Only then would Shayne be willing to continue spending money on her.Luna thought for a while, then pretended to be considerate. "But it's too far from your company. I can't bear to see you run back and forth every day. You'd be exhausted."Luna hesitated before adding, "How about… You come over on Friday night and leave on Sunday?"This way, she would have a few days every week free and unrestrained, without needing to please anyone.At the same time, she could keep Shayne with her. For her, it was a deal with no risk of loss."Alright," Shayne accepted her proposal. "I'm tired. I'll go rest first."He thought that after saying these words, he would feel a sense of relief. But on the contrary, he felt a suffocating despair.Shayne staggered toward the bedroom.Luna watched him until he entered the bedroom, then slowly sat down on the couch with a smile.…Zach lay alone in the pitch-black bedroom. It was also eerily quiet, and he suddenly missed Aralyn. He missed when Aral
Willow nodded heavily. If Aralyn suddenly said she was leaving and handed her to someone else, she would cry her eyes out.But Pamela was completely unaffected, and Willow admired her for that.Pamela puffed out her chest confidently. "I think so too."Then, she started showing off how much her mother loved her. For example, last night, after she went back home, Ximena had been hugging and kissing her non-stop.Pamela sighed. "Mom says she has to work hard to make money, buy me a house, and save up a few million for me. That way, even if I can't find a good job after graduation, life will still be easier. But…"Pamela lowered her voice. "I just hope Mom doesn't put so much pressure on herself. I'll be sad if she exhausts herself."Willow also became sad.Watching them from the side, I rested my chin in my hand and paid attention to their interaction. I found kids' conversations pure, direct, and interesting.Neither Willow nor Pamela had breakfast yet, so Julian decided to take
Julian sat down next to me."I think there are two things we need to confirm now," I said."Huh?""Firstly, Willow has improved. If she wants to say something to her grandparents, she'll talk to the dolls. I think it's time for us to buy the walkie-talkies. Secondly, I want to know when the plush doll will be ready."Julian wasn't sure, so he stood up and said, "I'll contact Mark."…Julian took the elevator to the fourth floor, his gaze briefly sweeping over the electronics before dialing Mark's number.Mark answered, "Mr. Hughes?"Julian got straight to the point. "Is the doll ready?""If everything goes smoothly, it should arrive at the company by Monday," Mark replied calmly.Having received a definite answer, Julian was about to hang up when Mark added, "We've also reached out to Ximena as per your instructions."Julian understood. Mark bringing this up meant there had been some significant progress. "And?"Mark hesitated for a long time before saying, "She… actually g
"Okay!" Willow exclaimed cheerfully.…Since there was no school on Saturday, Zach didn't know where Aralyn was. To be closer to her, he specifically instructed Noah to follow her.Just then, his phone rang, and he answered it. "Hello?""They're at an indoor amusement park," Noah reported.Upon hearing this, Zach became excited. "Then hurry up and come pick me up at my grandma's!"Amusement parks were places everyone could go—he was no exception.Just thinking about being in the same space as Aralyn soon made Zach feel euphoric.To leave a good impression on Aralyn, he opened the wardrobe and selected a small suit to wear. He then looked at himself in the mirror before nodding in satisfaction.After that, he went downstairs, where Noah was already waiting at the door.He informed his grandmother that he was going out. After confirming that she had heard him, he went to the car.When they arrived at the amusement park, Zach spotted Aralyn but deliberately pretended not to see
Had he ever expressed his gratitude to Aralyn?…When Julian returned to the amusement park, I asked, "Julian, what do you think of us bringing Pamela home with us when we pick up Willow from school? I think having Pamela around might help Willow recover faster.""That's indeed a great idea, but there's a huge issue right now."I listened to what he was going to say."Ximena was fired from her previous company and received significant compensation. At the same time, she decided to join our company."I was a bit surprised. But I remembered how much Julian adored her, so I smiled. "Congratulations."Julian gave me a meaningful look. "Her working hours will be nine to five, Monday through Friday, with weekends off. She should have time to spend with Pamela. Even if we're willing to bring Pamela with us, Ximena probably wouldn't agree."I felt a bit disappointed. "Alright, then."Julian patted my shoulder. "I know you're doing this for Willow, but she's been recovering really quic
"I'm here."When Willow heard Gabriel's familiar voice, her mouth dropped open in surprise.Julian didn't lie to her! The dolls really could talk to her!Willow's eyes sparkled as she looked at the other doll. "Grandma?""I'm here."Willow's mouth fell open in shock. "Wow! This is amazing!"As soon as she finished speaking, laughter came from the dolls. The real response felt as if her grandparents were sitting across from her, talking to her.Willow thought since she was talking to the dolls, no one would know what she said.She cleared her throat softly and said seriously, "I love you both.""We love you too," they both answered in unison.Willow sat on the bed, swaying shyly back and forth. "I haven't talked to you guys for so long. Was it two years—or even longer—three years? But I actually have a lot to say to you.""Go ahead," Grandpa said.Willow chuckled. "I've been really good recently. Every morning when I wake up, I practice talking to others in front of the mirr
