Xena apologizing? Did the sun rise in the west today? Wasn’t she flat-out denying everything just yesterday?Haley lowered her gaze briefly before heading back downstairs to the living room. Calmly, she said, “Let them in.”In the living room, Haley took the seat of honor, while Mrs. Gibson and Xena sat on the lower seats. Only after the maid served tea did they finally speak.“Oh my, Miss Haley, your home is so warm and full of artistic charm! It’s like stepping into the royal gallery in Yonwood!” Mrs. Gibson’s eyes darted around, searching for something to compliment in an attempt to close the distance. Then she added, “Is Mr. Wilfred home? He’s not around, is he?”Haley gave her a cold, detached look and didn’t answer the question. Instead, she said, “Mrs. Gibson, if you have something to say, please get straight to the point.”Mrs. Gibson chuckled nervously, lowering her head slightly. “Well, after last night’s banquet, we looked into the matter and found that, indeed, m
Haley didn’t express whether she forgave them or not.Their apology, whether sincere or not, had no bearing on her life. She had no obligation, nor the inclination, to help discipline someone else’s rebellious child.Her days were filled with important and meaningful tasks that demanded her attention. She wasn’t about to waste her time on trivial matters like this.However, asking her to plead with Wilfred on behalf of the Gibson family’s business? That was entirely out of the question. “In that case, about this gift…” Mrs. Gibson gestured toward the high-end garment bag on the coffee table. “Leave it here,” Haley replied, her tone calm but firm. “There aren’t many people at home today, so I won’t keep you for lunch.” It was a polite dismissal. Haley accepted the gift. After all, Haven State wasn’t their territory, and maintaining appearances was necessary. But that didn’t mean she had any intention of wearing the dress.“Alright then, since you’re busy, we’ll take our lea
Helen decided to head back to her room for a nap. Just as she lay down and closed her eyes, she suddenly remembered how mischievous Alex could be.Feeling uneasy, she got up and quietly returned to his room. Gently pushing the door open a crack, she peeked through to see if Alex was actually studying.Seeing him sitting quietly at his desk, diligently reading, Helen finally felt relieved and went back to bed.Alex managed to stay focused on his books for about three hours, retaining bits and pieces of what he read. But eventually, he couldn’t sit still any longer. His bottom hurt from sitting for so long. Standing up to stretch, his curious eyes darted around, his little mind whirring with ideas.He slipped out of his room and glanced down the hallway. The living room was empty. The housekeeper and staff were either preparing lunch or cleaning. Taking the opportunity, Alex rushed back to his room and stuffed the gift he had prepared for Justin into his small backpack. He made s
At Lichfield Hospital, Zac had just wrapped up a meeting with the department heads and was walking out, accompanied by a group of doctors.“Implement this treatment plan right away,” he instructed. “The latest imported medical equipment and medications have arrived and will be delivered to your department this afternoon.”“Understood, Dr. White,” one of the department heads replied.The phone in Zac's white coat pocket buzzed softly. He had put it on vibrate during the meeting. Pulling it out, he glanced at the screen and raised an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth almost curved into a smile. It was Helen calling.Helen was calling him on her own initiative. “Alright, you all go ahead and take care of your work,” Zac said to the group, turning on his heel and heading quickly to his office. Once out of sight, his excitement was impossible to hide. A wide grin spread across his face.He stood there for a moment, grinning like a fool, before picking up the call after letting it r
The number of bodyguards wasn’t overwhelming, each stationed at a different position. Adding to that, the villa was nestled in a quiet street, far less fortified than the castle-like estates in the Merika State. This made it remarkably easy for Alex to sneak out.Once he reached the street, Alex quickly dialed Justin’s number.On the top floor of RC Corporation's headquarters, Justin sat at the head of the conference table, leading a meeting with the multinational project team. His phone, face-down next to a stack of documents, buzzed. Glancing at the screen, he raised his hand to interrupt his subordinate mid-report. “Hold on a moment.”Without leaving his seat, Justin answered the call. “Alex, what’s wrong?”Alex, unaware Justin was in the middle of a meeting, chirped brightly, “Uncle Justin, where do you work?”“RC Corporation. Why?” Justin replied absentmindedly, charmed by Alex’s cheerful voice, assuming the boy was just curious.“No reason, Uncle Justin. I’ll hang up now.
