As soon as he finished speaking, the server brought over a large bowl of broth fondue and placed it on the table. "Enjoy your meal," he said with a smile."Thank you!" I picked up a piece of the beef. The crunchy and tender texture was simply irresistible.I ate several big bites in a row, only to notice that Julian still hadn't started eating. Curious, I asked, "Are you not going to eat?""Of course I am," Julian said, picking up his cutlery.…Shayne returned to his office, thinking about the things Aralyn had said. It dawned on him that he had indeed made far too many mistakes.Ever since he'd married Aralyn, he had taken her for granted because she was too sensible and understanding. He hadn't even noticed how much she had suffered.At this moment, Shayne was desperate to divorce Luna and make amends to Aralyn.Resolute, he called Luna."Yes? Miss me?" Luna's sweet voice came through the phone."I'm sorry." After saying those words, Shayne felt a sense of relief.Why was
"Mom, can you please divorce Dad?"It was 9:00 pm. I was trying to put Zach to sleep. Just when I thought he was about to drift off, he suddenly asked that question.That short question left me stunned for a long minute. My hand patting on his back also froze.I felt a painful twinge in my chest.Over the years, my relationship with my child's father had been pretty good. Logically, a child nurtured by love should feel happy living in such an environment.And yet…Why did he have such thoughts?Puzzled, I asked, "Why do you say that?" I softened my voice in case I unintentionally scared him."You never let me eat fried chicken or ice cream..."As he was almost asleep, his voice was unclear and tinged with the innocence typical of his age.I didn't know whether to feel amused or disappointed.To think that he wanted me to divorce his dad because of something so trivial...Children sure were naive.As I listened to his breathing gradually grow steady, I knew he had fallen as
With the tablet in my hands, I left Zach's bedroom and headed straight for Shayne's study.But I couldn't understand...Out of everyone, why Luna?The first time I heard about Luna was at my wedding.Shayne treated me well back then. When I was feeling down, he would tell me it was okay, and that nobody was perfect. He would patiently stay with me until I felt better. When I got sick, he would drop everything to take care of me.Because of that, I resolutely decided to marry for love, even if that meant moving far away from home.Just as I was in a pure white wedding dress, holding a bouquet that signified purity and looking forward to our life together, I overheard his friends discussing his first love."I always thought Shayne and Luna would end up together. They were so passionately in love back then.""Exactly. They looked like a match made in heaven.""What a pity."The regret in their voices was genuine.At that moment, I began to doubt whether Shayne truly loved me.
Shayne's other hand pinched my chin, forcing me not to evade, and then his lips pressed down on mine."You'll like it."…Zach was in the senior class of kindergarten.School started at 8:00 am every day.It took about 20 minutes to drive to the kindergarten. To avoid being late, he would leave home at 7:30 am every day.I, on the other hand, got up at 6:30 am to cook breakfast.Today's breakfast was a bit simpler. It was ravioli that I prepared last night.The broth was the troublesome part. I needed to simmer fresh chicken broth.I lay bay leaves at the bottom of the ceramic pot, placed a whole cleaned chicken inside, and finally placed a few sprigs of thyme on top. I then covered it and turned the heat to high.Once the water boiled, I lifted the lid, and the rich aroma of chicken broth wafted up to greet me.After adding a bit of salt, I turn the heat down to simmer.Now that I was done with this, I happily left the kitchen and went to the dressing room to help the boys
Did Shayne write Luna this letter on the eve of our wedding?The other letter was Luna's reply to him."I'm sending back your letter with mine. Shayne, I am happy now. I hope you wish me happiness. And please don't contact me in the future; I'm afraid my husband will misunderstand."After I read these two letters, I could connect almost all the information in a way that made sense.Luna was clearly Shayne's first love. And yet, Shayne hated Luna so much.I subconsciously tightened my grip on the mop.So, it was because Luna had once betrayed Shayne. However, he convinced himself not to dwell on the mistakes Luna had made or the hurt she had caused him. All he wanted was for her to return to him.Unfortunately, Luna still rejected him.It was only at this moment that I finally understood why he was so emotional when his friends mentioned Luna at our wedding.But what about now?Why did he bring out these two letters?Was he trying to remind himself of Luna's heartlessness a
