?


    Christine couldn''t recall the moment she drifted off to sleep, but when she awoke, her phone had already powered down.


    Groggily, she reached for her charger, plugged it in, and powered on her phone, only to discover that their video call hadsted a whopping five hours -cut short only because her phone had died.


    Had it not, they might have continued their video chat into the early hours of this morning.


    Christine was somewhat taken aback; she''d never been this head-over-heels in love before.


    "Good morning," she texted Dailey, then hurried to get ready for work.


    On her way, she grabbed a bagel and coffee for breakfast, snapping photos to share with Dailey, who replied to each one.


    At the breakfast table.


    Dailey was the only one glued to his phone, his half-eaten bowl of oatmeal neglected for too long.


    The table was silent, with even the usually outspoken Normand keeping his thoughts to himself, and Jayne, who could hardly ever hold her tongue, quietly focusing on her meal.


    Dailey could sense the tension in the air but couldn''t be bothered to ask. He figured it must have been something Nelly said to his motherst night. The family at the table was clearly on the same page.


    "I''ve got to head to the office; take your time," Dailey announced, standing up to grab his coat and heading out.


    Once Dailey''s car had left the driveway, Normand turned to Jayne, "Is this really okay?"


    Jayne had her reservations. Nelly had confided in her the night before about Dailey being in the throes of love. Opposing him outright would only drive him closer to Christine and could potentially lead him to make radical decisions, like walking away from the rkson family.


    Jayne wasn''t sure. Given Dailey''s character, such rebellion seemed unlikely. Yet, she felt as if her son, whom she''d lovingly raised, had be a stranger.


    For now, their best bet was to wait and see.


    "Why hasn''t Nellye down for breakfast?" Normand inquired.


    "She said she wasn''t feeling well," Jayne replied, her brows furrowed in concern.


    "There''s something I''ve been


    hesitant to bring up," Normand


    continued, "Could you find a wal


    ask ber... if she and Dailey took precautions that night?"


    After wrapping up a meeting at the office, Christine headed over to the shopping center to check on sales.


    net


    Discussing expansion ns withExclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Jane, they realized it was lunchtime and decided to treat their staff to lunch. That''s when she bumped into Dailey, who was also visiting the mall.


    "Mr. rkson, what a coincidence," she remarked.


    Dailey offered a warm smile, "I heard Ms. Jackson is nning to expand her store. Maybe we could discuss it over lunch?"


    "Sounds good," Christine replied,


    handing the purchased lunches to


    her employees before stepping out. Dailey had already dismissed his apanying executives, leaving them bewildered as they departed.


    Swne


    Teasingly, Christine said, "Mr. rkson, mixing business with pleasure?"


    Without a word, Dailey pulled her into a fire escape stairwell and kissed her passionately.


    Christine wrapped her arms around his neck, responding to his kiss.


    In the dimly lit stairway, the sound of their kisses echoed.


    After a long kiss, both gasping for air, they rested their foreheads against each other. Dailey''s voice was husky as he asked, "Your ce or mine?" Christineughed, "Aren''t you straightforward?"


    Dailey had always been reserved, calcting his every move. Christine was an unexpected twist in his life, one he found addictively irresistible. He looked at Christine intently, "Aren''t you enjoying it, Ms. Jackson?"


    Christine did enjoy their moments together, the intimacy, the passion. Yet, she thought, perhaps they needed to pace themselves a bit.