Charles Yin let out a quiet sigh in his heart.
If he didn't call or message her, would she never think to contact him first?
She really is a heartless little thing.
Little thing...?
Charles Yin was startled by his own thoughts.
Why would he suddenly call her that?
Could it be that after three days in Saudi Arabia, he'd started to pick up the local quirks?
"CEO, is your phone broken? Do you need me to get you a new one?" Ben asked cautiously.
Charles Yin raised an eyebrow and let out a cold snort.
Ben rubbed his nose, unsure what he'd said wrong.
Ben groaned inwardly. He'd only been sent away by the CEO for a few weeks—why did the boss seem so different now?
What on earth happened while Alex was with the CEO?
Charles Yin replied sullenly, "No, that's fine. If anyone calls this number or sends a message, let me know immediately."
After saying that, Charles stood up and walked outside.
He'd barely taken two steps when his phone chimed. Before Ben could say anything, Charles darted over and checked his phone—only to find it wasn't a message from Cecilia Gu, just a routine report.
Charles gritted his teeth in frustration.
Three days now. Does she really not care what I'm doing overseas?
Maybe even Charles himself had forgotten why they got married in the first place.
He could only blame it on those wonderful days they'd spent together.
Ben blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
The CEO, who was always calm even in a crisis, really seemed different today.
Ben couldn't hold back anymore. While making coffee for Charles, he quickly messaged Alex: "What's up with the CEO lately? Why's he glued to his phone all day? I just asked if his phone was broken, and his face turned super dark."
Alex replied instantly: "Idiot! Don’t ask anything! The boss is waiting for a call from his wife!"
Ben felt even more frustrated.
The truth behind the CEO's marriage was known to just a few of them.
At first, the CEO was pretty cold to her, but now, after just a few days...
Still, Ben thought Alex’s advice was right—best not to ask anything.
Meanwhile, Alex finally found a chance to remind Cecilia: "Ma’am, the CEO is in Saudi Arabia right now, and it's really close to Dubai. If there’s anything you want, just let him know."
Cecilia shook her head. "I don’t need anything."
Alex racked his brains for a reason: "Jewelry, handbags, luxury goods, anything at all. The stuff in Dubai is different from anywhere else."
Cecilia glanced over at her mom and Leon Mai—they really seemed to be getting along.
Hmph, why should Dad get remarried just three days after the divorce, but Mom has to stay single?
Leon seemed pretty nice, and he was a few years younger than Mom. Back in her youth, Mom was a real beauty, and thanks to never having kids or doing heavy labor, she’d kept her figure. Aside from a tired look on her face, time hadn’t left much of a mark on her.
Yeah, Charles should totally bring something back for Mom!
Suddenly it clicked for Cecilia—Alex was reminding her to get something for Mom. She patted Alex’s shoulder and said, "Thanks for the tip! I want to get Mom some nice skincare products. Does Yin Enterprises have anything for older women? Oh, and Dubai’s gold jewelry is gorgeous—let’s get her some gold pieces!"
Alex was crying inside.
Sorry, boss!
I totally failed to steer Mrs. Yin in the right direction!
Cecilia grabbed her phone and quickly messaged Charles: "Charles, can I ask you a favor? If you have time, could you go to Dubai and pick out some gold jewelry for my mom? Also, I want to get her some skincare for older women, but I’m not really sure what’s best."
Cecilia thought about it—asking him so directly to bring stuff back felt kind of rude. So she added, "By the way, how’s everything in Saudi Arabia?"
The second she sent the message, before Ben could even remind Charles, Charles dashed over and grabbed his phone. For the first time, the usually stoic Charles couldn’t help but smile.
Ben rubbed his eyes hard. Nope, he wasn’t seeing things!
The CEO was actually smiling!
He’d waited three days for a message like this.
But Charles was more than satisfied.
Charles immediately told Ben, "Check if our company’s new skincare line has anything for women over forty. Also, get together a selection of clothes, shoes, handbags, and accessories for that age group. And send someone to Dubai to buy up a bunch of gold jewelry—one of every style, doesn’t matter what it is."
Ben nearly tripped over himself.
For women over forty...
Who exactly is the CEO buying all this for?
Charles’ fingers flew across the screen as he typed out a long reply to Cecilia. But after thinking it over, he deleted everything and just sent one word: "Okay."
