The available space for activities and educational resources was almost non-existent in home-fun kindergartens, making it a less desirable option. Anyway, she had inquired about it. The online registration process would require some skill and understanding to complete. She planned to ask around in the nearby internet cafes, confident that they would have people who could help with such matters. Spending some money to ensure her child could attend the desired kindergarten seemed worth it. If that did not work out, she would reluctantly consider a private kindergarten. While the best ones might be out of her financial reach, biting the bullet for a decent one was manageable. Even if it meant making extra trips and handing out more flyers to save some money, Emma believed it was doable.Emma looked at the time, realizing it was almost time to prepare dinner. Meanwhile, Landon handed the signed documents to Calvin. "Make sure they move quickly.""Sure," Calvin took the documents an
Calvin felt things were not as simple as they seemed, "What if you get too immersed in that family atmosphere?"Getting entangled in a fake relationship with that woman seemed to Calvin like a loss for Landon. "You know, you're a wealthy man now. Who wouldn't want to hook up with you? If they manage to get close to you, they won't have to worry about clothes and food for a lifetime. It's a leap across social classes." Calvin was aware of the prevalent trend of women willing to engage in fake marriages for money. How many of them had any moral principles?"She's not that kind of person!" Landon's face darkened, and his mood shifted. Calvin caught his breath."She's my wife, even if it's for convenience's sake," Landon emphasized. "My judgment isn't that poor to the extent I can't see through people."Regardless of authenticity, she was his wife, and others had no say in it.Calvin quickly raised his hand in surrender Was it enough?Landon was truly frightening in this state.Land
Emma smiled and nodded, "Yes, Mr. Landon is right. Go wash your hands, Ash. I’ll read you a storybook in a while. You helped pick the vegetables so I'll take care of things here."Asher happily nodded his little head. After saying goodbye to Landon, he went back to the suite he shared with his mother."Ash is well-behaved and sensible. You’ve raised him well," Landon recalled the few children he had met, and they had never left a favorable impression on him.He had not expected Emma, given her life circumstances, to have so much energy for educating her child as well as she had."Teaching children is quite easy," Emma said as she swept the trash into the bin. "They just need their parents to lead by example and give them affirmation and care.""Along with the right guidance," Emma's eyes darkened slightly as she spoke, a hint of bitterness welling up in her heart. "Treat children as equals, not as an extension of yourself."She wanted her parents' care and protection, not endless
Landon casually placed the test report down and sneered. "Grandfather, why is such an absurd thing appearing before me? I believe you would be able to see that this is a sham. If you think I'm not qualified to control Stirling Group, there are other ways to remove me, instead of resorting to this absurd reason..."Landon's slender fingers pointed at the report on the coffee table. He chuckled to himself.He stood up, adjusted his suit, and prepared to leave.Leopold frowned. "Did you really marry a woman with a child?"Landon laughed and countered with a question of his own. "Grandfather, what does that have to do with anything? At least, I got married!"Leopold turned dark with anger. "Nonsense! This is a marriage! Do you think marriage is a joke? I wanted you to get married so you’d be happy!" Leopold slammed his cane forcefully on the ground. "Do you love this woman?""Love? Yes," Landon responded insincerely.Leopold's chest tightened with anger. "Get out! Leave!""Grandfa
He acknowledged Landon's abilities, but he did not want his grandson, whom he had cherished since childhood, to carry nothing but hatred in his heart, unable to feel the beauty of life beyond work.Leopold let out a heavy sigh. Well, he should find a suitable girl for Landon as soon as possible. As for the one he had married recently, he felt that she was not worthy of his grandson. She was just a plaything that Landon brought to appease him.When Landon gets married, he should find someone who matches him in all aspects. Once Landon has his biological child, his heart will soften, and he would not be as paranoid as he was now. These were not things that the woman with the child could provide.Leopold decided to put aside his pride and consult his old contacts to see if any of them had a suitable girl.After leaving the Stirling family residence, Landon was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere. He was not worried that his grandfather would find out about the marriage. After all, apart f
He felt like he had been deceived by Emma these past few days. He did not expect her to be so reckless, going to nightclubs at this hour! Does she even remember that she was his wife?Emma, however, was unaware of what Landon was thinking. She smiled and raised her phone to show him.Landon curiously leaned in, and upon seeing the screen, he froze. "A baby monitor?"The footage showed Asher peacefully sleeping in the suite."I keep an eye on him while delivering meals. If anything happens, I can come back immediately. I also wear a helmet during deliveries. Even if someone saw me, they wouldn't recognize me later," Emma explained. "Thank you, Mr. Landon, for caring about my son."Emma smiled gently. It made Landon feel particularly awkward. He had thought that she was going to a nightclub when all she cared about was her child. Talking to such an innocent person, Landon felt ashamed of his dark thoughts."It's so late, and you're still delivering food?" Landon finally recalled th
“Hello, Emma? This is George from the catering service. We have a special request for an urgent delivery. Can you handle it?”“Sure, George. What's the address and what's the order?”George quickly provided the details. “It's for Mr. Landon at his office. He needs lunch delivered within the next hour. It's a bit far, so we'll compensate you accordingly. Can you make it?”“Absolutely. I'll take care of it,” Emma assured him.She hurriedly completed the delivery, ensuring the food arrived fresh and hot. Mr. Landon was pleased with the prompt service.Later that evening, Landon returned home. He appreciated the delicious aroma in the air. Emma had prepared a hearty dinner.“Welcome back, Mr. Landon. Dinner is ready,” Emma greeted him with a warm smile.Landon was genuinely touched by her efforts. Despite their unconventional arrangement, Emma's dedication to her role impressed him. As they sat down for dinner, Landon could not help but feel grateful for the unexpected positive chan
Emma had thick skin when it came to insults. She had heard worse things, so the remarks her mother made did nothing to her. As she entered the house, she saw Branson sitting there. She greeted him warmly. "Hello, Uncle Bronson.""Hey," Branson responded. "I heard you were looking to place Asher in a kindergarten. Coincidentally, I know someone working at one.""If you talk to them, it should be possible to secure a spot for you," Branson said with confidence. Emma listened with elation. "Thank you, Uncle Bronson. I'm sorry to trouble you but just let me know how much money is needed."Besides giving gifts to the person doing the favor, she naturally could not forget her uncle's share. Money was something she could manage, even if Landon did not give her ten thousand dollars a month now. She still had her earnings."Sure," Branson said without hesitation. When he arranged things, there was no reason for him to dip into his own pocket."At critical times, you still have to rely on y
“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.