I was completely dumbfounded.

I looked at the email over and over again as if I was trying to confirm something.

I wasn’t seeing things.

Jessica suddenly became the director of the Design Department, my superior.

“Do you know her, Charlotte?”

Jane could tell that something wasn’t right. She reached out and waved her in front of my eyes as she tried to guess what was going on.

I put down my phone. “Yes, she’s Ryan’s stepsister that I told you about before.”

After graduation, my roommates went their separate ways. But Jane and I had been good friends throughout university. We promised each other to stay in Jelaston and not go anywhere else.

“Fuck! So she got this position because she’s Ryan’s stepsister?” cursed Jane.

I was rendered speechless.

‘She’s probably more than just his stepsister,’ I said inwardly.

“Is Ryan out of his mind?” Jane continued to complain. “Why does she get to be the director? I’ve never heard of her in the design industry before, but Ryan just gave her the position of director. What about you? What are you to him...”

“Alright, alright.” I interrupted and said softly, “It’s not important at all. He’ll give it to me when he wants to.”

‘There would be someone else giving me this position even if he didn’t want to,’ I added inwardly.

We were in the canteen, so it wasn’t necessary to say some things out loud.

It was to prevent others from using my words to make a fuss.

Jane knew me well enough to know what I was thinking about.

After leaving the canteen, she looked around to make sure that there was no one around us and then asked sneakily, “Have you got other plans?”

I cocked my brows. “Have a guess.”

“Please tell me, Charlotte.”

“Kind of. But I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

I had never switched jobs over the past four years.

The Frost Group was more like my comfort zone.

I needed a strong push or something to happen before I made up my mind to leave.

After returning to my office, I went back to the designing of the New Year’s limited edition and didn’t have a nap at all.

This used to be a director’s job, but since the director resigned, it became the deputy director’s job. I had no choice but to speed things up.

“Charlotte, here’s your coffee.”

When it was nearly two o’clock in the afternoon, my assistant, Nancy Lister, knocked on the door, walked into the room, and placed a cup of coffee on my table.

“Thank you.” I smiled.

She looked at my design and put on a puzzled face. “Charlotte, how can you still be so calm? I’ve heard that the new director didn’t even need to go through any procedures and just took the director’s position. Aren’t you mad?”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or smile and was at a loss for words.

‘Aren’t I mad? Of course, I’m mad. But there’s no way that I would say anything to my subordinates,’ I thought.

“Listen to me, everyone...” The special assistant’s voice sounded outside. His name was Gary.

I could see everyone that was happening outside through the French window.

Ryan was wearing a tailored dark suit with one hand in his pocket. Him standing there alone gave others a cold feeling.

With Jessica next to him, the two of them looked like a perfect match.

She looked elegant and graceful. She looked at the man next to her as if asking for help.

Ryan frowned impatiently, but didn’t say anything.

He then said indifferently, “This is the new director of the Design Department, Jessica Frost. I hope you all will get along with her in the future.”

Jessica then gave Ryan a coquettishly look. “What’s up with the straight face?” She then said with a gentle smile, “Don’t listen to him. I’m very easygoing. I won’t set any strict rules. I’m new here, so if there’s anything that you think I haven’t done well enough, you’re welcome to talk to me.”

With the CEO backing her up, there obviously wouldn’t be any problems.

Nancy couldn’t help but pout her lips. “Looks like she does have friends in high places. Look, is this an awards ceremony or something? Congratulations on winning the 'Getting Something for Nothing' award?”

I was in a bad mood at the beginning, but after hearing her sarcastic words, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Outside my office, Ryan led Jessica to the door of the director’s office.

“Alright, alright, what else have you got to worry about? Who would dare to come over with that cold face of yours around?” Jessica pushed Ryan intimately. Her words might be disdainful, but she still had a big smile on her face.

I picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip. ‘So bitter.’

Knock! Knock!

After being pushed out of Jessica’s office, Ryan came to mine.

I stared at him as if wanting to see through his thoughts.

“I’ll make you another cup of coffee.” Nancy quickly left the room.

Ryan walked into my office slowly and closed the door. He then explained casually, “This is her first job, so she’s a little nervous. That’s why she asked me to back her up.”

