"Zoey? H-How long have you been listening?" Calla asked in surprise.She had seen Zoey go upstairs just moments ago. How could she be back downstairs already? Calla was momentarily at a loss.With tears streaming down her face, Zoey held up the change in her hand. She bitterly sobbed, "I know you've been feeling down lately and arguing with Mom a lot, so I went out to buy your favorite cream bun. I didn't expect to hear my sister telling the person I love to stay away from me!"Seeing Zoey so upset, Calla quickly stepped forward to grab her hand, trying to explain, "Zoey, let me explain..."However, Zoey, who was lost in the bliss of having a crush, refused to listen. She flung Calla's hand away and shouted, "Explain what? I never thought my sister could be so selfish. Are you worried that Harlon won't be infatuated with you anymore if he comes to like me?"Dumbfounded, Calla stared at her sister upon hearing such a ridiculous claim. "What are you talking about?""I never thought
Calla impatiently said, "Mom, that's not the point! I just don't want Zoey to start dating too early.""Zoey is already in college. What's wrong with her having a boyfriend?" Carol insisted stubbornly."Zoey should be focusing on her studies right now. She needs to rely on herself; men can't be trusted." Calla tried her best to explain.Carol sneered at that. "Haven't you been relying on yourself all these years? And yet, you don't even have a job now!"That remark hit Calla hard. She clutched her chest, saying, "Mom, even if I'm not particularly talented, haven't I been supporting you both all these years?"Calla couldn't understand why her mother and sister, who had always been close to her, were suddenly so against her. They both kept digging into her old wounds recently."So you're saying your mother is useless and can't support you?" Carol sounded hurt, her voice tinged with tears."I didn't mean that," Calla replied softly. Feeling defeated, she retreated to her room.The
Calla was momentarily lost in thought upon hearing those words.Seeing her reaction, Alicia quickly waved her hand and blurted out, "Forget I asked!""What are you talking about? I hope I never see him again in my life!" Calla knew Alicia probably thought she had occasionally seen Mercer after the divorce.But she was being honest now; she didn't want to see him again because she wanted to start a new life. She feared she wouldn't be able to control herself if she saw him again."An exceptional man like that isn't someone people like us can have forever. You're already incredibly lucky to have had him once!" Alicia nudged Calla."Can you stop talking about the scrooge?" Calla rolled her eyes at Alicia."Just one more thing!" Alicia held up one finger. "Just one!""Go on, then." Calla could only agree.Alicia immediately said, "These past few days, the executives at Atlas have been quiet as a mouse. I heard that the scrooge has been nitpicking to an extreme at work. "Even the
"Next up, the 8th candidate, Calla Sherman!"Just as she took a few steps, someone called out her name from behind.Calla glanced down at the slip of paper she had received, which, without a doubt, read the number eight. Her eyebrows furrowed. Realizing there was no good reason for her to refuse, she decided to go through with the interview as a formality.Calla approached the staff member calling out numbers and informed her, "I'm the 8th candidate, Calla Sherman.""Please come in." The staff member gestured toward an office.In her black high heels, Calla stepped into a spacious office, where three executives were seated behind a row of desks.There were two men and one woman among the interviewers. The woman, who appeared to be in her 40s, sat in the middle and seemed to be the main interviewer. To her left was a middle-aged man in his 50s, and to her right sat a younger man around 30.Having been through interviews before, Calla was not nervous. Today, she wore a professiona
"I resigned and had to give birth during that time," Calla answered frankly.Hearing this, the young male interviewer nodded and then exchanged a glance with the female lead interviewer.The female interviewer then said to Calla solemnly, "Ms. Sherman, the interview is over. Please wait for further notice.""Alright." Calla knew she wouldn't be hired, so she nodded and politely left the office.Alicia came back exhausted in the evening. Seeing Calla lying on the bed with a face mask, she couldn't help but sigh enviously. "Oh, comparing myself to you is just depressing. I'm exhausted from overtime, and yet, you're leisurely taking a nap here.""You think I don't want to work overtime? If I can't find a job soon, I'll be starving," Calla complained, extremely frustrated."By the way, how did your interview go today?" Alicia asked while changing her clothes."One word." Calla held up one finger."What?""Hopeless!" Calla replied dejectedly."Could you stop being so dispirited?
As per usual practice, an employee of Calla's level was expected to meet with the boss on the first day of work.Calla went straight to the office of Pierre Garland, the boss and chief attorney of Brightway Law Firm."Ms. Calla Sherman?“ A female employee in a pink shirt stood up from her desk."Yes, that's me." Calla deduced she had to be Pierre‘s secretary.Sure enough, the young woman immediately said, "Hello, I am Shania Jorg, Mr. Garland's secretary.""Hello, Ms. Jorg. I look forward to working with you," Calla quickly replied with a smile.The boss' secretary could either be the boss' favorite or a spy, who might even have some secret relationship with the boss. Calla knew that this was the kind of person whose bad side she should never get on.These were all lessons Calla had learned from her years in the workplace."I look forward to working with you. Mr. Garland asked that you see him immediately upon your arrival." Shania smiled."Alright." Calla nodded, then stepped
Pierre seemed to value Calla. He even personally led her to the office prepared for her.The finance manager's private office was quite nice. Although not very large, it offered a view of a corner of Riverford. Two small green plants also sat atop the desk, giving the room a fresh and elegant touch.In the following days, Calla worked extra hard, and everything went smoothly—except for one assistant who always failed to follow her instructions, which was a minor flaw in an otherwise perfect situation.Including her, the finance department had only three people—Natasha Small, who joined the company along with Calla, and Faith Solomon, the longtime employee who was now being uncooperative.Over time, Calla learned that Faith Solomon had always coveted the finance manager position. When the company hired someone new instead of promoting her, the resentful Faith tried to undermine Calla at every given chance.Calla, having experienced office politics, dealt with Faith's challenges tac
A quarter of an hour later, the dining table was filled with dishes prepared by Carol. Carol had even opened a bottle of red wine, which was a rare thing for her to do."Can we start eating now?" Calla, who hadn’t tasted her mother’s cooking in a long time, was eager to dig in.Carol didn’t answer but looked thoughtfully at the wall clock.Calla turned to Zoey in confusion. Zoey shrugged in response. "Mom just called Rudy to invite him for lunch."Hearing this, Calla frowned but didn’t react as strongly as she would have in the past. She and her mother had just reconciled, so she didn’t want to start a conflict over a scumbag like Rudy."I'm going to make a call," Carol announced, taking her phone and stepping away from the table."Does he still come by often?" Calla asked Zoey.Zoey pursed her lips and replied, "He’s come over twice since you moved out. He's been asking Mom if you and your ex-husband might get back together every time. He barely stays long enough to warm a