Helen looked up and gave Haley a quick wink.Haley smiled softly. Helen’s personality hadn’t changed much in the past five years, and that was fine with her. She herself didn’t feel like standing out in the sun either. The sun wasn’t a big deal for her, but Alex was still young, and she didn’t want him to risk getting heatstroke.Leaning closer, Haley said, “Alex, didn’t you mention last night that you wanted to see the fish in the aquarium?” Alex furrowed his brows, clearly reluctant. He hadn’t finished exploring the outdoor attractions yet. Haley could tell what he was thinking from the look on his face. She gently suggested, “How about this? After lunch, when the lines are shorter, we’ll go back to the rides. Sound good?” “Okay, I’ll listen to you, Mom,” Alex said, letting go of his hesitation. They gathered their belongings and left the cafe. *Meanwhile, Justin and his team were inspecting the central ocean-themed building of the park, conveniently located next
“Mom, you need to eat a proper breakfast from now on,” Alex said, mimicking the tone Haley used when she scolded him for skipping meals. “Otherwise, your stomach will get upset.”Haley’s eyes curved into a smile. “Alright, Mom will remember that.” They took a detour, avoiding Justin’s group, and left the amusement park. Across the street was Peninsula Restaurant. Since it wasn’t lunchtime yet, there were only a handful of diners. Haley, worried that sitting near the windows might risk running into Justin again, decided to take Alex into one of the private dining rooms. *Following the time and location Justin had sent him, Zac drove to Peninsula Restaurant. When he entered, a server approached him. “Good afternoon, sir. How many in your party?” “I have a reservation for table six,” Zac replied. The server guided him to a table by the window, where a long-haired woman was already seated. She matched the photo Justin had sent. Raising an eyebrow, Zac thought to
As they exited the restroom, Helen happened to see Zac pushing the door open to enter. Left with no other choice, she stayed in the restroom area with Alex for a while, assuming Zac would head back to his private dining room soon, giving them a chance to slip past unnoticed. To her surprise, instead of returning to a private room, Zac took a seat at a window-side table directly across from the restroom.Across from him sat a long-haired woman, and the two seemed to be chatting. Helen couldn’t hear what Zac and the woman were saying, but it was obvious they were on a date. The restroom had a faint scent of air freshener, but the smell was far from pleasant. Adding to her discomfort, her legs were starting to go numb after walking all morning. Just then, Haley called her, telling them to come back for lunch. Unable to wait any longer, Helen seized the moment when Zac lowered his head to sip his coffee. Quickly scooping Alex into her arms, she dashed down the hallway as fast
After what felt like an eternity, the ring of Alex’s smartwatch finally interrupted them. Only then did Zac reluctantly release Helen’s lips. Quick as a flash, Alex hit the hang-up button, not wanting to spoil the moment. He hadn’t had his fill of peeking yet! Zac glanced down at Alex and asked without hesitation, “Is Alex… our child? Did you secretly have him without telling me?” Helen choked, coughing uncontrollably, caught off guard by his question. Alex’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “What? Mr. White is my dad?!” The two pairs of astonished eyes turned to Helen for answers. Zac patted her back thoughtfully with one hand, while his other arm remained securely around her waist, ensuring she wouldn’t bolt. Once Helen managed to catch her breath, she shot him a furious glare. “Zac White, stop letting your imagination run wild! Alex isn’t your child.” Alex, standing below them, let out a quiet sigh of relief, patting his little chest. “Phew, Mr. White isn’t my dad.
