Their raised voices were piercing to Rosalie's ears. The customer was nasty with her words, and the boss retaliated."Come, everyone! Come and see how terrible this boss is, bullying her customer!" the customer snarled scornfully, her disheveled hair blowing in the wind.Some people hadn't fully grasped the situation yet and turned around to look on curiously, thinking that the boss was truly guilty of bullying her customer."Before commenting on other people, you should take a good look at yourself and see how terrible you are! You come here every day, insulting and slandering others. Who else should I scold other than you? You're always coming here and calling my food disgusting trash. You even insulted the chef! Since you don't like it, why do you still come day after day? Are you asking for trouble? You're so foul-mouthed, do you really think you're some dainty fairy?" the boss refuted."Just look, everyone! The boss is bullying and scolding her customer again! She doesn't want
"But I'd like to take this chance to thank everyone for not believing her words. You have every right to dislike our food, and you can even tell me that my dishes are too salty, too oily, too spicy, or simply yucky. It's fine if you don't like it and I can accept constructive feedback. "But that woman was so foul-mouthed, slandering and verbally abusing me and my chef while inciting others to do the same. That's not something a normal person does. She's behaving like a mad dog barking indiscriminately.""Well said!"The customers applauded her. They could tell that she was a straightforward person who wouldn't offend others unless others offended her first. If anyone dared to offend her, she wouldn't let it rest.Rosalie didn't expect such excitement while having lunch, and was thoroughly entertained.As it turns out, most of the customers were reasonable, and only a minority were incited by the lady.The customers had originally thought that the boss was the one scolding the cu
At night, Theodore came back looking disheveled and not in good shape.Rosalie immediately welcomed him home with Steve in her arms. "Theo, where were you?""I've been staying in a hotel these days.""Theo, Steve's your son and that's a fact no one can change.""Dada," Steve said as he stretched his arms toward Theodore, demanding a hug.Rosalie put Steve in Theodore's arms. "Carry him. He misses you and has been asking for you these few days."Theodore's heart melted as he carried Steve in his arms. He felt so fortunate to come home to his child and Rosalie and yearned for nothing more.However, the past continued haunting him, disturbing his peace and becoming a hurdle he could not cross."Did Sebastian give him his name?"Rosalie was stunned for a moment before admitting honestly, "Yes. I didn't know his true colors then. At that time, he was always by my side, helping me out."She added, "If you don't like this name, give the child another name. He doesn't need to be call
Rosalie scrolled through the videos mindlessly and started feeling drowsy. She was about to doze off when she scrolled to a livestream session. The host looked rather familiar. Wasn't this the author who wrote that novel? It was all thanks to her that Angie was caught. Why was she on a livestream?She looked like a natural onscreen.Many people were tuning in. The author was interacting non-stop with her readers, even leisurely reading through nasty comments left by detractors and responding to them.One of the comments read, [The disgusting characters are a reflection of how disgusting the author is. She herself must be promiscuous to be able to write of such a promiscuous character.]The author responded, "If I wrote a character with a high IQ, does that make me have a high IQ, too? In that case, I'll write about a character with an IQ of 190 in my next book. But that's not right. I've written so many books with so many characters in them, even criminals. You should call the co
Half a month flew by.Many things happened during that period, but everything was progressing smoothly.Justin, Sydney, and Wesley were all discharged. Rosalie was slowly adapting to work life. Theodore had seemingly returned to normal, busy with what he was supposed to do. He no longer looked despondent, but he avoided Sydney whenever she looked him up.There was still a barrier erected between the mother and son.Sebastian had fled and no one knew where he was right now.Rosalie was taking a break from work over the weekends and sat in front of her laptop, brainstorming for her book.Before this, she had consulted the author.The author shared her own experiences genuinely.She wanted to write about complicated financial knowledge only a select few would be interested in, but if she wanted to appeal to the masses, she had to make complicated jargon easy to understand, so much so that even an uneducated vegetable grocer could get it. She wanted to avoid fancy terminologies,
At night, Rosalie and Theodore headed out for dinner.They didn't take Steve along with them. Theodore wanted to enjoy the date with just the two of them.Rosalie couldn't bear to reject him.Their relationship had been utterly ruined and they barely managed to resolve the misunderstandings. The dust had finally settled around them, and she didn't want to sour the mood again. They were Steve's parents, and Steve naturally wouldn't want his parents to be at loggerheads with each other. They might be divorced, but they could still live in peace and that would only be beneficial for Steve's growth.Theodore booked a restaurant where they shared a romantic meal before heading to the cinema.Theodore bought tickets to a romance movie. It was a very touching story and many ladies were reduced to tears by the time the credits were rolling.Rosalie, however, couldn't bring herself to cry. Perhaps because she was all out of tears from what happened in real life and she felt numb when sh
Rosalie recalled the rose Theodore gave her this afternoon, which he claimed he bought from the streets.A cold wind blew past, and she shivered slightly—it felt chilly. Theodore very chivalrously removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders."Theo, I'm fine. I'm not cold. You wear it." She was worried he might catch a cold instead."I'm fine." When Theodore draped the jacket back on her shoulders, he put his arm around her shoulders and left it there. The two of them looked very intimate.Just then, Rosalie's phone rang. It broke the awkward moment that was brewing.Rosalie gently nudged Theodore's arm away and picked up her phone. "Hello."It was Justin calling. "Rose, it's me.""Hey, Justin. What's up?""Nothing, I just wanted to call to ask if you're asleep.""Not yet, I'm still out.""Oh? Are you out alone?""No, I'm with Theo," Rosalie said frankly."Right," Justin said, not pursuing the matter. "I won't bother you two, then. I just wanted to check in on you, n
