Mark noticed my disbelief. He smiled and said, "This isn't considered a lot. Once they are done creating a full promotional strategy for you, and the company starts pouring resources into it, your followers could increase by tens of thousands in a single day."Mark was clearly accustomed to these scenarios. He added, "In less than a month, you could probably become a top influencer with over a million followers. When that happens, there will be people who envy you; they will put your life under a magnifying glass."If you don't want them finding faults with you, then it's best to start being mindful of your actions and words."He then patted my shoulder and said with a tone full of sympathy, "So, enjoy having a smaller follower count while you can. This might be one of your few remaining moments of freedom."With that, he walked out of the office.I sat quietly, reflecting on what Mark had said.So, being liked by a lot of people isn't all good after all.…Once Julian had fi
While everyone was passionately discussing the news, a message appeared. "I'd like to know, too."The moment Mark saw those words, he had a bad premonition. He looked at the sender's name. It was Julian.He then looked at the name of the group chat. It was "Hughes Group."He was over. He was completely over.Didn't he send it to their gossip group chat? How did it end up in the company's group chat?He clutched his phone with trembling hands. Would this cost him his job?"Is it that obvious?" asked Julian.Mark heard Julian's voice behind him and turned around as his heart pounded.Julian's expression was as calm as usual. "Hmm?"Mark nodded as he replied, "Yeah."He then took a deep breath and continued, "Those who have worked here long enough can see it."Julian seemed thoughtful as he replied, "I thought I hid it well."Mark lowered his head."Everyone in the group is still waiting for your answer," said Julian as he gripped the handle of the office door. His cold ton
Shayne couldn't help but think that if he and Aralyn hadn't divorced, she would've been elated to receive this ring from him.Unfortunately, he couldn't go back in time.He looked down and felt increasingly lost.Didn't he like Luna? So, why had he been thinking about Aralyn so much lately?…When it was time for dinner, the private elevator reserved for executives happened to be out of service. Julian and I had no choice but to take the public elevator. Unfortunately, it was the end of the work day. As the elevator descended, the number of people in the elevator increased.I stood in the corner, but people would bump into me occasionally due to how cramped it was inside.Julian was worried that I would feel uncomfortable, so he got closer to me. He then placed his arm in front of me, creating a safe zone.I no longer had to be hit by stray arms, so I finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you.""You're welcome."…Julian had practically encased Aralyn within his arms. He
"That's good then," Shayne said to Luna. He liked how they were maintaining a distance between each other right now."I still have some work to deal with. Why don't you head home?"Luna placed the gift box into her bag, her face full of unconcealed joy. "Alright."Shayne watched Luna's retreating figure. His brows knitted tighter and tighter.Wasn't it commonly said that people spent money on those they liked? He had spent so much money on Luna, so he should like Luna. However, he was averse to having any intimate interactions with her.Shayne rubbed the diamond ring in his hand. He couldn't understand the reason.…I returned to the office after lunch. Alice was already awake. While I was eating, I thought about how to draw what happened today in a way that maintains the storyline while making it seem more interesting.As such, I planned to continue drawing once I sat back down on the couch."Don't work yet," Alice said, hugging my arm and leaning her entire body against mi
Julian didn't answer me directly. He merely asked, "She doesn't seem to treat you well either. Are you really willing to be friends with her?""She hasn't really been malicious toward me," I replied. After careful consideration, I continued, "Mainly, I suddenly realized that I don't seem to have any friends in this city. Alice is the first friend I've made."Julian raised a brow."You probably don't know this, but I came to this unfamiliar city for Shayne. Then I married him. Before I even had a chance to work or make any friends, I had a child. After that, I became like any other housewife, pouring all my energy into taking care of the baby and managing the household. I didn't have any free time," I calmly explained.With all of my time consumed, I naturally didn't have the mood to think of anything else. I looked at Julian and concluded, "So, I'm very happy that Alice is willing to be my friend."…As Julian listened to her, he suddenly thought Aralyn was like a modern-day R
Willow's expression was incredibly serious. She looked like a little adult.Julian pinched her cheeks, holding back his laughter. "But you're not a two or three-year-old kid anymore."Willow was still young after all, so she couldn't think of a retort even after she thought about it for a long time. She thus looked at me for help.I lifted her onto my lap and said, "But she's still going to kindergarten!"Willow nodded firmly as she agreed, "Mommy is right!"…When Shayne arrived to pick Zach up, he noticed Luna was there as well.He looked at her from afar. Half of her hair was tied back. She stood quietly, exuding an air of tranquility.In an instant, Shayne felt as if he had been transported back to a time before his divorce from Aralyn. Back then, he would drop Zach off when he went to work and pick him up once he was done working. Luna did the same as well. Inevitably, he'd have some interactions with Luna. Over time, the resentment from the past faded, and they grew clo
