Shayne froze."Dad, do you need me to remind you how you've treated me since you divorced Mom?"Zach used to feel heartbroken when he thought about everything that had happened during that time. But he came to terms with it eventually.Aralyn had stayed by Shayne's side when he was broke, giving her all unconditionally. But in Shayne's eyes, Aralyn was always just a useless housewife.When his first love came back, Shayne discarded Aralyn without hesitation.What did that make him?Shayne opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. "Luna mistreated me. I told you honestly about the things she did to me, but all you thought was that I had something against Luna. You even started arguments with me over her," Zach said expressionlessly.He then laughed. "Then, after I moved out of the house, I was finally free from Luna's abuse. But you and Grandma preferred Luna's child. You even told me outright that you wouldn't give me a single penny anymore."When Zach first heard those wor
Standing at the door, Charlotte took a deep breath and then pressed the doorbell.These past few days, whenever she thought about how Aralyn had sent her straight to the police station just for saying a few words, she felt stifled and resentful."Hmph! Aralyn contributed nothing to the family. After leaving Shayne, she should've been destitute. I hope she ends up on the streets, struggling to find her next meal!" she thought.Charlotte couldn't understand how Aralyn managed to live such a good life. The woman who used to be so timid with her now dared to fight back.Where did Aralyn get the nerve?Instead of opening the door immediately, Amber asked lazily, "Who is it?"Charlotte had only one purpose in coming to see Amber—to convince Amber to mistreat Aralyn too.Ideally, Aralyn's life would become even more miserable than it had been in Charlotte's home.Only then would Charlotte feel at peace.Charlotte forced a smile. "It's me, Aralyn's former mother-in-law.""I don't kno
Charlotte realized she had misspoken and immediately apologized. "I'm sorry! My son truly isn't worthy of your daughter!"When she saw that Amber was satisfied, she continued the topic. "But who would've thought that not long after Aralyn got married, she became pregnant? And then she did absolutely nothing at home, relying entirely on my son to support her."Just think about it. My son faces so much stress at work every day. Instead of finding a job to help relieve some of that burden, all she thought about was staying home and enjoying herself! It was hard to handle a woman like her!"Since Julian was the primary breadwinner of the Hughes family, following Charlotte's logic, wasn't it also a major crime for the rest of them to enjoy their lives at home?Amber suppressed her dissatisfaction.Initially, she thought she and Charlotte might share common ground. But after hearing Charlotte's comments, she felt as if Charlotte was here to provoke her, perhaps even hinting that Amber h
"You've also suffered a lot before because of Aralyn, haven't you? When the time comes, you can let it all out."As Charlotte spoke, she patted Amber on the shoulder. "In a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship, you have the upper hand. Aralyn will surely tread carefully and treat you with respect. "When your relationship improves, your son will be happy to see you and Aralyn getting along peacefully."Sophia noticed her mother wavering and found it amusing as she glanced elsewhere. She had been right—her mother was easily swayed.Charlotte stood up. "I've got other things to do, so I'll be heading off.""Okay. My mom and I have things to do, so we won't be seeing you out." Sophia could see right through Charlotte's intentions and didn't bother being polite."Alright."…After Charlotte left, Sophia pulled a small stool in front of Amber and advised her patiently, "Mom, you'd better keep your distance from her in the future."At first, Amber also thought some of what
"She probably also tried to cause trouble for Aralyn but was embarrassed because Aralyn didn't give in and fought back. When she found out she couldn't mistreat Aralyn herself, she came to provoke you into doing it instead."Sophia held Amber's hand. "If I ever got divorced in the future and ended up with a former mother-in-law like this…"Amber instantly flew into a rage. "Then I would absolutely go and give that lady a good beating!"After speaking, she suddenly realized something and looked up at Sophia.Sophia smiled. "You absolutely can't follow her example."Amber nodded seriously, saying, "Thank goodness you're here. Otherwise, I might have really been convinced by her. Charlotte is truly a vicious person."Sophia nodded. "That's right.""She wants to use me, huh?" Amber huffed in anger."No, I need to think of a way to get back at her, or that old hag will really take me for a fool!"Sophia watched as Amber stormed off before lounging on the couch. She picked up her ph
"We're siblings. There's no need to be this formal," Sophia said sheepishly."Your company is short on business partners, right?" Julian asked.Sophia didn't know why Julian suddenly shifted the topic to work but answered honestly, "Yeah.""Do you have time now?"Thinking about it, Sophia realized she wasn't busy at this hour. "Of course, I do!""I was planning to collaborate with Shayne for a few projects. But I evaluated them carefully and thought it would work just as well for your company. Come to my place. We can discuss it properly."Hearing that, Sophia almost jumped with joy. "I'll be there right away!""Alright."…Hanging up, she dashed upstairs happily and burst into Amber's room. "Mom, great news!" she exclaimed."I told Julian about what Charlotte did, and he gave me several projects!" Sophia was overjoyed. She hugged Amber tightly. "See? As long as you're on Julian's good side, there are endless rewards. But if you go against him, there's no good outcome.""If
