The first step was to avoid doing anything that would make Shayne uncomfortable, like keeping her distance from him and not touching him.Luna let go of Shayne, who visibly relaxed. "Luna, I know you're upset right now."Luna walked over to the couch and sat down before looking at him, who was standing across from her. "But I understand that I just have to endure it."Shayne stood silently for a moment. "You've been through a lot. How would you like me to make it up to you?"Seeing that stepping back improved Shayne's attitude toward her slightly, Luna sighed in relief. It seemed her spur-of-the-moment decision had been the right one. "You know what I like; just choose something for me.""Alright. Mason must be having a hard time in class lately. What do you plan to do about it?"Luna couldn't think of a solution, and tears welled up in her eyes. But she refused to let them fall. "I don't know."Seeing her on the verge of tears, Shayne said, "I have two options for you."Luna s
I looked at Julian.From what I knew of him, his work ethic was exceptional. No matter the situation, he always approached it with calmness and restraint.I had naturally assumed he lived a relaxed and carefree life, so hearing that he also needed to relieve stress caught me a bit off guard.When Julian didn't get an answer from me, he seemed a little nervous. "Don't you want to? It's okay, then," he said, not wanting to force me.I shook my head. "No, I do.""I'll wait for you, then." Julian smiled."Alright," I replied.…"Mommy! Daddy!"The sound of light, quick footsteps and Willow's cheerful voice rang out simultaneously.I stepped off the balcony. "I'm here."Willow dashed toward me and hugged me tightly. "Dinner's ready! Let's go eat!"Perhaps because it had been so long since she'd spent time with her grandparents, Willow wasn't entirely comfortable being around them for extended periods even though she loved them.At that moment, she seemed noticeably uneasy.I p
Eric gave her the day off, so she didn't need to train.After dinner, she sprawled on the couch. With her head resting on my lap, she watched cartoons.Not wanting to miss out on Willow's growth, Julian put aside his work and sat next to me to watch TV with her.Willow wasn't happy about Julian disrupting her one-on-one time with me. She sat up and looked at him. "Daddy, you have to work to finish. You don't need to stay here with me, or you'll work late again."Julian already prepared his answer. "It's fine. I can handle it at the company tomorrow—it makes no difference.""I know you're worried I'll feel lonely by myself, but I have Mommy with me, Daddy. I won't be lonely," Willow said firmly, trying to justify wanting alone time with me."Nope. Both parents need to be present for the children so they grow into healthy and well-rounded people."Willow puffed out her cheeks in frustration and glared at Julian.In the end, she lay back down on the couch reluctantly, clearly unh
He seemed to have the urge to talk, and all I needed to do was listen and encourage him to continue. "Hmm?"My head was spinning. I raised my hand to rub my temple. I'd never had alcohol before, so I was a little shocked. Was my tolerance this low?Julian watched me. "Ever since I climbed into this position, I've had to focus all my attention on work every single day—planning the company's future, managing its development, and figuring out how to handle crises."Plus, there are other companies eyeing us like hawks. They're practically waiting for mine to collapse so they can take over."And then there was the matter with Willow. He had so much to think about every day.It wasn't until he brought me home to help care for Willow that he started feeling a little relief.I tilted my head as I looked at him. "That's a lot of pressure."Julian just smiled before pouring me another glass.I waved my hand. "I can't drink anymore."Julian sighed. "Alright. We'll stop. But it's only whe
He drove back to the home he had shared with Aralyn for six years and pushed open the door.The house was pitch black.Shayne instinctively called out, "Honey, I'm home. Why didn't you come to greet me? Are you feeling unwell?"As he took a couple of steps, he suddenly remembered that they were divorced.Shayne slumped onto the couch despondently, glancing around the living room. He told himself he shouldn't feel sad.They had been together for so many years, but the person he had always loved was Luna. Now that his dream had come true, he should have been happy. But why couldn't he feel a shred of joy?Shayne placed his hand over his chest. He didn't understand.Just then, his phone buzzed. He answered it absentmindedly—the call was from Luna.In the past, when he came home late and Aralyn called to check on him, he would never say much, but he always secretly looked forward to hearing from her. He would even smile unconsciously. But now, all he felt was irritation. "What?"
