Everyone got ready and went outside.Linda walked ahead with one child in each hand while Mona locked the door behind her. She was just about to go downstairs when she heard a loud thud from her neighbor’s house.She was startled and hurriedly went downstairs.On second thought, she wondered if her neighbor had fallen down the stairs because of the power outage.“Suzy, what are you doing? Come on down.”Linda and the children were waiting for her downstairs and raised their heads to urge her.“I’m coming.”Mona decided to mind her own business and was just about to leave when she heard someone from across the hall. A man’s deep voice sounded through a door.“Just a moment, please. I need help. Can I have a moment of your time?”Mona paused, turned around, and looked at the door.She found the voice very attractive and somewhat familiar.Furthermore, this person seemed to be very polite. He should be a cultured and educated person.She turned around and walked two steps up t
“That’s too much of a coincidence. I think you watch too many melodramas.”Mona laughed at Linda’s words.After hailing a cab at the roadside, the group got into the car. Linda told the driver the name of a nearby shopping mall, and they drove off.Mona was bored. She remembered what Linda just said and took out her phone to open WhatsApp.The man’s profile picture was a painting by the Italian artist Salvi.Coincidentally, she liked Salvi very much, and this painting was one of his main works that she had always wanted to see in exhibitions.Unfortunately, the exhibitions were limited to the European region, so she could not go and see them. She simply downloaded an image from the Internet and used it as her wallpaper for a while.Mona suddenly became interested in the man who set this painting as his profile picture. This painter was pretty niche in the country, and his painting style was not well known. Very few people knew who Salvi was.She clicked on the chatroom and want
“Go away. Don’t touch me!”Millie slapped Isabel’s hand away and hid behind Mona.Bobby stood in front of Millie and spread his arms to protect his sister.Mona, who originally did not want to cause trouble, stopped in her tracks and looked icily at the two women in front of her.She raised her chin and said, “Please be more respectful. You’re scaring my children.”“They’re your children? Yours?”Eleanor was shocked and carefully looked at the two children again.She prayed they were not Victor’s.However, their eyes gave her a sense of familiarity.It was strange. Why did they look like a certain person? Just who was it she was thinking about?“Don’t worry. These children have nothing to do with your family.”Mona sneered. She hoped more than anyone that the children’s father was not Victor. He was unworthy.Eleanor sighed in relief and glanced at Isabel. “Isabel, let me introduce you. This is Mona Ortega. She used to be acquainted with our family and was a high school cla
Mona thought she had heard wrong and turned to look back in wonder.At some point, Thaddeus appeared. It was quite rare. After all, this man seldom appeared in shopping malls. Maybe he was accompanying Samantha shopping.Speaking of, why had she been bumping into him everywhere today?She did not want to encounter him and quickly left with Linda and the children.Eleanor pulled Thaddeus to the side and asked, “Thaddeus, did you know? Those two with Mona are her biological children.”Thaddeus faintly glanced at the two adults and two children who had already walked away.He withdrew his gaze, curled his lips into a vague smile, and said jokingly, “Since when did you become so keen on meddling in other people’s affairs?”Eleanor froze for a moment. She originally thought he would be angry when he found out Mona had two children behind his back. She did not expect him to be so calm.It seemed he really did not care about Mona.“I was just asking out of curiosity.” Eleanor turned
“You started it,” Mona said with feigned anger. “Bobby, Millie, time for bed.”“Okay. Good night.” Millie climbed down from the sofa, obediently walked to the TV to turn it off, and went to her room.“Good girl, Millie.” Linda gave a thumbs up and praised Mona. “You’ve taught your children well.”Mona could not help but laugh. When she saw Bobby still holding the tablet and not going to bed, she walked over, and pinched her son’s face. “Bedtime, Bobby.”Bobby handed the tablet to Mona. “Here. Pick two.”Mona took the tablet and looked at it. The photo album was filled with men of all types.She swiped through the photos and asked curiously, “Where did you find all these photos? There are so many blind date candidates. Did you hack into a dating website?”“Of course not.” Bobby looked smug. “They gave their photos to me themselves. Every time we go out, someone always secretly asks me about your situation, and I add them on WhatsApp. This was the result of accumulation. Some of
Mona’s first blind date, Finn Johnson, was an engineer from a network company. He was someone Bobby met during the art festival competition. Finn was the technical team leader and gave a lot of advice to Bobby on his drone.Bobby saw how patient and good-tempered Finn was, so he secretly pointed Mona out to the latter and asked if he liked this type of lady.Finn’s eyes immediately lit up the moment he saw Mona.Of course, he liked her. How could he not? She had the beauty of a goddess. Few men could resist her charm.Thus, when Bobby said he wanted to matchmake them, Finn instantly agreed and quickly exchanged numbers with Bobby. It was as if he was afraid Bobby would go back on his word.Mona only learned about this situation ten minutes ago. If not for Linda stopping her, she would have picked Bobby up to spank him.He was vigilant in finding a man for his mom, even during a competition. What kind of child was he?Mona arrived a little earlier than the appointed time and had
In her opinion, men were realistic. While he was a bit regretful at first, after weighing the pros and cons, he must have felt there was something of value in her that was worthy of his continued understanding.“I won’t waste your time, Mr. Johnson. I’ll tell you the truth about my situation. Not only do I have two children, but I’m also divorced, and the father of my children isn’t my ex-husband. Furthermore, my daughter was born prematurely, so she has poor health and often goes to the hospital. I have no car or house, and I currently live in a rented apartment in an old district.”The more Finn listened, the more cold sweat accumulated on his forehead. In the end, he simply listened quietly.Mona only had one motive. Good looks might indeed help in this cruel society, but it was cheap. If there were no other chips that one could use to add value to themselves, then she felt that the person was not even qualified to negotiate.Finn took a napkin and wiped the sweat on his forehea
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Mona hurriedly denied her relationship with Thaddeus. She forcibly wrenched away his large palm that was clasped around her waist. “My children have nothing to do with you.”Thaddeus narrowed his eyes. His sharp eyes carried a dangerous light.He squeezed his palm and tightened his grip, speaking in a warning tone.“What? Are you anxious to find your next home after knowing there’s no chance with Victor anymore? If you really want to find someone, choose someone better. How could you lower your standard in men after being with me?”Mona felt ridiculous and sneered. “Why do you care what kind of man I find? How can you, someone who effortlessly had an affair during marriage, have the right to speak?”Thaddeus gritted his teeth. “Mona Ortega, you’ve grown bold.”Mona scoffed. She did not care why the man was acting crazy and broke away from him to sit down again.She was acting in a fit of anger. She just wanted to go against Thaddeus.Finn’s eyes watched t