Zac raised three fingers, his expression earnest, as though making a solemn oath. “I can’t spend another night alone in a cold, empty bed,” he thought.Helen shot him a glare as she walked away, snapping, “Who’s your wife? Stop saying nonsense.”As she rounded the corner with Alex in tow, Alex suddenly broke his silence. “Aunt Helen, is this like one of those scenes in a TV drama where the main couple meets again and gets back together?”Helen immediately clamped a hand over Alex’s mouth, leaning down to whisper sharply in his ear, “What nonsense are you talking about? Who’s getting back together? And don’t you dare tell your mom about this, got it?”Alex nodded quickly, his little head bobbing in agreement.But inside, Alex was skeptical. “Does Aunt Helen think I’m clueless? Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I can’t see what’s going on. Mr. White kissed her! This is totally like one of those TV drama couples. At least… it had to be a long time ago,” he thought to himself.When
William had his own office next to Justin’s, mirroring Sam’s office on the other side. When Justin was working, William often used his office to rest. As soon as Justin gave the order, William grabbed his car keys without a word and followed him out. *At the Peninsula Restaurant, Alex begged to return to the amusement park after finishing lunch. Haley, however, worried they might run into Justin again. She quickly made an excuse, saying, “Alex, it’s too hot this afternoon. Look at your little face! It’s already red from the sun. Let’s wait for a cooler day, and I promise we’ll come back. Okay?” She pulled up the camera on her phone, switching to selfie mode to show Alex his flushed cheeks. Alex pouted, leaning back in his chair with a sulky look. “You’re lying, Mommy. You said after lunch we’d go back, and now you’re going back on your word.” Haley and Helen exchanged a guilty glance. Neither wanted to lie to the boy, but they couldn’t risk a second encounter with Ju
In the dimly lit room, Justin sat alone, his silhouette slumped, resembling an abandoned orphan. The computer screen emitted a faint glow, highlighting his desolate figure as he held the photo he had brought along. Amid the crowd in the image, Emily’s profile stood out—small yet unmistakable. It was so subtle that it could easily be overlooked, yet vivid enough to be etched into Justin’s mind with every detail of her face. The computer screen dimmed further due to inactivity, casting a softer light on Justin’s downturned face as he gazed at the photo. The surveillance room exuded an overwhelming loneliness. Meanwhile, in the private room at the Peninsula Restaurant, Haley had grown increasingly uneasy after seeing Justin at the amusement park. Unable to shake her concern, she reached out to Richard, who was in Merika State. She requested he hack into the surveillance system to delete all footage of her and her group. Coincidentally, Richard was testing a facial recognition
Helen avoided Haley’s gaze, her eyes darting away. Haley tilted her head, puzzled by her sister’s behavior. Back then, during their trip to the seaside villa, Helen had nudged Haley into the dance floor before sneaking off to the rocky shore, where she met Zac White. The two hit it off immediately, their personalities aligning effortlessly, and they exchanged contact information. At the time, she had no idea Zac was Justin’s closest friend. After leaving the villa, they continued to meet up casually, bonding over food and shared interests. Somewhere along the way, their dynamic shifted, becoming undeniably more intimate. Then came the night at Majestic Bar, where Helen and Haley gathered a group of young studs and were picking their favorites. What started as a fun evening ended with Helen and Zac unexpectedly winding up in bed together.It was only after that night she learned Zac and Justin weren’t just acquaintances but childhood best friends. When she tried to create
Haley shook her head quickly, flustered. “No… I mean—no.” Then she realized how that sounded and corrected herself. “Actually, yes. I’m just hot.”Helen blinked in confusion. “Hot? The classroom has air conditioning. Was the sunlight from the window hitting her seat?” Helen wondered.Without missing a beat, she rushed over and tugged the curtains tighter, making sure her bestie didn’t get “sunburned.” She still needed Haley to hold onto that top spot. Otherwise, she would lose her excuse at home for going out to “study” with Zac.The pressure and tension of senior year finally came to a close. On the day of the college entrance exam, when everyone stepped out of the test hall for the last time, their faces lit up with genuine smiles—relaxed, free, and full of relief.Haley tossed aside her textbooks. Her summer break was filled with makeup shopping trips with Helen or third-wheeling her and Zac on their study-dates-turned-real-dates.That routine came to an end the d
Haley’s eyes shifted as she thought quickly. “But… I don’t really like guys who rank higher than me on exams.”She gave a light shrug and continued, “I mean, I think we should be focusing on school right now. Relationships can wait until after we get into college, right? What if we don’t even end up at the same school? Long-distance never works, and after a while, we’d probably drift apart. Don’t you think?”Was that a gentle rejection? It seemed like it. Haley wondered if she had been too blunt. Had she left him any dignity at all?They still had a whole year of high school left together. She didn’t want things to get awkward between them. A harsh rejection would only make everything more uncomfortable.Justin furrowed his brows, thinking for a long moment before giving a single reply. “Okay.”Then he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked off.Haley stood there, completely confused.“Okay? What did he mean by that?“Did he understand what I was trying to say?
