But Zach never listened to her. Now that Aralyn had become someone else's mother and didn't want him anymore, he suddenly listened to her.Noah had originally planned to ask him what kind of oatmeal he wanted. But when he looked at Zach, he sighed and decided to order for him.While ordering for Zach, Noah also bought one for himself.Noah handed his phone to Zach. "Here, take a look. Do you need anything else?"Taking the phone, Zach opened WhatsApp and sent Shayne a message. "Dad, I'm having dinner outside. Noah's paying for it. Why don't you send some money over? I'm afraid his salary won't be enough for me."Within ten minutes after Noah sent the message, Shayne transferred 50 thousand.After receiving it, Zach thanked him and then returned the phone to Noah. "That's all. Thanks."Noah stared blankly at his phone for a while before starting the payment.Zach's eyes seemed to be stuck on the house.When would he be able to go inside and live under the same roof as Aralyn?"
After dinner, Willow's belly was so full it was rounded. Worried she might not digest her food properly, I accompanied her on a walk in the yard.Willow held my hand tightly. "Mommy, I feel so happy."I played along and asked, "Hmm?"Willow rubbed her little tummy. "I have a mommy who loves me. She cooks delicious meals for me. And after I finish eating, she even takes me for a walk."Walking in the yard and feeling the cool breeze blowing past, Willow felt completely content.I smiled and agreed, "That does sound pretty great."Dissatisfied at being ignored, Julian asked, "What about me?""Oh, and Daddy too!" Willow exclaimed.…The takeout Noah ordered only arrived now.Noah sat next to Zach and ate with him, worried Zach might feel alone."My mom used to treat me so well," Zach said, trying to show off."She was worried I wouldn't like the food at school, so she got up every morning to make me something delicious. Her cooking was amazing. Every time she cooked for me, I'
She didn't want to repeat herself. Otherwise, her parents might think she was being too naggy. But her grandparents hadn't heard it yet.Willow excitedly shared everything she had encountered recently with her grandparents, all at once.Her "robotic" grandparents responded enthusiastically. As Willow kept talking, it gradually became her bedtime, and she began to feel sleepy. Yet, her heart felt light and happy.She didn't know that talking to someone freely was such a pleasant experience.With a smile lingering on her face, Willow said, "Grandpa, Grandma, I'm going to sleep now. You two should rest well too.""Good night," replied Gabriel and Lilia in unison.Willow beamed. "Good night."She didn't go to sleep right away but instead dashed out of her room and stood by the railing. "Mommy, tuck me in tonight, please."I was working overtime on a drawing. But when I heard Willow's request, I immediately set aside my work and went upstairs to her. "Alright."Willow lay in my a
"Yes," Gabriel responded quickly.Willow carried the dolls to the bathroom and placed them on the small desk nearby. Stepping on the stool, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Then, she began her practice."Hello, I'm Willow. What's your name?"…After finishing her speaking practice, Willow didn't forget to inform her grandparents, "I'm done with my speaking practice! Next up is the reading practice."She picked up a storybook and began reading earnestly and loudly. After finishing a short story, she finally put down the book."Willow."Hearing Aralyn's voice, Willow placed the dolls on the bed. "I'm going for a run now. Bye, Grandpa and Grandma!""Bye!"Willow opened the door. "Mommy!"…I was standing by the railing. When I heard her voice, I turned around. "Let's go. It's time to exercise."Willow jogged to my side. "Okay!"The morning exercise followed the same plan as Friday's. It was clear that Willow's stamina had improved significantly.She ran a full m
Gabriel and Lilia were reluctant to part with her. "Study well, Willow."Willow patted her chest, earnestly promising, "I will! To be a smart child, I have to gain more knowledge!"The elders couldn't help but chuckle.…I watched as Willow came rushing down the stairs with her backpack. "What do you want for breakfast?"Willow thought seriously for a long time before finally saying, "Oatmeal.""Alright." I served Willow a bowl of oatmeal, and she ate it in one go.She handed me the bowl. "Another bowl, please!"I smiled and said, "Okay."Willow hadn't always had a big appetite. But even since she started her exercises, her food intake had gradually increased, and her energy had improved.I was pleased.After all of us finished eating, Julian and I drove her to the kindergarten.…Just as we arrived at the kindergarten gate, we saw Pamela standing inside the school, looking in our direction eagerly.As her mother had time to care for her now, she looked different. Now s
"Yeah." Shayne had been confused lately.Everyone around him had been saying he loved Luna. Since that was the case, he chose to believe them. Shayne had already decided to settle down and live well with Luna. "I will."Despite his decision, he still felt weird and suffocated being with Luna.Mason relaxed at his words.…When we arrived at the company, I had just opened my computer. I hadn't even started working yet when Alice pushed open the office door and rushed over to me. "Do you remember the Joanna I told you about last time?"Of course, I remembered. "The woman who accepted the roses from the stingy guy?""Yes! The stingy guy wants Joanna to help him pay back the money he owes his ex-girlfriend, but Joanna refused. Even though Joanna earns a lot, that's her money. Did he expect her to just do it? Does he think it's that easy?"I nodded. "Exactly."Alice pursed her lips, disgusted. "After being rejected, the stingy guy directly proposed breaking up with Joanna."I wa
Feeling acknowledged, Alice was in a better mood. She immediately got up from the couch and went back to work.After she left, I resumed drawing.I took two days off over the weekend, and I only worked a little at night when Willow was sleeping.This caused my current progress to fall behind significantly, so I needed to find a way to catch up.Julian walked up to me and asked, "Do you want me to hire an assistant for you?" I continued drawing. "No need. I can handle these things myself without any issues."…Julian didn't keep persuading Aralyn. Instead, he sat beside her and watched her. It was obvious she knew what she wanted. She had a clear goal in her mind, which was great.Julian chuckled. But there were also downsides—Aralyn had come to enjoy the beauty of being single and no longer wanted to get married.The difficulty of Julian pursuing Aralyn had increased significantly, but he didn't mind.Just then, someone knocked on the door."Come in," Julian said coldly.M
Julian thought for a long time before answering, "Not really.""Then can we wait until I finish these two days' worth of drawings?"Julian nodded. "Sure."With Julian's affirmative answer, I focused and worked until after 3:00 PM, finishing all the work I had fallen behind on.Stretching lazily, I started handling the tasks Julian had given me. I began with drawing Willow.She was undoubtedly the heroine of the comic.Perhaps because I favored Willow, the Willow I drew turned out delicate and cute. People would fall in love with her with one glance.After finishing the drawing, I was a bit torn as to who I should draw next.I turned my head to look at Julian, who was sitting at his desk, handling official matters. I hesitated for a while before walking up to him. "I just want to confirm. Who do the main characters of the comic refer to?""Our family of three," Julian answered without hesitation."Okay." I returned to my laptop and continued working.…Shayne was at the comp
"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