His name was Kingston Hanson. I was not sure if Oscar named him that because he wanted him to be as successful as a king.I remembered him being a good-looking kid. Apart from having bright eyes, he was tall and fair. He grew up to be just as handsome, the kind of guy Sophie would whistle at.Kingston was surprised to see two women in the house. Ellie quickly introduced us, “Come on in. This is Ms. Sophie Freeman and Cassia. You remember them, right? You used to play together when you were kids.”He probably remembered and extended his hand. “Hello.”I noticed that his nails looked nice; they were short and clean.I shook his hand, and Sophie tilted her head to check him out. “I recall that you had a scar here when you were younger. Did you get surgery? I don’t see it now.”“You have a good memory.” Kingston smiled and brushed his hair aside. “It’s right here.”“Oh.” Sophie leaned in to get a closer look. “Yeah, I remember that scar.”She would always notice the strangest thing
Actually, I had asked around for some information on Kingston.He had started his own tech company, and it started making money last year. He was one of the most independent and capable ones among his peers.He used to have a girlfriend. But when he first started his business, he was quite poor. He did not want to ask his family for money either, so she broke up with him.While he was an ordinary guy, he was one of the best. I felt that he would be a great match for Sophie.Someone like her should not be with a sharp person like Austin. She needed a kinder and more down-to-earth guy.I felt as if I was playing the role of her mom by interfering with her love life.However, I had to admit that I had ulterior motives.Kingston and Sophie were chatting and laughing during dinner. Meanwhile, Ellie and I rested our heads on our hands and watched them.“Kingston, put more food on Sophie’s plate.”“Sophie, don’t forget to share,” I added. “She’s good at taking care of others.”“Ki
“Sorry, but no.” If she had a better sense when it came to men, she would not still be single at twenty-six.I got in the car and told Mr. Pepper, “Just drive around for a bit before heading home.”“Isn’t Ms. Sophie Freeman coming with us?”“No, don’t worry about her. We’re leaving first.”Mr. Pepper took me for a drive, and the car moved slowly through the busy city like a turtle.“It’s rush hour. There are lots of people and cars,” he said.The city had a morning rush hour, evening rush hour, and even a late-night rush hour. It was always crowded.I leaned against the window and looked outside. The weather was nice tonight, and the warm breeze felt good on my face.While we stopped at a red light, Mr. Pepper suddenly said, “There aren’t many female bike riders these days.”Hmm?I looked ahead and saw a motorcycle pass through the intersection. The rider was a woman, and she looked cool with her helmet on.She was fully geared up, so I could not see her face. However, I rec
“Don’t make it sound so bad. Don’t you think Kingston’s a good match? Not only is he handsome and dependable, but you two also get along.” I walked out of the bathroom, and she followed closely behind.“When did you get so into matchmaking?”“Just stop hanging out with Lance. Kingston’s a great guy.”“Why Kingston? Sure, he’s nice, but his dad is Mr. Hanson. Isn’t that kind of weird?”“What’s weird about it?” I sat down at my vanity to dry my hair. The blow dryer hummed as I spoke. “Isn’t it better this way? We already know each other.”While I dried my hair, Sophie stood behind me and watched. Suddenly, she rushed over and unplugged the blow dryer. Her face lit up with realization as she pointed at me. “Wait a second. You’re trying to…”“Hey, hey.” I took the cord from her hand. “My hair’s still wet.”“Cassia, don’t tell me you’re setting me up with Kingston to get on Mr. Hanson’s good side?!”Wow, she figured it out fast. She was smart.I snapped my fingers. “Bingo, my dear
Oscar took the book from me. I assumed that Ellie had already told him about Sophie and Kingston. He stood there and contemplated as he watched the elevator numbers change. Just before we reached my floor, he spoke.“Ms. Freeman.”“Yes?” I looked up with a smile. “What is it, Mr. Hanson?”“I wasn’t home yesterday. Why don’t I treat you to a proper meal sometime?”“That sounds great. I haven’t had enough of Ellie’s cooking yet.”Soon, the elevator doors opened. While I was stepping out, Oscar added, “Looks like you’ve been busy lately. Are you planning to visit Mr. Harrison, Mr. Lewis, and Mr. Lawson too?”I smiled. “I told you I only stop by if I happen to be passing by. I’m not visiting everyone.”Oscar smiled in return and held up the book in his hand. “I’ll give this to Kingston. Thank Sophie for me.”I whistled as I walked into my office, and Benjamin came over. “Ms. Freeman, you seem pretty happy today.”Of course. I managed to get along with someone as difficult as Oscar
“There hasn’t been much work to do recently, but I’m still getting paid the same,” she whispered with a grin. “Why not enjoy it?”“Good point.” I patted her on the shoulder. “Use this time to focus on planning your wedding.”“Well, we do have two big deals coming up. Mr. Gordon has brought in new clients.”“Oh?” I looked at her. “Are they from our potential client list?”“No, they’re brand new. We’ve never gotten in touch with them before.”Zach was impressive. Even with everyone going against him, he still managed to land big deals. Did he cut ties with the Gordon family to prove that he could make Yonder Trading successful without their help and mine?The company sign had previously been taken down. But earlier, I noticed that it was back up. Nothing had changed.When I walked into Zach’s office, he immediately supported me, as though I was fragile or something.I waved him off. “I can walk by myself.”The blueprints were spread across his huge desk. There was a digital vers
