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“Yvvy, whatever you decide to do, I’ll support you,” Lily said.
She hadn’t questioned Yvonne about her recent changes. From a young age, Yvonne had always been mature, with clear plans for her life. She never caused trouble or worried others.
All Lily could do was love her even more.
Half a day after Yvonne returned home, she was already enjoying the comfort of being the pampered daughter again.
“Mom, remember that treasure box I had? I never unpacked it when we moved. Do you know where it is?”
“You cried and said you didn’t want it anymore, but I kept it for you.”
Lily pulled a neatly cleaned box from the wardrobe. It had obviously been well cared for.
“Thank you, Mom,” Yvonne said as she sat cross–legged on the couch and opened the box. Inside were drawings of jewelry designs she’d created when she was younger.
“I had great inspiration. These designs still hold up now. I remember showing them to Dad back then, boasting that I’d become our family’s chief designer. I even confidently claimed my pieces would sell the best.”
JYvonne chuckled at the memory, but her throat tightened. She didn’t want Lily, who was in the kitchen washing fruit, to notice, so she tilted her head back and took
a deep breath to steady her emotions.
“Back when Uncle Dylan took over our family’s affairs, he sold all of Dad’s works, including my first emerald sculpture. Now the company has even changed its name, erasing Dad’s and the Jamison names from the world of jewelry design.”
Lily’s expression darkened at the mention of Andrew’s brother, Dylan Jamison.
“They’ve joined the upper echelons now, and they don’t want anything to do with us. They don’t even answer our calls anymore.”
Yvonne’s gaze hardened. “I’ll take back everything that belongs to us.”
At 5:00 pm, Yvonne changed her clothes and prepared to leave. “Mom, I’m going to pick up Ian at the school gate and give him a surprise.”
The school gate was crowded with young, unfamiliar faces.
“Where’s Ian?”
Yvonne didn’t see Ian anywhere. She started to get anxious and ran to the security office to inquire. The guards confirmed that all the classes had been dismissed. Realizing that students could use their phones after school, she quickly tried calling Ian, but the line was busy.
“Why isn’t he picking up the phone?”
Just as Yvonne was considering going to find his teacher, a message from Ian popped up on her phone.
“Yvvy, I’m at Dreamscape Bistro. Come quickly!”
Thinking Ian might be in danger, she hurried over.
When the Jamison family had gone bankrupt, they’d lost everything. The car accident that had taken Andrew’s life had also left Ian unable to walk. So Lily had taken Ian back to Swindon, stopping his schooling for a year to help him recover.
Even during her busiest times as a secretary at Ford Corporation, Yvonne had always made sure to return home to visit every month.
It wasn’t until Ian was able to return to school that she finally settled down in Jeriton City.
Now, both Lily and Ian were the softest spots in her heart.
But as Yvonne stepped into Dreamscape Bistro, she was confused by what she saw.
The entrance was framed with a circular arch made of hydrangeas, and the whole place was bathed in a sea of light blue flowers. Heart–shaped balloons hung along the red carpet. The staff, all smiling warmly, held up banners with love messages.
Yvonne, still out of breath from running, froze in confusion.
“Ian?” she called out. She realized she’d been tricked.
At that moment, the soft strains of a piano played in the background. Jared, dressed in a suit, slowly walked toward her.
