Chapter 246
Jared’s face faltered for a moment, his gaze complicated as he looked at me. I pulled the door open and walked out past him. I just hoped he could finally get over his arrogant, self-absorbed ways.
I went to the hotel’s new office. As soon as I reached the lobby, I saw Yvonne snapping photos, accompanied by a maid working for Sally.
Yvonne’s eyes lit up when she saw me, and she immediately ran over. She said, “Mom, this place is so beautiful! Did you design it? That dreamy wall over there is so magical.”
Seeing Yvonne show up uninvited–and noticing the admiration in her eyes–I realized she finally stopped thinking I was useless. “Well, what brings you here?” I asked her calmly.
To make the hotel truly memorable, I knew we needed some viral check-in spots. So, I brought in a few creators to design dream-inspired features all over the place. It worked–tons of people were already checking in and snapping photos to remember their visit.
Yvonne came over, grabbed my finger, and gave it a little shake. She said, “Mom, I just wanted to see what your workplace looks like.”
I said coldly, “You’ve seen it now, so you can go. I’ve got a lot on my plate today and no time to entertain you.”
“Mom, back when you didn’t work, you spent every day with me. Now you’re so busy, you don’t even remember to hang out with me,” Yvonne said, her face scrunched up in a pout.
“You’re growing up. You need to learn to stand on your own,” I said, my voice cold and detached.
The maid standing nearby quickly whispered, “Mrs. Holcomb, Yvonne does miss you. These past few days, Tracy’s sent her a bunch of gifts, but Yvonne hasn’t even glanced at them. Tracy even tried to take her out to play, but Yvonne turned her down. She’s been begging to come see you since early this morning.”
Yvonne nodded hard and said, “Yeah, I don’t like Tracy anymore. But she’s even more eager than before. I know she just wants to be my new mom, and Grandma’s getting chummy with her. But I don’t want a new mom–I just want you, my real mom.”
Her eyes were red and brimming with tears as she hugged my waist, burying her face in my clothes. She then choked out, “Mom, I don’t want anyone else to be my mom. I only want you. Dad promised he wouldn’t get me a new mom. He said the three of us will always be a family–the real family.”
Although I was a bit taken aback by the fact that she finally got what it meant to be family, deep down, I just couldn’t accept her anymore. In the previous life, she hurt me too much.
“Alright. You’re really growing up. I hope you keep getting stronger and more independent, take care of yourself, study hard, and become someone truly outstanding,” I said, gently moving Yvonne aside.
Right then, someone came over and said, “Ms. Murphy, there are a few documents that need your signature.”
I took out my pen and signed the papers. Then I followed the person back to my office, talking as we went.
I could see that Yvonne had learned from her mistakes and was truly changing–step by step, she was growing stronger and wiser. Honestly, that was a good sign of progress.
Today, Ryan asked me for a couple of days off–just mentioned it in passing–and I approved it, telling him to fill out the leave form later. Since it was the end of July and payroll time, I had HR tack on a bonus for Ryan.
For three days in a row, whenever Yvonne was bored, she’d come over to the hotel to play. Sometimes she’d crash in my office for a nap, other times she’d be nowhere to be found. But there was always a housekeeper assigned to watch over her, so I never had to worry about her safety.
Yvonne kept dropping by so much that it was starting to get on Sally’s nerves. She called me out to a café just outside the hotel, looking pretty sour.