I thought seriously for a while but couldn't come up with a definite answer, so I let it go in the end.…Hughes Group owned the entire building. The first floor was a lobby, the second floor a huge cafeteria, and the third floor upward were all office spaces.Julian led me to his office.His office was spacious, with a large desk and an entire wall lined with bookshelves. Most of the books were about finance.On another side of the office, separated by a white screen, was a cozy nook with a set of tables and chairs, seemingly a space for Julian to rest."Before Willow finishes school, you can work on your drawings here," Julian said calmly."Alright." I sat down and opened my laptop, starting to sketch a scene from when I first met Willow.Perhaps it was because spending time with Willow was truly delightful, but I found myself smiling unconsciously as I drew her.I didn't know how long I worked, but by the time I added this to what I had drawn over the past few days, I had c
"And I don't really have expenses. Basically, I can save the salary you give me, so I'll have the money to do whatever I want. I'm not short of money at all, so let your company employees just stick with their usual designers."Julian looked at me in surprise but eventually nodded and agreed, "Alright.""The main thing is, I already have two jobs," I said, understanding what he was thinking. He was probably wondering why I wasn't jumping at such a great opportunity being handed to me."One is taking care of Willow—that's my primary job. You mentioned that she didn't used to talk to anyone, but now she's willing to communicate with both of us. She even enjoys showing off to others. "Since she's showing signs of improving, I of course want to do my best to guide her further along. The other is drawing the daily moments between me and Willow. That also takes a lot of time."I paused, speaking more calmly now. "We all have limited energy. If I split my focus to take on other things,
I turned around and looked at them, puzzled. "Is something the matter?"Clearly still a bit flustered, she mustered up her courage to continue. "No. We were just curious… What's your relationship with Mr. Hughes? You're the only woman he's ever brought to the company."At that, I finally understood—they thought I was Julian's girlfriend.I knew the answer they were hoping for, but I had no intention of lying. "He hired me to take care of his daughter.""Huh?" They exchanged glances, clearly disappointed."Then why did he bring you here?" one of them pressed on, not wanting to give up."He has to pick up and drop off his daughter at the kindergarten every day. And since his daughter has taken a liking to me, he doesn't want to waste time driving me home, so he brought me here," I explained calmly.The women looked at one another, clearly not expecting that.But they didn't want to give up just yet. "But why would he have you stay in his office when there are so many other office
Though Julian wasn't vocal, his actions spoke volumes, allowing his care and affection to shine through.I couldn't help but feel grateful on Willow's behalf. Despite the tragic experiences of her early childhood, she was fortunate enough to have an uncle who loved her dearly."Next time something like this happens, you can just wait for me downstairs. Call me, and I'll come down myself," I said."Alright," Julian replied.He waited until I reached his side before walking with me downstairs. How do you find working on your art in my office? Is it comfortable?"I nodded. "It's quiet, and no one disturbs me. I quite like it.""Would you like to come with me again tomorrow?"I blinked in surprise. "You want me to come here every day to keep you company?"Julian didn't answer. Since he wasn't inclined to explain, I didn't press the matter.As I was fastening my seatbelt, Julian finally broke the silence. "My family has been pushing me to go on blind dates recently."He massaged h
Naturally, I couldn't treat the situation lightly. I straightened up and replied seriously, "From my perspective, marriage is sacred and not something to be taken lightly. You're considering marrying me now because of pressure from your family and because other women won't accept Willow."But what if you meet someone you genuinely love in the future? Will you divorce me then?"Julian had never been romantically interested in anyone before, so even he couldn't be sure if the scenario I described might happen."Besides…" I paused. If my earlier words were for Julian's sake, what I was about to say was purely for myself. "I just escaped from an unhealthy relationship and was fortunate enough to meet you two. You both have been very kind to me. And Willow has made me understand what it feels like to be loved."Taking care of her has helped heal the heart that Shayne and his family left shattered and full of scars. So, rather than taking things further, I think maintaining our current