“Really?” I asked with a smile. “I couldn’t tell.”

Jessica first asked the CEO of the company to introduce her to everyone and then used some simple interactions to make others think that she had a complicated relationship with Ryan.

Although she said that she was “easygoing”, it was still hard for people to behave casually around her with Ryan backing her up.

“Alright, she’s a few years older than you, but you’re her senior in the company. You’re better than her at designing and people of this department would obey you more.”

Ryan walked behind me and gently massaged my shoulders trying to comfort me. “You don’t need to worry about her. You just have to make sure that no one bullies her. Is that alright?”

This was the first time that I found it hard to control my temper in front of Ryan.

I pushed his hand away, stood up, and asked straightforwardly, “If it’s really like what you said, why is she the director and not me?”

As soon as I said those words, I realized that I had been too straightforward.

Even Ryan, who had been calm and indifferent, was surprised by my question.

During the three years that we were married, we hadn’t been all lovey-dovey, but we still respected each other. We hadn’t argued nor had I lost my temper, so he probably thought I didn’t have any temper.

However, I didn’t regret asking such a question.

If the director was someone who was more capable than me, then I wouldn’t have any problems with that. After all, I didn’t mind someone who was more capable than me being in a higher position than me.

But now, that the position of the director was given to Jessica, wouldn’t it be normal for me to ask about it?

This was the first time that Ryan saw me being so sharp. He pursed his thin lips. “Is this what you’re angry about, Charlotte?”

“Am I not allowed to be angry?”

I could pretend to be calm in front of others, but if I had to hide my feelings in front of my husband, then this marriage would be a total failure.

“Why so childish?” Ryan picked up a remote and turned the French window into ground glass. He then reached out and pulled me into his arms. “The whole of the Frost Group is yours, why do you care so much about a job position?”

“The Frost Group is yours, not mine.”

Only this job really belonged to me.

He raised my chin a little and said seriously, “We’re married, is it really necessary to separate what’s yours and what’s mine?”

“Then how about you give me some shares?” I smiled.

I kept my eyes on him and didn’t want to miss anything.

To my surprise, I got nothing.

He just cocked his brows. “How much do you want?”

“10%.”

This was a really big demand.

After Ryan and I were married, he took over the Frost Group. The company then expanded multiple times under his control. Even 1% of the shares would be worth hundreds of millions.

I didn’t expect him to agree to my request, so I just said a random number.

“Okay,” he said.

Ryan almost agreed instantly and didn't hesitate at all.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, curved my lips, and locked gazes with him. "Are you really willing to give me 10% of the company's shares?"

His eyes were clear. "I'm giving the shares to you and not some outsider."

At that moment, I had to admit that money was really good at proving loyalty.

All the emotions that I had suppressed during the morning had finally eased.

As if trying to prove something, I asked with a smile, "What about Jessica? Are you willing to give her shares?"

He fell silent for a moment and then gave me a definite answer. "No."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. All I can give her is the director's position."

Ryan pulled me into his arms and said in a warm and gentle voice, "I'll get Gary to bring the share transfer agreement in the afternoon. From today onwards, you're one of the Frost Group's shareholders. Everyone else will be working for you."

"What about you?" I asked with a smile since I was in a better mood.

He cocked his brows. "What?"

"Are you working for me?"

"Of course." He smiled and rubbed my head. He then leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I'm at your service both in and out of bed."

I blushed at those words and then glared at him.

This was what Ryan was like. He looked like a serious man, cold and distant, but his words could make someone blush easily.

Seeing that my mood had improved, he looked at his watch. "I've got a meeting to go to. It's the weekend tomorrow, let's head back to the Frost family's residence tonight and have dinner with Grandpa. I'll wait for you in the car park."

"Okay." I obviously wasn't going to refuse. I gave it some thought and made a decision. "Honey, I have a surprise for you tonight."

A few days ago, due to his lie about the necklace, I wasn't sure if I should tell him about me being pregnant.

But now that he could tell the difference in importance between me and Jessica, I felt that I shouldn't keep such a matter a secret anymore.

"What surprise?" Ryan was very curious and wanted to know the answer right away.

"I'll tell you when I get off work!" I went on my tiptoes and kissed him on the lips.

After doing so, I went back to work and didn't talk to him anymore.

