Chapter 37: I Just Want To Be Your Son's Stepfather

"I want to marry you and become your son's step- father! I'm willing to accept both him and you in my
life! Ryan spoke in one breath, emphasizing the severity of his determination through his words.

With minimal words to his name, Ryan was able to leave an everlasting impact on Wendy, who became
visibly flustered.

Meanwhile, Luke, who was sneakily eavesdropping on their exchange while remaining hidden in the
kitchen, couldn't help but smile to himself, combusting with excitement. Brilliant! Who said that Ryan
didn't know anything about flirting with women just because he never had girlfriends before? Whoever
with that opinion should come and see for themselves! Watch the spectacle unfold as it tramples on the
presumptuous ideals one once let limit them.

Every sentence he spoke would melt Wendy's heart and dye her cheeks red from delight.

If this wasn't proof enough that they shared the same biological parents, what else could it be? Both
brothers had the same talent for sweet-talking, after all! Luke felt an odd sense of gratification
watching Ryan break out of his shell and take matters into his own hands.

He was like a proud parent, watching their child achieve great heights from the sidelines.

Tearing up from being emotionally overwhelmed, Luke went back to wash the dishes, sighing with
relief.

"I want you to be my girlfriend!"

"No! No, stop! I can't!"

Snapping back to reality, Wendy furiously shook her head, making it a point to prove how bizarre his
wish was.



Taken aback, Ryan frowned and clenched his jaw.

"And why not? What's the reason?"

Wendy slightly trembled, not sure what excuse she could come up with.

Her eyes darted everywhere in the room, avoiding his gaze, searching for a good excuse.

"Uh.That's right! The contract! Falling in love and dating someone is clearly prohibited in the contract! If
I do so, it'll be breaking the rules.Therefore, I can't!"

Taken by surprise, Ryan was rendered speechless.

: How could he have never thought of that before putting such a condition into effect? After all, it was
he who suggested such terms in the first place.

Never did he think this would come to backfire on him someday.

Refusing to give up, Ryan clenched his fists and pressed further, "You don't have to worry about the
restrictions of the contract.I'll deal with them."

"No way! Even if you somehow managed to change the terms and conditions of the contract, I'll still
refuse to be with you!"

Ryan's persistence towards his desires was beginning to annoy Wendy.

Every time she would bring up an excuse, he would shut it down with a solution of his own.

"I've already made it clear to you.This cannot happen.You and I can never be together!"

"Just give me a reason why.Don't I at least deserve to know that?"



Unbothered by her claims, Ryan continued to push for a reason for turning him down.

At his demand for an explanation, Wendy sighed to herself and forcefully adorned a bitter smile,
struggling to lift the corners of her mouth.

Closing her eyes slowly, she retracted herself from reality and sunk into the unforgiving clutches of her
past, something she thought she had escaped from.

Over the years, Wendy did her best to suppress her mind from trailing back into the past.

She had sworn never to touch this subject for as long as she lived.

After all, reminiscing all that unfolded brought nothing but pain and anguish, consuming her heart with
unparalleled darkness and hatred.

Brian's unfaithfulness...

Eris's devious plotting...

Cacia's crime of murdering her mother...

And the mysterious man she lost her virginity to when she was set up after the wedding...

Subconsciously adding distance between herself and Ryan, she felt the unrelenting grips of her past
strangle her, making it hard to breathe.

Naturally, Wendy felt the temperature around her drop, enveloping her in deep sadness.

"Wendy..."

"Ryan, do you have any idea what I've been through in the past? Do you think you know anything
about the person that I used to be?"



As she questioned him, her tone was calm.

But her eyes shone with contradiction, a hue vouching for the darkness lying dormant within her.

"I don't care about your past.All I care about is your present and your future!"

‘So, you don't care, do you?’ For most people, this would have been a deal-breaker.

But for Wendy, it meant different.

Lowering her gaze, she smiled bitterly, masking her disappointment.

After all, he only made those bold statements because he was unaware of the gravity of the situation.

If he were to find out everything, surely he'd change his mind.

Slumping her back to the wall, Wendy sighed to herself, her shoulders feeling burdened by the air
growing dense around her.

The shadows of the wall swallowed her feeble figure, bearing the claws of darkness into her skin.

Her expression was indifferent yet lonely, closing herself off from anyone who dared approach.

"Maybe you don't, but I do!"

Ryan's eyes were piercing, flashing brilliantly under the light.

But Wendy didn't falter.

She returned his gaze and continued, "If you arranged for me to live here just so you could pursue me,
then it's pointless.I already told you we cannot be together.With that being said, Ray and I will be
moving out as soon as possible.I don't want to overstay my welcome."



With Wendy constantly throwing rejections his way, Ryan tightened his jaw and kept himself from
acting up in response.

After voicing her concerns, Wendy remained quiet, waiting on a response from Ryan.

Within just a few moments, the atmosphere had taken a drastic turn for the worse.

Just a few seconds ago, the room was brewing with happiness, signaling hopes of newfound love
before it was quickly shot down with cold arrows raining down on them from above.

As the lingering silence continued to weigh down on them, Luke suddenly showed up, making his way
out of the kitchen.

He frantically shook his wet hands to dry them exaggeratingly and said, "Ah, I'm finally done with
washing all the dishes.Wendy, I overheard you say you're planning on moving out?"

