"Do you think I don't dare to?" Jane snapped.The mere thought that Gabriel had once liked Nyla twisted Jane's jealousy around her heart like a creeping vine, tightening its grip and making it unbearable."I'm not saying you don't dare to do it. I just hope you consider the consequences. There's a meeting at the company, and since Wil is fine, I'll head back now," Gabriel replied.As he turned to walk away, footsteps rang out behind him. In the next moment, Jane's delicate hands wrapped around his waist."I'm sorry, Gabriel. I lost control earlier because of Wil's injury," she said.Gabriel glanced down at her hands around his waist, a flicker of disgust crossing his eyes.After a moment of silence, he held her hands and looked down at her, speaking gently. "Jane, I'm not angry.""Really?" Jane looked up at him, guilt evident in her eyes."Of course. I wouldn't be angry with you. You're my wife and the mother of my child. You're the most important person to me," Gabriel coaxed.
"Great-grandpa, a classmate pushed me on purpose, and my forehead hit the corner of the table. It hurt so much… I bled a lot…" Wilhelm complained.As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes, making him look pitiful.Pedro's expression darkened as he demanded, "What kind of teachers does that kindergarten have? Our family invests so much every year. Are they just sitting around doing nothing?!"He turned his gaze to Jane and asked, "Did they expel the kid who pushed Wil?"Seeing Pedro getting to the point, Jane sighed. She feigned a troubled look as if weighing whether to reveal the truth."What exactly happened? Don't beat around the bush!" Pedro urged.Jane glanced at the nearby maid and instructed, "Take Wil out to play in the garden."The maid nodded and led Wilhelm away from the living room.Once the living room was left with just Jane and Pedro, she sat opposite him and said, "Grandpa, it might be hard to deal with the kid who pushed Wil."Pedro glared. "Hard to deal with?
Jane lowered her gaze, a flicker of resentment in her eyes. She would never allow herself to be overshadowed by Nyla forever."Alright, Grandpa, I know what I need to do," she replied."I'm tired now. You take Wil to play for a bit, and stay for dinner tonight," Pedro said.Once he left, Jane got up and headed to the garden.In the garden, Wilhelm was bossing a servant to climb a tree and pick the highest orange. The servant struggled but could barely reach the fruit.Wilhelm looked up, his small face showing impatience as he barked, "You can't even pick an orange? I'll have Great-grandpa fire you!"With his urging and threats, the servant gritted his teeth and climbed a bit higher until he finally managed to grab the orange.Unexpectedly, the moment he touched it, a loud crack echoed as a branch snapped beneath him.He fell to the ground, screaming in pain upon impact. "Ah! It hurts so much!"He clutched his broken leg, his face contorted in agony as cold sweat dripped from h
Wilhelm froze for a moment, then shook off Jane's hand as he processed the situation, whining, "No! He hurt me. He has to be expelled!"Once the center of attention in class, Wilhelm had enjoyed the adoration of his classmates.However, since Mason's arrival, those who once fawned over him had turned their affections toward Mason instead, leaving Wilhelm feeling isolated each day. Only by getting rid of Mason could he reclaim their attention.Seeing Wilhelm's angry little face, Jane sighed and crouched down to speak to him slowly. "Wil, Mason's father is very influential. Daddy and Mommy can't provoke him. If you really don't want to see Mason anymore, how about I transfer you to another school?""No! I don't want to transfer schools!" Wilhelm protested. "Mommy, didn't you say you could do anything? Why can't you get the principal to expel Mason?"He shouted, "You liar! You're a big liar! I won't believe anything you say anymore!"Wilhelm shoved Jane away and ran for the door.
As Nyla was about to finish her work in the evening, Ruby gestured for her to look out the window.Nyla was surprised to see Damon standing outside. He was dressed in a gray suit, looking tall and poised, his dark eyes fixed on her with a warm, tender gaze.Ruby spoke up. "Nyla, you should go. I can tidy up here. Don't keep Mr. Sumner waiting."Noticing the teasing tone in her voice, Nyla couldn't help but smile. "Alright, thank you. I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow.""Sounds good," Ruby replied.As Nyla walked out of the lab, she took off her lab coat and asked, "Why are you getting off work so early today?"Typically, she was the one leaving first. Sometimes, Damon stayed late, and she'd spend time in the office catching up on literature.Damon looked at her. Today, she wore a dress with a classic cut, her long hair simply tied back with a hair tie, giving her a neat and capable appearance. Despite not wearing any makeup, she was still stunning."The meeting ended early. Whe
Noticing Damon's displeasure, Walter quickly said, "Mr. Sumner, I'll check who it is.""Mm," Damon hummed in agreement.As soon as Walter stepped out of the car, the driver's door of the BMW opened.Jane emerged, dressed in a pure white suit. She walked straight to Damon's rear window and gently tapped on it."Mr. Sumner, I believe you've heard about the fight between Mr. Mason and my son at school. I'm here to discuss how we can resolve this matter," she said.Damon rolled down the window, his expression blank. "Ms. Wilkie, how do you propose to resolve this?"Jane hadn't anticipated Damon taking this tone, considering that Mason had pushed Wilhelm, resulting in Wilhelm's injuries.Even if he was accustomed to being high and mighty, wouldn’t he at least be a bit more accommodating?If it were someone else, Jane would have gone straight to the police by now instead of coming to negotiate.Suppressing her anger, she forced a smile and asked, "Mr. Sumner, would you mind discussi
"No, thanks. I like playing by myself," Mason replied, recalling how he had always lost to Damon in their previous games.He had no desire to play building blocks with him again.Damon wasn't offended by his son's rejection. Smiling, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you afraid of losing to me?"Mason shot him a glance but didn't respond—his expression clearly said, "Do you really need to ask?""Buddy, as a boy, you should face challenges bravely and keep trying until you finally beat me," Damon coaxed.Mason didn't even look up as he stacked another block. "Daddy, there's a saying about knowing when to back off. I play with building blocks for fun. If I keep losing to you in every game, it just makes me unhappy and defeats the purpose of playing."Damon was momentarily taken aback by Mason's words, feeling uncharacteristically speechless.After a few seconds, he finally spoke up. "Buddy, I want to know what happened at school today. Can you tell me about it?""I already tol
Nyla avoided Damon's gaze, pondering how to respond.After several seconds, Damon's deep voice broke the silence. "Still haven't figured out what to say? Then I might just—""Wait!" Nyla quickly raised her head, placing a hand over his mouth as she met his stare. "No matter what I say, you're just going to say it isn't good enough and keep doing what you were doing, right?"In her clear eyes, Damon saw his own reflection, feeling as if he were the only person in her world.His gaze suddenly turned intense and locked onto hers with a predatory focus, leaving no room for escape.Heat rose in Nyla's cheeks under his piercing stare. She bit her lip and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?!"Did he realize how intimidating that look was? It felt as if he wanted to devour her whole.Damon remained silent, the tension between them thickening.Nyla felt her hand, which rested against his chest, weaken. Should she just beg for mercy to get him to let her go?Just as she was con
"We can sign an agreement if you're still worried. I promise never to challenge your custody of Wilhelm in my lifetime," Jane assured.Seeing her determination, Gabriel remained silent.Noticing his hesitation, Jane gripped the armrests of her wheelchair tightly. "Gabriel, you're already hesitating, even though you haven't remarried yet. How can I believe you'll treat Wilhelm fairly in the future?"Gabriel's gaze turned cold. "No matter what, Wilhelm will be better off with me than with you. When and how much of the shares I give him is my decision, not yours."With that, he turned to leave.As he reached the doorway, Jane's voice echoed behind him. "If you don't transfer half your shares to Wilhelm, I won't leave the country!"Gabriel paused, then glanced back at her mockingly. "Whether you leave or stay means nothing to me. And why would you think your refusal to leave is a threat to me?""Gabriel, you're a bastard!" Jane shouted.Gabriel smirked and left without another word
Wilhelm froze for a moment, his eyes welling up with tears as confusion and hurt clouded them."Mommy, do you really not want me anymore?" he asked, his voice trembling.Jane's gaze flickered with a brief trace of pain as she looked at Wilhelm sitting pitifully on the floor. But the softness in her eyes vanished as quickly as it appeared.She stared at him coldly. "That's right. I never wanted you. I hit you to try and get your father to come back."The other day, when I took you out for steak, I deliberately let you eat that hazelnut cake. You started itching later because you're allergic—that was intentional, too. I wanted you hospitalized so I could force your father to see me."Her tone grew harsher. "Now that Gabriel and I are divorced, you're of no use to me. You're just a burden. Taking you with me would only drag me down."And I hate your father. Naturally, I hate you, too. Don't show up in front of me again!"Wilhelm sat frozen, her words cutting into him like shards of
