Should I start a business?…Julian watched Aralyn. The extra income of just 30 thousand already made her so happy.But to him, it wasn't enough.After thinking it over, he left the office to find Mark.When Mark saw Julian approaching, he raised an eyebrow curiously. "Mr. Hughes."Julian walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. "I've given it more thought. We're doing too little with the development of her comic."Mark knew that when Julian said something like this, it meant he had new ideas. "Oh?""We can translate the comic into other languages and promote it globally. With a larger readership, the sales of merchandise will skyrocket as well."Worried he might forget, Mark immediately grabbed a pen to jot it down in his notebook."The development of domestic copyright also needs to move faster. We should hire people to turn the comic into an animation, which would attract a younger audience. "At the same time, we need to connect with publishers to get the comic printed and
Ximena carried Pamela. Upon hearing our conversation, she turned around. "Wouldn't that be inconvenient?"Remembering that he had some matters to attend to, Julian replied, "Not at all. I have something to take care of, so I can't go home with them."Ximena smiled. "I can give them a ride.""Thank you," Julian said as he pulled me aside.After a long pause, he finally uttered, "Stay safe."I rolled my eyes. "How old do you think I am? Of course, I will. Don't worry. You stay safe as well."Julian smiled. "Alright."…Ximena was driving.The kids wanted to talk about their secrets in the backseat, so I had to sit in the front."Mr. Hughes seems to treat you a little better than others," Ximena stated meaningfully.I didn't deny it. "Maybe it's because I'm Willow's mom now, so he sees me as family. That's why he's kinder to me?"Other than that, I couldn't think of another explanation."Is that so?" Ximena responded with a smile but didn't say anything more.After all, it w
Gabriel relayed everything Julian had just said to Lilia. Lilia immediately pulled out a suitcase and began packing her belongings. Seeing this, Gabriel packed his things as well.They didn't have much to bring, but it was enough for their needs.The two of them pulled their suitcases to the door, and Julian loaded them into the trunk. The elderly couple sat in the back seat, while Julian drove.Julian observed them through the rearview mirror.As Gabriel and Lilia were older, they were more experienced in romance than younger people.After careful consideration, Julian decided to ask directly, "What do you think is the best way to pursue a woman you like?"Gabriel and Lilia exchanged a glance before sharing a knowing smile. "Are you referring to Aralyn?"Though they hadn't interacted much with Aralyn, they could tell she had a kind heart. Both of them had a good impression of her.Julian smiled and admitted, "Yes.""For someone who's family-oriented like Aralyn, it's actually
Shayne glanced at the screen—it was Luna's spending statement.He didn't know what she had bought, but the total was over two million.Shayne turned off the screen.During his hardest times, Aralyn had been the one by his side. She had never squandered his money or bought anything excessively expensive.On the other hand, Luna had only been with him after he became wealthy, and she spent money extravagantly every single day.Shayne withdrew his gaze.He needed to take some time to analyze why his emotional responses were so drastically different when interacting with Luna versus Aralyn.Then, before making a decision, he had to seriously consider the consequences of losing Luna or Aralyn and whether he could bear those outcomes.…When Julian brought Gabriel and Lilia to the villa, Willow had already finished her training. Though she was breathing heavily from exhaustion, she was visibly happy.Her bright eyes sparkled as she looked at Pamela."You can run for so long! That'
Wouldn't Aralyn be afraid Zach would mess up again?After much hesitation, Zach still decided to buy the other two dolls as well.He completed the payment and left a comment in the comments section. "Mom, keep updating. But make sure to take care of yourself and don't overwork!"After he posted the comment, he felt a bit anxious. Would Aralyn get upset if she realized it was him who left the comment?Zach refreshed the comment section nervously, only to discover many others had left similar messages.Though he sighed in relief, he felt a twinge of sadness at the same time.He used to be Aralyn's only child. Now, he had become one of the countless readers calling her "Mom."Lowering his eyes, Zach thought about something even more painful. Back when Aralyn was home with him, she used to draw comics for him too.But at that time, he thought it was embarrassing, so he said to her, "Your drawings are so ugly. You'd better stop. If other people see them, they'll make fun of me."
