Aria Grant looked extremely disgusted by the chair Amelia Morgan had just sat in. She glanced around the room and then slumped onto the only sofa in a rather ungraceful manner.
She then tossed the bag of garbage that Amelia had handed her earlier, with instructions to get rid of, into a corner of the office.
Throughout all this, David Thompson stood respectfully by her side, without a word of complaint.
"Who was that woman just now?"
"A washed-up actress who once had a verbal conflict with your sister."
Aria, who had been bored, suddenly perked up at this information. The woman's demeanor seemed somewhat similar to her sister's when she was still in the entertainment industry.
However, it ultimately was difficult to imitate true talent. The woman hadn't managed to capture even a hint of her sister's charm.
"Boss, I've arranged a cover identity for you as a third-rate actress. You just joined our company after your previous one went bankrupt. Is that acceptable?"
"Hmm, not bad. I'll report to the company tomorrow. Remember not to let anyone know my true identity. If necessary, say that I'm your mistress, but never reveal that I'm the boss."
David looked at her with some difficulty. Mistress? He didn't have the courage for that, and if the wrong person found out, he would be in deep trouble.
"This matter is settled; there's no room for negotiation."
With that, Aria swung her bag and strutted out of the office, leaving the receptionist in a daze.
Amelia's face turned green with anger when she saw Aria leave the office unscathed. However, she didn't dare confront David, still fearful of the look he had given her earlier.
By this time, Dean Taylor was becoming increasingly anxious, as he hadn't been able to locate Aria. He had just dropped off their daughter Ivy at school when he'd been told to leave. When he returned to the clam soup shop afterward, he discovered that Aria had already left, and the Boss told him she'd left just moments after him.
The thought of what would happen to him if anything happened to Aria sent chills down his spine.
"Mrs. Grant, where are you now?"
"I got bored earlier and wandered around a bit, and then found myself a job. What's the matter, why are you so anxious?"
Bored? Casually?
Dean's mouth twitched uncontrollably as he tried to suppress his annoyance. Her nonchalant explanation almost got him in serious trouble. If he told the Boss, he probably wouldn't believe it!
"Please tell me where you are, and I'll come find you."
Dean didn't dare let Aria wander around on her own. If she got lost again, it would cause a great deal of trouble.
When Dean found Aria, she was waiting for freshly cooked stinky tofu at a nearby stand. As she gazed at the snack with a look of ecstasy, Dean couldn't help but feel puzzled – the tofu smelled so bad, it was inedible!
"Dean, I always repay favors. Since you treated me to clam soup this morning, I'll treat you to stinky tofu now. What do you think?"
Seeing Aria's somewhat sinister smile, Dean was afraid that the tofu might be some kind of dark culinary experiment.
"There's no need for that; take your time eating."
"Are you sure?"
Once she received a confirmation, Aria began to eat voraciously in front of Dean.
Despite the unbearable stench of the tofu, Aria seemed to be enjoying her meal immensely. Dean could barely control his gag reflex.
*Gag*
"Dean, do you have to be so dramatic? Such a delicious dish, and not only do you refuse to eat it, but you almost throw up. Haven't you heard of 'when in Rome'? Come on, try some. The more you eat, the less you'll want to retch."
Aria began to shove stinky tofu into Dean's mouth when George Flack suddenly appeared.
He was originally heading to pick up his son from school but had unexpectedly bumped into Aria. He immediately told his driver to stop, but as soon as he stepped out of the car, he saw Aria and the man from the other night together.
Watching Aria and the man, laughing and sharing a portion of stinky tofu, George was overcome with a burning rage that threatened his rationality.
"Aria Grant!"
Hearing someone call her name, Aria looked up to see the last person she wanted to face.
"You…"
George wanted to accuse Aria of being shameless, flirting with a man in broad daylight, but the words caught in his throat like a thorn, and he couldn't bring himself to say them.
"What do you want? If you don't need anything, I have things to do, so I'll be leaving now."
With that, Aria hurried off with Dean, even leaving behind the stinky tofu she loved so much. She was afraid that if she stayed with this man any longer, she wouldn't be able to control herself and would confront him.
She wanted to ask if her sister's death was in any way related to him; to inquire about the illegitimate child and the fiancée.
However, now was not the right time, and asking him now would be tantamount to walking into a trap. What if, just what if, he decided to hurt her too? What would happen to Ivy? Aria couldn't bear the thought of leaving her daughter motherless.
Seeing their intertwined hands, the light in George's eyes dimmed. He wanted to chase after them and ask where Aria had been all these years, but by the time he looked up, she had already run far away.
Feeling the sudden gloom emanating from George, his assistant couldn't help but shudder.
"Mr. Flack, we need to go to the school to pick up the young Master now."
Upon being reminded by his assistant, George remembered he was supposed to pick up his son. Still, he couldn't feel the slightest bit of joy.
This child shouldn't exist; he was a mistake. George couldn't bring himself to treat the boy kindly without any hint of resentment. Seeing him only reminded George of that night.
When they arrived at the school, the boy seemed to stand out like a sore thumb; his behavior was almost unbelievably well-mannered.
He didn't run around or jump about like the other children. Even when other kids invited him to play, he only shook his head to decline politely.
"Dad, you're here!"
Upon seeing George, the boy revealed a shy smile. He was incredibly well-behaved.
"Why didn't you play with the other kids earlier?"
"I was afraid that if I played with them, you wouldn't be able to find me."
Despite the well-behaved child, George couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart.
"How about this weekend, Dad will take you to the amusement park. Would you like that?"
At the mention of the amusement park, Dylan Flack's eyes sparkled with excitement, although he still seemed slightly skeptical, as his mother often told him that his father was too busy to be disturbed.
"But Mom said Dad is busy and doesn't have time to play with me."
"It won't happen this time; Dad will definitely make time for you."
Gazing into Dylan's big, pleading eyes, George was reminded of another pair of eyes that once held him in their adoration.
Assured that George was going to spend time with him, Dylan's face flushed with excitement.
Along the way, Dylan chatted happily with George about his school day, and George listened with a smile. The assistant looked on in disbelief at the harmonious scene before him.