“Are you going to talk to Zach about it?”“I don’t feel like it. He’s a grown man, and he knows what he’s doing. If he insists on doing this, he has to bear the consequences.”I fell silent and suddenly remembered something Sophie had asked me before. She wanted to know if I would give everything up for Zach.I never answered because I was not sure how to.However, it seemed like Zach was giving everything up for Cecilia.I awkwardly tried to comfort Mary and did not ask if Zach had been in West City recently.I guessed that person in Madrid was not him.After Mary and Eloise left, I called Hailey to check on Yonder Trading.She said that Gordon Corporation tried to buy Yonder Trading’s shares, but Zach refused to sell. Tyler was asking for the money Zach had used to buy 50% of my shares in the company. Since Zach did not want to sell, he was scraping together money to pay Tyler back.After Hailey told me this, she sighed. “Cecilia is bad luck. Mr. Gordon ended up like this be
Hayden would say sweetest things I had ever heard.It was not weird to feel like you missed someone the second you looked away. That was just how people in love felt.I remembered feeling that way when I still loved Zach.We would be together, but as soon as he was out of my sight, I would start to miss him.I did not feel that way about Hayden yet. Despite that, I was not uncomfortable or annoyed when he said those things. That was a good sign.After dinner, Sophie stormed in.My mom asked if she wanted to eat, and she said, “I’m so mad that I don’t need food!”Yet, as soon as Mrs. Anderson brought some chicken soup out, Sophie sat down and started eating like crazy.I sat next to her and joked, “You sound like a pig.”“Ugh.” She chewed angrily and complained about Austin, “I helped Austin clean up his mess, and he acted like I owed him! I found him a lawyer and took him home from the station, but he still gave me an attitude. He said, ‘I didn’t need your help. I could’ve don
Even though it was just a cute and tiny Pomeranian, Oliver named it King Kong.As it wiggled around in my arms, its fur tickled my nose. I held it close and petted its soft coat. “What are you doing, King Kong?”I could feel the leash on its collar. “Are you ready to go out? Is our big garden not enough for you to run around?”Dogs could identify their territory, and King Kong knew that the garden was ours. So, it would only think that it was playtime if it went outside.Before long, I heard Mrs. Gibson calling out to it, “King Kong, King Kong…”“Mrs. Gibson, it’s with me,” I said.Mrs. Gibson then came over. “Ms. Freeman, you’re here. I was just about to take King Kong for a walk.”“I can take it.”“Oh no, that won’t do. King Kong can be a little hyperactive.”“You can come along.”“Oh. Okay, then.”I grabbed the leash attached to King Kong’s collar, and it happily ran ahead of me. Luckily, it was small enough for me to hold on to.We left the garden and walked down the ro
What was going on? Ever since I lost my eyesight, going out alone always felt dangerous.It was either some crazy woman trying to kidnap me or a random stranger offering me water.This time, someone was following me right to my doorstep.They stayed a few meters behind as they matched my pace. I tried turning around to look.There were not many people nearby, but I could tell that the tallest one was following me.Was it a psycho or just some thug?I was almost home when the footsteps behind me sped up. I thought that person was catching up, and I got ready to run. Just then, Mrs. Gibson called out to me, “M-Ms. Freeman!”She was out of breath. “You already made it here? King Kong ran off chasing another dog, and it took me a while to find it.”Hearing her, I felt relieved. I grabbed her arm and whispered, “Can you check if someone weird is following me?”“Huh? Oh.” She turned around and checked for quite a while. I could not wait any longer and asked, “Do you see anyone?”“T
“Lucy called me and asked if I could find her a place to stay. Has she lost her mind?”“She’s got nowhere to stay?”“She said that she couldn’t pay the rent and I already terminated her contract.”“You didn’t give her any payoff?”“She didn’t even use her real name when she signed the contract. Why should I give her any payoff? She can sue me if she has the guts! Even the police didn’t manage to find any record of her.”“You’re such a shark,” I teased her.“Pfft. All businesspeople are sharks. Weren’t you ever ruthless in business?”I did not think I ever was. Besides, people were not that dumb. The old way of doing business did not work anymore.Sophie’s phone rang nonstop, so she turned it off. After a moment, she grumbled, “Why should I turn off my phone because of her? Who does she think she is?”Then, she switched it back on, only to shut it off again after a few more calls. She kept doing that over and over.Eventually, I called Austin and bluntly asked, “What’s going
Sophie heard her and ran over in a panic. “What happened, Cassia? When did someone follow you?”I had told Mrs. Gibson to keep quiet about it, but she had let it slip.“Maybe it wasn’t even the same person. They might’ve just walked by our door. Don’t freak out,” I said.“Cassia, just hire me as your bodyguard. I won’t charge you anything. Just give me food and a place to stay.“Is your mom bugging you to get married again?”“Yeah.”“Don’t tell Hayden about this.”“Don’t worry. I can keep my mouth shut.”After Sophie went to take a shower, Hayden called as soon as I climbed into bed.Before I could say a word, he nervously said, “Sophie told me someone followed you home tonight.”I sighed. Her mouth was like loose pants; it could never hold anything in.“Don’t listen to her attempts to scare you. Maybe I was just being paranoid.”“Cassia, someone has to be with you whenever you go out.”“I know.”“You have your eye checkup tomorrow. I’ll pick you up.”“It’s okay. I’ll ge
