After breakfast, Haley made some final touches to her sketches from the previous night. She did not head to the office until the afternoon. Shane was always worried about her driving alone, so he assigned a driver to her. If he was unavailable, the driver would take care of all her transportation needs. Because of this, it did not take long for everyone at JY to know just how much Shane doted on Haley.Not only the employees at JY, but even those at Ford Corporation noticed the change. If it was surprising that the workaholic Shane started leaving work on time after getting married, it was even more astonishing that he now left early. This was unheard of for someone like Shane!At first, no one could believe it, because everyone knew how much their president loved his work. But ever since he got married, his wife had taken the top spot in his heart, pushing work to second place.That evening, Shane was supposed to attend a dinner with some of Jasper City's top business leaders.
In fact, everyone had long noticed that there seemed to be constant tension between William and Haley. Although Haley usually treated William with professional courtesy, it was strictly limited to work. Outside of that, she often had an attitude that practically screamed, "Stay away from me."Yet, for some reason, William kept trying to get close to her.In the conference room, Haley sat back in her chair, her gaze cool as she looked at William. "Go ahead, what do you want?""Miss Haley, there's no need to act like I'm a threat. I'm not going to eat you," William said, his hands casually resting on the table, a smile playing on his lips. When he smiled, his whole demeanor seemed gentle, and his eyes appeared harmless. But Haley knew better that this was all just a facade."I don't have time for small talk. If you have something to say, get to the point," Haley replied, tapping her pen lightly on the table, producing a crisp sound.William did not hesitate and said, "I just want
Back in her office, the more Haley thought about it, the angrier she became. She could not figure out what William was trying to do or what kind of unresolved issues existed between him and the Ford family. Although he had not explicitly said anything, she could sense the hatred in his eyes every time he mentioned Shane. It was a deep-seated hatred, like a dark, swirling vortex ready to consume everything.She could not understand what had happened in the Ford family’s past. What could Shane have done to drive William to such madness?After some time, she finally calmed down and decided to call Jenny. She wanted to warn her that William was not as harmless as he appeared and to be cautious around him. But before she could speak, Jenny's voice, filled with excitement, came through the line, "Haley, I have great news to tell you. When do you have time? Let's meet up."Haley frowned, feeling a sense of foreboding. "What's the good news?"Jenny replied mysteriously, "It's a secret
Not receiving her friend's blessing, Jenny pouted unhappily. "What? Do I look like someone who would joke about this?"Hearing this, Haley realized she had overreacted and quickly adjusted her emotions. "Jenny, that's not what I meant. It's just hard to believe, especially since you only recently made your relationship official, right?"She knew Jenny too well. Every time she fell in love, she ended up heartbroken, crying in Haley's arms. If it were anyone else, Haley would not be so concerned, but it was William. He was a man she could not figure out. Was he genuinely interested in Jenny, or did he have ulterior motives? She feared that Jenny would get hurt.Blushing, Jenny said, "Actually, we had already been intimate before we officially got together. I got drunk one night and... well..."That night, she had been feeling down because her parents had called to ask for money. When she refused, they cursed at her over the phone, using every foul word imaginable, treating her like
Seeing Jenny so deeply involved, Haley did not know what to say. The atmosphere in the private room grew tense and stagnant.Noticing the change, Jenny asked in confusion, "Haley, you used to support me in pursuing my own happiness. Why do you suddenly have such a strong opinion against William?"Haley hesitated for a moment. Just when Jenny thought she would not speak, Haley said, "William is Shane's half-brother."She quickly tried to calm Jenny, who seemed startled. "Don't get upset. I only found out a few days ago, and I suspect that William has an ulterior motive for coming back.""What do you mean?" Jenny's mind went blank for a moment. What did she mean by William being Shane's half-brother? Was the world of wealthy families always this complicated?Haley sighed and explained everything she knew. Jenny fell silent, her head bowed with her long eyelashes hiding her thoughts.Haley could not guess what was going through her mind, so she quickly grasped her hand to reassure h
William lowered his gaze, a fleeting emotion flickering in his eyes before he smiled and gently placed his hand over Jenny's. "What's wrong? Are you upset?""Yeah, I went to several job interviews today, but I haven't heard back from any of them."Jenny was different from Haley. Not only did she come from a less fortunate background, but her academic performance was also average. Luck had never seemed to favor her. If she were to count her blessings, there were only three. The three blessings were becoming best friends with Haley, getting accepted into Jasper City University, and meeting William.William was kind and considerate. After they got together, he did not mind her lack of a privileged background and was even willing to live with her in this small apartment. He was the brightest light in her dark world, and she clung to that light with all her might.William held Jenny's hand and turned to embrace her. "It's okay. Even if you can't find a job, I can take care of you."
William sensed that something was off with Jenny, but he could not figure out what had happened. Ever since they started dating, every time Jenny saw him, she would either blush or chatter non-stop as if she had endless things to say to him. But today, her mood seemed different.However, William had other matters to attend to, so he did not press further. He picked up his phone and car keys and left.In the bedroom, Jenny clearly heard the sound of the door opening and closing. She hugged her knees tightly, burying her face in her legs, and finally let herself cry. Her pale hands clutched at her sleeves, trying to hold back the waves of emotion. Although it was summer, the floor was still cold, but she seemed oblivious, letting the pain engulf her.The next morning, Jenny woke up with a sense of discomfort. Her eyes were swollen from crying. As she ate breakfast, she tried to reduce the swelling with ice packs, but with little success. In the end, she had to go to a job intervie
"Mr. Green, here's your pen."Henry reached out and took it, letting out a small scoff. "At least you have some sense, but you should know, fresh graduates don't stand a chance in a big company like ours."Jenny bit her lip, feeling a bit down. Was she going to be rejected again? But she gathered her courage, her tone firm. "Experience is built up little by little. I believe I can do this job. Please give me a chance to prove myself."Henry tapped the pen lightly on the table twice, chuckling. "A chance? Do you think our company is a charity? Skywise is looking to climb higher, and we need the best of the best."His words were harsh, practically spelling out, "You're not qualified."A strong sense of inferiority and humiliation surged in Jenny's heart. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Mr. Green, I may not be perfect, but there's no need to make me feel worthless. If your company is so arrogant, then I don't need to lower myself to beg for this job."With that, she