Become a mother in a night

Chapter 17

Unwilling to be exploited by Alex, Michelle countered, "If I take the job, I won't be able to pick up Lizzy from school."
The kindergarten at Rivenhold School let out around four in the afternoon. If Alex, the boss, couldn't manage to fetch Lizzy every day, how could an his employee?
It made sense to Alex. He realized that compared to Michelle not being able to collect Lizzy, having Isabella spin tales in front of Michelle was a minor concern. If he didn't have to fetch Lizzy in the afternoons, he could focus more on his work. Given that his image in Michelle's eyes wasn't exactly shining, Alex eventually resigned to her perspective. "Alright, fair point," he conceded.
The topic was set aside, neither of them brought it up again. But as the adults ceased discussing the matter, a wave of anxiety swept over Lizzy. She remembered the times when Michelle had left her alone at home to work. The idea of being alone was unsettling to the young girl, and she clearly wasn't in favor of Michelle resuming her job. With these thoughts, Lizzy pouted, a look of distress evident on her face.
Reaching out with her chubby little hands, Lizzy clung to Michelle, whining sweetly, "Working is tiring! Sissy, don't go to work."
Michelle, accustomed to her daughter's adorable tantrums, couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart. Holding Lizzy close, she ruffled the young girl's hair, soothingly saying, "Alright, sis won't go to work then."
She had taken many assignments recently, and with a decent savings accumulated, Michelle felt quite secure. The idea of seeking regular employment wasn't on her mind. However, she didn't plan on freelancing forever. It wasn't a transparent profession and seemed to sap her youth. In a few years, she might not be able to keep up, so she'd have to explore other avenues.
With everyone lost in their thoughts, they soon reached their dinner destination. Lately, they had been dining out frequently. Whenever Alex was around, he'd ensure everything was organized, sparing Michelle the hassle. It made Michelle appreciate the days when Alex picked up Lizzy, granting her more time to work on her articles. With that in mind, she looked up at Alex and flashed him a smile.
She tentatively inquired, "Mr. Ye, could you pick up Lizzy tomorrow?"
Alex, recalling the unfinished tasks at work from earlier in the day, felt uncertain about agreeing.
Upon hearing Michelle's words, Lizzy immediately tilted her face upwards to look at Alex.
"Daddy's always busy!" Lizzy declared, her voice laced with a hint of frustration. She didn't want her inattentive father to come to pick her up.
Alex, noticing Lizzy's aversion towards him and hearing her words, felt a pang in his heart. Yes, he was genuinely occupied with work, but seeing his own daughter show such resistance towards him was undoubtedly distressing. He observed the urgency in the young girl's eyes before turning to Michelle. "I have to make a trip to the coastal city tomorrow," he informed her. Given that he'd be out of town, he wouldn't make it back by the afternoon.
A faint sigh of disappointment escaped Michelle as she responded, "Oh. By the way, Miss Zhao – Isabella – was looking for me today."
At the mention of Isabella, Alex's expression shifted momentarily, but he quickly regained his composure, giving an indifferent nod. It seemed as if Michelle had told him something inconsequential, something he neither cared for nor had any interest in exploring further.
Michelle looked up at him, slightly taken aback by his apparent lack of interest. "So, he really is a workaholic who's indifferent to women," she mused silently. Was he truly unmoved by Isabella's beauty? Setting aside Isabella's personality and emotional intelligence, Michelle had been quite taken aback when she first laid eyes on her. In Michelle's past world, Isabella's beauty would have been equivalent to the pinnacle of attractiveness in the entertainment industry.
The trio soon finished their dinner. Children needed to sleep early, so they couldn't stay out too late. Michelle planned to spend a little more time playing outside with Lizzy and then, when the time was right, she'd rely on Alex to take them home. Despite her seemingly mature demeanor, at her core, Michelle was still a 20-year-old soul. Engrossed in their play, they lost track of time.
It was Alex who eventually reminded her of the late hour.
Eleanor firmly believed that children needed to be in bed by nine, or they wouldn't grow tall. Her son's impressive height of 188 cm was, according to her, entirely due to her diligence in ensuring young Alex was in bed right before nine. And it had nothing to do with her not wanting to look after the child late into the evening. No, it was genuinely for Alex's well-being and growth, or so she claimed.
Reflecting on her own height and then comparing it to Alex's, Michelle had no reason to doubt Eleanor's assertions about early bedtimes and growth. Therefore, in keeping with the excellent traditions of the Ye family, Lizzy was expected to dutifully head to bed by nine.
Alex took it upon himself to drop Michelle off first. By the time they reached the front of her building, Lizzy was clearly fighting off sleep. Even so, the little girl didn't forget to coyly ask Michelle for a goodnight kiss. Alex watched as Lizzy made her cutesy request and as Michelle leaned down to plant a sweet kiss on the child's forehead. He mused to himself that his child was quite the charmer and that perhaps he could learn a thing or two from her.
Before Michelle could step out of the car, Alex hesitated, deciding it was better to clarify things. "Michelle," he began, "about two months ago, the Ye family intended for me to be engaged to Miss Zhao – Isabella."
Michelle was aware of this; the details had been quite explicitly laid out before. She simply nodded in response, then looked up at him with her light brown almond-shaped eyes. "Did something happen... that made you both call it off?" She inquired cautiously, careful about her choice of words because of Lizzy, who was sitting right next to her, watching with wide, innocent eyes. Michelle didn't want to outright ask Alex if it was because of Lizzy that the engagement fell through, but she hoped he'd understand her veiled query.