After Ryan had left, I focused my attention on the designs.

Not knowing how long had passed, someone knocked on the door of my office again.

"Come in," I said without raising my head.

"Am I disturbing you, Charlotte?" Jessica's gentle voice sounded.

"A little," I replied honestly.

I didn't like being interrupted during work.

An awkward expression appeared on Jessica's face. She then said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just found out that the director of the Design Department should have been yours. I accidentally took your position, so I thought I'd come and apologize."

"It's alright."

Ryan had already made up for it.

10% of the Frost Group's shares was something I couldn't earn in my whole life working as the director of the Design Department.

My calmness and indifference seemed to have surprised Jessica.

"Are you sure you're alright with this? If you feel uncomfortable about it, you can just tell me. I can switch to another department. I don't want to be unhappy because of this." She walked casually to the sofa and sat down.

"I'm fine, Jessica. You can stay in the Design Department."

Actually, I was just concerned about her causing trouble in other departments. I also didn't want the shares that I just got to be worth nothing.

If Jessica was in the Design Department, I could at least make sure that nothing went wrong.

"That's good to hear. We're a family, so you can just tell me if you have any problems. Don't keep everything to yourself." Jessica acted like a caring sister. She caressed her hair and said in a soft voice, "Ryan already said that I could choose any position in the company anyway. He felt that I hadn't worked for so long, so it doesn't really matter which department I go to, it's all the same anyway."

I wondered if I was too sensitive or something, but her words made me feel very uncomfortable.

Jessica made it sound like she was the one closest to Ryan and she was his wife.

"Ms. Wilson." Gary saw the door to my office was open, so he knocked and walked in straight after. He then passed the agreement to me. "There are two copies. You can check it and sign it if there aren't any problems. Mr. Frost has already signed it. You can keep one copy for yourself."

Ryan was really a man of his word.

"Okay." I opened the agreement and quickly read through it before signing my name and passing one copy back to Gary. I then smiled politely. "Thank you."

"Is that a share transfer agreement?" Jessica seemed to have seen the cover of the agreement.

At an angle where I couldn't see, she lost her elegance and her nails were digging deep into the palm of her hand.

Only after hearing Jessica's voice did Gary turn around. He was a little surprised to see her. "Sorry, I didn't see you there Ms. Frost. I won't disturb you anymore. I need to get this agreement back to Mr. Frost."

He didn't answer Jessica's question at all and quickly left the room.

Disbelief appeared in Jessica's eyes. "Did Ryan give your shares of the company?"

"I don't think there's a need to report such matters to Ms. Frost, right?"

After the matter of the necklace, I had a mixture of feelings towards Jessica.

It seemed that I couldn't pretend nothing had happened.

"Charlotte, why do I feel that you have a grudge against me?" Jessica stood up with a helpless expression on her face. "I didn't know if it was the necklace or the matter of the position this time that made you dislike me, but you have to believe me that I've never wanted to take anything from you. I'm not interested in such things either."

Looking at how aboveboard she was, my mind was in a little bit of a mess.

In the evening, I dug out the pregnancy test report from inside the cake and placed it in my bag.

I was prepared to head downstairs and tell Ryan that he was going to be a father.

The two of us had a child.

Thinking of how Ryan was going to react to the news and the child in my womb, I couldn't help but increase my pace a little.

I couldn't wait to share the surprise with him.

The elevator headed straight to the underground car park and I quickly found my way to the black Maybach.

Ryan's tall figure was leaning against the car and waiting for me patiently.

I pounced into his arms and could smell the unique scent on him. "Honey, I haven't kept you waiting for long, have I?"

"Not at all." He didn't pull me into his arms like before. Instead, he pushed me away uneasily. "Let's get into the car first."

"Wait, let me tell you the surprise first." I stopped him.

"What is it?"

He was no longer looking forward to the answer like he was in the afternoon. Instead, he seemed a little distracted.

I frowned but didn't overthink things. I looked into his dark eyes and said seriously, "Ryan, you're going to be..."

"Ryan, why aren't you getting into the car?"

The passenger side window was suddenly lowered and a voice cut me off.

At that moment, I just happened to lock gazes with Jessica, who was sitting in the car.