I was not sure if that would happen. However, I had a feeling that Cecilia would not treat Zach the same anymore. For a moment, I thought that the person following me and the one outside the garden might be Zach.However, hearing that he had proposed to Cecilia, I realized that I was wrong. If Zach had proposed to her, he would not come looking for me.Was I going crazy? Or did I still have feelings for Zach?That could not be true. I was already with Hayden.I could not keep this up. Zach was a jerk, and I did not want to act like one myself.The next day, I went to the hospital for my checkup and refused to let anyone come with me. They were too anxious, and they would ask the doctor too many questions.The driver took me there, and Hayden was waiting for me at the entrance.I walked right up to him. He smiled and asked, “How did you know it was me?” “I just went toward the best-looking doctor in a white coat.”Hayden laughed. He took my hand and said, “I registered you
I understood what Yulia was saying. She had known from the start when I pretended to be Hayden’s girlfriend. But this time, it was real. I apologized sincerely, “I’m sorry.”“There’s no need to apologize. I know Hayden loves you, but I also know that you don’t feel the same way about him.”I froze and pulled my hand away from hers. “I didn’t know you could read people like that.”“Stop pretending. You don’t look at him that way.”“I’m blind.” I laughed. “I can’t see anyone.”She took me to the examination room and let me in. When Dr. Jordan arrived to help me, she left.I could tell that Yulia had feelings for Hayden. I lost my cool and got a little angry earlier when she said that I did not love him.Everyone said that I did not love Hayden, but we just started dating. Feelings could develop over time. Besides, I really liked him. Love could grow from liking someone in a warm and caring environment.Eventually, those feelings would blossom, and no one would be able to st
Sophie knocked on my door the next day around 7 a.m.I only managed to fall asleep at about 2 a.m., so I had a bad headache. I sat on the bed as she ran over excitedly and asked, “Are you busy this morning?” “Go away.” I lay down again. “Come to the city hall with me. I’m getting married!”“Why do you need me there? Am I going to breastfeed you?”“You don’t have milk right now.” I was disgusted by our conversation. Rachel sat up from the bed and asked, “Why are you going to the city hall?”“To get married.”“Shouldn’t you be going to a church for that? There’s supposed to be a priest with a bible that asks if you’re willing to marry this person next to you regardless of… something?”“That’s a religious wedding. Besides, it has to be lawful. What we’re doing today is the legal side of things.” Sophie carried Rachel up from the bed. “Do you want to be a witness to our marriage?” “Yay, sure!” Rachel immediately beamed and agreed. “I want to be the priest who holds the bibl
Cecilia had no shame at all. I would be speechless if this worked on Zach. After a while, she walked out dejectedly with her flowers. It seemed like she did not even manage to enter his office. She stood there in annoyance for a while before she suddenly looked over in my direction. I could see her, but she might not be able to see me. I was on a high floor, and the sun was blinding. Right then, Hailey gave me a call. I knew that she wanted to rant about Cecilia. Sure enough, Hailey started to complain, “Ms. Freeman, Cecilia is really shameless. I’ve never seen such a shameless woman. When Mr. Gordon was cut off from Gordon Corporation, she abandoned him immediately. Now that she knows he’s going to be Gordon Corporation’s acting CEO, she instantly starts visiting him again. I really can’t stand her.” “Hasn’t she always been like this?” I was unfazed. “Fortunately, Mr. Gordon is not willing to see her.” Hailey sounded relieved. “Do you really think he won’t see her fo
I looked at Austin’s pale face, and I was at a loss for words. His argument was reasonable, and I had no way to refute it. I was upset, but I could not cry. I felt a heavy feeling in my chest, and I found it hard to breathe. He looked at me and suddenly smiled. “Look at your face. Have I ever said that I liked Sophie? I don’t like girls like her. I prefer girls like you who are smart, beautiful, and decisive. Why don’t you marry me after you give birth to your babies?”I did not want to joke around with him. It was not funny.After that, Lucy exited the bridal shop and got into the backseat of the car. I stood in front of the bridal shop and watched as his car disappeared into the corner. “Cassia,” Sophie called out to me. I turned around. “What?”“Whose side are you on? I realize you’ve been extra nice to Austin recently. Have you forgotten that he’s a jerk?”“Watch your mouth.”I got into my car unhappily. “I’ll make a move first.”“Aren’t we having dinner together to
