Having listened to Calla's words, Harlan frowned and clasped his hands together. He lowered his head and thought for a while before looking up at Calla and Zoey."That will depend on Zoey. First, if Zoey wants to keep the baby, I'm willing to take responsibility. Second, if Zoey wants to terminate the pregnancy, I'm willing to cover all medical expenses. "I'll also take care of any dietary costs. And if you require compensation for emotional distress, I'll do what I can. As long as it's within my means, I'm willing to bear it." Harlan said solemnly."I don't want your money!" Zoey shook her head firmly as soon as Harlan finished speaking.Glancing at Zoey, Calla knew that talking about money was insulting to Zoey. She wouldn't give up the baby regardless. Zoey's gaze at Harlan told her everything she needed to know: Zoey was already hopelessly in love.As such, Calla turned to face Harlan. "My sister is already over four months pregnant. The doctor said that if she had an abortio
"Okay." Zoey nodded, then suddenly hugged Calla. Zoey's embrace was so tight that Calla was taken aback. "What's this about?" Calla asked, affectionately patting Zoey's back. Zoey started to choke up as she said, "Cal, thank you! I don't know what I would have done without you." Seeing Zoey's tear-streaked face, Calla's heart ached. With a smile, she reached out to wipe away Zoey's tears with her thumb."Silly girl, I'm your sister. Of course I'll stand up for you. But what you did was wrong, and there's no use talking about it anymore. From now on, make the most of your life and find your own happiness." Zoey nodded tearfully."Let's go, Mom's waiting for us." The sisters exchanged smiles and then ran home hand in hand. …The next morning, as expected, Harlan came to pick Zoey up and formally met Carol. Calla hid in her room the whole time, avoiding him because she always felt that Harlan looked at her in a complicated way. Two hours later, Zoey and Harlan returned wi
Early the next morning, Calla and Alicia set out to find jobs together. Though she wasn't in the mood, Calla knew she couldn't live off her savings forever. Life had to go on. By noon, Calla and Alicia were too exhausted to search anymore. They sat on a streetside bench after ordering a hot drink to go.Despite it being the dead of winter, the midday sun was warm, casting a cozy glow over them. The steaming hot drinks in their hands drove away the lingering chill.Clutching her drink, Alicia pouted and complained, "They say jobs are hard to find these days, but I didn't realize it was this hard. We've been running around all day and only a few small companies are hiring."Calla took a sip of her drink and said, "I heard the economy is doing poorly right now. Big companies are laying people off. As a result, only small companies with high turnover rates are hiring.""So what do we do? Do we have to work for a small company?" Alicia asked anxiously.Calla gave a slight smile and r
Calla knew Alicia was just standing up for her. She reached out to pull Alicia back onto the bench. Although her heart was now in tatters, she still managed to force a slight smile."They can get married in whatever manner they want. It's none of our business," Calla said in a casual tone, but only she knew how much it hurt her.Alicia was still fuming and cursed outright, "Calla, those two scumbags are going to get what's coming for them. Mark my words, they'll be divorced in no time!""Alright." Calla tugged Alicia's arm, gesturing for her to sit down.Alicia glanced around and noticed that many people were indeed staring at her. Blushing slightly, she quickly sat down.However, the crowd openly discussed the matter. "The wedding photo on the screen is so beautiful. Is it an advertisement?" a girl exclaimed, pointing at the giant TV screen. The girl walking beside her laughed and corrected, "That's a real wedding photo. I heard that the CEO of Atlas Enterprises in Riverford
After Alicia left, Calla sat on the bench for a while, her gaze occasionally landing on the giant TV screen. Perhaps the ad slot was short, so the screen was now showing different commercials. Mercer and Sophie's wedding photo never appeared again. It wasn't until Calla's feet went numb that she slowly stood up. Lost in thought, she strolled down the street in her black coat. Her phone had been ringing for quite some time before Calla finally noticed.She took out her phone and saw it was Natasha, so she nonchalantly answered."Calla, am I disturbing you?" Natasha's voice was full of excitement.Calla mustered her energy and replied, "No, I'm not doing anything at all right now.""Calla, I got promoted!" Natasha shared the good news.Hearing this, Calla was taken aback for a moment. She then said, "Congratulations, I suppose you're taking over Faith's position.""Yes. I thought Mr. Garland would hire another finance manager. But yesterday he suddenly called me to his office and
Calla didn't expect to run into Faith on the street. Even though Faith had a bad attitude as always, Calla wasn't in the mood for an argument."Watch your mouth. I don't have time to argue with you," Calla said, ready to leave.Faith had been looking for Calla. Now that she had coincidentally run into her, she wasn't going to let her go so easily. She stepped forward and blocked Calla's path."What do you want?" Calla stared coldly at Faith."What do I want? I have something to ask you!" Faith retorted arrogantly.Calla didn't even want to look at Faith's face. "I have nothing to say to you," she replied icily."Nothing to say? That's easy for you to say. You think I have no idea, do you? I was forced to leave Brightway because of you, wasn't I? Did you rat me out to Pierre?" Faith questioned harshly.Calla sneered, her gaze piercing Faith. "I think you'll find that the problem lies with you."What do you mean?" Faith asked, a bit confused.Calla responded coldly, "You've been
It was evening when Calla finally returned home.Seeing Calla come back, Alicia quickly approached. "I've prepared stew. Let's have a few drinks tonight.""Sounds good." Calla nodded.Alicia took a good look at Calla and was relieved to see that she seemed to be feeling better.Soon, the table was set with a sizable pot in the center. Alicia had prepared a lavish spread of dishes to go with the stew, filling the entire table.Alicia poured Calla a glass of red wine, then raised her glass with a smile. "Come on, let's say goodbye to the past and start a new life. Tomorrow, we'll go job hunting together!"When she heard that, Calla gave a small, wry smile and put her drink down.Seeing this, Alicia also put down her glass and asked with a frown, "Calla, what's wrong? Are you still hung up on it?""No!" Calla quickly looked up to deny it.Under Alicia's puzzled gaze, Calla said solemnly, "Alicia, I've been out all afternoon, and I've finally made up my mind!""What decision? Don
"When you make it big, you'll have to pay me back double the amount!" Calla joked."If I ever make it big, even ten times wouldn't be a problem. The question is, when will I ever make it big?" Alicia looked up at the sky dramatically."Maybe you'll marry a rich man someday!" Calla smiled, teasing her."Forget it. I'd rather rely on myself. You found a rich husband, and look what happened—" Alicia stopped herself mid-sentence and quickly covered her mouth.Seeing Calla's face darken, Alicia said nervously, "Calla, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. You know I just blab everything that comes to mind!""It's fine, I get it. Come on, let's not talk about unhappy things anymore. Tonight, we're drinking till we drop!" Calla raised her glass and drained it in one go.Alicia quickly raised her glass in response and did the same.That night, they drank three bottles of wine, and neither of them knew how they ended up falling asleep. When they woke up the next day, one was on the bed, the oth