Julian would definitely notice her more.Over time, she would be able to drive Aralyn away and become Julian's lover."I don't know," Shayne replied heavily.He didn't lie. "She was the one who pursued me. After we got together, she was great, and she treated me well. "If I didn't want to celebrate a holiday or give her a surprise, all I had to say was that I was busy with work or I didn't understand these things, and she would forgive me. She also took care of everything in my life."Shayne didn't know why, but whenever he talked about the past with Aralyn, he felt a heavy, uncomfortable ache in his heart.It hurt terribly.Luna almost rolled her eyes when she heard this.To put it nicely, he had found a wife.To put it harshly, she was his unpaid maid!No wonder when Aralyn gave up on Shayne, she did so decisively and resolutely. There was no shred of hesitation."All I know is that she used to love me and Zach the most," Shayne continued.…Willow and Pamela played ups
Pamela didn't want to get involved in this situation. After all, she was just a child. Even if she had the intention, she didn't have the ability to do anything about Andrew."Leave these matters to the adults," said Ximena.I stepped forward to help Ximena untie the ropes, then took out my phone to call the police. Meanwhile, Ximena called the property management office with a cold expression.After finishing beating Andrew up, Julian opened the bedroom door and dragged the limp Andrew out, tossing him onto the living room floor.Andrew remained defiant. "She's my ex-wife. Coming to see her is my right. Who are you to interfere?"The term "ex-wife" reminded Julian of Shayne, and he instinctively retorted, "Oh, so you're aware that she's your ex-wife and not your current wife. That means you have no right to come to her home or involve yourself in her life."Andrew glared at Julian warily. "Why are you so concerned about her? Are you secretly in love with her?""She's an emplo
Zach opened the packages one by one, forcing a smile as he looked at the design that resembled Aralyn.Then, he stood up and started arranging the merchandise in his bedroom.While setting things up, Zach suddenly remembered that Aralyn had once taken a few sets of photos, possibly in this very bedroom.He searched for a long time before finally discovering the photos at the bottom of the wardrobe, though he had no idea when they'd been placed there.He carefully took them out and cleaned them before placing them in various corners of the house.Lying on the bed and clutching the blanket, he took deep breaths of its scent.He looked around at the photos of Aralyn scattered everywhere, and he felt as if he had returned to the time when she was still with him.For the first time in a long while, his mood lifted though he felt that compared to before, his life now was painful.When he thought about Shayne, he realized that Shayne was getting it worse than him.However, he didn't
"In the six years we were together, she poured her heart and soul into me. It hasn't even been long, and she's already holding and kissing another man!"The more Shayne spoke, the more overwhelmed he felt. His mind was filled with one single thought—it shouldn't be this way.Shayne knew it was his fault, but he habitually shifted all the blame onto Aralyn. Originally, he thought doing so would make him feel better, but it only made him feel more suffocated.His friends watched him cry uncontrollably. They wanted to tell him that the reason Aralyn gave up on him so quickly was because he treated her too poorly during the six years they were together.Aralyn had already given up on him a long time ago.She only held onto their relationship out of sentimentality and reluctance to abandon the marriage, thinking she could salvage it.Shayne was the one who insisted on getting close to Luna and had this ambiguous relationship with her that eventually shattered Aralyn's hope.It made h
Luna lowered her head, looking pitiful. "Right now, his heart is only with Aralyn."Once Charlotte confirmed that Luna was in the same boat as her, she said, "Leave Shayne to me. I'll help you figure it out."Luna asked excitedly, "Really? That's wonderful. Thank you, Mom!"…After leaving Luna's house and returning to her bedroom, Charlotte began considering how to persuade Shayne.Shayne had been like this since he was young—stubborn to the core. Once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.Therefore, she knew she needed help.After much thought, Charlotte concluded that Zach would be the key.After all, Zach was Shayne's biological son, and he loved Zach.If Zach spoke up for Luna, Shayne might at least agree to date her for Zach's sake.Charlotte dialed Zach's number, but no one answered.Charlotte's face darkened.He didn't even want to pick up her calls now, huh?Furious, Charlotte immediately called Shayne. "What's going on with Zach? Why isn't he answering my
"Yes, why?" I wasn't sure why she was asking, but I instinctively thought she might need money. "Oh, phew." Willow sighed in relief."Pamela said when her parents divorced, her mom left with nothing, and she didn't ask for anything. Her mom didn't even have a penny, and life was hard."Willow stared at me seriously. "Even though Daddy is a good person now, it doesn't mean he won't change in the future. If you and Daddy get divorced someday, you can't be foolish and leave without asking for anything, okay?"Her serious expression was so cute that I couldn't help but pinch her cheeks gently. "Then what should I do?"Willow confidently said, "Start saving some money now, and when the time comes, take some from him. Just don't live a miserable life."Seeing how much she cared for me, I was moved. "But your daddy and I aren't married yet."Not understanding such a complicated situation, Willow blinked. "But I call you Mommy and Daddy, so aren't we a family?"She tilted her head sli
