Gale opened her mouth but could not speak; tears streamed down her cheeks. "Don't cry, Mommy. You told me that a girl's tears can't be shed easily because they are precious." Nicole gently wiped her tears."We are all here with you, trying to cheer you up. Don't be angry or sad, okay? I want to see you and Daddy being affectionate and even give us one more brother or sister!""Joshua and I both want a younger sibling, so I can be a big sister too!" Gale hugged Nicole tightly, burying her face in her little shoulder, silently crying. Her sadness, and her vulnerability, were all laid bare in this moment. They were her most beloved, and she was theirs. She had to pull herself together and had to be happy again. That way, Joshua and Nicole would not worry about her.Gale could not help but imagine Nicole learning to make a veil in kindergarten, and Joshua learning to make rings. The two kids must have been thinking they had to do their best, to make their parents happy. They were so
"Wow, I'm so high up!""Daddy, you are so strong."Shawn grabbed his ankle. "Joshua, hold on tight."Joshua instantly became the tallest person in the room. He had to bend down to see Gale and Nicole, with even Shawn below him. He felt fantastic.Joshua cheered loudly, "Wow, being up here... I mean, sitting up high is great! Ha-ha-ha! So high! The air up here is so fresh!""I've sat up here before. Joshua, isn't it a different feeling? Daddy is tall and strong, totally capable of protecting us without any worries about falling off!" Nicole said."Yeah... it's not bad, just about okay," Joshua said with an indifferent tone.Gale chuckled and shook her head. "You... really take after your daddy.""Of course, otherwise, how could I be his son?" Joshua raised both hands high. "Shawn, can you walk me around the lawn?""Hold on tight.""Okay!"Joshua laughed. Gale held Nicole's hand, watching the father and son."Mom, Joshua spent a long time searching in the school lawn to find
For Shawn and the two children's sake, she had to pull herself together and be optimistic. There would be a resolution soon. What she needed to do was to trust Shawn.The weather was getting colder and winter was approaching. When leaving in the morning, Shawn draped a cashmere coat over Gale's shoulders. "Wear this, don't catch a cold.""Is it already time to wear coats?""It's windy outside."Gale stood still, letting him put the coat on her. She could not help but say, "Joshua and Nicole can dress themselves now, but here I am, needing you to help me."Shawn smirked. "I'm happy to.""Okay, but can you not do this when the kids are around? I'll be teased by them," Gale said."They want us to be more affectionate."Shawn held her hand, wrapped in his palm, and they walked out of the villa.During the day, they went to work and came home together. In the evenings, they spent time with the children, helped with homework, watched TV, and took walks. This was the perfect life.C
"Okay, ask him later. Hey, Peach, if you're no longer single, will I get a gift?" Gale grinned.Peach, who had just been happily gossiping, suddenly froze as the topic shifted to herself. "How's it going? How far have you progressed? I've seen you smiling a lot lately, giggling at your phone for no reason. Seems like things are going well, huh?"Peach lowered her head, cheeks flushed. "Gale, don't tease me.""I'm just concerned about you.""Just take it slow, go with the flow. Being able to maintain contact with Mr. Carson outside of work is already enough for me," Peach said.To her, Sam was a high born and being able to be by his side made her very happy."Relationships can't be forced. The more you rush, the more likely it'll fail. Taking it slow and letting things flow naturally is the best." Gale nodded. "You're happily chatting with Sam, right?"Peach softly replied, "Mm.""Chat away." Gale patted her shoulder. "I'm rooting for you two, just like I root for Joe and Summ
She had also landed the lead actress role in the film directed by the talented young director, Paul.Other female celebrities all were envious of Ivy, gossiping about the source of her newfound luck. How could she be noticed by Mr. Wood, be plucked out from her agency, and then even allowed to take control of her destiny?In reality, Ivy's hidden struggles were unknown to others. They only saw the glamor. During this time, Ivy stayed indoors and canceled all her commercial activities, quietly nursing her wounds alone. She only emerged today for the photoshoot.Inside the studio, Ivy stood under the spotlight, adorned with the latest high-end jewelry from the latest collection. She professionally posed for the camera."A little tilt of the head... Perfect.""Now, give us a smile.""Casually run your fingers through your hair and show off the ring on your finger."Ivy executed the directions flawlessly.Gale stood in front of the monitor, watching Ivy on screen. She was confident
"Paul will face retribution. I can't do anything to him. I need to protect my career." Ivy gritted her teeth.Ivy had nothing else but her career. It was the source of her strength and confidence to face life and start anew.Gale reached out and hugged her, whispering in her ear, "Shawn is still investigating what happened that night. Ivy, let's both wait a little longer and don't look down on yourself. Neither of us did anything wrong. We are innocent victims, and we need to continue with our lives, even better than before.""I'm waiting for Mr. Wood to expose the truth.""Mm."Ivy patted her back. "I'm fine. I've moved on. My biggest wish now is to expose the mastermind behind it and make sure they get punished. Everything else doesn't matter to me, and it doesn't affect me.""Ivy, I feel exactly the same way as you.""Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Ivy glanced at the time. "It's almost time for a break. I still have to continue shooting. After that, I have to vi
"When did I say that?""You mentioned it to Mrs. Wood at the studio. You said you would come here after the shoot. So, I instructed the driver..." the assistant replied.Ivy furrowed her brow.She did intend to attend the meeting, but after the shoot, she was especially tired and just wanted to lock herself at home. Plus, Paul would be there at the meeting, and she wanted to avoid it even more.Ivy thought she had informed her assistant to send her straight home, but she had not actually said anything.She was feeling so disoriented that she could not remember anything clearly."Never mind, I forgot to inform you. Since we're here, let's just go in." Ivy sighed.Ivy got out of the car and entered the company.The meeting was scheduled for four o'clock, and it was only half past three. She was early. Ivy thought she would sit in Aurum's office for a while; hopefully, he would not mind.He was always elegant, easygoing, gentlemanly, and very considerate in his dealings with peop
"Even if it exceeds the budget, it won't be by much. Ivy's prices are very low so it saved us a sum of money. The biggest expense is the actors' fees. I never expected her to be willing to lower her price," Paul replied.Aurum lounged on the sofa, crossing his legs. "She believes in this movie, thinks it's a rare gem of a script, and believes it could win awards, which is why she agreed to a lower fee.""No, no, it's all thanks to your influence. Since you insisted that she play the lead role, I had no reason to refuse. Your recommendation and her willingness to lower her fee is a stroke of luck for me! It's like I've hit the jackpot!" Paul said.In the restroom, Ivy stared motionlessly at her reflection in the mirror. Her face turned pale. She already had a headache, and hearing that left her even more surprised. Aurum and Paul seemed unaware that she was in the office, casually chatting away, oblivious to any consequences.Ivy remembered that Aurum had recommended her for the lea