Ever since Zach learned that Noah had spoken with Aralyn the previous day, he had become extremely dejected.Hoping to cheer him up, Noah handed his phone to Zach.Zach took it, glanced at the screen, and said without hesitation, "Buy it!"Noah helped him place the order. Only then did Zach's mood improve slightly. He got out of the car and walked into the kindergarten.Why didn't the teachers allow them to bring dolls to class? If he could, he would buy another plush doll of his mom and keep it at school. That way, his mom could always be with him whether he was at home or in kindergarten.…Julian was seated in the meeting room when he called Alice. "Come over for a moment. I have a work-related matter I'd like to discuss with you."Alice instantly panicked when she heard this. "Work?"Could it be that Julian thought she spent all her time gossiping in the office and wasn't dedicated to her job? Was he planning to fire her?Julian's tone was cold. "Yes."Alice's heart jumpe
As Julian listened to their discussion, he slowly understood what he should do."Not bad. What kind of reward do you want?" he asked blandly."A pay raise?" Alice asked without hesitation."Me too," Mark chimed in."Alright," Julian generously replied.…After I finished my morning tasks, I felt a little tired, so I leaned back on the couch to check the analytics for my accounts across different platforms.My follower count had increased significantly. Even the platform with the smallest follower count had surpassed 50 thousand followers. Meanwhile, the most-viewed video had reached 500 thousand views.I sat up in disbelief and quickly checked the income reports from all the platforms. After reviewing the final platform's numbers, I slumped heavily against the couch.Excluding affiliate sales, the pure revenue from views alone had exceeded ten thousand dollars.I looked up at the ceiling.Wouldn't I earn more money with the upcoming sales from plush dolls and other merchandi
Shayne recalled everything that happened between him and Aralyn. He suddenly realized all he could recall was her contributions and how she had moved him.On the other hand, all he did was rely on how much she liked him and fearlessly hurt her.Shayne poured himself a full glass of alcohol. He then tipped his head back and drank it all. Spencer stopped next to him and asked, "Did you figure it out?""There are still some matters at the office." Shayne was worried that his friend would know that he was actually such a terrible man if he said it out loud. As such, he awkwardly made an excuse to leave.Spencer watched him as he left. His other friends approached him, asking, "Why is he like that?""Probably because he realized he had never treated Aralyn right throughout their six years together," Spencer replied as he looked away expressionlessly.As Shayne treated her poorly, she had kindly tolerated him. She would forgive him unconditionally regardless of what he did. Sadly, he
Shayne was also wrong for being too cruel and merciless when he hurt Aralyn. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here today.…About half a mile south of the company was a street full of food vendors.Julian said he wanted to take a walk and get some exercise, so I walked there with him.From the entrance, I could see an endless street. I turned to look at Julian and asked, "What do you want to eat?"Julian wasn't too familiar with the food on the street. Hearing my question, he replied, "Hotdogs?"I nodded. "That works."There were various kinds of hotdogs. There were fried ones, spicy ones, and even some that were pre-cooked and served cold.Julian, who was dressed in a suit, stood in the crowd. He was tall and had a striking aura. It made him extremely eye-catching. He didn't seem like the type to eat street food.Everyone snuck glances at him, yet he seemed completely oblivious as he picked a sausage.I looked at the items he placed on his tray, nearly all of them were things I l
"That's a secret for now. You'll find out when the time comes," Mark said mysteriously.Once he was done with his report, he bade Julian farewell and left the office.Julian walked over to my side, turned to look at me, and asked, "Do you want to know what the good news he was talking about is?""I do, but I can probably guess what it is," I replied honestly.Julian smirked. "Oh?"I began my analysis. "Based on what I already know… Firstly, my interactions with him are limited. We only ever talk when it involves the comic. Secondly, it's good news, but it's limited by time."I stared at Julian and continued, "The company has probably come up with a new plan to promote my comic, ensuring it reaches a larger audience. This will cause a steep increase in merchandise sales, and I'll earn even more money."After finishing my analysis, I asked, "Am I right?""Yes," Julian agreed. "You're very smart.""Thank you."With that, I went back to coloring the drafts I had saved earlier. I
