Now, having left the past behind, Aralyn had become both gentle and strong.Julian had been furious earlier. But the moment he hugged Aralyn, all his negative emotions vanished, leaving his heart calm and peaceful.As he had resolved the matter with Amber, Julian had no intention of wasting any more time on her.He pulled out his phone and called Mark."Tomorrow, before school starts, I want everyone at their school to know what Luna did.""Understood."…Zach pushed the door open, finding the lights in the living room still on.Shayne immediately walked over to him. "Why are you back so late?"Zach looked weary. "I already explained it over the phone."Seeing how dejected Zach was, Shayne decided not to press further.Aware that Shayne's sudden warmth toward her was an opportunity she couldn't squander, Luna decided to put on her best behavior.She stood up, supporting her belly. "Zach, do you know how worried we were about you coming home so late?"Zach looked up at her
"I feel so happy right now," Luna said sweetly.Shayne replied perfunctorily, "Me too."…As usual, I got up early to wake Willow.Coming out of her room, Willow immediately went to call Julian. The three of us ended up running several laps around the yard before stopping. I accompanied Willow to take a bath.After a few days of this routine, she had gotten used to it. Now, even though she felt tired after running, she could still chatter away with me.She stood still, letting me bathe her. "Mommy.""Yes?" I said, continuing to bathe her."I feel as if I've changed a bit recently," Willow remarked delightfully.Surprised, I asked, "How so?""Before the training, when people said mean things to me, I would sulk and feel really sad. But now, with the training, when people bully me, I just think about how I'll teach them a lesson one by one once I get stronger and better in martial arts."Willow couldn't help but laugh. "And then I feel happy.""That's great. You're getting
"She didn't want to talk about it. I know you care about her, but there's no way for you to know what she's going through, let alone stand up for her. So, you don't need to blame yourself." I chose my words carefully, trying to reassure him."Besides, Willow is doing much better now."I shared everything Willow had told me in the bathroom earlier.Julian was silent for a long time before finally saying, "Aralyn, thank you. She's been able to recover because you became her mother and guided her step by step.""You gave me a job when I was at my most desperate. If anything, I should be thanking you," I replied, turning to look at him.Julian raised his hand and placed it lightly on my head.This was the second time. I stared at him helplessly.Not only did he not move his hand, but he also ruffled my hair gently. "No need to be so polite with me."I smiled and countered, "Same goes for you.""Alright." He withdrew his hand.…When we arrived at the company, Mark was already wa
Mark had just finished speaking when one of the young women walked up to the front and confidently began explaining her understanding of my work and her proposed promotional strategy.Once she finished, she returned to her seat. The next person then walked to the front and shared her thoughts.After about two hours, the last one completed her presentation.Mark turned to me, smiling. "What do you think?"I wasn't knowledgeable about promotional strategies at all. But after I listened to their presentations, I felt that each person made very valid points."They're all good." I nodded in approval."Any areas you think need improvement?"I quickly shook my head. "No."Mark then turned to the team, his expression becoming serious. "Since Ms. Jaffe isn't inclined to critique your work, I'll be the bad guy here."He pointed out each of their shortcomings calmly and provided guidance on how to improve. Finally, he stood up. "I expect you to revise these points and submit the update
Avery leaned back. "What did Julian do to provoke you?"Still fuming over the morning's events, Luna felt her anger rising again. "He had someone spread rumors at school, saying Mason doesn't have a father and is trying to find one by targeting others' dads!"She took a deep breath to steady herself and continued, "The rumors claim I've set my sights on Mason's classmate's father.""Is Zach the classmate?" Avery asked.Luna snapped, "Yes! He even said that I think Shayne is great, so I seduced him even knowing he was married. In just one year, I supposedly destroyed what was once a happy family by making them divorce, and I became his new wife."She clenched her fist. "There were a few parents in Mason's class who used to get along with me. But today, after dropping their kids off, they suddenly started finding excuses to avoid me. "And they're even telling their husbands to keep their distance! They've really started treating me like some homewrecker who steals other people's h
Luna asked softly, "Can you?"Shayne didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked expressionlessly, "Have you considered that if I get involved, people who love stirring up trouble might start digging into my past? When that happens, my history with Aralyn will no longer stay hidden."If it came to that, the criticism against Luna would only grow harsher and more relentless.Luna gradually sat up, her expression turning serious as well. Shayne Increased the distance between them subtly.Luna turned to him and asked, "Then what do you think I should do about this?""It's simple. Watch Julian's attitude," Shayne said flatly.Luna was unwilling to accept this but couldn't think of a better solution, so she reluctantly agreed, "Fine."…After I finished the tasks for the day, I glanced at the clock. It was already 3:00 pm. My pace was much faster than usual.Feeling incredulous, I quickly opened the draft to double-check. After carefully reviewing it, I found nothing wrong.Julian n
Amber had been fuming since returning home.How could her own son speak to her like that? It took her the entire night to calm down. Once she finally regained her composure, she called Alice.Over the phone, she said, "Julian only sees Aralyn as a nanny. Don't overthink it. He doesn't like her at all."Alice didn't believe a word of it. She had clearly seen the way Julian looked at Aralyn that day. Usually, he looked at people who didn't matter to him coldly and emotionlessly. But it was different with Aralyn. When Julian looked at her, his eyes were warm and affectionate.If that wasn't love, what could it be? Hatred?Alice was beautiful and came from a good family. Many men admired her, but she wasn't interested in most of them.When she finally found someone she genuinely liked, she even swallowed her pride to pursue Julian, but Julian remained unmoved.She had given up on him. "This has nothing to do with me!"She was convinced she'd find someone even better than Julian.
