"When someone you love is hurt, you should be by their side.""His schedule's packed. We have contracts to fulfill.""As his agent, you've warned him about the consequences. He's an adult who can make his own choices."Penelope kept her distance from Jethro's personal drama.Her cool detachment earned an approving look from Wendy."The entertainment industry moves fast - new faces appear daily. Jethro's popularity is already fading. You used his connections to break in. If he tanks his career by breaking contracts, your path won't be so smooth anymore.""We'll see about my acting career when we get there."I admired the quiet strength in Penelope's response."Please, I'm desperate here. He's being impossible - just sitting at the hospital all day. Help me get him back to work.""You know where we stand. It's not my place."“Penelope…”"I'll reach out to him.""That's all I ask."When Penelope ended the call, Wendy gave her a slow clap. "You've got them eating out of your ha
”Penelope, thank God you're here!""Don't put your hopes on me."Penelope's words hit him like ice water."Just... try your best."Having tried everything else, Jethro’s manager was grasping at straws."Where's Jethro?""Where else? In the room."Since his ex moved from ICU to a regular room, Jethro had barely left her side.The manager looked stressed."Get a doctor to discuss her treatment with him.""Aren't you here to convince Jethro?""He's not the real issue.""You want to see her?"Penelope nodded."She was a professional dancer. With her legs damaged, her dreams are shattered. She's fragile now, like porcelain. Be gentle when you talk to her. Jethro's protective - if you upset her and she breaks down, it'll be trouble.""I understand."While the manager went for a doctor, Penelope headed to the stairwell.She wanted to avoid Jethro for now.Five minutes later, the manager entered the room and left with Jethro.Once they were gone, Penelope knocked.No respons
"You think I'm with him because he's famous?" The ex felt insulted by Penelope's words. "If I cared about his celebrity status, would I have broken up with him?""Could you accept him losing his stardom, working nine-to-five for just enough to get by?" Money isn't everything, but life's hard without it. Though Penelope had never been married, she understood this reality. "We're past the age where love alone is enough.""I love him for who he is, nothing else." The ex lowered her head, fidgeting with the bedsheet. "Before we split, I had dreams, ambitions. I thought someday we'd meet at the top. After the accident, I lost my chance to chase those dreams. Now I'm scared - I feel unsafe when he's not around.""You shouldn't doubt his feelings for you."Jethro's love and devotion to her was obvious, even to an outsider like me.I found myself nodding at Penelope's words.The ex gave a bitter smile. "Maybe because I have nothing left, he's all I can hold onto.""You're still so
Penelope spoke with genuine sincerity."You're different from what I imagined.""You imagined me as a rival."Penelope hit the nail on the head.The ex looked embarrassed. "I'll convince Jethro to go back to work.""Only you can get through to him. His manager’s about to have a breakdown if he stays here any longer.""I've caused everyone so much trouble.""Girls are never at fault. It's always the thoughtless men."Their conversation flowed easily. When Penelope got word that Jethro had left the doctor's office, she said goodbye.As we reached the stairwell, Jethro appeared in our line of sight.He rushed to the room but stopped at the door, pulled out cigarettes, and headed to the smoking area.Remembering Luke smoking after driving me home that day, I whispered, "Do all men smoke when they're stressed?"Penelope murmured back, "They just use it as an excuse to smoke.""You're so perceptive!"To avoid running into Jethro, we took the stairs down one floor before catchin
No use being afraid - we'd face whatever came.Remembering his last call with Mrs. Walker, I asked, "Did you find who you're looking for?""No.""Mrs. Walker won't reveal any details?"Suddenly something clicked as I glanced at the newspaper.Was Mrs. Walker using Luke's marriage as leverage to get information about that person?How important was this person to Luke?Luke noticed my mood shift, his usually stoic lips twitching slightly.The car felt heavy with tension. Once home, I unpacked and opened my laptop to research the Walker family.Besides Luke, there were two daughters.Emma, two years younger than Luke, joined the company after college and became a key executive.Sophie, the free spirit, was a street artist who'd already held two successful solo exhibitions at a young age.Her bold, distinctive style wasn't mainstream enough for Mrs. Walker, who repeatedly asked her to change it.To pursue her passion, Sophie rarely returned home.The Walker family included Mr
After that, she vanished completely.Since the cousin settled abroad, if Wendy could find her address, surely Luke could too.His birth mother was likely the distant cousin who'd disappeared!I studied her file carefully.In her photo, early twenties, she shared some features with Mrs. Walker, but where Mrs. Walker exhibited surface kindness, this woman's eyes showed spirit.Her short hair radiated youth and energy.She was brilliant academically, winning numerous awards and a full scholarship, becoming an exchange student.Her articles in prestigious journals earned scholars' praise, with research labs competing for her.Someone so academic-focused might naturally avoid public life.After reading this, my theory about her being Luke's mother began to waver.I messaged Wendy asking her opinion.Wendy: The first cousin never married. Rumors say she loved Mr. Walker.Me: That would explain the surrogacy angle.Either of one them with Mr. Walker would maintain family ties.A
He also studied pharmaceutical biology.Maybe I was overthinking it.Wendy: I've got people reaching out to Mrs. Walker's cousin. I'll let you know immediately if we learn anything.Me: Wendy, you're like sunshine in winter.Wendy: If Luke saw that message, he'd be drowning in jealousy.As if Luke would be that petty!Me: Mrs. Walker's coming to Johnsonville soon.Wendy: Mr. Walker won't leave his mistress. The more she watches them, the more he'll cherish their time together. If she backs off, the relationship will naturally fade once the excitement wears off.Me: The tighter you grip sand, the faster it slips away.Wendy: Exactly. With both families so intertwined, their marriage was stable. Mrs. Walker only panicked before because of pride. Did she leak Luke's engagement news?Me: Yes, she did.Wendy: Sarah and Jenny freaked out after seeing the news. They've already booked flights to the city.They're walking right into her trap!Me: Mrs. Walker has leverage. Jenny’s n
Three days later, Mrs. Walker called.She was in Johnsonville and wanted to meet for tea.Being weekend, I had no excuse to refuse.Mrs. Walker was like a cold snake - every meeting with her turned unpleasant.Before going, I texted Luke.Luke: Drive carefully.Those simple words soothed my anxiety like a warm touch.Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the teahouse.Mrs. Walker had reserved a private room. The server led me to the farthest room on the second floor.He knocked twice. "Mrs. Walker, your guest is here.""Come in."The server gestured me inside.Mrs. Walker remained seated, beside her sat a woman in a black dress.Her dark hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin, one strand falling elegantly by her ear.When she looked up, the rising steam from the tea made her bright eyes appear even clearer.Her small face was fair and delicate, features refined like a painting come to life.If Wendy and I had seen her on the street, we'd have done a double-take. Under differen
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