The days ahead were still long, so there was no rush to figure everything out right away.I decided to focus all my attention on Willow for now and be the best mother I could be for her. I wanted to do my best to help her improve.Willow was a rather unique child. To understand how her condition could improve, I had to read more books and try to find clues in them that might help her get better. Fortunately, there was a bookstore nearby.I strode into the bookstore. It was very big, with three floors in total. The third floor housed the more specialized and knowledge-oriented books. I read the classification information on the bookshelves. The books near the window were related to psychology.I started with the psychology section and soon found books about autism. After paying for them, I didn't rush home. Instead, I sat in the reading area and started to read.There were actually a lot of books on autism, but most of them focused on cases where the person had never spoken since
Aralyn saw signs of improvement in Willow and wanted to analyze why Willow had suddenly started to improve. Could Willow fully recover if she continued interacting with her this way?…Julian, seeing that I was genuinely concerned for Willow, naturally viewed me in a more favorable light. "The situation in the book is very different from Willow's condition," he said.Over the years, he had taken Willow to all the doctors she needed to see. He had also gone through countless relevant books. However, he never found a way to cure her."Yeah," I agreed. "But she was clearly willing to interact with others this morning. So, from now on, I want to try encouraging her to interact more with others while doing things for her that she'd like to brag about."I continued, "Perhaps she would be more willing to speak to others if she could brag? We can then see which situation is more beneficial for her recovery."Of course, this was just an idea. Willow's real guardian was still Julian, so
Willow was very willing to express her love for me, so naturally, I had to let her feel my affection in return. "You're amazing too. I love you very much."Now that Willow was willing to communicate with Julian, he didn't want to miss any opportunity to talk to her. He pretended to be jealous. "Then does Willow not love Daddy?""I do, I do, I do!" Willow repeated, annoyed that her conversation with her mother was interrupted. However, she still said cutely, "I love you very much!"Julian seemed oblivious to her irritation. "That's good."Once she had dealt with him, she was worried that he would press her further. She thus cupped my face with her hands and whispered in my ear, "But the person I love, love, love the most is you."She used multiple "love"s in succession, as if that was the only way to prove her love for me was one of a kind.After she said that, she didn't forget to lift her chin and gave Julian a cocky look.Julian merely smiled. I couldn't help but smile as we
Shayne was put into a difficult position. "But Mama Luna is pregnant. Asking her to pick you up wouldn't be very safe."The teacher, despite her patience, started to feel rather irritated by Shayne's repeated excuses."So, you're saying that you don't have the time to pick Zach up, and your wife can't either because of her health?"Shayne replied awkwardly, "That's right."The teacher couldn't understand how a parent could be so irresponsible. "Then what about the child?"Shayne didn't know how to answer her question, so he remained silent. The two were at a standstill.In the end, it was Zach who offered a solution. "Dad, why don't I ask the teacher to take me home instead?""That's great!" Shayne answered eagerly. "I'll have to trouble you then, Ms. Warren."Cynthia Warren couldn't help but roll her eyes. In all her years of teaching, this was the first time she had met such a parent.However, for the sake of the child's safety, she sent Zach home. On the way to Zach's home,
Julian loved to spoil his daughter. He couldn't refuse any of Willow's requests. Without even waiting for her to ask, he simply lifted her and placed her in the shopping cart.He walked quickly as he pushed Willow. I followed them from behind but soon, I couldn't see them. However, I could still hear Willow's voice."Daddy, slow down!" Willow's tone was clearly happy. Even her complaints were filled with laughter. "I can't see Mom!""Oh, Mom!"I turned around when I heard her voice behind me. I just so happened to see her waving at me. I waved back in return.The next moment, the two of them dashed past me like a gust of wind. I continued walking slowly, seeing if there was anything I might need.When they circled back to my side, Willow seemed to have gotten tired of whizzing around. She tilted her head and asked curiously, "Mom, what are you doing?"I was about to choose the laundry supplies instinctively, but after comparing a few items, I suddenly realized that I no longer
Julian finally remembered and immediately put on a stern face. "No."Willow had wanted to copy the other kids by throwing a tantrum on the floor, but when she glanced around and noticed people nearby, her cheeks turned bright red. She walked back to Julian. "Let's stop playing," she said. It seemed embarrassing.I couldn't help but laugh. Children were so amusing.Julian picked Willow up, and she buried her face in his chest. "Mom, stop laughing."Only then did I stop laughing.Julian carried Willow in one arm and pushed the cart with the other. It looked exhausting, so I decided to help him out and reached for the cart. "Let me push it.""Alright." Julian didn't refuse. "Our chef will be on leave tomorrow, so we'll have to go out for breakfast."Willow eagerly voiced her opinion. "I want sausages!"I was about to suggest that I could cook breakfast since the chef wouldn't be there, but hearing Willow's excitement about eating out, I decided to keep it to myself.Children fr
Willow thanked Julian sweetly. "Thank you, Daddy.""You're welcome," Julian replied, his voice softening noticeably.Willow took a sip of her soup. She then raised her head and asked Julia as she looked at him, "Daddy, when will the chef be back?""Next week," he replied."Tomorrow is Saturday…" Willow calculated in her head. "We already have plans for that day.""Then Sunday!" yelled Willow. She then eagerly suggested, "Let's cook at home."She really wanted to experience what life was like for an ordinary family of three. Julian looked at me. It was as if he was worried that I might refuse.I didn't mind it at all. "That's fine with me."Julian seemed relieved and gently pinched Willow's cheek. "Then we'll do as you say."…Zach hadn't eaten ever since he returned. His stomach growled. He was very hungry. As such, he opened the fridge to see if there was any food. The fridge was completely empty.Zach rubbed his little stomach and opened the freezer. It was filled with
Upon being asked this question, Shayne replied, "Well that's because…"He wanted to say that she was out preparing a surprise for him, but before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly realized something was off.Luna always told him that she needed to take it easy because she was pregnant or else it would affect the fetus.However, shopping was hard as well, right? That meant in Luna's eyes, a little exertion while going out for fun was fine. But if it involved taking care of Zach then it wasn't.Seeing Shayne pause and not finish his sentence, Zach asked curiously, "Daddy, what's wrong with Mama Luna?""Nothing is wrong," Shayne replied.Zach was his only son, so he naturally wanted to prioritize him. "When we go back today, I'll talk to Mama Luna and make sure she comes to pick you up tomorrow, no matter how busy she is. Does that sound good?"Zach nodded with satisfaction. "Yeah!" He then murmured softly, "I want all my classmates to see how Mama Luna treats me even bet
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