Theodore fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "I know. I know deep in my heart that's what you feel."Rosalie suddenly felt cold, not because of the wind but because her heart had turned cold. "Theo, let's go home. I miss Stevie."Theodore nodded. "Alright, let's head home."These were stolen moments, and the time they shared right now was due to end.Rosalie turned around and suddenly stepped on something which caused her to lose her balance and almost fall.Theodore wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. "Be careful."Rosalie was still recovering from the slight shock when she turned her head and realized how close they were to each other.Suddenly, Theodore cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her lips.Rosalie was stunned as memories flooded her mind. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and in that moment, she forgot about pushing him away. It was only when a thought suddenly came to mind that she shoved him away.In the past, she might
The nurse pushed Rosalie to the hall, about to guide her outdoors. Rosalie really wanted to see her donor, even if it was just a glance from afar. She didn't need to appear before them.So, she asked her nurse to push her to the nurses' station."Excuse me, I'd like to ask if there's a patient who got in a car accident and is now in a vegetative state? A 35-year-old man sent in a couple days ago?""What is his name?" asked one of the nurses."I don't know, but he's preparing for a liver donation surgery, and I'm the recipient. I just want to see him from afar. I won't disturb his family," Rosalie said."Liver transplant? I don't remember such a patient in the hospital. Did you make a mistake?"Rosalie recalled what Dr. Landon had told her, and was sure she wasn't mistaken. "How could that be? I'm due for the surgery tomorrow.""Let's go outdoors for a walk," Jake said as he pushed hard on Rosalie's wheelchair. He was small in stature, but he managed to move the wheelchair along.
After Theodore left, Jake looked glum."Jake, what's the matter?"He shook his head. "Nothing.""Are you upset that your dad was fierce to you? Is your dad always so fierce to you?"Jake nodded with a pout.Rosalie's heart ached. "I'll tell him not to be so fierce to you for no reason."Jake finally broke up into a smile, but very soon, his face fell again, looking as if he had something to say."Jake, what's the matter? Do you have something to tell Mama? Just tell me, it's fine.""Yeah, Jake. Mommy really wants you to talk more to her. Anything will do," Chelsea chimed in."Can you be with Dad again?" Jake said after pondering for a long while.Rosalie was stunned by his question. "Jake, why did you suddenly ask that?""I just want to know. Can you tell me?"Rosalie could sense that Jake was asking the question very seriously, and couldn't bear to give him a perfunctory reply. "Jake, although your dad and I are divorced, we'll always be your parents. We're family.""So y
Two days later, it was the weekend. Jake and Chelsea didn't need to go to school, so they kept Rosalie company in the hospital."Mommy, do you feel any pain in your body?" Chelsea asked, worried.Rosalie caressed her daughter's head and said, "No, I don't. Don't worry. How is everything in kindergarten? Are you used to it there?""I want to be with Mommy," Chelsea said indignantly."Chelsea, you're still very young. It's not good for you to always be at the hospital," Rosalie said. "I'll be discharged once I get better. For now, just be good and go to school."Chelsea nodded. "Okay, Mommy. I'll be good."Rosalie turned her attention to Jake. "Jake, come here and let Mommy take a good look at you."Having not seen him for so many years, Rosalie wanted to spend every waking moment with him.Jake walked over to her, opening his mouth as if wanting to say something, but when he drew close to Rosalie, he still felt rather reserved.He was now willing to be close to Rosalie, but sti
A few days later, Theodore was sitting on Rosalie's bedside.He was peeling an apple for Rosalie."Theo, you've been keeping me company at the hospital the past few days. You must be very tired. Go back and get some rest," Rosalie said.Theodore had been staying the night at the hospital for the past few days.Jake was in primary school, and Chelsea had to attend kindergarten. Theodore managed to find one for her as it wasn't ideal for a child to keep going to the hospital."It's fine, I'll stay here with you.""Theo, you feel different from five years ago."At over 30 years of age, Theodore felt more mature.He said with a smile, "Do I feel older than before?""No, but more handsome," Rosalie said honestly.Theodore sliced the apple after peeling it and put it near Rosalie's mouth. "Have some apples."Rosalie opened her mouth and bit into the sweet, fragrant apple, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes.Theodore ended up being the one by her side, after all."Rose, it's y
The next day, Chelsea felt the sun shining on her. She slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself lying on a bed.She turned her head and saw someone at the bedside looking at her. She sat up on the bed in fright.Jake was seated on the chair, sprawled across the bedside.Upon seeing Chelsea stir awake, he sat up and simply stared at her in silence.Chelsea stared back at him curiously, and the two of them ended up in a staring contest.Jake stood up and ran out of the room. "Dad, she's awake."Jake dragged Theodore into the room."Chelsea, you're awake," Theodore said as he approached her. "Go wash up and brush your teeth first before having breakfast.""Why did I end up here? Wasn't I at the hospital last night?" Chelsea asked, confused."You fell asleep in the hospital. I was worried that you might catch a cold there, so I carried you back home. I'll take you to the hospital to see Mommy after breakfast."Chelsea scratched her head as she looked at Jake, still in a daze.
