christina was so worried that his brain would be damaged due to the fever. After thinking about it for a long time, she shook him gently and whispered in his ear, "Patrick, let''s... Let''s go home." ''Go home, our home.'' Chapter 86 Chapter 86 "He''s not awake yet." In the evening, when Hopkins Family was ready for dinner, Christina added with an embarrassed expression, "He asked me not to bother him..." Nanny Faang put the porridge on the table and looked at her in surprise, "Patrick kicked you out?" She sounded not to trust Christina. When the driver drove them home in the afternoon, Patrick held her shoulder in his right hand, almost leaning all his body against Christina. She helped him into the bedroom step by step. At that time, they thought Patrick was seriously injured, finally it turned out that he had a high fever and wasing down with a migraine, but this was the first time they saw Patrick willing to rely on others so intimately. Christina felt as if she had been weighed down by him. The man was so heavy that she made a strenuous effort to carry him home from the hotel. It was quiet in Eastern Garden of Hopkins Family. Patrick was resting in the master bedroom, and the servants were all gone. Christina was staying in the lobby on the first floor of Eastern Garden, and she nced at the stairs from the corner of his eye. Patrick was sleeping in the master bedroom on the second floor. As soon as he came home, he fell asleep on the bed. His lips were still a little pale. It was the first time she had seen him being so weak. "Young madam, then you will be bothered to take care of Patrick." Nanny Faang dared not enter the master bedroom, so she had to caution her. Christina looked a little embarrassed and muttered, "He doesn''t seem to like to be disturbed. He scolded me and I came out." Nanny Faang was stunned. Did he really kick her out? In fact, Patrick only said three words, "You''re noisy." After Christina helped him lie on the bed, she quickly checked his temperature. Mr. Hopkins was obviously worried about him, but he refused to admit it, pretending to be cold. She had to approach Patrick''s ear and ask him what was wrong with him and whether he wanted water or not. She thought that Patrick was probably fed up with her too much. "Ma''am, it''s just that sometimes men are more..." Nanny Faang looked at her and wanted tough. "tend to say something they don''t mean." Christina widened her eyes and watched Nanny Faang turn around and leave. What did she mean? She looked up at the stairs, pondered for a moment without expression, and finally head towards the master bedroom. Gently opening the door, she poked her head out of the door and looked inside. Patrick was still asleep in bed, so she slowed down to get closer to him. His temperature had dropped, and now he was 38 degrees celsius, and he looked better. Perhaps because of his previous high fever, the quilt covering his body was lifted by him. He was lying on the side with his strong figure. A few buttons on his dark purple expensive shirt were undone, revealing his muscr chest faintly... Patrick really had a great figure... She blushed hotly at the sight. Christina had been lying in the same bed as him for months, but she usually didn''t have the guts to stare at him like that. Suddenly, the phone in her coat pocket rang. Frightened, Christina quickly turned her head away, pulled the quilt over him, and slipped out again. "Fortunately he didn''t wake up..." No sooner had she just closed the door than her phone rang again as if someone was looking for her urgently. Christina was bored. Her phone was turned off by Patrick, and she just turned it on... Suddenly, she was startled as she remembered someone else. She immediately took out her cell phone from her pocket. Sure enough, Crystal was in a hurry to find her. Two missed calls, a text message, and at this time new messages were kept sent to her on her Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. WhatsApp ount. Pig Is Rising: "What are you doing!" Pig Is Rising: "Christina, why did you turn off your phone? You won''t forget that we have an appointment to go to Gordon Hotel to have a feast, will you?" Pig Is Rising: "Christina, I really have enough money to pay the bill." Followed by a little emoji that swore. Christina swiped through a dozen messages from her on the screen, and it seemed that Crystal had been looking for her from midday. Invincible Tina: "Sorry, I met my husband downstairs at the IP&G Group." It was quite easy for her to type the word ''husband''. When Crystal saw that Christina finally replied, she immediately became furious and excited. Pig Is Rising: "You forget your friend after you meet your husband. You just treat me like this despite our deep friendship!" Pig Is Rising: "Besides, at noon, you obviously get through but you didn''t say anything, directly hang up. Why? When I called you again, you turned your phone off. I thought you were robbed." Pig Is Rising: "And here I still want to take you to eat that expensive but sexy food..." Christina didn''t know what she said about the sexy food, but it was definitely not a good thing when she thought about it. Seeing that Crystal was so angry, she had to send her several expressions indicating her deep apology, but Crystal said that the verbal apology was insincere. Invincible Tina: "Let''s rain check. It''s on my treat." Crystal''s eyes lit up and immediately replied, "Okay, I forgive you." Christina had already seen through her - a money-lover and was about to say something to mock her when another message popped up on her WhatsApp. Brother Charlie: "How are you doing with Patrick now, Christina? Be gentle with him. It''s better not to be too presumptuous as the sofa in the private room is not wide enough." Charles teased her the moment he was active on WhatsApp. When Christina saw the WhatsApp photo of Charles, she immediately remembered his sly smile at noon when he did nothing to help her. New and old hatred. Invincible Tina: "Charles, let me introduce you to my friend." She quickly clicked on the screen a few times and invited Charles to the chat group. Pig Is Rising: "Who is this? His nickname seems so narcissistic." Crystal mocked Mr. Shepherd at the first sentence. Christina was in a good mood as it was exactly what she wanted to see for Charles. Before Charles could say something to restore his image, Crystal added, "A psychologist said that a person''s nickname might reflect his inner desire. Brother Charlie, are you really a creepy person?" Charles sat on the sofa in his living room and his handsome face immediately darkened. Invincible Tina: "Crystal, tell him what we were nning to eat for lunch." Crystal immediately became excited. "American geoduck! Christina, we have to eat it next time. It looks basically the same as a man''s penis. Every time the bald-headed guy at thepany bullies me, I go to buy a few geoducks and go home to cut them with a kitchen knife to relieve stress." Woman. Charles did not speak. He was surprised to see the two women discussing how to cut and bite the poor geoduck. He felt his loins ached a little for no reason. Pig Is Rising: "Hey, I heard that our country''s divorce rate has risen again this year, being much more stable than the A-share rise." Crystal''s imagination run wild as she changed to another topic that she was quite emotional about, because she couldn''t find a husband easily while others who got married chose to divorce, which stimted her. Invincible Tina: "If the couple doesn''t match, then they should divorce." Christina felt not that upset by the word "divorce", probably because she was mentally prepared to be abandoned after giving birth. Pig Is Rising: "Christina, you''re wrong. Life is hard as couples cannot divorce simply for trifles. It''s necessary andmon for couples to tolerate each other. Nobody is perfect." Crystal''s attitude towards marriage was very serious, and that was why it was hard for her to get married. Brother Charlie: "The divorce rate only rises after women be financially independent." Charles sent the message wearily. Pig Is Rising: "That''s because men are too ipetent!" In any case, on the Inte, Crystal became so bolder that she dared to directly retort him. However, she suddenly came up with a good idea. "If thew mandates that the property owned by a couple was immediately confiscated and owned by the state after the divorce, no one would choose to do so." Charles opened her eyes wide and looked at the messages. When did Christina make such a tough friend? He clicked to sign out, and then he immediately sent a message to Patrick. "Patrick, you have to be careful of Christina''s treachery..." But soon, Charles felt that it was inappropriate to say something like this. So he deleted and edited another message. "Patrick, someone was giving Christina some bad counsel." Charles felt it too well that could never say something bad about the witch directly, so he had to give him a hint politely. Patrick was sleeping soundly in the master bedroom on the second floor. His fever had gone down and he could vaguely hear his cell phone ringing a few times. He frowned slightly and rubbed his temples with his right hand. When he opened his eyes, he found that the master bedroom was silent. ''Where is she?'' Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Around 9 pm, Christina returned to the bedroom, holding her phone in hand. She opened the door and found Patrick had woken up. However, he seemed a little weird. "Are you hungry? Want to get a bite to eat? Nanny Faang made some porridge..." Christina asked in a low voice as she stood at the door with a slight primness. "Yes." Patrick did not say much. He gave a light "yes" then stood up and walked out. The door was closed. She went to the cloakroom to get a pair of pajamas and went straight to the bathroom to bathe. She couldn''t help butin, "Men are soplicated." A bowl of porridge had refreshed him. He was going to get the documents in the bedroom and then go to the study... A ssh was audible from the bathroom. She was taking a bath while humming a tune. "She is in a good mood?" He walked to the tea table, picking up the documents. When he turned around, he couldn''t help but look at the bathroom. As far as he knew, Christina liked to sing while bathing when she felt good. What kind of people did she hang out with recently? Ding ding... The phone on the table suddenly vibrated, and thetest WhatsApp message shed on the screen. [Christina...] Patrick frowned. He had never interfered with Christina''s affairs, but who called her that? He stared at the flickering screen hesitantly, and it seemed that the woman in the bathroom wouldn''t through her phone. Patrick felt kind of ridiculous for some reason. He always had principles. Holding the documents, he walked away. Ding ding... [ Tina, I''m not feeling well... ] Well, if he cared about her, he would not bother himself with principles, and he couldn''t help but nce back at her phone screen. "Who''s Sleeping Beauty?" He murmured. At this moment, the bathroom door was opened and Christina came out in a white nightgown. She just wanted to get the lotion into the bathroom, but her eyes met his. "What...What''s wrong?" She didn''t understand why he was standing here Patrick looked straight at her, lowered his eyes, and contemted for a moment. Without answering her, he turned around and walked away. "Have your hair dried." He left those words in a low tone and closed the door. Christina was in a daze, her waist-length hair still dripping wet. Perhaps it was because of Patrick''s words, she walked out before drying her hairpletely in the bathroom. He worked in the study as usual. However, Christina still felt that he was strange. She could not stay up all night, for she was pregnant. No sooner had her head touched the pillow than she fell asleep, not knowing when Patrick returned. It seemed that at the midnight someone raised her hair to check if it had been dried. When she woke up at seven in the morning, she was surprised that the man beside her didn''t wake up. Usually, he got up at five in the morning. "Good morning." Their faces were very close, and the man suddenly opened his eyes. Christina''s heart beat a little faster, and she immediately greeted him, then quickly got up. "Morning." He answered softly and got up. Although Patrick never said much at all, he was obviously much quieter these days. What was wrong with him? She wanted to ask but didn''t know how to begin. After washing up absent-mindedly, they had breakfast downstairs simply and walked to the Main Residence. "Grandpa worried about you yesterday." They walked side by side. Christina felt that the corridor was so long, and the moment was so awkwardly quiet. She said, improvising. Patrick turned his head and look at her without a word. Suddenly, the phone in her pocket rang. Pig Is Rising, "Christina, are you up? Are you busy in bed with your husband?" Feeling bored, she took out her cell phone and checked Crystal''s messages. Before Christina could reply, there were several new messagesing again. Pig Is Rising, "Christina, my immediate superior sent me to C City on a business trip today. Want any souvenirs? I decided to stay at the best hotel and eat until I was full. That baldy has been torturing me all day... " Christina looked at the messages. Crystal keptining about her boss and said that the work world was like the battlefield. She was envious that Christina didn''t have to work. "I''d rather go to work..." Christina felt that it was the dumbest thing for women to have no ie. "Who is it?" Seeing she stared intently at her phone, Patrick narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice. He suddenly spoke, making Christina stunned. She immediately put down her phone and replied, "My friend." "Oh." He said in a deep voice. He seemed to be not satisfied with her answer, so she quickly added, "Crystal, she''s my high school ssmate." "By the way, she works at IP&G Group''s headquarters." Patrick raised his eyebrows slightly. "Crystal." Of course, an ordinary employee couldn''t ring a bell with him. But... "The girl who used to sign in for you in high school?" He said inexplicably. Christina was stunned and stopped. "How do you know..." How did he know that Crystal used to do that for her? He would not look into such a trifling matter, would he? Patrick gazed at her with his deep eyes. He did not speak again and strode on. As the sunshine fell, Christina stood still and looked after him. At that moment, she felt that his back was a little familiar as if she had seen it before. The phone on her right hand was still ringing... Pig Is Rising, "Christina, when do you introduce your husband to me? By the way, tell him I''m your best friend and ask him to treat me to dinner." Christina sat on the ground, smiled, and replied, "You may have met him already." Pig Is Rising, "I know him?" Invincible Tina, "He''s at the samepany as you." Crystal immediately got excited. "He also works at IP&G Group''s headquarters. Which department?" Invincible Tina, "Your... big, big boss. " Christina was about to tease her when she noticed some new messages receivedst night. She was surprised. "Sleeping Beauty?" He sent her two short and strange messages around 10 pmst night. [Tina ] [ Tina, I''m not feeling well... ] "Do I know him well?" It was weird for a stranger to say that... like aint or coquetry? Christina quickly typed a few words with her fingers. "Hello, are you my old ssmate?" Sleeping beauty, "Yes." He answered almost in a second. Christina was a little amazed. Either he opened the WhatsApp just in time or just kept waiting. This was the first time that Christina talked to this man. She remembered that he was the first one who responded immediately after she posted photos on her Moments, which made her a little curious. Invincible Tina, "Who are you? What''s your name? I''m sorry I forgot." She asked very frankly and directly, feeling nothing wrong. But after the man looked at her message, he couldn''t help but squeeze the phone tightly. He sat on a chair by the window, and the sunshine fell on his handsome pale face. Suddenly, his brows furrowed and his right hand gripped the handle, suppressing the pain of his body. He had endured pain for so many years in America and thought he was used to it, but now... "Tina, you really forgot me." Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. He had sapphire eyes, but now they were empty and cold. Chapter 88 Chapter 88 "You''ve been reading her WhatsApp Moments!" The woman rushed forward angrily and snatched the phone from the man sitting on the sofa. "Carrie, give my phone back!" Cory immediately stood up and red at her. "Christina is your cousin''s wife, and she''s pregnant with Patrick''s child. You should face the reality." Carrie yelled at him angrily. "It''s none of your business!" Cory stepped forward and snatched back his phone. He red at the woman in front of him with a grim face. "Get out of here now, Carrie. You don''t have the right to stay in the Hampton Family!" Cory was resentful of what she had done. Carrie felt guilty, but she raised her voice, "Indeed, I''ve done something wrong in the past, but we''ve already gotten the marriage certificates. You''re my husband, and shouldn''t you take care of me? ..." "Stop making me sick. Get out of here now!" She had conspired with Patrick to plot him, and he was furious. Carrie had been pestering him all these days. She thought Cory would forgive herself in a while, but he was still cold and stern after half a month. "Cory, are you really... really going to have a fight with me? I have Dickens Family as my backup!" She was so angry and she threatened him. Cory sneered, "Dickens Family?" "How dare you mention the Dickens Family? You''re shameless. What''s your rtionship with Donald? Even Christina never mentions him. Donald is just your brother-inw." He hated everything about her. "My sister said that if you dare to divorce me, the Dickens Family would not let you go!" Carrie was infuriated by his words. Indeed, their wedding was canceled, but the two of them had already received the marriage certificates, which meant that they were legally married. Carrie knew that no man would like a divorced woman, so she tried her best to pester him. She had to be the Young Madam of the Hampton Family. "Oh, you think you can rely on the Dickens Family?" Cory scoffed, "Carrie, go back and ask your sister if your family group is about to change its name... The Hopkins Group is your backup, but they know very well that the Dickens Family had displeased Patrick, and Donald can''t even protect himself. How dare you to threaten me with the Dickens Family?" Cory''s face was also very sullen. He almost squeezed the name ''Patrick'' out of his gnashing teeth. Crystal had called Christina many times during these days. So her phone kept ringing. After dinner, she stayed in her bedroom and was reading some posts about pregnancy on a forum. Her phone was ringing again. She thought it was Crystal who was calling her, but it was Mrs. Dickens. "Christina, how are you doing? Is Patrick good to you?" Christina had a bad feeling when she heard that this snobbish olddy suddenly cared about her. "We''re just like other couples. We''re good." "That''s good, you should be good to each other like other couples. When you sleep at night, you should chat more to improve your rtionship..." Christina felt that something was wrong. She asked directly, "What happened?" Mrs. Dickens didn''t waste time on preliminaries. She hurriedly said in amanding tone. "Christina, tell Patrick that Dickens Family really had nothing to do with the shoddy steel tes used for the bridge projectst month. It was all your George''s fault. He was too greedy. Please exin to Patrick. Dickens Family should be implicated..." Christina was startled. She thought of the bloody scene in the basement. Patrick had specially taken her there. "I can do nothing about his business." She replied in aplicated tone. "What are you talking about!" Mrs. Dickens scolded her with anger, "If something happens to your father, you will have a hard time. Dickens Family relies on Hopkins Group for almost everything, and you must help the Dickens Family." After that, the phone was directly hung up. They just regarded her as a tool. She really wanted to cut off their rtionship! She was annoyed. However, she put her phone back on the table and sat quietly on the sofa, thinking about it. Patrick supported the Dickens Family, but he could destroy the Dickens Family at any time. Christina didn''t think he would really do that. He seemed to be threatening the Dickens Family. "No wonder those people didn''t dare to offend him..." Because they were involved. Everyone in the business circle knew that they should never be Patrick''s enemy... "What are you doing?" She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn''t notice the door was opened. Patrick suddenly appeared in front of her. Christina looked at him and instinctively tensed up. "No, nothing." "I''m reading some posts on a parent-child forum..." She turned her head away to avoid his eyes and made an excuse in a hurry. "Posts?" Patrick was still standing in front of her and said in an ambiguous tone. "This is the forum. Many pregnant women share their experiences." She said in a serious tone. Christina spoke a little fast and turned theptop screen towards him as if to prove that she was not lying. "They said that when they were pregnant, their husbands must control themselves and they may cheat on them... Then they shared some experiences about how to help their husbands..." "They said a male masturbator would help," Christina said with a serious expression. She raised her head and was confused. "Patrick, what''s the masturbator?" Patrick''s grim expression froze. "You shouldn''t look at theputer screen for a long while since you''re pregnant. Go to bed and rest." Original content from N?velDrama.Org. He lowered his voice and changed the subject. Christina didn''t mention that again. She quickly turned off theputer, went to the bathroom to wash up, and went to bed. Patrick went to the bathroom in the study to take a shower. After he came out, he went back to his desk to deal with the documents. However, he seemed a little absent-minded. He could feel that she was afraid of him. "Is it because thatst time..." He turned to look at the dark night outside the window. He had forced her to go to the basement and scared her. Upset, he walked out of the study and went back to the bedroom to rest. The woman on the bed was fast asleep. She didn''t get him into trouble recently. Patrick lifted the quilt and slept beside her. He put his arms around her waist and held her gently in his arms. Christina did not resist. She seemed to have gotten used to it. Her face rubbed against his chest. Patrick noticed her movements, and his heart was filled with strange emotions. He gently caressed her long, silky hair. "Afraid of me?" He muttered in a low voice. He held her even tighter and his thin lips pressed against her ears. "Christina, if you''re really afraid of me, then don''t upset me." His voice was low and deep. He seemed to be warning her, but his voice was helpless. Chapter 89 Chapter 89 "Yes... I''m on my way to the IP&G Group." The sun was shining at noon, and a champagne-gold Rolls-Royce cruised towards the city center. Christina was sitting in the back seat, talking to Mr. Hopkins on the phone, "There''s a high school reunion next week, and she happens to be an employee of thepany." "Patrick?" Mr. Hopkins on the other end of the phone suddenly asked. The car window reflected Christina''s slightly stunned expression and she said truthfully, "He''s fine. He hasn''t had a migraine for the past few days." Before Mr. Hopkins hung up, he said, "Since you are at thepany, give him a call..." ''Call Patrick?'' She touched the screen of her phone and looked at Patrick''s number. She hesitated, but she still called him. She put the phone close to her ear and she was nervous about what to say to him. However, Christina put her phone down after a while and her eyes were filled with an inexplicable sense of loss. Patrick didn''t answer her call. She felt that she was stupid to be nervous just now. She thought she had been very sensitivetely. [I''m in the lobby of the IP&G Group. I''m here to have lunch with my friend.] When the car arrived at the After waiting for ten minutes, she didn''t receive any reply, and Christina didn''t care much. He should be busy. She stepped into the lobby of the group. She didn''t see Crystalst time, so Christina simply waited for her at thepany this time. When it was almost 12 o''clock, the staff began to go downstairs for lunch, so the five elevators on the west side began to get crowded. "Crystal?" Christina looked at a woman in a ck dress at the door of the elevator and smiled. After graduating from high school, they hadn''t seen each other for almost seven years. Nheless, Crystal still looked the same as before. "Crystal, can''t you keep your creditors from stirring up trouble in thepany? It''s a real shame to be in the same department as someone like you." As soon as Christina approached, she heard a shrill female voice. A woman was taunting Crystal with arrogance. "Hey, why are you speaking so harshly?" Christina directly shouted at that woman. Hearing Christina''s voice, the two women who were quarreling turned to look at Christina simultaneously. Crystal recognized her at first sight, "Christina." Crystal called out her name with some excitement. As for the woman who had just quarreled with Crystal, her face suddenly took on a ghastly expression. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. She seemed to be afraid of something, so she turned around and walked away quickly. "That woman just now..." Looking at the woman''s back, Christina felt as if she had known her before. "Sabrina." Crystal whispered, "She was in the same ss as us in high school." Christina raised her eyebrows slightly. No wonder she thought Sabrina looked familiar. "She bullied you?" Crystal used to have a round fair face. Now, she had an angr face and she was more mature, but she still looked gentle and easy to bully. "Not really. It''s my family''s shit." Crystal took Christina''s arm and led her out of thepany. She said to Christina in a low voice, "My mom came to thepany this morning and made a scene, so Sabrina said that to me." "What happened?" Christina turned to look at her. Christina remembered that Crystal''s mother remarried when she was very young. Her stepfather was very strict with her. Her mother echoed the man and often scolded her for nothing. They went to a western restaurant and had a simple lunch. Crystal told her everything without scruple, "My stepbrother is getting married. My mother wants me to give him 300,000 dors." "Did you really give it to him?" Christina was a little angry. She knew that Crystal''s stepbrother was a terrible person. All he knew was beer and skittles. He was not a rich man, but he was so shameless that he used the credit card to buy goods of the first-rate. After that, he asked Crystal to help him out. Crystal took a sip of the milk tea on the table and smiled bitterly, "My mother asked me for 300,000 dors, but I was not born in the purple and I don''t have any money." "I told my momst month that I really don''t have 300,000 dors. I''ll give my stepbrother 30,000 dors at most. You know my mother. She has always been partial to my stepfather and stepbrother, and always feared that they will abandon her. She scolded me fiercely and said that I was too selfish and that even if I got married, I would have to rely on them. She told me I must give my stepbrother 300,000 dors. Otherwise, if my brother''s marriage is ruined, it will be my fault." Crystal looked a little depressed. She picked up her chopsticks, put a vegetable leaf in her mouth, and chewed it. She had no appetite. "You''ve only been working for three years, so it''s normal that you don''t have any savings. What''s wrong with your mother? How can she ask you for 300,000 dors for a stepson? Is she trying to force you to take out a loan? She''s crazy." Crystalughed out loud when she saw that Christina was so angry that her face clouded over. Back when they were in school, her family was always in trouble. The students in the ss looked down on her and gossiped about her behind her back. Christina stood up, pped her right hand at the desk, and the ss quietened down. Crystal liked her friend Christina because she was not scheming. She was simple and honest, but she was slow in some aspects. "Let''s not talk about my family. How are you? Where''s your husband?" Crystal looked at her with a sly smile, "Christina, didn''t you say that he works in the samepany as me? What''s his name?" Before Christina could answer, her phone vibrated and she got a new message. "I was in a meeting just now," Patrick replied. Was that an exnation? It turned out that he didn''t answer the phone because he was in a meeting. Christina was happy for no reason when she read his message. She looked at the screen of her phone and hesitated, wondering if she should send him another message, such as telling him that she was now in the western restaurant opposite thepany. Maybe he was still busy, and it would disturb him if she texted. "Christina, why are you in a daze?" Crystal could tell that Christina was torn. "Nothing." Christina put her phone in her bag and told Crystal something serious, "By the way, I might not go to the high school reunion you said before." "You''re not going?" Crystal looked up and down at her. Christina was a famous campus belle in high school, and now she looked even more beautiful. Judging from her fair and tender skin, Crystal was sure that Christina must have married a rich man. "Is it because your husband won''t let you go? Haha, married women are different. You have to get your husband''s permission to go out." Crystal teased her with a smile. Christina did not deny it. She lowered her head and ate the spaghetti, looking a little embarrassed. Indeed, she was worried that Hopkins Family would not allow her to go. Besides, she was bound to drink at the reunion, but she was pregnant, so she could not drink. Crystal smiled and persuaded her, "Christina, it doesn''t matter if you don''t go, but I heard that the person in charge of this year''s event is trying to invite our former teaching assistant. Are you really not going? A lot of girls have signed up for it because of that handsome teaching assistant." "I don''t remember him." "Ok, I get it. You only like the fat nerds who are easy to bully." Crystal had a pained expression on her face. Christina had promised that she would marry a cook, who was fat, good-tempered, and faithful. There was a big misunderstanding. Christina wanted to exin. After all, when Crystal saw Patrick in the future, it would be bad if she call him a fat homebody. "By the way, Christina, let me tell you something. When I went up to the top of thepany today to hand in my report to the secretary''s office, I thought I saw someone I knew," Crystal suddenly remembered something and was very excited. She kept talking and Christina couldn''t get a word in edgeways. Her little white face reddened, "The man''s back looks a lot like our teaching assistant. Do you think it''s really him?" When Crystal mentioned the top floor of the IP&G Group, Christina thought for the first time that Patrick''s office was on the top floor. Chapter 90 Chapter 90 "Well, I gotta go." Suddenly someone called Crystal, and she stood up before finishing her lunch. With a bitter smile on her face, she said, "I had to ask for leave to deal with my personal affairs. I''m afraid that Sabrina wouldin to the manager and I get fired because of my mom making a scene in mypany." So Christina also stood up. "Then let''s go together." She had heart Crystal''s mom''s harsh words. She sounded like a debt collector. "Crystal, call me if you need anything. If your mother asks you for money, I can lend it to you..." "Thank you, but I''ll handle it myself." Crystal shrugged. "I know my mom well. I did have earned some money but I spent it all at once for a down payment on an apartment. I don''t have any money to give her now." "It''s good to have your apartment." Christina thought she was smart. "My sry only allows me to pay by installment. But I''m happy to have my own apartment. If my mother and my stepfather get into a fight in the future, she can live with me." Crystal had a clear mind. Christina chuckled. She knew that although Crystal was annoyed by her mother, she was filial. They walked towards the counter together. "Let me pay the bill." Christina then took out her card from her bag. Crystal didn''t refuse. They were good friends, and they often treated each other to meals. But Crystal thought of something. "By the way, how''s your aunt going? Is she better now?" Christina''s aunt had once been a richdy, and she hadn''t known how to do housework at all. But her heart attack cost her a lot of money. So Christina spent most of her time working part-time when she was at college, as diligent as those poor students. "My aunt is much better now." Crystal teased her. "Your rich husband treats your family well." She could tell from Christina''s clothes that her husband must be rich. But Christina''s expression froze when she heard that. She exined in a hurry, "No, I paid my aunt''s medical bills with the money of my granddad''s legacy... He, well, I don''t want to use his money." "Why are you so uneasy?" Crystal noticed her strange expression and then asked, "Are you not getting well with your husband? You seem not to be close." Christina lowered her head and did not answer. Not close. How could she and Patrick be like an ordinary couple... Old Master promised to help her aunt find a suitable source of heart and in the Hopkins she... Well, she shouldn''t think too much. Crystal could tell that she was in a bad mood so she changed the topic. "Why do you have to wait until you graduate from college to get the heritage? Why are rich families soplicated?" Christina looked a little embarrassed. "Because I did something that made my grandfather angry." Actually, her grandfather exploded with rage. Because she refused to follow his order... "I remember that your grandfather cared about you very much. What on earth have you done..." Crystal was curious. But the phone in her pocket rang again. "Christina, I have to go. My Mom''s calling again." Crystal then waved at her and rushed out. Christina shouted behind her, "Call me if you need anything." "Got it. I''ll take care of it." She heard Crystal''s vague reply. Christina felt pity for Crystal. But her life was in a mess too. "How much is it?" She looked at the electronic clock on the wall of the restaurant. The driver of the Hopkins woulde to pick her upter, so she hurried to pay the bill. "Miss, your bill has been paid." The waitress told her with a smile. Christina was confused. "What?" The waitress looked at the No.2 ss door of the restaurant with a blush. "Ten minutes ago, a handsome man came in to pay your bill." ''Who?'' "Is he wearing a ck suit and a dark purple shirt..." Christina immediately thought about Patrick. But the waitress shook her head. "No." "... He has beautiful blue eyes." ''Blue eyes.'' Christina''s expression changed, and out of instinct, she quickly walked towards the No.2 ss door. She stood at the door, looking around anxiously... Blue eyes... Would it be him? All of a sudden, a familiar figure appeared in her vision. Her eyes widened and she quickly crossed the street. "Eric..." She called out to the crowd. He was far away from her, and her voice was drowned in the bustling cars and pedestrians. "Young Madam!" The driver was here to pick her up, but he saw her trying to cross the street disregarding the red light. So he hurried to stop the car beside her and shouted. Christina stopped when she saw the car that suddenly appeared. "Young Madam, you can''t cross the road now." "Oh, I''ll pay attention next time." Her mind was in a mess. The figure had gone. "Is it him?" She really wanted to know. Christina got into the car which drove steadily towards the Hopkins. She feltplicated. She hadn''t seen Eric for many years, so she wasn''t sure whether it was him. "If it''s really him, why didn''t he say hello to me..." She looked at the scenery outside the window, her face gloomy. She had mixed feelings. Where had he been during these years? Was he still angry... When the car arrived in Hopkins Family, Christina was still lost in her thoughts of the past. "Young Madam." Nanny Faang walked towards her. "Have you had lunch?" "Yes," Christina replied. She wanted to go back to her room to clear her mind. "I''ll go to grandpa at dinner. I''ll go back to the bedroom now..." "Young Madam, please wait a minute." Christina looked back at her. "What''s the matter?" Nanny Faang smiled and said, "Young Master Patrick had rushed home twenty minutes ago. As soon as he came back, he asked where you were..." Christina''s expression froze when she heard that. "What did he ask me for?" She had texted him. "I don''t know." The smile on Nanny Faang''s face was gentle. She paused and then chuckled. "I don''t think he had something urgent to ask for you. I guess he just missed you." ''He just missed you.'' "Oh," Christina replied calmly, but her cheeks were flushed.Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 91 Chapter 91 It was the evening. The prosperousmercial street was noisy and many cars were bustling and thergestmercial bar in the center of the square was shining with colorful light beams, which was particrly dazzling and lively. "Patrick, are you in a bad mood?" Compared to the hustle and bustle of the dance floor in the bar, the east side of the bar seemed a little chilly and no one dared toe over. "Patrick, you''d better not drink so much. You''ve been suffering from migrainestely. It''s probably because of your old injury. This is no trifle" Charles hesitated for a long time before he dared to persuade him. The man on the left raised his ss and gulped it down. With his calm eyes, he nced coldly at Charles. Charles felt a chill on his back and he immediately shut up. It was all because Chandler had to deal with his own problems, or else Charles wouldn''t have to face such a gloomy Patrick alone. Charles knew that Patrick hated it when people talked about his old wounds, so he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Patrick, haven''t you heard from Derek yet?" "I can''t find him." Patrick thought of his good buddy and there was a deep frown on his face. He was upset and poured another half ss of whiskey. "What a strange thing. It was hard for him to wake up. How could he be missing." Charles raised his eyebrows and muttered softly. But that Derek had always been a weirdo. Although they knew him from a young age, no one really knew him. Charles had remembered that every time hepeted with that guy, he would be at a loss. As Chandler said, Derek didn''t want to be disturbed. Even Patrick had no way to change this. But... What exactly did Derek want to do? When Charles looked at Patrick again, he was a little surprised. He found that Patrick had put down his wine ss and looked at the hot girls diagonally across him withplicated expressions. The women across from them were wearing silk stockings, tight scarlet suspender skirts, and they were leering with their heavily made-up faces. One of the women stood against the bar, her right foot slightly raised, and her long legs gradually exposed. It seemed that people who came here were all for ying. Did Patrick want to find a sex partner? This thought immediately popped into Charles''s head. However, the next second, Charles felt that this idea was a little stupid. If they dared to get close, the five bodyguards in the corner would be the first to drive them away. "In fact, as long as you spend money on women, they will be moved," Charles said suddenly. As expected, Patrick turned to look at him. "I don''t know who wrote this. Those women all agree that the man who is willing to pay for them had the true love for them." Charles continued to lecture seriously. Spending money was the most convenient and simple way for these rich men. If woman was difficult to conquer, they would spend more on jewelry or even houses. No woman could resist them. Spend money on her... Patrick held the crystal wine ss with his long and delicate fingers. He gently shook the ss with the mellow liquor, and some thoughts came into his mind. Charles''s face was expressionless, and he muttered meaningfully, "But there is one kind of woman who is exceptional, probably because they were stupid." However, it was not entirely Christina''s fault. Patrick never pursued her and never said anything sweet to her. Patrick directly got her and sent her to Hopkins Family. "You can give her some jewelry or spend some time with her..." Women seem to be insecure creatures. They always like to be apanied. Although Patrick didn''t say it, Charles could easily guess that it must be because of the basement incidentst time. Christina was afraid of him. It was so awkward. He liked her but he still scared her, and then he became uneasy himself. "Why don''t you wait for Christina to give birth? Then you can make up for your honeymoon..." Charles gave a good suggestion. Patrick was in a daze. He opened his mouth slightly and wanted to ask something. Suddenly, the phone on the bar vibrated. "Derek?" Charles looked at the strange phone number and asked excitedly. Very few people knew Patrick''s phone number and this strange call... They were all worried about Derek. After all, he was terribly injured that year. After being vegetative in the United States for so many years, he must have former affliction. Patrick''s face became more serious, and he answered it. He didn''t say anything. The person on the other end of the phone seemed very excited and immediately raised his voice to ask. "Hello, are you Mark?" It was a strange voice, and it sounded a little ttering. The voice on the other side of the phone was a little loud as if the person was afraid Patrick could not hear it clearly. As Charles sat beside him, he could clearly hear the name "Mark", which was Patrick''s fake name. "Yes," Patrick replied calmly. Hearing his voice, this person became more and more excited. "Mark, hello, I''m from ss 301, grade x5, First High School of C City... You used to be our teaching assistant..." "Next week, we have a ss reunion. Do you want to join us?" The other party paused, as if afraid of rejection, and solemnly emphasized, "Not only our ss, but also other students of our major, most of them are elites of society, and they all want to see..." "No." Patrick lost his patience and said one word coldly. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. The person on the other end of the phone was a little embarrassed when he heard his cold tone. "Mark, I heard you''re from A City. Our party happened to be at the Red Vi in A City..." There was no more conversation because Patrick hung up his phone directly and threw his phone on the bar. Charles was not surprised to see him cut off the call. He was usually met by a lot of big business people, not to mention this kind of nobody. But when he thought about the past, Charles still didn''t understand. Why did Patrick go to that high school in C City to be a teaching assistant? If his students knew who he was, they must have been scared to death... Charles''s face suddenly froze. Christina seemed to be a student of that ss. Patrick grabbed the ss, feeling even more agitated because of the phone call. Chasing a woman was really difficult. Ding ding... The cell phone in the bedroom kept ringing. Christina was still applying body lotion in the bathroom. When she heard the bell, she ran out immediately. She was a little anxious as if she was afraid of missing something. "Crystal?" It was already 11 pm. Christina picked up the phone and heard Crystal''s voice. She originally thought it was Patrick... "Oh, I''m sorry to disturb you two sote." Crystal''s voice was sullen and she was clearly in a bad mood. "He''s not home yet," Christina said and then asked with concern. "What''s wrong?" Crystal immediately stopped being polite to her and let out a loud roar. "Christina, I feel like I''m going to explode!" Christina, "..." "I''m going to die. Before your husbandes home, please sacrifice yourself and be my trash can. I need to vent." "Do you know how crazy my mother is? I listened to her and went back home to discuss my brother''s marriage with her. I told her that I had a down payment on all my money, and there were only 30,000 dors left. She immediately scolded me for not talking to her about buying a house..." "In the end... My mother and my bitch brother, my stepfather, surrounded me and asked me to hand over the keys to the apartment. In that case, my brother didn''t have to bother buying a new house, he just used my apartment as his new house..." "You really gave it to them?" Christina was startled. "You didn''t see the disgusting look on my future sister-inw''s face. She said that my apartment wasn''t in the city center. It was only 80 square meters and it was too small. She didn''t know that how I tried to pay that down payment. She didn''t know how difficult it was to buy a house in A City." Crystal was really furious. As she spoke, Crystal, who had always been optimistic, became depressed. "Christina, I''m really tired." "When I was in college, I went abroad on a full schrship, but more than half of my college mates were entered by paying sky-high tuition fees. I worked part-time to earn living expenses. When I got up at 4: 00 in the morning to study, those rich kids were just hanging around. I failed when I was born. It''s useless no matter how hard I tried..." "I finally got my own house, and it would be robbed again." Christina''s heart also sank. "Crystal, don''t worry about them. Your name is on that property certificate. Why do you listen to them?" "I''m not that stupid. I''ll take care of it." Crystal was just grumbling in a bad mood. However, she really made something clear in her mind. "I just want to find a man who would treat me well with his whole heart right now. I don''t care about his appearance and family background. We could work hard together. It''s enough to have someone to share the trivial matters of life." "Christina, your husband treats you really well. You should cherish it. It''s not easy to meet him." Christina held the phone and suddenly became silent. Besides thest time, Patrick took her to the basement to scare her, actually... "He treats me very well..." She murmured. Chapter 92 Chapter 92 "I''m not going to the party..." Christina got up early today and had breakfast with Old Master Mr. Hopkins. He asked about her high school reunion party that she had mentioned before. The butler brought them a tter of fruit after breakfast and smiled kindly. "Young Madam, the fetus is 18 weeks old. It''s fine. If you want to attend the party, just be careful..." "Let that bastard go with you." Old Master Mr. Hopkins was in a good mood. He took a sip of tea and made a suggestion. "I''m fine alone." Christina was ttered and immediately refused. She smiled awkwardly. "Patrick is very busy. I heard he has an important reception today." Even if he wasn''t busy, she didn''t dare to disturb him. A few days ago, Crystal said something heartfelt to her. She had been thinking about it these days. In fact, Patrick was really good to her. Patrick was not the only one who treated her well, even the cold and dignified Old Master Mr. Hopkins. Perhaps they were good to her because she was pregnant, but she should learn to be grateful. She understood that the reason why Old Master Mr. Hopkins cared about her was more because of Patrick''s attitude towards her. "It''s a noisy ce. I haven''t contacted those high school ssmates for a long time. My best friend won''t go to the party since something happened..." "Is that the friend who works in the group?" Old Master was a little curious. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Christina felt sorry for Crystal, and she chatted with Mr. Hopkins about it at home. "Yes, it''s difficult for ordinary people to get married and buy a house, so she has been quite annoyed It had been a week. Crystal seemed to be very busy recently. Christina was a little worried about her. "Because her brother is going to get married, he took her house away. That''s not reasonable. That man is a bastard. If Patrick dares to bully his sister, I will kill him..." Old Master Mr. Hopkins had always been very demanding of his descendants, especially boys. "Patrick has a sister?" Christina was surprised. The butler exined, but his tone sounded a little strange. "Miss Brianna is a girl adopted by us in Hopkins Family. She has been with Patrick''s mother since she was young. They rarelye back from America." It was clear the butler didn''t want to talk about it anymore. Their expressions would change as long as it was about Patrick''s mother. Christina stopped talking about this topic and got up to go back to her bedroom. "What kind of person is Patrick''s mother?" As she walked along the corridor, she was wondering. It had been the mostplicated rtionship between inws. Since his mother barely returned to the Hopkins, she probably could not have to worry about this. She could leave directly after giving birth to the child. But... she couldn''t bear to leave when looking at the elegant corridors and flowers. She was not sure she didn''t want to leave because of the beautiful sceneries or something else... Suddenly, the phone in her pocket rang and she came back to her senses. "Christina, do you want to keep me as your mistress..." It was Crystal. "What''s wrong?" Christina became nervous because she heard Crystal crying. "Christina, my brother has a new house. He doesn''t have to bother me anymore." "Did you really give him your house?" Christina''s face darkened immediately. "No, they despised my apartment for being too remote and too small. My mom gave him 700,000, and he bought a house of 110 square meters and paid for the down payment..." "Where did your mother get 700,000?" Christina didn''t understand. Crystal suddenly burst outughing with sarcasm. "She doesn''t have any money. She borrowed it from my father''s rtives..." "It''s Saturday, and my mom just told me to go home. She said she made me some soup. When I just arrived, a bunch of rtives came to ask me to return their money." Crystal couldn''t help but cry out, "It''s my curse to have such a mother. She wrote an IOU to these rtives and promised to pay it back today, so she tricked me into going home to pay it back for her! Seven hundred thousand, how can I get so much money all at once? She''s forcing me to die." "If she gets sick, I''ll do my best to lend money to treat her. But, she''s just trying to help her stepson. My stepfather only paid 200, 000 for his son''s marriage. My mother was very generous and gave him 700, 000 directly. She said that in the future, she would rely on Simon to support her and let me please their family now. Even if I suffer now, I''ll be able to have a backup. Bah, nonsense! My mother is the only one who valued these shits..." "Well, now that Simon''s new house is avable, the whole family is happy to prepare for the wedding. All the money they owe is my responsibility." "Is your mother a fool?" Christina was so angry that she wanted to curse. Crystal was sobbing. She had no choice and didn''t have any reliable friends. She could bear to be bullied and wronged in typical days, but she felt so terrible this time that she called Christina. "My auntforted me and told me not to be so angry. She said I can pay back by selling my apartment. Damn it, they all nned to ask me to sell my house and buy Simon a new one. What are they thinking about? They are all crazy!" "They said that if I didn''t pay the debt for my mother, I would be an unfilial daughter. My mother was crying and making trouble at home. She said it was useless to give birth to me..." "Crystal, well... Don''t be too sad. Your mother borrowed the money. Don''t..." Christina wanted to "I''m fine. I''m fine." Crystal adjusted her mood and wiped the tears off her face. "My parents divorced since I was young, and I''ve been living under others'' fences ever since I was a child. I''m used to living like this. Eating more and sleeping more makes me feel guilty. Other people''s daughter is a princess, but I think even a maid is living a better life than I am. Christina, you''re sad that your mother was gone. My mother is still alive, but she made me even more... I don''t know what to say." Christina listened to her and she felt sad as well. She knew that Crystal was already very strong. "Crystal, why don''t I help you..." "Christina, I just wanted to talk to you to vent my anger. It''s okay. I can handle it." Crystal said. "I haven''t repaid my loan yet, so I can''t sell it. I''ve decided to use my new number and stay in the none of my business. The group''s security guards are not pretty faces." Christina was a little worried. "If there''s anything you can''t solve, remember to look for me." After the phone was hung up, Christina went back to her bedroom, looked for her bank card, and checked her bnce. It was only 100,000. All these years, her grandfather''s legacy was spent on her aunt''s treatment, and there really wasn''t much left. She looked a little depressed that she couldn''t help Crystal. She knew that Crystal was not sad about the 700,000, but her mother''s actions made her heartbroken. Although Crystal''s tone was very calm and she said she would change her number and stay in the dormitory, if her mother made a scene and threatened tomit suicide, she wouldn''t ignore her. The money borrowed would eventually be returned. Christina looked at her bank card with a helpless face. She was very upset and felt sorry for Crystal. She stayed in her bedroom until dinner. Before she went out for dinner, she saw Nanny Faang going in with some maids to clean up. She heard someone say, "This vase is very expensive. You guys, be careful." Christina stared at the blue and white porcin on the table and suddenly thought of a way. "Nanny Faang, Patrick, is he home?" "There''s a reception tonight, and he might be back a littlete... Is there an emergency? Young Madam, you can call him. He will be very happy to receive your call..." Chapter 93 Chapter 93 "Young Madam had asked about you before... It seemed that she wanted to borrow money..." There was a celebration party with other senior executives after a quarterly meeting held today, but Patrick didn''t go to the hotel where the party was held and went straight back to Hopkins Family. Borrow money? When hearing Nanny Faang''s words, Patrick frowned and felt confused that Christina asked him for money. "Young Madam said she had something that needed to be dealt with in a hurry, so she had the driver drive her out half an hour ago..." Nanny Faang told him truthfully. Patrick took out his cell phone and dialed her number. But after a while, he became solemn because Christina didn''t answer the phone. Christina did not answer his call for she was running out of the car and not in the mood to answer the phone. "Why are you here?" "Crystal, I bring my friends over to y. It is none of your business" On the opposite side of the road, a man and a woman started to argue. Christina crossed the road with a serious facial expression and hurried towards them. "Simon, this ce caters to people of a high level of consumption. You have money toe out and y. Why would you ask my mother to pay the down payment?" Crystal furiously asked. Crystal and her ssmates were supposed to hold homing in the Red Vi in A City. She didn''t take part in it because of the financial burden. Unfortunately, she met Simon who came here for fun with a bunch of friends. Simon had bright red hair and wore a ck leather shirt with nails and worn-out cow pants. He pretended to be haughty and arrogant. "Your mother, that bitch, is crying and making a scene at home. It''s so annoying. It''s none of your business for me to bring some friends out for fun!" Crystal said angrily. "Well, it''s none of my business. Then you can return the money for your marriage and house immediately! Why did you ask my mother to pay your marriage bill and return the seven hundred thousand!" A few of Simon''s friends heard Crystal''s words and then curiously discussed them in a low voice. "Did Simon take his sister''s money when he held a wedding ceremony?" "Didn''t Simon say he made a lot of money from the stock market..." Listening to what his friend was talking, Simon felt humiliated and became solemn. "Your mother offered me 700,000! My father married a remarried woman like her and raised you, the burden of our family. How about the money spent on two of you these years? How dare you ask me for money? Crystal, you really think you''re something!" Simon was 1.8 meters tall and strong. He stared at her with his frightening eyes. Crystal took a step back in fear after noticing his aggressive facial expression. "But I can''t say you''re useless." Simon looked at her and suddenly changed his tone. He turned around and shouted to a short man with cropped hair behind him, "Haven''t you been doing online loan businesstely? You have to help my sister..." The man under the streetlight, who was less than 1.6 meters tall, approached them. He obscenely looked at Crystal and smiled. "What are you talking about? Although my sister is homely, she graduated from a famous American school and has worked in a bigpany. At least you should give her a quota of 500,000 dors." Simon immediately bargained with him. Crystal was stared at by a bunch of hooligans and she became anxious. "Psycho, what do you want to do? I don''t want a loan!" "Shut up!" Simon stared at her ruthlessly. "How can you pay back the money if you don''t take out the loan? Your mother is crying at home all day. I''ve had enough of her. Crystal wants to see her die. Well, if you are filial, you should find a way to help your mother pay back the money. Now that I solve the problem for you, you should ept my advice!" "Are you silly? It is all because you took the 700,000 ..." Before Crystal could finish her retort, Simon rudely took a step forward with a grim expression. "I told you to shut up. Why are you butting in when a man is talking? Bastard!" Simon pushed Crystal''s back with his strong hands. Crystal''s body mmed against the rough wall on her left side. She scratched her face and had two bloodstains, which made her frown painfully. "Crystal, how are you?" Christina crossed the zebra crossing and ran to them anxiously to hold her. The five or six men in front were staring at Christina and someone whistled obscenely, "How much is it for your night, hahaha..." "Christina." Crystal trembled with the fearful and aggrieved face. Crystal clutched Christina by the right hand tightly and called out her name for now she was alone and helpless. Christina was 1.7 meters tall and wore ts. She narrowed her eyes and indifferently looked around at the group of idle hooligans. "Get out of here now, or I''ll call the police!" She held Crystal by her side and said coldly. Simon and the othersughed more and more arrogantly when they heard the words. "Beauty, the police are very busy catching bad people. They have no time to deal withmon people''s home affairs." The short man with cropped hair stared at Christina''s chest. "Beauty, you don''t have to be afraid. I''m a good man, or I''ll prove it to you tonight. Hahaha..." Christina became furious and was about to rush over to fight them. Crystal knew her personality and nervously grabbed Christina and said in a low voice. "Christina, let''s go..." because Crystal worried that Christina would be bullied when fighting with too many people around. "Beauty, where do you want to go?" Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Simon seemed to be very interested in Christina. He had never known that his stepsister knew such a beautiful woman and stepped forward to stop them. He looked like a yboy and said, "Beauty, what''s your name? You may have misunderstood. I''m Crystal''s brother. How could I hurt her? Crystal hasn''t had enough money recently. I''ll introduce her to an acquaintance who has done a low-interest online loan business." "Come with us to a Red Vi tonight. I''ll treat you..." Simon arrogantly smiled. "Treat me?" Christina raised her head and looked straight at his disgusting smile. She pursed her lips and pped his face angrily with her right hand. "I''m afraid you can''t afford it!" There was a loud, crisp sound. Simon had a red and swollen palm print on his left side, and the others didn''t react and even didn''t realize she had a hot temper. "Damn you, you dare to hit me -" Simon was angry and wildly raised his big fist and threw it at her. "Christina, let''s go -" Crystal screamed in fear and tried to escape with Christina. Christina immediately pushed Crystal away. Simon didn''t punch her but the rough wall and then bled. He became even more ferocious. "B*tch, I''ll kill you." "Christina, be careful-" Crystal was pushed to the side and looked anxiously at Simon''s long arm tugging at Christina''s long hair. "Ah--" All of a sudden, Simon''s face twisted in pain. "What did you just say?" Christina was also surprised. She couldn''t believe the man beside him. Patrick calmly gripped Simon''s right arm with great force. "My, my hand, is broken -" Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Under the dim yellow streetlight, several shadows were lengthening... Christina froze in ce, looking straight forward. Her vision blurred probably because of the dim light, but the shadows reflected on the ground were barehanded and crisscrossed. Then she heard Simon''s anxious tone, "You motherf*cker, do you know who I am?" With a cold face, Patrick took a step forward, with his left hand holding Simon''s front cor, and his right hand holding his belt. With a strong force, he threw him against the rough wall on the side. Simon did not react. He bumped into the wall unsteadily, leaving a sharp cut on his forehead. There was blood on the wall and the pain made him gasp for air. "What..." He scrambled to his feet and turned to look at Patrick, who was approaching him step by step. Panic took hold of him. Simon hurriedly shouted to his friends behind him, "Come here,e here and beat this bastard..." "Really?" Patrick walked up to him and looked down at him. Suddenly, he grabbed his throat with his right hand. He tightened his grip. Simon''s neck twisted. With a dark face, he trembled and tried to speak, unable to utter a sound. Simon''s face was filled with fear, but Patrick remained calm, sending a chill over. Simon was going to die... "Patrick!" Christina yelled at him nervously. The night wind in early summer was cool, but the smell of blood went floating out on the air. Patrick let go of Simon, and he copsed. His forehead was bleeding, his face whiter than ever. Lying on the ground, he was trembling and afraid to move. "Take this rubbish away." Patrick said coldly and turned to look at Christina under the streetlight. Christina looked at him with a nk expression and a chill stole over her body. Simon and his friends were suppressed by the three bodyguards. Most of the time, they put on an act but turned out to be a coward after seeing the ck and shiny gun around the other party''s waist. "I, we didn''t do anything. Really, it''s none of our business..." A few hooligans were brought into the car, unconvinced, but dreaded to speak too loudly. "It''s Simon. It''s his fault..." "Shut up!" The bodyguard in front of them turned his head and red at them. "One more word, you will suffer!" After a while, the car started and drove directly to the nearest police station. Christina, however, was still very nervous. Being stared at by the man, she lowered her head, probably with a guilty conscience. She was doomed... Crystal was stunned. She quietly tugged at the corner of Christina''s shirt. "He, he..." This man seemed to be... N?velDrama.Org content rights. "Mark!" Suddenly, a few well-dressed men and women came out of a vi. They shouted excitedly and joyfully, "Mark, we thought you weren''ting. It was really nice to see you..." Mark? Christina heard the shouts of some of her old ssmates. When she looked up, she bumped into the man''s dark eyes and she tensed up. "Just now, my friend called and said she was bullied, so I came over..." She whispered to exin. "To fight?" A cold voice came from above. Christina was filled with dread and she retorted stubbornly, "Simon deserves it." Patrick walked up to her and looked down at her without saying more. Crystal stood by and stared at Christina and Patrick. At that moment a surge of mixed feelings flowed through her blood and she could not calm down. "Christina, he, he..." Crystal, who was frightened once by Simon and his friends, and then surprised by Christina and Patrick, was a little out of her mind. "He''s my husband," Christina said. Patrick, who was standing next to her, looked a little stunned. He lowered his eyes and nced at her slightly red face. Although his grim face was expressionless, it was obvious that he was in a much better mood. [ Christina''s husband ] Crystal was dumbfounded. "Let''s go home." Patrick naturally put his right hand around her waist and looked in the direction of the car not far away. "Mark." Three of their old ssmates ran up to them with excitement on their faces. "The private rooms are all booked. Let''s go in..." Their expressions froze as they said. Their eyes fell on Christina whom they knew. She was the school belle, and her karate was well-renowned. But... They wondered what their rtionship was. Sabrina was also here. She looked at Christina and Crystal with aplicated expression, and finally her eyes fell on Patrick. "The more the merrier. Crystal, Christina. We haven''t been together for a long time. It''s rare to meet each other. Why don''t we go in and meet the others..." Sabrina spoke in a natural tone with a smile on her face, holding Crystal''s arm. "Yes, it''s been so many years we haven''t seen each other after graduation. It''s a rare chance. I don''t know when we''ll meet next time. Crystal, let''s go in. Everyone''s waiting..." The others echoed with a smile. They all knew that Crystal was softhearted and open to persuasion. Not knowing how to refuse, she turned around and looked at Christina awkwardly. It was said that there was always one thing to conquer another. Being held by Patrick tightly, Christina, who lost the air as the cold school belle she used to be, lowered her head without saying something. "You want to go?" Patrick asked, seeing that she was in a dilemma. Christina didn''t say anything, but she looked up at him in surprise. Her expression made Patrick feel a little sulky for some reason. He tightened the grip on her waist and led her straight to the entrance of the vi. "Get home at 10: 00." In the end, he said in a low voice, which could be apromise. Christina followed him and replied, "Okay." She had no objection. In fact, she wasn''t timid, but in the past, Patrick rarely asked her what she thought. Sabrina and the others quickly followed them and caught up with a smile. Patrick was not interested in what they said. His face was cold and expressionless. The rest of the people looked a little stiff and spoke with caution. "Don''t you go to the reception?" Christina asked him in a low voice when she saw that he didn''t like to talk to them. "Did you just pass by here from the reception? If you''re busy..." Patrick looked down at her and pursed his lips. After hesitating for a while, he then suddenly changed the subject. "Did you lose your credit card?" Christina was a little confused. "You need money?" he asked casually. Christina suddenly realized that she did want to borrow money from him before. "My friend is a little short of money recently. I was wondering if you could borrow..." Christina thought blue and white porcin would be enough at home. Patrick said to her in a displeased tone, "You care a lot about your friend!" He seemed jealous. Chapter 95 Chapter 95 The Red Vi was considered a high-end leisure clubhouse in A City. Their services included hot springs, massage, authentic seafood, and spacious private rooms that were best suited for parties and fun. Crystal dejectedly grabbed the cocktail on the table and drank it one ss after another. Christina sat across from her. She was worried that Crystal might get herself drunk. So Christina wanted to get up to her side to persuade her to drink, but the man beside her was somewhat pulled her by the waist. N?velDrama.Org content rights. "Behave yourself," Patrick reminded her lowly. She wanted to exin, "No, that cocktail was very strong. What if Crystal gets drunk..." "Sit down." She didn''t know what he was angry about. He nced at her coldly and warned her. Christina''s face darkened and she knew that he wouldn''t change his mind. "Mark, I heard that you left our school after half a year of teaching. Our ss was the only ss you have taught. I wonder which school you are now working for?" A man in a suit and leather shoes walked over, his face full of confidence. It wasn''t hard to tell that he was a sessful gold-cor worker. Unfortunately, Patrick sat on the sofa and only cast him a nce, obviously not wanting to talk to him. After the man was treated so coldly, his expression instantly became awkward. He handed Patrick a ss of red wine with a slightly smug smile. "I asked a friend in France to send me this wine." Patrick took it over. But he didn''t drink or say a word. Christina looked at the ss of bright red wine and suddenly her eyes lit up. In fact, she was a wine lover... Christina was not only a wine lover but also a little drunkard. When Patrick was about to warn her not to drink too much, the high-spirited male ssmate immediately handed her a ss of red wine. He was smiling and talking with her, "Christina, I haven''t seen you for so many years. You''re really getting prettier!" "She''s pregnant. She can''t have wine." Patrick interrupted him abruptly. The man standing in front of them was stunned. He fixed his gaze on Christina''s abdomen, probably because she was tall and thin, so it was hard to see that she was pregnant. But on closer inspection, it was indeed slightly protruding. Although Patrick''s voice was not loud, all eyes were on him. The word '' pregnant'' crashed the fantasy on him of the women present and they red at Christina fiercely. "What is their rtionship?" Those women were curious. Embarrassed, Christina grabbed a ss of juice from the table and took a sip. "We''re married." So it was legal. Their dream girl married their dream man! Her words shattered the men and women''s illusions! "Drink, this wine is good, it was specially bought by ss monitor." The mood of the men present was also veryplicated. They could really use a drink. All of a sudden, the originally tense atmosphere became joyful because of the wine, and everyone was much more at ease,ughing and reminiscing about the past. Suddenly, a slightly chubby man, drunk, stood tall in a chair. "Christina, I''m Bruce. I like you very much!" He yelled at the top of his voice. Christina looked at him with a surprised expression. "In the past, you said that the corpulent man made you feel safe. You also said that your ideal type was a chef. I am now a senior chef in the hotel..." Another man next to him pulled him down quickly. He thought he was probably drunk and out of his mind. "Bruce,e down quickly. Don''t make a fool of yourself." "Jason, go away, you bastard. When I said I was going to confess to her, you stopped me and scolded me." Bruce winced in anger. He roared at the man beside him. "Hmph! You thought I didn''t know. You went to see Christina before me that afternoon. I saw her give you the shoulder throw and throw you into the river." The man who persuaded him was embarrassed. Christina was famous at school, not only for her academic and attractive appearance, but also for her good at Karate. She showed no mercy to the boys who were pestering her. "Christina, I like you very much. I''m the slender boy who used to sit behind you." Bruce drank too much. After shouting, he was so excited that he was about to cry. All these years, he had been regretting he didn''t make his confession to her. He was too timid and self-abased back then. Although he knew that she couldn''t agree to it, he now could make peace with the past. "You have so many suitors." Patrick said in the low voice, gnashed his teeth. Christina tilted her head, not daring to look at him. She exined, "I didn''t say ept them." It was them who kept wooing her back then. There were more than eighty people attending the party. They had booked thergest private room in the vi. There was a gazebo in front of the balcony on the left and an openrge hot spring beside it. At night, the sound of the gurgling water was pleasant to hear. They hadn''t been together for seven or eight years. Although they didn''t have many deep feelings for each other now, they gathered together and started to remember their youth. In the days when they were studying together on campus, their hearts were touched. "Mark, I, I used to be the first to attend your ss..." A beautiful woman came over, her cheeks slightly red. She raised her ss to Patrick, smiled, and said. "In the past, all the girls in our dorm adored you very much and kept prying into your private affairs..." "Okay." Patrick''s face was still calm and emotionless. He nodded at her, raised the ss in his hand, and took a sip as a courtesy. The woman was excited. She then turned to look at the woman beside him and asked curiously, "Christina, how did you know Mark when you skipped all his sses?" Christina was embarrassed by her question and responded to her with a smile. She was unwilling to talk about her personal matters, and the woman walked away. She immediately breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her go away. She couldn''t tell her that she and Patrick slept together at the club when they first met. But Patrick was the rumored teaching assistant at her school. She really thought it was incredible back then. "You skipped all my sses," the man next to her suddenly said in a cold voice. Patrick stared straight at her. "Christina, you really didn''t attend a single lesson of mine at that time?" "I had no choice. I needed to earn my school fee." She drank the juice while ying dumb. She suddenly thought of something, raised her head, looked straight at him with clear eyes, and asked directly, "Why did you work at my school as a teaching assistant?" "Christina, what do you think?" He wore aplicated look and asked softly in a deep voice. The answer seemed to be obvious, but she didn''t want to utter it. She looked at him, her face flushed, and her heart pounding. "I didn''t touch the wine, but why was I a little intoxicated..." Chapter 96 Chapter 96 "Stop drinking." Christina helped Crystal, who was drunk, into thedies'' room to prevent her from falling into the toilet, but Crystal was not grateful and angry. "Christina, I want to break up with you!" "You said you didn''t know Mark. However, you had sex with my Prince Charming and you got pregnant..." Crystal belched and red at Christina angrily. "Christina, you lied to me. Tell me! What else are you hiding from me?" Crystal was drunk and was getting bolder. She yelled at Christina, but Christina was expressionless. Christina smelled alcohol on Crystal and pushed her straight into a cubicle. "Hurry up," she said coldly. There was still no sound in the cubicle. Christina hesitated for a moment and kicked the door of the bathroom with her right foot. "Crystal, hurry up, or I''ll go in and help you take off your pants!" Inside, Crystal was muddleheaded, but Christina was domineering, so Crystal was scared and she quickly relieved herself. "She is so fierce. How could Mark marry her..." Crystal could not help but mutter in grief. Her mind was in a mess, but she still thought that her fierce best friend and Mark were indeed a perfect match. However, Crystal resented Christina for keeping her in the dark. "Christina! Christina! You said your husband and I are in the samepany..." After Crystal had relieved herself, she stumbled out of the cubicle and questioned Christina. "I think I saw Patrick in room 1001 just now..." "Patrick? How could that be... IP&G Group is having its quarterly celebration party tonight. He should be at the party..." Crystal had just left thedies'' room and was a little confused. She watched two men in their 50s walk by, talking. "Patrick..." She mumbled the name vaguely. IP&G Group, Patrick... The next second, Crystal screamed. "Christina." Christina had been idly gazing at a potted nt on the left side of the corridor and turned to see Crystal running over in a murderous manner. "Christina?" A man''s voice came from the other end of the corridor. She was surprised when she saw the man in front of her, Cory. When Cory saw her, he was also surprised and walked towards her. "Christina, are you here to have fun? I''m here tonight to negotiate a project, or I''ll treat you..." Crystal, who was drunk, ran over, put her arms around Christina''s shoulders excitedly, and shouted angrily, "Patrick is my big boss. You married him, but you didn''t tell me. I want to break up with you!" "Calm down." Christina looked embarrassed and red at Crystal, who was drunk and courageous. She turned to look at Cory and said in a calm tone, "I''m leaving first." There was nothing more they wanted to say to each other. Cory stood there with aplicated expression as he watched Christina walk towards room 1001 with a drunk woman... "Was that the Young Madam of Hopkins Family?" Two middle-aged men in suits walked out of the men''s room. They looked surprised. "Patrick is really here." One of the men smiled fawningly at Cory and asked, "Mr. Geoffrey, why don''t we go over and say hello to your cousin..." "F*ck off." Cory stared at the door of room 100, his face darkening a little. He gritted his teeth and yelled, "Get out of here." His business partners were taken aback. They didn''t know when they pissed him off. "Cory, what''s wrong?" The people in room 1002 were all thrown out. They looked confused and didn''t dare to ask anymore. They came over with the contract tonight and were ready to sign it. They really didn''t understand what was going on with the Young Master Geoffrey, so they had to leave with the briefcase. "Get out, all of you." Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Cory sat on the sofa in the middle of the room. He poured himself tworge sses of brandy and drank them all in one gulp. The moment the liquor hit his throat, it was so hot that his heart and lungs burned unpleasantly. "Cory, you''re crazy. Stop drinking." A familiar female voice came from beside him. She was eager to snatch the ss from his hand. "Get out of here." His mind was in a fog. He looked up and his eyes were bloodshot as he red at the woman in heavy makeup. "Carrie, get out of here!" "You are crazy! Boss Chen just agreed to sign the contract. Why are you..." Bang- Cory grabbed the crystal wine ss from the table and mmed it on the floor, looking at her fiercely. "Get out of here now, Carrie! Don''t let me see you again!" The debris flew everywhere, and Carrie''s face paled in fright. Seeing him grab the half bottle of brandy and drink it widely, Carrie looked angry and had mixed feelings. "Cory, what are you doing now? For Christina, you''ve ruined yourpany, the reputation of the Geoffrey Family and even your daughter..." "Daughter? How dare you mention your daughter to me? Carrie, you brought back a child given birth by a surrogate mother and lied to me." Cory suddenly stood up, reeking of alcohol. He suddenly put his right arm around her neck and pulled Carrie in front of him. "You can do anything for fame and money... You even teamed up with Patrick to set me up!" Then he fiercely pushed her hard onto the couch and he was on top of her. He was resentful and tore at her clothes to vent his anger. She was pained by his rough movements. He used her purely as an instrument for his sexual desires. Carrie''s eyes were filled with tears, and she felt humiliated. She pushed him away hurriedly. "Cory, go away. Don''t touch me." "Why? Don''t pretend to be aloof and unwilling to have sex with me," Cory was strong and pinched her jaw with his right hand. He gritted his teeth and was ridiculed. "Didn''t you say that we already got the marriage certificate? You''re the one who wants to be Young Madam of the Geoffrey Family, so you''ve tried your best to be with me. Carrie, what right do you have to refuse me?" "Are you so angry because of Christina, who is in the next room?!" He had drunk too much, so he was violent. Carrie''s jaw was bruised by him, and she bore his heavy body. She looked at the man above her head and shouted angrily. "Cory, you don''t love her. You just don''t want to lose to Patrick. It doesn''t matter to you whom you have sex with. Don''t pretend to be infatuated. When I came back, you are obsessed with my body and you even said you loved me..." "Shut up." "Shut up." He looked sulky, and he retorted angrily. It seemed that she had seen through him. He got up from her and was in a trance. "No..." "If it weren''t for Patrick, I wouldn''t have divorced her and we would lead a happy life." He was drowsy and his eyes were bloodshot. He clenched his hands into fists and shouted to vent his anger. "She was mine. I lost her because of Patrick. He was the one who set me up!" Carrie watched as he ran out of the room in a huff. "Cory, where are you going?" Chapter 97 Chapter 97 "Where are you going?" Crystal was so drunk that she rushed her fences. She grabbed Christina''s arm with both hands and wouldn''t let her go. "Christina, our issues haven''t been resolved yet. Don''t go." Christina was speechless at her freaking action and tried to reason with her. "I''ll make it clear to you tomorrow. Now..." "Don''t go!" She simply held out. "Christina, tell me! When did you hook up with my big boss?!" "She''s going home to rest." Behind them came a deep voice. Crystal froze, everything in her eyes was spinning around as she looked at the grim face in front of her, but she let go of Christina''s hand as if it were an instinctive reaction. "Crystal drank a lot tonight..." Christina looked back worriedly about her best friend. But the man next to her was expressionless, staring at her coldly. Christina decided to leave Crystal alone. Anyway, Patrick had already told the people in the vi to take care of her. No one would dare to hurt her. "Don''t try to put on a brave face to help others." He reminded lightly. Christina pursed her lips, trying to refute, but she finally chose to remain silent. She thought, in Patrick''s opinion, most people were just ''others''. How many people could he value? They walked out of Red Vi. It was now around 10 pm. The lights of the busyne flickered. They walked side by side. Under the warm light, their long shadows were thrown to dependent on each other. There was a rare sense of harmony and warmth in the mist. Christina looked down at their shadows on the ground. It was quiet all around, and her heart beat a little faster for no reason. She rarely had a chance to wander around with him like this. Maybe when they walked out of this alley, Patrick would call the driver to pick them up, but all of a sudden, Christina wished this alley to be longer, and she walked slower, slower... All of a sudden, she felt somethingnd on her shoulders, and she looked a little surprised. She looked up at the man on the left. A ck suit jacket was draped over her. Naturally, he pulled her coat. "Don''t move." She felt the coat was warm, with his temperature. Christina didn''t dare to refuse. It was probably the dim light on the street that brought a blush to her face. "Patrick." She still looked down at their shadows on the ground and whispered, "Patrick, why on earth did you be a teaching assistant at my school that year?" The man next to her raised his eyebrows and looked at her slightly red cheeks. She looked a little shy now. It waspletely different from the first time he met her. She impressed him at that time. That year, his father died of illness. He came back from the US to attend the funeral. He hadn''t been back for a long time and found Hopkins Family strange and irritable. That day, he went to C City for a good friend. He was wearing casual clothes and white headphones, listening to music while walking casually. At sunset, the spacious alley in front of the First High School of C City looked very empty. Under the dusk, the solemn high school across the street, with fallen leaves falling down, was charged with a gloomy atmosphere. He had no idea that under the old locust tree, at the corner, a girl wound jump down from the middle of somewhere. He was so caught off guard that she broke into his world, and her soft and warm body fell straight on him. There was a hazy beauty in the twilight at sunset, and he looked at her... At that moment, he was stunned. A strange thought even shed through his mind. He thought he had bumped into an angel in Bouguereau''s oil painting. "Hey, you don''t have your eyes on the road!" However, the next second, her voice brought him back to his senses. She quickly got up from him and did not apologize to him. Instead, she made him out to be the crazy one. He was about to speak when the girl in front of him ran away without even looking at him, the victim. He tidied up his clothes and stood under the old locust tree, looking at her running away. She was a little hasty, and then did he realize that she was nervous, but she was just trying to be brave. It was not hard to figure it out, he was a little tangled, a little hesitant. Those days he was even more agitated, her figure kept shing through his mind. He just couldn''t forget her... Suddenly, he wanted to see her again. He didn''t know why, but he just wanted to. "... I don''t know." The streetlights were dim and the night was quiet. He suddenly turned around, put his hands on her shoulders, and looked straight at her with his deep eyes. "Christina..." He whispered her name. Christina was a little stunned. She asked him why he came to be a teaching assistant at her school, but he said he didn''t know. She opened her eyes slightly and watched him lean down and approach her. Her heart palpitated and she froze. His thin lips kissed hers lightly. He wasn''t as strong as he usually was, and he even kissed her carefully. "Don''t be like this..." She nervously pushed him away with a deep blush and irregr heartbeat. He suddenly stopped, he stared at her eyes with an exasperated look. They were so close to each other, and they could even feel the other''s breath. "Christina, don''t forget that you are my wife now. How long will you keep me waiting!" He sounded so angry that was confusing to Christina. She had no idea that what Patrick was angry about. He looked cold and didn''t say anything. He just turned around and walked away, leaving her leaning against the wall, staring at his back in a daze... "Hey -" "Hey, Patrick -" She couldn''t figure out the sudden fluster rising in her heart, so she followed with him in a hurry. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Unable to catch up with his fast step, Christina felt a little aggrieved and angry, she rather sat willfully in the middle of the alley. "Patrick, my feet hurt!" The tall figure in front of her suddenly stopped. He looked back at her, with a slight rigid in his deep eyes. She was sitting on the road like this. "What''s going on?" He returned to her, with quick steps. Christina angrily looked at her with a straight face. She looked down and didn''t look at him and muttered, "I have cramps on my swollen feet." Maybe she walked too long today, and it wasmon for a pregnant to have cramps or swollen feet. Although it was not that serious as she said, she didn''t lie anyway. "Hey, what are you doing..." "I''m embarrassed. Put me down, put me down..." Suddenly she looked awkwardly and struggled to shout. "Christina!" Patrick directly carried her up, red down at the woman in his arms, and called her name with gritted teeth. She froze for a moment and immediately stayed quiet. Patrick was 1.85 meters tall, and he loved boxing. He carried her up very easily and walked very steadily for each step. She curled up in his arms, her cheeks were burning, and she could not deny that she had a sense of safety in her heart as if there was nothing to be afraid of when he was with her. "Her husband is so handsome. I want to be carried like her too. Hurry up..." "Honey, you''re just too heavy. You should lose weight first. I can''t carry your weight." A couple across the road looked at them. The woman red at her man and was very dissatisfied with him. "You are small, you have the nerve to say that! How could I have been blind to date with you in the first ce?" The man immediately begged for mercy. "Honey, there must be a feminist in their family. Look at that man''s looks... Well, he must be sponging off her for his good look. Honey, I''m different. You can rely on me..." Christina''s face turned red as she looked at the couple in their eyes across the street. "Patrick, put me down. I can walk by myself... A lot of people are watching." She protested in a low voice. He tightened slightly his arms, and stared at her for a long time before he said irritably, "Come on, Christina, it turns out that you would blush." The first time Christina heard his sarcasm, her eyes widened slightly and she was a little stunned. Patrick looked at her stupid face and suddenly became a little angry. He didn''t know whether he was angry at his past behavior or at this woman''s dullness. "... Christina, I do have some rough time to have you relied on me." His voice was low, a little angry, but more helpless. When they reached the end of the alley, there were more and more people around walking past them. She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her hands around his neck. At this moment, she really didn''t want to let go. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 "Sit down." Patrick pushed her into a taxi and helped her fasten her seat belt. After all, it was not a car from the Hopkins, so he didn''t trust those "outsiders" at all. The driver was under pressure. Although he did not know the two passengers, the man nced at him, and his cold eyes seemed to tell him to drive safely. "How''re your feet?" The car started slowly. Patrick sat beside her and frowned at her legs. Christina was acting like a hooligan just now. Her act of sitting directly on the road surprised Patrick, making him think that her feet cramped because of pregnancy and it was very urgent, so he even didn''t wait for the driver of the Hopkins and directly took a taxi back. Christina felt embarrassed when he looked at her. She lowered her head guiltily and was thinking about how to deceive him. Suddenly, her phone rang. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. She perked up, immediately taking out her phone and pressing the answer button. "Christina, have you met Patrick?" It was Mr. Hopkins. Christina was surprised and replied truthfully, "Yes, we''re going back together." The old man on the other end of the phone heard her and didn''t ask any more questions. He just said, "If you encounter any trouble in the future, just tell him. He is your husband..." "Grandpa, did something happen?" Christina was really confused. "He didn''t tell you? That bastard heard you wanted to borrow money, so he called you in a hurry and directly drove out to look for you..." Christina blushed inexplicably again. "Didn''t he just pass by?" "He went specially to see you." Old Master Mr. Hopkins said that heavily, feeling that those two people were really...He didn''t want to care about those young people anymore. He just felt that what they did was really troublesome. The old man hung up, and Christina looked at the screen in a daze. The man next to her could vaguely hear their conversation on the phone. He pursed his lips and gazed at her profile, wanting to say something. "How''s your feet?" He repeated in aplicated tone. Christina lowered her head, not daring to look straight into his burning eyes. She shook her long legs and said, "I''m fine." Patrick looked at her childish action and smiled slightly in anger. In fact, it was much easier to serve Christina than he had expected during her pregnancy. She had no vomiting and was asionally picky about food, but she was unlike some pregnant women who were depressed and irritable. And she would not act coquettishly. In a word, she was rtively obedient. "Next month, I will hand over my work to Shawn, so I will have time to stay at home with you." He suddenly changed the subject in a in tone. When Christina heard what he said, she looked up at him in shock. She stammered as if she felt extremely ttered, "I, I''m fine at home. Grandpa and the others are very nice to me, so you don''t..." He looked at the nervousness on her face and frowned, wanting to say something. But all of a sudden, he urged the driver anxiously, "Turn right!" As soon as he finished speaking, the driver looked in the rearview mirror with astonishment. Behind them was a white Bentley that seemed to have gone crazy. It was driven at an excessive speed and was charging right at them... The driver seemed to be in a panic. He wanted to brake to avoid the car, and he turned the steering wheel with trembling hands... The car suddenly took a big turn, making Christina feel very dizzy, and her face turned pale with fright. But they didn''t avoid the white Bentley behind them. Christina widened her eyes as she looked at the bright light reflected from the rearview mirror. A familiar face shed on that car. It was Cory... He was drunk. His face was hideous, and his red eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed the steering wheel hard, elerating and saying, "Patrick, go to hell." She was so scared that her mind went nk. Looking at the moment of colliding, she was so shocked that she didn''t know what to do. "Put your hands on your head." She could not hear it clearly, only to see Patrick''s anxious face. He pounced in front of her at an extremely fast speed and hugged her tightly... Bang! With a loud, piercing sound, the car was hit by the huge impact and flew down the guardrail on the left side of the round hill highway. Then it flipped over the hill. Everything was in a mess. Finally, it stopped. The metal shell of the car was deformed, and the wheels were up. Under the pitch-ck mountain road, a bloody liquid gushed out of the scrapped metal car... "...Are you hurt?" A long timeter, a hoarse voice came from the narrow, suffocating space. The car was badly deformed, and Christina was very dizzy, but she was not seriously injured because Patrick jumped in front of her and almost blocked all the impact for her. This was the foot of the highway. It was very dark. She could not see Patrick''s face, but she could hear his low, hoarse voice. "I, I''m not hurt." Her heart was filled with fear and uneasiness, and she could feel that he was right in front of her. Her consciousness was a little blurry, but she kept telling herself to calm down. She responded to him weakly. The driver in front did not move, not even breathing. There was dead silence all around, and the thick smell of blood was unbearable. She could not help but tremble. She tried to struggle out of the car and shout, but her tears slid down from the corner of her eyes. At this moment, she was panicked. She really didn''t know what to do. "Don''t be afraid, someone wille soon..." His deep and familiar voice came into her ears. He reached out his big hands with difficulty as if he was using hisst bit of strength to touch the tears that were sliding down her cheek. He wanted tofort and encourage her. She raised her hands in fear and hugged him, but suddenly, she felt some salty liquid on the corner of her lips. She knew it wasn''t her tears but was blood... The blood dripped from his forehead to her face... Her face was pale and her hands were stiff, but she grabbed his big palms anxiously and felt they were cold. "Patrick." "Patrick, what''s wrong with you..." Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes, and the panic made her breathless. He was always so strong, and he never had an ident... But now he was so close to her, and she realized that his skin was so cold that he almost lost his body temperature... "Patrick, Patrick, wake up. Don''t scare me. Please answer me..." "Patrick." She kept calling out his name in a low voice, pleading and suppressing her fear, but he never answered her. "No." "Help, help." She screamed and tried to climb out to get help, but she didn''t have the strength to escape. Help. She didn''t know how long had passed. The air of suffocating death was entwined in the narrow car. When she closed her eyes feebly, everything seemed to return to dead silence... Suddenly, she heard some urgent footsteps... She had a cerebral concussion, and she was so dizzy and unconscious, but she was sure that the footsteps wereing this way... "Tina..." Chapter 99 Chapter 99 "Why did this happen?" "Excessive bleeding from the forehead, massive impact fracture to the right scap, weak blood pressure and heart rhythm, and signs of cardiopulmonary failure ..." "He had a serious car ident six years ago... Contact the doctors in the United States immediately..." There was a lot of noise around her ears. Bang - The door was kicked violently by someone, and the familiar voice shouted angrily. "You trash, you''re so inefficient, taking so long to send help after the car ident! Damn it, if he can''t wake up, you''re all going to be buried with him!" With the loud sound, the woman on the bed opened her eyes in shock. Christina was wearing a blue and white hospital gown, her face pale, her body trembling, looking at the white ceiling above her in confusion... Her mind was in a mess... "Christina!" The man outside the door saw her wake up and rushed in. "Christina, what happened at that time?" "Why did you get into a car ident?" "Why were you sent to the hospital in advance and Patrick was still in the car? Why did you leave him behind? Do you know that he was more seriously injured than you, that his life was in danger at any time? Why are you so selfish?" Charles ran to the hospital bed, red at her confused face, gritting his teeth and questioning her one after another. Her expression was dull and she raised her head to look at the angry Charles in front of her. Christina had never seen Charles so angry. Her mind was a little dazed and she looked at him nkly as if she could not think. Charles''s words echoed in her ears: [ His life is in danger at any time ] "Patrick..." She mumbled the name. Christina as if could see the terrifying bloody scenes again. She remembered his cold skin, and even the corner of her lips seemed to still have the smell of his blood... "How is he now? How is Patrick now? " She opened her mouth trembling, her red eyes brimming with tears. What happened to him? "Christina, what do you think happened to him?" Charles shouted angrily at her. "Patrick must have protected you from the impact of the car ident. How dare you ask me what happened to him... What do you think would happen to him after such a serious car ident?" She looked at him in a daze, her heart beating wildly. "Someone is spreading the news. I can''t stop it..." "No matter who seizes the chance to suppress IP & G Group. We must immediately notify all shareholders to hold an emergency meeting to block all information. The news of Patrick''s serious injury and unconsciousness must not be spread." There was a loud noiseing from the corridor of the hospital. It was Chandler''s voice. His tone was urgent and contrary to his usual gentle manner. He was obviously very anxious too. "Where''s my dad! Where''s my dad?!" Suddenly, on the other side of the elevator, Laurie hurried over. The outside of the ward was already in a panic. When they saw Laurieing, Chandler and the others looked even grimmer. Charles didn''t take another look at the woman in the hospital bed and strode out. He looked at Laurie with a cold face and said rudely, "You''re not wee here. You''d better leave now." Laurie looked at Charles in front of her and was furious. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Patrick''s car ident has nothing to do with Cory! I want you to let him go immediately!" "That''s impossible." Chandler stepped forward and said coldly. Cory ran into the taxi that Patrick and Christina were in. It was a deliberate murder. They would never let him go! Laurie looked at their tough attitude, her heart was a little panicked, all the evidence pointed to the fact that Cory hadmitted a crime, and now Patrick was seriously injured. If he was convicted, then... She hurriedly turned her head and shouted at the old butler in Hopkins Family on the other side, "Where''s my father? Where is he?!" Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "I have something to tell him. This car ident is definitely not that simple. Cory indeed did not get along with Patrick, but he wouldn''t do such a stupid thing. It must be Christina. That woman provoked it. Cory was innocent..." Old butler''s face was grave, and his usual friendliness was gone. He said in a deep voice, "Old Master has flown to America." Laurie was furious. "What about the group, what about Cory? Are you all waiting for Patrick to get better to solve the problem? If he dies..." A tall and sturdy bodyguard behind her looked grim and immediately raised his gun to the back of her head. "Watch your mouth!" He gritted his teeth and threatened her. No one could curse Mr. Hopkins in front of them. Laurie''s face turned pale, and she looked at the cold, ck gun at the back of her head in horror. She swallowed and did not dare to speak again. "Old Master apanied Young Master to the United States. The rest, including Cory, all those associated with the car ident, are forbidden to leave City A." The old butler looked straight at Laurie in front of him and spoke word by word. He added solemnly, "No more mistakes are allowed." Laurie looked panicked and could only nod in agreement. The bodyguard behind her reluctantly withdrew his gun. "There was no backbone in the shareholder meeting, and the IP&G Group was in a mess. No one would have expected an ordinary car ident would have such a wide impact when the market opened down this morning ..." "Shawn, inform the higher-ups immediately. Remember to find someone you can trust. I can help control the media..." Charles and the others were in a hurry to discuss their response, while the woman in the ward slowly leaned against the bed, and she wanted to know more, more about him... "She''s awake..." "Did you ask her why she was sent to the hospital in advance?" "What about Patrick? Why did she leave Patrick behind..." "It''s no use asking her. People like her only care about themselves..." Charles mmed the door angrily. Christina stared nkly at the closed door, which shut off the sound of the outside. She was alone in the spacious ward. In this ward, no one would talk to her, no one cared about her. Without Patrick, she was nothing. Like the sarcasm from the beginning, if it wasn''t for the fact that she was identally pregnant with Hopkins Family''s child, she, Christina, was nobody and no one would care about her. This was not the time to feel sorry for herself. The tears in her eyes could not help but flow down, not because she felt wronged, but... "I''m worried about him..." ''I''m worried about him too.'' ''No, not because I want the title of the young madam of Hopkins Family, or because I want him to protect me. I''m just worried about him too.'' She said to herself. Chapter 100 Chapter 100 "I know you''re angry. Don''t hang up!" "I don''t know who saved me...I didn''t leave Patrick at the scene of the car ident. I didn''t ignore his life. I want to know how he is now. Charles, I beg you, tell me..." Christina held the phone and said in an anxious tone. She and Charles were close friends, but it was based on Patrick''s approval of her. But now... She knew that she shouldn''t bother Charles, but she had no choice. She didn''t know who else to ask about it. Charles''s voice on the other end of the phone was very cold and distant. "Christina, I''m not in the mood to guess who your protector is right now. The Hopkins Group is in a mess now. You''d better stay safely in the hospital. No one has time to talk to you!" After he finished speaking, his face turned cold and he was about to hang up. "I''m going to the United States to look for Patrick." She suddenly roared in anger. Charles was stunned. Then he said with a darkened face and gritted his teeth, "Christina, you have to be insensible. If it wasn''t for Patrick, you wouldn''t even have the right to talk to us. Don''t waste my time!" He said in a direct and cruel tone. Christina pursed her lips tightly, looking inferior. Indeed...If it wasn''t for Patrick, how could those rich guys like Charles and Chandler make friends with her? "I know he''s at the private hospital in Seattle...I''ll go myself." Finally, she said it in a low serious stubborn tone. She could do whatever she wanted to do without begging them. "Christina, I asked you to stay in the country. Did you hear that? Are you trying to make things worse for us? Don''t you think we''re bothered enough right now?!" Charles was so angry that he yelled. "I won''t bring trouble to you. I just want to see him." Christina was so emotional that her eyes reddened and she raised her voice to shout. She had been depressed in the hospital for the past few days. She wanted to leave, but the bodyguards outside the door stopped her. She tried to ask them about Patrick, but they all ignored her. She was very worried about him and was desperate to know how he was now... She sat on the bed, with the hospital''s white sheets smelling of disinfectant. In the ward of the white ceiling and the walls, and the locked front door, she was alone and aloof. "Charles, I know I''m useless, and I can''t help you. But I promise I won''t make any trouble for you. Can you let me go to America?" She held the phone tightly and lowered her head. Tears slid down from the corners of her eyes, and she begged him in a low voice. She didn''t like to cry, but she was terrified for some reason. The more she didn''t know anything, the more she panicked and was scared. "Christina, he didn''t even want his life in order to save you. You are really a stupid pig. We can not let anything happen to you!" Charles was furious. "...You said you were going to the United States yourself. If anything happens to you, you should be responsible for it. It''s none of my business!" Then Charles hung up. Charles''s face was dark and his expression wasplicated. His voice was a little anxious just now, and he seemed to hear her crying... Damn it! It was Patrick who cultivated this evil woman! "He didn''t even want his life in order to save you...We can not let anything happen to you." Christina was a little dizzy now. She looked at her phone, and the words that Charles had just yelled at her angrily echoed in her ears. Some feelings could not be ignored no matter how much she warned herself. She knew that Patrick was very good to her...But she couldn''t afford to fall in love with him. She didn''t dare to think about it... Taking a deep breath, she quickly got up from the bed and changed her clothes, packed her things, and prepared to go to America. It was because she was too timid and lowly. She shouldn''t have been deliberately ignoring his good intentions. She was really ashamed and guilty now. "Patrick, you must get better." She mumbled with a dull expression as she packed her bag. What if something really happened to him... "Patrick''s operation was sessful, and his condition has stabilized." Christina waited anxiously in the hospital for most of the day. Around 10 pm, Charles finished his work and finally had time toe and look for her. However, when he walked into the ward and saw Christina''s sad and listless appearance, Charles was a little anxious inexplicably and snorted angrily. "Christina, don''t look like a ghost. Patrick will think I''m bullying you when he sees you!" "Patrick''s awake?" Christina suddenly became agitated. Charles looked at her with a dark face. "No." "Patrick is very badly injured! Thank your protector very much for not saving him. He lost a lot of blood when he was rescued. And he has broken bones and many wounds. He is still unconscious now." Charles said with anger. Although he didn''t know who secretly saved Christina, that person was really immoral. He knew there were other injured people in the car ident, but he only sent Christina to the hospital and didn''t save the others. "Charles, if I had a choice, I would have hoped that Patrick was the one saved by others..." Christina''s voice became lower and sadder. Then she walked out of the ward with her small bag with no expression on her face. Charles stood there, looking at her slender figure with astonishment. He frowned slightly, pursed his lips, and walked out of the hospital with her without saying anything more. Although it waste at night, they both wanted to reach the United States as soon as possible. It seemed that she was really worried about Patrick. They drove all the way to A City''s international airport. The bright night lights on both sides of the road sped back. Christina tilted her head and looked out the window thoughtfully. Charles raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at her beautiful, frowning, dignified profile. "Patrick''s car ident wasn''t that serious. It is mainly because of his old injury..." He suddenly spoke. Christina heard his voice and immediately turned to look at him. Charles looked hesitant and didn''t want to borate. "Six years ago, Patrick and another friend had a serious car ident, and they were both seriously injured...Although Patrick was discharged from the hospitalter, his wounds were still not healed, so you often see him suffer from migraines after staying up all night or getting wet in the rain. He''s in great pain, but he doesn''t like to take painkillers. He always endures it himself..." Christina rarely heard of Patrick''s past. She looked dazed and asked subconsciously, "Why did he get into a car ident six years ago..." "Don''t ask about it," Charles remembered the past and looked a little annoyed. N?velDrama.Org content rights. There were so many puzzles to work on. ''Patrick, you should be fine, no, you must be fine. Our two sons can''t live without his father. And I can''t live without you. Please, don''t fail me.'' Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Christina arrived in Seattle and did not immediately go to the hospital because Charles did not agree. "It''s a shame to take you out to see someone like this. All the family members of Patrick are here. Clean up yourself. I''ll pick you up at the hotelter." Christina watched him get into the car and drive away. Seattle was very strange to her. Especially standing at the crowded airport exit, she felt a little lonely. "Miss Dickens." The driver beside her called her name in English. Coming back to her sense, she followed the driver to the hotel. The flight from A City to Seattle was about 10 hours and she was tired. Moreover, she had not slept well for the past few days. When she arrived at the hotel suite and looked at herself in the mirror, she looked really haggard. "He''ll be fine..." She picked up a wet towel and put it on her face. The cold made her sober up, but deep down, she was worried. Patrick had Old Master Mr. Hopkins, Charles and Chandler by his side, and also had a lot of powerful family and friends to help him. No matter what happened, he would definitely not be in trouble. The worry, guilt, and even a little lowliness were nagging her. Taking a long breath, she suddenly felt that it was unnecessary for her toe to this strange ce. She had a simple meal at the hotel andy in bed to take a nap. She nned that when Charles came over, she would immediately set off to see Patrick with him at the private hospital. However, she slept for a long time. It was physically exhausting to be pregnant with twins and often felt sleepy. "Christina, you can really sleep." When Charles came over, he grumbled at her. "You were eager toe here. But you''re not a doctor. There''s no need for you to be here. If you want to sleep, it''s better to stay in Hopkins Family." Hearing the sound outside the door, she jumped up in shock. "I''m sorry, I''m going to clean up now!" This was the first time she had spoken to him in an anxious and apologetic tone. Charles stood near the door, looking at her anxious expression and frantically straightening up. He felt that she was very nervous, which was different from her usual self. Usually, she would not hesitate to refute him. "Patrick''s mother and his sister are at the hospital too. You can go over and meet them. Don''t be too nervous. They are easy to get along with." "Oh, okay." She nodded at him without further asking. About his mother and sister, Patrick had never mentioned them to her. She didn''t know why, but maybe he thought it unnecessary. Along the way, she was very quiet as Charles drove to the hospital. She just pretended that she was not nervous. There was always an intricate feeling in her heart when she had to see his family. "What kind of person is Patrick''s mother?" She looked out of the window and kept guessing in her mind. The hospital in Seattle seemed to have a special zone for the Hopkins Family. The surroundings didn''t look as hectic as the domestic hospitals. In front of them was a five-story white vi, spacious and bright. The medical staff delivered medical supplies in an orderly manner. The greenery here was good, and the sunlight was abundant. It looked like a ce for leisure and vacation. "Patrick is on the fifth floor." Charles told her, and he then walked to the leftmost office on the first floor in a hurry. "I''m going to find a doctor to ask something. You go up first." "Okay." She stepped forward and hurried towards the elevator. He was a little uneasy and turned to her and shouted, "Christina, don''t run around. Remember that you promised me not to make trouble for me!" He remembered the time when he took her to the Fire Club and she was lost. For that, Patrick gave Original content from N?velDrama.Org. him a dress-down. "I know." She stopped at the elevator entrance and gave him a positive answer. Seeing she suddenly became so obedient, he was not used to it. Patrick had an ident and they were all in a mess and worried, so he did talk to her in the rude mannertely. All of a sudden, he thought of something. And he wanted to tell her. But the elevator was already closed. "Oh shit!" Charles looked at the closed elevator and immediately turned to run towards the stairs. "Excuse me, where is Patrick''s ward?" She quickly reached the fifth floor, but there were many empty rooms with only instruments in them, and there were not many patients staying on this floor. After meeting a nurse, she confirmed that Christina had entered the area legally, she then led her to the right side of the corridor. "How is he doing now?" Before they reached the ward, Christina could not wait to ask the nurse in front of her. "Mr. Hopkins is still in aa. This morning, his brain pressure was abnormally high, and now he has a high fever." Christina''s English was so good that she could understand the medical terms. Patrick''s condition was worse than what Charles had told her. She lowered her head and her face turned a little pale. "Miss Dickens, you have to show your identification or you won''t be able to get in." Finally, the nurse pointed to a ward in front of her, and there were four bodyguards standing outside the door. "Thank you." The door made of the exquisite metal was ajar. It seemed that it was specially processed and very heavy. Of course, the equipment inside was not ordinary. It was not easy to go in and see the people inside. She slowly approached, and her heart was a little speeding. Her eyes were fixed on the crack in the open door in front of her. She could not make out what was inside, but she could vaguely see a female figure. The woman was tall and slender, wearing an elegant white suit and arge pearl ne. "Who are you?" The bodyguard outside the door spoke coldly and stopped her. Christina was standing about a meter away from the door. She looked at the ward with gleaming eyes. She could vaguely see the various instruments disyed inside and the changes in the data on the screen. "Please leave immediately!" The bodyguards here didn''t know her and started to chase her away. "I, I am..." For a moment, she stammered nervously. After a pause, she said firmly, "I am his wife." Several bodyguards at the door heard the word ''wife'' and exchanged suspicious nces. One of them walked into the ward and asked in a low voice, "Madam, there is a woman out there who ims to be the wife of a young master." Since this was Patrick''s ward, everyone had to speak in a cautious and low voice. But when a middle-aged woman inside heard the words ''Patrick''s wife'', her face was distorted by rage and she stepped out in her high heels. Christina heard some hurried footsteps, which were very clear in the quiet corridor, and when she looked up, she saw a figure hurrying towards her. She was still worried about what was going on in the ward. But before she could react, her face was suddenly pped fiercely. p¡ª The force was very strong and it made a loud and clear sound. Chapter 102 Chapter 102 "Get out of here! It''s all your fault!" Christina''s left cheek was red and swollen. She was shocked and looked at the unfamiliar middle-aged woman who had pped her, feelingplicated. Her cheeks were burning with pain. She lowered her head to hide her red eyes... She was Patrick''s mother. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "I... I just wanted to see him." Christina straightened up and tried to speak in a calm tone. "She''s not allowed toe here! Kick her out." His mother did not want to listen to Christina at all. She shouted at the bodyguards with a gloomy face. "Auntie, I brought her here." Charles ran over from the stairs, panting and exining in a hurry. "Charles?" Judy was angry to see Charles protecting her so-called daughter-inw. "Ask this woman to get out immediately. I don''t want to see her." Her tone was cold and her attitude was tough. She was usually decent and elegant, but she was agitated because her only son was seriously injured and unconscious. "Auntie, the car ident has nothing to do with Christina. She just came here to see..." Charles In her forties, Judy was still charming. She was a half-French and the top pianist when she was younger. Besides her good figure and face, she had a graceful temperament. Patrick looked a little simr to her. "Charles." A girl came out of the ward after hearing the noise. She was wearing a university uniform, and her personality was a little restrained. She called out to Charles in a low voice. "Hello, sister-inw." Brianna blushed slightly and hid behind Judy, looking at Christina shyly. "Brianna, she''s not your sister-inw. Don''t call her like that!" Judy looked up and down at Christina with a cold face and sharp eyes. The corners of her lips curled up in disdain. "How shameless you''re! You bitch divorced Cory and then seduced and married Patrick..." "Patrick hasn''t had many women before, so you sessfully coaxed him into marrying you. But don''t feel at ease. There are many women who''re willing to give birth to him. After Patrick wakes up, I''ll ask him to divorce you. You make me disgusted -" Her words were sharp and humiliating. This was the first time Charles had heard Judy''s harsh words. "Auntie, it''s Cory''s fault! Christina is innocent..." "Charles, why are you helping her? Patrick has never suffered such serious injuries. But he''s now unconscious because of her! Who is she? Does she deserve Patrick''s suffering?" Judy became angrier and angrier. "The dirty divorced woman must get out of here!" Christina lowered her head and did not refute. Her eyes were fixed on the man lying on the bed unconsciously with a respirator... Charles was in a difficult situation. The bodyguards of the Hopkinses had walked to them, ready to throw Christina out of the building. Charles turned to look at the woman beside him and whispered, "Christina, you cane hereter..." But instead of leaving, Christina raised her head and looked directly into Judy''s eyes. "How is he now?" She asked in a persistent tone. "It''s none of your business!" Judy was not kind to her. Charles knew that Christina was stubborn, but he worried that Judy would hurt her. So he reminded her again, "Christina, let''s go back to the hotel. Patrick will be fine here..." "Patrick doesn''t need you!" Judy red at her and said that coldly. [Patrick doesn''t need you!] Her face turned as pale as the light of the hospital and her body trembled slightly. She felt she was humble and even wanted to escape... "Charles,e here." The elevator door opened and several senior doctors apanied a dignified old man out. When Christina heard the familiar voice, she immediately turned around. She was surprised to see Old Master Mr. Hopkins. But... She wondered if it was because of the dim lights that she felt Old Master Mr. Hopkins became a stranger to her. Judy did not dare to say anything since Old Master Mr. Hopkins was here. Everyone remained silent. Charles nced at Christina with an awkward look, and then at Old Master Mr. Hopkins. He saw that Old Master Mr. Hopkins''s expression was even more worried than when he heard Patrick had a car ident. He immediately strode towards Old Master Mr. Hopkins. "Grandpa," he greeted him respectfully. "Send Christina out of here." He didn''t expect Old Master Mr. Hopkins to say that. Christina could not hear him clearly because of the distance, but Charles heard him clearly. He was shocked. He knew that Old Master Mr. Hopkins usually called Christina''s nickname instead of full name, and his tone was very cold. "Grandpa, it was Cory who got drunk and hit Patrick, but we found out that something was strange with Cory''s car. And recently, IP&G Group has been under constant pressure. So I don''t think the ident is due to personal affairs..." Charles had thought that Old Master Mr. Hopkins was a reasonable person, and he would not me Christina for everything like others. "I told you to send Christina out of here right away, did you hear me?" Old Master Mr. Hopkins''s face darkened and he repeated in a stern tone. The loud and hoarse voice echoed in the cold corridor of the hospital. Christina''s body shook slightly and her face turned pale. She saw the resentment in his eyes when he turned back... Grandpa hated her. Did he hate her for getting Patrick involved? It was her ex-husband, Cory, who caused the ident. It was her fault. Patrick was seriously injured because he had protected her. She understood why they hated her... But she just wanted to... "Grandpa, I just want to know if he''s okay..." She mustered up her courage and said to Old Master Mr. Hopkins. Old Master Mr. Hopkins had treated her well. She didn''t ask for more, but she just wanted to see him. "Without you, he would be fine!" But Old Master Mr. Hopkins''s words made her and everyone else shocked. Clenching his crutch tightly, he was gnashing his teeth and trying to hold back hisplicated emotions. Old Master Mr. Hopkins''s resentment made Christina stunned. She was suddenly at a loss. She felt like she was abandoned by a trusted family in a strange ce, and she was in a panic. Without hesitation, the two bodyguards walked to her and forced her to leave. Christina had to go, but she looked back at the ward with reluctant eyes, her vision blurry because of the tears. But she stared in that direction... When she walked to the elevator and walked past them, Charles''s expression changed dramatically and he looked at her with a surprised look. She did not know what Old Master Mr. Hopkins had said to Charles... Then, the door of the elevator closed. "I want you to investigate if the car ident six years ago had something to do with Christina..." Old Master Mr. Hopkins stared at the closed elevator door and squeezed the words from his gritted teeth. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 After returning to the hotel, Christina was on tenterhooks. She felt something was wrong. Why did grandpa suddenly be unconcerned? And Charles''s expression was also strange... Bang! Bang! Bang! Someone knocked on the door, so she rushed forward to open the door. Looking at the man in front of her, who had aplicated expression, she said, "Charles, what did grandpa tell you?" "Pack up and fly back to A City in an hour." He did not answer her, but ordered in a deep voice. "Fly back to A City in an hour?" Raising her head, she looked at him at the door. She lowered her eyes and thought for a while. Then she bit her lips and asked, "Why?" "Grandpa asked you to arrange for me to leave Seattle?" His expression changed slightly and he turned his head away, not wanting to meet her gaze. He reminded her in a cold voice, "In short, you should prepare as soon as possible. If you are hungry, you could eat on the ne. Time is up. Hurry up..." "Did something happen to Patrick?" She stepped forward immediately and interrupted him. "Charles, what exactly did grandpa tell you? It must have something to do with Patrick, right?" She kept asking with clear eyes. "Nothing," he didn''t want to tell him. "Charles, I know I got him into trouble. He protected me, so he was seriously injured..." "It has nothing to do with this ident!" Looking at her guilty expression, for some reason, he retorted irritably. Hearing this, she was even more confused, "What exactly is that..." "We''re not sure yet..." He paused and then muttered in a deep tone, "Patrick has been hiding from us all these years." He said softly. How to deal with this... "Patrick is not in danger at the moment. You are not needed here. You pack up and leave immediately." Charles didn''t give her a chance to speak, turned around, and left. "You''re not needed here." Standing at the door, she watched him stride away. Perhaps Charles and Judy thought that she was not a doctor and she could do nothing to help, so she was not needed here. But when Christina heard it, she felt pained. Because she couldn''t do anything... She lowered her head, and her eyes filled with inferiority and guilt, "I can''t help him." She turned back to the suite and gently closed the door. She was the only one in the spacious and luxurious suite. Grandpa and the others thought she was a hindrance, so they wanted her to leave. "... But I don''t want to leave. I want to see him." She packed her luggage on the bed with unwillingness. When a gust of wind blew through the window, N?velDrama.Org content rights. the light blue silk curtains were flickered. Inexplicably, she thought of the bedroom in Hopkins Family. She liked to sleep with the window open. But in the middle of the night, the night dew was heavy and the night wind was chilly, but she didn''t want to get up to close the window, so she hugged the quilt and shrank back. But every time she woke up, the window was closed. Even if Patrick didn''t tell her, she knew that he would always go to her bedroom at night, do a simple thing. That was closing the window for her. She didn''t know why he did this, maybe for the health of the baby in her belly... However, nobody could ignore such a simple thing, which had been persevering. "Patrick." Standing by the bed, she muttered the name with her right hand clutching the luggage. She felt hesitant and upset. The next second, she seemed to have figured something out. Then she grabbed her phone, dropped her bag, and strode out the door. If she left Seattle like this, she would hate herself. She wanted to see him now! Because she was afraid of meeting Charles and the others in the lobby, she took the elevator down to basement 2 and went out to take a taxi. "Miss, your phone is ringing." She hailed a taxi to the hospital. The driver was a warm-hearted foreigner. He turned to remind her that her cell phone was ringing in her pocket with a daze expression. Her expression was calm, and she lied, "My boyfriend made me angry. I don''t want to talk to him now." "I see." Widening his eyes, the driver believed her. He told her seriously, "Be careful when you have a boyfriend. Some bad people would hurt you. You must learn to protect yourself." The driver said that was probably because of Christina''s eastern face and slim frame, which looked weak. She just smiled back and didn''t say much. Lowering her eyes, she hung up the call from Charles. "Damn it, where did she go?" Charles, who was on the other side of the phone, was so angry that his face turned dark. "Mr. Shepherd, do you need to send someone to look around?" "She should have gone to the hospital," Charles guessed. He already knew that Christina was not obedient. Even Patrick could not suppress her. How could she listen to them? "Inform the hospital to catch Christina if they meet her." Charles ordered angrily, but after thinking about it, he added, "Don''t disturb Old Master Mr. Hopkins. If they arrest her, inform me directly." "Yes." His men immediately informed the hospital. Charles clenched the phone with a gloomy expression. If Christina went to the hospital, she would have to suffer. Judy and even Old Master Mr. Hopkins would not give her a good look... She was so stupid. He had already told her toe back to A City, but she asked for trouble. Patrick didn''t wake up. If something happened, no one could protect her. Suddenly, Charles frowned, "If she really went to the hospital, she wouldn''t have entered through the front door..." Christina didn''t have the guts to enter through the front door. She got out of the taxi and made a detour to the back door. She had been here before and knew that there were special logistics staff to deliver medical supplies. She deliberately ruffled her long hair, curled herself up against the wall, and half-squatted, not forgetting to rub her hands against the dirty dirt on her clothes and face. "Miss, are you feeling unwell?" Soon a nurse who was preparing to push the medical supplies found her half-squatting and walked towards her. Christina looked flustered. Her clothes and face were dusted. She raised her head with a timid expression, "I, I came on a trip with a friend. I was robbed. I sprained my foot..." "Robbery!" The nurse in front of her immediately became nervous. "Did you call the police? How''s your foot?" The nurse also squatted down and tried to help her up, but Christina suddenly threw her to the ground as she approached her. The nurse was stunned and did not react for a moment, "I''m sorry." Christina mumbled, deftly pulling off a long scarf around her neck and covering her mouth. She struggled in fear, but it was useless. She could only watch Christina take off her uniform and tie her hands and feet. In the end, Christina had no choice but to hide the nurse in the corner of the grass. She stood up straight and strode in through the back door of the hospital. "I just want to see him!" Chapter 104 Chapter 104 "How is his condition now?" It was sunny at midday outside, but it was gloomy in the hospital ward. The smell of disinfectant was prevalent, which made people lose their spirits. An old man with a crutch gazed at the ward with his eyes clouded. He asked someone in a low and hoarse voice. The principal beside looked stiff and replied carefully, "His temperature has returned to normal..." "I mean his intracranial pressure!" Old Master Mr. Hopkins''s face suddenly darkened as he read the proper noun through gritted teeth. Acute intracranial pressure, if too high, can lead to cerebral hemorrhage,a, dted pupils, and even threaten to life. But there would usually be many clinical symptoms, such as severe headache, disordered breathing rhythm... Migraines. They knew about them which they just didn''t think of. This brat, how dared he hide all of them. The old man retracted his gaze, with his right hand holding his crutch trembling, and he asked slowly, "What is the sess rate of the operation?" "Dad, what operation are you talking about?" Suddenly the door was pushed open, and Judy looked at them in confusion. "Haven''t Patrick''s operation already beenpleted? Did something happen..." The dean wanted to exin it, but Old Master Mr. Hopkins gave him a glimpse coldly, he was immediately too afraid to say anything. This matter, indeed, cannot be mentioned causally. "Dad, what''s the matter? The attending doctor said that Patrick would be fine, and he is just unconscious for the time being..." Judy noticed something strange and became anxious. "Get out." The old man frowned, leaving a sentence without looking at her. Judy looked a little reluctant and unhappy and glimpsed at Patrick, who was still in aa in bed. She whispered, "Dad, I know I''ve done something wrong in the past, but I''m his mother..." "I''ve said it. Get out!" The old man red at her impatiently. Judy clenched her lips with her pale face, and hesitated for a moment. Her son was her greatest support for the rest of her life, so he must be safe. However, she seemed to be very afraid of Old Master Mr. Hopkins. In the end, she had to leave with her head lowered. The white light above his head hit on Old Master Mr. Hopkins''s old face, revealing his tireness and distress. "This matter cannot be brought up to another person." A stern warning was sent to the dean. "I keep it in mind." The dean nodded with his solemn expression. Old Master Mr. Hopkins just stayed for a while and trudged out with his crutch. Dong ¡ª "Be careful." A bottle of injected medicine fell on the ground by ident. Just in front of the ward, a nurse hurriedly squatted down to pick up the injection, while they just came out of the ward. They looked at her unsatifisedly and warned her to be careful. The nurse seemed to be a neer. She looked a little timid and did not dare to face them. Without saying a word, she picked up the injection, and quickly packed the cart when remaining half-bent to show her respect. "Push the stuff in and let the head nurse take care of the patient from now on." The dean ordered, fearing that something might go wrong with the patient inside. The young nurse nodded humbly, not daring to look directly at him. Old Master Mr. Hopkins walking ahead was so upset that he was in no mood to pay attention to the nurse and urged the dean, "Come up with the treatment n as soon as possible..." "Don''t worry, we must do our best..." "Enough. Go for your work!" The old man scolded him irritably. He no longer wanted to listen to these ttering words. The nurse pushing the trolley at the door of the ward paused for a moment. She looked sideways at them leaving step by step with her beautiful brows furrowed and more uneasiness. "... What the hell happened?" Christina didn''t understand it. Grandpa behaved strangely. She wore the nurse''s uniform as a disguise and pushed the utility cart. Looking at the door ahead, she took a deep breath and walked in slowly. He was right here. Not sure if she felt wrong that the smell of disinfectant inside was particrly strong, making the room feel like a sterile ward where air was quite depressing. The instruments in the ward were ringing, and the data on them kept shing. She moved closer and closer to the bed. She hadn''t seen him for days. He was very healthy before, and he could easily scoop her up... Gradually, she was immersed in guilt, and when eyeing at the cold face she knew well, she froze. Patrick''s face was quite weak and pale. Hey on the bed quietly with his eyes closed. Many wires were connected with his body to monitor his condition. "Patrick..." Her eyes brimming with emotion, she stood at the head of the bed, lowering her head. "Patrick, please wake up..." She didn''t dare to get too close to him with bodyguards outside. But she could not help secretly reaching out to touch his cold palms. "Patrick, I''m Christina." Patrick, I''m worried about you... Looking at his grim face, thinking of even Patrick, such a strong man was now so weak, she inexplicably wanted to cry, bit her lips heavily, and wanted to shout out. "Patrick, be awake quickly. I miss you so much..." When she spoke out these words, her eyes were getting moist. Bang - "Patrick!" Suddenly, a shout from behind startled Christina. She did not know why she immediately withdrew her hand. "Are you the nurse to change the injection?" The female''s voice sounded clear, she walked quickly to her side and looked a little thoughtful. "You go out first. The bottle was finished yet. I''ll call youter." Christina didn''t know how to reply. She didn''t want to leave so soon. "Patrick, you''ve been sleeping for a few days. The wholepany is waiting for you. Be awake quickly. Charles and I can''t stand it anymore." The woman walked directly to the other side of the bed, picking up some wet cotton sticks from the counter and moistening his dry lips expertly and gently. She said it naturally and it seemed that they were familiar with each other. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Patrick, we all need you. You can''t bezy anymore." She continued saying with a chuckle, as if she was chatting to the man. Her words made Christina stare at her. Who was she? The woman had white skin, was dressed in a ck, neat, and expensive suit skirt with her long curled hair. The charm as a mature woman was shown on her face, and no extra jewelry was with her. She looked energetic and smart. "You''re not a nurse here?" Sure enough, she was smart enough to notice that Christina looked different from the photo on the little card on her uniform. "Who are you?" Now, she immediately became vignt, quickly stood up straight and protected the man in front of the bed. "I, I am..." Christina stared at her, not knowing what to speak for a moment. "Bodyguards,e in." The woman shouted anxiously at the door, "I don''t know who you are, but you''d better leave immediately!" Her words were cold, with her eyes fixed on Christina sharply. "This woman came in disguise, took her away, and found out who she was..." Looked at their repulsive look, Christina became nervous. She spoke out to exin, "I am..." "... She, she''s my wife." Chapter 105 Chapter 105 "... She''s my wife." The person on the bed moved a little and his words made others silent. "Patrick!" The woman near the bedside reacted the most quickly. She approached him with a look of excitement and surprise. "Patrick, you''re awake." "Inform Old Master Mr. Hopkins and the doctor immediately..." The bodyguard outside was also very surprised, but he did as he was told without dy. Christina stood at the end of the bed in a daze. She looked at the man on the hospital bed. He had just woken up and his face was pale. He opened his eyes, which were misty, and raised his head slightly and fixed his eyes on her. He did not speak again, but Christina''s heart trembled. The look in his eyes... was not cold or aggressive, but showed confusion and weakness. "You are... Christina?" The woman standing by the bed looked a little embarrassed. She looked straight at Christina and asked in a weird voice, "Are you Patrick''s wife?" She had long heard that Patrick had gotten his marriage license with a woman in the country, but there was no wedding. The woman, who was staring at Christina, somehow made her feel ill at ease. "... Come here." The man on the bed suddenly called out softly. Christina looked at his pale face and frowned. She quickly walked over to the other side of the bed and said, "Patrick, do you have a headache?" "Are you hurt?" Almost subconsciously, he followed her to the left and asked without answering. "Patrick, you cannot move your body." The woman on the right was anxious to reach out and hold him down. Christina moved faster and immediately bent down to hold his shoulder. "Patrick, don''t move," she said awkwardly. "Are you hurt?" he asked in a stubborn tone. He was already on his side, but he still stared at her. He vaguely remembered the car ident, and she seemed to have cried in terror. He was still staring at Christina. Somehow, there was tears in her eyes as she heared his low voice which was familiar to her. "Patrick, I''m worried about you." She choked on her words and couldn''t help but cry. "Hurry up and get better. I''m worried about you. I don''t know what to do. I can''t help you..." A glistening tear fell, and his eyes gradually cleared up. He looked up at her who was sobbing, and he was slightly startled, somewhat surprised. For a moment, even Patrick did not know what to say. He stared nkly at her tears falling on his bedsheets. She seldom cried. The woman on the other side looked at them in shock. She then looked down and then subconsciously took a step back. She was extra here. "Patrick, I''m going to find the doctor," she said softly before stepping away. Patrick did not say anything to her, not a word. When she walked out of the room, she only heard him mutter helplessly. "She cries more often now..." The woman paused and turned to look at the hospital bed. "He really seemed to care about her..." Just as she turned her head, she bumped into another man at the door of the ward. The other man sounded a little anxious. "Barbara, did you see a woman..." "Christina!" Charles nced into the ward, found the familiar figure, and roared angrily. He was so angry that he strode in. "Christina, you''re so bold. You kidnapped a nurse. I really want to..." "What happened to her?" The man on the bed frowned. He had just woken up and his voice was a little hoarse. Charles froze and stared at the man in the hospital bed for a second. He suddenly became agitated. "Patrick, you''re awake!" "Christina, did youe and wake up Patrick?" Charles was very excited. He didn''t want to me anyone. He was just shocked. Christina blushed and quickly turned around to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She didn''t know since when she had cried easily. ''Damn it, why did I be so sentimental?'' ''Now Charles saw me crying, he willugh at me.'' Patrick looked at her, who was embarrassed, andughed out. Charles raised his eyebrows and looked at them. He could still smile. The woman standing beside him hadplicated emotions in her eyes. Patrick touched Charles casually with his elbow. "She is..." "The one with the watch." Charles snorted. Barbara was silent, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips. "It''s really her." Charles could not help butin, "I really don''t know why Patrick would like her. She is just a troublemaker!" Soon the doctor and nurse rushed in and saw that the man on the bed had woken up. They asked with happy smiles, "Mr. Hopkins, how are you feeling?" Patrick cooperated with the doctor, and his head was still a little dizzy, but there was no sharp pain. The wound on his body was bandaged, and his consciousness had recovered. The attending doctor thought he was really getting better, and he said, "Mr. Hopkins, the wound on your forehead has been bandaged. For the next week, you must not get it with water. There''s also a fracture in your right shoulder de, so you can''t lift weights for the next three months. It''s about your brain..."N?velDrama.Org content rights. "Got it. Get out." Patrick suddenly interrupted the doctor with a cold voice. The attending doctor did not dare to continue when seeing at his warning eyes. "What''s wrong? Is there a problem?" Barbara noticed something unusual carefully. "Mr. Hopkins just woke up. Please be careful about him. It''s not good for him to get out of bed for the time being." The doctor only said some normal things, then he turned to look at the other medical staff, and quickly left the ward. Barbara was very capable. She frowned slightly and was about to catch up with the doctor when Charles reached out and grabbed her. Charles didn''t say anything, but his meaning was clear. He didn''t want her to ask more. There was a strange silence in the ward, and Christina''s eyes were fixed on the door. The doctor just said about Patrick''s brain... "I''m thirsty." The low voice was a little hoarse. Barbara stepped forward almost reflexively, and Charles looked at her. Soon, she realized something wrong and there was some embarrassment on her face. "The doctor said you can''t sit up." Christina was standing by Patrick''s bed, holding half a cup of warm water. When she saw that he was about to get up, she immediately stopped him. "Patrick, don''t move. I''ll think about it..." She was afraid that this man would ignore the doctor''s advice. She looked down at the cup in her hand and was worried about how to give it to him. "You want to feed me?" The man on the bed leisurely dropped a sentence. At that moment, several people were staring at Christina, as if they were surprised but also looking forward to it... "I, I''ll go find a straw." Christina didn''t want to do that. The man had just woken up and was about to make things difficult for her. Now her ears were red. She put the cup on the counter and ran out. "Christina, how dare you run away!" Chapter 106 Chapter 106 "Why are you still here? I''ve told you nevere here again!" Christina sat on a metal seat outside the ward being yelled at by the woman. She suddenly felt helpless and wanted to exin. Judy became impatient and yelled at the bodyguards. "Drive her away immediately." "It''s the Mr. Hopkins who asked her to stay..." One of the bodyguards looked at thedy and spoke to her formally without much respect. Judy''s face suddenly clouded. "Patrick is awake?" "Since my son has woke up, why no one tells me?" She spoke hastily with dissatisfaction. She ignored Christina and took quick steps to rush into the ward. "Madam, you are not allowed up here." The two bodyguards stepped forward and stopped her at the door with grim faces. Judy was furious. "Why can''t Ie in? He''s my son!" "Sorry." One of the bodyguards responded coldly with a tough attitude. Watching her soon-to-be mother-inw confronting the bodyguard, Christina exined in a whisper, "Grandpa said he had something important to discuss with Patrick..." "How dare you talk to me!" Judy''s face darkened. She red at her. Christina had to lower her head and remained silent in front of the furious mother-inw. She found that Judy was a tougher person to get along with than Laurie, and she seemed to hate her... At this moment, a loud bang came behind the door. Because of the closed thick door, she could not hear clearly the conversations inside, but she guessed that the Old Master Mr. Hopkins was angry. "If it wasn''t for this ident, how long were you going to keep it from me?" "Patrick, you must make this clear to me!" The old man had a sullen face. His right hand clenched tightly around his crutch, and his body trembled in anger. "Grandpa, calm down, please. Patrick just woke up. He''s still very weak. We could ask himter..." Charles was standing beside the old man. He carefully persuaded the old man when he saw the old man and his grandson quarreling furiously. But the man lying on the sickbed feared nothing. He replied, "So what if you have known." This infuriated the old man. If he hadn''t see Patrick lying weakly on the sickbed, he would definitely hit this rebellious grandson with his walking stick. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Patrick, do you really think you are able to solve everything? You are not respecting me at all, bastard!" Patrick was still lying on the bed. His face was pale. He nced at the angry old man sitting at the end of the bed, thinking carefully. He seemed a little bit tired, so he slowly closed his eyes. "You can''t help me though you know it." He replied tonelessly in a low voice. Even if he had told them, they wouldn''t be able to help. There was aplicated look on the old man''s face. He red at him for a long time. Suddenly, Old Master Mr. Hopkins stood up, turned around, and stumped out of the room. Charles worried that the old man would be affected by bad emotions, so he followed him out immediately. When he left, he couldn''t help ncing at the hospital bed in a mood. Patrick was right. Even if they knew it at first, they couldn''t help him... "Grandpa, Patrick just doesn''t want you to worry about him." Charlesforted him in a low voice when he was about to open the door. The Old Master Mr. Hopkins frowned with a grim face, opened the door and walked out. Judy and Christina looked up at them at the same time. They were full of doubts but dared not to ask. "Dad, what''s wrong with Patrick? What are you talking about..." Being unable to restrain herself, Judy stood up and asked nervously. However, the old man ignored her and lookplicatedly at Christina. Christina felt nervous as he looked at her. She did not know whether to stand up or sit still, and whether to speak or wait for him to ask her. "...Take good care of him." Old Master Mr. Hopkins informed Christina in a hoarse and choked voice. Without saying anything else, he headed straight for the elevator. Christina widened her eyes as she watched the old man leaves. She didn''t quite understand what the old man meant by "take good care of him." While the Old Master Mr. Hopkins, who had always been physically strong with a majestic figure, seemed to have aged a lot. "Aunt Jiang, Patrick has just woke up. He needs to rest..." Charles looked at Judy and said. Judy was angry. It was obvious that they didn''t allow her in the ward. She kept trying, "Patrick needs my care..." "As what grandpa has just said, Christina will take care of him. Patrick has married her, so you don''t have to worry about him." Charles replied calmly. Christina looked at Charles, feeling strange. Although Charles was ady-killer, he has always respected the elders. But now, he spoke to Judy in a cold tone. "Hurry up. Get in." Charles reminded Christina in a low voice when he was passing by. Christina finally realized and then walked into the ward hesitantly. While Judy, who was standing beside her, looked at her with anger and unwillingness. The man on the bed closed his eyes and was resting. She stood by the sickbed and looked at the remaining liquid in the infusion bottle hanging above. She did not dare to wake him up. She pulled up a chair carefully and sat by the bed, staring at the injection silently. It was very quiet in the ward. The thick door had been closed, and there was only her and him in the ward. Christina looked at the man in bed. She knew that he was not asleep. His face was pale and his brows were slightly furrowed as if he was thinking about something. She wanted to ask him something, but hesitated and fell silent again. What were they talking about just now? If she asked him, he might not want to reply. But she felt that there must be something wrong. She noticed that there was a small dent in the metal back of the sickbed. It seemed that grandpa was really angry just now. It may be caused by the crutch. "Have... have I disturbed you?" When she saw that the injection was almost finished, she stood up and changed a new infusion bottle. As soon as she finished it, she saw him staring at her. Patrick did not reply. His eyes were deep and clear. He had not slept just now. He closed his eyes just wanted to be alone. "Are you feeling well? Do you want to see the doctor?" Christina was a little restrained by his gaze. After thinking for a while, she asked, "Do you want to drink water or eat something?" Christina felt that she was stupid for asking these questions. But she really didn''t know what she could do for him. He remained silent, which made Christina increasingly awkward. "If I''m annoying you, I can wait outside." Patrick gasped for air because of the pain. Then he said in a low voice, "You won''t be here if I want you to leave..." Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Christina was staying in the ward. Around 7 pm, the hospital sent over some side dishes. Because Patrick had just woken up and couldn''t eat immediately, he could just be injected nutrient fluids, while Christina ate quickly and simply aside. She originally thought that she might have to go back to the hotel to get her clothes, but she didn''t expect Charles to pack all her luggage and send it over. It seemed that he wanted her to stay with Patrick in the hospital. Christina took the luggage from the nurse and looked hesitant. The man in the hospital bed was much better, and he was looking at her withplicated eyes. He seemed to be watching her leave or stay... Christina didn''t say anything. She took a new set of clothes and went straight into the bathroom. The man on the hospital bed had wanted to say that she could leave if she wanted, but he held back and didn''t say it might because he was too tired today. This ward was very spacious, and there was a single bed opposite Patrick''s bed. Christina went to the nurse and asked for a clean set of pillows and nkets. She cleaned up the bed andy down there to rest. "Patrick, remember to call me if you need anything." She warned him dutifully before she fell asleep. He looked at her on the opposite bed, raised his eyebrows slightly, and had some conflicting emotions in his eyes. Only when he finally saw her close her eyes and breathe evenly did he let out a faint sigh of disappointment. This was his wife... When would his wife be as considerate as anyone else''s... The lights in the ward were dimmed, and Patrick tilted his head to look at the familiar faces across from him. Suddenly, he remembered how angry his grandfather was today. He couldn''t let them know that. "No matter how inconsiderate she is, she''s mine." On the first quiet night after waking up, Patrick''s wounds were still stinging. Did he have a masochistic tendency? Did all men have this tendency to be abused? He could find someone who was very obedient, but he just liked her. In the end, he gave an inexplicable chuckle. Then he closed his eyes. This spacious and quiet ward was not so cold anymore. The next day, Christina set her rm and got up early. Just in case Charles said that she did not contribute after she came herest time, Christina immediately began to serve Patrick after washing up. "I told you not to move around. Can''t you bear it? You''ve endured all these injuries..." Christina''s angry voice came from the ward. In the end, she seemed to have no choice but to Around 8:00 in the morning, Charles and the others came to visit Patrick. Hearing this strange sound inside, they quickly opened the door and hurried in. "Christina, you, what are you doing?" Charles was a little dumbfounded, his eyes burning as he watched the two of them acting strangely and ambiguously on the bed. When Christina heard the sound, she immediately turned her head to look at them. Her cheeks suddenly turned red, and her hands were still holding the man''s pants... This scene was a little embarrassing. "You will hurt Patrick with your clumsy hands!" Judy, who came in quickly, red at Christina with displeasure. Christina was yelled at by her mother-inw, and her expression was a little nervous. She quickly loosened her grip and stood by the bedside, not daring to do anything. "Christina, what are you doing?" Charles almost broke down. The old man said that he wanted her to take care of Patrick, but it seemed that he would bode ill rather than well. "I, I just want to help him..." "Does Patrick want to take a bath?"T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Barbara also came over. Looking at this scene, she was a little embarrassed and turned her head. "Yes, it''s all because of Patrick. He''s screaming for a bath." Christina felt that Barbara was really observant. When she finished speaking, she looked down at the man in the hospital bed angrily. Barbara was surprised to see her ming Patrick so directly. It was the first time she had ever seen someone so...close to him. "Hurry up." Patrick ignored Christina''s infuriated face and urged her calmly. Then he turned round and chased them away unhappily. "You guys go out." "Patrick, you can ask the professional nurse to help you. She is unable to do anything..." Judy took a step forward and said that she rejected Christina. Charles felt the same way. "Christina, stop being a troublemaker. He has a fracture of his right shoulder de. Ask a professional nurse to help him..." When he said halfway, Barbara noticed that the man on the hospital bed had a dark face and was about to lose his temper. So she immediately tugged Charles''s arm to stop him from talking. "Call a nurse? No, he''ll be angry." Christina retorted him. "Patrick is very picky. He won''t let anyone touch him. He''s as delicate as a girl. And he''s very difficult to serve..." She told them very seriously. Charles and the others were stunned. "Get out now." The picky man in the hospital bed raised his voice and roared angrily. He didn''t know who he was angry with. "Christina, who are you talking about?" Charles and the others were driven away with a strange look on their faces, and when they closed the door, they only heard Patrick ask angrily. "If Patrick has high blood pressure, it''s all his wife''s fault." Charles stood outside the door, muttering gloomily. Barbara smiled awkwardly. She had known Patrick for more than ten years, and it was the first time she had seen him scold a woman like this. "I didn''t expect Patrick to like this kind of woman..." When they went to school together, they used to joke about what kind of woman the cool young master of the Hopkinses would like. Even though he nevercked beautifuldies and socialites around him, no one could match him. Charles''s face was filled with despair. "Patrick likes this..." He had admired Patrick since he was a child. Patrick was a first-rate man in terms of ability, skill, and character, but why was his vision so low...It took Charles a long time to ept this unreliable sister-in- "How could his grandfather have let him marry this useless woman!" Judy, who was also waiting outside the door, darkened her face and cursed in anger. Hearing Judy''s scolding, Charles raised his eyebrows and looked at her. She had been living in the United States since Patrick''s father passed away. She was still very charming though he hadn''t seen her for a long time. None of them liked Judy. Judy seemed to reject Christina very much, and it was a disgust from the bottom of her heart. "She''s notpletely useless," Charles said casually. "Christina is very straightforward and very simple. Patrick has been under a lot of pressure since he was a child, and he''s always hated those scheming women..." Charles emphasized hisst sentence and said it with an ambiguous meaning. It was understandable that Patrick liked Christina. Judy changed her expression, pursing her lips and stopping talking. Chapter 108 Chapter 108 "Where''s the fairy tale book I asked you to buy?" It was the third day since Patrick woke up, and he has regained his energy, but his injuries were so serious that he needed to stay in the hospital for observation. Charles and the others came to visit him every day at noon. Christina rummaged through the fruit basket that Charles had brought, but there was no fairy tale book she wanted. "You''re a mother now, but you read such childish books." Charles red at her angrily. Christina looked at him angrily. "I told you the day before yesterday. You forgot again!" "I asked Barbara to stop by the bookstore and buy it for you. Christina, are you ashamed that you have to bother others when you are asked to stay and look after Patrick?'''' Every time Charles came to visit him, this ward became very lively. Patrick sat leaning on the head of the bed, ncing towards them. Christina and Charles red at each other, then they turned their heads away and shut up. Around 11:30 noon, the nurse brought some food. Probably tired of the food here, Patrick continued to read the financial papers in his hand. His face was cold and he didn''t even look at the lunch. "Patrick, you can''t be picky about food in front of my son." Christina''s words were so astonishing, and Charles was about to say that she was the pickiest eater. At this moment, Barbara walked in slowly. "Patrick''s son?" With a slight smile, she looked at the people in the room jokingly. "Hello." Christina looked at Barbara and immediately became more disciplined and greeted her seriously. Charles mocked her. "You''re pretending." "I''ve heard from Charles that you''re pregnant with twins. Congrattions." Xua Barbara walked up to her and smiled like a sister. Christina was surprised to hear that. Barbara looked at her face and said with a chuckle, "I''ve heard about you before. After all, you''re so famous." N?velDrama.Org content rights. Charles sighed and shook his head. "Yes, she is a famous troublemaker." "Charles, do you need a beating?" Christina turned around and red at him, ming him for ruining her image. "Barbara, don''t get too close to her. Christina has a violent tendency. If you don''t agree with her, she will beat and hurt you. Be careful." "They say you''re good at karate?" Barbara was amused and asked curiously. Was it apliment to be judged as a great fighter? Christina looked at Barbara in front of her. She was very decent and generous, and very capable. She could tell at a nce that Barbara was a career woman. She had always admired this kind of self- reliant woman. Compared to Barbara, she felt ashamed. Christina looked a little embarrassed and muttered, "My grandfather told me to learn this since I was a child. He said I wouldn''t be bullied in the future." "Grandpa is right." The man who had been reading the newspaper quietly suddenly said in a low voice. Charles was expressionless. He just wanted to tease her that her grandfather hadn''t thought that she would bully others? Barbara nced at Patrick on the other side of the bed. Suddenly, the smile on her face was a little stiff. Lowering her head, she hid her emotions and quickly took out a book from the bag. "Charles asked me to buy it for you..." Christina took the fairy tale book from her. "Thank you." "Christina, do you like fairy tales?" "I want to read stories to Patrick." Christina looked at her and took it for granted. The man on the bed was surprised and put down his newspaper to look at her. "You don''t like it?" Seeing that he was looking at her strangely, Christina asked back. She remembered that thest time she was in the hospital, Patrick read her Grimm''s Fairy Talese, but she wasn''t sure if Patrick had this habit. She even doubted if Patrick wanted to go back to his childhood, but she didn''t have the guts to ask such a serious question. Charles was so stunned that he forgot to tease her for a moment, but suddenly he heard Patrick''s deep voice, "I like." Charles felt speechless. "Brianna will definitely like Christina. It''s fun to be with her." Barbara raised the corner of her lips slightly and turned to smile at Patrick. "Is Briannaing today?" Charles remembered that Patrick''s sister had a school holiday today. "I was supposed to pick her up from school, but she has an appointment with a friend today..." Charles was shocked when he heard this. "Does Brianna have a friend?" Christina frowned slightly and thought that Charles''s tone was a little strange. She didn''t know much about Brianna. Thest time she saw her, she only felt that she was very shy. "Brianna has autism," Patrick whispered. "Autism?" Christina''s eyes widened and she walked to the bed as if she were interested. "Patrick, is your sister''s autism born or affected..." Seeing her taking the initiative to sit by his bed, Patrick couldn''t help butugh. "She''s just shy. She''ll like you." "Actually, I''m pretty good with people with autism." Christina was confident. "Christina, you are very unashamed." Charles teased her. "Dealing with people with autism needs a lot of patience. I think Brianna would probably be scared to tears by your fiery temper." "And only Barbara is so attentive to stay with her all year round tomunicate with her." Charles liked Patrick''s sister very much, but Brianna was too introverted. Every time they saw her, they would show their friendliness and wanted to get closer to her, but Brianna was only willing to chat with the Hopkinses members. Barbara took a long time to make Brianna ept her. "No, I used to... Eric is autistic too. He likes me." Christina said defiantly. Charles didn''t believe that. Men were bewitched by her beauty. "Come on, I already know how proud you were in your past love stories. Those men chased you, it''s just..." "Eric is different from those men!" Christina argued with him, and the two of them quarreled at the sight of each other. "Who''s Eric?" Patrick didn''t bother to argue with them, but suddenly he felt annoyed by hearing Eric''s name. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Just as Patrick asked, the phone at the table suddenly rang. It was a call from thepany. Patrick answered the call and listened to the report coldly. The people in the ward immediately quieted down. Christina sat next to him and heard some voice indistinctly, "You shoulde back..." "I''lle back tomorrow." Finally, Patrick replied faintly. "Did something happen?" Christina looked at him and frowned. She was worried. "Nothing." Patrick seldom talked about thepany with her. "Is the group affected by the car ident..." Christina was concerned and wanted to know more, but Patrick didn''t let her ask. He said, "Go out and buy me lunch. I don''t like the food in the hospital." She froze and clenched her lips. She stood up from the bed. "All right." She said reluctantly and walked out. "Patrick, can Shawn deal with the news at home..." Christina walked to the door and heard that Barbara was discussing thepany with him seriously, "I''ve paid attention to ittely. I suspect that some media are manipted in secret..." "Chandler told me about the great public pressure. Some reports say that IP&G Group has been turbulent for changing the head. Some reports are more ridiculous and say that you are dead. It is a mess." "You should appear in public..." Charles sounded a little angry. Click! The door was mmed by Christina angrily. They were talking about business, and she was asked to go out indirectly. She was a little depressed. Why couldn''t she know? Although she was unhappy, she went out of the hospital and bought takeout for him. Mercer Ind was a famous rich area in Seattle. There were lush mountains and lucid waters. The environment was good. Since Patrick asked her to go out, she sat in the chair of an open-air restaurant. She enjoyed the view and had the cake. But she was in the strange city alone. Even the scenery was beautiful, she was still sad. When was Patrick so aggrieved? He was seriously injured and unconscious now. Was she good enough to be protected by him... Why did Cory hit Patrick in car? It was your fault... She suddenly remembered Jiang Meil''s words. She put down the fork. She looked bad and was in a daze. Suddenly, there was a thud. The ripples were made by a small rock in the clearke on her left. She came to herself. Christina stood up. It seemed that she figured it out. She wanted to hurry back. It didn''t matter even if Patrick asked her to go out and she had to wait outside the door. However, when Christina came to the store to pay the bill, the waiter told her that the bill had been paid. A man paid for her. Christina was stunned for a second. Did someone pay for her again? "How tall is he? Does he have fair skin and azure eyes..." She suddenly became nervous and grabbed the waiter by the arm to ask. The waiter found that she was anxious, he quickly answered, "Yes, he is tall and has blue eyes..." Christina ran out in a hurry. She looked around at the passers-by and shouted in a hurry. "Eric!" "Eric, I know it''s you. Come out..." She shouted in Chinese. The passers-by stopped and looked at her curiously. The waiter thought something big had happened and rushed out, "Miss, do you need help?" Christina ignored them. She narrowed her eyes and looked around nervously. She didn''t find him. She carefully saw the passers-by and he was not there. "... You are so stingy. I just said that I wouldn''t see you again. Why do you remember it for so long. You are so stubborn. You are a pig!" Christina yelled at theke in front of her angrily. She looked angry and guilty. She had known him a long time ago. Even she herself couldn''t remember. Her grandfather said that when she learned to crawl, she snatched his toy arrogantly. They grew up together and went to the same kindergarten. They were ssmates in primary school and middle school... But they quarreled and he left. Since he left that day, she had never seen him. She regretted itter. She wanted to find him, but she failed. Grandpa scolded her and her aunt also scolded her. But she was young and arrogant. She was proud and didn''t admit her mistakes. But she secretly kept the wooden box that he gave her. No matter where she moved to, she would take it with her. "Eric hasn''t been in contact with the Fishers these years. Will he be in trouble..." Suddenly she remembered something bad. He was autistic and didn''t know how to get along with others. She picked up the takeout and went back to the hospital. Atst, she didn''t see him. "Christina, are you very aggrieved to buy lunch?" The elevator was on the floor and she happened to meet Charles. Charles saw that she carried the takeout and looked sullen. Christina was in a bad mood and nced at him discontentedly, "Have you finished discussing the important matters?" "What? You''re sulking. You''re worried that Patrick didn''t let you know about thepany." Charles grunted angrily and grumbled at her. "Why do you like to cause trouble? He has his own way. You just need to do your own things. And you won''t understand even if he tells you." "I see. I really can''t help you." Christina was annoyed. She replied in anger and passed him to go to the ward. Seeing that she left angrily, he raised his eyebrows, "Is she really angry?" Christina was angry, but now she didn''t know what she was angry about. The door was open and Barbara was still in the room, "Be careful when you return tomorrow..." Patrick seemed to feel it and suddenly raised his head to look at the door. Barbara did not look back and she was awkward. She knew that she should leave. She remembered something important and asked quickly. "... Is there any news about Derek?" Christina stood outside the door. It seemed that they were discussing business. She did not dare to go in and could not hear what they were talking about. She held the takeout bag and waited outside. "I''ll leave..." To Christina''s surprise, Barbara strode out in less than two minutes and greeted her with a smile. "Are you done talking? Do I disturb you..." Christina asked out of courtesy. "As long as Patrick was awake, it is fine in thepany. There''s one more thing... I''ll ask himter." She did not borate. She looked at Christina and paused. She said with a smile, "Patrick knows you are waiting outside. Hurry up and go in." She smiled reluctantly. "Where''s the fairy tale book I asked you to buy?" It was the third day since Patrick woke up, and he has regained his energy, but his injuries were so serious that he needed to stay in the hospital for observation. Charles and the others came to visit him every day at noon. Christina rummaged through the fruit basket that Charles had brought, but there was no fairy tale book she wanted. "You''re a mother now, but you read such childish books." Charles red at her angrily. Christina looked at him angrily. "I told you the day before yesterday. You forgot again!" "I asked Barbara to stop by the bookstore and buy it for you. Christina, are you ashamed that you have to bother others when you are asked to stay and look after Patrick?'''' Every time Charles came to visit him, this ward became very lively. Patrick sat leaning on the head of the bed, ncing towards them. Christina and Charles red at each other, then they turned their heads away and shut up. Around 11:30 noon, the nurse brought some food. Probably tired of the food here, Patrick continued to read the financial papers in his hand. His face was cold and he didn''t even look at the lunch. "Patrick, you can''t be picky about food in front of my son." Christina''s words were so astonishing, and Charles was about to say that she was the pickiest eater. At this moment, Barbara walked in slowly. "Patrick''s son?" With a slight smile, she looked at the people in the room jokingly. "Hello." Christina looked at Barbara and immediately became more disciplined and greeted her seriously. Charles mocked her. "You''re pretending." "I''ve heard from Charles that you''re pregnant with twins. Congrattions." Xua Barbara walked up to her and smiled like a sister. Christina was surprised to hear that. Barbara looked at her face and said with a chuckle, "I''ve heard about you before. After all, you''re so famous." Charles sighed and shook his head. "Yes, she is a famous troublemaker." "Charles, do you need a beating?" Christina turned around and red at him, ming him for ruining her image. "Barbara, don''t get too close to her. Christina has a violent tendency. If you don''t agree with her, she will beat and hurt you. Be careful." "They say you''re good at karate?" Barbara was amused and asked curiously. Was it apliment to be judged as a great fighter? Christina looked at Barbara in front of her. She was very decent and generous, and very capable. She could tell at a nce that Barbara was a career woman. She had always admired this kind of self- reliant woman. Compared to Barbara, she felt ashamed. Christina looked a little embarrassed and muttered, "My grandfather told me to learn this since I was a child. He said I wouldn''t be bullied in the future." "Grandpa is right." The man who had been reading the newspaper quietly suddenly said in a low voice. Charles was expressionless. He just wanted to tease her that her grandfather hadn''t thought that she would bully others? Barbara nced at Patrick on the other side of the bed. Suddenly, the smile on her face was a little stiff. Lowering her head, she hid her emotions and quickly took out a book from the bag. "Charles asked me to buy it for you..." Christina took the fairy tale book from her. "Thank you." "Christina, do you like fairy tales?" "I want to read stories to Patrick." Christina looked at her and took it for granted. The man on the bed was surprised and put down his newspaper to look at her. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "You don''t like it?" Seeing that he was looking at her strangely, Christina asked back. She remembered that thest time she was in the hospital, Patrick read her Grimm''s Fairy Talese, but she wasn''t sure if Patrick had this habit. She even doubted if Patrick wanted to go back to his childhood, but she didn''t have the guts to ask such a serious question. Charles was so stunned that he forgot to tease her for a moment, but suddenly he heard Patrick''s deep voice, "I like." Charles felt speechless. "Brianna will definitely like Christina. It''s fun to be with her." Barbara raised the corner of her lips slightly and turned to smile at Patrick. "Is Briannaing today?" Charles remembered that Patrick''s sister had a school holiday today. "I was supposed to pick her up from school, but she has an appointment with a friend today..." Charles was shocked when he heard this. "Does Brianna have a friend?" Christina frowned slightly and thought that Charles''s tone was a little strange. She didn''t know much about Brianna. Thest time she saw her, she only felt that she was very shy. "Brianna has autism," Patrick whispered. "Autism?" Christina''s eyes widened and she walked to the bed as if she were interested. "Patrick, is your sister''s autism born or affected..." Seeing her taking the initiative to sit by his bed, Patrick couldn''t help butugh. "She''s just shy. She''ll like you." "Actually, I''m pretty good with people with autism." Christina was confident. "Christina, you are very unashamed." Charles teased her. "Dealing with people with autism needs a lot of patience. I think Brianna would probably be scared to tears by your fiery temper." "And only Barbara is so attentive to stay with her all year round tomunicate with her." Charles liked Patrick''s sister very much, but Brianna was too introverted. Every time they saw her, they would show their friendliness and wanted to get closer to her, but Brianna was only willing to chat with the Hopkinses members. Barbara took a long time to make Brianna ept her. "No, I used to... Eric is autistic too. He likes me." Christina said defiantly. Charles didn''t believe that. Men were bewitched by her beauty. "Come on, I already know how proud you were in your past love stories. Those men chased you, it''s just..." "Eric is different from those men!" Christina argued with him, and the two of them quarreled at the sight of each other. "Who''s Eric?" Patrick didn''t bother to argue with them, but suddenly he felt annoyed by hearing Eric''s name. Chapter 110 Chapter 110 "What are you thinking about?" Patrick watched her putting the takeaway on the shelf in front of the bed and then sitting down staring nkly. She looked confused and unhappy. It was true that Christina had something in mind. Hearing his voice, she looked up. Patrick stopped her before she could speak, frowning. "You don''t need to know much about the He thought that she was sulking because he had told her to leave a moment ago. "All right." She answered stiffly; lowered her head down. Complicated emotions filled her eyes. Staring at her side face, he could tell that she was preupied. He tried tofort her. His voice was deep. "There are enough professional assistants around me. I don''t need you to be one of them. You''re my..." My wife. There were some things that he wanted to exin but didn''t know how to. Something tinkled. Christina didn''t catch hisst few words. It was her phone in her coat pocket. A new message on WhatsApp: "Christina, are you ok? I saw the news. Did you get into a car ident? Please answer me when you are free. I''m worried about you." It was from Crystal. "We''re returning home tomorrow, right?" Christina looked up and asked him. Patrick raised his eyebrows slightly, wondering if she had met someone recently. He nced suspiciously at the screen of her cell phone but managed to hide that emotion from her. "Yes," he answered softly. Christina didn''t have any other thoughts. She replied quickly on the phone. "We''re fine. We''ll be back tomorrow. Don''t worry." "Crystal saw the news and sent me a message. She seemed to havee across her brother again when she left the vi. She was so drunk, but the scum would just not let her go..." Christina chatted with him and was obviously a little enraged. "If Simon bullies her again, I must teach him a lesson!" "She''s settled. There''s no need to keep worrying." The man on the bed, whose lunch was nearly untouched, replied in a bad mood. "How do you know that?" Patrick did not answer. He was never interested in other people''s business. Unlike him, Christina was vivacious. She was ying with her phone at first, but soon remembered some other trifles and handed her phone to him immediately. "Patrick, can you check this for me? Is this Barbara''s ount? She added me yesterday" Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. He replied with three words, "I don''t know." Christina didn''t believe it. "You must know it. You two are close..." She changed her mind after a second. Christina raised an eyebrow. "I got it. You don''t have a WhatsApp ount, do you?" "That''s fine, Patrick, I''ll apply for a new ount for you. We chat in the group all the time. You can also see what others are doing on this tform, which will be a great help to develop a better friendship with your clients." Develop a friendship with clients? Patrick was a little bit wordless. He would in no way develop a friendship with those old men. But he didn''t refuse either. Christina took the ck phone and got him a new ount in minutes. She hesitated while choosing the name of the new ount. "How about Ice?" She asked him cautiously. "What?" Christina found his question difficult to answer, so she decided to fool him over. "Well, you need a new name for your new ount and I''m thinking about something like South Pole Ice, you know, it sounds closer to the people..." Ice, and it''s from the South Pole. Sometimes it was really hard for Patrick to understand what was going on in his wife''s head. She had so many strange idea all the time. It didn''t matter for him to be called Ice on WhatsApp, because this kind of social software didn''t mean much to him. But he was delighted to see the sweet smile on his wife''s face as if she finally seeded in getting things on her own way. "You should set a six-digit payment password here and remember to give a red envelope as a gift to others. I''m sure you will have more luck by doing this often..." Christina kept talking about what she knew about WhatsApp. She suddenly got interested,ing closer to him and enthusiastically teaching him how to use it. "This Slutty Brother Charlie is Charles, and this Piggy Get Luckier is Crystal." she showed him the contact list carefully. "This Aimee is new. It should be Barbara..." "And this is me," she pointed him the ount using a picture of the face of a fat cat as a profile photo. It was so funny. Patrick couldn''t help tough out. "Stopughing at it! It''s so cute! Haven''t you realized that in some ways you''re already out of date?" Christina rolled her eyes a bit at him and continued to mutter, "When my baby is born, I''ll use his picture as my profile photo." "Isn''t the baby you?" He knew her nickname. "Don''t call me that. It''s embarrassing." Hearing him mentioned the nickname reminded Christina of another WhatsApp friend. She turned a little confused and searched the contact list quickly. "Who is this Sleeping Beauty?" Patrick looked at the screen and asked first. He would never forget that this Sleeping Beauty sent her two messages that day in the bedroom. He called her in a very intimate way. Christina didn''t answer. She just fixed her eyes on the words "Sleeping Beauty." She guessed that it was him. No wonder... Besides her mother, he was the only one who called her by her nickname. "Christina, are you going to cheat on your husband?" The man beside spoke in a deep voice, gnashing his teeth in anger, "...You are already my son''s mother." Christina put down her phone and smiled. It was obvious that Patrick had changed. He wasn''t like a piece of ice anymore. No longer that quiet, and no longer indifferent either. She gave him a sweet hug with two hands around his neck. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she showed a tricky smile. "Patrick, I just added Charles as your new WhatsApp friend. The guy was so shocked that he sent an emoji immediately that shows he was struck by lightning upon seeing your new name. Hahaha... I did give you a fantastic name." She didn''t have to pretend to be modest in front of him. She leaned over his shoulder and rubbed her face against his neck, smiling more and more proudly. Christina rarely got this close to him on her initiative. That was why Patrick was startled a bit. In fact, he was nervous all over. Taking a deep breath, he raised his left hand and gently rubbed her head. Her long hair was soft. Her smile didn''t disappear. He was d that she didn''t refuse him this time. This had been his dream since a long time ago... "Patrick, there''s something I want to tell you," suddenly she said, looking straight into his eyes with a serious tone. This made him a little nervous. "What is it?" She gazed at him for a while before slowly saying, "Thank you for protecting my son..." She was referring to the car ident. If he hadn''t reacted quick enough and jumped in front of her... "It''s our son!" Patrick replied angrily. "Christina, if it''s an ordinary day, isn''t it a case that you shouldmit yourself to me in return of my kindness?" Christina blushed as the man stared at her. She shouldn''t have brought it up. "Well, I need to get used to it..." Chapter 111 Chapter 111 "... Patrick''s wounds haven''t healed yet. Please, take care of him." Patrick and the others had to rush back to the country. Barbara and some of the executives from the Seattle branch came to see them off. She smiled at Christina in front of her and said naturally with a gentle and clear voice. However, others found what she had said somewhat weird. Barbara had asked Christina to take care of Patrick. "Okay, I see." Christina didn''t have much expression on her face. She just nodded slightly. "Barbara, you shouldn''t have said things like that." Charles was going to leave with them. The smile on Barbara''s face froze as soon as he spoke. "Our sister-inw has a very sinister character. She was born to bring bad luck. She is a disaster to the human world. I think we can not count on her to take care of Patrick. Last time, she tied up the nurse." "Damn you, Charles. What are you talking about?" Christina red at him with an angry face. If it weren''t for the fact that Patrick was here, she would have rushed over and kicked Charles for saying things like that. The executives, who came to the airport to see them off, chuckled. Hearing the chuckles, Barbara rxed her stiff face. Charles was a man who had great social skills. He referred to Christina as his sister-inw. Besides, instead of saying "we ask for her help", he said "we can''t count on her''. How could a person who had been associated with businessmen for a long time not be scheming? They had smiles on their faces, and they suddenly realized something. Such a woman was epted by a man who was close to Patrick, which meant that they all had to ept her. "Let''s board the ne." Patrick said, tightening his left arm around her waist. The rest of them said respectfully, "Have a good journey. Take care." They did not dare to waste his time either. They stood where they were and watched them leave. "In fact, no matter how many achievements a woman makes in her career, she''d better..." A man in his fifties, who was standing by Barbara''s side, looked at the couple in front of him thoughtfully and wore a meaningful smile. "She''d better find a man who loves her and then live a simple life. Then she won''t be as tired as we are." Barbara was dressed in an exquisite light gray suit and skirt, paired with a bright red shirt. She stood at a draughty ce in the airport. The wind was a little strong, which made her delicate makeup and hair a little messy. With a professional smile on her face, she said, "Dick, don''t get me wrong. I shouldn''t have said something like that. You know my rtionship with Patrick. It''s not what you think... And Miss Dickens is a good match for Patrick." Her voice trailed off. Christina had just entered the ne and wanted to ask Patrick about Barbara, but he seemed to be very busy. He ordered the flight attendant to take care of her and then he went to the upper room with Charles to discuss business. She didn''t know much about thepany''s business, and Patrick didn''t let her know much about it. She felt a little depressed for no reason. She sat by the cabin window and looked at the white clouds outside. "Why didn''t I see Patrick''s mother and Brianna just now..." With her right hand under her chin, she was thinking randomly. Patrick did notmunicate much with his mother. It seemed that they were not on good terms. Christina was a little tired because she was pregnant with twins. After a short while, she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. "Miss Dickens, wake up. The ne has arrived." Not knowing how long had passed, Christina was woken up by a gentle voice in her ear. Only then did shee to her senses. It turned out that she had slept during the entire flight. "Where are Patrick and Charles?" She opened her eyes and found that she was still on the ne, but the door was already open, and there was only a beautiful stewardess in front of her. "I think there was something urgent. They left in a hurry." Christina looked a little disappointed when hearing that. What? They just left me here without saying a word? She thought to herself. "Mr. Hopkins told us not to disturb you. The air in the cabin is a little stuffy. Someone hase to pick you up..." The stewardess smiled awkwardly. In fact, the ne had already arrived for half an hour. Christina got off the ne and recognized Paul immediately. "Young Master Patrick asked me to pick you up." The housekeeper exined and opened the door for her. Christina felt the housekeeper had be distant to her ever since Patrick was injured in the car ident. Her movements were a little restrained because of this. "Thank you." She thanked him softly and sat quietly in the back seat. The driver drove steadily to the mansion of the Hopkinses. The old housekeeper was in the passenger seat. Christina could see him frowning through the rearview mirror. It seemed that he was thinking T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. about something. She hesitated and suddenly whispered, "Before we went back here, Patrick had a checkup. There were no major problems except that the fracture of his right scap did not heal properly." Christina thought that the housekeeper was worried about Patrick''s injury. In fact, the old housekeeper wasn''t thinking about what she said. He turned his head slightly to look at her and said in a heavy tone, "The fracture will heal in a while, but inside his brain..." Christina looked at him in surprise. The housekeeper didn''t say anything else, because the Old Master didn''t allow anyone to mention it. "I know I can''t help him, but can you please don''t hide anything from me? What''s wrong with Patrick..." Thinking about it, Christina began to panic. "He left with Charles just now. Did something happen to him..." The housekeeper looked at the worry in her eyes. She was indeed worried. "Young Master Patrick just had something to do all of a sudden..." In fact, ever since the car ident, she felt especially guilty. Cory was drunk and caused a car ident, but she always felt that Patrick was injured because of her. She could not forget what had happened that day. His breath was weak and the blood gushed out of his forehead uncontrobly. At that moment, she was suddenly afraid of losing him. She clutched her phone and nervously dialed the same number over and over again. She remembered that he had called her more than a dozen times before, and in retrospect, perhaps he had been in the same mood as she was now. He had been cautious and worried about losing her. When she arrived at the Hopkinses, the fifth call was connected, and a familiar deep voice came from the other end of the phone. "Are you home?" He asked naturally. "Patrick, where are you?" She got out of the car and asked anxiously. Patrick held the phone in his hand, wondering why her tone had be so irritable. Thinking about this, he did not say a word. She was really anxious. "Patrick, what are you doing? Don''t lie to me." Vaguely, he actually heard that she was about to cry on the other side of the phone. Patrick was a little stunned and then said faintly, "Charles and I are looking for a friend. I''ll go back at 8 at night..." "But what about your fracture? Why aren''t you staying at home..." Patrick finally hung up and held the phone with aplicated expression. "What''s wrong?" Sitting in front of theputer, Charles, who was watching the surveince video, looked up at him curiously. Patrick suddenly said, "... She coquettishly asked me to go back." Chapter 112 Chapter 112 When Christina arrived at the vi of the Hopkins Family, she realized that the Old Master Mr. Hopkins wasn''t home. "The Old Master is still at a hospital in Seattle..." The housekeeper exined to her briefly while telling the servants to prepare some porridge for her. "Is Grandpa feeling ufortable?" The housekeeper did not say much, "Miss, why not have some hot porridge and get rest in your bedroom? You must be a little jetgged." He left as soon as he finished his sentences. It was like he had something else to do. Christina stood at the table. The housekeeper had already left before she could say her question. She had no appetite and went to her bedroom, leaving the food almost untouched. "She remembered that the day before yesterday, Charles told her about how angry Grandpa was for the trouble thepany was in this time. He was afraid that the rage would hurt him too so he had decided to leave Patrick to deal with all the problems on his own. After sleeping on the ne, she wasn''t sleepy now. Seattle had a pleasing temper and environment, but somehow she felt morefortable at home. That''s right. She didn''t even notice since when had she started to think of this vi of the Hopkins Family as her own home. Curled up on the sofa in the bedroom, she turned on the TV with the remote control. To her surprise, a press conference was broadcast live on the news channel. The man on TV was Patrick, who held this conference to remove all the rumors about the previous car ident. "For the first time, you met the press publicly on TV and you look like a sick cat though." Christina stared at the man on TV and muttered. Patrick had his right shoulder broken so he had to fix it with a special brace. But he seemed noble and haughty even with his brace. He looked like exactly those guys that you would never want to interfere with and get yourself in trouble. "It seems that Grandpa is indeed angry." She felt confused. The old man loved Patrick the best, even though he didn''t always show his caring directly on the face. Why did he leave his injured grandson on his own to all of these troubles? "How''s Grandpa doing in Seattle?" "He was strong and healthy." Her phone rang suddenly and she took the call. "Christina, are you back already?" It was Crystal. She turned the tv down and said, "Yes, just been home for a while." The sound of the news came vaguely through the phone. Crystal asked hesitantly, "Are you watching Mark''s press conference?" "Yes." Crystal was also watching this channel at home. She sounded worried. "Christina, thanks to your husband, I''m going to be bored to death." "I was invited to a group chat for the ss reunion partyst time. The other girls took some pictures of your husband and exchanged them on WhatsApp. They said they''d never seen a man as handsome as him so they decided to treat him as their sex god...Now that the god turned out to be the eldest grandson of the Hopkins Family, they are getting overexcited." "They''re so crazy, sending me messages for more information about him." These crazy women are also the reason why Crystal got to know about the press conference at the first ce. "On the night when we were at the vi, the old ss monitor even showed off to your husband. Hahaha, now he''s very nervous and asked me about your preferences just now. It seems that he''s going to give you a gift..." Crystal chatted with her about some old ssmates, but Christina was absent-minded. She kept staring at the TV... "... ok, I''ll tell him to keep a low profile next time," she replied casually. "Are you ok?" Crystal noticed that her voice didn''t sound right. "The car ident... Mark was injured in his right arm, but he looked fine on TV. How about you? Did you get hurt somewhere?" "No, I''m fine." Christina didn''t lie. She was just wondering why did Patrick announced on TV that all of this was an ident and he didn''t intend to hold Cory ountable. She knew Patrick was not such a tolerant person. Cory was already in criminal custody for drunk driving. It was no big deal for the Geoffrey Family. The only thing that kept Laurie worried was that Patrick might hold Cory ountable. Christina thought about it. "Because they are family?" But it really wasn''t his style. "That night, a suspicious person was found in the parking lot of the Red Vi. It was confirmed that someone did something deliberately to Cory''s car..." Patrick gave a brief speech at the press conference and left. They went straight to the office. After the secretary closed the door for them, Chandler began to show him some of the videos he had found. "Also, when you were in Seattle, domestic media was clearly manipted by someone. This newspaper confessed to us that they received a lot of money to maliciously spreading rumors about you being seriously injured in this car ident. As the we-media rapidly developed these days, it''s N?velDrama.Org content rights. difficult to keep things under control. Those rumors directly affect the confidence of the shareholders." At first it was considered as an ident led by Christina and Cory''s romantic rtionship. But now it was clear that this ident was carefully and deliberately arranged. Its target was Patrick. "It doesn''t look like it came from a businesspetitor." Shawn put a stack of project documents back on the table. Ever since Patrick''s ident, they had stayed up for nearly two weeks, trying to figure out who nned this. There was plenty of people in the The one who nned this didn''t just want to attack thepany. He wanted Patrick dead. "Could it be that the other rtives of the Stephenson brothers?" Charles asked casually. He was also a little tired, leaning back on the sofa. Chandler looked tired too, "I have the Stephensons checked. The brothers served the prison terms well. And there was nothing strange about their mother and sister either." The Preston Family couldn''t n such a car ident and spread the rumor now. "... In addition, there weren''t any impulsive fools in the Preston Family who dared to challenge Patrick now after that incident." Charles and the others were discussing. Patrick listened to them quietly. "Patrick, do you have a clue?" Chandler saw the expression on his face as if something important had just urred to him. "Who would be so eager to see my cry..." Patrick turned up the corner of his mouth and mocked himself. "Quite a long list." He stood up suddenly and left a shortmand, "Tell them to start with the people they know best." "I''ll leave now." He walked towards the door as he was saying this. "Tired out." Charlesy down on the sofa andined loudly as soon as Patrick left. "We''ll do as Patrick said, starting with the people they know best. It seems that the nner is quite familiar with the personal grudge between Cory and Patrick. Maybe it''s someone we all know." "Patrick doesn''t seem to care much, so it''s probably someone unimportant. I''ll go home and lie down too." Chandler rolled his eyes at him. What Patrick cared about was at home. Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Patrick had been very busy since they came back from Seattle. As for what he was busy with, she wanted to ask, but he was not willing to tell her. Old Master Mr. Hopkins was still in Seattle. And Christina was living afortable life, but a little worried about Patrick. "How''s his injury?" On the weekend, the doctor came home to reexamine for Patrick. Mr. Hopkins''s wound with the stitches on his forehead has healed, and there won''t be any inmmation even if he washed it. The wound on his right shoulder de has recovered well, but be careful not to pick up heavy things in two months. And he can eat more calcium-rich food, bone cogen. Try not to eat too much seafood." Christina sat by the side, listening carefully to the doctor''s advice and remembering silently. "Satisfied?" Patrick nced at the woman beside him. As he spoke, he nced at therge clock in the living room and stood up from the sofa, as if he was in a hurry to do something. "Patrick, the doctor told you not to stay upte!" She did not dare to stop him, but felt a little annoyed and called out to his back in a hurry. She really didn''t know what he was doing. There were times when he had been up all night. The day before yesterday, she couldn''t help but call Charles directly to check on him, but Charles just said, "Don''t make things worse." He despised her for not being smart in all aspects. "Nanny Faang, I want to learn how to cook. Can you teach me?" Hopkins Family''s residence was veryrge, with a garden in the courtyard and corridors, and a lot of empty rooms. Normally, Christina rested at home, and had the chat with Old Master Mr. Hopkins. Now that he was not at home, the ce looked deserted. Nanny Faang had refused, but Christina refused to leave the kitchen and. The maids looked at each other helplessly, so they had to let her wash the vegetables, but forbade her to use the kitchen knife. Christina was very self-aware. "I''ll learn how to make soup." "By the way, how do I make that sea cucumber soup? Just throw all the ingredients in the stewpot and boil it? I want to make this soup today." Nanny Faang looked a little embarrassed, but didn''t wreck her enthusiasm. She said gently, "Young Madam, that''s a bit difficult. Let''s start with soaking the sea cucumbers." "Okay." She had plenty of time, and she had other things to learn... "Patrick, do you want to wear this suit today?" In the early morning of midsummer, the sun rose early. It was about five o''clock and the day was breaking. Patrick got used to get up early. But to his surprise, when he came out of the bathroom, he saw Christina get up too. She came out of the cloakroom with a new suit. "What do you think of this navy blue? Yesterday, the store manager said it was thetest style. By the way, you don''t have to worry about the size. This is bought in your favourite store." She lifted her toes, looked at the new suit, and began to smile. "What do you think? Do you want to wear it today?" Patrick didn''t pay much attention on the suit. Instead, he noticed that she seemed very lively and happy today. "You went out to buy this for me?" He asked casually. Christina was about to tell him she went shopping with Nanny Faang yesterday, but the phone on the nightstand suddenly rang. It was a little noisy on this quiet morning. The smile on her face gradually faded and she pursed her lips as she watched him quickly walk to the bed and pick up the call. She couldn''t understand what he was talking about, something like projects and bids. "I''ll wear this." Finally, he hung up the phone and turned to look at her. Because his right arm was hurt, he woke up early in the morning, and he didn''t wake her up. Recently, he had to spend a longer time on dressing. "I''ll help you!" Christina seemed very d to help. "You look great in this color." She raised a smile and looked at him happily. "I''m having dinner with Charles and the others tonight. Don''t wait for me." However, in contrast to her excitement, he seemed a little indifferent. After finishing his words, he walked out quickly. She wanted to have more chat with him, but she didn''t dare to stop him when he was in a hurry. When he went back to the bedroom recently, she was already asleep, and they barely talked. However, she was not pretentious. Anyway, he didn''t like being pestered. She just wanted to do something for him to keep herself busy. After nearly two weeks of practice in the kitchen, she realized she was really not good at cooking. For she made no improvement in cooking. Patrick didn''te back for dinner, but he would try to be back before 11 pm and then stay in the study. "Are you hungry?" After a few knocks on the door of the study, Christina opened the door without permission and looked inside. Lights were zing in the study. At this moment, Patrick was sitting in front of the desk, typing on the keyboard with both hands. When he heard the sound, he paused and looked at her with confusion. "Patrick, do you want some soup?" She came in with a cup of soup and ced it directly on the table. "Let the servants do these things." Patrick probably didn''t have dinner. Seeing here in with the soup, he stood up and walked towards her. "You should drink more of this. It will help your scap heal." She poured him half a bowl and stood beside him, her voice expectant. He nced at the authentic, fragrant soup on the table and looked at the woman beside him. He felt that she had been quite busy recently. "Did you make¡ª" Perhaps guilty, before he could ask, she immediately raised her voice and urged, "Drink while it''s hot. Nanny Faang''s stewed for a long time." As she spoke, she subconsciously put her hands behind her back, not wanting him to see the scratch on her finger. She had thought of making a pot of soup and showing it off in front of him. Unfortunately, the taste of the soup she stewed was hard to swallow. Fortunately, Nanny Faang made another soup for her. She was a little discouraged. "Looks like I really didn''t contribute." "What?" Patrick, who was drinking soup with a spoon, was thinking about something. He did not hear her words clearly, but felt that she was unhappy. "Leave the cutlery here. Someone will clean it up tomorrow. Go back to your bedroom." He didn''t want to continue to the conversation, so he asked her to go straight to her room. "Fine."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. She caught a glimpse of the shing screen of herptop on the desk and didn''t dare disturb his work. She then walked out quietly. Closing the study door, she stopped outside. She looked at the light from the crack in the study door with aplicated look. She was a little gloomy. "What time could he finish the work tonight?" When she returned to the bedroom, she somehow grew angry. She climbed onto the bed and lifted the quilt with great force. Shey on her side, tightly wrapped in the quilt and buried her head in it. Quiet and sleepless night. "Everyone is so busy, I''m the only one who''s free..." She was having trouble sleeping. "I wanted to do something for him, but I really didn''t seem to be helpful." Chapter 114 Chapter 114 The night was dark, but a cramp in the calf muscles woke Christina up from a sound sleep. She reached out to turn on the light beside the bed. Frowning, she propped herself up slowly and moved to the bedside. And she lifted her numb and painful right leg and put it down softly. Pregnant women often had cramps in their legs at midnight... She didn''t know what to do with it before, so she justy on the bed and massaged herself, but the effect was not much. Fortunately, Crystal taught her how to deal with that. "Why are you still awake?" The door was suddenly opened. Seeing that the lights were still on, Patrick looked at her with a displeased expression and said, "Christina, it''s already 2:00 in the morning." "I thought you don''t know!" She red at him, her tone not very good. His injury didn''t recover but he stayed upte. No one could keep him on a short since grandpa hadn''t been here. The room became quiet again, and neither of them spoke anymore. Patrick went to the shower but felt annoyed to see that she was still sitting by the bed when he got out. "Christina, you''re not supposed to stay upte when you''re pregnant." He tried to speak gently. "I know, and I''m just..." She felt kind of awkward, but did not want to say anything after staring at him for a second. Christina sulked and turned her face away from him. She shook her right leg slightly, not feeling the cramp, and then put her left foot in,y down again. Patrick indeed wore out. After going through the financial report all night, he didn''t want to argue about anything. Hey down, turn off the light, wanting to rest. "Patrick..." The woman beside him called him hesitantly. "Patrick, are you asleep?" Christina said in a low voice. She knew he didn''t fall asleep yet. The man did not respond to her, but suddenly extended his palm to hold her hand, which was soft. Their fingers touched. After that ident, his right shoulder got injured, so he could not hold her in his arm like before, which made him kind of not ustomed. "I''m busy all day, Christina. I want to get my rest." His low voice was with tiredness, but perhaps it waste at night, the voice got softer. Christina moved closer to him. She had slept for hours and was wide awake now. She wasn''t contented and said, "I''m not stopping you." "Dear, I wanna talk to you. Can you sleepter?" "Okay." It was the first time for them to chat in bed at night. And usually, she was not clingy. "I know you''re busy, and I don''t have much to do at home. Can I select the outfit for you in the future?" She got excited, "The doctor told me that adequate exercise was going for me..." "I was thinking of helping out in the kitchen, but that didn''t suit me." Her voice grew fainter and fainter. The man chuckled. "Why are youughing? I really want to be a good wife." She felt a bit annoyed, aiming a kick at him. He already knew at the very beginning that she did not have a knack for that. Something suddenly urred to her, and she leaned closer to him with an ingratiating smile. "Hey, I want to be a gardener. That''s what I can do. I like to use clippers." "No." He rejected that. As expected, he did the same thing as the gardener. She didn''t give up but tried to persuade him in a tender voice. "I won''t hurt myself, believe me. I will be careful. Hey, I just like that..." "Wanna be a gardener, you can start from weeding." The talks failed, for he could not allow her to do that.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Looking out at the ckness of the sky and the brightness of lights, he felt rather pleased with the serenity here. "My dear wife, shall we sleep now?" He was in a good mood and deliberately teased her. Her face blushed because of his calling her wife. She was too shy. He hurt his right shoulder, so Christina tucked him in. "By the way, grandpa has been in Seattle for almost a month. Why don''t you call him tomorrow..." She actually wanted to know about his grandpa. Thest time she went to Seattle hospital, he scolded her strangely. There was a hint of resentment in his tone. If it hadn''t been for you, he would have been great. That was what Patrick said to her the other day with a dark face. She didn''t understand what it meant. There were a lot of questions, but they didn''t give her the opportunity to probe... No one would be gossiping about the things that grandpa snubbed her and Judy pped her in the face. She also told Charles not to tell Patrick, for she didn''t want to be misunderstood as ruining the family rtionship on purpose. She was afraid to call his grandpa but he would be truly pleased if Patrick called him. He remained silent, making Christina kind of anxious. Tugging at his left hand, she said, "Did you do something to vex him? He''s sometimes childish. You need to entertain him. What he does must be for your own good..." "I''ll take care of it, okay?" However, his voice turned ice. She got a bit cross and said, "Can you just ede to his wishes?" "Christina, Your only job now is to take care of yourself and be ready to give birth to the baby." They both got upset because of that conversation even though this was a great night. She kept the quilt on, turning away from him. She was angry with him. She woke up at seven o''clock in the morning, but found he had left the bed. She got up and stared angrily at the ce where hey down at night. She had thought that Patrick was out again. Going downstairs, she got to know that Charles and Chandler came very early and were in the study. "Oh." She was at the table, answering in a nd tone. Thinking about it for a while, she looked up at nanny and said, "By the way, I''ll be going out..." Hearing what she said, Nanny Faang kind of stunned and then nodded her head. "Well, I''ll tell him." At noon, the servants knocked on the door, reminding them of lunch downstairs. "Where''s Christina?" The food was ready. "Tell her to have lunch." Charles looked around and did not see her. After the serving, the nanny stood at the table, looked at Patrick, and said after hesitating for a while, "She goes for her prenatal checkup today. A maid forpany." Prenatal check-up? "Why didn''t she tell me?" He looked a little unhappy. He happened to be at home today. There was a wry smile on her face and answered, "She wanted me to tell you that it''s none of your business." His face darkened when he heard this. Christina still held a grudge. Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Around 5 pm, Christina returned to the Hopkinses from the hospital. The prenatal examination went well this time, and she had an ultrasound. Looking at the ultrasound pictures of her twin sons, she was very excited to be a new mother. "Nanny Faang, let me tell you, I..." Christina passed the corner of the corridor and happened to meet Nanny Faang. She was very excited and walked over with the ultrasound photos. However, halfway through, she saw a tall figure, suddenly appearing in front of her. Christina stopped immediately, and Patrick stopped when he saw her. For a moment, they looked at each other and their expressions were a little stunned. "You..." He said in a low voice. "Nanny Faang, I''ve been busy all day. I''m a little sleepy. Call me when dinner is ready." Christina spoke a little fast, and her voice clearly sounded angry. As if unwilling to talk with the man in front of her, she walked past him quickly with a straight face. Patrick was ignored by her. He turned around, the expression in his eyesplicated as he watched the woman walk away without hesitation... His cold face gradually darkened. "Young Master Patrick, Young Madam... She''s pregnant, so she''s emotional." Nanny Faang stood aside with an awkward expression. After thinking for a while, Nanny Faang slowly told him, "Young Master Patrick, actually, Young Madam has been working hard this month. She has read a lot of fashion magazines and books, learnt from designers about how to match, and personally went to the mall to choose clothes for you..." Christina did these things with concentrated attention, and all of the servants could feel it, but Young Master was too busy to notice it. Patrick raised his eyebrows when he heard Nanny Faang say that. He remembered that a few days ago, she took a new suit and showed it to him excitedly. Seeing that he was obviously in a much better mood, Nanny Faang immediately went on, "The dinner tonight was also prepared by Young Madam. She started preparing the ingredients in the morning to make seafood soup, simmering it seriously..." Patrick was a little surprised. How could she be able to cook such a difficult dish? Nanny Faang smiled helplessly. "Young Madam said that she just had to put the ingredients into the pot. As long as the ingredients are fresh and well cooked, the dish will be eatable." In fact, Christina had been studying cooking for nearly half a month, but she learnt nothing. When she learned how to kill fish, she chopped it with a knife, but broke the galldder and bones of the fish. In the end, she was probably discouraged but unconvinced. A few days ago, she went to the kitchen and yelled that she must make a difficult dish. Christina chose to make seafood soup, which wasplicated to make. She threw a dozen raw materials, such as abalone, holothurian, pleurotus eryngii, into a big pot. Nanny Faang felt that Christina had abandoned herself to despair. "Really?" Patrick replied in a deep voice, looking at the figure that had disappeared at the corner of the corridor, deep in thought. Was she doing this for me? Patrick never thought that she would be so proactive and considerate. When did she learn to take care of others? Did she really want to be a good wife? It would be nice if she didn''t cause trouble. Inexplicably, Patrick chuckled. Tonight, the Hopkinses had dinnerte, because the big pot of seafood soup made by Christina had not been vored enough. The dinner didn''t start until nearly 9 o''clock. "Nanny Faang, does it taste bad?" The holothurian was almost stewed deformed. "Young Master Patrick will definitely like it." "Isn''t he going out for dinner tonight?" As Christina entered the dining room, she looked up in surprise. Someone was already waiting at the table. The maid served quickly and ced the pot of seafood soup in the middle of the table. Patrick''s eyes darkened as he looked at the food in front of him, and then he turned to look at the woman beside him. Christina didn''t know what she was feeling now. Being stared at by him, she was a little nervous and walked to the dining chair opposite him. Pretending to be calm, she asked, "You haven''t eaten yet?" "I''m waiting for the seafood soup." Patrick''s tone was much more brisk than his tone in the afternoon. "This... this is made by Nanny Faang." As if she was guilty, Christina stressed loudly. Patrick felt her bad disguise andughed out loud. She blushed slightly as he stared at her. "What happened to your hand?" Patrick frowned and noticed two band-aids wrapped around her right hand. When he asked her this question, she looked even more guilty and confused. "I just identally cut N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. myself." He didn''t say anything more and quickly got up from his chair and walked over to her. "Let me see..." Christina blushed with embarrassment and raised her hand hesitantly. At this moment, there was an anxious voice... "Young Master Patrick, it''s the call from Old Master..." The housekeeper rushed over with the phone. "Grandpa''s call." Christina straightened her face and nudged the man beside her to signal him to answer. Patrick took the phone with aplicated expression. Before he could speak, the old man on the other end of the phone ordered angrily, "Come to Seattle immediately!" "Patrick, did you hear what I said? I told you toe over right away. I found some brain specialists. They have a way..." "No," he replied coldly. Patrick held the phone tightly, his face a little gloomy. Then there was another round of scolding over the phone... Christina could not hear what the two of them were talking about. Patrick seemed to be avoiding her on purpose. He turned around and walked in another direction. But in a moment, she could feel Patrick''s impatience, and perhaps the old man had lost his temper. What were they arguing about? Finally, with a cold face, Patrick hung up. "Young Master Patrick, Old Master is very worried..." The old housekeeper at the side tried to suppress the gloomy expression on his face and to persuade him in a low voice. "Don''t answer the call from grandpa next time." Patrick said in a cold voice and cast a nce at the housekeeper. The housekeeper had watched him grow up and knew his temperament. He was helpless and did not dare to say anything, but Christina in the dining room could not stand it. "What did grandpa say on the phone?" She quickly stood up and walked over to him. "Patrick, you have to listen to other people''s advice. Don''t be so grumpy all day. Grandpa must be busy with your business in Seattle, right? Just listen to him..." "I told you, this is none of your business!" Patrick turned his head and looked at her with a tough attitude. Christina was also furious. "You''re always so arrogant. Do you think it doesn''t matter how many people you hurt as long as you get what you want?" "... Last time, Cory said that you secretly sent someone to frame him for rape. You could really do anything for the sake of your own purpose. Have you ever thought about how other people felt? You should think more about grandpa''s feelings. How could you... " "What''s wrong with me!" Patrick''s cold face darkenedpletely. In a deep voice, he gritted his teeth. "Christina, do you think you''re qualified to tell me how to handle it? Or do you feel sorry for Cory... I tell you, if I want something, I will get it, regardless of how many people get hurt." "... Christina, behave yourself and don''t bring this up again." Chapter 116 Chapter 116 "Christina, be quiet and don''t talk about it again..." Ever since that night when Patrick warned her coldly, she had been trying to be restless. She seemed to be deliberately against him and provoke him all the time. At noon in midsummer, the sun was shining brightly outside. The servants in the living room of the Hopkins Family''s Main Residence were busy preparing a rich lunch for their guests. Early this morning, Charles, Chandler, and a few new men arrived in Hopkins Family. These people went into Patrick''s spacious study and had a secret meeting. Christina had no idea what was going on and didn''t want to know now. "Young Madam..." It was time for lunch. Nanny Faang was surprised to see Christina striding over to have lunch. Ever since their young master taught Christina a lesson that night, she refused to eat with Patrick at the same table. Anyway, with him around, she would definitely turn around and leave. Patrick and the others sat upright on the dining chair. They had not eaten yet. Chandler greeted her with a gentle smile on his face. "It''s been a long time since I saw you. It is our pleasure to dine with you..." Christina smiled, "I already ate." "But I''m a little full, so I need to exercise after dinner." She turned her head and red fiercely at Patrick in the middle of the dining table. Thest words were emphasized, which made others confused. Charles and the others did not understand what she meant by exercise after dinner and were curious to ask the male owner of the house. However, before they could say anything, the whole hall rang with the crisp and melodious sound of the piano. She skillfully yed Chopin''s nocturne on the piano with her slender fingers. Christina yed this song so well that she could recite it without music. The faster she yed it, the harder she pressed the keys, as if she was venting some emotions. Though the music was melodious, the servants in the hall of Hopkins Family became anxious. Chandler and Charles looked at each other warily. The others in the dining room were a little scared and secretly looked at Patrick in the middle seat. Suddenly, they felt restless. And she was still ying the piano smoothly. How dare she y this song in the Hopkins Family... "Enough!" The man in the dining room seemed to have run out of patience. He stood up in a huff and bumped into the tableware on the dining table. Charles and the others became nervous. "Christina, have you had enough of this?" It was not until thest note of this nocturne that she stopped contentedly. Though the Hopkins Family''s dining room was a little far from where the piano was ced in the middle of the hall, others could still clearly hear the sound of the piano, which made some people annoyed. Yes, she knew that he had never liked anyone ying the piano at home, especially this piece of music. The atmosphere at home was solemn and tense. The butler anxiously ran over to Christina and whispered, "Young Master Patrick doesn''t like this song because madam used to..." Judy used to be an international pianist and liked Chopin''s nocturne most. And she became famous for her performance skills in ying this music. "Really?" Christina stood up from the piano stage with a nonchnt face. "Don''t tell me. Patrick said that anything here is none of my business." Christina strode straight and heavily past the restaurant, clearly demonstrating against the men over there... "Be quiet! Never! I would make a loud noise!" She thought. Patrick was grim and refrained from getting angry. He red at her and saw the woman haughtily walking away. Charles and the others were too scared to breathe loudly. Others didn''t know when the cold war between them started. Maybe it was the day when she tried so hard to cook him a good meal, he inexplicably taught her a lesson. As a result, Christina was not convinced. Or perhaps the problems between them had existed for a long time and had been piling up for too long. In any case, if the masters of the family had a cold war, servants would suffer most. "Young Master Patrick said he... He''s noting home for dinner tonight." T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. At noon, Christina yed the piano to protest against him, which made Patrick furious. At night, he simply did note back to avoid arguing with her. Christina gritted her teeth and stared at dishes on the table. She took a deep breath and pretended to be indifferent. She smiled and looked at Nanny Faang in front of her, which made Nanny Faang feel bad. "Where are you?" When it was almost 00: 00 at midnight, Patrick rushed back from outside. As usual, he would go to the bedroom first, and then he would open the door. It was dark inside with the lights off, and there was no one on the bed who should be sleeping soundly. "Where is she?" Patrick gritted his teeth and asked, almost losing his temper. Nanny Faang was under great pressure and this time pulled the butler over because she was afraid that she couldn''t handle Patrick alone. "Let me ask you, where did she go? Everyone didn''t know she was lostst time." Recently, because of the conflict with Christina, some work, and personal affairs, he was restless. The butler said hesitantly with aplicated expression, "Young Madam has gone to her friend''s house for the night." "Around 7 p.m. tonight, the driver personally sent her over. We also called you..." But Patrick was too busy. Knowing the phone from the butler, the assistant didn''t tell Patrick and continued to work. Patrick became grim and didn''t speak, with his lips pursed tightly. She should have gone to Crystal''s apartment. Nanny Faang hesitated for a moment and said carefully, "Young Master Patrick, although the Young Madam is a little noisy, she is kind-hearted. Don''t argue with her..." Patrick became furious when he heard this. If he were to argue with her, she would still be... He didn''t know what words to scold her. He was extremely angry. Although it was summer, the midnight breeze was also somewhat cool. "Young Master Patrick, do you want to pick up Young Madam to go home..." The butler also knew that Patrick didn''t want to argue with her. Patrick just wanted to shun her when he didn''te back home for dinner. "Leave her alone!" Patrick was really angry this time. She actually ran out! He turned around as if he didn''t care about her and strode towards the study, only angrily holding the phone a little too tightly. "Christina, why are you staring at your phone?" This small apartment, about 70 square meters, was Crystal''s home. Usually at 12: 00 a.m., she had already washed and slept, but Christina''s sudden visit tonight made her a little surprised and confused. "Nothing." Christina angrily threw her phone away. Crystal looked her up and down and asked curiously, "Christina, did you run away from home?" Chapter 117 Chapter 117 "Are you waiting for your husband''s call?" Crystal looked at Christina and teased her, "You just ran away from home. Aren''t you afraid that your husband would look for you anxiously?" "The driver sent me here." Christina said in an upset voice. When Crystal heard what she said, she immediately became excited. "Are you actually waiting for Mark to pick you up personally?" Christina was a little dissatisfied with Crystal''s words. Christina nced at her unhappily, and said "I''m in a blue mood". The implication was that Crystal should stop saying things that upset her. Crystalughed fearlessly when she saw Christina''s look. "Seriously, I''m a little nervous when the big bosses to visit my humble abode in person." Crystal looked around her apartment seriously. "Is the ce in a mess? Should I clean up..." "Crystal, go to hell -" Christina grabbed a SpongeBob SquarePants pillow from the sofa and threw it at Crystal. She was getting annoyed, but Crystal, as her bestie, was gloating instead offorting. Crystal took the lovely pillow, suddenly said concernedly after thinking about it, "Christina, what will you do if Mark really doesn''t care about you?" To Crystal, Patrick was a Prince Charming. And she thought it was irrational for Christina to argue with him and run away from home. Crystal thought, "So many women want to win Patrick''s heart. Seriously, if he gets really angry and leave poor Christina, she will definitely regret it." "Christina, why don''t throw in the towel?" "Call Mark and admit your mistake. Don''t be afraid of that. If you really can''t do it, try to be nice. If you miss the chance and he really ignores you, don''t regret it." Christina disdained her suggestion, quickly change the subject and said, "Crystal, your ce is pretty good." Looking around the elegantly decorated apartment, Christina suddenly got up from the sofa and walked towards the small bedroom across the street, looking at a 1.5 meter single bed. "I''ve decided to stay in your humble abode." "What?" "Hey, Christina, those are my pajamas. You can''t live with me. What if Markes to me?" At the end of the sentence, Crystal yelled at the bathroom in despair, "Christina, if your husband suspects me, remember to exin it to him. Don''t get me into trouble!" In the bathroom Christina was in a happy mood, bathing with Crystal''s shower gel,pletely ignoring the wailing outside the door. Crystal used Christina of her shameless behavior, and thought, "Damn it, she is crazy." How could the boss fall in love with this kind of woman... "Christina, I''m just a corporate ve. I''m different from you!" Crystal put her face close to the door and "After the shower, if hees to pick you up, go with him!" Crystal was wrong. But it wasn''t Christina''s fault, and Patrick didn''te to pick her up that night. The next day was a weekend and Crystal did not have to go to work; if it were normal, she would have slept in. "Stop sleeping. It''s already six o''clock. Get up and have breakfast. I''m hungry, as well as the baby in my belly!" The clear voice disturbed Crystal from sleeping. Christina had developed the habit of getting up early in Hopkins Family and waking up naturally at some point. Especially now that she was pregnant and in a bad mood, she got hungry easily. Crystal looked haggard with dark circles. Crystal looked up at the energetic woman beside the bed and said, "Lady, it''s only six o''clock. I don''t get up so early. I want to sleep!" She pulled up the quilt and struggled to fall into sleep again. Unfortunately, Crystal''s struggles were futile. "You can eat it yourself. Why do you have to pull me up to eat with you? Christina, you crazy." Crystal was annoyed and was still very sleepy. She seemed to be sleepwalking and in her dream she was still eating meat buns. "I''m used to havingpany." Christina was a little blue. Patrick did get up very early and often came home in the early morning at night. However, other than his business trip, no matter how early he got up, he would have breakfast with her around 7:30 in the morning. The breakfast used to be served at 5:00 a.m. because of Old Master Mr. Hopkins. Ever since she lived in the Hopkinses, the time for breakfast had gradually changed to 7:30 a.m. The old man didn''t "Christina, are you going back today?" "It can''t work out. There are bound to be arguments between couples. It''s not right for you to run away from home like this." Crystal kept on lecturing her. Last night, they slept in a 1.5 meter bed. The bed was also originallyrge enough for two people to sleep together, but Christina pushed Crystal to the bedside several timesst night and almost rolled down. Crystal thought she was used to sleeping in the 2 meter bed at hime and that was why she sleeps badly N?velDrama.Org content rights. "Christina, you are very mobile when you sleep. Did Mark say that?" Christina mumbled a word while she was eating noodles, "No." Crystal was surprised and speechless. She thought it was hard for her boss to sleep in the same bed with such a woman. After breakfast, Christina actually diligently found some cleaning tools and said she was going to clean the house. It looked like Christina was going to live here for a long time, ready to fight a long battle against her husband. Crystal thought she would definitely get into trouble because of Christina. "Christina, no matter what happens, we need to discuss it and everything will be solved!" With a rarely serious expression, Crystal snatched the mop from her hand and dragged her to the small living room to sit down. "Did Patrick treat you badly?" "He abused you?" "He has an affair?" Crystal asked eagerly, "Everyone says ''marrying rich is a step into the unfathomable depth''. Can''t you stand the rules there?" "No." Christina felt ufortable as she was scrutinized in this way. "He won''t let me know anything. I think..." Crystal was surprised to hear her say that. "It''s for your own good that Patrick doesn''t let you know. We can''t understand how dark andplicated their world is. I''m telling you, I''ve seen enough of those intrigues in thepany. So sometimes, I really envy you for being able to not know anything." "I don''t want to!" Christina frowned and lowered her eyes unhappily. "Crystal, you know me. I''m not afraid of being hurt or suffering. I don''t need him to protect me. Likewise, I don''t want to be a silly woman." She paused. Clutching the phone in her right hand, she stared at the familiar number and said in an insistent tone. "If I knew everything, I would feel insecure. If one day he forgets toe to me, how would I find him?" Chapter 118 Chapter 118 "I''ve been feeling creepy when I go to the Hopkinses these days. Chandler, what''s wrong with Patrick? I think he''s been really irritable this week." It was another weekend. It was rare for them to have some free time. Charles and the others went to the club to drink, y pool and rx. Charles grabbed half a ss of whiskey from the bar and took a sip of it. Before Chandler could speak, he muttered to himself, "It must be Christina." Chandler seemed to sense something and elbowed his brother. He reminded her with a half-smile, "Charles, you''d better shut up now." "Why?" Charles nced at him confusedly, upset, and the whiskey in his hand spilled out. However, Mr. Shepherd sat in the metal rotating round chair. As he rotated, his eyes widened, and he immediately shut up. When did Patrick stand behind him? Charles personally poured half a ss of red wine, handed it to him with his signature smile, "Patrick, didn''t you say you would stay at home today?" Patrick took his ss. He was inexplicably angry to hear him mention the word "home". He sat down without saying anything and drank it up. Obviously, he was in a bad mood. "I heard that Barbara has been busy handing over the work of the Seattle branch recently. Will she be transfered back home?" Seeing that the atmosphere was gloomy, Chandler chuckled and brought up a safe topic. "Yes." Patrick''s voice was hoarse. As if he was not interested in that, so he answered casually. His deep eyes stared at the crystal wine ss in his hand, twirling the ss in boredom, looking absent-minded. Red wine, she loved red wine. I hadn''t been home for a week. She was pregnant. Would she run out to eat anything unhealthy? "Patrick." "Patrick, what are you thinking?" Charles called him a few times, but the man over there looked thoughtful. An awkward look shed Patrick''s eyes. He said coldly, "What''s the matter?" "Nothing. Let me ask Barbara if she came back for Derek." Chandler''s expression suddenly became tense, "No news from Derek?" "No." Patrick only said a cold word. Thinking of their brother, Charles frowned and muttered, "But it''s strange. Last month, when you were T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. hospitalized, someone told me that they saw Derek in Seattle. What''s going on? Has he returned to China, or has he been in Seattle?" "By the way, there''s one thing I forgot to tell you." Charles became excited, looking at Patrick with aplicated look, and hesitated, "Patrick, you had a car identst month. On that day, Christina was saved and sent to the hospital in advance." Speaking of this, Chandler almost forgot about it. Because Patrick was seriously injured in a car ident at that time, they were all in a panic and were not in the mood to pursue those irrelevant little things. But when they thought about itter, it wasn''t that simple. "Just like thest time Christina was rescued from an abandoned factory, she didn''t know what was going on. We went to check, but..." The man was so shrewd that he avoided almost all the surveince cameras. Only one outside the hospital emergency room captured his back vaguely. The man was tall, not looking strong, with white skin. Unfortunately, the hidden surveince camera outside the emergency room was covered by dust, so the images were blurry. Charles and the others had analyzed it for a long time, and they felt that this man was not like an ordinary person. He had a kind of detached temperament, pure and cold. But he was not dominant, seeming indifferent. For some reason, Charles felt that this back was familiar. "Maybe it''s just one of Christina''s suitors." That woman was trouble. Although the surveince video was blurry, it was clear to see that the man had carefully carried Christina to the emergency room, and even the movement of putting her on the stretcher bed was gentle. Who was he? Not to mention the average family, even in their circle, few men had the temperament. Patrick listened but he did not speak. He frowned, as if he had decided something, and suddenly stood up. It scared Charles, "What''s wrong? Patrick, where are you going?" He might be angry with the man who secretly cared for his wife. "Send me that video." Patrick''s voice was hoarse. He strode towards the exit of the club gate after this. "What video?" What video were they talking about? Damn it! The signal was bad so she couldn''t hear it clearly. At this time, in a small, warm apartment, the woman, sitting on the sofa in the small living room, wearing white headphones, was operating a strange instrument in her hand. She pressed hard on the button, but it didn''t work. "I can''t hear anything." Then, the woman cursed in a low voice angrily. "Christina, what''s the thing have you been working on?" Around 1: 00 at noon, as soon as they finished lunch, Crystal went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. After marinating the steak, she prepared a te of fruit to help her Godsonadd get some vitamins. "Christina, you should exercise properly when you''re pregnant, or you''ll feel terrible when you give birth to my Godson." Christina was fidgeting with the electronic equipment in her hand, and she retorted without looking up, "I told you I would help you in the kitchen. You won''t let me in." Crystal red at her. How could she say this? She wouldn''t expect her best friend to help with the cooking lest the kitchen would be exploded. "What the hell is that in your hand?" Crystal sat close to her with a curious expression on her face. "Nothing." Seeming guilty, Christina quickly took off her headphones and put away the strange equipment. Seeing that she didn''t want to let her know her secret, Crystal immediately became angry, "Christina, don''t you forget that you have been living and eating in my house for nothing for a week, a whole week. I''m going to go bankrupt. When the hell are you going to leave?" "Good friends have no afterlife. Crystal, please let me go." Christina lectured shamelessly. Who was your good friend? Crystal had a good temper, and she was easy on everything. But recently, she was especially angry at Christina''s bad habit of being picky. It was probably because Crystal had been poor for too long. She would go crazy when she saw other people waste food. "Christina, if you are too picky, you will be punished by God." She snorted angrily. "When you have dinner tonight, if you dare to throw away my steak secretly again, I will ask your husband toe and take you back." Ding-dong. Suddenly the doorbell rang. The two women in the apartment looked at each other. Who? "Christina, you ordered takeout again?" Crystal immediately remembered her evil deeds and immediately disdained her. "I didn''t." Christina, who was stared at by her best friend suspiciously, got up awkwardly from the sofa, "I didn''t order takeout, or maybe they sent it to the wrong ce. I''ll go and see what it is." As she spoke, she walked towards the door in surprise. But as soon as she opened the door, Christina was stunned, not knowing what to say for a moment. "Go home." After looking at her withplicated eyes for a long time, the man outside the door finally said two words in a deep voice. Chapter 119 Chapter 119 "Bo... Boss." Patrick''s energy field was too great. Crystal looked at the man suddenly appearing outside the door in shock and stammered. "Christina, pack up and go back." Christina froze at the door and was gazed at by the man. She lowered her head awkwardly. "How long do you want to stay here?" It was rare for the man to be patient. However, his attitude was ambiguous. "Actually, she''s been staring at her phone, waiting for you toe and pick her up..." Crystal said without hesitation. Patrick''s once grim face showed slight surprise and he turned to look at Crystal. "Oh?" His deep voice was filled with curiosity. Crystal felt that she was valued by the boss, and immediately straightened her back and prepared to report everything... "I''ll go in to pack up." Christina said quickly in an embarrassed look. She grabbed Crystal''s back cor and dragged her in. "Crystal, if you dare say more, I''ll get you for that!" Christina lowered her voice and red at Crystal. "You should be happy that he came to pick you up in person. Christina, don''t be so stubborn. You had a Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. nightmarest night and you were still saying his name..." "Aww!" Before she could finish her words smugly, the little fat on her waist was pinched by Christina, so she immediately screamed out. "For couples, harmony is the most important thing..." Crystal stood in front of her home and finally sent away these two tough guys. Christina and Patrick walked side by side with their faces tense and sights separated, as if they did not know what to say. They hadn''t met each other for a week... Until they walked out of the elevator, the residents around stopped curiously to observe them. It was probably because of their outstanding appearance, especially Patrick''s. "Be careful." Patrick''s expression suddenly changed. He quickly reached out and pulled the woman into his arms. Christina looked a little stunned and fell into his arms. A basketball flew through them and almost hit Christina''s abdomen. "Walk carefully." His familiar low voice sounded a little hoarse and worried. She didn''t answer, but her cheeks were already red. Christina straightened up slightly, wanting to part from him, but then, she was held by him. He held her waist a little tightly. Many people looked at them. It might be out of shyness or anything else... She did not resist and walked out of the neighborhood with him. The car was parked just outside. It was a newly custom-made bright ck Ferrari, dark but mboyant. He didn''t take the driver with him today. Christina saw him open the door and get into the driver''s seat and she hesitated outside with a stunned look. "The wound on your right shoulder..." Her voice sounds a little awkward. The doctor said that it would take at least another month for his right scap to recover from fracture. "Automatic drive," Patrick knew what she was trying to say and looked out the window at her. "I can also drive with one hand... It''s safe." He added. It seemed like he was promising something. Christina looked at his grim profile with a hint of hesitation. In fact, this man was not cold every day, and he would also have some ordinary emotions. "Are you still pained severely?" Christina sat directly in the passenger seat. Although Patrick looked straight ahead, the glimpse of her closing the car door inexplicably made him a little dazed, then he started the car quickly and drove towards the Hopkinses. "Will your fracture be numb when you apply medicine to it?" She was a little anxious and asked again. The man had previously disliked the medicine for external use prescribed by the doctor because it made his skin numb, and he was thinking of not taking the medicine at all. She had not been at home for a week to keep an eye on him, so it was very likely that he had thrown the ointment away. "It''s recovered." Patrick replied casually. As expected! Men always cared little about their health. Christina was a little angry. It seemed it was because of him, and of herself away from him for a week as well. "Patrick, you need those drugs. It takes time and patience for you to recover..." The car stopped steadily at a red light. He nced at her who was in the passenger seat, with his eager eyes. "How long do I have to endure?" His voice sounded ambiguous, a little low, and hoarse. "Christina, it''s bad for me, your husband, to endure like this all day..." Not knowing whether she had misunderstood his words, she was blushed embarassedly. Patrick looked at her blushing cheeks, half-lowered head, and her trying to hide her shyness. He wanted tough. However, just as he looked away, he caught a glimpse of a familiar electronic device in the printed paper bag on her left... "Where did you get this?" Suddenly, Patrick became serious. Seeing the print bag he picked up, she looked guilty and panicked and she leaned over with intention to snatch it back. "Give it back to me..." The man was so fast that he was already holding it in his left hand. "You bought this?" After he took it out, his face darkened withplexity, and he asked in a deep voice with some anger. "Christina, why did you buy this..." He seemed extremely unhappy as if she had done something terrible. "I, I just..." "You bought it to eavesdrop on my calls!" Patrick took out the ck cell phone in his coat pocket with his injured right hand. He endured the pain and tore the outer shell with both hands hard. "Click." The phone was torn apart. Christina was nervous with her heart lifting up after watching his angry face. They saw a small fingernail-sized, shing red chip in the small gap of the power board inside the phone. "Chip for eavesdropping." Patrick thought it more sarcastic when he was saying this. There were too many devious people around him, so he needed to be strictly guarded when he was outside and had to be vignt all the time. He knew many people were looking forward to his failure, but he never thought... His phone was secretly embedded with a chip. Besides her, who else could do such a thing so easily? She was so important to him, so she shouldn''t do it. "Christina, I have told you that your only job was to sessfully give birth to a child... Now that you''re learning to be greedy like those women, do you have to piss me off?" He looked into her eyes coldly, almost gnashing his teeth. She was stared at by him. Her whole body tensed up. She couldn''t understand why disgust and hatred were revealed in his eyes. ''Is he hating me? Or Is he hating ''insatiable'' women? What does he hate...'' She really wanted to know about his past. Should she ask him? It was no use. He didn''t want to tell her anything. ''I bought this just to... I want to know what you are thinking every day.'' ''I want to know everything about you.'' Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Bang! Christina walked out of the car angrily and mmed the door in a huff. And the man in the car seemed angry too. Patrick looked at her viciously as she crossed the road. "Christina..." He gritted his teeth and called out to her angrily, but the woman in front of him walked faster. She refused to pay any attention to him. The red light ahead had turned green. The driver in the car behind him kept honking, which made him even more annoyed and angry. It was a quiet area. They were on the outskirts of the city. There was a simple and dpidated little park a hundred meters ahead on the right. Christina did not go far. She was sitting on a stone chair under the shade of trees, sulking. He stared at the familiar figure and started the car quickly, approaching her. But just as Patrick was about to get out of the car, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his brain. Frowning, he subconsciously wanted to scratch his head with his right hand in an attempt to ease the pain, but the injury to his right shoulder caused him to lose his bnce and lean toward the steering wheel. He wanted to use his left hand to quickly support himself, but his elbow hit the horn. Beep! The harsh sound of the horn suddenly sounded. Christina, who was sitting quietly and sulking, was so frightened by the sound behind her that she immediately turned around and recognized Patrick''s car. Because what was inside the car could not be seen through the window from the outside, Christina felt that he was deliberately honking to urge her. "I''m not going back!" She yelled at the car furiously. "It''s none of your business!" With a splitting headache, Patrick leaned against the back of the seat and breathed out to adjust himself. But when he heard the woman in front of him shouting defiantly, Patrick''s head hurt even more Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. and he was so angry. Within five minutes, the custom-made ck sports car sped away. Christina looked sideways at the rapidly disappearing car and pursed her lips. The sunlight that fell through the leaves shone on her fair cheeks. Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly and she was somewhat depressed. "If you want to leave, leave. Who wants you to be around?" She cursed angrily in the direction of the car, and at this moment, she did not know what she was angry about. "You jerk! You often scold me indiscriminately. I didn''t do anything bad. I just wanted to know..." It was stupid of her to sit alone in the remote and deserted park and speak to herself. She didn''t want to be so awkward. He was a man. Couldn''t he get out of the car and coax me? Who the fuck were you? I had human rights too! She angrily thought to herself. She thought she was married to a cold fish who would yell at her all day long. Christina was filled with resentment. It was 2: 00 pm in midsummer. The sun was zing. In the scorching sunlight, her anger grew. At this moment, Mr. Shepherd was holding his cell phone. He also felt that Patrick had been easily irritated recently. Charles got involved in this matter involuntarily. "She''s at the street park in the Clifton District?" "Patrick, why don''t you take her home... I know. I''ll go and see her right away..." The voice on the other end of the phone was so gloomy that Charles immediately agreed. "Mr. Shepherd, are you leaving so early?" Mr. Shepherd loved to have fun on the weekend. Why did he leave so early? "I''ll go and pick someone up." "... Just ask someone else to do this for you." "I''m afraid no one will be able to do this other than me!" Charles was a little angry. It seemed that the couple had quarreled again, and Patrick couldn''t bear to ignore her. Charles hated Christina a little more. She was a wicked woman! All day long, she could only cause trouble for others. Reluctantly, he put down his billiard pole and rushed from the club to the Clifton District. Because of the long distance and the traffic jam caused by the office workers who sought pleasure on the weekend, Charles arrived at the park that Patrick talked about at about 3 p.m. "Christina is not in the park." Charles drove the car to the side and got out of the car. He walked around the deserted little park, but he didn''t see the person he was looking for. Charles called Patrick in a very angry voice. "Patrick, I know you love her very much, but you still have to teach her a lesson. I think when she was just married to you, she behaved herself. It''s only been six months. How can you let her be so arrogant..." "Now she doesn''t even answer her phone. She''s so willful and spoiled..." Charles took the opportunity to scold her, and let Patrick reflect on it. A man''s wife must be disciplined. Otherwise, what if the woman couldn''t be controlled in the future? "I have her phone." Patrick said seriously in a cold voice. Just now, after a quarrel with Christina in the car, she suddenly got out of the car without even her bag and phone. "Go to Apartment C 205 in the Florence Resort..." Patrick''s tone was not too urgent, and he gave the order gently. At this moment, a respectful voice sounded at Patrick''s end, "... When will the Young Madame back? We have prepared all the dishes she likes." Charles looked expressionless and hung up the phone. "He clearly wants her home, but he asked me to find her for him. How ridiculous!" Although Christina had the guts to yell at Patrick all day long and Charles had all sorts of things against her, Christina didn''t really make them worry. "Didn''t Christina get picked up by Mark?" Crystal surely knew this Mr. Shepherd in front of her. She often saw his face in the entertainment section. It was not surprising that Patrick''s friends were all rich men, but it was strange why he came back to find Christina again. "What happened to her?" When Charles heard her say that, he no longer doubted that the woman was hiding Christina from him, and his expression became serious. "Patrick, Christina didn''t go back to her apartment to find her friend..." He anxiously called Patrick again. The man on the other end of the phone was signing some documents in the study. When he heard Charles''s words, he put down the pen in his hand and immediately stood up. "Send someone to look for her." He thought that she was throwing a tantrum and might have deliberately prevented him from looking for her, but... He was still worried. At first, he thought Christina was just throwing a tantrum, but after Charles sent someone to look for her, he became more and more uneasy. "It''s very quiet around the park. There are no shops. Almost no one passes by except on the road beside it..." "The Florence Resort, which is the closest to the park, is also ten kilometers away from this park. Christina doesn''t have a wallet or a cell phone. She''s unlikely to walk back to the Florence Resort to find her friend..." "The only surveince camera on the road can''t get a picture of this side. This park is a blind spot." From four o''clock in the afternoon, he asked his men to search everywhere until six o''clock when the sun was setting... Patrick and a group of his men came to this deserted park. He stood in the shade of a tree and looked at the empty stone chair with aplicated look in his eyes. "There are no signs of struggle around here. I guess she left voluntarily..." "It''s too deste here. Why did she get off here..." There were anxious and noisy voices in his ears. The sky began to darken, and under thest rays of the sun, Patrick''s shadow lengthened... Chapter 121 Chapter 121 At about seven o''clock in the evening. It was supposed to be quiet, but the area was noisy, making people restless. Under the dim sky, the people who were in a hurry, with their bright shlights on, were holding printed color photos in their hands. This was a photo of a woman wearing Chanel''stest summer outfit, a loosevender floral dress with white standing cor and a pair of ck snake-printed ts. She had a delicate face and had ck, curly and supple hair that was long to her waist... "Hello, have you seen this woman before..." "If you have any impression, you can tell us and we will give you rewards..." The evening was especially bustling for Clifton District. A group of tall and sturdy men, strangely looking around, asked about a woman. The residents of the old district started to make amotion, and everyone was thinking seriously. Because it was said that if they could find the woman, they would be offered a huge windfall of million dors. "Who is her?" People got curious. At this moment, the woman in the loosevender floral dress with a white standing cor was in an inconspicuous tiled house in the innermost part of the old district. Christina was at a loss and was trying tomunicate with the old woman. "I just happened to meet your grandson in the park and bring him back... Don''t cook for me. I''m leaving..." "Do you have a phone here?" Christina spoke in standard Mandarin and put her hand in her ear, meaning that she wanted to make a phone call, "I want to make a phone call home. I''m afraid my family will look for me..." The old woman in front of her was about seventy years old. She was in simple and clean clothes, smiled kindly and spoke in tongues, "Please sit here for a while. We''re about to have dinner." Christina was about to go crazy. She couldn''tmunicate with the old woman. Looking at the dark sky outside the door, she became more and more flustered. She kept emphasizing, hoping that the other party could understand her meaning, "I want to make a call. Is there a phone? A phone!" "My grandson is naughty. I am so worried about him. Thank you for sending him back..." But the old woman was still thanking Christina. As the old woman spoke, she seemed to have suddenly remembered something. She turned around excitedly and walked out the door, mumbling as she walked, "...I''ll go grab a rooster and let you bring it back." What was she talking about? Christina only heard the word "rooster". "I don''t want rooster. I''m going back." Christina sat on a wooden chair in the small living room with an anxious expression. "Sister." A childish voice came. A little boy about three years old raised an apple high in his hand and handed it to her. He smiled a little ingenuously and looked shy. Christina looked down at the little boy standing beside her feet and took his apple, "Thank you." But she really had no appetite. In the afternoon, she was sulking in the small park. Suddenly, she heard the child crying. Out of curiosity, she walked toward the direction of the voice. Then she found the child under an old slide on the right side of the park. At first, she thought the child fell and hurt himself. She approached him carefully and felt lucky to find that the child was not hurt. Unfortunately, she seemed to be entangled. "I want my mother..." The child kept crying and wanted his mother. Christina didn''t know how tofort people. Even if the other party was a three-year-old child, she still looked a little helpless. At first, she thought of calling the police and handing him over to the police, but the next second, she was so angry to find that her phone was in Patrick''s car. "Do you live near here? I''ll take you home." She squatted down and looked at him horizontally. The child seemed to understand her. Probably because he saw that there was no one around and he was tired from crying, he got up and held her tightly with his little fat hand. Then, somehow, she came here dazzledly, and Christina got lost in the end. She wanted to go now, but she didn''t know which way to go... The night was getting darker outside the door, which made her even more uneasy. Soon, the old woman came in with a big rooster about ten kilograms in her right hand. "You can carry this rooster home..." A big rooster was handed directly to Christina. She was a little dumbfounded. Before she could pick up the living creature with her hands, suddenly there were cries of frightened cocks and dogs outside the door. A dozen ck sports cars rushed into the old district, disturbing the peace here. Creak -- The screeching sound of brakes and the headlights of the high-intensity white lights lit up the dark and deste ce like day. The people in the room looked at it in panic. The big rooster in front of them took off, seemed to be scared and chuckled uneasily. The little boy cried out in shock, and the old woman looked frightened and bewildered as she watched a group of tall, strange men rush into her house. She was so frightened that she hugged the child tightly in her arms and squatted down trembling. "You, what are you doing!" Christina looked nervous. She looked at arge group of men in front of her and immediately stood up from the bench. However, as soon as she spoke, the familiar figure appeared outside the door. She was stunned for a moment. Instead, Patrick was expressionless and very calm. The bodyguards on both sides made way for him, and he approached her step by step. Christina wanted to say something, but... Maybe it was because the lights outside the house were too dazzling, or maybe it was their sudden appearance that surprised her too. He seemed very... Very angry. "What are you doing!" He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out. His strength was so big that her wrist hurt like it was about to break. Her face turned pale and subconsciously struggled to get rid of him. "Patrick, let me go." "It hurts --" Out of the tiled house, there were scattered starlight overhead. The dirt road here was uneven, surrounded by weeds and fine stones, and there was arge field behind it. There were no streetlights in this ce, and it looked a little deste at night. "Let go, where are you taking me..." Christina''s voice became more and more frightened. He dragged her along and kept walking... In front of them was the dark and gloomy field stalks, and the tall straws were swayed by the wind and looked like ghosts. But the tall man in front of her pursed his lips and said nothing. Under the cold moonlight, his face was cold, and his deep eyes looked into a far and dark ce... He held her tightly, without any pity. Instead, he was even angrier because of her voice, holding her wrist tightly and forcefully dragging her along. "Patrick, what are you going to do? Let me go. Let me go. I don''t want to go there..." N?velDrama.Org content rights. She tried to control her sobbing voice. She was afraid of the dark, "What are you doing? Let me go. I don''t want to go there--" She even had to turn on the bedsidemp to sleep, or she would have nightmares. It was a paddy field, and when her feet were in the muddy stalks of the field with water, perhaps because it was at night, the paddy field looked extremely eerie to her. With every step she took, the cold and gloomy touch made her shiver uncontrobly. She immediately remembered the time when she almost died in a field like this, in the same dark night, in the same gloomy ce... "No --" "Let me go, I don''t want --" Her face was pale, and she screamed in shock. She tried to break his hand, to break free, to escape, to escape... "What don''t you want? And where do you want to go!" The man in front of her suddenly stopped. He turned around and looked straight at her with his eyes as cold as if they didn''t have any warmth, "Christina, are you scared? Well, what are you feeling now..." He looked her straight in the eye and gritted his teeth, "I''ve been looking for you all afternoon, and that''s how I feel!" Chapter 122 Chapter 122 She didn''t know how she left... She just felt like she was in a daze. When they returned to the Hopkins Family, the servants saw them covered in mud and were so shocked that they did not know what to say. The butler stood aside and tried to say in a calm tone, "Dinner is ready." The dinner was already cold. The grim-faced man did not say a word, as if he did not want to see her again. As soon as she came back, he turned around and went back to Eastern Garden. "Young Madam, why don''t you have some hot soup first?" Nanny Faang noticed that Christina was in a trance and was frightened, so Nanny Faang did not ask her to wash and clean up, but immediately let her drink some hot soup to calm down. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Christina followed Nanny Faang to the dining room, sat down, and drank half a bowl of hot soup expressionless. The food was tasteless. Finally, Nanny Faang apanied her back to the bedroom. As they walked, Nanny Faang couldn''t help but whisper to her, "Young Madam, Young Master Patrick has been haughty since he was a child. There are some things that he doesn''t want to say, so don''t provoke him. You should only mind your own business in the Hopkins Family. Just ignore him." Even if she wanted to, she couldn''t meddle in Patrick''s business. Christina did not speak, her face still a little pale. She trudged up the familiar stairs towards the bedroom. When she opened the door, there was a faint smell of tobo. Christina froze at the door, not daring to step forward. The man inside the room also looked shocked. He still held a lighted cigarette in his left hand, which he put out at once. Their eyes met and they all had mixed feelings. "Young Madam, remember not to provoke him anymore." Nanny Faang was standing right outside the door, and she repeated the warning in a low voice, afraid that Christina would do something to provoke Mr. Hopkins into a rage. As she spoke, Christina was nudged into the bedroom by Nanny Faang. The door was quickly shut. There was only him and her in the spacious room, which seemed strange, chilly and awkward. After about five minutes of silence, she stood by the door and did not take another step forward. She stood with her head half lowered. The man on the balcony gazed at her with aplicated look, clearly seeing her anxious profile... All of a sudden, it was as if he could not stand the atmosphere and was angry at something that his brows tightened. He held back his mixed feelings and strode towards her. She could feel his anger and she looked up sharply, not to know what to do. It was as if she was afraid of something. She was afraid that what had just happened might happen again... Patrick did approach her, but he did not look at her anymore. Instead, he walked past her, reached out to turn the doorknob, and walked out with heavy steps... She got nervous when she was with him. "Patrick..." The corner of his shirt was suddenly pulled by her, and the man who was half a step away from her had a look of astonishment on his cold face. "Patrick, I didn''t mean to make you angry. I was just afraid..." She still lowered her head and whispered. "Christina, you... shut up." His voice was low and he sounded angry. But when Patrick casted a sideway look at her cheek, he saw that the corners of her eyes were a little moist, so he bit back his words. "That car ident..." Christina said in a low voice. She seemed to be reminiscing, hesitant and choking. "You protected me in front of me. Your body was cold, and then I smelled a heavy smell of blood... It was dark. I couldn''t see anything. I kept calling your name, but you didn''t answer me. I''ve been calling you for a long time..." Her eyes were red, and some hot tears rolled down her face. "Patrick, I was scared..." "You didn''t tell me anything. I just wanted to know... I don''t want you to protect me. I don''t want anything to happen to you." At this point, she could not help but cry out. She leaned over and hugged the tall man in front of her with both hands, hugging his strong waist tightly. She bent her head over his heart and she sobbed out,... "I was afraid, I was afraid that something would happen to you. I didn''t know anything. I couldn''t help you with anything. I thought I was useless..." Patrick''s whole body was tense, and he lookedpletely stunned. He didn''t know what to say. He didn''t expect her to say that, nor did he expect the woman to cry in his arms. She mumbled something else, her tone guilty and humble... "... Christina, you''re really a crybaby." He really didn''t know what to say. He looked down at her sobbing. It looked like she had suffered a great grievance. He felt helpless and strangely warm in his heart. "It''s not that I like crying. It''s because... I''m pregnant. It''s my son who''s affecting me." She was crying and argued back. This made Patrick a little speechless for a moment. "Then my son must be a crybaby after he was born." He bent his head and leaned against her tear-stained face, whispering softly in her ear. "If my son is a crybaby, he can''t get a wife, so don''t cry..." He worked hard toe up with a humorous sentence. Christina wasn''t sure if he was trying to coax her. Anyway, such a cold man wouldn''t say anything sweet. She would just treat it as his rare tenderness. She remembered that once he had seen her crying, he said directly, "You look ugly when you cry." After thinking about it, Christina let go of him and immediately went into the bathroom, probably ashamed and shy. After rinsing herself with the flowers, she walked to the bathroom mirror and made sure that her eyes were not that red and swollen. Then she came out wearing a bathrobe. "I thought you were going to hide in there all night." Patrick had taken a shower in the study and stood outside the bathroom. He hesitated for almost half an hour and did not enter as she opened the door. Christina''s face was a little red. She turned her head sideways and didn''t look at him. She climbed into bed and pulled the quilt to sleep. She was in the bathroom reflecting on herself, thinking that it was too embarrassing for her to cry in his arms. She never wanted to talk to him about these things. She just... She just didn''t want to argue with him. "What are you going to do..." Suddenly, one side of the quilt was forcefully lifted, and the woman, who was letting her imagination go wild, immediately turned around vigntly. "What do you think I''m going to do? This is my bed and you are my wife. What am I going to do?" Patrick nced at her angrily andy down naturally. She looked at him and felt a little awkward. She edged to the bedside. But he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. Christina was nervous and she didn''t know what he was going to do. Patrick did not say a word. His palms were very big, much bigger than hers anyway. Unlike those rich men whose hands were delicate, his palms were slightly calloused from exercise. His long, slender fingers caressed her wrists, which were red from his grip just now. "Will it hurt?" Suddenly, he asked in a low, ambiguous voice. "Only when it hurts can you remember!" He didn''t coax her. This man was really not gentle at all. Christinapressed her lips, feeling very resentful. However, when he held her wrist like this, she felt her skin a little numb and even her heart beat a little faster. Chapter 123 Chapter 123 She couldn''t sleep. The woman tossed and turned in bed, as if she had something on her mind, unable to fall asleep. "Christina." The man on the other side of the bed could not help but call out her name in a low voice. The woman at the side immediately stopped moving. But within half a minute, she turned her body again. "Patrick, are you still awake?" Her voice was not at all ambiguous, but she sounded very sober. It was obvious that she was not sleepy at all. The faint light at the head of the bed was still shining, reflecting on her side face... She was really afraid of the dark. "Patrick, can I ask you something?" T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. She seemed to be struggling in her heart. Then she leaned closer to him and asked again. He did not say a word but stared at her with his eyes open, which made her hesitate. "That year, in our high school graduation trip... You happened to be our teaching assistant, so you... Were you in that trip?" She asked cautiously, as if she did not dare to mention something. "No," he replied quickly. But Christina''s face suddenly darkened and she didn''t understand. "How was that possible, Cory said..." "What did he say?" She looked at him with aplicated expression, as if she was confirming something. "It really wasn''t you..." Her tone was skeptical. The man beside her closed his eyes slightly and did not reply her. "Did you hear that something happened on the school trip that year..." Christina recalled something and spoke in a heavy voice, not noticing his abnormality. "It''s normal that you haven''t heard of it. The only time my father, Donald, helped me was probably in this scandal... But he did it because of the Christina family." She pressed her lips slightly and was reluctant to continue. After a long silence, she tried to rx and forced a smile. "If you hadn''t seen it with your own eyes, you wouldn''t have believed it. At sunset that day, I was unlucky to be separated from my ssmates on the mountainside when I was suddenly attacked by five or six bandits. They dragged me down the hill and tore my clothes. I was so scared that I struggled desperately to escape..." The man next to her froze for a moment. While Christina was sleeping on her side, lost in thought. She suddenly hugged his arm, and her body leaned against him. "... I heard gunshots." "Patrick, did you save me that day?" She paused, her face pressed close to his arm, and then she added with determination, "I know you saved me." He looked down at the woman beside him, filled with thoughts, but he did not speak. "Why didn''t you tell me?" She raised her head and looked straight at him. "Patrick, why didn''t you tell me what you did?" Eleven o''clock at night was notte. Usually, he would still be in the study. He was just a little tired tonight. He was so tired that his brain ached a little and he didn''t want to recall anything. At the silent night, the time seemed to have paused for a long time... But she was very persistent. "Because I was angry." Patrick said a sentence in a deep voice. As soon as he remembered that year''s incident, those images will appear. "Christina, I was angry. I was angry that you epted Cory''s love for no reason. I was angry that you married him..." He was angry, but in fact, she knew only the first half of the emotion... The second half, more directly, was the hatred towards her. Hatred. How long could hatredst? He couldn''t let go of his hatred. In the end, he med all the mistakes on her and told himself that she owed him and that he wanted her to pay him back for the rest of her life at any cost. "Christina, I''ve been waiting for you to admit your mistake and beg for forgiveness..." For six years. Nothing was waiting, and as a result, he realized that everything was just an illusion. From the beginning, she didn''t even know who he was. Christina looked at him with aplicated expression. She couldn''t quite understand what he meant by "Admitting his mistake" and" asking for forgiveness," but it was only natural for him to be angry. "Patrick, did you get hurt that day? Those gangsters had guns. What did you do..." She couldn''t remember. She was really scared. The sounds of gunfire and screams of pain were all around her ears. All she knew was that the sky was already dark and her vision was blurry. It was getting darker and darker, and the strong smell of blood... She knew that the man who came to save her was injured. She wanted to do something for him, but she was too frightened to move. She was scared and worried that the man might die and that she got him into the trouble. She hugged his arm with both hands, tightened her grip slightly, and murmured, "I''ve been inquiring about the person, wanting to know about who he was..." "Why did you want to find me, to repay me?" The man beside her spoke in a calm voice with a self-deprecating smile. "Oh... I, I am looking for you to repay you." She suddenly felt a little embarrassed. "Patrick, in fact, Cory was impersonating you. He lied to me that it was him who had saved me, so I agreed..." This time, Patrick was really angry. He turned his eyes and red at the woman fiercely. "Christina, you really repaid the one who saved you with your body!" "Then what do you want me to do?" Christina didn''t understand what the man was thinking. She thought he would be happier if she made it clear. "If you beg me to forgive you, I''ll think about it again." Why was this dead man so arrogant? She looked at him for a while, then suddenly stood up and kissed him directly with her lips, soft and warm... This caught Patrick off guard. "Well... What do you think of this?" She blushed. She liked him, and there was no need to be arrogant. The man was too proud to coax her, so she had to take the initiative. Those forum posts said that men like women to take the initiative, but her kissing skills are not experienced enough. She was really not confident enough to take this man down with her kiss. "Patrick, for how long are you going to be angry with me? I''ve made a mistake. Please forgive me..." "Ah, it''s itchy..." "That''s it, that''s the repay?" "Don''t thank me in this way... Patrick, don''t press me. If you hurt my son, I won''t let you get away with it..." "What are you going to do to punish me?" "Hahaha, it''s really itchy. I don''t dare. Really, I promise..." He suddenly fell silent. As he looked down at the woman''s natural and rxed smile, he thought that she was no longer as restrained as she had been for the first time. And he thought that she... she seemed to like him too. Patrick stared at her intently and seriously... "... Christina, don''t refuse me." Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Last night... How did it happen? Everything seemed to happen naturally... Christina couldn''t figure it out herself, but her heart was still beating fast and wildly. The morning light outside the window shone in. It was nine o''clock, and the man beside her got up early. Before he came back, she quickly went into the bathroom and locked the door. "How long will you be hiding inside?" Suddenly, someone knocked on the bathroom door. "Didn''t you say I can''t have sex while you are pregant? Come out. Have some breakfast to replenish your energy." She heard the familiar low voice. Patrick was in a good mood and chuckled. Christina''s cheeks turned red again. Last night, he felt a surge of desire for her and she couldn''t stand him, so she said they couldn''t have sex while she was pregnant. After she finished washing up, she opened the bathroom door angrily and saw a refreshing man outside the door. Patrick was tired all night. Why was he still so energetic? She felt it was unfair. "Are you sleepy?" She had just woken up, looking drowsy and a little angry. "My son is hungry." Patrick stepped forward. "Are you really that tired?" He asked in a serious tone. Reaching out, he naturally fixed the messy strands of hair on her forehead and lowered his head, staring at her slightly flushed face and lips. "Christina, you have to get used to me as soon as possible," he said ambiguously. "What?" She opened her mouth slightly and did not ask. He did not exin, but put his left hand around her waist and leaned forward to kiss her on her lips. "Let''s go downstairs for breakfast." His voice was hoarse and he was a little short of breath, but he suddenly stopped. He remembered her difortst night. "Okay." Christina''s cheeks were burning and she didn''t look at him. She turned around and ran to the cloakroom to change her clothes. Patrick was good at controlling himself. If he had really lost control of his desires, she would have had topromise. Thinking about it this way made her a little confused. "Patrick, ugh, why did you use to..." She blushed and asked vaguely. While having the breakfast, she suddenly raised her head and stared at him with aplicated look. "Why did you..." She didn''t have the nerve to ask, but thought, "Why didn''t you make me have sex with you before?" Patrick knew what she meant and nced at her angrily. Christina yed dumb and continued to eat. However, she thought it was probably because Patrick was of high self-esteem, so he disdained to force a woman. If he forced her to have sex with him, she couldn''t say no. Thinking about it, she felt happy and giggled. She found today''s breakfast delicious. Patrick looked unhappily at Christina, who was smilingcently. He could throw away his dignity when he was with her. He just wanted her to be willing. "By the way, Patrick, I forgot to show you something." Christina suddenly became agitated. She moved her chair away, walked quickly to the living room, and rummaged through the drawer. They had almost finished their breakfast. Patrick saw her rummaging through the drawer anxiously and strode towards her. "What are you looking for?" Christina did not look at him and continued searching. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After thinking for a while, she turned to the maid who was preparing to clean up the dining-table. "Did you see the bag I brought back from the hospital a few days ago? I put it here..." "Young Madam, we have all the hospital materials you need in the middle drawer under the coffee table." "This is an ultrasound image of my son." She finally found it and proudly showed it to him. "Look, these two..." Christina sat sideways on hisp, her hands around his neck naturally, leaned very close to his ear and whispered, "Those doctors were good at ttering me and kept saying that our son is very cute... In my opinion, it''s just two little meatballs." "You say our child is a meatball, huh?" Patrick chuckled. Christina looked a little stunned. Her forehead was against his forehead. They were so close that she saw that there was a rare smile in his normally cold eyes. His chest was slightly heaving and his He seemed really happy. Not only she, but even the servants behind them could sense that Patrick was in a good mood. They had not seen him smile so heartily for a long time. The servants looked at them, but they stopped, not daring to disturb them. "Old Master is back." The butler coughed softly and hesitated to remind the two people in the living room. Christina wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked startled, and she looked towards the door. "G-Grandpa." Dazed for a moment, she quickly caught on. She immediately stood up from Patrick''s legs and respectfully greeted the Old Master. She had heard that the Old Master was going back to the Hopkins Family for the Dragon Boat Festival, but she didn''t expect him toe back early, and they all came back... "Mom." Christina hesitated, looked at Judy, who was unhappy, and finally called out in a low voice. "Today is Friday. What are you doing? Why do you interfere with Patrick''s work?!" For no reason, Judy was in a bad mood when she saw Christina. "You act intimately while there are so many people around. You''re so ill-bred..." "I-I just..." Judy looked at Christina with sharp eyes, making her feel guilty. Christina lowered her head and found that Patrick, who was sitting on the sofa, looked sullen and had a strange expression on his face. "Mom, Patrick is very tired today. He won''t go to thepany." Christina summoned her courage and said to Judy. Judy looked sulky and she shouted, "It''s none of your business!" "... She''s my woman, and she''s none of your business." Chapter 125 Chapter 125 "Things about her are businesses of my family, and it is none of your business." The man sitting quietly on the sofa suddenly stood up and looked around at the group of people in front of him. His voice was cold and clear. Standing beside him, Christina felt a little surprised. Judy, who was originally so domineering, looked a little frightened now. She seemed to be very afraid of her son. It was awkward. All of a sudden, everyone quieted down and thought deeply. "... Come here." Old Master Mr. Hopkins suddenly spoke in a deep voice. After saying that, he turned around and directly walked towards the corridor. Christina winked at Patrick slightly. She knew Old Master Mr. Hopkins was telling Patrick, who, however, had no intention of moving. "Patrick..." She secretly tugged at his sleeve. "Young Master Patrick, Old Master Mr. Hopkins has something important to talk to you about..." The old butler standing opposite could not help whispering a warning. His cold face was filled with impatience as if their return had disturbed his peace. This time, not only did Judy return, but Brianna and Barbara also returned. Barbara had always been on good terms with him. Seeing the awkward situation, Barbara then walked up to him and smiled, "We haven''t seen you for more than a month. Grandpa also wants to talk to you about something on his mind. Patrick, just follow him..." He nced at Barbara in front of him, pursed his lips, and frowned. He then turned around and walked towards the corridor. Christina stood there, looking at his back, inexplicably feeling a little lost. "Barbara, make yourself at home. Brianna and I will go into the room and arrange it." Judy spoke gently to others, but she didn''t even bother to look at Christina with respect. The maid led the Madam who had just returned, and the youngdy Brianna went back to her room, leaving only Christina and Barbara in the living room. "Christina, I haven''t seen you for more than a month. Your belly seems to have grown a lot." Barbara greeted her with a smile. She naturally held her hand and calmly said, "Don''t stand there. Sit down." Christina was a little dull and she just nodded at Barbara. Suddenly, Christina felt like she was the guest. "Well... Barbara, is it ok for you to tell me what grandpa was busy doing in Seattle for more than a month?" Christina hesitated for a while and asked her in a low voice. Barbara was startled by her question, then smiled casually. "Didn''t Patrick tell you?" She asked back so naturally. But when she said that, Christina suddenly felt so awful. Christina stopped asking. Barbara did not say anything more, so she made herself a cup of tea. Her slender fingers gently twirled the precious and exquisite white-jade teacup in her hand. She then raised her hand and drank it. "I don''t need you to meddle in my things..."T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. At the east end of the corridor, the summer wind was fresh and the light fragrance was pleasant. The water lilies nted in the lotus pond were in full bloom. The varieties were rare, with noble purple petals and golden stamens. Old Master Mr. Hopkins stood at the edge of the pavilion with his crutch. He looked at the beautiful lotus flowers in front of him and fell into his thought. The man standing behind him was not interested in watching the lotus and repeated impatiently, "I will deal with my things, I don''t need you..." "In a few months, I''ll be 81." The old man suddenly turned around, and he still looked stern and cold. However, experiences through the vicissitudes of life left marks on his face. Old Master Mr. Hopkins''s cloudy eyes looked straight at him, who was the only grandchild of his Hopkins Family. Patrick was slightly startled. At that moment, the old man was looking straight at him. He felt a little heavy, and pressed his lips tightly, suppressing his irritation. "Your mother... I agreed to her return." Perhaps as he grew old, he always had a kind of mentality of wanting to return to his roots and gradually put down his obsession. He could abandon all the resentments he once had. The past was over, and now... "I know you feel guilty about what happened to Derek, but he''s recovered now... About you, I''ve already contacted the doctor in Seattle..." "I don''t need you to worry about me." He still refused coldly. "Don''t worry!" The old man hit the floor angrily with his crutch, "Patrick, there''s a bullet in your head. How can I not worry about it?" Patrick''s face darkened slightly and his eyes were filled with mixed feelings. Without another word, he took big strides and just left... "Were Old Master Mr. Hopkins and others all back?" Christina went back to her bedroom. For some reason, she had no idea why she felt a little uneasy. She then chose to talk to Charles on WhatsApp. Christina texted in the WhatsApp under the WhatsApp name Invincible Tina. "Grandpa is talking with Patrick. I don''t know what they''re talking about. Charles, do you know what grandpa is doing in Seattle?" Charles replied, "Just leave it alone." Christina held the phone tightly, frowning and slightly angry. "Why can even Barbara know while I can''t know." Christina quickly sent a text on WhatsApp. Charles was curious when she mentioned Barbara. He then texted on WhatsApp, "Is Barbara in Hopkins Family now?" Christina suddenly did not want to return to him. She stood by the window and looked absent-mindedly at the beautiful lotus pond on the east side of the corridor. Her mood was somewhat heavy. "Christina, can you stop messing around? We were already badly implicated by you yesterday. Don''t tell me you''re jealous now." Charles was very resentful of Christina, who was a woman whose emotions could easily be guessed. Charles was afraid that something would happen to her again. She replied, "No." Christina had seen Barbara five times in total and was not jealous of her. But every time Christina faced that Barbara, she always felt a bit ufortable. She texted, "Charles, tell me frankly, did Patrick have anything to do with grandpa''s staying in Seattle for so long? Was there anything wrong with Patrick ...". A rattle-- Just as her message was sent, the door was suddenly opened. Christina looked at Patrick in front of her, then licked her phone screen as if she was guilty. "Ah, what''s wrong?" She was surprised. He walked up to her and didn''t say a word. However, suddenly he hugged her in his arms. He was a tall man who was hugging her with both arms, which made her look somehow petite. He then said, "Christina..." He lowered his head and put his face on her shoulder wearily. Her body was very soft, and he gently stroked her hair with his big palm, "Christina..." He said her name. But it seemed that he was hesitating to say something else. "Are you tired? Why don''t you lie in bed and rest for a while?" She tilted her head and stared at him, the weariness was on his forehead. She was very quiet and obedient, at least she didn''t argue with him, and didn''t push him away. In Patrick''s eyes, she was already very obedient today. "... I''m a little tired." He actuallyy on the bed and closed his eyes to rest. But Christina was pestered by him to sleep beside him. Christinay on his side, watching his brows shrinking tightly. She then quietly reached out and stroked between his brows, trying to soothe his indescribable worrying. Actually, just now she wanted to ask him what did grandpa say to him? But she held back. He looked really tired. She didn''t want to worry him. Chapter 126 Chapter 126 They slept until 6 pm. A maid knocking on the door woke them up. "Yeah." Christina heard the voice and answered vaguely. Nanny Faang had made dinner. Today Old Master Mr. Hopkins and the other would return home. They had to go to the Main Residence for dinner. "Patrick, get up." She was surprised that he slept so soundly but he was in high spirits this morning. She shook him, then noticed that his body temperature was high, and she immediately got up nervously. "Patrick, are you having a high fever?" She pressed her hand against his forehead, and her voice became irritable. The man quickly opened his eyes. "I''m fine." His voice was a little hoarse. He took her hand away, sat up, and tried to get out of bed. "You seem to easily have a very high fever these days." Christina crawled to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He might have just woken up, and his expression was a little stunned when she rested her hands around his waist. He turned to look at her worried expression suspiciously. He reached out his palm and patted her on the head. "You made me angry and that''s why I have a fever now." He seemed to tease her on purpose. But Christina didn''t find it funny at all. Instead, she thought that he deliberately changed the subject. "Patrick, I''m telling you, you have to see a doctor to take medicine when you''re sick. Don''t let people tell you about themon sense of life all day. It was the samest time. You worked overtime when you had a high fever..." He had gotten out of bed, tidied up his clothes, listening to the woman nagging. He walked up to her and went out of the bedroom with her in his arms. "Christina, it''s not easy for you to finally learn to care about your husband." Christina was so angry that she wanted to kick him. They got to the dining room of the Main Residence. Old Master Mr. Hopkins and Judy had sat down. Barbara was here. She looked up and smiled at them. On the other side, Brianna seemed timid and sat straight. There was not much emotion on Patrick''s face. After they sat down, the housekeeper on the side immediately motioned for the maid to serve. "Miss Parker, I''m so sorry." When Nanny Faang served soup, the chronic disease of her right hand rpsed and her hand trembled, so the soup was spilled out. "It''s okay." Barbara didn''t care. Instead, she stood up and took the spoon from Nanny Faang''s hand. "Let me do it. I''m not an outsider." She smiled amiably. "Grandpa, eat more." Barbara personallydled a bowl of Ginseng Soup for the old man. Old Master Mr. Hopkins grunted softly, looking worried, without appetite. Judy, on the other hand, was obviously very friendly with Barbara. She was very happy to take the Ginseng Soup from Barbara and casually asked, "As you are transferred back to A City to work, have you made arrangements for your house?" "Barbara, you transferred back to A City from Seattle?" The old man suddenly looked up, as if he was concerned about this matter. The other maids came over to serve the soup. Barbara sat down calmly and began to eat. Looking at the old man, she replied, "Yes, the work has been handed over. If there is no ident, I should have been developing my career at home." Judy''s smile grew brighter hearing this. "It''s good to stay at home. After all, you had to look after Derek in the first ce." "Don''t talk about business while eating." Old Master Mr. Hopkins suddenly interrupted their conversation in a deep voice. Judy immediately dialed it down and ate peacefully, while Christina did not dare to say a word at the table. asionally, she nced at the man beside her. Patrick ate like he was working, N?velDrama.Org content rights. expressionless. "Barbara, do you have any ns after you are back?" "Brianna like you so much. You cane to the Hopkinses to apany her often. Otherwise, ording to her temper, she might not be able to make friends." After dinner, they went to the living room for tea and fruit. Judy talked with Barbara. Christina was pregnant and she couldn''t drink tea. When passing by, she heard the two women if the woman hadn''t always given her a cold shoulder. "When did I offend her?" Christina had reflected more than once. Like her, Patrick didn''t like to stay in the living room. He went straight to the study. "I don''t even dare to ask now." Invincible Tina said, "I don''t want to argue with him." Christina walked out of the living room and did not want to stay in the bedroom. She ran to the backyard of the garden and sat down. A full moon hung high above her head, which seemed like a happy reunion. But for today''s dinner, she felt embarrassed. She didn''t appreciate the flowers and the moon, so she took out her cell phone to kill time. She happened to see Crystal sending her some new messages on WhatsApp, saying that a new boss woulde to thepany tomorrow, and she was a little excited. Pig Is Rising texted, "Christina, don''t mess with Mark anymore. You didn''t see that day. He was really nervous. I heardter that they found you in the Clifton District, he was relieved." Thinking of yesterday, Crystal felt shocked. Pig Is Rising said, "Christina, I''m speechless. You are kind to take the child home. How did you get lost by yourself? Fortunately, you are fine. Otherwise, I think your husband will turn the A City upside down." Christina looked at the screen of her phone, she looked gloomy with a surge of emotion surging in her heart. She knew that he cared about her. Pig Is Rising said, "The executive parachutes tomorrow is Barbara. Isn''t she the imaginary rival you''re talking about?" Invincible Tina replied, "I didn''t say she was my rival. I just thought her rtionship with Patrick was weird." Pig Is Rising said, "Christina, don''t worry. Barbara is quite decent. When I was studying in the united states, I had worked in the Seattle branch for half a year as an intern. Although I was not qualified to directly contact Miss Parker, who had a good reputation in thepany." Crystal thought about it and remembered another thing. "By the way, I heard that Barbara is very devoted. Her boyfriend was seriously ill and has been unconscious in Seattle private hospital for several years. She goes to the hospital every day to take care of him, waiting for him to wake up." "Barbara''s boyfriend?" After finished chatting with Crystal, Christina found that it was gettingte, she got up and prepared to go back to his bedroom. She clutched her phone in her right hand and frowned. "Charles never mentioned her boyfriend. I''ve been at Seattle hospital for so long. Why haven''t I heard of him?" Patrick''s study was next door to their bedroom. Christina heard some noise when she went to the staircase. The study door seemed to be opened impatiently. "I know you came back for Derek. I will definitely find him." It was Patrick''s voice, but it was too far for her to hear clearly. Christina slowed down and stood at the corner of the stairs, looking furtively at the study. "Patrick, what did grandpa say to you?" "You''re the one I''m worried about." Chapter 127 Chapter 127 At seven in the morning, Christina was woken up by Nanny Faang. The general meaning was that both Old Master Mr. Hopkins and Judy were in the Hopkinses now, it was not suitable for them to sleepte in the morning. Otherwise, this would be gossiped about and was a bad influence. "I''ll pay attention in the future." Christina was very grateful to Nanny Faang for her warning. After all, she should behave properly when his elders were back. She went into the bathroom to wash up quickly, changed her clothes, and rushed to the Main Residence... "Barbara, how did you sleepst night?" Christina stopped at the gate and listened to the small sounding from inside. Suddenly, she somehow had mixed feelings. Barbara spent the night in the Hopkinsesst night... Christina knew she shouldn''t be imagining things. There were so many guest rooms in the Hopkinses anyway. But judging by the rules of the Hopkinses, they didn''t seem to like to invite an outsider to stay overnight. Was Barbara an outsider? "Barbara, you''re not an outsider after all. Why don''t you just stay with the Hopkinses and don''t bother to find somewhere else to live? Brianna and I like you too..." It was Judy''s voice, who seemed to be in a good mood. Barbara was a little embarrassed, she then declined politely, "Grandpa has set rules. It''s not convenient for me to stay." Judy said confidently, "You don''t have to worry about that. Patrick promised to take good care of you. You can tell him about it. It''ll surely be ok..." Patrick promised to take good care of her... "Young madam." Suddenly, the maid who passed by the door called out. The two women in the living room immediately turned around to Christina. All of a sudden, everyone looked at each other with embarrassment. "What kind of manner is this? Hiding and eavesdropping..." Judy''s voice immediately cooled down, and the look in her eyes was also unfriendly, "The Dickens Family has raised such a daughter like you." Christina was angry, and she tried to retort. But she pursed her lips and held back. They chatted so loudly, and it turned out to be she was the one eavesdropping rudely. It seemed that every time she bumped into Judy, Judy showed her with no kindness. Christina lowered her head and hesitated at the gate, feeling a little reluctant to go in. "Christina, hurry up and get ready for breakfast." Barbara greeted her with a usual smile. "What are you doing standing here?" At this moment, a familiar figure behind Christina stepped closer. Patrick naturally put his right hand around her waist, looked down at her, and saw she was angry. He asked, "Still feel sleepy after being woken up?" She looked up at the man next to her, med him for all her unhappiness, andined in a low voice, "It''s all you. Why didn''t you wake me up?" Patrick raised his eyebrows slightly. This woman was truly unhappy. "Let''s eat." Behind them, Old Master Mr. Hopkins walked slowly into the main dining room. Everyone then sat down ordingly. Just likest night, the atmosphere at the meal table was heavy, everyone did not speak much. They even got so cautious when eating, and did not dare to make it too loud. However, Christina noticed that Old Master Mr. Hopkins felt much better this morning, at least he was not as grim as yesterday. ording to Nanny Faang, Patrick was summoned to Beiyuan by his grandfather early in the morning. The grandfather and grandson might have talked about the group. There were rumors spread at a time when Patrick was seriously injured after the car ident, and grandpa had been concerned about it. But Christina thought that what grandpa cared most was not thepany, but Patrick. What was grandpa doing in Seattle for more than a month? She still wanted to know. While she was thinking about it, suddenly the Old Master Mr. Hopkins nced at her, which frightened Christina. She immediately lowered her head with guilt, and quickly fed herself with a spoon of porridge. "Eat slowly." The man beside her frowned and handed her a clean handkerchief. Christina blushed slightly and did not even dare to raise her head. She took it silently and wiped the corners of her lips casually. "What, are you afraid of grandpa?" Patrick looked down at her. Her thoughts were easily guessed, as the thoughts were almost visible on her face. Christina felt more panicked when he asked so. She replied, "No." She then turned around, grabbed a ss of milk casually, pretended to be thirsty. She then drank the milk fastly as if she had no time to talk to him. "Christina, there''s another serving of milk. Do you want it?" Sitting opposite her, Barbara saw that her half-ss milk had been drunk out. Barbara smiled and handed over the milk in front of herself. Looking at the well-dressed woman in front of her, Christina honestly didn''t want to pick up the things she handed over. So Christina smiled back, "Thank you. I''ve been enjoying milk a lottely." She gave a too far-fetching reason. "Christina, don''t choke my son... Drink slowly." Patrick red at her angrily, picked up another clean handkerchief, leaned close to her lips, and told her in a low voice. The woman even looked like an amateur when she was pretending. "What happened?" After breakfast, Christina left the table and ran to the lotus pond. She then leaned on the railing, looking at the blooming lotus in a gloomy mood. Behind her came the familiar low voice, it was Patrick stepping towards her. "Nothing." She did not look back and replied sullenly. "Christina..." He turned her over with both hands and looked her in the eyes. This woman was drooping her head and was obviously unhappy. "The doctor said that the mood of the pregnant woman would affect the intelligence of the fetus..." "I also think I''m not smart enough." It was rare for her not to talk back. She then leaned forward and her forehead hit directly against his chest. She felt a little frustrated, "Patrick, I feel like... I''m really stupid." This made himugh out loud. "Why are youughing? I''m telling you the truth." She raised her head and red at him gloomily. Yesterday, grandpa and the others returned to their home country suddenly. Grandpa called Patrick to talk. She knew it must be for something very important. Patrick didn''t want to tell her. She then asked Barbara naturally. "Didn''t Patrick tell you?" Yesterday Barbara asked her back naturally. This sentence didn''t mean anything, but when Barbara said that, she was naturally doubly shocked. Wasn''t this insinuating that Barbara was surprised at Patrick not telling her. "So she didn''t know either... Then why did she use that tone?" She buried her face in Patrick''s chest and murmured. Last night at the stairwell, Christina heard clearly that Barbara was asking Patrick what his grandfather had told him. So it clearly showed that Barbara knew nothing either. "What''s wrong exactly?" N?velDrama.Org content rights. Patrick didn''t think much about it. Instead, he felt funny seeing that this woman threw herself into his arms early in the morning and knocked her forehead on his chest. "Patrick, I think I''m getting pettier and pettier." She looked very depressed. After thinking about it, she thought Barbara probably didn''t mean it either. Being jealous was not the true her, "Hey, maybe my son influenced me." Hearing that she unreasonably med her unborn son for the mistakes, Patrick smiled and smoothed her long hair, "It''s boring at home... There''s apany orientation party at Fire Club tonight. Do you want to go?" Chapter 128 Chapter 128 At thepany''s weing party... "I don''t know those people in the group." Christina was a little frustrated. She had never worked since she graduated from college and felt that she had left behind society. "I am a disgraceful illiterate." After thinking for a while, she hugged her man and rubbed him with her hands. "Patrick, after I give birth to my son, I want to work like Barbara..." "You want to be a senior executive like Barbara?" Patrick gazed down at her frustrated face, chuckled, and said with disagreeing, "Christina, I don''t think you''ll ever learn that." "Don''t underestimate me. I graduated from a prestigious school too!" Seeing her indignant expression, Patrick thought that she was a little persistent. After thinking about it, he told her seriously, "You don''t need to be like her..." As soon as he said that, the servants from the corridor rushed over. "Young Master Patrick, Old Master is waiting for you in the car." "Patrick, you have to work hard to make money. You have a wife and a son to raise. Go quickly." Christina pushed him, telling him to hurry, lest the Old Master be impatient. "I''ll send a car to pick you up for the Fire Club''s weing party. Don''t go alone, you hear me?" Before Patrick left, he did not forget to warn her. "Got it." She continued to stoop over the fence by the lotus pond, and as she watched the man in front of her walk away, she felt a little emotional. There was a saying that one of the reasons why there were so many divorces in modern society was that modern couple were not like the couple in the old days who worked together in the mountains, whose learning and understanding were synchronized. In modern times, one of the two had been in contact with new things and was improving, while the other had stopped, which created a gap between the two, and they gradually were not on the same track. His man was too good, which made Christina worried. Originally, she didn''t like this ice-like man, thinking that she was just forced to remarry for her pregnancy and forced to give birth, which was just a deal. She didn''t know since when she was loath to part with him, was attached to him, was worried and afraid the distance between the two of them was greater. Then, she would never catch up with him. Pig Is Rising: [ Christina, do pregnant women have hormonal disorders and like to think nonsense. ] Crystal cked off at work and secretly chatted with her via WhatsApp. [Although Mark is outstanding, he doesn''t seem to be a man who has an affair.] Invincible Tina: [Life is so long, how do I know whether that ice-like man will betray me? Of course, I have to be vignt.] Pig Is Rising: [Forget it, he''s had enough troubles marrying you... And look, you changed the name of my wise and powerful boss into some bullshit name as Antarctic Ice Cube. He didn''t evenin. Dead Christina, don''t try to ruin his lofty temperament all the time, okay?] Christina felt that this woman had been blinded by his charm and that she had scolded her for him regardless of their friendship. Invincible Tina: [Patrick isn''t as good as you think he is. He''s so fierce when he''s angry.] Pig Is Rising: [That was because you, a wife who didn''t do anything, made him angry. If anyone else dares to make him angry, he probably won''t even be angry and just let someone kick him out.] But Crystal thought about it. Christina''s worry was reasonable. Who she married was Patrick. Gods knew it was good luck or bad luck. Pig Is Rising: [It''s rare for Mark to let you know his friends. You have to take the initiative to blend in. Connections, you know? For people like us who were in this society, connections are priceless. You have to go to the weing party.] After a long conversation with Crystal, Christina felt that what this unreliable ssmate Crystal said made sense. She threw her phone on the bed and ran to the cloakroom to select clothes for tonight''s party. Around 5 pm, Patrick sent someone to pick her up to the Fire Club bar. Perhaps it was because she once went to the wrong floor, so the two bodyguards who were watching her were on full alert and insisted on seeing her to the top. She came early. Old Master Mr. Hopkins went to thepany today, and there was probably a board meeting, so when she reached the top, the huge space was quiet. Bored, she turned around and found several emergency openings. The bar staff was cing food in the middle of the buffet. She was not hungry and continued walking. Suddenly, a familiar figure rushed over. "Be careful -" Christina reacted quickly. Seeing that the woman in front of her seemed to have sprained her high heels and jumped forward, she subconsciously wanted to help her. However, the impact was a little strong when she jumped over. Almost out of instinct, Christina quickly squatted down, lowered her center of gravity, and supported herself with her right hand back to the floor at the same time. She could not let herself fall. "Thank you." Soon, the woman in front of her was also caught on. "What happened to you, Barbara? Are you okay?" Christina saw her take a step back with aplicated look, and the corners of her eyes seemed to be wet. Had she cried? T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Barbara stood up with an embarrassed expression and didn''t want to borate. "Nothing. I think I just saw an acquaintance. I chased him, but he ignored me..." Her voice lowered, and when she looked down, she saw that Christina''s right palm seemed to be bleeding since she was trying to help her. "Your hand..." She said. "Christina!" Suddenly, an aggressive voice shouted at them. "Please don''t run around. You''re heavily pregnant. If you die, we would be in big trouble too. Why are you lying on the ground? What if Patrick sees youter..." As soon as Charles came over, he saw her lying on the cold floor with one hand, so he scolded her. However, when he came closer, he was even angrier. "Damn you, Christina, you came here to bring troubles for me, didn''t you?" Before Christina could exin, Charles frowned. He turned around and shouted at the manager of the bar. "Call someone who knows nusing." "I''m fine." "Christina, you''d better wish that Patrick would be blind and wouldn''t see it!" Charles red at her. Christina felt guilty and shut up. The manager of the bar rushed over with the medicine box and led Christina into one of the private rooms to disinfect and bandage the wound on her right palm. "She just wanted to give me a hand. Her palm probably hit the fire-resistant metal sensor buckle in the corner of the floor. There''s no need..." Barbara was surprised to see Charles act like this. She chuckled. "Don''t be so dramatic. It''s just a little bruise." "A little bruise." Charles red at the private door on the left, heartbroken. "Barbara, you don''t know what''s going on... If Patrick sees her bleeding, he''ll be heartbroken." Chapter 129 Chapter 129 "Mr. Hopkins, you''reing..." The door to the top floor of Fire Club was opened, and a man walked in slowly. Ignoring the ttering voices around him, he raised his eyes and looked around, and walked directly to the semicircr bar on the east side. "Patrick, is Grandpaing with the other shareholders?" As soon as Barbara turned around, she saw the man walking toward her and asked with a smile. "Grandpa doesn''t like bars," Patrick replied faintly. Before the words were out of his mouth, he suddenly frowned and lowered his voice. "What happened to your hand?" Patrick stared fixedly at Christina''s hand. But Christina immediately hid her hands behind her back. "What''s going on?" T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. How could Patrick let her go so easily? He looked at the woman with dark eyes and grabbed her right hand, which was wrapped in white gauze. "Nothing." Christina did not want to exin and tried to withdrew her hand, but Patrick sped her wrist. "Her palms are a little bruised," Charles said innocently. He had known that Patrick would me him, so he took a sip from his ss and did not forget to emphasize, "Christina hurt herself." Patrick deliberately pressed his finger on the wound. Christina strained her face as stinging pain came from the wound and her brow furrowed a little, which made Patrick even more irritated. "I''ve told you this morning to wait and I would send someone to pick you up. You didn''t listen to me." "It''s because of me." Barbara smiled awkwardly and she wasn''t expected that Patrick would be angry so easily. "Patrick, don''t me Christina. She was holding me up, so her palm hit the fire-sensitive metal buckle on the floor..." "I''d love to." Christina, not knowing what mood she was in, darkened her face and muttered. It means that her injury had nothing to do with him, nor did she need Barbara to intercede for her. "Christina!" Patrick''s face was a little gloomy. He bent down, put his hands on her shoulders, and pressed his lips against her ears. He said angrily, "How many times have I told you not to unt your superiority." "I didn''t hurt my son." Christina''s first thought was that she was pregnant and raised her head rather proudly, adding, "I reacted quickly and immediately half crouched down and propped myself up on the floor with one hand, I wouldn''t let my son have an ident." Patrick looked sideways at her and was so angry that she dared to show a smug look on her face. "Christina, you''re very proud, huh?" He was angry butughed out loud. He simply sat next to her and pulled her down on hisp. He put his left hand around her abdomen and raised his right hand to deliberately ruffle her hair on her forehead. "Hey, don''t mess up my hair." "It looks no different than usual..." "That''s because you don''t appreciate it. I''m obviously prettier than usual tonight." Christina was not modest at all. Patrickughed and said nothing more. A little depressed and with her hair mussed on her forehead, Christina simply rubbed against his shoulder. She did pick out some clothes and get a haircut to attend his party today, trying to impress his senior staff and friends, but it didn''t seem necessary. Those people didn''t dare toe. "Patrick, if your wife changes her clothes and hairstyle, you have to praise her, or I have the right to be angry with you." Christina recently read a lot of articles about how men and women get along. "Then remember to remind me." Patrick was obliging. Dissatisfied, Christina punched him in the chest with her right hand. "That will be meaningless if you need me to remind you." Patrick was punched by her, but it didn''t hurt at all. He didn''t understand what a woman was thinking about. It was hard for him to understand. He felt helpless. "You''re the same every day. You don''t have to dress up deliberately." Barbara grabbed half a ss of red wine from the bar and couldn''t help but look over at them. She lowered her eyes, pursed her lips tightly, raised her ss, and drank it all in one gulp. "By the way, Barbara, a Fire Club staff said you were running in the hallway..." Charles curiously chatted with her. "Are you chasing someone who dares to steal your wallet?" Barbara was stunned by his question and put down the ss in her hand. With sadness on her face, she murmured, "I saw a figure that looked like him just now, so..." "You mean you see Derek here at Fire Club?" "I think I have the wrong person." The bartender filled Barbara with half a ss of red wine. She picked it up and took another big gulp, feeling a little upset and depressed. "Don''t go online and read those posts that are meaningless at all." Patrick and Christina did not hear their conversation. Christina was scolded by him, her face bulging with anger and remaining silent. Charles felt a little pleased when he saw that Christina was deted. This demon girl just needed to be dealt with. But he suddenly remembered something else. "Patrick, there is one thing I want to talk about..." With that, Charles stood up from the chair at the bar with a serious expression on his face. "That video..." When Patrick saw Charles, he gave a hint to Christina to move from his legs and naturally put her back into the chair. He approached Charles and the two men headed towards the French window on the other side in tacit agreement. "It was the day when you had a car ident and Christina was taken to the hospital in advance by a man and they were caught on a video. I was going to send it to you, but that night, myputer was hacked and all the data were gone..." Christina looked over at them. She could not hear what they were talking about, but from a distance, Patrick''s face was a little gloomy. Probably he was in a bad mood. "Christina, I heard you install a bug in Patrick''s phone?" Barbara also nced at the two men in the distance, but she quickly withdrew her gaze, with a habitual smile on her face, as if asking her casually. But when Christina heard her ask about it, she felt a little conflicted. Thest time Patrick found out that she had secretly installed a bug, he scolded her mercilessly. "Don''t mind, I''m just curious because almost no one can do these things to Patrick..." Barbara looked at her and said with a chuckle, "How did youe up with that? It''s really interesting."? "I bought it online. It can be controlled remotely, and can conduct anti-reconnaissance." Christina was sad. The bug cost her three thousand dors, but it was broken by Patrick. "No, I didn''t ask where you bought it," Barbara picked up the wine ss at the bar again and thoughtfully swirled the fragrant red wine, saying in a slow tone. "I just wanted to say, how dare you install this on Patrick''s phone? Don''t you know that your behavior... is betrayal?" Her tone was sarcastic. Christina frowned, looking straight back to her look of contempt. Was she contemptuous of my mistakes? "Christina, don''t you know what you did wrong... Have you heard of the werewolf story?" Barbara''s extremely calm tone sounded very cold. "It is said that werewolf is a very powerful and mysterious species. They are ferocious and violent, but there are exceptions... Once they fall in love with someone, they will kneel and raise their heads to show their lifelong loyalty." "I heard that when a werewolf raises his neck, it means that he is willing to show his fatal weakness, and some people will take the opportunity to kill him with a sharp de." In the end, Barbara''s voice went even colder. The person you love the most will give you the most fatal injury. This kind of injury is equivalent to betrayal. Christina''s heart trembled as she listened and her eyes widened slightly at Barbara. Immediately, she lowered her head and did not look at Barbara again, but concerned. No wonder Patrick was so angry that day. "But I just want to get closer to him..." Chapter 130 Chapter 130 "What''s wrong?" Patrick gazed down at the woman in front of him. She was obviously unhappy. Christina nced at him and lowered her head in silence. "By the way, didn''t Chandler say he wasing over? I haven''t seen him in years..." Barbara suddenly asked with a stiff smile on her face. Charles answered, "You surly haven''t seen Chandler for long. His son is already five now." "His child must be very gentle and handsome." Hearing that, Patrick said calmly, "Chandler wille with that child today..." Though Patrick was indifferent, he liked that smart kid. Charles also liked that kid and smiled merrily. "Barbara, when you see that little boy whose name is N?velDrama.Org content rights. Geoffrey, you will definitely like him. He looks as innocent as Chandler, but in fact, very cunning and scheming." As they were talking about the past, Christina sat quietly by their side. She did not say anything, as she couldn''t really have an opinion on it. "Perhaps that woman woulde as well. Forget it. It''s a rare chance for us to get together. That kind of people will just spoil the fun." Charles spoke directly, a bit irritated. "After all, she''s Chandler''s wife, and Geoffrey''s mother. Charles, don''t look so bothered." Barbara exhorted her, raising the ss in her hand and clinking it joyfully with him. Christina couldn''t understand what they were talking about, but Chandler''s wife didn''t seem to be very weed by Charles''s words. "Wanna go home?" The man beside her said in a low voice. She was stunned and a little dull. She looked at Patrick holding her right wrapped hand. He rubbed her wound with slight pressure, but it was more like a stroke. Although she didn''t understand their conversation and their past, at least he didn''t leave her alone. "No, I was thinking that you do have a lot of friends." Suddenly, her tone was a little awkward. She really didn''t understand Patrick''s life, let alone his circle. This so-called orientation aimed to expand Barbara''s domestic connections. There were several senior executives who had appeared on television and some rich businessmen. These people were mostly here for Patrick''s sake. When Patrick heard her words, he smiled. "Why, do you think I have no friend..." Then he added, "I asked them to bring their wives and children over today. If you feel bored, you can chat with those women." Perhaps it was because his eyes were focused and indulgent, her cheeks were a little red as she murmured, "I''m not familiar with them." "If you like, they will try to familiarize themselves with you instead." Patrick''s tone was firm and disdainful. Everything you wanted woulde true. "Oh." Christina was a little confused, and she answered absent-mindedly. Patrick seemed to like to see her freeze up when she went nk. He was in a good mood. He put his hand around her waist, pulled her body to his chest and leaned his head against her shoulder. Christina was so tightly held by him that she was a little embarrassed. There were so many people watching them. But Patrick behind her did not seem to mind it at all. His head rested on her shoulder and he rubbed his thin lips against her earlobe asionally. All of a sudden, Christina''s ears turned red. At this moment, two men on the left came over with wine sses in their hands. They nced at each other in surprise. All the business people were extremely sophisticated and did not dare to disturb them. With a smile on his face, he clinked sses with Charles and others. "Why didn''t I see anyone from the Fishers today..." "You the Hopkinses, the Shepherds, and the Fishers from F City have always been in good rtions with one another, but seemingly you have seldom been together in the past few years. I heard that next month is Mrs. Fisher''s 50th birthday. Charles, will youe?" "That old witch!" Charles and Barbara were greeting each other, while Christina faintly heard them mentioning "Mrs. Fisher". She felt angry. "Did she offend you?" Patrick rarely saw his wife so indignant and hateful. Christina grimaced and thought of something terrible. She wanted to say something, but suddenly Patrick''s phone rang. After he answered the phone, his face became a little solemn. "Chandler has something urgent to deal with. He''s noting." After a while, Patrick hung up his phone and said calmly. "What''s wrong?" Charles raised his eyebrows slightly. They knew that Chandler was very punctual. He rarely broke his promise. "Did something happen to him?" Patrick''s face darkened, but he didn''t say much. "Don''t tell me, it''s that woman again. I really don''t understand why Chandler has been holding her back..." Charles seemed to have guessed something and his voice was a little angry. Christina didn''t know what he was angry about, but she felt a little guilty when she heard him say that. She herself had a tantrum with Patrick a few days ago. "You are different from her." He whispered with a low voice in her ear. Christina was curious about what unbearable things Chandler''s wife had done. "I''ll have a good chat with Erica when I have time." Barbara said in a low voice with a thoughtful look in her eyes. Charles snorted angrily. "Barbara, remember to tell the woman to cherish what she has. If she really dares to go out and cheat on Chandler, though he wants to bear her for their son, we won''t stand it anymore." Charles hated Chandler for marrying that woman back home. When they got married, she liked to finally she hated the Stephenson Family for being less powerful than Hopkins Family. Over the past few years, Sheined that Chandler has been too busy with work to apany her or not pay attention to her, and she had affairs with some deceptive handsome boys outside. Chandler was indeed a gentle man, but he had his own bottom line... "Go back." Patrick''s face darkened when he heard these trivial things. He hugged the woman beside him and stood up. Christina had no problem. She politely said goodbye to Charles and Barbara and left side by side with him. When she entered the elevator, Christina suddenly remembered that Crystal had said that she would "Where are you? I''m going home." She took her phone from her bag and quickly called Crystal. To Christina''s surprise, there seemed to be something wrong with Crystal''s side. She was a little anxious. "I was downstairs at the Fire Club... A man suddenly shoved a five-year-old boy to me and asked me to take care of him. The parents of the child were quarreling..." "Hold on, what''s going on?" Christina frowned and she was hung up. They had already exited the elevator and reached the underground parking lot. Patrick turned to look at her. "What''s wrong?" "Maybe my friend''s phone is out of charge." Christina guessed that although she didn''t quite understand what Crystal was saying, she would be fine. "Patrick, something''s wrong." Another elevator door opened and Barbara ran out anxiously. "Erica just called me in tears and said Chandler was going to kill her..." When Patrick heard her say this, he immediately thought of Chandler''s angry voice on the phone and frowned. "I''ming over now..." Patrick took the car keys and quickly opened the door. He almost subconsciously turned to look at Christina, but she stood still with a frozen expression. Barbara already sat in the passenger seat and said with an urgent voice, "Patrick, hurry up. Chandler only listens to you. Let''s go and have a look." Christina just looked at them. For a moment, she really didn''t know if she should go with them, and if yes, where should she sit. To see someone else sitting in the passenger seat of her husband''s car was really awkward... Did she do it intentionally or unintentionally? Chapter 131 Chapter 131 "I see." She stood there with mixed feelings as the ck Bugatti in front of her sped away. Patrick and Barbara left, leaving her behind. The Fire Club in the city center was filled with noise and excitement, and she felt lonely standing in this Patrick asked the bodyguard to send her back to the Hopkinses. On the way, Christina quietly looked at the streetlights outside the car window. It seemed like something urgent had happened, but Christina told herself not to ask because it was none of her business. If she asked, Patrick would say that she was messing around, and then she would let her imagination go wild. She had to admit that she was not emotionally intelligent enough to hide her depression. When she returned to the Hopkinses, the maid asked her to eat but she had no appetite. After a warm bath, she climbed onto the big bed in herfortable pajamas and told herself to get some rest. But she was unable to fall asleep. She tossed and turned in bed. "Why can''t I know..." She was not happy that she didn''t know anything and she had a feeling of being excluded from the circle. The phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated. Christina perked up and quickly got up. When she picked up the phone and looked at the screen, she was a little disappointed. It was not him who was calling her. Pig Is Rising: Christina, are you free now? It was Crystal who sent her a WhatsApp message, "If you and Mark are busy, forget it. I won''t disturb you." She sounded a little hesitant. Crystal thought she shouldn''t disturb a couple at night. Invincible Tina: Patrick is out. I''m alone in the bedroom. What''s the matter? When Crystal saw Christina''s message, she was a little excited and quickly asked her for some advice. Pig Is Rising: Christina, tell me how to get along with children! Invincible Tina: I don''t know... By the way, what did you mean by bringing a five-year-old boy home? Crystal, child trafficking is illegal. No matter what happens to you, just let the police handle it. Crystal read the message from Christina and hesitated. She turned to look at the boy behind her and sighed helplessly. Pig Is Rising: This child''s father is an important partner in ourpany''s project, and that man helped mest time. He asked me to look after his son in person. I can''t just drop my kid off at the police station right now. It''s not a good idea. Christina was a little curious about who the man was and why she hadn''t heard about their story. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Before she had finished editing her message, Crystal was in a hurry to send her a voice message. Pig Is Rising: Christina, hurry up and tell me how to get along with kids. He is difficult to get along with. I asked him to eat, but he said he wasn''t hungry. I found some toys to coax him, but he looked at me like he was looking at an idiot. What the hell? He''s driving me crazy. Crystal lowered her voice andined. Christina chuckled when she heard that Crystal was really helpless. Invincible Tina: That little boy I metst time in Clifton District was a leftover child. He was shy. His mother abandoned him since he was a child and he grew up with his grandmother, so the little boy was very good except for being a crybaby. Pig Is Rising: Why? They''re all kids with psychological problems, but the one you met is obedient and the boy at my home is unruly. Crystal was very depressed. Pig Is Rising: When I got to the first floor of the Fire Club, my clothes were a little messy and I wanted to go to thedies'' room to tidy up. But I saw a handsome boy in thedies'' room. I thought he had gone to the wrong ce and wanted to let him out gently, but I found the little boy staring at a cubicle in the bathroom with a sullen look. When Christina heard this, she was immediately shocked and sent another message, "Could it be that his mother was having sex with another man inside?" Crystal''s expression was a little solemn and replied, "Yes, it was really disgusting." Pig Is Rising: The cubicle was unlocked and the door was left ajar. It was probably because they couldn''t wait to have sex... Bah, they were disgusting. They were like a bitch in heat that the woman moaned so loudly inside. She must be crazy. Her son was standing outside. In the end, Crystal couldn''t help but curse. Pig Is Rising: Not long after, a man ran over in a rage and kicked the door of the cubicle open... I saw everything. The kept man already took off his pants. Tsk, tsk, they almost had sex. Christina was thoughtful when she listened to Crystal''s angry voice messages. Invincible Tina: Crystal, what are you going to do with the little boy you brought home? He saw this... Or you can coax him to sleep. It''s almost 10 o''clock. A five-year-old child was still very young mentally, but it didn''t mean that he knew nothing. He knew what his mother had done was dishonorable. This kind of thing had a very bad effect on the boy. Crystal didn''t know what to do. She thought and sent another message, "Forget it. I don''t even know the name of this little guy. He doesn''t like to talk to me. He keeps a straight face. He doesn''t cry or make a scene when he saw his parents argue. He''s very calm." It was just that he was so calm that it made people feel sorry for him. Invincible Tina: Crystal, stop talking. Just sit next to the child and stay with him quietly. If he''s tired and asleep, cover him with a nket. Christina couldn''t think of a good way, so she could only give Crystal a suggestion ording to her own logic. Suddenly, she thought of Patrick because he was cold and didn''t like to talk to people. He always frowned and looked sulky. He didn''t want to say anything to anyone. When he was like this, Christina would pester him and sit quietly beside him. She didn''t know if Patrick would be annoyed by her, but besides these, she really didn''t know what to do. Christina got a message... She lowered her head and took a look. "I''ll go backter. Go to bed early." It was a short text message from Patrick. She looked at the screen of her cell phone, and suddenly it seemed as if all her previous frustrations had disappeared. He was still thinking about her. She put her phone back on the nightstand, dimmed the lights, andy back on the bed, feeling sleepy. When she woke up the next morning, Christina found out that Patrick had not returned homest night. "Nanny Faang, didn''t Patricke backst night?" After washing up, she changed her clothes and rushed to the Main Residence. She wanted to call Patrick directly, but she was afraid that it would hinder his work. She happened to meet Nanny Faang who was preparing breakfast, so she walked up and asked her urgently. "Young Master Patrick, this morning..." Nanny Faang looked back at her and was about to continue, but she was interrupted by a cold voice, "Your husband is busy outside, but you can sleep so soundly. This is the daughter taught by the Dickens Family!" It was her mother-inw Judy''s voice. Christina looked at her with aplicated expression. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, "Why do you hate me so much?" Christina asked directly, and Judy was a little surprised. "Patrick is back. He and Chandler are with grandpa now..." Barbara''s voice came from outside the door. Judy was hesitant for a moment, as if she was avoiding a topic. She strode away with a sullen look. When Christina saw that Judy left without scolding her, she was even more confused, but she didn''t run over to ask. "Do you know why Patrick has always disliked women since he was a child?" When Barbara saw that Christina had been staring at Judy''s back, she asked Christina this ambiguous question. Christina turned to her and said nothing. "Judy had an affair when she was young and was caught by Patrick..." Chapter 132 Chapter 132 "Patrick hates the sound of the piano and women... I don''t think you know more about him than I do. " Barbara looked at her with a habitual smile. After a pause, she kindly reminded Christina, "But, Christina, I think you''d better not ask him, lest you have a quarrel again..." Hearing that, Christinapressed her lips silently. Staring at Barbara, Christina could clearly see the slight smugness on her face. Christina did not answer, so Barbara suddenly looked nervous and stepped forward half a step. "Christina, are you angry? Please don''t. I just wanted to remind you... Because I am afraid that no one will tell you this." Barbara''s tone sounded quite sincere. Christina remained silent and frowned. Suddenly, she could not tell whether Barbara was sincere. Christina could not act like her, nor could she learn how to pose the fake smiles from the workce. "Thank you." In the end, Christina thanked Barbara softly, but her tone was a little stiff. As Barbara had expected, no one would tell Christina anything about him, let alone the fact that Patrick''s mother, Judy, had cheated on her husband, and Patrick had seen it at a young age. Christina didn''t want to talk about it anymore, so she turned around and walked past Barbara into the restaurant. "Christina, you don''t have to be too depressed..."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. As Christina brushed past Barbara, Barbara''s eyes were shing with mixed emotions. She looked at Christina''s back. Then, she said so with sincerity. "Although Patrick has always hated women from a young age and refused to stay close to women, you are the mother of his child, so he will certainly treat you differently for the sake of his own child." Hearing that, Christina couldn''t help walking more heavily, with her right hand tightened slightly. ''He will definitely treat you differently for the sake of his own child.'' Christina was annoyed. Barbara was taunting her. "It means that Patrick is nice to me because I am identally pregnant..." Christina pursed her lips tightly, with irritation suppressed under her brows. Something happened to the Stephenson Family. As a result, they dyed their breakfast today. Around 8: 30 a.m., Old Master Mr. Hopkins, Patrick, and Chandler came to the Main Residence''s dining room to have dinner. Everyone ate politely and silently. After dinner, Chandler respectfully walked up to the Old Master to make polite conversation with mixing emotions on his face, and then he left quickly. "Patrick, you need to attend two important meetings in thepany today. Let''s hurry over now, or others will wait for a long time..." Seeing that it was gettingte, Barbara quickly packed up the briefcase in the living room and turned to urge the man beside. Few people could urge him to hurry up in such a natural tone. Christina, who was a little annoyed, couldn''t help ncing at Barbara. Christina didn''t want to stay in the living room anymore, so she walked out expressionlessly and would like to take in the fresh air in the back garden. It was Barbara, the senior executive of the group. No wonder Patrick said I wasn''tpetent. "Compared to her, I''m really ashamed!" She gritted her teeth angrily. "What are you angry about?" The familiar low voice came from behind when Christina just arrived at the rockery. The man looked at her sullen face and knitted brows. Then, he thought and added after thinking for a while, "Last night, Chandler..." "Don''t tell me this!" Christina turned around angrily and looked straight at him. "What''s wrong with you?" It seemed that she was really angry. He had noticed that her face had been darkened since the meal began, so he came to have a talk with her before going to work. He strode over and naturally reached out when he saw a leaf on her shoulder. "Christina, I texted youst night. Please do not make a small temper..." He thought she was making a small temper about leaving her in the parking lotst night. "Am I making a small temper?" Her look wasplicated. And then she pushed him away. "Patrick, I''m indeed angry!" "But I am not making a fuss. You are often busy with your business. And I don''t dare to disturb you," she looked straight at him, with her eyes filled with anger and her voice raised. "But, don''t you say that we have been married? Then why do I have to know everything about you from other people? You think I''m not qualified to know, so you don''t want to tell me anything!" Patrick stood there in a daze. He had never expected her to say these words. But Christina in front of him had already strode away. She didn''t want to see him now! "Christina, why are you here?" Happened to meet Christina at the gate of themunity, Crystal was a little surprised, and then she realized what happened and immediately asked, "Did you argue with my boss?" Christina''s face darkened, and it was obvious that Crystal was right. "I happen to ask for leave today, otherwise you can''t find me." Crystal walked into the elevator with her to go back to the apartment. "I''m just here for a stroll," Christina replied dully. Last time, Crystal gave her the key friendly. And Crystal promised that Christina coulde here when she was in a bad mood. Now, Christina needed her so Christina came here. "By the way, where''s the little boy?" Christina thought of some serious matters although she was upset. Crystal subconsciously looked back and shrugged. "He just got picked up by his father." "Oh, are they driving south in a white Bentley..." Christina was a little impressed that she had just met a new famous car as the driver of the Hopkinses sent her here. "Crystal, I think the kid is from a rich family," Christina turned to look at Crystal who was holding the key to open the door, thought for a while, and asked, "Do you like that man?" Dong- The key in Crystal''s hand slipped and fell to the ground. She turned her head gloomily. "What are you talking about? He is so wealthy that I was not worthy of him. Besides, I''m not interested in a married man." As she spoke, she thought of something else. "By the way, if you''re free, go to a ce with me today..." They excitedly went into the apartment to clean up, picked clothes that matched most in the closet, and had a delicate light make-up... Until they were dressed up beautifully, they carried their bags and walked out excitedly. Around 11: 30, they went straight to the most luxurious hotel in the east of the city by taxi. "Christina, your phone is ringing." Crystal beside her saw that she was hesitant so Crystal reminded her, "It''s probably your husband''s call. Don''t you answer it?" It was indeed Patrick''s call. "I''ll be hometer..." "Don''t bother. I know that you have two important meetings today, and I have something important to do as well." Christina was still angry. "Patrick, I''m going on a blind date..." Chapter 133 Chapter 133 The most luxurious hotel in the east of the city Crystal mentioned was Gordon Hotel, owned by IP&G Group. "Christina, what did you say to Mark on the phone just now? A blind date?" Crystal red at the woman next to her and sighed. "This is your husband''s hotel. If he misunderstands and gets angry, he can kick us out. Your husband is not an ordinary person. You must be careful to serve him..." Christina didn''t want to hear her ramble, so she changed the subject. "Crystal, you haven''t told me who was the father of that little boy you brought homest night." At the mention of this, Crystal''s expression became a little strange. She stuttered, "We''re not really friends. We just happen to know each other." Christina narrowed her eyes and looked at Crystal. "You saidst night that the man was an important client of thepany. What''s his name? I might know him." "Christina, you don''t answer the questions I ask you, but you pry into my privacy..." Crystal immediately became anxious and shouted at Christina with a straight face, "I see. You must be jealous of Barbara, right? You refuse to admit it." "I''m not!" With a sullen look, Christina grabbed a cup of hot cocoa from the table and took a big gulp. Crystal nced at her angrily. Christina never said uncle. "If you don''t care about Patrick, you won''t be jealous." "In today''s society, many people marry not for love, but because they are old enough to get married..." Crystal mocked herself and added, "For example, I''m one of them." At this point, Christina frowned and looked at the time on her phone. "Why hasn''t the man who asked you out on a blind date arrived yet?" "Ie half an hour early." Crystal was a little nervous. Looking at her best friend, who was the campus belle, she felt even more inferior. "Christina, do you think any man would like a in woman like me?" "Bah." The beautiful woman sitting opposite sipping hot cocoa cursed with a straight face. "Men are cheap by nature. They prefer those sultry women... I think you''re very good. Don''t bother with those bastards. I guess they have bad taste." Christina raised her eyebrows and said in a disdainful tone, "Do you know the Stephenson Family in C City? One of Patrick''s cronies, Chandler, is a good-looking, gentle man. Unfortunately, he was seduced by beauty and married a slut..." "Charles told me that after Chandler''s wife gave birth to a child, she liked to hang out and y cards with those richdies. They gambled a lot, had fun and went to the hot springs with a group of men. When she was tired, she got a room for the night..." Crystal''s eyes widened in surprise at her gossiping. "I can''t tell that woman likes to gamble so much..." She murmured. Christina didn''t hear what she was saying and continued to grumble. "Charles said that her monthly N?velDrama.Org content rights. expenditure is at least enough to buy an apartment in the city center... The elders of the Stephenson Family are gentle and don''t ask for much from their daughter-inw. They put up with her because she bore their family a child. They can put up with her spending too much money, but if she sleeps with other men, it''s too much..." No one knew what Crystal was thinking, and she was a little absent-minded. In fact, the Stephenson Family was only a schrly family, not a rich family. "That woman spent so much money... No wonder he worked so hard..." "Who are you talking about?" Christina was curious. Before Crystal could answer her, there was suddenly a shrill female voice came from their left. She warned them with gritted teeth, "Crystal, you better shut up. If you dare to talk nonsense, don''t me me for being rude!" Christina and Crystal heard the voice and turned to look at Sabrina, their old ssmate. "What does it matter to you that we''re sitting here talking?" Crystal looked at Sabrina with a straight face. "You took leave of absence toe here and smear my cousin. Shouldn''t I stop you, Crystal? You''d better stay out of trouble. You are not allowed to mention a word about what you saw yesterday!" Sabrina was angry and yelled at he. Christina was confused. "What happened yesterday?" She was just taunting Chandler''s wife... "Ying, how can you be in the same department as this kind of person? She''s ridiculous..." A sexy woman with makeup and red lips in front of her strode towards them, twisting her waist, and gave Crystal a disdainful look. "She''s ugly and not qualified to entertain clients in the IP&G Group. No one wants to have sex with such an ugly woman." Bang. Christina pped the table angrily and stood up. "Who are you calling ugly?" Sabrina looked a little apprehensive and immediately walked over to the woman and pulled her clothes. "Cousin, don''t..." But the other party was not in the mood to listen to Sabrina. She looked at Christina up and down arrogantly and mocked her contemptuously. "You work for IP&G Group too? You are pregnant and you work hard to make money..." "Erica, don''t take your frustrations with me out on my friend." With a sullen look, Crystal rushed forward, unable to hold back her anger. Erica looked arrogant and disdainful. She raised her eyebrows and shouted over her shoulder, "Barbara,e quickly and recognize these two people. Don''t let those stupid people work in your department. They will be a drag on you." Christina''s expression changed when she heard the name ''Barbara''. Erica red at Christina''s beautiful face and was even meaner. "You look good, but you''re cheap. You sleep with your clients to make money, but you identally got pregnant..." "What did you say?!" The deep voice was cold and clear. On the first floor of the hotel, two people strode towards the right hall of the lobby. Besides Barbara, who Erica knew, there was a man who looked unkind. They were all a little stunned and did not expect Patrick to appear here. Christinapressed her lips. She ignored the mboyant Erica in front of her, but her eyes were fixed on the man and the woman walking towards her. She knew that Chandler''s wife''s name was Erica, and Erica was Barbara''s best friend. "Where are we going?" Crystal was grabbed by Christina toward another exit to the hotel. She was in a daze. "Christina, where are you going?" Crystal could only see her profile tensed up. It seemed that Christina had mixed feelings. "Christina, do you have any misunderstandings? I apologize to you on behalf of Erica. Don''t go..." Seeing them suddenly leave, Barbara shouted anxiously. Christina walked faster and faster, biting her lips and feeling very angry. Why was she angry? She didn''t know. Anyway, every time she met Barbara, she became an unreasonable person. Barbara was really hypocritical. Seeing Patrick with Barbara made Christina even more frustrated. Chapter 134 Chapter 134 "Christina, you canmunicate with him when both of you are in conflict." Crystal stopped, grabbed her, and tried to persuade her. "Couple? I''ve been wondering if he and I were even a couple." She held back her emotions and slightly smiled with self-deprecation. Couple? He kept things from her. Barbara and others all knew these things. But she was not qualified to ask him. She was only a woman who would give birth to his child. Charles and others were his friends and Barbara was an excellent executive in hispany. What was she? She wasn''t allowed to do anything but give birth to a child. She bit her lips and smiled bitterly. "Actually, I knew from the start that I couldn''t be a good match for him..." Crystal was shocked to hear these words when she noticed Christina''s eyes were red. As Christina turned her head to look behind, a man stood there and watched them. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Crystal hesitated and said, "Patrick should havee to see you himself. You just left home in this way, which made him humiliated... Don''t argue with him." Christina looked at him without saying a word, with half-lowered eyes and aplicated expression. ''Arguing with him?'' ''Why do they think I am always the one who make a scene?'' And then a clear voice came from behind, "Patrick, we still have a meeting this afternoon..." Although the hotel lobby was spacious, the sound was loud enough for them to hear clearly. "I can''t believe you''re still here, Crystal. Do you really want to be kicked out by the security personnel?" Christina forced herself to smile and strode towards the emergency exit before Crystal could react. "Christina, wait for me..." Crystal couldn''t mind other matters and immediately followed Christina. They quickly walked between the luxurious hotel lobby and quickly disappeared into the sea of people... The man behind them frowned and red fiercely in the direction where they had disappeared. His lips were pursed tightly and his face was gloomy. "Who is that woman..." Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Erica at the table asked Barbara in a low voice. "My wife." Patrick said coldly. Erica looked at him in shock with the pale face. "No matter what, you and he have already obtained a marriage certificate. Legally, you are his wife..." Crystal caught up with Christina and persuaded her, "I think Patrick is tender in front of you. When you''re not in thepany, our executives are scared of him. When noticing Patrick''s grim expression in the meeting, they always hesitate for a while before they speak... He cares about you..." In fact, it was the fact that a woman marrying into a family of higher sses would feel humble, let alone Hopkins Family. Christina didn''t want to talk to Crystal about it and changed the subject. "Crystal, do you think that good women usually meet yboys while gentle men mostly marry women who are not content with what they have..." "I think so." "So, either Patrick is a yboy, or I''m this kind of woman." Christina smiled self-deprecatingly. Crystal raised her eyebrows and red at Christina angrily. "Knowing how to smile proves that you are fine. I''m really worried about you." Christina was light-hearted. It was not like her to lose her temper over a small matter. "Crystal, if you don''t let me stay at your home today, I will really be homeless." "Don''t make it so sad..." Though Crystal''s blind date had been ruined, they bought bags of clothes in the East Mall and went home happily. Since Christina stayed at Crystal''s house for a week, there were her pajamas and toothbrushes. Christina felt that the ce was morefortable and warmer, not as cold as the Hopkinses. "Crystal, thest time you said your mom and the others wanted you to sell the apartment and save money for your brother to get a new one. How is it going? It''s been solved, right?" Christina came back after dining with Crystal. Christina brushed her teeth andy down on the bed, stretching her limbs and getting ready to sleep. Crystal took out a new pillow from the closet and threw it at her. Immediately, Crystal climbed into bed and the two women huddled together to talk about their daily life. "That matter has been solved. Probably thest time Simon was scared by Patrick and didn''t dare to provoke me..." Crystal said and looked at Christina. "Aren''t you going to call your husband?" Christina became grim and did not speak. "Hey, don''t live in my house for a week likest time." Crystal was depressed. "I may have to stay here until my baby is born..." Christina said slowly,y down on the bed, pulled the quilt, and was going to sleep. "You are going to stay here!" Crystal was too scared to sleep. We agreed that innocent people, like me, wouldn''t get hurt in your couple''s quarrel! Crystal coaxed her, "Christina, it will be the Dragon Boat Festival tomorrow. It is suitable for family reunion..." Christina could only sleep sideways with a big belly. She held the quilt and opened her eyes. In fact, she was not sleepy. "Dragon Boat Festival..." Before that, she had nned to give Patrick a present at the Dragon Boat Festival... Maybe he didn''t care. Chapter 135 Chapter 135 The more prosperous the city, the more impetuous the people''s hearts became. To live in this city, they spoke insincerely, wearing a mask of hypocrisy. People were getting along with each other with suspicions and tricks. They were tired. "Christina, I don''t think you need to be humble when you are with Patrick. He really likes you." Early the next morning, Crystal drove Christina to the Women and Children''s Hospital for a check-up. As soon as the car stopped, Crystal turned to nce at the woman who on the passenger seat. Christina, on the other hand, was a little absent-minded. Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, she was thinking about whether she went to the Hopkinses or not. Christina was stunned to hear Crystal suddenly say, "He really likes you." "Please don''t say such mushy things in the morning." Christina opened the car door with a poker face and walked out of the car. She was naturally not romantic. "I just want to say that you two are matched." Crystal thought she was avoiding the question and decided to breach her. "Patrick upies a ce in the business world. He has few sincere friends in the whole group. With his background, he has been living a tiring life than others since he was young. So I think you should..." "Crystal, didn''t you say you had to go back to thepany today? Go now." Christina didn''t want to listen to her, so she urged her to leave ruthlessly. Crystal sat in the driver''s seat, ring at her angrily, "Kick thedder." She was heartless to push me away after I helped her. But Crystal was in a hurry. Yesterday, she had asked for a leave of absence for a blind date. She had to go back to work today. Otherwise, Sabrina would definitely say something bad about her. If she was fired, she would have nothing to eat. Crystal looked gloomily at Christina, who was outside the car, frowning slightly, with her head down, as if she was lost in thought, looking a little dazed. It was rare to see this woman confused. Crystal knocked on the window with her hand and said. "I am going to work now to support myself. I''m not like you for whom someone will support you. If you have anything to say, just go to your husband. He would love to be with you." "How do you know that?" Christina looked a little awkward. Stepping up the steps, she turned to look at her best friend in the car and sighed, "Crystal, I find you really suitable to be a nanny. We are not middle-aged women, why are you so nagging?" "Christina, check your left." Crystal felt speechless to make such a friend. She drove away after saying that. This woman should be left to the almighty who could control her. Ordinary people like her were not a match for her. Christina raised her eyebrows and watched her best friend drive away. Turned left and nced. Her whole body tensed up and her eyes widened slightly. Why was he here? The man was standing at the entrance of the hospital. He leaned back against the white wall and T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. looked at her quietly. It was 7: 00 in the morning. Crystal had to rush to work, so they came early. The hospital seemed empty at this time. The morning light was shining. The sounds of babiesing from the nursery from time to time, which made the "quiet" hospital more lively. Christina did not speak, looking calm, and she walked towards the entrance. Patrick didn''t say a word. Just as she walked up to him, he naturally followed her and walked beside her. It was weird, but none of them wanted to break the silence. As they walked towards the elevator step by step, the hospital lobby echoed with their footsteps, and it sounded strangely reassuring. Chapter 136 Chapter 136 "Who are you?" In the bright white office of the director of gynecology. A middle-aged woman in sses and white uniform looked at the medical examination report in her hand and then turned to look at the man and woman sitting at the table. To be precise, the doctor was ring at Patrick and spoke in a rather harsh tone. "Why haven''t I seen youe with Miss Dickens before? What''s your rtionship?" Christina was stunned. Usually, she would bepanied by a maid from the Hopkinses to the prenatal examination. This was the first time Patrick came here, but why did she seem so angry and upset? She was a little worried and nced at the man next to her. Fortunately, he didn''t lose his temper. "Husband and wife. I''m her husband." Patrick spoke coldly. "Husband? You''re her husband. Why didn''t you show up until today? Where were you before?" The gynecological doctor pped the report on the table and was very unpleased with Patrick. "We would think that Miss Dickens is a single mother if we didn''t know better. Men are so irresponsible and unreliable..." She gritted her teeth at thest words. It seemed that she had a bad day today. "what does her report say?" Patrick asked with a cold face. The doctor gave him a disdainful look, ignored him, and turned to Christina. "Miss Dickens, have you been having cramps in your legs in the middle of the nighttely?" Her tone was rather affectionate. Christina was a little surprised that her attitude changed so fast. Why did she give Patrick a hard time... The man''s face darkened slightly, but he did not argue with the doctor. Instead, he asked in a low voice, "Cramps at night?" "After taking calcium tablets, I feel much better now..." Christina felt a little awkward. "Really? Didn''t you sleep together at night? She woke up in the middle of the night with crampsst month all the time, but you didn''t know this!" The doctor looked angry and suddenly shouted, "How can you be her husband? Do you know how hard it is for a woman when she is pregnant? You men only take the fun of sex and no responsibility for anything after that!" "Don''t think that you can act like that just because you''re handsome and rich. Women aren''t as powerless as they used to be. We can be financially independent, we can support ourselves, and we don''t need to be wronged anymore. Besides, your wife is so beautiful that she can dump you at any time and find another one..." Christina''s eyes widened and she dragged Patrick out of the doctor''s office and mmed the door shut. She was still shocked, but fortunately, she left with him before he got mad... She was worried that Patrick would lose his temper. "I heard that this doctor recently divorced her husband. She''s usually very friendly. She didn''t mean to..." She turned around and looked nervously at the man beside her. Unexpectedly, Patrick was not angry after being scolded. His face was calm as he looked down at her hand holding his tightly and pondered for a moment. "Go home." He simply said two words. Christina did not say no and did not know how to refuse him, so she followed him out of the hospital. It was as if the quarrel never happened before. Both of them didn''t mention it. "Are you having a bad time being pregnant?" Patrick drove over by himself today. When she sat in the front passenger seat, he leaned over to buckle her seat belt with his slender fingers. Christina was a little nervous for some reason and did not answer immediately. Looking at his profile, she found that his eyes were focused even though he was only trying to buckle her seat belt. Yes, no matter what this man did, he always did it with great focus. Was he so serious about rtionships too? It seemed so. "Not feeling well?" Patrick sat up straight, but when he saw that she did not speak, he asked again. "No, no." She turned her head to look at the car window, a little embarrassed. "Actually, it''s not as seriously as that doctor said. Pregnancy only gives me asional vomiting, cramps, bloated body, and unconscious feeling about myself..." He stared at her and remained silent for a long time, but he did not say anything more. Finally, he started the car and drove home. Patrick looked straight ahead. He was driving smoothly, but Christina still felt a little stiff. Maybe she just wasn''t used to being with him after the cold war. Neither of them spoke along the way. She looked at the busy street and the buildings through the car windows... Suddenly, they came up to a building. Christina immediately turned to the man beside her and said, "If you want to go to work, drop me off at the front. I''ll call the driver..." "Today is Dragon Boat Festival." His voice was very t. Patrick kept driving and did not intend to stop at all. The car sped past the towering IP&G Group building. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. "Is thepany on holiday today?" At a red light, he turned to look at her and casually said, "If you want your husband to work overtime, fine, but no one will pay me for it." Christina blushed because she forgot that the Dragon Boat Festival seemed to be a legal holiday. "It seems that Crystal has to work overtime for the meeting with clients... You''re always busy. I''m afraid of getting in your way." She murmured at thest sentence. The red light quickly turned green. Patrick looked away and drove on, expressionless. Suddenly, he blurted out, "I own thepany. I can take a day off if I want." Christina was not sure of what he meant by that, but she smiled, and her mood was brighter for some reason. She could go to him whenever she wanted... Chapter 137 Chapter 137 On the Dragon Boat Festival in the Hopkinses. In fact, it was no different from ordinary people celebrating the festival. The family reunited to have a big meal together. And it meant just to have some rice dumpling symbolically... Butpared to previous years, it was indeed somewhat different. "Christina, what kind of rice dumpling is this? Why is it round?" Charles''s parents had recently traveled abroad. Mr. Shepherd spent the holiday alone destely, so he came to the Hopkinses to have fun. Charles stared at a round rice dumpling in his hand and pondered for a long time. He was quite shocked. "You made this. Is it edible?" N?velDrama.Org content rights. "I didn''t force you to eat it!" Christina blushed and yelled at him angrily. She wouldn''t tell them that she originally wanted to make the traditional triangr pyramid rice dumpling. But somehow, she pinched it so hard that it became t. Looking at the lump of glutinous rice in her hand, Christina finally decided to round it up so that it could at least be in a shape. "This is the ugliest rice dumpling I''ve ever seen." Charles couldn''t help but burst intoughter. "Charles, what are youughing at? It''s very meaningful." Christina red at him. "What? Its meaning? hahaha..." Charlesughed even more arrogantly. "These rice dumpling are made of red beans, pickled meat, salted eggs and sauce... They''re traditional salty rice dumpling in southern China." Nanny Faang walked over with some fruits, chuckling. "Young Madam Patrick has studied these for a long time, and she said that they were gifts for Young Master Patrick for the Dragon Boat Festival." ncing at her mischievously, Charles sighed, "Christina, you have such a bad taste. How dare you give this kind of thing to Patrick? Don''t set your Wechat name Invincible Tina anymore. Just change it to Invincible Cheeky..." Christina''s face darkened. "Charles, you bastard. How dare you say that!" Immediately, she grabbed one of her own rice dumpling from the table and smashed it at him. "What are youughing at?" At the door of the living room of the Hopkinses''s Main Residence, several figures slowly walked in. From afar, people could vaguely hear their noise andughter. However, a familiar low voice suddenly asked in aplicated tone. Christina and Charles turned around simultaneously. Seeing that Patrick strode towards them, Christina restrained herself a little and awkwardly put the rice dumpling back on the table. At the sight of the elders behind including Old Master Mr. Hopkins, Charles also behaved himself. Patrick naturally sat next to Christina and inadvertently nced at her face. Patrick noticed that she was originally confronting with Charles angrily but suddenly became quiet and reserved now. "Grandpa." Christina politely greeted the old man in the front and sat more and more upright. Turning her head, she looked with a hesitant expression at the three women on the other side: Judy, Brianna, and Barbara. "Mom." Looking at Judy, she politely greeted. Then she pursed her lips and decided to remain silent. This day being the Dragon Boat Festival, Old Master Mr. Hopkins asked the maid to light some unknown incensed sticks. The whole Hopkins Family was filled with a faint smell of sandalwood, refreshing and rxing. The housekeeper made tea for them. It wasn''t good for Christina to drink tea for pregnancy. Sitting there, she suddenly felt very embarrassed, because none of them talked and they just drank tea. It was so weird. Christina wanted to go out for a walk in the pavilion, but before she could stand up and say anything, her hand was suddenly held by the man beside her. She turned her head and looked at him confusedly. "What?" She asked in a low voice. Patrick didn''t immediately reply. He slightly frowned and stared at her palm. "Does it still hurt?" She didn''t understand what he meant. But Barbara, sitting diagonally opposite to her, reacted very quickly with a smile on her face, "Christina, I really appreciate it that you ran over to help mest time which caused your palm injured. I''m really sorry." Christina was a little stunned, and then she remembered that the previous injury wasn''t a big deal. But today she was making rice dumpling in the kitchen and the wound got wet and a little inmed. But before she could say anything, Judy snorted discontentedly. "Someone ran even when she was pregnant. Who knows if she was deliberately trying to tter? So scheming..." She said in a disdainful tone. "That was her real trick." Charles was frank. He pointed at a te of ugly rice dumpling on the table and smiled at Judy ambiguously, "For the time being, Christina isn''t that scheming. So if you speak like that, auntie, I''m afraid that your daughter-inw won''t be able to keep up with you..." Judy''s face darkened. Chapter 138 Chapter 138 "You made it yourself?" Patrick suddenly asked and looked at the woman beside him. A slight smile appeared on his face as if he didn''t believe it. Christina suddenly regretted making these things. She thought they wouldn''t like them anyway. She replied hesitantly, "Yes." "Such an ugly one. It''s definitely limited. A unique one." Charles muttered in a low voice, but there was not much disdain in his words. Christina turned to look at him sideways, and the two of them stared at each other childishly. Patrick sat quietly, looking thoughtfully at the rich expressions on their faces, frowning slightly and thinking about something. Old Master Mr. Hopkins did not say a word. He put down his teacup and looked at Christina for a long time. Then he turned around and told the housekeeper to cut up the Chinese rice-pudding and bring over the bowls and chopsticks for everyone to taste. Actually, when Christina heard the Old Master speak, she was a little surprised. Ever since Patrick''s car ident, the Old Master had been a little against her, and his attitude towards her was obviously cold and distant. "What do you think?" "Patrick, this... Originally, it was a triangr shape, and then it wasn''t wrapped properly. It wasn''t fully cooked the first time, and when I saw rice leaking out, I simply rounded it up..." Christina was embarrassed. The unique round-shaped Chinese rice-pudding on the table was cut into small pieces by the maid. Patrick put a small piece into his mouth with his chopsticks and did not speak for a long time. "How does it taste?" Christina moved closer to him, her voice a little nervous. "Very well." Patrick put down his chopsticks and touched her head with somefort. Christina was very excited. This was her first time making it. It meant that she probably had the N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. potential to be a good wife. Charles rolled his eyes at her excitement. For safety''s sake, he picked the smallest piece and tasted it. "Patrick, you can''t mislead her." Charles showed a bitter face, and he drank as much water as he could. It was indeed cooked, but Christina put so much salt in it, so it was so salty. "No one asked you to eat." Christina habitually retorted him. Charles didn''t want to be polite to her. He just wanted to mock her poor cooking, but Patrick said, "Go to the kitchen and get me a ss of juice." Christina raised her eyebrows. She knew that Patrick was trying to let her leave so she went to the kitchen indifferently. However, Christina did not expect Barbara to follow her into the kitchen, as if she had something to tell her. "What do you want to say?" Christina turned to look at the capable woman in front of her who was still wearing a custom-made expensive suit and asked directly. Barbara looked at her bright eyes and was a little stunned. Then she chuckled. "I probably know why Patrick likes you..." She paused, but the smile on her face was weird. "A simple-minded woman will make him feel rxed, but it will also make him feel tired... You will drag him down because you can''t help anything..." Christina was a little angry and interrupted her in a heavy voice. "Miss Parker, don''t talk so much to me. I''m not smart and I don''t understand what you say." Christina stressed the words " not smart". She hated this woman''s arrogant attitude. "I''m sorry. I guess I just got transferred back to China recently, so I''m used to teaching new people." Barbara''s apologetic tone sounded sincere, and her smiling face was very amiable. "I almost forgot that even Patrick usually didn''t scold you. You must hate it. I really didn''t mean to." Christina pursed her lips and did not speak. Was this woman pretending to be like this? She really couldn''t tell. "By the way, Christina, I actually need you to do me a favor." She took a step forward and held Christina''s arm very naturally, like a close friend. "It was thest time in the hotel lobby... Erica has been in a bad mood recently, so she said some nasty things on impulse. I hope you don''t take it seriously." "Oh, that woman, Chandler''s wife." Christina thought. She was furious at the thought and gritted her teeth. "She said that I wanted to get the order so I slept with the client and then, unfortunately, I was pregnant." As she spoke, Christina withdrew her hand and took half a step back. She didn''t bother to act. Her tone was cold. "Miss Parker, finish your sentence. I''m not as smart as you guys. Is something wrong with your best friend Erica? Seriously, don''t ask me to help. I will just mock at it." Barbara''s face darkened. Christina had been so straight that she did not know how to continue for a moment. "You know, Erica is Chandler''s wife, and they have a five-year-old son between them. It''s not easy to form a family, so I think it would be immoral if they were divorced just because of Erica''s words that day." "Erica scolded me. Why do you think I''m immoral?" Christina felt a little ridiculous and looked at her directly. "What does it have to do with me whether they get divorced or not..." "Patrick put pressure on Chandler. The Stephenson Family offered to sever ties with Erica... I want you to tell Patrick not to..." Barbara''s voice was filled withplicated feelings. Christina was a little surprised, but Patrick did hear Erica''s bad word that day. She could suffer Erica''s criticizing, but she couldn''t let others scold her son. "Why me, Miss Parker? You''ve always known him very well, right?" All of a sudden, Christina wanted to vent some of her recent resentment. "Why don''t you go talk to him? I don''t really have anything to do with Patrick." Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Christina made a ss of kiwi juice and went back to the living room. She found that Patrick and the others were not there. Charles was the only one sitting there. "What happened?" Christina put the juice on the table and looked at him for a while. She felt that he suddenly became serious. Charles just looked up and ignored her words. "Hey, what''s wrong with you?" Christina thought he was very strange but he acted normally just now. She sat right beside him and asked, "What did Patrick say to you just now?" "Don''t get so close to me." Charles showed a littleplicated expression. Instinctively, he moved an arm away from her. "Why you act that way!" Christina yelled at him angrily, stretching out her right foot and kicking his new leather shoes a few times. "You said some harsh words about my rice dumpling just now, and there''s no need to pretend to be so sad now..." Ow! "My foot hurts..." Charles''s handsome face was tightly wrinkled. He immediately retracted his foot and shouted at her angrily. "I''m not familiar with you. Get away from me. Don''t get so close to me." Christina raised her eyebrows and stopped, but she stared at him. "Charles, are you going insane?" He pretended to avoid her all of a sudden. He could never act like that before. Charles red at her with a dark face and gritted his teeth. "Christina, I hope you understand that I have no interest in a woman as violent as you. Don''t love me..." "Who wants to love a yboy like you?" Christina thought it was hrious. Charles continued to re at her. "Patrick..." "What did Patrick say to you just now? He was so serious." She was curious. Charles gritted his teeth angrily, pursed his lips and kept silent. Patrick just asked him why Christina behaved so naturally when they two were together... N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Charles thought to himself that it was probably because Christina argued with Patrick a while ago. "Why did he marry you? You are a troublemaker." Charles''s resentment was so deep that he gritted his teeth and muttered, "If he married Barbara, everyone would be happy..." "What did you say? You just mentioned Barbara!" Christina''s tone immediately cooled down. With a stretch of her right hand, she grabbed his tie and gave it a strong tug. Charles was almost smothered. "You, you..." Charles was so angry and he quickly tried to protect his neck. Her face drew closer, and her expression was a little grim. "Charles, what did you just say? Barbara? You''d better confess, or else, if there''s no one around, don''t me me for being rude..." "What''s wrong with you and Barbara?" Charles gave her a cold nce. "There''s a conflict between us," Christina admitted it directly. Charles looked at the door with aplex expression. Patrick was called to the lotus pond by his grandfather. Barbara should be with them to discuss the affairs of the Fishers... He turned his head and looked at the woman with an angry face in front of him. She seemed really mad. Charles raised his eyebrows and teased, "Christina, are you jealous?" She didn''t look well. She nced sideways and changed the subject. "Just now, Barbara went into the kitchen to talk to me and mentioned that Chandler and Erica were going to divorce..." "That''s all?" Charles saw that Patrick and the others were not back yet, so he asked her mysteriously, "Christina, Patrick must have told you not to worry about so many things. What does it have to do with you that they will divorce? Can you live without interfering in others'' affairs..." "Barbara is not a naive person." Christina shouted. Her face was dark and she didn''t want to say more. "Barbara is not from a rich family like you. She acquires all of these by herself. Do you think it''s easy for a girl to be the general manager of the IP&G Group of the Asian division..." Charles picked up another piece of rice dumpling with chopsticks and threw it into his mouth. He chewed it and continued to say. "Christina, you really have a mean heart. Don''t be jealous. Barbara get what she deserves. She has no bad intentions." Christina said nothing more. Her sudden silence made Charles feel a little guilty as he chewed the rice dumpling in his mouth. Although it was very salty, he knew that she was very diligent preparing them in the kitchen. "Patrick talked to me probably because he thought we were too close," Charles took a sip of half a ss of water from the table and red at her angrily. "Besides, no matter how good and likable Barbara is, Patrick won''t like her..." "Patrick will never seduce his friend''s girlfriend." "Which friend?" When Christina returned to her senses and wanted to ask more, several servants from the Hopkinses ran past the living room anxiously in urgent footsteps. They looked at each other with darkened faces and immediately realized something was wrong. At the same time, they stood up from the sofa. "What happened?" "Get a doctor right away!" As soon as Christina and Charles walked out of the door, they heard the Old Master shouting. They saw the servants at the end of the corridor running frantically in the lotus pond, all panicked. Christina''s heart was racing. It was the first time she saw the Old Master in such a panic. "I''ll go over and take a look..." Charles said quickly and ran towards the pavilion. Christina was five months pregnant and the twins in her belly were heavy so she didn''t dare to run. She looked straight ahead and hurried over with messy steps. All of a sudden, what happened? "Patrick, how are you?" "You''re sweating all over, and your face is pale. Sit down and rest for a while. The doctor will be here soon" ... It was Barbara''s voice. She looked anxious and tried to persuade the man beside her. Patrick faced the lotus pond, frowning. He did not make a sound, while his hands clenched the carved wooden railing as if he was enduring some kind of pain. "I told you to go to Seattle immediately. What are you doing here?!" In the lotus pond, there were few people. Also, there was Old Master Mr. Hopkins''s roar. He was very angry and hit the floor with his walking stick. His irritating tone was full of helplessness. Christina stood stiffly. In front of her, Charles was asking Patrick, Old Master Mr. Hopkins was angry and helpless, and Barbara was persuading Patrick... ''Why are they so nervous?'' She did not understand nor know. She clearly remembered that Patrick had a high fever a few days ago. At that time, she hurried to take him to the hospital, but his grandfather was quite calm and told Patrick to take care of himself. But now... "Patrick, what''s wrong with you..." She looked at the familiar figure in front of her, and then her vision gradually blurred. She did not go any closer, just standing five meters away from them. There seemed to be an unfamiliar aura with Patrick, making her afraid to take a step. Chapter 140 Chapter 140 "Let me help you back to your bedroom, so you can take a rest..." It was a gentle female voice asking around his ear, Patrick then turned to his side and was about to say no. But when he turned his eyes, he got very surprised. All of a sudden, his eyes met her eyes. Christina was also startled. Feeling panicked, instinctively she wanted to withdraw and escape. They were in a circle, but she was never one of them. Old Master Mr. Hopkins and others were not surprised by Christina''s appearance, but at this moment, everyone looked at each other in silence with their own thoughts. It was now a time when the summer lotus was in full bloom, and the garden was filled with fragrance. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The fragrance of the lotus was soothing, but it could not hide the panic in Christina''s eyes. "Patrick, do you want me to help you or not..." She hesitated for a long time, then asked in a low voice. She was somehow nervous and pursed her lips, which seemed she was ready to immediately pretend she was fine when he refused. Pretending, the one she was least good at. Patrick looked at her and did not say anything. Instead, he walked straight towards her, step by step, steadily and firmly. Barbara and Charles looked at his back and stepped out of habit to follow him, but they then stopped. When he approached her, Christina admitted that her heart was beating a little fast. Perhaps it was because she felt a little surprised at his approach, or perhaps it was because of the intense gazing from Old Master Mr. Hopkins and the others. Christina looked up directly at his slightly pale face. "What''s wrong with you?" She asked with a choked tone. She still wanted to ask him whether he said it or not. "I have a headache." Patrick''s voice was hoarse and replied directly. Without moremunication, he naturally grabbed her by her shoulder, and half of his body''s weight was pressed on her. She was snuggling up to him, they then walked at the same pace, which was so matching as if it was an illusion. But it was the fact. "Grandfather, Patrick will handle his own matters..." Looking at the two figures walking away, Charles turned to the old man and said in a low voice. Holding his crutch with both hands, Old Master Mr. Hopkins silently stared at the corridor with his brows furrowed. At this moment, the old housekeeper behind him rushed over with a few doctors, "Where is Young Master Patrick..." Mixed feelings urred to Barbara, and she tried to speak calmly, "Patrick went back to his bedroom for a rest. You guys go..." "There''s no need to go!" The old, deep voice sounded very angry. Barbara was surprised and looked at the old man. She pursed her lips and did not dare to say anything. Charles and Barbara nced at each other, smartly said goodbye to the old man, and left side by side. "Charles, is there something wrong with Patrick''s body?" In the parking lot of Hopkins Family, when Barbara opened the car door, she suddenly became a little persistent and asked Charles, who was in the opposite parking space. "Nothing." Charles was a little upset and sat in his new favorite sports car. He mmed the door hard and obviously didn''t want to say anything more. "Charles, why is grandpa so nervous? Patrick definitely not suffers from a simple migraine," Barbara said. Barbara had a high social position and was shrewd and efficient, gritting her teeth, she then said, "Even if you don''t say it, I just need to check Seattle..." "Barbara, don''t forget who you are." Charles suddenly interrupted her. He looked directly into her eyes, and said in a much cold voice, "Patrick has always rejected women, and the only reason why you can stand by his side so naturally and we also ept it, is because of Derek. His special treatment to you these years, in particr, is because of his guilt. Barbara, you''d better not wish for something that does not belong to you ." Barbara was upset by this, and she spoke in a hurry, "I''ve known Patrick for nearly ten years. No other woman knows him better than I do. I just want to care about him..." The meaning of what she said next was unclear. Charles stopped looking at her and directly started the car. As he turned around and drove out of the garage, he chuckled and said, "Barbara, you also want to learn from Christina, who used bugs to eavesdrop on his personal affairs..." "Patrick will get angry and scold Christina for what she did. But if you do it, he will fire you directly." Barbara was shocked by this and froze at her ce. She looked angry and resentful and stared at the disappearing car. Charles''s teasing words were so casual, but they were all true. There were certain things that only she could do and you could not. Chapter 141 Chapter 141 "Patrick." "Patrick..." She called his name, but the man sitting by the big bed ignored her, as if he didn''t hear her at all. Christina came in with the family medicine box. She frowned and looked at Patrick on the other side of the bed, feeling he looked strange. When Patrick returned to the bedroom, he sat there in silence, with his head half-lowered, staring at his hands in a daze. He slightly bended and unfolded his hands, deep in thought, as if he was testing something. Christina approached him and called him again, "Patrick..." Her calling awakened Patrick who was in a daze. He raised his head vigorously, and a look of iprehensible panic shed in his eyes. "What''s wrong with you?" Christina sat beside him anxiously, looking at him with incredulity. "Patrick, didn''t you hear my voice just now?" asked Christina. He looked visibly shocked just now. He seemed to be surprised by her, or perhaps it was something else... "Nothing." His face turned cold as usual. He slightly tilted his head and looked away. He then said in a hoarse voice, "I don''t need to take the medicine. I''m fine." His words were low and cold, as if nothing had happened. Christina sat beside him, pursed her lips, wordless. He obviously didn''t want to tell her... They had just had lunch, and the summer sun outside was scorching hot. The sky was clear and blue, but a chill was sent into the spacious bedroom perhaps because temperatures were set so low. Somehow, Christina''s heart sank. She rummaged through the medicine cab for an electronic thermostat, pinched it on her right hand, and titled her head with hesitation. He said he was fine and didn''t need to take medicine, which meant he didn''t need her... She clenched the thermometer and identally pressed the electronic key, making a beep. Christina, who was in a fit of pique, was frightened by the noise. She quickly put away the thermostat. "Help me check my temperature?" Patrick beside her gave an order, but his tone was somewhat helpless. She looked at him for a while with a slightly startled expression, trying to make sure she didn''t misheard. Christina immediately perked up and leaned closer to him. "Patrick, why are you so delicate..." Delicate. It didn''t seem to be a right word to describe him. He did not say a word. He looked sideways at her with a half-smile. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "It''s 38. 5 degrees. You''re not fine as you said." Christina stared at the thermometer andined worriedly. She was about to turn around and call the maid outside for a doctor... "No need." Patrick grabbed her right wrist and closed his eyes tiredly. "Christina, lie down with me for a while..." "Don''t move." "No, I want to get you a anti-fever medicine first..." She tossed and turned restlessly on the bed, pulling at the quilt, pressing the air conditioner, and checking his temperature every ten minutes. "Patrick, your son sleeps a lot. He''s not sleepy." She used her son as an excuse again, trying to get up and use some alcohol to cool him down. "I''m very sleepy." Patrick dragged her back unhappily. Hugging her from behind, Patrick whispered to her, his lips moving closer to her neck. Her body was very soft with a faint baby milk fragrance probably because she was pregnant. "Christina, if it''s above 39 degrees in an hour, I''ll get an infusion, okay?" After half a minute of hesitation, she agreed, "Okay." In fact, Patrick only thought of her as a pillow which was a habit he developed some time. Christina peeked at him with narrowed eyes. "What are you looking at?" The tiredness didn''t sent him asleep. She was a little embarrassed, so she immediately turned her head and pretended to be serious. "Are you going to faint from high fever?" "No." His tone was t. He sounded normal, and Christina rolled over again to face him. Their two faces were so close.She looked at him with a frown. "Patrick..." "What is it?" This time, his response was little anxious, as if he was hiding something. Christina didn''t notice and continued to ask him, "You had a headache..." She paused for a while and said, "Patrick, can you promise me something?" She suddenly raised her voice and changed the subject. He was slightly startled, and some emotions were suppressed in his eyes. Her eyes were clear and persistent. "What is it?" he asked in a low voice. She said, looking straight at him. "Respond me whenever I call you." He was unconscious in car identst time. She called him over and over again, but he didn''t answer her. The smell of blood was drifting in the air. She was still haunted by the ident although it had been a while. She pursed her lips and told him word for word, "Patrick, from now on, no matter what happens, if I call your name, you must answer me." She didn''t wanted to be left behind. Chapter 142 Chapter 142 "You have so many requests." He stared at her quietly for a while and ended with a chuckle . Patrick naturally wrapped his right hand around her neck, pulling her closer to his chest. He rubbed her slick hair with his jaw and said,"I promise you." Christina blushed, and she could clearly hear his solemn words ringing above her head. His chest rised up and down as he smiled gently, as if he was teasing her childish behavior. Calling his name was just a way to ask for his response . It was just a simple thing. However, what if one day when he no longer replied to her call. Then what would she do? She didn''t know his social circuit, nor his secret. The more Christina thought about it, the angrier she got. She hit him on the chest with her forehead. "It''s all because of your..." Because his social status was too high for her to reach. "Christina, your husband is now having a fever. Are you still going to abuse me?" He could''t help smiling and watched her emotional outburst. Christina realized that he was ill currently, so she stopped acting childishly. She struggled in his arms, lifted her upper body and reached for thermostat on the bedside table to take his temperature. Fortunately, it went down to 37 degrees celsius. Therefore, it should be okay. "Patrick, what about I get some porridge for you..." Christina saw that he had recovered much. But when she realized that the man had only eaten half a dumpling for lunch, she immediately felt a little ashamed. "I''m not hungry." "But you didn''t eat much for lunch, other than half a bowl of soup..." Patrick was surprised about her words. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her serious expression. "Christina, you realize I only drank soup. Well, that''s quite some improvement." He said in an emotional tone, as if teasing her on purpose. Christina red at him and wanted to hit him with a pillow. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "Your wife will definitely care about you. Even if I''m not good at cooking, I''ll work hard, and I''m no worse than Barbara. What''s so great about her being one of the top managers? I started taking all kinds of courses forced by the Dickens Family since the age of 3 and finished myst three years of medical studies with a doctor degree in clinical medicine. Keeping silent does not mean that I''m unaware of everything." How dare Barbaramented me as simple-minded. Christina''s kept a straight face and was a little angry. "What did Barbara tell you?" Patrick''s voice immediately became serious and asked quickly. "Barbara, what an intimate saying ." Hmph! Christina''s still kept a straight face. After she nced at him and became increasingly displeased. Patrick stared at her for a while and asked tentatively, "Are you jealous?" He really couldn''t understand theplicated thoughts of women. "Yes, I''m jealous. What''s wrong?" Christina puffed up her face and admitted it. Patrick was stunned and wanted tough. His lips were slightly raised. "No need for jealousy." "Barbara has a boyfriend..." Christina was still unsatisfied. "Do you think a woman can''t have feelings for other men if she has a boyfriend? Look at Erica who''s a wife herself but still messing with other men. And Barbara''s also strange." "Why do you consider her strange?" "There''s something wrong with the way she looks at you, and..." Halfway through the conversation, Christina suddenly stopped. She didn''t like to talk about others behind their back. Patrick''s were deep in thought, and it took a while before he said, "Barbara is a little special to me... Her boyfriend became a vegetable because of me. I have to take care of her, because ..." "Forget it, don''t tell me about your things." Chapter 143 Chapter 143 You would get yourself into trouble by provoking a man irresponsibly. Especially when you did it in bed, provoking your own husband... On the excuse of marriage, Patrick ended the farce with furious sex. Hey beside Christina and stared at her, who pretended to be sleeping. "This is interesting." He thought to himself. He found out that the only way to handle his wife was to treat her the way she treated him. He had to stop things from going in the way she wanted before they finally went out of his control. "Stop that insidious smile on your face..." He had just taken advantage of her. Christina rolled her eyes at him with a blushing face. She was a little angry but had no strength to raise her arm and punch him. Why was he always still energetic after sex while she got tired sore every time? It was so unfair! Christina bit him in the thigh as revenge. Then sheined, "Patrick, how dare you bullying me in front of my son. You wait and see. I''ll definitely pay you back for it as soon as the baby is born..." It hurt because she had sharp teeth. But Patrick was too delighted at this moment to feel the pain. He rubbed her head with his big palm and threatened her. "Christina, stop, or I''ll punish you again." His threat worked. Christina trembled, "Those sperms are tired. They need some rest." Wrapped in a nket, she moved immediately to the other side of the bed.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. She hid like a cowardly ostrich. Patrick couldn''t help butugh out. He patted her a little and gave her a gentle kiss between her brows. Then he got out of bed, changed his clothes, and walked out of the bedroom quietly. Christina was still blushing. She couldn''t really rx until she was convinced that Patrick was no longer in this room. "Why am I so nervous..." Sometimes she couldn''t understand this messy heartbeat herself either. She felt sweet though, and also a little dizzy, a strange but wonderful feeling. Suddenly it urred to her that she was willing to spend the rest of her life with him. "Patrick, are you willing to spend the rest of your life with me?" Hiding in the nket, she whispered to herself in an uncertain tone... Not only was it because of her self-abasement. What''s more important is, she really didn''t know much about him... "Why won''t you let me know?" "Don''t let her know!" Patrick was answering a call in his study. He looked pale and sped the phone tightly in his hand. "Don''t tell her about this..." Charles disagreed on the other end of the line. "Patrick, you know what kind of person she is. She won''t be happy if she finds out you deliberately hide this from her. Why don''t you just tell her about your illness..." "I told you not to mention it to her." Patrick emphasized in a colder tone, "And the thing grandpa is investigating. Don''t let him get to it either..." Charles was startled by his scolding. He replied seriously, no longer in his daily casual tone. "Grandpa did all those things for you. He was worried about the bullet in your brain. Do you know that it would kill you once it deviated..." "I know you keep the bullet thing as a secret because you''re guilty of how Derek became a vegetable after the car ident while you recovered. You refused the surgery too. For what? Are you punishing yourself or being overcritical of yourself? Now that Derek is fine, when are you going to let this go..." Charles sounded a little anxious in the end. Grandpa was worried. He and Chandler were worried. But Patrick just wouldn''t take their advice. Christina''s words might work, but somehow Patrick just wouldn''t let her know about this. "Derek won''t me you, Patrick. You don''t have to wait for him to literally say it..." Unlike Charles, Patrick wasn''t a little worried. Walking to the French window of the study peacefully, he mocked himself. "Six years..." "For six years had he been in hospital. He missed too much..." Six years couldpletely change a person. "If he had known that driving over to save me would have cost him six years, he wouldn''t have been willing to... My life was a gift from him." "I owed him." He thought. Chapter 144 Chapter 144 "This is the new medicine just sent from Seattle. Young Master Patrick needs to take it for a month before the operation..." It was a cloudless day. The early summer breeze was refreshing andforting, but the old man in the pavilion looked upset and fretful. The old housekeeper''s right hand carried a small paper bag printed with a hospital logo. Inside the bag was a carefully packed brown medicine bottle. He hurried over here. Halfway through his talking, he looked around and found Patrick was not there. Looking at the old man in front of him, he gave a wry smile, "Young Master Patrick has returned to the Yesterday was Dragon Boat Festival, and today happened to be Sunday. Patrick and Christina got up early. After finishing breakfast with the old man, Young Master Patrick even yed chess with the old man, which was rare. It seemed that Christina also went out, wasn''t it? "... He apanied his wife to the sanatorium in North of the City." Old Master Mr. Hopkins looked at the half-finished chess y and said angrily, "I really didn''t know that this skunk also knew filial piety. Hmph... You can just give the medicine to his wife." When the old housekeeper heard this, he was startled. Then heughed, "Young Master Patrick should also go to the sanatorium in North of the City. Christina is even more fond of this aunt Betty than of the Dickens Family. He went to see this elder personally. Young Master Patrick is really considerate." Old Master Mr. Hopkins seemed to have been irritated by something and immediately became furious. He roared out in anger, "Can he not be considerate? I just ignored his wife for a few days, and he actually asked me not to make things difficult for her. He was afraid that I would scare Christina..." Old Master Mr. Hopkins grabbed his crutch and walked slowly to the lotus pond, cursing, "Unfilial child!" "What a fool! He only married this woman for half a year... Just like the dog he had when he was a child. He was still silly like before." However, the old man did not show much anger on his face when scolding him. Instead, he stared at the blooming lotus, deep in his own thoughts. "Young Master Patrick has been partial to people who were close to him since he was young..." Thinking of the past, the housekeeper couldn''t helpughing out loud. In the past, even though Patrick had a puppy, he wouldn''t let anyone else touch it. Even his dog was not allowed to touch, let alone his wife. "This skunk Patrick seems to be very happy recently?" Old Master Mr. Hopkins said casually. Before the housekeeper said anything, the old man simply put his crutch aside. His thick and old hands held the railing tightly and leaned forward. He bent down like an old naughty child, reaching out to the lotus in the pool. "It would not be the same as before if you fall in the lotus pond." The housekeeper immediately stepped forward nervously and warned. "You also think I''m old and useless?" The old man straightened up slightly, turned his head to nce at his oldpanion, and smiled reluctantly. "Rong, I''m old, and I''m going to leave first after all. But the child in my family happens to be Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. worrying..." The housekeeper looked also sad. He wanted to say something tofort Old Master Mr. Hopkins, who, however, also knew that his grandson was not stupid enough to y with his life. This grandson should be very clear about his own illness. "The thing I asked you to checkst time... Since that skunk doesn''t want me to know about it, you don''t have to look into it anymore." The housekeeper was surprised to hear that, "Old Master, Young Master Patrick went to work in C City as an assistant six years ago, and at first check, his car ident with Derek was closely rted, and Christina..." "As long as Christina gives birth to the child and acts properly as the Youngdy of the Hopkinses... As long as there are no surprising issues, I can let bygones be bygones." This old voice echoed in this quiet lotus pond, echoing a sense of vague uneasiness... "Patrick, you''re very finicky." At this time, the ck sports car was speeding steadily on the highway, and the woman in the car was unwilling to fasten her seat belt. She felt ufortable with it andined. "I heard from the housekeeper that you used to have a dog. When you took it out for a walk, and people came over to touch it. You proudly say that it was your dog..." Chapter 145 Chapter 145 The car stopped steadily, and the driver immediately opened the door in a careful manner. The man in the back seat came out, but the woman with him hesitated. "Come out..." Patrick stood outside the car door and nced at the woman inside with a sullen expression. Christina felt guilty when he looked at him, especially when she looked up at the nursing home before her, which was surrounded by a white wall. She became more nervous. It had been nearly half a year since she hade to see her aunt Betty. She looked down at her obviously bulging abdomen. She was pregnant for so long, but she didn''t have the guts to tell Betty about her pregnancy. "You never mentioned me to her?" Patrick''s face darkened. He was very dissatisfied. "I''ve been looking for the right time..." Christina had to pop her head out of the car and find an excuse for herself. The two of them walked side by side towards the door of the nursing home. After thinking for a while, she told him, "By the way, when you see my aunt in a while, you can''t behave in that cold way, and my aunt may not like you..." "Doesn''t like me?" Patrick stopped walking, and his voice grew colder. Christina smiled andforted her man. "It''s okay. When I married Cory, my aunt didn''t like him either. She epted it gradually. In fact, the main reason was that she felt rich men were unreliable..." "Patrick, you stay here. I''ll go in and find out..." After that, Christina left, leaving him alone. Patrick''s face darkened and stared at her turning left and into a ward. "Betty is not here..." Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the other side of the corridor. Patrick heard with a slight frown and turned to find out. That man strode towards him with aplicated expression on his face. "Betty went out with a man this morning. She''s not in the ward." Cory stood a meter away from him and repeated his cold words. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The two men looked at each other, and both were in an indifferent manner. "Yesterday it''s dragon boat festival, so today I brought some things to greet Betty and see if there''s anything I can do to help..." Cory was the first to speak. He was dressed in a ck suit and stood upright. He looked very strict and spoke more calmly. "However, I realized that Betty did not require my help." His words paused, his eyes gazing at Patrick. "With the care of your family, she surely doesn''t need me." Cory''s tone was a little self-deprecating. But looking at Patrick, his eyes became more and moreplicated, as well as confused. "You''ve been looking for Betty''s substitutable heart since six years ago?" Cory couldn''t help but ask. Patrick didn''t answer. He raised his eyebrows and looked at his cousin. He felt that Cory had changed a lot since the car ident. However, he was still not interested in talking to him, so he stepped forward and thought of taking Christina home from the ward. Cory stepped forward and stopped him. "Christina is so devoted to you now. She''s very grateful for what you did in the past. She must love you very much..." "What are you trying to say?" Patrick''s face darkened when he heard the words. Cory''s lips lifted to sneer. "I know I can''tpete with you. And I also know you went to be that ridiculous teaching assistant for her, and you even took a bullet for her. But Patrick, why did Christina unluckily met a gangster during her graduation trip? Was it for her or for you? You know it very well!" Chapter 146 Chapter 146 "I was truly drunk when the car ident happened. I wanted to catch up with you, but I didn''t really want to bump into your car. My car was tampered with by someone. The person who did this obviously wanted to kill you. Your opponent is just like you. Trying to kill you by my hand, how cruel." Cory looked at him fiercely, with some hatred. "But after the incident, all me was put directly on Christina. They were all saying that I had a grudge with Christina, and that you are the victim... No matter what the people outside have said, Patrick, you yourself know in your heart that you have implicated Christina. Don''t think how great you saved her. You are her greatest disaster." T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Cory was a little agitated, gritting his teeth, with unwillingness and anger. "Without you, Christina would have lived a better life..." Cory could finish his words. Patrick''s face darkened, reached out his right hand, and grabbed Cory by his neck, pushing him so hard against the wall that he couldn''t move. "Patrick, you, are you guilty... Or are you nervous..." Cory said intermittently as he tried to break open his five fingers. "Christina loves you very much now. Her love is no less goodpared with a man''s love. She''s headstrong and stubborn, but she can risk anything." Cory was angry and shook off this gripping with both hands. He then subconsciously stepped back to the left. Cory put his right hand around his neck, took a deep breath, and smiled at himself with a self- deprecating meaning, "I am no satisfied, very unsatisfied." "These days, I seriously think back to the time... When I fell into the river and when I almost got hit by a truck, Christina would always jump out and help me as long as she saw it." "So I am thinking that if I were still her dear husband, maybe Christina would treat me better. All of a sudden, I wanted to be with her... No one loves her as purely as I do. Even if my mother was good to me, it was because of the family inheritance." His voice dropped and he calmed down. The past, after all, had passed. She no longer liked him, and perhaps she had never liked him. It was just a wrong love. The corridor of the sanatorium was very quiet, and suddenly there were sounds of footstepsing from the left. Cory looked up and happened to meet the woman''s eyes, who was standing opposite to him. Christina looked surprised and subconsciously quickened her steps towards them. Patrick didn''t look back, but he knew it was her. "Thoseplicated things in the Hopkinses, and those vicious opponents of yours... Cousin, I hope you have the ability to handle these things without getting my cousin involved." Cory looked casual and rxed. He then lowered his voice with amercially polite smile, "You''d better not be too proud. You cannot be satisfied with everyone and everything in this world. There will always be someone who makes you fall..." Patrick narrowed his eyes and looked at his ambiguous smile. Just as he was about to speak, Christina had walked up to him, "What are you talking about?" "Your aunt is not here. Let''s go home." Patrick looked unhappy and did not look at Cory. He naturally wrapped around her waist with his right hand and pulled her into his arms with a slight force. This looked somehow like dering his ownership. Christina didn''t quite understand this move, only feeling that Patrick was in a bad mood. She guessed that may they had a fight? However, ording to Patrick''s personality, he would not be the first one to initiate the argument. It was probably because Cory annoyed him again. Patrick turned around and wanted to take her to leave. Christina did not want to annoy him anymore, so she followed him and left. "Wait a minute." The man behind them strode after them and stopped right in front of them. Christina looked at Cory in front of her. Her first feeling was that he seemed to have be much mature. Hesitating for a while, she then asked, "What is it?" "Christina, I brought you something," he looked straight at her, picked up a small bag, and handed it to her. "No need..." She refused subconsciously. "... Christina, it is your wooden box." Chapter 147 Chapter 147 "Thank you..." Christina took what he handed over and did not look at him again. She turned around and walked away side by side with the man beside her. Cory stood rooted to the spot, looking at the two figures who were leaving away. He looked gloomy, pursing his lips tightly, and was about to say something. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. But his words wouldn''t work. He felt bitter. "Patrick, how much do you know her better than I do..." He muttered in anger. "What''s in the box?" Patrick and Christina got into the car. He frowned and looked out of the window with aplicated look. Christina did not speak, and they were both quiet. The car drove smoothly back to his house, but the driver felt the atmosphere in the car was serious. Trembling, he looked up at the rearview mirror and saw that their young master looked gloomy, while the woman lowered her head with excitement, looking at the contents of her little wooden box without paying attention to the bad mood of the man beside her. "What are these..." Patrick turned his head and nced that Christina was holding some objects in that small wooden box. They did not look like valuables and were old and yellow. However, Christina carefully examined the objects in her box with both hands. She was careful and treasured them very much. "Nothing." She looked at him in a daze, and a strange look of guilt shed across her face. She immediately packed up her things. The car continued to move steadily and rapidly. They didn''t have much to talk about, and suddenly the car quieted down again. Patrick narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a while. He thought she would ask about Cory''s appearance and what the two men were talking about, but to his surprise, she didn''t. She frowned and was a little absent-minded. Christina''s mind was indeed a little confused, and she nced at the small wooden box on her right from time to time as if she was reminiscing about something in the past. In fact, he didn''t know her that well... Thinking of this, Patrick was annoyed and turned his head, staring at the speeding back outside the car window with a disturbed mind. There was a strange silence in the car when suddenly a phone rang. Christina was startled. She took the vibrating phone out of her bag and looked at the caller ID. Suddenly, she hesitated. "Your aunt called." Patrick looked back and saw her look hesitant. He reminded her in a deep voice. "I know, I know." Christina responded, ncing away from him, her voice tinged with nervousness. She immediately pressed the answer button. "I just went to the sanatorium..." "I''m on the highway now. They said you went out. Who are you going out with?" She was talking on the phone with Betty. Patrick pursed his lips and looked at her, feeling that Christina acted weirdly. "Auntie, how are you doing recently?" Christina greeted her aunt as usual, but the next second, she looked surprised, raised her voice, and asked, "What?" "Your heart surgery is over. Why didn''t the sanatorium inform me?" As she spoke, she turned to Patrick with a puzzled look. Patrick could hear what they were talking about on the phone. Faced with Christina''s bewildered expression, he frowned too. "Did you arrange..." Christina naturally remembered that his family had promised to help her aunt with her illness. Patrick did not answer, but his face became gloomier. "Christina, you don''t have to worry about me anymore. The surgery was sessful. I asked the sanatorium to keep it a secret for me," Betty told her with a smile. "I wanted to tell you in person, but you''ve been too busy toe over for the past six months... There''s a great doctor here..." Chapter 148 Chapter 148 "Auntie, why didn''t you tell me about such a major operation?" Christina med her but with more astonishment. Betty seems to trust the new doctor. Who is he? Her aunt was always vignt and distrusted others. "You didn''t tell me about your divorcest time. I saw it on TV myself..." A faint retort from the other end of the phone. "I was afraid that you would get angry and thus deteriorate your health condition..." Hearing the things that happened before, Christina felt a little guilty and couldn''t help looking at the man beside her. Patrick happened to be staring at her all the time. Their eyes met, and Patrick raised his eyebrow, warning her to make things clear immediately. Christina felt a little ufortable under his gaze and turned her head slightly. Shit... There''s stillt her marriage to be told. She hesitated, but before she could say anything, Betty suppressed herplicated emotions and sighed, "It''s been so many years, and your grandfather could always make a better choice." Hearing that he mentioned Grandpa suddenly, she didn''t sink in for a moment. Betty lowered her voice with a hint of speechlessness andughter. "I mean, when you were a child, your grandfather had arranged a child''s marriage for you..." The child marriage Grandpa arranged... Hearing these words, Christina''s eyes widened slightly with her nerves tense. Looking at her strange expression, Patrick frowned. Just as she was about to ask something, Betty continued to sigh. "Christina, you were young and impulsive at that time. You really went too far and hurt his self-esteem..." "He''s too narrow-minded. I just said the wrong sentence and he directly walked away without hesitation. It''s been several years and now he really ignored me so I have no chance to apologize anymore." Christina clutched a small wooden box with her left hand, suddenly emotional. The ck ss window reflected the trace of red in her eyes. In fact, it was just like a normal quarrel, just a little more violent. She was sure that he would be softhearted ande back. But no, after that time, for so many years, it seemed that he disappeared. She secretly regretted and looked for him, but she failed. She scolded him, making him run away. "He is not so important. If he doesn''te to see me, I won''t look for him." The words revealed her obstinacy which was a bad habit because of being spoiled a long time ago. "Christina, the reason why you became pampered and wilful when you were a child was that your grandfather your families had doted on you but not because you were thedy of Dickens Family."Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Betty smiled gently on the other end. "Especially Derek. He did everything you liked. He was autistic and didn''t like to talk at that time, and you bullied him hard. He was totally responsible for your bad temper. That day, you refused his proposal publicly and said you didn''t want to see him again." Christina pursed her lips, with her eyes darkened and filled with shame. That day, even her grandfather was furious. "He''s still angry with me. I don''t know... Where he had gone." The voice sounded dull. Betty smiled snappishly. She had already known that her bark was worse than her bite. "Christina, you two grew up together. You know best his personality. He didn''t really get angry with you, and you weren''t needed to give him an apology. He has just run into some things over the years." She said and paused,ter smiled even more. "Derek is back." "It was he who operated on me. And it was sessful. Now he''s with me. Christina, do you want to talk to him..." Christina could hear the rumble in her brain, her back straightened, and her right hand clutched her phone tightly. She couldn''t hear what Betty said after that, except the words she had said before. Derek is back. It was really him. He was the person she met the other day. He''s back. "What happened?" Patrick asked in a low voice. He vaguely heard them say that someone was back, and she cared about it. Then, just as Patrick frowned and tried getting close to her, the car abruptly stopped. Christina was caught off guard. Her body leaned forward. Patrick protected her as soon as possible. After a few bumps, the car steadily stopped. They looked up and quickly noticed that a ck van was rushing across the road at the intersection off the highway. "Are you hurt..." Patrick asked her, and Christina shook her head in a daze. Her phone fell to the bottom of her seat, and she tried bending down to pick it up. "Christina, what happened?" Betty on the other end of the phone also felt something wrong. And she heard a man''s voice, that voice... She asked anxiously, "Christina, who''s next to you?" Chapter 149 Chapter 149 Christina was stunned for a moment. She turned to look at the man beside her and asked, "It is hung up?" She became a little worried after saying it. Christina pursed her lips and muttered in a sardonic tone, "Patrick, what did you say to my aunt? Why did she hang up..." The man next to her got his face darkened. He unhappily put the phone back to her and snorted coldly, "I don''t know." Christina took her phone and looked at the turned-off screen. She sighed. "Did you say something that scared her..." Patrick''s face darkened and he felt even irritated. However, he didn''t want to argue with her. He turned to look at the car window and saw the driver rushing over. The car was driving at a normal speed when suddenly a ck van ran across the road. Their car suddenly stopped and Christina''s phone fell off. Betty, who was on the other end of the phone, perceived something to be wrong and asked her with Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. concern. Christina bent over to pick up the phone, but Patrick had picked it up. Before she could answer, Betty heard Patrick''s voice and asked, "Who is it?" "I''m Christina''s husband." Patrick just said that. Then the phone was hung up. Patrick himself felt baffled. On the other end of the phone, Betty seemed to be shocked after clearly hearing Patrick''s voice. "Sit back down." Patrick pushed Christina back into her seat and fastened her seat belt with a cold face. He looked up at the driver and signaled him to continue driving back. As for the strange behavior of Christina''s aunt, he did not take it seriously. Perhaps, it was like Christina''s analysis. There were many people in the business circle who were afraid of him. Patrick was a little concerned about another thing. "Check out the ck van that cut in just now." Was it idental or intentional? As the car continued to move smoothly, Christina opened her cell phone and anxiously called her aunt back. But it couldn''t get through... "Hey, what exactly did you say to my aunt just now!" Christina was a little angry. She was sure that this arrogant man must have said something unbearable to scare her aunt. Patrick ignored her words. He still looked straight ahead and was particrly concerned about the passing cars. "You are terrible. My aunt has just finished her heart operation. Don''t scare her..." "What if she rpses?" Patrick looked expressionlessly at the road ahead and found it was about to reach. Turning around, he saw the woman next to him being annoyed so he coldly said, "Christina, how long will you secretly keep my identity..." "What?" The woman who wasining did not react. Patrick red at her. "Um... Do you think I don''t deserve your introduction to your family?" The car quickly stopped in the garage in a steady way. Patrick got out of the car without driver''s service and left with big strides, as if something urgent had happened. Christina was in the back seat, staring at the figure rapidly walking away... She frowned and muttered, "How hard it is for me to make it public..." It was so awkward. Should she just say, "we just got married after having sex and my pregnancy?" She didn''t know what Patrick was up to. He was a capable man, so he spent most of time working. Every time she was with him, she felt guilty to take up his time. However, at this moment of urgency, she should give her aunt a good exnation... After returning to her bedroom, she tried to call Betty back several times, but no one answered. Patrick was busy in the study. When they were having dinner together, he emphasized that he must meet her aunt and exin their current marriage situation. "But my aunt has just finished her operation. If it stimtes her..." After finishing the soup, she faltered and retorted. Patrick seemed really busy and suddenly stood up from the dining chair. He just red at her and ignored her words. She had got used to being idle when she was about to give birth. "Hey, I used to like the kind of man who has time to be with his wife. Why do I meet your dad?" After a walk, she went back to her bedroom to get her pajamas. Then she was about to take a bath. Soakingfortably in warm water, she thought of Patrick who was so busy all day and didn''t have much time to take a vacation. And unknowingly, this man had gradually upied all her mind. For a while, she started toin again. "He''s always cold and furious. If only I could tease him..." Her right hand sshed the water in the bathtub in boredom. When she heard her phone ringing outside, she immediately got excited. She grabbed the towel, wrapped herself up, and walked out quickly. Christina nced at the screen. It was from thendline phone of the nursing home. It should be Betty. "Auntie, that is my husband!" She cheered herself up with courage and then confessed. "Hello, Miss Dickens. I''m a nurse of nursing home," a young female soft voice came from the other end of the phone. "Aunt Betty asked me to give you a call. She wants to tell you that she is in good status and the operation is sessful. There is no need to worry about her. She has some things to handle now. She will contact you in a while." "What''s my aunt doing?" Christina couldn''t help but ask. Betty asked a nurse to call her. Wouldn''t she answer the call herself? Thinking about it, she suddenly became worried. "Does something happen to her? Does she look angry? Will it affect her health..." Christina asked several questions in one breath, but the nurse on the other end of the phoneughed. "Miss Dickens, you really don''t have to worry. Your aunt is in good health, and Dr. Fisher has been treating her personally..." Dr. Fisher. Christina was stunned for a moment when she heard the name. Derek Fisher He operated on her aunt himself. In fact, Derek shouldn''t have studied medicine. His family were particrly against it back then. But they didn''t care because he insisted on getting multiple professional degrees at the same time. "Eric, don''t take the medical exam. You should study finance. If you insist on that, people in the Fishers will be even more dissatisfied with you..." At that time, she also suggested him. "If your aunt is ill again... you''ll upset in tears." Derek was a person of few words. He had promised her that he would cure Betty for her. At that time, she thought he was kidding... After hanging up the nurse''s call, Christina felt a little depressed for no reason. She dried her long hair, changed into her pajamas, and climbed onto the bed. But she couldn''t fall sleep. Wrapped in a quilt, she turned over and couldn''t help but look into the second drawer of the nightstand. She put the small wooden box inside. All these years, she had secretly kept this rosewood box by her side. After falling out with Cory and the people at his side, she almost forgot about it. Fortunately, it was still intact. Derek''s grandfather and her grandfather were closerades-in-arms, and Derek was an illegitimate child. He had lived with his grandfather until he was three years old, so she naturally knew him... Derek was a little autistic, probably because he was bullied by the Fishers when he was a child, plus his inborn cold personality. In fact, Christina felt that this genius was a little proud, to be exact, very strange. Derek did not care about anything. Because of his indifference, it was always difficult to get close to him. She went to the same kindergarten, the same primary school, and the same high school with him... Christina had always felt it was natural to grow up with him and did not think too much about it. But one day, her grandpa told her that the jade pendant that Derek gave her should be kept because it was her engagement token with him. "What engagement token? I don''t want to marry him." "You have to marry even if you don''t. I''ve already promised his grandfather. Don''t be willful!" "I don''t want to marry an autistic man!" She was very surprised that no one had ever told her about the engagement. At that moment, she was so angry that she said some very hurtful words. At that time, he was standing outside the gate silently. Probably because of their tacit understanding, she was aware that he was standing at the gate. She clutched the precious half-moon carved blood jade in her hand at that moment. And she rushed out. When she passed him, she blushed and shouted at him, "I don''t wanna see you anymore!" Then, with a hard throw of her right hand, Christina threw the engagement jade pendant away. Her grandpa was so angry about this. So he threw a big tantrum at her andined that she was too headstrong to throw away her jade pendant. Christina''s heart sank when she thought of the past. "I didn''t really throw it away. I threw it into the pool..." Yes, that day, she threw it at the artificial carp pond in the front yard. The jade pendant was not missing, but Derek was. The jade pendant was very special. The jade was bright red. It was very precious. There were two pieces in total. When they werebined, they could form a circle. Inside her rosewood box, there were many things Derek gave her, along with some worthless handiwork such as grasshoppers and small grass rings. Although they were withered and yellow, they were still exquisite. All were made by Derek himself. Thinking about it, she felt a little sleepy. She closed her eyes lightly, hugging the quilt. She remembered the nurse''s words, "Dr. Fisher had left the nursing home. I heard he went to F City..." "Eric is in F City..." She pursed her lips and murmured. She knew Mrs. Fisher''s 50th birthday was next week... Because Patrick told her to apany him to the Fishers''s birthday party. "Eric, what have you been doing all these years..." "Why don''t you see me? Are you still mad at me..." She wanted to tell him many things, especially an apology. Chapter 150 Chapter 150 "Christina, you have a big belly. You''d better not go out and bring others trouble. Stay at home." A bantering voice sounded with a hint of ridicule. Christina''s attitude was resolute. She looked at Charles andined, "My son wants to go outside, don''t keep them bored... We''re going to F City. Why are you going with us? Your boss has his hands free." Charles wanted to talk her back, but when he looked up and saw Patrick''s cold eyes, he had to shut up. It was Saturday. Mr. Shepherd, who was supposed to be out on the weekend, had to go to F City and asked Patrick to go to the Fisher Family with him, but this bitch had to make things difficult for him. They did not dy because they had to rush to the airport and take a ne to F City. They got into the car, and the driver drove quickly, but Charles couldn''t help but nag. "Patrick, your son will be born in three months at the earliest. You can''t let her be so ... shameless all the time." When Patrick in the back of the car heard this, he looked thoughtful again. "After giving birth, your body will be weak..." Patrick''s right hand rested lightly on Christina''s bulging belly and murmured in a low voice. As he spoke, he turned to look at Christina and said in a serious tone, "Remember not to lose your temper." He knew some women would have postpartum depression, so they had to be careful. Christina opened her eyes wide and nodded desperately. "Yes, don''t make me mad."