It seemed that Ava was still proficient in twisting the truth.Ignoring her sister, Chloe placed a bag on the table and said in a flat tone, "These are all the jewelry and clothes you gave me. The dolls and such are at the Johnsons'."Ava grabbed Chloe’s hand and asked worriedly, "Where have you been staying the past few days?""Does it matter?""I asked Em and she said you haven't been at her place." Ava bit her lip, her voice thick with concern. "You should come. It's not safe for a girl to stay outside alone."Jake knew a thing or two about Chloe's involvement with an older man and a mixture of disdain and disappointment filled his heart. On one hand, he felt responsible for her downfall, but on the other, he felt she should not just give up on herself even though their relationship did not work out."Ava’s right. It's not right for a girl to be alone. Go back home," Jake chimed in and said in a preachy tone.Chloe was speechless. "Is there something wrong with you guys?"Af
A little taken aback, Chloe asked, "You saw everything?"However, Joseph answered in a non-committal tone, "What did I see?""The person I met at the cafe…"'That sc*mbag is your nephew!'Joseph was silent for a while and said, "Nope. I didn't see anything."He had only seen her standing on the street looking lost and dejected.Chloe stared into Joseph’s eyes and realized that he was not lying. He really had not seen Jake or Ava, leaving her slightly disappointed.Joseph thought she did not want to talk about the subject so he did not press any further. The journey home was silent. After Chloe wished him good night, she went to her room to sleep.As Joseph watched her disappear up the stairs with a pensive expression on her face, he murmured, "Good night…"Chloe, still seething in anger, did not notice what Joseph said and went straight into her room.Upon coming downstairs the next day, a look of surprise spread across Joseph's face when he saw a lunchbox out on the table. C
"No, I was here for a job interview," replied Chloe."You had a job interview with the Baxons?""Yeah," Chloe confirmed."How did it go? Did it go smoothly?" Icarus inquired."No." Chloe shrugged as she sighed dejectly. "It's difficult to find a job these days."Icarus gestured toward her resume. "May I have a look?""Sure," she replied, handing it over.After reading through her resume, Icarus remarked, "Objectively speaking, you are indeed outstanding among your peers.""And subjectively?" asked Chloe as she fixed her gaze on Icarus."Subjectively, in my opinion, you're extraordinary," Icarus answered.It was evident that she was an exceptional candidate, with a four-year streak of receiving scholarships during her time in university, attending internships at two major corporations during her sophomore year, and achieving excellent results on all her projects. Upon graduation, she even led her team in overseas business negotiations. Her frequent travel abroad could be the r
"Not one bit," Joseph replied honestly.If she was not coming for his money, it meant he did not have the ability to make her go after it.Chloe found herself at a loss for words.'How could he be so insensitive?' she thought, ‘Any normal guy would be moved by such words, so why is his response so indifferent?'Chloe fixed her gaze upon the mirror, observing her reflection. She had been honing her cooking skills lately and her principles of minimizing waste had led her to consume everything she prepared, regardless of its flavor. Consequently, she had gained some weight—particularly around her cheeks—and no longer appeared as slim as she used to.Standing with her hands on her hips, Chloe declared, "I've made a decision. Starting today, I'm going to go jogging with you every morning! Be sure to wake me up!"Joseph's eyes narrowed, tinged with a hint of suspicion. "What scheme are you cooking up now?"Chloe had been waking up around ten lately and had not made him breakfast in a
Chloe tightened her grip on the railing as she asked, "May I know how you got my contact information?"'Did Baxon's HR give this person my number?'"That's not important. The important thing is whether you're still interested in our company. However, the position of Estrenian translator you wanted has been filled. Janice wasn't trying to make things hard for you the other day.“Anyway, the only available position open now with a salary and job scope that matches your capabilities is a project leader position. If this interests you, we can arrange a face-to-face meeting to discuss further.""Discuss it with you or with Janice who interviewed me before?"She had been highly annoyed during that incident and did not wish to meet with the HR personnel who randomly called people in for interviews just to meet performance goals."You'll be talking to me directly.""All right then. Let's set up a time to meet."*After the call ended, Chloe stared at her phone and got lost in thought.
Joseph stiffened and murmured robotically, "Yeah."Chloe's words were so pleasant that Harold felt like he was wrapped up in a cotton jacket. He beamed so wide that his smile reached his eyes. "Okay, okay. I’ll do as you say, Chloe."They enjoyed their dinner in a harmonious atmosphere, and before Harold left in his car, he remembered that the two families had yet to meet. However, he resisted the urge to bring up the information he had uncovered about Chloe's family.'Well,' he thought, ‘I could just meet them on my own.'After seeing off Harold, Chloe removed the stickers on the refrigerator and carefully wiped off the glue that stuck to it with a cloth. As she wiped, she told Joseph, "I'll make it sparkling clean. I'll remove the potted plants on the balcony too. Rest assured. Your house will go back to exactly the way it was before.”Joseph felt a bit embarrassed at Chloe's words. She made it sound like he was the one being unreasonable here. He picked up the leash to take Tot
There were two possible meanings to this sentence, but either way, it was an insult to Benjamin.Upon hearing the butler's words, Benjamin hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to withdraw his hand or not. After a moment of silence, he forced a smile and agreed, "You're right. The water in restaurants may be unclean, and we can't see it."Harold ignored him.Ava mustered up the courage to approach Harold and spoke, "Grandpa Harold, my father mentioned that you were planning to bring your granddaughter. I have a gift prepared for her, but I'm uncertain if it will be to her liking."She placed a set of five-figure skincare products on the table, eagerly trying to please Harold."My granddaughter had matters to attend to and couldn't make it," Harold replied.Ava looked disappointed and said, "I was hoping to meet your granddaughter. I'm sure she's as outstanding as you are.""Of course, she is," Harold said, stroking his beard. In his opinion, Chloe was the best. After all, she w
Benjamin refused to admit that it was his fault, so he went with it and shifted the blame onto his daughter.He stated, "Of course, it's your fault. If it isn’t, then whose fault could it possibly be? Mine?”Ava's face turned red with frustration, but she did not dare retort. She had only made an offhand remark, and it was his fault for using Chloe's scandal as fodder for small talk with potential investors.What did any of this have to do with her?*With both being located downtown, Fairlight and Baxon were situated not far from each other.On her first day of work at Baxon, Chloe found herself attending a company-wide meeting. As she followed her colleagues into the conference room, a man in his thirties greeted her warmly, "Hello there."Chloe looked at the unfamiliar man, then glanced at the work badge pinned to his chest which read “Harry Smith, Director of Operations.” Though she did not understand why he was greeting her, she responded politely, "Hello.""I'm Icarus's o