RedNovelChapter 39
| glanced at him with a faint smile. “I'm just trying to help her build scharacter. You know how she yells at
“It’s not that serious. She's just a kid. No kid really holds a grudge against their mom,” Jared said, clearly
thinking | was being too harsh.
“Yes, they do,” | said firmly. “If her values get twisted, she’ll hate me. And honestly, | might end up hating her,
too.”
Jared thought | was being unreasonable, so he went back to his study without saying another word.
My thoughts were a mess. | leaned back in my chair and shut my eyes tightly.
In my previous life, the older Yvonne got, the less respect she had for me. When she hit thirteen, her rebellious
streak nearly broke me.
She threatened to go on a hunger strike, and she even said she wanted to end her own life, so | had to watch her
constantly.
During that time, | was so worn out that | looked like I had aged ten years overnight with dark circles under my
eyes.
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It was not going to happen toagain. I still had to teach her, but I'd do it with a firm hand to make sure that
she had the right values and learned to control her emotions.
| wasn’t about to go through another round of her rebellious phases ever again.
The next day, | was back at work, focusing on design. Tflew by, and before | knew it, it was dark outside
when my phone rang. A deep voice cthrough. “Victoria, it’s Nathan.”
He just calledVictoria so casually with no respect at all. | was his benefactor. He should at least callMrs.
Holcomb.
“How old are you this year, Mr. Hallman?” | asked with a smile.
“Twenty-seven,” he replied.
“Oh, I thought you were younger than me,” | said. It felt good to talk with him a little after a long day.
“Do | look that young?” Nathan asked, sounding pleased.
“Sure, young man,” | said honestly.
He let out a low chuckle on the other end. “So, any plans for tonight?”
“Just going hto take care of my husband,” | answered. | wasn't trying to flirt with Nathan, so | had no
problem bringing up my husband to set sboundaries.
The last tNathan said he was interested in me, things got a little too risky. | couldn't let him cross that line
again.
“Oh,” Nathan said, his excitement gone, like I'd dumped ice water on him.
“If that’s all, I'm going to hang up now. I'm a bit busy,” | said with a smile.
“Alright, bye,” Nathan replied, waiting forto end the call.
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Chapter 39
Then | hung up without hesitation.
By the tnight fell, Jared showed up at the door of the design studio.
At that moment, | was in the middle of a design discussion, with the projector showing a series of images on the
screen.
Someone recognized him and stepped forward to greet him. “Hi, Mr. Holcomb.
“I'm here to pick up my wife for dinner,” Jared said calmly.
| turned to look at him, realizing it was tto wrap up. | walked over and asked, “How did you findhere?*
“Let's go. We're meeting someone for dinner,” Jared said, his expression cold as he turned and walked out.
1 quickly packed up and followed him, asking, “So, who are we having dinner with tonight?”
Jared didn’t answer. He just sat quietly in the back seat, his face unreadable.
| had no idea what he was mad about this time. He was acting all gloomy and passive-aggressive.
When we got to the hotel, Jared ledto the third floor, where the business dining rooms were. He opened the
door to a private room.
Inside, there were a dozen or so people. But when | saw Nathan sitting at the head of the table, my eyes
widened in surprise.
AD
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