Avery leaned back. "What did Julian do to provoke you?"Still fuming over the morning's events, Luna felt her anger rising again. "He had someone spread rumors at school, saying Mason doesn't have a father and is trying to find one by targeting others' dads!"She took a deep breath to steady herself and continued, "The rumors claim I've set my sights on Mason's classmate's father.""Is Zach the classmate?" Avery asked.Luna snapped, "Yes! He even said that I think Shayne is great, so I seduced him even knowing he was married. In just one year, I supposedly destroyed what was once a happy family by making them divorce, and I became his new wife."She clenched her fist. "There were a few parents in Mason's class who used to get along with me. But today, after dropping their kids off, they suddenly started finding excuses to avoid me. "And they're even telling their husbands to keep their distance! They've really started treating me like some homewrecker who steals other people's h
Luna asked softly, "Can you?"Shayne didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked expressionlessly, "Have you considered that if I get involved, people who love stirring up trouble might start digging into my past? When that happens, my history with Aralyn will no longer stay hidden."If it came to that, the criticism against Luna would only grow harsher and more relentless.Luna gradually sat up, her expression turning serious as well. Shayne Increased the distance between them subtly.Luna turned to him and asked, "Then what do you think I should do about this?""It's simple. Watch Julian's attitude," Shayne said flatly.Luna was unwilling to accept this but couldn't think of a better solution, so she reluctantly agreed, "Fine."…After I finished the tasks for the day, I glanced at the clock. It was already 3:00 pm. My pace was much faster than usual.Feeling incredulous, I quickly opened the draft to double-check. After carefully reviewing it, I found nothing wrong.Julian n
Amber had been fuming since returning home.How could her own son speak to her like that? It took her the entire night to calm down. Once she finally regained her composure, she called Alice.Over the phone, she said, "Julian only sees Aralyn as a nanny. Don't overthink it. He doesn't like her at all."Alice didn't believe a word of it. She had clearly seen the way Julian looked at Aralyn that day. Usually, he looked at people who didn't matter to him coldly and emotionlessly. But it was different with Aralyn. When Julian looked at her, his eyes were warm and affectionate.If that wasn't love, what could it be? Hatred?Alice was beautiful and came from a good family. Many men admired her, but she wasn't interested in most of them.When she finally found someone she genuinely liked, she even swallowed her pride to pursue Julian, but Julian remained unmoved.She had given up on him. "This has nothing to do with me!"She was convinced she'd find someone even better than Julian.
Back in the office, I handed the coffee I had just bought to Julian.Julian paused his work and took the coffee. Smiling, he said, "Thank you.""You're welcome," I replied, leaning against the desk.He took a sip and then frowned.Noticing his expression, I quickly asked, "What's wrong?"He explained that he always got his coffee from the café downstairs and usually ordered this exact one. I even ensured the staff added milk and sugar per his preference. I had made sure to remind them of every detail to ensure it matched his usual order perfectly.But judging by his reaction, something seemed off."It just tastes… better than usual." Julian took another sip, savoring the richer, smoother flavor."Could they have started using better coffee beans?" he speculated.I shook my head. "I have no idea."Julian thought for a while before instructing Mark to order another cup of the same coffee for comparison.Within about ten minutes, the new cup of coffee was delivered to his desk.
"She said it didn't hurt Willow that deeply with the rumor, right? Let's hope she feels the same when the same thing happens to her son."I nodded. "I feel at ease that you have a plan.""What if I didn't?" Julian asked.Chuckling, I responded, "You're so smart, and you care so much about Willow. There's no way you'd stand by and let her be wronged."When Julian heard this, his eyes softened.…At the kindergarten entrance, Luna showed up especially early today when normally, she would arrive quite late.As soon as Julian and I arrived, she hurried over to us.Though furious, Luna had no choice but to lower her head. "Mr. Hughes, because of the rumors you spread, my son is being ostracized at school.""Well, he's not that affected," Julian replied coldly, tucking one hand in his suit pocket. His eyes were frosty and devoid of any warmth.Without thinking, Luna retorted, "How could you say that? None of the kids dare approach him anymore. He was so upset he lay on his desk sob
"What are you standing there for?" Luna asked sharply.At first, Zach would feel upset when she talked to him like that, but now he had grown used to it.He walked out of the gate sternly. "You're here to pick up your son, not me."Mindful of the other parents around, Luna tried not to lose her composure. "Can't I pick up both of you?""If you could, then why didn't you bring me along when you picked up Mason before? Now that I have a driver picking me up, I only go with you when I feel like it," Zach retorted.Luna took a deep breath to steady herself, but before she could compose her emotions, Zach had already climbed into the car and shut the door.The car sped away, leaving her behind.…Noah glanced at Luna's twisted expression through the rearview mirror and spoke hesitantly. "What do we tell Mr. Pearce for leaving her?" After all, his paycheck came from Shayne, and Luna was Shayne's wife. He worried Luna might badmouth him, putting his job at risk."Don't worry. I'll
