Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 2 Is He the Child's Father?

Nova yanked the blanket off Alice, threw it on the floor, and then stomped on it with one foot.

It wasn't just the blanket getting trampled, but Alice's dignity too.

Alice stayed silent. She knew as long as Nova was around, she couldn't keep anything. So, she left with nothing.

Outside, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and rain poured down.

Alice walked through the downpour, unsure if it was rain or tears on her face.

At least the heavy rain left the streets empty.

But it made Alice feel even more alone.

She looked back at the Blair family home, the place that had dragged her into the abyss, and silently vowed that she would take back everything that was hers!

Five years later, at the Emerald City Airport, Alice looked at the familiar yet strange place, feeling a mix of emotions.

After five years, she was back.

Five years ago, in that heavy rain, she walked for three hours to her best friend's house for help.

Thankfully, with her friend's support, Alice got through the lowest point in her life.

Shortly after that, Alice found out she was pregnant. With her best friend Ivy Price's encouragement, she gave birth to three kids.

To give her kids and herself a better life, she decided to go abroad.

When Ivy found out, she didn't say a word. She just sold the expensive watch her dad had just bought and gave Alice the money to start over.

It's safe to say Alice owed her success to Ivy.

A red Ferrari sped away from the airport.

In the car, Alice's three kids were sleeping.

The driver was Alice's best friend, Ivy.

Ivy asked, "Alice, you're a top jewelry designer abroad, making millions a year, and you have several famous male stars chasing you. Why'd you come back?"

Ivy really admired Alice's guts for she gave up a million-dollar salary just like that.

Alice looked out the window, her eyes full of anticipation. "Someone offered me three times the salary to join JewelSparkle. Of course, I had to come back. And I want to take back what's mine!"

JewelSparkle was her mom's lifelong work and the only thing her mom left her after she passed. How could it fall into the hands of someone like Nova?

"That bitch Nova took over JewelSparkle and has no clue how to run it. She drove the company to the brink of bankruptcy, but then got lucky and hooked up with RME, becoming Mr. Hall's woman. But if she finds out you're the high-paid jewelry designer they hired, won't she be pissed?" Ivy couldn't help but laugh. That would be hilarious.

'Mr. Hall? Could it be Zachary, the one who was supposed to marry me back then?' The more Alice thought about it, the more likely it seemed. She vaguely remembered that the Hall family's company was RME. After all, five years had passed, and it was normal not to remember clearly.

The car stopped at the entrance of JewelSparkle. After dropping off Alice, Ivy took the three kids home.

In the JewelSparkle company recruitment room, three interviewers gave Alice a tough task: design a piece of jewelry on the spot with the theme "Traces of Time."

They also invited the top domestic jewelry master, Michael Johnson, to evaluate it. Michael had been in the jewelry industry for fifty-one years, with tons of experience. Many domestic jewelry companies would invite him to evaluate their works. If he approved, the piece could become a nationwide sensation.

This was a test to see if this top jewelry designer returning from abroad had real talent.

This test was set up by Nova herself. A salary of fifty million dollars! How could she not test her? If her design impressed Michael, the budget would be well spent. If she was just a name, she would be sent back.

Alice gladly accepted.

With a two-hour time limit, Alice finished the design in just half an hour and handed it over.

They sent Alice's work to Michael in the room behind.

Unaware of this, Alice patiently waited for the result.

Ten minutes later, the door burst open, and a white-haired old man hurried over to Alice, looking excited. "This design brilliantly captures the theme 'Traces of Time.' From the sketch alone, I can already see how stunning the final piece will be. Every detail is spot on, balancing fashion and classic elements. It's a masterpiece!"

Alice smiled, feeling satisfied.

"By the way, what was your design concept?" Michael asked suddenly.

"The inspiration came from nature. The diamond represents eternity and purity, while the sapphire symbolizes wisdom and depth. I wanted to convey a reverence for nature and a love for life through this necklace," Alice explained.

Michael nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with admiration. "It's an excellent design. Honestly, even I couldn't achieve this. After fifty years in this industry, you've shown me what it means to have top talent in every generation."

Michael's high praise made the three interviewers uneasy.

One of them quickly left to call Nova.

"What? Okay, got it!" Nova hung up the phone, very excited. The newly hired jewelry designer received high praise from the master. She was happier than anyone and couldn't wait to share the good news with Zachary.

In Zachary's office, Nova, too excited, barged in without knocking.

Originally displeased, Zachary's expression softened when he saw it was Nova. After calming down, he asked, "What's got you so flustered?"

"Zachary, I heard that the jewelry designer you hired from abroad, Stelln Jewel, received high praise from our domestic master Michael. I'm here to share the good news with you," Nova said excitedly. "You have a good eye. I heard Michael said even he couldn't design Stelln Jewel's piece. And she completed it in just half an hour. Look! Here's the design draft."

Hearing Nova's words, Zachary became interested and took the design to examine it carefully.

After a while, Zachary said, "Indeed, it's impressive. Have someone bring Stelln Jewel to my office. I want to meet her personally."

Nova immediately went to arrange it.

Alice walked to the door of Zachary's office, just in time to hear Nova praising her, "Thanks to your good judgment, Stelln Jewel is so amazing. She will definitely revive JewelSparkle."

Hearing this, Alice's lips curled into a smile. She couldn't wait to see Nova's reaction when she found out Stelln Jewel was her.

She knocked on the door.

"Come in," Zachary's steady voice came through.

Alice pushed open the office door and walked in.

"Stelln Jewel, welcome to JewelSparkle..." Nova's words trailed off as she looked at Alice, stunned.

"Go on, welcome me. Why did you stop?" Alice couldn't help but laugh at Nova's shocked expression.

Realizing her loss of composure, Nova couldn't maintain her usual image and exclaimed, "Security! What are you doing? How could you let this trash into the company? Get her out of here!"

The security guard, who had come at the sound, explained softly, "Isn't she the designer Stelln Jewel hired by Mr. Hall?"

"What?" Nova's jaw dropped in shock. "How could she be the famous Stelln Jewel? Are you sure there's no mistake?"

The security guard nodded, confirming he had checked the credentials at the entrance.

"Impossible!" Nova hurriedly called her subordinate to confirm.

Watching her frantic state, Alice's lips curled up. It was truly amusing.

"Come up to check it out!" Nova hung up the phone, her expression uncertain.

Zachary frowned, displeased with Nova's loss of composure. He said nothing, turning his gaze to Alice.

At the same time, Alice looked at Zachary.

Their eyes met.

Alice looked at Zachary's tall figure. He was tall, with deep-set features and sharp angles, especially those cold, emotionless eyes that gave off an oppressive feeling.

What surprised her the most was Zachary's face!

His features were very similar to her precious son's!

Especially when they frowned, it was like they were two peas in a pod!

"Alice, what are you staring at with your damn eyes?" Nova shouted.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter