The man, dazed from the beating, looked up to see Quincy’s furious face. Instantly, he cowered, forcing a smile. “I get it, I get it. She’s all yours. I’ll leave right now, I promise not to bother you two. Take your time, big guy.”Quincy grabbed him by the collar and firmly warned him again. “A woman is a person, not something you can just hand over. You don’t have the right to talk like that.”The only reason Quincy had intervened was to stop an innocent woman from being harassed, not to claim her for himself. Apart from Lydia, he didn’t want anyone.“Yes, yes, you’re right,” the man mumbled as he scrambled to his feet and darted away, grumbling under his breath about Quincy. Acting all noble but everyone knew why guys came to a place like this. It was solely to pick up women.Quincy didn’t bother chasing him. Instead, he turned to give a word of caution to the woman. She should be careful hanging around a bar at night like this. But then he froze.It was Lydia.“Quincy? Am I s
If Lydia didn’t recognize him, Quincy would leave her to rest. He knew she was drunk, and he didn’t want to take advantage of the situation.“Quincy, I could never forget your face. Do you really think I wouldn’t know it’s you?” Lydia looked at him, her voice slightly slurred. Though her vision was hazy under the dim light, her emotions were clear. She was letting herself believe this was a dream, one where she could finally release all the feelings she had kept bottled up for so long. She repeated Quincy’s name, over and over.Hearing her say his name was intoxicating to Quincy, more so than any alcohol. He leaned down, kissed her deeply, and they lost themselves in the moment, wrapped in each other’s arms. Hours passed, and by the time they were done, Lydia was completely spent, too exhausted to even get up and shower. She drifted off to sleep almost immediately. For the first time in a long while, they both slept soundly.As the sunlight filtered through the curtains the next
He lay on the bed until Lydia opened her eyes.When she saw Eugene, she froze for a moment, her mind going blank. She struggled to speak, “Last night… how did we end up here?”The fragments of memory lingering in her mind told her that she had been with Quincy, so why was it suddenly Eugene? She couldn’t accept this reality.“Lydia, I told you to head home early last night, but you insisted on letting me go alone. How could I leave you there at the bar? Surrounded by men who were eyeing you like prey? I couldn’t risk that, but despite all my precautions, you still fell into their trap.” Eugene’s voice dripped with false sincerity as he spun his tale.His expression conveyed nothing but concern. “They slipped something into your drink. When you went to grab some juice, you lost consciousness and nearly got taken away. Luckily, I arrived just in time to save you.”Lydia struggled to remember what had happened the night before. She recalled the sleazy guy who had tried to make a move
“Right,” Lydia suddenly stopped in her tracks. “I need to check out.”“No need for that. I booked last night’s room under my name, so we can head straight to the hospital. I’ll take care of everything else,” Eugene quickly interrupted her.Just as they were leaving, Quincy returned. He was holding breakfast from a popular spot that he had waited half an hour in line for. But it didn’t matter. If Lydia liked it, he would gladly wait even longer.“Excuse me, sir,” the receptionist suddenly called out to him. She looked at Quincy with sympathy, almost as if he were a tragic character. Here he was, up early to buy breakfast, only to find his girlfriend with another man. Unable to resist, she said, “Your girlfriend has already left. Would you like to check out?”“Uh, yeah, let’s just check out,” Quincy replied, startled. So, Lydia had woken up. She must have slipped away quietly, still unsure of how to face him. It might be best to let them both cool off for a while.After checki
She couldn’t just get divorced and then marry again right after. She also didn’t want to be tied to Eugene for the rest of her life. Even though they had slept together under the influence of the medication, her mind was always on Quincy. Now that she was awake, she felt a strong aversion to any physical contact with Eugene, even just a touch of hands.Eugene looked at her, disappointment evident in his eyes, but he was reluctant to give up. “Think it over, Lydia. There’s no rush to make a decision.”If she continued to refuse him, he would go to her parents. They had been so supportive of him and wanted to see them together. He was sure they would join forces to persuade Lydia.Lydia remained silent. No matter how long she considered it, she wouldn’t agree to marry Eugene.……Meanwhile, on Nina’s side, they hadn’t been in touch since Lydia left. During this time, Nash had approached Quincy about taking on a project, but Quincy was overwhelmed with family matters. Maintaining
