Ms. Lynch had never seen anything like this.She had been lured by the promise of favors from Landon's aunt. However, now that Landon was personally involved, his aunt was no match for him."Mr. Stirling," she pleaded desperately, "It really wasn’t my fault. It was all your aunt's idea."Landon asked calmly, "What idea?"Ms. Lynch quickly explained, spilling out Landon's aunt's plan in detail.Landon listened and nodded. Then, he took Emma's hand and walked out without another word.Ms. Lynch was stunned and called out after them, "Mr. Stirling, Mr. Stirling..."What was going to happen? Would Landon give her a straight answer?Unfortunately, Landon did not stop at all. He left the matter in the hands of his assistant and lawyer, who had accompanied him.He left with Emma.Once they were out and in the car, Landon asked Emma, "Want to get some payback?"Emma looked at him, puzzled. She was not sure what he meant."Someone's framed you like this, and I'm here for you. Don't
“I'll call my parents right away,” Leto said before quickly dialing his mom’s number."Mom, Grandpa knows Landon set up a trap to frame you. He wants you and Dad to come over. Grandpa will take care of everything." Leto conveyed the crucial information.On the other end of the line, Leto's mom instantly understood. She agreed, and with her husband, headed to the company.Landon arrived at Stirling Group with Emma in tow, taking the private elevator straight to his office. In a low voice, Landon told Emma, "They won't just sit back and do nothing. They will definitely try to slander us in front of Grandpa.""Grandpa will bring them to the company to protect them," he continued, explaining why he brought Emma directly to the office.Emma frowned. "Is your grandpa trying to save face?"Landon looked at her, feigning ignorance. "What do you mean?""He doesn't want to admit his own shortcomings. To save his pride, he’s choosing to believe your uncle's family. This way, he can claim
Leto’s mom, Renee Swan, was naturally not going to admit anything. She feigned surprise and asked, "What are you talking about? I don’t understand!"As long as she did not admit it, the whole situation would look like Landon was framing her. Then, it would not be her problem.Leopold frowned and scolded, "Emma, what are you causing a scene here for?""Mr. Stirling, that’s the wrong question to ask," Emma retorted, fully fired up. Normally, she avoided trouble, not because she could not see it coming, but because she wanted to keep peace and avoid causing issues for herself and her son. Now, with Landon backing her up, she had nothing to fear."If you don’t know what’s going on, why is she in the company?" Emma pointed at Leto’s mom. "I don’t remember her having any position here.""This is the Stirlings’ company. I decide who can and can not be here!" Leopold felt his authority being challenged and angrily slammed the table."Mr. Stirling, are you sure this company is still y
"You should not be protecting them after what they did to frame my wife."Grandpa, your actions make me question whether the company is safe in your hands. If things continue this way, I might not even have a chance to save it,” Landon warned.Leopold, a man accustomed to wielding power, could not bear the thought of his authority being challenged. "You think you can just waltz back into the company whenever you please?" He scoffed. "Don't forget, it was only with my approval that you took over in the first place."Landon's lips curled into a faint smile, a gesture that sent a shiver down his grandfather's spine. "Grandpa, I only got married out of respect for our family ties. I admit that I did it partly to spite you," he confessed openly. "Back then, I still believed there was some affection between us, grandfather and grandson."Landon's gaze swept across his uncle's family. "But now..." he paused, his voice dripping with disdain, "I think I'll pass on those nonexistent fami
With the situation reaching such a point, Leopold was unable to bear the humiliation of his defeat and decided to leave the company. He got up, heading straight for home.Emma, sensing the tense atmosphere and wanting to give Landon some space, quietly excused herself. "I'll get going now."She knew he had a lot to handle, taking over the company. Her presence might only hinder his progress."No need," Landon shook his head and gently declined. "You've been through quite an ordeal. Let's grab something to eat and take your mind off things."Emma looked at him, surprised by his suggestion. "Oh, no, really, it's fine. You should focus on work,” she said as she waved her hand in dismissal.After all, she had not suffered any harm in the spa incident. In fact, she'd even gotten a good laugh at Landon's aunt's expense.Suddenly, Landon leaned in closer, their faces inches apart. Emma's breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide with anticipation. What was he about to do?"Food and
Landon understood and smiled. "This place won’t disappoint.""That's good," Emma nodded. "Isn’t this place a little pricey, though?"Landon laughed. "It’s alright."Soon, their food arrived. Emma happily dug in.Landon watched Emma enjoying her meal and asked, "Feeling better now? If not, I can think of more ways to help you vent."Emma paused, swallowing her food before smiling. "I’m good now."Landon nodded. "That’s good. Eat up."So Emma continued. She loved the afternoon tea sandwiches; it was delicious.Eating it made her so happy.Emma's eyes crinkled with joy as she ate, and just watching her brought Landon an almost tangible sense of happiness.Being by her side made him truly happy. She always made him feel that way so easily.A waiter brought over a pot of tea, and Landon gestured for it to be placed in front of Emma."Huh? I didn’t order this," Emma quickly said.She did not want to waste space on something she did not order."I ordered it," Landon said, signal
