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
"Hmm?" Shayne asked absentmindedly.Luna had noticed Shayne's recent change in behavior. She could somewhat sense Shayne's wish to gradually distance himself from her until they became strangers once more.However, she hadn't gotten enough money from him yet, so she naturally couldn't allow that to happen.Luna needed him to dispel any thoughts of leaving her. Her tone was nostalgic as she said, "This park has been here since we were in college."Shayne felt as if the weight on his chest had been momentarily lifted when he recalled those youthful and naive days.Shayne smiled faintly and replied, "Yeah, back then, we were just broke students with no money for outings, so everyone always came to the park."Seeing him respond well to her statement, Luna continued, "Every time we walked side by side, our friends would tease us. They'd say we were a match made in heaven, so we should be together. They even worked hard to pair us together."Luna tilted her head back to look at the sk
"But I remember his place is pretty far from mine," Luna said, puzzled.Patrick sat down on the couch, looking at Luna. "Mainly, we figured since we came all this way to see Rowan, we might as well check in on you, too."Luna was even more confused. "Check in on me? Why?"Instead of answering her, Patrick asked, "You're pregnant."Luna glanced down at her stomach, then replied, "So what? I've been divorced from Rowan for so long, and I've been with Shayne for quite a while now. It's perfectly normal that I'm pregnant. You guys hated me before."Back then, you were eager for me to be with someone else. Now that I am, you guys should be happy."Luna sat down as well. When she was with Rowan, she had always been respectful in front of Patrick and Shannon.She had always seen them as family and worked hard to earn their approval.But no matter what she did, it was never enough.For a long time, Luna wondered if she was doing something wrong.But after the divorce—and after she wa
When I found out Serena didn't have a job yet, an idea immediately came to mind. "I actually started a new company. We're hiring. The salary during the probation period is ten thousand dollars a month, with weekends and all national holidays off. And if you perform well, there's a big commission on top of that."I was about to add more when Mark sent me a photo. It was a payroll statement.Right after that, he sent a voice message. "Take a look at how much they've earned in commissions!"I tapped on the image. The company didn't have many employees yet, but every single one of them had already made over a million in commission—some even over five million.The amusement in my eyes deepened as I replied, "I hope they'll take home even more next month."Mark responded without hesitation, "At the rate sales are going, doubling it shouldn't be a problem."After reading his messages, I finally put my phone down and looked at Serena. "But of course, it all depends on our product sales.
In the cafe, I looked at the young woman sitting across from me and asked, "What's your name?"She was sipping her milk tea. When she heard my question, she quickly looked up and replied, "My name is Serena Towson. You can call me Serena. I used to stay in the ward next to yours."I was a bit puzzled. "Then, how do you know I was framed?"Serena took a deep breath, lowering her head. "Actually, I should be apologizing to you for this.""Why are you apologizing?" I asked in confusion.Serena didn't answer. She looked uneasy as she kept looking down, pushing her phone toward me.On the screen was a voice recording.I tapped play.It was a conversation between Luna and someone else. "I need you to avoid the surveillance cameras and spill oil in that area. Do you hear me?"The other person seemed doubtful about Luna's plan. "If we do that, it'll be hard to clean up, and people will definitely notice something's off!""Don't pour too much. Just pour enough so she'll fall when she
I looked around and saw that there was no one else around before turning to leave."Are you Aralyn?"I heard someone call my name and turned around to see a stranger.A little confused, I asked, "Yes?""I heard from someone at the hospital that you went there before, trying to find proof that Luna was the one who framed you. Isn't that right?" The woman seemed nervous.I had been trying to get evidence for this for a long time, but after so much effort, I hadn't found anything.At this point, I was about to give up on that approach.After all, I had other ways to get back at Luna and Shayne.Hearing what she said, I was surprised. "What, you have proof?""Yes, I do," she said firmly.If I could really get my hands on that kind of evidence, my revenge would be even more ruthless.But I knew that in situations like this, it was important to stay calm. "Why don't we talk about it at a cafe?"The woman hesitated.I smiled. "Do you have time?"Only then did she nod. "Of course
I wanted Shayne to care about Luna, and when Luna gave birth to the baby who wasn't his, Shayne would be immensely devastated, especially since Luna and Charlotte had even forced Shayne into getting a vasectomy.Sometimes I couldn't help but wonder if Luna and Charlotte were on my side.Charlotte looked confused. "Good?"I nodded. "Yes, good."Charlotte studied me. "If he and Luna are doing well, that means he doesn't want you anymore.""Then so be it." I had long since stopped caring about Shayne.Charlotte fell silent.I met her gaze. "I'm married now. Maybe I didn't inform you, but Julian and I are legally married. We just haven't made it public. After being with Julian, I've felt a kind of security that I never had in my previous relationship."So, I also hope that this marriage will last. Of course, it'd be even better for me if all of you stopped bothering me."With that, I was ready to end the conversation. "Anything else you wanted to say? If not, I'll head upstairs."