I knew that he was looking at the photos of him and Sophie in her wedding gown. Perhaps this would be the only time in his entire life that he could stand next to Sophie while she was dressed in a wedding gown. I felt the waterworks coming. When I tried to look for tissue papers in my bag, Zach called me. He sounded a bit excited. “Cassia, there’s this person overseas who has the same blood type as Austin. He has ALS, which is a fatal motor neuron disease. His family has already signed an organ donation form for him, and his condition recently worsened. He may pass in a month’s time, so I got in contact with them. His family has agreed to donate his heart to Austin.” “Really?” It was good news, and I almost leaped in joy. I glanced at Austin excitedly. He was staring intently at his phone, so he did not notice me. “Does Austin have to leave immediately?”“It’s still early. We can leave when the donor’s condition worsens.” I estimated the time. Zach said that it would ta
Sophie could easily start a fight wherever she went. I immediately went over and saw that Austin’s forehead had turned red. It seemed to be getting swollen. I kicked Sophie in anger. “Is there something wrong with you? What are you doing?” “Why did you kick me? Didn’t you hear what he just said?”Austin bent down and picked up Sophie’s phone for her. “Luckily, your phone screen isn’t cracked. It’s fine if my skull is cracked; it can heal.” Sophie took her phone, and it immediately unlocked due to face ID. Her wallpaper was a photo of Kingston and her. She had just changed the wallpaper yesterday. It used to be a photo of me and her. Austin was the one who had taken that photo. Even though Austin was not directly in the photo, it felt like it was a photo of the three of us. He must have noticed it. He smiled and said, “I’ll make a move. Tell Lucy I’ll be waiting for her in the car.” Austin walked out of the bridal shop, and Sophie looked dispirited. “I was quite happy, bu
“You’re getting married too?”“I’ll be your best man or maid of honor. What? You’re too cheap to pay for the outfits?”“You, my best man?”“Look around you. Are there any single people left?”Sophie rolled her eyes. “Hah, I wasn’t planning on inviting you.”Kingston tried to shake Austin’s hand, but Austin ignored him. Sophie got mad and pulled Kingston away. “Don’t pay attention to him. He thinks he’s too good for anyone. He’s crazy.”“Sophie,” I warned.“What? He’s always acting crazy!” she yelled.I was not sure if Austin really wanted to be Sophie’s best man, or if it was just an excuse to come here.Anyway, Austin went to change too. I could not tell the difference between the best man’s and groom’s outfits. However, the difference between the bridesmaid and bride was clear.While Sophie was posing in front of the mirror in her wedding dress, Austin came out of the fitting room.Austin was very thin, and the suit hung loosely on him, but it still looked good.He had a
Sophie’s wedding preparations were progressing quickly. She limped to work in the mornings and dragged me along in the afternoons to buy wedding stuff.I felt like the wedding was just an excuse for her to go shopping.“This afternoon, Kingston and I are trying on our wedding outfits. You should come too.”“It’s your wedding. Why should I come?”“To help me choose! I look good in everything, so it’s hard to pick.”“If it’s that hard, just buy them all. Aren’t you rich?”“Why are you so grouchy?” She leaned closer and observed me. “Cassia, are your hormones off balance?”“I’m pregnant, so everything’s a mess right now.”After some thought, I called Austin and told him, “Sophie’s trying on wedding dresses this afternoon.”“Okay,” he replied in his usual lifeless tone.“Aren’t you going to say anything to her?”“Don’t eat too much. The wedding dress will be a pain to alter.”I was so angry that I hung up. He was so stubborn. I was sure that he would regret it and cry later.M
Austin was the weakest among us when we were kids. He could not climb trees, run, or do anything physically demanding. Instead, he would play board games and puzzles with us.Sophie always thought that he was smart, and she admired him.I never imagined that someone I grew up with might die so soon.“You should leave,” he said weakly. “She should be done by now.”“Austin.” I wanted to say something more, but he turned his back to me.He did not want to listen, so I had no choice but to leave.As I reached the door, I heard him say, “Actually, this is a good thing.”Was he saying that Sophie marrying Kingston was a good thing?What was good about it?I felt like grabbing Sophie over. I wanted to point at the dying man in bed and say, “This guy loves you more than you know. He helped you test Kingston’s character. He thinks about you all the time. He comes to see you every night using his half-sister as an excuse, but he’s dying. He doesn’t want you to be sad, so he plans to die
“I just went for a checkup.” Austin walked over to me. “Why are you sweating so much?”He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me. Honestly, only Austin would still carry a handkerchief in his condition.I wiped my sweat. “I came with Sophie to get her cast off, and I thought I’d stop by to see you.”“Get her cast off? I thought that wasn’t until next month?”“She insisted on getting it off today. The doctor checked, and her bone is healing well, so it’s fine for her to take it off.”“When did she start caring so much about her looks?” Austin walked back to his room, and I followed him.He sat down and seemed a little out of breath. I had already asked the doctor about him. Austin could not engage in any physical activity; he could not even walk fast.I was about to pour him some water, but he waved me off. “Don’t bother. I’m not thirsty. How could I let you take care of me? I might be a patient, but you’re pregnant.”At least, he could still joke. If I were him