Seeing her discomfort, the Dean didn't insist she stay."I can have my driver take you back to the hotel, Dr. Anderson.”"I've been to Johnsonville before. After so many years, I'd like to walk back and reminisce about the past."“It has changed dramatically over the years - it's not the city you remember. Let me at least have someone accompany you."Molly politely declined the Dean's offer and left alone.Her desire to reminisce was a pretense - she was waiting for Mrs. Walker.After some thought, I put on my sunglasses and followed at a discreet distance.As I'd expected, Mrs. Walker couldn't resist confronting Molly.David pulled the car alongside Molly and lowered the window. "Miss Anderson, Madam would like you to get in.""After all these years, you're still her lackey!" Molly's eyes flashed with mockery."So you remember me, Miss Anderson.""I might forget others, but never you!"Her words carried hidden meaning. David shifted uncomfortably. "Miss Anderson...""If y
"This isn't for you to decide.""Nor is it for you."The tension between Molly and Mrs. Walker was palpable. If not for the passing pedestrians, Mrs. Walker would have already ordered David to drag Molly into the car for a "lesson.""You've stayed single all these years - still pining for Leonard Haber? Too bad. Less than a month after breaking your engagement, he married that Horrison girl and had a lovely daughter. Their daughter and Luke get along so well - they'll be engaged soon. You could see your old flame at their engagement party. Won't it be interesting to watch them all happy together while you're all alone?"Mrs. Walker was deliberately twisting the knife."Not everyone's like you, unable to exist without a man."Molly's tone remained neutral, completely unfazed by Mrs. Walker's taunts.Unsatisfied, Mrs. Walker pressed on. "What if I told you that Mrs. Haber helped arrange everything back then?""No surprise there - you're all cut from the same cloth," Molly sneered
"Young people these days should break their habit of eavesdropping."The word "eavesdropping" made me blush. As I apologized again, I followed her gaze to spot a black Maybach.Checking the license plate, I recognized Emily Haber's car."That's Emily Haber."The daughter of Molly's old acquaintances.From the earlier exchange between Molly and Mrs. Walker, I'd gathered there was a complicated history between Molly, Leonard, and Mrs. Haber."Go get her," Molly instructed."Okay."Before I reached the car, Emily stepped out. "Ms. Middleton, what brings you here?""I came for Dr. Anderson's lecture."Since she'd seen me with Molly, there was no point in hiding anything."I came to see her too." Emily's presence confirmed she knew Molly's identity. "Are you close with her?""Not really. She wants to see you.""She knows about me?"Emily's surprise held a hint of joy.Mrs. Walker had mentioned Emily earlier. I just smiled without commenting.Emily followed me to Molly."Hel
How could anyone remain gentle after such hardship!I stayed quiet, preparing to leave."Ms. Middleton, where are you going? I can give you a ride.""My car's nearby."Emily asked if Luke had met with her."I'm not sure.""You're still upset with him! I've already explained about him and me..." Emily's face twisted with annoyance as she glanced down the street. "So irritating, being followed by this pest every day."She pointed to a Volkswagen nearby. "Jenny's people are in that car. They've been tailing me for over a week. Luke wants this handled before I leave Johnsonville.”Luke had mentioned Jenny targeting Emily."If Luke hadn't arranged this, you'd be the one being followed. He's protecting you. A man like him has predators circling - you'll regret it if you let him slip away."I remained silent."Love is between two people. Whatever I say won't matter - the decision is yours."Emily prepared to leave.Sarah and Jenny had been fighting Wendy for years - they had plen
"Okay!"Ian followed me into the living room.He paused briefly when he saw the memorial photos displayed there.It was natural for a four-year-old to be scared by such things.I'd forgotten about the photos and suggested, "We could stay at a hotel.""Are they your family, Jen?"Ian looked up at me."They're my mom and dad.""You're a good person, Jen, so your parents must have been good people too." He turned toward the stairs. "Is my room upstairs? I can't wait to see it!""I'll show you up."Though young, Ian was like a little angel, often saying things that touched my heart.Growing even fonder of him, I led him upstairs.Knowing he was coming, I'd cleaned up a long-unused room and bought new children's furnishings.The bed had SpongeBob SquarePants bedding, which delighted him. "SpongeBob is my favorite cartoon character!"He approached the bed politely. "Sister, may I feel it?""Of course - it's all yours."He touched the sheets, sat down, and looked around. "I lo
"Mr. Walker, I'm sorry about Ian’s behavior," I said, taking Goofy's leash from Ian and offering it to Luke.Luke looked at Ian.Ian scampered to my side and tugged at my clothes. “Jen, I invited him to dinner to thank him for bringing Goofy and Doggo over."I: ...“Jen, is dinner ready? I'm hungry. When can we eat?"Ian patted his stomach as he spoke."It's ready.""Thank you for cooking!" Ian took Luke's hand. "Uncle, let's go."Luke nodded slightly."Mr. Walker, hasn't Marianne prepared your dinner?"Facing Luke always unsettled me - I didn't want to share dinner with him."She's taken leave for some family matters.""Who's Marianne?"Ian looked up at Luke, trying to get his attention."Marianne cooks, cleans, and looks after the dogs for Mr. Walker.""Are you very busy with work, Uncle?""Yes.""Who's taking care of Goofy while Marianne's away?"Ian gently petted Goofy, who stood quietly beside him.Goofy wagged her tail gently.From her expression, she clearly
I handed Ian the bowl of soup I'd just served. "Careful, it's hot."My gentle tone and warm smile contrasted sharply with my earlier coldness.Luke sighed softly as he and Ian left the kitchen.Watching Luke's retreating figure, my smile faded.My heart was conflicted. Luke's changed attitude had been about protecting me from danger. But his actions only highlighted the gap between us. I didn't want to be his burden, so I tried improving myself to become his equal. In the end, I'd overestimated both my potential and abilities.When I composed myself and entered the dining room, Luke and Ian were deep in animated conversation.Ian loved gaming and knew everything about different games and levels. Luke was knowledgeable too, engaging with every point.Ian's eyes lit up as he asked, "After dinner, can I play games with you, Uncle?"Knowing how busy Luke was, I started to intervene.Luke: "Of course.""Mr. Walker, don't you have work tonight?""After a long day, some relaxation
I considered blurring Luke's face in the video before sending it. Mr. Lloyd had already guessed there was something undefined between Luke and me back when we were abroad. Blurring him out would be pointless denial.I sent the original video to Mr. Lloyd.In the kitchen, Luke and Ian were washing dishes together. When they emerged, their faces were covered in water droplets.Seeing water about to drip onto Ian's clothes, I quickly grabbed napkins to dry his face. "Were you washing your faces instead of the dishes?""I accidentally splashed water on Uncle's face, then he accidentally splashed me back!"Luke "accidentally"? He clearly did it on purpose!How childish of him to play games with a kid like that!So immature!Just as I finished drying Ian's face and was about to throw away the napkin, Luke caught my hand and used it to wipe his own face."The napkins are right here - dry yourself."His sudden intimate gesture made my heart skip a beat.I quickly pulled my hand away
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