Yosef had just finished his shower and was in front of the full-length mirror. He was slipping into his shirt, taking his time with each button.His phone lay forgotten on a dresser. Zara did not need to see him to know what was happening. The familiar sound of his crisp shirt rustling was enough.That was the thing about knowing someone too well.Even if Zara could not see him, her brain could fill in the blanks. He always wore black—black shirt, black pants—that made him look even taller and more imposing. At the same time, it made him more distant. After fastening his buttons, he would tilt his head up and neaten his collar. His jawline was as defined as the edge of his collar. His tie would be perfectly knotted in a classic Windsor, just like one would expect from the Webb family heir.He would even select a watch from his fancy watch winder... Hold up!Zara shut her eyes, a frown creasing her forehead.He was all over her memories, his face always appearing when she least
What Yosef meant was...Zara's hands were firm on the wheel as she stole a glance in the rearview mirror. "Is that young secretary really working for Mr. Chapman?"Yosef had a rough night, and it showed. His eyes were half-closed, making him look both aloof and icy."Spy games aren't exactly high-class, but they played the beauty card pretty well."They played it right into his hands. Whoever it was knew about the friction between Yosef and his dad over Beatrice. They sent the young secretary as the perfect distraction.She had that Beatrice vibe, and Yosef was clearly smitten, even willing to bend a little for her.He was completely smitten. Since the boss had made his call, she would follow through."I'll handle it," she said, keeping it professional.Yosef gave her a brief look, then shut his eyes. He was done with the conversation.When they arrived for the meeting, another secretary was already there with the team, and among them was the young secretary.The young secr
Zara leaped to her feet, pulling the young secretary behind her for protection."Mr. Chapman, assault is illegal. You should be 'thanking' her for switching sides. Otherwise, getting caught for planting a corporate spy is a crime too. And what good is all your money if you can't spend it behind bars?"Her words were met with silence.Finally, Mr. Chapman clenched his teeth in anger and signed the contract. As he left, he shot a venomous look at the young secretary. "This isn't over," he promised with a glare.The young secretary, clutching her reddened cheek, stumbled over to Yosef. Tears were streaming down her face. "Mr. Webb..."She was the unsung hero of this victory, and she had the slap to prove it.In a way, she had taken that slap for Yosef.Zara sensed that Yosef would want to offer some real comfort now, so she motioned for everyone else to clear out of the room. The two would be given a moment alone. They were all hanging out by the restaurant's exit when Zara's coll
A moment later, Zara stepped out of the CEO's office. The door clicked shut behind her.The other secretaries caught the weird look on her face and could not resist asking, "Zara, what's up? Did Mr. Webb give you an earful?""No, that's not it.""Then what's with the face?"Zara mumbled to herself, "I'm just wondering, with graduation season over, where am I supposed to find a college graduate..."It was not just any college graduate Yosef was after. He wanted someone with that fresh-out-of-college innocence and a touch of cluelessness. He wanted someone who would grow reliant on him.The main thing was that she had to be down for a little more than just office work, which was not something a job vacancy notice was going to fix.Zara was stumped by the tricky task in front of her. She chewed on her pencil at her desk for what felt like ages before deciding she could benefit from a change of scenery. With that, she headed to Starville University for some inspiration.As luck wou
At the Azure Cloud conference the previous year, she had spun around and accidentally collided with a man. She tried to react quickly, but she still ended up soaking his sleeve with red wine. He was all smiles, though. He did not make a big deal out of her blunder. She had tried to pay for the shirt, but he kept refusing. She would not take no for an answer, so finally, he accepted the money.Since he took the compensation, Zara figured they were square and did not dwell on the incident. Now that he mentioned it, the memory came rushing back to her. This time, Zara got a good look at Stanley.He was young, with looks that were easy on the eyes. His skin was fair but not in a sickly way.His gold-rimmed glasses framed a pair of dark, sleek eyebrows and eyes that sparkled with a refreshing coolness.His nose was straight and noble, his lips a soft shade of pink, and his jawline was smooth. It made one find him harmlessly charming.Zara noticed a glint by his ear and realized it
Stanley, with his fair skin and good looks, was smiling with his eyes all crinkled up. The sight of him like this reminded her of those perfect student role models from back in the day, the ones who would patiently help out with any question a fellow student had.Stanley was probably that guy in school, which explained why he was a professor now."Is my status funny to you, Professor Schmidt?" Why else would he be laughing like that?It was pretty standard—'Re.' It was the English prefix meaning 'again' or 'anew'. She picked it after her breakup with Yosef, as a symbol of starting over.Stanley, with a fist gently pressed to his lips, coughed lightly and shook his head. "Nope, it's just... I remember you saying you didn't have your phone on you and couldn't add anyone."Zara sighed. "I was just trying to let the kid down easy."Stanley teased her. "You say 'kid', but you're barely older than him.""A three-year difference is like a whole generation," Zara quipped without missing
Zara blinked in surprise.Stanley gently took the woman's hands and steered her to face him. "Easy there, can't you see I'm with someone? You're drawing a crowd."The woman's lips turned down in a pout. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"Their closeness made Zara wonder if she was his girlfriend.As the thought crossed Zara's mind, Stanley introduced her, "Let's catch up later, okay? Don't forget your manners. Say hi to Ms. Lowry. Ms. Lowry, meet Melanie, my little sister."Oh, so she was his sister.Zara's gaze met the woman's, and they both paused, a flicker of recognition passing between them. Melanie pointed at Zara. "Oh, it's you!"Zara was silent. She knew her.Once upon a time, there was this woman who totally had the hots for Yosef. She went all out trying to win him over—flowers, coffee, you name it. She even staked out his office. At that time, Yosef had just started seeing someone else and was not looking to juggle two relationships, so he let her down easy.
