登入“Is your work area comfortable enough?”Zane sat behind his elegant desk while Jade stood in front of it, her posture straight but tense.“Yes, Mr. Frost. Thank you,” she replied, trying to keep her voice calm. But she couldn’t help wondering—why did he seem to be in such a bad mood? Did something go wrong during his meeting?“Comfortable enough to take personal phone calls during work hours?”Jade blinked, caught off guard by the sharpness in his tone. But he was right—she had taken a personal call, and she'd been caught red-handed.“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “It won’t happen again.”“Jade, this department is the busiest in the entire company. I don’t allow personal calls during work hours unless it’s an emergency. Make sure you remember that.”“Yes, Mr. Frost,” she said again, bowing her head slightly.“Ask Ryan to come in.”With that, he dismissed her.Jade sighed as she stepped out of the office. She shouldn’t have taken that call. But it was done—and there was nothing she cou
“Jade, when you have time, let’s still have lunch together, okay?” Mireia held her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks.“Of course,” Jade reassured her. “You’re my only true friend here.”Although her other colleagues had apologized, Jade knew it was only because Madam Frost had publicly corrected them.And, undeniably, part of the reason was that she turned out to be “related” to their employer. That made it a risky move to stay on her bad side.“You’re rich now and you didn’t even tell me,” Mireia joked, trying to lighten the mood as she wiped her tears.“If it were my own wealth, I would’ve told you for sure. But I’m not the rich one—Zia is,” Jade chuckled.“Well, you are her mom,” Mireia teased, laughing. “In her eyes, you are her mother.”“Yeah…” Jade murmured with a faint smile.“But if you become Mrs. Hall in the future, then you’d be rich by marriage, too.”“Whatever you say.” Jade poked Mireia’s forehead playfully. “I’m going now. It’s my first day. I shouldn’t be late.”“
"I came here personally because it doesn’t sit right with me that people from our own work family would spread baseless rumors about mine.So let me set the record straight—Zia is my great-granddaughter, but she is not Jade’s daughter with Zane. She’s Zane’s niece, the daughter of his late sister, Zaira. And the Frost family is deeply grateful to Jade for stepping up and caring for that little girl like her own.Because of her quiet strength, her dedication, and the grace she’s shown through all this, Zane and I both agree—she’s earned more. So starting today, Jade Collins will officially be part of our executive team.And let me be perfectly clear: anyone who dares slander her again—through gossip, disrespect, or anything underhanded—will be dealt with.”It was a short message from Helena, but it was enough to turn the earlier accusations against Jade around.Jade couldn’t help but cry in secret. She had expected to be fired—maybe even cut off from Zia’s life. But perhaps the Frosts
She swallowed hard at his tone. Did she somehow offend him?She watched Karter go helplessly. A part of her wanted to argue with Zane, to ask what his problem was—but his expression made it clear: his mood had no space for negotiation.Silence enveloped the table. Jade had already finished eating, and now she was just pushing around the leftovers on her plate, waiting for Zane to say something.“Are you done yet?” he asked after a long pause.“I am,” she replied, pushing her plate aside. “Mr. Frost—”“Ryan, show her now.”Jade blinked, confused.Ryan, who had just lifted his spoon, froze mid-air before quickly setting it down and pulling out his phone.“Ms. Collins, earlier, the company’s internal page was swamped with pictures,” Ryan said as he handed her his phone.Jade’s hands trembled as she accepted the device—and her heart sank at what she saw.Photos of Zane and Zia filled the screen. The entire company was talking about it. It wasn’t just the fact that Zane appeared to have a
“Karter, I told you so many times—don’t come here,” Jade said, clearly stressed as she met Karter at the company cafeteria.“What’s wrong?” he asked, flashing her a cute smile, as if clueless about her predicament. “You’re single, I’m single. I don’t see anything wrong if people see us together.”“You’re missing the point,” she sighed, sitting across from him at a table for four in the corner of the café. “Karter, I’m way out of your league. Don’t you feel ashamed being seen with someone like me? And this is my workplace. What would my colleagues think of me?”“Jade—”“And,” she cut him off with a wave of her index finger, stopping him mid-sentence, “you are not single. Don’t you have a supermodel girlfriend abroad?”“That’s our secret. You don’t even have to mention that,” he said. “What do you want? I’ll go line up.”The cafeteria was self-service since it was intended for employees only. Even the company executives were rarely seen there.So, Karter’s presence stood out. Of course,
“I’d like to apologize… uhm, for how I acted yesterday. I was rude to you. Can you forgive me?” Catherine had approached Jade as they walked toward the buffet hall.They had just watched the sunrise and were still mesmerized by it. Even little Zia had appreciated the beauty of nature. It was a pity they wouldn’t be able to see the sunset—they were set to check out shortly after lunch.“Ms. White, who am I to even think of holding a grudge against you?” Jade smiled genuinely at Zane’s girlfriend, who had taken the initiative to reach out. “It was my fault for ruining your fun.”“Oh no, I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. It was my fault for overreacting. I hope you can let it slide this time.”“Of course, Ms. White. Let’s catch up with them,” she said, referring to Zane, Karter, and Zia, who were walking ahead.“Let’s go.”Jade appreciated Catherine’s humility. She did not need to do that but she still did. Jade was sure Catherine would make a good wife to Zane. A bittersweet smile
“Zane! What are you doing?! That’s Karter!”Catherine screamed, trying to stop him, but Zane’s fist connected hard with Karter’s face. Zane was furious—his vision blurred as the memory of Jade nearly drowning flooded his mind.If it weren’t for another guest who happened to notice Jade floating in
“Mommy, let’s take a picture together!” Zia pulled Jade toward the resort mascot. “Uncle Karter, use your phone!”“Okay, little princess.”Not wanting to decline Karter’s invitation to the out-of-town resort, Jade had asked if they could bring Zia along. Fortunately, Grandma Helena agreed, and Kart
Jade sighed in defeat and reached for the soup bowl.“Mr. Frost, to show my sincerity, I’ll cook for you.”“No need,” he said quickly.Jade blinked, confused.Zane snapped his laptop shut and set it aside, then shifted to sit up straighter.“Feed me.”Jade stared at him in disbelief. Had he lost hi
Jade arrived home from work soaking wet. It had been raining the whole day and she didn’t have an umbrella. She braved the rain and as a result, got all wet.Z had been waiting for her, worried sick. Though he couldn’t see, he must have sensed the change in the air, or maybe it was just how well he