There were many red circles on the entire calendar. From a distance, they looked like red flowers.I did not realize when it happened, but I had become the focus of Zach’s life. About 80% of his to-do list for the month involved me.Was I touched by this?No.I put the calendar back and relaxed in his chair.It was comfortable. I should ask him where he got it and buy one for myself.Zach returned with the water and handed me the cup with a straw. It reminded me of that time in Madrid.I had a question, so while I was drinking, I asked, “Why did you go to Madrid back then?”“You were in trouble. How could I not go?” he replied without hesitation.I finished the water in silence and gave him back the cup. “Thanks.”After that, we continued looking at the map. He placed a pillow on my lower back so that I would be more comfortable.Zach had always been thoughtful and considerate.At lunchtime, Hailey brought the food.I had a good nose. As soon as she brought it in, I could
It was 3 p.m. when I left Yonder Trading.We had not finished going through the blueprints, but my eyes were too tired to keep going.I joked that if I kept looking at them, I would end up dying on the papers.I stopped by Oscar’s office to quickly update him on the Cameron Hill project.Since it was part of Freeman Corporation’s plan for the second half of the year, Oscar had no objections.We talked for a bit, and I planned to have my dad call Oscar in the next few days. After that, we would sign the contract. I had to offer him this courtesy.Older guys like Oscar were about to retire, so they did not have big goals anymore. As long as they received a nice retirement package or got rehired, they would be happy.Oscar just wanted respect. If I gave him that, everything would be fine.When I returned to my office, I was surprised to see a new chair there. I took a closer look and found it familiar.“Where did this chair come from?” I asked Benjamin.“Mr. Gordon’s people deli
I turned around, and Sophie was staring at me in her wheelchair. “What’s wrong? Who are you calling? Don’t tell me Zach messed things up again?”“Why would I care if he did? I’m not getting together with him.” I suddenly realized that I had not seen Lucy all afternoon. “Where’s Lucy?”“I gave her some money to go out. If she stayed here, how would I explain who she is? Besides, what if Austin showed up looking for her? That would be super awkward. Oh, by the way, Austin didn’t come to see Lucy last night.”“Oh.” Right then, my phone rang. I glanced down, and it was Austin.I quickly stepped aside and answered the call. His voice was so weak, like he barely had the strength to speak. “Hello? Were you looking for me?”“How are you feeling?” “I was dreaming, but your call woke me up.”“What were you dreaming about?”“I don’t like sharing my dreams with others,” he whispered faintly. His voice was so soft that it was hard to hear.Just then, Sophie spoke loudly from behind me. “C
“Don’t listen to her nonsense.”Sophie always said the wildest things. I swear that she was going to be a bad influence on the kids. I almost wanted to smack her.By the time I woke up, it was almost noon. I washed up and went downstairs to eat lunch. That was when I saw our parents returning.The moment Aunt Lauren saw Sophie’s injured leg, her eyes turned red. She ran over and hugged her tightly. “What happened to you? I wasn’t even gone that long, and you’re already a mess!”“Mom, you’ve been gone for two or three months already.”“You keep making me worry!” Aunt Lauren cried. Ever since Bryce passed away, she had become so fragile. She could not handle the thought of something happening to Sophie.My mom tried to calm her down. “Cassia said Sophie got hurt playing basketball. Don’t worry. She’s always been a strong girl.”Aunt Lauren kept crying, but then, she started to smack Sophie out of frustration. “You’re already an adult, but you’re still so careless. Who’s going to w
Suddenly, I felt as if I did not know Austin anymore.The Austin I knew was cold, both inside and outside.Sophie once told me that he was like a thermos. He was cold no matter what.Perhaps that was true for others, but he had the warmest, most loving heart for Sophie.I did not know what to do with his request. Austin’s fingers felt so cold in my hand, like they would never warm up.I did not even remember how I left the hospital. As Zach drove, I curled up in the passenger seat and pressed my face against the window.He glanced at me and nudged my head away. “Isn’t your face cold?”My heart felt even worse.Why was life full of sickness and sadness?Love seemed like a joke. When two healthy people met, their feelings were not mutual. But once they finally loved each other, there was cancer, car accidents, or other heartbreaks.Was this a TV drama or some kind of soap opera?By the time I got home, it was 7 a.m. The weather was beautiful, with the sun shining brightly.Th
