Chapter 590

“Mind? How could I?” Nathan suddenly sat up straight on the bed. “I really love it here.”

His eyes met mine, full of warmth and longing.

I totally got what he was saying, but I pretended not to notice. I didn’t dare say anything back, so I just rushed downstairs, my heart racing.

Dinner that night was a lively, bustling affair, filled with the warmth of family. The next morning, it was time for us to head back to Hachester.

With a touch of reluctance and longing for home, my parents walked us out to the car.

They tucked all their love and care into the trunk along with the bags they packed for us.

Yvonne, eyes brimming with tears, pressed her face against the window and waved her little hand at my parents.

At last, she turned and threw herself into my arms, sobbing quietly for a while before finally settling down.

Nathan pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures of the scenery, saving them to his album.

The car glided smoothly along the road, and I felt myself drifting off. Yvonne was already fast asleep in my arms–she’d been so excited these past few days that she hadn’t gotten much rest.

When I woke up, I ended up snuggled up against Nathan.

He wasn’t asleep either; he was busy on his phone, handling some work.

Startled, I quickly moved my head away from him. Nathan gave my shoulder a gentle push. “Sorry, did I hurt your arm?”

Nathan shook his head. “No, not at all.”

After that, I couldn’t fall back asleep. Yvonne woke up, rubbing her eyes and asked, “Mom, are we in Hachester yet?”

Nathan checked his watch. “Probably a little over four hours left.”

Yvonne gave up on sleeping and pulled out her game console to play.

Jared called me up to check what time we’d get in, and said he’d treat us to dinner tonight.

Nathan said he was busy tonight and might not be able to make it.

When we got to Hachester, I took Yvonne back to my apartment.

Nathan left, and Jared was standing in the living room with his hands on his hips, his back to me. He let out a quiet snort. “So, did you have a good time on your little trip?”

Chapter 590

Yvonne beamed. “Dad, we had so much fun!”

Jared turned and gave her a light scolding look. “I wasn’t asking you. Let your mom answer.”

Yvonne, though smart, didn’t quite catch the subtle twist in Jared’s words.

“Not bad. Home hasn’t really changed–it’s just as lively as always,” I replied.

Jared gestured for Yvonne to go upstairs. “Go play upstairs. I need to talk to your mom alone.”

Yvonne pouted, but reluctantly went upstairs.

Jared sat down next to me on the couch, pressing his hands together against his forehead. After a long silence, he said, “Is it him?”

I froze for a second. “What do you mean?”

Jared took a deep breath, his voice hoarse. “Are you going to marry him?”

I stared at him, completely taken aback.

His eyes looked heartbreakingly sad. “Yvonne said you two are trying to have a baby. Is that true?”

“Don’t mind her,” I said, not wanting any misunderstandings. “Nathan’s on meds for his injury, that’s why he can’t drink.”

Jared’s face went stiff, then he got so mad he was speechless. “Yvonne said you two were trying for a baby. I thought I’d be getting your wedding invite the moment you got back to Hachester.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Jared, are you actually afraid I’ll send you a wedding invitation?”

But Jared didn’t crack a smile. He stared at me, dead serious. “Didn’t you say you’d never get married again? What happened to that promise–did you just let it go to the dogs?”

“Why do you care so much?” I glared at him. “Just stay out of my business.”

“If you’re not marrying Nathan, then are you two going to rekindle things? Start dating again?” Jared pressed.

I shook my head. “Nope. Right now, I’m all about work. Dating is off the table for now.”

Jared’s eyes paused for a second. “Really? Just don’t let some new suitor pop up out of the blue,”

I looked at him seriously. “Jared, you’re stressing me out with all this concern. Can you not?”

Jared nodded. “Alright, I’ll drop it. Just focus on your work–managing a hotel chain is no walk in the park.”

“I know,” I said, feeling the pressure. Lately, while staying at Nathan’s place, I’d been digging into management books and reading up on how big companies operate. What hit me was, once things get bigger, you can’t just do everything yourself anymore–you have to shift from being hands–on to actually leading people.

Handling tasks is easy, but dealing with people? That’s a whole other story. Human nature is messy. If you want to build a solid team, you really have to know how to work with people.

Chapter 590

So yeah, I’ve still got a ton to learn.

The living room was quiet. Jared brewed a pot of coffee and poured a cup for me, setting it down in front of me.

I pulled out my phone and slid a few photos over to him. “Was this your handiwork?”

Jared frowned at the photos, looking genuinely puzzled. “What is this?”

I looked him in the eye and asked, “This is my high school. They’re building a new classroom building.”

Jared let out an “Oh.” “Really? Looks like your local government’s got a pretty solid budget.”

I explained, “It’s not government funding. It’s a donation from a charity.”

Jared gave me a meaningful look. “Don’t tell me you think it was me?”