Stanley drove a bit farther and pulled up to Azure Cloud. Zara stepped out with the fries, bent down, and waved him off with a smile.Meanwhile, Ophite, who was there to see Yosef, caught the tail end of their exchange. He quirked an eyebrow and strolled into the building before anyone else.Visiting Yosef was routine for him. He did not bother giving notice and headed straight up.He gave the door a light rap.Yosef spoke from inside, "Enter."Ophite swung the door open and walked in.Yosef glanced up. "Have a seat." He was busy going over some paperwork.Without waiting for an invitation, Ophite made himself at home and brewed a cup of coffee with Yosef's machine. He took a leisurely sip before dropping a casual bombshell. "Looks like Ms. Lowry's got quite the fan club. James is out, and now Stanley's in the picture. I just saw him drop her off. When did those two start mingling?"Yosef's gaze sharpened, a slight crease forming between his brows.With a sly undertone, Ophi
Harper's kisses were always teasing, intentionally awakening her senses.Their tongues tangled, taking her breath away. When she felt like she could not breathe and instinctively grabbed at his shirt, Harper let go and kissed his way down to her chin, neck, and chest.She could not resist him.Shelby was torn. She did not have to hold back her body's needs and reactions, especially since they could not end their marriage just yet. He was her husband, after all, so why should she deny herself? She decided to make the most of it.Men could easily separate love from physical desire, and women could too. Shelby did not think that accepting Harper's touches meant she liked him. It was just about meeting a need.She would just get that over with.Shelby's fingers gripped the sheets tightly as Harper kissed her growing belly. She was six months along, and her belly was a little bigger. The thought of their child made his heart melt, and he kissed her several more times before suddenly s
Shelby made a sound of agreement, her back sore from sitting too long. She leaned back against Harper without much thought. She was busy with her work and not in the mood for conversation.Harper quickly got the gist of the case file. In short, it was a classic example of someone facing the consequences of their own actions.In the western part of Starville, there was a middle school and a vocational school. The two schools were just a street apart. Not all, but at least 80% of the vocational school students were troublemakers.One of those students, Yered, often rounded up his gang to shake down the middle school kids for their money.Since last year, the bullies had been targeting Steven Scott, a middle schooler. They would often demand money from him. Steven was shy and scared, so he never stood up to them and just handed over the cash.However, this time, as he was walking with a girl from his class, the bullies blocked their path again. They started to pick on the girl becaus
Samantha was really happy. She lifted her finger elegantly and said softly, "One step at a time. First, we'll make sure the child is gone. Then, we'll push them to divorce, and in the end, when she's weak from losing the baby, we'll take care of her." If Shelby died as Harper's wife, then Harper would get everything, and that would be bad. The two women agreed. While reclining on their bamboo chairs, they started dreaming about their perfect future—one with the Young family and the other with all the money. Since the foot masseuse could not hear or speak, they talked freely, not worried about anyone overhearing them. After the massage, they even went to eat together. The masseuse quietly cleaned up and tidied the room. Then, she headed straight for the lookout point. The resort was in the mountains, with lots of trees and streams. The lookout was up high, with a great view of all the little mountains. It was a beautiful spot that every guest at the hotel made sure to visit.