"She's really special! I can't speak in front of her, but she can chatter away and tell me all sorts of things. I really admire her. If I could talk to people one day, that'd be amazing.""You will," uttered Gabriel.Feeling tired from sitting, Willow lay down on the bed, propping her face up with both hands as she looked at the dolls. "How have you been lately? I heard Grandma wasn't feeling well, and I was very worried about you.""Before you came to see me, I was in and out of the hospital all the time and never truly recovered. When I heard you were coming to see me, I started feeling better. "Then when I went to Julian's house and saw how he cherishes you and treats you like his daughter, I felt as if I was nearly fully healed," Lila replied lovingly."Really?" Willow asked in surprise."I wouldn't lie to you. Willow, do you like your new mommy? How are you getting along with her?"Lilia was eager to know Willow's true feelings about Aralyn."If I say this, you and Grandp
"You'll be cooking later, so let me prepare these. You'll be too tired otherwise," Julian said firmly, leaving no room for objection.I didn't resist and returned to the living room to work on my laptop.When Julian called for me after finishing his preparations, I stood at the stove and was surprised to find that he had already prepped everything, including the green onions, ginger, and garlic.Surprised, I glanced at Julian in the living room.I never expected that a man as accomplished in his career as Julian could also be so meticulous in domestic matters. Julian smiled at me, and my mood involuntarily brightened.Placing the chicken into the pressure cooker, I added green onions and ginger to eliminate any odor before covering the lid. Then, I set it on the stove to simmer.In Julian's kitchen, there were three stoves. I used the second stove to cook pork chops and the third stove to make barbecue ribs. Once the barbecue ribs were done, the chicken was nearly finished too.
"Why don't you try it yourself then? I'll believe you if your child survives."Julian's face remained cold as he said, "Stop the car."The driver pulled the car over to the side of the road."You should get out now," Julian said disdainfully.Though Luna was reluctant to do so, she could sense that her attempt to sow discord today had failed. She dejectedly got out of the car.The driver closed the door. He then stepped on the gas and drove off without a second glance.Julian turned his head to look out the window. He had initially thought that Luna's manipulation skills would be unmatched. However, it was nothing special. Even so, Shayne still chose to believe her words. What did that say about him? It meant Shayne was a fool who didn't love Aralyn at all.It seemed that he had overestimated Shayne.Julian scoffed, hiding the disgust in his eyes.…Luna stood in place and stared as the car left.Didn't men mind if their women weren't clean? Why was Julian different?Sh
"Your relationship with her will remain completely unaffected?"Luna stared at Julian's face as she continued, "Even if you genuinely don't mind, you can listen to what I have to say. Once you know the truth, and you're sure that you don't mind, then it's not too late to tell me to leave, right?"Julian stared at Luna upon hearing this.He had the sudden urge to know how exactly Luna managed to twist the truth so thoroughly. Why did Shayne always choose her unconditionally? Were her manipulation skills too good, so people were unable to resist her, or was it because Shayne was utterly useless?Julian decided to find out. He gestured for the driver to unlock the front passenger door. "Get in and talk."Luna had wanted to sit next to him. However, seeing how determined he was to keep his distance, she hid her unease behind a calm facade. She turned to Julian and said, "Do you know how little self-respect Aralyn had before she dated you?"Upon hearing that, Julian wondered if that
For an ordinary employee, this was indeed a great opportunity. However, Alice had money, but she dared not admit it. With tears streaming down her face, she muttered, "It's really great."Melody was even more puzzled. "Then why are you crying?""I'm happy," Alice said, feeling like she was drowning in a flood of tears. "Next month's paycheck will definitely be huge!"Melody's eyes lit up instantly. "Oh, that's true!"…Julian had just stepped out of the office when Avery, who was hiding nearby, pulled out her phone and called Luna. "Julian is leaving."She quickly added, "Aralyn isn't with him this time.""Alright. I'll go over immediately," Luna replied. She was waiting nearby.She added, "Oh, you need to come downstairs quickly. Later, take the opportunity to find a suitable angle and snap a suggestive photo of us together. Remember to send it to Aralyn once you're back."Avery laughed gleefully. "No problem."She hung up and quickly pressed the elevator button to go down.