Emma and her little clique of schoolyard mean girls had Justin completely surrounded.“I’ll ask you one more time,” she said, smug and unbothered. “Will you be my boyfriend or not?”“No,” Justin replied coldly, his face unreadable.“Hey!” one of Emma’s loyal followers stepped forward, cracking her knuckles and getting way too close. “Do you even know who our Emma is? She’s the heiress of the Xander Corporation. She’s giving you a chance, and you should be grateful. You better say yes.”“What, you want us to beat you up before you agree?” another girl sneered.Justin didn’t flinch. His icy stare locked onto the girl who spoke, completely unbothered by the threat.Emma waved a hand to hold her crew back, pretending to be generous. Then she turned to Justin again, cocky and bold.“I like you way too much to have anyone rough you up,” she said sweetly. “But I heard you’re trying to get into Altiplano University in the capital. Here’s the deal—if you go out with me, I’ll have my dad
As soon as Justin sat down and pulled out the textbook for the next class, a hand suddenly reached out from beside him.“Hey, I’m Zac White,” Zac said.Justin glanced up with a cold look, then went right back to pulling out his notebook and pen—completely ignoring the extended hand.Zac awkwardly pulled his hand back, speechless.“Man… this guy’s seriously cold. What a show-off,” he thought to himself.The class flew by. When the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, Haley and Helen linked arms and headed off toward the bathroom. Zac immediately trailed after them.“Where are you two going? Take me with you.”“You planning on going into the girls’ bathroom, you perv?” Helen smacked his hand away, not wanting their classmates—or worse, their teacher—to get any ideas about the two of them dating.Zac scratched his nose. “Fine, I won’t go in the girls’ room… but I can go to the guys’ one, can’t I?”“Hmph!” Helen huffed, scrunching her nose playfully.Zac clutched his chest
At a top-ranked high school in Lincourt City, the bell rang.Students still lingering in the hallways or restrooms were urged to hurry back to class.Outside, the summer heat simmered, accompanied by the steady buzz of cicadas. Inside, the air-conditioned classrooms offered a much more comfortable escape.In Class 2–1 of the junior year, students hurried back to their seats. Just as the final chime faded, the homeroom teacher walked in, holding a stack of freshly graded exam papers.“For this round of mock exams,” she announced, loud and clear, “the top score in the entire grade once again goes to our very own Haley!”A wave of murmurs and applause followed. “Let’s all work hard and try to catch up to her next time!”She began handing out the papers in order, from the highest score to the lowest.After Haley got her paper, the next few went to her seatmate, Helen, and the student sitting behind them—Zac.“Work hard and catch up?” Helen muttered as she slid back into her seat, s
But what did it matter, even if she still loved him? The pain he caused her in the past was still there, lingering beneath the surface.They had loved, they had hurt, they had been entangled for years. But not every love story had to end with forgiveness and reconciliation.Haley couldn’t pretend the past hadn’t happened. She couldn’t smile and pick up where they left off, as if nothing had ever gone wrong.She would always remember that street in Merika State, when Justin turned away, picked Emma up in his arms, and left her standing there alone.Even if he had mistaken someone else for her, the pain he caused and the love he failed to give were real.And that wasn’t something she could ever forget.She could make peace with the past, but she could never erase it.Her heart ached, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned and walked away.*Years later, Haley passed away peacefully in her bedroom at the estate.That same day, Justin had gone out to the grocer
It was just a shame that life rarely worked out the way people wanted it to.*Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.Chase and Alex had grown taller and older. Haley’s once-small jewelry brand had not only found its place in the industry—it had grown into a globally recognized luxury label, known for bespoke, high-end pieces.As for Justin, he split his time between Haven State and Merika State. Whenever he wasn’t busy, he would shamelessly camp out at the estate, claiming he was just there to “see the kids.”Eventually, no one even bothered to call him out on it anymore.One day, Haley had a business meeting with a potential partner—a widowed single father. Somehow, Justin caught wind of a rumor that the man had feelings for Haley and was actively pursuing her. Word had it that she was interested too, and they were currently having dinner together at a restaurant.The second Justin heard that, he canceled a company meeting, boarded his private jet, and flew straight to Mer
As soon as Haley stepped into the room, Justin followed right behind her.It was the first time he had ever set foot in Haley’s room—the space where she lived in Merika State.“Get out!” she snapped.“Haley, I just wanted to see you. Please don’t make me leave, okay?”His eyes scanned the room. The walls, the shelves—everything was filled with Haley’s photos. There was even a custom-built glass display case, clearly made with love, housing her pictures from childhood to adulthood. It was something Evelyn had put together just for her, and it overflowed with affection.There were portraits of her alone, family pictures, and right at the top—photos of Chase and Alex.Justin looked at each one carefully, as if he were trying to piece together a life he hadn’t been part of, but desperately wished he had been.Then his gaze landed on a particular photo: Haley in her teens, wearing a soft pink-and-white hoodie with little bunny ears on the hood. Her pale skin, big round eyes, and brig
“Haley…” Justin’s voice was weak. There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t even know where to start.“I heard you’re sick?” Haley said.“I… I’m fine. I’m not really sick, I just—”“Take care of yourself. Heart problems aren’t like other illnesses. Just look forward. Let go of the past. Meet someone new. Live your life.”Justin fell silent. His head dropped, and the phone pressed against his ear was clenched so tightly in his hand that his knuckles turned white. He wrestled with the words for a long moment before finally managing to force out.“Okay.”But he knew. He wouldn’t meet someone new. Without Haley, what kind of life could he possibly call “living”?The call ended. Life went back to its quiet rhythm. Justin no longer clung to Haley or tried to find her. After one more day in the hospital, he threw himself back into work and took over the reins of RC Corporation.They had truly managed to part on peaceful terms.After returning to Merika State, Haley d