Chapter 1

“Parker, you and Cornelia have been childhood sweethearts since you were little, and you've been married for three years now. Why hasn't there been any movement in your belly yet?” At the weekly Greene family dinner, Mrs. Greene once again urged them to have a baby. Seeing other people's grandchildren, she couldn't help but feel envious, and Mrs. Greene grew increasingly anxious. Cornelia noticed everyone's gaze fixed on her abdomen and felt a moment of embarrassment. She looked at Parker, but he seemed oblivious, his expression was cool and distant. Cornelia's heart sank. She bit her lip, feeling a mix of bitterness and resentment. She and Parker had been married for three years, yet they had always slept in separate rooms. If spoken of such a thing, it would likely be hard for others to believe. But Parker was obsessed with Bible study every day. People in their circle called him the ‘son of God in City Los’ and he truly acted like a pastor, upright and self-restrained, untouched by worldly affairs, refusing to even step into her room. After dinner, Mrs. Greene specially asked the young couple to stay overnight at the old house. Mrs. Greene took Cornelia’s hand and led her to the kitchen, bringing over a bowl of soup. “Cornelia, this soup is for nourishing the body. Make sure Parker drinks it all…” The soup was filled with high-quality herbs, and Cornelia could roughly guess Mrs. Greene’s good intentions, her cheeks flushing with a blush. Cornelia blushed as she took the bowl of soup and nodded. She had deliberately changed into a wine-red strapless nightgown to bring the soup to Parker. The nightgown was form-fitting and sensual, perfectly highlighting her stunning figure. Cornelia held the bowl of warm soup, her fingertips clenched so tightly they turned white. This was her first time doing such a thing, and her heart was pounding uncontrollably. Would he like her like this? Cornelia was confident in her appearance, but when faced with the man she loved, she couldn't help but feel anxious. She took a few deep breaths before gently pushing open Parker's door. “Parker, it's late. It's time to rest.” Parker sat on a cushion with his eyes closed, meditating. The dim warm light cast on his face made him appear even more serene and otherworldly. His long fingers held the Bible, and he recited the scriptures. Cornelia's sudden entrance did not interrupt his rhythm. Seeing this scene, Cornelia felt even more shy. A sense of guilt and excitement arose in her heart, as if she were desecrating a deity. Cornelia bent down and placed the soup on the low tea table beside him. “Mother let the maid to make this is nourishing chicken soup.” Upon hearing her words, Parker happened to open his eyes at that moment. As Cornelia bent down, a glimpse of her figure was exposed, but Parker showed no reaction, merely shifting his gaze away indifferently. “Have some?” Cornelia did not want to miss the opportunity Mrs. Greene had created. She had long harbored feelings for Parker and yearned to take their relationship further. “Put it aside. Go back to your room.” Parker’s tone was cold, completely ignoring the anticipation on Cornelia’s face. Cornelia’s face turned pale and stiff. Mrs. Greene had already urged her many times, and she truly wanted to give birth to a child of their own for Parker. Why wouldn’t he even give her this chance? Was the Bible really that interesting? Cornelia suddenly felt the urge to challenge Parker. She boldly sat down, her fair arms wrapped around his shoulders, about to kiss his lips. But Parker remained unmoved by such a sight, pushing Cornelia away with a dismissive gesture, his eyes filled with annoyance. “This is a place for studying. Are you so shameless?” Cornelia fell to the ground, hearing those words, feeling utterly humiliated. Parker's words felt like slaps to her face, leaving her cheeks burning with pain. She stared blankly for a moment before coming to her senses, overwhelmed by shame and sadness, and finally ran out crying. Cornelia locked herself in her room and cried for a long time. She cried until her voice was hoarse, but in the end, she could only try to compose herself and comfort herself. Parker had studied Bible for many years, and his personality was naturally reserved; he treated everybody like that. They were husband and wife, the closest people in the world. As long as she took it slowly, one day, Parker would see her good qualities… Cornelia wiped away her tears, composed herself, and lay down, inhaling the soothing scent of sandalwood to fall asleep. She told herself not to rush, to take it step by step. Once Parker got used to her being by his side, everything else would fall into place. From that day onward, whatever Parker liked, Cornelia made an effort to learn. He liked tea, so Cornelia picked up the tea ceremony skills she had learned as a child and sought out a teacher to start over from the beginning. Once she mastered the skill, Cornelia immediately went to Parker to demonstrate it. Fearing she might arouse Parker’s disgust again, she simply poured the tea and left without lingering. Seeing that Cornelia hadn’t done anything excessive, Parker didn’t drive her away. The tea she brewed was indeed excellent, leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth and bringing out the full essence of the leaves. Lately, Cornelia had been behaving herself, and Parker gradually accepted her, cautiously testing the waters like a kitten. To have more interaction with Parker, Cornelia also began reading the Bible like him. At first, just seeing those obscure, difficult-to-understand words gave Cornelia a headache, but for Parker’s sake, she had to grit her teeth and copy them. Later, Cornelia began to delve into the meaning of the Bible, using her studies as an excuse to approach Parker and ask him questions. At first, Parker only gave brief explanations, but after studying for a while, Cornelia became smarter and could chat with him a bit. Just when Cornelia thought Parker had grown accustomed to her presence, one day he didn’t return until very late. Such a thing had never happened before. Parker was disciplined and strict about his daily routine, waking up and going to bed at the same time every day. Cornelia was very worried and kept calling Parker, but he never answered. Until her phone suddenly popped up with the latest news. The headline read: [Greene Corporation President Parker seen with a woman late at night, behaving intimately.] Who in the entire circle didn't know that Parker was celibate? How could such an outrageous rumor about him spread? For a moment, Cornelia thought she had seen it wrong, or that the media was just making things up. But when she clicked on the video, what she saw was Parker and a woman kissing passionately in the car window. Parker's face—Cornelia had imagined it countless times in her mind—she couldn't possibly mistake it. What shocked her even more was that in the video, he was clearly moved by emotion, a state she had never seen before! And the woman, tilting her head slightly, revealed a face that left Cornelia speechless.