What?That short sentence left me in shock. I couldn't regain my composure for a long time.I only stared at Shayne in disbelief.He said he took Zach to his mother's place, didn't he?Zach's grandmother should know about Zach's condition. She wouldn't let Zach eat just anything.So, why was Zach in the hospital?And how did Luna know about Zach's condition?"Which hospital is it?" Shayne hurriedly picked up the clothes that had fallen on the floor and put them on in a panic.Luna cried on the phone while telling him the name of the hospital.Worried about Zach, I could only follow behind Shayne.It was then that Shayne noticed my presence.I knew my expression was grim as if I was on the verge of exploding, but I ultimately held it in.He opened the car door and got in immediately.I also got into the passenger seat.We were silent the entire journey.My head, messy with information, slowly started to clear up during this 20-minute journey.In other words, Shayne was s
Zach's innocent yet blunt words pierced my heart like a needle. While sick and in his most vulnerable moment, the person he thought of was still the very woman responsible for making him ill.I looked down at him. The illness had clearly taken a toll on him. After saying just two sentences, he had already fallen back asleep.Shayne had heard Zach's words too. He took my hand, uttering, "Honey."I didn't feel like talking to him and tried to pull my hand away.However, he tightened his grip, refusing to let go. "What happened today was just an accident. Mom acted on her own. Zach only said that because he's sick; he didn't mean to say that—""I can understand where Zach's coming from," I said as I carried Zach and headed toward the exit. "He's infatuated with Luna, so naturally, he thinks she's perfect in every way."I paused for a moment before continuing, "And yet, I've strictly forbidden Zach from seeing Luna. He's bound to react strongly against it at first. "Zach is not a b
With his head tilted, he looked up at Shayne. His teary eyes held the unique innocence and confusion of a child. He looked both pitiable and endearing.When Shayne squatted down, Zach no longer had to look up. Zach met Shayne's gaze and sobbed, "Dad, won't you say yes?""You're still young." Shayne sighed, clearly affectionate toward his son. He reached up to ruffle Zach's hair. "Zach, if you keep losing your temper at Mom like this, you'll regret it in the future."Zach shook his head. "No, I won't!" As if worried that Shayne wouldn't believe him, he wiped away his tears. "Dad, let's leave Mom and live with Ms. Luna. I dream of having Ms. Luna as my mom!"Every word he spoke was firm and resolute.Instead of responding, Shayne only patted Zach on the shoulder before standing up. I bitterly turned to look at Zach. I had always thought his desire to be a family with Luna was just a fleeting whim... However, he had had more than one outburst. His attitude didn't seem like a joke
As soon as he finished speaking, the server brought over a large bowl of broth fondue and placed it on the table. "Enjoy your meal," he said with a smile."Thank you!" I picked up a piece of the beef. The crunchy and tender texture was simply irresistible.I ate several big bites in a row, only to notice that Julian still hadn't started eating. Curious, I asked, "Are you not going to eat?""Of course I am," Julian said, picking up his cutlery.…Shayne returned to his office, thinking about the things Aralyn had said. It dawned on him that he had indeed made far too many mistakes.Ever since he'd married Aralyn, he had taken her for granted because she was too sensible and understanding. He hadn't even noticed how much she had suffered.At this moment, Shayne was desperate to divorce Luna and make amends to Aralyn.Resolute, he called Luna."Yes? Miss me?" Luna's sweet voice came through the phone."I'm sorry." After saying those words, Shayne felt a sense of relief.Why was
"So, you think I should pay for every meal Julian and I have together?" I countered.The people around us started whispering, all saying that Amber was being shameless.Amber was so furious that she nearly lost her composure. "That's not the point! The point is my son refuses to support us because of you!"Standing up, Julian took out the bank transaction statements he had specifically asked Mark to print earlier. "Why don't you tell everyone how much you spend each month?"Amber had always gotten away with this kind of behavior before, so she never expected Julian to fight back this time.She froze on the spot.Julian unfolded the statements. To make sure everyone could see, he even handed out a few copies to the crowd.The onlookers opened the papers. The monthly expenses amounted to over five million. Then, they looked back at Amber, thinking she was being unreasonable.They thought she was being ungrateful by making a scene here when she received that much money; she hadn't