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Postpartum depression? Bullshit! Charles sat in the passenger seat, listening to the conversation between the couple behind him. He was depressed. Was this to say that Christina could be more arrogant after giving birth to the child? Damn it! They arrived at the airport very quickly. "Chandler said that he would rush to the Fishers early tomorrow morning..." Charles and Patrick whispered. Christina had never paid much attention to what these men were talking about, but when she heard the word "the Fishers," her expression became a little concerned. "You know the Fishers very well?" She hesitated for a moment and couldn''t help asking. "Of course. Otherwise, why would I go all the way for the birthday party of that olddy from the Fishers?" They were in the first-ss airline lounge, the ne was a littlete, and Charles was roasting her. Christina was quite dissatisfied with this man''s attitude, but Charles''s words of "olddy" sounded quite pleasant. Then she cursed, "That olddy was elected as a goodwill ambassador. She disgusted me. Bah-" "Christina, I don''t remember that your family has anything to do with the Dickens Family." Charles raised his eyebrows and gave her a sharp look. "You sounded like you have a deep hatred for the Fishers. Who do you know in the Fishers..." Christina was about to tell him, but as soon as she turned her head, her expression changed into surprise as she shouted to the right, "Crystal!" "You''re going to F City too?" Charles watched as a group of IP&G Group employees walked towards him. A figure stood out in the crowd. "Barbara, are you going to the Fishers or work?" "There''s a project, but our partner puts on airs and says they''re only free on weekends." Barbara walked up to the front and spoke with a chuckle as if she was used to dealing with these difficult clients. "I just came here. There are a lot of people at headquarters who don''t like me. This project is quite big, and I have toe here myself." Christina sat down and looked at the woman. She found that Barbara seemed to keep a standard and friendly smile all the time. Indeed, many men unmatched her calm manner. But Charles had just mentioned that Barbara was going to the Fishers, and she was a little curious. "Barbara, what''s your rtionship with the Fishers?" Christina asked directly, and surprise flickered in Barbara''s eyes as if she did not know how to answer. "She''s going to see her boyfriend''s parents. You are so gossipy." Charles interjected meaningfully. To meet her boyfriend''s parents in F City, the Fishers? Christina didn''t understand. As far as she knew, Mrs. Fisher gave birth to two daughters, unless... "We''re in a hurry. We''ve arranged for a client to meet tonight. See you tomorrow." Barbara did not exin much. She smiled, whispered a few words to her subordinates, and walked towards the gate. "See you in F City, Christina." As a neer to the workce, Crystal had to leave with the leader. "It looks like your gentle friend has a chance to be promoted," Charles muttered in a bored voice as he watched Barbara and the others leave with a thoughtful look while Patrick was talking on the phone. "As Barbara used to do, she would not bring a neer to such a big project." Christina always remembered that Charles was experienced in rtionships and warned him, "What are you talking about? Charles, if you dare to touch my friend, I will not let you off!" "Don''t worry, I''m not interested in her sexually," Charles nced at her. Of course, he knew he shouldn''t dip his pen in thepany ink. However, he added, "Your friend has big boobs." "Go to hell!" Christina punched him hard, and he screamed. "Christina, don''t be so arrogant even if you''re with Patrick. You''re a scourge... Behave yourself when we get to the birthday party. Don''t embarrass us." Charles nned to speak ill of her when Patrick came over, but the bodyguard ran over to tell them that Patrick had an emergency. "Mr. Hopkins have to go back home." Christina and Charles looked at each other confusedly. "Why does he suddenly return home?" "Did something happen to grandpa?" Thinking about it, Christina became worried. "Mr. Hopkins just asked Mr. Shepherd to send Young Madam to F City first. He will go directly to the venue tomorrow..." The bodyguard reported truthfully. "I''ll go back home." Christina was really worried. "Stop fooling around. Grandpa is in good health. Let''s go to F City first..." Charles stood up from his chair and nced at her. "Christina, if you really want to go home, you might as well not go to the party. It''s troublesome to take care of you." "But I want to see him..." She hesitated as she spoke. Charles did not know what she said, but seeing that she was worried, he could not bully her. Otherwise, when Patrick knew, Patrick would kick his ass. "Your husband can handle everything. Patrick asked you to go to F City, so do it. Christina, you are troublesome. Do you know?" Charles mocked her as usual and strode towards the departure gate. Christina hesitated for a moment and followed Charles. "Charles, do you know what Patrick is up to?" "Can you help him with his busy work, Christina? Don''t help him in the wrong way, and he will be pleased." They walked side by side, pass the security checks smoothly, and flew to F City. Chapter 151 Chapter 151 "I see..." "Then I''ll see you at the hotel," Christina said anxiously as she was about to hang up. "Patrick, remember toe earlier." The man on the other end of the phone was startled by her nervous tone. "Hum." One ''Hum'' was counted as a promise. Christina looked at her phone, which had been hung up. Her expression became a little gloomy. What? We had decided toe to F City together, but they all wanted to break the promise... "Young Madam, this is the suite that was arranged for you. Is there anything you are not satisfied with?" The hotel manager, who had been standing quietly on the other side, after seeing Christina''s call was over, came over to ask in a soft voice, "If you need anything, you can tell me directly. Mr. Shepherd asked us to prepare some soup for you. What kind of taste do you like..." "Never mind. I''m not hungry now." Christina took her room card and went straight in. This was the best hotel in F City, and suite 10008 on the top floor was the best room here. It was exquisite and luxurious, but she didn''t have any requirements for a room. She just felt the room was too big and cold. Charles brought her here and left without telling her where did he go. Patrick was still in A City, saying he would bete for seeing her. "Young Madam, you could rest first. If you need anything, please call the service number. We have someone on duty 24 hours a day..." Naturally, the female manager did not dare to belittle her. Even though she was the proprietress of their hotel herself, she was still supposed to politely speak to the guest and carefully close the door. The suite was quiet and was full of a faintvender scent, leaving the impression of being clean and The flight made Christina a little tired, so she went straight to bed to rest. She put her phone on the bedside table and checked the volume of the phone in order to hear Patrick''s phone call. It was in thete summer season, so she slept deeply By the time she woke up naturally, the setting sun had already fallen from the French window, and the night had just begun. F City''s pace of life was slower than A City''s, and the air quality and environment were good. It was once ranked as the top ten most suitable cities to live in. But Christina didn''t like F City very much. When she was young, she was very courageous. She had sneaked into this city many times, but it didn''t leave her with any good impression. The first time she came over, shey on the edge of the grass and saw Mrs. Fisher lock Derek into the trunk with her own eyes. The second time she came over, she looked for Derek for a long time and was dejected toe home when she noticed that Derek was locked up in Mrs. Fisher''s dirty storage room. He had been hungry all day, and he didn''t even have the strength to speak due to his high fever. The third time, Mrs. Fisher raised the heavy pole and hit him, but Derek stood lifeless. He was beaten violently, but he did not cry out in pain. Only his little body was trembling. That time, she couldn''t hold back and rushed over. She grabbed Derek and ran as fast as she could, hiding in a small corner. "I''ve never seen anyone as stupid as you, standing straight like a pir after being beaten... Stupid! You could just run when you''re beaten!" She was so angry that she hated the clean and delicate boy standing in front of her. Therefore, Derek had a unique nickname, Eric(a little pir). Christina got out of bed, grabbed her phone, walked to the window, and looked at the bright lights downstairs. It was a long time ago. "I haven''t seen him for so many years... How is he now?" Time couldpletely change a person, and Derek couldn''t be the weak and autistic Eric back then. The phone suddenly vibrated, and Christina immediately looked down to check. It wasn''t from Patrick. It was Crystal who sent her a WhatsApp message. "Pig Is Rising": [ Christina, I was a little nervous on my first business trip with a senior executive. Now I''m at a hotel in F City, waiting for a big client. ] "Invincible Tina": [ which hotel are you in? ] After a while, Crystal sighed, "This is fate." Sure enough, Christina''s guess was right. Barbara chose the same hotel, but they were downstairs in a private room. "Pig Is Rising": [ I didn''t see the big boss at the airport just now. Christina, why did youe to F City? Your suite must be very big and luxurious. What about we have an affair tonight(jokingly)... ] "Invincible Tina": [ Then I''ll ask Patrickter. ] Crystal had no guts. She did not dare to be jealous about Christina''s presidential suite anymore. However, Crystal found out some gossip to share with her best friend by sending her a mysterious message. "Christina, do you know why Barbara could get that position when she''s still so young?" "Invincible Tina": [ Not interested. ] Christina didn''t like Barbara very much. There was no reason, but she didn''t like her. "Pig Is Rising": [ Barbara bes a top manager when she just came into the headquarters, which triggered a lot of questions. And she often mingled with your husband, Charles, and other businessmen. Aren''t you really not curious about this woman who was so ordinary before... ] "Invincible Tina": [ Patrick is not having an affair with her. ] She was sure of that. Her trust in her husband surprised Crystal as she often suspected her boss before. Well... she must be bewitched by Patrick''s handsomeness. However, Crystal agreed with her. [ Barbara is not having an affair with your husband. I heard from them that Barbara is the prospective daughter-inw of the Fishers... ] [ Her boyfriend is said to be very influential socially. No wonder he could get into Charles''s circle. It turns out that Barbara is Derek''s girlfriend. ] Christina was stunned and stared at words on her phone. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. "... Impossible." Chapter 152 Chapter 152 "Miss Parker, you are really amazing. You became the Asia-pacific general manager of public rtions in IP & G Group at such a young age..." A rough voice sounded with an ambiguous smile. In the magnificent hotel room, the chandelier above was shining, and the round table was full of rich dishes to entertain distinguished guests. But the important customer in front of her was not interested in the table of dishes. He sat in the chair, lit his cigarette, and looked arrogantly at the woman standing on one side. Puffing out a cigarette, he chuckled in disdain. "... But Miss Parker''s face and figure seem to be a little worse than I have thought they will be. You look not that amazing." "I am sorry to have let Mr. Morris down." Barbara smiled as if she didn''t mind at all. She then turned around and nced at a group of her subordinates standing by. Everyone knew that Mr. Morris was not easy to be pleased with, so they forced a smile and sat down. "Come on, let''s toast Mr. Morris first." Barbara picked up her ss and raised it calmly to the middle-aged man beside her, smiling with dignity. "Mr. Morris, I was just transferred here and I''m not familiar with the operation here. I have a lot of things to learn from you elders, and thank you for your help." Mr. Morris was nearly fifty years old with a darkplexion and arge figure. He wore a thick gold ne around his neck and looked like those men who were rich in money but not sophisticated in manners. Seeing that Barbara had really bottomed up the wine in her ss, he quickly drank up the wine in his ss. Thud - "Again!" "Say a few more nice words and I''ll consider taking good care of you..." The man''s breath was full of the smell of alcohol and tobo, and heughed loudly. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Barbara held back her anger. By the time she drank the third ss, her stomach could no longer stand it, and she could no longer smile. "Mr. Morris, we''re just here to talk about the project..." Suddenly, a voice interrupted their drinking. Crystal couldn''t bear watching this. This Mr. Morris had been sneering at them all the time, and it seemed he didn''t want to sign the contract at all. Barbara was Crystal''s boss after all, and if they could not sign the contract, they could just leave. "Shut up, Crystal!" Barbara responded quickly and turned to re at Crystal sternly. "Who is this guy, perhaps a lover of some young master? How dare he talk to me like this!" Mr. Morris pped his ss on the table and cursed with anger. Suddenly, the atmosphere at the table became tense and serious. There were six employees who followed Barbara here, and they looked at each other in bewilderment. Crystal did not dare to say another word. "What a jinx!" Sabrina also followed here and was sitting next to Crystal. Sabrina cursed in a low voice, "I don''t understand why Barbara asked you toe over..." The table was veryrge, as they had originally nned to seriously entertain the important guest. Other female employees from Barbara''s side forced smiles and took the initiative to drink with Mr. Morris to ease the tension. Crystal knew that Barbara didn''t really care about this Mr. Morris. This was the first important project she dealt with since she came to the headquarter, and there were many people watching her. So she had to win the contract. "Mr. Morris, you should know that if you don''t give our IP & G group this deal, no one dares to take it neither." Barbara had been making her living in the businessmunity for many years, and she was not someone to be bullied easily. "What''s your IP&G Group?" Mr. Morrisughed wildly. "Barbara, I think you really have huge appetites. Think of yourself as the hostess of the IP & G Group..." Chapter 153 Chapter 153 Around 8 pm, Christina suddenly received a call from Crystal. "Christina, Christina, can you help us?" On the other end of the phone, Crystal sounded urgent and anxious. Christina was alone in the luxurious suite on the top floor of the hotel. She asked confusedly, "Crystal, what happened to you? Did you drink?" Hearing her vaguely, Christina thought she seemed to have drunk quite a lot. Besides, Crystal was a Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. light drinker and could only drink a little. "Where... where''s Patrick?" Crystal held the phone in her hand and her speech was a little incoherent. "He''s not here. What happened?" Christina was surprised that she suddenly asked about Patrick. Patrick had to deal with some business in A City. But an hour ago, he sent a text message saying that he shoulde over and warned her of running around. Christina had changed her clothes and was about to go down the hall to eat some food. Just when she wanted to open the door, she received a call from Crystal. "Miss, Miss Parker, she was forced to drink half a bottle of whiskey." She couldn''t hear her clearly and her speech was incoherent. Christina was puzzled. "Mr. Morris said that he, he was the Fishers''s rtive. He said that she could not be Derek''s girlfriend, and he also said that if Barbara wanted to be Patrick''s lover. She''d better be his lover." Christina could hardly understand what she was saying, "Crystal, where are you now?" "I, I am now," Crystal on the other end of the phone paused. She burped and suddenly remembered something important. She raised her voice and screamed, "Christina,e and save us!" "This hotel is owned by the Hopkinses. The staff here will follow your advice. You, hurry up." Christina knew she was drunk, frowned, and immediately became anxious. "Which room are you in? I''ll go over now!" As she spoke, she quickly reached out and twisted the door handle. But as soon as she opened the door, a tall figure appeared in front of her. Christina was caught off guard and bumped into the man on his chest. She was too shocked to react for a moment. Christina was pushed inside by the man and he locked the door. "Damn it, who are you?" She raised her head and cursed angrily. But when she just finished thest sentence, Christina froze and looked at the man in front of her with disbelief on her face. He was tall, almost 1.86 meters tall, but he looked a little thin. He had fair skin and a well-featured face as delicate as a European person, His blue eyes were especially impressive. He looked at her eyes and his blue eyes reflected her face. There was a sh of hesitation on his handsome face and he slightly frowned. A momentter, he opened his thin lips slightly and murmured. "Christina." His voice was deep but clear, soft but cold. It was a very special and beautiful voice. Simrly, he was handsome and fair with a high and elegant demeanor. She heard this familiar nickname that had disappeared for a long time. Except for her dead mother, only he would call her Christina. She hadined to him countless times that this nickname sounded disgusting. But he still called her this way and never changed. "Eric, where have you been all these years?" Christina''s eyes gradually turned red. She said nothing but shouted at him angrily, "Derek, where the hell have you been?" Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Knock, knock, knock. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door impatiently. Christina was stunned and could not react. She saw the man in front of her frown slightly with his thoughtful blue eyes. "Miss Dickens, are you in there? Is it convenient for you to open the door now?" The man outside the room seemed anxious as if he couldn''t wait to break in. "The situation is somewhat unique. We need to search your room immediately." Christina was rmed. She did not respond, examing at the man in front of her with moreplicated eyes. She lowered her voice. "Eric, they..." Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "What are you doing?" Before she finished her words, she was dragged into the suite. When the hotel manager rushed in, the crowd behind him was stunned. "Why you barging in!" On the big white bed, a woman wasying down and asleep, covered with a widevender nket. At this moment, her face sank and she red at them with an extremely irritated expression. "Miss Dickens, I''m really sorry." As a male, the hotel manager didn''t dare to look directly at the bed. He tilted his head and exined in an awkward voice, "It happened suddenly. We need to search your room. I hope you can cooperate with us." Bang. Christina reached out her right hand, grabbed a porcin ornament from the nightstand, and dropped it "Get out, get out!" Her voice was so angry that her fair arms and shoulders were exposed without the nket. It was as if she had suddenly woken up from a deep sleep. She was so angry for her naked body being watched. Want me to cooperate with you? No way! Perceiving her bad temper, the five hotel staff who followed in immediately looked at their manager. The manager''s face was a littleplicated, and he looked around suspiciously. He lowered his voice and changed the title for Christina. "Young Madam, we were only instructed by Mr. Hopkins. Please don''t make trouble for us." The hotel belonged to the Hopkinses. They are at least by her side. Christina was in hesitation when she heard this. The manager was professional at observation. Noticing her hesitation, he immediately raised a fawning smile and continued to speak softly, "Young madam, we just found a suspicious man in the hotel''s surveince. We are worried that he has entered your suite. For your safety, please, we need your cooperation." "I''m safe. I don''t need it." Her voice was clear and she refused. As she spoke, she yelled at them with a dark face. "You didn''t care my friends who were being treated unfairly before. And now youe to my ce without my admission. How do you manage the hotel? I''ll go downstairs after changing clothes. You owe me an exnation!" "Get out, get out!" People standing there looked embarrassed. They had heard of this youngdy, even those who drink with Charles feared her temper. "Young Madam, we''ll go outside. Please inform us immediately if anything happens." They had to leave her room. Christina clutched the nket with her left hand and felt relieved. But then, outside the corridor, there came a sudden rush of steps... "Get in and search!" That order startled not only people outside, but Christina, who''s now not able to control her fear. Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Christina looked into his eyes with a sh of guilt on her face. She leaned against the bed, covered with a nket, and looked at the man at the door from afar. She did not expect Patrick to suddenlye over. Seeing arge group of people searching around in the bathroom and cloakroom of the suite, she tried to stop them but could not make up an excuse. "Mr. Hopkins, we didn''t find anyone." "The elevator surveince shows that he''s on this floor..." "We searched the rest of the rooms. To protect the privacy of guests'' on the top floor, we didn''t install the monitor device." Christina could vaguely hear their conversation in the living room. Although there was a lot of service staff standing in the spacious suite at this time, the room was very silent as everyone looked at each other and did not dare to speak. Shepressed her lips and her heart was pounding. However, she was also hesitant. Was Patrick looking for him? Why did he look for Eric? While being buried in thoughts, she trembled at the sudden voice. She heard the heavy footsteps approaching. Christina jerked her head up and suddenly met Patrick''s gloomy eyes. He stared at her with a meaningful look. She could only feel a chill on her back, and her body could not help but tense up. Leaning against the headboard, she put her hands under the nket and clenched her fists. "Who are you.." She hesitated as he stared at her. But she stopped asking him. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her eyes and did not dare to look him in the eye. She said in an awkward tone, "The person you''re looking for isn''t here." Patrick didn''t say anything. He did note any closer, just standing quietly about two meters away from the bed. They were silent. Christina lowered her head and became more and more uneasy. What could she do? Did he find anything? She thought, "He won''t lift my nket in public." "I remember you used to sleep on the right side." The low voice came to Christina''s ears and her hope was ruined by his words. Her face turned pale. He remembered her habits. She did like to sleep on the right side. But she was just too hasty. In astonishment, she looked up guiltily and opened her lips slightly, trying to say something. Christina felt a little timid and guilty. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The man standing at the foot of the bed and stared at her with his burning eyes, waiting for her to confess. What should she say? She didn''t know how to exin it. But at this moment, in the cold and silent suite, a sudden sound of footsteps broke an awkward atmosphere. "Mr. Hopkins, Miss Parker has a serious stomachache. She vomits a lot and needs to be sent to the hospital immediately." Christina was stunned when she heard this. Barbara and others seemed to have had some trouble when entertaining their clients in the hotel room. "She probably drank too much alcohol before eating anything." Seeing that Patrick was indifferent, the general manager of the hotel stepped forward and suggested softly, "Mr. Hopkins, just now you saw that Miss Parker looked pale. It''s probably alcohol poisoning. It''s best to send her to the hospital for gastricvage. We''ll deal with what happened hereter." Christina''s eyes lit up when she heard this. "You came sote just because you had visited Barbara!" The woman on the bed suddenly raised her voice to retort him, pretending to be angry. "Patrick, we were supposed toe over together, but you suddenly left me alone at the airport. Last time, you left with Barbara and the others and I was left alone in the parking lot. You always left me behind because of other people''s affairs. Did you treat me as your wife? Do you think that Barbara was more important than me?" Christina looked angry and scolded him indignantly. Patrick frowned, not used to her sudden anger. She rarely made such a fuss. The hotel room staff didn''t understand what was going on. They thought his women fought for his favor. Christina looked around unhappily. She was jealous! "I often get cramps during sleeping when I''m pregnant. I was so pained that I often couldn''t sleep. But you never cared about me. Now that there''s something wrong with your subordinate''s work, you immediately rush over to save her." As she spoke, she reached out and quickly picked up the big coat by the bed, draped it over her body, and went straight out of bed. "You''re going to a the Fishers party. I guess Miss Parker will be there too. Why did you ask me toe all the way to F City? I''m going back to A City now!" Patrick was ck in his face. Looking at her unreasonable behavior, he shouted angrily, "Christina!" "I don''t want you to mind my business. I''m going to see my friend now." She didn''t even look back. Christina walked to the entrance, changed her shoes, and mmed the door. Bang. The door was closed. Patrick was livid and all the hotel staff trembled in fear. She actually mmed the door and left. Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Actually, Christina didn''t go too far. She walked out of the room, her back against the wall. She lowered her head with aplicated expression and she stood like this. Unreasonable... She was deliberately being unreasonable just now in the room. She frowned, and her heartbeat lost the rhythm. She was nervous with her hands slightly closed, ... "Christina... You..." After a while, the door was opened again. As soon as the man came out, he was surprised that she was still here. Hearing the low voice, Christina raised her head and looked at him. Patrick''s short hair was a little messy because of his quick steps. He looked straight at the woman in front of him, lost in thought. She looked at his deep eyes and opened her mouth. She wanted to say something, but she stopped. She took a big step forward, spread out her hands, and wrapped them around his waist. Without saying anything, she buried her face in his chest, hiding the guilt in her eyes. She was just being unreasonable. She bet that he woulde after her. "Patrick..." At this moment, not knowing what to say, she suddenly whispered his name, "Patrick..." The voice was low and soft as if he had done something wrong, and the voice was muffled in his chest. Patrick''s original anger was inexplicably depressed and he did not know who to be angry with. As his waist was hugged so tightly by her, he lowered his head to look at the woman''s side face, which showed that she was apologetic. It made him felt angry and funny at the same time. Then the general manager of the hotel and several service staff also came out. As soon as they came out, they saw Christina hugging their big boss and acting like a spoiled child. They were all very smart at the moment. They nodded at Patrick and quickly left quietly. Patrick did not push her away, but felt that she was a little strange. She was not usually so obedient and clingy. Christina didn''t look up, but she could hear the footsteps of the hotel staff leaving. Her face rubbed against his chest a few times before she hesitated and said, "Patrick, are you looking for..." Who was he looking for? As soon as she spoke, she raised her voice and said in a hurry, "What have you been up totely?" She raised her head, her clear eyes fixed on the man much taller than her. Patrick looked at the woman in his arms for a second and raised his eyebrows slightly. He was having this feeling that she was acting weird. He didn''t answer her. He reached out to grab her shoulder and smoothed her hair. "Go down to the lobby and eat something." Christina was naturally led to the elevator by him, as if Patrick only thought that her arguing and being jealous in the room just now was just a joke. Just as Christina stepped into the elevator, she nced unconsciously in the direction of the suite. Eric was still in the room... Why did he suddenly appear here? Did Patrick have so many people to look for him? Christina couldn''t figure it out. She lowered her head and followed the man beside her down the hotel lobby. But there was one thing she was sure of. Tomorrow was Mrs. Fisher''s birthday party. Since he was in F City, Eric should be there tomorrow. "He might return to the Fishers tomorrow." They were having dinner in the lobby when Charles rushed over and asked Patrick to discuss some private matters on the balcony. "the Fishers still don''t know about Derek waking up..." Charles paused, with a meaningful look. "After he stay in the Seattle Hospital for so many years, many things have changed. Mrs. Fisher will definitely announce tomorrow that she will hand over thepany to her two sons-inw..." Derek probably wouldn''t get anything when he returned to the Fisher Family. After all, he was just a bastard, and Mrs. Fisher hated Derek so much. Taking advantage of his disappearance all these years, she absolutely wanted to devastate him. Charles sighed helplessly. "Fortunately, Derek has never been interested in the power and wealth..." What was Derek interested in? To be honest, his good friends didn''t know, or maybe there was nothing he was interested in. Patrick stood aside, not saying a word, but looking straight ahead at the deep sky, where the starlight was scattered. The night was a bit cold. "Patrick," Charles called to him with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why do you think he''s hiding from us after he woke up?" ording to their understanding, Derek was so quiet that he would never say a word more than necessary. He didn''t pay much attention to others, as if he didn''t care about anyone or anything. However, if someone said that the Fishers''s grandson was an autistic fool, that was because he didn''t understand him. Charles thought that the strange brain of Derek was simply like a superputer. With more than 200 IQ, he was surprisingly good in memory and logics. Like his deep blue eyes, he surprised others a lot. Sometimes such a detached person really was not like a mortal for being so excellent. "I don''t think he wants to see us. Why?" Charles couldn''t figure it out. "I don''t know." Patrick said three words coldly, as if he was a little agitated and didn''t want to talk about this topic anymore. He stepped forward and walked towards Christina. Charles didn''t have dinner tonight, so he just sat down with them and naturally followed them, but he still kept nagging with a sigh, "I don''t know how to contact him..." It was indeed not easy to find Derek. "Christina, what are you texting?" As soon as he sat down, Charles nced at Christina''s phone and saw that the woman had sent messages to a WhatsApp user named ''Sleeping Beauty'' with a serious expression. When Christina saw theming back, she blocked the screen with her right hand and pretended to be casual. "Nothing." Charles smiled mischievously and teased her. "I''ve seen it. Christina, why are you asking that person Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. where he''s been all these years and what''s going on? Who is it? Hmm... Are you doing something immoral behind his back?" Hearing this, Christina stuffed her phone into her jacket pocket, acting a little hasty. "Charles, don''t be so gossipy. You are really a tragedy for whoever marries you in the future?" Once they sat down, neither of them could be quiet. Charles red at her angrily. "Christina, I am telling you. There are many women who want to marry me. They can line up from here to A City..." Patrick used to threaten Mr. Shepherd with his eyes when he saw them making a scene, but tonight he seemed preupied, frowning and ignoring them. Christina and Charles had a tacit understanding in their bickering. At the same time, they raised their eyebrows and looked at Patrick, who was deep in thought. Then they both calmed down. "Why don''t you eat?" The three of them ate without much to say, but Christina noticed that the man beside her seemed to have no appetite. He only ate a few vegetables and put down his chopsticks. "... Finish the soup." Patrick looked up at her and reminded her. "They might have mistaken someone, so don''t worry too much..." Charles suddenly said something to him. Seeing that Patrick was a little grim, he shrugged and changed the subject. "I heard that Barbara was in the hospital. Let''s go and see her." Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Around 10 pm, Christina and the others arrived at F City''s No.1 People''s Hospital. "Don''t run around." As soon as she got out of the car, the man beside habitually warned her. "Oh." Christina answered casually, and they walked side by side to the inpatient department. Charles followed too. He walked behind them and looked at their backs gloomily. Patrick didn''t want her toe. The hospital was not a good ce where was full of patients and germs. But Christina insisted toe so that Patrick had no choice but to agree with her. Moreover, he had just heard that Christina, the evil woman, had made a scene of jealousy in the suite. He talked to himself, "Patrick should have taught her a lesson. Or else what will she be in the future?" When Christina just married into the Hopkinses, she obeyed the rules, but now she became like this. That was all because of Patrick. The three of them strode to the ninth floor of the inpatient department. Because it was evening and there were rtively few people. Their footsteps echoed in the cold corridor. The driver and three bodyguards followed closely behind them, walking in a morepact and orderly manner. Patrick and the other two were quite outstanding in appearance. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they attracted the attention and curiosity of some medical staff. "P...President..." At the door of arge ward on the right, an employee in uniform had just walked out. She was a little surprised. "President." "Mr. Shepherd." Several IP&G employees who had followed Barbara to F City on a business trip immediately stood up and greeted them. It was already 10 pm, and they were ttered that the group''s famous and cold boss had actuallye to visit them personally. "You''re here..." Barbara had been forced to drink too much liquor by her clients before. She was intoxicated with alcohol and had already had a gastricvage, but her face was still a little pale. Shey on the bed, raised her head slightly, and looked towards the door. She seemed to have expected Patrick and the others toe over. She smiled slightly. When the other staff members saw this situation, they bent down slightly towards Patrick and went out respectfully. But when they walked out of the ward, they couldn''t help but look at the woman beside him. Who was this woman with a big belly? "Christina, you alsoe to see me, thank you." Barbara on the bed also noticed her and greeted Christina. There was no expression on Christina''s face. Christina had noticed from the moment she entered the room that although Barbara was intoxicated with alcohol and was lying in bed, she seemed to be in a good mood and kept smiling. But just now, at the first sight of her, Barbara''s eyes shed with unhappiness. Christina didn''t know if she was being too sensitive. She politely said to Barbara, "Hope you recover soon." Then she shook the man''s arm and said, "Patrick, I''m going to see Crystal next door." She came to the hospital to see her best friend, and as for Miss Parker, she didn''t want to pretend to care for her with a smile. Patrick let go of her and turned to look at the bodyguard behind him, indicating that they should all follow her closely. "Barbara, how are you feeling now?" Charles said with concern, "That guy really dared to make you drink a whole bottle of whiskey. Was he crazy, or did he garnered a leopard''s guts?" Barbara smiled weakly. "Nothing, it''s not the first time." To be able to climb to this position, she had suffered a lot. Patrick stood at the end of the bed, took a look at the heartbeat and blood pressure data disyed by the instrument, as well as the intravenous drip, and said calmly, "Have a good rest these days." Barbara suddenly chuckled and spoke quickly. "Patrick, it''s rare to hear you care about me." "Shouldn''t you, the big boss, give me a reward for being a dedicated employee of thepany? That whiskey with over 60% alcohol is driving me crazy. I don''t know if I can work hard for you in the future." Her tone was natural, teasing and chuckling. Few people could joke with Patrick like that. Christina had just walked to the door, facing the door, but she could hear their conversation. Without looking back, she could guess that Barbara''s face must be smiling brightly. They were indeed old friends who had been together for many years. They got together and chatted. Even with Patrick, the cold and indifferent man, around, they could have such a harmonious atmosphere. Inexplicably, she was a little conflicted. If she was intoxicated by alcohol andy in bed, Patrick would have scolded her the moment he saw her. Christina didn''t want to be bothered by these feelings, so she opened the door and walked out. But when she closed the door, she vaguely heard Charles''s voice, "Isn''t that old man just relying on the cousin rtionship of the Fishers? Knowing that you''re talking to him on behalf of IP&G, he still dares to make things difficult for you..." "I can handle this. This is the first big project I handled after I got to the headquarter. I hope you can trust me, Patrick." The sentence that Barbara said, "I hope you can trust me, Patrick", was heard by Christina clearly. "Patrick has always trusted her..." Christina muttered, sounding a little sour. In the past, employees of the IP&G Group rarely encountered any trouble on business trips. Others would show them some respect somewhat. Even if they had a disagreement with the project, they did not dare to offend IP&G Group''s employees. This time, Barbara brought a few employees to F city to meet her clients, and two of them were sent to the hospital for alcoholism. The Group would definitely pay special attention to it. Crystal was another unlucky employee. "Crystal..." Christina went straight to the ward next door and knocked on the door. Just as she was about to enter, she found that the door was ajar and there was some noiseing from inside. A shrill female voice angrily rebuked, "Crystal, this whole thing is your fault for offending Mr. Morris." "You''ve been in ourpany for a while. You should know the rules. When you get back, you should resign. Don''t put Miss Parker in a difficult position." Bang - Christina opened the door anxiously with a cold face. "What are you talking about?" Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. When Sabrina heard the voice, she turned around and looked at Christina with surprise in her eyes. She wanted to say something, but she was afraid of Christina somewhat. Sabrina walked out in a hurry. Christina asked her, "Hey, what did you say about her resigning?" "Forget it." Crystal on the bed called out with a sullen expression. "Crystal, what did that Sabrina just say about your resigning? They want you to take the me?" Christina walked to the bedside and saw Crystal''s frail and haggard appearance. She was furious immediately. "Barbara wants to keep the order and her reputation. Of course, she can''t offend Mr. Morris, so someone has to take the me..." Chapter 158 Chapter 158 "Christina, I''m really fine. Don''t worry about me. I don''t have a headache after the drip. It''s just that lost my job..." Crystalid weakly on the bed, pretending to be optimistic, but her voice low. It couldn''t be true to say that she didn''t care about it. She went on a business trip with her boss but suddenly lost her job. What about her mortgage and car loan next month? Without money, everything was a big problem. "I''ll talk to Patrick..." Christina, who was standing by the bed, turned around angrily and was about to go out to question him. It was so unfair and she felt really bad for her best friend. "The client was deliberately making things difficult. You had drunk yourself into the hospital. And yet they made you resign just for Barbara''s performance and order. They can''t do this to you!" "Christina, don''t go." Crystal knew her well enough to stop her from doing anything irrational. She smiled bitterly. "You took the me for others before. It''s just life..." There was always something they couldn''t control. Christina''s face was cold, and she did not move. She was very angry, but she knew she couldn''t rush to the next room to make a scene. She was just upset. Everyone had taken the me for other''s fault. She used to encounter injustice when she was doing a part-time job while in school. Some of her colleagues would kiss up to their superiors to get the easiest job with a higher sry and would throw those neers under the bus when something went wrong. Crystal was a simple person so she wasn''t too depressed. Thinking that she still had some savings in her card, she figured that she would not be broke before she found a new job in time. She chuckled, "If I''m not wanted here, I''ll just find somewhere else to work." Looking at Christina, who had a dark face, she joked and smiled. "Don''t think everyone can be like you, married to Patrick and living a life as the Young Madam..." "But it can be easy for Patrick to manage the wholepany. Christina, you should really be more considerate of your husband. It''s really not easy to earn money to support the family. There are many deceptions and intrigues. You don''t know how many people are waiting for him to fall from his position." Christina raised her eyebrows. Seeing that she was being all goody and nice, she immediately chaffed her. "Thepany is about to terminate the contract with you, and you are still defending him" Crystal was always considerate of others. She was patient and did everything slow and steady. Therefore, her ssmates and colleagues always liked to ask her for help, and this girl didn''t know how to refuse, so she had to do whatever others asked her to do. Christina didn''t have such a good temper. She had a dark face. She was unhappy and she wouldn''t hide her feelings. Crystal wanted tough when she saw how angry she was. Christina, her impetuous best friend was not a gentle and considerate person but was very sincere, very straightforward, and very simple. There was no need to pretend in front of Christina. The fact that she was angrier than herself made her feel like being cared for sincerely. She could feel her care directly without any sweet words. It was a blessing that at least she had one friend who was willing to defend her after she lost her job. "Forget it. It''s good to change jobs. Thest time I saw that Erica fooling around with a random man at the Fire Club, Sabrina thought I was spreading rumors about her cousin. I guess even Barbara was making things difficult for me because of that. I don''t want to stay here anymore..." Crystal''s tone became more rxed and cheerful. "Barbara..." Christina murmured this name with some thoughts. Barbara had met a big client this time. Although the client was deliberately being difficult, she did not say anything. Instead, she put all the me on her own employees and gave Mr. Morris a big favor. Boss wasn''t stupid. He wouldn''t dare challenge the IP&G Group if it got out of hand. In the end, he could only sign the contract. This was her first big project of Barbara after she got into the headquarter. The senior management who had questioned her ability should restrain themselves now, and at the same time, Mr. Morris owed her a favor. "No wonder she is Patrick''s right-hand person." Christina muttered, gritting her teeth. She didn''t care what Barbara liked to do, But the fact that she had to throw Crystal under the bus made her feel that Barbara was targeting her. "Crystal, have a good rest..." It was gettingte. Crystal, who had a weak tolerance for alcohol, must have been ufortable drinking so much alcoholst night. She did not need to be disturbed. Christina said in a soft voice and walked out. Crystal did have a burning stomach and a dull pain in her head, but seeing Christina''s expression, she was really worried that she would make a scene. After thinking for a while, she shouted at her back, "Patrick rushed to our room tonight. He was actually looking for you..." "He thought that if something''s wrong with this meeting, I would definitely ask for your help. He''s afraid you would be in danger." Christina paused for a moment and did not say anything. She gently closed the door for her. "... Patrick didn''t say anything about it." She walked to the ward next door, muttering andining, slightly smiling. She pushed open the door and found that Patrick was not in the ward. "Patrick is downstairs," Charles said to her without thinking twice when he saw her. After a pause, he immediately raised a sinister smile. "Christina, are you sad that Patrick left you again? Don''t worry, he''s still waiting for you downstairs." Christina thought Mr. Shepherd very annoying and she didn''t even give him a look. She turned around and wanted to go downstairs. But as soon as she stepped forward, she turned around and looked at the woman in the bed with a thoughtful look in her eyes. Barbara sat with her back against the headboard, being looked at like that, she felt awkward and said. "Christina, do you have something to tell me?" "Christina, Barbara is sick now. Don''t be mean to her just because you have Patrick to protect you" Charles approached her and warned her in a low voice. Christina said annoyedly. "What do you think I''m going to say? I don''t care about thepany." "Charles, you said that Barbara has been a group executive for so many years and she seldom goes on business trips to meet big clients with any neers. And this time, she brought Crystal. I just want to say thank you on behalf of my friend!" Her voice was very calm, but she was gritting her teeth when saying thank you. Charles was stunned, and he nced over to the bed, thinking about something. Barbara seemed to be nervous all of a sudden. Her voice was a little hoarse, and she asked anxiously, "Christina, do you have any misunderstanding..." Hearing her voice, Charles couldn''t bear to see her like this. The ward should be quiet and Barbara needed a good rest. "Christina, don''t be ridiculous. Go downstairs now." Charles simply took her out of the ward. Christina was half-dragged and did not resist, but she was angry. Crystal became the victim of other Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. people''s business interests. "Stop. Don''t drag me. I can walk by myself." As soon as they left the room, she immediately held her face up and red at Charles. "Protect your good friends as hard as you can. None of you are good..." Christina was still angry. "Christina, you have to know that this is the business world. We want to maximize our profits... Barbara''s decision was not wrong, don''t get Patrick in on this..." Charles had been in the business world for many years, so naturally, he knew that Crystal had no choice but to take the me. Christina didn''t listen to him and walked straight into the elevator with heavy steps. "Yes, your Barbara is not wrong, and Patrick also thinks Barbara is not wrong. It''s all my fault. I dragged Crystal into this. I can''t change it. I''m just angry. I feel guilty!" She had nevere into contact with thisplicated business world, she didn''t care about the interests. Why did she have to choose Crystal, not other new employees... Barbara was such a rational person, she wouldn''t go through such trouble for her best friend''s personal affairs. It was clear that she was targeting her. "Christina, you''re overthinking it. Don''t go and make a scene." "Ok, I''m overthinking. What? You think I have persecution delusions?" Christina nced at him angrily, thought about it, put away her anger, and became serious. "Charles, can I ask you something?" "Barbara, is she Derek''s girlfriend?" They got into the elevator, and the elevator was going down. Charles didn''t understand why she suddenly asked this question. He felt a little strange. "Yes, they are a couple." Charles noticed her expression and asked curiously, "Christina, do you know Derek?" The elevator reached the first floor, the lobby. Christina walked out of the elevator expressionless. All of a sudden, she wanted tough. She bit her lips and said in a low and heavy tone. "I know him. I knew him a long time ago." ''... I knew him a long time ago.'' Chapter 159 Chapter 159 It was almost midnight when they returned to the hotel suite. "Wait a minute..." Christina looked at the door panel in front of her and subconsciously stopped the staff member of the hotel as he brought the room card over to open the door for them. "Wait for what?" Patrick noticed that the woman beside him had a worried look on her face. She had not said much on the way back. Christina wanted to make an excuse, but when she looked at Patrick''s sharp eyes, she couldn''t say anything. "Go to bed early." It was gettingte, and Patrick couldn''t understand her thoughts. The door was opened, and the room attendant immediately turned on all the lights in the suite for them respectfully. The light in front of them was intensely bright. Christina froze at the door. She was nervous. "What are you thinking?" Patrick frowned when he saw her standing still. She was very strange tonight. She did not answer him, but she seemed to look in the direction of the bed in the bedroom. Her mind was a mess and she was somewhat nervous. "What are you looking at?" He felt that she was distracted. She was not even focused on talking to him, and that made him somehow angry. Patrick turned around and took a big step. His tall and handsome figure suddenly blocked her view. He spoke again coldly, "Christina." "What?" In astonishment, she regained her senses, but she could not conceal the guilty look in her eyes. "You keep looking at the bed..." Patrick narrowed his eyes slightly and looked straight at her. Her eyes were clear, bright and beautiful, but she could be easily seen through when she lied if someone looked into them. "You''ve been looking at the bed. Is there anyone there?" As soon as he finished speaking, he was striding towards the suite bedroom. Christina reached out in panic and tried to grab him. But Patrick''s legs were long, and in three steps, he walked to the side of the big bed and looked back at the woman behind him. He grabbed the corner of the nket with his right hand and lifted it violently. Christina''s face turned pale and she became restless. She looked straight at the bed... There was nothing on the king-size bed. Christina breathed a sigh of relief. He had left. She thought to herself. "Ask someone to search in this ce again. Search in the madam''s room, the baby''s room, the cloakroom carefully..." Patrick ordered coldly, almost at the moment she rxed. This presidential suite was more than 170 square meters big. If someone was hiding in it and he hadn''t been able to find him before, then it meant... Finally, hisplicated eyes fell on the big bed in front of him. He was hiding under the covers. Was he sleeping with her? Patrick''s expression changed at the thought. He turned around and saw the woman standing on the balcony... Christina walked to the balcony. She looked at the dim stars in the night. She didn''t dare to look back or to look directly at him, for fear that he would see through her mind. She really wanted to ask why Patrick sent people to look for Derek. But as far as she knew, most of the people that Patrick was looking for had offended him. She still remembered Patrick''s basement and his ruthless means of dealing with his enemy. She dared not ask... The deep voice sounded behind her, interrupting her thoughts. "Christina, what are you hiding from me?" The man behind her slowly approached her closer and closer. Christina did not turn back and she could feel his anger. What could she do? She couldn''t hide it from him... In her panic, she thought of something and said intermittently, "Barbara made Crystal take the me..." Her voice was a little anxious, and her guilt could be sensed through her deliberately raised voice. "Crystal didn''t do anything wrong. Why..." Christina wanted to fool Patrick as she had done before by being unreasonable, but there was no way for her to continue. Her arm was pulled hard by Patrick, and her whole body fell against his strong chest. "Christina... I don''t like you being this way." Patrick lowered his head and looked sharply at the guilty expression on her face. He didn''t like the way she lied. She understood the meaning of his words and the anger in his tone. She pursed her lips, trying to say something, but she kept hesitating... T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Patrick wore a cold expression and he lost his patience. He kissed her with his thin, cold lips. He was uneasy. He didn''t know what it was for. It was just a strong intuition. He was worried about what would happen... It made him very restless. In the dark starry sky in the early morning, the night wind outside the window blew in. The summer wind was cool, but it could not blow away the romantic atmosphere in this room. They indulged themselves. When she woke up, it was already noon the next day. The man next to her had already gotten up. Christina had a grim expression. She punched the pillow next to her with a little indignation as an outlet. "Jerk." "Good morning, Young Madam." When Christina finished washing up in the bathroom, she changed her clothes and came out. Suddenly, a female manager knocked on the door. She pushed the dining car with a smile and brought in some sea cucumber porridge and snacks. "Have you just woken up? Do you want to rest a little longer..." Good morning? Christina was expressionless and she looked at the hot sun outside the window. Sure enough, Crystal was right. If one worked for a capitalist, he must go against his conscience. It was not easy to earn some money. However, Christina was a little curious about the hotel manager who hade in with porridge just in time. She raised her eyebrows slightly and looked around the corners of the suite. Did he install a surveince camera for me? "Where''s Patrick?" Her voice suddenly became cold. The female manager who was sent to personally take care of Christina, who had worked for many years, was naturally very good at observing people''s expressions. She gently ced the porridge and snacks on the table and exined, "Mr. Hopkins asked us to prepare breakfast for you this morning..." These were breakfast. It was her who didn''t get up early enough. The female manager wore a standard smile. "We don''t have any surveince cameras in our suite. Please rest assured." Christina suddenly fell silent when she heard that. She sat down and sipped the small bowl of porridge with a spoon without any appetite. The female manager noticed that she was low-spirited and asked, "Young Madam, this porridge is not to your taste? Do you want to have something else?" "No," Christina simply put down the spoon and muttered to herself, "I was just thinking about something..." She wondered if she had been too suspicious recently, and she should have believed Patrick. Should she tell him about meeting Derekst night? Chapter 160 Chapter 160 Today was the birthday party for the old witch of the Fisher Family. Christina was ready to leave at 2 pm. She thought it was Patrick who knocked on the door. But when she turned around, she saw an ''uninvited guest''. Christina looked with a straight face at the woman in the front. She must havee to find him... "Patrick went out early in the morning." Christina was toozy to greet the woman, and her voice was cold and obvious to drive the woman away. "I know." Barbara replied with a smile as if she didn''t mind Christina''s repulsion at all. "Around 7 o''clock this morning, he came to see me and helped me go through discharge formalities. Patrick is very busy today, so you may have to go to Fisher Family aler." Her tone was very natural. When she said these words, her voice rose. Christina didn''t like it at all. "Miss Parker, Patrick has been an old friend with you for many years. He should care about you..." Christina did not hide her unhappiness. "But you don''t have to worry too much about us. Patrick wille back to pick me up no matter how busy he is." At the end of the sentence, her tone went more serious. Barbara got stunned by her firm tone but she didn''t immediately refute. It would be too arrogant for others to say so. Who dared be so sure of what Patrick would definitely do? But Christina was an exception. Christina. Barbara stood upright, suddenly looking at the Young Madam Patrick withplex eyes. Why was she so proud? Irritated by the gaze, Christina stood up directly from the sofa. Not wanting to see her sharp eyes, Christina turned her head. Barbara had been in the business world for a long time, even her eyes were full of ruthlessness. Christina also noticed that Barbara had changed into a printed light yellow sleeveless dress made of chiffon. It was rare for her to wear so fresh and beautiful. She also carried a beautiful gift bag in her right hand, as if she had just returned from a high-end shopping center. "Miss Parker, if you have nothing else to do, please leave." Christina was not willing to confront her head-on. After all, she was a friend of Patrick and Charles. She would not pretend even though she didn''t like this woman. "I''m actually here for you," Barbara was still there, not meaning to leave, with her face a little serious. "Christina, I know you may not be happy about Crystal''s affair. I''m so sorry about your friend, but thepany has its own rules. She irritated Mr. Morris by saying something in public without authorizationst night. We can''t, just for a single employee..." The more Christina listened, the darker her face became. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. It was obvious that she had used Crystal as a cat''s paw. How dare she said such general principles. Bah! "Christina, don''t worry. I promise you that Crystal''s resignation will not affect her resume negatively, and I can help her with her next job..." "You don''t need to." Seeing her cold face, Barbara stopped talking. She slowed down her voice and handed over the exquisite gift bag in her right hand. Then she still said in the same gentle tone, "Christina, take it." Christina nced at the gift bag. It looked like something very expensive. But she didn''t care. "It was Patrick who asked me to buy it for you," Barbara had expected that she wouldn''t ept it and exined like a considerate sister, "Patrick has only me as a female friend around him, so he can only ask me to bring you a little gift. Christina, please take it. It''s all his regard." Christina ignored her, but a murderous look appeared on her face. She stared at the ck gift bag printed with a string of golden Italian. Very well, she was just a little annoyed at first, but now she was so angry that she wanted to swear. Why should he find a woman to buy her a present? Let it alone, Why should it happen to be Barbara? Christina repulsed the gift more. "Christina, actually, I was a little worried that you would blow a whisper with Patrickst night. Fortunately, you know how apany runs, otherwise, I really don''t know how to deal with it. Mr. Morris''s bill involves a lot. If Patrick really encounters something because of you..." Unable to bear to hear it anymore, Christina grabbed the inexplicable gift bag from her hand quickly and replied with gritted teeth, "It''s really his blessing that Patrick has such an outstanding employee like you." "Yes, it''s indeed not easy for me to work hard with him for so many years..." Seeing her empty hand, Barbara felt ufortable because Christina epted the gift crisply. Even though the gift was prepared for her. Her tone turned cold, said, "I''m not like you. You can only give him a child and help him with nothing." In an instant, Christina''s face tightened. Barbara did not seem to see her dark face and continued, "IP&G group is indeed huge, but no one can guarantee it will always remain the king of profit. Today''s IP&G Group is enough to pride the older generation without the foundation of Hopkins Family." "We all see these achievements, but you will never know how much trouble Patrick has faced in this position. Even if you know, you can probably only prevent miscarriage at home. Christina, all you can do is not to disturb him." "Patrick has been living tired. Little do you know him." Little did she know him. Indeed. Christina stood still, staring at her with a numb expression without speaking for a long time. "Barbara''s here, too?" The sudden noise outside the door broke the strange silence. Christina turned around a little dully. They came. "We''re here to pick up Christina and heading Fisher Family now. Barbara, what abouting with us?" Charles said casually. "Patrick wille back to pick me up no matter how busy he is." That''s what she said just now. Barbara''s expression changed slightly with an embarrassment in her usually shrewd eyes. She tried her best to speak naturally, "I''m not going to Fisher Family. I was drunkst night and I''m still dizzy now." As she spoke, she paused as if she had thought of something and turned to another man. Her voice went also heavy, "If you see him at the party today, please let me know." "Yes." Patrick answered, but he didn''t look up at her. As soon as he came in, he walked to Christina, as if he had noticed that the woman''s cor was a little crooked. He fixed it naturally with his slender big fingers. Barbara''s sight also fell on Christina''s neck. That faint kiss mark was really dazzling. "Have fun today." Her expression was a little awkward as if she didn''t want to see this scene, so she turned around and left directly. Christina saw that Barbara was leaving so fast this time. It was strange. Christina couldn''t even drive her away just now. "Miss Parker, don''t leave so fast. I have something to ask you..." Christina shouted directly at her, "Miss Parker, are you really Derek''s girlfriend?" Hearing that, Barbara trembled slightly. She hesitated for half a step, but she did not turn back and stop but continued to walk out. Chapter 161 Chapter 161 "Christina, do you really know Derek?" A stretch ck Bugatti drove steadily towards the Fishers. The car was spacious andfortable, but the atmosphere in it was strange. Charles stared at the woman across from him with aplicated look. "Hey, Christina,st time you said..." Last time, Christina said that she had known Derek a long time ago. He thought that she was only joking then because it was impossible. Even Patrick looked sideways at her, raised his eyebrows slightly, and wanted to say something. "I don''t like this gift." Christina did not catch on the topic. She shoved the expensive ck paper bag in her hand directly to Patrick, and her words were obviously disdainful. Patrick nced at the gift bag in his hand. Of course, he knew that this woman''s face had been darkened since she got into the car, so it was obvious that she was unhappy. "About your friend, I''ll let the HR department handle it..." Patrick guessed that she had lost her temper because of Crystal. "I don''t want your help." Christina turned her head to the window and refused ambitiously. Charles was speechless. The naughty girl did not say anything useful. She could have gotten some benefits but she was actually dared to refuse. He couldn''t help but say, "Patrick, Christina doesn''t have any experience in this field. Just do whatever you want. She doesn''t understand..." Thepany could not be affected by this woman! Patrick never thought about what Charles had said. He had no need to worry about the dismissal of an ordinary employee. If the solution could appease Christina, it would be worth it. But Christina, who was looking at the view through the car window, suddenly became furious. As if she had been provoked by something, she immediately said, "Charles, I don''t understand what you''re saying. I don''t understand you profiteers, but have I ever interfered with you? I won''t and I don''t care about your stupid things." "Barbara''s solution is not rted to you. Christina, don''t think about these meaningless affairs all day long..." "Nonsense. Charles, what you mean is that I''ve done nothing but be a breeding tool. I am just a hindrance to you, right?" The more Christina said, the angrier she became. "Barbara can do whatever she wants to do. It''s good for Crystal to leave. Otherwise, she will be traped in some big troubles one day." Charles felt it was a little unusual to see her so angry as if she had been annoyed by someone before. ording to the past experience, he thought for a second and decided to shut up so as not to be cannon fodder. Christina saw that Charles no longer provoked her, and did not say anything. She turned her head angrily to avoid seeing them. "... Take it." Patrick saw her face flushed with anger, and he nced sideways at the bodyguard in the corner, motioning for a ss of water to be poured to her. The luxurious car had drinking water and beverages. The beverages were all mango-vored, which made Charles very speechless. Patrick was born allergic to mangoes, but Christina loved mango vors. How doomed the love was. Christina took two sips of the water. She was really thirsty. Her beautiful big eyes nced at Charles, and she felt more ufortable with him. She warned, "Charles, don''t give awful ideas all day long. Don''t teach Patrick bad." Charles felt inexplicable and subconsciously wanted to retort, but for safety''s sake, he sneaked a peek at Patrick. The man was turned to be in a good mood when he saw his wife bullying his good brother. It was because the words sounded like Christina was protecting Patrick. "Charles, don''t deny it. You must have asked Barbara to buy this scarf for me. Hmph." There was still some distance to the Fishers. As long as Christina was bored on the way, she would She was really angry that Barbara gave her such a scarf. Patrick didn''t know how to make a woman happy. After all, Charles must have had this bad idea. It was he who asked Barbara to choose a suitable gift for her. But whatever Barbara gave her, she didn''t think it was appropriate. "I think Barbara has a good taste. This white scarf is of excellent quality. From a top brand. How could it offend you, Miss Dickens?" Charles admitted, opened the bag, took a look, and felt that there was nothing wrong with it. This morning, he went to the hospital with Patrick to visit Barbara. She looked much better and said she was going to leave the hospital and go shopping. Just a few days ago, Patrick did a big favor to the Shepherd Family. His father kept saying that they should thank Patrick, so he came up with an idea to give Christina some gifts in the name of Patrick. Anyway, if Christina was happy, Patrick must be happy, too. He didn''t expect this woman would dislike it. She was really so hard to serve. Patrick took a look at the white scarf. It was actually light gray, but it was made of pure silk. It was printed with low-key purple floral patterns. It was exquisite and shined some sh of colors in it. It was made of very good material. "You don''t like it?" Christina grimaced and stuffed the cup back into Patrick''s hand. She was a little willful. "I just don''t like it." Charles was so depressed. Fine, Miss Dickens said she didn''t like it, and the value of this thing Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. immediately dropped. Patrick didn''t say anything. He threw the scarf under the car and thought for a while. "Red suits you." Christina was not suitable for white, she was not gentle, and she was not suitable for keeping a low profile. She was born with a mboyant temperament, her figure and facial features were always eye- catching. Some people did not dare to wear stunning red, but her white and tender skin just made her more enchanting and attractive in it. Patrick loved her so much when she wore a red silk nightgown. Every time she wore that color, she would be treated by him in bed vehemently. "I don''t like red." Christina had a grudge. It didn''t matter what color it was. "No woman would like a gift picked by her rival..." A woman was so happy to receive a gift from a man, but the gift was chosen by another woman. That was ok. There was nothing wrong with choosing a gift from a different perspective, but just thought about it made Christina feel bad. "Gift means your heart. If you have no idea what gift I will ept, then don''t give it to me. If I say I like it this time, then you will consider that whatever Barbara likes in the future, I''ll like it, too, right?" Christina looked unhappy and red at the two men. These men who were struggling in the workce really had the low EQ to treat women. Charles had an epiphany on his face and sighed in a little indifference. "No wonder Marie wasn''t very happy the other day." That Marie was already his ex-girlfriend. How could a woman be so direct when she was dissatisfied? It was she, Christina, who was just so bold. Christina gave him a word straight away. "Stupid!" Charles''s face darkened. Patrick looked at the woman beside him andughed in a good mood. Christina was a little tired, and her head naturally rested on Patrick''s shoulder. Looking at Charles, she felt a little smug. She nced at the window from the corner of her eyes and showed a slight nervousness. the Fishers was almost here... Patrick supported her with his right hand and then simply hugged her to make her feel more Charles looked out expressionlessly. He didn''t want to see the annoying couple anymore. "How could he leave me alone like this? What a sin!" Charles thought. Chapter 162 Chapter 162 She hadn''t been there for so many years. This 5000 square meters European-style luxurious detached vi, belonged to Fisher Family. The Fisher Family was the same as she remembered. She still hated it as ever. Christina was standing in the middle of the Fisher Family''s lobby. The sparkling crystal lights shone on her delicate face, but she frowned and seriously looked at the peopleing and going. The guests were dressed in gorgeous clothes, talking andughing. People from the business and political worlds came to wish Mrs. Fisher a happy birthday. "Hopkins? from Hopkins Family... Hello, Mr. Hopkins..." Christina walked arm in arm with Patrick towards the banquet hall. Along the way, she could always hear some stuttering and fawning voices such like, "I''m d to see you here. It''s really my honor to..." Patrick didn''t pay much attention to these people. He looked expressionless and just nodded slightly. "How is Old Master Mr. Hopkins doing? I have visited your family in person but it''s a pity that I didn''t see you. I haven''t seen you for so many years, maybe you don''t remember me." Charles smiled as usual and said casually, "Uncle, how can the younger generation forget you? You are in your prime now. When I was watching TV at home, I could always see you talking. I will never forget you." "Charles, you can really amuse people. You have a simr personality to your grandfather. Hahaha." Charles was chatting with a man of about sixty years old. It was inevitable for him to socialize at such a party. Christina was very surprised. She had just seen this old man on the news yesterday, who was making histest speech with a solemn face. She secretly tugged at Patrick''s arm and asked in a low voice, "Isn''t this old man..." "This is..." This sneaky little action was really not elegant. Surprisingly, the other party was the first to ask. "My wife, Christina." Patrick then looked up and looked at him and replied directly. Christina was a little nervous because it was the first time she faced such a big shot on TV. She immediately straightened up and obediently said, "Hello, Uncle Li." When the other party heard her call out "Uncle Li," he froze for a second, and suddenly he was happy as if he was glorious. He smiled and his eyes narrowed. "You are the bride of Patrick? You are so beautiful, gentle, and lovely." Charles stood aside and had just taken a sip of a cocktail. When he heard the words ''gentle and lovely'',he almost choked on the drink. Bah - If Christina could be described as gentle and lovely, then there were no women in this world! Everyone in the business circle knew about Patrick''s precious wife. Christina''s hot temper had long been spread. This woman was dangerous, no one dared to get close to her. "Christina, I heard that you are the only daughter of the Dickens Family. Are you bored with your pregnancy now? A few girls in Li Family are about your age. Women are born to love beauty. If they see you, they will definitely pester you to ask those skincare questions. You can go ahead and talk to them if you have any troubles..." The old man in formal and dignified clothes suddenly started to chatter, calling "Christina" with an amiable tone. Christina was a little surprised. Her previous impression of him waspletely ruined. He thought he had been a totally different person. Not knowing how to respond, the man next to her naturally smoothed a few strands of messy hair on her chest and replied for her, "Uncle Li, she''s tired. Maybe she needs to rest for a while." The old man was embarrassed by Patrick''s cold and aloof words. So he immediately changed her words. "That... That''s good. Pay attention to your health. Pregnancy is really tiring. You really have to pay more attention" Christina''s expression was frozen and she nodded slightly at the other party. "I''ll go to the side to rest. You guys can continue talking." She remembered that this ''big shot'' went to Hopkins Family to look for Old Master Mr. Hopkins on new year''s day. He seemed to need Old Master Mr. Hopkins to help but didn''t make it. It seemed that he ttered because of his objectives. Patrick would never allow her to be involved in theseplicated events. He habitually reminded her, "Sit aside and don''t run around." "I know." She was obedient today. The Fisher Family was also doing business, but couldn''tpete with the Hopkins Family with it''s arms dealer background. Christina casually finds a corner to sit down, gazed around the magnificent hall with aplicated expression. She used to feel that the house was very luxurious and bright. She had lived in the Hopkins Family for half a year. She was no longer shocked as it was in those years. The Fisher Family was still the former Fisher Family, but, "Where is he?" Christina craned her neck and looked around for the figure she was looking for. Derek, wasn''t he there today? It was not proper for her to run around with a big belly. The party had not yet officially started, and Christina sat patiently. She thought that she would be able to see him on the rostrum in a while. At least, Derek was the only grandson of the Fisher Family. Even if he was a bastard. The waiter who was walking around the ballroom enthusiastically brought her a ss of juice and a cake. Christina sat alone at a small round table and poked the small piece of mousse cake with a fork. In the distance, Patrick and Charles were drinking with some elders, and asionally Patrick would look at her. Christina watched her men being surrounded and ttered by others. He frowned slightly, which meant that he was not in a good mood. Unfortunately, those people were unable to see the fitness of things. Perhaps they were too excited to meet Patrick here. Christina picked up the juice and took a sip, bored. She was thinking, "He is really poker-faced. Just smile." It seemed that Patrick didn''t like to entertain these people very much. "Is Patrick very close to the Fisher Family?" Christina suddenly asked this question, but it was the first time that she had seen Patrick take such initiative to attend a banquet, and it was only a woman''s birthday party. "I heard that Mr. Fisher and Mrs. Fisher will be announcing their retirement today, so their Fisher Family will be in charge by..." "I can''t guarantee who it is, but it won''t be that fool." Not far to Christina''s right side, she heard a few noblewomen gossiping. Christina could not hear what they were talking about, so she look over at them with curiosity. Who did they say? The dignifieddies noticed Christina as well. "No, not that fool''s girlfriend. That''s Hopkins Family''s granddaughter-inw." The group of women quickly dispersed and Christina only vaguely heard the words "granddaughter-in- was more willing to y with Crystal than these women. "Crystal, are you still in the hospital? How are you feeling now?" Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "I''m out of the hospital, very lively. Christina, don''t worry about me." Christina listened to her voice and thought she was more capable of drinking. "Where are you now? Are you back in A City?" "It''s hard for me toe to F City. I n to go around." Crystal seemed to have gotten over her being fired and said excitedly about going to visit some old towns. "Crystal, don''t go to the old district. It''s not fun and you might be ckmailed." Crystal held her phone and listened to Christina talking about the itinerary in F City. She was stunned for a moment. "Christina, you seem to know F City very well?" Chapter 163 Chapter 163 "What''s wrong?" Christina excitedly told Crystal that where was worth visiting in F City, but suddenly she heard some strange noises from the other end of the phone and asked anxiously, "Crystal, did you meet someone?" "Nothing..." Crystal said awkwardly. She looked up at the little boy who had suddenly appeared. The five-year-old boy was dressed in a blue and white sailor uniform, with a delicate face and a particrly handsome face. His little fat hands were still holding a small backpack tightly. Crystal was having afternoon tea at this restaurant, and the child rushed towards her inexplicably, scaring her. "Step aside, I want to sit inside." The little boy seemed to dislike her for being slow to react and urged her in a childish voice. Crystal opened her eyes wide and red at him. She knew that he was a child of a rich family, but he was too arrogant. How dare a child order her like this! "Where are your parents, boy?" Seeing that this boy was clean and cute, Crystal asked him patiently. The little boy squeezed hard into the seat, climbed up to the seat, and sat down with his little backpack in his arms, as if he was bothered by something, shaking his short legs. His face was tense. Obviously, he didn''t want to talk to her. Crystal was so depressed. Kids nowadays were so daring to run around strangers. However, they were not total strangers. Last time, she was unlucky enough to take care of the kid all night. "W...Where''s your father?" Crystal thought for a moment. Well, he was just a five-year-old boy. She asked him gently. "He''s not here." The little boy seemed a little awkward to be stared at by her burning eyes, pretending to be a little adult, and was reluctant to squeeze out the answer. "Of course I know he''s not in this restaurant. I asked you where your father was and asked him toe and pick you up..." Crystal was furious at once. The kid despised her a lotst time. He was so arrogant when he saw her again. He was too impolite! But after scolding him, Crystal noticed that the little boy had been looking in the right front direction. He was small and thin, his short ck hair was a little messy, and his cor was a little crooked. He quietly looked in the same direction. His bright big eyes were filled with tears as if he was about to cry. Crystal was panicked. She didn''t bully him! "Crystal, what''s going on over there?" Seeing that she hadn''t responded for so long, Christina began to worry. "Was it because you were drunk yesterday and you felt something wrong with your stomach?" Christina''s voice brought Crystal back to her senses, and she followed the boy''s gaze with a look of astonishment. So it was her... The little boy came to spy on his own mother... Crystal smiled helplessly at the phone. "I''m fine. I just run into an annoying person." "Who is it?" Christina became even more nervous at the moment, worried that Crystal would lose out in a fight with someone else. "Who else could it be? The ones who forced me to leave thepany, Sabrina, Erica, and Barbara." "Barbara..." Christina held the phone and whispered the name. She didn''te to the Fishers because she went with her best friend. They were really in such a good rtionship. Christina wanted to ask a few more questions but Crystal had hung up the phone, and a man walked to her side, saying to her in a gentle voice, "Patrick is willing to let you sit here alone?" "Hello." Christina looked up and stunned for a moment. She did not expect Chandler toe over to greet her. Chandler was still as gentle and handsome as he used to be. But today, he looked a little tired under his silver-rimmed sses. "Patrick and Charles are over there..." Christina had nothing to say to this man. She pointed in the direction. Chandler must havee to look for them. Chandler chuckled. "Don''t bother. I''ll stand here and they''lle." Christina''s eyes lit up. She didn''t know much about the man, but she remembered that he wasn''t as easy to engage with people as Charles. He was gentle and friendly, but he was also very distant. She always felt that he was a little enigmatic. "Chandler, you''re finally here. I was afraid you''d be in a bad mood after the divorce." He teased and snickered. As expected, Charles walked over very quickly. Divorce? Chandler divorced his wife who had a good figure. Christina was curious about the gossip and looked at Charles, wanting to dig up some information, but a hand suddenly patted her head. "Don''t have too many drinks." As he spoke, the remaining half of the ss of juice on the small round table was removed by another slim, white hand. "We''ll leave after 20 minutes." Patrick whispered to her, as if tofort her to be patient, and then looked at Charles. Then the three stunning men walked towards the wine tasting area. "I''m sorry, I had a loose tongue just now." Charles shrugged his shoulders to show his sorry. He knew that Christina had a little conflict with Erica and Barbara. Patrick wanted his wife not to worry about anything. Chandler''s face darkened slightly. He took a blue cocktail from the waiter''s tray and drank it up in one gulp. He was hiding some irritation, but he still had the usual gentle expression when the ss was empty as if he didn''t care anymore. "I just got divorced. This has nothing to do with Christina, and it''s not because of Patrick. I just figured it out myself." Charles was immediately excited when he said that. "Chandler, you''re really out of your misery. Your brain is finally back to normal!" That was good. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Patrick looked at Charles coldly, grabbed half a ss of red wine, and stuffed it into his hand. "Drink it." Charles Chandler held the ss in his hand and immediately restrained himself. He was too excited just now. After all, divorce was a sad thing for the parties involved, especially the one who used to love deeply. Charles really didn''t understand what was good about Erica. She was flirting with men everywhere. Why did Chandler still like her? "I''m sorry I made Christina angryst time." Chandler took another cocktail and raised his ss to Patrick. His voice was deep and solemn. Last time, Erica mistook Christina for an ordinary worker and scolded her for carrying their customer''s bastard son for a business deal. Christina was angry, so Patrick directly revenged against Guan family. Raising his ss, Chandler drank up the cocktail again. He couldn''t hold his drink, and the wine went down his throat and made him cough hard... Charles immediately patted him on the back. "Are you okay? Don''t drink too much. The doctor said that wine is not good for your health." Patrick didn''t say anythingforting. He was never good atforting people. He looked at Chandler, frowned and said, "Are you not feeling well?" He asked indifferently. True friends would talk the truth. Chandler raised his head and smiled bitterly. "Yeah, I''m not feeling well." "If one day, Christina do something that you can''t forgive, will you choose to divorce her?" Patrick''s hand, which was holding the wine ss, paused, his cold face expressionless. He refused to think about it. Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Christina sat quietly in the corner, looking around in boredom, while someone was casting a Their eyes met and she was stunned, "What''s wrong?" Patrick nced at her with a strange look in his eyes. Subconsciously, she stood up and wanted to walk towards them. But as soon as Christina straightened up, she saw Charlesughing wildly over there. She vaguely felt that Charles was teasing her. As usual, Patrick didn''t say much, but only raised half a ss of wine, clinked it with Chandler across from him, and drank up. Christina slowly sat back in her seat, feeling that she might think too much, "They were drinking together. And Charles had a sinister smile. He must be making fun of me." Charles was indeed speaking ill of her, "Now Christina is spoiled by you, vicious and willful. No man would dare to marry her except for Patrick. If Patrick really divorces her one day, she probably won''t be able to remarry for the rest of her life. But if that really happens, remember to tell me then, and I going to see that with my eyes." Charlesughed off his head. He hated that woman deeply. Although it was not possible, he felt inexplicably good at the thought of it. Christina would not be arrogant anymore without Patrick. Chandler was a little upset after the divorce. But when he came to this party and saw his friend''s heartless smile, he chuckled with his lips raised slightly. "Patrick, I heard from Old Master of the Shepherd Family that you agreed to let Charles be the godfather of your twins?" Chandler said with a hint of ridicule. Thinking of this, Charles sighed, "I will be a godfather." Patrick looked at his two friends, expressionless. Chandler''s lips were spread in a gloating smile, while Charles looked so excited. Patrick ignored them. The only "normal" person among his friends was Derek. But Derek... "What happened?" Suddenly, a nanny in a housekeeping uniform rushed towards them. She looked nervous and worried, "Young Master Geoffrey is missing." Charles''s grinning face froze immediately, and he was the first to ask, "Who is missing? Geoffrey?" "Young Master Geoffrey was sent by his school to F City for a speechpetition. He won first ce, but I didn''t see him receive the award." The nanny sounded nervous for fear of being med. "Mr. Stephenson, I''d been watching him. But I don''t know why the child is missing. I was wondering if he woulde to you because he knew you were here today..." Charles responded quickly, "I''ll ask the Fishers to look around here." As he spoke, he strode towards the gate. Chandler''s son was very smart, and it seemed that he ran away on his own. But after all, he was still a child, so they must find him if case of some ident. Patrick frowned and said, "I''ll send someone..." "Geoffrey has done this many times. Don''t worry." Chandler, as Geoffrey''s father, was very calm. He took out his cell phone and touched the screen a few times. Soon a map appeared on which a red dot indicating the location shed. Chandler showed the address to the nanny and said calmly, "Geoffrey is in this coffee shop. Youe to pick him up now. If you need anything, call me directly." "Yes, sir." The nanny was nervous. The little master really liked to run around. This was the third time this month. It would be good news if he was fine. But if he met a bad person, she couldn''t afford the consequence even with her life. The nanny hurried to the coffee shop without dy to pick him up. Patrick nced at the location on Chandler''s phone and raised his eyebrows, "This is useful." His woman needed one. Chandler knew what he was thinking and couldn''t help butugh, "I bet Christina won''t like it." In fact, his son, Geoffrey, was unwilling to use this. The little boy had always thought that the child''s positioning wristwatch was very stupid and refused to wear it. Finally, he agreed to put the wristwatch in his small backpack which he had to carry all the time. "What''s this?" Crystal in the coffee shop suddenly became excited, "I remember this wristwatch for children has a call function. Boy, call your dad to pick you up." Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "No," the little boy coldly refused. Crystal was angry and she wanted to grab his little backpack directly. She kept telling herself that the kid was only five years old and that she shouldn''t get angry with him or scare him. Crystal smiled again and tried to coax the little boy sitting next to her gently, but before she could say anything, he stretched out his little hand to drink a cup of milk tea without feeling embarrassed. It seemed that he was thirsty. Crystal was angry and even wanted to scold him. How dare the little kid drink her milk tea! Perhaps he noticed Crystal''s furious gaze. He paused and looked at her with his innocent big eyes. Then he zipped the backpack calmly and took two 100-dor bills out of it. He handed the two 100-dor bills over and said, "Here you go. Don''t bother me anymore." Crystal had a good temper, but now she looked serious. "Kid, who taught you that?" She felt that he was not as innocent as a five-year-old child would usually be. He pretended to be mature like a young adult. "My dad told me that any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem at all. Don''t worry about unimportant things, because they are not worth it," Geoffrey told her seriously. Crystal frowned, "How could Chandler teach his son this stuff?" "Your father is busy. Don''t listen to his nonsense," Crystalined. "My father is right." Crystal raised her eyebrows and, seeing his belief in his father, teased him, "Since you''re so obedient, why did you sneak out without letting your father know?" "I will never see her again." The little guy suddenly shouted excitedly as if he were venting all his feelings that he had tried to suppress. With that, he lowered his head and didn''t say anything. Crystal was stunned and looked at several women in front of her subconsciously. She knew that "she" was his biological mother, Erica. She heard Christina say that Chandler and Erica were divorcing. Divorce would affect the child the most. Even this precocious stubborn kid would feel sad. "Do you want me to go with you to say hello to her?" Crystal hesitated for a moment and asked carefully. The child was still silent. He seemed nervous, holding the backpack tighter in his arms, and said in a low and aggrieved voice, "My mother doesn''t like me." Crystal suddenly felt sympathy for the stubborn young master when she heard what he said. Holding his small hand with some strength, she said, "Since we are all here, let''s go to say hello to her." In fact, the little guy was a little reluctant. He seemed afraid and hesitant, but he followed her. Crystal boldly walked towards Erica. To be honest, Crystal and the three women were almost enemies. She must have gone mad to decide to greet them. Chapter 165 Chapter 165 "Crystal?" Barbara was the first to notice her before Crystal reached their table. "Hello..." Crystal looked at them and called with mixed feelings. "You came to me for work?" "No, I just..." Crystal was looking straight at Barbara, a little timid. Just as Crystal tried to say something, the little boy beside her suddenly called a woman, "Mom." Barbara was also shocked by this childish voice. She looked down and saw that Crystal was holding a little boy. It was Chandler''s son, Geoffrey. The fact that the boy called Erica "mom" made her angry and embarrassed. With a sullen look, Erica pounded the table hard and scolded the child aggressively. "Your father and I had divorced. Don''t follow me. I''m not your mother!" The handsome child was shocked. He seemed to stand erect with fear, not daring to move. Crystal was also frightened by her aggressive attitude. She didn''t expect Erica to be so fierce to her son. "Erica, don''t do this..." Barbara couldn''t bear to see it, so she advised. However, Erica was in a bad mood today. Instead of listening to Barbara''s advice, she red at the child at the table. "I didn''t want to give birth to him in the first ce. Chandler forced me to give birth to him. Now that we''re divorced, I don''t want to see him." Erica got more agitated as she spoke. It was as if she was going to throw all her anger at the child. She scolded him, "Barbara, do you know how hard it is to have a baby?" "When I was pregnant, I was so fat, and I vomited everything I ate. I had cramps in my feet in the middle of the night. The scars from my c-section are ugly. I really don''t know why I gave birth to him to suffer..." "Shut up!" "Have you said enough?!" This was the first time Crystal had scolded someone so angrily. She couldn''t help it. She even felt Geoffrey''s little hands tremble with fear. "Who do you think you are? Aren''t you just relying on Christina to bluff? Do you think I''m afraid of her?" Erica''s face was grim. She suddenly pushed away Barbara and rushed straight at Crystal, raising her hand and pping her hard. The p stunned Crystal. She backed off and her right cheek was red and swollen. "Erica, calm down." Barbara saw that they were locked in a fierce struggle, and she immediately rushed forward to mediate. She turned to look at the palm print on Crystal''s red and swollen face. Her brows frowned, and she was still a little worried. She said to Crystal coldly, "Crystal, Erica is in a bad mood today. Don''t bother yourself arguing with the likes of her..." "Barbara, you''re really afraid of these bitches. That shameless Christina seduced and married the two brothers one after another. Everyone knows what Christina''s reputation in the circle is. She thinks she is no longer a Cindere after having sex with Patrick. Bah!" Erica was still cursing in a rage, and the people in the restaurant looked over when they heard the noise. Sabrina and Barbara convinced agitated Erica. "Crystal didn''t offend you. Calm down. A lot of people are watching." Barbara and others knew that Barbara''s divorce wasrgely due to Christina, and she was also cursing her, the Young Madam of the Hopkinses. "Crystal, take Geoffrey away." Barbara looked sulky. She was embarrassed by the discussion around her and ordered in a low voice. Crystal only felt her mind went nk. Everyone was looking at her and gossiping. Even the restaurant manager and the waiters rushed over here. She was not like Christina. She had been well-behaved since she was young and had never done anything out of line. This sudden uproar made her not know what to do... "S-Shall we go?" She lowered her head to look at the little boy at her feet. She was nervous, but she had to pretend to ask him calmly. The child kept his head down and ignored her. Suddenly, he flung her hand away and ran out towards the door with short legs. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Crystal''s eyes fell on the back of her right hand, wet with warm tears. She knew the little boy cried. As if she suddenly caught on, Crystal immediately chased after him worriedly. Crystal was soft-hearted. It didn''t matter that Erica pped her and scolded her best friend. What was important was that she was afraid that bad things would happen to the kid when he ran away... However, what was ridiculous was that when Crystal turned around and left, he heard Barbara shouting behind her, "Don''t mention this to Christina. Erica didn''t mean to hit you. Crystal, don''t take it to heart." These women were afraid of Christina and the Hopkinses. "Erica, you were really impulsive just now." Barbara and others went to the private room on the second floor of the coffee shop to avoid being gossiped about. Erica was still angry, but when she calmed down, she knew that she had gone too far. "This morning Chandler forced me to go to the civil affairs bureau for a divorce. How can I not be angry?" She had been married to Chandler for more than five years, and she had mentioned several divorces unterally over the years, but Chandler had never agreed to it. After Christina''s incident, he had a tough attitude. Even if they were divorced, Erica felt unhappy. "Don''t you regret your divorce?" Barbara looked at her best friend and couldn''t help but ask. Erica looked impatient and took out a cigarette from her bag and lit it. "Barbara, you know I''ve always wanted to divorce Chandler. No matter how hard he works, the Stephenson Family was not so rich as the Hopkinses." "I want to marry a man who loves me while I''m young. I don''t think I''m wrong pursuing happiness. What else can he give me but 100 thousand dors pocket money every month?" "Stop smoking." Barbara frowned and grabbed her cigarette. "Erica, your son has grown up, and it''s a blessing for you to marry Chandler. At least the Stephenson Family isn''t thatplicated... Erica, whether you divorce him or not, you have to change your personality. You married Chandler after graduation, so you have no idea how difficult it is to make money in this society. In fact, Chandler is really good to you..." "Barbara, how can you say that?!" Erica got angry at once. "Look at Christina. She''s so proud of herself now, and Patrick dotes on her so much. You mean that I''m no match for Christina. If Chandler had been nicer to me, I wouldn''t have divorced him... Chandler couldn''t keep up with Patrick in his career, and he couldn''t take care of his wife. He is a good-for- nothing!" She gnashed her teeth with jealousy and anger. Barbara lowered her head with mixed feelings in her eyes... "Patrick is really good to his wife..." Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Christina sat in the corner of the Fishers lobby and looked around bored. She noticed that Patrick and the other men seemed to be dealing with some emergency. "You go back to the hotel first." After a while, Patrick walked towards her hurriedly and said quickly. "What''s wrong? The party hasn''t started yet." Unwilling to move, she rolled her eyes and muttered, "I want to wait..." "Christina, who do you want to wait for?" Charles red at her angrily. "Chandler''s son is missing. We''re going to find that little guy. No one will Just now, the nanny rushed to the coffee shop to look for the child, but she couldn''t find him. Charles thought of some terrible kidnap cases, which made him nervous. Christina was surprised at first. After all, losing the child was a big deal, but, she then said, "You don''t have to apany me. I''ll just sit here. You guys go and do your work." As she spoke, she also pushed Patrick by his arm and asked him to go quickly. Patrick frowned, as if he was thinking about how to deal with it. Chandler, on the other hand, calmed down and looked at the red dot on the screen. "He ran to the amusement park..." His son had a habit of hiding in noisy ces whenever he was in a bad mood. Chandler put away his phone and strode towards the door without dy. "Geoffrey is just throwing a tantrum. I''m going to look for him now. Patrick, you guys stay and wait to see if Derek is back..." "Derek," Christina''s expression froze when she heard the two words. Were they really that close to Derek? Suddenly, Charles wanted to ask something, so he followed Chandler worriedly. "Chandler, wait for me. I''ll go look for that little guy too..." This unreliable Mr. Shepherd had always loved children and was practically a male nanny for the kid. "Sit here and don''t wander around." Patrick warned her, stepped forward, and whispered a few words to the two bodyguards behind him. His expression was a little strange, and he walked into the crowd. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. She was still sitting there, watching them go about their business, and suddenly felt that she was useless. In fact, there were many things that she could help, but Patrick did not allow her to interfere. Christina had been waiting until 7: 00 in the evening. It was already dark outside and the Fishers birthday party had officially begun. The lights in the hall were dimmed and a beam of light lit up on the podium. A pair of sixty-year-old couples were standing on the podium with flowers in their arms. They were smiling generously and kindly in front of the guests. "Thank you very much foring to my wife''s birthday party today. Just enjoy the food and drink and make yourselves at home here..." Ralph, the current head of the Fishers, was speaking on the stage. He was full of energy and he seemed very healthy. Christina could see that the old man could live for so long. She had always hated the people of the Fisher Family. Look at the fake smile of this Ralph. "Today, I would like to take this opportunity to announce another important issue to you all," Ralph, who was on the rostrum, paused, became serious, then he naturally took Mrs. Fisher''s hand, and the two old couples took a step forward with affections for each other. Ralph cleared his throat and said calmly, "My wife and I have been working hard for thepany for the most part of our lives, and we are old enough to retire and enjoy ourselves..." The audience immediately became a little noisy when they heard this. It was not a small matter that the person in charge of the Fishers officially announced their retirement, especially forpanies that had close working rtionships with them. They were especially concerned about the next person in charge... "Last week, our board of directors unanimously approved the appointment of Luke as the CEO of the FISHER Corporation..." In that dark corner, Christina was furious when she heard the news. "Why?!" That Luke was only the son-inw of the Fishers. Luke only agreed to marry the eldest daughter of the Fisher Family because of the Wilsons''s downfall, it was obvious to him that Ralph gave away the "And Derek''s little girlfriend?" The lights in the hall gradually lit up. Just as Christina''s face darkened with anger, a rough and surprised voice suddenly came into her ears. Christina raised her head, gloomy, and looked at a short, fat man in front of her, with a big gold chain around his neck. Who was this fat middle-aged man with a big belly? "Go away!" The more upset she was, the angrier she was with this rich stranger. "It''s really you," but he didn''t leave. Anyway, he looked at her curiously. "Little girl, after all these years, your temper is still the same as that when you were a child. You are really spoiled by your family all along." Christina immediately recalled some childhood memories when she heard the duck-like voice of this man. "That fat pig uncle of Derek?" She remembered that she met a strange uncle surnamed Morris when she sneaked into the Fishers to look for Derek, and he liked to tease her. "Girl, you''d better be polite. I didn''t care back then because you were a little girl. Now look at you already..." He looked at her bulging abdomen and immediately looked surprised, as if he saw something terrible, "How did you get pregnant!" "Are you pregnant with Derek''s child?" "Don''t talk nonsense." Christina stood up in a hurry. Seeing her nervous look, he sneered and said in a more sarcastic tone, "That''s right. You hated him back then. How could you be pregnant with his child? That autistic idiot nephew of mine didn''t deserve you..." Chapter 167 Chapter 167 "There''s one thing that I haven''t been able to figure out..." As darkness fell outside, F City was lit up by colorful lights, and themercial streets bustled with people and activities. In the second floor of a high-end coffee shop, a woman sitting near the ss wall looked outside the window in a daze. "Barbara, I''m talking to you. What are you thinking?" Erica in the opposite seat raised her voice. It was not until then did Barbara regain her senses and respond with a smile, "What is it?" Raising her eyebrows, Erica looked at her. She lit a cigarette casually and took a puff. "Barbara, are you used to wearing such a fake smile?" Erica blurted out. "It''s a professional habit," said Barbara with a nonchnt shrug. Erica didn''t say much about it either. It wasn''t easy for Barbara to work in IP&G Group. "By the way, Barbara, the party at the Fisher Family begins. Why don''t you go?" Barbara didn''t seem to care much about it. She took a sip of the coffee on the table and said casually, "There''s no need to go." "You''re part of the Fishers, Barbara. People say you''re a tough woman, but I know you grow up without parents. You''re eager to have a family. Knock it off." Erica married Chandler after she graduated from college. Like Christina, she was outspoken and had few work experiences. Sometimes she wouldpare herself to Christina, but she was frustrated to find herself overshadowed by her. "Well, get married as soon as possible. Enjoy a rtionship so that you won''t be immersed in work, and..." Erica paused and looked at Barbara with suspicion. "Barbara, there''s one thing bothering me... How did you end up with that idiot from the Fishers?" When Barbara heard what she said, the hand she was holding the coffee cup froze. Erica gave her a long searching look. Without waiting for her to speak, she went on, "I wasn''t in the position to judge before. After all, Derek is the only male grandson of the Fishers, and it''s not a loss for you to marry him, but things are really different now..." "Barbara, listen to me. You''d better break up with him as soon as possible. From what I know, Mrs. Fisher hated Derek, this bastard. Today''s party must involve the inheritance. I''m sure he won''t get anything..." Without saying anything, Barbara picked up the coffee and took a few more sips. She finished the coffee before put the cup down slowly. Erica frowned with puzzlement. "Barbara, don''t tell me you''re in love with him. He''s really useless except for his good looks. Besides, he''s been a vegetable abroad for so many years, and he''s been mentally ill. Even if he wakes up now, he might be physically ill... You might as well get rid of him." "I had nothing to do with him," said Barbara''s in aplicated tone. "What do you mean?" Erica was stunned. "Aren''t you in a rtionship with Derek? You said it yourself. You were also sad that he had been in aa because of a car ident. You''ve been taking care of him in the United States all these years..." In the middle of her words, Erica seemed to figure out something and looked at Barbara in shock. "No wonder you fall in love with Derek? So that''s it!" "Back when we studied together in the United States, I clearly remember that you had crush on Patrick. You talked a lot about him when we in the first year of college, and you were shy at the mention of him. You asked me how to get close to him." "Get close to him?" Barbara did not deny it, but she forced a smile. She said calmly, "Patrick rejects almost all women." Young master Hopkins Family was not interested in women, which could be found out by a little inquiry. She couldn''t get close to him. at all... Erica raised her eyebrows and looked at her. She put out the cigarette between her fingers and said in contempt, "It seems that the fool is notpletely useless." The fool was Derek. She didn''t pay much attention to Derek, but he was Patrick''s best friend... She couldn''t help but want to know everything rted to him. Sometimes people are so strange that they can''t control their emotions. They want to get closer and closer to the person they liked... Barbara turned around and looked at the shing street lights outside the window. She remembered the day when she first met Patrick on campus. That night, she left in a hurry and dropped her textbooks all over the floor. She was not familiar with the environment and ufortable with the foreign students who were especially open-minded. She quickly picked up the textbooks and wanted to rush back to the ssroom, but suddenly there was a deep voice behind her. "There''s another one." It was a little dark around, and she could vaguely see a handsome man leaning against the guardrail of the corridor, flipping through herw textbook in his hand. She knew the man was extraordinary from what he was wearing. Like those arrogant gentlemen, he shouted and stopped moving. He was waiting for her to go and get it herself, not even bothering to hand it to her. She knew that there were a lot of rich kids in this school who could not be offended. She walked over and was about to thank him and take her textbooks and left. However, to her surprise, the man''s cold face shed with hesitation, and then she looked at him in a daze as he lowered his eyes. Hes slowly ttened out the wrinkled pages of her second-hand textbook. At that moment, the only thing in her mind was that his fingers were beautiful and he was gentle. "You''re going to bete." She didn''t wake up until he handed the book back to her. Aware of her impoliteness, she raised her head to look at him so closely. For some reason, her cheeks were very hot. His handsome face had a cold look. Even when he handed the book back to her, his fingers were slightly cold when she identally touched it. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Who is he?" A question lingered in her mind. Later, she found out that he was Patrick, the eldest grandson of the Hopkinses. Although he was cold, arrogant and evil in others'' eyes, she found him thoughtful and gentle. There was an inexplicable feeling in her heart that was stirring. She wanted to know him... "Barbara, when Derek was knocked out in a car ident, you were the first to stand up and say that you were his girlfriend and that you would take care of him. Now that Derek is awake, don''t Patrick and the others know you''re lying?" Erica''s words woke her up from memory. Barbara said with a bitter smile, "It''s a lie, but if..." "If I weren''t Derek''s girlfriend, he wouldn''t even look at me..." Chapter 168 Chapter 168 ''If I wasn''t Derek''s girlfriend, he wouldn''t even look at me...'' She admitted it unwillingly and helplessly. Erica raised her eyebrows in surprise. They had known each other for many years. She knew that Barbara was a sensible woman, so she was surprised to hear these words. It turned out that Barbara loved him so much. "Barbara, have you ever thought that the more you love him, the further you are pushing yourself away from him..." Erica suddenly thought of her own private affairs. She pursed her lips and said seriously as if mocking herself. "It''s true that you have been epted by Patrick''s family for all these years. Old Master Mr. Hopkins, as well as Judy, liked you. Brianna, the defensive girl, also loves to be with you. But it was all Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. because of the fact that you are Derek''s girlfriend. This means that you can never have rtionships with Patrick even though he also falls in love with you." "Considering Patrick''s personality, he would never have rtionships with a woman rted to his brother...What you did are..." Barbara was very upset because what troubled her most was told by Erica. So she stood up from the seat and stared straight at the distance outside the window, considering something else. "I didn''t think anything of it at the time." When they were studying abroad, Patrick was so charming that there always had many beautiful and outgoing girls trying to get close to him. "At least I''m better than the strangers. He cared about me at least." Barbara murmured as ifforting herself. But she was also self-mocking. "That''s true. Patrick was so strange. He was not interested in those women at all." Erica picked up the fork on the table and had a few bits of the Spaghetti. Suddenly, she looked sad and raised her voice when reminding someone. "By the way, where''s Christina? How''s her rtionship with Patrick..." Barbara looked at the beautiful twinkling light in the distance, and her expression was tightly locked down. "Christina." She could not conceal the ruthlessness in her voice as she silently recited the name. It was not easy for her to get what she wanted, but it was easy for that damned woman to get it. It was like she worked hard every day but was robbed of all the credit by that woman. "Christina..." Christina was sitting quietly in the corner of the banquet hall of the Fishers. Suddenly, she felt someone staring at her from the left side. She stood up vigntly and walked over. The hall was brightly lit. Some guests were waltzing in the middle of the hall. There was a violin concerto on the right side. People were talking softly and lowly. The clink of sses and waves of Christina roamed among the crowds. She didn''t dare to take big steps. She walked carefully with her head down. In fact, she was not in a good mood. She was mocked by Derek''s uncle. She had always been a sharp talker, but could only remain silent in the end. [My nephew is only an autistic fool. Indeed, he''s not good enough for you...] [Derek is not a fool! He just doesn''t like to talk. ] She got a bit carried away and contradicted him without thinking. When he heard what she said, heughed coldly and scolded with his teeth clenching. [Well, you still like him as before and get used to help him and protect him. I can''t help but wonder, are you really loving him? Or you only treat him like a joke for having fun. Don''t forget that you are the person who hurt him the most. Don''t forget what you had said to him. You threw away the jade pendant for engagement in front of him, mocking that you would never marry an autistic person like him. You also told him never to appear in front of you.] The eyes of Christina turned red. She pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but remained silent. In fact, back then... She didn''t mean to say that, but she was in great panic. "I''ve always wanted to apologize to him..." She lowered her head and choked up in a low voice. "Derek, where are you?" She had been trying to find him, but failed! "Derek?" Two tall figures suddenly appeared from the inner chamber. A shrill voice murmured these two words and then cursed with disdain, "Someone''s spoiling this festival. Don''t mention that fool..." When Christina heard this familiar and harsh voice, her face darkened, and she looked straight ahead. When the two women saw Christina standing in front of them, they were stunned for a moment. Soon, Mrs. Fisher recognized her and red at her. "It''s you." "I know you. You''re the shameless bitch who came to our house every day when we were young." The youngdy of the Fishers was cruel and offensive. Derek was an illegitimate child. However, Mrs. Fisher''s offsprings were only two girls. So, the elders in the Fishers finally agreed to ept Derek as their own blood. Anyway, Derek''s biological mother died when giving birth to him. The elders wanted Mrs. Fisher to ept him. But there was more to it. Mrs. Fisher hated the redundant child. So she secretly scolded and punched the handsome little boy who had just started kindergarten. Christina used toe tofort Derek secretly. She knew that he wouldn''t talk back when being scolded, and wouldn''t fight back when being hit. He only cried when being locked in the utility room, being scared, and suffering from hunger. He was always being quiet, and was indifferent to everything, even to his own life. But Christina could not bear it! Christina red angrily at the mother and the daughter who had heavy makeup. "You had agreed before that Derek would join the Fishers. He is part of the Fishers now, and he will enjoy the inheritance of thepany. It was nonsense what you were talking about..." They had announced that it would be the eldest son-inw who operated thepanies of the Fishers. The younger son-inw would be in charge of purchasing raw materials. They enjoyed all the stock dividends. However, they never mentioned the name of Derek, as if he never existed. "It''s none of your business. You are nobody, and are not qualified to judge us." Miss Fisher sneered. Christina was furious. "I know everything. When the Fishers sent people to the C City and met Derek''s grandfather, they agreed on the terms. As long as Derek was willing to go back to the Fishers, he would have 30% of thepany''s shares. The older generation of the Fishers had signed documents..." Mrs. Fisher was a little nervous when she mentioned that. Miss Fisher''s face darkened when she heard issues rting to her money. "30% of the shares? Keep dreaming. A bastard was vying for our family property. Urgh!" "Besides, that fool hasn''te back for so many years. He''s dead for us. That document is therefore invalid!" Christina couldn''t help to beat her. She shouted angrily, "Nonsense! He''s alive and is doing well, and he''lle back!" "Whether hees back or not has nothing to do with our the Fishers," Mrs. Fisher, who kept quiet for a long time, looked at Christina sharply and then nced at the crowds in the banquet. She spoke elegantly but coldly. "You''d better leave now, no matter who brought you here." Christina found the bodyguards of the Fishers approaching her. They were seemed nning to get her out of the room. Miss Fisher looked at her arrogantly and said disdainfully, "Just a woman globbing our food. You''d better stay out of your way and get out now!" There were steady footsteps behind her... "She came here with me." Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Christina looked surprised as she looked at the fat man standing beside her. She knew him. He was Derek''s uncle. The fat man had just taunted her shamelessly. But now he walked towards her in a hurry. What did he mean by those weird words? "She came in with me." Larry spoke directly to the mother and daughter of the Fishers. "Uncle, why did you bring such a person into our ce..." Miss Fisher of the Fishers looked scornful. After some thought, she raised her eyebrows and looked at Christina''s bulging abdomen. Her tone became somewhat ambiguous. "Uncle, you''re aged now. Are you fooling around with her... Can the child be yours?" At this point, Mrs. Fisher, who had been quiet for a long time, looked even gloomier. Christina frowned and said nothing. She nced at Larry beside her, always feeling that his behavior was a little strange. Larry was a cousin of the Fishers, and he had been relying on the rtionship of the Fishers to get have his lucky day and make a big profit from a newly invested project, and now the market share that he controlled even made the Fishers a little jealous. Larry was 56 years old, old enough to be Christina''s father, but the old man was rich, regardless of his ugly and disgusting look, there would always be some vain women flocking to him. "Come with me..." Larrypletely ignored Miss Fisher and Mrs. Fisher and gave Christina an order. He turned around and left. Christina hesitated. Of course, she didn''te to this party with Larry, but now it felt like Larry had something else important to tell her. "Larry, don''t be too cocky. Don''t forget that we the Fishers used to help you a lot!" Seeing that he had no respect for her, Mrs. Fisher immediately became angry and roared at the fat figure. "Sister-inw, you don''t understand my kindness." Larry stopped in his tracks and looked back. He had a ttering smile on his face, but it was a fake smile. "I''m trying to get her out of here so you don''t offend her. It will be even harder to solve if you don''t stop..." Mrs. Fisher was startled. Larry urged Christina in a low voice, "Hurry up, he''s waiting for you." Christina didn''t understand. She wanted to ask him. "What did you mean by that?" Mrs. Fisher was the first to ask in her sharp voice. Mrs. Fisher''s eyes signaled the two bodyguards of the Fishers to stop them, and Christina felt some tension. Sure enough, the next second, Mrs. Fisher was so aggressive that she yelled, "Larry, I don''t know who you''ve been working withtely, but you''d better know that what you achieved was just because of your luck. Luck will alwayse to an end. We are your rtives. If you dare to secretly do something against us, don''t me me for being rude." "What did you mean just now by "offend"? Make it clear to me!" Mrs. Fisher had been fighting with her husband in the business field for decades, and she was so discerning that she could sense the meaning of Larry''s words from the moment she heard them, especially since there had been a series of errors in several projects of the Fishers recently, which Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. made her vignt. Larry didn''t say anything, but the mboyant Miss Fisher suddenly approached Mrs. Fisher. "Mom..." She tugged at her mother''s arm nervously. Mrs. Fisher was impatient. She had wanted to get rid of his willful eldest daughter, but when she turned her head, her expression froze. It was him... The two handsome men walked slowly towards them. On the cold face of the leading man, his brows furrowed slightly and he gave a cold atmophere, indicating that he was not very happy. He approached them, step by step, steadily... This time, even Larry, who wanted to speak sarcastically, was shocked. "Christina, could you not wander around for just one day?" The manined to her with anger. It was Charles who said it, but the man who put his arm around Christina''s waist was the young master of the Hopkinses. Mrs. Fisher, Miss Fisher, and Larry were all stunned, unable to respond to this. "Patrick, Charles, long time no see." Mrs. Fisher was cunning and she was the first to react. She put on her usual dignified expression, gave a faint smile, and looked kindly at Patrick and Charles in front of her. Patrick didn''t treat Mrs. Fisher as coldly as the other elders. He nodded at Mrs. Fisher. "Auntie." Patrick''s behavior was not surprising, but Christina felt that he was very abnormal. How could this ice cube be so polite? It was already good for him not to put on an indifferent expression, but now he was actually taking the initiative to greet her. It was probably because Christina tried to struggle out of his hand, Patrick pressed her waist with a slight force in his hand, sending a clear warning signal. "Auntie, Patrick''s wife is quite straightforward. If she offended you just now, please don''t take it seriously." Charles nced at Mrs. Fisher and specially mentioned this in a in tone. The burning eyes immediately fell on Christina. "How could this shameless little bitch be..." Miss Fisher was used to insulting Christina. When she said this out of shock, Patrick looked at her coldly. She felt a chill on her back and dared not continue. She was the woman who was pregnant and married into the Hopkinses... The Fisher Familydy looked incredulous. How could this wild girl, who often frequented the Fishers looking like a dirty little beggar when she was a child, had be the granddaughter-inw of the Hopkinses? At the same time, a sense of panic surged in her heart. She scolded her just now. In fact, as early as a few years ago, the business of the Fishers was gradually declining. If it wasn''t for the support of the Hopkinses of A City, there wouldn''t be the Fisher Family today, so they were in awe of the Hopkinses. What was behind the fake smile on Mrs. Fisher''s face was a mix ofplicated emotions. She reached out and pinched her eldest daughter''s arm. Miss Fisher endured the pain and immediately understood, she said with a fake smile on her face that she usually put on in the workce. "At first, I wondered whose wife had got lost. It turned out that she was the granddaughter-inw of the Hopkinses, the young Mrs. Hopkins, I just said those words to outsiders. Don''t take it to heart. the Fishers and the Hopkinses have a good rtionship..." She But Christina looked at the disgusting smile of the woman. She turned her head and ignored her without any response. Christina didn''t respond, which made the tow of the Fishers even more awkward. This the Hopkinses''s granddaughter-inw was too disrespectful. Mrs. Fisher was so angry in her heart, but she did not dare to say anything. Hopkins Family had strict family rules, but Patrick actually allowed his woman to be so rude. The atmosphere was a little strange, but Patrick did not care at all. He lowered his eyes, looked up and down at the woman next to him, found that she did not get hurt, and asked her in a soothing voice, "What are you looking for?" Patrick knew her very well and could know what she was up to, unlike Charles, who was so angry and scolded her for running around. Christina raised her head and looked at the man much taller than her. "Actually, I came to the Fishers for..." She mumbled. She came to the Fishers for Derek. She wasn''t sure about Patrick''s rtionship with Derek... "Mr. Hopkins, I''ve heard a lot about you." Larry''s voice was hoarse and high-pitched, and his sudden utterance attracted everyone''s attention. Larry''s words were ambiguous in meaning. "Thank the Hopkinses so much for taking care of we the Fishers in these years..." "Larry, tell me what you want." Charles didn''t even bother to call him uncle, and his face darkened as he interrupted with this strange words. Thest time Larry talked about cooperation with IP&G Group, he was so bold as to force Barbara and the others to drink more than they could, which was obviously provoking them. "Mr. Shepherd also inherited your old man''s quick-witted style. You guys are really young and promising. You both have bright futures." Larry wasplimenting them, but there was no expression on his face. Patrick also turned to Larry. He had noticed the middle-aged man as soon as he came over, but he didn''t take Larry seriously because he didn''t need to. He tightened his around Christina''s waist unconsciously for some reason, and there was some other implication in the expression of Larry. Larry and Patrick looked at each other, his face contorted with a forced smile. "Actually, there''s nothing to say. We all know that the so-called good gesture of the Hopkinses is only because someone felt guilty and gave some money to us forpensation." "To be honest, I used to think that the Hopkinses helped the Fishers so much, which was enough for Larry''s expression were filled with hatred. He stared at Christina''s bulging abdomen. "Mr. Hopkins, your brother has been lying in the hospital for you for six years, but you took the opportunity to steal the woman he loved... You deserved a horrible death." At the end of the sentence, there was a strong resentment and hatred. Chapter 170 Chapter 170 [ Mr. Hopkins, your mate has been in a vegetative state for thest six years, but you married the woman he loved. You should die in your boots! ] Christina''s face turned pale as she couldn''t understand what Larry just said. But that he wanted Patrick to die made her nervous. It sounded like a curse. For a while, people standing in the inner room of the Fishers looked terrible. Patrick did not speak. He just narrowed his eyes and looked at Larry in front of him fiercely. Perhaps because he was still a little afraid, Larry said no more words and left in a huff. "Stop, Larry!" Charles shouted at him in a cold voice, as he didn''t want to let him off like this. He definitely crossed the line for insulting Patrick in public. The bodyguards on both sides looked nervously at Mrs. Fisher at the same time. Should they stop Larry? Mrs. Fisher and other family members were panicked, with their lips pursed. Hence, as there was no instruction, the bodyguards did not dare to act at will. Though it was at the Fishers''s ce, no one dared to offend Patrick. As long as there were things rted to the Hopkinses, it was always wise to keep a distance. Charles''s face was darkened with anger as he watched the fat figure disappear at the banquet. He could not help but curse, "After getting lucky in these few months, how dare he to be so uncaring." Was Larry out of his mind or was someone really there to support him? The atmosphere suddenly became awkward and grim. The people there were at a loss: the bodyguards straightened their backs, while Mrs. Fisher could no longer keep that fake smile. But as the violin concerto started ying, though she wanted to leave the room, she felt it impolite to do that. It was such a dilemma. Damn it, Larry! He not only offended Patrick, but almost implicated their the Fishers! "Larry''s business has nothing to do with us. He may just run into some luck. His investment projects have been in full swing recently. Maybe he''s just doing some shameful and immoral things." With a fawning smile, Miss Fisher tried hard to belittle Larry, her uncle, to relieve the tension... "You don''t have to be angry, this kind of people will have his retribution sooner orter." Retribution. This words totally meant something else right now. "Patrick... You should die in your boots." Under this context, Larry''s words now meant that Patrick deserved to be punished. Mrs. Fisher felt her daughter was too mindless. She immediately red at her daughter and told her to shut up to avoid getting into trouble. Patrick remained silent, hence, the atmosphere became even grimmer. Christina felt the hand on her waist put more pressure, and made her ufortable. It was a rare thing to see Patrick was insulted to his face. Besides his grandfather, who else dared to treat him like that. But she knew that Patrick was not the kind of person who would get angry if being insulted. He would feel it unworthy to get mad. He didn''t take others seriously. How could he mind what they said? But now he was holding her so tightly. He seemed to really care. "Hey, Charles, why are you here? Didn''t you say you were going to look for the baby with Chandler?" Christina''s voice broke the ice. Her tone was so natural as if she didn''t go through what had just happened, and just changed the subject without any clue. "Has Chandler found his son?" N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Charles was stunned to hear that. He nced around and answered, "Yes, Geoffrey is ying at the theme park. Chandler is apanying his son now."_x0010_ Christina raised her eyebrows and naturally tugged at the Patrick''s arm. "Didn''t you say you''d bring that little boy over to introduce us?" Charles could not answer as Christina was asking Patrick. Mrs. Fisher and her daughter''s expression was unnatural. They couldn''t help but look at the talking people, but they didn''t dare to look at them directly. "I don''t like the food here. Ask Chandler to take the child out to dinner with us." "Geoffrey has been brought back to the Stephenson Family. She will you next time." It took a long time for the man next to her to speak in that deep voice. He did say that to help Christina with the cultivation of motherhood, he would let her get in touch with the child in advance. "Then, can I go? I don''t like here. I want to go out and find Crystal for dinner. If you two are busy, send someone to give me a ride there." Christina took the chance to bargain with her husband. Patrick was thinking about Larry just now, but when he heard her, he lowered his eyes and red at her. "How can any bodyguard keep an eye on you?" His deep voice was a little stuffy. There''s no chance for him to let her go! Christina''s face was grim. Why she became his target? She didn''t have to break the ice anymore, as her husband dragged her out directly withrge strides. Charles took a step and left, too. Looking at Christina''s upset face, he raised his lips heartlessly and smiled. But anyway, Christina did make a difference, especially facing off difficult problems. Charles and Chandler would first think of her to help them. Mrs. Fisher was secretly relieved to see Patrick and the others leave on their own. Some people were really not that easy to serve. You have to treat their every sentence and action carefully. Thinking of it in this way, Mrs. Fisher hated Larry even more. "Mom, what''s going on with Larry? I think he''s in high spirits, but he''s definitely too arrogant. How dare he curse Patrick..." Although Miss Fisher was proud, she knew the importance of things. And... her eyes followed Patrick until he disappeared. Biting her lips, her voice was very angry. "How did Derek''s silly little girlfriend marry Patrick? She must have yed some trick to have sex with Patrick in a shameless way." She was really angry and jealous to see how Patrick treated Christina. Mrs. Fisher also couldn''t understand. In their eyes, Christina was just a rude girl who used to be in the Fishers'' house all day. They just know she was Derek''s ymate and showed no interest in knowing who she actually was. They were surprised to see such an autistic child like Derek actually had a female ymate. They always ridiculed Derek for he couldn''t marry some debutante but could only y with a rude girl. Now, that rude girl had be Patrick''s wife. "Be smart. Don''t make trouble for Christina." Mrs. Fisher warned her daughter in a cold voice and left to tidy up her makeup. She walked towards the banquet hall, still with the usual dignified and calm demeanor as ady. She had been in this business world for decades, while her husband was weak. She was said to be the one who fought for the Fishers. She had a sharp eye and always thought more than others. Only those short-sighted women could think like her daughter and say something for jealousy. In fact, few ordinary women dare to marry Patrick, the eldest grandson of his family. It was a joke to marry Patrick only by being pregnant. When did he ever pay attention to such a small trick? Anyone who dared to irritate him woulde to no good end. Unless Patrick was happy about that. Thinking of this, Mrs. Fisher''s face became serious, with Larry''s curse echoing in her ears. Considering it for a while, she could not help but mutter anxiously. "Patrick went to great lengths to marry Derek''s little girlfriend. What kind of tricks do these young people want to y?" Over the years, Patrick had given the Fishers privileged support and even spoke politely to them all because of Derek. But now... Mrs. Fisher looked at the lively birthday banquet. She suddenly had a bad feeling that someone was secretly battling for something. If the consequence affected the Fishers, it would change everything. Chapter 171 Chapter 171 "Let''s sit there for a while." Walking out of the Fishers''s banquet hall, it was already 9 pm. The evening breeze was a little chilly. The banquet lights behind them shone brightly in the dark night. As soon as they stepped out of the Fishers''s gate, the vision became open wide and the light gradually dimmed. The violin music behind Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. also weakened. Far away from the obsequious and worldly noise at the banquet, their heart also quieted down with this silent night. Christina stopped in front of the Fishers''s gate and looked around. There were flower nurseries on both sides, and the parking lot was behind the vi of the Fishers. the Fishers''s birthday party was especially grand, with many distinguished guests from business and political circles invited. Some cars being even parked outside the wall, the surrounding roads looked a little crowded. Even for leaving, Christina and others had to wait for a while for the bodyguards to pick up the car. "There are a few stone chairs over the pool. Let''s sit there for a while." Thinking that she had to wait anyway, Christina let go of Patrick''s hand in a good mood and went straight to the right rear of the Fishers vi excitedly. She curiously looked at the nts around and suddenly thought of the past. She raised her voice and muttered, "By the way, there are two cantaloupe vines nted behind the rockery. I don''t know if they will bear fruit this year..." Looking at the woman''s brisk pace in the front, she seemed to be in a good mood all of a sudden. Patrick followed her with a slight frown. In the back garden of the Fishers at night, there was dim orange streetlights. The dim light made the night quieter. the Fishers was not as grand as the Hopkinses, but the Hopkinses was too big. Just a corner of lotus pond in the Hopkinses qualified for shooting terrifying scenes was always disliked by Christina. But here, she seemed to like it very much... She was rather familiar with the Fishers. Patrick stopped. He was standing right under a streetlight. In the dim yellow light, he stared at the woman in the front, with his eyes bing increasingly suspicious... "Christina, what are you doing there?" Charles followed them curiously. Seeing Christina''s sneaky behavior, he couldn''t help butin. She bent over and squatted behind the rockery, fiddling with the vines with great interest. "Wait a minute, wait a minute..." Soon, however, Christina popped her head out of the tangled vines. With a dark face, she cursed unhappily in the quiet back garden. "Bastard, my cantaloupe vine got killed!" Summer was the harvest season of cantaloupes. Christina was a picky eater, but she liked fruits and melons. She once buried two melon vines in the back garden of the Fishers excitedly with a flushed face, letting it grow quietly. During that time, she ran more frequently to the Fishers. Derek''s uncle, Larry, had been bullying her all the time, saying that even if it bore fruit, it wouldn''t be good. In fact, the weather was not suitable so that the fruit wouldn''t even be born. Only some small flowers bloomed. She was unhappy for quite a few days, but soon, Derek put a palm-sized melon in her hand. Derek did not like talking, but he unexpectedly told her everything about it. Roughly, it might have formed a young melon before, but it was bitten off by a damn mouse. So it failed to live on. At that time, maybe because of her young age or some deep feelings in her heart, she felt that something was destined to be a tragedy. She was afraid of tragedy. Looking at the young melon with broken vines, she cried so inexplicably and uncontrobly that Derek was scared and didn''t know what to do. "Christina, you seem to be quite familiar with the Fishers..." Patrick''s grim face changed into aplicated expression, and even the dull Mr. Shepherd felt it was not appropriate and asked in a deep voice. Christina shouldn''t be so familiar with the Fishers. As far as they knew, the Dickens Family in C City had no rtionship or business dealings with the Fishers in F City. Larry saying those strange words just now, so they couldn''t help getting upset. Looking at Christina''s performance now, they felt a little agitated. "I used to sneak here a lot when I was a kid," she said directly. Charles didn''t quite believe it. "Christina, you were too naughty. Why did you run around all day long ande to F city at such a young age?" Christina didn''t answer because she had just patted the weeds off her body and raised her head, only to find that Patrick was staring at her with a suspicious expression. For a moment, she was stunned and did not understand the irritation on Patrick''s face. Just then, the bodyguard ran over and said the car had been waiting outside the iron gate of the Fishers. The dim street light in the Fishers''s back garden was so dazzling that Christina turned her head inadvertently and didn''t look at him. Patrick said nothing, neither. He walked to her side as usual with his right hand naturally around her waist, and led her out along the path. Christina followed him obediently. But this time, she felt that the grip on her waist from Patrick was a little hard. The bodyguard had already opened the car door and waited for them. A few passing friends in the business circle said with a smile, "Drive safe." Patrick still had no expression on these people as before. Everyone had his or her own secrets. Patrick had said that she was not fit to interfere in his affairs. So for her, the Fishers, and the name Derek, were the secrets in her heart. She was reluctant to mention it to others. Moreover,st time when Patrick suddenly sent someone to search the hotel, she was not sure what kind of rtionship he had with Derek. She admitted that she wanted to protect Derek. He was different from Patrick who was the only grandson of the Hopkinses, born to be the son of the heavens, having absolute arrogance. Derek was just an illegitimate child oftenughed at as an autistic fool. Those people always liked to bully him and take everything from him. "the Fishers were so shameless. They had signed the agreement, but they broke their words." Christina was extremely angry, especially when she sat in the car and the car was moving smoothly, Patrick answered Barbara''s call and said, "Derek isn''t in the Fishers." The woman on the other end of the phone asked hypocritically about Derek. She nced at the cell phone in Patrick''s hand and cursed with discontent, "None of them are kind- hearted. I don''t know what kind of trick Barbara is ying, neither. She just can pretend, pretend and pretend!" She had seen Mrs. Fisher and her friends'' arrogant demeanor tonight. Thinking of Barbara, the woman acting like a senior executive, Christina got really upset. Charles couldn''t help choking on her, feeling that she was very irritable tonight. "Christina, you''re pregnant with internal division disorder. If you have anything to say, just say it. Don''t say these weird words." "Even if I say it, you wouldn''t believe me. If I say that Barbara can''t be Derek''s girlfriend, do you believe me?" Charles got stunned. Having finished speaking, Christina turned to look at the car window angrily and ignored Charles since then. After hanging up the phone, Patrick slightly lowered his eyes, and stared at the woman next to him. They had attended a party of the Fisher Family which was almost over, but it seemed like something had just begun. Everyone quieted down and became upset. The car sped along the road and soon disappeared into the night... "She''s gone..." In the quiet night, in the corner where the lights could not illuminate, two dark shadows stood. One fat men of them cursed angrily, "She''s pregnant with Patrick''s child!" It waste summer and early autumn. The night wind was a little strong, swaying the treetops in the back garden of the Fishers. The tall and thin figure stood by the rockery. He stroked a withered and yellow melon vine with his slender white fingers, but his eyes were fixed on the direction of the Fishers''s gate, chasing a car far away. The deep blue eyes in the night looked very strange. Chapter 172 Chapter 172 After returning from the party organized by the Fishers, everything seemed to return to peace. As usual, Patrick was busy with the group''s affairs. And as usual, Christina also went to do prenatal checkups, and listened to nutritionists'' various parenting tips. As the days went by, the baby twins in Christina''s womb grew and became very heavy, making her look plumper andzier. She was not willing to move except daily walking in the Hopkinses. Christina was eager to deliver the babies as soon as possible. It was not easy for her to bear the twins. "Ouch, waist. Where''s my waist? I''m almost a waistless woman." Christina gained so much weight that she didn''t want to face herself anymore. She felt bored just after breakfast. So she went to take a rest in the lotus pond pavilion inside the Hopkinses, where she could call Crystal to kill some time. But life was hard. Not everyone was as idle as Miss Dickens. "If I could marry Patrick, I would dly lose my breasts, let alone my waist. Christina, you are sponging off him. Can you please visit people outside and experience the sufferings of life? Do you want to force me to revolt?" Crystal had been very upsettely. She grabbed her cell phone and yelled at her best friend, regardless of what. Damn it! Crystal felt like she was about to get exploded. She then cursed, "Those who say money is not N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. important are usually naive. Ah! Maybe they have ack of calcium in their brain." "What''s wrong with you?" Christina licked a small piece of kiwi with a fork and put it into her mouth, trying to feed her twins vitamins. Listening to Crystal''s angry roar, she thought there was probably something unpleasant happening to her again. "I''m calling myself an idiot..." Crystal soon lost her momentum of cursing and said in a sullen voice, "Why did I refuse that job from W&A Company? Why did I pretend to be so noble? I recently found several jobs topare with it. I found that these capitalists were really squeezing people too hard. I have to work so hard at such a low sry, which couldn''t even get me to pay the house mortgage." "There are manypetitors applying for jobs in W&A Company, and the benefits offered are good. Why did you reject it?" Christina had also heard of thispany. It seemed to be a newpany that had just opened a year ago, attracting many investments fromrge groups with its bright prospect. "Impulsiveness, it''s all because of impulsiveness." Crystal was getting more and more frustrated. "A while ago, I happened to meet a lost boy at a coffee shop in F City. The little boy was in a bad mood. Although I knew that he was a rich man''s child, I didn''t think too much. I followed him purely because I was afraid that something might happen to him." "Not long after, his father came over," said Crystal, her face darkening and she was still angry. "That man didn''t say a word of thanks. He just gave me five thousand dors and said that it was the several-hour care fee for his son. What does that mean? Did he take me as a scheming person..." It was true that some people were very cold, always used to using money to get rid of people, which in fact, seriously hurt people''s self-esteem. "The worst part is, after I quit my job at IP&G Group, I was so excited to take the job interview in W&A Company, and it turned out that father was actually in charge of thispany..." Crystal''s voice was lowered down. Why was she so unlucky these days? "It''s just because of such a coincidence that you refused a good job?" Christina heard this and sensed something wrong. She thought it for a while and asked, "Crystal, why do you care so much about that child''s father? Did you know him before?" Christina was very clear that Crystal had a good nature, and there were too many people who bullied her in daily life. Crystal always said that peace was the most important thing, and she would not take it seriously. Why did she get impulsive this time? "Who is that man? What''s his name? Should I ask Patrick to dig up his secret..." Christina spoke with great interest, but Crystal could not help getting nervous when she heard this. Crystal said in a hurry, "Christina, don''t get involved. The day before yesterday, Barbara called me personally and asked me about my job search. I can''t afford this kind of care. I''ve been rejected by anything that you big shots have involved. Let me live. I''m just a humble person with no significance." "Barbara!" Christina''s face darkened when she heard the name. After that, she asked Charles for some gossipy news. Charles said that the important client Barbara and Crystal were entertaining that night happened to be Larry. Larry, a fat man with a foul mouth, spoke bad words and liked to watch others suffer. But Christina knew Larry''s temperament, and she knew that Larry wasn''t evil and terrible person. What Larry said that day was only directed at Barbara. In the end, Barbara took Crystal as a scapegoat and forced her to resign voluntarily. The more Christina thought about it, the angrier she got. It seemed that the fire of her anger was strong enough to burn her hair. Crystal sensed that Christina was furious. But she didn''t want to make a big deal out of it. Peace was the priority. Crystal quickly changed the topic and said, "Christina, I forgot to tell you that I am blind dating recently. I was thinking that no matter how well I did my job, it is still less sessful than good marriage..." Crystal told Christina a lot of strange things about her blind dates recently. Christina listened calmly without any emotion and did not say anything. But Christina herself knew very well that she was not the right one to interfere in her business, even if she knew these things. After hanging up the phone, Christina had been thinking while sitting in the pavilion for a while. A maid came up behind her, reminding her to keep warm and not catch a cold. Christina saw the withered lotus leaves in the lotus pond and realized that it was already autumn. It had been nearly two months since returning from the party of Fisher Family. Christina suddenly remembered something. She quickly touched the screen of her phone, opened WhatsApp, and found an ount nicknamed Sleeping Beauty. "Eric, are you back? What are you doing now?" she typed this in her WhatsApp, but after a moment of hesitation, she deleted this text. She knew that Derek used this ount. She knew that if she sent him a message, he would definitely see it. But he wouldn''t answer her back. Being pregnant with a big belly, she slowly stood up from the stone chair, holding the phone and slightly tightening her strength. She wanted to see him, wanted to ask him a lot of questions. She had sent him a lot of messages, but Derek did not reply. Maybe he was still angry about what happened back then. Or perhaps, Derek knew that even if they met, they would be embarrassed. Especially now that she had a big belly. Christina looked at the huge lotus pond and said to herself, "Actually, I don''t like such a big ce..." "Don''t like it?" In the grand and spacious penthouse office of the IP&G Group, several elite men in suits lowered their heads nervously, not daring to breathe, while the man sitting in the office chair looked grim. Patrick took a document and threw it back to the table angrily. "So what if you don''t like it..." He didn''t need to care about the feelings of an outsider. "Go do the stats now and go through all the projects that Larry has been involved in for the past six months, including the list of partners..." "Investigate him for me..." Chapter 173 Chapter 173 It was another peaceful morning, Christina just finished breakfast and took a walk in the back garden of the Hopkinses. Christina always felt strange recently. She frowned and turned around vigntly... Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "Nothing..." She muttered to herself. There was nothing unusual behind her. Everything was normal, but she always felt a pair of eyes ring at her fiercely. Perhaps she was thinking too much. She remembered that the nutritionist said that pregnant women tend to think too much. After irresponsibly attributing all the doubts to her twin son, she was a little more rxed. Her biggest wish now was to give birth to the children smoothly without any trouble. Today was Saturday. Patrick didn''t go to thepany. He was busy in the study early in the morning. Charles and the others came over. It didn''t feel like they were busy with work. Christinayzily on the porch railing, looking up at Charles, Chandler, and... Barbara, they whispered as they walked. Christina didn''t know what they were up to, Patrick wouldn''t let her in. She looked down at the lotus pond and was in a daze. Suddenly, she heard a clear voice. Christina was surprised that Barbara was walking towards her. "It looks like the baby will be born in two months." Barbara was not malicious, it was t as if she was bored and came over to chat with her to kill the time. "The due date is in October." Christina didn''t want to talk to her, so she replied casually. "In October, grandpa must be very happy. His baby great-grandson will be born in the same month as him. the Hopkinses must be very busy in October. They will also celebrate Grandpa''s 80th birthday this year..." Hearing Barbara''s words, Christina raised her eyebrows. It turned out that the old man was almost 80 years old. As his granddaughter-inw, Christina really felt that she was not responsible enough. In contrast, Barbara seemed to be part of the Hopkinses. Did she think she didn''t want to ask about it? Patrick was so cold and he didn''t let her get involved in anything. The old man had been very distant to her since he came back from Seattle, so she didn''t dare to bother him. Barbara didn''t mean to leave. She also leaned over the railing and continued to chat with her. "Christina, are you still angry about Crystal''s resignation? I called Crystal a few days ago. I really didn''t handle this well enough. I can help her..." "Miss Parker, are you lost? Patrick''s study is over there." Christina was expressionless and pointed directly to the left. It was obvious that she didn''t want to talk to Barbara. "You don''t have to be so hostile to me..." "I don''t have as many maneuvers as you who has an ulterior motive, so I have to avoid you. Barbara, we''re not the same kind of person. Stop pretending." Christina looked impatient and straightened up. She didn''t even want to look at Barbara anymore and nned to leave along the corridor. "What do you mean by an ulterior motive? Do you talk of me to Patrick as well?" Nervousness shed across Barbara''s face and she quickly stepped in front of Christina. "Christina, I admit that sometimes I speak too harshly, but I believe that I did the right thing. The things I warned you not to hold Patrick back are all facts. I''m trying to make things easier with you now because I don''t want to put him in a difficult position. Don''t exhaust other people''s patience with your spoiled temper. Sooner orter, you''ll make others tired of you..." "Then should I thank you for your generosity, for reminding me time and time again that I''m not worthy of Patrick? You pped me, thenforted me, so I should be grateful to you? You lecture me righteously. Barbara, don''t expect me to listen to your bullshit! You''d better not annoy me!" Christina was so angry that she opened her mouth to chase Barbara away. Barbara was not angry when she saw Christina was angry. She experienced many difficult clients and was curious. "Do you really hate me?" She hated her. Christina never hid her disgust. "Why don''t you exin to me first, Barbara? Why are you pretending to be Derek''s girlfriend?" Christina looked straight at her, clearly seeing the guilt in her eyes. "Y...You know Derek very well?" Barbara could not pretend to be calm in front of Christina. Perhaps Christina''s tone was too firm, and her eyes were too clear. "Charles mentioned two days ago that you used to run to the Fishers when you were a kid. But it takes at least three hours to drive on the highway from the Dickens Family in C City to the Fishers in F City. Your family actually allowed you to run around like this..." No matter how unpopr Christina was, she was still the daughter of the Dickens Family, especially when she was a child, Donald was still a responsible man. How could he let his only daughter run around like this? Barbara didn''t quite believe it, and she was a little worried that if Christina had said anything to Patrick... "What, are you worried? Executive Miss Parker?" Christina raised her eyebrows, her voice provocative, "You don''t have to worry too much. Patrick and Charles don''t take my words seriously at all. How can Ipare to your dedication to the group for the Hopkinses?" Christina really didn''t want an outsider to affect her emotions, so she grimaced and turned around to leave. "By the way, there is one thing I can tell you, the Dickens Family is quite far from the Fishers, but my grandfather was living in the suburbs not far from the Fishers. If I want to see my grandfather, no one dares to stop me..." "... General Eisenhower." Barbara''s face changed as if she had thought of something. In fact, Christina''s family background was quite superior. She was not only the only daughter of C City''s richest Dickens Family but also the granddaughter of general Eisenhower, who lived in seclusion after he retired. It was conceivable that general Eisenhower loved her very much. Barbara had also read about General Eisenhower''s life. Reporters had interviewed him, and the old man had specifically mentioned that his granddaughter was too naughty, and said that he must entrust hisrades and their grandchildren to take care of her so that he could be at ease. General Eisenhower''srades... "Christina, Derek is an illegitimate child. What is the rtionship between his biological mother''s rtives and your grandfather?" Barbara shouted at her back, her voice was a little loud and urgent. "Want to know?" Christina paused for a moment, looked back at her, and said coldly, "If you want to know, go to find it. Isn''t that how you usually act? By the way, you can tell Patrick because he could find it out faster than you." Barbara stiffened as she watched Christina walk away, gritting her teeth and looking pale. "What do you think Christina has to do with Derek?" In the study on the second floor of the Eastern Garden vi in the Hopkinses, the morning light shone into the whole study, but the atmosphere was gloomy and depressing. Charles sat casually on the sofa, making his own tea, taking a sip, and looking up at the man standing in front of the ss window, he thought of something interesting and he smiled. "Patrick, are you still thinking about what Larry said at the Fishers party that day?" "The woman who Larry talked about must be Barbara, probably because he saw you are close to Barbara and he got crazy. That''s why he was talking nonsense about someone who stole the woman from him." "Besides, don''t know about Christina''s character? Even her grandfather, General Eisenhower who is such a strict person, was called a paper tiger by her all day long. She has never been afraid of anything and is indulged since she was a child. If Christina and Derek were together, hahaha, I can''t imagine how miserable Derek will be..." It was time to rx on weekends. Mr. Shepherd was daydreaming andughing like a crazy man. However, the other two men in the study could notugh. Chandler looked at the man standing in front of the window. Patrick was holding a small object in his right hand and did not make a sound no matter what guesses they made. Chandler raised his eyebrows and looked curious. "A wooden box." This rosewood box seemed to belong to Christina. Chapter 174 Chapter 174 At noon, the maid specially called Christina to the Main Residence for a meal. She was a little unhappy, but Hopkins Family had no rules except to have breakfast together. Christina thought that she was called to eat with them. "Christina, you''re getting fatter and fatter..." When she went to the Main Residence unwillingly, she heard Charles tease her from afar. She hadn''t seen him for more than a month, but he was still such a bastard. Christina stared at him with a straight face. In the past, she would have scolded him, but now...She looked down at her bloated figure and pinched her waist, feeling very sad and angry. Where was her waist? She was so fat now that she didn''t even have a waist. Patrick naturally pulled her to sit beside him. He was used to their quarrel and ignored them. Besides, Christina would be more lively when Charles was here. But now Christina''s expression was so grim. She was indeed very unhappy. Women hated it when people mentioned the word "Fat". It would pierce into their heart. In particr when their husbands were so outstanding, and the women outside were extremely coveting them. Christina moved her butt away from Patrick. She gave herself up as hopeless and shouted, "Patrick, don''t talk to me anymore. When I be a ball, you can find a beautiful lover yourself." Many female celebrities and models were afraid of getting fat when they were young and didn''t want to have children. To be honest, for women who loved beauty, giving birth to children would pay a lot. Patrickughed when he heard what Christina said. "That''s good." He used hisrge palm to fondle the hair on her neck, and the tip of his cool hand brushed the skin around her neck. After Christina became pregnant, it was probably because of hormones that her skin became more delicate and watery. "What''s so good? Don''t think I don''t know what you guys are thinking." Christina had been protesting with Patrick countless times. She didn''t want to eat so many tonics, but Patrick said it was all for the baby''s sake. And he shamelessly put his hands on her breasts, which had gottenrger, and said that it was better to haverger breasts. Damn it! "I don''t care. After I give birth to your son, you should get the nutritionist toe up with a n for me to get back in shape after childbirth. I''m so fat now that I feel self-contemptuous..." Charles couldn''t hold back and roared withughter, "Christina, do you know how to write the word ''self-contemptuous''? You''re such a thick-skinned person. If you''re self-contemptuous, no one else in this world will be self-contemptuous..." "And I think you are the reincarnation of the favorite concubine of emperor Minghuang, whopletely wrecked the country and brought ruin to the people. Christina, this is your fate. From now on, your weight will definitely increase quickly..." What the hell was he talking about? Christina''s eyes were burning. She twisted her head and shouted at Patrick beside her, "Even if I go on a hunger strike, I will lose my weight!" To be thin or to die! This was the basic principle of modern feminism. Patrick originally allowed her to lose her temper, but when he heard that she wanted to go on a hunger strike, he immediately darkened his face and nced coldly at Charles. Charles immediately felt a chill on his back and was so scared that he couldn''t evenugh. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Seeing that Christina seemed to be really worried about her recovery after childbirth, and the man beside her was so imposing, Charles trembled. If he didn''t say anything to appease Christina, he would make trouble for himself. So he cleared his throat and said against his will, "In fact, we only look at the women outside and think that they are beautiful when they wear high heels, have big breasts, thin waist, and graceful figure. Anyway, they are other men''s, so we always give them strict requirements. However, our own women are different. We''ll feel distressed when they feel aggrieved. It''s morefortable to hug them if they be fat..." Christina was smoothed by the man next to her, but she was still very dissatisfied with Charles. "I saw you change so many girlfriends, but none of them are fat!" "I can''t do nothing about it. I haven''t found my wife yet." Listening to Charles''s nonsense, Christina rolled her eyes angrily as she watched the butler and the others busy setting up chairs and cutlery in the dining room. It seemed that someone had not arrived yet. The Old Mater didn''te to have meals except breakfast, then who else woulde? Christina looked around curiously and said undesignedly, "Charles, what are your requirements for your wife?" After all, Charles felt so bored to wait for someone, so he thought about it seriously for a while and said, "Actually, there''s no special requirements...but she should have big breasts." "...Big breasts." Christina grabbed an apple from the table and threw it at Charles. "Patrick, control your wife..." "Oh! Christina, don''t think I don''t dare to fight back with Patrick here..." Charles was crying and howling. His handsome forehead was smashed into a big lump. Then they quarreled and made the Main Residence noisy. Patrick was cold and calm and naturally disliked the noise. The maids standing on both sides looked at each other withplicated expressions. No one in the Hopkinses dared to make such a fuss, but it seemed that their young master did not mind. Patrick took a big apple and gave it to the woman in his arms. Seeing that she wasughing so freely, he alsoughed out loud in a good mood. Charles was helpless. Patrick let his wife bully his friend again, and now he became an aplice. Suddenly he heard a deep cough. Charles''s eyes lit up as if he saw the hope. Old Master Mr. Hopkins walked towards them step by step with his walking stick. He nced those "presumptuous" young people with his muddy old eyes. And he had a dignified expression on his face, making people not know whether he was could happy or angry. It was probably because he had been keeping a distance from Christina recently, so Christina straightened up and immediately became more disciplined. "Serve the dishes." Old Master Mr. Hopkins ordered without looking at them. The smile on Patrick''s face was fleeting, and he became as cold and calm as usual. He naturally hugged the woman next to him and walked straight to the dining room. Christina would not notice how special Patrick''s smile was, because when he often scolded her angrily when he was with her. In the end, she would admit defeat, and Patrick would look at her helplessly. But Barbara noticed Patrick''s pure smile sensitively just now. Patrick was handsome and aloof, but his smile was so gentle that he even looked at Christina with ardent love in his eyes. But his smile never belonged to her. "Barbara..." Christina was surprised to find that Barbara was still in the Hopkinses. "Barbara came over to chat with Brianna today. She''s been having a bee in her head all day." Charles said n a low voice when he walked past Christina and saw she looking at Barbara in surprise. "Brother...Sister-inw." Brianna called out timidly. Brianna was not Patrick''s biological sister. She was just an adopted girl. She was very introverted, and the doctor said that she was a little autistic. Besides having breakfast together, Christina rarely came into contact with her. It was said that she only liked to y with Barbara. Barbara had contributed a lot to the Hopkinses, both in business and personal matters. Thinking of this, Christina was a little jealous. It turned out that she came to the Main Residence to eat with Barbara, the hero of the Hopkinses. Her mother-inw, Judy, who had always been dissatisfied with her, also came over to have lunch with them. Judy obviously had a good impression of Barbara. They chatted andughed amicably during the meal. Christina also knew about the traditional code of conduct, but she found that she was unable to get into their conversation, so she had to give up. She ate half a bowl of rice, and the maid specially served her a cup of ginseng chicken soup. But she didn''t want to eat it when she saw the red date slices floating in the soup. She was a picky eater, and she wouldn''t eat any boiled dates or pears. Just as she was hesitating, Old Master Mr. Hopkins on the other side nced at her withplicated eyes from time to time, which made her not dare to refuse the soup. "Give it to me." The man next to her had already seen through her. Christina was surprised, but then she became excited. Seeing Patrick eating those red date slices with great righteousness and awe, she moved closer to him feelingly and spouted nonsense, "Patrick likes eating red dates very much..." Patrick chuckled helplessly. Everyone on the table was silent. When did Patrick like to eat red dates... No matter how she refused to eat, or how picky she was, she was the women Patrick was willing to pamper. Brianna widened her eyes slightly, while the others were used to it and said nothing. Everyone continued to eat quietly with their own thoughts. Chapter 175 Chapter 175 "You really love your wife." "Yes, so Brianna, you must be careful not to offend her. otherwise, I will be angry." After lunch, they feltzy on the weekend afternoon. They went to the garden of the Hopkinses for a walk. Christina took the bait to y with the fish in the pond excitedly and happily. She saw that the two Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. women in the pavilion were talking very intimately. She didn''t know what Barbara and Brianna were talking about. She only felt that Brianna''s eyes were a little strange when she looked at her. Christina had no impression of Brianna, only thought she was very introverted. At first, she wanted to build a good rtionship with her, but others all said that she was peremptory and could scare Brianna. Christina was very depressed. How could she scare her? In the past, Derek was also very introverted. How did they be this kind of person? Throwing the bait into the pool, a few fish leaped out of the water with full energy to grab food. The pool sshed and rippled. Christina felt it interesting. Her eyes lit up, and then she threw the bait in another corner wickedly. She thought insidiously that it was really good to see others working hard. Christina was very childish. She narrowed her eyes, stretched out her fair neck, and looked at the pool. She amused the fish with a smile, like a traitor. "She can y all day by herself." She heard the familiar but deep voice behind her. Christina was stunned for a moment and turned around. She saw Patrick walking towards her. Perhaps because of the afternoon sun or the faint smile on Patrick''s face, she blushed. This nce made her heart beat faster. Christina approached him unconsciously. But the pool didn''t have barriers, and there were smooth pebbles all around her feet. She slipped and felt a little unstable. The figure in front of her was startled and immediately ran to her. Christina was not a delicate girl. She stood up straight, waved her hand, and said, "It''s okay, it''s okay." "Be careful." Patrick stood in front of her with his face darkened. Patrick taught her lessons in a strange way, such as asking her to walk carefully and eat carefully. It seemed that he needed to keep an eye on her all the time. "Patrick, I am not messing around all day. I think I''m useful to some extent." How could she say she was useful? Patrick thought. Patrick was angry. He held her and looked down at her red face, trying to teach her a lesson. But he couldn''t helpughing. "Don''t get too close to the pool." Christina was a little guiltily, nodded honestly, and said, "Okay." Charles walked slowly behind them. His eyes were full of gossip with an ambiguous meaning. He thought that the unscrupulous couple was also lovely. Old Master Mr. Hopkins was walking past the corridor at the same time. He turned to look at them. Who''s staring at her? Christina thought. Not sure if she was being paranoid, Christina instinctively became vignt. She was serious and narrowed her eyes to look around. "What are you looking at?" "No, nothing..." Facing Patrick''s question, she couldn''t say the reason. She just felt like there was a pair of eyes staring at her recently. Patrick saw her pondering something and wanted to ask more questions, but at this moment, his phone suddenly rang. It was the vice president of the group calling. It must be something urgent. He let her go, turned around, and took two steps before answering the phone. He said, "What''s the matter?" Patrick had subconsciously kept her out of the group''s affairs and all theplicated matters. He had said that she was not his subordinate and did not need to know. The older people were, the more they knew, so they had so many troubles. He said he didn''t want her to know these things. He was strong and dictatorial. This was Patrick''s special way to protect her. Christina looked at his handsome appearance and was a little worried. She stood quietly by the side and did not disturb him. She could not understand what Patrick was talking to the other side but could know he seemed a little annoyed due to his cold tone. Who pissed him off? Charles was standing not far away to watch the gossip and Barbara was in the pavilion before. But they seemed to have received some news and hurried towards Patrick. "What''s wrong?" Charles frowned and asked. "Larry rejected the investment of the IP&G Group." Barbara was surprised and sarcastic. It was unbelievable to refuse the investment of the IP&G Group. Didn''t they want money? Or did they have ulterior motives? "Larry must be mad." Charles could not help but said sneeringly. Several of Larry''s new projects in the past six months had achieved amazing results. Last week, he officially announced a new project about new energy. As they all knew, projects of new energy were not easy to make profits as the investment was slow to return. But Larry is in the limelight, and everyone secretly asked about Larry''s n. The answer was he had put all his money into this project, so people from all walks of life were curious and wanted to invest in the project. But he turned down the investment of the biggest IP&G Group. No one knew why he did this. Executive Barbara was apetent officer. She quickly felt that something was wrong. She said, "Last time, Patrick asked us to look into all projects that Larry invested in, especially the partners who had worked with Larry..." Then she paused and looked straight at Charles. She said, "Charles, to be honest, is there any personal conflict between Patrick and Larry?" "I could find nothing." Charles darkened his face and was irritable. Last time, Patrick was furious in the office and asked his men to find everything about Larry. However, nothing was found. Everything about Larry was normal. Even though Charles didn''t say anything, Barbara could feel something was wrong. She said, "Larry obviously didn''t want Patrick to join in his new project. There must be a dirty trick." While they were talking, Patrick had already hung up. Charles and Barbara looked at each other and hesitated to say something. In fact, Patrick knew more about these affairs. "You looked around just now. Did you find anything wrong?" Patrick put away his cell phone as if the business had been dealt with. He turned to look at Christina and asked about other things inly. Christina was a little confused by his question. Then, she answered, "Nothing." "Ask the housekeepers for help if you need anything," Patrick said, not paying much attention to her words. His eyes softened when he looked at her in a loose andfortable maternity dress. The baby in her belly was theirs. "I won''t be home for dinner today. Go to bed early." He naturally put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead, whispering in a low voice. "Okay." When Christina came back to her senses and heard his words, her face was blushed and hot. Patrick was not an affectionate man and would not always sweet talk to her. After he said that, he simply strode towards the door of the Hopkinses. The bodyguards quickly went to the garage to pick up the car. Charles and Barbara followed them in a hurry. Christina frowned when she saw they were hurried. She asked, "What had happened?" What had happened? Everything seemed to be a coincidence. Just as Patrick left the Hopkinses, Christina stood by the pool and thought about something. Suddenly, there was a hand to push her. She had no idea what was going on. She just leaned forward and fell into the pool. Chapter 176 Chapter 176 Perhaps it was too sudden. Before Christina could react to what happened, she sank to the bottom of the pool. The fish in the pool fled in panic. "Young, Young Madam... What''s wrong with you!" This scared the maid passing by the corridor. She shouted for help. "I, I''m fine." The water in the pool was brought in by living water. The water was clear and not too fishy. And the pool was not very deep, about two meters. Christina was very good at the water, and she was just suddenly frightened and sank. Soon, her head popped out and her hands clinged to the side of the pool, coughing and panting. The maid''s face turned pale with fear, and a group of people carefully and anxiously helped her out of the pool and onto the shore. "Young Madam, what''s wrong with you... Don''t be afraid, the doctor will be here soon..." Arge clean towel was wrapped around her, and servants quicklyforted her. "I''m really fine." Christina wiped her long wet hair with a towel calmly and waved at them. "There''s no need to call a doctor." "We go to find Mr. Hopkins now..." "Don''t tell him!" Christina panicked and said quickly. The sun began to set in the afternoon, and Old Master Mr. Hopkins had already returned to South Court for rest. Their young master had just left the house, and their young madam had soaked herself in the pool. They felt anxious and had no ideas. Christina wiped the water off her face and exined in a slow voice, "Patrick is very busy. Tell him after the doctor hade to have a check... I''m really fine. Just now, something seemed to have thrown at my back knee..." At this point, Christina tightened her eyes and looked back nervously. There was nothing strange, just and of flowers nted behind the pool and stone tables and chairs for people to y chess, admire flowers and fish. What happened just now... She was wet all over and sat beside the cobblestone pool in a daze, not understanding what happened for a moment. "Young madam, why did you fall into the pool?" The maid was relieved to see that she looked good. If something happened to her, they must bear the responsibility. "Did someone deliberately push..." A younger maid spected excitedly. Who was so bold! People outside didn''t know her importance, but employees in the Hopkinses all knew that their young madam must be safe. Their Mr. Hopkins had been furious several times because of her. Who wanted to be fired? Christina was supported by them to stand up slowly, frowning and silent for a long time... "No." No one pushed her. There was only one thing that hit her directly, and the speed of the object was very fast under the huge force... But the problem was that she took a closer look around and found nothing suspicious. "Look around here. There was something about the size of a fist, about a kilogram in weight and hard..." She didn''t know how to describe it, so she had to rely on her perception. "Young Madam, these pebbles each is only half a kilo in weight, not as heavy as you said." They didn''t know what Christina was looking for. There was indeed something that hit her back knee, so her right foot fell with no strength to support her. Why couldn''t she find it? "Young Madam, the doctor is here." Nanny Faang was mainly in charge of Christina''s daily life. When she heard from the maid that she had fallen into the pool, she was scared out of her wits. Fortunately, it didn''t seem like a big deal now, but only after she had a check could she be not worried. Christina was carefully supported by Nanny Faang, but she was a little unwilling and turned back frequently to stare at the pool. It was impossible for her to slip and fall. She, Christina, is not a weak woman. Damn it... "Young Madam, you are pregnant now, and your health is the most important thing. You don''t have to worry about anything else. We will investigate it thoroughly. No one can act rashly in our the Hopkinses." Nanny Faang understood what she was thinking and promised her. "I''m afraid you can''t find out them." Christina frowned and spoke in a cold voice. She pushed Nanny Faang away with a little force, straightened her back and walked back to the pool. If it was because she stood by the pool and fell into the pool without others pushing her... In the end, she would only admit that it was because she was careless. But in fact something hit her... Especially when she remembered that she had been stared by a pair of strange eyes recently, she was getting more and more agitated and spared no efforts to figure it out. "Young Madam, you just fell into the water. Although it''s early autumn, it''s easy to catch a cold. Let''s go back to the house first..." Nanny Faang and the others stood behind, trying to persuade her, but they failed to do so, and they did not dare to drag her. As a result, they were helpless. "What''s going on!" On the other side of the corridor, Old Master Mr. Hopkins hurried over with his crutch and shouted at the pool. He didn''t even button the first button of his suit. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Christina was a little afraid of him, so she stood still and looked up to him awkwardly. Nanny Faang walked up to her affectionately, afraid that Old Master Mr. Hopkins would get angry. So she slowly said, "Young Madam, the child in your belly is the most important." "Mmm." She grunted reluctantly. She did not dare to look at the old man''s dark face again. And she turned her head and followed the maids away dully. "That''s impossible. Something hit me!" Christina could not calm down with some doubt in her heart, so she kept muttering. Old Master Mr. Hopkins stood at the corner of the corridor with a stern expression, watching Christina quietly leave with the maid. Only then did his right hand holding the crutch rx a little. The old housekeeper asked the servants about the situation, then approached the old man''s ear and exined it in detail. Mr. Hopkins listened without much reaction. The autumn wind lifted the corners of his clothes gently... "There is no need to mention this to Patrick." Then, he turned back to South Court. The old housekeeper was slightly stunned for a moment, puzzled by his coldness. In deep thought, he turned his head to the direction where Christina had fallen into the pool. The back garden of the Hopkins Family was magnificent and beautiful. The setting sun after noon added a touch of beauty and calmness. But... The tropical ornamental fish which hated coldness in the pond was in a corner. And a hard piece of ice on the other side of the pond gradually melted... The hard ice melted and turned into ice water as if it never existed. Like a ghost, it disappeared without a trace. You can find it out in no way. "I don''t understand why I fell..." After the doctor examined Christina carefully and made sure she was fine, she let her go back to her bedroom. Nanny Faang still thought it was strange and asked Christina again. "We''ve already sent people to look around, and we''ve asked the servants who work nearby and they said they didn''t find anything..." Nanny Faang stared at her, told her to take a hot bath and put on her pajamas, and chased her back to bed to rest. "Forget it. Maybe I''m in bad luck." Although Christina was unwilling, she did not hold any grudges. Anyway, she was not hurt. But now when she closed her eyes, inexplicable coldness prated her back. Seeing that she was resting peacefully on the bed, Nanny Faang did not disturb her. "By the way, Master Patrick is noting back for dinner tonight..." "He told me." Nanny Faang smiled and knew that Patrick valued her like a jewel. "Then I''ll have dinner delivered tonight, so don''t wander around... I''ll go down first." After that, she closed the door. Christina was immediately blue hearing the phrase "Don''t move around." Patrick''s mantra was" don''t run around." Ah, she sighed. "You said I was fooling and running around all the time, and when youe back, you should say I fell into the pool..." Patrick really didn''t like her going out, and rarely agreed to let her attend public events. He wished he could settle her down in the Hopkinses without going out. Christina was a little sleepy. The sun had already set outside the window, and it was evening. A voice disturbed her dream. In the dark, she reached out to turn on the bedsidemp, and there was a dark shadow at the door. Who! She was so scared that her face turned pale. Chapter 177 Chapter 177 In the dimly lit bedroom, her trembling hands mmed on the wall switch, turning on all the headlights. In an instant, the room was as bright as day. Christina''s face turned pale, and she stared at the door in shock. It was gone. The dark shadow at the door was gone. The bright lights around her eased her nerves a little. She took a deep breath and pinched her thigh with great force. It hurt, which at least ensured that she wasn''t dreaming. "Is it because I got shocked after falling into the water in the afternoon?" So was it just an illusion? She got up from the bed and sat on the edge of it. She was bemused and a little disturbed. "Nanny Faang, I''m hungry. Get someone to bring me dinner. Hurry up!" She couldn''t care too much, just wanted to ask for a few more people over to build up her courage, pressing the service bell and, with some panic, urging Nanny Faang on the other side. Nanny Faang had been taking care of her for more than half a year. It was the first time for her to rush to eat. She brought two maids with her and rushed over with three dishes and a soup that she had just cooked. "Young madam, there are still three dishes being cooked. Eat slowly..." Nanny Faang quickly knocked on the door and walked in, setting up the cutlery for her to eat. But Nanny Faang found that Christina was sitting on the small sofa with no appetite at all. "Don''t you like these dishes?" Nanny Faang was stunned for a moment and asked in puzzlement. Now that the whole the Hopkinses knew about her bad habit of being picky about food, their Young Master Patrick never said a word about it, because the Hopkinses could afford to feed her, no matter how picky she was. As long as it did not affect the health of the fetus, even Old Master Mr. Hopkins had no problem with it. "... Then I''ll go and ask the cook to cook something else." Nanny Faang thought for a moment and then turned around to walk out. "Don''t go." Christina tugged at her clothes. It was rare for her to be so clingy. Seeing her unhappy expression, Nanny Faang felt likeughing. "It''s a pity that Young Master Patrick can''t see you like this tonight..." They all knew that Patrick had a special hobby, which was her attachment to him. Christina was in no mood to listen to these jokes. She lowered her head and was depressed. Nanny Faang frowned and became serious. "Young madam, you don''t look well. Did you catch a cold in the pool this afternoon?" "It could be." Christina replied in a low voice. She didn''t know what was wrong, but her whole body felt wrong. ng, ng, ng - The phone on the bedside table suddenly rang. Christina was startled and turned stiffly to look at the phone. Christina had never been afraid of anything since she was a child, except for weird things. When she was a child, and people in the Dickens Family really couldn''t make her behave, they would tell her ghost stories to scare her. This made her suffer from trauma. Nanny Faang saw her huddling on the sofa and looked pale. It was as if she had been terrified by something. "Did you have a nightmare?" Christina didn''t answer her. She stared at the phone and struggled whether she should get closer to it or not. But her mind was full of strange and weird things, and she immediately became cowardly. "It was Young Master Patrick who sent you a message." Nanny Faang took the phone from the bedside table for her. Christina nced at it. It was indeed from Patrick''s cell phone number. Inexplicably, Christina calmed down. She then took the phone, and couldn''t helpining, "Why did he text me at this time to scare me?" Nanny Faang chuckled. She didn''t expect Christina would be scared so easily. Usually, their Young Master Patrick failed to scare her by all means. Nanny Faang continued to fill a bowl of soup for her and put it on the table. Just as Faang was about to tell her to calm down after drinking the hot soup, Christina frowned, put down her phone, and said first, "No need, I''m going out." "Go out now?" T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Christina subconsciously nced at her phone again and said, "Yes, going out now. Patrick asked me to go to Gordon Hotel now. He said he would need me to attend a business party with him." When they were in the back garden this afternoon, she couldn''t understand what Patrick was talking about. Patrick mentioned the name Larry in the message he sent to her on his cell phone, and it seemed that this so-called wine party had something to do with Larry. That fat man Larry scolded Patrick for no reasonst time. Was he going to Larry''s wine party to take revenge on him? But it was a little strange. No matter what grudge Patrick had with Larry, he would never let her get involved. "Patrick asked me toe over now. It might be urgent. Nanny Faang, get the driver ready..." Christina stopped thinking about it. If he really needed her to be there, of course, she would offer her full support. "But Young Madam, the weather..." Nanny Faang told the driver something and walked with her through the Eastern Garden gate. The autumn wind was blowing hard, messing up their clothes and sshing them in the face with some light rain. "It looks like there will be heavy rain in a while. Young madam, you haven''t had dinner yet, and you fell into the water in the afternoon. If you go out now you would get cold easily, why don''t you call Young Master Patrick and tell him..." Nanny Faang looked at the thick clouds in the dark sky and became a little worried, and she felt it was also very strange, how could young Master Patrick ask Christina to go out in this kind of weather? Christina stood up straight and narrowed her eyes at the sudden sh of golden lightning. In an instant, the dark sky was lit up, and thunderous clouds rolled over, followed by loud sounds of thunders. The wind and the rain were getting more and more violent. Christina felt a little cold when the water dripped on her face. On this rainy night, something seemed to be stirring, which made her feel cold, strange, and terrified. The heavy rain blew the ss of the hotel wall... "It''s raining really hard." In the seventh-floor lobby of Gordon Hotel, a business wine party was being held. The hall was filled with loud music and toasts. No one cared much about the heavy rain outside the window. A bolt of lightning happened to sh across the dark sky, outlining the profile of the man who was standing in front of the ss mirror in the hotel. He looked cold and noble. His brows were slightly contracted, and he stood elegantly. He was staring at the distant ce outside of the hotel, and he was somewhat absent-minded about the party. "Patrick, it seems that this Larry has really grown up. It seems that even if we came uninvited tonight, he had already guessed it..." Charles came over with a ss of red wine, he took a big gulp, looking in a bad mood. Larry refused to invest in IP&G Group, which was obviously showing no favor to Patrick. Most importantly, the more he refused it, the more they wanted to know what was so magical about Larry''s projects. So tonight at the business wine party, Patrick personally showed up. When friends in the business circle saw Patrick and the others, they were all very surprised. Everyone knew that Patrick didn''t like to involve in social mingling. It was difficult to invite him to any activities. However, he came this time. Strangely enough, Larry was not surprised at all. When he clinked his ss with others, he dared to swear that he would make Patrick regret it. Charles really wanted to beat him up when he heard that. The sounds of rain and thunder were mixed together outside... "It''s thundering. I remember Christina hates this weather the most..." When Patrick heard the name, he gave a thoughtful look and said, "Well, she should be at home." Chapter 178 Chapter 178 "Patrick, you are really too tolerant of the Fisher Family." Patrick was ruthless. He thoroughly reorganized the IP&G Group, leaving no room for his enemies. But there existed an exception: the Fisher Family. Charles felt that the word "tolerant" had nothing to do with Patrick''s life forever. It was awkward to say it. In fact, Charles felt that Patrick had taken Larry seriously. It was not like his usual style. "Larry is just a cousin of the Fisher Family. Seeing how arrogant he is now, I really want to..." ''Damn it, I really want to send someone to ruin his new project to discourage him.'' He said to himself. With his right hand holding tightly the wine ss, Charles red at the fat figure in the ck suit in the center of the party. Patrick stood still with a cold expression. He looked out of the window. The rain was frantically pping the window, a little noisy. "Larry and Derek are very close..." He said in a low voice. But he didn''t finish his words as if he was very annoyed. He picked up a ss of whiskey on the small round tform beside him. "Don''t drink too much." All of a sudden, a beautiful figure rushed over from behind, and Barbara naturally reached out and grabbed the ss from Patrick''s hand. "You had a headache in thepany the day before yesterday... The doctor also reminded you not to drink too much..." Her words being rarely tough, she was genuinely worried. "Patrick had a headache recently at thepany..." Charles''s expression became serious, and Barbara turned around and gave him a reproachful look. "I hid all the wine you brought there." "Well... Now," Charles was very surprised. Patrick was strong, so it was easy to ignore his physical problem. Charles asked nervously, "Then, do you want to go to Seattle..." "Shut up!" Patrick was annoyed by others mentioning his illness. Looked straight at him, with tenderness in her eyes, Barbara persuaded in a soft voice, "Patrick, if you''re worried about something, you can tell us..." Without looking at the affectionate expression in her eyes, Patrick pressed his lips and turned his head N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. to nce at the streaks of golden light lightning outside the left ss wall, frowning... But Christina saw it. She suddenly didn''t understand why she was standing at the elevator. She should have walked over to greet them because he texted her toe over. But now she was unable to walk. "You don''t need me at all..." It rained heavily outside. Thunder rumbled and clouds were surging, and lightning appeared from time to time. It was a terrible night, but the people at this party didn''t care. These celebrities often went to different splendid and glorious parties, enjoying themselves to the fullest. "Why did you ask me toe here?" She could not move her eyes away from them, and she clearly saw Barbara snatching his ss away in such a natural manner. They were really close. Suddenly, she was angry. She thought he needed her, so she came here on this stormy day especially only to see the woman showing tenderness to him. She had already known how popr he was among women outside. With a straight face, Christina forced herself to turn around. She told herself, "Pretend I never came." But as soon as she turned around and wanted to press the elevator button, she stopped. She was hesitant... It was he who sent her a message and asked her toe here... Taking out her phone, she found that it was indeed Patrick''s number... What if he really needed her help? She lowered her head and stared at the screen. After hesitating for a while, she moved her fingers quickly and dialed the familiar number. The crisp ringtone of the phone rang... She was sulking, thinking carefully that if Patrick said, "Go over," she''d definitely ask him with a dark face that how important it was to let here over in the heavy rain. And she''d never give him a good look... "Hello..." Unexpectedly, it was a clear female voice. Christina''s face turned pale and she was speechless. She hung up the phone in a hurry. Without hesitation, she walked into the elevator without looking back "Barbara has holding his phone..." The elevator went down quickly. She muttered and couldn''t help but "Christina?" Charles looked at the screen and raised his eyebrows. It was indeed from Christina. "Why did she hang up without saying anything?" "Is she unhappy because I answered the phone?" With a little embarrassed look on her face, Barbara returned the phone to its original owner and said apologetically, "Patrick, it seems that next time my phone is out of power, I''d better borrow one from someone else." "Christina shouldn''t be so mean..." Although Charles usually was not on the same side as Christina, she was just angry for a while, and she would probably be fine tomorrow. Patrick felt strange. She rarely called him voluntarily. Thinking of this, he frowned and dialed back. [ The number you dialed is turned off... ] The man''s face darkened a little while holding the phone as he heard the mechanical reminders. Looking at Patrick''s gloomy expression, Charles marveled in his mind, "How dare she turn off her phone?" Well...Some Innocent people were absolutely getting into trouble... "Where''s the Young Madam?" Patrick directly called Hopkins Family, with his voice cold and bleak. Nanny Faang was surprised when she received the call. "Hasn''t she arrived at Gordon Hotel..." She told him in detail that Christina fell into the pool this afternoon, including that she hadn''t had dinner... After hanging up his phone in silence, Patrick looked around the venue with burning eyes. He pressed his lips and wanted to say something. The suspicion in his heart increased. "Go and find the hotel manager..." It was a long time before he spoke in a deep voice. Charles was stunned for a moment and found that his face was solemn. What happened? Barbara tensed up, not daring to dy, and walked towards the reception desk. Gordon Hotel belonged to Hopkins Family, so it was very convenient for him to find anything. She didn''t ask what happened because she didn''t need to. He was so nervous just because of that woman, Christina. "Actually, it''s not a big deal. Maybe Barbara didn''t like me and wanted to make fun of me..." At this time, the rain outside the window was still dripping. Christina sat in a corner of a restaurant nearby. [ The only thing you can do is not to disturb him. Christina, little do you know him... ] She had heard a lot of sarcastic remarks, and she was never bothered by them. But she remembered Barbara''s words very clearly. Perhaps it was because she indeed didn''t understand him. Barbara told her with actions that she really couldn''t help him. They were so tacit. They had been friends for so many years, and they had been in thepany together. What kind of existence was she? She could just give birth to his baby... Christina looked depressed and looked at the mirror in front of the restaurant. Her face was even round because she was pregnant. She was wearing a loose dress with a protruding belly, and her figure was no longer as graceful as before. She felt really inferior... Compared to those women at the party, she really felt inferior. "How annoying!" She frowned. She knew that there was no need to be angry about what happened just now, but she realized that she was bing increasingly sensitive and narrow-minded. If she didn''t care, there was no need topare herself to the woman around, but she did. Grabbing the menu to order something, she bellowed angrily, "If only the men can give birth to children! So annoying..." The waitress waiting beside her burst intoughter at her words, feeling that this pregnant woman was quite cute. The waitress was a young girl studying part-time. She joked, "It seems that all married women are worried about their men cheating on them..." "Not necessarily. You can just stop loving him." Hardly had Christina''s angry voice faded away, a loud noise came from the door of the restaurant. They turned their heads subconsciously Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Christina turned sideways and looked at the entrance of the restaurant in boredom. The next second, she opened her eyes wide and was frightened. "So, so you''re here..." A slender figure rushed towards her, panting and speaking intermittently. Christina didn''t understand. Barbara was drenched. Her clothes, hair, and fingers were still dripping with water. "What are you doing?" "Christina, I''m sorry. I borrowed Patrick''s phone. I... I shouldn''t have answered your call... I," Barbara exined to her as she panted, pale from the rain. "We were worried about you. Don''t be angry with Patrick. I''m sorry..." ''You were sorry. ''Why were you apologizing to me?'' She thought. "Christina, what are you doing?" On the other side of the ss door of the dining room, a handsome man walked up quickly, gnashing his teeth in a rage. "On a rainy day, you ran out and turned off your phone. Christina, you''re looking for trouble!" Charles was so angry that he could not help but scold Christina when he saw her eating dinner so N?velDrama.Org is the owner. peacefully,pared to Barbara''s miserable appearance. How many times did he mention to Patrick that women couldn''t be spoiled, the more they got, the more they wanted. The atmosphere of this ordinary Chinese restaurant, which was less than a hundred square meters, suddenly turned into the alert state because of these distinguished guests. The waitresses huddled in a corner. If they remembered correctly, the one with brown hair was the most popr man in the city, Mr. Shepherd, and although they didn''t know the other one, it seemed he was even more hard-core. What brought these big shots here? Christina was expressionless and motionless, still sitting in her seat. Shepletely ignored Charles''s scolding and did not respond, and she also knew that although Patrick did not scold her, his eyes were deep and fiercely staring at her... ''What did I do wrong again?'' Still expressionless, she finally looked at Barbara, who was drenched. It was in the early autumn, and Barbara was attending a business party tonight, so she was wearing a sexy dress, and the material was transparent. The wet clothes pressed against her skin, revealing her fair shoulders and long legs. The light in this restaurant was soft, but she could clearly see her red bra... It was rare that Christina did not refute. In any case, the restaurant was also a public ce, and now it happened to be dinner time, so there were many guests, so they didn''t say anything for a while. "Patrick, when you go backter, don''t scold her. It''s all my fault." Barbara must leave as soon as possible. Everyone in the restaurant didn''t know what the couple was talking about. They only saw the guilt on the woman''s face, and the man standing opposite her didn''t say anything. He took off his coat and handed it to her. Barbara naturally put on his suit jacket, smiled at him, and quickly turned around to get into the car. As the car drove through the rainy night, the women in the car kept turning back... The waiter came over with a te and carefully put down a small pot of porridge. Christina looked away and did not look at the woman with ''lingering affection'' outside the window. How annoying! "You have a good appetite." Charles sat directly across from her, saying spicily. Christina was not angry. She just calmly took the spoon and began to eat the food. She just treated him as air. Charles was even angrier. "Hey, Christina, you should reflect on yourself. Barbara was nervous. She was worried that something bad will happen to you since you turn off your phone and get jealous, then she rushed into the rain and looked for you with guilt. Do you have any conscience..." She still ignored him. "Do you think I was wrong?" Charles thought about it and thought that Christina was acting a little strange tonight. "No." After eating half a bowl or so, she felt that the porridge was a little too nd and she didn''t want to have it anymore. She put down the spoon and replied calmly, "It''s all my fault." Then she stood up and left without any expression on her face. Charles''s eyes widened as she straightened her back and walked towards the entrance of the restaurant. He had a strange feeling in his heart. If she yelled at him, then he could understand her. But she was so calm just now. What happened to her? They came back to the Hopkinses. Nanny Faang had been waiting at the gate of the Eastern Garden vi. When she saw them get out of the car, she took the lead in running over. "Young Madam, are you all right?" Nanny Faang''s tone was tense, but the woman who got out of the car acted like a normal person and asked for something to eat as soon as she got out of the car, "I want to have scallop and pork congee, please make some for me." When Nanny Faang heard what she said, she was still in a daze and turned to look at another man hotel and was gone? Without saying anything, Patrick strode past Christina and went up to the study on the second floor. Christina was expressionless. He was clearly angry that he was stomping In the past, when they quarreled, he would scold her as soon as he saw her, but now they would just sit in the car and remain silent. The silence hurt each other more than quarrels. Nanny Faang looked at them and she felt something bad was going on. Did he lose his temper? She said slowly, "Young Madam, in fact, young master Patrick is worried about you." "Who wants him to worry about me?" Christina was so angry tonight that she couldn''t hold it back as soon as she got home. She scolded him angrily, and then stepped up the stairs, went into the bedroom, and mmed the door. ''Well, don''t talk to me for the rest of your life!'' She thought. Christina was very annoyed. She grabbed her pajamas and ran to the bathroom to take a bath. She was lying in the bathtub. The warm water calmed her down a little. She pped the water in the bathtub, the sshing water was on her face, her hair wet. The bathroom was spacious and had a venttion system in all four corners. She felt at ease soaking herself and her mind was empty. After a long time, the full-body mirror embedded in the right wall was misty, and the whole space was covered with ayer of vapor. "Well, I can''t starve my son..." She was in a daze, and she remembered that she hadn''t had enough dinner, so she quickly got up. It happened that there was a bang on the other side of the bathroom door, which scared the naked woman and almost caused her to fall. "How many times have I told you not to take a bath for too long? Stand still!" Christina held the man in front of her hurriedly. It was all of sudden and she did not expect that Patrick would suddenly break in. After being scolded by him, she forgot to talk back. Patrick skillfully pulled off the towel and carried her out. His arms were strong, and it was easy to hold her in his arms, even she was pregnant. Christina''s face was right next to his left chest, and she could not ignore his strong heartbeat and his unique masculine aura. He was cold and ruthless but he made women feel at ease, probably because he could give women a sense of security. He seemed to be very tough as if nothing would be difficult to him. "Patrick, what''s wrong with you?" Christina didn''t know what was going on, but she suddenly screamed, her arms clenched tightly around his neck in shock. Patrick bumped into the coffee table as he walked, his body wobbling. He staggered and almost fell down while holding her. Christina raised her face and looked at him. She was stunned. The man turned pale. His eyes opened slightly and a trace of fear shed through them. Fear? It never belonged to Patrick. It was as if he suddenly couldn''t see... Christina suddenly became anxious. What the hell was going on! "Patrick..." In a low voice, she carefully called out again. Christina had never seen him so flustered. She was in a panic. She felt that he was trying his best to adjust his breathing. He was trying to stand up straight as if he was trying his best to pretend... Her eyes were burning. "Patrick, put me down." She pushed his chest and wanted to stand on her own because she was a burden to him. She always hated being a burden to him. "I''m fine." He was strong and persistent. He was still standing tall and steady, holding her safely to the bed before letting her go... Christina didn''t say anything more, and it just seemed like an illusion just now. Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Without another word, he turned and walked out of the bedroom. Christina stared at him in silence as he walked away. She was sure that this wasn''t an illusion. Patrick had been flustered, and his footsteps were hurried and messy. What happened to him? Was he sick? Soon the door was opened again. Nanny Faang came in with arge bowl of scallop porridge. "It''s very hot. Be careful." Nanny Faang was attentive as usual. She wasn''t in a hurry to eat, and stayed in bed still, as Nanny Faang put a porcin bowl and a spoon onto the table for her. Suddenly she talked. "Send some to Patrick''s study. He may not have dinner yet..." Nanny Faang served her half a bowl of porridge and said, "Yes, he hasn''t had dinner yet." "Miss Parker called to remind me that Young Master Patrick had drunk a lot of wine outside and hadn''t had dinner. So I asked the cook to prepare dinner for both of you. I''ll just leave the food here. He prefers eating with you here..." Christina quieted down. "Sure." She answered casually. She rolled over on the bed and buried half of her face in the pillow. It seemed that she had lost her appetite. Then there was a click. Nanny Faang closed the door and walked out. Silence returned to the bedroom. "Barbara is so considerate..." She didn''t get up from bed until Nanny Faang had left. Maybe that was because she didn''t want other people to consider her as someone who haggled over every ounce. She didn''t like to be jealous. Christina had her own pride. Although she could not help Patrick with thepany''s business like Barbara did, she could at least not be a burden to him. Of course, she wanted to do something for him, but what? The exquisite big clock on the bedroom wall had gone from 10 to 12. Her mind was just a mess during the past two hours. She nced at the door. Patrick hadn''t returned yet. Was he nning to stay up all night in the study? She scratched her head, feeling upset. "Your porridge is getting cold." Some emotions that she couldn''t exin either urged her to dial the familiar number on the phone. The man on the other end of the phone listened and said nothing. Christina''s mood turned even worse. She raised her voice and urged him in an overserious tone. "Your porridge. Nanny Faang asked the cook to cook it for you. It''s in the bedroom now!" Patrick was startled. While absent-mindedly reading the material he just received on theputer, he heard her clearly. She wanted him to go back to the bedroom. "I''ming." It was strange that Christina felt relieved hearing his reply. She hung up at once out of her guilty conscience. "It sounded like an invitation to sex. Awkward." She couldn''t help butin about herself. Maybe Patrick was truly hungry. He turned off theputer and returned to the bedroom quickly. "I have had mine. The warm porridge in the cup is for you." They rarely had the chance to eat together and chat face to face like a normal couple. Christina served him some porridge and pushed the bowl towards him. Patrick stared at her in surprise. "Thanks." He drank the porridge gracefully with a spoon, not saying much. Suddenly, the big bedroom became quiet again. Crystal often gave her suggestions such as that she shouldmunicate more with her husband. But Christina found nothing inmon with Patrick. It was obvious that he was avoiding her tonight. She could tell that he was hiding something. That jerk! She rolled her eyes at the man on the other side of the table. "I fell into a pool this afternoon. But I''m fine. Safe. Healthy. Didn''t even catch a cold." She started to talk on her own, exining things that he would definitely ask herter. "It was not my idea to go to the Gordon Hotel... Barbara sent me a text message from your phone, telling me to go there." She said thest few words in a very odd way. The mention of Barbara made her a little emotional. Patrick made no reactions to her words. He put the bowl back on the table and noticed that she was obviously a little pissed off. It was unusual for her to exin things to him on her own initiative. Under normal circumstances would he know nothing until servants reported it to him. That was when he got angry and went to ask her. He was surprised tonight to see Christina being frank and initiative. Nanny Faang had already told him about her falling into the pool. He wasn''t too worried about that because he knew her as a good swimmer. She was always energetic and had done things a lot more dangerous than this before she was pregnant. What''s more important is, she was fine after all. But there was something strange about the text message. "Barbara didn''t text you. Show me your phone..." "If it wasn''t her, who else would be so boring?" Christina replied with a poker face. "She picked up the phone when I called..." It clearly showed that the message came from Patrick''s number. His cell phone was not avable to any passers-by. Who else could it be? "Not her." Patrick sounded pretty sure about that. He stared at the white phone in her right hand with a little scrutiny in his eyes. "Hand me the phone..." But she grabbed her phone tightly and refused to give it to him. Why did he believe in that Barbara so much? "Fine. Just think of it as my stupid boring lie! I ran out in the heavy rain to make a fool of myself because I was too bored and had nothing to do. I''m so sorry that you people were worried about me!" After saying that, she stood up and walked straight to the bed, ignoring all he was yelling behind her back. "Christina!" Patrick shouted at her back with aplicated expression. Should he give her a warning? But she was already immune to that. Christina reclined on the bed and covered her head with a thin nket, continuing to ignore him. Although her face was buried under the nket, she listened carefully. Soon she heard the sound of water running. Patrick seemed to be taking a shower. Something was different about him tonight. He didn''t scold her for the pool thing and didn''t snatch her phone for the text message. She looked around. As expected, he was in the bathroom. Christina found herself being too childish tonight. She checked the text message again. It truly showed that the message was from Patrick''s number. Feeling annoyed, she couldn''t sleep at all. She didn''t know much about him. But Barbara might do... The thought of Barbara made her even more upset. It wasn''t jealousy. She just felt annoyed to have a woman staying around her husband and ying tricks all the time. What''s the most annoying is that she was their old friend. She would be considered too jealous if she minded their rtionship. They would also say that she bullied Barbara. After all, Barbara was not a bad woman. She really cared about Patrick and helped him a lot. She wanted them to keep a distance but it was an impossible mission. There must be transitions between theirpanies, and Barbara was so close to the Old Master Mr. Hopkins, her picky mother- inw, and even her aunt... Annoying! If violence could be used to solve the problem, Christina would definitely strike away this woman with a N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. huge pan over the pacific ocean so she could disappear forever. As a married woman, Christina suddenly realized how important it was to watch out for the third person. Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Patrick hasn''te out of the bathroom yet... Christina sat by the bed and idly scanned through the news with her phone. After a few clicks on the screen, she opened the browser and searched the keywords ''how to chase the mistress away''. In less than a second, a lot of rted web pages appeared, and she entered a forum to read some passages. A woman in this city had just posted a new post, and there were a lot of people showing interest. The woman said in the post that she had a very close friend. Her friend was a nerd, and she lived by herself so she dressed more casually at home. But tonight, the woman and her husband would go to her apartment for dinner together. Unexpectedly, her best friend was wearing a light gray shirt, but she didn''t wear bra. Christina was excited to see this part, and she immediately thought of Barbara being drenched in the rain tonight, and her clothes became transparent. Other people started to ask the woman curiously, "Is your best friend''s shirt prable?" The woman replied, "Yes, we can see right through her shirt? My husband was embarrassed. And she has big breasts. We can see clear about her... under the light! I''m embarrassed as well. I don''t know if she wore it on purpose or if she''s used to it." Onlooker number one, "knowing that there are outsiders at home, there is a man! I think she should wear properly." Onlooker number two, "To be honest, I''m also a Otaku girl. Now that I''m used to not wearing underwear. It''s really painful for me to be strangled at the breast. If it were me, I might not be willing to wear them either. " Number one immediately replied to number two, "You have a problem with your three outlooks. Her best friend doesn''t even wear underwear in front of her husband. This is simply hooking up with her husband in front of her. If you aren''t retarded, you should know the basic etiquette." Number two was reprimanded and provoked, "What do you mean? You said I was retarded, you are retarded!" Christina was shocked, gossiping about everyone''s replies, and then she saw a very imposing reply. An anonymous onlooker was furious and write down a sentence, "bah, scheming bitch!" "It seems that everyone is very sensitive to these things." Christina sighed. She felt like she had found many people who could understand her. After reading a dozenments, her hand felt a little sore by holding the phone. Suddenly, she found that Patrick had been in the bathroom for almost 30 minutes. He usually wouldn''t spend so much time in the shower. "What was he doing inside?" Christina was confused. She then put down her phone and stood stealthily in front of the bathroom door with her ears pressed against the door. She could not hear the sound of the shower. She was always feeling uneasy and called out hesitantly, "Patrick..." He didn''t answer her. Her heart beat fast due to the worry, and she then tried to open the door but it was locked. Knock, knock, knock... She mmed the door so hard, "Patrick!" "What is it?" A husky voice came from inside, and she stopped pounding on the door. She stared at the door in a daze, feeling relieved. Just then, she was really scared. Hesitantly, she said, "I, I''ve noticed you stayed in there for so long... Didn''t you say you couldn''t stay in the bathroom for too long?" She was a little awkward. She stood in front of the bathroom for a while before he replied, "I''ll be out in a second." But he didn''t open the door. She frowned and red at the door that she couldn''t open. He forced her not to lock the door when she was in the shower. But why did he lock the door? And usually when she stood outside, he woulde out and open the door for her... "What was he doing inside?" She couldn''t help but wonder. "What are you doing standing here?" Just as she was wondering if she wanted to kick the door open, the door was opened. She raised her head in a daze. Patrick was standing in front of her in a dark blue bathrobe. "I, I want to go to the bathroom..." She said with a guilty conscience. After saying that, Christina hated that she couldn''t even make a proper lie. There were two bathrooms in their bedroom. "It''s almost 1: 00 at night." Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. He reminded her. She pursed her lips and wanted to say something, but he took a deep breath and dragged her towards the bed. "Patrick, you..." What''s wrong with you? She wanted to ask, but he wouldn''t want to say... She frowned andy on her side on the bed with her back to him. She had just noticed that there was a lot of sweat on his forehead. "Hey, why are looking in on my phone!" She was embarrassed to find that the man beside her was holding her cell phone. He sat by the bed, looking at the screen with a strange expression, and then looking at her. "This is my privacy. Give my phone back, give it back..." Christina stretched out her hand and snatched it back. "Mistress?" Patrick looked at her and suddenlyughed. He just wanted to check her text message, but she logged into a forum and was in the mood to chat with a group ofizens. "Patrick, do you think I''m petty and jealous of Barbara?" She saw that he had returned to his normal expression and hesitated for a while. She didn''t want to sleep anyway and asked him some questions. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her curling up and holding a thin nket. As long as it didn''t involve anything confidential, he was actually willing to exin to her. "Barbara is just a staff in thepany..." "But she is very familiar with the people of Hopkins Family." Anyway, it was started, so Christina didn''t hesitate to say it directly. "Brianna is a little autistic. Barbara is very patient. Brianna likes her, but that''s all." His exnation was simple. Christina did not expect he was willing to tall her so much. Tonight, he was really strange, but his exnation somehow made her feel petty about herelf. She lifted the nket and buried her head dejectedly. "Forget it, Barbara is very patient, she''s capable to apany you to all kinds of social and business matters. But I''m useless and fat, I''m not worthy of you." He alsoy down and pulled down her nket in case she had difficulties breathing. He found that his wife had be more and more concerned about her figure and appearance since she became pregnant. "You''re not pregnant. You don''t even know how I feel. My whole body is swollen..." She was angry and dispirited. How unfair! Patrick, of course, could not understand her feelings, especially his wife always thought differently from other women. She had moreplicated thought. Seeing her grim face, he was about tofort her. "The people out there say I''m not good enough for you, that I''m not considerate enough, that I''m not as good as Barbara!" She suddenly rolled over and red at him, grinding her teeth with resentment. "Patrick, no matter how I be, I''ll always be your wife! Never think about cheating on me!" He was stunned and looked at her angry expression. It seemed that there was no need to say thoseforting words. The next second, he looked at her with a smile in his cold eyes and then burst intougher. Chapter 182 Chapter 182 "I don''t know... I''ve been feeling a chill in my spely..." "The people in the Hopkinses also arranged a psychiatrist for me. The psychiatrist said that pregnancy hormones could make people paranoid and sensitive... The day before yesterday, I was so annoyed that I started toin to Patrick, but he didn''t say anything tofort me, and he stillughed at me." Christina was very dissatisfied. She was resting at home for her pregnancy. After lunch, she stayed in her bedroom and called Crystal toin. "Crystal, how''s your work? Do you have time to visit Hopkins Family?" Christina was so idle that she suspected that she was really suffering from delusions, "If you''re not free, then I''lle to you." Crystal held her cell phone and rolled her eyes, "Please don''t go out. You are bearing twins, and if you get hurt by some bumping, I don''t know how to tell your husband." "Does that mean I can''t go out until delivering babies in October?" Christina suggested. Did all pregnant women have no human rights now? Crystal sympathized with her. "The main thing is that your husband is too scary." "By the way, where''s your Mr. Hopkins? He should be at home with you, right?" Crystal had heard from her former colleagues at the IP&G Group that Patrick had handed over the gossip, saying their president had "asked for maternity leave". "He did say before that he would spend less time working and try to be with me..." Christina muttered in a low voice. The people outside always said that Patrick was ruthless, but Patrick was really good to her. On second thought, she was a little resentful. "He''s not home right now. He''s busy. He flew to Americast night." And Christina knew that Barbara had gone with him. But she didn''t know what they were busy doing in the United States. "He seems to trust Barbara..." "Are you still jealous of Barbara?" "Not really..." Christina said in a sullen voice, "It''s just that there''s another woman who cares about my husband, and I feel ufortable about this..." Crystal suddenly yelled, "Christina!" "Don''t think too much. You must get panicked for being idle. You said you fell into the pool and saw a dark shadow at the door. Anyway, just live your idle life. Don''t be so stupid as to fight with Patrick and let those mistresses outside take advantage of it. If you do not look for trouble, you will be ok!" Crystal had been busy looking for a job recently, and all kinds of unspoken rules in the workce made her tired and unable to resist. She had no choice but to endure it in order to live, so she really envied Christina. She said a lot of wise rules, but Christina on the other end of the phone suddenly became silent. Crystal was very depressed, "What are you thinking?" "Oh, nothing." Christina replied, beginning to reflect on her own role as a wife, who seemed to have not fully fulfilled her duty. "I was thinking that I have not given Patrick any official gifts..." "Do you want to buy a present for your wife?" On a shopping street full of luxury goods in Seattle, the saleswomen were all well-trained. They looked at the man wearing an expensive suit in front of them. He had a tinum ring on his left ring finger, which obviously showed that he was married. In this bustling city, there were many men from the upper ss who came here with beautiful girls in their arms. These men spoke sweet words and bought expensive gifts to please these women, who also were very clear that these men pretended to be single and had no interest in wearing wedding rings. This man in front of them was rare. "I''ve known you for so many years. How could I not know that you also fall for romance..." This was amercial street near the international airport. The flight was suddenly dyed because of the weather, so they had some more leisure time on their way back. Barbara thought he would be in the VIP waiting room as usual, and was surprised that he was interested in these women''s jewelry. "Sir, you can take a look at this ne with a pendant of Polynesian ck pearl. This ne just arrived this morning. It matches your wife''s temperament very well. It looks tender, generous, and noble." Patrick ignored the enthusiastic waiter and took a look at the ck pearl pendant on the white fluffy tray. The heart-shaped tinum outer ring was embedded with fine diamonds, and the ck pearl was iid in the center, which made it even more mysterious and noble. He nced around the ornaments on the ss counter. It seemed that he was not so interested in women''s decorations. ying around with his tinum wedding ring, he seemed to be thinking which one he should buy. "Patrick, what do you think of this ck pearl pendant?" Barbara asked him casually with a smile. Her smile grew brighter especially when she saw the waitress in front of her. The staff in the store naturally thought that she was his wife, but she wasn''t. But at this moment, she didn''t want to deny it. "Pearls don''t suit her." Patrick spoke very softly. Pointing to the furthest left side of the ss cab, he said, "Please bring me DJ856021." This was the unique code of their jewelry shop. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. The staff in the shop did not dare to neglect, so she pushed a special chair over and carefully took down the ruby ne from the cab. This ne was a little special. It was not the most expensive one in the shop. A French word "chance", which meant lucky, was written with tinum in the ne. The first letter of the word was capital, cleverly iid with a ruby. This was not the same as the top international brands in their store. There was no second simr ne like this one, which was the only one designed by a master jeweler on a whim. Most lovers like to buy some essories to express their love, while the word "chance" was somewhat different. "You want to buy this ne for Christina?" Barbara looked a littleplicated, and her low voice sounded t. Then she said firmly, "Buy the The ne was actually quite exquisite in workmanship and gemstone, but if it was something given by Patrick to a woman, he should choose some jewelry more expensive and dazzling. "She''s afraid of those weird things." Patrick directly asked the clerk to pack it up and said it surprisingly, which Barbara couldn''t understand. Barbara was so smart but she was stunned for a while. In fact, the thing that Christina was afraid of darkness and ghosts was really not a secret. Rubies seem to ward off evil spirits. "Mr. Hopkins, when did you be so superstitious?" Barbara smiled and teased him. She turned her head slightly and felt somehow bitter. People would really change. She never thought he would too. Patrick held the little delicate gift bag in his hand and said calmly. "I''m not." He never believed in these things that had no evidence to back off, nor did he believe in coincidences. He only believed in deliberate nning and calcting. But if... If one day he made a mistake and he was unable to protect her. When a person was in endless despair, he would rather believe in ghosts and pray for having the luxury for somest hope. And he wanted her to have enough luck when she was helpless and she would be safe. Chapter 183 Chapter 183 "Patrick, thank you for giving me the coatst time." Barbara suddenly spoke out and quickly interrupted his contemtion. With his usual smile, she handed him the ck bag held in her right hand reluctantly. Last time she got drenched in the rain and he put the coat on her. There was his scent lingering on the expensive coat, so she was reluctant to return it to him. She had long known that the unrequited love was bitter, but all of a sudden, she couldn''t help wanting more when she nced at the unique ne in his hand. "Boss, you can go home soon. But I have to transfer for a flight to Paris. For the sake of my hard work for thepany, can you give me a piece of jewelry as a reward as well?" She said jokingly as usual. "What do you want?" Patrick subconsciously asked. He would buy her whatever she liked in the jewelry store without hestitation. And he would like to do so, regardless of what style she liked or whether it fitted her. Hearing his promise, Barbara was overjoyed, but then she felt even more disappointed. She had known his coldness for a long time. If he had always treated any woman this way, then she could tell herself that she could at least be by his side. But there was just Christina. The female employees of this luxury jewelry store, which catered to international tourists, all knew some Chinese. Upon hearing their conversation, an employee immediately rushed forward to rmend thetest and the most expensive jewelry to Barbara. "I want the one he just bought, the same one." Patrick suddenly felt a great pain in his brain. His tightened his grip unconsciously on the exquisite bag. He tried not to show his pained and tired look. With a cold face, he went straight to the soft sofa on the right side of the store so that he could have a rest. Barbara talked to the clerk in a low voice. He was not interested in their conversation so he leaned back against the sofa and gasped because of the pain in his brain. "Miss, I''m sorry, but that ruby ne was unique... The other ne designed by the same master jeweler is here. Do you like it?" N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "Are you sure you can''t find the same one?" She turned to nce at the man in the rest area, with her words somewhat insistent. The employee was a little embarrassed. "I''m very sorry. Even in the branch store, there''s none. There''s only one of that." "If you really want the same style, then... There may be a replica in the small shops in the downtown area..." Replica. There was a hint of self-mockery on Barbara''s lips. There was only one. She saw it first, but why couldn''t she have it? Habitually looking back at the man behind her, Barbara suddenly became nervous. "Patrick, what''s wrong with you?" "How''s Patrick doing?" Christina had been summoned to Old Master Mr. Hopkins''s Northern Garden. It had been almost two months since she had spoken to him face to face, making her a little ufortable. "What''s wrong with him?" Puzzled by the question, she straightened her back, frowned slightly, and looked directly at the old man across the coffee table. "Young Madam, you should pay more attention to how many times Mr. Hopkins has a headache..." The old housekeeper stood aside, with his voice worried. It seemed that he wanted to remind her of something. Old Master Mr. Hopkins frowned and nced at him with displeasure and he shut up immediately. "What''s the matter?" Christina remembered that it should have been easy for Patrick to lift her up the night before yesterday, but he bumped into the corner of the table and almost fell off her strangely. She knew that as long as it was within his abilities, he would not let this happen, so she was surprised as well. Christina felt a surge of uneasiness and nervousness. "Grandpa, is Patrick ill?" "No, he isn''t." Perhaps because of panic, the old housekeeper quickly retorted. He was not lying. Patrick was indeed not ill. "It was an old wound..." "What?" She could not hear the housekeeper''s words clearly. And there was a long silence. In the backyard of Northern Garden, a row of ornamental bamboos rustled in the autumn wind on the other side of the wall. "... You should ask that bastard toe home and take his paternity leave. He doesn''t need to handle the business of thepany this year. Just ask him to apany you." Finally, Christina was invited out by the maid. Looking back, the door slowly closed, and the old man''s The sun had gradually set in the west. She was called to the Old Master''s at noon and sat awkwardly looking at him for almost an entire afternoon. She did not understand what he meant, and he seemed to want Patrick to rest. "Since it is about Patrick, why not talk with him? Such a weird old man..." She could not help bemoaning, but she remembered it. When walking towards the Eastern Garden, she could not help but shrink her neck. It was a little cold. The wind ruffled her long hair. It was the early autumn, but she already felt the chill. She looked around the huge house of the Hopkinses with her clear and beautiful eyes. Inside the high walls, everything looked beautiful under the setting sun, so beautiful that it suddenly made people restless. She thought that when Patrick came back tonight, she would figure out what happened to him. "Didn''t you say you wereing back tonight?" After dinner, Christina went back to the bedroom and waited peacefully. Butter she checked the time and found it was behind the expected time. So she hesitated for a while and called him. "Oh, hello..." Christina heard a strange voice from the other end of the phone and was stunned for a moment, then quietly listened to his exnation. It was the vice president of the group Shawn who answered the phone. He said Patrick had to deal with something and came back the day after tomorrow. "Is he busy now?" "When he is awake, I''ll tell him that you called..." The vice president''s voice was very stable and gruff. But before Christina could ask more, he hung up. Her heart suddenly beat a little faster, and her fingers quickly dialed back, but it indicated that the line was busy, and no one answered. She spent the whole night panicking. The next morning, she had breakfast with Old Master Mr. Hopkins. Brianna and the others were there as well. She ate absent-mindedly and looked at the old man across from her from time to time, trying to figure out the way to ask about what happened to Patrick. "Young madam, it''s a package from the United States." The unexpected delivery made them curious. Christina frowned and opened the package. It was a jewelry box, a tinum iid ruby ne. "Chance...", Christina read the French word. She knew that the word meant "Lucky," but she wondered why Patrick had sent her the ne for no reason. When did he be so romantic as to buy his wife a gift on his business trip and send it home specially by express? Was it a surprise? She didn''t know if it was a surprise, but when she saw that there was also an expensive coat for males inside, she was a little stunned. If she remembered correctly, this coat seemed to be the one over Barbara, who was caught in the rain a few days ago. Does that mean that Barbara personally packed and sent this package? "He didn''t pick up the phone... The gift was also sent back by the other person by courier..." She was suddenly very anxious. "Grandpa, do you know what Patrick has been up totely?" She looked up and asked the old man directly. Judy, who had finished breakfast, took the lead in a cold and displeased voice. "It''s wrong for you not to know what he''s up to. And he is on a business trip and gives specially you a gift. How can you be his wife?" Judy distasted her. It seemed that since the first time they met, this noble mother-inw has disliked her. She didn''t want to argue with anyone. She wasn''t in the mood. With her eyes fixed on the old man, she lowered her voice and suppressed her nervousness. "Grandpa, is something wrong with Patrick?" Chapter 184 Chapter 184 In the end, Old Master Mr. Hopkins said nothing. Christina was very confused and wanted to catch up with him as he walked out of the dining room with his walking stick. But as soon as she took a step, the old steward in front of her made a gesture to indicate that she should note forward. Christina stood still, feeling even more anxious. They always didn''t want to tell her anything. She just wanted to know more about Patrick... Ding ding - As the phone in her coat pocket vibrated, she received a new message. "Patrick is at the golden.A club." Christina held her phone and fell silent after reading the text message on the screen. Barbara sent the short message. "Is Patrick at the golden.A club now?" Golden.A club was a high-end private clubhouse and Christina knew about it, because Cory tricked her into spending a night with him in this club where she met Patrick. She frowned and became concerned . Looking at the new text message, she lowered her eyes and stared at the handwritten letter that Patrick had sent her and the precious tinum ruby ne with the word "chance" on it. Her heart was beating faster and she had a bad feeling. "The vice president of the group said he wouldn''t be back until tomorrow, so why did Barbara text me..." What tricks did she want to y? On thest rainy day, she received an inexplicable text message asking her to go to Gordon Hotel. But after that, Patrick insisted that it had nothing to do with Barbara. She was confused but managed to calm down and called Barbara back. "The number you dialed is currently on the line. Please wait..." There were the auto-responder''s replies. That made Christina feel bad. She clutched her phone tightly and kept breathing in and out, telling herself to calm down. Calm down! But she couldn''t calm down! After the vice president hung up on her yesterday, she couldn''t get through. She encountered many things, including him saying that she should wait for Patrick to wake up, the strange talk of the old man at home and this text message from Barbara. They always said she couldn''t help. She didn''t want to cause trouble for anyone, but she was nervous at home. She called the driver from the Hopkinses and immediately drove to golden.A club. Whether Barbara was ying a trick on her or not, whether the text message was true or not, she had to go over and take a look. As the car moved steadily forward, she silently looked at the scene outside the window and thought of Patrick''s strange behavior recently. Her mind was in a mess. "What''s wrong with you?" She murmured. Her eyes were full of tears. She felt anxious and self-loathing for she couldn''t help him in anything. She felt that she was useless. Forty minutester, she arrived at golden.A club. After Christina got out of the car, the driver of the Hopkinses led her to the front desk of the club. When the receptionist heard the driver''s words, she immediately picked up the internal phone and called the head of the club. Then they talked for a while. "Hello, Young Madam." Christina guessed that the club had a close business rtionship with the Hopkinses. They were very respectful and Patrick seemed to like to rest here. "Is Patrick here now?" She asked hesitantly. The head of the clubhouse did not mean to hide anything, but simply nodded. "Yes, Young Master Patrick is in room 2008 ..." When Christina heard this answer, she had the mixed feelings. He''s really here. Christina forced a smile and coldly ordered. "Take me to him." "Yes." She followed the person in charge into an elegant European-style corridor. Delicate crystal lights hung on both sides of the corridor, casting the gentle yellow light. It was very quiet here. There were thick red carpets under her feet. She did not meet any other guests on the way. It seemed that this was the VIP area. "Give me the room card." When she arrived at room 2008 and noticed that the person in charge looked a little embarrassed, Christina directly asked for the room card and asked him to leave. He heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Young Madam, if you need anything, please ring the bell. I''ll leave first." They all knew that Patrick had a hot temper. Without his permission, most people did not dare to disturb him. If his wife came to him, it would be different. They were well-informed in their social circle and needed to know some special people to avoid offending others, especially Hopkins Family. It was said that Patrick''s wife was very pampered and difficult to get along with. But now it seemed that she was more easy-going than ordinary women... Thinking of this, he couldn''t help but turn around and remind her, "Young Madam, Miss Parker is also here..." Beep - As Christina swiped the room card, the door opened. Miss Parker. As soon as the head of the club said "Miss Parker", Christina straightened her back and saw Barbara through the crack in the door. "Barbara..." She mumbled the name in aplicated tone and stared at the woman sitting by the bed in the room who bent over as if she was busy with something. The sound of footsteps made the people in the room turn around vigntly... Barbara looked surprised. "Why are you here?" "You asked me toe over." Christina stepped into the suite, held back some emotions and looked over to the bed. The man on the bed had already woken up. Patrick was indeed here. He looked at her at the door and did not speak immediately. They just looked on in silence. Christina suddenly found it funny. Did she catch a cheater? Strictly speaking, it should not be the case, at least because their clothes are intact, and there were no misleading gestures... It was only Barbara who looked worried and affectionate, sitting by the bed and taking care of her husband. The other woman worriedly looked after her husband. Christina sneered. She couldn''t be angry and even had to thank her. "Why are you here?" Patrick got up from the bed and leaned his back against the headboard. He asked the same question with the hoarse voice. "Barbara asked me toe over." Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. She was indifferent and walked towards him step by step. She didn''t lose temper like before and repeated calmly. The man on the bed frowned and nced at the woman beside the bed. Barbara hastily retorted, "I didn''t ask you toe over." "I received a text message from you." "I didn''t text you." For a moment, the atmosphere was a little tense. Christina refrained herself from bing agitated and gritted her teeth and said. "Miss Parker, do you have any missed calls from me?" "You did call me 50 minutes ago, but the assistant in the group was busy talking to me. I didn''t have time to answer..." "What a coincidence!" Christina shouted angrily. She could no longer pretend to be calm. She was angry, not because of what Barbara had done with him in this room, but because Barbara had lied to her time and time again! "Get out." The man leaning against the bed had a serious headache. He closed his eyes tightly and shouted, "Get out now!" Christina was stunned and looked back at him and red at him fiercely. You want to chase me away! Chapter 185 Chapter 185 "You want me to go?" Christina gritted her teeth angrily. But when she looked at the man sitting by the bedside, she clearly saw his pain from his furrowed brows. She knew his temperament, and she believed that he would not chase her away because of a woman. He wanted her to leave because he had something to hide from her. "Why?" Instead, she stepped forward, lowered her voice, and tried to calm herself down, "Patrick, we are a family. You should tell me whatever happened. Why do you..." "Take her out." Impatiently, Patrick reached out and pressed the bedside bell before she could finish her sentence. Barbara had been standing quietly by the side, staring nkly at the intense confrontation between them. This was the first time she had seen Patrick treat Christina so rudely. Soon, security guards from the clubhouse broke in. "Who dares to touch me! Get out of my way!" Christina didn''t even look at the security guards on either side. Her bright eyes were fixed on the man. She shouted angrily and wasn''t intended to make apromise. "Patrick, I''m telling you, I''m not leaving today!" She would not leave! "Take her out." His voice was cold and deep, full of rage. Christina looked stunned for a moment. It was not until the tall and strong security guards dragged her out of the room that she realized that he really chased her away. "Patrick, why did you do that?" "Why does Barbara know all the things? Why can she stay with you but I cannot?" Her eyes were red with anger and she yelled at the man on the bed. She turned her head to the right and took a bite of a security guard, pushing them away. "Get out of my way. If you want me to leave, I''ll leave by myself. You don''t have to rush me!" The security guards at the clubhouse had mixed feelings and were hesitant to rush up and catch her. The woman standing by the door suddenly calmed down and didn''t struggle. She looked cold. "Charles isn''t here today, or he''ll call me a busybody andugh at me for making a fool of myself." "Everyone said so. I can''t help you with anything. Patrick, in your opinion, I''ll only make things worse for you, and I''ll only hinder you, right? I never feel that you are my husband. the Hopkinses is powerful and influential. You just need a woman to give birth. What''s right do I have to mind your business?" She said every word calmly and emotionlessly as if telling a fact. Her calmness made the man on the bed slightly stun and feel perturbed. "Patrick, I know my limitations. I can''t control or help with yourpany and personal business." She thought she would angrily argue with him and yell at the security guards. But instead, she suddenly lost her temper, which surprised Christina herself. She was just more disdainful of herself. He wanted to chase her away because she was useless. He had repeatedly stressed that the result wouldn''t change even if she knew everything and she could do nothing. "But I just want to know." She thought. Christina knew he would never understand that feeling. She turned around and walked out of the room step by step. If he asked her to leave, she would leave on her own. "I''ve been woolgathering all day. I know I was wrong. Maybe I was also wrong to disturb you today." She bit her lips and murmured. Tears welled up in her eyes but she held them back. She, Christina, was not delicate. She, Christina, would never be pretentious like those women. Proud as she was, she just didn''t understand why he did this to her and refused to ept it. "Patrick, am I wrong to worry about you?" The door closed with a bang. She mmed the door. The man in the room looked stunned. Her voice was very soft, and it was loud enough for Patrick to hear it clearly. For a moment, silence filled the room. "Get out." His voice suddenly became low and hoarse. He closed his eyes to hide his anxiety. Barbara''s heart skipped a beat as she looked at the man with his back against the headboard and his face pale. She said carefully, "Patrick, do you know how serious your situation is? You need someone to apany you." "I didn''t ask you to apany me." His words were so cold and heartless. He did not ask her to apany him, but at least she knew his stuff. Barbara felt that she could at least know these things and the difficulties he faced. His attitude towards Christina was very obviously repulsive. He didn''t want her to step in his privacy. "Patrick, you should stay in Seattle. You should listen to grandpa and receive the operation immediately." She was hesitant and then said those words that were hidden in her heart, "Patrick, I have been by your side all these years. Don''t you really feel that I..." "I''m worried about you." She dared not say that she loved him. She knew very well that once she said it, this man would not hesitate to drive her out of his world. Worried. "I''m worried about you." She said the same sentence. It reminded Patrick of what Christina had just said. Every word she said was so clear and he could feel her self-abasement. "You should be more worried about Derek. Get out." His head ached even more. He opened his eyes, his dark eyes filled with coldness and fierce and his tone demanding. Barbara tensed up and looked at him. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. He treated her and that woman differently after all. Christina would never know how cold and heartless he looked when he really wanted to chase someone away. "Christina, do you know.." "I don''t know!" After she left the clubhouse, she went straight to Crystal''s apartment. Crystal immediately panicked. "My lord, do you know how dangerous it is for you toe here when you''re pregnant? What if..." "I''m not going back." Seeing her being so stubborn, Crystal felt sad and angry. She tried to persuade her again but cried out when approaching her, "Christina, are you crying?!" She didn''t reply. Christina took the lead with a straight face and sat down on the sofa in the living room. She left the clubhouse without looking back, raised her chin, and held back her tears. Why would she cry? She didn''t do anything wrong. She was just driven out by a bastard. Crystal was most afraid of her being quiet. She was used to seeing her being headstrong and conceited. It was so rare that Christina was quiet. "Christina, what''s wrong with you?" Sitting beside her, Crystal asked with concern. "You quarreled with Patrick?" She lowered her head and muttered, "I suddenly feel like I''ve be greedy ever since I married Patrick." He was too good to her. Then she gradually forgot how superior and lofty Mr. Hopkins was. She even had extravagant hopes to know more about him. "Christina, the Hopkinses is tooplicated. If he doesn''t allow to step in some things, then..." "Crystal, I don''t know if I''m doing the right thing. But I don''t want to be the kind of woman who''s being guarded. I don''t want to be kept in the dark. I will do my best to achieve my happiness." Chapter 186 Chapter 186 "Patrick is at Golden. A Club..." The woman was standing on the balcony of the small apartment, holding her cell phone and talking to someone seriously. She was a little agitated, and her left hand was pinching the sulent nts. "I want to stay at my friend''s house these days..." "Oh, I''ll be careful..." As the owner of the apartment, Crystal could only stand there expressionless and watch Christina ruthlessly pinching her sulent nts. "Why did she have toe to my ce?" "Be gentle with my nts!" Just as She was about to remind her, Christina said in a serious tone, "Barbara is with him!" In an instant, a small leaf of the nt was pinched off. "Christina, you ungrateful woman!" Seeing that she had hung up the call, Crystal immediately scolded her fiercely. "I''m sorry." Christina was in a bad mood. She nced at the poor little nt, apologized insincerely, and walked into the house. Crystal didn''t really me her for abusing her nts. Instead, she began to worry that Christina was in a bad mood and that she would be harmed by her. Crystal immediately followed her nervously. "Christina, did you just tell Old Master Mr. Hopkins on Patrick?" Crystal raised her eyebrows and looked at her. She had just heard Christina reporting Patrick''s current position to Old Master Mr. Hopkins and let him deal with his grandson. She was indeed insidious. Christina did not change her expression and ignored her. She then opened the refrigerator to look for food. "Did that Old Master Mr. Hopkins really agree to let you live in my house?" Christina took a bottle of fresh milk from the fridge and said calmly, "Yes, please take care of me in the next few days." Crystal was helpless when she heard that. However, Crystal was surprised to see that she put the frozen milk on a small pot on the electric stove and heated it. "Oh, you have been in Hopkins Family for a long time. And you be so particr about your food?" Christina picked up the warm milk and drank it directly. "I can''t eat and drink raw or cold food." Crystal felt that after she married into Hopkins Family, she changed a lot, but she didn''t seem to notice it. After then, Crystal cooked two bowls of sausage and tomato noodles. She brought the noodle to the living room. The two of them did not have so many rules. They sat cross-legged on the nket and ate on the coffee table. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "Crystal, have you found the job?" "I still have some savings. Tomorrow, I will go to a bigpany in the west of the city for the secondary interview. I should be able to enter..." They chatted casually as they nibbled on the noodles. "Christina, we''ll go to the department storeter and get some fresh ingredients. We''re almost out of eggs, beef and milk. We''re going to stock up on some stuff. By the way, that department store has been offering discounts on a lot of items for its anniversary. I have coupons." Crystal put down her chopsticks and excitedly went to look for the coupons in her bag to check if they were expired... "That''s great. With these coupons and the discount, I basically get the food for free!" Christina, on the other hand, was very quiet, listening to her talk about the daily necessities she wanted to buy. "What, You marry into a rich family and start to disdain the life of an ordinary citizen like me?" After finishing the noodles, they packed up and held the car keys, drove to the department store. "No, I think your life is great." Christina sat in the passenger seat, and she said calmly. When she and Betty left the Dickens Family, they just wanted to live a simple life, happy life. It was very ordinary but precious life. She and Patrick had never lived like that. Crystal drove her car smoothly and suddenlyughed. "You want Patrick to go shopping with you, buy food and fish. Hahaha, I can''t even imagine that scene." With Patrick''s background, he would not spend his time on such trivial matters. He could just ask the cook to make whatever he wanted to eat. "He cooks. He knows how to cook noodles and make soup." "Really?" Crystal drove the car to the underground parking lot of the department store. After stopping steadily, she turned around and looked at her with disbelief. "Is he so omnipotent?" Christina remembered the time when he fried soft-shelled crabs for her and was scolded by Old Master Mr. Hopkins for hisck ofmon sense. The pregnant women couldn''t eat crabs. Her eyes were full of delights. But she pretended toin, "Maybe it was his little hobby when he was bored." Crystal saw that the happiness in her eyes. It was clear that she cared about Patrick. "Are you really going to stay with me for the next few days and ignore him?" She heard that Patrick seemed to be sick. "Yes." Christina grunted perfunctorily and dragged her into the mall. When they were checking out, She threw out a credit card with great pride. "I want to use this credit card." It was Patrick that gave her. Crystal was happy to see it happen. Since Patrick was so rich, she would be stupid not to use his card. At the same time, Crystal was relieved that Patrick and Christina merely had quarrel and they would be fine sooner orter. If Christina was not familiar with someone, she wouldn''t spend his money. If she was familiar with someone, she would treat him with sincerity. "I''ll cook dinner tonight." Crystal was surprised. "I don''t think I''ve offended youtely, do I?" "I can cook some simple dishes. Don''t view the food I cook as poison! I am not that useless!" They brought back two bags of ingredients. When Crystal saw that she was really serious about marinating meat in the kitchen, she sensed some disappointment when Christina said she wasn''t useless. She knew that Christina had been bothering about ''mistress''tely. She didn''t know what Barbara had said to her. But judging by her current situation, she must have provoked her. Or else Christina wouldn''t be bothered by her so much. Crystal thought about it and gave her a suggestion. "That Barbara is hard to deal with since she can be a regional manager. When the child is born, you can find a chance to let Patrick kick her out of thepany!" Since she was the best friend of Christina, Christina''s enemy was her enemy. enemy stirred the marinade sauce expressionlessly. Suddenly, she exerted too much force and the sauce sshed all over the floor. "I''ve received two messages in the past few days, both about Barbara..." She went to get a mop to clean up the sauce on the floor and showed the messages to Crystal. "Patrick defended Barbara twice, but who else would it be but her!" She was a little angry. Crystal nced at her phone. "He med you for going out on your own and said you didn''t get hurt anyway." "But Barbara lied. I don''t know if she was ying a prank to get me to make me argue with Patrick, or if she was up to something." "This looks like a prank. You didn''t get hurt for the time being. But..." As she spoke, Crystal remembered something. "By the way, I remember that a fake base station can forge numbers to call and text users..." "What? Really?" "I''m not sure, but you really should talk to him about it, lest something bad happens in the future." Chapter 187 Chapter 187 In the middle of the night, there were some noises in the room. She opened her eyes. The room was only lit up by a faint light. In the dim light, she was immediately shocked to see a dark shadow standing near the head of the bed. Crystal saw clearly the side profile of this shadow and shouted, "Christina, Are you supposed to be sleeping. What are you doing here?" "I was frightened by you. Do you know that!" She was used to living alone. When she opened her eyes and saw this girl sneaking around by her bed, she was terribly scared. Crystal was very resentful. "Mmm..." Miss Dickens replied perfunctorily, looking absent-minded. It waste autumn, and the night wind outside the window was chilly. with widened eyes, Crystal watched the woman standing up and walking to the window to catch the night breeze! "Christina, I can''t let my godson catch a cold!" Crystal was very considerate even though she wasining, and she noticed that Christina had a cell phone in her hand. Who was she going to call? "... A woman who doesn''t mean what she says." Suddenly, Crystal did not bother to talk to Christina anymore. She rolled over, and continued to sleep with her head covered. On the other side of the window, Christina was a little tired, her hands were half-resting on the side of the window rafters, looking down at the dark area under the high-rise apartment building, where only a few streetlights stood, no pedestrians, no dynamism at all. It was quiet and lonely at this time. Such a peaceful night was suitable for deep sleep. But she couldn''t sleep. Holding the phone in her right hand, she nced at the familiar number on the screen and stared at it for a long time... "Patrick..." With a low murmur, she touched the number she was about to dial. Suddenly, she thought of something and turned to look at Crystal who was sleeping on the bed on the other side. She remembered that Crystal had to go for an interview tomorrow morning. She didn''t want to disturb her in the middle of the night. Holding her cell phone, she walked quietly out of the room. Turning on the light in the living room, she quietly sat on the small sofa and looked around. This elegant yellow sofa, the pillows with the cartoon figures of SpongeBob SquarePants and Totoro, three watercolor art paintings hung on the easily decorated white wall, and the small round table opposite which they used for dinner. These brought a warmth of home. At home. After some hesitation, she finally picked up her cell phone and dialed it. "What''s wrong with Patrick?" The call was indeed made, but it was forwarded to Charles. It was early in the morning, and for Mr. Shepherd, who was used to nightlife, it was not disturbing. He was wide awake. "He''s fine." As usual, he was reluctant to talk about Patrick''s personal affairs, but Charles''s voice was low tonight. "Did you tell grandpa that Patrick was at golden.A Club?" He asked. In fact, Charles was almost certain that Christina had leaked the news. He heard from the head of the club that this woman suddenly came in the morning and was finally kicked out by Patrick. It must have been her ''revenge'' when grandpa suddenly took actions in the afternoon. The woman on the other end of the phone didn''t reply. She was very quiet tonight. Charles was somehow not used to this. He pursed his lips and said, "Grandpa came by himself at three in the afternoon..." "Grandpa himself?" It surprised Christina. The old man didn''t like to go out. He usually just sent people out... She became more disturbed. She then said word by word with ents, "Charles, what exactly is wrong with Patrick?" "He''s not sick!" Charles''s voice was a little loud, and the cigarette in his left hand was impatiently extinguished by him, "Christina, listen carefully. Patrick is not ill." "He''s... He''s fine now," He hesitated for half a second, then took a deep breath and exined calmly, "Grandpa came over personally this afternoon. If there is really something wrong with Patrick, how can grandpa let him go so easily? Patrick is really fine." At least for the time being. Charles was different from Patrick and Chandler. He thought he didn''t have such sophisticated skills in calcting and scheming. He could always coax women with a smile, but he wasn''t good at lying. Through the phone, there was silence. After a long time, Christina said in a low voice, "Then why did he chase me away..." She sounded neither angry nor jealous. She said softly and was just worried about him. "That day, Patrick returned home on schedule. I heard that the flight was dyed, then he and Barbara went to the nearby business street to buy things. Barbara found out that he was probably too tired and didn''t look very well, so they just postponed their return for a day." Charles really didn''t want to talk too much to her. Half of what he said was true and half false. At this point, he did not quite understand it either. The doctors in Seattle urged him over and over to stay in the hospital for observation, but Patrick insisted on going back to the country immediately. What was the matter with him rushing back all of a sudden? Patrick was very tough this time. He did not allow anyone to interfere, including them and Old Master Mr. Hopkins. The more this happened, the more unusual he felt. "Christina, let me ask you something..." Charles held the phone and lowered her voice unconsciously. "What is it?" "Your padauk box..." What?! Before she could hear him clearly, Christina was stunned. She then looked at the phone that had been hung up for no reason. "What exactly did Charles want to ask?" "Patrick suddenly went out." The sound of eager footsteps came this way, and Charles immediately hung up his phone. He looked up and sighed with relief. Fortunately, it wasn''t Patrick. But the woman who came running in didn''t look so rxed. Barbara told him anxiously, "Just now, Patrick received a phone call. He had a palm-sized padauk box in his hand and drove to F City without bringing any bodyguard with him..." The wooden box belonged to Christina. Charles was calm and was thinking some things. So he didn''t answer. "Charles, you and grandpa already knew about Patrick''s illness. Why aren''t you worried about him? You even hid it from me. If I hadn''t seen him look like that in the jewelry store that day, I..." Barbara seemed to be ming him. "You''re not a doctor." Charles sighed when he knew she cared about Patrick. In fact, even doctors could do nothing if patients were restless. "Barbara, you don''t want to drive after him in the middle of the night, do you? Do you want to follow Patrick?" Charles paused and then said, "Don''t go..." "Patrick has his own ns." A man like Patrick never needed pity. "No matter how capable Patrick is, he is only one person. He just recovered from his fever. He drove to F City in the middle of the night and didn''t bring any bodyguards with him. What if anything happened!" Barbara shouted anxiously. She rarely behaved in such an anxious manner. Charles looked at her, especially at her slightly red eyes dotted with tears, something seemed to make sense to him. He was a little surprised. "Actually, you''re not Derek''s girlfriend at all. You like Patrick. Are you looking for an excuse to get close to him?" Barbara looked at him guiltily, "I, I just care about him..." She did not admit it nor deny it. Without further questioning, Charles suddenly said, "Barbara, what Patrick told us just now at dinner... He was warning us not to mention his illness to Christina." "Do you think because you can know that and Christina can''t, so you''re more important than her?" He directly strode past her. The two waiters at the club door bent down and opened the door politely and respectfully. After this light warning, Charles walked out directly without looking back. "Barbara, there''s one thing you should know. Christina can''t know the thing about Patrick, but you, you don''t need to know from the beginning. Do you understand?" In the quiet night, the small sound was so clear. Barbara stood still in her ce. The sense and calmness she possessed for her high position were all gone instantly. "Did I give less than her, did I give less than Christina -" She screamed out, losing control over herself, Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. tears streaming down her cheeks. Why - She had given so much and worked so hard for so many years - "Christina can''t know, and you... You never need to know." Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Christina didn''t sleep wellst night. She fell asleep in the early morning, tossing and turning in bed, with many weird dreams. When she woke up, it was almost 11: 00. The whole apartment was quiet. She got out of bed in a daze and went into the bathroom to wash up. She remembered that Crystal yelled before leaving this morning, "I''m going to earn a living". She realized Crystal had gone to the interview. No wonder it was so quiet. Ding-dong. Ding-dong. When the doorbells rang twice, Christina was startled for a moment. When she came back to her senses, she immediately perked herself up and then walked to the door. Someone rang the doorbell. "I think you deliver to the wrong person." The takeaway deliveryman and she looked at each other. "I didn''t order anything." "I sent it to the order address. The door number is correct." She looked at the meal box with the Gordon Hotel logo on it. It was the delicious Thai fried rice. Who ordered such an expensive dish for her? "Miss, ourpany stiptes that all the orders must be delivered within 30 minutes, otherwise my sry will be deducted. Would you please sign for it first?" The delivery boy was a little anxious. "Oh." Christina would not put him in a difficult position. Then she pleasantly held her ''lunch''. She thought that it was Crystal who ordered it. Christina was so touched that she opened the packages quickly and sat down at the small round table. In general, there would be shrimp and cuttlefish. Crab sticks smelt good after stir-frying. There were also pineapple and eggs. However, she found that the fried rice had little seafood, which she could not eat too much as she was pregnant. The shrimp was very tasty, and the Thand pineapple was very authentic and sweet. What surprises her was that there were no eggs, for she did not eat eggs. "Crystal is perfect for being a nanny-and-housekeeper..." She was sure it was Crystal who ordered her food, otherwise, how could anybody know so well that she didn''t eat eggs? She took a few mouthfuls with a spoon and thought about what happenedst night. Last night she called Charles. At first, she wanted to inquire something about Patrick, but he inexplicably hung up the phone. After eating half of it, she put down her spoon and got her phone. She wanted to clearly know what he tried to hide. But just as she picked up her phone, Charles seemed to be more urgent than her. "Christina, where did you get the jade pendant?" On the other end of the phone, he asked aggressively as soon as he spoke out. "What the hell are you doing?" She had no idea what he was talking about. Charles lowered his voice and exined, "I mean, the half-moon blood jade in your rosewood box..." Christina was stunned and did not reply. Her half-moon blood jade, in the rosewood box. "How did you know?" Her voice was a little low, with a mix of hesitation and anger. "Charles, are you polite? My box is locked. I left it in Hopkins Family. How did you..." How would he know? Suddenly, her pupils were constricted. Did Patrick find her box? "Why didn''t you take my stuff without asking me? What''s wrong with you?" Obviously, she was angry. She was mad at the intrusion, of course. She never wanted to tell anyone about the wooden box. Even though you don''t want to talk about it, you have to! Charles called her in an urgency, trying to let her confess, "Christina, your jade is very special. It is very clear and transparent with bright blood red. It''s a very precious jade species. It is half-moon carving, so there should be a total of two whichbined into a circle..." Charles knew these antiques very well, so when he looked at the jade in the wooden box, he felt something was wrong. This was usually the jade that big families used to decided children''s marriage. Now, there are still some old people in the circle who like to give these precious and inherited jade to their descendants for generations. Christina was shocked because he was right. That jade was used for the engagement. "It''s none of your business!" She retorted, attempting to reject his words. When Charles heard her stubborn tone, he immediately lost his temper and shouted, "Patrick has been busy with this jade recently!" She held the phone in her hand with a little surprise and confusion. She wanted to say something, but suddenly there was a sharp pain in her abdomen. It was so painful - She broke out in cold sweat and felt weak all over. The phone fell to the floor, and then there came a loud bang. Charles was also stunned and began to shout anxiously, "Hey, what happened to you..." "Christina!" Charles was terrified and shouted several times, but there was no response on the other end of the phone. "What happened all of a sudden?" "She was finest night..." Halfway through the interview, Crystal received a call from Charles with the news that something had happened to Christina. She was so scared, therefore, she left directly and rushed home. "I''m fine," the woman in the hospital bed said in a weak tone. "How dare you talk like this. Shut up!" Charles was so angry that he almost fainted in anger. He red at the trouble maker andined, "Christina, your brain must have been bitten by a donkey. How dare you eat a free lunch without knowing who ordered it!" He was scared out of his wits just now. If something really happened to this Christina, what would he do to make up for the Hopkinses? Fortunately, it was just a case of eating the wrong thing and having an upset stomach. "How would I know? As soon as I got up, someone brought me the takeout." Christina muttered with a guilty retort. In fact, she was scared when her stomach was in pain. She didn''t care about it herself, but if there was anything that happened to her twin sons, she would regret it to death. "I thought Crystal ordered it for me." Crystal was expressionless and said. "You think too much." The fried rice in Gordon Hotel was so expensive, how could she, Crystal, voluntarily undertake it? Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "I''ll be careful next time." Christina had to me herself. She looked up at them, with a heavier voice. "You can''t tell Patrick about this. You can''t tell Grandpa about it. No one is allowed to tell!" At least not now, or she will be scolded. Charles did not want to be responsible for it, so he grunted unhappily and walked out of the ward. Seeing her face was gradually returning to normal, Crystal breathed a sigh of relief and walked out with Charles for her to sleep quietly. "Christina can be very stubborn sometimes, but she knows the bottom line. It was just an ident this time." As she left the ward, Crystal exined to Charles in a low voice. She wanted to help her friend so that Christina didn''t have to be scolded by the people in Hopkins Family. "She will really be careful next time. Christina is not as wild and spoiled as it was said. In fact, she just pretends to be strong. She is very soft-hearted." Crystal was so righteous that she almost swore on Christina''s behalf. "Patrick can''t do anything about her. What do you think I can do to her?" Now, Christina was fine and Charles was relieved. He recovered his usual smile on his face. He took two cups of hot coffee from his men and handed her one. He quipped, "You and Christina are intimate." Crystal took his hot coffee, and when she heard him say that, her expression immediately became painful, "Never make a bad friend." She took a sip of her coffee. They were really anxious just now, and presently they were so thirsty. In fact, rich kids like Charles were quite reasonable and considerate. "Who gave her the takeout? Do you have any idea?" "No." Crystal really didn''t know. But as long as Christina was fine, Charles could directly send someone to the hotel to investigate the matter, which was indeed easy. But now he was bothered by another thing. Charles looked at her and thought for a while. "You know Christina so well, so had she ever mentioned her jade to you?" Chapter 189 Chapter 189 "Christina''s jade?" "A half-moon blood jade... I have no idea about it. She didn''t tell me." Crystal was puzzled by the question. But the Mr. Shepherd seemed unwilling to let her go, so she added, "Christina did tell me something weird that happened to her recently." "Something weird?" Charles was a little discouraged because he didn''t get any useful information about the jade from her. Something weird couldn''t arouse his interest. "Well, she said that she received two text messages on her phone..." "One came on a rainy day, telling her to go to a cocktail party in Gordon Hotel. It was sent by Patrick. The other came yesterday, telling her to go to the Golden. A Club, which was sent by Barbara..." Crystal tried to make it as detailed as possible. She was worried. The strange takeout from nobody really freak her out. She was indeed lucky to marry a rich man like Patrick. But if this marriage would be a threat to Christina''s life, what could she do? "Barbara asked her to go to the Golden. A Club?" Charles was confused. He thought about it for a while and then shook his head, "Impossible." Crystal wasn''t satisfied with his reaction. "You don''t believe her, do you? But she doesn''t have to lie. Even if there''s a misunderstanding, we should trust her... To be honest, she wouldn''t even care about Barbara if she hadn''t provoked her all the time..." "What did Barbara say to Christina in private?" "I don''t know." Crystal replied moodily. Christina didn''t tell her. "How could Barbara bully her? We all know Christina''s personality. She''s so vivacious and outgoing." Charles still couldn''t believe it. Now Crystal was annoyed. "Hey, don''t take it for granted that you rich people know everything. It''s true that Miss Parker didn''t hurt her with knife or something. She did it with all her tart mokery and sarcasm, which are sharp enough to hurt people like a knife. You think Christina was fine because she didn''t say anything about it to anyone. You are wrong. I''ve known her for many years, and she didn''t mention a word to me about how badly her stepmother treated her after her own mother had killed herself, how she was disliked by the Dickens Family, or how Cory had ignored her for the whole three years. It was just not her style to evidence that she didn''t get hurt!" Charles was stunned by her scolding. He couldn''t help to size her up. Crystal used to be such a gentledy. That was why he was so surprised to see her talk like that. People could be easily influenced, so she was probably influenced by Christina. The corridor of the inpatient department suddenly quieted down. Crystal started to feel embarrassed now and turned over quietly. She said those things just on impulse. Normally she wouldn''t have the guts to yell at these people from the "upper ss". She just thought it was unfair to Christina, no matter who was behind the weird text messages or the takeout. No one in the "upper-ss" circle trusted her. "I''ll talk to Patrick about these when hees back." Charles didn''t mind being criticized by her though. He cleared his throat to break the ice, and replied to her peacefully. "... Thank you." Crystal was surprised to see the Mr. Shepherd being so nice. She was just worrying if he would get angry and threaten her or something. Fortunately he didn''t... She swore that she was just acting on impulse. To prevent herself from identally offending these people again, Crystal decided to leave. She went back to the ward, leaving a polite excuse behind, "I''ll go see Christina..." Christina was having a sound sleep at the moment. She had a poor sleepst night and suffered from that weird takeout. Crystal didn''t wake her up. She walked around and drew the curtains closed so that the sunshine wouldn''t affect Christina''s sleep. It was already at dusk. It urred to her that she hadn''t eaten anything for lunch. Her interview was ruined too. What a day! Se turned around and decided to go outside and get herself something to eat. Just in time, a nurse came in with a cart and some injections. Crystal nced at the injection. There were some small notes in English on it that she failed to read. The injections in the hospital must be safe. She walked past the nurse. They nodded politely at each other. Then she left the ward. "Let''s go eat something together. There''s a good Chinese restaurant on the main road..." Charles, who happened to be at the end of the corridor, had just hung up his phone and waved at her. Crystal wasn''t sure whether she should follow him. She never thought of taking advantage of anyone, especially these rich boys. "What are you worried about?" Charles looked innocent. "I promise I''m not nning on anything that would do harm to you. So don''t worry. And plus: Christina warned me a long time ago that I mustn''t go after you. I''m innocent, you see." That "I''m innocent" made Crystal want tough. Since he said so, it would be unreasonable for her to refuse his invitation. Crystal followed him into the elevator. Soon they reached the parking lot. Charles had always been a gentleman in front of women. He opened the door for her, and they drove to find something delicious. Crystal frowned as she watched him driving further and further away. "Can we just eat around here? I don''t want to leave Christina to alone in the hospital." she advised. "You really care about her." Charles couldn''t help to wonder. How could a violent woman like Christina be friends with this soft Crystal. The car drove all the way out of the hospital and turned towards the main road. "Don''t worry about Christina. She''s just eaten something bad. As the doctor said, all she needs to do is get two bottles of intravenous fluids and have some rest. I''m sure she''ll be fine..." "Just two bottles?" Suddenly Crystal sat up straight and looked at him with aplicated expression on her face. Charles was puzzled by her reaction. He nodded. "Yes, and she''s already done with the fluids intravenously after she was sent to the hospital. She''s having a good rest there. All we need to do now is to get some porridge for her and thene back to the hospital and take her home..." Crystal became more and more frightened. Her words were full of anxiety. "Turn around -" "What?" "Turn the car around immediately! We have to go back to the hospital -" N?velDrama.Org is the owner. She hurriedly grabbed Charles''s hand, trying to control the steering wheel. She was so nervous that her voice sounded sharper than ever. "Hurry back to the hospital -" "What''s wrong?" Charles became nervous as well. There wasn''t time to ask her to exin all these. He turned the car around and sped towards the hospital, leaving things such as traffic rules all behind. The car was casually parked in front of the hospital. The two people got out of the car and strode towards the inpatient department. Footsteps pattered as Crystal frantically pushed the elevator button. She was worried to death. "Take the stairs..." She had no time to wait for the elevator toe. Charles grabbed her arm when she intended to run to the stairs on the left. Heforted her. "Christina is fine. Don''t be too nervous..." "But, but I... I saw a nurse going into her ward with several bottles of fluid medicine when I left there..." Chapter 190 Chapter 190 "It''s on the 13th floor. Are you really going to take the stairs?" "Wait a minute, the elevator ising." Charles didn''t look well either. He grabbed the impulsive woman beside him and looked at the elevator door that was slowly opening in front of him. There were a lot of patients in the public hospitals recently. They came and went, looking hurried. An injured person in the wheelchair and a person with the checklist in his hand walked out of the elevator quickly. The elevator finally arrived and Crystal rushed in immediately. She quickly pressed on the 13th floor of the elevator and stomped her feet, staring at the numbers disyed on the elevator''s screen. Charles was dragged by her, and his expensive clothes messed up, which made him look a little awkward. "Isn''t Christina''s phone in the ward? Call her first. You''re as anxious as if she''s going to die." He Crystal turned around and red at him. "Hey, don''t talk nonsense." How could he talk about death in the hospital? It was really ominous. But Crystal really forgot to call Christina in a hurry. Crystal took out her cell phone from her coat pocket and quickly called Christina. Ding- The phone rang. But it was the phone in Charles''s pocket that vibrated. "Hello?" Crystal looked at Charles who was on the phone with some resentment. Crystal was so anxious, and Christina didn''t answer her call. Crystal pressed the screen a little hard and continued to redial. "The signal in the elevator is not good. I''m anxious now... Can you coax your loverster..." Crystal thought that Charles, the yboy, was probably talking to his girlfriend on the phone. "It''s Patrick," Charles replied coldly. Crystal was surprised and immediately shut up. Just then, the elevator stopped on the 5th floor. Soon, a loud noise came from outside the elevator, apanied by some sad cries. Someone shouted frantically, "Get out of the way, get out of the way..." An iron hospital bed was pushed in. There was a person lying on the bed whose face could not be seen clearly because his whole body was covered with white sheets, and even his head was covered. The person on the hospital bed had already passed away, and soon arge number of the family members of the deceased rushed in. The elevator was so crowded that the people inside could not turn around. Crystal''s heart seemed to be pinched by something, and uneasiness rose in her mind again. At this speed, when could she reach the 13th floor? N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. "Where are you going? I said Christina would be fine!" Charles suddenly shouted at Crystal with an angry expression and had to run out with her. "Where are you now?" Charles panted as he climbed the stairs, talking to the man on the other end of the phone uneasily. "In the hospital." "... Patrick, it''s not what you think," Charles exined quickly. "Christina ate the wrong thing in the morning. Her friend sent her over to have an intravenous drip. She''s fine now. It''s just that Crystal seems to have delusion of persecution." "Take care of her." Patrick said it in a low voice on the other end of the phone. As Charles heard it, he sped up and inexplicably became more anxious. It took only a few minutes to run from the 5th floor of the inpatient department to the 13th floor. Just a few minutes. Fortunately, there were not many people on this spacious staircase. All the passers-by were in a hurry, and everyone was silent. All around the way, they ran up the stairs as fast as they could, panting. The staircase echoed the sound of their anxious footsteps. In the ward, Christina heard some slight sounds of footsteps approaching her. The footsteps were very light. Christina was in a daze when she fell asleep. It seemed that it was already past dusk now. The heavy curtains of the separate ward were closed. But why were the lights not turned on? It was so dark. "Crystal, what time is it?" Christina knew someone was approaching her bed. "I''m fine now. Let me be dischargedter. I don''t like the smell of disinfectant in the hospital..." "I''m sorry to ruin your interview today. By the way, you don''t seem to have eaten anything at noon. Let''s ask Charles to treat us to a big meal." Only Christina was speaking, and the person did not respond. Therefore, Christina frowned and raised her head. "Crystal..." (What''s wrong with you?) But as she was about to say it, Christina could not see anything clearly. She only felt a figure standing at the head of her bed. Ah- Fears, screams, and cries for help could only be suppressed in Christina''s throat. The person picked up the pillow and pressed it directly on Christina''s face. The person pressed it down very hard with a strong force. Christina''s face turned pale all of a sudden. She couldn''t breathe smoothly and gradually became suffocated. Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Let me go, let me go... Let me go... "Can you let me rest for a while?" At this moment, Charles on the other side of the stairs was in a terrible mess. It was the first time he had climbed the stairs like this. He supported his weak legs with both hands and called out weakly to the woman in front of him. "Why are you so weak?" Crystal was also very breathless. After she became a white-cor worker, she often took the elevator and rarely exercised. "I suggest you don''t get too involved with Christina. Ouch... You women are too troublesome..." "What can happen to Christina, Miss Zhu? You really like to worry too much." Charlesined in a low voice, straightened up, and looked at the number of the 12th floor, which meant he had to continue to climb the stairs. "Maybe I was thinking too much." Crystal''s voice was muffled. Crystal really liked to worry about things since she was a child. Most of the things were imagined by her. She couldn''t help it. That was her personality. "Come on, we''ll arrive soon." Charles didn''t dawdle anymore. He had to exin to Patrickter, but he couldn''t help but curse. "Damn it, we still have to walk past a long corridor." "If Christina is fine, let''s just let her leave the hospital and go out for dinner with us." Crystal also walked fast. "What can happen to her?" Charles said angrily. Christina didn''t know what had happened... Christina had been lying in this ward all afternoon and was still very weak. The sudden attack caught her off guard. Christina raised her hands and tried desperately to push the person away. Her right hand had already grabbed the person''s wrist, which was very slender and fair, like a woman''s arm. Taking advantage of the situation, Christina tried to grab the person fiercely to resist, but her strength was weak and she could not break free. Knock- Suddenly, a clear voice sounded. It seemed that the crystal beads of a woman''s bracelet fell to the floor. Christina could feel the hesitation of the person for a moment. The person seemed to want to pick up the bracelet on the floor. Christina was breathing hard and her lips were already pale. She struggled in pain and twisted her head, trying to get more oxygen. However, the person seemed determined to kill her. Suddenly, the person''s whole body fell down and pressed hard on Christina''s head. At this moment, Christina could not breathe at all. Her brain began tock oxygen and her consciousness began to blur. Christina''s resistance and struggle gradually became weaker and weaker. Suddenly, Christina''s whole body copsed and her hands drooped... "Why is this ward so dark?" Even Charles felt something strange and his heart beat a little faster. "Don''t worry, just go in." But the door was locked. Crystal shouted anxiously, "Christina!" Bang- The door was kicked open by Charles, and the two of them broke in. Their eyes widened in surprise. Who? There was a person standing by Christina''s bed... Crystal stammered, "You... Who are you?" Who was the person... "Derek Fisher." Charles muttered this strange but familiar name in surprise. "Thanks God..."N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "You don''t know that I was so scared in the afternoon. I tried my best to climb the stairs..." Crystal paused for a moment. It was already 11 o''clock in the evening. Christina had been extremely quiet as she went back to Crystal''s apartment after they finished all the formalities in the hospital. "Christina, did anything happen before I arrived at the ward? Why was Derek there..." "Where did you get the crystal bracelet you''ve been holding... It looks a little familiar." It was a quiet night. The incandescent lights overhead were brightly shining on them. However, only Crystal''s voice echoed. Christina had been quiet all the time with her lips pursed. The amethyst bracelet, which had already been broken, was held tightly in her palm. Seeing that Christina didn''t want to say anything more, Crystal sighed without asking further. She turned to look at her door and muttered, "What''s wrong with Charles? Why did he get two bodyguards standing outside my door? The neighbors must think something big had happened to my house..." Christina suddenly stood up and walked towards the door. Crystal immediately grabbed her arm. "Where are you going? It''s midnight!" Chapter 192 Chapter 192 "To get rid of the two gatekeepers." She said calmly. As soon as the door was opened, a familiar tall figure appeared in front of them. Christina was a little bit surprised. The yellow light on the stairs of the apartment was dim, but the keen dark eyes of the man could be seen clearly. He was staring straight at her. "Crystal, can I ask you to go out for a while?" Christina''s voice was deep. She gazed at the man in front of her stubbornly. "Well, take your time." Crystal walked out of the door timidly. She still felt a little worried about Cristina, and she forced herself to say, "Actually, it''s not Cristina''s fault to eat the bad food and be hospitalized. Don''t, don''t scold her..." Of course, Crystal was worried. She could tell that Mr. Hopkins was in a hurrying to her home in the middle of the night, as his hair was messy on his forehead. "It was Barbara." The door was closed. Before he could ask, Cristina spoke with a cold tone. "Someone delivered takeout this afternoon. It was Thai Emperor Fried Rice from Gordon Hotel, but N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. with no egg..." Facing Patrick, Cristina had aplicated feeling. After all, thest time they parted unhappily was because he kicked her out of the club, and she felt that he was protecting Barbara. She didn''t eat eggs, but usually, Thai Emperor Fried Rice had eggs in it. So it must be prepared by her acquaintances. It must be the person who had been scheming against her. It must be Barbara Parker. However, Patrick just looked at her face, at her anger, without speaking anything. "Do you think I''m lying?" "Do you think I''m ndering Barbara?" When she saw him staring at her, the pent-up emotions in her heart were about to explode. She gritted her teeth. "Patrick, I''m sensitive, easy to be jealous, and I always mess things up. But have you ever believed me? Who do you think Barbara is? Your capable executive? Your best friend for years?" She raised her right hand and threw the broken amethyst bracelet to him with fury. "Barbara wants to kill me!" Christina roared at him angrily, with her chest heaving. The man took the crystal bracelet with a calm expression. He was so indifferent. Christina couldn''t believe it. She stared at him with her eyes wide open. She found that Patrick was not worried about her at all. "This is Barbara''s bracelet..." She felt hurt and turned her face aside. She did not want to see his indifferent face anymore. "A woman came in my ward this afternoon, turned off the lights, and drew the curtain. It was dark..." Her voice became lower and lower, as she found that Patrick didn''t care at all. Christina even forgot the reason to talk so much to him, as she was so scared that she didn''t even dare to answer Crystal''s questions before. In her heart, however, inexplicably, she just wanted to tell him. She didn''t want people around to worry about her, so she seldomined to others. But she wanted to tell him. Sometimes, silence really hurts. "She picked up the pillow and pressed it against my face. I couldn''t breathe, but I didn''t have enough strength to push her away. I was sure that it was a woman. This bracelet fell off her hand..." She remembered very clearly that it was the amethyst bracelet that Barbara usually wore on her left hand. Christina was still talking, but her voice gradually faded. Suddenly, sheughed at herself, raised her head, and looked at the man in front of her again. "Patrick, if it weren''t for Eric, I would have..." Died. "Eric." Eric. Patrick suddenly spoke and whispered. "... Your Eric, how could he let something bad happen to you?" His words made Christina very ufortable. She looked straight at him with anger in her eyes. "Patrick, if you have anything to say, just say it. Don''t talk in such a weird tone. I''m not smart enough. I don''t understand you superior people''s words!" However,pared to her anger, he was still calm. "Eric." [ Eric''s grandfather and my grandfather were goodrades, so I knew him in my childhood. ] [ Eric was an illegitimate child. His mother was deceived by a man. At first, she didn''t know that the man had a wife... His mother died of dystocia when she gave birth to him. Later, he was taken back by his father, but he and his wife treated him badly. ] [ Eric had been so quiet since he was a child. He would not resist even he was picked on by someone. Those peopleughed at him for being a fool, but in fact, he just didn''t like to talk and always ignored others. ] [ This wooden box was from a very important person, who had disappeared... ] Patrick became silent. His cold face was devoid of emotion, but he looked straight at the woman... Once she had mentioned to him a few times about the man named "Eric", but he didn''t take it seriously. He only knew that "Eric" seemed to be very important to her. So it was him. It was him. He suddenly reached out his right hand to her. Christina was a little confused, as she could not understand what it meant. As he spread out his palm, a half-moon-shaped blood-colored jade was shown. Under the cold incandescentmp, it shone brightly, which was very eye-catching. Her mind went nk. She saw him expressionlessly put the cold jade back into her palm... The jade as well as his hands were very cold. "Christina, why is it you?" Chapter 193 Chapter 193 "Why is it you?" She kept thinking of what Patrick said. He said it slightly and sadly. Christina looked at the blood-colored jade. She was in a daze. "Junior Mrs. Hopkins, Mr. Shepherd is waiting for you." Nanny Faang knocked on the door and told her gently. Christina came back to her senses in shock and said, "Ok." She answered and clenched the jade. She took a deep breath, tidied up her clothes and went downstairs. "Junior Mrs. Hopkins, you will deliver the baby next month. Be careful." Nanny Faang was worried. She went downstairs with her. Since Crystal came back, Christina had been in a bad mood. The servants of the Hopkins family didn''t know what happened, but they found that Christina was depressed. "I''ll give birth to my baby next month. Why can''t I know it a monthter..." She looked straight ahead and walked carefully. She whispered. Maybe only she could hear it. "When did you meet Derek?" Charles stood alone in the center of the first floor of the Eastern Garden. He directly asked. Christina approached him. He was cold. When he looked at her, he was suspicious. He looked strange. "I''ve known him a long time ago." She sat on the sofa and ignored his expression. She thought she was Charles''s friend, but it seemed that she could never be his friend. "The jade is Derek''s..." Charles looked bad. He had a lot to question her, but he stopped when he was about to say. "There are two semicircr bloodstone. They can be a ring. I have one, and the other is Derek''s." He wanted to ask her about it, but he didn''t say. Christina directly told him, "I was engaged to Derek when I was young." "You! How dare you?" Charles suddenly changed his expression and scolded her angrily. He could guess it. But how dare she say it clearly? He was angry about her attitude and her words. "What''s going on?" "Christina, why do you make itplicated? Don''t you know the rtionship between Derek and Patrick? The members of the Fisher family are cowards. If Patrick doesn''t owe Derek, he has nothing to worry about." "Patrick owes him a life. How could he..." It was hard for Charles to say it. He strode forward and grabbed her shoulder. He gritted his teeth and asked her loudly. "Patrick married you and you are pregnant with his baby. How could he face..." How could he face Derek? Charles knew that he shouldn''t be angry with her. But he could nothing else. He could not stop them. "Christina, why is it you?" Charles was depressed and upset. He let go of her and lowered his head to yell at her. She was calm on the sofa with no expression. When Charles scolded her, she didn''t refute him. "Why is it you?" He asked it too. Patrick returned the jade calmly. He didn''t lose his temper or break it. He was so calm. He was not like what he used to be. She was nervous in front of him. He didn''t speak. Christina felt that his hands were cool. She wanted to say something but she couldn''t speak. Patrick turned around. He opened the door and left. He went away step by step. Maybe it was dim in the corridor, so he looked lonely. She clutched the jade, which was rare. No matter how hard she held it, it was cool. Suddenly, Christina looked outside in a daze. After that night, she never saw him again. Patrick didn''t go back home. They didn''t know where he was. Did he want to escape from it? Maybe he didn''t know... "What exactly do you want to do?" There was a house in the remote suburb where F City marches with C City. There were weeds everywhere. It rained before, so the path was muddy. And the trees on the mountains were almost all cut down. Only a few trees could be seen. There was a simple quadrangle here. The moss grew on the walls and the roof was dpidated. Creak. The old heavy wooden door was opened. Nobody came here for many years. The furniture in the house was dusty. Although they were decrepit, they were high-quality wooden goods from the exquisite cravings. The house was low-key and not noisy, and the owner''s temperament could be told from it. A man stood quietly in front of a wall on the left of the hall. The photo frames were hung on the wall in order. The photos were blurred by the rain except for one phone in which two brothers patted each other on the shoulder. They were dignified, but they looked intimate in their favorite military uniform. They were Damon and Pythias. The man raised his hand to wipe the dust off the photo with his fair and slender fingers. Patrick was at the gate, but he was not willing to step in the house. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Patrick lookedplicated. He stared at the man. The man was as quiet as before. He was recalling his past from his blue eyes. Patrick knew that the man was thinking of Christina. They lived here when they were young. It was General Eisenhower''s residence and Derek''s grandfather lived here. Derek knew Christina when he was a boy. "Derek, I didn''t know..." Patrick''s low and deep voice echoed in the deserted house, "I didn''t know your rtionship with Christina." "I went back to A City at the year my father died. I knew that you went to C City..." He went to C City to kill time, but he didn''t know that Derek went there for a girl. And he stayed there as a teaching assistant for half a year for her. It seemed that Patrick was exining or emphasizing something. If he knew it, would he be with Christina... He didn''t know. He didn''t know it himself. But Christina was his wife and was pregnant with his baby. "Derek, what exactly do you want to do?" Chapter 194 Chapter 194 "Derek won''t hurt me." Charles asked in a rage, "Did Patrick hurt you?" Christina was in a daze and remained silent. There had been too many things happening recently. She was in a disturbed state of mind and wanted a break. Christina got up from the sofa and walked past Charles. She didn''t want to talk about it anymore. Charles watched her leave and his face darkened. He shouted angrily. "You also think that Patrick is a heartless person. You''ve been with him for nearly a year. Don''t you know what kind of person he is? Others say that he is cruel and heartless, but you, Christina, you can never say that!" Couldn''t she say that? [What kind of person was Patrick?] [No one knew him. No one knew what Patrick was up to.] Christina slowly walked out of the Eastern Garden and strolled along the corridor. The lotus pond and other vegetation failed to attract her attention. Along the way, she kept thinking about the rumours she had heard before. She had heard a lot of rumours about Patrick. However, she knew very little about him. "He has deliberately hidden it. How could I know..." Muttering to herself, Christina looked at the huge backyard of the Hopkins family in a daze. "Did something happen recently?" Suddenly, Christina heard a voice behind her. Christina originally thought it was Charles who ran after her. After she recognised the voice, she was a little confused. "What''s up?" She didn''t answer, but asked coolly. It was Paul, the butler. He had worked in the Hopkins family for nearly 30 years, mainly serving Senior Mr. Hopkins¡® daily life. Paul was very modest, but he had a say in not only the Hopkins family but also thepany. Actually, the members in the Hopkins family were not as difficult to get along with as outsiders said. Christina just thought she couldn''t get used to their lives, because she felt there were some barriers between her and the Hopkins family. Paul noticed that she was not in a good mood. Since she was unwilling to say it, Paul didn''t inquire and went straight to the point. "The baby room has been furnished. Senior Mr. Hopkins and his wife are in the Northern Garden. They want you to see if there is anything else that needs to be changed." Christina was a little surprised that Paul came for her for the baby room. Earlier, the Hopkins family had already found workers to knock down the walls between every two individual rooms on the third floor of the Eastern Garden. And now the third floor was a baby room like a children''s y centre. However, Senior Mr. Hopkins felt that the two hundred square meters was not enough for his grandson. So he found a construction team to change a guest room in Northern Garden into a baby room, so that his grandson could often rest at there." "Everyone is expecting your first baby." Paul smiled kindly. "It''s been a long time since Senior Mr. Hopkins was so happy. He personally supervised the construction of the baby room. And he talked to the designers about the environmental protection materials, colour matching, and the baby''s safety for a long time. The baby room is perfect but Senior Mr. Hopkins seems unsatisfied. He said it could be better..." N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "They are still discussing some details. Senior Mr. Hopkins worries too much and those designers are helpless. By the way, Senior Mrs. Hopkins and Miss Hopkins bought baby clothes and toys yesterday and they are decorating the room there. What about taking a look..." Christina listened quietly. In fact, she could feel the enthusiasm of the whole Hopkins family for the birth of the heir even if she did not go there. As far as Christina knew, Senior Mr. Hopkins didn''t like Judy, but they chatted more now because of Christina''s baby. Suddenly, she thought of Patrick. Patrick''s attitude towards their baby seemed to be much colder than others''. He might not like children. Christina didn''t want to go to the Northern Garden. She was in a disturbed state of mind and wanted to stroll in the back garden. "They can make the decision. I want to stay here." Paul was a little surprised, "You don''t want to go? But the designers want to refer to your ideas." "They can make the decision. I don''t know much about this." Paul did not force her. Senior Mr. Hopkins had ordered that Christina''s happiness was the Hopkins family''s priority because she was going to give birth in a month. No matter what Christina asked for, the Hopkins family could satisfy her. But Christina asked for nothing. Recently, Christina had be much more silent than before. They guessed that she might have quarrelled with Patrick. "Mrs. Hopkins, though you and Young Master Hopkins have some conflicts, you are going to give birth. It''s not good for the child if you two don''t get along..." Paul watched Christina stroll aimlessly along the corridor and suddenly shouted. "Have you ever been to Young Master Hopkins'' study?" Christina had heard a lot of those. Nanny Faang reminded her almost every day, asking her to avoid negative emotions. Otherwise, the baby might be affected. As for Patrick''s study, Christina had been there once but she sneaked in. When he found out, he flew into a rage and scolded her. Charles was probably left in a rage, and no one else disturbed her. So she took a quiet walk. However, she unintentionally walked to the Eastern Garden. Patrick''s study was on its second floor. The door of the study was unlocked. Christina pressed the doorknob with a surprised expression. She remembered that his study was locked when she tried to sneak into his study again. Unlike thest time she searched his study, this time she was more curious. She pushed the door open, but found there was no one inside. Christina looked around. The documents andputer on the big wooden desk in front were neatly arranged. On the right, there were fiverge bookcases filled with all kinds of books. On the left, there was a sofa and coffee table. Beside them, there were two shade-loving nts. Behind them, there were bright French window and a wide balcony. The study was simple and solemn. The Hopkins family''s servants cleaned up the study every week. But only Nanny Faang and a few maids Patrick trusted coulde in, because there were a lot of confidential documents in the study. Christina slowly walked in, looking around curiously. Last time, she sneaked in. She was so guilty and didn''t notice that there was a door beside the bookshelf. Through it, Patrick could enter a guest room. Patrick usually rested here if he didn''t go back to his bedroom. Christina almost knew nothing about Patrick. He said too little to her. And she didn''t ask much either. Was their rtionship affectionate, normal or indifferent? Christina herself didn''t know the answer. She turned around and wanted to leave, lest Patrick sensed that she hade. However, when she turned around, she nced at the wooden office table in front of her and stopped. "What a Father Needs to Know?" Christina''s eyes lit up. She walked forward, grabbed the book on the table, and flipped through it several times. "A parenting book?" She looked down at the stack of books next to theputer. He even read books about postnatal care. She sat in his chair and flipped through them one by one. Patrick had prepared so many types of books, including the books about diet precautions during pregnancy, about the delivery, and about how to take care of a novice mother''s emotion. Christina was amused by those books. She never thought that Patrick would read these books in his study. He was also very nervous to be a father. Chapter 195 Chapter 195 Putting down a book on postnatal care in her hand and wanting to walk out of the study, Christina was surprised to find a figure standing by the door. When did hee back? She didn''t expect to see Patrick. Christina looked a little embarrassed. "I, I just passed by..." She exined automatically. After all, Patrick didn''t like others to enter his study at will. "Your appointment with the ob-gyn is at 3 o''clock this afternoon." Patrick at the door mentioned another thing in a t tone. Christina pursed her lips, not knowing what to say for a moment. "Okay," She answered casually. Christina nced at the clock on the wall. It was already 2 o''clock. She calcted the time and distance, and they should get going. If he didn''t bring it up, she almost forgot about the doctor''s appointment. Doctors and nutritionists went to Patrick''s ce to examine her, but she still had to go to the hospital from time to time. Nanny Faang probably had arranged for a maid to apany her to the hospital. "You..." When Patrick saw hering out, he closed the door. "Aren''t you going into the study?" Why did he close the door? Christina stopped and looked at Patrick walking beside her. "Are you going to the hospital too?" She asked with uncertainty. "Yes." He didn''t say much but slowed down and walked side by side with her. They went down the stairs. There was only the sound of their footsteps, and neither of them spoke. They saw Paul waiting on the steps by the time they walked out of the Eastern Garden. "Young Master Hopkins, your car is ready." "There''s one more thing. Senior Mr. Hopkins went to thepany for a meeting early in the morning and ordered the board of directors to arrange for five vice presidents to take over your businesses for now. Junior Mrs. Hopkins is about to give birth. Senior Mr. Hopkins hopes that you can be there for her for a year after childbirth." "Be there for me for a year?" Christina looked incredulous to hear that. "Junior Mrs. Hopkins, if Young Master Hopkins is not feeling well, please..." "Get in the car." Paul was interrupted before he could finish. Patrick opened the door and urged Christina. The car drove out of the mansion, but they still didn''t talk much. Christina wanted to ask where Patrick had been these days.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Why did his grandpa keep telling him to rest more? And she wanted to know more about Derek and the jade pendant. There were a lot of questions in her heart. Christina wanted to ask, but she still didn''t. The checkup went smoothly, and doctors had arranged everything for Christina. But they were surprised that Patrick came as well, so it was more intense than usual in the doctor''s office. "The babies are good. All indicators are normal. Junior Mrs. Hopkins is pregnant with twins, so we''re going to perform the Caesarean for her. We''ll arrange for her to stay at the hospital in the middle of next month. If she is in good health, we can choose a day for the Caesarean." A doctor told Patrick a few things by the book. Christina had heard those words many times herself. She was already mentally prepared for the painful process of giving birth, so she didn''t feel anything. "Is the spare blood ready?" However, Patrick was concerned. "She has a rare blood type. Prepare five times more blood for the operation..." "Yes, of course." Probably because Patrick was born with a strong aura, the doctors opposite him echoed and promised, "We have the best doctors for the operation. Please don''t worry, Mr. Hopkins." "We promise that there will never be any major bleeding or any special circumstances. Everything will be smooth, and we''ll ensure the safety of your wife and children." Christina didn''t remember how many times these doctors had promised them. In the end, Patrick held her, and she stood up to leave with him. "Are you really going into the delivery room when I give birth?" Christina had been nervous when facing Patrick. But when she saw Patrick seriously discussing the children with the doctors, it seemed that she had forgotten everything that had happened before and started to act naturally. "Patrick, don''t go into the delivery room. It''s strange," She muttered. "What''s so strange?" Patrick looked down at her face. "Don''t go anyway. It''s awkward." What could he do when she was giving birth? He was not a doctor! Christina''s ears turned red when she thought about it. "I don''t think so." Patrick was okay with it. Christina red at him. She would be so embarrassed! "Do you want to walk around?" Patrick looked at her angry face, thought for a while, and asked in a stilted manner. He was a man of action. Since the hospital was over, he should send Christina straight back home. But it suddenly urred to Patrick that he had never gone shopping with her. He also remembered that Charles said the happiest time for a woman was not when she received jewelry, but when someone was apanying her. "There are a lot of luxury brands in the business street ahead." Chapter 196 Chapter 196 Patrick looked away from Christina''s face. He looked at the busy business street on the right and said something strange. Shopping? Patrick went shopping with her! Christina even pinched her thigh to make sure she wasn''t dreaming. "Grandpa and the others have already bought a lot of clothes and toys for the babies. Our babies have countless new clothes now." Christina mumbled when she saw a chain shop for baby products. But, having said that, as a would-be parent, Christina couldn''t help but walk towards the baby products. She was thrilled to see the cute light blue sailor suits and pink princess dresses of the girls over there. "Patrick, do you think it would be cute if I bought some dresses for our sons?" "Girl''s dresses?" "I want to have fun with them when they''re still young." Parents had limited time to spend with their children. Christina had a lot of funny things that she wanted to do with her children. "When they grow up, they won''t care about me that much." Patrick looked at her smiling face and was distracted for a while. "Okay." He answered casually and let her do whatever she wanted. The salesgirl could tell from Christina''s clothing that Christina was a big client. She rmended Christina the products and told Christina interesting things about newborn babies. "You mean that if I change the brand of baby form, the babies may have diarrhea? How about breast milk? I heard that the babies will be healthier if feeding them with breast milk." Christina and the salesgirl were chatting happily. She looked up at Patrick and asked, "Patrick, do you think I should feed our sons myself or bottle- feed?" Patrick had no idea. Christina was also confused. She grabbed a bottle and stuffed it into the hand of the would-be father beside her. "Patrick, you have to learn how to bottle-feed and change diapers. We''ll have twins. When we get divorced and raise them separately, it''ll still be difficult." Her words were unintentional, but Patrick, who was holding the bottle, suddenly replied coldly. "We won''t divorce." In the end, Christina did not buy the princess baby dress. She looked a little upset and turned to walk out of the baby store. She did not want to mention some topics that he was not willing to talk. Once they talked about them, they would be very irritable. They were walking side by side on the bustlingmercial street, but they both turned their heads to look at the shops on both sides without saying anything. However, when Christina lowered her head, she noticed that his right hand was wrapped around her waist gently. It was almost the time to get off work, so there were more and more people on the street. He protected her like this, and no one passing by could collide her. "Her husband is so handsome..." Both Christina and Patrick were very good-looking. Christina was wearing loose maternity clothes and Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. walking carefully. Patrick beside her was as cold and unapproachable as usual. Patrick rarely appeared in such a public ce. His unique cold temperament was very impressive at a nce. "Let''s go back." Christina suddenly didn''t want to continue to walk. She had never expected Patrick to apany her shopping and watching movies like other women''s husbands. She didn''t know what was going on with him today. Patrick didn''t like the bustling and crowded streets. Patrick stopped and looked down at her, but he did not say anything. "The Hopkins family doesn''tck anything. There''s nothing to buy." Christina had felt his look without looking up at him. She felt a little ufortable. In fact, both of them knew that the child would be born in about a month, and they didn''t mention everything happened before. They kept silent and pretend to be at peace. This was the best way to deal with it, but they were both so upset. "Walk with me for a while longer..." His words made Christina a little confused. She raised her head and looked straight at his cold side face. But Patrick''s eyes were fixed on the road ahead. "What do you want to buy?" She had no choice but to follow his footsteps forward. "I don''t know." "Where are we going?" They just kept walking along the street and passing by the shops on both sides. He didn''t look at the shops at all. "I don''t know." Christina thought what he said was perfunctory, so she was a little annoyed. She stopped walking. "Patrick, what do you want to do?" She asked angrily. Chapter 197 Chapter 197 "I don''t know." He looked down at her and reflected her expression in his eyes. It was as if there was a heavy silence between them. "Miss, we have some new pregnant women''s underwear. Would you like toe in and take a look?" On the right was an international lingerie store. The young saleswoman suddenly shouted at Christina with a sweet smile on her face. Christina turned to look at her when she heard her voice. Seeing the young girl trying to sell her products with a bright smile, Christina didn''t know how to refuse. But the man beside her continued to remain silent. "Women''s underwear is very important. A good underwear will directly influence the overall shape, especially during your pregnancy. It is better to try on the suitable underwear in the store personally..." The young saleswoman held Christina''s hand and pulled her into the shop. "I''ve had a lot of underwear at home." "Miss, try this light pink one. No matter how old we are, we must keep our young girlish hearts." "Yes, we have to be good to ourselves. We should be willing to spend money for ourselves. Investing in ourselves is the smartest thing. Men are all visual animals. Only when we live well do they know how to love..." A few employees in the store surrounded Christina and said a lot. Christina looked at them and didn''t know what to do. She was usually very strong, but she really didn''t know how to refuse others. "I''ll buy one." After a long time, Christinapromised in a helpless voice. The salespersons of the brand clothing stores mainly relied on themission. Seeing that she agreed, they became even more enthusiastic. "Miss, our fitting room is here..." "I''ll go and get a few more sizes. After all, the chest circumference will change a lot during pregnancy...Miss, don''t close the door. I have to go in and help you try it on." "No, don''te in." Christina immediately regretted it. She had a thick skin, but she didn''t like to be naked in front of others. "Miss, you don''t have to be shy. We''re both women. I''ll go in and guide you to know if that bra really suits you..." The staff in this store were too professional. "I know if it''s appropriate. I don''t need you..." "I told you not toe in." Christina was a little annoyed. She had already taken off her dress. Hearing the door open, she quickly covered her chest. "You!" Christina widened her eyes and said, "Why did youe in?" She looked at the man in front of her in N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. shock. "Patrick, get out of here." She pushed Patrick anxiously. She was really shy about some things. But Patrick looked straight at her with a faint smile. "There are still a few sizes here. Try them all." Christina red at him. He held several bright red and purple underwear in his hands with a serious expression. It was really awkward. "Who let you in? Give them to me. You go out..." Christina''s ears even turned red. "Your chest circumference has changed a lot during your pregnancy. Don''t strangle yourself." Patrick was very clear about Christina''s chest circumference. "I can wear it myself..." Christina had been wearing corset underwear for more than ten years, but she never wore it as slowly as now. She blushed and reminded Patrick, "I''m used to buttoning the outermost row of buttons." "Okay." Patrick said indifferently above her head. His long fingers were a little clumsy at the moment. He usually signed a lot of documents, but he didn''t know how to do this. Probably because of pregnancy, Christina''s skin became very delicate and fair, and her chest was more plump than before. Patrick touched her with his cool fingers, and his eyes were burning on her body. The fitting room was a little narrow, and Christina felt extremely awkward and embarrassed. ''Why was he staring at me like that?'' "Is it suitable?" "Yes." She looked down at her toes and answered casually. Then Patrick zipped the dress for her. They remained silent again. Christina couldn''t help but say, "Nanny Faang has prepared a lot of things for me. The people in the Hopkins family are all very good to me. I don''tck anything. It''s just enough. I don''t want too much..." Christina was implying something. Chapter 198 Chapter 198 At night, the streetlights on both sides of the busy street were already on. A silver-gray Porsche was parked quietly by the sidewalk. The driver opened the back door and waited. A man and a woman sat in the car. Both of them looked outside the window at his/her side. It was very quiet in the car. "Young Master Hopkins, Butler Rovy said that Hopkins family had dinner in advance tonight. If you and young madam have other arrangements, you don''t have to hurry back." The driver, who was driving, was a little nervous. He reported it seriously and looked carefully into the rearview mirror above. The young master seemed to be in a bad mood tonight. "Go back to Hopkins family." The man in the back seat said in a deep voice without changing his expression. Christina, who was sitting next to him, looked out the window at the streetlights that were retreating rapidly. She had no objections, nor did she make any sound. The people in Hopkins family knew that she and Patrick had not been getting along well recently. The butler probably wanted to create an opportunity for them, but she and Patrick were silent when being together. It would take at least half an hour to get to Hopkins family this time. The strange atmosphere made Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. everyone feel a little ufortable. Christina leaned against the window with her right hand supporting her chin. When she nced over the driver''s seat, she noticed that the driver was very reserved. The servants in Hopkins family seemed to be particrly afraid of Patrick. "Grandpa and the others have dinner in advance tonight. Are they still busy with the baby''s celebrating party?" She suddenly asked. The man beside her thought for a moment and looked sideways at her cheek for a long time. The driver finally came to his sense. Knowing that Christina was talking to him, he immediately answered in surprise. "Yes, yes... Senior Mr. Hopkins and Butler Rovy have been preparing for the banquet for the past few days. I heard that Senior Mr. Hopkins also wants to postpone his 80th birthday next month and choose to celebrate it at the same day." "Is grandpa going to have a banquet in Hopkins family or to a restaurant outside?" She asked naturally and without any airs. "It has been decided. At Hopkins family''s main residence. Senior Mr. Hopkins said that we haven''t had a happy banquet in the Hopkins family for many years and he wanted to do it grandly. Everyone is looking forward to it..." With these questions and answers, the atmosphere in the car was much more rxing. Patrick did not speak and looked straight, but he inadvertently noticed the woman''s subtle expression. In fact, his wife was indeed considerate. Patrick looked a little depressed when thinking that she should take care of a driver''s emotions. "How many tables are grandpa going to set up? Did he invite many guests?" Christina chatted enthusiastically and asked the driver happily. "I don''t know the exact guest list..." The driver told her truthfully and the car had arrived at the Hopkins family mansion. "After all, the Dickens family is inws. Send someone to inform them in advance personally..." As soon as they returned to the main residence, they heard Senior Mr. Hopkins''s old and dignified voice before they entered the hall. "Also, remember to invite Christina''s aunt over." "There''s no need to invite Dickens family..." She approached, almost subconsciously feeling disgusted with the Dickens family. Senior Mr. Hopkins, who was excitedly writing the invitation on the sofa, looked up and nced at her. Christina immediately shut up. "I''ll inform my aunt myself." She did not dare to insist on it. Senior Mr. Hopkins had been excitedly looking forward to the birth of his precious great-grandson. He even wanted to invite all people he could to have a look of his great- grandson. But thinking of her aunt Betty, Christina was a little distressed. She didn''t bother to care about the feelings of those people in the Dickens family, but Betty was different. Because of her aunt''s illness, Christina had never dared to talk about her remarriage and pregnancy. "Junior Mrs. Hopkins, I heard that miss Eisenhower has been cured?" The old butler came over with a stack of red invitations and ced them on the wide coffee table for Senior Mr. Hopkins. He then stood straight and asked naturally. Chapter 199 Chapter 199 In the Eisenhower family, General Eisenhower had two daughters. The oldest daughter, Mary, married Donald from C City. The second daughter, Betty, was nearly 40 years old this year, but she had never been married, so it was more suitable to call her Second Miss Eisenhower." "Yes, she was cured and the operation was very sessful. There should be no seque." Christina was d to hear that her aunt had recovered from a serious illness. "Great. Previously, we sent people to look for a suitable heart source for Second Miss Eisenhower, and all experts said that she should nt a new heart to live. We didn''t expect that she could survive well by having medicine and taking a heart stent surgery." The butler went to find out about Betty''s operation and was curious. "Junior Mrs. Hopkins, who was the doctor who treated Second Miss Eisenhower at that time?" Christina wanted to speak, but her expression changed, and didn''t say the name out. "Derek Fisher." "Derek gave Betty the operation himself..." The lights here were a little ambiguous and dim. Charles who was at the bar looked depressed. He grabbed a ss of whiskey, drank it to the bottom, and began toin. "It''s so strange. Derek originally wants to learn the business but suddenly changed to learn medicine. It turns to be that siren, Christina..." At 1 a.m., Patrick was invited over for a drink, but he didn''t say anything. He was not interested in wine tonight. He was idly turning the crystal round cup on the bar, looked thoughtful. He and Christina didn''t want to mention that man, but it didn''t mean that he could ignore the man "Patrick, what are you going to do?" Charles was already half-drunk and he suddenly became a little anxious. He leaned over and shouted at Patrick, "Christina had secrets with Derek! Are you going to dump that witch when the child is born..." Seeing that Charles was drunk, Chandler immediately called a few beautiful women toe over. "Apany him to the side for a drink." Charles was in high spirits and shouted at his two friends, "Hey, you guys are really pretending not to know anything?! I''m narrow-minded and I can''t endure it. I have to say it today." "That damn Christina was really a siren! She caused trouble from time to time, such as text messages, the takeout, and the matter of muffling! She was really a troublemaker and she dared to retort me that Derek would not hurt her. I didn''t mean that, but I really think Derek changed a lot when he was awake." Charles choked on the wine and huped. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Patrick and Chandler, whose faces were also dark, so he also sighed. "Do you know that my current girlfriend told me that something evil happened to the Fisher family recently? Ralph, who had always been in good health, actually fell ill and almost died of a cerebral hemorrhage..." "Regardless of whether the events Christina said are true or not, at least she had a scare every time and always be safe, which is strange. We all know that Barbara is not that capable, only Derek could do the provocation secretly!" She didn''t wake up until dawn. Having had not slept so soundly for a long time, Christina stretched her hands under the thin nket. Then she was in a daze and turned to look at the pillow beside her. It was empty. He wasn''t here. However, she could still feel the warmth. Did Patricke backst night? She dragged herself out of bed because of her pregnancy, feeling heavy and sluggish. She stared at the empty bed for a long time, but she was not sure. "I thought he didn''te backst night." She knew that Charles asked Patrick out in the middle of the night. Recently, their rtionship had been very awkward and they hadn''t slept in the same bed for a long time. When did he go back to their bedroomst night? She raised her head and looked at the clock on the wall. It was 8 am. The Hopkins people always got up very early, so it was toote now. Although Patrick didn''t need to go Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. to thepany these days, she didn''t expect that he got up at around 8 o''clock, judging from the warmth of the quilt. He seemed to be very tired. Christina was a little disturbed. After washing up, she took her cell phone and went straight downstairs. Chapter 200 Chapter 200 "Good morning, Christina. Do you want to have breakfast here or go to the Main Residence..." Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. As soon as she went downstairs, Christina saw Nanny Faang greeting her. "Has grandpa had breakfast?" "Mr. Hopkins gets up at five o''clock and had his breakfast at six as usual... Brianna and her mother have already had breakfast with him." Christina looked a little awkward when she heard that. Not long after she was pregnant, Patrick told grandpa that she didn''t have to get up so early and eat with them, so she could sleep as long as she wanted. In fact, Patrick helped her a lot. Because of his care, the servants here were especially respectful to her. "Well, Patrick..." She asked with some hesitation. "Patrick just got up. He went to Northern Garden to discuss things with his grandpa. He will probably be back here for breakfast in a while." Seeing her hesitation, Nanny Faang smiled. "Christina, why don''t you wait for Patrick toe back for breakfast?" "Okay." She agreed immediately. Sitting on the sofa in the lobby on the first floor of Eastern Garden, she drank half a cup of light saltwater and looked at the door casually. She didn''t know why Patrick went to grandpa. "Maybe it''s about the baby." As she took out her phone, she was on her phone and muttered a few words. Crystal sent her a message, "Christina, my godsons are going to be born next month. What gifts should I send? Come on, I''m so nervous now." As soon as she logged in to WhatsApp, she saw that Crystal had sent her a message at 6 a.m. Christina was amused and replied, "Why are you nervous? I''m the one who is going to have a C- section." Crystal replied, "How dare you to sleep sote in the Hopkins family. Didn''t they me you?" The bad habit of modern people was that the first thing to do after getting up must be to check on their phones. Thus, Crystal was sure that Christina had just woken up. Christina immediately said, "Patrick is my aplice. I''m not afraid." Speaking of this again, Christina recalled it carefully, Patrick looked a little weak recently. Crystal kept asking, "Christina, where will you celebrate your sons'' first month? It can''t be in the Hopkins family, right? If so, I''m a little afraid to go. A lot of people must be invited, right?" Crystal sent her a few messages, which made here back to her senses. Crystal kept sending messages, "There''s one more thing. You promised me to be your sons'' godmother, but will the Hopkins family agree? And how about the Dickens family?" Crystal became more and more excited. "It''s over. I''m done. Christina, I suddenly realized that my godsons are a little far to reach. Maybe the twins will despise me." Christina was speechless and replied with a despised emoji, "Come back to earth, OK?" This made Crystal think of something else and be serious. Crystal continued, "Did you tell Patrick about those strange things you met before, and the bracelet you found under the bed..." The smile on Christina''s face froze. She held the phone and did not reply immediately. Crystal kept saying, "Never mind. We''ll figure it out until the babies are born." Crystal knew that she was very upset about these events, and the fact that she was about to give birth made her even more disturbed. Sheforted her, "You''re married, so you should have a talk and solve the problem together." After a while, she replied, "It''s him who doesn''t want to talk." Looking at Crystal''s sweet words, Christina forced a bitter smile. At this moment, footsteps behind her approached, and Nanny Faang suddenly called her name loudly. "Christina, I think Patrick may be dyed there. Why don''t you eat first and don''t starve yourself and your babies?" Thirty minutes had passed. "Yes." She subconsciously nced at the door and nodded indifferently. "Talk to youter." After sending Crystal a message, she was ready to put down her phone and go to the restaurant. When she logged out of WhatsApp, she happened to see that she had a few unread messages. One of them was a long voice message sent to her by Charles at three in the middle of the night. She stood up from the sofa, following Nanny Faang as she listened to the long voice message casually. "You damn woman." Then a series of angry roars sounded. Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Perhaps it was because it was so loud that even Nanny Faang, who was walking in front of her, turned to look at her in shock. Christina felt embarrassed and angry at Charles. So was he drunkst night and out of his mind? She frowned and wanted to hear what this guy was scolding. "Tell me, has Patrick ever done something wrong in his previous life? He must havemitted hideous crimes. Otherwise, how could he have married a wife like you?" He spoke so fast that he choked for a moment, then stopped for a second and roared angrily. "You''re such a troublemaker! Look... Look at other women. Why can''t you be gentle and considerate? Do you know what is virtue and kindness? You can''t even satisfy Patrick in bed. Why does he have to marry you? What''s the benefit of marrying you? You don''t even care about him after he''s ill..." Finally, Chandler''s sighing was faintly heard. "Charles, do you want to be thrown into the river?" The voice message was over. Christina froze and held the phone tightly. Nanny Faang looked at her again. She heard the voice message clearly and her expression was a little Among Patrick''s friends, Charles was the most straightforward one, but this was the first time Nanny Faang had heard him scolding. The servants did not dare to say anything about Patrick''s personal affairs. Nanny Faang coughed lightly to ease the atmosphere. "Go over and have some milk."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "Yes." She replied, looking absent-minded. Sitting in front of the dining table, she quietly had half a bowl of oatmeal, some eggs, and milk, feeling tasteless. She nced at the empty bowls that Nanny Faang had prepared for Patrick in the opposite seat, remembering that he was still with grandpa and didn''t have breakfast. As soon as she put down her fork, Christina felt some light footstepsing from the direction of the door. There was a strange expression on her face and she quickly turned to look. She thought it was Patricking back. Then the next second, she was surprised. "Hello, Brianna." "Brianna, Are you looking for Patrick? He''s in the Northern Garden." Christian was very surprised for this was the first time that she had seen Brianna in the Eastern Garden. However, Brianna didn''t reply her. Keeping ten meters away from the dining table, Brianna didn''te any closer, but just stood there quietly. She looked a little timid and hesitant as if she were waiting for something. "Brianna, are you okay?" Christina frowned and was a little confused. She heard that Brianna was a little autistic and seldommunicated with others. And Brianna now looked very strange. On second thought, she felt it was unlikely that Brianna woulde to the Eastern Garden for her brother because Patrick was cold and rarely take the initiative to be close to Brianna. "Brianna, are you here for me?" she asked. Christina didn''t want to eat more. Being half full, she stood up and walked towards Brianna. Brianna''s clear eyes shed with shock, "No disturbing others'' meals. No interrupting. No speaking loudly ..." Seeing Christina approach her, she muttered some rules with her lips trembling. Then Christina stopped immediately and didn''t approach her. "Are you waiting for me to finish breakfast?" Christina tried her best to speak softly and gently to Brianna. But Brianna remained silent. She seemed to hate people looking straight into her eyes. So she lowered her head with her long ck hair covering half of her face. And her side face blushed, revealing that she was a little timid and nervous. "How about calling Nanny Faang?" Christina was helpless. She didn''t want to scare Brianna and thought that Brianna would be more familiar with maids in the Hopkins family. "Patrick is unhappy." Brianna seemed very anxious and suddenly raised her head and shouted at Christina. What? "Brianna, your brother is not here. Or are you here for me?" Christina was still puzzled. But obviously, Brianna didn''t want her to call Nanny Faang. Brianna felt she shouldn''t have shouted so loudly. She was very confused, feeling like speaking several times but falling silent again. "What do you want to say to me?" "I promise not to tell others." Christina coaxed the timid and helpless girl in the way she had dealt with Derek. It seemed to work. Brianna was swayed when she heard Christina say "promise not to tell others". "Christina." She said in a low voice. Christina felt strange. Brianna was really here for her. But she seldom talked to Brianna, she and Barbara were more intimate. When Christina met Brianna at the main residence for meals, Brianna just greeted her. But today she was weird. "Brianna, if you have anything to say, just say it. If I can help you, I will try my best ..." Chapter 202 Chapter 202 "Patrick is unhappy." Brianna interrupted her and said the unintelligible nervously. Christina looked a little awkward, "Patrick is unhappy?" He was unhappy? It sounded very childish because Patrick was an adult man, does happy or not that matters? But maybe Brianna meant that Patrick was in a bad mood recently. He must have been annoyed by these things recently. "Brianna, don''t worry. He can take good care of himself." Christina exined to Brianna patiently. And Brianna was so restrained and nervous that Christina felt sorry about her. "Brianna, what fruit do you like to eat? Take a seat ..." She wanted to get along with Brianna. But just as she stepped forward, Brianna squatted down in fear with her hands covering her head and her body trembling. "I, I mean no harm." Christina was dazed. She had never encountered such a situation. It seemed that Brianna looked very terrified. Was she afraid of Christina? Christina didn''t understand why Brianna was afraid of her. At this time, she did not dare to talk to Brianna in case of provoking her. So Christina walked past her to ask someone else for help. But just as she passed Brianna, her dress was suddenly grabbed. "Christina, Patrick is very unhappy," Brianna who squatted looked up and was very anxious. Christina looked stunned. Even though she did not understand what Brianna said, she knew that it had something to do with Patrick, and it seemed a little unusual. Christina wanted to squat down and look at her horizontally. But with a pregnant belly, she could hardly do it. "Brianna, I know you must have something to tell me, right?" "Can you stand up and let''s have a good talk? I promise I won''t get angry, and I won''t scold you. So you don''t have to be afraid of me." Christina knew how tomunicate with autistic sufferers. They were very fragile mentally, so they couldn''t be yelled at. Christina wondered if she was too bad-tempered, so Brianna was afraid of her. "I''m not afraid of you." She was willing to stand up and felt a little rxed after confirming no one else was here by looking around timidly. Having seen this, Christina talked to her with the utmost patience. "Then why were you afraid just now?" "Patrick will be angry." She said unintelligible words again. Christina tried to maintain her smile, "Your brother is not here. Don''t be afraid of him." This was the first time that Christina had found that this autistic girl had always cared so much about her brother. "Brianna, I know you care about your brother. You think he''s been in a bad mood recently, so you''re worried about him, aren''t you? Patrick can handle it himself, and the whole Hopkins family will help him ..." "He doesn''t like the Hopkins family." Brianna shocked her so much that she stopped speaking immediately and felt puzzled. "You mean, Patrick doesn''t like the Hopkins family?" Brianna didn''t like people looking straight at her and lowered her head again. Obviously, she had mixed feelings. "He doesn''t like the Hopkins family, he doesn''t like the piano, he doesn''t like girls..." her voice was very Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. low as if she was whispering secrets to someone. Suddenly, she paused, "He likes you." Christina was s little dazed and didn''t interrupt her. "He is very unhappy. He was tied up by bad people. Those people beat him with chains. It hurt very much. It was snowing and cold. The clothes grandpa bought him had gone. He ran as fast as he could. He hid in the trash can. He was bleeding. But mom found him and tied him up again..." Judy tied Patrick up. Was his mother the one who kidnapped him when he was five years old? Christina''s mind went nk. "He doesn''t like the Hopkins family, he doesn''t like the piano, he doesn''t like girls ..." As if she had done something wrong, her cheeks turned red, and repeated these words incoherently, trying to organize thenguage. Christina was reminded of some messages. "Ever since Young Master Hopkins was kidnapped at the age of five, he had be distant." "Patrick hates women. Don''t get close to him. He doesn''t like being too close." "I can''t tell grandpa, I can''t tell Paul, I can''t tell Barbara," Brianna lowered her head and said to herself while counting, "I can''t tell Charlie..." He always had so many secrets to himself. After a pause, Brianna raised her head and said, "Christina, Patrick is as unhappy as he was." Christina was dazed and looked at her without saying anything. Chapter 203 Chapter 203 "Junior Mrs. Hopkins, did Miss Briannae over just now?" "I saw her in the corridor... I called her, but she ran away in a hurry." Brianna was usually very polite. Her reaction just now was a little strange. Hearing Nanny Faang''s question, Christina looked hesitant. "She just came to Eastern Garden for a walk." "I was worried that you were having a conflict. This is the first time Miss Brianna hade to Eastern Garden. But what was sheing for?" "I don''t know." Christina answered casually, obviously not wanting to say anything more. And Nanny Faang didn''t continue to ask. Since nothing went wrong, she then continued her work. Just as she turned around and went into the kitchen, Christina suddenly asked again, "Nanny Faang, do you know anything about Judy?" Nanny Faang was so confused by her question that she looked straight at Christina. Somehow, she felt that Christina''s eyes were sharp at this moment. "I''ve heard that when Patrick''s mother was young, she had an affair with a man outside. In the end, with his father''s support, Judy could continue to be Mrs. Hopkins. Even if his father didn''t mind, why would grandpa tolerate such a vicious woman..." "Although Mrs. Hopkins''s conduct is not proper, you can''t bring it up." Her words made Nanny Faang so shocked that Nanny Faang lost herposure and looked around in panic. "Judy was suspected of having an affair with another man when she was young, but the incident is now a thing of the past." Fortunately, the Eastern Garden was quiet and people rarely passed by. Until now, Senior Mr. Hopkins still didn''t like Judy. It seemed that, the deceased Mr. Hopkins loved Judy so much that he could even forgive his wife for cheating on him. At this moment, Christina was thinking about what Brianna had just told her. Was it true or not? "Junior Mrs. Hopkins, I know that she is not friendly to you, but she is still Young Master Hopkins''s Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. mother. And you should respect her and also forgive her small mistakes." Judy was targeting Christina, which even the servants could see that. But they did not understand why. Yet since they were living under the same roof, Nanny Faang could only advise Christina to be more generous. In fact, Christina did not take Judy''s persecution to heart at all. Looking at the amiable woman in front of her, she knew that Nanny Faang had lived in the Hopkins family for many years. If there were any secrets here, Nanny Faang would know something about them. So Christina asked tentatively, "Do you know that Patrick was kidnapped when he was a child?" "What does the kidnapping of Young Master Hopkins have to do with his mother?" Seeing that Nanny Faang really didn''t know, Christina then didn''t say anything more and went straight to the stairs. It seemed that they really didn''t know. Patrick was so cold and indifferent, but he actually hid the truth from everyone in the Hopkins family just to protect his mother. When Christina returned to her bedroom, she was very upset. She felt that the Patrick she knew would not be so emotional. If it was his mother who kidnapped him back then, then his current reaction... There wereplicated feelings in her heart. All of sudden, sitting on the bed, she felt that she didn''t know much about him at all. Every time she was upset and couldn''t figure it out, she would open her wooden box. At this time, the cool jadey in her palm... "He was too weak when he was a child, maybe he was too afraid to tell..." Suddenly, Christina seemed to have figured it out. "Even if he controls the Hopkins family now, he wouldn''t say it." It was only because Judy was his mother, and he chose to bear the cruel truth himself. Then she looked down at the half-moon bloodstone in her palm again. "They said that Derek was the one who saved him..." If Derek med him... What could Patrick do? "My brother is very unhappy." Brianna''s simple and straightforward words echoed in Christina''s mind at this time. He was very unhappy. Staying alone in this spacious bedroom, looking at his pillow on the bed, she felt even more agitated. Just then a fetal movement came from her abdomen. She then put her hand on her belly and couldn''t help but smile. The baby was really a wonderful and amazing thing. It could make her upset disappear in an instant. And she felt much better. She then decided to go to the third floor. Last time, Senior Mr. Hopkins sent a construction team to redesign the third floor of Eastern Garden for her unborn babies, which covered more than 200 square meters. The door on the third floor was unlocked, and all the windows were opened for venttion. At a nce, children''s cartoons and colorful wall paintings were very cute. Last time, she didn''t look very carefully. This time, she saw the wall paintings of big fishes. And the paintings of castle knights were vivid and lifelike. The wind blew through the rows of crystal wind chimes on the left side, tinkling and ringing. This ce was like a fairytale world. She remembered that on the far right was the small room where the children would sleep. Sure enough, two cute small wooden beds were ced in a corner. And in therge wardrobe beside the wall, they had prepared three-year clothes for the babies after it was born. "Grandpa bought these clothes too early. They won''t be in fashion by then. Those businessmen must have coaxed him into buying these clothes..." She took over a few cute clothes and couldn''t help but mutter. After looking at the clothes in the wardrobe for a long time, she suddenly thought of something and was a little distressed. "The babies are twins, why would they buy the same things for them? How can I tell them apart?" As she tidied up these little clothes, she spoke to herself in a low voice. But at this moment, the man standing outside the door could clearly see her side face. She frowned slightly, as if she was not satisfied with something. Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Because all the windows on the third floor were open, the whole room was very bright at noon, adding afortable warmth to the room. At this moment, Patrick was leaning against the railing and looking at the woman in front of him quietly. She gently folded the clothes, and muttered something. And she was pregnant with their children. Every movement of her was beautiful and elegant. "When did youe?" When Christina turned around and saw him, she was a bit surprised. Yet he didn''t answer, yet just staring at her. Being stared at, she was a little embarrassed. She then turned her head and nced out the other window and exined, "I''m bored. I''m here to see how things are going here." "Nanny Faang said you waited for me to have breakfast this morning?" He inexplicably mentioned. "No, that wasn''t true." Noticing his burning gaze, her heart suddenly beat fast. "I didn''t wait for you. I already ate it myself." "Really?" His tone was very t, and there was no emotion on his face. He suddenly turned around. "There''s still some formaldehyde here. Don''t stay here too long." After he finished his words, he then left. Yet she felt a little baffled. He suddenly came and then left. Didn''t hee to look for her? She just couldn''t understand his sudden leaving. "Young Master Hopkins was not cold and distant when he was a child. Sometimes he just didn''t know how to express his feelings even if he cared about someone very much." She thought of what Nanny Faang used to tell her. Many times, she felt that he was strange. And those people would also tell her the same thing with a smile. Maybe he just wanted to see her. And he missed her. "Patrick!" Suddenly, the excitement rushed into her heart and she shouted. He then stopped and immediately turned to look at her. "Yeah?" He turned around immediately she called him. He''d reacted so fast that Christina looked at him in a daze, didn''t know what to say. He strode back to her with a frown. "You feel ufortable?" Christina looked into his intense eyes and blushed, racking her brain toe up with something. She didn''t know either why she''d suddenly called him. To Patrick, her silly look and bulging belly just made her more fragile. "The baby moved," she slurred with her head turned sideways. "The baby moved?" Patrick seemed to have heard something very strange. Christina felt bad that she used her son as the cover whenever she was in a dilemma. She was about N?velDrama.Org is the owner. to say sorry to her son when the man suddenly reached out his hand. He tenderly rested his palm on her belly, which unsettled Christina a little. Her son was very cooperative and gave a little kick at this time. Christina was amazed. Patrick, who always looked solemn andposed, was shocked as if magic had just happened. It was really magical that there was a life growing in the woman''s body. "He can also hear you now..." An old, deep voice came, apanied by the tter of the scepter. Christina looked up at the door and flushed, falling a step back subconsciously. Patrick put his hand down without much emotion in his eyes. Why was the old man suddenly here? "You should not stay here. There''s too much formaldehyde in the air," Senior Mr. Hopkins grumbled in a tone that resembled Patrick''s very much. He was very excited that he would turn eighty next month and his grandson would be born next month too. If they happened to be on the same day, he''d be euphoric. He didn''t have the butler keeping hispany. He''d simplye to see whether the baby''s room needed anything more. Nothing mattered more than the birth of his grandson now. Therefore, the old man red at Patrick and Christina with his piercing eyes and scolded, "Don''t you fight again. The baby can hear you. It''s not wholesome for him." "You should feel very lucky to be a couple. There are numerous star-crossed lovers out there. You should cherish every second after you met." They must have met each other for a reason. Christina''s heart was thumping and she looked up, right into Patrick''s eyes. "You''re the best." Senior Mr. Hopkins was pleased and said to Christina. "Thank you," Christina replied with flushes on her cheeks. The old man lifted his eyes. "I''m not talking to you," he said callously. Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Senior Mr. Hopkins was trying tomunicate with his precious grandson! Christina cringed and Patrick huffed augh. "The baby can hear us. You two behave!" The old man walked around and suddenly felt that he should prepare a study so that his grandson could grow up among ssics. With this on his mind, he left the couple and went downstairs to make a detailed n with the butler. "Grandpa is really happy." Christinaughed, staring after the old man who was rocketing downstairs. "Grandpa likes children very much." "What about you? Do you like children?" She looked up at him and asked casually. Patrick was thrown by her question. The word "like" was really strange to him just like "sorry." He barely said these words. Perhaps because the sudden appearance of the old man had lightened the mood, Christina was less tense now and wore a slight smile. She looked down at the tips of her shoes as she spoke. "You were forced to marry me by your grandfather due to the unintended pregnancy..." She said quietly. They were together because of the baby. She paused and hesitated. Atst, she said, "I know you feel guilty about Derek and care about everything pertaining to him and the Fisher family. I''ll talk to him about you and me. He won''t me you. Actually, he and I¡­" "I didn''t marry you for the baby." He interrupted her in a hurry. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Christina gazed at him and pursed her lips. The silence dragged on between them and Patrick continued surprisingly. "I owe him. I''ll make it up for him." "I''ll give him whatever he wants." Patrick sounded firm as if he was making a vow. He would give Derek everything except her and the baby. Christina left the baby''s roomter. She''d heard every word Patrick had said and been too dumbfounded that she''d forgotten to tell him that she''d engaged with Derek only because her grandfather wanted it. She''d seen it in his eyes that he had too much on his shoulders, the Hopkins family, IP&G Group, and morals. He was in a tiring position. She felt eager to do something or say something to make him happy and rxed, but she was not good at sweet talks and didn''t know how to please a man. She didn''t feel hungry when Nanny Faang brought the lunch to her bedroom so she just had a little, nning to have a nap. Before Nanny Faang left after clearing the table, she couldn''t help but stop her. "Have Patrick and the others eaten?" The door of the bedroom was ajar and vague voices in the corridor were heard. "The results came. That bracelet made of amethyst indeed belonged to Barbara and she said that she happened to have lost itst week." "As for the takeout, the Gordon Hotel looked into it and said that someone ordered the fried rice without eggs¡­ It seems that Derek knew her preferences very well." It was Chandler and Charles''s voice. Christina stood very still behind the door until the voices faded. She heard the door closing when they entered Patrick''s study. She felt annoyed. She didn''t understand why Patrick and the others trusted Barbara so much that they tended to make Derek bear all the me. She tossed and turned on her bed during the nap. She had many bizarre dreams that sent her mind reeling. Something abruptly came to her mind at three o''clock and she hurried up from her bed. She streaked to the study and pped on the door. Charles was to snipe at her when he opened the door but Christina didn''t give him the chance. She rushed straight in front of Patrick and scowled at him. "Where is my ne?" She asked angrily. Patrick was at a loss about what was going on. "The chance ne with rubies. Nanny Faang said you took it away. How could you take back something you already gave me? Return it!" She sounded pissed atst. She''d had a bad sleep and was in a foul mood. "I didn''t say I didn''t like it. You can''t give it to other women. It''s mine!" He''d never said "like" to her. She''d never said "not like" to him either! Patrick took out an exquisite velvet box from the drawer and put it on the table. He looked up at her and was surprised. Then a faint smile lit up his face. He''s been too strainedtely and felt relieved all of a sudden. Chapter 206 Chapter 206 Christina felt Patrick seemed to suddenly realize something.He sat in the office chair opposite her in a daze for a while.He picked up the tinum ruby ne and walked up to her, putting it on her neck and naturally lowering his head to kiss her on the lips. Christina was in a daze. She only felt Patrick held her shoulders tightly with a slight smile. He seemed to be in a good mood. Charles and Chandler in the study were both dumbfounded. Chandler pretended to be calm, coughing a few times and turning to walk out of the study. Charles grinned and winked at Christina. ¡°Patrick, what do you like?¡± There were only the two of them left in the study. Patrick kept staring at Christina. Christina lowered her head, and her cheeks were a little red. She looked down at the ne on her corbone. It was his gift to her. She remembered that she had wanted to give him something long ago, but she didn¡¯t know what he liked. Patrick did not replied her immediately, as if the question had also confused him. Patrick did not have any preferences, but only some taboos. ¡°I¡¯m not good at cooking.¡± Christina suddenly said dejectedly. Christina had always felt that Patrick liked those obedient women, especially those who could stay at home without going anywhere. A virtuous woman should be his first choice. Unfortunately, she was not good at cooking at all. Moreover, he seemed tock nothing. Christina was a little ashamed. She had always been proud on the surface, but she had to admit that she was secretly trying to please her man. The most direct way to please Patrick was to satisfy him in bed. He would be very satisfied, but she would feel very unfulfilled after that. ¡°After the baby is born, let¡¯s go abroad to live for some time.The environment there is good.¡± Patrick¡¯s words pulled her thoughts back. Christina looked up at him and found that his eyes were firm. He had always made preparations early. It seemed that he had already nned to go abroad. Christina did not object him. ¡°What about grandpa? Is grandpa going with us too?¡± Although she did not know why he proposed to live abroad, she knew from his tone that he had nned her and the child into his future. Thinking of this, Christina felt quite warm. ¡°Grandpa will stay in the Hopkins family.¡¯ ¡°What about our son? Grandpa won¡¯t want us to take him away.¡± Patrick was shocked by her words and looked at her abdomen. It was his and her child. He always felt incredible every time he looked at her abdomen seriously. ¡°Just ignore him¡± Christina listened to his unashamed words. If grandpa heard it, he would be extremely annoyed. She thought about it and asked him seriously, ¡°Are we eloping?¡± Eloping? Patrick, who had always been very strict, had not yet realized it after he heard that. He only heard Christina continue to mutter to herself, ¡°Where are we going? Don¡¯t ask me for my opinion.I have no opinion.I¡¯ll follow you wherever you go.I have difficulty choosing.¡± She didn¡¯t even bother to think about where to go. Patrick suddenly calmed down with burning eyes. He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to go with me.¡± Christina was still trying to think about what she had to prepare if she went abroad. After all, she had no experience of living abroad. But she didn¡¯t have to be too nervous with him, because he would arrange everything. ¡°What did you say?¡± It was said that pregnant women would be silly. Christina was only in a daze for a while and did not hear what he had just asked. But Patrick did not repeat it. He looked at her eyes and pulled her closer to him. Then he kissed her earlobe. ¡°Don¡¯t go out recently.Just stay in the Hopkins family:¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave here.I¡¯m worried about you.¡± It turned out that he had been so upset recently because he was worried about Christina. Christina was deep in thought. Then she turned round and nced at the two maids behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me all the time.¡¯ She was very depressed. What was Patrick worried about? He actually sent two maids to follow Christina. Since the day she went to the study to snatch her ne back from him, her rtionship with Patrick N?velDrama.Org is the owner. had eased a lot. During the past few days when everyone had dinner together, she had directly put all the dishes she didn¡¯t like in Patrick¡¯s bowl, and Patrick ate them naturally, Brianna, who was opposite them, looked at them a few times and then lowered her head timidly. Judy seemed to look at Christina with displeasure and thought that she went too far, but she didn¡¯t dare to say anything. Everyone got along with each other politely. Christina didn¡¯t tell Patrick that even if Derek came back, she never thought of leaving the Hopkins family. Perhaps she had nned it when she just got married, but she was reluctant to leaveter. Christina wanted to muster up the courage to tell Patrick about this when he was walking with her in the back garden of the Hopkins family, but she was too shy and embarrassed to say those. When she looked at his burning eyes, she was not thick-skinned enough to say it. However, even if she didn¡¯t say it, Patrick should know what she meant. These days, everyone was looking forward to the birth of the child. Time passed little by little, and it was rare for them to be at ease. However, Christina had another depressing thing these days. Patrick didn¡¯t have to go to thepany now, and he almost slept and got up at the same time with Christina. Moreover, Patrick had developed a bad habit these days. Christina naturally slept on her side with her big belly, and Patrick hugged her from behind and lift her pajamas to caress her abdominal skin with his big hand. ¡°Did my son kick you?¡± He would ask at least three times a night, as if it was fun.He had never been so childish before. ¡°The doctor said my son was lively.¡± The light in the bedroom had been dimmed. Patrick hugged Christina in his arms and pondered for a moment. ¡°He¡¯s like you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say your son is like me every time he has any bad habits¡­¡± Chapter 207 Chapter 207 ¡°I walk around the garden.Don¡¯t follow me¡­¡± The doctor had told Christina that exercise was good for childbirth. So now as long as Christina was bored, she would take a fewps in Hopkins family. She turned around and expressionlessly looked at the two following maids behind her. She felt very ufortable being watched. ¡°Junior Mrs.Hopkins, please don¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡± They looked at Christina with pure, helpless eyes and spoke to her timidly. Christina¡¯s expression froze. She actually felt a little guilty, which made her upset. If they were a big bodyguard or a fierce shrew, Christina might scare them away with a straight face and a willful roar. But such a scheme would not work for these two maids. It was said that Patrick had deliberately asked butler Paul the butler to go to the talent market to find them. They had no special skills. They had just turned 18 and were from the remote mountains. Because their families were too poor, so they had to work. It wasmendable that they were somewhat honest and hardworking. For Christina, the most troublesome thing was that Patrick had told her yesterday that if these two girls failed to do their jobs, they would be deducted half a month¡¯s sry ording to the rules of the Hopkins family. And if these two girls were involved in gross dereliction of duty, they would be fired. Christina now regretted making up with Patrick. She felt that she had fallen into the trap of this cunning man. Thinking of Patrick, Christina remembered that Charles and Chandler hade over again after 8 o¡¯clock this morning. And Chandler had had aptop in his hand. He looked in a hurry as if something bad had happened. As she walked, she was pondering. When she was a little tired, she sat down in the pavilion in the back garden and looked up meaningfully at the two personal maids in front of her. Patrick was insistent on sending her two maids to apany her and on not allowing her to leave the Hopkins family recently. ¡°I¡¯m worried.¡± A few days ago, Patrick had said to her in the study, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡¯ When hearing that, she was a little shocked. Patrick actually had something to worry about. Christina took out her cell phone and casually scrolled through the news of the business world, wondering what these men had been nervous about recently. On the screen of the phone, a pile of news rted to various domestic and foreign magnates quickly appeared. Christina did not know much about the business circle. News such as the monopoly of new materials, Bitcoin, and blockchain, made her confused. Because she was pregnant, she had limited time to use herputer and cell phone to surf the Inte. Now she rarely knew the current news. She was kind of out of line with society. Looking at the messy news posts, she sighed. She thought that things in the business world were meaningless to her and she should focus on giving birth to the child. She was about to quit the browser. ¡°Something bad happened to the Fisher family?¡± Christina¡¯s expression changed. She identally touched a small popr keyword on the screen with her finger. And a lot of rted reports jumped out. One of the major domestic web portals was broadcasting a news interview live. It was the old bitch, Mrs.Fisher, from the Fisher family that was being interviewed. ¡°Thank you very much for the media and all walks of life¡¯s attention to our Fisher family this month.Today, on behalf of the Fisher family and all the branches of the Fisher Group, I rify two things to all of you.Firstly, my husband, Ralph, was indeed admitted to the hospital.He has always had some health problems.He was admitted to the hospital purely because of personal health problems, not someone¡¯s conspiracy.And my husband, Ralph, had a sessful craniotomy for a cerebral hemorrhage.He¡¯s gradually recovering.Thank you for your blessings and concern¡­¡± ¡°Ralphis ill and hospitalized?¡± Christina looked a little incredulous. When she had been a child, she had often sneaked into the Fisher family. She knew a little about Derek¡¯s biological father. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Besides being not good at making money and afraid of his wife, Ralph had been very healthy. And she had ever apanied Patrick to the Fisher family banquet and had seen him with her own eyes. She felt that he might live to be over ny years old. How would Ralph be admitted to the hospital with a sudden cerebral hemorrhage? Chapter 208 Chapter 208 On the phone screen, Mrs.Fisher looked at the camera and spoke forcefully.She was wearing thetest autumn rose suit dress and a ck pearl ne, which made her look dignified.But Christina stared closely at the screen and could tell that Mrs.Fisher was not in good health. Even though Mrs.Fisher was wearing a rose suit dress and put on delicate makeup, which made Mrs Fisher a little more ruddy, she still looked a little haggard and fatigued in the corners of her eyes. ¡°What happened to the Fisher family recently?¡± ¡°The second thing is about my eldest son-inw, Luke Wilson.My husband Ralph, I, and the shareholders of the Fisher Group, unanimously voted for Luke to be the CEO of the group.It shows our trust and confidence in him.Therefore, I hope that there will be no more negative news which spoils the image of the CEO of ourpany, or we will immediately take legal action to protect our rights.And it was a rumor that Luke has colluded with external funds and escaped with all the money, It¡¯s fake. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. He is now on behalf of the Fisher Group discussing a new project in Paris¡­ Christina¡¯s mind went nk when she heard the news reports. She felt as if the Fisher family was on the verge of disaster, and Mrs.Fisher¡¯s statement was just a death struggle. She remembered that Charles had said that the Fisher family was protected by Patrick, and no one dared to target them in the business world. But now, even if Christina did not know anything about the business world, she could see that there was something wrong. Someone must have targeted the Fisher family, and it seemed that the action was very ruthless. The Fisher family did not prepare for that and was about to be toppled down. Who was it? Christian put her phone on the stone table in the pavilion, feeling a little confused. For some reason, aname immediately came to her mind. Could it be him? ¡°What Derek did was really despicable and shameless!¡± Suddenly, an angry female voice came, which was very abrupt in the quiet back garden of the Hopkins family. Christina heard this familiar voice and turned to look immediately. It was Barbara. She actually came to Hopkins family today. ¡°Miss Parker, hope that you¡¯re well¡± Christina looked at Barbara with undisguised disgust. The two maids felt that something was wrong and nervously stepped forward to stop Barbara from approaching. Barbara stood three meters away from Christina and looked at the two young maids in front of her, who were blocking her way. She was not angry. She just looked at Christina on the other side of the pavilion with more sarcasm in her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Christina, you¡¯re just pregnant.And you actually get paranoid? You spread that I ordered that takeout withxative for you, and you even said that I ran to the hospital ward to kill you.How dare you rely on Patrick¡¯s pampering to talk nonsense? Do you think that you¡¯re pregnant so Patrick will believe what you said? But it turns out, Patrick trusts me more!¡± Christina could hardly sit calmly any longer.She stood up and gritted her teeth angrily. ¡°I¡¯m not talking nonsense.The person who attacked me in the hospital was a woman.And, Barbara, I found your amethyst bracelet in the hospital¡± ¡°My bracelet was lost a week ago.¡± Barbara looked at Christina with contempt. She had no intention to be polite, and her words were cold. ¡°Christina, you may not know that now Patrick and others suspect that you and Derek are in cahoots. With you by Patrick¡¯s side, so Derek has been able to deal with the Fisher family and against the IP&G group.¡± ¡°What bullshit!¡± Christina retorted anxiously. Looking at Barbara¡¯s disdainful expression, Christina recalled that Patrick had made a call in a low voice a few days ago. ¡°Don¡¯t let Christina know¡­¡± Chapter 209 Chapter 209 ¡°Derek has turned the whole financial market upside down recently.You know what he wants to do¡­ Christina, you¡¯d better be aware of whose baby you are carrying,¡± Barbara satirized. Christina gritted her teeth at her words dripping with sarcasm.She wanted to retort but suddenly saw a few figures rushing over. ¡°Young¡­Young Master Hopkins¡­¡± The two maids in front of Christina fawned on Patrick. Christina¡¯s face darkened as she stared at those in the front, silent. But Barbara, who was preaching to her just now, turned obviously nervous. Patrick never liked others to interfere in his private affairs. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± the tall and strong man approached Christina and asked in a low voice. Christina tilted her head to the lotus pool on the other side. Recalling what Barbara had said just now, she ignored Patrick angrily and pulled a long face. Clearly, she was out of her te. Originally, all the Hopkins family were in mortal fear of Patrick. Only Christina dared to give him a ck look. In the beginning, even Nanny Faang was surprised by her boldness. After getting along with Christina for a year, they somehow got ustomed to it. Instead of pursuing, Patrick turned his deep eyes to her two new maids, hinting at them to speak. The two poor girls¡¯ hearts had been in their boots by Christina these days. Being stared at by their Young Master, they turned green around the gills and wished to exin the quarrel between Miss Parker and Junior Mrs.Hopkins, shivering. ¡°Christina, stop troubling Barbara.She didn¡¯t do that,¡± Charles couldn¡¯t stand it and interrupted the strange atmospherezily. Utterly difited, Christina red at him. ¡°Who on earth was making trouble?¡± sheined only. But judging from the imposing manner, it seemed that only Christina could be the one to me. ¡°Barbara, Brianna is awaiting you in the hall,¡± Chandler also came this day. He spoke gently, much wiser than Charles that fool. Barbara smiled awkwardly, ¡°I was just walking around¡­I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Her exnation meant that she didn¡¯te to Christina on purpose, but just passed by. Christina knew that Barbara was acting. Squinting at her receding figure, Christina got angry and cursed in the heart, ¡°What a cheeky slut! Chandler also followed her gaze.He frowned slightly and wore dissatisfaction.They¡¯d seen a lot of people.Barbara¡¯s petty trick didn¡¯t hold water. Christina looked sideways at Patrick and found that his face was as cold as usual. To Patrick, Barbara¡¯s exnation copsed at the first blow. ¡°What did you have for breakfast?¡± Patrick asked. Hearing the low voice from above, Christina kept a straight face: such a bromidic question went beyond her expectation. She grasped the phone on the stone table in the pavilion, as if not wanting to reveal the content on the screen. Barbara¡¯s mention of the Fisher family and Derek quite upset her. Charles was dissatisfied that Christina still grudged friendliness even though Patrick had softened his tone. ¡°I¡¯ll transfer her to the filiale in Paris next month¡­¡± Patrick continued in a low voice, sighing as if havingpromised. Christina¡¯s eyes lit up with surprise. ¡°Seriously?¡± Charles questioned. He turned his head sulkily and nced at Christina,ining with indication, ¡°Barbara just argued with her for a while, not to such an extent as to be expelled abroad¡­¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. How capricious was Patrick that he should casually determine to dispatch Barbara to Paris! Christina held her tongue, just letting Charles grumble. She remembered that while cursing Barbara, her rival in love, together with Crystal, she was evilly plotting how to eliminate Barbara. She disdained to snitch to Patrick about what Barbara had spoken ill of her. Now that Barbara was doomed to disappear, out of sight and out of mind, Christina gloated. Anyway, she was not a Virgin Mary. It would be more disgusting if she pretended to put in a good word for Barbara. ¡°Miss Dickens, are you satisfied now?¡± Charles teased. He sat down on the round stone chair beside and raised his eyebrows. Christina was so furious that she had no idea how to vent her anger. Seeing that Charles desired a spanking, she intended to bend down to roar at him, but stopped by the man beside her, saying ¡°The stone chair is cold.¡± It waste autumn. The stone table and stone chair made of white jade in the pavilion should be covered with a thick nket. Christina wasn¡¯t so weak as to be unable to stand any breeze, so she didn¡¯t mind such. The two maids behind suddenly turned pale and lowered their heads, ready for rebuke as if they failed to take good care of their Junior Mrs, Hopkins. Suddenly, Charles burst intoughter, ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Perhaps it was because Charles¡¯sughter was too arrogant and funny that Chandler across the table also raised the corners of his mouth, so did Patrick, who usually kept a cold expression. With a gloomy aura all over her body, Christina took a step ahead and kicked him mercilessly. ¡°Ouch-¡± Charles eximed. ¡°Son of a bitch! My new shoes¡­he continued screaming.Chandler chuckled, witnessing that Patrick naturally held Christina in his arms.She raised her eyebrows with a smug smile, fairly resembling Helen of Troy. The autumn wind blew over the pavilion, listening to their loudughter. It dispelled the impatience in Christina¡¯s heart that there was indeed something she could not handle. She could only tell herself to pretend not to know. After Christina had lessoned Charles for half an hour, Nanny Faang trotted over and told her to go to the Main Residence for Senior Mr.Hopkins wanted her. ¡°Why is grandpa looking for me?¡±Christina asked. Nanny Faang didn¡¯t anticipate that Patrick and the others were also in the back garden. Little embarrassed, she stammered, ¡°I don¡¯t know the details. It might be rted to the Young Master¡¯s birth banquet. The lunch is dyed for an hour because Old Master has invited a lot of guests this morning¡­¡± Charles and Chandler were also specially invited. Who else did Old Master invite? Patrick didn¡¯t examine minutely and held Christina in his arms and went straight to the Main Residence. Christina had no alternative but to follow him. She didn¡¯t know what kind of guest her grandpa-inw had invited on a whim this day. Nanny Faang seemed busy, leading a few servants to the kitchen. ¡°Adam, your family is thriving.You have another great- grandson so soon.A girl is also satisfactory, heart-warming.Congrats!¡± Senior Mr.Hopkins said. When Christina entered the hall of the Main Residence, she saw Senior Mr.Hopkins sitting upright on the sofa, holding the phone as if chatting with an old friend. Having got closer, she clearly saw that he was replying ina high spirit. ¡°There¡¯re only twins in my family.Hahaha¡­You muste,¡± Senior Mr.Hopkinsughed. Previously, Christina always heard the old steward gossip that those families weing a grandson would invite Senior Mr.Hopkins for meals with them. Every time Old Master saw their cute grandson, he would immediately scold Patrick for being unfilial as soon as he came home. This time, Senior Mr.Hopkins appeared confident, as if he had won a battle,ughing happily. Charles and the others stepped forward and greeted him politely. Senior Mr.Hopkins was in a good mood and waved at them to sit down. He even made tea for his offspring in person. Christina sat beside Patrick and looked around the spacious hall. Judy and Brianna were both present, as if waiting for someone. Chapter 210 Chapter 210 In the corner of this magnificent and spacious hall in Hopkins family, the antique clock made a deep sound. It rang exactly 12 times, indicating that it was 12:00 am. Usually, the lunch had already started, but today, a row of people were sitting in the hall chatting. Obviously, they were waiting for someone. Christina did not ask who had been invited, because she had been very upset recently. Listening to Barbara and Charles talking andughing beside her, she kept looking down at her toes and thinking about other things. ¡°Grandpa, what name are you gonna give the two babies?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a big deal, so I haven¡¯t decided yet¡­¡± The babies in her belly were the topic of their discussion. The whole Hopkins family was filled with a joyful atmosphere. Christina did not know what was wrong with her. As an expectant mother, she was not that excited, but nervous. Suddenly, a big palm was gently put on her abdomen. Christina raised her head in shock and looked at the man beside her, ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡± Christina thought he had something to tell her, but Patrick didn¡¯t say anything. His eyes were as deep as the sea, always hard to see through. His big palm touched her abdomen and sensed the new lives. He didn¡¯t care about the eyes around him at all. Christina blushed slightly and lowered her voice, ¡°Stop it¡± In the past, Patrick used to say this to Christina when he was teased by her, but now it was Christina that said this to him. Somehow, there was joy in his eyes. Christina felt that Patrick really liked to tease her more and more recently. He was so childish. However, he was really in a good mood these days. It seemed that Senior Mr.Hopkins thought his grandson had humiliated him. He snorted coldly and nced at Patrick with disdain. The atmosphere in the hall was good, and Charles asionally made jokes, making everyoneugh. Charles sighed, ¡°I¡¯m going to be a godfather.¡± Christina could not help butugh.She didn¡¯t expect Senior Mr.Hopkins agreed to let Charles be the godfather of her children. Why didn¡¯t he choose Chandler? At least Chandler was more reliable. ¡°Grandpa, the education should start as early as possible.¡± ¡°Well.When they¡¯re one month old, I¡¯ll teach them¡­¡± They were chatting enthusiastically. Patrick, the father-to-be, seemed to have no opinion of his children¡¯s education. Christina felt that the children¡¯s father was unlikely to take care of them personally. However, if Senior Mr.Hopkins knew that Patrick was going to take his great-grandchildren to the other side of the Pacific Ocean, he might be so angry that he would directly hit Patrick with his walking stick. ¡°After the babies are born, you just go to the United States with Patrick¡­¡± Senior Mr.Hopkins seemed to have remembered something, and his face became a little more serious. Christina was surprised by his words. She didn¡¯t expect grandpa to know that Patrick was going to America. Senior Mr.Hopkins raised his eyebrows, saw through her thought and snorted, ¡°The children will stay in the Hopkins family:¡± He said that with a serious tone, making Christina unable to reject. She did not dare to show dissatisfaction.She just sighed. As expected, even if Patrick was powerful, Senior Mr.Hopkins would always find a way to deal with him. Christina secretly tugged at Patrick¡¯s clothes and motioned for him to deny Senior Mr.Hopkins¡¯s order. But Patrick was expressionless as if he thought it was a wise decision to leave the children to his grandfather. Christina red at him sideways and began to negotiate gloomily, ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s not good for me to be Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. separated from my sons, is it?¡± She didn¡¯t have a big problem with her children staying in the Hopkins family, but she wanted to fight for the rights of a mother. Patrick had said that they would stay in the United States for almost one year. Senior Mr.Hopkins seemed to have nned for her a long time ago. He answered in a good mood, ¡°You can video with my great-grandsons, but the electronic radiation may do harm to the children. Just see them once a month.¡¯ Christina¡¯s expression was ferocious for a moment. She scolded in her heart, ¡®Damn it¡± It was true that veterans were abler than recruits. Seeing that Christina was deted, Senior Mr.Hopkinsughed insidiously. Senior Mr.Hopkins was satisfied with Christina. Although as his granddaughter-inw, she was not as dignified as a fairdy, she was brave and had a strong sense of knowledge and etiquette. The most important thing was that Senior Mr.Hopkins could use her to suppress his rebellious grandson. When a person reached old age, he only wanted to enjoy the harmony of the whole family. When Christina married Patrick, in fact, Senior Mr.Hopkins had a sense of relief and gratitude in his heart. He turned to look at the clock, finding that it was 12: 30. At this moment, Nanny Faang came over and whispered in Judy¡¯s ear, as if she was talking about the arrangement of the seating order. Judy was the firstdy of the Hopkins family, so she was supposed to arrange these family affairs. She spoke to Senior Mr.Hopkins in a dignified and generous manner and quickly followed Nanny Faang into the kitchen. ¡°Grandpa, what distinguished guest did you invite?¡± Barbara asked with a smile. Chapter 211 Chapter 211 In fact, Christina was also a little curious.She could not help but raise her eyebrows and turned to Senior Mr.Hopkins. Coincidentally, Senior Mr.Hopkins was also looking at her. He said two words in a hoarse voice, ¡°The Dickens family.¡¯ Christina¡¯s expression changed and she said quickly, ¡°Why did you invite them¡­¡± Sheined. After all, she was a member of the Dickens family.She didn¡¯t dare to say anything about the basic etiquette. So she wouldn¡¯t deny Senior Mr.Hopkins¡¯s arrangement. ¡°Your aunt will be here today.¡¯¡¯ Patrick reminded her in a low voice. It was obvious that he had already known the Dickens family was invited. ¡°My aunt.¡± Christina changed from dissatisfaction to surprise. ¡°Is my aunt really here today? Didn¡¯t you say you couldn¡¯t get in touch with her before? How is she now? Will shee with other people of the Dickens family¡­¡± Christina grabbed Patrick¡¯s arm excitedly and asked. Looking at her happy expression, Patrick felt a little jealous although he knew that the woman named Betty Eisenhower was very important to her. ¡°Your aunt has been living in your previous apartment since she was discharged from the hospital.She¡¯s recovered and looking good.¡± Chandler knew Betty well. Seeing that Christina was so excited, he smiled and told her some news. Christina had kept calling Betty, but the treatment center only said that Betty¡¯s operation was sessful and that she was discharged from the hospital. Losing Betty¡¯s news, Christina was very worried about her and wanted to go out to look for her, but was stopped by Patrick who only said that he would send someone to investigate for her. Christina punched Patrick in the chest and said angrily, ¡°Since my aunt was in the apartment, why didn¡¯t you tell me? Why did you say that you couldn¡¯t get in touch with her?¡± Patrick didn¡¯t feel pain, and kept calm, ¡°She won¡¯t die anyway.¡¯ This man was really shameless. Christina warned him with a dark face, ¡°When my auntes over, don¡¯t be so stiff.Why do you show such a gloomy face as if someone owes you money? Don¡¯t scare my aunt.¡± She didn¡¯t care what those people in the Dickens family would do. Christina only took Betty as her family, because it was Betty that raised her up. ¡°Christina¡¯s aunt is known for her elegance and talents.¡± Senior Mr.Hopkins had heard of Betty many years ago. ¡°Sure.¡± Christina was a little proud. ¡°Unfortunately, Christina, you didn¡¯t learn from your aunt¡­¡± Charles chuckled. Christina wanted to grab an apple and hit him. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Suddenly, some voices came from outside the main house, ¡°It seems that they are here.¡± Senior Mr.Hopkins said. Christina was stunned for a moment, then immediately got up and ran out excitedly. ¡°Donald, how could you allow her to marry Patrick!¡± Outside the main house, there was a noise. It was Betty that was scolding violently. She stopped being gentle, grabbed the cor of the middle-aged man in front of her with both hands, ¡°Donald Dickens, you, how can you¡­¡± ¡°Auntie.¡± Christina was the first to rush out. She stood at the magnificent gate of the Hopkins family¡¯s main residence, feeling astonished. Betty¡¯s face was purple. She pushed Donald away and turned to walk closer to Christina. Christina looked at her nkly. Betty was really much better after the operation. She looked very healthy, but her face was fake. It was not because she was sick, but because she was depressed and angry. ¡°p!¡± Betty raised her hand and pped Christina hard, making her left cheek red and swollen. Christina¡¯s mind was nk. ¡°How dare you to be pregnant with Patrick Hopkins¡¯s babies!¡± Christina¡¯s cheeks were red and swollen after being pped. She was dumbstruck and stood there motionlessly. It was noon and the sun was shining brightly above. Christina looked at the woman who stood in front of her clearly. Betty, her aunt, who looked so angry, should p her. This was the first time Betty really hit her. ¡°What happened?¡± Mrs.Dickens shouted at them in a hurry, and Donald, who was standing aside, seemed also to be frightened by Betty¡¯s sudden behavior. He came back to his senses after hearing Mrs.Dickens shouting and looked at Betty and Christina worriedly. He wanted to say something but hesitated. Mrs.Dickens was invited to the Hopkins family today, so she wore an expensive dress and looked noble. Though she was old, she was still very strong. She pulled Christina to her in anger and scolded Betty. ¡°Betty, if you don¡¯t want toe over, no one will force you.You came here to act wildly and even pped my granddaughter.Do you know your identity? There¡¯s no one in the Eisenhower family and you are free to do anything you want?¡± ¡°Shut up.I just want to teach her a lesson.¡± Betty was no longer as calm and tolerant as she used to be. She gritted her teeth and put on a gloomy expression, using Mrs.Dickens fiercely. ¡°Well, look at her.She finally showed her true color¡­¡± Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Seeing Betty yelling at her, Mrs.Dickens was so angry.She pointed at Betty and said, ¡°I knew long ago that there was no one good in your family.Your sisters died, and you, you are so pathetic.You haven¡¯t married yet¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Christina shook off Mrs.Dickens¡¯s hand in disgust subconsciously and stood in front of Betty to protect her. No matter how Betty hit her, the Dickens family had no right to judge. ¡°You, you¡­¡¯ Mrs.Dickens was so angry that she couldn¡¯t speak normally. A few people strode out of the front door of the Hopkins family. They felt something was wrong when they heard the noise. Charles ran out excitedly and nned to mock Christina that she was not as elegant as her aunt at all. However, when he saw the obvious palm print on Christina¡¯s cheek, he was shocked. ¡°Christina, what¡¯s wrong with your face?¡± Charles couldn¡¯t imagine who dared to hit Christina. The next second, he was pushed aside by someone behind him. Patrick walked to Christina quickly without saying a word, but it was obvious that he was very unhappy. He stared at the palm print on Christina¡¯s cheek and got angrier. He looked around at everyone furiously. Who pped Christina! Patrick was so angry and horrible that everyone around him kept silent for a moment. He stood in front of Christina and reached out his hand to her, but Christina took a step back. Christina lowered her head awkwardly as if she didn¡¯t want anyone to see the swelling on her face. But actually, she just don¡¯t want anyone to see Betty. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Later, Senior Mr.Hopkins came out with a walking stick and shouted seriously. He was extremely dissatisfied with the noise. ¡°Mr.Hopkins, it¡¯s just a small misunderstanding¡­¡± Mrs.Dickens smiled tteringly and exined, ¡°Christina¡¯s aunt is not in a stable mood.She seems to be a different person ever since she had an operation.Someone may instigate her.It¡¯s not a big deal.Today is an important day and we shouldn¡¯t ruin it¡­¡± Patrick still felt extremely angry. He pinched his lips tightly and looked at Christina. Later, he looked to Betty who stood behind Christina¡­ Everyone felt strange and looked at Betty. Betty was over 40 years old with shoulder-length ck hair. Her bangs were picked up with a simple ck clip. She wore light makeup and a simple light yellow suit. She looked thin and weak but elegant at the same time. Betty stood up straight as if she must do something today, and her eyes were filled with determination and hatred. Yes, hatred. Christina habitually looked to Betty, but she could not understand the hatred in Betty¡¯s eyes. Why? ¡°Come with me.¡± Betty suddenly spoke. Her voice sounded cold and determined. Betty somehow lost her usual modesty today and stood against everyone present. She reached out her hand to grab Christina¡¯s wrist and pulled Christina to her. But Patrick was faster. He grabbed Christina¡¯s other wrist tightly, showing that Christina belonged to him. ¡°Patrick Hopkins, let her go!¡± Betty raised her head and red at Patrick. Men from the Hopkins family were always so outstanding but disgusting. Except for Senior Mr.Hopkins, almost no one dared to order Patrick like this. ¡°She hit you?¡± Patrick lowered his head to look at Christina and asked. He ignored Betty¡¯s words at all, but it could still be told from his voice that he was trying to control his anger. Christina¡¯s cheek was still burning with pain, but her mind was dull. She did not answer Patrick. In fact, she had no idea what was going on.She didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Kick her out -¡° Patrick moved swiftly. He held Christina¡¯s shoulder with his other hand and pulled her into his arms. He ordered his bodyguards to kick Betty out, but Betty still grabbed Christina¡¯s left wrist. She didn¡¯t let go even if there was a circle of bruises on Christina¡¯s wrist. ¡°Christina, go with me!¡± Patrick and Betty confronted each other while Christina stood in the middle of them, being dragged. ¡°Goddamn!¡± Patrick shouted loudly. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. He had no patience for outsiders, especially when he saw Christina being tugged.He almost went mad. Patrick was stronger. He used all his might to pull Christina and hold her horizontally. Then, he turned around quickly. Betty was not prepared. She was pushed away by Patrick and staggered to the ground. ¡°Auntie.¡± Christina looked at Betty in horror and struggled subconsciously, but Patrick was stubborn and refused to let her move. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Senior Mr.Hopkins red at them with great dissatisfaction and shouted majestically. Hearing Senior Mr.Hopkins¡¯s shout, everyone felt nervous and no one dared to make any noise anymore. ¡°Take Miss Eisenhower to have a rest first¡­¡± Senior Mr.Hopkins ordered. Servants on both sides immediately came over. However, Betty was like a trapped beast being hunted down. She screamed desperately, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.All of you are dirty.I hate everyone from your family.¡± ¡°Christina, if you don¡¯t go with me today, I am not your auntie anymore.You can continue to be the young madam of the Hopkins family.I will just forget that you are my niece.You are not allowed to worship me after my death!¡± Betty crawled on the ground and looked very embarrassed, but when she looked up, Christina could see the determination in her eyes. Betty was serious about what she said and she wouldn¡¯t yield. Christina was so shocked. She was tightly locked in Patrick¡¯s arms, but she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off Betty.Why did Betty hate the Hopkins family so much? Chapter 213 Chapter 213 Creak ¨C The screeching sound of brakes was very harsh, and itsted long. It was not until a ck Maybach appeared on the main road of the Hopkins family¡¯s mansion had everyone realized that it was Derek who had the guts to drive into the Hopkins family¡­ The door was opened and a nder figure came out. ¡°Derek¡± Charles was surprised, and he shouted first. It was just a silhouette. But who else could have such an apathetic temperament? Patrick was a little hesitant and his hand that holding Christina tightly in his arm rxed a bit. It was almost at this moment that Christina got out of his arm. ¡°Auntie.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. She threw herself on the floor in front of Betty. Betty looked anxious. She was a little bit happy seeing that Christina was in front of her, but she was also afraid that Christian would escape, so she held Christina¡¯s shoulders tightly. She then turned to look at Derek and said in an anxious voice, ¡°Derek, hurry up Derek.Take Christina with you.Let¡¯s go¡­¡± ¡°Derek!¡± ¡°It¡¯s really you, Derek¡­¡± There were many voices in her ears, all filled with shock and disbelief. Christina did not look up, but she knew it was him. Her mind was in a mess, making her unable to think. Betty grabbed her very hard as if she had grabbed thest straw. Her shoulder des hurt a little, and the pain told her that the thing that was happening was true. .. Derek was finally back. .. Auntie was very angry. .. Auntie couldn¡¯t ept that she was pregnant with Patrick¡¯s child. But why? ¡°Christina.¡± The soft voice sounded in her ear. Derek gently held her up. His movements were so natural as she and he had known each other so well a long time ago. No one spoke, and everyone seemed to be speechless. Only Betty hurriedly got up from the ground and put her hands in front of Christina, afraid that she would be taken away by someone. ¡°Derek, Hurry up, let¡¯s go!¡± After all, Betty was just a little woman. Facing so many people in front of her, she was already nervous. She lowered her voice and urged Derek anxiously. Christina moved back obediently as if it was an instinctive reaction. But when she raised her head and looked into Patrick¡¯s deep eyes, Christina¡¯s face turned pale. She could not move. Patrick just stood there. Neither did he step forward, nor did he speak. He did not look angry either. Instead, he just stood there straight and looked at her calmly like an outsider. He just saw her leave with someone else. Charles and Chandler looked at each other in nk dismay. They did not know what to do. Although Senior Mr.Hopkins had a gloomy face, he did not say a word even when the car door was mmed to close. There were so many people out there, but no one stopped them from leaving. Because the person who took Christina to leave was Derek. ¡°Derek, I don¡¯t know that you are a person who can go to any length.I really underestimated you in the past, you bastard!¡± Finally, it was Charles who couldn¡¯t help but curse angrily at the back of the car. How could the festive party turn inte¡­ They drove all the way west. Christina was surprised that they did not face any obstructions. Derek looked straight ahead and drove at a steady rate, while she and Betty sat in the back. None of them spoke, and it was very quiet in the car. Christina kept her head down, tightly tugging at the hem of her pink cherry blossom maternity dresses on both sides. She looked a little reserved and confused. She could feel that Betty was very angry, especially when she was looking at her bulging abdomen. She wanted to say something, but at this moment, in the narrow space of the car, all the words were drowned in her throat. Suddenly, she had no courage to face it. What did she do wrong? Her mind was in a mess. Seeing the speeding cars shing outside the window, for a moment, she wanted the car to not stop. But about twenty minutester, the car slowed down and entered arge group of vis in a rich area. This was the center of east A City. Thend was priceless here, and this should be Derek¡¯s new residence. She thought that Derek would take her back to F City, as she didn¡¯t expect his house to be so close to the Hopkins family. It was as if he was fearless. The security here was perfect. When they were parking in the garage, she saw a few famous a-listers passing by through the window. Only rich or noble people could live here. The first thought in her mind was that Derek was no longer the weak boy who would be bullied in the past. He was strong enough now. The vi, which was more than 300 square meters, though was notparable to the Hopkins¡¯ vi, which upied tens of thousands of square meters on the hillside, was decorated exquisitely. It was not luxurious but very warm. Derek, who was in front of her, took out the key and opened the door. Betty, with a cold face, dragged her right wrist and walked in the door without saying anything. Christina found the decoration of the house a little familiar, as it looked like the one of the Dickens family very much. In fact, Derek knew better than she did that she hated the Dickens family. But in her heart, she couldn¡¯t bear to part with the Dickens family and she often dreamed about the time when she was still a child. People were contradictory creatures. The more they hated a thing, the more reluctant they were to part with it. Sometimes they just don¡¯t want to admit it. However, when Christina looked at the familiar decoration and the familiar rtives in front of her, she didn¡¯t know what was wrong but felt very strange and nervous. She felt that she was besieged as if she was waiting for a stern interrogate. With a click, the door was closed. Chapter 214 Chapter 214 It was almost subconscious for her to turn to look at the door.She looked a little reserved. Derek was a very gentle person, and he closed the door very carefully as if he knew that she would be afraid. Betty, on the other hand, suddenly shook off her hand in angry. She stepped hard, going straight back to the guest room on the left without looking at her again. Betty didn¡¯t question her.She just brought her here, and¡­being cold to her. Christina sat on the sofa in a daze. She didn¡¯t know the reason for her leaving the Hopkins family. It was only because her aunt wanted her to leave that she had to leave with her aunt. But¡­ Why? Why was her aunt so angry? Was it because she didn¡¯t tell Betty about her idental pregnancy and remarriage to Patrick? She didn¡¯t know. Her mind was in a mess. ¡°I, I want my phone.¡± Suddenly, she looked up and shouted. She knew that Derek was sitting opposite her, quietly apanying her. The man opposite her, whose blue eyes had been fixed on her, was not as angry as Betty. He did not have many expressions on his face, he just stared at her gently. Derek did not speak or ask. He took out the phone from his suit and handed it to her. Christina knew that he was always like this. As long as she asked for it, he would bring it right in front of her. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. .. He was the same as before. She felt a little sad. Looking into his clear blue eyes, she had a lot to ask him. Where had he been all these years? And how had he been all these years? However, when she took the phone, she could not help but think of Patrick. All she wanted to do was to call Patrick. She wanted to tell him¡­She wanted to tell Patrick that she just left him temporarily¡­She had promised him that she would stay with him. Christina was sitting huddled up on the side of the sofa. It was daytime, but all the lights in the whole room were on. Under the incandescent light, Christina looked anxious, holding a new ck phone and dialing the same number again and again. Still, no one answered. She looked down at the automatically locked phone screen nkly. She felt upset. The man beside her did not say a word. He quietly listened to the ¡°The subscriber you dialed is busy¡± again and again. Christina left her phone at the home of the Hopkins family.She called Patrick on Derek¡¯s phone. What call Patrick received was a new unknown number. No wonder Patrick refused to answer. A faint sense of loss shed across Christina¡¯s face. She raised her head, pursed her lips, and forced a smile. ¡°I give up.Here you go¡­¡± She handed the phone to Derek. Derek was extremely handsome that anyone who had seen him would never forget his looks. He was tall and thin, with slightly curled ck hair and a handsome look. His skin was fair and delicate. And he had a straight nose and a pair of deep blue eyes. His features were perfect as sculptures. He slightly looked downed and nced at the phone Christina handed him.He was as if hesitating something. At this moment, the phone suddenly rang. Christina was dazed for a moment. When she saw Patrick¡¯s number on the screen, she felt excited. ¡°Who allowed you to call him?¡± Before Christina could press the answer button, a scolding came from behind her and someone snatched the phone away. ¡°Give it back to me¡­¡± Christina quickly turned her head and subconsciously raised her hand to snatch it back. But when she met Betty¡¯s angry expression, her hand froze in midair. ¡°Auntie, I, I just want to¡­¡± Christina stammered to exin. Betty saw her hesitant look and heard the phone in her hand was still ringing.Betty became angrier. ¡°You are not allowed to contact anyone surnamed Hopkins ever!¡± With a wave of Betty, the phone was mmed to the floor, and the ringtone disappeared in an instant. ¡°Why¡­Christina¡¯s heart trembled. She looked at the woman in front of her, then at the smashed phoneponents on the floor. She said in a low voice, ¡°Auntie, why¡­¡± Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Betty¡¯s expression was livid. She seemed unwilling to listen to Christina and she shouted and scolded Christina. ¡°Only people of the Dickens family, shameless and snobbish, would fawn on Hopkins family, that rich and powerful family. Have you forgotten what kind of person your grandma is? She is a profited-mind woman, so as others of the Dickens family. As long as they can gain benefits, they will disgrace themselves to fawn on the Hopkins family. They sell you to the Hopkins family and im that¡¯s for your sake! Christina! Don¡¯t you listen to me now? Or you just want that vanity and wealth?¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m Not¡­It has nothing to do with the Dickens family.¡± Christina almost didn¡¯t dare to look at Betty who was angry like this. She lowered her voice, pursed her lips, and added, ¡°Patrick is very good to me.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Betty gritted her teeth and reminded Christina with harsh words. ¡°That Patrick, Hopkins family¡¯s eldest grandson, was born with a silver spoon.He has everything he wants and there are many women who still covet him now.He had engaged to many women before since he was young.Now that you get married to him, so you¡¯re proud of yourself? How much do you know him? The son of Victor and Judy must not be a good guy!¡± Betty gritted her teeth hard. As if she had recalled something, and her body trembled angrily. ¡°You are not allowed to mention anyone surnamed of Hopkins the future.Not even a single word¡­¡± ¡°And, I tell you, I don¡¯t care if the Dickens family agrees to this marriage.Anyway, I don¡¯t agree.When you give birth to the bastard in your belly, you must break up with that Patrick!¡± Christina stood up anxiously. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Auntie, did the Hopkins family have offended you? Or did Patrick do anything wrong? Tell me.I don¡¯t understand.I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so against my marriage to Patrick.The people of the Hopkins are not as overbearing as rumors say.They treat me very well¡­¡± ¡°If you think they good, then don¡¯t take me as your aunt.You can leave now.Get lost -¡° Betty didn¡¯t want to hear Christina¡¯s defense for the Hopkins family. She pointed in the direction of the door and roared angrily. The cold shout echoed in the new room¡­ Christina did not argue back. She pursed her lips and lowered her head. Christina was the only child of the wealthiest family in the C City, the Dickens family. Her grandfather, General Eisenhower, had dotted and spoiled her. So Christina had be kind of a headstrong girl. However, Christina had always respected her aunt, who had always been sick. Because Betty had been not in good health, Christina had dared not trouble Betty. And when they together had left the Dickens family and hung on, Christina had ever sought money for her aunt¡¯s medical care. Even that had been at the cost of starving and freezing, Christina had hung on with a smile. Christina was obedient to Betty very much. But this time, she really didn¡¯t understand and didn¡¯t want to ept these arrangements. ¡°How many years have passed? We¡¯re the only ones left in my family.Do you still remember your grandfather and your mother that¡­¡± In the quiet house, Betty¡¯s low voice sounded. She was muttering to herself, full of miss. ¡°Do you remember that every time you made a mistake, your grandfather held you with a stern face, touched your little head, and scared you that he would punish you? Your grandfather loved you so much.He arranged everything for you back then.Christina, why are you disobedient?¡± Betty choked with sobs, and her eyes were already red. Her voice now was not her usual soft voice. Christina looked up and found there were tears falling from the corner of Betty¡¯s eyes and falling on the bright floor one by one. Christina was in astonishment. Her aunt cried! Christina was suddenly at a loss and looked at Betty in panic. Betty¡¯s eyes were filled with sadness and helplessness.She closed her eyes. The tears on her long eyshes were still shing. She whispered softly, almost begging, ¡°Baby, you have to be obedient¡­¡± ¡°Baby, you have to be obedient.¡± Christina stiffened and those memories came to her mind.How many years ago had it been? That had been her happiest childhood.She could be unscrupulously willful and naughty.Her mother¡¯s arms had been very warm and her mother had always coaxed her with the softest voice. ¡°Baby, don¡¯t make a scene.You have to be obedient.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. The old days had been really happy. Christina still had had her grandfather and mother with her. And even Donald had been a loving father at that time.But all were the past¡­The past that could not be returned. After that, her grandfather had died, Donald cheated on her mother, and her mothermitted suicide in prison in despair. Christina and Betty fled the Dickens family and lived a frugal life, earned a living by pennies. From that moment on, she and her aunt had been the only ones left in her world. ¡°Baby, you have to be obedient.¡¯ These simple words rang in Christina¡¯s mind over and over again. Christina was stunned andpletely silent. Betty seemed very tired. It was as if she had used up all her courage. She did not ask Christina or scold Christina anymore.She walked back to her room unsteadily. Christina looked at Betty¡¯s thin body and her heart ached.Her aunt, Betty, was such a gentle, modest, and easy-going woman who would not argue with others.Her indifference and sternness today had exhausted her. Betty actually shouted, lectured, and even begged with all her might¡­ A figure came over. Derek was still so quiet and apanied Christina. Christina¡¯s voice was low as if she was asking herself but not the person in front of her, ¡°Derek, what do you think I should do?¡± Chapter 216 Chapter 216 This was a private boxing and fitness club, covering an area of more than 5,000 square meters.There was a shooting range to the west. One could learn horsemanship here in its subsidiary. It had only more than 1,000 anonymous members who enjoyed high privacy and professional services from only thousands of employees. Among so many businesses under the Hopkins Group, this club was Christina¡¯s favorite. She had been longing to have a look, but she was grounded because of pregnancy. To her dismay, there was a sign hanging at the door of the huge and exquisite entertainment club. It was closed. ¡°Patrick, I¡¯ve found the number you asked me to check¡­¡± Chandler was holding the notebookputer in his right hand, pushing the door open with his left hand. It was dim in the room, with only a row of lights on. The empty seats made it desert and cold. Patrick actually sent all the waiters away. As he walked a hundred meters into the club, the lights gradually brightened. As soon as he entered the boxing area, he vaguely heard a familiar wail. The corner of Chandler¡¯s lips raised. He felt helpless. ¡°Patrick, Chandler is here.Let¡¯s rest for a while¡­¡± Charles¡¯ hands were tightly wrapped in gloves, but he was unable to ward off Patrick¡¯s attack. He felt terrible as he was always the one who got bitten when practicing with Patrick. Upon seeing someone, Charles roared, gasping for breath. The man in front of him seemed to be lost in his world. Ignoring him, he raised his right hand and punched him. Charles¡¯ eyes widened in fear. Patrick¡¯s fighting skills were agile and lethal. He almost thought he was going to be sent to the hospital. ¡°The number you dialed back yesterday is Derek¡¯s.¡± As Patrick¡¯s punch was about tond on Charles, Chandler stood under the stage with his arms folded across his chest. He looked at Charles on the stage and said. The punch was missed, and Charles fell into the corner of the ring. His forehead was covered in sweat. Gasping for breath, he said through gritted teeth, ¡°Christina, damn¡­¡± He knew Patrick wouldn¡¯t be so calm as he looked when Derek took her away yesterday.But he couldn¡¯t figure out he was the unlucky guy again. Charles held a grudge against Christina secretly. ¡°Christina borrowed his phone to call you.That might be the case.¡± Chandler took a look at Charles and sympathized with him. He continued in a calm voice, ¡°I also found six properties under Derek¡¯s name in A City.Do you need to follow them¡­¡± Patrick remained in silence. But when he heard Chandler¡¯s words, he impatiently took off the gloves of his hands, threw them into the center of the stage, and strode down the stage. Charles heaved a big sigh of relief. Chandler looked at him and couldn¡¯t withdraw hisughter. ¡°Get that witch back!¡± Charles waved his fists and mouthed. Chandler shrugged at him. They all knew that Patrick must know where she was and it was his call whether to get her back or not. Patrick, who was such a possessive man, couldn¡¯t feel worse anymore. Watching his woman leave with someone else voluntarily distressed him. If he ordered to get Christina back immediately, she would be in trouble. The culprit ran away.He could only vent his anger on his friends. But Patrick was in a bad mood, which led to bad consequences. Chandler worried about his personal safety. He said after a moment of thought, ¡°When you called Christina back yesterday, it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to answer it.Betty stopped her, I suppose.¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chandler was much smarter than Charles. He was very observant and knew what to say to make peoplefortable. At least he knew he couldn¡¯t fuel Patrick¡¯s anger. He learned the lesson from the day he graduated from college when he and Patrick had a match. As a result, he had been lying in the hospital for a month. When Patrick heard what he said, he stopped and looked back at Chandler. He said, ¡°Put theputer on the table:¡± With that, his cold face seemed to soften a little and he went straight into the bathroom in the inner room. Charles, who was not in a mood to take a shower, stood up from the boxing table, and his feet felt weak. He staggered down the stage, found a booth to sit down, grabbed a mineral water and gulped it down. Noticing that Patrick was not around, he scold unhappily, ¡°Damn it, I will be killed by Christina sooner or Chandler sat opposite him, turned on theptop, and teased as he worked on it, ¡°Charles, you don¡¯t have to worry.ording to your mom, you will never be defeated by any troubles.¡± ¡°Chandler! Stop talking nonsense.It¡¯s killing me!¡± Charles retorted with a long face. ¡°It¡¯s your honor to get punched for Christina.¡¯¡¯ Chandler looked gentle though, only those who were familiar with him knew how scheming he was. ¡°Forget about it.She almost screwed me over¡­¡¯¡¯ Charles said in anger, ¡°Her auntie is even worse.What¡¯s wrong with Betty? I can¡¯t believe she fought with the Hopkins family directly and pped Christina.¡± At this point, Charles was still a little incredulous. He always found pleasure in seeing Christina crying. But what Betty had done was unbelievable, making Patrick, as well as them, furious. Patrick couldn¡¯t bear to scold Christina no matter how angry he was, but she was pped by an outsider. ¡°Christina would be angry with Patrick for days if he scolded her.But she left with others after being pped.In front of her aunt, she is a total pushover, unlike the person when she is with us.Why Betty seems to be against the Hopkins family?¡± ¡°Betty might not have any hatred for Hopkins family¡­¡± Chandler couldn¡¯t figure it out either. His eyes fell on theputer screen. These were all the new information that Patrick had asked him to look up, but the file about Betty was very short. All he could know was that she used to be a daughter of a wealthy family and it had nothing to do with Hopkins family at all. ¡°But Betty¡¯s attitude that day was so resolute that it was obvious that she wanted Christina to break up with Patrick¡± As soon as Charles finished speaking, a loud bang came from the cold door of the club and a tall man came in.They all wondered who could it be.Charles and Chandler turned around warily, and asked in surprise, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for Patrick!¡± Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Patrick came out of the bathroom of club.Just now, he had boxing with Charles, but he was still very upset.He put on the clothes that the club had specially prepared for him. It was a tailored dark purple shirt. His outstanding figure revealed a low-key nobility and his short hair was still dripping.He looked at the uninvited guest with a cold expression.It was Cory. Patrick did not have much emotion in his eyes. He sat directly in the booth next to Chandler and read the information on theputer screen. Hepletely pretended that the guest did not exist. ¡°Cousin, I have something important to tell you today!¡± Cory was angry. Patrick still ignored him as before. Charles had just been beaten up, and his body was pained. He leanedzily against the booth and nced at Cory. He thought Cory was another reckless person. Even if Patrick didn¡¯t say anything, his cold aura should have told him that he was in a bad mood at the moment. It was better not to bother him now. When they saw Cory, he and Chandler both wanted to kick him out, but they had a sinister idea. Patrick was still angry, so it was good to take his anger out on Cory. The club was closed today. There was an echo in the huge space. The cold space was very quiet at this time, with only the sound of the keyboard. Patrick was busy browsing through the information on the screen, still ignoring his cousin. Cory looked a little worried. He took a big step forward and raised his voice angrily. ¡°Patrick, I¡¯m here to see you today!¡± He didn¡¯t want to call him cousin anymore since Patrick, the talented son of the Hopkins family, had never taken his rtives seriously. Cory¡¯s sound was probably a little loud and annoying. Only then did the man in the booth raise his head slightly and nced at Cory unhappily, ready to throw him out. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you been working at the headquarters of IP&G Group recently? My mother said you took a year off.Why?¡± Seeing that Patrick finally looked at him, Cory asked the main point directly. ¡°Cory, you came all the way here to care about your cousin.It¡¯s arare scene.¡¯ Charles teased and gloated at the side. Cory had be more steady in the past six months. He used to be toopetitive and always liked topare with his cousin but always lost badly every time. After Christina¡¯s matter, he became more steady. He ignored Charles¡¯s provocation and looked straight at Hopkins family¡¯s only grandson. He repeated, ¡°Why did you take such a long leave?¡± The Hampton family annoyed him, so he had been running out for the past six months and only came back from Munichst month. His mother, Laurie, was happy to tell him that grandpa had personally ordered Patrick to leave all the business of the IP&G Group. In the following whole year, several vice presidents, his mother, and other aunts were in charge of the whole group¡¯s business. This was unusual. ¡°Patrick, are you sick?¡± Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been idle for so long. The man in the booth who was browsing theputer screen paused. Charles, who was sitting in the opposite seat, raised his eyebrows. It seemed that Cory was not so stupid. ¡°I found out that Christina¡¯s aunt went to Hopkins family to make a big fuss yesterday, and Betty took her away¡­¡± Cory continued, and when the man who hadpletely ignored him heard Cory mention the name Christina, he suddenly became angry and showed a cold expression. Cory clearly saw Patrick¡¯s angry and said proudly, ¡°It seems that Christina¡¯s aunt doesn¡¯t like you at all¡± Patrick closed hisptop impatiently and looked up coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t force me to do something about your Hampton family business.¡± Even if he didn¡¯t participate in the IP&G Group, it would be easy for him to take down apany that he disliked. Cory stood up straight and his face turned pale. Of course, he knew what Patrick could do. His mother had taught him since he was a child to fawn on his cousin, let alone to oppose him. ¡°Patrick, don¡¯t be too arrogant.I told you there must be someone in this world who will make you fall!¡± Cory¡¯s face darkened with anger and he cursed angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t care why you left the IP&G Group.I just want to know if you¡¯re implicating Christina.Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know.I sent someone to check.The strange text messages Christina received, the takeaway withxatives, and being hurt at the hospital, all of these were aimed at you.¡± ¡°Patrick, you said she¡¯s my sister-inw now so I don¡¯t have the right to care about her.But what about you? You¡¯ll only hurt her when she¡¯s with you!¡± His words kept echoing in the cold and empty clubhouse¡­ Hearing this, Charles became nervous and didn¡¯t know how dare Cory to say that. He carefully turned to Patrick and saw Patrick¡¯s dark face. Patrick clenched the silver-greyptop in his right hand, his veins throbbing in his fists. To Charles¡¯s surprise, he didn¡¯tsh out. ¡°Patrick is too cruel and cold.He¡¯s not suitable for you.He must have a purpose in marrying you.He¡¯s tooplex and even many elders in the circle can¡¯t see through him.Christina, Patrick will hurt you.¡± At 5:00 in the afternoon, inte autumn, the sun gradually fell, and the hazy golden afterglow shone N?velDrama.Org is the owner. into the exquisite independent vi. Betty was persuading Christina. The two of them sat at the dining room table in front of the kitchen. Christina was wearing an apron and a small basket was ced between her legs. She lowered her head and skillfully dealt with vegetables, removing some withered leaves and old stems. She looked very focused as if she had not heard Betty¡¯s instructions at all. Her aunt, Betty, was much calmer today. This morning, she was taken to the market to buy vegetables and fish. She also apanied Betty to buy a lot of oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar. Her aunt seemed to like living a simple and peaceful life like this, and even now she spoke gently. Betty patiently told her a lot. She just listened quietly and did not agree or refute. Christina sorted out the vegetables in the basket and looked up. Just then, Betty stood up from the chair opposite her and reached out to take the small basket. ¡°I¡¯ll go wash up.Sit still.The water is cold.It¡¯s troublesome for you to be pregnant and have a cold.¡± As he spoke, Betty turned around and walked into the kitchen, turning on the tap to wash the vegetables. Christina did not rush to work.She sat still and looked at the busy figure in the kitchen, feeling a little ufortable.Though her aunt scolded and hit her, she was worried about her. Chapter 218 Chapter 218 ¡°I make you a fish soup.Don¡¯t eat the fish when you have the soupter.There are too many fishbones.I put wolfberries and ginger slices to avoid the fishy smell.If you don¡¯t like the red dates, you can pick them up¡­¡± Betty knew Christina¡¯s preference very well. She was busy killing fish, washing the stew pot, and adding Chinese herbs into it. In the meantime, she turned around to remind Christina. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make it for me.I¡¯m not so picky now.¡± Christina was a little ashamed. Auntie, who was the daughter of the Eisenhower family, had been taken good care of since she was a child. When they first left the Dickens family, their food was really hard to swallow. After so many years of training, Christina¡¯s own cooking skills were still very poor, but Betty was proficient in all kinds of home-cooked dishes. She was good at baking cakes, making desserts and sweet water. ¡°I¡¯ve worked so hard to learn this.If I don¡¯t cook for you, who shall I cook for?¡± Betty turned on the range hood very skillfully in the kitchen. She was stewing the soup on the one side, and took out the beef marinated this morning for frying on the other side. The afterglow in the west dimmed bit by bit. Christina looked at the setting sun and felt a touch of happiness. Life was like this. Ordinary people, who were not good at those gorgeous and touching words, could touch people¡¯s hearts with simple words in an instant. In fact, like Betty, Christina did not expect to be rich and powerful. She was satisfied with a self-sufficient life. ¡°When you married Cory in the past, I had expressed my disapproval.Those people¡¯s life circle was too pregnant for a few months.If I had known it earlier, I wouldn¡¯t let you keep the baby¡­¡± Betty¡¯s voice came from the kitchen again. She was obviouslyining but was not so angry. The steak was quickly fried. Christina, who smelled the aroma, got up to fetch a te from the disinfection cab and handed it over. Betty took the te tacitly and said casually. ¡°Christina, you still have a long life ahead of you.Can you live with Patrick for the rest of your life?¡± Christina froze on the spot in a daze and did not answer. Betty was a little angry when seeing her expression, but after all, she was her niece. If there were any faults, they must be attributed to those surnamed Hopkins. She quickly arranged the aromatic steaks and asked Christina to bring them to the table. Christina hurried to the table with two tes of steak as if to evade the question. Then Betty quickly cooked a te of green vegetables and a te of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The fish soup was not ready yet. So she came out with two simple dishes. ¡°Listen to my words and take my advice.Don¡¯t y dumb.¡± Betty knew Christina¡¯s temperament very well. ¡°Oh¡± Christina set the table by preparing two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks. Since Derek didn¡¯te to eat, the two could pay no attention to table manners. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. They were much more at ease now than in the Hopkins family. Christina picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of tomato into her mouth. When chewing it, she replied perfunctorily. ¡°You are such a picky eater that you don¡¯t even eat eggs.You need nutrition when you¡¯re pregnant.¡± Betty also sat down, took arge porcin spoon, and added a spoonful of scrambled eggs with tomatoes in Christina¡¯s bowl. Christina poked the eggs with her chopsticks as she didn¡¯t want to eat them, but she didn¡¯t dare to refuse. So she swallowed them expressionlessly. There were few people who could deal with Christina, and Betty was one of them. Betty examined her bitter face which looked as if she was taking poison, feeling a little angry and a little amused. ¡°I¡¯ve already told Derek not to be too amodating to you.Sometimes he should be harsh to you¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t teach him a bad lesson.¡± She was a little surprised and did not understand why her aunt suddenly talked about this. Betty was also not in a good mood when talking about Derek, because she had told Christina not to bully Derek all day long and Derek not to be too good-tempered many times. Nevertheless, they were still the same, one willing to beat and another willing to be beaten. ¡°Tell me, which man in the second-generation circle is loyal? None.Just see how much love and affection Donald used to have with your mother.Even your grandfather praised Donald as a good son- inw.Butter Donald became rich and powerful while the Eisenhower family declined.He found a young and beautiful lover, Connie.Once a man changes his mind, he can do anything cruel.Donald said that your mother caused Connie to miscarry and sent her to prison.He did such ungrateful thing just for a lover.¡¯ Though many years had passed, they still felt the hatred when they talked about it again despite their calm eptance of the fact. Chapter 219 Chapter 219 ¡°Christina, auntie is not making things difficult for you.I want you to face the reality clearly.You and I both know how harsh life could be.People will look down on you if you don¡¯t have money, but are you sure you are happy once you live a luxurious life?¡± ¡°The gap of social status between you and Patrick is enormous.No matter how well he treats you now, I know that you must be very humble in your heart even if you don¡¯t tell me.You have to be rmed when there is a trivial disturbance in a rich family.You can¡¯t put all your hopes on a man.He will eventually change.Who can guarantee that he will still treat you like this in the future? Once he changes, Christina, you can only beg him.Auntie knows that this kind of love is not what you want.¡± The fish soup in the kitchen was boiling and gurgling. Christina was also astonished at this moment. In fact, Betty really knew her.Christina had never expected to climb up to a family like the Hopkins family. At first, she knew very well that those were not what she wanted, butter¡­ She put down her chopsticks and her eyes darkened as she couldn¡¯t rify what happenedter. Betty nced at the boiling fish soup in the kitchen, straightened her body, and suddenly reached out her right hand to hold Christina¡¯s hand. Her aunt¡¯s hand was very soft and gentle, holding Christina¡¯s hand in the palm. A happy feeling of being loved by the elder gushed out in Christina¡¯s heart. ¡°Christina, think it through yourself.I won¡¯t force you, but the Hopkins family is an abyss.Don¡¯t fall into it.That ce really doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Her aunt was as quiet and gentle as ever, and a piece of sincere advice fell into Christina¡¯s heart. After taking out the fish soup, the two filled half a bowl of rice and began to eat dinner. Betty did not mention the Hopkins family anymore. Instead, she talked about the days she spent in the sanatorium and said that she had recovered so that there was no need for Christina to worry about her health. A simple dinner made her feel at home. After dinner, Christina wanted to help wash the dishes but was stopped by Betty. ¡°I¡¯ve been sick for so many years, and now I¡¯m finally getting better.I must do something more now.We ald people like to prove that we¡¯re still useful by doing more things.I enjoy it very much.¡± ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re only in your early 40s.You are not old people at all.The men in pursuit of you still make a long line.¡± The two of them teased each other and the atmosphere became much more light-hearted. There were plenty of avable fruits in autumn. Christina cut some pieces of durians and washed some grapes so that they could eat them while watching TV in the living room. She and Betty watched those soap operas about family ethics and spent time chatting andughing. It had been a long time since she experienced the precious life of an ordinary familyst time. Christina found that her aunt still took good care of her despite her dislike for the baby of the Hopkins family. As soon as it turned 10 o¡¯clock, her aunt asked her to go to bed. It would be desirable if her aunt liked Patrick too. Suddenly, such an idea shed in her mind. ¡°Christina, when we leave here and start a new life, everything will be fine.¡± Betty helped her close the door of the guest room and said gently. Christina didn¡¯t know how to respond for a moment until the door was closed. She looked at the closed door, lost in her thoughts. There was a small balcony to the east of the guest room. She turned and walked towards it. The autumn wind was cool, and the night sky was dark without any moonlight. In the east, there was half a mountain faintly looming. That was the Hopkins family. She stared nkly in that direction for a long time. There was a feeling constrained in her heart, which was unforgettable, and difficult to unravel. She was concerned about what he was doing now¡­ ¡°Mr.Hopkins.¡± In the Eastern Garden of the Hopkins family, the door of the main bedroom on the second floor was knocked on a few times. Nanny Faang came in with a cup of ginseng soup. Just as she opened the door, she stopped with astonishment. ¡°Mr.Hopkins.¡± She hesitated for a moment and called out again. The man, who had been standing quietly in front of the French Windows, suddenly came back to his senses.He turned around and nced at the empty big bed, only to find she was not there.There was a