All Chapters of The Best Decision: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Today marked my third Valentine’s Day with my husband, James Smith. He gave his stepsister, Mia Smith, one hundred and eighty thousand dollars and millions in jewelry, but all he gave me was a bouquet of roses.I married James when he was at his lowest. I stood by his side, watching him go from having nothing to becoming the CEO of Smith Group. However, now that he was successful, he spared no expense for his little sister, who wasn’t even related to him by blood, while telling me to keep living frugally.It had never been about the price of the gift for me. Even when he brought me small, cheap trinkets to test me, I happily accepted them.Today, however, was Valentine’s Day, and he couldn’t even be bothered to replace the original packaging that had “complimentary gift” printed on the plastic wrap.When I received that ridiculous “present,” I was in the kitchen, preparing our candlelit dinner for the evening.“James, what is this?” I tried to keep my voice calm, holding up my pho

Chapter 2

Seven years later, in the grandest ballroom of Belgrade, I held my daughter Emily’s hand as we stepped into the venue. Her eyes lit up the moment she spotted the dessert table in the distance.“Mommy, that little cake looks sooo yummy!” she said.I crouched down, giving her chubby cheek a gentle pinch. “Only a little, okay? When Daddy and your brother get here, there’s going to be a giant pudding tower waiting.”“Okay!” Emily’s eyes sparkled with excitement.I couldn’t help but smile as I ruffled her hair and led her toward the dessert table.Normally, my husband Daniel would never let me attend an event alone. Even after five years of marriage, his love was still as intense as the day we met. We were rarely apart for more than two hours.Today, however, he had an unexpected international meeting to attend. Considering this was a welcome banquet in our honor, we didn’t expect anything to happen. Since Emily had been talking nonstop about that cake the entire way here, Daniel fina

Chapter 3

Emily charged forward like a little lioness, planting herself firmly between me and the event manager. She was wearing a pure white dress that was simple in design but crafted by one of Paris’s top designers for their exclusive children’s line. Clearly, James and Mia didn’t recognize it.James froze when he saw her, his face darkening instantly. “You have a child?”Mia gasped dramatically, covering her mouth. “Oh my gosh, so you’re already a mom, and you’re still so vain to wear a fake watch? Poor kid, she must be so ashamed of you.”“Shut your mouth,” I cut her off sharply, pulling Emily behind me.The event manager’s face was growing uglier by the second. He took another step toward me. “Ma’am, Mr. Howard will be arriving soon. If you don’t leave now, I’ll have to call security.”“That’s enough,” James interrupted, pulling out his phone with an impatient sigh. He tapped the screen a few times before holding it out. “Here’s ten grand. Take it and leave. It’s enough to feed you

Chapter 4

James stepped in front of me, blocking my way.“Evelyn,” he said stiffly, his eyes flicking toward Emily again and again, clearly convinced she was his child. “For the kid’s sake, you could come back. There are still plenty of easy jobs on the estate.”“Mr. James,” I met his gaze coldly, enunciating each word as I said, “I’m married.”James let out a short, disbelieving laugh, as if I’d just told the most ridiculous joke. “Your husband? What kind of loser lets you live like this?”His eyes slid over my plain dress before deliberately landing on Mia’s extravagant gown, his meaning obvious. “After all these years, don’t tell me you’ve never even gotten so much as a freebie bouquet.”“Forget her, James.” Mia moved closer, though her attention was fixed on the camellia hair clip in Emily’s hair. Suddenly, her voice shot up several octaves. “Oh my gosh! Is this little one wearing Chanel’s new hair accessory?”She reached out to take it, but Emily shrank back, frightened.“Fake?” Mia’