Back in the office, I handed the coffee I had just bought to Julian.Julian paused his work and took the coffee. Smiling, he said, "Thank you.""You're welcome," I replied, leaning against the desk.He took a sip and then frowned.Noticing his expression, I quickly asked, "What's wrong?"He explained that he always got his coffee from the café downstairs and usually ordered this exact one. I even ensured the staff added milk and sugar per his preference. I had made sure to remind them of every detail to ensure it matched his usual order perfectly.But judging by his reaction, something seemed off."It just tastes… better than usual." Julian took another sip, savoring the richer, smoother flavor."Could they have started using better coffee beans?" he speculated.I shook my head. "I have no idea."Julian thought for a while before instructing Mark to order another cup of the same coffee for comparison.Within about ten minutes, the new cup of coffee was delivered to his desk.
"I believed it. Kelly even said that if Stephanie really wanted to break up with me, she'd move out of my place."Even though we weren't married and we were just dating, we were already living together. Kelly said if I used moving out as a threat, Stephanie would cave."The more Shayne listened, the more silent he became. How could Spencer be even dumber than he had been back then?But seeing his friend hurting, he didn't have the heart to rub salt in the wound.Shayne asked, "You didn't seriously believe what Kelly said, did you?""Yeah." Tears slid down Spencer's cheeks. "But before I even had the chance to threaten her, Stephanie had already packed up all her stuff and left me."That day I came home, full of confidence, thinking that as soon as I spoke up, she'd make up with me. But… I opened the door and saw that all the photos of us hanging on the wall had been taken down."The woman who used to wait for me at home with dinner ready was gone. Everything that belonged to her
"I didn't say anything before because I thought there was no point," Spencer said.Spencer wasn't stupid. If he couldn't even see through all of that, he had no business running a company. He just never took it seriously before.He figured Stephanie would just throw a small tantrum at most, and that would be it. He never thought it would lead to such serious consequences.He continued, "Did you really think I was that dumb? That I couldn't tell what you were doing?"Kelly stayed silent.Spencer couldn't be bothered to say anything more to her. He got in his car and drove away.He arrived at a bar, ordered a few bottles of liquor, and then called Shayne. "Are you free? Come find me. I'm in a bad mood."Shayne had just gotten home, planning to spend some time with his wife and kids. But hearing Spencer's tone, he immediately said, "Okay."He turned to Luna and said, "Spencer's looking for me. I'm heading out for a bit."Luna, exhausted from a full day of work, didn't feel like d
Kelly froze. "She's really willing to break up with you?"Spencer nodded. "She told me not to go looking for her anymore."As he spoke, it felt like needles were stabbing his heart.He had always been certain that Stephanie loved him. He had been so sure that she would never leave him.So, he had gotten arrogant, thinking no matter what he did, she would always forgive him.But he had forgotten that…Stephanie was human, too.She could get hurt, too.Spencer said, "She wasn't just throwing a tantrum. She thought it over carefully and decided she'd be better off without me."Seeing his pained expression, Kelly moved closer and pulled him into a hug."She really doesn't know how lucky she was," she said. "Meeting a guy as good as you and still letting you go? Isn't she scared someone else will swoop in and steal you away?"To Spencer, her words were like kicking him while he was down. "But I only like her. I don't want anyone else."Kelly knew that if she asked now, "What abo
Spencer asked, "Just because of one little argument?""In your eyes, maybe it was just a little argument," Stephanie said calmly. "But for me, it was the last straw that broke the camel's back. In this relationship, I was the one who always gave more."No matter what Kelly did, the one who ended up hurt was always me. You only had to take her side and blame me to settle everything. So, to you, it was always just small stuff."She continued, "Nobody wants to spend their whole life being wronged like that. I don't either. So, after that day, I really thought it through…"How much love do I still have left for you? Is it enough to keep tolerating you and her? The answer was no. I even realized at that moment that I didn't love you anymore."Forget tolerating both of you. Even just dealing with one of you felt unbearable. Then, I thought, since it's gotten to this point… We might as well break up."When Stephanie said this, her eyes carried a relaxed smile. "I just haven't figured ou
