When they were back at the campsite, Yvonne murmured, "If it hadn't been for you, I would have slapped that woman.""Oh yeah?"Stephen smiled a little. "You should've hinted at me. I could have just appeared afterward.""Nevermind." Yvonne waved airily. "My hand would have hurt if I really had slapped her. She's just that thick-faced."Stephen chuckled. Yvonne was still as cute as she used to be when she was angry.Yvonne pulled Elvin over and asked him tenderly, "Did that boy hurt you just now?"Elvin shook his head, shifting his gaze toward Stephen. He had just realized how it felt to be cared for by his father.Back when he had been studying overseas, he had been bullied by other kids for not having a father. So when that boy's mother had insulted him earlier, Elvin hadn't felt anything in particular. He was already used to it.The only thing that had made him feel strange was seeing Stephen stand up for him as his father. He had even claimed Elvin as his son.Elvin h
"Mr. Anderson. Ms. Miller."Julian approached the couple with an embarrassed look. He hadn't wanted to interrupt them since they looked to be in their world.However, the boy's parents had taken too long to settle the payment. The boy's father had also talked his wife into apologizing to them.He followed Julian, dragging both his son and his reluctant wife along. He immediately put on an awkward smile once he saw Stephen. "Mr. Anderson, we went overboard this morning. Now that we've paid for the damages, we're here to formally apologize to you as well. Could you please just let us off the hook this time?" He looked down at Stephen's feet and also made sure that his son had hung his head in shame. The boy's mother was embarrassed by her husband. There was no way she would lower her head. Yvonne glanced at her. "What's the matter? It seems like you don't think you're in the wrong.""It's nothing like that," the boy's father replied in an instant while grabbing his wife h
When Yvonne saw the news, she was terrified. She had been very protective of Elvin and his safety. In particular, she had been worried that even a single photo of him would circulate online. But that boy's mother had ruined everything.Not only had his identity been leaked, but criticism of him was also widespread. Elvin was just a kid who wasn't even six years old! What had he done to deserve all this hate?Yvonne clutched her phone tightly. If she had known that things would turn out this way, she wouldn't have let that family off the hook so easily that day.She was already done with all the necessary arrangements through her network at Emerald Group before daybreak. As usual, she got up to prepare breakfast for Elvin. Elvin appeared at the dining table shortly. "Good morning, Mommy.""Morning, sweetheart."Elvin was already dressed neatly in his school uniform as she gave him his eggs and toast. A cold look appeared in Yvonne's eyes. She sat down beside Elvin and u
The boy's mother was shocked when she heard that. "Why can't our son go to school?""How would I—"As the boy's father entered the house, he was surprised to see what was going on in the living room. He stammered, "M—Mr. Anderson, what ... Why are you here?""You might want to ask your dear wife about that," Yvonne said casually. "Ask her what she did last night."As the realization sank in, the boy's father quickly went to his wife and asked, "What did you do?""I—"Before she could explain, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He retreated to the balcony to answer the call. Moments later, his voice grew frantic. "Why have I been suspended from work? I ..."The conversation on the phone rendered him speechless. After hanging up, he stormed toward his wife. Without a word, he slapped her.Startled, she held her stinging cheek and looked at him in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind? You—"Another slap followed, making her lose her balance, and she plopped to the ground.Seeing
The walls in the subsidized housing building weren't very good at keeping sound out. So the woman's cries quickly caught the attention of other residents on the floor.Julian went outside to warn the residents. "Everyone on this floor will get in trouble if even a word of today's event leaks out."The residents weren't sure what was happening. But after hearing such a serious warning, they quickly went back to their homes. They were afraid of getting caught up in whatever was going on.After everyone was gone, Yvonne and Stephen left together, ignoring the crying woman.Yvonne's lawyer and Julian stayed behind to handle the next steps. They planned to take legal action if the boy's mother started spreading rumors again.After getting into the elevator, Stephen asked Yvonne, "How is El doing?""He's not aware of the online rumors yet. I made up an excuse for him to stay home for a while."At the thought of Elvin, Yvonne's anger returned tenfold. She clenched her teeth. "If I had
"We—"Yvonne wanted to explain, but Caleb interrupted her with a smile. "Anyway, congratulations." With that, he entered the house.She stood in a daze, unsure if she had correctly perceived the bitterness and disappointment in his tone.She sighed and turned to Rachel. "El still doesn't know about all this."Rachel stopped climbing the stairs and looked at Yvonne. "You haven't told him yet?""No, this mess was caused by the adults, and it's our responsibility to deal with it. El is only a child; he doesn't need to know any of this." As a mother, Yvonne felt it was her duty to shield her son from the harsh realities of the adult world.She headed to the kitchen. "Please make yourself at home. By the way, what would you like to drink?""Just plain water will do," Rachel replied.Rachel came down the stairs, walked over to Caleb, and nudged him with her elbow. "Did you ask Vonnie about the camping trip?""Yes," he replied indifferently. "There's nothing unusual about them go
Katie didn't even want to sit down. She placed a check on the table. "Take it and leave."The woman snickered. She looked at the number written on the check. "Mrs. Anderson, only a million dollars? Is Mr. Anderson only worth that much to you?"Katie slapped the table with one hand. She leaned in closer to the woman. "Stop haggling with me. In my eyes, all you women who flock around him are worthless. Don't delude yourself into thinking that you're priceless just because he's gotten into bed with you. You're nothing to him."The woman leaned back and asked, "Then why go through all the effort to meet me and pay me?""Fine. If you don't want to listen to me, I don't need to sit here and explain it to you. After all, he'll soon be sick of you. I'll go and find someone who's willing to talk."Then, Katie reached out and took the check.The woman stopped Katie frantically and smiled. "Mrs. Anderson, I was just joking. I'll take the money and leave."Katie said nothing. She let the
In her room, Katie took a hot shower and finally felt like herself once more.She had just laid in bed when her door opened. She jumped and immediately sat up. Noah had no intention of entering the room. He stood by the door and looked at Katie. "Emerald Group has invited me to a meeting next month. Do you want to come along?"Katie was surprised. "Why?""What why?" Noah said impatiently, "I have to take a partner. Who else would I take if not you?"Katie furrowed her brows. He had many other women he could take with him."If you don't want to go, forget about it. I—""Do you really want me there?" she asked.Noah leaned against the door. "If it had been before, I could just take any woman. But now we're married. I can only take you to the important events."Katie put her worries to rest. "Alright, I'll go with you."Noah turned to leave. "Where are you going?" Katie asked anxiously."None of your business," Noah replied before leaving.Hearing his footsteps get further