The video being played showed all the evidence of her bullying me back in the day. Everything she had done was a hundred, no, a thousand times worse than what she had just accused me of.Charlotte watched it, her face turning pale. "Did I give you permission to play this? Aralyn, I'm ordering you to turn off the video immediately!""Why should I listen to you?" I chuckled.Charlotte didn't even think before saying, "I'm your mother-in-law!""I've already divorced your son, so please be more accurate. You're my ex-mother-in-law!"Halfway through watching the video, everyone turned to look at Charlotte with disdain in their eyes.Charlotte's expression became even more unpleasant, but she stubbornly stated, "What are you all looking at? She was my son's wife back then! It was my right to discipline her however I wanted—that was a family matter! That's none of your business!"I nodded. "True. Back then, I didn't stand up to you because I was weak. That's on me. I held back all th
Charlotte was momentarily stunned."First of all, please understand the situation clearly. I've never caused her any trouble from the beginning. She's the one who has constantly found fault with me. All I did was defend myself. Yet here you are, coming to the company I work at to spread falsehoods and slander me."Seemingly not expecting me to take the matter so seriously, Charlotte snapped, "There's this saying called 'where there's smoke, there's fire.' If she has an issue with you, maybe you should reflect on whether you've done something wrong!"Then, she launched into a tirade.She had used this kind of tactic frequently, and it often worked well. Over time, she seemed to take it for granted that this approach was effective.Watching her aggressive demeanor, I simply called the police.Charlotte stood haughtily. "If you don't back down, I'll go straight to Shayne and tell him to stop coming to see you.""Oh, really?" I said, giving the company's address to the police.Char
"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
Charlotte was momentarily stunned."First of all, please understand the situation clearly. I've never caused her any trouble from the beginning. She's the one who has constantly found fault with me. All I did was defend myself. Yet here you are, coming to the company I work at to spread falsehoods and slander me."Seemingly not expecting me to take the matter so seriously, Charlotte snapped, "There's this saying called 'where there's smoke, there's fire.' If she has an issue with you, maybe you should reflect on whether you've done something wrong!"Then, she launched into a tirade.She had used this kind of tactic frequently, and it often worked well. Over time, she seemed to take it for granted that this approach was effective.Watching her aggressive demeanor, I simply called the police.Charlotte stood haughtily. "If you don't back down, I'll go straight to Shayne and tell him to stop coming to see you.""Oh, really?" I said, giving the company's address to the police.Char
The video being played showed all the evidence of her bullying me back in the day. Everything she had done was a hundred, no, a thousand times worse than what she had just accused me of.Charlotte watched it, her face turning pale. "Did I give you permission to play this? Aralyn, I'm ordering you to turn off the video immediately!""Why should I listen to you?" I chuckled.Charlotte didn't even think before saying, "I'm your mother-in-law!""I've already divorced your son, so please be more accurate. You're my ex-mother-in-law!"Halfway through watching the video, everyone turned to look at Charlotte with disdain in their eyes.Charlotte's expression became even more unpleasant, but she stubbornly stated, "What are you all looking at? She was my son's wife back then! It was my right to discipline her however I wanted—that was a family matter! That's none of your business!"I nodded. "True. Back then, I didn't stand up to you because I was weak. That's on me. I held back all th
Hearing this, Luna said indignantly, "Exactly. Shayne couldn't stand it and stood up for me, but she still scolded him. Looks like from now on, I'll have to avoid Aralyn whenever I see her. Otherwise, nobody will stand up for me if she bullies me."She'll definitely find ways to make trouble for me. If I stay far away from her, I'll surely avoid being sworn at."When Charlotte heard Luna's aggrieved tone, she became furious. "No need! Just wait—I'll go and scold her for you right now! Hmph! She's really outrageous. She has the guts to offend just anyone. Has she forgotten how I used to put her in her place back at home?"Mom…" Luna looked moved as she covered her mouth with both hands, leaving only her teary eyes visible."You're willing to protect me? Thank you! Honestly, I already feel a lot better. I think my baby's happy that his grandma loves him this much."She then remembered Charlotte couldn't see her, as they were on the phone. Luna pouted, wiping her tears away and smi
