Jenifer's POV
When Natalia joined the Zach family through marriage, I was barely in my early teens. In many ways, she'd witnessed my entire journey to adulthood, and nobody grasped my character quite like she did. Nobody else knew just how stubborn I could get when I set my mind to something.
She creased her forehead slightly. "So what's your next move?"
"I'm going to find work," I told her.
The second I walked away from the Gould household, my decision was already made. Back then, I'd abandoned my education halfway through to become Reed's wife, never even completing my degree. All I had now was some college coursework under my belt.
Not too long ago, I'd been my parents' shining achievement.
My pride wouldn't let me crawl back home as a failure. I knew my parents wouldn't criticize me, but I couldn't bear that. Their sympathy was the last thing I wanted.
With steel in my gaze, I declared, "I need to show everyone what I'm made of. Show them I'm still the same person I was before, and that I can make it without Reed."
"Natalia, I have to build a life that's better than everyone else's!"
Soon after our wedding, I discovered I was expecting. Once Romano arrived, I couldn't trust anyone else with his care, so I shut myself away at home. My plan was to wait until he got a bit older.
But when Romano was still very young, doctors found a heart defect he was born with.
Caring for him pushed me to my breaking point, constantly on edge, always being extra careful, terrified something might happen to Romano when I wasn't watching.
For many years, my world revolved entirely around the household, and somewhere along the way, I lost myself.
When I walked out of the Gould Villa and down the street, watching all the rushed pedestrians, I felt completely lost, unsure of who I'd become. I had no personal life, no career path.
I was simply Reed's spouse and Romano's mom.
I couldn't go back to my family carrying only those titles.
I had to rediscover who I was.
Naturally, Natalia backed my choice. "Fine, what kind of work interests you? The Zach family owns plenty of companies. Let me call Kolton right now."
She grabbed her phone.
I quickly intervened. "Natalia, please don't tell him."
"He fought our marriage harder than anyone. If he learns how things turned out, he'll be devastated."
I wanted to get back on my feet first, just a little bit more.
Then I'd feel ready to face my family again.
Seeing my determination, Natalia gave in reluctantly. Still, she wasn't comfortable with the idea of me job hunting. Her voice turned serious. "Jenifer, you're being unfair. If you care about your brother, shouldn't you care about me too?"
"Maybe if I didn't know about this, that would be different. But now that I do, there's absolutely no way I'm letting you work for strangers. I won't sit back and watch you struggle," she said firmly.
I was ready to argue more, but when Natalia played the "unfair" card, I couldn't say no.
I sighed. "I've never held a real job. If I join the family business, I'd just get in the way."
"Says who?" Natalia shot back, her eyes flashing. "How could you possibly get in the way? You're the brightest one with the highest education in the whole Zach family."
"Oh, wait," Natalia said, suddenly snapping her fingers as something came back to her.
"I remember your undergraduate degree was in chemistry, but you studied art overseas, right?"
I nodded.
I'd always excelled academically, with a memory that everyone praised as exceptional.
So when choosing my field of study, I went with what people considered the most challenging academic path.
But once I really got into it, chemistry turned out to be different from what I'd imagined.
That's why I decided to change directions for graduate school, switching from chemistry to art.
Going from chemistry to art was quite a jump, and honestly, neither field offered great career opportunities back home.
"Well, that's absolutely perfect!" Natalia beamed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I remember your brother mentioning that the Zach family made their fortune in fireworks, but after your grandfather died, nobody in the family understood how to continue it. The fireworks operation had to be suspended."
"Now that the rules have relaxed, with your chemistry background and your art education from abroad, who could be more suited than you to revive this business?!"
Natalia's enthusiasm grew with each word.
She grinned widely. "Okay, that settles it!"
"Settles what?!"
Still in shock, I couldn't find my voice. Sure, I'd studied both chemistry and art, but I'd never learned anything about operating a fireworks company!
The two subjects were completely different worlds, and I had zero practical experience!
I tried to object. "Natalia..."
But no amount of arguing would make Natalia abandon her sudden inspiration.
Despite her gentle exterior, Natalia moved faster and more decisively than anyone. The instant she got an idea, she immediately contacted her assistant. In a short while, she had the employment contract from the fireworks factory in her possession.
She made sure to supervise while I signed the paperwork.
I attempted to refuse. "I really can't handle this, Natalia."
"Stop with the nonsense," Natalia snapped, grabbing my wrist and making me sign. "Hurry up and sign it."
"I've been looking for someone to handle this headache, and you're exactly the right person for the job."
After I signed, Natalia quickly snatched the contract and said, "No changing your mind now. It's official in writing. Oh, and there's a competition coming up soon. You'll need to get ready for it."
Still stunned, I was caught off guard. When I heard "competition," my thoughts instantly sharpened.
"What competition?" I asked, alarmed.
Natalia, with no intention of explaining further, grabbed the contract and stood up, departing as swiftly as she'd arrived, almost like she was worried I might have second thoughts.
She left me standing there by myself. I glanced around, my eyes full of bewilderment.
——
Reed's POV
By the time I returned home, it was already late in the evening.
The light in Jenifer's bedroom was still glowing, and there was a clear outline on the bed. I called out several times, but she didn't answer, still turned away from me.
Seeing she was still there, my previously annoyed mood finally settled.
I figured Jenifer was still mad at me. My voice was distant as I said, "It was just a coincidence. Romano wanted to go out for New Year's Eve, and there happened to be a company fireworks display at Aurora Plaza, so I took him. I had no idea Lorelei would be there too."
Was that supposed to be an explanation?
It should have been.
Because if Jenifer had been there, hearing this, she would have been thrilled. She had always diminished herself for me, never demanding romantic words or commitments. Just a lukewarm explanation was enough to make her happy.
Too bad she wasn't there.
The figure in the bed remained silent.
Standing in the doorway, I pressed my lips together, and my grip on the door handle grew tighter. After a pause, I murmured, "Good night."
When I left, I considerately switched off the light.
The following morning.
Romano's yelling echoed from the children's bedroom.
"Ah! Mommy! Why didn't you get me up? I'm going to be late for school!" Seeing the time on his alarm clock, Romano panicked, jumping up and down on his bed.
I, who had barely managed to fall asleep, massaged my temples irritably.
I sat up, moved my laptop off the bed, kicked off the blankets, and stood up in my slippers.
Romano, still in his pajamas and clutching his small backpack, was on the verge of tears, his eyes red with distress. "Mommy, get up! I'm late! I'm late!"
Suddenly, he broke into loud wailing.
But no matter how loudly he cried, Jenifer's room stayed quiet. I, now standing outside, frowned, my worry from the previous night returning with full intensity.
I approached the door and pushed it open abruptly.