"When we asked Zach, he also refused to say anything."Julian took Willow in his arms and looked at Zach from afar. Zach instinctively shrank behind his classmates.Since we didn't know what exactly Zach said to Willow, Julian couldn't scold Zach yet.He shifted his gaze back to Willow and lifted her into his arms, his voice rarely gentle. "Why aren't you happy today, Willow?"It was only when he asked that Willow's tears started falling. However, she remained silent as she cried in Julian's arms.Julian patted her back as he looked at me pleadingly.I opened my arms to Willow. "Come, Mommy will hold you."When Willow heard my voice, she turned her face away and ignored me. She was usually clingy. But today, she wouldn't acknowledge me.I could almost conclude that what Zach had said to her was definitely related to me.I took a deep breath and asked sadly, "Do you not want Mommy anymore?"Willow looked up at me, conflicted. After a long time, she finally opened her arms to m
Willow buried her face in my chest, holding me tightly. But she still didn't speak. I knew she wasn't in the mood to talk, so I didn't push her. Instead, I patted her back gently. "If you don't want to talk, it's okay. But you should know, no matter what happens, Mommy will always be here by your side."I waited for a response, but there was none.Just when I thought Willow wouldn't answer me, she murmured, "Okay."Since she was willing to speak, it meant she just hadn't figured things out yet.As long as I waited, she would eventually tell me why she didn't want to communicate.My mood finally improved.…As expected, Zach was the last to leave kindergarten again. But this time, Luna wasn't the one who came to pick him up.It was the new driver hired by the family.Cynthia didn't know the driver. She didn't feel safe handing Zach over to him yet, so she video-called Shayne.After confirming multiple times that they were to hand Zach to the new driver, they finally let Zach
Luna turned around in surprise and saw Shayne walking in.Luna immediately got up to greet him. "You're back."Nodding, Shayne scanned the living room for Zach. Where is he?"At the mention of Zach, Luna pouted, feeling wronged. "I think he doesn't like me. When he got home, he ignored me completely and went straight to his bedroom. No matter how many times I called for him, he didn't respond."Shayne found it hard to believe. "Really? He loves you, if anything. He even gave up his biological mother, who only wants the best for him, all for you."Luna was about to say more bad things about Zach and try to stir up conflict between them. But seeing the protective look on Shayne's face, she swallowed her words back. Even if she wanted to damage their relationship, it wasn't something that had to happen right now.Luna told herself to be more patient."Maybe something happened at the kindergarten, and he's in a bad mood."Shayne patted her back and added, "You're pregnant now, so y
Seeing that no matter what they said, Luna remained unmoved, Shannon slowed her speech. "We're actually here to ask you to get back with Rowan.""Sorry, that thought has completely left my mind," replied Luna."If that's why you're here, then you should leave. I have work to do, so I won't be chatting with you any longer."Luna walked to the door and opened it. "You can go now."Shannon looked at Patrick.Patrick said coolly, "I don't even care that you're pregnant with Shayne's child anymore. In fact, if you get back together with Rowan, we can treat this child as one of our own. I hope you don't miss out on such a great opportunity.""That's not a great opportunity for me. When I didn't have a job back then, I thought being a housewife was a good life. I didn't have to worry about making money—I just had to take care of the household. But I realized it wasn't like that at all."Earning my own money is much better than relying on someone else to give it to me. This way, I don't
"But I remember his place is pretty far from mine," Luna said, puzzled.Patrick sat down on the couch, looking at Luna. "Mainly, we figured since we came all this way to see Rowan, we might as well check in on you, too."Luna was even more confused. "Check in on me? Why?"Instead of answering her, Patrick asked, "You're pregnant."Luna glanced down at her stomach, then replied, "So what? I've been divorced from Rowan for so long, and I've been with Shayne for quite a while now. It's perfectly normal that I'm pregnant. You guys hated me before."Back then, you were eager for me to be with someone else. Now that I am, you guys should be happy."Luna sat down as well. When she was with Rowan, she had always been respectful in front of Patrick and Shannon.She had always seen them as family and worked hard to earn their approval.But no matter what she did, it was never enough.For a long time, Luna wondered if she was doing something wrong.But after the divorce—and after she wa
When I found out Serena didn't have a job yet, an idea immediately came to mind. "I actually started a new company. We're hiring. The salary during the probation period is ten thousand dollars a month, with weekends and all national holidays off. And if you perform well, there's a big commission on top of that."I was about to add more when Mark sent me a photo. It was a payroll statement.Right after that, he sent a voice message. "Take a look at how much they've earned in commissions!"I tapped on the image. The company didn't have many employees yet, but every single one of them had already made over a million in commission—some even over five million.The amusement in my eyes deepened as I replied, "I hope they'll take home even more next month."Mark responded without hesitation, "At the rate sales are going, doubling it shouldn't be a problem."After reading his messages, I finally put my phone down and looked at Serena. "But of course, it all depends on our product sales.
