“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
I turned to face his cold stare. “If this is still about the contract with Wonder Corporation, just drop it.”“Do you know any higher-ups at Helios E-Commerce?”I was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. Helios E-Commerce? I began to feel nervous and less confident.“What?”“Let me be more specific. Do you know Steven Langdon?”Of course, I knew him. In fact, we were quite close for a while.“Yes, I know him. Why?”“Got it.” He nodded. “You can leave now.”What did he mean? Why did he suddenly bring Steven up?I was not in the mood to argue, so I rushed back to my office.I did not want to talk about Steven. He was related to an old issue.Since it was in the past, I would rather forget about it.Soon after, Sophie gave me a call. “Cassia, I found out where Zach went the last few days.”“Where?”“He went to see Steven Langdon.”I was stunned. “Really?”“Yeah. Zach must have heard something because he suddenly went looking for Steven to talk about that old iss
When I said this, everyone present was shocked.Even I was surprised.I did not plan what I was going to say when I arrived. I did not even think it through when I was taking off my shoes earlier.Yet, I felt strangely relieved after I said it out loud.I should let him go. I never saw Zach as just a way to compete with Cecilia. I really loved him, so I did not care about winning or losing.I needed to focus on my own life. Why should I keep dealing with these two?It was exhausting.Zach frowned. “What?”“I’ll prepare the divorce agreement tonight and send it to you. As for Yonder Trading’s shares, I’ll buy all the shares that you and Cecilia own at market value. Don’t you want to help Wilson Corporation? You can sell the shares and give her the money. No one will stop you. Selling the shares is the fastest way to help Wilson Corporation.” I spoke quickly. I was worried that if I stopped, I would not have the courage to keep going.“As for your assets, I’ll take my half witho
Mrs. Hudson peeled an orange for me. I ate it, and the sour taste made my stomach feel a lot better.However, I could not eat the fish. “Could you get me more oranges? I’d rather just have fruit,” I said.Mrs. Hudson did not do as I had ordered. Instead, she held the tray and looked at me.I thought that I was being too picky, and it was causing her trouble, so I apologized, “Sorry, Mrs. Hudson. You went through all the trouble to make all this delicious food. This is my fault.”“No, no, Mrs. Gordon. Don’t worry about it.” Mrs. Hudson waved her hand. “But your situation doesn’t seem to be a stomach issue.”“What is it, then?”Mrs. Hudson suddenly leaned in. “Mrs. Gordon, when was your last period?”Her question caught me off guard. I thought about it and realized that I had not had it in a while.I had been so busy lately that I never noticed.I checked my phone because I used an app to track my period. Since I would experience cramps, I calculated when my period would start a
How would I know?I did not have any experience with this.I looked at the instructions and told Sophie nervously, “Two lines.”Sophie looked at the test kit she was holding and checked the rest.When she looked at me, she seemed stunned.I knew that something was wrong from her face.“Tell me.” I was too scared to look at them myself.She said, “I don’t know if I should congratulate or comfort you.”“How many lines?!” I yelled.“Two lines.” She showed me the test kits. “Cassia, you’re pregnant.”I felt weak. I leaned against the cold tiles and started sweating. “Don’t scare me.”“It’s true. Look for yourself.” She handed me the test kits.I looked, and there were two clear lines on all of them.How did this happen?I crouched and covered my face with my hands. “I must get pregnant easily. We only slept together once, and now, I’m pregnant.”“You don’t seem like someone who gets pregnant easily.” Sophie pulled me up. “What are you going to do?”“Wait. Let me think.”I
“Zach, what are you doing? Don’t you know Cassia—”I quickly covered Sophie’s mouth. Zach looked angrier than I had ever seen him.I knew that I had made a mistake three years ago. I wanted to tell him about it, but I did not think it was necessary since it was in the past.Zach still being mad about something from the past made me mad too.He could forgive Cecilia for everything, no matter how bad it was, but not me.“Cassia, I didn’t know you had no limits!” Zach stormed into his room and slammed the door shut.It felt like the whole house was shaking from his anger, and it made my scalp tingle.“What’s his problem?” Sophie pulled me inside and slammed the door shut. “Is it really that big of a deal? What happened after that wasn’t your fault.”That incident from three years ago was the only mistake I had ever made.Back then, a newly-developed technology from Gordon Corporation’s branch got stolen and sold to Steven. I had connections with Steven, so I bought the technology
“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