Ben stared at the plate of orange slices. Jamie instinctively reached out to take the plate away. “Your Uncle Ben doesn’t eat—” “Thank you, Charlie. I happen to feel like having some oranges,” he interrupted smoothly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Jamie froze for a moment. Wasn’t Ben known for being picky, never touching food that didn’t look perfect? And he rarely ate anything prepared outside his own kitchen. While Jamie stood there, still surprised, Ben casually ate two pieces of the unevenly cut orange slices and even went as far as to compliment Charlie. “You cut these very well.” As Charlie beamed with pride, Jamie could only look at the plate of roughly cut orange slices in disbelief, unable to muster a single word of praise. *A little while later, after sending Charlie off to play in his room, Jamie sat down across from Ben. “You’re here for something, aren’t you?” “You don’t have to treat me so coldly,” Ben replied. “And how sh
Jamie couldn’t shake the strange feeling in her heart, like she had been set up somehow. Was it just her imagination? Shaking her head, she walked into the kitchen. Behind her, Charlie immediately stopped wiping his tears and sneaked a glance at her as she busied herself. “Uncle Ben, did I do a good job just now?” Ben smirked. “Perfect.” The little boy and the grown man shared identical mischievous grins. *After lunch, Charlie clung to Ben, refusing to let him go. Jamie wanted to intervene, but Ben glanced at his phone and said, “The meeting was canceled. It’s fine. I have time.” And so, Ben ended up staying, playing with Charlie until evening. By the time the sky darkened, even Jamie felt a bit dazed, realizing she had somehow let Ben stay the entire day without really noticing. When she walked him to the door, Ben handed her a small velvet box. “This is for you.” “What is it?” “Open it and see.” Hesitating, Jamie opened the box, and her breath caugh
Jamie’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She rushed over to check on Charlie. “Are you okay? Does it hurt? Let Mommy blow on it.” “It doesn’t hurt. I just accidentally bumped into that lady.” Charlie mumbled, clutching the hem of his shirt awkwardly. Jamie looked up, ready to apologize, but the woman didn’t say anything and simply turned and walked away. Did she look scary or something? “That woman was wearing a mask and didn’t seem trustworthy. Don’t bother,” Ben said with a frown. Hearing that, Jamie decided to let it go. Thankfully, Charlie wasn’t hurt. “You worry too much about Charlie. A small fall like this won’t hurt him,” Ben remarked. “I know. I just can’t change overnight,” Jamie admitted. She understood what Ben was saying. But habits, especially those built on years of fear and caution, weren’t easy to break. They didn’t dwell on the incident, quickly putting it out of their minds as they continued to help Charlie pick out his school su
“What kind of job?” Ben asked.“I’m still looking,” Jamie replied.“In that case, why not work for me?” Ben suggested without hesitation. Jamie froze, momentarily stunned by his directness. She was about to refuse when Ben, seemingly predicting her reaction, added, “Don’t be so quick to say no. If you join any other top-tier company, whether as HR or in another role, the pay won’t compare. What I can offer is far better than anything they can.” His words left her silent. If this were a romantic confession, it would undoubtedly be the most alluring kind. Who wouldn’t want a job with great benefits? But working under Ben? That was a mental hurdle Jamie wasn’t sure she could overcome. After a long pause, she said, “Let me think about it.” Ben didn’t press her, giving her three days to decide. By then, Charlie would be starting preschool, leaving her with more time to work. Jamie spent the next few days applying for various jobs, only to face repeated disappointmen
Lucas Corporation appeared to be running as smoothly as ever, showing no signs of turmoil despite the recent rumors.Jamie arrived at the reception desk and asked to see Ben. The receptionist raised an eyebrow at the mention of Ben’s name and smiled slightly. “He’s a top-tier lawyer in Birkham now. If you’re looking for him, shouldn’t you be at his law firm rather than here at Lucas Corporation?” “He’s not here? Did he say when he’d be back?” Jamie was momentarily stunned. She had just spoken to him on the phone. Where could he have gone at such a critical time? The receptionist shook her head apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m not privy to Mr. Lucas’s schedule. If you’d like, you could try calling him directly.” Jamie sighed, unwilling to trouble the receptionist further. She was about to leave when the receptionist called after her. “Wait a moment. Are you Miss Lewis?” Caught off guard, Jamie hesitated. “Yes, I am. Why?” The receptionist looked a bit uncertain, rea
Jamie had originally come with the intention of helping Ben in some small way. She hadn’t planned on agreeing to his job offer so quickly, but seeing his exhaustion had changed her mind. That evening, Ben invited her to dinner. Jamie wanted to decline, but Ben cut her off. “Consider it a celebration for your new position. There’s a restaurant I think you’d like. We could pick up Charlie and bring him along.” At the mention of Charlie, Jamie couldn’t find a reason to refuse. Charlie rarely got to go out, and Jamie often felt guilty about that. She always wanted to make it up to him, even in small ways. Ben drove them back to pick up Charlie, who had been at home with the helper. Since the helper hadn’t started dinner yet, Jamie told her there was no need. *When Charlie heard they were going out for dinner, he was thrilled. “Mommy, where are we going? Can we have burgers?” Jamie started to say no, but seeing the excitement in his bright eyes, she changed her answer