I was stunned as I looked at Ryan. I wanted an explanation.

However, Jessica had beaten Ryan to it. She said in a soft voice, "I've sent my car to the garage for maintenance, Charlotte. I'm going to the Frost family's residence as well, so I thought I'd ask Ryan to give me a ride. You definitely wouldn't mind, right?"

Jessica knew that Ryan was waiting for me.

She was the one asking for us to give her a ride, but she still sat in the passenger seat.

I really wanted to turn on my heels and leave, but reason told me to stay. I reached out my hand and said to Ryan, "Keys."

Ryan remained silent and just placed the keys in my hand.

I walked around the front of the car and sat in the driver's seat. I smiled as I looked at the surprised look on Jessica's face. "No problem at all. You're Ryan's sister, so it's normal for you to ask us to give you a lift."

After saying so, I looked at Ryan, who was still standing next to the car. "Get in. Grandpa is probably already waiting for us."

No one spoke throughout the journey.

It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Jessica wanted to talk to Ryan, but she didn't because she probably felt that it would seem a little awkward if she kept on turning around to talk to Ryan.

Ryan had probably sensed my unhappiness, so he opened a bottled drink and passed it to me. "Mango juice, your favorite."

I took a sip and then frowned a little before passing the drink back. "It's a little too sweet, you can have the rest."

I was into sour food recently. In the past, I would force myself to finish things that I didn't really like because I didn't want to waste any food.

However, that was not something I could do at that time.

"Okay," said Ryan and then took the bottle without question.

"I don't think it's appropriate to give him something that you've already drank, right? There are a lot of germs in the mouth. This is how the Helicobacter Pylori is passed around," Jessica said worriedly.

I couldn't help but smile. "According to what you're saying, the two of us sleeping together at night would be even more dangerous?"

We were all adults, so it was obvious that Jessica knew what I was talking about. "I didn't expect the two of you to still be so intimate after being married for so many years."

"Are you jealous?" Ryan asked coldly.

On occasions like this, Ryan's attitude towards Jessica would make me think that he didn't like the latter.

It seemed to be how the two of them interacted and they were used to it.

"So what if I am?" Jessica retorted.

"No one cares."

"Yeah, yeah." Jessica pouted her lips and a smile appeared on her face. "I wonder who was it that kept me company on his wedding night when he found out that I was hurt..."

"Jessica Frost!" Ryan's face changed and his voice turned sharp.

I suddenly came back to my senses and slammed on the brakes. The car stopped just inches away from a zebra crossing.

I looked at Ryan's dark face through the rearview mirror and my heart ached more than ever before.

My heart was instantly filled with grievances.

It was rare for Ryan to panic in front of me. "Charlotte..."

"You were with her that night?"

Only then did I realize how bitter my voice was.

I almost couldn't control the emotions in my heart.

No matter how the two of us got along now, he just left me by myself on our wedding night after a phone call. That was something I couldn't forget.

The marriage between the two of us was arranged by his grandfather, William Frost.

During the beginning of our marriage, the two of us acted like strangers for some time, so I didn't get a chance to ask him where he went that night.

The answer was kept a mystery until that day.

However, at that moment, I felt like Jessica grabbed my heart and squeezed it as hard as she could.

I looked between the two of them and felt like I was a joke.

Jessica covered her mouth in a panic and looked at Ryan. "Didn't you tell Charlotte about this? I'm sorry for not thinking things through and being too straightforward."

It was as if she was saying that Ryan and I weren't as close as we thought. Otherwise, why would Ryan keep such a matter a secret?

"Jessica Frost, are you out of your goddamn mind?" Ryan's face was colder than ever.

He had profound facial features, his face was cold and he was emitting a cold aura that sent shivers down one's back. This was one of the reasons why he was able to be in control of the Frost Group at such a young age.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. How could I have known that you didn't tell her about this matter!" Jessica quickly apologized. Her voice was innocent, but intimate.

She seemed to know that Ryan couldn't do anything to her.

A familiar ringtone suddenly sounded. "Give it to me."

I reached out and told Ryan to give me my phone back.

I answered the call and then calmed myself down a little. "Grandpa."

"Are you on your way yet, Charlotte?"

I was already planning on getting out of the car and leaving, but my heart softened when I heard William's voice. "We're almost there, Grandpa. It's quite windy today, so you don't need to wait for us in the courtyard."

Everyone said that William was strict, old-fashioned, and acted on his own thoughts, but I felt that if my grandfather was still alive, he would only probably treat me just as well as William.

It was early Autumn, so the time of day was getting shorter.

When the car arrived at the Frost family's residence, it was already dark.

There were lamps around the courtyard to light the path.

I parked the car, took my bag, and got out of the car.

I had asked William to not wait for us in the courtyard, but he did anyway.

I could still hide my emotions on the phone, but William could immediately tell that something was wrong when he saw me.

"Did Ryan bully you again?" William sounded like he was going to give Ryan a beating for me.

"No, not at all." I didn't want William to be worried, so I quickly dragged him back into the house. "It's quite windy outside, I hope you won't get a headache from it."

I was trying to cover for Ryan, but when William saw Ryan and Jessica getting out of the car together, his face still darkened.

Uncle Luke and his family were also present, so William didn't lose his temper.

My father-in-law, John, was very happy to see Ryan. "Ryan, I've heard that Jessica has gone to work at your company, right? You need to take care of her to make up for what you owe Lauren."

Due to the fact that we were having a family meal, I pretended to not hear those words and just carried on eating.

Ryan looked at me and then said indifferently, "I know what I'm doing."

"Charlotte, you have to take care of Jessica with Ryan as well," said John as he turned to look at me. He wasn't going to let Jessica suffer any grievances in the company.

I took a sip of my drink and said calmly, "Don't worry. Jessica's now my superior, I probably need her to take care of me."

As soon as I said those words, everyone around the table had different looks on their faces.

"Charlotte, I've already told you that I could give you the director's position at any moment if you're not happy with me being the director." Jessica made herself sound mature and generous.

In comparison, I seemed to be a little immature and overbearing.

William slammed the glass in his hand on the table. It was obvious that he was angry. His voice was sharp as well. "Give? That position belonged to Charlotte in the first place! Don't you know your place? Ryan is paying back what he owed Lauren but do you think you're really worthy of being in the position?"

"Grandpa..."

"Don't call me that. I'm not your grandpa."

I heard from Aunt Chloe that William had never accepted Jessica into the family.

He also opposed John marrying her mother, Lauren, as well.

That was why the Frost family's assets had nothing to do with this father-in-law of mine either. He would only get a million dollars a year to spend and nothing else.

John quickly said, "Dad, Jessica's now alone and has no one to rely on. Why..."

"Shut that mouth of yours!" shouted William.

In the past, I only knew that William disliked Jessica, but this was the first time that he embarrassed Jessica in front of everyone.

Jessica's face paled and stood up with her bag nervously. "I shouldn't have come today. I'm sorry for spoiling everyone's mood."

With that said, she quickly ran out with tears in her eyes.

John looked at Ryan. "Aren't you going to go after her? She just got divorced, Wouldn't you feel guilty if something happened to her?"

I finally understood why Ryan spoiled Jessica.

If someone reminded me every day that I owed someone, then as time progressed, I would really feel that I owed that person even if I didn't.

William wanted to stop Ryan, but the latter had already gone after Jessica.

I looked at his receding figure and sighed helplessly.

As Ryan's wife, I should show that I cared about Ryan even if I didn't want to. "I'll go check on Ryan, Grandpa."

"Okay." William nodded. He then turned to a servant. "It's cold outside, go get a jacket for Charlotte."

I walked out of the house and saw the Maybach was still parked where it was, so I decided to check outside the courtyard.

As soon as I walked out of the courtyard, I heard voices arguing.

"What the hell do you want? Don't tell me you didn't do what you did in the car on purpose!" Ryan asked domineeringly.

I only saw this side of him at work.

Jessica wasn't soft and elegant anymore. She was crying and shouting as she looked at Ryan. "Are you blaming me for telling her what happened that night? But I'm jealous! I can't help it. I envy the two of you!"

"Jessica Frost, she's my wife. What right do you have to be jealous?" Ryan sneered. His voice was cold and heartless.

"I'm sorry..." Jessica was crying so hard that even her shoulders were trembling. "I'm divorced already, Ryan. You know full well that I did it for you."