I was learning to, even though it was hard.Zach came over with the first aid kit and took out some rubbing alcohol. The smell was strong, and it made my stomach churn.I grabbed his hand. “Don’t use rubbing alcohol.”“You have a bruise. It’ll help.”“I don’t need it.”“If you’re afraid of the pain, it won’t heal properly.” He poured some into his hand and started rubbing it on my knee.I looked at his dark hair and thought, ‘I might throw up on you soon.’Zach was pressing hard. It did not hurt too much at first, but the more he rubbed, the more unbearable it felt.I gasped. “Zach, come on. It hurts so much. Am I your punching bag?”“Just hang in there for a few more minutes.”“I can’t last even a second.” I pushed him away. My leg hurt, but that was not the main problem. My stomach was churning so much that I felt like I was going to throw up.I ran into the bathroom. Then, I bent over the toilet and threw up everything I had eaten for afternoon tea.My stomach felt bette
I sat next to Eloise at the party, and Zach sat beside me.With his five brothers and their wives, there was not enough space for everyone at one table.Zach was the youngest, but he had a spot at the main table because Eloise adored me.Cecilia was not able to sit with us. She was at another table with Sophie and Austin. So, she could only keep glancing back at us.Eloise gently squeezed my hand. “Marshmallow.”“Hmm?” I was busy enjoying some spicy crab that the Gordon family’s chef had made. I had been craving spicy food for days, so I was enjoying it.Eloise leaned in and whispered, “Silly girl, don’t just eat. Watch your husband. Another woman has her eyes on him. Once she’s ready, she’ll try to take him from you.”I wanted to tell her that Zach had already been taken.With a crab claw in my mouth, I smiled at Eloise. “It’s fine.”“You’re so relaxed.” Eloise tapped on Zach’s plate with her fork. “You should peel some shrimp and crab for your wife. She shouldn’t have to do
Sophie hugged Eloise and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Let me kiss your smooth little face.”Eloise laughed and playfully patted Sophie on the hip. “You little troublemaker. Still no boyfriend?”“My boyfriend hasn’t even been born yet! Mdm. Gordon, don’t you know that the younger the guy, the higher my value is?”“Ha! You’ll be over 40 by the time you find one, then.” Eloise was amused, and she turned to my aunt. “Aren’t you going to control your daughter? She’s always acting so silly.”It was getting late, and Eloise needed to rest. Cecilia looked a bit drunk and swayed as she stood.“I’ll take her home,” Zach said.Eloise frowned. “You don’t have to. Her parents are here. Let them take her home. You’ve been drinking as well, so you’re staying here with Cassia tonight.”Cecilia clung to Eloise’s arm and sweetly said, “Mdm. Gordon, I’m so happy because it’s your birthday!”“Why are you happy about my birthday? As long as you live well, you’ll reach 80 too.” Eloise tried to pul
I did not hear what Mary said to Zach after that, and I did not care to know.I submerged myself completely in the water. I could hold my breath for a long time. Once, I managed forty seconds and almost passed out. This time, I lost track of how long I stayed under. Just when I thought I might run out of oxygen, I came up and gasped for air.When I stepped out of the bathroom, Mrs. Watson was changing our sheets. She replaced the bright ones with white sheets that had a rose pattern. The pattern was subtle and only visible in the light; it looked nice.“You look a bit heavier than when you got married. Are you pregnant?” she said to me.Her comment shocked me. That was just how she spoke, but I felt guilty. “No way. How is that possible?” I replied quickly.She laughed. “You’re newlyweds. Of course it’s possible.”Just then, Zach walked in, and Mrs. Watson stopped talking.She left after she finished changing the sheets. However, she had also swapped out the two individual p
In the small area outside the room, I found a mini fridge filled with sausages and eggs. I also discovered some instant noodles, so I used the electric kettle to cook them.I sneaked into the bathroom to prepare the noodles. Once they were done, I realized that I did not have a bowl, so I used the kettle as my bowl. I pulled out the wooden skewer from a hot dog to use as a fork.With my makeshift meal in hand, I returned to bed. I held the kettle in one hand and my “fork” in the other.I was ready to dig in when the lights came on and illuminated the room.Zach stood at the bedroom door and looked at me. I was holding the kettle, while a piece of noodle was hanging from my mouth.I did not plan on impressing Zach, but my eating situation was less than graceful. He frowned. Compared to his ethereal Cecilia, I looked completely unrefined.“Cassia, what are you doing?”“Is your eyesight that bad?” I continued to eat since he had already seen me.Pregnant women often forgot about
Mary rushed over to check on me. “Cassia, where did you get hit? Does it hurt?”It hurt a lot, and my face was probably twisted in pain.“It doesn’t hurt,” I said through gritted teeth.Eloise stomped her foot. “You silly girl. You can’t take hits like Zach! Why are you protecting him? It makes me so sad to see you like this.”She truly cared for me, and so did Mary. In truth, that was enough for me.Zach was standing by the bed. The wind was blowing the curtains, and sunlight would occasionally shine in his eyes. However, I could not figure out what he was thinking.Eloise continued to question him in frustration, “You still haven’t answered me! Why did you start sleeping in a different bed from Cassia?! If you can’t explain yourself today, you’re not going anywhere!”Feeling upset, Mary said, “Zach, how could you do this? You’re married to Cassia, yet you and Cecilia—”“Grandma, Mom, Cassia’s pregnant. I was worried about hurting her, so I slept separately.” Zach suddenly int
