Chapter 7

“Of course! I’ll be there shortly!” Willow replied hastily. After exchanging a few more words with the person on the phone, Willow quickly hung up. The miserable feeling in her chest completely dissipated. As expected, there is always a way out; when one door closes, another one opens. She had sent her resume to Hughes Corporation while she was on the train the day before. She didn’t think that she’d actually get a response. Hughes Corporation was the most prominent and wealthiest corporation in Buscen City. A corporation like that would definitely pay well. “I’ll be going for an interview now, Mom. Take care of the kids; stop playing poker. We should be honest people. We can’t be greedy, or we’ll end up horribly because of it,” Willow said to Lara after she was done with her food. “I got it! Geez! What kind of person talks to their mom like that?! I was just trying to make you work less! Why am I the greedy one now?!” Lara exclaimed stubbornly, refusing to admit to her fault. “Thank you for your consideration, but you need to be doing the right thing too. Poker is gambling. If you get addicted, what do you think will happen to me and my kids?” Willow knew that Lara was just trying to help, but it’d be really bad if she continued down this path. She had a duty to pull Lara back to prevent her from going astray. “I got it! Get out of here already!” Lara said impatiently. Willow then hugged the children before leaving the house. After a little while, Tristan and Julian exchanged glances. They were thinking of the same thing. “I want milk, Grandma,” Tristan said to Lara. “Me too,” Julian said. “Didn’t you two just finish your pasta?” Lara wanted to save up on milk powder. Tristan’s dark and captivating eyes were filled with tears when he said sorrowfully, “I’m not full yet, Grandma… I want milk… I’m so hungry…” Tristan’s eyes were filled with tears. It was a miserable sight. Lara felt her heart break at the sight and said, “Alright. Stop crying. I’ll get you two some milk.” Once Lara went to prepare the milk, Tristan said to his sisters, “You two, stay at home. Drink the milk when Grandma brings them. We’re heading out. Don’t tell her where we’re going.” Hailey and Lilith obediently nodded. Tristan then picked up the backpack he had prepared before sneaking out with Julian. - Inside the personnel department on the twenty-eighth floor of Hughes Corporation, Willow’s interview was a success. She was hired as the corporation’s cleaner for the highest floor. She was asked to familiarize herself with the surroundings and the place's layout before starting the next day. She rode the elevator to the highest floor soon after. The CEO’s office was a little to the left, opposite the elevator. The meeting room was a little further in, followed by the restroom. On the right, there was a utility room. The room was renovated quite nicely despite it just being a utility room. As a cleaner here, she’d probably retrieve brooms, mops, and carts from this room. She wanted to know the room better and confirm where the things were placed so she’d have an easier time the next day. Walking into the utility room, she noted that a wall completely separated both parts of the room. There was some shuffling on the left side, and Willow went out of curiosity to see what was on the other side. A tall man was standing there. The man wore a black suit and trousers on his long legs; not a single crease could be seen on him then. The suit was a perfect fit for his body as well. There was a dignified and terrifying aura that radiated from him. Willow gasped in shock after realizing something… ‘Is this… a restroom?!’ Willow was petrified. She stood rooted to the spot, her entire body stiff. Initially, she had thought that a sink was leaking here since it was a utility room. She never thought about any other possibilities. So, her actions were all based on that particular preconceived idea. Willow stood frozen in place. The man looked back; her horrified gaze was met with his gloomy expression. The two locked eyes. ‘He looks familiar…! Crap! Isn’t this Mr. Jasper from the V8 private room?!’ Willow pursed her lips while her heart beat rapidly. Cold sweat formed over hear forehead. ‘Who am I?! What is this place?! God! Just let me disappear already!’ Jasper quickly adjusted his trousers before shooting her a fierce glare. “What are you doing here?!” After seeing the handsome yet grim-looking face, Willow quickly raised her hands in a show of surrender while blushing. With a pleading look on her face, she stammered and tried her best to explain, “It’s a misunderstanding! I didn’t mean to peep at you… Ah! I mean that I didn’t see anything! I thought that the sink was just leaking in the utility room!” ‘God, I’m in huge trouble now…’ Willow didn’t even realize that this was a restroom—a men’s restroom at that! Jasper gave her a cold glare before he grabbed her by the collar. He then turned her around and pressed her against the wall. His beautiful face seemed more terrifying than thunder at that very moment. “You think I’d believe such a stupid reason? At least look at yourself before trying to seduce me!” Willow was just trying to get close to him by pretending to be a waitress the day before… She even pounced right into his arms. And then, she ran all the way to the Hughes Corporation just to peep at him! ‘This woman’s fearless!’ Willow was completely panicking as she tried to clear up the misunderstanding. “I really wasn’t planning on seducing you! The restroom has no sign! I didn’t even realize that it was a restroom at first! I only came in to close the tap! I swear I’m not lying to you! I saw nothing either! You have my word!” Willow quickly raised her hand in a swearing gesture to show her sincerity. She really didn’t see anything. She couldn’t even think about something like when she was in such a shock. Jasper pushed her aside and said, “I won't let you off so easily if there’s a next time!” “Of course! I won’t do this again! I’ll leave right now!” Willow stumbled out of the restroom as if she had just been pardoned from a death sentence. As she quickly made her way to the elevator, she noticed two small figures before her. Two adorable children walked right out of... the CEO’s office?! And the two children... were her sons—Tristan and Julian! ‘How did they get here?’ Right as Willow was about to rush forward to them, Jasper exited the restroom and walked in her direction.