Nina nodded. Although she wasn’t the best singer, she could carry a tune. Orion clapped his hands in excitement. “That’s great! Mom and Dad, tomorrow the school is having a family event. It’s a singing competition. Will you come with me?”Tomorrow was Saturday, and the school scheduled the family event for this day, considering that parents had to work during the week. If there was nothing on his plate, Nash would certainly accompany Nina and Orion to the school, but he had a new project to handle.With the traffic light turning red, Nash discussed it with Nina. “Honey, why don’t you take the kids to school tomorrow? I have to meet a client that day.”Nina nodded in agreement. While both parents should share the responsibility of taking care of the kids, as a married couple, they should understand each other’s commitments. Nash was working hard to create a better life for their family, and she completely understood that.Orion, being a very considerate child, didn’t complain at a
Nina wanted to perform well and earn a good ranking to make her child proud of her.On the way to kindergarten, she even wore her headphones and listened to the song she had prepared a few more times. When they arrived at the kindergarten entrance, she held Orion's hand as they walked towards the school.Orion's class was on the third floor, and most of the other children and parents had already arrived. As Nina walked into the classroom, several people looked up at her. The reason was simple. Among the parents, Nina stood out. Today, she wore a long black dress that accentuated her figure and exuded confidence.Some kids even ran over to Orion and whispered, “Your mom is so pretty! I wish my mom looked like yours.”“All our moms are pretty,” Orion corrected his friend. In his eyes, he believed his mom was the most beautiful in the world.The teachers had already arranged chairs for the parents, and since the classroom was spacious due to the small class size, it was easy to set
It wasn't until they left the school and got into the car that Nina noticed her bag's zipper was open. She quickly zipped it up and asked, “Orion, do you want to head straight home, or do you want to go somewhere else?”“Let’s go straight home, Mom. I’m a bit tired and want to rest. I still have school tomorrow,” Orion replied as he fastened his seatbelt.“Okay, that works for me,” Nina agreed, and they chatted as the driver navigated through traffic. Before they knew it, they were back home.Once inside, Orion didn't stay in the living room to play like he usually did. He took off his coat, changed into his house slippers, and ran up to Nina. “Mom, I’m going upstairs to do my homework. I should finish before dinner.”“Homework?” Nina was taken aback by the phrase. After all, Orion was only in preschool, not elementary school. Why did he have homework already? She understood that teachers assigned it for the kids' benefit, but she couldn’t help but worry that the pace might be too
Ben had decided to play mysterious, leaving Jamie both curious and secretly overjoyed. In the end, he hadn’t hidden the surprise too deeply. That night, as Jamie got ready for bed, she found his surprise tucked under her pillow—a photograph. In the picture, taken at a famous tower overseas, her sister and mother stood together, smiling brightly. Jamie froze, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. Her voice trembled as she turned to Ben. “How did you find them?” Ben rested a hand on Jamie’s shoulder, pulling her gently into a half-embrace. He was silent for a moment before picking up the photograph. “I didn’t find them,” he said softly. “To be precise, they found me.” He went on to explain. Yesterday, he had received a letter from overseas. In today’s world of instant communication, handwritten letters were almost unheard of, and this one had taken a long time to arrive. Even if they wanted to fly out to find her family now, it would be nearly impossible. L
Jamie’s eyes landed on the large bouquet of red roses in Ben’s hands. “You knew about this all along, didn’t you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “That’s why I got you these flowers. Will you forgive me?” Ben’s gentle smile softened his usually reserved demeanor, revealing a rare warmth that seemed out of character. Jamie hesitated for a moment before taking the bouquet. “Fine, I’ll forgive you… but just this once,” she said, pretending to sound reluctant. Ben chuckled at her tone, his amusement evident as he turned his head slightly to hide another laugh. Meanwhile, Charlie covered his face with his hands, but the little boy’s curiosity got the better of him, and he peeked through his fingers to watch. Nina cleared her throat loudly. “Alright, we get it—you two are ridiculously cute. But could you save it for later? If we don’t start eating soon, the food’s going to get cold!” Jamie pulled Charlie close and led him to the table. Everyone sat down to eat togethe
Ben rubbed his tired eyes after reviewing the draft for a while. When he looked back at Jamie, a faint smile curved his lips. “The draft looks good—just a few minor issues.” Jamie immediately perked up, eager to learn, like a diligent student. Playing the role of her temporary teacher, Ben shared everything he knew without holding back. The afternoon flew by. Feeling satisfied, Jamie grabbed the draft with fresh notes and rushed off to make revisions. She became so immersed in her work that she didn’t even notice how much time had passed until evening. Ben, having finished his own tasks, looked over and saw Jamie still glued to her computer. With a sigh, he rubbed his forehead and walked over to pull her up from her chair. Jamie yelped as her upper body suddenly left the ground. “Ben, what are you doing? I’m not done yet!” Ben pointed to his watch. “Take a look at the time.” Jamie glanced at the clock, then jumped up in alarm, nearly bumping into him. “Charlie!”
