LOGIN“Watch your behavior, Michella. I need to get close to Mr. Huang tonight,” Vincent said.Michella rolled her eyes lazily. Honestly, she didn’t care about any of that. If she could choose, she’d rather be at home watching movies or just playing games on her phone. But Vincent dragged her along—because he had no one else.That sharp-tongued middle-aged woman had gone to her daughter’s house, leaving only Michella behind with the staff… and a few attractive bodyguards Michella wouldn’t mind getting close to.“What did I even do? I’ve been standing next to you this whole time like some pet,” Michella snapped.Vincent turned, a playful grin on his face. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “You are my little pet.”Without hesitation, Michella smacked his arm. Vincent just chuckled, then straightened his suit as Mr. Huang—an East Asian man—approached them. They shook hands, and Mr. Huang casually pulled Vincent into a friendly side hug.“It’s been a while since I last saw you, Vincent
“I already know the company is in trouble, Zayne.” Isabella looked up at him. He stood across from her, hands tucked into his pockets. The sting in his scraped knuckles still lingered.“Why didn’t you tell me?” Elmy asked. There was disappointment in her voice, but Isabella didn’t seem to care.Gianna quickly prepared some medicine, while Lyra brought drinks for them.“I only just found out myself, from one of your father’s old acquaintances,” Isabella explained, holding out her hand as Gianna carefully treated the wounds. The purplish bruises were clearly visible against her pale skin. But she didn’t even flinch. Her face remained calm—as if all her emotions had already burned out, leaving behind nothing but a cold emptiness.Could it be… Isabella already knew about Vincent and Michella?Zayne parted his lips, wanting to say something, but when he glanced at Elmy, he held himself back. His wife’s cheek was bruised. Just looking at it made his blood boil. If Vincent weren’t his father
“I want to meet Hiro directly,” Zayne said to Hiro’s secretary who greeted him in the lobby.“Mr. Hiro is currently in a meeting. Would you like to wait for a moment?” the woman asked as she reached into her blazer pocket, pulling out her ringing phone.“One moment, Mr. Zayne. I’ll take this call first.”Zayne waited patiently, glancing around the busy company lobby. He checked his watch briefly before looking back at the woman.“Mr. Hiro said he’s already in his office.”Zayne paused mid-step and turned to the secretary. “No need to escort me. You can get back to work.”The woman smiled brightly, bowed politely, and left.When he reached the top floor, Zayne entered Hiro’s office without knocking. The man flinched in surprise, choking on his own cigarette smoke.“Damn it, knock first!” Hiro snapped.Zayne glanced at the cigarette in Hiro’s hand. The man took a deep drag, only to cough again, thin smoke escaping unevenly from his mouth.“If you can’t handle smoking, don’t force it,” Z
“Are you going to follow Michella again today?” Zayne asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind.Elmy turned her head, just enough to return his kiss. “I’m going to see my mom.”“To talk about the restaurant?”“Yeah. And maybe enjoy watching that woman’s little act again,” Elmy said casually.A quiet chuckle escaped Zayne. He pressed a brief kiss to her shoulder. “How do you even know she’s going to your house?”At that, Elmy turned around to face him, smiling wide as she whispered, “Everyone in that house is on my side.”“So?”“I told them to keep an eye on Michella,” Elmy admitted, looking rather proud.Zayne pinched her nose. “Turns out you’re pretty cunning.”“She’s cunning. I can be worse.”“So who told you? Gianna?”“Lyra texted me last night. She overheard Michella talking in the living room,” Elmy explained. She leaned in and kissed him again. “I’m thinking of giving them all a raise. As appreciation.”“I’m the one paying them, sweetheart.”“Oh…”“What kind of reaction i
“You’ve got four days left. Have you found a place to stay yet?” Elmy asked Michella as they had dinner together.The clinking of cutlery suddenly stopped. Michella froze mid-bite, her expression turning sour.“So you really want to kick your own sister out, huh?” Michella sneered.Elmy clicked her tongue. She almost shot back, ‘Sister? What kind of sister sleeps with her own stepfather?’But she held herself back and said nothing, only pressing her fork harder against the ceramic plate, creating a sharp clinking sound that startled Zayne and Gianna, who had been pouring water.“I don’t just want to kick you out,” Elmy said, cutting her meat with force. “…I want you out of my family’s life entirely.” Her face remained calm as she lifted her gaze and smiled at the stunned Michella.“Bitch,” Michella cursed.“Watch your language. She’s your sister, isn’t she? You should show some respect,” Zayne chimed in, raising one brow.Michella gripped her fork and knife tightly before dropping the
“Wouldn’t that put your father’s company at risk?” Zayne asked, wrapping an arm around Elmy’s waist and letting her lean against his chest.“I don’t care, Zayne.” Elmy toyed with the buttons on his shirt and looked up at him. “If it can make my dad come to his senses, I’ll do it. And… I don’t want Michella sticking to him all the time.”Suddenly, Elmy straightened up. “She didn’t flirt with you today, did she? The way she dressed—she looked like a stripper,” she muttered, tugging on the tie still hanging around Zayne’s neck.A chuckle slipped from his lips, amused by how aggressive she was getting. “She just talked to me, but I didn’t really respond.”“What did she talk about?”“Nothing important,” Zayne answered casually. He didn’t want to bring up his conversation with Michella. For Elmy, it might be a sensitive topic. Especially since they still hadn’t been able to have a child—it would only hurt her.Zayne tried to pull Elmy back against him, but she refused. She got off his lap.
“Where’s Zayne?” Elmy asked Lyra, who was pouring coffee into a cup. It wasn’t like Zayne to skip breakfast. Last night, she hadn’t even had the chance to sleep beside him—he’d gone back to his study, and this morning, she couldn’t find him anywhere.Lyra set the teapot down on its tray.
“Mom?” Elmy didn’t expect Isabella to show up at her house. The woman brought food and several luxury items with her. Elmy wasn’t sure what this meant, but she hoped it was a good sign. “What are you doing here?”“I just felt like visiting,” Isabella said as she placed her designer bag on the glass
Zayne began to notice that something had changed in Elmy. It wasn’t anything major—but it was enough to wear him down.It seemed the remarks Isabella had thrown at Elmy were still lingering in her mind. They hadn’t faded. If anything, they were pressing down on her even more. That woman’s expectati
Zayne had no intention of locking the bedroom door. He didn’t care if Gianna caught them in the act. All he wanted was to release all the exhaustion weighing on him and lose himself in the heaven that belonged to his woman. Someone once told him back in college that this world was like hell… and