Eric had already picked Pamela up. He smiled and said to Ximena, "Let me. You should rest."Ximena didn't insist and replied sincerely, "Thank you.""You're welcome."All of us went to the dining room to eat. The original small dining table could no longer accommodate so many people, so we split into two tables.Pamela and Willow sat at the same table. They huddled together, chattering nonstop from the beginning of the meal.Every now and then, they would pause in confusion and ask others for help.The house was incredibly lively.I really liked this kind of atmosphere. Back when I lived at Shayne's house, Shayne was always too busy to spend time with me.Even after Zach was born, Shayne only stayed with me when Zach was too difficult to take care of.As Zach grew older and learned to eat by himself, Shayne would take Zach somewhere else to eat in the evenings.I was left alone, sitting in the dining room and eating the food I had cooked myself.Back then, I never thought th
"Of course," Victoria replied calmly.With the teacher's permission, Willow immediately grabbed Pamela's hand and went upstairs with her.The kids ran up the stairs excitedly, completely leaving their fear of the teacher behind.Victoria kept a serious expression as she said to Julian, "Don't worry. Since you've paid me, I'll make sure they learn something.""Your willingness to teach them this knowledge is already more than enough for me," Julian replied.He remembered that Victoria was a top expert in her field—someone people couldn't hire with money alone. It was only because she was short on funds recently that they were lucky enough to get her help. Otherwise, even people like him wouldn't even have the chance to meet her.Hearing Julian's trust in her, Victoria finally relaxed a little. "Thank you."The kids came running back downstairs with their toy airplanes.Victoria used the simplest terms and the most straightforward explanations to teach them about the principles.
"That's right. At the time, the divorce happened so suddenly that even if I went back to my previous job, it would take a long time to start making money again. I had no resources to solve the immediate problem," I replied."Do you want to go back to your previous line of work?" Julian asked.Without even thinking, I shook my head. "Of course not. I have a job I enjoy more now, and it pays better. There's no reason to go back."Julian's smile widened.…When it was time for the lunch break, Joseph was already waiting in the café downstairs.Alice rushed over, and Joseph remarked sarcastically, "Look at you, all busy and important now. I waited for so long."Hearing that, Alice rolled her eyes at him. "Most companies have the same lunch hour. If you insist on coming this early, what do you expect me to do? Besides, I came straight here as soon as I got off work."Alice shot him a sideways glance. "That's already giving you enough respect. You'd better appreciate it."Joseph qui
"That's alright. I can treat you," Alice replied.As long as it meant making Avery suffer, spending a little money was no big deal.Even though Alice had started working and understood how hard it was to earn money, she could still afford something like this.Joseph swallowed and asked, "Can I order anything I want?"Alice recalled how Joseph used to spend money like water and worried that he'd order a massive amount of food, possibly exceeding her entire month's salary."As long as the total doesn't exceed 100 dollars, order whatever you want. If it's over that amount, I can't afford it. You'll have to pay for yourself."Alice figured it was better to be upfront to prevent Joseph from causing trouble later."You have a job now and even bonuses. Do you really have to be this stingy?" Joseph asked in annoyance.Without hesitation, Alice replied, "My salary isn't that high. You should be grateful I'm treating you at all. If you think I'm being too cheap, then forget it."100 dol
With that, she turned and walked out.Avery suddenly had a bad feeling about it. "What are you planning to do?"Alice turned back to look at Avery. "I don't need to tell you, do I? All you need to know is that since you came after me, I won't let you have it easy either."She straightened her back and walked away.Just as she reached the elevator, she saw Mark stepping out.She glanced up subtly.Mark gave a small nod. After silently reaching an agreement, Mark walked out of the elevator.Alice stepped in, taking the elevator to the top floor.Their project had just wrapped up, bringing in a huge profit. The other employees in the company, who had been idly coasting along, now saw how lucrative these projects could be. It far surpassed the company's usual earnings.One by one, they started to get tempted.Alice's direct supervisor had initially planned to take on another intense workload. But when they finally went to pick up a new project, they realized those same employees
