”My wonderful Wendy doesn't need her family to arrange a partner for her!" I exclaimed."You've hit the nail on the head!" Wendy raised an eyebrow at me. "When I meet the right person, I'll make the first move myself!""I trust your judgment, Wendy. Go for it!" I encouraged her.As we were chatting, an unknown number called.Wendy's eyes lit up. She cleared her throat and swiped to answer."What do you want?" she asked directly."I'd like to make a deal with you," the caller replied.Wendy had already guessed the caller's identity from their words. She got straight to the point."How much money do you want?""Asking for money would be extortion. Please don't try to trap me, Mrs. Marshall."The caller fell silent. Wendy was very patient, her fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel.She had leverage over the other party, who couldn't hold out for long and spoke again, "What's your goal?""You get the secret about Nancy from Richard's hands, and I'll send you the video.
"I don't agree with you using yourself as bait!" I said firmly. "Richard is a personal trainer at the gym, he’s very muscular. If it comes to blows, he could take down several men with his bare hands. You can't handle him.""Sweetie, you just said he could take down several men barehanded. Even with you there, my safety wouldn't be guaranteed. Let's not risk another person getting hurt," Wendy replied."No, no, no!" What on earth was she saying? What did she mean by 'getting hurt'? Wendy's words were so ominous that I hastily spat out, "Quick, say you won't get hurt!""My little darling is getting cuter by the day!" Wendy pinched my cheek.I urged her to say something more auspicious. Under pressure, she repeated my words."Better now?" she asked.I nodded, feeling relieved.A mist seemed to form in Wendy's eyes, but when I looked closer, it had vanished.Fearing Richard might do something desperate, I stuck to Wendy like glue.When we got out of the car, I scanned the surro
Luke stood with one hand in his pocket, giving a slight nod.“Do your thing, honey!" Wendy said with a playful wink.Used to her antics, I simply reminded her to drive safely.As I watched her leave, about to enter the building, I noticed Luke standing nearby checking his phone.Luke pocketed his phone and said, "Shall we?"I followed behind him silently."Is there something fascinating about my loafers?"Ever since I learned Luke was the man from that night, I couldn't remain calm when alone with him.Lost in my complicated thoughts, I kept my head down, following his steps closely. He stopped abruptly, and I nearly bumped into his back.Preoccupied, I hadn't heard what he just said. "Did you need something, Mr. Walker?" I asked."You've been staring at my shoes. I thought you might have some fashion advice."I was at a loss for words."If Ms. Middleton has unique insights on outfits, you could be in charge of my daily wardrobe."I was about to refuse, not wanting too muc
I felt a bit frustrated as I turned on the computer. Staring at the screen, I suddenly couldn't remember what I was supposed to do next.I took out the peppermint oil I had prepared and applied it to my temples. The cool sensation helped me calm down a little. I found my to-do list and struggled to get into work mode.At lunchtime, I made a point of calling Wendy.On the other end, Wendy was driving, with the GPS giving directions towards the outskirts of the city.Wendy's workplace was in the city center. Remembering her conversation with Mrs. Marshall yesterday, my heart skipped a beat, and I asked nervously, "Did Mrs. Marshall contact you?""Sweetie, don't be like a startled bird, afraid of every little movement," Wendy said, turning off the GPS. "I'm heading to a resort in the suburbs for work.""Are you meeting a client?""The recent news about the Universe Tech founder's backstabbing has been spreading like wildfire online. There's been a lot of negative press, and their s
As I opened the car door and got in, my emotions had completely settled by the time we had driven a short distance. I unconsciously shifted my position in the seat.Luke noticed my movement, his brows furrowing tightly.He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes.I didn't notice his expression, instead looking down to check the time.Ten minutes had passed since I ended my call with Wendy. I wondered if she had arrived at the meeting place yet, and whether Mrs. Marshall was genuinely cooperating or if she might betray us. Various possibilities flashed through my mind, causing my recently calmed nerves to tense up again.I took out my phone, ready to contact her."Brian is with her the whole time. She'll be fine," Luke said.I hadn't seen Brian at the company during lunch today. So he had gone to protect Wendy.I had seen Brian's profile before. He was the national martial arts champion 15 years ago, capable of both offense and defense. I had once witnessed him subdue a kn
"Look at me, getting all sentimental seeing such accomplished young people like you. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."Luke remained silent, briefly checking his phone before putting it away.In the private room were only Henry and his assistant. Henry kindly said to Brian and me, "Please, have a seat. We're all friends here, no need to stand on ceremony.""Thank you, Mr. Smith," Brian and I said in unison. After getting Luke's approval with a glance, we sat down.Henry looked at me, "You seem familiar. Have we met before?""A few times," I replied. I had encountered Henry a couple of times when out with Wendy, but she wasn't close to her father and never introduced us."For someone so young to be Mr. Walker's assistant, you must be quite capable. My daughter is about your age, and she's very talented too! She's my pride and joy," Henry said, his eyes full of admiration. "Unfortunately, my daughter doesn't like being tied down, always preferring to carve her own path. She'