Looking at her eager expression, Julian let out a chuckle. "Of course. Without your help, I'd never succeed.""Am I that important?" Willow asked, surprised.Julian ruffled her hair. "Yes, so never underestimate yourself, Willow."After reassuring Willow, he picked her up and walked out of the study. The three of us exercised together in the yard.Willow's condition was obviously improving more and more. She had become much more positive, cheerful, and confident. Even her appetite had increased a little.I watched her and realized that being with a child and watching them grow little by little really brought much happiness.…After dinner, Julian and I took Willow to school.Willow lay in my arms, her eyes stuck on me. "Mommy, I heard from Daddy that you're dating him. Is it true?"Julian and I pretended to be in a relationship to make everyone believe it. Only in this way would Shayne believe that I really had a boyfriend, and he would give up on me.As for kids, when they
Furious that Zach had refused her, Charlotte raised her hand, preparing to hit him. "Why are you so thoughtless? I'm doing this for you!"The nearby teacher rushed over and pulled Zach away. "Why are you hitting a child?"Zach lay on the teacher's shoulder, looking at Charlotte. "Don't use me as an excuse. You're doing all this for yourself!"Charlotte tried to follow, but the teacher rushed into the kindergarten and closed the door.Zach thanked the teacher, saying that if it weren't for the teacher's timely intervention, he would have had to endure a beating today.The teacher smiled and said, "You are my student; it's my duty to protect you."…We arrived at the kindergarten, and Willow got out before leaning into Julian's ear. "You can do it, Daddy," she whispered.Julian answered seriously, "Don't worry. I will."Willow walked away, satisfied.Julian and I followed behind her.Julian took my hand as if it were natural to him. I raised an eyebrow at Julian, but I didn't
Luna took a deep breath. She knew she couldn't act rashly, or she would really lose.Luna lowered her head, raising her hand to caress her stomach. She was determined to keep this child.After much hesitation, she decided to call Charlotte. When Charlotte answered, Luna sobbed, "Mom, I don't know if it's because of the pregnancy, but my emotions have been really unstable lately."Charlotte, who had been treating Luna like a treasure recently, smiled and asked, "What's wrong?""Shayne has been getting close to Aralyn every day. When I see them together, I can't help but think if they get back together, what about me and the baby? What will I do then?""That's impossible! As long as I'm here, those two will never get back together!" Charlotte immediately assured her.Luna knew that Charlotte would always be on her side no matter what. "But just a verbal promise doesn't give me a sense of security.""What do you want me to do, then?" Charlotte asked in confusion.Without hesit
Shayne's phone rang, and he found the ringtone irritating. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw that it was Luna. He felt a little displeased but still answered the call. "Hello?"Luna was a bit nervous. She knew this was something she had to face. But when it came time to actually talk to Shayne about it, she couldn't help feeling anxious. "Do you remember what we talked about last night?"Shayne struggled to think for a long time before finally recalling what Luna had said to him. "Yes."Luna felt that his attitude was a bit indifferent, but for the sake of her future happiness, she decided to go all in."Can you tell me what you really think? Shayne, I don't want my child to be born into an unstable environment. At the very least, he can't end up like Zach, who you abandoned so easily."Shayne's headache worsened. He could understand Luna's concerns, especially with Zach as a precedent.Thinking back now, he had to admit that he had indeed been irresponsible toward Zach.He had
Despite the compliment, Julian remained humble, though he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. "Really?""Yeah."It was at this moment that I suddenly understood that Shayne and Zach refusing to eat the food I made had little to do with my cooking skills. The real reason was that they hated me, so they also hated the food I made.Just like now, I had a good impression of Julian, so when he was willing to cook for me, I found his food especially delicious.Julian looked at me, finding the way I ate was graceful and refined.He shook his head, silently reminding himself to look at me less.He was already hopelessly in love with me. If he kept watching, he would lose himself in me completely.…When Shayne woke up, his head was pounding—an aftereffect of his hangover. Without opening his eyes, he asked impatiently, "Aralyn, why didn't you make me hangover soup last night? And my head hurts so much right now. Massage my temples later."However, no one answered him.