I looked at her and asked, "What are you thinking about?""I just suddenly realized that whether it's Zach or Mason targeting me, you and Daddy were always the ones who handled things for me. I've never really solved anything by myself," Willow said in a low tone.Julian held Willow's hand. "You're still a kid. Of course, you can rely on us."Actually, he wished he could do even more for Willow. After all, it was just a matter of years before she went to university. She might even move to another city.By then, even if he wanted to help her, he wouldn't be able to."But I'll grow up. That's why I want to work on becoming more independent now." Willow shared her thoughts."Having that kind of mindset already shows that you're growing up, Willow!" I encouraged her.Willow giggled. "But there's a problem right now.""Oh?""I can't talk to other people," she said softly.She had been trying very hard to change. At kindergarten, when she saw Cynthia, she reminded herself to greet
"It's okay, Mommy. I can pretend that I'm the only kid in kindergarten. If they don't want to play with me, I won't feel upset," Mason uttered sensibly.The more he said things like this, the more heartbroken Luna felt. Her resentment toward Julian grew deeper.…The car stopped at the entrance.I was surprised to see Willow's grandparents standing at the door. I turned to look at Julian.Julian got out of the car to greet them. "What brings you here?"The last time we visited them, Willow's grandmother—Lilia Dale—had still been lying in a hospital bed, looking frail."She woke up a few days ago and heard that Willow came to visit her at the hospital. That really lifted her spirits. Now that she's finally well enough to leave the hospital, she wanted to come and see Willow, Gabriel explained."We're not disturbing you, are we?"Gabriel sounded a little worried. "If we are, then we can leave right away."When Gabriel was already supporting Lilia to leave, Julian quickly said,
Luna was just that attractive to men.She couldn't stop smiling at the thought."Then what kind of men do you think would like me?" Yasmin asked.Luna was momentarily stumped as she looked Yasmin up and down. Even though Yasmin was the same age as Aralyn, she lacked Aralyn's composure and calmness.Instead, she seemed a bit foolish.Luna found Yasmin somewhat annoying, but she didn't show it.She just smiled faintly and said, "Probably more mature and experienced men."Yasmin pressed her lips together. Those kinds of men were usually older, and she wasn't interested in them.Of course, Luna knew what Yasmin was thinking about but didn't show it. "I think most men aren't worthy of you, of course. Someone like Julian is just right.""That's right!" Yasmin agreed instantly.Luna nodded. "Yeah."Frowning, Yasmin muttered, "But the men who are worthy of me don't like me.""With diligence and persistence, anything is possible," Luna answered patiently.After finishing work, teas
Shayne had no other way to relieve his feelings now.Although drinking could make him forget Aralyn, he would feel like his heart had been hollowed out the very next day. It was unbearably miserable.Hence, he wanted to meet Zach. Zach was one of the few family members he had in this world.Once Shayne made the decision, he drove to Zach's place.…Luna never knew that pregnancy could be so exhausting. The animation project had just ended, but she had to design drafts for trendy toys now. She was dead tired.And now, someone was knocking on the door in the middle of the night.Luna opened the door.The person standing at the door was Yasmin, someone she had seen on TV.Recently, Luna had also learned a bit about Yasmin. Although she was rather fierce and seemed immature, she was about the same age as Aralyn."What are you here for?" Luna asked in surprise."To chat with you."Without even waiting for Luna to invite her in, Yasmin walked straight into the living room and s
Julian walked out, having just finished his shower. When he heard my conversation with Willow, he explained, "Your mommy is even more amazing than you think. Tens of millions is actually just a safe guess."Willow's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Wow, she can make even more?"Julian remained composed. "Yeah, these designer toys are selling really well, and they've also boosted sales of related merchandise and some comic books."Willow looked at me with even more admiration.Smiling, I uttered, "It's all thanks to your daddy."However, Julian was humble. "It's clearly because of your own hard work."I didn't deny it.Julian then asked, "The toys you designed yourself are also making a lot of money, right?""I heard from Mark that their sales are catching up to the designer toys. They've also made a huge profit. When the hype starts dying down, I'll release a new set of dolls. Based on my current inventory, I think I can keep the momentum going for at least another year," I s