Chapter 5

A small figure suddenly broke away from Daniel’s side and rushed over, kneeling to steady his sister’s arm.“Emily!”Seven-year-old Alan Howard was the spitting image of his father, dressed in a matching white suit. His delicate little face was tight with worry.He gently wiped away the tears from Emily’s cheeks. “Did it hurt when you fell? Come here, I’ll carry you.”“Alan… they bullied Mommy!” Emily’s bottled-up emotions exploded, and she threw herself into her brother’s arms, sobbing.The entire ballroom went dead silent. All eyes shifted stiffly between me and Daniel—a disheveled woman covered in dessert and the most important man in the room. By all logic, our worlds shouldn’t have overlapped.James stood frozen, his lips trembling. “No… impossible. How could Mr. Howard marry a divorced woman…”Daniel didn’t even spare James a single glance. Ignoring everyone’s stares, he walked straight to me and pulled me into his arms without hesitation.I was sticky from head to toe, m

Chapter 6

“James! Help me!”Mia stumbled forward and dropped to her knees, clutching his pant leg in a death grip. “For the sake of all the years we’ve known each other… please help me!”James’s face turned pale. Instinctively, he tried to calm her down. “Mia, don’t be afraid. Mr. Howard is just asking some routine questions.”However, Mia only clung tighter, her voice growing more frantic. “Please, James! For the sake of our seven years together, don’t let them take me!”“Shut up!” James hissed, his eyes flashing with panic. He was practically begging her to stop talking.Unfortunately, as the SWAT officers closed in, fear pushed Mia over the edge. She screamed, her voice ringing through the room.“James, you b*stard! I had two abortions for you! All these years, I’ve been your ‘sister’ in the daytime and your lover at night! You promised you’d marry me!”The entire room froze. All eyes turned to James, filled with shock and disgust.Just moments ago, he’d been publicly proclaiming his

Chapter 7

On the private jet back home, I was already cleaned up. Emily and Alan were curled up together on the small bed in the back, fast asleep.Daniel pulled me into his arms, his nose brushing my ear, his lips trailing slow kisses along my cheek and mouth. I grew flushed, my head fuzzy from his touch, and gave him a shy push.“Stop, you’ll wake the kids,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.He chuckled low, holding me tighter. “They’re sleeping like rocks. Don’t worry.”His lips found mine again, his gaze burning. I stopped resisting and leaned against his shoulder with my eyes closed, letting myself sink into the warmth.When the kiss ended, he rested his forehead against mine. His voice was deep and rough. “I still want to break that b*stard’s bones for what he did to you.”I shook my head. “He’s already a pathetic failure. Don’t dirty your hands because of him.”Daniel’s expression turned cold. “He deserves it.” Then, his brows drew together like he was recalling something. “B

Chapter 8

Mia was taken to prison that very night for attempted murder. When the police escorted her into the squad car, she screamed and thrashed like a lunatic, refusing to be arrested. However, with Daniel’s help, the police had already gathered every piece of evidence against her.As a beauty influencer, she hadn’t just sold counterfeit products; she had also committed massive tax evasion. As a so-called “younger sister,” she had spent years as the other woman, destroying someone else’s marriage. In the end, the two most serious crimes—hiring a hitman to stage a car accident in an attempt to kill me, and later trying to finish the job in the hospital—sealed her fate.When the charges were stacked, her sentence came to life in prison. Her career, the image she had so carefully built, and her fantasy of marrying into a wealthy family all went up in smoke.James was even worse off. The Smith Group’s stock price plummeted overnight. Investors pulled out, partners cut ties, and every sharehold

Chapter 9

A few months later, on a bright and sunny weekend, our family of four arrived in full formal attire. Emily had just won the gold medal at Alcatraz’s National Children’s Piano Competition, and her cheeks flushed with excitement as she clutched her trophy tightly, unwilling to let go.Next up was Alan’s big moment—his debut as Simba in the musical The Lion King. When he spotted us entering, his eyes lit up. Daniel ruffled his hair. “Don’t be nervous. I’ll clap for you, even if you mess up.”Dressed in his little lion costume, Alan gave a confident look. “I won’t mess up.”Daniel and I shared a smile.When the show began, I leaned against Daniel’s shoulder while Emily sat on my lap. Together, we watched our dazzling little Simba on stage, our attention fully locked on him.During intermission, as the house lights came on, snippets of conversation from two well-dressed women beside us drifted into my ears.“Have you heard about what happened in the prison in Belgrade?”“Which one?

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