Adalee was doubtful. "Is it really that serious? Our husband doesn't like that dowdy wife or the eldest son. Even if he's started to favor Harper more because of his marriage to the Lambert family, that still won't affect our children.""Our husband used to leave the company matters to our sons, but now he's handing them over to Harper. Who knows what the future holds?" Samantha said with a hint of malice. "We can't take that risk. We can't let Harper get too much leverage. We can't let him and his child have too great a chance to win."Adalee could see Samantha was desperate and asked anxiously, "What are you thinking of doing? She's a lawyer. She knows the law, and she's the sole heir to the Lambert family."Samantha's eyes suddenly became slits. "That's right, she's the only one who will inherit the Lambert family's fortune. With that kind of money, there are loads of people who want to trick her or get their hands on it. "She's a lawyer, not a superhero. Just wait. I'll make
It was Shelby's first visit to the Youngs' place, and by chance, she walked in on his father's so-called second and third wives being snide to Harper. His dad had not lifted a finger to help. It seemed like this was not a one-off occurrence.Was that the way they always treated him?Harper, taken aback by her blunt question, nearly slammed on the brakes. What?"Me, being pushed around in the family? That's just because I can't be bothered..." Who would waste their time arguing with a bunch of women or stoop so low as to fight with their dad's other women? That would be so embarrassing, right?However, he stopped himself mid-sentence.Because he suddenly realized that by saying that, he was making it sound like he felt bad for being 'picked on' at home.Harper slowed the car down and glanced at Shelby. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and she looked really serious. She was definitely not happy.He almost smiled, but he pushed it back down. He swallowed hard and changed his voi
She faced Samantha, not bothering to argue about inheritance rights. "You still haven't answered my earlier question. What does 'stepmother' mean?"Caught off guard by the sudden shift back to the topic, Samantha was momentarily speechless.Shelby did not wait for her to catch up. She pulled out her phone and quickly tapped the screen."Ah, I see," Shelby remarked, glancing at her phone. "According to this, 'stepmother' used to refer to a concubine in ancient times. That's similar to a servant, isn't it? So, in modern terms, it's like a maid. "Got it now. Would you mind getting me some salad? Thanks."The nerve of her, treating Samantha like a common maid! She had never been so insulted. "You!"Shelby set her phone down and met her gaze. "Since you're so curious, I'll fill you in. In the Lambert family, my word is law. If you're ever curious about me again, just ask me directly. No need to rely on rumors."Samantha bit her lip and looked to Gilbert for support, but he just sat
It was Shelby.Pregnant and in flats, she stood firm with not a hint of weakness about her.Her steady gaze fell on the two women who fancied themselves important, leaving them at a loss for words.Harper paused for just a moment, then quickly got to his feet and hurried over. "Dear!"The Young family's house was bright and airy. Harper's eyes sparkled with the unexpected joy of seeing Shelby, who had said she would not come. His face lit up with a smile.Shelby watched him, amused. She thought he was like their excited Shiba Inu, dashing over at the sight of its owner.Harper reached her side, calling out again, "Dear."Shelby gave a small nod. "Yeah."The guests at the dining table snapped out of their surprise, and Wrenley beamed. "Shelby, you're here."Shelby greeted her parents-in-law, "Mom, Dad."Wrenley hurried over to help her, her actions showing just how much she cherished her daughter-in-law.That was Shelby's first visit to the Young family since her wedding. She
Harper waited until Wrenley had said enough, andthen he spoke up."I just don't get you. Your family's loaded, my grandparents are laidback, and Dad doesn't even like you. Why stick to him? Just divorce him, take half his stuff, go home, and hang out with some young models. "That'd be way better than sticking to a lost cause. You've got no ambition."If it were Shelby, she would have left by then if he had not trapped her by getting her pregnant and holding something over her head. Why couldn't his mom be more like his wife?"In your dreams!"Wrenley, with tears in her eyes, scoffed. "The Young family wasn't always so fancy. I married him, and he promised me the moon. 'A good wife helps me reach my dreams, and I'll pay her back in gold.' And then what? "Once the Young family made it big, he just kept bringing in more women and their kids. How can I accept that? I'll fight him to the end, even if it kills me!"Harper sighed. "You want to fight him, I don't. Shelby and her baby
"An old friend?" Zara questioned. "If an old friend wanted to see me, they should be visiting the cemetery, not here."Only a very few people knew she was still alive.Shawn asked, "Is it a man or a woman?""A young man. He also said something else...""What did he say?"The butler hesitated, then relayed, "He said... The miss tricked him, and now she owes him for it."Zara was speechless.The garden fell silent for a moment, with only the whisper of the summer wind rustling through the flowers.Seconds later, Shawn set aside his tablet and smiled slightly. "Really? That sounds fun. Get him to come in. I'd like to meet him too."Zara had thought it was just a joke, but when the butler led the visitor in, she stood up in astonishment.It was him!...In Parnova, the sun shone brightly.However, in Starville, the weather was turning.The sky had been clear when Harper left home in the morning. However, when he reached the Youngs' place at noon, he saw the sun hidden behind