Although Shayne had never shared any intimate contact with Luna, she could sense that Shayne's feelings for her were gradually rekindling.Back then, she had confidently believed that as long as Shayne became single again, their relationship would experience rapid growth due to the lack of moral and social constraints.They would quickly fall deeply in love and be inseparable. Shayne would also only have eyes for her.However, after using every means at her disposal to facilitate the breakdown of Shayne and Aralyn's marriage, she realized that reality was completely different from what she had imagined.Luna furrowed her brows. Every time she wanted to take their relationship to the next step, Shayne would reject it. Only when she reverted back to just being a friend or even someone more distant did Shayne feel comfortable.She gently massaged her temples.She even started wondering if everything would've been better if she had been more patient back then and waited for Shayne
How many adults found themselves trapped in various predicaments? Yet, Willow, a little child, understood that simply running away would never solve anything. As long as one had the determination to step out of one's comfort zone and persevere, one could overcome difficulties and welcome a new life.My gaze gradually softened.Willow finished her practice for the day and walked over to me. Her spirits were low. "Mom, am I a bad kid?"I knew she was a sensitive child who was especially considerate of others. So, I smiled and asked, "Why do you say that?""Because people are willing to be my friend…" Willow said as she stretched her arms toward me. I picked her up.She rested her head on my shoulder and continued pitifully, "But I can't even talk to them.""That's just because you haven't overcome your mutism yet. It's not like you're ignoring her on purpose, right?" I asked her gently.Willow hummed softly in agreement.I continued, "Once you're able to talk with people normally
Luna was at home. She had been in a good mood, watching the steady rise in sales of her comics. But in the blink of an eye, she saw that Charlotte was trending, followed immediately by Aralyn and her comics on the trending page.Luna sat up in alarm and opened Aralyn's comic storefront. She was so furious that she almost threw her phone when she saw that Aralyn's sales were climbing even faster than hers.Why? Her sales only increased after she had spent over a million dollars, yet Aralyn was already catching up just by trending.Luna couldn't stand the idea of Aralyn making more money than her. She wanted to contact the marketing team again to help hype up her comic, but she was worried that Aralyn would take advantage of her. As such, she suppressed the urge for now.She paced around in the living room and finally came up with a solution. She headed straight to the garage and, with a calm expression, told the driver, "Take me to Shayne's office.""Alright," replied the driver.
The employees at the company all treated me with great respect. No matter what they were working on, they would always seek my opinion first.When Luna pulled me down to climb the ranks, they sought my approval before using the opportunity for counter-marketing. Now, with Charlotte's scandal being exposed, they were still doing the same.Without hesitation, I said, "You're helping me make money. Of course, I'll agree unconditionally."Mark hesitated for a moment before saying, "We were just worried that using Charlotte's negative news for a promotion might cause you to recall bad memories."It was only after everyone saw the news that they truly understood the kind of life I had in Shayne's household. While they recognized the rare promotional opportunity, they were also concerned about my feelings.I chuckled and said, "It won't. It's all in the past, so I won't dwell on it."Mark felt relieved after hearing this. "Then I'll reply to the marketing team.""Alright."…Mark rel
But if Charlotte was acting, what kind of person could come up with such a bizarre storyline?Then, someone stepped forward and claimed to be Charlotte's neighbor. He claimed that Charlotte really did treat Aralyn this way. After that, many others came forward to confirm the story, stating they had seen it too.In an instant, everyone online was criticizing Charlotte."No way! I can't believe it. How is it still possible to treat your daughter-in-law like a servant in this day and age?""Even if she was a servant, you shouldn't treat them like this, right?""That's right.""I really have no idea what she's thinking. Maybe she just can't stand seeing her son happy?""What about her daughter-in-law? Is she still putting up with this?""No, they've already gotten divorced.""The ex-daughter-in-law is now a comic artist."When it was confirmed that Aralyn had escaped, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief."I'm so glad for her ex-daughter-in-law. She finally got away from t
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