Outside the private room, Richard was tied up and thrown on the ground. His mouth was gagged, only able to make muffled sounds.Henry, fearing Wendy might cause trouble that could affect her and the Smith family, sternly said, "Don't be stubborn!"He approached Wendy, but she stepped back.Wendy was a top PR professional, usually smooth in handling situations. Her aversion to her father was the reason for this reaction.A flash of hurt crossed Henry's eyes.Luke noticed Wendy's movement and subtly shifted closer to me.My attention was focused on Wendy, so I didn't notice his action.Seeing I didn't move, his handsome face relaxed slightly."Mr. Smith, if I handle this, it can be passed off as young people fooling around. If you get involved and uncover something you shouldn't, it could be problematic," Wendy said.Henry, as Johnsonville's richest man, was sharp. He sensed something unusual in Wendy's words.In an instant, the shock and disbelief in his eyes were replaced by
The surveillance footage showed his face contorted with rage, his eyes filled with vicious intent, sending chills down one's spine.Mrs. Marshall, watching the video with Wendy, looked at the "stranger" on screen with horror.Richard's brutality made me want to hand him over to the police immediately."The human heart is unfathomable," Wendy said, kicking Richard's shoulder lightly. "You can keep trying to defend yourself.""I..." With irrefutable evidence, even if Richard stubbornly denied it, he couldn't change what he'd done. He mumbled, "But you're fine, aren't you?"I was speechless.He showed not a hint of remorse. How could someone be so shameless?Wendy laughed bitterly at his words. "If something had happened to me, you wouldn't be here right now.""This is a society governed by law. Since there was no loss of life and you weren't injured, even if you call the police, they can't do much to me.""You should be grateful we live in a lawful society.""If you let me go t
We both knew how we felt about each other, but neither of us made the first move to confess.“I gave birth to him in circumstances I couldn’t control,” Molly said, her hands tightly clutching her cup, fingers unconsciously tracing its edge. “I used to think about fighting back against the people who hurt me, but reality forced me to wake up. I couldn’t afford to lose everything.”She hesitated, her gaze dropping. “There are things from back then that I just can’t bring myself to tell him.”When I arranged for Luke and Molly to spend some time alone, the two of them mostly sat in silence.“Mrs. Walker couldn’t have children for years after her marriage. Luke was just a tool to help her secure her place in the family,” Molly explained.Mr. Walker was handsome, wealthy, and from a good family. After getting married, women constantly threw themselves at him. According to the information Wendy had dug up, Landon didn’t exactly push them away.In such a situation, Mrs. Walker, Ashleigh
Molly poured four glasses of juice and sat across from Luke.She looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start.I gave Ian a quick look.Ian took a sip of his juice and said, “Miss, the juice is sweet and sour—it’s so good!”“Drink it up, and I’ll pour you some more,” Molly offered.Luke interjected, “It’s almost time to rest. Don’t drink too much juice.”“I’m sorry, I don’t have experience taking care of kids,” Molly said, lowering her head. After a pause, she quietly repeated, “I’m sorry.”She was probably thinking of Luke as a baby.I clutched my stomach, pretending to wince. “Excuse me, Molly. My stomach hurts; I need to head back to my room.”As I stood, I grabbed Ian’s wrist.Ian caught on quickly. “Jen is a girl. She’ll get scared going back alone—I have to go with her.”Not giving Luke a chance to respond, I opened the door and said, “Mr. Walker, you stay and chat with Molly. Ian and I will be back in a bit.”In the hallway, Ian looked thoug
Molly wasn’t the type to make things difficult for others. She didn’t give the hotel manager a hard time.After the staff left, Molly turned to thank Luke and me. “Thank you for staying with me and helping me handle this.”Luke glanced at her but didn’t say anything.The silence grew awkward, so I quickly broke it. “You don’t have to thank us. We didn’t really do much.”“Would you like to come in and sit for a while?” Molly invited us into her room.Before either of us could respond, Ian, who’d been holding back his excitement, eagerly chimed in, “Yes, yes! Let’s go!”I sighed internally.Molly finally noticed the little one in Luke’s arms. “And who’s this?”“I’m Ian Lloyd,” he introduced himself cheerfully.But the moment he got a good look at Molly’s face, he let out a small “Huh?” and then turned to look at Luke.Luke frowned slightly, and their eyes met—a silent understanding passing between them. Ian immediately shut his mouth and swallowed whatever he’d been about to sa
