Shayne got up, tidied himself, and skipped breakfast before driving to block the entrance of Julian's underground garage.When Julian's car was blocked, he got out of the car and knocked on Shayne's car window.Shayne rolled down the window. "I need to talk to Aralyn."Julian smiled faintly and asked, "Didn't you two already finish whatever you needed to talk about?""This is between her and me! Have her come over!" Shayne's tone was firm.Julian didn't comply but stood still, watching Shayne impassively.Noticing he hadn't returned for a while, I got out of the car and walked over. "What's going on?"Shayne looked at me with a face full of grievance. "I want to talk to you, but he won't let me."I felt a headache coming on. "Shayne, are you serious?""On account of the fact that we were once married and that you truly loved me once, give me another chance. Can we have a moment alone?"I didn't answer."Just give me ten minutes," Shayne said again.I didn't respond directly
"If we're purely comparing material aspects, Julian treats me better. And he respects me more. He has no so-called 'first love' that he's hung up on, and he won't drag me into messy emotional entanglements.""What if he's like me and has a first love too? Maybe the person he loves just hasn't returned to the country yet," Shayne retorted. That had nothing to do with me.But I couldn't say that out loud, so I was struggling to come up with a response."Can you guarantee that when the person he truly loves comes back, he'll handle things better than I did?""Well, here's the question." Julian sat down beside me." Mr. Pearce, I'd also like to take this opportunity to ask you—who exactly is this person I supposedly truly love?"I was glad that he followed me. Otherwise, if Shayne kept spewing nonsense unchecked, his pursuit of me would undoubtedly become even more difficult.Shayne was stunned by the question.Julian's voice turned icy. "I can understand the pain of losing someone
Hearing the familiar voice, I turned toward the source of the sound.Charlotte was standing outside the fence, glaring at me viciously. "You really have no shame, do you? You'll stoop to anything."Faced with her baseless accusations, I found it amusing. She hated me, so no matter what I did, it always rubbed her the wrong way.That, I could understand."Say whatever you want to say, as much as you like. After all, when you're done shouting and have drawn everyone's attention, I'll just expose everything your son has done. When your son's company's stock plummets, your days won't be any better either," I stated cheerfully."Is this the only way you know how to threaten people?" Charlotte snapped angrily."Well, it does work, does it not?" I rebuked expressionlessly.Charlotte fell silent.I had no intention of dealing with her further and turned to leave.Seeing this, Charlotte said hurriedly, "Come out here for a moment. I have something to say to you."This family was truly
Seeing the curiosity and excitement on my face, Julian couldn't help but smile slightly. "You can check your phone and look at your account balance."I did as Julian said.My balance had increased by over 200 thousand."It was originally over 300 thousand, but we needed to deduct the taxes, so the amount credited to your account is just over 200 thousand. As for social insurance and housing fund contributions, the company handles those for you, do you don't need to worry about it."Finding it hard to believe, I looked at him and exclaimed, "That's a lot! This is the first time I've earned so much money through my own ability. I didn't think it'd feel this good to have my own money."I don't have to worry about others coming up with all sorts of reasons to take it away. And I don't need to justify every penny I spend. If I want to save it, I save it. If I want to spend it, I spend it. This is my freedom."I even felt a bit regretful. Had I taken this step earlier, it would've been
But I couldn't be bothered to listen anymore. "Stop!"Luna continued, "Starting today, I'll pursue him actively. Let's write off everything between us."Between us lay the life of a child. It was impossible to just write that off.I was surprised that she could say something so naive.Letting out a sneer, I replied, "When you successfully took my place, I saw with my own eyes how you treated Zach. If you really ended up with Julian, do you think Willow's life would be any better?"It absolutely would not.She would bully Willow the same way she bullied Zach.Willow was just starting to get better. If Luna targeted her, it would certainly worsen things."I won't allow you to be with Julian," I stated coldly."You're not his mom. What right do you have to interfere in my business with him?""You must've heard how Julian introduced me at the banquet last time. Luna, I'm his girlfriend."Luna froze. She had assumed I was just Julian's date.After a long moment, she asked, "Wh
"I know you love me." Shayne didn't quite understand why he could feel Luna's love for him easily. But when it came to Aralyn's love and kindness, he only realized it after losing her.It turned out that the ease he had taken for granted was entirely due to Aralyn's silent and selfless support.A trace of sadness flickered in Shayne's eyes. "A few days ago, I wanted so badly to reconcile with Aralyn. So, when you offered to help, I impulsively agreed. "But today, I suddenly think it's not right. If I have to rely on another woman to pursue my ex-wife, wouldn't that make me seem completely useless?"Pretending to not like what she was hearing, Luna said, "I won't allow you to talk about yourself like that!""Alright. I won't," Shayne replied with a smile. Only then was Luna satisfied. "That's better. Since you've made up your mind, I'll stay at home, take care of myself, and focus on the baby."Of course, she was just saying that.There was no way she'd truly listen to Shayn
