LOGIN"I want Mommy! I want to be with Mommy! Waaah!"Edward clung to Joan, sobbing uncontrollably, tears and mucus streaking across his face.Chris watched, torn between frustration and heartache. He sank onto the sofa, reaching for a cigarette—but then paused. Seeing Edward still here, he put it back in the case."When's your flight? I'll have Jimmy take you to the airport."After Joan's involvement with Joshua in harming Adriana came to light, he had investigated her past actions. It turned out she had always deceived him, taking advantage of his attempts to make amends. Now, she was using Edward's attachment to her to manipulate him again. He hated himself for being blind, for letting Joan drive Adriana away."What flight?"Joan froze, her crying abruptly stopping."You were going to take Edward abroad, right? Fine. I'll let you—give up custody. I don't need to raise him. Besides, Adriana and I will have children anyway."Chris's tone was cold, detached, and indifferent.Joan fe
Though Heidi couldn't help worrying about Chris, she knew, in terms of right and wrong, he had overstepped. The truth was, she didn't want to stay there to care for Edward any longer.She didn't want to care for the boy whom Chris had acknowledged as his own. Today, Chris was hosting a family gathering to officially announce the boy's recognition into the Slater lineage."I'll come stay over this weekend. You can stay at the family estate," Adriana said.The Slater family estate was her ideal place to live, but it was too far from work; she hated wasting time commuting. The staff there had been in place since Grandma Rosie was alive, and Adriana hadn't changed a thing.She pushed open the door to her old room. Everything was exactly as it had been—neat, orderly, as if someone had always been living there. Seeing the familiar surroundings, a pang of "things remain, people change" swept through her heart."Madam, are you still staying in this room?"Heidi stood behind her, her hear
After finishing her styling, Lucas promptly drove Adriana to a high-end private café on the outskirts of the city.The place had clearly been cleared in advance. In a corner, the reporters and photographers had already taken their positions, ready for the shoot.Chris, dressed in a more casual black outfit, was seated by the window. When he saw Adriana arrive, he stood and met her at the door, extending his arm."Link arms with me."Adriana glanced at the cameras, slipped her arm through his, and smiled.Chris returned her smile, his eyes soft and indulgent.The cameras focused, and filming began."Mrs. Slater, please move closer to Mr. Slater. Yes, tilt your head slightly… good, smile a little sweeter…" the photographer directed.They walked into the café side by side, close but composed. Chris pulled out a chair for her, and once she sat, he draped his hands over her shoulders, leaning down from behind to ask, "What would you like to drink?"Suppressing her discomfort, Adria
Adriana drove to the laboratory, arriving just as the meeting was starting.Francesco was listening to his assistant summarize last month's progress. Adriana quietly slipped into the empty seat beside Oliver.Bound by the confidentiality agreement, Oliver had no idea that she had taken a two-hour leave to finalize her divorce."Adriana, I heard you have some plans for the upcoming tasks?"No sooner had she sat down and taken a sip of water than Francesco called her name.She opened her laptop and gave a detailed report. She had prepared meticulously, anticipating any scrutiny, determined not to give him a reason to find fault.Yet, Francesco was still unsatisfied. "Needs improvement. Revise it this afternoon and submit it again.""I… I'll be on leave this afternoon. Could I submit it tomorrow instead?" Adriana said quickly.He tilted his head, eyes sharp. "Reason for leave?"It was a simple question, yet she could sense his pride lurking beneath it."It's personal; I'd rather
The early autumn breeze carried a hint of chill, twisting a few green-yellow sycamore leaves into spirals as they drifted down onto the steps of the courthouse.When Adriana arrived, a familiar black Maybach was parked by the curb.Chris sat in the back seat, wearing sunglasses, his face pale as snow, back rigid, the window half-open. The morning light carved sharp shadows across his defined features. A cigarette hung between his fingers, smoke curling lazily into the air.Adriana wore a simple milk-coffee trench coat over a plain white dress. Her face was bare, untouched by makeup, giving her a serene beauty that felt effortlessly clean.She walked steadily to the car. Chris stubbed out his cigarette, opened the door, and gestured for her to enter.They sat side by side. The air between them was taut with unspoken tension.Adriana tucked her hair behind her ear. "Aren't we going in?""Do you have everything you need?"His voice was low, blending with the cool morning breeze. H
Chris stared at the glaring words, and at last, the truth hit him: the warmest light of his life had truly been extinguished—by his own hands.Adriana was strong, resilient, and open-hearted. Even after leaving him, she would thrive.But Edward… that little boy, he couldn't bear to entrust him to a mother as ruthless as Joan.Chris sat in the private room until the restaurant closed, finally lifting his heavy hand to sign the agreement.Perhaps, after the divorce, Adriana might return to him. She had no family of her own and valued her connections more than anyone else. He refused to believe she could truly abandon more than a decade of shared life as if it were nothing.Francesco was already married, and Oliver, the only young master of the Reeves family, could never be allowed to be with a divorced woman of no background. Alone, Adriana would have no one.He didn't receive a reply immediately. He assumed the divorce negotiations would drag on for days, but just before sleep, a
Adriana's hand paused mid-wipe on the table. She looked up and smiled softly."He's right," she said.Oliver smelled gossip in the air, but with Bianca present, he couldn't ask Adriana directly."You must be mistaken. Adriana is absolutely not a bad woman," he said.Bianca's eyes locked on him.
Shucking the barbecue wasn't hard—making ten plates was nothing.Still, the look on Oliver's face made it seem like she'd suffered some profound humiliation. Adriana pressed her lips together, caught between laughter and frustration.After fixing four or five plates, Francesco simply took the serv
"It's snowing."The sky had been brooding all day, and at last, late into the night, delicate flakes began to drift downward.Adriana let go of Francesco, palms lifted, chasing the falling snow. The flakes were thin and light—melting instantly against her warm hands. She reached, cupped them, then
Adriana tilted her head back and let out a deep breath.Whenever her mother was mentioned, her nose tingled, her eyes pricked with tears. She forced a wry smile, staring straight at Chris, ignoring the redness around her eyes."You almost made me lose my mother's keepsake. It was Neo who got it fo