Willow pondered for a moment before saying, "Maybe I didn't explain clearly. My goal isn't to suddenly become a normal person who can chat with everyone. I just want to have one person I can talk to."After hearing that, I realized I had misunderstood. "I understand now."With that, I helped her get dressed.Willow took my hand and we went downstairs.Breakfast had been prepared by the chef. The food was rich and nutritious.As Willow ate, she glanced around the room. When it was time to drink milk, she jumped off her seat and approached Derrick, wanting to talk to him.Unfortunately, the words were stuck in her throat. She still couldn't say anything.Willow thought that maybe she simply didn't want to talk to Derrick, so she went over to someone else.The others looked at Willow, confused. What was she doing? After trying everyone, Willow returned to her seat and sighed. "Why can't I talk to anyone?"She couldn't understand.When she spoke to Julian and Aralyn, she felt n
The receptionist saw Alice and smiled, stopping her. "Hello, may I ask if you have an appointment?"This receptionist had witnessed how the guards had thrown her out before, so she knew Julian didn't welcome her. Hence, she couldn't let Alice go upstairs.Alice yawned. "I'm here for Aralyn."The receptionist was stunned. Alice walked straight to the elevator and pressed the close-door button.By the time the receptionist regained her composure, the elevator had already gone up. Her face turned pale. What should she do?…Alice pushed the door open and walked into the office.Julian saw her.Before he could speak, Alice said, "I'm here for Aralyn."I had just opened my laptop and was about to start working on a design when I heard Alice's words.I turned around in surprise.Alice sat right next to me. "Can we add each other on WhatsApp?"Didn't she treat me as her rival just a few days ago?Though I was confused, I still took out my phone and handed it to Alice. Alice add
Alice was fast asleep. I didn't want to affect her rest with any loud movements, so I quietly adjusted her body to lay flat on the couch.I then took my thermos and left the cubicle with Julian. My voice remained soft as I asked, "Where did it come from?""I cooked it at home this morning." Julian's expression remained unchanging as he stood beside me. He sounded a little guilty as he continued, "You wouldn't have had so much to drink last night if it wasn't for the sake of accompanying me. So, you wouldn't have a headache today either.""Yeah…" I opened the thermos and took a sip. The soup was still hot.After much hesitation, I decided to speak. "If you'd like to chat and relax with me next time, let's not drink alcohol. Non-alcoholic drinks are good enough.""Alright," agreed Julian.I sat down and gently blew on my scalding hot soup. Julian, on the other hand, stood behind me. He helped massage my temples. His actions were gentle.Although my head ached, his actions help
When said this, her chin was raised, and her tone was especially arrogant. It was as if she had made an incredibly wise and correct decision.However, Amber only found her very foolish. Neglecting her biological grandson to focus on an unborn child… Was there something wrong with her brain?Even so, Amber didn't plan to point this out to Charlotte. Instead, she said, "I think there's something wrong with your attitude toward your son…"Charlotte asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with it?""Well, if you truly love your son, shouldn't you also treat your daughter-in-law well?" Amber asked, confused. "After all, when you love someone, you naturally care about the people they love…"Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. "I just don't like Aralyn, that's all. Now that I have a new daughter-in-law, can't you see that I treasure her?""You can't bully her even if you dislike her," replied Amber."Since we seem to disagree on this, why don't we post this online and let others decide who'
Amber sat on the living room couch. She was surrounded by her close friends.She held a cup of tea, sipping it slowly."I've already told you all about what Charlotte did a few days ago. You all need to help me come up with good ideas to get back at her. Otherwise, I'll feel awful if I keep holding this grudge!""Don't worry," Zoey Wadsworth quickly replied. "You don't have to do anything later—just sit back and watch us put on a show. When we post what she did online, plenty of people will criticize her. We won't have to worry about it at all."Amber raised a brow and asked excitedly, "Really?""Of course!" Zoey assured her seriously.As soon as she finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.Amber finally let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the food and said with a smile, "Then I can rest easy. Look, she's here."Zoey stood up to open the door.Charlotte stepped inside. She was momentarily stunned the instant she saw Zoey. She then approached Amber with a smile and
Julian smiled as he explained, "Before Shayne arrived just now, the water I poured was still hot at the time. It should be just the right temperature now."I was a little surprised. Julian could be this thoughtful? I took a small sip. The temperature was just right.Julian sat down beside me.I leaned on his shoulder. It was strange, He had done so many things for me in the past. However, this time, he made me feel like my always unsettled heart had finally found a place to rest.I was so moved that I couldn't put it into words. "What did I do to meet such a good boyfriend like you?"The better Julian was to me, the more unbearable it made the days I spent with Shayne seem. This was because if Shayne did the same thing…Oh. To be more exact, Shayne would never do the same thing because he never bothered to do anything for me.I recalled one time when I was sick and thirsty, I asked him to pour me some water. He poured a cup of boiling hot water and gave it to me. I complaine