Faced with a concerned Luke, Wendy remained silent.

"Why would you want to do that? Especially after you just moved in today.Think of how good this is for
both you and Ray.Our families are familiar with one another.Plus, Precious really likes you, and she
wishes to see you every day.I'll be bringing her with me occasionally to have dinner with all of
you.Moreover...You and Ray just came back from abroad.You don't know anyone here except for
Roger, and even he is busy with his commitments these days.Later on, when you have to shoot for a
film, you'll barely have any time to spare yourself.And hypothetically, let's just suppose you do move
out and find another place to stay.Can you guarantee that the security of that place will be any better
than here? Who will look after Ray when you leave for work? He'll be left alone.You won't even be able
to focus since you'll be worried about him all the time."

Lost for words, Wendy couldn't help but agree with everything he said.



"Ray is only four years old.No matter how sensible or obedient you've raised him, he's still a child.And
children need attention.Even if you were to find a nanny...Haven't you seen the news about all those
mean nannies? Who's to say they won't abuse your son? Can you really trust some stranger treating
with him with kindness and affection behind your back? You wouldn't have to worry about any of that if
you lived here though.We're your friends.Besides, Precious and Ray get along well.They're like brother
and sister.And when you head off to work, Precious and Ray could play together till you're back.Maybe
with Precious keeping him occupied, Ray can be more active than he is now."

Stating all possibilities on the tip of his fingers, Luke continued, "Also, there are servants in our house.If
you, at some point, can't make it in time for lunch, Ray can eat whatever is made here by our cook.You
can't keep feeding take-away to a child.He needs proper nourishment.We also have a family doctor.If
anything were to go wrong and he would require medical assistance, it will be swiftly taken care of."

Luke's silver-tongue was starting to work its magic.

Wendy could feel her determination faltering, one statement after another.

Usually, she couldn't care less about others, but Ray was an exception.

If it meant he would be in good hands, she would definitely consider it.

"So, you shouldn't move out.It is in your best interests that you stay here.You wouldn't have to worry
about a thing."

Quickly, Luke wiped his damp hands with a napkin from the dining table and grabbed Ryan's hand in a
rush to leave before Wendy could refuse the offer.

"Well then, it's getting late.We'll be heading off now.Let's call it a day.Please, make yourselves
comfortable.See you later!"



Meanwhile, at the No.1 villa of the Ensfield, Luke tucked Precious into bed, kissing her forehead
goodnight before she dozed off and entered her dream world.

Then, he made his way towards the second floor to Ryan's room.

The moment he opened the door, a whiff of burnt ash filled his lungs, choking him.

The room was enveloped in darkness as Luke ran his gaze, chasing shadows in the dark.

The only source of light was the vivid red flame in front of the French window.

Switching his gaze from Ryan to the French window, Luke walked up to it to take a look.

From the window that extended from the floor till it kissed the ceiling on the second floor, Wendy's room
could be seen clearly.

Her room was brightly lit.

It was clear she hadn't fallen asleep yet.

"Ryan, why don't you go to bed?"

"I'm not tired."

Ryan's slender yet long fingers curled delicately around the cigarette, allowing the ash to fall uselessly
on the floor, refusing to bring the tip near his lips.

"Are you having trouble sleeping again? You haven't had a good night's sleep for several days.I'm
worried for you, you know?"

Hurriedly, Luke looked away, but not before Ryan noticed a flinch of pain across his face.



"Things can't go on like this.I'll call Leo first thing in the morning.He'll come and examine you."

"There's no need for that.I'm fine,"

Ryan protested, frantically waving his free hand in exasperation.

"Ryan, please..."

"If he was so good at his job, I would've been okay years ago.I don't want to waste my time with him.It's
useless."

Luke opened his mouth, but no words come out.

Helplessly, he hung his head and sighed to himself. If that was how Ryan thought, then he couldn't
convince him otherwise.

Luke felt somehow frustrated.

He just tried to help here.

Defeated, Luke put away his phone, focusing his gaze on Ryan after adapting to the darkness.

His expression was wistful, drained, eyes fixated on the window overlooking Wendy's room.

Blending acutely with the dull atmosphere of the room, Ryan looked like a harbinger of despair.

Unable to take in such an unpleasant sight, Luke sighed.

"Ryan! Snap out of it! It's not the end of the world.Look at it this way, you two barely know each other
that well yet.She was probably caught off guard by your sudden confession and didn't know how to
react.It doesn't matter.We have assigned her to Glory Media and made her move into our



neighborhood.You'll have plenty of other chances to deal with this in the future.Trust the process, and
don't lose hope!"

"I know that, okay?"

The only thing on his mind was the depth of emotion he witnessed in her eyes when she spoke of her
past...

How bad could it possibly be? Whatever mysteries she harbored within her, it was clearly burdening
her.

Eyes bright with interest, Ryan quickly put out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Listen, Luke."

"What is it?"

"Find out about her past."

"Huh? Haven't you already run a background check before? Why do you want to do it again?"

On their first encounter with Wendy in the Riverside Restaurant, Ryan had suspected her of harboring
ulterior motives.

Therefore, he had requested a thorough investigation before further proceedings. "This time, I want an
in-depth report, from her childhood to adulthood.Spare no details, minor or major.I want to know
everything."

With the previous rejection fresh in his mind, he was determined to get to the root of the cause.

"Alright, I'm on it!"






62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda