“Is Boss crying?” Mr. Zimmer thought to himself.He was stunned. To him, Luna had always been the symbol of strength, resilient and unbreakable. Yet, here she was, tears streaming down her face. “Boss, I didn’t mean it. Maybe it’s not true. Yeah, it could all just be a trick!” he stammered. Seeing Luna’s tear-streaked face, Mr. Zimmer was completely at a loss as sweat beaded along his forehead. What was Felix up to? How could someone as tough as her end up breaking down over just one comment from Mr. Zimmer?Wiping the sweat from his brows, he thought, “If the others find out I made Boss cry, they’ll tear me apart.”“It’s not fake. I know why he did it…” Luna’s voice faded as she broke down. Her uncontrollable sobs were tangled with a mix of regret, anger, and frustration.Mr. Zimmer stood there, helpless, pacing back and forth until her sobs finally started to subside. Luna wiped her nose, her voice raw and broken. “He never believed I was dead. He knew I wouldn’t just dis
In the brightly lit private dining room 1608 at the Century Glimmer Hotel, Luna took a deep breath, then raised her glass with a smile as she addressed the man at the head of the table. “Commissioner Griffin, a toast to you!”She downed her glass in one go. Deputy Commissioner of Corrections Mark Griffin raised his own, chuckling. “Miss Emily, we’re not strangers. If you’ve got something on your mind, just say it. I’ll help if I can.”The implication was clear. If he couldn’t do it, she shouldn’t bother asking. Silently cursing him as an “old fox,” Luna kept her smile as she continued, “It’s really not a big deal. Just a small favor, something that should be easy enough for someone like you.”Seeing his expectant look, she went on, “Here’s the thing. I have a friend in prison, but it wasn’t really his fault. If I wanted to get him out, what would I need to do?”She slid an envelope across the table. Commissioner Griffin’s eyes flickered as he glanced at it, swirling his glass with
Lily leaned against the car window. Her face was full of excitement as she watched the scenery zip by. But as the landscape grew more and more desolate, she grew bored. Grabbing her doll, she hugged it close and turned to Luna. “Mom, where are we going?”Luna glanced over, noticing Lily's rosy cheeks and big, inquisitive eyes that reminded her so much of Felix. “We’re going to see your dad,” she replied with a smile, though her fingers tightened around the strap of her purse.Lily stopped fiddling with her doll, her brow furrowing as she thought for a moment. “But, Mom, didn’t you say Dad was far away? And that James and I had to grow up first?”Luna’s mind drifted back to when they’d first left for another country. Lily had asked, “When will I see Dad again?” Luna had stroked Lily’s hair, finally saying, “Dad’s far away. When you and James grow up, you’ll see him.”“Mom!” Lily tugged on Luna’s shoulder, jolting her back to the present. Luna smiled softly, reassuring her, “Aren’t
Seeing the sincerity in Felix’s eyes made Luna’s heart tighten. She pressed her lips together and nodded firmly.A weight seemed to lift from Felix’s chest. He reached out, covering Lily’s eyes with his hand as he leaned in, his lips brushing against Luna’s. That familiar blend of tobacco and cologne filled her senses, and her eyes stung with tears.She pressed a hand to her nose, her voice soft. “Felix, come back soon. Let’s leave the past behind us. After this, it’ll be you, me, and the kids together, as a family. Okay?”Felix’s expression faltered.Lily wrapped her little arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “Daddy, I don’t care if it’s tough. I just want to be with you.”In the stroller, James stretched out his tiny hands, laughing. Felix reached for him, but his hands slipped through the air. James began to fuss, his cries growing louder, and Felix jolted awake, realizing it had only been a dream.Now here was Luna, offering a future together: “Let’s put everything
Felix watched, dazed, as Luna and Lily’s figures grew smaller in the distance. He heard footsteps behind him and turned, holding out his hands with a cold, steely expression. “Let’s go.”The guard hesitated as he brought out the handcuffs. Just as he was about to lock them around Felix’s wrists, he asked casually, “Mr. Lincoln, that woman who came to visit you, she’s the new CEO of Lincoln Corporation, right? I heard she’s planning to leave the country with her kids. Was this visit just to hand over the reins? Will you be resuming your role as CEO once you’re out?”What? Luna’s leaving with the kids?Felix’s head snapped up, his jaw tightening, and a vein throbbed on his forehead. Grabbing the guard by the collar, he demanded, “Where did you hear that?”The guard trembled, visibly shaken. He had expected this kind of reaction. Felix’s icy stare and whole demeanor practically screamed stay away. All he wanted was to turn around and make a run for it.But he couldn’t. Fate had pic
Felix stood in the middle of the bustling airport terminal, watching as people hurried by with their luggage, each one with someplace to be. The whole world felt like it was spinning, endlessly, leaving him disoriented. A chill ran down his spine, even though he felt like he was burning up inside. He wanted to move, to chase after them, but his feet felt rooted to the spot, lost.Then, just at the edge of his vision, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure holding a little girl’s hand, slipping through the security checkpoint.“Luna! Lily!” he shouted, sprinting towards them.A security guard in uniform stepped in front of him, saying politely, “Sir, I’m going to need to see your boarding pass and ID.”“Move!” Felix snarled, swatting the man’s arm aside as he tried to push his way through.Two more guards quickly blocked his path, their expressions firm. “I’m sorry, sir, but by regulation, we need to see your boarding pass,” one of them said, resolute.Felix pointed toward the
“No, please! Not in front of our son!”Luna Jasper sobbed, pleading as she stayed still, too afraid to move and risk disturbing her child, Orion Lincoln. She didn’t dare fight back.On the stark white bed in the morgue, Orion lay motionless, deeply asleep, lifeless.Luna was pinned at the foot of the bed, while the man behind her, the one she once loved so deeply, was destroying her completely.Felix Lincoln’s cold, mocking voice broke the silence. "Luna, this is a morgue. You know what that means, right? It’s a place for the dead. That little brat is already gone. Even if I screw you right here, he’s not going to see anything!"Luna clutched the bedsheet tightly, gasping for air in sharp, shallow breaths.Her beloved son, eyes closed, was an angel. How could Orion not see?Orion had once told her he was a little man, that he would protect his mom.If he could see his father humiliating her like this, how much pain would he be in?“Felix, he’s your son… your son!”“My son? Lu
“My child’s a love child? What about Stella Lewis’s?”Luna laughed through her tears. “Stella brought that kid back from abroad, isn’t he a love child, too? But what about you?”She had always wanted to never mention Stella again, to never bring up her child.She tried to pretend she didn’t know. If she didn’t speak about it, maybe it hadn’t really happened.All she wanted was to live with Felix. Felix was her world, the one who could give her the support she needed.After all, she had no mother, her father was in a coma, and she had to care for her sick son. As long as Felix was there, she could keep going.She didn’t want to lose him, so no matter how many provocations or pieces of evidence came her way, she acted like she hadn’t seen them.She tried desperately, humbly, to maintain a fragile peace, but it all came crashing down."Her child is so much better than yours," Felix sneered at Luna.Luna nodded, feeling like her heart had stopped. It was as if someone else were sp