Shayne froze. He hadn't expected Zach to grow to dislike him this much.…The kids played until 9:00 pm. Ximena reluctantly called Pamela to go home. She had work tomorrow, and Pamela had school, they both needed to sleep early.Pamela let go of Willow's hand unwillingly. "Can we play together again tomorrow?"To show how much she valued this, Willow nodded very emphatically.Ximena's ex-husband was still lurking, eyeing her every move.We were worried it might not be safe for Ximena and Pamela to go home by themselves, so we decided to drive them.Julian drove while I sat in the passenger seat.Ximena and Pamela sat in the back. Looking at Julian and me, Ximena said with a smile, "It seems you only ever let Aralyn sit in the passenger seat, Mr. Hughes."Not denying it, Julian replied, "She's Willow's mom, after all."When I stayed silent, Ximena asked, "So, do you have any plans to get married?""Not for the time being," I answered.Ximena sighed. "Makes sense. Divorced
Putting down the walkie-talkie, she held the big dolls and ran to the stairs, huffing and puffing.Seeing this, Gabriel and Lilia rushed to help Willow. They took the dolls from her, afraid she might fall.Willow stood next to the couch, placing the doll that looked like Gabriel next to him. After that, she placed the doll that looked like Lilia next to her.She sat next to Gabriel and Lilia, pretending that the ones next to her were the dolls instead of her grandparents."Grandpa?" Willow asked cautiously.Gabriel was emotional, as he didn't expect that he would actually get to hear Willow call him "Grandpa" in the flesh.When he didn't answer right away, Lilia quickly reached out and patted him."I'm here!" Gabriel finally replied.Willow blinked, suddenly feeling strange—talking to others wasn't as difficult as she had imagined."Grandma?""I'm here, my darling," Lilia answered hurriedly. She was worried that if she was a little slower, Willow might think Lilia didn't love
"Kind of. I just suddenly feel a lot of pressure." Julian took out a can of beer and went to sit on the balcony.The view here was nice, unlike the view from the living room. People wouldn't be passing through all the time, disrupting the atmosphere.Julian decided to test what Gabriel and Lilia said as he lowered his head. I looked at Julian, who seemed down. "What's wrong?" I asked, sitting next to him."I used to think that as long as I worked hard, I could solve most problems."Julian gazed at the distant stars. His cold voice carried a trace of loneliness. "But now that I look at it, the number of employees under me keeps growing. It's as if their lives are resting on my shoulders. I can't afford to make even the smallest mistake because who would pay them otherwise?"Julian raised the can of beer and took a sip.I was just an ordinary employee. Most of the time, it was enough for me to take care of myself. But when I heard him and put myself in his shoes, I could feel t
Luna was just that attractive to men.She couldn't stop smiling at the thought."Then what kind of men do you think would like me?" Yasmin asked.Luna was momentarily stumped as she looked Yasmin up and down. Even though Yasmin was the same age as Aralyn, she lacked Aralyn's composure and calmness.Instead, she seemed a bit foolish.Luna found Yasmin somewhat annoying, but she didn't show it.She just smiled faintly and said, "Probably more mature and experienced men."Yasmin pressed her lips together. Those kinds of men were usually older, and she wasn't interested in them.Of course, Luna knew what Yasmin was thinking about but didn't show it. "I think most men aren't worthy of you, of course. Someone like Julian is just right.""That's right!" Yasmin agreed instantly.Luna nodded. "Yeah."Frowning, Yasmin muttered, "But the men who are worthy of me don't like me.""With diligence and persistence, anything is possible," Luna answered patiently.After finishing work, teas
Shayne had no other way to relieve his feelings now.Although drinking could make him forget Aralyn, he would feel like his heart had been hollowed out the very next day. It was unbearably miserable.Hence, he wanted to meet Zach. Zach was one of the few family members he had in this world.Once Shayne made the decision, he drove to Zach's place.…Luna never knew that pregnancy could be so exhausting. The animation project had just ended, but she had to design drafts for trendy toys now. She was dead tired.And now, someone was knocking on the door in the middle of the night.Luna opened the door.The person standing at the door was Yasmin, someone she had seen on TV.Recently, Luna had also learned a bit about Yasmin. Although she was rather fierce and seemed immature, she was about the same age as Aralyn."What are you here for?" Luna asked in surprise."To chat with you."Without even waiting for Luna to invite her in, Yasmin walked straight into the living room and s
Julian walked out, having just finished his shower. When he heard my conversation with Willow, he explained, "Your mommy is even more amazing than you think. Tens of millions is actually just a safe guess."Willow's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Wow, she can make even more?"Julian remained composed. "Yeah, these designer toys are selling really well, and they've also boosted sales of related merchandise and some comic books."Willow looked at me with even more admiration.Smiling, I uttered, "It's all thanks to your daddy."However, Julian was humble. "It's clearly because of your own hard work."I didn't deny it.Julian then asked, "The toys you designed yourself are also making a lot of money, right?""I heard from Mark that their sales are catching up to the designer toys. They've also made a huge profit. When the hype starts dying down, I'll release a new set of dolls. Based on my current inventory, I think I can keep the momentum going for at least another year," I s
"Alice doesn't know much, but these manufacturers definitely do. If you contact them and ask for a list, do you think they'll help you?" I asked.Mark hesitated for a moment. If everyone took advantage of this trend and increased production, they could make more money.And the more people knew about it and discussed it, the longer the hype would last, and the more money everyone could earn.Of course, they would be willing to introduce their peers.Once Mark understood this, he excitedly said, "Got it! I'll contact them right away!""Okay." My tone finally relaxed.…Mark was dedicated to this job. He proactively reached out to the factory owners. After explaining the pros and cons to them, he asked them to introduce other factory owners to him.Each of them was enthusiastic. Within just a few dozen minutes, he had already gotten at least ten phone numbers.He called them one by one, explaining his needs.To ease their concerns, he mentioned his referrers and emphasized that
Aralyn had always been the one to soothe them, including Charlotte.Shayne had now come to realize that Charlotte wasn't as great as he had once imagined.It was just that, when Aralyn was by his side, she had been afraid of affecting his work. So, no matter how much trouble Charlotte caused, Aralyn always covered for her.Yet, he refused to cherish the woman who had cared so much for him.Shayne took a deep breath, suddenly feeling exhausted."What's there to think about?" Charlotte asked."In all the years Aralyn was with me, the money she spent didn't even add up to what you both spend in a month, or even a week. Wait, even a day," Shayne said coldly.Charlotte felt that Shayne had become stingy. "But you're supposed to spend the money you make.""My son and wife didn't get to spend it. It all went to you." Shayne's voice was filled with self-mockery.Charlotte was a little annoyed. What did he mean by that?She had worked so hard to raise Shayne. It was only right that he
"Other people don't know the truth, so I can understand if they blame me. But Shayne knows, yet he still blames me!" Charlotte said.Luna sighed. "Don't let others sow discord between you. As for Shayne, he's still dreaming about getting back together with Aralyn. He's probably still hoping to have more children with her."But Aralyn no longer had any interest in Shayne.Luna understood this very well. If she were married to a man like Julian—gentle, rich, handsome, and loving—she wouldn't even consider someone like Shayne.Sure, Shayne was somewhat good-looking, but he was also stingy and emotionally unavailable.The contrast was just too brutal.If Aralyn broke up with Julian and got back together with Shayne, Luna would seriously question whether Aralyn had a mental illness.Charlotte, of course, didn't think her son had done anything wrong. Hence, in her mind, Aralyn was the one at fault."Aralyn must have been secretly contacting Shayne! Otherwise, why would he still be th
"That's right," Julian said.It seemed Donald coming here wasn't entirely in vain. At the very least, he had helped Willow learn something.Julian was extremely pleased.When Donald heard that, his face grew darker, and he tried to explain, "I didn't…"Julian had no interest in listening. After years of navigating the business world, he could tell a person's intentions the moment they spoke.Not wanting to waste time on Donald's nonsense, Julian uttered, "It's late. My daughter needs to sleep. You should leave."Donald was forced to swallow all the words he wanted to say.He stared at Julian in a daze for a long time. But in the end, he could only leave.Once he disappeared from the living room, Julian asked, "Can you guess why he went through all this trouble?""What else could it be? He wants you to think I'm a terrible person and ruin our relationship."Julian's voice grew colder. "If he were only trying to sabotage our relationship, I might call him clever. But he even pu
Mom should have fought a fair and just lawsuit and demanded more money from them.Donald remained silent, unable to say a word."Besides, Mom had a job at the beginning. Even after you two got married, she rarely asked you for money."Honestly, I always felt that my personality was similar to Mom's.Both of us were highly independent."Even after you made Mom a housewife, you rarely gave her money. She spent almost entirely from her own savings. So, can you tell me the 'good things' you've done for me?"Donald hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "I admit, when I was with your mom, I really didn't treat her well. But you wouldn't even exist if it weren't for me. I'm your elder! Even if you ignore everything else, just the fact that I gave you life means you should respect me!"I laughed. "If Mom wasn't with you, she would have been with someone else. And I would still have been born just the same. You're not exactly irreplaceable."Donald stared at me for a long tim
Shayne showed no emotion, yet it struck Charlotte like a bolt of lightning.Charlotte's lips moved. After a long time, she finally said, "I never expected things to turn out this way.""Not expecting it means you can wash your hands of responsibility?" Shayne mocked coldly.Charlotte didn't know what to say."No, you can't. Zach won't forgive you, and neither will I. You should just focus on the baby in Luna's belly and live your life," Shayne added.Before he could hang up, Charlotte hurriedly said, "But didn't you already forgive us before?""The fact that you can still reach me by phone is proof that I don't hate you."Charlotte let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that."It's just that, for now, I can't forget that I will never be able to have another child for the rest of my life."Charlotte's mood grew heavier.…Donald rushed to Julian's house in the middle of the night.When Julian saw him come in, he was a little surprised.Just as he was about to ask what Donald