Cecilia looked at Charles' one-word reply and figured he must be really busy. She decided not to bother him—he had a lot going on overseas!
So, feeling cheerful, Cecilia tossed her phone aside and forgot about it.
Meanwhile, Charles waited and waited, his phone battery nearly dead, but still no second message.
His mood soured even more—he looked ready to explode.
Ben saw trouble brewing and quickly messaged Alex: The CEO’s been staring at his phone for ages. He’s about to lose it.
Alex got the message and nervously asked Cecilia, "Ma’am, this is the CEO’s first time picking things out for someone. He might not know much about styles..."
Cecilia suddenly realized—right, she’d totally forgotten about that!
Thank goodness Alex reminded her. She needed to tell Charles not to buy anything too flashy, or her mom definitely wouldn’t go for it.
[Irrelevant system message skipped]
Alex really was Charles’ most reliable assistant. No wonder Charles kept him around—he thought of everything.
Cecilia picked up her phone again and messaged Charles: "Oh, I forgot to mention—don’t pick anything too flashy, or Mom won’t be comfortable with it. By the way, have you eaten yet? It’s evening here, but I don’t know what time it is over there."
Charles was at his limit—he’d run out of patience.
Just as he was about to snap and throw his phone, he finally heard that familiar notification sound.
Suddenly, Charles’ mood lifted. He grabbed his phone and opened the message.
He skimmed past the first part, but that last sentence made his day.
Hmph, heartless little mole. At least you remembered to ask if I’ve eaten!
This time, Charles didn’t play it cool with a one-word reply. He quickly typed back: "Not yet. I can’t get used to the food here, and there aren’t any good Chinese restaurants."
Cecilia was swinging lazily in the backyard, texting back: "Ha! Guess you’re out of luck. Mom made braised pork knuckle tonight. Have I ever told you how amazing her pork knuckle is?"
Seeing Cecilia’s bragging message, Charles couldn’t help but smile.
"Then I’ll have some when I get back." Charles typed quickly, already imagining Cecilia’s mischievous grin as she sent that message.
Just then, Ben came over and asked quietly, "CEO, you haven’t slept all night. What do you want for breakfast?"
"Braised pork knuckle," Charles answered offhandedly. "Make sure it’s nice and tender."
Ben almost tripped again. "Boss, it’s breakfast time... and we’re in Saudi Arabia... they’re Muslim here... plus, you’re meeting the Sheikh soon..."
Charles finally snapped out of it.
He narrowed his eyes, masking the glimmer in them.
He’d really caught that little mole’s bug—almost forgot about today’s big deal.
Today he’d sign the final contract with the Sheikh. That would wrap up all business in Saudi Arabia.
"Forget it, just get me something simple," Charles waved Ben off.
That little mole... deserves a smack...
Cecilia got Charles’ message and smiled, texting back: "It’s probably morning over there, right? Don’t forget breakfast!"
When Charles got that message, all his frustration vanished instantly.
The smile on Charles’ face grew wider—he couldn’t hide it. Even his fingers felt lighter as he typed: "I’ll be home soon. Take care of yourself."
Cecilia stared at the message, feeling a bit weird about it.
That kind of sweet tone—wasn’t that just for couples?
Why would Charles...
A second message from Charles popped up: "Don’t mistreat my son."
Cecilia let out a long sigh of relief, but then felt a wave of disappointment.
He was being nice to her, just to keep her in a good mood for the baby, right?
Yeah, if she wasn’t happy, the baby wouldn’t be happy either.
He was only being nice to her for the baby’s sake.
Guess you really can’t expect too much from people.
Cecilia’s eyes dimmed as she traced her finger over the phone screen, not replying anymore.
"Cecilia!" a familiar voice called from outside.
Cecilia looked up to see Howard Gu eyeing her and the house behind her.
"Dad? It’s your big day—shouldn’t you be at home with your new bride? What are you doing hanging around my place?" Seeing Howard Gu in a brand-new suit made Cecilia feel sick. Her words came out sharp and biting.
Howard ignored her sarcasm and cut straight to the point: "Why are you living here? Is your mom still not over it, trying to move in next door to win me back? Tell her we’re divorced. I have nothing to do with her anymore! Tell her to let it go and never show up in front of me again!"