As Julian's subordinate who followed Julian almost the entire way, he knew about Julian's capabilities clearly. In terms of work, he was unparalleled. No matter how difficult the problem was, Julian would always be the first to think of a solution.Mark admired Julian very much. He also always wondered what kind of woman Julian would like.Did he like pretty women, women with a good personality, or…However, he never thought that Julian would like a divorced woman who had a child. Therefore, when Julian first brought Aralyn to the company, he was somewhat dissatisfied with her. He didn't think she was worthy of Julian.But as he interacted with her more often, he suddenly realized that she seemed to be even better than he had imagined.She was very emotionally stable, and her mind wasn't clouded by nonsensical thoughts. She was also always firm. Most importantly, her problem-solving ability was also on par with Julian's. Moreover, she was very gentle yet powerful.Mark now vaguel
Lucas even said that Joseph was now an adult and could take responsibility for his own choices. Hence, from now on, whatever Joseph did would have nothing to do with Lucas. The latter would not interfere.After I read the public statement, my only feeling about this was that Lucas was deeply hurt this time. He had probably given up on Joseph.After Alice read the statement, she grinned from ear to ear. "He was abandoned by his biological father. His future is going to be miserable!""There's no need to wait," Mark said quietly. He then added, "Ever since he was kicked out of the house by his father, his days haven't been too good. Stella, who initially said that she loved him and was pregnant, suddenly broke up with him after he lost the Wilson family's backing. She even told him the pregnancy was fake and that she had been lying to him."Joseph didn't believe her. He grabbed her shoulders and said she had told him she loved him. Stella slapped his hands away in disgust and said
"Mr. Wilson's company was already having major financial problems. They almost went under. It was Mr. York and Mr. Hughes who returned all the money he had previously advanced to them. Only then did he get the chance to cover the current lack of funds," said Mark.He continued, "However, he didn't manage to hold on to the money for long as his precious son had borrowed more funds than he currently had on hand! If he really covered Joseph's debts, the family might actually go bankrupt."These events had just happened recently. Once Mark learned about it, he couldn't wait to share it with someone. Luckily for him, he found people to share it with.Alice asked in disbelief, "How is it possible for such a useless son to exist?"She had always thought she spent too much money herself and wasn't much help to her parents. That was already bad enough in her eyes. However, Joseph's actions blew her mind.Looking at herself in comparison, she thought she was pretty great. Mark sighed. "Ye
Alice added, "Think about it. Joseph used to be the center of attention in our social circle. Now, look at him. Not a penny to his name. Guess he won't be acting so high and mighty anymore!" I reminded Alice not to celebrate too soon. "He might still be smug for a little while.""Why?" Alice asked, confused.I explained patiently, "Think about it. Joseph is still Mr. Wilson's most beloved son. Even if he publicly announced he wouldn't help pay off Joseph's debts, people will think it's just talk and that he still dotes on Joseph. "So, to curry favor with Mr. Wilson, some people will secretly try to butter up Joseph by giving him money to spend. They want Lucas to always remember them by using this method. So, when Mr. Wilson and Joseph have reconciled, Mr. Wilson will repay the favor with more business opportunities."Alice looked disgusted after hearing this. "No way. Is that really necessary?""For us, it doesn't seem necessary," I said with a smile. "But for others, it's pro
I spoke slowly, "But when it comes to buying expensive luxury items and jewelry for Luna, you never said anything."Shayne clenched his fists. He wanted to retort but sadly discovered that everything Aralyn said seemed to make sense."They say that a man's money is where his love is. I think you still love Luna."Shayne stared at me and asked, "However, didn't I treat you well when we were together?"I thought carefully before answering, "Before dating Julian, I didn't know what was good or bad. I just thought that with you treating me this way, perhaps I might find someone worse if I went out looking. So, no matter how you hurt me, I endured it."Later, after I started officially dating Julian, I learned that when a man loves a woman, he would put all his heart into treating her well. He wouldn't be like you, using being a straight man as an excuse to avoid romantic gifts and dates. He would also pay attention to all the little details in life too."I stared at Shayne as I conti
Shayne stared at me. He clearly didn't believe my answer.I said nonchalantly, "No matter what happens in the future, I'm already quite content with my life now. The money I earn every month is an amount I would never have dared to imagine in the past. Even if I were greedy and wanted more, what would be the point?"Shayne was stunned, clearly not expecting Aralyn to be so easily satisfied. Was it like this when he was together with Aralyn in the past? Would she have stayed by his side and spent her days with him as long as he gave her even the smallest bit of affection?This thought sent a sharp pain through his heart.It was only at that moment that Shayne finally realized what he had lost and missed—a woman who genuinely liked him and loved him.This love was very pure, with almost no impurities. He quickly explained, "But in the beginning, Luna wasn't like you. However, later on, she suddenly became better than you." "I expected that a long time ago." I understood that he