In the cafe, I looked at the young woman sitting across from me and asked, "What's your name?"She was sipping her milk tea. When she heard my question, she quickly looked up and replied, "My name is Serena Towson. You can call me Serena. I used to stay in the ward next to yours."I was a bit puzzled. "Then, how do you know I was framed?"Serena took a deep breath, lowering her head. "Actually, I should be apologizing to you for this.""Why are you apologizing?" I asked in confusion.Serena didn't answer. She looked uneasy as she kept looking down, pushing her phone toward me.On the screen was a voice recording.I tapped play.It was a conversation between Luna and someone else. "I need you to avoid the surveillance cameras and spill oil in that area. Do you hear me?"The other person seemed doubtful about Luna's plan. "If we do that, it'll be hard to clean up, and people will definitely notice something's off!""Don't pour too much. Just pour enough so she'll fall when she
I looked around and saw that there was no one else around before turning to leave."Are you Aralyn?"I heard someone call my name and turned around to see a stranger.A little confused, I asked, "Yes?""I heard from someone at the hospital that you went there before, trying to find proof that Luna was the one who framed you. Isn't that right?" The woman seemed nervous.I had been trying to get evidence for this for a long time, but after so much effort, I hadn't found anything.At this point, I was about to give up on that approach.After all, I had other ways to get back at Luna and Shayne.Hearing what she said, I was surprised. "What, you have proof?""Yes, I do," she said firmly.If I could really get my hands on that kind of evidence, my revenge would be even more ruthless.But I knew that in situations like this, it was important to stay calm. "Why don't we talk about it at a cafe?"The woman hesitated.I smiled. "Do you have time?"Only then did she nod. "Of course
I wanted Shayne to care about Luna, and when Luna gave birth to the baby who wasn't his, Shayne would be immensely devastated, especially since Luna and Charlotte had even forced Shayne into getting a vasectomy.Sometimes I couldn't help but wonder if Luna and Charlotte were on my side.Charlotte looked confused. "Good?"I nodded. "Yes, good."Charlotte studied me. "If he and Luna are doing well, that means he doesn't want you anymore.""Then so be it." I had long since stopped caring about Shayne.Charlotte fell silent.I met her gaze. "I'm married now. Maybe I didn't inform you, but Julian and I are legally married. We just haven't made it public. After being with Julian, I've felt a kind of security that I never had in my previous relationship."So, I also hope that this marriage will last. Of course, it'd be even better for me if all of you stopped bothering me."With that, I was ready to end the conversation. "Anything else you wanted to say? If not, I'll head upstairs."
"Then, do we really need to give them commissions?"I didn't mind. "Yeah, go ahead. If they see that hard work pays off in our company, they'll be more willing to stay, right?""Yeah." Mark chuckled."I get what you're saying. I'll take care of it now.""Alright."After the call ended, Julian walked over to me and held my hand.I gently rubbed his hand in return. "What is it?""Your career is getting more and more successful," Julian said, a bit emotionally.When we first got together, I had nothing—just myself.But over time, I started drawing comics.With the right promotion, my comics gained traction and became a hit.That led to merchandise, trendy collectibles.But Julian never expected that I'd be able to launch my own plushies, start my own company, and make serious money.He always knew I was capable.But seeing me rise back to my peak in such a short time still surprised him.I smiled. "Yeah. Back when I was penniless and kicked out of my house, I never would've
"My plan is to take advantage of the fact that our comic still has some merchandise and the hype hasn't died down yet. While ensuring quality, we'll speed up production as much as possible."I understood what Julian meant. "Alright.""Should I arrange it now?" Julian asked."Sure."Julian took his phone and went out to the balcony to share his thoughts with Mark.As someone who had been working with Julian for years, Mark immediately understood what Julian meant. "Leave it to me."Still, to make sure he didn't misinterpret any details, he confirmed everything with Julian.Only after making sure there were no issues did he finally breathe a sigh of relief and ask Julian to hand me the phone."Yes?" I asked, confused about why he needed to speak to me."Our company's recruitment is pretty much done. I ran the numbers, and with our current profits, we can afford to raise the salaries of our interns," he quickly informed."Since you're bringing this up, that means you already hav
Shannon looked at Patrick.Patrick said, "Tell Rowan to win Luna back. She married someone else out of heartbreak, and that's because of us. Now we have money and are willing to spend it on her. I believe she'll come around. She'll want to come back and be with us again. It just takes time."Patrick wasn't used to staying in such a small place, so he said to Rowan, "Drive us to the hotel.""Alright."Rowan dropped his parents off at the hotel and then returned to his place. Sitting on the couch, he took out his phone and pulled up a photo of Luna.She was sitting by the ocean, turning her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling and filled with love.Rowan couldn't understand how things had gotten to this point.He picked up his phone and texted Luna. "I finally understand why my parents treated you that way back then.""I've known for a while," Luna replied calmly.Rowan was a little surprised. "You knew?""Yeah, I found out a few days ago. But that's your family's issue. It