"If you don't want to sleep any longer, you might as well get up." Glades Horne's gentle voice, like pleasant music, hovered over her head. Then he got up himself. As he sat up, Julia Bluen was surprised to find that he was already neatly dressed.

Glades Horne offered no explanation, simply smiling at her before turning and leaving the room. Downstairs, the house was empty, all the furniture standing in quiet anticipation of its owners.

The floors, windowsills, and furniture were all spotlessly clean. Glades had once mentioned that someone came to clean regularly. He hadn't brought servants from the Horne Family to stay here, wanting to give them a private space for just the two of them. A faint stirring of activity could be heard from the kitchen.

Julia turned and walked toward the small dining room. Passing through it, she entered the kitchen.

The kitchen was neither too big nor too small, but it was clean, tidy, and equipped with everything one might need. Glades Horne stood inside, wearing a pure white shirt, black trousers, and an apron tied at his waist. His wrinkle-free black suit jacket hung over the back of a chair in the small dining room. He was in the middle of making breakfast.

Hearing footsteps, he turned to Julia Bluen, a gentle smile on his face. "Julia, why don't you take a walk in the Courtyard? Consider it morning exercise. I'll call you when breakfast is ready."

Julia asked with concern, "Are you sure you can manage?"

"I'm just making a simple Western breakfast; it'll be quick." Glades's tone carried a hint of apology. His culinary skills were admittedly lacking; he couldn't even make a tasty bowl of boiled noodles. He had cooked for her once when they were overseas. The taste was mediocre, but Julia, to her credit, had eaten every bite without complaint. She, of course, had no idea it was his nth attempt. His first attempt was far too salty, forcing him to throw it out. The next batch he burned and had to discard. Then, he mistook sugar for salt and had to start over yet again. After countless tries, he finally produced something barely edible. He tasted it himself; it was a world away from Julia's cooking, but at least it was cooked. So, swallowing his pride, he brought the bowl to Julia in their room.

Still, a simple Western breakfast was something he could manage.

"In that case, I'll be waiting to eat," Julia said, deciding not to argue. It wouldn't hurt to let the big man practice his cooking skills, anyway.

"Don't worry, I definitely won't let you go hungry. Go on outside and get some fresh morning air." Glades's deep voice was tinged with the slight flurry of his activity in the kitchen. He was making ham toast rolls.

Watching him bustle about for her sake, Julia smiled and turned to go outside.

She checked the time: it was only 7:30 a.m. The sun was already shining brightly, promising a beautiful day.

Stepping out of the Main House, she was greeted by the invigoratingly fresh air of the Courtyard. Soft sunlight bathed every blade of grass and leaf, coating them in a golden sheen.

Julia strolled alone through the Courtyard, meandering along its pathways. Though not as vast as the Horne Family's villa garden, at five hundred square meters, it was still a generous size. Thanks to Glades's careful design and arrangement, the relatively small Courtyard felt enriched. It featured a pond, a Pavilion, a lawn, flower beds, shaded paths, and even a small swimming pool.

Julia made her way to the Pavilion and sat down, taking in the panoramic view of the Courtyard.

A short while later, a tall figure appeared at the Main House doorway. It was Glades Horne, still wearing the apron, looking slightly amusing as he called out to Julia, who was seated in the Pavilion, "Julia, breakfast is ready."

Julia smiled; he had been quite quick.

Glades had prepared ham toast rolls and fruit and vegetable juice for her, while he had a sandwich and a glass of milk for himself.

After breakfast, Glades mentioned he needed to go to his office that day but assured her it wouldn't take long. He would rejoin her after returning from the company.

"You focus on your work. I want to visit the subsidiary companies," Julia said while helping him put on his suit jacket and tying his tie.

Glades's eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

As they walked out of the house, he asked, "Do you need me to go with you? Or I can drive you to your office."

Six subsidiary companies located in the city had been separated from the Valence Group and transferred to Julia's name. Each company produced different products and had varying numbers of workers. Some were large, some medium-sized, and some were newly established with only a handful of employees. Together, these six companies employed over seven thousand people. Additionally, there were eighteen Chain Stores in the city—nine Glasses Chain Stores and nine Sweet Rice Ball Chain Stores—all doing very well, with varying numbers of staff. The workers in these eighteen Chain Stores added up to nearly another thousand people. Therefore, Julia was now effectively the boss of about eight thousand workers.

She had work experience and had studied management, but her practical managerial experience was still a blank slate.

Becoming the boss of roughly eight thousand workers overnight was a considerable challenge. One company was newly established and not yet fully operational, and another, which produced high-tech toys, had new products still in the trial phase. These factors all contributed to the pressure Julia felt.

Consequently, she couldn't afford to be like Glades, who could visit his company whenever he pleased. She had to work diligently and apply herself earnestly to quickly get a handle on these new responsibilities.

She was determined to prove her capability for self-reliance and demonstrate to the world that these companies could thrive even after separating from the Valence Group.