The clock on the wall continued ticking. It was almost time to pick up the kids from the kindergarten. Jay glanced at Rose who was slumped on the couch. He quietly stood up and walked toward the door. "I'll pick up the kids." Rose looked at him with extreme gratitude. "Thank you so much!" She did not feel like moving for the rest of the day. She received a call from Sean not long after Jay left. "Are you free now, Rose? I'd like to talk to you." Rose walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. She pulled the blinds away and saw Sean's Ferrari outside, parked next to the road. "Alright, I'll come now," Rose ended the call and went briefly lost in thought. She had her reasons for getting close to Sean. Her conscience made her uneasy. The furniture installer was done with assembling the bed. He politely said goodbye to Rose. "The bed is ready, Miss. If you have any other problems with it, you can call the customer service number." "I'll send you out."
Robbie and Jens saved up a portion of their spaghetti and transferred it to Zetty's plate. Jay happened to notice that and reprimanded them. "Don't spoil her." Robbie and Jens could only take their spaghetti back to their plates. "Hmph!" Zetty grunted unhappily. She ran into her bedroom and slammed the door. The sudden loud noise made Jay's heart skip a beat. He turned to look at the tightly shut door. "Does her bad temper remind you of anyone?" He said gloomily. Robbie and Jens were licking their plates clean. They looked up from their plates and blinked innocently. "Her dad," they said in unison. Jay was surprised. He thought for a bit and nodded. "That's right. Your Mommy doesn't have a short temper. Zetty must have inherited her temper from her scumbag dad." Robbie and Jens laughed at the same time. "What are you two boys laughing about?" Jay asked suspiciously when he looked at the two boys losing their minds. "Daddy, sometimes when you wake up in the morning,
Rose ended the call. The exhaustion on her face was evident. Sean handed her a glass of red wine with a smile. "Have a drink. You might forget your worries for a while." Rose took the glass, but when she was reminded that Jay had forbidden her from drinking after she was drunk the last time, she placed the glass on the table. "I'm not good with alcohol. I've stopped drinking," Rose said frankly. Sean looked at Rose's clear, sparkling eyes. He was reminded of how she had declined his unreasonable request when they first met. Her unyielding principles had given him a lasting impression. "Why are you looking for a job?" Sean asked her. Rose was surprised. She did not expect that Sean would remember that she had asked him to help her find a job a few days ago. Rose thought for a while and answered, "Some people work to survive, and some people work for pleasure. As for myself, I work to prove my worth to the people I care for." Sean tipped the wine glass in his hand. The bl
"I'm sorry, Sean. I don't want to leave you behind, but my anxiety disorder is worsening by the day. I am afraid that I will hurt you. Forgive Mommy for leaving you." Back then, he was not too young or too old. He was in his rebellious phase. He was the naughtiest kid in school, and he often got himself in trouble for fighting and truancy. Everyone thought that he was a delinquent, but no one knew that he did all that to get his parents' attention. His father frequently found pleasure with other women. His mistresses would call his mother on the phone every day and upset her with explicit language. His kind and gentle mother could not withstand the stress and eventually was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders. Her health failed, and her temper worsened. He thought that when Mommy said she would 'leave early', she was going to run away from home like how he used to. He did not expect that it was a suicide note. Mommy jumped off a tall building after writing it.
"Why are you… aren't you asleep yet, Sir Ares?" Rose wanted to ask him why he was at her rented property, but she quickly realized that the house belonged to him. "Rose, did you just neglect your children because you have a date with another man?" Jay spoke hoarsely. He tapped the cigarette between his fingers on the ashtray, stubbed out the tip, tossed it inside, and leered at Rose. Rose was shocked when she saw the pile of cigarette butts in the ashtray. How long had he been waiting for her? "Sir Ares," she walked over and explained to him, "I'd like to come back earlier to take care of the kids, but Mr. Bell wasn't feeling well today and, as his friend, I thought I'd stay back and talk to him…" Before she could finish her sentence, vicious anger appeared on Jay's tired face. "Many cowardly men suffer from sadness and mental breakdowns every day, Rose Loyle. Are you going to talk to them all?" He was implying that she was a salacious woman. Rose's eyes turned red with
Zetty hugged Rose as soon as she got out of bed. "Where were you last night, Mommy? I miss you!" Rose patted Zetty's head and spoke to her gently, "Did you and Daddy fight last night, and you skipped dinner too? You must be starving!" Zetty patted her stomach and said sweetly, "Daddy cooked some noodle soup for me last night, Mommy. I didn't starve." "He cooked noodle soup for you?" Rose was shocked. "Mm." Zetty nodded. Rose gently pinched Zetty's cheeks. "I told you that he had a kind heart under his cold demeanor. Don't give him any trouble next time!" Zetty nodded obediently. "I won't, Mommy." Rose sent the three children to the kindergarten after breakfast, then rushed to the Bell Enterprise office. It was her first day at work in Bell Enterprise. To present a good first impression to her colleagues, she put on some light makeup and wore a proper office suit. Gone was her pure and clean image, and instead she looked diligent and capable. She attracted many eyes
Lifting an arm, Rose sent a slap across Nancy’s cheek. Slap— Everyone present froze at the sharp sound of the slap cut through the room. Cupping the burning skin of her cheek, Nancy glared unquestionably at Rose. “How dare you slap me?” Sean Bell was evidently shell-shocked. Despite the glaring distaste he held for his sister, Nancy Bell, Sean still tried his best at pretending to embrace this woman as his sister. Shutting his eyes to Nancy’s bouts of tantrums for the sake of keeping up the gentle and elegant facade he put up before the Bell elders. It had never crossed his mind that Rose Loyle would avenge him so resolutely for something he had resigned himself to endure. It felt great! However, in the face of a duo with special identities, Sean could not help but worry about the consequences Nancy was to face.“You saw, right Sean? Your assistant slapped me! I’m telling Daddy.” Nancy bawled as she ran off.Sean’s expression darkened at his sister’s threat, knowing
Most likely unaware of such an incident, Chairman Bell was shocked at the words he heard and turned to look at Nancy in surprise. Of course, it went without saying that there was no way Nancy would admit such an act in front of her father. Especially not when doing so meant that she was plotting against both Rose Loyle and Sean. Daddy would be mortified, knowing she was plotting against her brother. Nancy Bell adamantly denied, “She’s lying, Daddy.” Naturally, Chairman Bell believed his daughter over Rose, not to mention how Rose’s reputation was far from great. Such had only further enraged him, “Rose Loyle! How dare you slander Nancy?” Purposefully expressing a look of surprise, Rose’s following words had the people across her dropping their jaws. “It’s what Sir Ares told me, Chairman. As to whether that is the truth or not, I believe it best you ask Sir Ares himself.” Both father and daughter Bell broke down. Fear was written on Nancy’s face. “You’re lying, Rose Loyle.