Chapter 123

Once one started to understand the rules of the game, that was when one finally earned one’s place at the table.

In my previous life, all I did was take care of my family, thinking my husband would notice my hard work and remember everything I did for him. I took it for granted that I was the perfect wife, someone who could never be replaced. But in reality, only the future one built personally would ever become the destiny one could truly control. Trusting someone else with one’s fate was a mistake from the very beginning. Chasing after the prize might just be an illusion, and even becoming what one desired could turn out to be nothing but a dream. Maybe only by stepping back and watching from the sidelines could one truly figure out how to play this game of life and actually enjoy it.

I was busy until evening and only got home late, but Jared was already there, sitting in the living room, helping Yvonne with her homework. Yvonne had to write an Englysian essay describing her family members. When I walked in, Jared was teaching Yvonne in Englysian with his deep voice, and Yvonne was speaking more and more fluently. But when she saw me, she deliberately said in Englysian, “My mom has a bad temper. She’s strict most of the time, and she loves spending money to dress herself up.” Jared glanced up at me, then reached out and patted Yvonne on the head. I couldn’t tell if he was encouraging her or rewarding her—did he really think what she said about me was true? They both thought my Englysian was terrible and that I couldn’t understand a word they were saying. But lately, I’d been putting in a lot of effort to improve my Englysian, and I wasn’t bad at it to begin with, so I could easily see through their little trick.

Before I could head upstairs, Yvonne took the chance to say in Englysian again, “My mom’s been really into her work lately and has been ignoring me. I wish she would give me all her love.” She was recording herself as she spoke, since her writing still couldn’t keep up. I turned to look at the two of them, and Jared’s deep, brooding gaze swept over to me. “Yvonne, record a section first. I’ll check it for you later,” I heard Jared tell Yvonne as I reached the second floor. Then he came upstairs.

When I got back to my room and saw there was still more than half an hour before dinner, I figured I might as well get some exercise in. Today, I planned to do some strength training to keep my face looking firm and prevent it from sagging. I changed into a lightweight workout outfit and headed downstairs to the dance studio. But right at the doorway, Jared reached out and stopped me from going any further.

I stayed silent, just looked up at him. Jared frowned and said, “At lunch, Tracy and I were just talking about the cooperation with her dad’s side. Don’t let your mind run wild.” Honestly, the more he tried to explain, the more suspicious he seemed to me. He might as well have just kept his mouth shut and let it go. At least then we could both have some peace. Maybe I just hadn’t built up enough walls around my heart yet, or I was still too soft, because every time he tried to explain, my feelings got all tangled up. I fought back the urge to snap at him and put on a calm smile. “I know. It’s fine. Work comes first.”

“From now on, don’t go out socializing with a bunch of men by yourself,” Jared said, his frown deepening when he saw me smile. As I tried to walk past him, he grabbed my arm. “Women can get the short end of the stick at those kinds of business dinners.” I arched an eyebrow and grinned. “Oh? So, which woman did you see get the short end of the stick? Or are you speaking from experience?”

“I’m not joking,” Jared said, his face turning serious in an instant.

“Who’s joking with you? It’s just business, isn’t it? Don’t blow things out of proportion. Tracy hung out with a bunch of guys talking shop every day, and you never say a word to her.” My tone went cold as I argued with him.

“It’s different. She grew up surrounded by her parents in the business world, so she’s picked up things you haven’t. Don’t try to copy her, and there’s no need to compare yourself,” Jared said, pausing for a couple of seconds before speaking in a tone that sounded like he was just looking out for me.

“There’s a first time for everything. She had her parents as examples, but I didn’t. So, kids without umbrellas have to run faster, right? I just need to work even harder to catch up. Honey, how about you teach me? I really want to get better,” I said, putting on a deliberately cutesy act.