Yancy Shaw drove as the morning sunlight streamed in through the car window, softening his features. When he looked at Lauren Shaw, a gentle smile played at his lips, and his eyes glimmered as if filled with a sky full of stars—pure and dazzling.

Lauren Shaw felt her heart skip a beat.

"Didn't you say you didn't want kids for now? What's with..."

"If I hadn’t said that, Mom probably wouldn’t have let you leave."

So it was all just to pull the wool over Mrs. Chen’s eyes. She had thought he was genuinely reluctant about having children.

"I'll take you home first, then head to the hospital," Yancy Shaw offered, noticing how lost in thought she seemed, assuming she hadn’t had enough rest.

"Just take me straight to the office." With the product launch approaching, she needed to check in at work.

Arriving at the company, she just ran into Chris Cooper, who told her to wait in the CEO’s office.

Lauren Shaw pushed open the door to find Chloe Shaw already there. Seeing her, Chloe Shaw greeted warmly, "Sheng Sheng!"

"Qiu Chi-jie, you’re back?" Last she heard, Chloe Shaw was supposed to be on set filming for a week. Why was she back so soon?

"There was a bit of an incident with the crew, so we had to halt filming for now. I came back early."

"What happened?" Lauren Shaw looked at her, concerned.

She smiled, "Not to me, thankfully."

Lauren Shaw finally relaxed after hearing that.

The office door opened, and Chris Cooper stepped in, placing a folder in front of Lauren Shaw.

"Miss Li, here’s the schedule for the launch event. Please check if anything needs changing."

Lauren Shaw skimmed through it quickly, then handed it back. "Let’s stick to the company’s plan."

Chris Cooper put the file away, then turned to Chloe Shaw. "Miss Li, sorry, please wait a bit longer. President Shen is still in a meeting."

Chloe Shaw remained composed. "No trouble at all, thank you."

Chris Cooper nodded to them both and left.

About ten minutes later, Shen Yu Bai returned to the office. When he saw Chloe Shaw, joy flashed in his eyes.

"When did you get back?" He hadn’t even noticed Lauren Shaw, for as soon as he saw Chloe Shaw, she was all he had eyes for.

Chloe Shaw cleared her throat, her voice unconsciously softening. "Just got off the plane."

Noticing a third person in the office, some of the delight faded from Shen Yu Bai's face.

Lauren Shaw quickly picked up on the subtle atmosphere between them. "President Shen, I just remembered I have something to do. If there’s nothing else, I’ll excuse myself."

With that, she slipped quickly out the door.

Shen Yu Bai never gave her the impression of being as restrained and reserved as Yancy Shaw, but he’d never shown such passionate interest in any woman before, either. Her instincts screamed that something was definitely going on between these two.

Thank goodness she was quick on the uptake—any longer in there and she’d have been a third wheel to their romance.

This juicy gossip would be wasted if she kept it to herself—she needed someone to share it with. With that in mind, she pulled out her phone and messaged Yancy Shaw.

[I've got a secret to tell you. Want to hear it?]

Yancy Shaw happened to be free and responded not long after receiving her message.

[What secret?] Rare for him to take gossip bait.

Lauren Shaw: [I think I know who Second Brother’s secret girlfriend is. Want to know?]

Yancy Shaw: [Chloe Shaw.]

Lauren Shaw: [How did you know?!] (she attached a shocked emoji)

She’d planned on gossiping with him, but who knew he'd already been one step ahead?

[I know even more. Want to hear? I’ll tell you tonight when I get home.]

As a frontline consumer of gossip, Lauren Shaw suddenly didn’t really want to know. Getting inside info from Yancy Shaw always came with a price.

[No, I don't want to hear it, I don’t want to!]

Yancy Shaw replied with a meme: You sure?

Lauren Shaw was bowing her head, focused on her phone, when she almost bumped into someone. Only when a pair of black high heels appeared in her field of vision did she look up.

"Miss Li."

The speaker was Zhu Yu Rou—the woman who had hovered around Shen Yu Bai all evening at last night’s banquet. What was she doing here?

The two women had always had friction, but Lauren Shaw still managed a poised and courteous smile.

"Miss Zhu, what brings you to our company today?"

Zhu Yu Rou gave her a cool once-over and arrogantly lifted her chin. "I have business with President Shen. I’m here to discuss the new product collaboration."

Lauren Shaw merely nodded, reading between the lines. Zhu Yu Rou’s timing was interesting, considering the atmosphere in the office just now—she might be walking straight in on something.

Spotting an anxious-looking Chris Cooper hurrying over, Lauren Shaw guessed he hadn’t managed to stop Zhu Yu Rou outside in time.

Zhu Yu Rou started past her toward Shen Yu Bai’s office, but Lauren Shaw blocked her path.

Her smile was still perfectly cordial. "Miss Zhu, President Shen is busy right now. Please wait for him in the lounge."

Zhu Yu Rou’s face darkened instantly. "Lauren Shaw, maybe you’re the Shen family’s third young madam now, but do you really think your position is so secure? At least I’m the legitimate daughter of the Zhu family, running our business empire. When I marry into the Shen family, you’ll have to call me Second Sister-in-law."

"And?" Lauren Shaw looked at her calmly, her gaze turning cold.

"I’d advise you not to cross me, or your days ahead won’t be easy." Zhu Yu Rou was convinced she was a cut above and that becoming the Shen family’s second young madam was her destiny.

She thought her words would faze Lauren Shaw, but Lauren Shaw didn't seem the least bit afraid.

"Well, I’d love to see how you’ll make my life difficult." She stood her ground, unyielding.

When Chris Cooper got there, Lauren Shaw addressed him promptly, "Assistant Cui, please escort Miss Zhu to the lounge. President Shen is currently occupied."

Chris Cooper, ever the model of discretion, gestured politely to Zhu Yu Rou.

"Miss Zhu, I look forward to the day you marry into the Shen family. But let me be clear—as long as I’m part of this family, the title of Second Young Madam isn’t up for grabs."

Shen Yu Bai already has someone he loves—even if he didn’t, just based on Zhu Yu Rou’s personality, there’s no way she'd ever win over Mrs. Chen.

"Miss Zhu, apologies—President Shen is currently meeting with an important client. It’s inconvenient for him right now. Please understand." Right now, dealing with all these heiresses was enough to give Chris Cooper a perpetual headache. One misstep and his year-end bonus would be on the line. Such was the lot of a beleaguered office worker.

Zhu Yu Rou shot Lauren Shaw a spiteful glare, but in the end, this was still someone else’s turf; she couldn’t afford to lose face here. So, she followed Chris Cooper to the lounge.

Back in the office, after Lauren Shaw left, Shen Yu Bai wasted no time pinning Chloe Shaw against the desk and kissing her deeply.

Only when Chloe Shaw began pounding his chest with her small fists did he finally, reluctantly, release her lips.

Shen Yu Bai drew her into his arms, refusing to let go.

"Do you know how much I’ve missed you these last few days?" He gazed at her, his eyes overflowing with love.

Chloe Shaw looked away, a teasing smile on her lips. "Missed me? I heard you had a woman on your arm all last night—and she stuck to you the entire time."

Her tone was light, but the jealousy was palpable.