"Ivy!" Joshua and Nicole stood at the door, joyfully shouting her name. Their clear, sweet voices instantly lifted the mood."Oh, it's Joshua and Nicole." Ivy patted their heads. "Come on in, you're always welcome here!"Joshua tilted his head up. "Ivy, you look much better than last time, even prettier.""Yes, yes," Nicole chimed in. "And you smell so nice.""You think I smell nice?" Ivy sniffed herself. "I didn't even use any perfume."She had been staying home all day, lounging in her pajamas, often too lazy to even wash her face, let alone use perfume."It's the scent of a beautiful woman," Joshua replied. "Pretty girls always have a nice scent. Mommy has it too!"With that, he turned to look at Shawn. "Right? You must smell it all the time.""Yes."Ivy laughed heartily.Gale sat down on the couch. "I saw Aurum at the mall this afternoon, and now I'm at your house tonight. Why aren't you two sticking together?""He's busy with work, and I'm busy with my things.""When
He hadn't handed over the evidence yet because he had to protect Ivy.“President Wood, that’s not what I want. It's what you and Aurum want.” Ivy's voice pulled Shawn back to reality. “I’ve always said, I want to make the evidence public, I want Aurum's true face exposed. I want him and Paul to bear the consequences and pay the price!”“Ivy, you know better than I do what will happen if those photos of you and Paul get online!”“I don’t care! If my career is ruined, so be it!”Shawn frowned. “You can give up your career, but not your life! You’re still so young!”Those unsightly photos would circulate online, to be viewed and talked about by many. No matter how many years passed, people would still remember. The humiliation would torture her for years.“The moment Aurum sent me to Paul's bed, I was already destroyed!” Ivy said, shaking her head. “No, it’s not right. From the day I met Aurum, I was no longer myself.”Shawn's sharp gaze fell on her. “Do you still love him?”“Yes.
Gale patted her hand, "You and Aurum have a stable relationship now. If you date for another year or two, get married, and have kids, won't everything fall into place?""Me and Aurum get married?" Ivy shook her head, her smile carrying a hint of deeper meaning. "I haven't thought about it, and I don't really dare to think about it.""What's there to be afraid of? Dating without marriage in mind is just playing around."Gale finished speaking and looked at Shawn. "Don't you agree?"If a man and a woman are in a relationship and not considering marriage, they're just toying with each other’s feelings. That definitely wasn't acceptable. Every relationship is precious, and once you decide to be together, you should include the other person in your future plans."Right," Shawn nodded, "You're absolutely right."He then stood up and waved his phone. "Fiona is messaging me nonstop. I need to take care of some work. You two take your time chatting."With Shawn gone, the conversation bet
Ivy stared at Gale, her eyes bright and clear.“Gale, if I hold the truth in my hands, would you want me to reveal it?”Gale nodded firmly. “Yes!”“Do you want to know the whole truth?”“I do!”Ivy blinked, then suddenly smiled. “Okay, okay, Gale, I know what to do now.”“Can you tell me now?”“Not yet.”“Why?” Gale asked. “Have you been threatened?”She grew tense all of a sudden.Ivy shook her head. “No. It’s just too complicated to explain in a few words. But with your support, I suddenly feel stronger and know what I need to do!”Even if President Wood tried to stop her, she would expose it. She would vent her anger, punish Paul, tear off Aurum’s hypocritical mask, let Gale know Aurum's ugliness... Ivy decided to act on her own. She resolved silently.Smells of food wafted from the kitchen.“Dinner’s ready,” Ivy smiled. “Joshua, Nicole, did you wash your hands?”They replied, “We’re going now!”“I’ll take you.”“No,” Gale stopped her. “They’re big enough to wash the
Joshua reluctantly said goodbye to Ivy, "Bye-bye, Ivy. I'll come over again when I have time. You can come to my house too! Love you! Mwah mwah!"He kept blowing kisses."Shawn," Gale looked at him, "Does your son know no shame?""I'm starting to suspect he might have a genetic mutation."Both Shawn and Gale were quite reserved by nature, especially in expressing their feelings. They loved subtly and rarely voiced it openly. But Joshua was different. He worked his charm on everyone from the old Lucas down to babies. He could make anyone happy if he wanted to!The car moved along the road.Gale asked, "What do you think about Ivy's condition today?""What do I think?""Yes.""I didn’t observe closely," Shawn replied. "Why?"Gale couldn't help but laugh, "I allow you to look and give your opinion. It's fine. You don’t have to create your distance so strictly.""She's better than last time," Shawn said. "Beyond that, I don’t know."Even if he knew, he couldn't say.Gale reac
"Joshua!" Gale turned around to look at him. "What's been going on in that little head of yours day after day?"Joshua replied seriously, "I'm thinking about you, Mommy. Shawn leaves work on time every day, never stays late. Suddenly he's busy until midnight. Don't you think that's a bit strange?"As he said this, Gale felt something wasn't quite right. But she trusted Shawn enough. The company was big, with lots of business, so the occasional unexpected situation was normal. Even if she pushed the thought further, what would Shawn do? Would he be seeing other women? Gale wasn't concerned at all because Shawn wouldn't give any woman a chance! He loved only her and she was confident that she held the only place in his heart."Alright, I think you've been watching too many dramas lately," Gale said. "Joshua, from now on, you need to cut down on your TV drama time!""No! I refuse!""Joshua, your protest is futile!"Joshua was getting frustrated; he really wanted to watch TV.After
"Alright, alright," Joshua shrugged and said, "Old man, you do your thing. Actually, I hope you could be a bit busier.""You want me to be busier?""Yeah, just a bit busier than now. Not too much, just a moderate increase," Joshua gestured, "You're always so leisurely, it makes me uneasy, Shawn!"Shawn asked, "What makes you uneasy?""Your business. I'll have to inherit it in the future! If you continue being so idle and not managing the company well, when I take over, I'll be swamped! Shawn, can't you think about your son?"So that was Joshua's concern. He feared Shawn wouldn’t manage the company well and it would burden him in the future.Gale sighed repeatedly, "How did I end up with such... "She couldn't find the right words.Smart?Mischievous?Shawn replied calmly, "Joshua, do you now realize you're my son? I should consider you? Then let me ask you, what do you want to call me?""Daddy."Joshua smoothly said.Both Shawn and Gale were somewhat surprised.He actuall
The trip back home was serene and filled with warmth for Gale. Shawn in contrast, felt tumultuous. By the time they arrived home, the two little ones were already fast asleep in the back seat, slumped over in different directions."Just a moment ago they were chattering non-stop, now they're all curled up asleep," Gale chuckled. "No matter how clever they are, they're still just kids."They were her little darlings. She opened the back door and gently lifted Nicole out. For some reason, when she lifted Nicole, she felt a bit unsteady and swayed."Careful," Shawn noticed and reached out, pulling her and their daughter into his embrace.Gale leaned securely against him. "With you here, how could I fall?""No worries, maybe Nicole's just gotten heavier as she's grown. I'm having trouble carrying her now," Gale said."Let me."She tilted her chin. "You take Joshua. I can manage for this short walk, really.""I can handle both," Shawn replied."Yeah, yeah, I know you're strong."S