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
Willow lay in bed, with Lilia sitting beside her.Willow's eyes shimmered. "Grandpa, Grandma, are you still sad now?"Afraid she hadn't expressed herself clearly enough, she quickly added, "Mom's been gone for so many years...""We're still a bit sad. But it's getting better now that it has been so long," Lilia replied emotionally.Willow looked a little downcast. "I feel the same. Mom was so kind and gentle to me. I really loved her, so I could never understand why she left me."And her father as well. The two people she loved deeply left her suddenly.Just thinking about it made Willow so upset that tears welled up."It's okay, Willow. You have a new mom now," Gabriel said, not wanting Willow to cry.Though Willow still felt sad, her emotions started to improve after she heard Gabriel's words. "Yes, this mom also treats me really well."…In the morning, Willow woke up and found her grandparents gone.She panicked so much that she didn't even change her clothes as she slip
Willow lifted her chin. "It's a secret."Lilia and Gabriel immediately clapped. "You're amazing, Willow. You're able to keep a secret at such a young age."Willow smiled shyly.After exercising and taking a bath, the whole family sat at the dining table for breakfast.Now that Willow could talk to her grandparents, she couldn't wait to tell them everything as she talked non-stop. "Grandpa, Grandma, the chef we hired makes really delicious food. You can ask him to make anything, and he'll make it for you. Don't be shy!"Lilia still felt as if she was dreaming. Just yesterday, they had only suggested something to Willow, and she had already improved now."Alright," said Gabriel.Lilia suddenly thought of something and quickly said, "To celebrate you finally being able to chat with us, why don't we take you out to have some fun after school?""I think I can't," Willow uttered immediately. Lilia looked at Willow in confusion. "Why not?""I have to go home and train with my coa
"When they ask you that question, you'll tell them your daughter pursued me in the past and that I hated her a lot, so much so that I canceled several projects with your family's company because of it."Danny pondered for a moment before asking, "Saying that will make them let their guard down?""That's right."Julian then slowly explained, "Those who think more meticulously might think that I've noticed flaws in the partnership proposal; that I've anticipated your company's imminent collapse and am looking to take advantage of the situation to carve up your assets. As such, I've decided to pretend that I've buried the hatchet while I extend you an olive branch"Julian continued casually, "They'll never suspect that we've already established a deeper partnership behind the scenes."Danny sighed in admiration. "Mr. Hughes, you've really thought this problem through."Julian wasn't interested in wasting time on unnecessary flattery. "Mr. York, there's no need for formalities. Also,
I took out my phone and pulled up the blocklist. "Now that Luna has Julian as such a powerful backer, she probably doesn't need to spend Shayne's money anymore, right?""That's between them!" Avery yelled as she rushed toward me, trying to grab my phone. "It's not your place to interfere."However, I easily dodged her.I smiled and said, "Your reaction is enough to prove that Julian and Luna's relationship isn't as smooth as you think. Otherwise, Luna would've already contacted Shayne herself to end things without me needing to lift a finger."Only then did Avery realize that I had probably never believed her attempts to stir up trouble. "When did you figure it out?""From the moment you showed me those photos." I wasn't dumb. I wouldn't fall for such petty tricks. "You're doing this to provoke me into misunderstanding Julian, right? In your plan, I'm supposed to feel deeply hurt. I'll then run to Julian and hysterically question why he betrayed me and chose Luna of all people
"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