The CEO's Mischievous Little Bride

Vera sat at the foot of the bed. "I said wherever you go, that's where my home is."

Patrick grinned. "Ready to come with me now?"

"Of course, who else would I go with? We're a couple. But honestly, we should move. It's fine now, but living together for decades, conflicts will happen. "Randall's 21 now. He'll get married and settle down here. It wouldn't be right for all of us to stay.

"We have Cherry Villa. It's spacious and nice. It might be quieter, but it'll be cozy."

Patrick nodded, knowing she had thought it all through. He felt the same way.

"It's nice here, but if you want to play with Shawn, you can bring him to Cherry Villa," Patrick said.

Vera agreed. "Yeah, and Brianna can easily come over to help. Cindy's great, but no one takes care of me like Brianna."

Living at Olteran Manor would make it hard for Brianna to help out.

Just then, Warren called Patrick.

Patrick answered, "Hey, Warren."

Vera leaned in to eavesdrop, which amused Patrick. She was being playful again.

He put the call on speaker. "Go ahead, Warren."

Warren was checking on Vera's health. "How's Vera? Isn't she due for a checkup this week?"

Vera grabbed the phone. "I'm fine, Dad. Shawn, Cindy, and Patrick take good care of me. Even Randall came back today and said I'm in good spirits. Are you with Mom?" "We're together."

Brianna's voice chimed in. "Don't just eat and not exercise. Walk around more. You're at home waiting for the baby, so don't waste your time."

Vera nodded. "Okay."

Patrick whispered, "I'll go with you to see Brianna and Warren this week."

Vera quickly told Warren, "Dad, Mom, after my checkup this week, I'll come see you."

Warren asked, "What do you want to eat? Brianna can prepare it."

Vera pressed her lips, contemplating her choices.

After chatting, Patrick took Vera to the bathroom.

Patrick's concern was always unspoken. He worried about her slipping on the wet floor and, without her noticing, had covered the entire bathroom floor with mats. Since she'd been pregnant, she took her showers first, leaving Patrick to clean up afterward. He always made sure the bathroom was spotless for her, never letting her lift a finger.

By the time Vera used the bathroom again, not a single hair was out of place.

Every time Vera tilted her face and pouted, Patrick would bend down and kiss her.

But Vera didn't realize that evening intimacy was a tricky thing, even a gentle kiss could be too much.

Patrick restrained himself, fists clenched, and whispered hoarsely, "Let's not have another child; one is enough."

He couldn't stand having Vera so close without being able to make love.

He had tried to endure it, but after they had been intimate in the study a few days ago, the longing for her was overwhelming.

He was losing control.

Vera's breathing got heavier. She asked, "Will you help me with my thesis?"

"Only if you make love with me every day."

The Miller family had been having fierce arguments lately. The next day at work, Ellie called Molly into her office and advised, "You should avoid Alan."

Molly reminded her, "Mom, we have no contact."

Ellie nodded. "That's good."

"What's going on with the Miller family?" Molly asked out of boredom.

During lunch, Ellie filled her in. "Jesse and Dawn are going through a nasty divorce. Jesse had an affair and even fathered a child. During the lawsuit, Dawn demanded he leave with nothing. When she lost the case, she stormed the courtroom, cursing out the judge and accusing him of taking bribes. She's even trying to get Jesse arrested, claiming he's corrupt."

"Mom, is Dawn really that clueless?" Molly asked bluntly, "I used to think she was just a tough cookie, but clearly, I gave her too much credit.

"Forget whether Jesse actually bribed anyone doesn't she realize her accusations are just making things worse for Alan? If Alan ever needs a favor from any officials, knowing what Dawn has stirred up, who would dare help him? "And her bragging about reporting Jesse? It's common sense that any investigation into Jesse is going to tank the company's stock price. Ultimately, it's her money on the line, too."

Ellie looked at Molly, feeling prouder. "You get it so clearly. And Dawn, at fifty, can't seem to figure it out."

Molly asked, "Why didn't Jesse divorce her earlier?"

Ellie explained, "Jesse built his company from scratch. It's co-owned by Dawn. If they divorced, the assets would be divided. The company was in its growth phase, and they couldn't afford any financial outflow, so he endured it." Molly's mind wandered. "Mom, if you and Timothy got divorced, would the money be split equally?"

Ellie knocked on Molly's head. "I was just about to praise you, but now I want to hit you."

"Well, if I end up inheriting your company and then divorce my husband, what happens then? Just kidding..." She trailed off, noticing Ellie's raised hand and feeling a bit nervous.

While eating, Ellie mentioned Sebastian. "Sebastian doesn't even come home anymore since you've been away."

Molly smiled. "He's busy catching bad guys. He said once he catches them all, he'll take me out to have fun."

Ellie sighed, "Molly, do you have any good friends you could introduce to Sebastian? I wasn't worried before, but now I'm starting to get concerned."

Molly shrugged. "My friends? Vera is waiting to give birth; Randall is a guy. I don't have any other friends."

Ellie was speechless. "Forget it, I can't count on you."