Eloise, Mary, and Zach tagged along as I visited the hospital.The staff gave me a full check-up, including a pregnancy test.Zach planned to ask a doctor to fake my pregnancy. However, he did not know that I was actually pregnant, so there was no need to fake it.They finished my tests while Zach was still on the phone down the hall.The doctor came over and happily told Eloise and Mary the news.“She’s about six weeks along, and the baby is developing well. Her health is great. Come back in three months for regular check-ups. Mdm. Gordon, you’ll be holding your great-grandchild soon.”That made Eloise light up with joy. She quickly told Mary to bring the doctor some food.The doctor was surprised, but he did not refuse her offer.So, Mary sent the driver to pick up some food to share with all the doctors and nurses in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.They were already this excited just to hear that I was pregnant. I could not even imagine how they would act when the
I thought that I could finally go home, but Eloise smiled mysteriously and said, “Hold on. Someone else is coming.”Who was coming?Cecilia.She hurried over with a flustered look and stood unsteadily at the end of the hallway. Eloise calmly held my hand and watched as Cecilia stumbled toward us.“Cassia, you’re Zach’s legitimate wife, and now, you’re having his child. So, don’t worry about any outsiders.”At this moment, an outsider was standing right before me. Eloise must have told her. Since Zach had probably not explained anything to her yet, she looked anxious.Cecilia stared at my belly in shock. Her eyes seemed ready to attack as if she wanted to pull the baby right out of me.“C-Cassia, you’re pregnant?”Eloise answered for me, “Yeah. Didn’t I explain it clearly on the phone?”“How can you be pregnant?” She was so surprised that she failed to mask her expression.Eloise frowned. “What do you mean? Why can’t Cassia be pregnant? Cecilia, you need to understand your pla
“Do you want to talk to Sophie?” I asked, even though I knew he would not say anything nice.As expected, he wore the usual mocking smile. “Talk to that idiot? No thanks.”He hung up, and the screen went black.I was so mad that I felt like my heart might stop. Austin never got angry or showed big emotions, but his calm sarcasm was enough to drive anyone crazy.Just then, Sophie ran over and held out her hand. She was sweating and out of breath. “Where’s Rachel’s water bottle? She’s thirsty.”I gave it to her, and she asked, “Who were you talking to?”“An idiot,” I replied.“Oh.” She ran off again without giving it a second thought.We ended up playing there until sundown. Rachel was all sweaty, so I helped her change in the car. Although it was already spring, it was still a little chilly without the sun.We headed home and invited Kingston to join us for dinner.He gave Sophie the mechanical kite. Our garden was big, so she could fly it anytime.We did not usually have gue
“Let Bob go. Tell Zach to hang the thermos on its neck.”“Isn’t that a bit much?”“He told me that if I didn’t drink his soup, Bob could have it. So, what’s the problem with letting Bob fetch it?”Mrs. Gibson walked away with a troubled expression, and I continued building the sandcastle.Rachel suddenly looked up and asked, “Cassia, don’t you like that guy anymore?”“I don’t like him anymore,” I said.“Is he bad?”“He’s not bad. I just don’t like him anymore.”“You can like my dad, then. He’s handsome, and he knows how to make cheese pizza.”Well, my standards were a little higher than someone who could make cheese pizza.I was not sure what happened to Zach’s soup because I never saw it. His cooking was not that great, and we already had good cooks at home. Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Ziegler, and Mrs. Harrison made amazing soups. They were from different places, so I got to try food from all over.As such, Zach’s soup was not needed.I never thought there would come a day when I
“When did your head get so square?” I looked at the metal block for a while, but I could not see how it resembled Sophie.“This robot doesn’t have to look like me. The important part is its core. It can follow my commands, and Kingston said he’ll add my voice to it later.”“What can it do? A two-hundred-dollar smart box can already do things like turn lights on and off or flush the toilet.”“Tch, this is different. Apart from following my commands, it can also read my emotions. It’ll then play the appropriate music to improve my mood.”That sounded interesting. “It should be a mood helper instead of a robot.”“Kingston also mentioned that it has a special function if I get really upset.”“Will it explode into fireworks?”“Tch.” She rolled her eyes and hugged the robot. “I don’t know. He didn’t say.”Sophie seemed to like the gift.However, Kingston did not really give it to her because she was fond of it. He just happened to study this stuff.I was incredibly tired, so I turn