Landon became busy as he fully took over Stirling Group.From the very beginning, Anthony’s family of three had not wanted to contribute anything to the running of the company. However, when their interests were at stake, Leopold was not gentle with them. When Landon managed the company, Anthony and his family benefited from the dividends. However, due to recent events, Anthony and his family lost all their shares in the company, thus forfeiting any rights they had to the dividends declared. They were now living off their savings, clinging tightly to Leopold.Landon had no interest in their various entanglements. He knew that they could not cause much trouble for him. Leopold’s own dividends were also significantly reduced. Landon felt that if Leopold wanted to share his earnings with Anthony, that was up to him. Landon did not care about their distribution issues. He had no intention of returning to Leopold's house. As for how the public viewed his power grab, Landon fel
"We’re still adjusting I suppose." Emma was laying the groundwork for their eventual divorce when the contracted marriage expired. She did not want Liz to be caught off-guard when she and Landon eventually parted ways. Though she would likely not see much of Liz in the future, they had each other’s contact information and Emma would need a plausible explanation for her separation. She could not cut Liz out of her life without a good reason."Honestly, I think Mr. Stirling really loves you," Liz said as she winked and playfully nudged Emma.Emma was genuinely shocked. "How can you tell?"Her marriage to Landon was just a contractual agreement and nothing more. To put it bluntly, Landon had hired her to play a role and love had nothing to do with it.Admittedly, Landon was a good person, on top of being an attentive and considerate partner. However, Emma felt they belonged to vastly different worlds and could never be together. She did not even dare to dream of such a thing
“Of course, marriage is about mutual benefit. You treat me well, and I treat you well in return. You help me shoulder life's pressures, and I offer you support. That’s what fosters a stable marriage,” Emma stated matter-of-factly.“It won’t work if one side keeps giving while the other takes without giving anything in return.“And sometimes, it may seem like one side isn’t contributing, but there are always invisible sacrifices being made.“Otherwise, how could any marriage last?” Landon wrapped his arms around Emma and sighed softly. “You know, what I love most about you is your clear understanding of things.“You give me a sense of security,” Landon said candidly. He knew Emma was not the type to overthink things as she was a very reasonable person.“You see, Asher has grown so optimistic and cheerful because of you. Being with you makes me feel incredibly at ease. That’s something money can’t buy.”Emma thought seriously for a moment. “If you need comfort, I feel like ther
Emma froze, her curiosity piqued. “What did you learn?”She was not surprised that Asher had absorbed her lessons as that was her goal in teaching him. But what had Landon learned? “I learned a lot,” Landon replied with a smile. “For example, your attention to detail and patience, your tolerance for others, and your ability to handle situations calmly—”Emma laughed, breaking his train of thought. “Stop, stop, stop! If you keep going, I might start believing I'm some kind of superhero! I’d be even better than you!” “Then I'd really be lacking in self-awareness if I think that,” Landon said as he wrapped his arms around her. “You genuinely possess many admirable qualities—exactly what I need.”“Alright, alright... what you need,” Emma replied casually.Landon gently tapped her shoulder. “Are you brushing me off?”Emma pouted. “You hit me…”Landon hurriedly rubbed her shoulder. “Did it hurt?”He had not even used enough force to swat a fly but hearing Emma say it made him do
People loved to take advantage of a good deal, and after consulting the owner, the manager anticipated such behavior from the customers when he proposed the solution. Besides, both the owner and the manager possessed a broader vision. They understood that they could not let a small financial loss tarnish their restaurant's reputation.The way they handled the incident turned into a great advertising opportunity. Those diners who experienced the situation firsthand became loyal customers. They now had a favorable impression of the restaurant and would be the first to recommend it for future gatherings or family outings. No amount of traditional advertising could rival the power of genuine recommendations from friends and family.Both the restaurant owner and manager knew how to effectively navigate a business crisis. What could have been a damaging situation had transformed into positive publicity due to their prompt action.“Let Daddy explain the specifics of the business
