It was a call from her grandmother, Monica. Joey cast a wary look in Zachary's direction. As their gazes locked, her expression betrayed a mixture of unease and anticipation—a sentiment that did not escape Zachary's notice.Urged by a longing for a response, Joey's lips were slightly parted. Yet, no words escaped, and she turned to leave in silence. "Grandma …" Joey answered the call and closed the office door.Monica's voice came through the phone, asking, "Joey, have you picked up Zachary?"With dusk settling in, Monica foresaw a compromise in her vision once the room lights illuminated. To spare Joey from worry, she kept her eye struggles to herself. Monica's sole desire was to witness Joey and Zachary leading a happy life together. However, uncertainty lingered about whether she would get to see them embrace parenthood.Lost in contemplation, it took multiple calls from Joey to bring Monica back to the present."Huh? Pardon me?""Zachary is still in the meeting. I sti

"Your grandmother is here?" Selena exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the full story. She pouted. "You're not going to keep up the act, are you? She's pretty sharp."Joey knew that. She replied helplessly, "I'll keep up the act for now. She's not in the best condition and has lost a lot of weight. She came to check on us. If I tell her that we're divorcing, she might not be able to handle it. I can't take that risk."Selena rubbed her chin and voiced her concern, "You should remind Zachary to keep his distance from Julia. Otherwise, if he's caught having an affair, he'd better be prepared to face the consequences." Despite Monica's gentle demeanor, she would stand up for Joey if anyone bullied her.When Joey was about four or five years old, she nearly got abducted. Armed with a sickle, Monica pursued the kidnapper for three blocks, eventually wearing down the kidnapper until he had to abandon his attempt to take Joey. Monica didn't stop there—she then gave the kidnapper a good

Zachary followed the sound of her voice, his thin lips pursing slightly. After a few seconds, he spoke, "I saw two extra blankets on Grandma's bed just now. She probably found it too cold. Why don't you go get them?" Joey thought for a moment and replied, "It's fine."Joey couldn't take the blankets if she was really cold. And if Monica were to sniff them out because of that, then everything they had done would be in vain.While she was still contemplating her sleeping arrangements, Zachary made some space for her. He said casually, "Sleep here."Joey didn't know what to say. She hesitated for a moment before walking to the bed expressionlessly. She lifted the blanket and climbed into the bed before switching off the bedside lamp.Convincing herself that they wouldn't engage in anything inappropriate, and considering they had shared a bed before, she assumed his nonchalance meant there was nothing to worry about.However, she couldn't fall asleep even after closing her eyes.Jo

"Sure, then it's settled. I'll have someone to sign the contract with you," Kent said happily. "Welcome to Design Maestros. You won't be disappointed.""But I have a small request," Joey remembered something and sputtered before Kent hung up."Yes?" The crowd around him was noisy. Kent had no choice but to turn up the call volume to the maximum for fear of not being able to hear Joey's condition."About the show," Joey paused, "I don't want Zachary to know about it."If the incident between her and Zachary affected the studio and the program team, she would suffer losses.Kent paused momentarily before saying, "Okay ... Sure." As long as he didn't take the initiative to say it, Zachary wouldn't find out, right?After hanging up, Kent greeted Zachary as he entered. "Yo, Zachary, what brings you here?""Why? Any shady business?" Zachary leaned against the sofa with his legs crossed, and his fingers tapped on the glass table before him, making a rhythmic sound. Kent had entered a

Julia's expression remained composed as she observed Janet putting the box into her bag. Yet, a subtle pang resonated in her heart. After all, it was a watch she had just bought, and its hefty price had stirred an internal debate. However, the prospect of future success and fame made the sacrifice seem justified."Oh, by the way, I have a few photos here. Take a look and see if you can use them."Julia pulled out several photos, and Janet leaned over for a glance. They were pictures of Julia and Zachary, but only Zachary's side profile was visible in all the photos. "Send them to me," Janet said, pleased with Julia's corporation. She knew Julia understood her intentions. Janet picked up her phone, ready to receive the images. "Don't worry about the details. Just hand over your social media accounts to me, and I'll have a professional team manage them for you.""Okay."…Approaching the end of the workday, Joey set aside her design drafts and opened her chatbox with Zachary. Th