The next morning, Jean was awakened by her phone ringing.Opening her eyes, she reached for her phone to answer the call."Hello, this is Jean Michaels. How may I help you?"The caller hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Hello, I'm Joe Budley. Is Tyler still sleeping?"Who was Joe Budley?Only then did Jean instantly snap awake. She looked at the phone in her hand and realized that it was Tyler's.She felt embarrassed and glanced at Tyler. Pursing her lips, she said, "Someone's looking for you."Tyler couldn't help but smile faintly at Jean's embarrassed expression. He reached out to get his phone from her."Ty, it seems like you worked up a sweat last night. You're still sleeping at this hour?" Joe's voice came through the phone.Jean was lying in the crook of Tyler's arm and could hear their conversation.Glancing at his watch, Tyler saw that it was nearly ten in the morning."Where are you guys now?" he asked.Joe replied promptly, "We're at the airport. We look lik
Jean imagined what Tyler would look like if he ever gained weight. She paused for a moment and hurriedly shook her head.When Tyler came downstairs, Jean was drinking milk.Dorian immediately ran up to him, whispering, "Dad, Mom prefers men with perfect bodies. If you stay up all the time and wake up late every day, you'll become fat."Tyler listened to his son with a bewildered expression. "Son, where do you even learn such strange facts?"Dorian smiled, and Jean joined in as well.Tyler took a seat next to Jean, grabbing the glass of milk she had been drinking from. He gulped down the rest of it. "Don't eat anything else. They've made all your favorites over at Larson Residence."Jean raised a brow upon hearing that. A smile played on her lips as she asked, "Did you send over my favorite recipes?"Tyler shook his head and replied, "No. Mom asked me about it on the phone yesterday."Jean was touched by Coleen's kindness. The older woman had been so nice to her during this time
Judy looked at Jean with anticipation in her eyes.Jean pursed her lips. A trace of guilt flashed in her eyes. Just as she was about to respond, Coleen spoke up."Mom, everything's fine. I've already told you about everything, haven't I? I accompanied Jean for a check-up the other day. As long as she stays healthy, the baby will be the same," she said.Judy nodded with satisfaction. "I wonder if this old frail body of mine can hold out long enough to see the baby's birth," she said. Then, she began to cough violently.Esme was sitting close to Judy. She immediately leaned over and patted her back gently. "Grandma, you're still strong enough. You'll definitely make it," she said softly.When Coleen noticed how attentive Esme was acting, she looked displeased and shot Esme a fierce glare.Esme pursed her lips and lowered her head to avoid Coleen's gaze.Retracting her hand, Jean said softly, "Grandma, please take good care of yourself. You don't have to worry yourself about what u
Upon hearing that Lilian was here to visit, Judy furrowed her brows slightly and fixed her gaze on Jean."Tell her that we're having a family gathering today and won't be receiving guests," she said.Jean maintained a calm expression. She showed no signs of being affected at the mention of Lilian.At this moment, Esme glanced at Jean discreetly.When she noticed how indifferent Jean looked, Esme's expression shifted slightly. "Grandma, I believe my sister is here to see me. She's still not very familiar with Page Co.'s work flow. Since Tyler's here today as well, why not let my sister join us for the meal? That way, she'll be able to seek advice from him," Esme said softly.Tyler narrowed his eyes when he heard this. "If it's related to work, she can just discuss it with Chris. He's the one handling business with Page Co. now," he replied coldly.Esme paused for a moment. Her expression darkened, but she quickly regained her composure and fell silent.Coleen cast a fleeting gl
When Jean saw that Coleen was stumped by Judy's question, she smiled faintly."It seems to be because of Esme's sudden resignation. Things with Page Co. were only stabilized thanks to Tyler's influence, after all," she said with a faint smile.Jean continued, "Esme decided to pass on her position to Lilian just like that all of a sudden. Perhaps Mom just isn't very happy about it."Judy's expression turned serious when she heard that."Yes, I was just about to bring that up. Esme, what made you make such a silly decision? Regardless of what you might think, you and Lilian are only half-sisters. "You were so hostile toward her in the beginning. Aren't you worried that she'll hold a grudge against you?" Judy said.When Esme noticed that Jean had successfully shifted the focus of the conversation to her, she looked discontent. Pursing her lips, she said softly, "Grandma, I apologize for that decision. I thought that since Lilian had learned more from shadowing Tyler for so many y
Lilian couldn't help but clench her hands tightly.She remembered that during the two years when she had been seriously ill, Tyler had never looked at her with such affection.He would only show her his tender side on occasion.Lilian took a deep breath and managed to force a smile. Walking into the living room, she said, "It seems I'm interrupting something here."Coleen was not one to mince her words. When she saw Lilian approach them, she said in a somewhat displeased tone, "If you knew, why didn't you just leave right from the beginning? Why'd you insist on waiting outside for so long? What are you trying to prove?"Lilian pursed her lips, seemingly unaffected by Coleen's mockery. She presented Judy with a gift box with a smile."Madam Judy, I bought you some health supplements as a token of respect. Please accept them."Judy swept her gaze over the gift box Lilian had brought over. Then, she turned to look at a maid nearby.The maid hurriedly reached out and took the gift
Coleen interrupted Lilian without hesitation, and Lilian dared not say another word.Judy glanced at Coleen for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Why are you getting so worked up over someone who means nothing? You might scare Jean with that loud tone of yours."At the mention of her name, Jean immediately forced a faint smile and said softly, "Why don't we discuss some less solemn topics? Grandma, you'll be going to Mt. Serenia in a few days, right? Will you pray for our family?"Judy nodded in response. "I'm going to Mt. Serenia to pray for the baby's well-being as well as yours. I'm going to pray for everyone in the family."Jean smiled. At this moment, Coleen spoke up. "By the way, Jean. Do you know anything about birth astrology? Why don't you tell me your exact date and time of birth? "I'll get a fortune teller to scry your future. I hope no one with ill-intent will be in your life."When Coleen talked about the people with ill-intent, she glanced over at Esme and Li
Jean pursed her lips and quickly expressed her gratitude."Thanks, Mom."Smiling, Coleen replied, "Don't sweat it."After some casual conversation, Tyler's phone rang. He released his grip on Jean's hand immediately and whispered, "I've got to take this call."Nodding, Jean said, "Okay."Coleen watched Tyler get up and chuckled,."You little rascal. You're just like your father. You were so high and mighty in the past, yet look at you now. You're reporting to your wife about taking a mere call."Jean heard this and smiled with a hint of amusement in her eyes."Was Dad like that in the past as well?"Nodding, Coleen said, "Yes, but it's such a shame that he passed away early. If he could see how much Tyler has achieved today, I'm certain that he'll be proud of him."She continued, "He started teaching Tyler about managing the company when Tyler was still a kid. It's just unfortunate that he didn't get to live to see all of this."This was the first time Jean had heard Coleen me