If Wilhelm stopped wanting to see Jane, the bond between them would naturally fade over time."No! I don't want food!" Wilhelm cried, hurling Gabriel's phone onto the car seat.He began pounding on the car door, trying to open it. "I want to see Mommy! I want to live with her, not you!"Gabriel, his patience wearing thin, locked the doors with a sharp click and turned to Wilhelm, his expression darkening."Your mother doesn't want you. Even if you find her, she won't take you. I'm the only one you have now," he said."I hate you! I don't want to be with you! I don't want you as my dad!" Wilhelm screamed.Gabriel's restraint, already fraying after days of tantrums, finally snapped. He stared at his son and said coldly, "It doesn't matter whether you want me or not. No one wants you now except me."Jane didn't want Wilhelm. The Wilkies wouldn't want him either."That's not true!" Wilhelm sobbed uncontrollably. "Mommy wants me. Mommy's just mad. If I'm good, she'll take me back! S
Lydia nodded. "Okay, Ms. Kinsey."Shortly after, Lydia returned with Mason by her side.When Mason saw Gabriel and Wilhelm standing at the door, he frowned and turned to Nyla. "Mommy, why is Wilhelm here?"Nyla patted his head gently. "He's here to apologize to you.""Oh." Mason's response was wary, clearly unconvinced.Gabriel observed Nyla's affectionate interaction with Mason, his eyes flickering with a trace of emotion. He turned to Wilhelm. "What did you promise me before we came?"Wilhelm's reluctance was evident. He had agreed to apologize, but only under the threat of losing his chance to see his mother."Mason, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you yesterday. I hope you can forgive me," Wilhelm said, his voice subdued.Mason didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked up at Nyla, silently seeking her guidance."Buddy, this is your decision to make," Nyla said softly. "I'll respect whatever you decide."Mason lowered his head, thinking for a moment.Finally, he s
Brandon sighed and placed the items on the desk. "Aunt Nyla, this crisis is unlike anything Prospectus Technology has faced before. If things go wrong, the company can go bankrupt."Uncle Damon prepared these after finding out Buddy is his son, but he hadn't found the right time to give them to you."Keep them for now. If Prospectus Technology collapses, he'll need this to start over."After a moment's silence, Nyla nodded. "Alright, I'll hold onto them. Is this the only reason you came?""Yes, I need to get back to work," Brandon replied."I'll see you out," Nyla offered.After sending Brandon off, she returned to the study and placed the documents and bank card in the safe upstairs.The next morning…As Nyla was getting dressed, Lydia knocked on the door."Ms. Kinsey, there's a man outside who says he's your brother," Lydia informed her.Brother?Thinking it was likely Gabriel, Nyla's expression turned cold. "I don't know him. Tell him to leave.""Understood," Lydia said
Damon put the file down and sat across from Nyla.Noticing two portions of breakfast on the table, he asked, "You haven't eaten either?""No," Nyla replied as she opened the packages and handed one to him. "I came to eat with you. Spencer told me he brought you breakfast this morning, but you didn't touch it.""I was too busy," Damon said."Being busy isn't an excuse to skip meals. I saw your assistants running around like crazy, and I heard they barely got any sleep last night. Is the issue with the company that serious?" Nyla asked."It's significant," Damon admitted. "Our chips might be causing malfunctions in our partner's machines. If that's confirmed, the company will face a massive compensation payout."Nyla frowned, worry flashing in her eyes. "I can't help much with work, but the least I can do is keep things in order at home. By the way, are you coming home tonight?""Probably not," he replied. "There's still a lot to handle.""Alright. Finish your breakfast. I'll hea
Gabriel took the document, skimmed its contents, and his face darkened."What is it?" Tom asked.Gabriel tossed the document onto the table with a cold laugh. "Nothing important. Damon's just trying to catch me off guard."The document contained evidence of Nyce Tech hiring paid posters to smear Prospectus Technology, but Gabriel wasn't worried.Soon enough, those allegations would become the truth.Tom glanced at the papers and grinned. "As long as it's not a big problem. Anyway, I should get going.""Fine, but don't forget your part in this," Gabriel said pointedly.There was a cold glint in Tom's eyes, though his smile remained. "Relax. I won't let you handle Prospectus Technology alone."After Tom left, Gabriel drained his wine in one gulp.As he prepared to head to his study, a maid approached with a concerned expression."Mr. Hackett, Mr. Wilhelm still refuses to eat," the maid informed him.Gabriel had brought Wilhelm straight back to the villa instead of letting him
Damon's expression was icy as he spoke. "I've already sent the head of R&D with a team to investigate. Let's wait for their findings before jumping to conclusions."He added, "The Agihop 6th Gen isn't out yet. If the issue does lie in the Agihop 5th Gen, we should prepare for the worst—compensation payouts and the possibility of... bankruptcy.""What?!" A collective gasp echoed through the room, disbelief etched on everyone's faces."All this over a single batch of faulty machines from the Longbow Company? Isn't that a bit extreme?""Exactly. If the problem is with the Agihop 5th Gen chips, wouldn't paying compensation suffice?""Mr. Sumner, aren't you exaggerating?"The notion that Prospectus Technology could face bankruptcy over a single chip seemed absurd.Meeting their skepticism with a calm demeanor, Damon elaborated, "The news about Longbow Company's machines breaking down after using our chips has already spread.They're attributing the issue to Prospectus Technology's p
Damon's expression remained unmoved. "As I said, we'll investigate thoroughly. Asking us to accept responsibility before the investigation is complete seems unreasonable, doesn't it?"Jeffrey let out a cold laugh. "Fine, Mr. Sumner. But I hope you act quickly. Every day of delay costs us millions. The longer this drags on, the more Prospectus Technology will have to pay."With that, Jeffrey turned and stormed out of the room.Damon, his expression as icy as ever, summoned the head of the R&D department to his office."Take two of your team members to the Longbow Company and investigate the root cause of the machine failures. Determine whether it's our chips," Damon instructed."Mr. Sumner, it can't be our chips! We've invested so much in their development, and they've been on the market for over three years without a single issue. The problem must be elsewhere," the department head replied.Damon's tone sharpened. "I want accurate results based on the investigation—not assumption