FAZER LOGINRayne ignored Michelle and tagged Gideon directly.Rayne: [@Gideon, seeing is believing. Tell me you believe what Michelle and I have been saying now. Look at them together in a baby store. Does that look innocent to you?]Michelle followed with her own tag.Michelle: [@Gideon, exactly. Open your eyes and look. Those two are definitely involved.]Rayne sent a nodding emoji.Rayne: [@Gideon, the paternity test has to happen. Don't spend your life raising another man's child without knowing it.]Elaine exploded.Elaine: [What? The girl might not be Gideon's? You mean she's another man's child? This Lucille... There's nothing she won't do! Gideon, say something!]Wendy weighed in.Wendy: [@Rayne, you're saying the baby might be Otto's? Impossible. Otto would never be interested in her. This is a complete mess.]The women continued relentlessly.Gideon was in the middle of a meeting. For convenience, he had asked Mark to project a confidential document from his phone onto the ma
It was Rayne.She and Michelle had planned to spend the day shopping at the mall, and by chance, she saw Lucille and Otto walk into a baby store.As though drawn by an invisible force, she abandoned Michelle without a word and followed them inside. Pretending to browse the baby clothes, she listened carefully to every word they exchanged.Something flared inside her as she watched Otto fuss over Lucille with such deliberate care before buying an expensive gift for Lucille's daughter without the slightest hesitation.Jealousy consumed her until she barely recognized herself.The Riverrun signing ceremony had dominated the news just a few days earlier. Photos of Lucille and Otto standing side by side had topped every major headline and covered the front pages.Seeing them everywhere had already filled Rayne with enough rage to make her want to scream. That anger was the reason she had dragged Michelle out shopping in the first place.She had hoped a day of shopping therapy would d
"More than like it. I'm completely attached to it. This is my favorite 'boyfriend' right now. After a long day, I climb in, sink into the seat, and every bit of tiredness disappears."At the word "boyfriend," the warmth in Otto's eyes deepened. "Sounds like you chose this 'boyfriend' well.""Choosing a car and choosing a partner actually follow the same logic. Some look dazzling at first, but they don't handle the way you'd want. Others seem understated, but they still don't understand your instincts."Finding something that's both what you need and what you want, something that feels right to both your eye and your hand... that's rare."He turned to her and held her gaze for a long, quiet moment.When he spoke, his voice carried nothing but sincere goodwill. "Congratulations. You've left your old car behind and found the one you always wanted. I think the road ahead will suit this car. Smooth and easy, with nothing but clear skies ahead."The compliment, layered with everything
After the signing ceremony, Lucille became as tightly wound as a drawn bowstring. She threw herself into her work with everything she had.Design was like writing. It demanded complete mental focus. There was no room for distraction.The only reason Lucille could devote herself so completely was that Joanne kept everything at home running smoothly.She wanted to justify the trust Otto had placed in her with real, measurable results.…One evening, the office lights burned bright and cold. Her colleagues had trickled out one by one, yet Lucille remained at her desk, completely absorbed in her work.Otto rapped the edge of her desk twice with two long fingers."Lucy, take a break. No overtime tonight." He paused, and a hint of warmth softened his voice. "Come on. I'll take you somewhere for a proper dinner. We can stop by the baby store while we're out."Lucille looked up slowly, her eyes still unfocused after staring at blueprints for so long. "Oh? Why all of a sudden..."Otto
Lucille looked around the room, unhurried and clear-eyed. "From this day forward, the Prescott Group and I are separate entities. Riverrun is Riverrun. The Prescott Group is the Prescott Group. There is no connection between them. Please feel free to work with us without any concern."They said the sharpest retaliation came not through force but through words. Lucille had just learned that for herself.She poured another glass of wine, carried it to Gideon, and looked at him with the faintest hint of a smile. "Mr. Prescott, I'd like to offer you a toast as well. Without your failure to recognize my worth, I would not be standing here today."I once sincerely believed that becoming a designer at the Prescott Group was the greatest honor I could ever achieve. Now I understand that the world beyond it is vast. There is room in it for everything."Thank you for setting me free."Gideon's face stiffened. Standing before everyone, he had nothing left to defend. He opened his mouth, but
The words fell into the room like a stop sign, and every voice died at once. The air turned heavy. Even the sound of breathing seemed unnaturally loud.Lucille's face darkened. Her knuckles whitened around the stem of her glass.Otto had been tapping his fingers idly against his glass. They stopped. He looked at Gideon, and not a trace of warmth remained in his eyes.Gideon drained the remaining wine from Lucille's glass in a single swallow, refilled it for himself, and turned to face the room. "Thank you all for recognizing my wife's talent. She deserves every word of your praise. Allow me to drink to each of you on her behalf."He emptied his glass again.The alcohol took hold, and whatever restraint he had left dissolved. Something close to frenzy seized him. A reckless, almost manic urge to put on a show.He reached out, pulled Lucille against him in full view of everyone, and arranged his face into a self-satisfied smile. "My wife's achievements bring me nothing but pride. I
Inside a clothing store in a large shopping mall in Coasthaven, Lillian slept soundly in her stroller, clean, full, and completely out, while Nancy pushed her slowly along the aisles.Gwen stayed close to Lucille as she tried things on. Her body still had not fully recovered after the birth. Her ol
Gideon heard her laugh, and there was no warmth in it.Lucille yanked her wrist free. "Gideon, you don't have to hold anything back. Come at me. Use every card you've got."You want a fight? Fine. I've made my decision, and I'm not scared. Bring it. Whatever you've got, throw it at me."The light
Lucille would give up every comfort, vanity, and shred of dignity without hesitation for Lily. She could be unkempt, exhausted, hollowed out, and unglamorous. None of that mattered compared with her daughter's well-being. None of it came close.By now, Lucille worked the breast pump with the automa
Elaine was Lily's grandmother by blood. Yet Lucille could find nothing in her face, not a flicker of feeling for the child, only cold calculation.For five years in the Prescott household, every cent Lucille spent had come from her own pocket. Gideon had given her a card after the wedding, but Elai