Shayne took a deep breath. "If it's really about the revenue share, then no matter how much we raise the price, she won't sell it to us."Henry agreed, "Exactly. After all, Hughes Group is putting significant effort into her work. If they retain all the copyrights and continue developing them, the benefits for her could be immeasurable."Shayne didn't want to lose his chance to interact with Aralyn. "What should I do, then?""It's simple. Either collaborate with Hughes Group to co-develop Aralyn's copyrights, or we can start establishing our own comic creators."Shayne wasn't interested in comics; he only wanted an opportunity to connect with Aralyn."Any other options?" he asked."Yes," Henry replied.Shayne was intrigued. "Oh?""I just haven't thought of one yet."…Luna got up and asked the driver to send Mason to the kindergarten before enjoying her breakfast in the living room.Afterward, she sat on the couch, contemplating her next steps seriously.Julian was now will
Shayne asked the question.His secretary, Henry Jonas, suddenly remembered and answered, "She asked me to contact her company, but I think she probably doesn't want to sell the copyright to us."Shayne looked up. "Oh?"Initially, he thought he could offer a low price to get a legitimate excuse to interact with Aralyn. But now, it seemed unlikely."I heard her merchandise sales are doing very well. Last month, her share was estimated at over 200 thousand. This month, it's still climbing, and it might reach over 500 thousand."The implication was clear—Aralyn wasn't interested in the meager price Shayne was offering.Shayne considered it seriously. "If she thinks the current price is too low, then we'll raise it a bit."Seeing Shayne's pained expression, Henry couldn't help feeling speechless.When it came to Luna, spending millions on jewelry didn't bother him in the slightest. But now, when it came to legitimately buying copyright, he was being stingy. Yet, he claimed to love A
Mark then said, "I hope you can prepare her for this.""You seem to have forgotten one thing," Julian calmly said. "Our future promotional efforts will also increase, which will result in more exposure for her..."The sales of merchandise would only continue to increase.Mark suddenly remembered this. "That's true. Looks like I was overthinking it."He continued, "I've already contacted the publisher again. We're working out the details. What I mean to say is, that since our goal is for Aralyn's works to be popular worldwide, it's okay if we earn a little less from each book. However, the quality must be good. What do you think?"Mark had his own thoughts, but whether they would be accepted depended on Julian.Julian agreed, saying, "That's right. There will be several more volumes of the comic in the future. Readers definitely won't be able to afford it if the price is set too high. As such, I can accept it if the company makes some compromises."Mark couldn't help but smile.
Julian stared at Rowan. He didn't interact with Rowan much, so he wasn't sure what kind of person Rowan truly was.Julian couldn't even guess what Rowan wanted to say. Did he want to side with Luna and Shayne and prove that he had slept with Aralyn or did he mean something else entirely? Julian answered calmly, "I know."Rowan wrestled with his thoughts for a long time before deciding to be frank. "Actually, I didn't do anything to her that night."Julian raised his hand, lightly tapping the arm of the sofa."To be precise, I'm very grateful to her now," Rowan said, taking a deep breath. "If she hadn't worked hard to convince me on that day, I might still be drifting aimlessly, not knowing what I should do with my life."Rowan added, "So, I sincerely hope she can be happy."He didn't need to clarify anything, but he chose to anyway.Julian replied sincerely, "Thank you.""It's the least I can do," Rowan replied, handing Julian a slip of paper with his bank account details.J
"All you have to do is wait," said Julian.Shayne was an idiot. He would listen to Luna unconditionally when provoked by her. The current situation was that the baby in Luna's womb wasn't Shayne's. Shayne had fallen out with his biological son. To secure benefits for her child, Luna would undoubtedly encourage Shayne to undergo a vasectomy. By the time he realized the child wasn't his, he'd have no choice but to swallow the bitter reality that he would never be able to have children of his own for the rest of his life. Julian didn't even need to get deeply involved. All he had to do was quietly watch Shayne's misfortune."Alright," I replied. I felt a little more at ease once I received Julian's affirmative response."I won't misunderstand as long as I'm sure it's not you chatting with her in private." Julian's eyes showed a hint of a smile. "You're willing to talk to me when you have problems. This is great. Otherwise, bottling everything up inside could harm our relationsh
Julian looked at me in surprise. I continued, "As long as you're willing to influence her subtly over time, I believe that she'll grow to love making money one day."The worries in Julian's heart dissolved at that moment. "You're right."He had always been confident in the company and the business world. But he had no experience when it came to parenting. As such, he couldn't help but overthink and worry excessively sometimes.I held his hand and he finally calmed down. "Thank you.""You're welcome."…Once we arrived at the company, Julian immediately sat down at his desk and began working.I returned to my cubicle. Just as I sat down, a flood of messages came through. Curious, I clicked on them. They were all screenshots of chats.I glanced at the sender and saw that it was Avery.Avery, Luna's close friend, had gone out of her way to send these to me. That was enough to indicate that the chats were related to Luna.Avery was seemingly afraid I wouldn't know what the scre