Since Annie came to Johnsonville, she forbade me from going to the nursing home. She believed it was more important for me to stay home and take care of her than to take care of the residents at the nursing home. At that time, I tolerated her demands to keep Max from being caught in the middle. Looking back now, I realize how foolish I was."That's great! Anytime works for me, Jen," Patty eagerly replied."Let's meet at the nursing home at two," I confirmed.After ending the call, I spent a couple of hours reading before heading out to buy gifts.At exactly two o'clock, I arrived at the nursing home. The taxi driver kindly helped me unload the gifts from the trunk."Jen, why did you buy so many things?" Patty asked, her face beaming with joy as she greeted me. She had arrived a bit earlier."I haven't seen them in a while. This is just a small token of my appreciation.""You may not have seen them in a while, but you still send money every month. You're not related to them, yet
I couldn't contain my laughter. It felt amazing to have someone defend me."Jen, is she the woman who destroyed your family?" Mrs. Foster asked."Yes, she is!" I responded, following Mrs. Foster's lead. I couldn't let her efforts go to waste. "She's always around. I can't avoid her even if I try.""You awful woman! Are you bullying Jen because she doesn't have a family?" Mrs. Foster grabbed the sewing basket from the table and hurled it at Mandy. "Let me tell you, everyone here at the nursing home is Jen's family. If you bully her, you're bullying all of us!""You shameless person! Look at your clothes. You don't belong here. Get out before you make a mess of this place!" Mrs. Todd, still lively in her fifties, stood up to drive Mandy away."You've misunderstood. I'm not Jen's husband's lover. I...""I know you're the official wife now. You succeeded in your scheme! Pah!""It's not what you think. I...""Don't give me that nonsense about unrequited love being the real mistress.
"Jen, I grew up in a foster home and joined Mulligan after graduation. I thought that if I worked hard, my life would improve. But after three years, I'm still just a design assistant, doing menial tasks. My designs always end up in the trash," Patty said, her expression pained."Whenever something goes wrong, I'm the scapegoat. I'm always the one working overtime, but never on the list for a raise. I'm tired of this job.""Patty, you told me about your work situation before, and I had Wendy find you a new job, but you turned it down, saying you didn't want to adapt to a new environment."I remembered Wendy had found her a position as a designer at Origin Real Estate. Although Origin was smaller than Mulligan at the time, its founder was the son of a well-known wealthy entrepreneur in Johnsonville. There were many rumors about Origin; some said the founder wasn't serious and wouldn't last long, while others believed the company had strong backing. Wendy, knowing the founder well, be
When I arrived at the Pet Pavilion, I saw Luke standing at the entrance, talking on the phone. He looked different from his usual business attire, wearing a black tracksuit and styled hair that made him appear a few years younger.In that moment, I felt a sense of déjà vu. Years ago, I had seen him in a similar outfit at my house. Luke could pull off anything, even a simple tracksuit, with his tall frame, broad shoulders, and narrow waist. Back then, he had stood under a wall of blooming roses, lost in thought with his hands in his pockets. At that time, I was focused on Max and barely noticed Luke. However, that brief glimpse of him had left a lasting impression on me. The memory felt so vivid, as if it had happened just yesterday, despite the passage of years and the many changes that had occurred.I overheard a snippet of Luke's phone conversation, so I positioned myself a bit further away to avoid eavesdropping. When Luke spotted me, he ended the call."Sorry for the inconvenien
"At least you're luckier than me. My parents..." Patty began, but I cut her off.Patty had told me about her difficult childhood more than once. When I was still naive, her story had deeply moved me. However, after experiencing the darker sides of human nature, I realized Patty was using her story to gain my sympathy."Patty, I used to feel a lot of sympathy for you because of your background, and I did everything I could to help you. But we barely know each other, and I don't owe you anything," I firmly said."Jen, I'm not saying you owe me. Some things are easy for you but could change my life. If you won't talk to Mrs. Muller about me, can you help me get a job at Origin Real Estate?""..." She thought getting into Origin was as easy as walking into a market?"I recently sent my resume to Origin, but I got rejected in the interview stage. If I couldn't get in myself, how could I help you?""But you...""Origin is different now. You have work experience, so you could try apply
Luke reacted quickly, pulling me back just in time by my arm, causing me to bump into his chest."Sorry, I didn't see you there," the person with the shopping cart hurriedly apologized. I nodded slightly to indicate that it was fine.Luke's eyes darkened, and the other person quickly left upon noticing his stern expression."See how quickly that boyfriend reacted? He pulled her into his arms immediately! Last time, you just stood there dumbly while I got hit by a bicycle!" The couple's argument floated over, reminding me that I was still leaning against Luke's chest. I quickly straightened up and took a step to the side.My sudden movement was like that of a startled rabbit, jumping away.Feeling a bit embarrassed, I said, "Thanks for just now.""You seem to get it well," Luke remarked.I was speechless.Luke, looking displeased, pushed the cart past me. He worked out regularly, and even through his clothes, I could feel the firmness of his chest. I discreetly touched my back,
Luke smiled slightly and effortlessly retrieved the two books he needed from the bookshelf."You knew where they were this entire time and didn't tell me!" I exclaimed, frustrated from my futile search.I toyed with the idea of pouring out the water I had poured, but he was my boss. All I could do was make a few harmless remarks. I handed him the glass politely.Luke took the glass. "How many of these books have you read?""I'm not sure."Maybe five, six, or even seven or eight!When I was minoring in finance, I attempted to read a few of them. My father's books were always filled with notes, densely packed, triggering my trypophobia. The content was also complex and hard to grasp. Since Max could explain things more clearly, I gave up on struggling with my father's books."Are you unsure or too embarrassed to admit it?" Luke teased."Are you suggesting that to excel in my job, I need to read all of my dad's books?"Luke was usually straightforward. Why was he being so indirec
Wendy grew increasingly agitated, contemplating whether she would have already slapped Francis Muller if he were in front of her."Wendy is always so caring, never wanting me to suffer even a little," I said, feeling warmth spread through me. Tears welled up in my eyes."Of course, you're my treasure!" Wendy's voice gradually calmed. "Did Luke do anything about this? Since it happened at JL Capital, he should have intervened, right?""If he didn't handle it, then anyone could bully JL Capital's employees.""From the way you're talking, Luke did more than just intervened—he did a good job?""He did an excellent job."I recounted the entire incident to Wendy."You've grown up, Jen! This is such an exciting story, and you didn't tell me!" Wendy said, excitedly."Wendy, I was wrong. Give me another chance."I thought everyone involved would keep it quiet. Little did I know that Francis would gossip and distort the story."Here we go again!" Wendy said fondly. "So, how do you plan