Five hours later, we arrived in Sharonville.Before the trip, Luke had everything arranged. After landing, we took a car to the hotel he’d booked in advance.In the hotel lobby, we ran into Molly. She was walking with two middle-aged men in sharp suits, smiling as she chatted with them.When her eyes met Luke’s, her smile froze for a moment, then slowly softened as she stared at him without blinking.Luke didn’t acknowledge her. He walked right past, brushing by her shoulder as though she wasn’t there. From the corner of my eye, I saw her eyes redden.The two men exchanged glances but didn’t say anything. That night, however, they sent two young, handsome men to Molly’s room.Our room was on the same floor as Molly’s. After dinner out, we returned to the hotel and saw her standing at her door with the two young men.Their faces were powdered with heavy makeup, and they looked eager to please, practically glued to her.My thoughts immediately took a less innocent turn.Luke co
Amy messaging me at this hour was probably another complaint about other agencies trying to poach her, or how stressed she was about it all.The underlying message? She wanted me to contact Mr. Lloyd to secure better resources for her—a thinly veiled threat, essentially.Since several popular artists left One Entertainment, the company’s resources had started to dwindle.Mr. Lloyd’s return wasn’t just because of his love for acting. He also wanted to support the company’s artists, giving them more opportunities to shine.Amy had already begun to stand out. If she simply focused on honing her craft and stayed patient, she’d get her share of the spotlight.When Mr. Lloyd founded the company, his goal was to grow it into a powerhouse that protected its artists. Now, he had adopted a more laid-back approach: if an artist wanted to leave, they just needed to pay the penalty fee.Amy’s tactics wouldn’t change anything.I went back to reading my book.My phone buzzed again, and I ass
Mr. Lloyd's words carried a hint of reassurance for me.“Jen, Uncle asked me to create a travel itinerary!”Luke had been telling Ian lots of stories about Sharonville, and Ian had also looked up a ton of information online. He now knew every street in the city and how many shops were on each one.Carefully folding his sweaters, Ian placed them neatly into his suitcase, which was decorated with a cheerful Doraemon sticker.“I’m really looking forward to your travel guide, Ian!”“I’ve already finished most of it!” Ian was a serious little worker who never did things half-heartedly. If he said it was nearly done, he was probably putting on the finishing touches.I praised him warmly.“Jen, since the three of us are traveling together, we need to consider everyone’s preferences and suggestions.”“So, you want to get my input to finalize it?”“Exactly.”“Well, wherever you want to go is where I want to go. This trip, I’ll leave the planning to you.”Luke had work to handle in Shar
For the past few days, Luke has been picking me up and dropping me off at work.Reporters often linger outside One Entertainment, and it took a lot of effort for rumors about me and Luke to die down. I didn’t want them to resurface.Luke understood my concerns, so he always parked his car a block away from the company. Once he sent me a message, I’d grab Ian and head over.That evening, Luke prepared another full table of dishes for dinner.Ever since things thawed between us, I hadn’t said much during meals, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed than before.“She’s already in Sharonville,” Luke said.“Hasn’t she been out of the country for years? Will she be safe there alone?”He was talking about Molly.The Walker family has been a prominent family in Sharonville for generations, with deep-rooted connections and influence. Mrs. Walker is a respected figure, and many people in Sharonville owe her favors. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone decided to teach Molly a lesson on
I watched the behind-the-scenes footage, and Mr. Lloyd looked great. After stepping out of the spotlight for a few years, his demeanor has become even more composed and sophisticated, perfectly matching the calm and collected surgeon he portrays in the show.“He’s as brilliant as ever,” Beatrice said, her eyes filled with admiration. “As long as the co-stars hold their ground, this show is bound to be a hit.”“He has an exceptional eye for picking scripts,” she added, her gaze glued to the screen.I didn’t interrupt her. Instead, I got up and went to the kitchen to check on Ian’s progress.For someone so young, Ian took everything seriously. Standing on a small stool to make up for his height, he carefully worked on brewing coffee, his movements precise and methodical.“Waiter Number One, Ian Lloyd, at your service. Your oat latte will be ready soon,” he announced cheekily.I laughed at his playful tone and played along. “Waiter Number Two will now deliver orange juice to Mr. Ian
While Beatrice chatted with Ian, I brought the gifts to the living room."You're too kind, Ms. Middleton.""Ian bought these with his pocket money."I winked at Ian.He caught on quickly, nodding.Beatrice warmly invited me to sit.Fresh fruit and two plates of nuts were on the coffee table.She placed a fruit bowl before me. "Yesterday's blueberries are fresh—crisp and sweet."The large blueberries were covered in bloom. I took one and made space for Beatrice."What would you like? Coffee or juice?""Fresh orange juice for me, and Jen likes oat milk latte," Ian said, playing with a doll, squishing its face into different shapes.Suddenly remembering our earlier conversation, he dropped the doll and ran to the kitchen. "I've learned lots from Jen. I can make juice and coffee!"Beatrice praised him: "How impressive!"She started toward the kitchen, concerned.I held her arm. "Ian's a quick learner. He does everything properly. We can trust him.""He gets along so well wit