I gave a polite smile. "I almost forgot to ask—you specifically called me over. Is something wrong?"Charlotte asked, "I've heard people saying you don't like Shayne anymore."I calmly replied, "That's right."She slammed her hands on the table and stood up in anger. "What gives you the right to look down on him?""Isn't it obvious?" I asked.I then continued unhurriedly, "You saw everything he did to me. I don't recall a single thing that would make me want to continue liking him, do you?"With that, I stood up, intending to leave.Charlotte's anger instantly vanished. Seeing that she was about to leave, she quickly said, "Even if what he did was wrong, you can't just let go so quickly!"Her voice got louder as she spoke.I turned my head and looked at her. "Is six years a short amount of time?"How many six years does a person get in their lifetime?Charlotte snapped, "It's not short, but you've been together for so long. Who knows if you've been seeing someone else on the
You're welcome," Julian replied calmly.…Julian glanced back.Charlotte was staring in their direction.Julian looked away without changing his expression. First Shayne, now Charlotte.Lately, more and more troublemakers had been showing up at the company. It seemed he had to speak with the security team and have them tighten security measures.…Julian and I walked side by side. He looked at me and asked, "What did she want from you?""She didn't say," I replied honestly. "But she started by accusing me of being heartless and not loving her son anymore when I showed up. It seems that she probably hopes I'll get back together with Shayne."Julian asked, confused, "Didn't she use to like Luna a lot?"I nodded. "She did, but no matter how much she likes Luna, her son and grandson will always be her priority. Luna doesn't treat Zach well. It probably breaks her heart to see that, so now she's hoping I'll go back to take care of them, and let them keep mistreating me."I then
Gabriel said he was at home.Then, Julian told Gabriel that someone was sending some toys to his place. So, he wanted the latter to take the parcel on his behalf. After Julian was done talking, he approached me and asked, "What do you want to buy at the supermarket? Go ahead and pick the stuff now."So, I went to the junk food aisle and filled my shopping cart to the brim with chips before wheeling it to the cashier. I bought so much stuff that it took two shopping bags to load all of them.After I made the payment, Julian took the shopping bags and left with me in tow. When I used to shop in supermarkets with Shayne, we always bought a ton of stuff, and it was certainly more than what I purchased this time. However, Shayne was never worried about me feeling tired. Instead, he would always walk in front of me without any care while I brought up the rear. Our purchases were very heavy, but I didn't think I ever thought about asking for Shayne's help. The thing was, I had alwa
"But the more you do that, the more I'll talk about it. Luna, from now on, every time I see something about you two, I'll bring it up."I didn't want to waste more time on Luna. "If you keep staying in front of me and ruining my mood, I'll grab a microphone and tell everyone here exactly what you've done."Luna's expression twisted as she quickly looked around. After ensuring no one was paying attention to her, she finally left.Not long after she left, Alice came over to me. She was holding a plate of delicious food and sat down next to me, immediately complaining, "My dad just dragged me around to greet everyone."I laughed at her frustrated expression. "That must have been annoying, huh?"Alice grabbed my hand. "Yeah! They look at me and make small talk, saying things like, 'I held you when you were a baby.' How could I possibly remember something from back then? I would seem rude if I didn't respond, so I just nodded." She aggressively picked up a piece of meat with her uten
"She's my woman, Aralyn Jaffe." Julian introduced me to everyone.Someone immediately handed me a glass of wine. "Oh! My apologies. Let me toast to you."I accepted the glass and watched as he tilted his head back and drank the entire glass. Taking a deep breath, I was just about to take a sip when Julian took the glass from my hand. "She doesn't drink. Anyone who tries to make her drink is going against me," he stated emotionlessly.The people who had been eager to persuade me to drink immediately gave up. In their eyes, I was someone they couldn't provoke, as Julian was protecting me.They began to flatter me. "Ms. Jaffe, you're so lucky to have won over Mr. Hughes."Since Julian and I were only pretending to be in a relationship, I didn't know how to respond to their compliments, so I just smiled politely.Once the crowd around us dispersed, I quietly asked, "Is it really okay not to drink?""Of course," Julian said, his typically cold tone now tinged with a hint of amuseme
Julian chuckled. "Reminds me of when Alice used to pester me every day."As his words fell, Alice said, "What are you two saying about me?"Her father had been invited to the banquet today. To broaden her horizons, he decided to bring her along.Alice had initially thought the event would be boring, but as soon as she arrived, she spotted Aralyn.She ran over and heard Julian mention her name before she could even greet them.Alice's intuition told her that Julian wasn't saying anything good about her.Though caught in the act, Julian didn't seem embarrassed. "Just using you as an example."Alice glared at Julian in dissatisfaction.Julian slowed his pace.When Alice eventually went off to find her father, he continued nonchalantly, "Back then, I felt the same way you do now. But I also understood one thing—if you don't find a way to resolve this issue, Shayne will keep bothering you."I really didn't want to deal with Shayne more than necessary. "Do you have any solution?"
