As if remembering something, she looked anxiously at Yancy Shaw. "Yvonne Sung holds grudges. You should watch out for him. I'm worried that..."

Yancy Shaw gave her a reassuring look. "Don't worry. He's not capable of anything."

Lauren Shaw still felt uneasy. Yvonne Sung was truly a man of poor character. If he could smear her reputation today, who knew what shameless thing he'd try next time?

Her hand was enfolded in his, warmth seeping into her palm. Lauren Shaw looked at him.

"I trust you."

Just those three simple words sent a wave of warmth flooding through Lauren Shaw’s heart. The turbulence she’d been feeling inside was swept clean away.

Yvonne Sung stood in place, watching as Yancy Shaw’s car drove out of sight. He couldn't be bothered by the pain on his face—he quickly pulled out his phone and called Hugo Pierce.

"Did you know about Lauren Shaw getting married?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line, then a soft chuckle.

"You already know, so why are you asking me?"

Yvonne Sung clenched his phone so tightly his fingertips whitened, anger welling up within him.

"If you knew, why didn't you tell me?"

Hugo Pierce found that laughable. "Aren’t you with Yana Quinn right now? What does this have to do with you? Why would I tell you about it?"

Yvonne Sung ignored his words. "There’s no way she could just let go like that. She has to be doing this to spite me, marrying some random guy just to piss me off."

Back then, she was utterly devoted to him—how could someone fall out of love overnight?

Hugo Pierce’s answer held a sneer. "Back when she was so devoted to you, how did you treat her? As your friend, let me just say this: Lauren Shaw has her own life now. If you want to leave even a shred of a good impression in her heart, don’t bother her anymore..."

Before he could finish, the call ended with a click. Hugo Pierce stared at his phone and shook his head with a helpless sigh. When people are around, they’re never cherished; once they’re gone, it’s all regret.

Putting on a show of deep feeling—who is he even performing for?

Yvonne Sung had no idea how he made it back to the office. His mind was replaying only one thing: Lauren Shaw snuggling into that man’s arms.

The tenderness in her eyes—like spring water—sent chills down his spine.

That soft look had once been reserved for him, but he’d never cared, and now, he had never seen it again.

He sat in his office, memories of the past with Lauren Shaw flooding his mind.

It was right after Yana Quinn had left him; he would get drunk most nights. That day, he’d seen a girl in a white dress, looking helpless at the bathroom door. On impulse, he’d taken off his jacket and offered it to her. He found out later, she knew Hugo Pierce.

That was the beginning—Lauren Shaw had started to quietly seep into his life.

She was pure, kind, and gave herself to him wholeheartedly.

At the time, his heart held only Yana Quinn, but he also enjoyed Lauren Shaw’s devotion. He rationalized: if she willingly gave him her affection, why refuse it?

Gradually, he took her kindness for granted. Whenever his friends teased him about her, he always denied he liked her.

When he learned she was the cherished daughter of the Shaw family, he only wanted more from her.

He thought she would keep giving, whatever the cost. But somewhere along the way, Lauren Shaw had taken back all her feelings—even the way she looked at him turned to utter contempt.

He didn’t realize when he started to care for her. But his arrogance convinced him she’d never leave, so he never treasured her, even going so far as to personally destroy what they had.

Not that he’d ever admit he was at fault. He couldn’t even grasp what mistakes he’d made.

*****

Lauren Shaw was busy calling around for manufacturing partners, only to find that most factories turned her down.

Back when she graduated college, her uncle Owen Shaw had asked her to join the family business, but she'd refused. She wanted to chase her own dreams: she loved fashion design, and longed to create her own brand, to make it known and respected.

In the beginning, she faced endless skepticism and ridicule, but she made it through. Now it seemed she was hitting another low.

Even her colleagues Xiaomei and the others had noticed something was wrong. "Sienna Shaw, are you having some trouble lately?"

Honestly, even if Lauren Shaw hadn’t said anything, they could have guessed.

She pretended to reassure them, smiling and shaking her head. "No, just a small problem—I’ll figure it out."

Worst case, she’d call her uncle for help. Sure, he'd scold her a bit, but he’d pull some strings.

Just then, the studio door opened and a well-dressed, elegant middle-aged woman walked in.

"Shengsheng." Mrs. Chen spotted Lauren Shaw as soon as she came in.

Seeing Mrs. Chen surprised Lauren Shaw—she hurried over to greet her.

"Mom, why didn’t you call ahead if you were coming over?"

"I was shopping in the area and remembered your studio was nearby, so I thought I’d drop by and see you." Mrs. Chen, having nothing to do at home, liked coming to chat with Lauren Shaw and strengthen their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law bond.

Mrs. Chen had liked her from their very first meeting, and after the last interaction with her parents, she was even more satisfied—it was nice when both in-laws and daughters-in-law were easy to get along with.

Her gaze drifted to the design sketches on the table, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Did you draw these yourself?"

Sisi was just handing her a cup of coffee at that moment and chimed in, "Sienna Shaw drew all of these herself. She’s amazing—not just a designer, but our boss too."

With such a talented and kind boss, all the staff adored her.

"Last time, Yancheng ordered a custom gown for me—was that your handiwork too?"

The memory of Yancy Shaw picking up the dress came to her, and Lauren Shaw also recalled she’d snapped at him because of a fight with Yvonne Sung. She felt a pang of guilt.

"Yes, it was." Lauren Shaw replied.

Mrs. Chen beamed. "I’m attending a banquet soon—Shengsheng, could you design a gown for me?"

"Of course!"

When Lauren Shaw asked what style she liked, Mrs. Chen just waved her hand. "Anything you design, I’ll love."

If her daughter-in-law designed it, Mrs. Chen wasn’t about to be picky.

Lauren Shaw was a bit stumped.

Just then, Mrs. Chen’s phone rang. She took the call and hurried off.

Left with the design sketches in hand, Lauren Shaw found herself at a loss. She had no idea what her mother-in-law liked. What if her design missed the mark?

With that anxious thought, she dialed Yancy Shaw’s number.

The phone rang for a long time before someone finally picked up. But it wasn’t Yancy Shaw—it was a woman.

"Hello, who is this?"

Lauren Shaw thought she must have misdialed and checked the number carefully—it was correct.

Puzzled at the woman's voice on his phone, she nevertheless replied politely, "I’m looking for Dr. Shen."

"Dr. Shen is busy. If there’s something you need, you can speak to me directly."

The woman’s tone was blunt, which irritated Lauren Shaw.

"I’ll call back later."

The woman hung up immediately.

The mood inside Lauren Shaw plummeted; she went cold and stony-faced, a sharp chill in the air around her.

Her coworkers started whispering, "What’s going on with Sienna Shaw? She’s been acting like a different person since that phone call."

"Bet you anything someone just seriously got under her skin."