It wasn’t much work and Justin was confident Alex could finish it with ease. With the assignments set, he turned his focus back to his own workload. Halfway through, there was a knock at the door. “Mr. Yates, I have something to report,” William said as he stepped in. Justin glanced at Alex, who was diligently working on his assignments on the sofa. Lowering his voice, he said, “Let’s talk outside.” The two of them walked into William’s office. Once inside, William locked the door. “The mole has been identified,” William said, pulling out his phone. He tapped the screen and handed it over to Justin. A surveillance video played. The footage showed Emma entering the special project office and speaking with Tom for a few minutes. After Tom left, she scanned the room, locked the door, and plugged in a USB drive. She worked quickly at the keyboard. Ten minutes later, she removed the USB and left. The video was crystal clear—indisputable evidence of Emma stea
This felt strangely familiar. Helen stood at the door, stomping her foot in frustration. “Mom! Help me out here!” she called. Silence. No one inside responded. Helen sighed, her face full of worry. She kicked the air a few times to vent her frustration before finally getting into her car and heading toward Lichfield Hospital to find Zac—credit card in hand. *As she approached the director’s office, Helen reached for the door handle but hesitated. She could hear voices inside. It sounded like an argument. “Zac, are you really going to marry her? She’s not right for you! She doesn’t deserve you!” Elena’s voice was sharp, filled with disbelief. “Even if you don’t like me, you should at least choose someone from the right background—” The right background? Helen glanced down at the unlimited black card in her purse. Since when was my family not good enough? “Shut up!” Zac’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding. “Who I marry is none of your busine
As the workday came to an end, Justin didn’t stay late for overtime like usual. With Alex around, he had no intention of working extra hours. After checking Alex’s assignments, he scooped him up and took the exclusive elevator straight down, leaving the office without delay. Many employees from other departments had yet to see the rumored "little prince," but those in the executive office had already stolen a few curious glances. Whispers and knowing smiles spread through the floor: “The boss is surprisingly hands-on as a dad—rich, powerful, and now, even great with kids? Unreal.”*William drove them to the supermarket first. Since Alex was spending the night at Justin’s place, he needed kids' toiletries—so they made a quick stop to pick them up. “Uncle Justin, let’s go that way,” Alex said, casually leading him toward the snack aisle after they finished shopping. Justin raised an eyebrow but went along with it. It reminded him of Haley—she loved snacks to
Haley would only accept someone she truly liked… So, could she ever fall for him again?Justin, who was always calm and confident, suddenly found himself doubting whether he could win Haley back. Sensing his mood shift, Alex patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t lose hope, Uncle Justin! Mom actually likes you quite a bit.” Justin’s eyes lit up. “She does? Are you sure?” “Of course!” Alex nodded eagerly. “As true as gold! Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let you stay for dinner, and she definitely wouldn’t have let me go out with you. Don’t be fooled by how tough she acts—deep down, she’s a total softie!” That was something Aunt Helen had said about Haley before, and Alex had picked it up immediately. Justin stared at the screen, deep in thought. “But what if… what if I made your mom really mad before? Like, really, really mad—so mad that she doesn’t even want to see me anymore? “Then what should I do?” Alex, now munching on an ice cream cone after finis
“Ah! Mom, what was that for?” Helen pouted, rubbing her forehead, looking utterly wronged. When Zac first came to her house, he didn’t stay over either. Was it really necessary for her mom to call her out like that? Besides, even Mr. and Mrs. White hadn’t said anything. “Ugh, I’m exhausted. I’m heading to bed.” Helen had no energy left to ask about Justin and Alex. She grabbed Zac’s hand and hurried upstairs. Seeing this, Haley immediately followed suit, not wanting to stick around for more of her mom’s nagging. Evelyn sighed. “Not a single one of you lets me have a moment of peace.” *Lying in bed, Haley stared at her phone, regretting sending Alex away. Had she been too impulsive? But watching how close Alex and Justin had gotten—closer than he was with her—made her unreasonably frustrated. She was the one who gave birth to him! Why was he bonding so quickly with Justin? They had only met a few times! How much time had they really spent together? Was it jus
“Do you know what to do now?” Alex asked smugly.“Yeah… I got it,” Justin replied. “You need to plan out what you’re going to say in advance. If you freeze up halfway, it’ll be so embarrassing.“And remember, when a girl is mad, you have to coax her!” Alex added, looking every bit like a little know-it-all. “Got it. I understand. Now go to sleep.” Justin pulled the blanket up over Alex and held him close. “Goodnight, Uncle Justin,” Alex whispered, but in his heart, he meant “Goodnight, Dad.” “Goodnight, Alex.” The night was still and peaceful, the faint chirping of insects drifting in from the lawn outside. Justin lay awake, his eyes open in the quiet night. Moonlight filtered through the sheer summer curtains, casting a soft glow over Alex’s peaceful face. In his delicate features, Justin could see traces of Haley—so unmistakably hers. This small body, curled up beside him, was a part of both of them. Their child. The one they had created together.*
“This wasn’t me!” Tom stumbled back, shaking his head furiously. His voice trembled with panic as he stared at the surveillance footage. The video was undeniable—it showed him letting Emma in, chatting briefly before stepping out, and then Emma stealing the confidential proposal. “Tom,” the team leader’s voice was cold, “the company is giving you a way out. Resign voluntarily. It’s in your best interest.” A resignation meant no termination record. He could still find another job. “It wasn’t me! It was her! Emma stole the proposal, so why am I the one getting punished? Just because she’s the boss’s woman, she gets to walk free?” His frustration boiled over, forgetting the strange attachment he once had for Emma. Tom’s anger clouded his judgment, pushing aside lingering feelings he once had for Emma. She was the one who stole the files. She was the one who carried out the act. So why wasn’t she being held accountable? How was it fair that he was the only one fo
“No! I won’t take the fall for this! It was Emma who stole the proposal—it was all her!” Tom muttered.Meanwhile, the entire executive office fell into dead silence. Justin, who had been about to leave, suddenly stopped in his tracks. His expression darkened instantly, like a brewing storm, and his sharp gaze locked onto Tom. The pressure in the room dropped, suffocating. “Who told you that?” His voice was even colder than his face, as if he were ready to tear Tom apart for spewing nonsense. “I—” Tom faltered, then stubbornly straightened his neck. “Everyone in the company is saying it! It’s been going around for ages that Emma is your woman!“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let her stay alone in the project team’s office!” The executive office was dead silent. No one even dared to breathe.Tom must have a death wish.It was one thing to dig his own grave, but dragging them down with him? Unforgivable.Justin’s aura turned even darker, the storm in his pitch-black eyes near
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