The way he sat her on his lap made her feel like a child. His chest pressed against her back, his hands moving deftly. Soon, a frame appeared on the computer screen."Galey, this is the surveillance footage from outside the hotel. I've been trying to repair the damaged cameras these past few days and managed to retrieve a few unclear images," Shawn said."There's one that got a shot of Paul and Ivy's figures, but the most crucial thing is the time." Shawn moved the mouse to the upper right corner. "Look, the current time is eleven o'clock and eight minutes in the evening."Gale listened intently. "Even though the surveillance didn't get me, Aurum and I should have been around the hotel at the same time, right?""Exactly. Regardless of whether you and he arrived first or later, the time difference wouldn't exceed ten minutes," Shawn replied.Then, Shawn opened another picture. "This one was sent by my men. They entered the hotel to search for people at eleven twenty. That's only tw
Perhaps nothing really happened between her and Aurum. Logically, there was no time for anything to happen.If Shawn's bodyguard had arrived just a bit later, then it would have truly happened, with no chance of redemption.Now, all signs were pointing to her innocence.However, Shawn had seen with his own eyes that nishe, her and Aurum lying on the bed, embracing each other, barely clothed."Anger, but more than that, heartache and self-blame. Blaming myself for not protecting you that you were manipulated," Shawn replied."If only I hadn't woken up... I could pretend not to know anything. But if I hadn't woken up, Aurum would have died.""Let's not mention that night anymore, it's in the past. Galey, you just need to know, you are truly blameless," Shawn said.After he finished speaking, the office fell into silence. Only their breathing could be heard. For a long, long time, Gale softly uttered one word, "Okay." Shawn felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders! He finally
She nodded. Her hair rustled against the fabric of his shirt.Gale suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way, should I tell Aurum about it?""Tell him what?""That we didn't do anything wrong. I think he's been troubled these days."A hint of coldness flashed in Shawn's eyes. He quickly regained his composure. "How are you going to tell him? Say that Ivy knows some inside information?""I definitely can't bring her into this. She trusted me and only told me. I have to keep it confidential for her. The fewer people who know, the safer she'll be." Gale shook her head.Shawn asked flatly, "Isn't Aurum always saying he wants to give up everything in Sea City and leave? Why hasn't he taken any action?""Do you really want him to leave?" "He said it himself. Why didn't he keep his word?""I don't want him to leave, especially now that we both know that nothing happened that night. We can't let him leave. He's also a victim, he deserves to know the truth."Shawn lowered his ey
"It's so tiring to be tolerant, Galey." She bit her lip. "You've been through a lot.""Is that all I deserve?" Shawn asked.Galey instantly understood what he meant and leaned deeper into his embrace. "Let's talk about it when we get home tonight...""It's time for me to enjoy myself, isn't it?" He stroked her hair, whispering, "You've been distant with me these days. I expect you to be more passionate towards me from now on."She blushed and nodded.As she smelled the familiar scent of Shawn's cologne, she found solace in his embrace. He was always open to shield her from the storms. However...Galey sniffed again. Was there a hint of smoke?"What's wrong? Did you smell something?" Shawn asked."Are you smoking again?""No," Shawn denied.Galey gently pulled down his tie. "You dare not admit it? I can smell a faint scent of smoke.""I really haven't smoked," Shawn replied.He had craved a cigarette several times but always resisted, distracting himself or toying with a c
She gently patted his back. She had hardly seen Shawn cough so badly before. After a while, Shawn finally eased up. He found it rather strange himself.Shawn slowly drank some water. "Gotta quit, gotta quit. Can't ignore what the wife says.""Better go to the hospital for a check-up, get a lung scan. With your history of chain smoking, who knows what your lungs look like, you should get regular check-ups," Gale suggested."Alright. I'll go this weekend."Gale nodded and casually opened his drawer, taking out the cigarettes. "Confiscated."She shook them in front of him before pocketing them herself. Shawn smirked. No one could control him, and he could not be controlled. He always did what he wanted but the feeling of being controlled by his wife felt quite nice.Gale returned to the jewelry department for work, but Summer called on her almost instantly."Hurry, hurry, my eyes are sore from all the choosing. These are the ones I've already sorted through. Now, take a careful loo
Gale carefully sifted through the photos, his eyes fixed on the computer screen. "What do you think about Aurum? Is he a good match for Ivy?"Summer almost choked on the water she was sipping. "Who are you talking about?" She questioned what she had heard. "Aurum and Ivy?"Gale continued to stare at the computer screen, nodding. "Yes.""Are you kidding me?""If you and Joe, who have been frenemies for years, can end up together, why can't Aurum and Ivy?"Summer widened her eyes in disbelief. "Aurum likes you! It's always been you!""I have two children. I forgot to tell you, Ivy is currently preparing to film a movie funded by Aurum. She'll be playing the leading lady. The two of them meet quite often," Gale remarked, glancing at her.Summer was surprised again. "Really? How come I haven't seen this in the news?""There will be a press release on the day of the official start of filming."Summer suddenly went silent. Only the sound of Gale's mouse could be heard. She click
"What's going on? How did water manage to get everywhere?" Joe asked, pulling out a tissue.Summer was about to take the tissue, but he got it first before her and started helping her wipe."Um..." Her face grew even hotter. "I can do it myself.""Don't move."Joe was very serious and meticulous.Gale gave a tsk tsk. "You two really don't care about my existence, do you?"Joe did not even turn his head. "You can't speak if you are in the same situation."Gale fell silent again.Why was Joe so good at retorts? He did not even give her a chance to tease him! Back when she was all lovey-dovey with Shawn, Summer used to tease her all the time. Now, whenever she wanted to say something, Joe left her speechless. No, next time this happens, Shawn must be present. He would be good with words and could definitely outwit Joe.Nevertheless, Gale stopped talking. However, Joe did not want to let her get off so easily."Why are you still here? Can't you see you're disrupting my moment wit
"To drive even more sales, we can get creative and limit the quantity of the books," Joe suggested."Everyone will have seen the photos, we'll sell out the jewelry, everyone's happy, it's a win-win situation." Joe clapped his hands. "Isn't this great? Do you have any other opinions or questions?"Gale shook her head first."I can't believe it, Joe. Your business acumen is incredible! No wonder you're the vice president of the Wood Group!" she said.Joe smiled. "Nothing special, really. Your man, Mr. Wood, is the real business genius. There's no need to bother him for such trivial matters."Even Summer could not help but praise. "It's so logical, so creative. Why didn't we think of that?""Let's get started then. Any hesitations?" Joe asked."No hesitation! Thanks, Joe! I'll get on it right away!"Gale had not expected such a thorny issue to be resolved so easily. For her and Summer, each of the twenty-plus photos was precious, and they could not bear to part with any. But now,