Mark didn't even think before replying, "Well, the company has a rule—if you complete three days' work in one day, the remaining two days are vacation."I found it a bit hard to believe. "Does such a great company really exist?"Mark teased with a smile, "Well, you've seen one now. The average price for these peripheral products is ten dollars, and your royalty margin is still 15%. The company just decided to spend a large sum of money to boost traffic."If all goes as planned, the sales of these peripheral products should break records day by day. We're worried that when the demand surges, production might not keep up."So, we're planning to stock up in advance to avoid running out of inventory when the comic goes viral. You just sit back and wait for the royalty money to roll in."When I heard that, I couldn't help but anticipate it. "Thank you.""You're welcome."With that, he left, not daring to glance at Julian.Julian followed him. "Help me print out the bank transfer rec
"If you had even a shred of sense and thought about everything you did to me, you couldn't possibly think I still have the slightest attachment to you."Shayne slammed the table and stood up. "Is this about me making you sleep with Rowan?"I leaned back on the couch and looked up at him. "Is that the only thing?"Shayne acted as if he couldn't hear me. "But I don't care about it anymore!""Heh." I realized I shouldn't have come to talk to him at all.Seeing me get up, Shayne hurriedly ran in front of me. "Aralyn…"I ignored him and walked straight past. Glancing back at his dejected figure, I calmly said, "I've always been thankful that I chose to leave you."…Back in the office, Julian, who had been focused on work, set his tasks aside and approached me. "Are you okay?"I nodded. "I'm fine. I just don't know what got into him. He suddenly said he regrets the divorce as if it would make any difference had he refused back then."I didn't bother to hide the disdain in my eyes.
"Strictly speaking, she's not an employee of Hughes Group," Mark said in a friendly manner.Shayne frowned. Seeing that this approach wasn't working, he simply stated his reason for coming, "I want to see her."Mark smiled politely. "You can call her and ask if she's willing to meet you."Mr. Pearce, I'm just an employee. Please don't make things difficult for me."Shayne stared at Mark. "She blocked me.""Then I'm sorry. I can't help you," Mark uttered in a professional tone.Shayne tried to bypass Mark to go find Aralyn, but Mark stepped forward to block him.Just then, the office door opened.…I stood at the door, looking at Shayne.Shayne looked at me. "Aralyn.""Don't say my name as if we're close," I said coldly, staring at him in disdain. "We're nothing more than strangers."For once, Shayne's expression showed sadness.But I didn't feel the slightest bit of sympathy. Instead, I found him pretentious and turned my gaze away.Mark stepped up to me and whispered, "D
Julian then noticed that, in addition to the commonly seen merchandise on the market, the applicants had also created some everyday products that hadn't been made into merchandise before. "Very professional," he commented, quite satisfied."Yes. Now that we've hired people for both the merchandise and comic departments, if all goes smoothly, we'll be able to produce the rest of the merchandise within the next couple of days. I think the comic's followers aren't growing fast enough."So, I'm suggesting the finance department allocate more funds to the promotions team. After all, early-stage promotion mainly relies on spending money," Mark voiced his opinions.Julian, who never lacked money, replied, "Approved."It was because of Aralyn that Mark learned just how many ways there were to make money in the comic industry.And the prospects looked so promising."There are very few applicants for the translation department, which handles international promotions, but I'll keep an eye
In the office, I started working seriously.…Julian walked out of the office and went to a secluded corner, dialing Amber's number."Yes? What's the matter?" Amber asked."Didn't I tell you not to contact Aralyn unless there was a reason? Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson. Do I really have to cut off all of the family's living expenses?"Each word from Julian was colder than the last."I'm your mother! I'm not happy with Aralyn as my daughter-in-law. Can't I say something about it?" Amber asked sharply, sounding as if she were perfectly justified.But Julian wasn't buying it at all. "No, you can't."Amber was almost choked speechless by Julian's words, but she knew Julian meant what he said."You don't even have the right to cut off our living expenses. Don't forget that we're the ones who handed the company to you. You're enjoying the results of our hard work, and yet you don't want to support us? How do you think that's fair?"Julian sneered, "Mom, I guess y
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
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