The car skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding disaster. Before the stunned driver could process what had just happened, a large, out-of-control truck barreled through the intersection ahead. The truck was moving too fast to stop, flipping over and sliding across the road, smashing into several vehicles in its path. The screeching metal and shattering glass filled the air, leaving the driver visibly shaken. Had it not been for Jamie’s timely warning, the consequences could have been catastrophic.Ben frowned and glanced at Jamie, who was pale with fear. He wanted to ask her something but knew now wasn’t the time. “Turn around and take another route,” he instructed the driver. It took a moment for the driver to regain his composure before restarting the car and pulling away. Not long after they left, the scene was surrounded by police vehicles. Traffic on that road came to a standstill as officers began redirecting cars. The drive home was smooth, but this time the driv
After breakfast, Jamie took Charlie to his preschool. It wasn’t far. It was just a ten-minute drive. From a distance, she spotted a teacher with long hair and a scarf standing at the preschool entrance, greeting parents and students. Recognizing her as Miss Georgia, Charlie’s homeroom teacher, Jamie approached her with a smile. Miss Georgia crouched down to Charlie’s level and beamed. “This must be Charlie! He’s so handsome. What a little gentleman!” Charlie, shy as ever, blushed and hid behind Jamie, peeking out to observe his new teacher. Miss Georgia couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorable he was. Jamie smiled apologetically. “He’s a little shy.” “That’s perfectly normal. Kids this age are often like that. Would you like to take a quick tour of the preschool, Miss Lewis?” “No, that’s okay. I need to get to work. I’ll stop by later after I finish for the day.” After giving a few parting instructions to Miss Georgia, Jamie waved goodbye to Charlie and left.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.“Haven’t I been just fine lately?“Or do you think my hand isn’t injured enough? If that’s the case, go ahead—do it yourself. “You already know I wouldn’t fight back no matter what.” Without warning, Yelena stretched out her injured hand, an act that instantly enraged Liam. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He snapped. “I was just making a casual remark. Is that really what you think of me? I already told you—I’m not going to lay a hand on you.“It wasn’t intentional before, and you know it. We both do. Stop acting like you’re above all this when we both know who sent you here.” Yelena felt a pang of sadness. They had spent so much time together, yet this was how he treated her—always choosing to hurt her. “I know—I wasn’t someone you chose, and none of this was intentional. But after all this time we've spent together...“I thought maybe I was a little different to you. But I guess I was wrong. Nothing has changed at all.
“Why do you even care about what happens to other people? Haven’t I made myself clear enough already?“Whose card is this—yours or mine?” His assistant immediately apologized upon hearing Caleb’s tone. “I hope you won’t hold this against me. I really wasn’t thinking clearly at the time—I should have considered this more carefully.” Caleb didn’t bother responding. After hanging up, he focused entirely on investigating Vera’s brother. *Meanwhile, Vera was deeply worried. If things had been somewhat under control before, now they were completely off track. The situation on both sides was far more complicated than she had anticipated. “Don’t worry. That’s exactly how it is. If you don’t want to go in person, I can go for you—but it won’t be cheap,” the private investigator said.Since Caleb had warned her about the private investigator, Vera started testing him, probing for inconsistencies. And sure enough, his story had too many holes. “Why are you so sure my b
As Caleb spoke, he looked at Vera with a hint of helplessness. After all, her hand had been injured because of Luna. “Don’t feel guilty about this. Honestly, it’s nothing to me.“And I’m not the type to carry burdens over things like this.“Besides, it’s been so long. If this had happened back then, I might have cared. But now? I just don’t think it matters anymore.” Vera’s voice was steady and sincere. But Caleb’s expression darkened. “Why would you say that? Why do you think it doesn’t matter? Do you really see me as just the same as everyone else?” For some reason, at this moment, Caleb took it personally. Vera couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course not. You’re different from the rest—so obviously, I wouldn’t see it the same way.“You’ve helped me so much. The least I can do is acknowledge that, instead of stubbornly nitpicking about what’s right or wrong, don’t you think?“Besides, whatever happened between you and Luna, that’s none of my business. It’s in
