b63 /b

    55 vouchers

    “Ah!” Sana startled with a small jump, drawing nces from the few bystanders who hadn’t yet left.

    Wesley stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, offering an apologetic smile. “Sorry, everyone. My fiancée gets spooked easily.”

    Sana elbowed him lightly. “You did that on purpose.”

    She didn’t correct him on the term fiancée. Wesley had said it so often that she’d simply grown ustomed to it.

    “Alright, my fault,” he said at once, without hesitation.

    She gave a soft huff but didn’t respond further.

    The onlookers, sensing no more drama, only a public disy of affection, quietly dispersed.

    Once the hallway had mostly cleared, Wesley finally asked, “So, what were you doing here?”

    “Why should I tell you?” Sana replied with a hint of pride, still nursing her annoyance at being startled.

    “I didn’t mean to scare you,” Wesley exined patiently. “You were gone for a while, and I started to worry. When I saw you caught up in whatever this was, I figured I’d say something.”

    “Well, you clearly heard enough. Why ask again?”

    “I got herete. All I caught was something about selling oneself. Missed the rest. Thought I’d ask the expert,” he said with a mild smile.

    Sana, slightly appeased by his tone, tapped her phone and opened the video. “Here, it’s all recorded. That guy is Madeline’s brother. The woman’s his ex. She already broke up with him, but he keeps showing up and harassing her. Shameless, just like his sister.”

    Wesley slipped an arm around her waist as they began walking back together. He watched the video with her, asionallymenting, the atmosphere between them gradually softening.

    Later that night, Jessica received the video from Sana and watched it with Brian. The Miguel incident yed out in full.

    “Hopefully, he won’t bother that girl again,” Jessica said quietly as the clip came to an end.

    “I’ve asked the bodyguards keeping tabs on him to stay alert,” Brian replied.

    Jessica nced over, brow raised. “You had someone watching him?”

    Brian drew her gently into his arms, his voice low and steady. “Of course. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

    Miguel might have looked like a harmless fool, but Brian wasn’t about to take chances.

    b9:01 /bbMon/bb, /bbSep /b15 bB/b..

    :

    With Jessica nearing her due date, he couldn’t afford any more missteps.

    b63 /b

    E55 vouchers

    Seeing the darkening look on his face, Jessica ced a hand over his and said quietly, “I trust you.”

    Those three words struck deeper than any vow. Brian held her tighter, saying nothing more.

    True to his word, that very night, he sent new instructions to his security team.

    Early the next morning, Brian and Jessica rose early, had breakfast, and dressed Jacob in his newly tailored suit. Together, they headed to Grant Manor to collect Jessica’s parents.

    When they arrived at the hotel, Gavin was already waiting at the entrance.

    “Mr. and Mrs. Grant, I hope my son hasn’t been neglecting you. If he’s fallen short in any way, please don’t hesitate to let me know,” Gavin said with an easy smile, though his posture was careful.

    Given Brian’s past missteps, Gavin was keen to maintain a respectful, even deferential tone. Thest thing he wanted was for Jessica’s parents to feel slighted by the Atkinsons.

    “No, he’s done fine,” Dereck replied tly. Gavin’s humility left no room to press further, and after a brief pause, he offered a tight nod.

    Ste stood beside him, smiling politely.

    She knew Dereck still hadn’t fully epted Brian, but Jessica had made her choice, and they had little room to interfere. With only one daughter, her happiness came first, whatever the cost.

    The group entered the private dining room in apparent harmony.

    While waiting for the food to arrive, the conversation turned lightly to Jacob’s education.

    “I heard Jake recently led a project. How did it go?” Dereck asked, his tone casual.

    Now that the Grant and Atkinson groups had resumed cooperation, he’d been keeping tabs onpany developments, Jacob’s involvement among them.

    “Quite well,” Gavin replied. “bIt’s /bshowing strong results and should be profitable soon. Reminds me a bit of his father in his early days.”

    Jacob lowered his eyes modestly. “Grandpa, that’s too much. I’m nowhere near Dad’s level.”

    “You’re not far off,” Gavin said, encouraging. “You’re sharp. Keep working hard and you’ll get there sooner than you think.”

    Jessica listened quietly, a flicker of unease rising in her chest. It had only been a few days since she’d seen Jacob, and he was already stepping into the corporate world.

    ‘Was this because of me?‘ she wondered. ‘Did Brian step back from work to take care of me, leaving Jacob to

    fill in?‘

    A wave of guilt crept in, sharp and sudden.

    b9:01 /bbMon/bb, /bbSep /b15 B

    She couldn’t help but feel that she was failing terribly as a mother.

    b63 /b

    55 vouchers

    b“/bbJessi/bb, /bdon’t do this.” Brian turned just in time to catch the look on her face. Gently, he reached out and turned her toward him. b“/bbIt’s /bnot your fault. This bis /bpart of what it means to grow up in the Atkinson family. bI /bbstarted /baround his

    age too.”

    She was silent for a moment. Then, she asked softly, “Did you ask him if he wanted this?b” /b

    She couldn’t ept the idea of Jacob being pushed into something just because it was expected.

    Brian gave a rueful smile. “Of course I asked. I’m not quite the tyrant you take me for.”

    “Really?” Her skepticism was clear.

    “Ask him yourself,” he said and called Jacob over from where he was charming Ste with small talk.

    “Jake, tell your mom. Did you want to be involved in thepany?” He gave his son a meaningful look.

    Jacob offered a small smile and took Jessica’s hand. “Mom, don’t worry about me. I like it iat /ithepany. Grandpa and the others are really nice to me. It’s challenging sometimes, but I’m good at figuring things out. It feels great when I solve something.”

    Jessica looked at the light in her son’s eyes and gently brushed a hand over his cheek. “It must be tiring. You’re still young. School, work… it’s a lot.”

    She had once hoped to give Jacob a full, unbroken childhood. But that dream had likely ended the day she filed for divorce. Saying so now felt more like a wish than a truth.

    Jacob shook his head. “I’m not tired. I really like how things are. I promise, I chose this. Don’t worry about me, okayb?/b”