“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
I almost died of laughter because of Cecilia. She approached me so boldly to look for my husband. I had no idea where she got the nerve.To her, it did not seem to matter if Zach and I were married. In her mind, Zach was hers, and she had every right to ask me where he was.I took a sip of tea from my desk. Hailey had picked a good one this time. It was fragrant and just what I liked.I calmly enjoyed my tea and acted as if Cecilia was not even there.However, she sat down across from me. She was trying to pass the time since Zach was not around. I had a ton of work to do and no time for her nonsense.So, I put down my teacup. “This is an office. We only talk business here. If you’re looking for a man, try No. 48 North Street.”“What do you mean?” She looked confused.“They have all kinds of men there. You can pick anyone you want—tough, slim, young, or old.”“You’re telling me to go to a strip club?” Cecilia looked insulted. She always thought of herself as classy and felt tha
I smiled coldly at her until she grew bored and turned away.“Cassia, I feel sorry for you. You’ve loved Zach for so many years and been so good to him, but he still doesn’t love you,” Cecilia suddenly said with a sincere expression. It was as if she was genuinely trying to understand the situation.“Because he has bad tastes.” Since she asked so boldly, I decided to answer her.Cecilia did not mind it. “What does a few harsh words matter? Cassia, you need to think about why Zach still doesn’t love you, despite everything you’ve done for him. You think I’m selfish for leaving when he needed me most. Yes, I admit that I was.” She leaned against the wall and smiled sweetly. Her smile was irritating.“You spent three years with him so that he could regain his confidence and even started Yonder Trading to help him with Gordon Corporation. I know you’ve done a lot, but what about it? As soon as I came back and he heard about me, he left you to be with me on your wedding night.” She put
I walked in, and a housekeeper immediately approached us. “Madam, you’re back.”Madam? Who was she referring to?The housekeeper looked familiar. She might have worked for the Wilson or Gordon family before.The attentive housekeeper gave us some house slippers, while Cecilia smiled and said, “This is Cassia Freeman, a good childhood friend of mine. Mrs. Zimmer, do you remember her?”“Oh, Ms. Freeman! Yes, I remember.”“I haven’t been friends with you since I was ten.” I put on the slippers and walked inside.As soon as I entered, I had a strong feeling about the place.What feeling?There were many types of homes: new homes, marital homes, and homes shared with parents. You could tell a lot from the setting and decor.Looking around the living room, the words “love nest” came to mind.The place was full of Zach’s presence.For example, there was a photo of Zach and Cecilia on the living room wall. Zach was in a white shirt and pants, while Cecilia was in a white lace dress.
“Did I break up with Zach?” she shamelessly said. “I don’t think I broke up with him. I just left without saying anything.”“But you wrote a breakup letter.”“I never wrote the words ‘break up’ in that letter.”I had seen that letter. After Cecilia suddenly left, Zach searched everywhere for her. Later, Mrs. Wilson gave him a letter and said that it was from Cecilia.After that, he got so drunk that he was still holding on to that letter when I dragged him home from the bar.I glanced at it and found it highly pretentious.She claimed that she was tired of seeing him so depressed, so she left to give him a chance to move on.I took a photo of it and sent it to Sophie, who said that it was “nonsense.”Thinking back on it, there really was no mention of breaking up.Cecilia was incredibly cunning. She left herself an out in case she could not find someone better than Zach.When his career took off, she came back as soon as she heard the news.I looked at her pretty face and di
“I’m fine.” I shook my head. “I didn’t have an accident. I just ran a red light.”“You scared me! I thought you were hurt! Running a red light isn’t a big deal! Why did they take you here?! I’m going to talk to them!”Once Sophie got angry, no one could dissuade her from anything.I did not stop her. After a while, she came back looking sad.She crouched before me and looked at me worriedly. “They said that you were out of it. What happened?”“I…” Looking at Sophie made me want to cry.Then, I did. I cried my heart out in front of her.She was worried because I did not usually cry. Most things were not a big deal for me.“Cassia, don’t cry. D*mn it. It was Zach, wasn’t it? What did he do to you? I’ll deal with him.”I could not stop once I started crying. I kept crying even when I was in Sophie’s car.She sat in front of me with a box of tissues and gave me one tissue after another.I tried to explain through my tears, but it came out messy. I was not sure if she understood.
After dinner, I asked Sophie if she wanted to stay the night. She patted my shoulder and said, “How lonely. If you keep living like this, you’ll have many more lonely nights.”“When did you become such a philosopher?”“I’m just trying to help.”After Sophie left, I sat in the living room in deep thought. Mrs. Hudson came over and asked, “When will Mr. Gordon be back? Should I make breakfast for him tomorrow?”I shook my head. I did not know anything about Zach’s plans.I had no idea why he went on the trip, if he went with anyone, where he went, or when he would be back.He would not tell me about these things. Unexpectedly, he did not tell Cecilia either this time.The only thing on my mind was whether to keep holding on to something I knew was impossible.I went to bed very late. I heard some noises during the night and wondered if Zach had returned.I was so tired that I did not want to open my eyes. I might not be able to sleep again if I did.The next morning, I heard Mr
“It’s time for work.” Zach gently pushed me away and got in his car.Cecilia had hoped for more drama, so she felt disappointed when he did not argue with me.Since Zach ignored me, I could only watch as he drove away.Sophie’s words suddenly echoed in my mind. “Cassia, you’re phenomenal. Don’t waste your life on Zach.”Then, I remembered Zach’s strange question before he left for his trip.“Cassia, will you go to any lengths just to be with me?”What did I do? Did I commit a crime or something?Zach’s look of contempt had been replaying in my head over the past few days.Honestly, while the traffic officer was taking me to the station yesterday, I asked myself why I put myself in this situation.I was restless and lost.There were people who loved me and others I could love. Why was I putting myself through this?When I got to the office, Hailey softly told me, “Mr. Gordon and Ms. Wilson arrived together.”“Okay,” I replied wearily.“Mr. Gordon just called Mr. Scott into
“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