Julian chuckled. "Not eating breakfast until now is bad for your health.""I don't think I've been working for that long," I said as I picked up my phone to check the time. It was 10:10 am. I instantly felt a bit baffled.Julian's lips curved into a subtle smile. "For the sake of your health, you should eat some breakfast. I made scrambled eggs and some sides. Come downstairs and eat before you continue working.""Alright," I agreed immediately.I knew that skipping breakfast was bad for my health. Besides, as an adult, I should set a good example for the younger ones.Otherwise, if they saw me skipping breakfast, they might not want to eat either. That would be a problem.I walked downstairs alongside Julian."People used to call me a workaholic, saying my mind was always occupied with work. But you seem even more deserving of that title than I am." Julian sighed.I joked, "If I hadn't met you, I probably would never have found a boss as good as you. So, of course, I have to s
"How much is the internship salary for each employee? If they exceed their task requirements, how much of a commission do they get? You have to figure all of this out yourself. Once you have thought through these questions, your company will be ready for official operation," Danny concluded.Alice nodded, somewhat understanding. "Thank you, Dad.""You're welcome." Danny looked at Alice, feeling that the girl he and his wife had always cherished and protected seemed to have finally grown up.The corners of his lips curled up unconsciously. "If you run into problems you can't solve, you can always come to me. I will definitely help you.""You're the best, Dad!" Alice remarked playfully."Of course. You're my only daughter. If I don't treat you well, who else would I treat well?" Danny said proudly.After chatting with Danny a bit, Alice returned to her room. She took out her phone and sent a message to Joseph."I've written a lot of stuff. How about we meet tomorrow to go over eve
"If they're truly talented, they wouldn't need to take over the company. They might as well go find a job elsewhere. After all, it's more promising than working for us. The only people you can hire are those unqualified yet overconfident ones," Joseph remarked, smiling.Lucas sighed. "Why did you come back? Need something?"Did he suddenly realize how tough it was outside and decide to return home for an easier life?Joseph took out a notebook and said, "Of course! I want to start a company. We already have a project. But we don't know how to manage it, so we wanted to ask you first."As Lucas stared at Joseph, he realized that Joseph had really improved after being away from the family.Before, when he tried to get Joseph to join his company, Joseph always said he wasn't interested.But now, he wanted to start his own business.Lucas sat down and shared all the knowledge he had accumulated over the years.Joseph didn't bother filtering what was good or bad; he just wrote every
"Otherwise, at the slightest disturbance, we'd start worrying about what we'll do in the future if their company goes bankrupt.""That's true." Joseph imagined himself running a major company and becoming number one in the industry, surrounded by people treating him like a star.He couldn't help but smile. "Alright! We'll do as you say!""Then go home and ask your dad how to manage a company. Remember to take detailed notes so you don't forget the most crucial and important points. I'll ask my dad as well. Don't worry. I'll write everything down."We'll have a discussion afterward. For the parts that are the same, we'll follow them. For the differences, we'll combine the best of both," uttered Alice.Joseph responded excitedly, "Alright."He had been troubled emotionally, thinking he shouldn't waver for another woman just because of what Alice said.But now, his mind was entirely focused on business.He believed that once he succeeded, women would naturally come to him and purs
But when he saw the high prices, he suddenly felt like it wasn't worth it. A regular apartment only cost a few thousand dollars a month. One night in a hotel cost tens of thousands of dollars. It was enough to rent a place for a whole year and even hire a housekeeper to clean up the place.In the end, Joseph booked a hotel for 200 dollars. After checking in, he realized that while it wasn't as luxurious as the expensive ones, there wasn't that big of a difference. It was still inhabitable.…Alice had finally found such a good way to earn money, so she wanted to take full advantage of this opportunity. Even though she was already very frugal with her spending, and her salary and bonuses from the company were quite high, she had to admit that making a lot of money on her own still made her feel really happy.As she lay under the covers, her mind was filled with thoughts of how to expand her and Joseph's business. She also thought of how to make more people aware of them.However, A
So, Avery choosing another man was the reason he was so upset. Joseph suddenly stopped in his tracks. However, he remembered that Avery had never actually said she loved him. It was Alice who said it.It was because he saw Avery trying to please him that he naturally assumed Alice was right—that Avery had a crush on him.Joseph had a vague sense of unease. He turned around and went back to Alice's house. He raised his hand and rang the doorbell. "Hello?"Upon hearing this, Alice walked to the gate with a yawn. "What is it?"Joseph stared at Alice as he asked, "I wanted to ask… Avery has never loved me, right?"Alice was stumped by his question. How did he figure it out?She looked away, feeling a little guilty.Joseph's voice rose. "So, you've been lying to me from the very beginning? Why did you do it? Was it for revenge?"Since she had been exposed, Alice had no intention of hiding it anymore. "Yeah, why else? You suddenly found a woman to date and called her my substitute. Y