After finishing the report, the person nervously waited for Julian to berate him.But to his surprise, Julian calmly pointed out the issues and explained how to fix them.The person went back to his seat in a daze.When did Julian become so easygoing? Could this be the power of love?The others received the same treatment during their reports. All of them exchanged glances, and from each other's eyes, they knew everyone was thinking of the same thing—they hoped Julian and his girlfriend stayed together forever.After the meeting, the group left in unspoken agreement.Julian looked at Mark, who was about to leave. "Mark, stay behind."Mark wasn't sure what Julian wanted but couldn't help asking curiously, "So, Aralyn gave you a gift?"Julian couldn't hide his pride. "Yeah, but she's just pretending to be my girlfriend. She hasn't actually agreed to date me."Mark raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Hughes, it means she's interested in you. Think about it. Why would she pretend to be your g
That would total over six million.At my current earning rate, it would only take a year or two to save up that amount. But instead of saving money, paying for health insurance would be more cost-effective. If I paid for 20 to 30 years, there were no further payments after that.And medical expenses would be reimbursed significantly.I smiled as I thought of this.It seemed I needed to find a time to go back and discuss the health insurance issue with Mom.Previously, because Mom didn't agree with my divorce, I dared not go back.But the divorce had been finalized, and I had already moved on from the shadows of it. Whether or not Mom scolded me, I should still meet her.She raised me, after all. I couldn't possibly ignore her for the rest of my life.After resolving Mom's pension and healthcare issues, I also needed to consider my own retirement.If I planned for 50 years for myself as well, I would need to save over ten million.The more I thought about it, the more excited
"I learned a lot of things today. Mason told me that your divorce from Rowan wasn't because Rowan's family went bankrupt," Shayne uttered slowly.Luna pushed Shayne away and looked at him. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?""I'm sorry for misunderstanding you," he apologized.Luna didn't mind. "I wouldn't really call it a misunderstanding. Maybe I was too firm in my decision when I left you, which led you to misunderstand me."Shayne looked into Luna's eyes. "Aralyn said if I don't cherish you, I might regret it in the future. I gave it some thought, and I think she's right. So, from today onward, I want to cherish the days I spend with you."Luna smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Okay. But I've been busy with my career, so I might not have much time.""I'll help you," Shayne replied."Thank you," Luna said sincerely.Having been used to not having money for so long, Luna had developed the habit of saving. Now that she could earn her own money, she was thinking what she should
Shayne suddenly felt that Mason was incredibly smart, but he didn't dislike that kind of intelligence. "Okay."…Shayne dropped Mason off at kindergarten.Then, he drove to Willow's kindergarten. When he saw me about to get into the car, he quickly stepped in front of me. "Let's have a proper talk."I knew that if I didn't give him a chance to speak, he would keep blocking me here until I was willing to talk to him.To avoid wasting time, I decided to settle this quickly. "Alright, what do you want to say?"Shayne wanted to say a lot of things. But the moment he saw me, it was as if all those words got stuck in his throat. He couldn't say a single thing.In the end, he only managed to squeeze out, "Lately, I can't stop thinking about the days we were together."If he only wanted to chat casually or reminisce about the past, that would be a complete waste of my time."So what?"Shayne was used to my indifference, but it still hurt him a little. "Back when I pursued you, I trul
"Back then, Mommy had some savings and used all of it as our expenses. Daddy felt that we couldn't keep living like that, so he resigned from their company. Then, they came over and scolded Mommy."Mason's tone was full of sarcasm. "They said Mommy had instigated Daddy to quit. Mommy was really upset and cried at home secretly. But when Daddy came back, she still greeted him with a smile."Mommy only suffered all this injustice because she married Daddy, so when Mommy stayed quiet about it, I took the initiative to tell Daddy."He patted my head and told me he would handle it. Then, he went to the balcony. I overheard him telling Grandpa and Grandma to stop interfering in his life. He said that since he no longer worked for them and wasn't taking their money, he was already living independently."No one should have anything to say about his wife. That day, Grandpa and Grandma got really mad. Daddy just listened quietly and then hung up the phone. Back then, they were both under a l