"Then, do we really need to give them commissions?"I didn't mind. "Yeah, go ahead. If they see that hard work pays off in our company, they'll be more willing to stay, right?""Yeah." Mark chuckled."I get what you're saying. I'll take care of it now.""Alright."After the call ended, Julian walked over to me and held my hand.I gently rubbed his hand in return. "What is it?""Your career is getting more and more successful," Julian said, a bit emotionally.When we first got together, I had nothing—just myself.But over time, I started drawing comics.With the right promotion, my comics gained traction and became a hit.That led to merchandise, trendy collectibles.But Julian never expected that I'd be able to launch my own plushies, start my own company, and make serious money.He always knew I was capable.But seeing me rise back to my peak in such a short time still surprised him.I smiled. "Yeah. Back when I was penniless and kicked out of my house, I never would've
"My plan is to take advantage of the fact that our comic still has some merchandise and the hype hasn't died down yet. While ensuring quality, we'll speed up production as much as possible."I understood what Julian meant. "Alright.""Should I arrange it now?" Julian asked."Sure."Julian took his phone and went out to the balcony to share his thoughts with Mark.As someone who had been working with Julian for years, Mark immediately understood what Julian meant. "Leave it to me."Still, to make sure he didn't misinterpret any details, he confirmed everything with Julian.Only after making sure there were no issues did he finally breathe a sigh of relief and ask Julian to hand me the phone."Yes?" I asked, confused about why he needed to speak to me."Our company's recruitment is pretty much done. I ran the numbers, and with our current profits, we can afford to raise the salaries of our interns," he quickly informed."Since you're bringing this up, that means you already hav
Shannon looked at Patrick.Patrick said, "Tell Rowan to win Luna back. She married someone else out of heartbreak, and that's because of us. Now we have money and are willing to spend it on her. I believe she'll come around. She'll want to come back and be with us again. It just takes time."Patrick wasn't used to staying in such a small place, so he said to Rowan, "Drive us to the hotel.""Alright."Rowan dropped his parents off at the hotel and then returned to his place. Sitting on the couch, he took out his phone and pulled up a photo of Luna.She was sitting by the ocean, turning her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling and filled with love.Rowan couldn't understand how things had gotten to this point.He picked up his phone and texted Luna. "I finally understand why my parents treated you that way back then.""I've known for a while," Luna replied calmly.Rowan was a little surprised. "You knew?""Yeah, I found out a few days ago. But that's your family's issue. It
Patrick and Shannon stood frozen in place. They had never imagined that the son they had spoiled since childhood, the boy who had grown up in a big house, was now living in such poor conditions.Shannon's face darkened instantly. "Why didn't you rent a bigger place?""I have no money," Rowan replied calmly."Just make yourselves at home. You don't need to be polite with me."Patrick snapped, "How could you have no money? Didn't you have a lot when you moved out? Did Luna spend it all?""What does this have to do with her?" Rowan thought his parents were being completely unreasonable."I worked for you, but you never paid me. You also never gave me an allowance. So tell me, where was I supposed to get money?"Patrick was at a loss for words."Then where did you get the money to buy Luna jewelry?" Shannon questioned.Rowan didn't even have to think about it. "I made it through projects in college. Haven't I told you before? Ever since I got together with her, every penny I spent