“Cassia!” Cecilia suddenly stood up and slapped me.I did not anticipate it, so I failed to dodge it in time and took the full force of her slap.Her nails were sharp, so they left scratches on my face as her hand left my cheek. It hurt a lot.When Cecilia slapped me, she was anything but gentle. Her eyes were wide open, and she gritted her teeth like a wild animal.I was not the type to start fights, but if someone attacked me, I would definitely return the favor.I quickly jumped out from behind my desk and slapped her back.It was loud and clear.It was strange how things turned out. Had this been Cecilia’s plan all along?Did she know I would hit back and Zach would walk in at that very moment?He happened to see me give Cecilia a fierce slap on the face.He was clearly stunned for a moment before he instinctively caught her.My slap had sent her falling into Zach’s arms. She groaned in pain and rested against his chest.I did not hit her to the point of death, did I?
Later, whenever my mom talked about it, she would say, “Cecilia has always been so sensible and considerate. If you and Sophie could be like her, your aunt and I would be thrilled.”I would reply that if Sophie and I were like Cecilia, she would have more to cry about.Hearing Zach bring up this old story just made me furious. I practically rolled my eyes to the back of my head.“I’ve told you many times. Believe it or not, it was Cecilia who tricked Sophie into poking the hornet’s nest,” I said. He probably did not believe me, but he did not argue and handed me a folder. “This contract is from Dustworld Corporation. Take a look.”He left after I accepted the folder. He was probably rushing off to comfort his precious Cecilia.I tossed the folder on the desk as I sat down and felt a knot in my chest. Even though Zach did not say much, the look in his eyes was just as bad as an insult.A little later, Hailey knocked on the door. She came in with a small bottle of antiseptic an
Whenever we saw detectives in movies wearing khaki trench coats and fedoras, we would joke about how they were trying too hard to look like detectives.Sophie was clearly not thinking straight. Confusion often did not result in the best judgment.She took off her sunglasses and looked around furtively.“Stop acting like that. Austin won’t notice us if you behave normally.”“Maybe we should just leave.” Running away was usually not her style. Sophie seemed tough most of the time, but she was timid when it came to romance.“Can’t you be a little braver?”“It’s not about being brave.” She looked at me and suddenly widened her eyes. Then, she pushed my hair aside. “What happened to your face? Oh, my God. Did that b*tch slap you?”She guessed correctly. Only Cecilia would have a grudge against me.“Keep your voice down. Aren’t you afraid of being spotted?” I pushed her hand away and covered my face with my hair again.“Why didn’t you fight back?”“I did, but I fell into a trap,” I
“You ordered them, so you have them yourself.” I pushed the soups back to her. While we argued, I suddenly saw the waiter bring some familiar people to a table at the front.It was Zach and Cecilia.“D*mn it.” Sophie saw them too. “Those two jerks. Cassia, go over there and slap them.”“I want to, but won’t that expose us?”“True.” She sighed in frustration. “Why does everyone end up here? Is this the only restaurant in the area?”It was quite the coincidence.So, I kept turning my head during dinner. I looked at Austin, then at Zach and Cecilia. I felt like I was spinning around.Cecilia was gazing at Zach with a gentle smile. I thought she almost fainted from that slap, but she seemed fine to me.If Austin were not there, I would have gone over and slapped them. Did they think I was dead?While I was getting upset, Austin stood up and walked over to them.I held my breath. It appeared that Austin had spotted them. He said something to Zach, but we could not hear it.Howe
At this point, Sophie could not just disappear, so I had to open the window. Austin leaned on the car door and watched us with a slight smile.“Hi,” I said.“Hi,” he replied.I saw the handsome guy from earlier standing nearby. His black trench coat nearly blended into the night.I smiled awkwardly. “What a coincidence.”“Yeah, it is.”“Is he your friend?”“Yes.”“Aren’t you going to introduce us?”Austin looked at me and then at Sophie before he nodded at the handsome guy.The guy walked over, and Austin said, “This is Cassia Freeman and Sophie Freeman. The man who hit us earlier is her husband.”I held my hand out to shake hands with the guy, but after Austin’s comment, I was not sure if I should retract it.Nevertheless, he shook my hand and introduced himself, “I’m Lance Hawke.” His hand was warm.“Hawke, like the bird?”“Exactly.”He had the name of a leading man in a show, and Austin was his leading lady.“Nice to meet you.” Lance offered his hand to Sophie. She w
