LOGINHaving children was a major life decision. If a couple had no plans in that regard, no amount of urging from their family would make a difference.Olive looked at Georgia. Seeing her calm expression, she smiled and asked Fred, "Fred, what about you and Gia? What are your plans?"Fred flashed a pleasant smile and turned to Georgia. "I'll go along with Georgia's decision."So Olive said to Georgia, "Well, Gia, Soph is turning five soon. Do you want to have another child?"Georgia's fork hovered in the air as she looked at Oliva and said, "Mom, Soph is the only child I'll have. I won't have any more children."The entire table fell silent, and everyone instinctively looked toward Fred. Just moments ago, he had said he would follow Georgia's lead. Now that she'd stated her position that Sophie would be her only child, would he also go along with that?Fred's eyes darkened slightly as he studied Georgia's face. She lifted her head and met his scrutinizing gaze. "You don't need to go a
Because Fred was coming over, Garrett and his wife also made a point of coming for lunch. Garrett now ran a company related to pharmaceuticals as well, though his projects were tied to government work.Backed by a state-owned enterprise, he focused on bulk procurement of pharmaceutical materials. But in recent years, projects in that area had declined significantly, and he was all too familiar with the difficulties of running a business.Meanwhile, despite being the same age as him, Fred was running a massive business empire. Considering him a godlike figure in business, Garrett wasn't going to miss a chance to seek advice from him.Of course, Fred could see that Garrett was trying to learn from him.Since Garrett and Evelyn had shown up right in time for lunch, Georgia helped Olive bring the food to the table.Garrett sat on the couch with Evelyn beside him, and the conversation with Fred naturally drifted into a discussion about current affairs, the economy, and industry trends.
"Fine. We'll have a meal with my family tomorrow." Georgia agreed to Fred's arrangement."We'll head over to the house together tomorrow morning," Fred said.He looked down at her, as if he still had more to say, but she'd swiftly gathered her documents, stood up, and walked out.For a few seconds, Fred stood frozen next to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room. Then, he stuck his hands in his pockets and left with the senior executives of Seele Group.The next morning, the weather was gloomier and colder than before. Fred had Dwayne chauffeur them around in an SUV, and the bodyguards followed in a separate car that was packed with gifts.During the car ride, Fred played with Sophie. She chattered happily the entire time, seemingly tireless, while Georgia sat quietly in the separated solo seat, listening to the two of them.Over at the residential neighborhood where the Walkers lived, the overall peaceful calmness was occasionally stirred by the cheerful laughter of
One glance was all it took for Georgia to recognize the man in the photo. It was Fred.The second photo showed a dining room. The table was set for two. A bouquet, including some roses, was placed on top of the ivory tablecloth. There was also a bottle of red wine and a pair of stemmed glasses, and beside them were three stacked gift boxes.All in all, it felt like a set of warm, cozy photos taken in the home of an intimate couple. There was no location tag and no indication of who was in it. But Fred's silhouette and the bespoke outfit he wore were already enough to identify him.Georgia noticed the post had been up for nearly an hour. It had only two likes and comments—both from Helena's close friends. They made a show of talking it up, saying things like how great it was to have someone making supper for her, along with some suggestive remarks about how she was going to have a good time tonight.The fact that there were only two likes and comments after being up for an hour made
Georgia hurried out of the conservatory, only to realize she'd forgotten her cup of tea. But she couldn't go back. She didn't want to face Olive's probing gaze again."Georgia!" Elijah suddenly appeared behind her, holding two cups of tea. After coming over, he handed her one. "Did you call Fred? Do you know where he is now?""I don't know," Georgia answered dully after glancing at him."Do you not know, or do you not want to know?" Elijah asked as he gazed intently at her.Georgia stiffened and didn't reply.Lowering his voice, Elijah continued, "Tonight's dinner proved to be a pretty interesting one. Both stars of the show are absent, leaving us supporting characters to take the stage."Georgia frowned, her tone turning noticeably colder. "Elijah, business is business. Don't turn my personal matters into conversation fodder."Startled, Elijah immediately took the hint and smiled faintly. "Sorry."Dinner had seemed festive and cheerful enough, but everyone came away with their
"Aunt Helena? Why are you answering Daddy's phone? Where is he?" Sophie asked, her brows knitting together."Oh. Your daddy… got his clothes dirty by accident, so he's showering right now," Helena replied in a sweet, natural-sounding tone."Are you guys still working overtime at the company?" Sophie tilted her little head as she asked.Helena let out a soft laugh, clearly amused by the question. "Yeah, that's right. We're working late, and we're rather busy right now. I'll tell your dad you called, okay?""Okay… You have to tell him I miss him, and that I want him to come home early and stop working overtime," Sophie rattled off in one breath."Got it. Bye." The watch went silent.Since the call had been on speaker mode, standing beside Sophie, Georgia heard every word Helena said, and she was frozen stiff.Meanwhile, Sophie washed her hands with a pout. "So Daddy really is working overtime. No wonder he didn't come back for dinner."Georgia felt her blood stop flowing. Just mo
Elijah had shown up as well today. Dressed in a casual suit, he carried himself with a relaxed air and his usual playful smile. He'd even brought Sophie a gift and made her giggle nonstop with his teasing."Since we're all here, let's start dinner," Marie said, her expression grim when she glanced
When Georgia and Sophie arrived at the Seele residence, they were greeted by a living room already packed to the brim with relatives. Fred had arrived and was seated on the couch, tending to the guests.Though he was still fairly young, he was already the head of the family and able to exude an ami
Georgia was making some notes, her face calm and unbothered. Fred pressed a hand to his forehead.Since further discussion was needed, the meeting ended without a clear decision.Georgia packed up her things, and Elijah grabbed her laptop for her, saying, "Let's head back to the office."She humm
Helena snorted. Why did anyone ever claim that Georgia was an agreeable person who never fought for anything? Right now, Georgia was practically roaring for a fight, as if she couldn't wait to challenge every single one of Helena's plans and decisions and prove how little they were worth.While s