Ben picked up the project proposal that had been set aside. Realizing she had misunderstood, Lila felt a flicker of embarrassment but quickly composed herself. Glancing at his actions, she said calmly, “This is the project I want your team to handle. So, can you do it or not?” Jamie couldn’t read Ben’s thoughts. She only knew she didn’t want Lila to get her way. This woman had been looking for trouble from the start, clearly acting with bad intentions. Why give her an opportunity to exploit? But Ben glanced at Jamie, the corners of his lips curving into a gentle smile, almost as if to reassure her. “I think it’s doable.” He directed the comment to Jamie, but Lila assumed it was for her. Instantly, her earlier frustration vanished, and she crossed her arms smugly. “Did you hear that, Jamie? Ben is your boss, isn’t he? Now that he’s given the green light, you don’t have anything else to say, do you?”Her self-satisfied demeanor made it seem as if she had already secured her
Lila spoke coolly. “Well, since no one ever mentioned it to you, now you know. Jamie, when you used to work in the service industry, weren’t you well aware of these things? So why is it that now, after being with Ben, you’ve changed so quickly? Forgetting where you came from this fast is something else.”Jamie had insisted on handling this meeting with Lila herself. Even though Ben had dropped her off and wanted to accompany her inside, she had stopped him at the door. And now, it was clear. Lila, seeing Jamie alone, felt free to mock and humiliate her without restraint. Jamie stood abruptly, her presence suddenly intense. “Lila, do you know why I’m here today?” Lila sneered dismissively. “I couldn’t care less about your intentions. But since you’re here, you should remember one thing—I’m your client.” “Client?” Jamie couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Did we finalize a partnership? You seem to have forgotten that just as you can choose not to work with me, I also have the
At the event that day, some people were bold enough to question Ben directly to his face. It was no surprise that, in his absence, they felt free to make unpleasant comments to Jamie instead, leaving her to deal with it alone.Ben held Jamie’s hand, his gaze soft and full of care. “After everything we’ve been through to get here, you should understand how determined I am to protect you,” he said gently, his voice steady and soothing. “If anything happens to you, you have to tell me. If you don’t, how am I supposed to know? I can’t let you suffer in silence.”Jamie nodded. “I know. I promise. But I really just want to use this opportunity to prove myself.” How could she not? If she didn’t prove herself now, when would she? Her goal was to stand alongside Ben for the long haul. “And what exactly will proving yourself through working with her accomplish? Jamie, you need to understand that as long as you’re with me, you don’t need to—” Before Ben could finish, Jamie placed
“Why don’t you stay home and take care of Charlie? With you watching over him, I’d feel completely at ease. Besides, I’m earning enough money now. You don’t need to worry. I can more than provide for the both of you,” Ben said, his tone gentle but firm.The Lucas Corporation was massive, and Ben’s past work as a lawyer brought in astronomical fees, starting in the millions. Financial security was never a concern for their family.Jamie shook her head. “The work I’ve done before was all over the place, but didn’t you support me in doing it? What’s this sudden change, Ben? You’re switching sides faster than flipping a page!”Her decision to return to studying law had been encouraged by Ben himself. But now, hearing him say this, it felt like he was wavering, as though he wanted her to stay at home. Stay at home and do what? Take care of the child? To Jamie, this was an opportunity she couldn’t let slip away. It was her chance to prove herself. “That’s not what I meant,” Be
Lila visited Summer, whose condition had visibly deteriorated. “Looking at you now, do you regret any of it?” Lila asked. If Summer hadn’t been so fixated on Ben, she wouldn’t have ended up this way, consumed by obsession. Summer gave a bitter smile. “With so many twists and turns in life, who even has the right to speak of regret?” She reached out and held Lila’s hand tightly. “Lila, let my experience be a lesson to you. Make sure you see things clearly and never do anything foolish for someone who doesn’t love you.” It was sound advice, and Lila couldn’t help but feel indignant on Summer’s behalf. But her indignation was meaningless. Back then, all she had wanted was to make things difficult for Jamie. In the end, it had backfired, leaving her worse off. “I’m sorry, Summer,” Lila said remorsefully. “I couldn’t even help you get justice. I still carry that guilt.” “You don’t owe me an apology,” Summer replied gently. “You came to see me and cared enough to thin
Jamie sighed, knowing Ben was trying to comfort her. Though she still felt a little wistful, she quickly let it go.What she didn’t expect was that the boys’ whispered conversation would continue from the car all the way to the dinner table. Even while eating, they huddled together, making it clear no one else was welcome to join their secretive chat. Noticing how little food they had touched, Jamie tapped the table with a hint of exasperation. “Alright, you two. Mealtime is for eating, not whispering. Didn’t your teachers teach you that at school?” Charlie immediately recognized that Jamie wasn’t joking this time. She was genuinely a little upset. He quickly straightened up, putting on his most obedient expression as he picked up his utensils. “Got it, Mommy. I’ll eat properly now.” Jamie then turned her gaze to Orion, who, sensing her sternness, also sat upright and promised to focus on his food. With both boys settled and eating obediently, Jamie felt satisfied and