"They'll bring that woman and her child into the house, then ask me if she and Daddy make a good match," Mason said.The more Mason spoke, the angrier he got. His cheeks puffed up unconsciously. "They want to set Daddy up with her and hope I'll help them, right? If I refuse, they'll just say I'm not as sensible as her son."Shayne felt that talking to a child about these things seemed pretty inappropriate..But then again, would anyone really be that outrageous?Just then, Mason's phone rang again.He answered and asked, "Do you need something?""Yes!" the two elders replied in unison."Your daddy hasn't been in touch with us lately. Do you know where he is?""No," Mason replied without hesitation.Even if he did know, he wouldn't tell them."When Mommy and I moved out, you said you hoped we would never come back and that you wouldn't contact us. What's going on today? Having regrets?"Mason hadn't planned to speak so harshly.But he really didn't want to have too much cont
Mason sat in the car, looking out the window. After a long time, he finally mustered the courage to turn back and look at Shayne. "Will you still get angry with Mommy in the future?"Shayne didn't understand why Mason suddenly brought this up, but he still answered politely, "I've never been angry with your mommy."Mason was confused. "Then why haven't you come to see us for so long?"Shayne casually made up an excuse. "Because I've been busy with work.""Oh, okay."Realizing he had misunderstood Shayne, Zach quickly apologized, "Sorry.""If I do have conflicts with your mommy in the future, what would you do?" Shayne asked."I wouldn't bother with you. Mommy treats me well," Mason said seriously."When I was very little, I always knew that Mommy really loved money. She always put money first, so when she and my daddy got divorced, I thought she wouldn't want me because raising me is really expensive."Mason's voice carried a trace of sadness. "But Mommy still chose to take me
Willow felt she had once again become the happiest child in the world, and her lips curled into a smile.Julian got up and followed behind us.After washing up, Willow pulled us along for a morning run. When we finished, we took a shower and had breakfast together.The food prepared by the chef at home suited our tastes perfectly.Willow ate in big bites, then started drinking her milk.Finally, Julian and I took her to school together.…Mason woke up in the morning.When he walked into the living room and saw Shayne still there, he didn't show any displeasure. Instead, he smiled brightly. "Dad, you really stayed!"Shayne felt deeply gratified. "That's right.""Take me to school today," Mason said eagerly."Most of my classmates have their parents drop them off, but I… It's always the driver who takes me to school. If this keeps up, they'll think I don't have parents."The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became. And by the end, he sounded pitiful.Shayne couldn't hel
Shayne was unwilling to give up and wanted to talk more. But whenever he tried, Aralyn would find an excuse to leave.Bitterness filled Shayne.He persisted day after day, treating Aralyn well bit by bit. After a long time, Aralyn was finally moved.She finally agreed to date him.But what happened after that?As their relationship deepened, he should have normally fallen in love with Aralyn and naturally stepped into marriage with her.But there was no such memory in Shayne's mind.Their relationship suddenly took a strange turn—Aralyn was the one pursuing him, while he was always avoiding her.Shayne frowned, seriously trying to recall what had happened.It was probably the day before he decided to forget about Luna and sincerely start a life with Aralyn when Luna called him.She said she was living a hard life and wanted to come back and reconcile with him.The smile on Shayne's face gradually turned bitter.At that time, Rowan was still incredibly wealthy. His family sh
The living room was spacious and bright.The food on the dining table was already cold.Even the candles had burned down completely.Aralyn sat quietly at the table. It was only when she heard his footsteps that she lifted her head and looked at him."Didn't you say you would come back to celebrate our anniversary with me? Why are you only back now?" she questioned.It was only then that Shayne realized he hadn't even told Aralyn where he had been.He quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, honey. Something came up at work; I was swamped. I couldn't come back and be with you. I'm really sorry."At the time, Shayne had still been serious about maintaining this family.Aralyn stared straight at him, her eyes carrying a calmness as if she saw through everything. "Are you sure you were working? You know I don't like being lied to. If you're lying, you know what happens."For some reason, Shayne had suddenly chickened out. "I went to pick up a friend."Aralyn didn't show whether she belie
In the past, I would never have dared to imagine that a plush doll I casually designed could turn out so well."Wait a minute."A thought suddenly struck me, and I stared at Julian.Julian didn't understand why I had such an expression on my face."Since the animation can release an entire series of products, then can't my plush dolls also be made into smaller versions? Or maybe I could launch a whole line of merchandise like mugs, keychains, and so on?"Julian hadn't considered this before, but after hearing what I said, he replied, "That could work.""I'll tell Mark right away!" I exclaimed excitedly, about to sit up and grab my phone. But when I glanced at the time, I realized it was too late.Although Mark was dedicated to his work, it didn't seem right to bring this up so late at night.I had no choice but to suppress my excitement and lie back down. "I'll tell him tomorrow."Julian looked at me with deep affection. "Alright."He raised his hand and stroked my hair. "Ara