“There’s still another round of bidding for the project. You should stay in the hospital and leave it to your team.”“Cassia, you’re so bossy. You can control Zach, but don’t try to control me.” Even though he was weak, I still felt like hitting him every time he spoke.“Austin, when someone dies, they lose everything. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will?”“My body never listens to me,” he said softly. “If I can’t find a donor, should I just kill someone for their heart?”“Just stay in the hospital and wait for a donor. You’ll get one within three months.”“Even with a transplant, there’s only a 30% chance of success. That’s how bad my condition is.” He closed his eyes and looked tired.“At least there’s a 30% chance.”He remained silent, and I was having a headache from lack of sleep.I heard that Zach had arranged for a nurse to stay with him 24/7. I needed to go home and rest.Before I left, I told Austin, “If you try to leave the hospital, I’ll tell Sophie.”He i
With that, I called Mr. Pepper. I felt bad for waking him up in the middle of the night, but thankfully, he lived in our house.He was still groggy, but he helped me downstairs after he washed his face with cold water.My legs felt weak, and Mr. Pepper tried to comfort me. “Don’t worry too much, Ms. Freeman. Mr. Jenkins is young. He should be fine.”However, his reasoning was not sound. Death did not care how old you were. It would just take you when it was your time.When I arrived at the hospital, Zach was waiting for me at the entrance.He held my arm and probably noticed that I was shaking, so he reassured me, “He’s in the ER. The doctor said he passed out not long ago. He took some medicine when he first felt ill, so it should be okay.”I looked up at Zach under the bright hospital lights. He took off his coat and wrapped it around me.I had left in such a hurry that I ended up wearing one yellow shoe and one white one.Soon, Austin was brought out of the ER and into a reg
“You can eat them if you want. Otherwise, I’ll just throw them away.” “Don’t waste food.” She picked up an escargot with two fingers and sucked on it, like she was eating a field snail. I sat across from her and watched her eat.“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I’m cute?” “Yeah,” I said. “You look like a cute little pig when you eat.”“Why are you being so mean? Are you upset because of Cecilia? Are you worried that Zach might go back to her?” I got up from the couch. I was not going to waste my time worrying about Cecilia.I was actually thinking about Austin’s pale face.“Take your time eating. I’m going upstairs to hang out with Rachel.” I nodded at Kingston.Soon after, Cameron called. He was going to Switzerland for business, and he would drop by West City once he was done.Rachel quickly said, “Dad, don’t pick me up yet. Cassia’s taking good care of me. Don’t worry.”Cameron sighed on the phone and laughed a little. “Cassia, I don’t know if I should
I switched seats in the hall three times, but Cecilia stuck to me like glue. I could not get rid of her.By the time Zach finished his interview and came over, she was still challenging me. “Cassia, it doesn’t matter how much you do for Zach. Even if you give him everything, including your heart, he’ll come back to me as soon as I smile at him,” she said.Just then, Zach appeared next to our table. Cecilia kept going, as she was completely caught up in her own delusions.I looked up at Zach and said with a smile, “When did you become a butcher who took hearts?”Since he showed up, I took the chance to escape. I stood up and said, “Well, Zach’s here. Cecilia, why don’t you charm him and give him that smile you were talking about?”Then, I quickly slipped away. All evening, she had been annoying me like a fly. It totally ruined my appetite.I found a quiet spot and placed my food on the table. As soon as I sat down, Zach came over and sat across from me. I looked behind him and
When Zach saw Wilson Corporation’s bid, he tossed it aside. This meant that it had been eliminated.Wilson Corporation did not have enough funding, so they would not make it to the next round. If they could not keep up in terms of cash flow, it would delay the whole project.However, it would not be fun to eliminate them in the first round.I picked up Wilson Corporation’s bid again. Austin looked at me and asked, “What are you doing?”“Just having some fun.”Wilson Corporation would not make it to the final round anyway. At least, they could enjoy making it to the next round.When the names of the qualified companies were announced, Cecilia’s expression was strange. She looked both nervous and confident at the same time. It was like she had a split personality.The moment Zach read Wilson Corporation’s name, Cecilia quickly stood up and turned to me.I saw pride, satisfaction, and joy in her gaze.She raised her chin as she walked up to receive the bid from Zach. She was acti
There was nonstop clicking from the cameras, and their flashes were so bright that they almost made my eyes water.Just then, Zach handed me a pair of glasses. I put it on, and another reporter asked, “There’s a rumor that Zach was recently fired from Gordon Corporation’s board? Is it true?”Tyler laughed. He looked at Zach and then at me before he said, “You just said that it was a rumor, right?”I scanned the crowd and quickly spotted Cecilia. Her face was pale, and it looked like she was about to cry.At this point, she should realize that Zach had not been fired. He was not the nobody she thought he was.He was still the same Zach. In fact, he was even better. While he was away from the spotlight, Zach set Yonder Trading up for the next five years. Even without Gordon Corporation, he could still succeed in the business world with Yonder Trading.Cecilia was dumbfounded, but it did not seem like she could cry. It was almost funny.Her attitude had been completely different