Glancing at the clock on his desk, Sam noted that the meeting had been going on for nearly two hours and was about to wrap up. He stood and made his way to wait outside the conference room.For the past five years, Sam’s position hadn’t changed. He was still Justin’s executive assistant. However, his salary and responsibilities had multiplied several times over. In the company hierarchy, he now ranked just below the vice presidents and shareholders. Many of his decisions and actions could effectively represent Justin himself.After reviewing the final page of a document, Sam signed it and exited his office. He walked to the executive office suite and placed the file on a secretary’s desk.“Deliver this to the marketing director,” he instructed.“Understood, Mr. Spencer,” the secretary replied.Not long after Sam reached the top-floor conference room, Justin wrapped up the meeting and escorted the participants out. Sam followed closely behind.“Mr. Yates, the front desk just cal
The employees' curiosity about the situation far outweighed their interest in work. Sam walked over, rapped his knuckles on a desk, and said coldly, “Still looking? Aren’t you worried Mr. Yates might show up unexpectedly and double your workload?”One of the secretaries let out an awkward laugh. “I’m not looking anymore! I still want to take my son out to play on my day off, so I’ll get back to work now.”She hurriedly sat back down and began tackling her tasks for the day.Carrying his mug, Sam made his way back to his office. Without betraying much emotion, he cast a quick glance toward the CEO’s office. Who was that kid to the boss?*Inside the office, Justin set Alex down on the couch. Alex slipped off his backpack and pulled out a gift box, holding it out to Justin. “Uncle Justin, this is for you,” Alex said in his pure, childlike voice, his expression serious. “It’s to thank you for treating me to dinner last time. Mommy says we should always return kindness with k
Justin hadn’t expected Alex’s handwriting to be so neat and orderly. The subjects Alex was studying were far beyond what most kids his age would tackle. At just five years old, Alex had already started learning physics. Though some parts of his work were slightly inaccurate, the overall concepts were well-articulated.Justin couldn’t help but be curious about Alex’s family. What kind of upbringing could produce such an exceptional child—brilliant, disciplined, and eager to learn? The idea of connecting with Alex’s family crossed his mind.But then another thought struck him. Why would a child be out socializing alone? Could it be because he came from a single-parent household? Was his mother too busy working to properly care for him? Justin frowned at the possibility.When Alex saw Justin approaching, he put down his pen and asked, “Uncle Justin, are you done with work?”“Mm,” Justin replied with a nod.That single “Mm” reminded Alex of Chase, his older brother, who always loved
At the very center of the photo stood Emma, a year younger than the rest. Beside her, shoulder to shoulder, was the real Justin Yates in his college years.His expression darkened for a split second before he caught himself and quickly masked it. He covered it well—furrowing his brows, pretending to study the photo with a blank look, like he wanted to remember something but couldn’t quite grasp it.“This picture… I don’t remember it,” he said, feigning confusion. “But wait—why are you in it, too?” He pointed at the image, his tone naive and questioning.Haley lowered her gaze and answered calmly, “It’s your college graduation photo. From Haven State. The girl standing next to you is Emma.“She’s the one who saved your life. You spent years searching for her… the ‘one true love’ you couldn’t forget.”She didn’t even know what she felt as she said it. Maybe she just wanted to help him recover what he had lost. Maybe that was all.But Justin shook his head, flustered. “No, that’s
After they finished walking around the school, Justin suggested seeing a movie.According to Alex’s strategy notebook, watching a movie together was a great way to build intimacy—especially in a dark theater, sitting close together. The earlier plan at the school had worked pretty well, so Justin was eager to keep following his son’s guide. Later that evening, he also planned to take her to a bustling night market—more shared experiences, more bonding.“There’s a new movie out. Want to go see it with me?” he asked hopefully.“No need,” Haley replied flatly. “Didn’t you say you wanted to recover your memory? Since we’ve already seen your high school, let’s stop by the Yates family estate. Maybe being there will help jog your memory too.”She wasn’t interested in the movie date. If they were going to revisit the past, she wanted to get it over with in one go so there would be no excuses to keep dragging her around next time. Yes, she was grateful that he had saved her life on t
“That was my seat.” Justin led her to a desk near the middle of the classroom, pointing it out. “This is where I used to sit. My deskmate back then was Zac.”He blinked in confusion. “Why do the textbooks look different?”Haley flipped open one of the books left behind by a current student. A name she didn’t recognize was written inside the cover. Probably a student from the current class. No wonder the textbooks were different. Justin’s memory was still stuck in his senior year, but those students would have graduated by now. These must be juniors who had just moved up.Still, something didn’t add up. When she found him injured years ago, he had been wearing a foreign school uniform. Judging by the look of it, he must have been studying abroad. So how was he suddenly enrolled in a high school in Haven State?The question lingered in her mind, so she asked. Of course, she didn’t mention the fact that she had found him half-dead in a trash bin.“I already graduated overseas,” Jus