I had just finished my morning tasks and was planning to take a short break when a group of people burst into the office.They walked up to me and turned to Julian, asking, "Mr. Hughes, is it her?"Julian nodded. "Yes.""What are they here for?" I asked in confusion."Didn't you agree to accompany me to a banquet this afternoon? They're here to style you," Julian explained, walking over to me.As soon as he finished speaking, a young woman stood in front of me. "Close your eyes," she said.Then, they began applying makeup to my face, brushing over my skin with soft brushes. Someone was also working on my hair behind me.Bored, I sat there quietly and made a mental note to avoid attending banquets in the future. Otherwise, I'd waste so much time every day like this.It was such a hindrance to making money.When the makeup was done, someone said gently, "Wake up."I opened my eyes.Before I knew it, someone handed me a dress and urged, "Hurry up and change."In a daze, I walk
Mark listened to Julian and immediately pinpointed the issue. "Could she be giving up on Shayne and trying to pursue you instead?"Julian frowned. "What?""You're better looking than Shayne, wealthier, and most importantly, you're a better person. She's about to be abandoned. Thinking about finding a better man isn't unreasonable, right?"Julian raised a finger and lightly tapped the table.Mark continued, "Otherwise, why else would she put on an act in front of Aralyn?"As Julian realized this, his expression turned colder. He immediately called Shayne.When Shayne picked up the call, he instinctively thought it was about work. "Mr. Hughes, are you calling to discuss our collaboration?""No. I just wanted you to tell Luna that I'm not interested in her."…Shayne stared at his phone. There could only be one reason why Julian was suddenly calling him about Luna—Luna had gone to Hughes Group to find Julian.And perhaps, she had even hinted at being interested in Julian.Other
I took a deep breath. "I've made my reasons clear! Luna, just because you're sick enough to love being a homewrecker and seduce married men doesn't mean everyone else is like you. Understand?"Tears welled up in Luna's eyes.Seeing her like this reminded me of when I returned home after my miscarriage.Even though it was her and her family who hurt me, her pitiful expression somehow made everything seem as though it was my fault.I took another deep breath."People say you're gentle and easy to talk to. But why are you so horrible to me? Is your gentleness only an act? Are you actually a fake?""So what if I am? I don't care why you're suddenly here, but let me make one thing clear—if you keep showing up in front of me, I'll post everything you've done online."Luna's tears began falling as if she were the victim.I continued, "That way, everyone will know about all the horrible things you did!"Her voice quivered slightly. "But I'm here to make peace with you. You're so cruel
"How do you feel about it?"I had been in shock just moments ago, but now I was starting to recover. "I used to think that even if a lot of money was spent promoting my work, it would be turned into physical books for sale at most. I never imagined that a comic could actually come to life."This experience made me feel delighted.Julian chuckled. "This is just the beginning."I nodded. "So, I'm really looking forward to it."As the two of us were talking, someone knocked on the door. Julian assumed it was an employee looking for him.Suppressing his smile, he said coldly, "Come in."The office door was pushed open, and Luna strode in.She glanced around, finding no one else present before walking to the desk area.Julian frowned.She was neither an employee nor a business partner of anyone in the company. How did she even get into the building?Julian suppressed the annoyance rising in his heart. Remembering what Alice and Mark said, he decided to take this opportunity to st
I looked at him."Just last night, it got two to three hundred thousand views! With the animation bringing in traffic, your followers on all platforms will likely grow rapidly and dramatically!" Mark exclaimed.After that, he urged me, "Take a look at the animation first and see if it meets your expectations."Hearing that, I opened the video platform and clicked on the animation. The voice actress for Willow had a tone completely different from Willow's, yet strangely, her way of speaking felt exactly the same.Even the voice actors for Julian and me had the same effect.I was a bit stunned.How did they manage that?When the video began, I felt that the storyline looked exactly like my comic. But once the characters started moving, it felt as if they had come to life.As the plot progressed, memories of the day I left Shayne's house suddenly came to mind.At that time, I thought I had lost everything. I assumed life would be hard for a while before it slowly improved.But
Pamela was puzzled. "You suddenly look so serious.""I just think Zach is working so hard, so I definitely can't lose to him!" Willow responded solemnly."Why do you need to compete with him?""Because he's the hardest-working student in our class," Willow replied unhesitatingly.Pamela felt something was off about what Willow said, but she couldn't pinpoint it.After thinking for a while, she said, "Then I'll learn from you both."Willow lifted her chin. "No problem! To make sure you don't slack off, I've decided to supervise you personally!"…At the company, I saw Amber standing at the door of the office and asked Julian, "Is she here for you? I'll go somewhere else, then. I don't want to interrupt you."Before Julian could respond, Amber had already spoken. "No, I'm here to see you! Aralyn, I've spent the past few days reflecting on my behavior, and I've realized it's my overthinking that led to me misunderstanding you."That's why I kept finding faults with you and alway