Julian would definitely retaliate. However, his methods weren't too obvious. Usually, people didn't realize what had happened until they found themselves in trouble.I stopped what I was doing and walked up to Julian, asking, "There's only one new project in the gaming department, right? I recall hearing you discuss with Mark that this project is especially urgent."Julian smiled faintly. "That's right. She's far too idle in the gaming department. She doesn't do any real work every day, and all she knows how to do is gossip. If I don't assign her to a busy department to train her properly, she would have learned nothing by the time she resigns."Julian held my hand and added, "I just want her to learn more."His gaze lingered briefly on my lips.I nodded, accepting his explanation. "Alright then, I'll get back to work.""Okay, go ahead," Julian responded gently. …Julian stared at Aralyn as she walked back to her cubicle and sat down. Only then did he calmly look away.Alice
Alice replied without hesitation, "No way.""Huh?" replied Melody."When I confessed to him, he made it very clear he wasn't interested in me," Alice said confidently. "Later, when I became friends with Aralyn, he allowed me to work at Hughes Group for her sake." "Oh, I see," replied Melody.She was rather disappointed. "I thought I was about to witness an epic romance!"Hearing this, Alice immediately looked around to ensure no one else was nearby. Once certain, she said, "You absolutely cannot say something like that again in the future. If Julian hears you, he'll really fire me immediately!"Melody quickly covered her mouth. "I'll remember!"…After buying a drink, I opened it and handed it to Julian.He quickly drank a few gulps. Once the burning sensation in his mouth subsided, he suddenly realized that Melody acted like she had a crush on him back then as a way to lower his guard. In reality, Melody's true intent from the start was to mess with him.Julian took my hand
Melody waited in the restaurant for a few minutes before sneaking out. She dashed all the way to Alice at the gaming department. "Alice!"Alice immediately ran to her side upon hearing her. "How did it go?"Melody replied with a mischievous grin, "I did everything you told me to!"Alice smirked wickedly. "Then let's go enjoy the show."Although Julian had been kind to her and even gave her dad valuable advice on work-related matters, she knew it was all for Aralyn's sake. In fact, she had a vague feeling that Julian didn't like her.No, more accurately, Julian seemed to think she was a third wheel who destroyed his and Aralyn's alone time.She and Aralyn were good friends. Spending time together was natural, and Julian had no right to object.Alice grabbed Melody's hand. "Come on!"Melody's excitement grew. "Let's go!"…In the office, I was just about to go back to my couch and continue working. However, Julian tightly held onto my hand. "Lyn.""Yes?" I asked as I turned
Luna thought eagerly that as long as she could get Julian, then everything Aralyn was enjoying now would become hers.It would be nice if that day could come sooner.…Julian picked a small restaurant this time. He also ordered their signature dishes.He then introduced the restaurant to me. "This restaurant was recommended by Mark. He said the food is really good, so I thought I'd bring you here to try it."The dishes were served.I took a bite. The cooking was just right, and the flavors were incredible. I nodded in agreement, "It's indeed delicious."Seeing that I was genuinely satisfied, Julian let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you like it."I hummed in response and continued eating."Mr. Hughes, is that really you?" A young girl, likely just out of college, suddenly appeared and skipped over to Julian.She had a look of disbelief on her face. "The last time I promoted my parents' restaurant to you, I thought you wouldn't like such a small place. I didn't think you'd
"What? Do you think she's easy to bully because no one's protecting her?""No," Shayne quickly responded."That better be the case," Julian replied disdainfully.With that, he immediately hung up.…Hearing Julian's voice, I slowly walked out of the cubicle and stopped in front of him. "Was that Shayne on the phone just now?"Julian didn't intend to hide that from me. "Yeah. After Luna failed to get you in trouble and got criticized, she probably felt upset and called him to complain. He believed her."As he spoke, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. "He wanted to stand up for her."I asked disdainfully, "Are both of them out of their minds?""Yeah," replied Julian as his other hand held mine. He gently caressed the back of my hand and continued, "I don't get it. He's clearly constantly protecting Luna. Where does he get the audacity to say that he loves you?" I sneered and said, "I don't think he has feelings for me at all. He's deliberately sayin
Shayne was here to seek justice for Luna, so he naturally had no intention of hiding it. "Luna," he answered without hesitation.Julian didn't have the time to keep track of what happened online, but he could more or less guess what was happening. It was probably about Luna stirring up trouble for Aralyn online.However, it failed. Since Luna wasn't willing to accept her failure, she got Shayne to stand up for her. Julian crossed his long legs. There was an obvious sneer on his handsome face.Shayne took a deep breath. "Mr. Hughes, this matter has nothing to do with you. I don't want to take out my anger on the innocent, so please hand the phone to Aralyn.""She's my girlfriend," Julian replied, always quick to defend Aralyn. "Mr. Pearce, I've heard a bit about the feud between the two of them today."Shayne saw that Julian wasn't cooperating, so he asked, "So, you want to protect her?"Julian sneered. "Obviously. She wasn't in the wrong from the start. Wouldn't it make me