In the Vice President’s office, Harry sat behind his desk, scowling, his face etched with frustration.The door clicked open, and Jacob stepped in, locking it behind him.“Son, finally!” Harry slammed his palm on the desk. “That little bastard actually woke up! A vegetable! How the hell does someone just wake up from that?!”By now, word of Justin’s recovery and his meeting that morning with Chairman Quinn had spread through the upper ranks of RC Corporation. To be more accurate, the rumors had already started circulating yesterday, the moment he showed up on the executive floor.“Calm down, Dad,” Jacob said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. His voice was low, his expression unreadable. “Yes, he woke up, but I heard from people in the exec suite that he might have amnesia. They say Sam prepped everything for his meeting with Quinn. Justin was just parroting a script.”“You serious?” Harry’s eyes lit up, the frustration melting into something sharper.“My source isn’t 100%
“Sis, I’m pretty handsome, right?” Justin asked, grinning proudly.And just like that, his voice shattered the illusion Haley had briefly fallen into.She gave him a look. “Don’t flatter yourself. Let’s go.”The two headed downstairs, where William was already waiting to drive them to RC Corporation. He pulled into the underground parking garage, and they made their way up to the executive floor.Inside the president’s office, Haley still wasn’t fully at ease. She had him run through the negotiation script one more time, rehearsing the key points like a stage play. Only when Justin delivered his lines with calm precision did she finally relax.“This shipment is critical for the international project’s timeline,” she reminded him. “You read through the materials yesterday—you get how important this is, right?”Justin nodded.“Don’t stress too much. Just channel that cool, commanding energy you had a minute ago,” Haley said, coaching him seriously. “Get in there and bluff your way
Following Haley into the kitchen, Justin was about to speak when he caught the sound of her voice—she was chatting with Helen.Haley had just poured herself a glass of water from the fridge. Helen, as always, was talking non-stop at her side.“Sis, with Justin calling you ‘sis’ every day, doesn’t it kinda feel like you’ve got yourself a younger, puppy-eyed boyfriend?” Her tone was teasing, full of mischief. “Kinda like that matchmaking event I set up for you back then.”She nudged Haley’s shoulder, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.That one line pulled both of them back to that night at the bar.Haley shot her a look. “You’re pregnant. Can you not let your imagination run wild for once? If you’re that curious, have Zac call you ‘sis’ every night.”“Oh, come on. What’s the harm in a little gossip?” Helen giggled. “Honestly though, this amnesia version of Justin is kind of adorable. All innocent and wide-eyed. You’re telling me you don’t feel anything?”“No,” Haley answered flat
Haley pressed her fingers to her temple, her headache building. “Prepare a full briefing. I want all the contract details, background on the partner company, and a response script. He needs to memorize everything by tomorrow. He’s going to that meeting.”She gestured toward Justin, clearly making him responsible.“Yes, ma’am,” Sam replied.“And one more thing,” Haley added, her tone sharp. “Find a new supplier. Once this delivery is done, terminate the contract. We’re not working with unreliable partners.”“Understood.”As Sam left, Haley turned to Justin, looking down at him from where she stood. “Memorize the talking points. Lock the key contract terms in your head. Tomorrow, you’re facing their CEO. Think you can handle it?”Justin blinked up at her with wide, innocent eyes. “Don’t worry, Sis. If it’s something you asked me to do, I’ll make sure I get it right!”*That evening at Mistletoe Villa, Helen had just returned from a prenatal checkup. Everyone was gathered in the l
“You want your memory back, right? Great. Go ahead and read through these files and sign off on them. That’ll jog your memory in no time.”Haley pushed the day’s workload onto Justin’s desk. Memory loss or not, she was sure his business instincts and decision-making skills were still in there somewhere.It was just like when she had lost her memory. Her painting skills and foreign languages had still been there, buried in her subconscious.Justin didn’t need to recall every detail of the past. As long as he could function in the office and resume his role as president, that was good enough.He froze. Sure, he wanted to grow closer to Haley and get her to care about him again, but going back to work so soon? That hadn’t exactly been the plan.Still, realizing what she wanted, he didn’t argue. Instead, he obediently picked up the first document and started reading carefully.Then, suddenly, he asked, “Sis, what’s the project timeline for the international expansion? I don’t remembe
Zac jogged off in a hurry, not daring to stick around and witness more of Justin’s embarrassment.Justin, having failed to sneak into Haley’s room, had no choice but to sulk back to the guest room the housekeeper had prepared for him.*The next morning, Haley came downstairs for breakfast. She hadn’t slept well—staying up late to work, only to get riled up by Justin all over again. The dark circles under her eyes were impossible to hide, no matter how much concealer she applied.She stepped into the dining room and spotted Justin already sitting at the table.“Morning, sis!” he chirped.He looked every bit the picture of youthful energy, dressed in a clean athletic tracksuit, his expression bright and full of life. He really did look like a high school senior.Haley took one look at his well-rested, cheerful face and felt an unexplainable surge of irritation rise in her chest.She didn’t say a word. Ignoring him completely, she walked to her seat and sat down. Her gaze swept t