The guy I liked was right before me on that beautiful night.He said, “Cassia, I like you but only as a childhood friend. I don’t feel the same way you do now, and I probably won’t in the future.”It shocked me, but I was good at getting over things. After a couple of tough days, I was back to normal.I promised myself that I would make Zach fall in love with me.So, I began a long pursuit and waited. After college, Zach joined Gordon Corporation and started dating Cecilia, which made me feel completely defeated.Even though I liked him, I had my principles. When he started dating Cecilia, I disappeared from his life.Cecilia set up several gatherings, but I never attended any of them.I knew that she was trying to show off her relationship with Zach to annoy me. I was not going to let her get to me.Later, something went wrong at the branch office that Zach was in charge of. His father got furious and attempted to remove him from the board. That was when Cecilia vanished witho
I felt nervous and guilty for no reason.Austin had seen us at the restaurant, so Zach must have as well. He never loved me, and with Austin hitting him, it made sense if he wanted a divorce because of all the problems between us.My fingers were shaking a little. I knew that Zach had no feelings for me, but I did not want a divorce. At least, if we lived in the same house, I could see him more often.I was pathetic.I walked over to him and asked in a slightly shaky voice, “You wanted to talk to me?”“Yes.” He finished his wine and put the empty glass on the coffee table. “Sit down.”His politeness made me even more anxious.I sat on the couch across from him, while he clasped his hands and rested his elbows on his knees.His gaze made me uneasy. He was staring at me like he was trying to figure me out.I just happened to be at the same restaurant. What was the big deal?I never went there to confront him. Besides, he was wrong for having dinner with Cecilia behind my ba
“Go to the guest room if you can’t sleep. You’re really annoying.”“As if you can sleep.” She sat up in bed. “Call Austin for me and see if he’s home.”I rolled my eyes. “You’re so infuriating.”“That doesn’t matter. Just call him.”I gave in and gave Austin a call.He sounded sober, so I figured he had not drunk much.“Cassia?”“Where are you?”“Having a drink.”“Still at the club?”“Yeah. We haven’t changed locations. Why?”“When are you going back?”“Cassia, what’s going on?”I looked at Sophie, who gave me a knowing look, so I could only smile awkwardly. “Just missed you.”“I’ll head home later.”“Whose home?”“Cassia.”“Okay, bye.”Before Austin got angry, I quickly hung up. “You heard him. He’s still drinking.”“Austin doesn’t usually drink.”“He said it depends on who he’s with.”Sophie groaned and buried her face in a pillow. “I’m screwed.”“Screwed? Why?”“There are two types of people I can never compete with.”“What?”“One’s a dead person.”“What do
“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
Wearing Cameron’s coat, I walked through a bamboo grove with him. It felt pretty creepy at night, as there were no gaps between the bamboo trees. They created weird shadows when the wind blew, and it felt like something would jump out at any moment.Suddenly, Cameron wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him.He had confessed his feelings for me several times. Any other woman would have probably been over the moon.This morning, a billionaire heir had made soup for me, and at night, a rich tycoon was giving me his coat. My luck with men this year was crazy.I stopped and looked up at him. Just as he leaned in, I quickly moved away.“Cameron, I may have divorced Zach and broken up with Hayden. Even so, I still won’t consider being with you.”He looked at me dejectedly. The shadows of the bamboo were reflected in his eyes.“Am I really that bad?” He was a bit upset.“Don’t think so little of yourself. You’re still a catch to a lot of women.”“Can you at lea
It was incredibly hard to find men who could resist such temptations. But there were some exceptions like Zach, who had been through a lot. Thanks to my investigation on Kingston, I knew about his good character. However, I never expected him to be this good. I felt happier as I thought about it. As a result, I was smiling from ear to ear. I patted Sophie and said, “Finally, a good man! Sophie, you need to hold on to him.” She was just about to speak when Kingston called her. It was probably because she had ended the call on a weird note. Kingston might be a little confused. Sophie answered, and I looked out the window. I was trying not to eavesdrop on their conversation. After we reached home, Kingston called again. Sophie spoke with him briefly before she told me, “He’s actually downstairs. I’m heading out for a while.”“Oh, go ahead!” Sophie then dashed out the door. I leaned against the glass door as I watched her leave. I felt that this time, things might really w