“I think it’s great that he has his own principles. A lot of people today don’t have any,” Sophie interjected.It was time to change the subject. Everyone had their own views on such things anyway.“Let’s toast to those with principles,” I said to Rachel.She raised her juice cup in response. “Cheers!”“Alright, cheers.” Oscar and Ellie smiled as they clinked glasses with us.We finished eating, and Sophie had two glasses of wine. I did not allow her to have more. Kingston finally returned as well.He was not full, so he ate the leftovers.Sophie asked him how things went, and he looked up in confusion. “The head of the company whose tech was stolen came too. He claimed that it wasn’t their tech, but they’re working on something similar. He kept promoting it.”“What happened after that?”“Nothing. The police just let those two individuals go.” Kingston shook his head and went back to eating.The whole thing seemed strange. I thought about it, but I could not put my finger on
After a while, Kingston came downstairs. He looked upset, so Sophie asked, “What’s wrong?”“Two people visited the company today to discuss a deal. They offered a high price,” Kingston said.“Isn’t that good?”“At first, I thought so too. But as we talked, something felt off. They brought some tech for the collaboration, but I realized that another company had just created it. They might have stolen it.”“How can they steal someone else’s stuff?”“There are lots of ways.” Kingston peeled an orange and gave half to Sophie before eating the rest himself. “I turned them down, but they kept trying to rope me in.”“Would that tech be useful to you?” I asked.“Of course. It would save us at least a month of work.”Sophie’s eyes lit up as she looked at him. Just then, Ellie brought over a plate of fruit and teased, “Kingston’s too stubborn. If he were a bit more flexible, he’d be super successful by now.”“A gentleman earns money the right way.” Kingston’s stubbornness was somehow
Actually, Oscar did some of the cooking too. He was wearing a blue and white checkered apron, on which Ellie had tied a bow. He looked more adorable than he usually did in the office.We gave him our gifts, and Rachel handed him a lollipop. “This is made with xylitol. It won’t give you diabetes.”Oscar and Ellie laughed so hard that they could barely open their eyes. Ellie kept saying, “Wow, this little girl is so pretty.”“This must be Mr. Quinlan’s child,” Oscar said.“Yeah. She’s staying with me for a while.” I then told Sophie to help Rachel with washing her hands. Ellie was already asking the housekeeper to bring us some snacks and fruits. Oscar invited me to have a seat. “Cassia, I finally understand why your dad values you so much. You’re not only skillful, but you’re also charming. Even the little ones like you.”I was flattered by his compliments.After that, he made his way back to the kitchen. “Cassia, Sophie, have some fruit. I’ll make a few of my signature dishes f
Zach greeted Oliver, but I had to give him a kick. Only then did he stand up and nod at Zach. “Hi.”After that, he sat back down.The Freeman family had viewed Zach as the enemy for a while. But recently, things had gotten better. After Gordon Corporation started working with our company, Sophie saw Zach more often. As such, her attitude toward him was not as hostile as before.“I brought some clients here for breakfast. They’ve never had an authentic American breakfast,” Zach added.“The food here is good. You made the right decision in bringing them here.”“Alright, enjoy your meal.” He was about to leave, but I remembered something. “Your thermos… I figured that you wouldn’t mind, so I gave it to Mrs. Gibson. Also, I didn’t drink your soup. Don’t send any more next time. All that grease just clogs up the drain.”He just smiled and returned to his table.“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Sophie said between bites. “Zach seems to be treating you the same way he treated Cecilia back then. He’s b
It was rare for Mrs. Gibson to praise Zach. Anyway, I handed her the thermos. “Pour it out. If he brings soup again, don’t accept it.”“It’s such good soup. What a waste!”“Don’t give it to Bob. It’s too greasy for a dog, and it might upset its stomach. If you’re fine with it, you can have it. Otherwise, just pour it out.”It was not that I did not appreciate Zach’s kindness. But I had already told him that it was pointless.Whether he made it for me or the babies, it would not change anything.He claimed that it was something he wanted to do, but I had made my opinions clear. Eventually, Sophie picked out a gift. She brought down a big vase and smiled brightly. “I’ll wrap it up nicely later. It’ll look really classy.”Mrs. Gibson got excited when she saw the vase. “Do you like it, Ms. Freeman? I have two more in my room. Would you like one?”Sophie froze. “You have more? Cassia, is your family that rich? Isn’t this an antique?”“Well, it looks like one. The ceramic store beh
After I got pregnant, I somehow became popular; everyone wanted to date me.I watched as Cameron and Mr. Pepper drove away. When I turned around, I was startled to see Sophie behind me. She was holding Rachel’s hand, and they were both wearing SpongeBob pajamas. They looked like two little girls in kindergarten.“Why are you sneaking up on me? Are you trying to scare me?” I clutched my chest.“You haven’t done anything wrong, so why are you scared?” Sophie picked Rachel up. “Is Cameron gone?”“Yeah.”“What did he mean by ‘second in line?’”I shot her a look. “Help Rachel with her bath. Stop asking so many questions.”It was Oscar’s birthday today, and he had invited us to dinner. It would be a casual gathering.I decided to take Rachel out for breakfast and buy a gift for him at the mall.Older men were easy to gift. Ties, belts, and wallets were suitable, but I wanted something more unique. So, I thought about what Oscar would like.I wandered around the study and noticed my