Chapter 9

“Ow! Ow! It hurts! Let go, Mom!” Willow yelped in pain as she leaned into the hand that was latched onto her ear. Lara was terrified—she thought that the kids were missing. Her lingering fear turned into unbridled rage before she lashed out at Willow. “It hurts, huh?! Do you know just how worried I was?!” Lara’s face was bright red as she screamed at Willow. “Don’t blame Mommy, Grandma. We went out on our own. We bumped into Mommy while we were out.” Tristan and Julian scooched under Lara’s leg before raising their heads, pleading for their mother. Lara scoffed and let go of Willow’s ear, then looked down with a stern expression. “You two better not do this again! If you do, I’ll sit you in the corner for the rest of your lives!” Julian slowly lowered his head and said weakly, “I got it, Grandma…” The child looked adorable when he apologized, and the sight instantly moved Lara. “And you?” she said fiercely to Tristan. “I got it,” Tristan replied despite the distant look on his face. “Hmph! I’ll forgive you two this time.” Lara grabbed some tissue and wiped the snot and tears off her face. “I’ll go make some food. You should rest, Mom,” Willow said and hurried into the kitchen. Her mother was right. It was good that nothing bad happened. If there was a next time, she probably wouldn’t be so lucky as to bump into Tristan and Julian again. 'What if they got into trouble with bad people on the streets? I don't dare imagine the consequences!' - The next day, Willow felt refreshed and energized as she arrived early at Hughes Corporation. She had to give her boss a good first impression since it was her first day here. She only worked as a cleaner, but the wage was still quite high! She’d earn sixty hundred dollars per day—that was eighteen thousand per month! To have such a high salary for only being a cleaner made her content and grateful. After all, she had four children to care for. She was fine with any occupation as long as she could uphold her morals and earn money with her own hands. Willow worked hard to mop the marble floor on the tallest floor. The floor seemed clean and sparkly already, but she was determined to ensure every inch of it was cleaned thoroughly. This was the CEO’s floor. Hughes Corporation belonged to Buscen City’s top aristocratic family and was also the best corporation there was in the city. The CEO of the corporation would naturally have extremely high standards as well. Only a luxurious, extravagant, and spotless environment would be suitable for him. Willow vigorously cleaned the floor while thinking about what the manager had told her. Then, she heard the sounds of a woman's heels clicking on the floor behind her. Willow ignored the sound and continued cleaning when a slender leg with a tall, delicate heel suddenly stepped on her mop. Following the leg upward, Willow was met with a red skirt, then a face with thick makeup. The woman whose leg was on Willow's mop was looking down at her with arrogance. It was Samantha. Willow’s face darkened instantly, and she snapped, “Move your leg!” She didn’t think that she would bump into the calculating woman here. 'How unlucky!' Samantha disdainfully chuckled and said, “I was right. It really is you. Oh, Willow. Was life as a nightclub waitress that bad? And now you've come to Hughes Corporation to beg for scraps?" 'This woman never has anything good to say!' Willow thought before furiously yanking her mop from under Samantha. Samantha almost lost her balance and fell to the ground, but she managed to right herself after hopping around. The smile on her face was completely gone, and the well-kempt hair had turned into a huge mess because of this. Strands of hair scattered around her face, giving her a disheveled appearance. She glared resentfully at Willow and hissed, “Just wait, Willow! I won’t let you off so easily next time!” She then brushed her hair back before stomping away on her high heels. Willow gave her an annoyed look as the woman departed, only to see her enter the secretary’s office. ‘That’s odd. Does she have business with Hughes Corporation? Why would she look for the secretary?’ Willow felt a little curious, but she quickly brushed off the thought and returned to cleaning the floor. In the secretary’s office, Samantha was standing in front of the desk of a beautiful woman. The woman wore a business suit and pencil skirt, perfectly accentuating her curvy hips. She had long, slender legs and a small waist, but her breasts were supple. It was a figure that all men loved the most. She also had light makeup, making her seem elegant and experienced. She was none other than Jasper’s secretary—Edith Price. “My boyfriend’s company got in trouble. His business capital’s about to be cut off. He needs two million dollars. When will you transfer that into my account?” Five years ago, Samantha had slept with Willow’s boyfriend—Xavier Hughes. However, he didn’t like her at all. Faced with her constant pestering, he decided to disappear. He hadn’t shown up for the past five years since then. Samantha had no choice but to get back with her previous boyfriend. Her boyfriend’s family had some money since they were upstarts. He knew that she slept with another man, but he didn’t break up with either. The two had been together since then. Edith stopped typing on her keyboard before giving Samantha a cold look. “How many times have you asked for money already? You need to stop while you’re ahead, or you’ll end up horribly!” Edith’s gaze was fierce. Any ordinary person would’ve been completely cowered, but Samantha was a naturally shameless woman anyway. Besides, she had nothing to fear since she had an ace up her sleeve. “You don’t have to give me the money, but I can’t guarantee I’ll keep your secret anymore…” Samantha smiled faintly. “Did you know? The woman you wanted me to keep a secret five years ago—the woman we announced dead... She's inside the building right now. She’s cleaning the floor right outside the CEO’s office. If I tell Mr. Jasper about this, everything you planned for will be for nothing!” Samantha said with a smile on her face. Edith’s elegant face cracked under pressure, and a hint of nervousness came through. "What nonsense are you talking about?!” “I’m not kidding! The woman Mr. Jasper slept with when he fell from the sky was none other than my cousin—Willow! We grew up together. It’s only natural that I'd recognize her. She was just standing outside when I got here," Samantha reiterated, emphasizing that Willow was right outside Jasper's office. If she exposed the truth, Jasper wouldn’t hesitate to get together with Willow! Everything Edith did would be out in the open soon after, and Jasper would no doubt hold her accountable. Edith clenched her fist tightly and hissed, “I’ll get you your money. Now leave.” "You should have said that earlier! I wouldn't have said those things if you had, you know? Don't worry. We're accomplices in this, right? I'll take your secret to the grave.” “Get out!” Edith was clearly furious and frustrated.