LOGIN“Zayne’s been taken to the hospital,” Mr. Tiano said over the phone.Elmy didn’t react right away. For a split second, her brain refused to process the words—until the glass slipped from her hand.It shattered on the floor.Her world seemed to stop. Even her heartbeat.The sound of breaking glass made Gianna and Isabella, who had been cooking together in the kitchen, turn around. Elmy stood frozen.So her gut feeling had been right. Something had happened to Zayne.The shards scattered across the floor. Some cut into her feet, but she didn’t care. She quickly got up from her chair. Her head was filled with alarms. The image of Zayne being stabbed by Ray flashed back into her mind.A loud ringing echoed in her ears, like a warning.Without saying a word, Elmy rushed out. But—“Where are you going? Oh my God, Elmy, your foot is bleeding,” Isabella scolded. She grabbed Elmy’s arm, forcing her to stop for a moment. “What’s wrong with you, huh? You’re hurt—why aren’t you taking care of you
“How do I look?” Zayne asked, standing in front of Mr. Tiano.If it were Gion, with his big mouth, he would’ve already made a blunt comment about Zayne’s appearance. But Mr. Tiano was different. The middle-aged man simply nodded and gave a thumbs-up.No sarcastic remarks like: your tie doesn’t match, why is your suit wrinkled, didn’t you comb your hair?—none of that.Maybe Zayne’s ears would be safe now, but honestly… he kind of missed Gion. That guy was probably off enjoying himself with some sexy women in Hawaii.Maybe.Or maybe not.Forget about Gion.Zayne grabbed his briefcase and walked out of the lobby with Mr. Tiano. His important meeting with top executives was being held at a five-star hotel. He kept adjusting his suit over and over again before getting into the car with Mr. Tiano.He exhaled repeatedly, but it did nothing to ease the weight sitting in his chest. This kind of situation was nothing new to him, yet for some reason, he didn’t feel as calm as usual today.“What
Elmy rushed down from the second floor and wrapped her arms around Isabella, who was trembling in fear. Beneath her composed exterior, Elmy knew her mother was just as terrified of Vincent’s uncontrollable rage.“Dad, that’s enough!” Elmy said firmly. The fear inside her vanished, replaced by a single thought—get these two out, now. For a brief moment, she glanced at Michella, who was looking away, clearly unwilling to get involved.“What are you even doing here? Isn’t it enough that you already have that stepdaughter with you?” Elmy emphasized each word.Vincent clenched his fists across the room. His teeth ground together, his face flushed red, and the faint smell of alcohol lingered in the air. He was drunk—completely consumed by his emotions.“What the hell is your husband doing? He stole Mr. Huang from me.” Vincent took a step forward, and Elmy instinctively stepped back, shielding Isabella. “Do you even know? I was supposed to be the one wor
“Zayne…” Elmy’s voice sounded calm—for someone who had just seen her husband holding another woman’s child.Zayne turned around, still carrying the baby in his arms. “You’re here already?”“Yeah. I came because I saw you playing with the baby,” she said.Her husband smiled brightly. There was a clear sparkle in his eyes as he gently waved the baby’s hand toward Elmy. “Say hi to Auntie Elmy…” Zayne said softly, moving the baby’s tiny hand as if the child was greeting her.The smile on Elmy’s lips was forced. She knew that if she didn’t, her feelings would be far too obvious to Zayne. Besides, she didn’t want to ruin his mood.“What’s his name?”Zayne stepped closer. “His name’s Theo, and over there is his mother—”“Jane,” Elmy cut in quickly. “Dennis said she’s your new manager.”Her gaze shifted toward Jane, who was still standing a short distance away. The woman gave a gentle nod, her movements graceful and soft. There was something feminine and maternal about her. And what struck El
“Surprised, huh?” Elmy asked, right in front of Michella’s flushed face. A faint smile curved on her lips—subtle, but enough to make the woman in front of her take a step back. “Or are you starting to get scared?”“W-who’s scared?” Michella shot back. She forced a wide smile—one that looked flat, even awkward. “What do you even know about me? Stop making things up.”Elmy didn’t respond. She simply stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest as she threw Michella an innocent-looking grin. Michella’s expression darkened before she turned around and walked away without another word.Elmy’s gaze shifted to Vincent, who was now staring back at her from a distance. Their relationship had grown strained since that argument. No apology had ever come from him—not even the slightest effort to visit Isabella.Was he really her father? Elmy wasn’t so sure anymore.“What did you say to her? She looked like she’d seen a ghost,” Zayne asked, suddenly
“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
“Whoever made that agreement is the one responsible for Marietta’s death.” Sam’s words kept echoing in Elmy’s mind. His voice, the mocking look on his face—everything made her chest tighten.Before the funeral was even over, she ordered an Uber and left without telling Zayne. Seeing his
“Sir, I got a call from Gianna.” Anderson glanced at Elmy, who was sitting beside Zayne. He looked a little flustered, but quickly turned back to Zayne with a panicked expression.“Zayne, Gianna called me too,” Elmy said from beside him.“Sir, Mrs. Marietta has been admitted to
“Mom, I can’t take you all the way home. I still have something to take care of,” Zayne said, leaning down to kiss his mother on the cheek.Marietta didn’t seem bothered at all. She nodded and patted Zayne’s shoulder.“That’s fine.” Before getting into the car, she paused and turned back to him. “A
“You misunderstood! I didn’t touch you at all!” Sam said, covering the side of his face that had turned red after Elmy hit him with her handbag a few seconds earlier.Elmy bit her lip hard until it hurt. “You clearly touched me, damn it! You touched—”“What’s all the noise about?” Zayne suddenly ap