“I didn’t mean to just now. Besides, you’ve been acting all sneaky lately—so really, who else is to blame?” Seeing Yelena in tears, Liam, who had been furious just moments ago, felt a small pang of guilt. He was never good at expressing emotions. But watching her like this made him a little uncomfortable. “Go get your hand treated. Otherwise, people who don’t know any better might think I’ve been abusing you.” With that, he turned and walked away. Yelena watched his retreating figure, feeling a bit helpless. This wasn’t something she could decide on her own. Installing surveillance? It wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Liam was naturally suspicious. If he caught wind of it, the consequences would be disastrous. But she had no choice. She had a mission to complete, and there was more at stake than just this moment. Letting out a deep sigh, she finally decided to head to a clinic to get her hand treated. *“What happened to you? That’s a serious injury. You
And just like that, the conversation fell into a brief silence. Meanwhile, on the other side, Hunter received a call from Yelena. “What did you just say?” Yelena told him that her hand was broken, and on top of that, Liam seemed to be getting suspicious. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she called Hunter for advice. “I don’t really care what happens to you, but at the very least, take care of yourself.“Otherwise, if something else goes wrong later, I’ll have to step in and clean up the mess. Don’t you think so?” Hearing this, Yelena was a little taken aback. “It’s not just about my injury. The real problem is, I’m scared of what he might do now.” Sure, she had taken the two hundred thousand dollars, but she had to stay alive to spend it. At this rate, she wouldn’t even make it through in one piece. “I already told you—protect yourself. If you need anything else, I’ll try to provide it. But right now, I need you to do something for me.” Hunter had been look
“Yes, it’s in that mountain area. If you’re worried, you can go check it out yourself. But as for anything else, we don’t really have much more information.”Compared to everything else, this was the most baffling situation.“You make a good point. But given the current circumstances, I think it’ll be difficult to pull off.”Vera was speaking with the private investigator. Deep down, she was more worried than anything else.“Don’t worry,” the private investigator reassured her. “Aside from what we discussed earlier, nothing else seems too extreme. Plus, we’ve already looked into it pretty thoroughly.”By the time he finished speaking, his expression had grown more complicated.“Alright. I understand.”After hanging up, she anxiously looked straight ahead. If she had been mentally prepared before, now she was starting to feel uneasy. “What’s going on?” Caleb asked while driving, glancing at her. Vera hesitated, debating whether to tell him or not. But seeing the strange
“I only had one surgery today,” Caleb said as he drove, his voice calm but firm. “Now that it’s done, I want to know why this happened.” After that, he said nothing more. Vera sat in silence, her heart uneasy as the car pulled up in front of an upscale club. Even though her hand was already bandaged, she still felt a sting of pain every time Caleb showed concern. “So this is what it feels like to have someone care,” she thought to herself.Back when Vera had been stepped on, her only concern had been the contract—whether the deal would fall apart and if her suffering had been for nothing.If it had been anything else, she probably wouldn’t have cared as much.But Caleb’s concern made it impossible for her to brush aside.It kept lingering in her mind, refusing to let her feel indifferent.“Don’t overthink it,” Caleb said, his voice firm. “Whatever happened between Luna and me doesn’t change the fact that this concerns me too—and I owe it to you to make things right.”
“Oh? So this is the apology you wanted?” Vera’s forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain, but the two women standing over her barely reacted. As if this was normal to them. As if humiliating her was just another game. “I asked you a question.” Vera remained half-crouched on the ground, her hand still pinned under Luna’s heel. Helena smirked. “Yeah, I’d say that’s good enough.” She hadn’t expected Vera to be this stubborn, but it didn’t matter. With an exaggerated sigh, she casually scribbled her signature onto the contract. The deal was officially secured. Vera didn’t waste another second. She cast one last glance at the two women. “I have no interest in getting involved in your personal drama. As for Caleb and me, that’s between us. We both made our choices.” Luna’s expression twisted slightly. “I won’t bother commenting on your relationship,” she said, voice dripping with disdain. “But don’t think for a second that this will ever earn
The moment Vera heard her assistant’s words, her expression darkened. Her previously calm tone turned firm. “If that’s the case, I understand. But I still have to go. This is my responsibility, and no one else can handle it.” If she didn’t take the lead, the other party would only grow bolder. However, the moment she glanced at the name on the negotiation list, she couldn’t help but frown. Because the person she was supposed to meet wasn’t just anyone. It was Helena Xander. Vera had encountered her before—back when her relationship with Caleb hadn’t yet escalated. Even then, Helena had openly mocked her, saying that since Caleb had been Luna’s devoted lapdog for years, he should know his place and never overstep. She had also thrown a few sharp words at Vera, telling her to recognize her own status—as if warning her that getting involved would only bring trouble. Back then, Vera hadn’t taken it seriously. She never thought she would cross paths with the