Shannon shook her head. "That's why I really don't think much of Luna. If it weren't for our son liking her…"Patrick understood how Shannon felt. "Honestly, we did wrong by Luna before. Once she's willing to come back, we should make it up to her as much as we can."Shannon was unwilling, but seeing Patrick insist, she could only mumble, "Fine, we'll do what you say.""Okay."…Hannah noticed that over the past few days, Patrick and Shannon hadn't contacted her at all, and she immediately found it strange.In the past, the two elders were very close to her son, almost seeing him every day. What was going on now?After putting her son to sleep, Hannah took the initiative and called Shannon. "Mrs. Cunningham..."Shannon frowned and glanced at Patrick, speaking in a low voice, "It's a call from Hannah."Patrick's face darkened almost instantly, but he forced himself to hold it in. "Don't tell her we went to see Rowan, and don't let on that we know the truth. If she wants to fool
Rowan shook his head. "If it were really that simple, that would be nice."Patrick didn't understand why Rowan said that.Rowan continued, "Before Luna and I divorced, she had already guessed you were lying, so she made it very clear to Mason…"If I chose to come back and help you, she would divorce me. If I stayed with her, she would continue living the hard life with me."Patrick hadn't expected the truth to be like this. His face turned even uglier. Shannon was also in pain.Rowan tilted his head up, staring at the ceiling. "But in the end, I was too scared the company would fall apart, so I chose to go back. To completely cut ties with me, she went and started dating Shayne."At first, Luna still had hope for him. After all, they had truly loved each other for so long.But over time, through all the back-and-forth, she probably realized he was never going to change, so she finally gave up completely.Recently, the comics she created have been doing very well. Because of tha
Rowan said, "Come on, I'll take you to eat."Patrick followed behind Rowan and asked, "Have you thought about what to do with Mason in the future?"Rowan didn't take the question seriously. "Why would I?""He's your only child. If you don't acknowledge him, you'll end our family line."Rowan didn't know why, but looking at the streetlights and the thinning crowd around him, he felt unusually calm. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"When they reached the restaurant, he handed the menu to his mother. "See what you want to eat."Shannon picked a light vegetarian dish and said, "We just didn't expect Hannah to lie to us!"Rowan crossed his legs and repeated her words. "You didn't expect Hannah to lie to you?"Patrick ordered two meat dishes before saying, "Exactly. Who would've thought she would dare lie about something like that?"Rowan stared at his father. "So, just because you said it, even if you had doubts, you really thought I cheated on her with Luna…"Shouldn't you ha
Willow stared at me in shock for a long time before finally asking, "You can really do that?"I nodded. "Yeah. As long as you want to, you can keep in touch with her as much as you want."Willow jumped up excitedly. "That's awesome!"Just then, there was an urgent matter at the company that needed Julian's attention. After taking the call, he happened to overhear my conversation with Willow.He immediately got an idea. "During summer break, if you want to hang out with Pamela every day, she might not have that much free time."Willow's smile disappeared instantly. She asked, "Then, what should I do?"He guided her, "Do you think there's an excuse that could make both of you improve and leave her mom no reason to say no?"She followed his lead and quickly figured it out. "Studying?"He didn't give it away directly. "Oh?""Daddy, how about you hire a tutor for me during summer break? I can get a head start on school! Then, I'll ask Pamela to join me. Her mom will definitely agre
Alice raised her voice and asked, "You two already broke up, and he's still coming around asking you to apologize?"Stephanie shrugged. "What else could it be? You don't think I'd made all that up just now, do you?"Alice had never thought that, but Spencer's behavior still struck her as outrageous. "Do you need me to help you?""No, it's fine." Stephanie had already moved on, so she needed to handle it herself. "I can deal with it."With that, she walked out of the hotel.Spencer saw her come out and quickly stepped in front of her. "Can we talk?"He expected Stephanie would agree, but she gave him a glance and asked, "What do we have to talk about?""I know you're upset because of her, but can you be the bigger person? If you just apologize to her, a lot of things can be smoothed over."She looked at him, confused. "Why should I be the bigger person?""Because you're my girlfriend!" He tried to persuade her.Hearing that, Stephanie couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It look