The restaurant manager politely apologized and thanked them before clearing all the food from the table. Emma smiled. "I really like this restaurant."Landon nodded, recognizing that this was a business that understood customer service. Just then, Emma spotted Asher’s confused expression. "Those dishes we had earlier might have been touched by that lady."If someone used a spoon that others had already used to scoop food for me, would you be pleased by that?" Asher shook his head vigorously. "Not at all!""Exactly! So, the food that might have come into contact with that lady's saliva was removed and destroyed by the restaurant staff," Emma continued. Asher looked concerned at Emma’s words. "That's such a waste!" "It is, but there's no other option," Emma sighed lightly. "If someone were to get sick from eating that food, it would be much worse. That was a terrible mistake that the lady made. "So the restaurant staff wants to make sure that the mistake was dealt with the
Asher nodded energetically. “Yes!”“Exactly! So, making mistakes isn’t scary, and not knowing things isn’t scary either. The key is to admit it boldly,” Emma explained.“When we make a mistake, we correct it. If we don’t know something, and it doesn’t affect others, we don’t have to learn it if we don’t want to.“But if it impacts others, we need to learn from it,” she continued.“Just like that lady earlier, she needed to learn not to use shared tongs to serve food. But for something like not wanting to do someone’s makeup, that’s okay, she doesn’t have to learn that.“Shared tongs are necessary for everyone, and they can’t be replaced. If you don’t want to do someone’s makeup, they can find someone else to help. That service can be substituted.”Asher listened intently and nodded his head. “I understand now, Mommy!”Landon watched the entire exchange and silently marveled at Emma’s approach. She had a knack for using examples from Asher’s own experiences to explain things, m
Asher beamed up at Emma, a sense of pride shining on his face.Emma finally gathered her emotions and turned to Asher. “Mommy makes mistakes too, Ash.”Asher’s smile faltered as confusion washed over him. “Huh?”Emma chuckled softly and ruffled his hair. “It’s not just Mommy who makes mistakes, Daddy does too.”“Really?” Asher exclaimed as he turned to look at Landon. His face was filled with disbelief.Landon smiled, though he was unsure where Emma was going with the conversation. Nevertheless, he cooperated without hesitation. “That’s right. Daddy makes mistakes too.”Asher’s mouth hung open in surprise, clearly shocked to learn that his impressive parents could also err.“Not just your parents,” Emma continued with a smile, “even people who are more capable than us make mistakes.”“Why?” Asher asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. “If everyone makes mistakes, then why do we even learn?”“Because we work hard to make fewer mistakes and try our best not to cause trouble
“What disruption? You’re just bullying your customers because your business is big!” The middle-aged woman exploded in anger. “Don’t think I’m easy to push around. I’m calling the police!”The restaurant manager nodded calmly. “Please do. Since your actions have caused damage to our establishment, we will also hold you accountable for those damages.”“Damages? What damages?” the woman shouted, stomping her feet in frustration.Unfazed, the manager responded evenly, “Because of your actions, we now need to remove and replace all the food at the serving stations. You’ll be responsible for covering those losses.“And if any customers request refunds because of this, we’ll refund them in full. If they ask for compensation, we’ll provide that too. All of these expenses will be your responsibility.”The woman nearly exploded at the manager’s words. “You’re deluded!“Come on, son, we’re leaving!” She yanked her son’s arm, pulling him toward the exit.But the restaurant staff was not ab
Since Asher had decided to eat one piece of cake himself, he chose fewer cakes, worried that he would not be able to finish them.‘Look at that! He’s already learning how to make his own choices,’ Emma thought proudly.Emma followed Asher’s lead, picking up the cakes he wanted. Just as they were about to leave, Asher suddenly grabbed her sleeve.Puzzled, Emma looked down and asked, “What is it, sweetie?”“They’re using tongs to feed each other,” Asher said, frowning in displeasure.Emma glanced over and saw a middle-aged woman holding a pair of tongs, about to feed a cake to her son. The boy, around eight or nine, reached out to take the cake with his hand, but the woman pulled the tongs back and scolded him, “Don’t use your hands! Just open your mouth.”Emma felt her face flush in disbelief. ‘What are they thinking?’ she protested quietly.The woman did not want her son to use his hands, claiming it was dirty, yet she was about to feed him with the tongs that everyone used to
Landon smiled. “I like eating too. Our whole family does. But what I enjoy most is eating with all of you.”Asher quickly agreed, “I’m always happy when I eat with Mommy and Daddy.”The family of three arrived at the buffet. Thankfully, Emma had already reserved a spot using her phone while they were still on the road.They headed straight to a small private room, ordered their food through the app, and waited for the server to bring it.“Mommy…” Asher called as he tugged at Emma’s shirt. “I want some cake.”Emma laughed and put on her sunglasses. “Let’s go get some cake.”Asher beamed with excitement. “Okay!” With one hand he held Emma’s hand tightly, while he swung the other one back and forth enthusiastically. He hurried along, and his wide, gleaming eyes searched eagerly for the cake display ahead.“Mommy, over there!” He spotted the table filled with cakes in an instant.Even though he was thrilled to see the cakes, Asher did not let go of Emma’s hand or rush ahead.