C7 7

After gathering her belongings, Chloe Bishop left the office building and pulled out her phone to call her best friend, Ruby.

Ruby was a close friend she had met while studying abroad. She knew Chloe's story inside and out, and when Chloe decided to return home with the twins, Ruby was the one who helped her secure an apartment.

She was also deeply fond of the two little ones and had a sweet, affectionate bond with them.

“Well, look who finally remembered to call me! Did the interview go well?”

“It was successful, but—” Before Chloe could finish, Ruby cut her off excitedly.

“A success is a success! Remember our deal—you have to treat me to a feast once you land the job.”

“Deal. I’m off work now and heading to the supermarket to grab some ingredients. I’ll make hot pot for us at home.”

“Sweet! See you in a bit!”

Hanging up, Chloe walked over to the nearest subway station, rode the train home, and made her way up to the apartment.

The moment she unlocked the door, a patter of tiny footsteps—patter, patter, patter—echoed down the hall. A little figure dressed in pink came hurtling toward her.

“Mommy, you’re back!”

Chloe immediately set down her grocery bags and scooped Sara up into a warm hug.

A moment later, Adrian emerged from his bedroom. Unlike his sister’s bubbly enthusiasm, he offered only a calm, composed, “You’re back.”

Sara wrapped her arms around Chloe’s neck and planted a loud, juicy kiss right on her cheek.

“Mommy worked so hard today!”

Seeing her darling twins the moment she walked through the door instantly melted away every ounce of exhaustion from the day.

Chloe gently nuzzled her cheek against Sara’s soft, chubby face. “Mommy’s not tired at all.”

For the sake of her two precious angels, every bit of hard work was completely worth it.

After changing into a pair of cozy loungewear, Chloe headed into the kitchen to prepare the hot pot base.

“Whoa~! It smells so good! Mommy, are we having hot pot today?”

Guided by the savory aroma, Sara trotted into the kitchen. Her tiny, adorable nose twitched like a curious little kitten’s.

“Mm-hmm! Your Auntie Ruby is coming over to celebrate Mommy landing the job.”

Just as the words left her mouth, the doorbell chimed.

“That should be your Auntie Ruby. Go open the door, sweetie.”

Sara nodded eagerly and scurried over to the front door, piping up with their secret code: “One, two, three, four, five!”

Because the twins had to stay home while their mother was at work, Sara had come up with a secret passcode system to keep strangers away. She would only open the door if the person outside answered correctly.

“Going up the mountain to hunt the tiger!” Ruby’s energetic voice boomed from the other side of the door.

Only then did Sara stand on tiptoe to unlatch the door.

“Auntie Ruby!” Sara’s sweet voice squeaked out.

Ruby bent down and planted a big, affectionate kiss on Sara’s squishy cheek.

“Wow! Auntie, you bought a cake! Is it someone’s birthday today?”

Sara gasped, her eyes locking onto the bakery box in Ruby’s hand.

“It’s to celebrate your mommy finding a job! We can all eat it together in a bit.”

Sara’s big, bright eyes drooped in disappointment. “But Mommy doesn’t let Sara eat cake...”

“Don’t worry, Auntie will sneak you a little bite later!”

Sara’s eyes lit up instantly, sparkling like stars illuminating a pitch-black night sky.

Ruby kicked off her shoes and walked into the dining area just as Chloe emerged from the kitchen carrying the simmering hot pot.

“Perfect timing—I just finished setting everything up.”

The mouthwatering, spicy aroma of the hot pot made Ruby’s mouth water on the spot.

Once everyone was seated, the four of them dug in.

Ruby raised her beer glass with a flourish. “A toast to our star designer, Chloe Bishop, for acing her interview!”

Chloe clinked her glass of juice against hers, took a small sip, and sighed. “Actually... the position I got hired for isn't a design role.”

“Huh?” Ruby paused, utterly baffled. “Then what position did you get?”

“Executive Secretary.” Though, to be completely accurate, it wasn't that she had passed an interview—she had basically been handpicked on the spot.

Ruby, who was in the middle of taking a gulp of beer, instantly spat it right back out into her napkin.

Wiping her mouth in shock, her gorgeous eyes widened into saucer-sized circles.

“Y-You... what did you just say?!”

“My current job is Executive Secretary to the CEO,” Chloe repeated patiently.

Ruby stared at her in utter disbelief. “Didn't you go there to apply for a designer position?! How on earth did you end up as the CEO’s secretary?!”

That wasn't just a career jump—that was a full-blown leap across galaxies!

Chloe laid out the entire sequence of events from today, start to finish.

“Holy crap... the Samuel was the one who picked you out?!”

Chloe nodded. “It’s just a temporary gig for two weeks, though. Once the new secretary they poached from abroad arrives, I’ll be gracefully stepping down.”

“So... did you see Xavier Grayson today?” Ruby asked, her inner gossip lover instantly taking over.