Grasping the underlying implication in Michelle's words, Alex took a moment before answering, his voice quiet and even, "Yes."
Now it was Michelle's turn to fall silent. Lizzy, even though not grasping the full weight of their conversation, could sense the tension inside the car. She nervously tugged at the hem of Michelle's blouse, a sudden hint of fear in her eyes. Sensing Lizzy's anxiety, Michelle gave her a gentle, reassuring smile, reaching out to softly tousle her hair. All these gestures didn't go unnoticed by Alex, who caught every movement through the rearview mirror.
After a brief pause, Alex spoke up, "Some choices and decisions are based on my perspective." He added, "If you ask me whether I regret or feel any loss about the engagement, my answer would be no."
Michelle nodded, understanding his sentiment. It was clear; Alex, the workaholic with no time for romance, simply hadn't been taken by Isabella's charms.
Alex's eyes remained fixed on the rearview mirror, studying Michelle's expression. Her face was a mask of calm, but he couldn't help wondering if she wished he'd say something more.
Realizing Alex didn't intend to continue the conversation, Michelle prepared to alight from the car. "Mr. Ye," she said with a soft smile, "I'll head up now. Thank you for driving me home."
Alex hesitated for a brief moment. "Oh, speaking of which," he finally said, "My mother was asking if you'd be free for dinner this Friday." His face remained impassive as he continued, "She's been missing you."
Ever since Michelle had moved out of the Ye residence, Alex had ceased his routine of daily dinners at home. Eleanor, noticing his absence, often chided him with remarks like, "Some people forget their mothers as soon as they get a wife." Or even, "Some people are so engrossed, they'd even forget their mothers when their wives leave." And more often than not, she'd muse aloud, "When will Michelle return? Bathing Lizzy every day is tiring." And so on.
Michelle pondered for a moment. She had no plans for Friday, so why not join them for dinner? "That sounds good," she replied. "After you pick up Lizzy on Friday, you can come and fetch me." In that simple statement, she'd managed to sort out the entire Friday's transportation. Alex, with no room for rebuttal, could only nod in agreement.
With the Friday pick-up settled, Michelle felt lighter. She wasn't particularly interested in whatever had transpired between Alex and Isabella; after all, she was well aware of the details. What truly concerned her was how the Ye family might treat Lizzy, especially after the engagement had fallen through. She worried the child might bear the brunt of any residual bitterness and end up in a far more miserable situation than herself.
After all, an alliance between the Ye and Zhao families would undoubtedly bring about considerable benefits. Alex, being the workaholic he was, couldn't possibly overlook such advantages. Hearing Alex's words tonight had alleviated many of Michelle's anxieties. And then there was Eleanor's apparent fondness for little Lizzy, which further eased Michelle's concerns.
After taking a bath, Michelle stepped out, towel drying her hair, preparing to chat with her colleagues and employers. Even though she had few friends in this world and the number of people she knew could be counted on one hand, she still felt the innate human need to connect and communicate. However, she wasn't too keen on engaging with Alex or Isabella.
As Michelle conversed with her peers, her mind wandered through various topics. A colleague, known online as "fafa," offered her a writing assignment. After inquiring about the payment and finding it lacking, Michelle graciously declined.
Michelle typed, "I've got a lot on my plate right now. Maybe next time."
fafa responded, "Alright. If you ever run out of assignments, let me know. I have a lot of contacts with clients."
This "fafa" was quite chatty and often reached out to Michelle for conversations. Though they were technically in the same line of work, fafa acted more like a middleman, getting assignments from clients and then outsourcing them to writers. It was a business model resembling that of a writing studio.
While fafa seemed keen on collaborating more closely with Michelle, the latter felt that the offered pay rates were too low to consider. Nonetheless, this didn't impede their amiable online interactions.
While still chatting with fafa, Michelle noticed a flashing icon at the bottom right of her screen. Someone was reaching out to her. The avatar seemed unfamiliar, and she suspected it might be a new client. Lately, she'd been feeling a tad jaded from the constant writing assignments. She yearned for something fresh, a challenge, lest life become too mundane.
Michelle clicked on the chat window of the new potential client, quickly typing out her current rates for her writing services.
Michelle: Hi there! Here are my recent fee standards. For ghostwriting, I only accept one-off assignments.
BaldButNotStronger: Okay, got it.
BaldButNotStronger: Do you accept world-building drafts?
Michelle glanced at the user's profile. He had added her two months ago. Two months back... She remembered. A wealthy client of hers had recommended someone to add her. It was likely this person was a friend of that affluent client.
Initially, Michelle was hesitant about accepting world-building tasks. In the past, she had undertaken such assignments and found them troublesome. Clients would often be nitpicky, requesting endless revisions here and there. After one such tedious experience, she had decided to refrain from accepting such jobs. However, her recent writing assignments had become somewhat monotonous, and the thought of dabbling in something different was appealing.
Weighing the pros and cons, Michelle decided she might accept a more challenging assignment for a change. After all, she mused, what's life without a bit of excitement?
She quoted a fee for the potential project.
Michelle: If it's a world-building draft, this is the minimum fee. Character designs, world views, and such will have varying costs based on complexity.
Michelle had her guards up, especially knowing this person might be connected to the wealthy client. Adopting the principle of "higher risk, higher return," she hiked her price a tad.
As expected, the client sent an ellipsis in response. Michelle saw that and assumed the deal was off. But to her surprise, the next notification she received was a confirmation of a payment transfer.
Michelle: ???