Shayne lifted his head and stared at Maisy.Maisy felt that Shayne hitting Zach couldn't be brushed off so easily. Otherwise, people would think Zach was easy to bully and pile on him.Realizing this, she stepped forward and slapped Shayne hard. "That's payback for Zach. Now we're even."Shayne took a deep breath. "I've tolerated you again and again only because you're Aralyn's mother. Don't push your luck!"Maisy glared at Shayne coldly. "Hmph! She has nothing to do with you anymore, and neither do I. You don't need to consider anyone's feelings."With that, Maisy turned and walked away with ease.Shayne watched her departing figure, bitterness filling his heart.Maisy used to be fond of him.Every time he and Aralyn visited, Maisy would cook all his favorite dishes.Even Aralyn would get jealous and pout, saying, "Mom, you treat your son-in-law better than me now. I'm jealous!"Every time, Maisy would tap Aralyn's cheek gently and say, "You're a grown woman. Is this really
"If he makes a mistake, I will point it out. It's not your place to interfere. Do you understand?"Shayne was indeed in the wrong this time, and he felt a bit guilty. "I was afraid you were spoiling him too much."Maisy let out a cold laugh. "His father drives his mother away for the sake of a mistress, and in the end, even his father doesn't want him. He's so young, yet he's already gone through so much. It's justified that I spoil him."She only felt sorry for Zach. He had been through too much at such a young age. "Besides, being afraid that I'm spoiling him too much doesn't give you the right to lay your hand on him."Tell me, did you hit him because he did something wrong? If you can say what it was, and if he was truly in the wrong, I'd take your side no matter what."Shayne fell silent.Seeing his expression, Maisy immediately understood and became even more furious."He said he never contacted his mother," Shayne explained.Maisy was so speechless she almost laughed. "T
"Of course!" Zach answered without hesitation."All my classmates' parents are coming. Only mine are not. But since Noah and Ms. Harper are around the same age as Mom and Dad, the kids in my class might mistake them for my parents."That should make me feel a little better. And you're a family member, Granny. I won't be too different from the other kids."Maisy's heart ached at Zach's words. "Alright, don't worry. I'll be there."Getting Maisy's confirmation, Zach quickly jumped off his chair and took out his suit, handing it to Maisy. "This is the outfit I picked out earlier. I have to wear it! I look really good in it. Make sure to bring it in the afternoon, okay?"Maisy smiled at him lovingly. "Okay."Zach finally felt at ease. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and left.Maisy held onto the little suit and followed behind Zach.Zach looked at Maisy in confusion and asked, "Why are you coming too?"Maisy ruffled Zach's hair. "I'll send you to school and pick up some gr
The other party was a professional marketer. As soon as they received the money, they got to work immediately.Before long, Luna's new book release was trending.Luna's works were already of decent quality, and with several rounds of hype, she had gained a large fan base. When people heard that her book was about to be published, many rushed in, eager to buy it.Orders started coming in through various channels.Luna's mood improved when she saw the rapidly increasing numbers. Then, she reached out to Emilia. "Did you see the sales of my new book?"Emilia had just come out of a meeting. Glancing at the numbers, she stated in surprise, "That's a lot.""I had a bit of a reputation overseas. Back then, our publishing house handled my books, so you should know," Luna replied confidently.Emilia was well aware of that.Luna continued, "This book has both a great plot and stunning visuals. Of course, plenty of people would love it."After thinking for a while, Emilia said, "Judging
Both of them tried to persuade Maisy.Maisy was feeling emotional. Her precious grandson had grown up and now knew how to care for his grandmother. "Alright, then. I'll go tomorrow."Zach smiled happily. "Okay."Maisy pulled Zach to sit beside the couch and began helping him reduce the swelling. Her eyes were full of distress. "It must have hurt so much. Shayne practically hit you as though he wanted you dead. You're his son, not his enemy. Did he really have to go that far?"Zach didn't argue and simply said, "Maybe his brain's gone bad now that he's all alone because he lost his wife due to his stupidity. And now, he doesn't want his child either."Maisy raised an eyebrow and looked at Zach. "I think so."Seeing that his grandmother agreed with him, Zach grinned widely. But his face hurt a lot. The moment he smiled, he couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.…Shayne sat alone in his car. After hanging up and comforting Luna, he finally felt a little better.Because of Lun
But Luna had no intention of exposing him. After all, her goal was to spend Shayne's money.As long as Shayne was willing to support her, that was all that mattered. She didn't care about anything else.Still uneasy, Shayne reminded again, "So, we've agreed—you can't be with other men.""You can rest assured about that. As long as you're willing to support me, of course, I'm happy to maintain this arrangement," replied Luna patiently. The most important thing was that Shayne never interfered with any of her decisions. And he didn't live with her. She had plenty of time to build relationships with other men.Even if Aralyn really was foolish enough to break up with Julian and go back to Shayne, it wouldn't affect Luna much.At the very least, she could still act pitiful in front of Rowan and make him take her in.Before doing anything, Luna always liked to leave herself a way out.…Zach pushed open the door and walked into the living room with his head down.Maisy heard the