"Alice doesn't know much, but these manufacturers definitely do. If you contact them and ask for a list, do you think they'll help you?" I asked.Mark hesitated for a moment. If everyone took advantage of this trend and increased production, they could make more money.And the more people knew about it and discussed it, the longer the hype would last, and the more money everyone could earn.Of course, they would be willing to introduce their peers.Once Mark understood this, he excitedly said, "Got it! I'll contact them right away!""Okay." My tone finally relaxed.…Mark was dedicated to this job. He proactively reached out to the factory owners. After explaining the pros and cons to them, he asked them to introduce other factory owners to him.Each of them was enthusiastic. Within just a few dozen minutes, he had already gotten at least ten phone numbers.He called them one by one, explaining his needs.To ease their concerns, he mentioned his referrers and emphasized that
Aralyn had always been the one to soothe them, including Charlotte.Shayne had now come to realize that Charlotte wasn't as great as he had once imagined.It was just that, when Aralyn was by his side, she had been afraid of affecting his work. So, no matter how much trouble Charlotte caused, Aralyn always covered for her.Yet, he refused to cherish the woman who had cared so much for him.Shayne took a deep breath, suddenly feeling exhausted."What's there to think about?" Charlotte asked."In all the years Aralyn was with me, the money she spent didn't even add up to what you both spend in a month, or even a week. Wait, even a day," Shayne said coldly.Charlotte felt that Shayne had become stingy. "But you're supposed to spend the money you make.""My son and wife didn't get to spend it. It all went to you." Shayne's voice was filled with self-mockery.Charlotte was a little annoyed. What did he mean by that?She had worked so hard to raise Shayne. It was only right that he
"Other people don't know the truth, so I can understand if they blame me. But Shayne knows, yet he still blames me!" Charlotte said.Luna sighed. "Don't let others sow discord between you. As for Shayne, he's still dreaming about getting back together with Aralyn. He's probably still hoping to have more children with her."But Aralyn no longer had any interest in Shayne.Luna understood this very well. If she were married to a man like Julian—gentle, rich, handsome, and loving—she wouldn't even consider someone like Shayne.Sure, Shayne was somewhat good-looking, but he was also stingy and emotionally unavailable.The contrast was just too brutal.If Aralyn broke up with Julian and got back together with Shayne, Luna would seriously question whether Aralyn had a mental illness.Charlotte, of course, didn't think her son had done anything wrong. Hence, in her mind, Aralyn was the one at fault."Aralyn must have been secretly contacting Shayne! Otherwise, why would he still be th
"That's right," Julian said.It seemed Donald coming here wasn't entirely in vain. At the very least, he had helped Willow learn something.Julian was extremely pleased.When Donald heard that, his face grew darker, and he tried to explain, "I didn't…"Julian had no interest in listening. After years of navigating the business world, he could tell a person's intentions the moment they spoke.Not wanting to waste time on Donald's nonsense, Julian uttered, "It's late. My daughter needs to sleep. You should leave."Donald was forced to swallow all the words he wanted to say.He stared at Julian in a daze for a long time. But in the end, he could only leave.Once he disappeared from the living room, Julian asked, "Can you guess why he went through all this trouble?""What else could it be? He wants you to think I'm a terrible person and ruin our relationship."Julian's voice grew colder. "If he were only trying to sabotage our relationship, I might call him clever. But he even pu
Mom should have fought a fair and just lawsuit and demanded more money from them.Donald remained silent, unable to say a word."Besides, Mom had a job at the beginning. Even after you two got married, she rarely asked you for money."Honestly, I always felt that my personality was similar to Mom's.Both of us were highly independent."Even after you made Mom a housewife, you rarely gave her money. She spent almost entirely from her own savings. So, can you tell me the 'good things' you've done for me?"Donald hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "I admit, when I was with your mom, I really didn't treat her well. But you wouldn't even exist if it weren't for me. I'm your elder! Even if you ignore everything else, just the fact that I gave you life means you should respect me!"I laughed. "If Mom wasn't with you, she would have been with someone else. And I would still have been born just the same. You're not exactly irreplaceable."Donald stared at me for a long tim
Shayne showed no emotion, yet it struck Charlotte like a bolt of lightning.Charlotte's lips moved. After a long time, she finally said, "I never expected things to turn out this way.""Not expecting it means you can wash your hands of responsibility?" Shayne mocked coldly.Charlotte didn't know what to say."No, you can't. Zach won't forgive you, and neither will I. You should just focus on the baby in Luna's belly and live your life," Shayne added.Before he could hang up, Charlotte hurriedly said, "But didn't you already forgive us before?""The fact that you can still reach me by phone is proof that I don't hate you."Charlotte let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that."It's just that, for now, I can't forget that I will never be able to have another child for the rest of my life."Charlotte's mood grew heavier.…Donald rushed to Julian's house in the middle of the night.When Julian saw him come in, he was a little surprised.Just as he was about to ask what Donald