Mya, who had repeatedly called Madelyn's name, ran over to her. She was holding a basket of strawberries and smiling brightly. She ran so quickly that the wind ruffled her hair. Madelyn slowed down to wait for Mya. Mya reached Madelyn's side and said, "Why are you so late today? I've been waiting for you for so long. Quick. try these strawberries. My family grew these!"As Madelyn opened her mouth to speak, a strawberry was shoved into her mouth. She bit off half of it and said, "Thank you. It's delicious."Mya tirelessly talked by Madelyn's ear. For the past few days, Mya had been bothering Madelyn a lot. Apart from attending classes, she would go looking for Madelyn immediately after classes. Madelyn wondered if Mya had nothing else to do.Madelyn just continued walking and rarely responded to what Mya said. She did not want Mya to get too close to her, since she believed that things would not end well for anyone who got too close to her. She remembered that Zach had once used Mya

Madelyn responded, "Actually, leaving might be a good thing for him. I can't meddle in their issues. Forrest has done so much for me, and I'm going to repay it all slowly. As a friend, I genuinely hope he can start fresh and have a better life in his new place."She added, "From Ethan's point of view, in our current relationship, I shouldn't have any contact with all of you. I shouldn't even bring up anything about Forrest. Ethan made an exception because of me, and I don't want to let him down."I'm very sorry about Forrest leaving. But I believe you all will meet again someday."He'll find happiness."People saw things differently. Some thought Ethan had driven Forrest away without mercy. But Ethan needed family and loved ones around, too. It's all about how you look at it.George once told Madelyn that she was Ethan's only family now.When Forrest and Sylvia were sent abroad, Owen angrily went to the Arnold residence and slapped Ethan. The next day, Owen went overseas with the

Madelyn and Ethan stared out of the car window at the passing scenery. Neither of them spoke.They soon reached the Arnold residence. When the car stopped, Ethan hurriedly got out before Madelyn. He was acting strangely distant, unlike before.Madelyn did not know what was wrong with him. She then got out of the car and walked toward the entrance.As soon as they entered the house, a servant approached, "Mr. Arnold, Ms. Jent, the food's ready."Ethan did not even spare the servant a glance and just went straight upstairs. He seemed really upset, but nobody knew why.The servant took Madelyn's school bag and asked, "Ms. Jent, what's wrong with Mr. Arnold?"Madelyn shook her head, "Serve the meal on a tray. I'll take it upstairs to him later."The servant responded, "Okay."Madelyn carried the meal and went to the study. She knocked on the door. But she did not get a response. So, she just entered the room anyway. The vintage study room was filled with a thick tobacco smell. Etha

In front of the French windows, the sunlight cast its final glow. Madelyn kept her head down, buttoning Ethan's nightshirt."When you graduate, let's announce our engagement," said Ethan.Ethan watched her closely, and her fingers paused on the buttons for a few seconds. After a while, he heard her reply, "Sure."But the next day, the entire Ventropolis was buzzing with the news:[Arnold Corporation CEO to Marry the Daughter of the Jent Family][Good News on the Horizon: Arnold Corp's CEO to Announce Engagement with Jent Family's Daughter][Exclusive Scoop: Congrats, Arnold Corp's CEO, on Your Upcoming Nuptials]On the way to school, Ethan held the newspaper she had picked up today. The headlines were hard to ignore."I'm not ready yet," Madelyn admitted.Madelyn was dressed in her school uniform, with her backpack on her lap. Her long hair was tied up with a green ribbon, and a few loose curls framed her face. She looked at Ethan and said, "I'm not ready for the official an

"Thanks," Madelyn replied.Kennedy interjected, "These notes won't really help you. Like Mr. Newton says, practice more, and if you don't get it, just ask.""Okay."The bell for the next class rang.But Madelyn had her own secret plans. She believed there was more than one way to reach her goal. What she was doing, she did for herself.As soon as the first class ended, Madelyn sneaked away to the same spot she'd been visiting a lot lately. 'I can make it happen in a month...'..."Engaged? Wishful thinking," Zach muttered as he ripped the newspaper in his hand, tearing the picture of Ethan and Madelyn right down the middle."Where's Donna Jolie?" he asked.Kevin replied, "She's doing what you told her. We should catch the news this afternoon. But Donna shelled out a lot to hire a hacker to trace our last phone call. She wants to figure out who's pulling the strings behind the scenes."Zach removed his gold-rimmed glasses, leaned back, and crossed his left leg over the right o