26: A small world

A small world

When she was young, the current Heaven enjoyed baking cookies with her mother. It was their bonding activity. That was why, even when‌ she had bloomed into a beautiful yet poisonous flower, bread was her comfort food. Her stomach instantly rumbled as soon as the enticing scent wafted through her nostrils.0

The bakeshop offered a variety of breads; some were something she was familiar with and others were new to her eyes. Since her meet-up with Paula Shen ended on a bad note, Heaven ordered a piece of two of each without realizing she had bought too much.

"Well, there's a lot of people in the house." Sitting on the corner table of the shop to enjoy some of the bread, the corner of her lips stretched wide. "Excuse me. Can I have a cup of coffee, please?"

"For sure, ma'am."

Her smile grew broader when the server told her to wait for a bit for the coffee. While waiting, Heaven took big bites of the bread, almost moaning with the softness melting in her mouth.

"This is so good." Her cheek turned pinkish. "Why is this so good? How did they make this?"

Heaven was in awe, as if she hadn't eaten something so good in her life. As she enjoyed her snack with the coffee now at her table, Heaven had no idea her happy moments were short-lived.

The bakeshop was a popular store in the area as many people come and go. Some had stayed to dine just like Heaven. Not long after Heaven sat on the corner table, a group of ladies sat near her spot. At first, Heaven didn't mind them while the ladies were chatting about just anything until…

"Gosh. It was so frustrating! How can such a kid be so violent?" the lady huffed in frustration. "My son nearly had a nosebleed because of that child."

"That's so scary," another lady commented with worry. "How was little Yun now?"

"He's fine, but it still makes me angry. If that kid is a child of someone else, I will surely do everything I can to ruin his life."

"Just try to understand, dear," the other lady coaxed. "I heard the young master Zhu doesn't have a mother to take care of him. Knowing how busy CEO Zhu was, I'm certain he couldn't focus on the child."

As soon as Heaven heard those names mention, she stopped chewing. All her senses instinctively shifted on the table near her, making her glance over her shoulder. The ladies continued talking.

"This is what happens to a child without a mother," the other one added. "Moreover, didn't you say they will compensate you? Isn't that a better trade? After all, little Yun only got a nosebleed."

"Just a nosebleed? Hah! I can't believe I am hearing such comments from another mother."

"But it was little Yun's fault." the other lady shrugged, unfazed by her friend's aggressive reaction. "If only little Yun didn't tease the young master Zhu about his mother, this wouldn't happen."

"Are you seriously victim-blaming right now?"

"I'm not. All I'm saying is you got a huge opportunity for this fight. We're talking about the LYON Group, after all. It's a children's fight, but the settlement equates to an adult dispute," the lady explained logically. "You should just let it go and don't make it hard for your husband."

"That's right — no offense. The LYON Group can settle this matter without shelling a cent, but CEO Zhu offered a lot already. If I were in that situation, I would gladly accept everything. Better yet, I'd coach my girl to befriend the young master Zhu."

The lady who was ranting frowned deeply. She darted her eyes between her two friends but didn't argue with them. They were right, after all. The one at fault was her son and the young master Zhu simply retaliated. Still, because of that, the Zhu family offered their family some help. Their company hadn't been in a good position recently, but because of Dominic's offer, they were certain their struggling time would finally end.

"This still doesn't make me happy," said the woman grumpily.

"We know, but isn't that why we are here?" the other friend chuckled. "Let's just eat and then shop to destress. Just don't forget us once your family becomes a part of the Lyon Group!"

"Gosh. Is this why you're nice to me again?"

"Haha! Of course not!" the other lady denied teasingly. "So? Did your family accept their offer? I heard they were buying out your company and putting it as part of the LYON Group subsidiary?"

The ladies happily chatted as the mood around them livened up. The woman who was initially grumpy because of her son's nosebleed seemed to have forgotten that fact as she bragged about the discussion between the two companies.

Little did they know, as they happily gossiped, Heaven's mood went down straight to hell.

"Damn it…" she whispered, unable to swallow the bread in her mouth. "Just why the hell is this world so small? I can't enjoy this bread anymore."

Her eyes fell on the piece of bread that had already had a big bite. She huffed, almost tossing it back on the plate. Even without trying, she could hear the ladies' conversation without a problem. They weren't being discreet. In fact, it seemed the ladies even wanted everyone to hear that they were now 'associates' of the Lyon Group.

'But more than my anger towards these opportunists, I am even angry at myself.' Her frown deepened. 'This is your fault — and that husband of mine. How can he let these people take advantage of him?! Ugh! This is irritating!'

Heaven shifted her irritation in chewing the piece of bread. Fortunately, this was the last one because the rest were already put in a box. She arched a brow, glancing at the few paper bags where the boxes of bread were.

'Heh.' The corner of her lips curled up. Heaven hurriedly took her purse, leaving a small bill on the table as a tip before picking up the few paper bags. She bought a lot as there were two paper bars in each of her hands.

Heaven pranced away, setting her eyes on the table where the ladies were happily chatting. She snapped her eyes ever so tenderly, looking ahead, but accurately bumped the paper bags into the lady's elbow as the latter was about to drink, but then spilled on her.

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