Theodore and Chelsea stayed by Rosalie's side till late.Rosalie felt pain all over her body. The doctor prescribed painkillers with sedative effects, and she fell into a deep sleep.Chelsea was very stubborn and refused to leave, wanting to stay by Rosalie's side. She eventually couldn't hold out any longer and fell asleep on the couch. Theodore carefully carried her in his arms and left the hospital.Theodore carried Chelsea in his arms the entire trip. She remained in a very deep sleep until he reached home. He put her on the bed and pulled the sheets over her. Then, he left the room quietly.He headed to Jake's room and knocked on the door. "Jake, are you asleep yet?"Even if Jake was, Theodore had to go in and wake him up to tell him something.Jake slowly and carefully opened the door a crack."I have something to tell you," Theodore said.Jake took a few steps back to allow Theodore in.Theodore walked into the room, shut the door, and carried Jake up on the bed.Jake
Theodore took Chelsea out for almost half an hour before returning. He wanted to see how Rosalie and Jake were doing.Yet, when he arrived at the door, he saw that Rosalie had collapsed on the floor."Rose!" Theodore put Chelsea down and ran toward Rosalie, carrying her up in his arms.Rosalie's brows were tightly knitted. She was barely conscious, sweat beading on her forehead."Mommy, Mommy!" Chelsea was frightened to see her mom in such a state.Just then, the door to the room suddenly opened. Jake heard the commotion and came out, only to see Rosalie on the floor. He was utterly shocked.Theodore yelled at Jake, "What did you do?"Jake stood stunned. He knew nothing, since he was hiding in his room all the while. He thought Rosalie had left when he didn't hear her voice anymore.Rosalie opened her eyes and grabbed Theodore's arm, saying weakly, "Nothing to do with him.""Rose, I'll take you to the hospital." Theodore carried Rosalie in his arms and stood up in a panic.
When Theodore arrived home with Rosalie and Chelsea in tow, Jake was playing water guns with the servants.The servants pretended to be afraid as they hid from Jake's sight.Jake was having the time of his life when a voice interrupted him. "Jake."He jumped up in fright at the sound of his father's voice and immediately hid the water gun behind his back.Yet, when he turned around, he saw two people standing next to Theodore—a lady and a little girl.Jake suddenly had a bad feeling about things as he looked wide-eyed at them."Jake," Rosalie said agitatedly as she looked at her son. She wanted to rush toward him, but was worried that it might frighten him.Theodore took a few steps forward. "Jake, do you still remember what I told you about how your mom is back?" He crouched down low and gently caressed Jake's head. "She is your mom, and that's your younger sister."Jake's water gun fell on the floor with a thud."Jake," Rosalie said in a trembling voice as she approached h
Lunch went by without a glitch, although neither of them spoke much.Perhaps because Chelsea was around, they found it inappropriate to say what was on their mind, even if there was much they wanted to say.After the meal, Theodore put his spoon down and said, "Now that you're back, will you leave again?"Even after having met Rosalie, he didn't dare to hold out hope and braced himself for the possibility that she might leave and disappear from his world again."I'm here for work, as I've been dispatched here to take on a long-term position. If there are no surprises, I'll probably be staying here for good.""So if it weren't for work, you wouldn't have returned, am I right?"Theodore's tone was calm, but he was in fact trying his best to suppress his agitation.Rosalie's heart throbbed with pain. "I really missed Jake. I think even without work, I might still have come back.""Might," Theodore repeated her words through gritted teeth. "I see."Rosalie had nothing to say to ju