The next morning, the mansion was unusually busy.
Two maids were whispering at the gate when a black car stopped outside.
Hong Yi wasn't inside.
But his secretary, impeccably dressed and carrying several elegant boxes, stepped out with a polite smile.
"Miss Xiamen," the maid called softly, "Mr. Hong sent gifts."
Xiamen froze on the staircase, Haoyu's tiny hand wrapped around her fingers.
Her heart tightened.
"Gifts?" she repeated, frowning.
The secretary bowed respectfully as she approached.
"Miss Xiamen, Mr. Hong wishes to invite you to dinner tonight. He personally selected these dresses and jewelry for you to choose from."
He handed her the boxes—white, gold-edged, expensive enough to blind.
Inside, silk shimmered like moonlight, and the jewelry glittered with ice-cold diamonds.
Xiamen closed the lid immediately.
"I'm not going," she said gently but firmly.
The secretary blinked. "Is there… a reason, Miss Xiamen?"
Xiamen looked toward the staircase.
Haoyu peeked shyly from behind her dress, his big round eyes filled with fear at seeing strangers.
"My son is too young," she said softly.
"He's alone with only a few maids. I can't leave him in this empty house at night. No one knows our situation. His safety is more important than any dinner."
Her voice trembled only slightly.
But the secretary caught it.
"I will inform Mr. Hong," he said, bowing again with a confused expression.
As he left, Xiamen hugged Haoyu tightly.
She didn't want Hong Yi to get close.
She didn't want to be tempted.
She didn't want her heart to remember the man she had once loved—and feared losing again.
Hong Yi's office was unusually quiet, the city lights flickering through the tall windows.
He sensed trouble long before anyone knocked.
Finally—
Mr. Lin entered, holding a thick folder, face tense.
"President Hong, I've completed the investigation about the board."
Hong Yi looked up, eyes sharp.
"Speak."
Mr. Lin cleared his throat.
"Someone is slowly buying out your board members. Quietly. One by one."
Hong Yi's jaw tightened.
"Who?"
Mr. Lin hesitated, then finally said:
"Miss Xiamen's father.
Hong Yi rose slightly from his chair.
"Her father? I know him very well , tell me what he did?
Lin replied. In the last six months, he's been gathering shares through front companies. If this continues, he can challenge your CEO position at the next annual meeting."
A dangerous chill entered Hong Yi's gaze.
"So he wants my seat." i know his greed from the first time I meet him , good for Xiamen i divorce her i don't want to involved in between us .
Keep Talking
"Yes," Lin confirmed. "And at this rate… he might be able to take it."
Hong Yi slammed the folder shut.
he getting impatient!
lin said what do you think if Mrs Xiamen involved
Hong yi ! Shut up haw dare you think like that about her i know her she can't be...
Before Hong Yi could speak again, his secretary hurried in with a worried expression.
"President Hong, about Miss Xiamen…"
Hong Yi's attention snapped to her instantly.
"What about her?" he asked, sharper than intended.
The secretary swallowed.
"She refused your invitation for dinner. She said she cannot leave her son alone in that big house. Safety concerns."
Hong Yi froze.
The two pieces of news collided in his mind:
Xiamen refusing him
A storm formed behind his dark eyes.
"Did she say anything else?" he asked quietly.
She return all the gifts
Hong Yi leaned back, hands folding tightly.
She was always like that—quiet, gentle, but stubborn when pushed.
does Xiamen was distancing herself from me, Do you hate me so much?
Hong Yi couldn't breathe for a moment.
Mr. Lin watched him carefully.
"What do you plan to do, President Hong?"
Hong Yi stood up slowly, his expression unreadable.
"First," he said, voice low, "we secure the remaining board members."
Lin nodded immediately.
"And second?" he asked.
Hong Yi's gaze shifted toward the window—the memory of Haoyu's soft, shy face flashing in his mind.
"Second…"
he whispered, the coldness in his voice melting into something heavier—
Why is she so attached to her son as if someone wants to take him away from her?