Nancy Sutton walked over to the black sedan, and suddenly, she stopped, narrowing her eyes.
Nancy saw in the rearview mirror a man in a suit, seemingly following her. She furrowed her brows, turned around, intending to confront the man,
asking him why he was following her.
Nancy didn't like being tailed by people.
Before she could take a step, the man averted his gaze first and walked in the other direction, leaving Nancy feeling that she was overreacting.
Nancy racked her brains but couldn't come to any conclusion.
Could it be that she was just being too sensitive and got it wrong?
At this moment, Bianca tugged at Nancy's sleeve, her eyes bright and playful, using a wheedling tone.
"Mommy, I'm hungry for dinner."
The thought of the strange man slipped from Nancy's mind instantly. She opened the car door and let the two children in first.
She then followed suit.
Nancy spoke to the driver.
"Mr Lowell, let's go home."
The driver, called Mr Lowell, nodded, started the car, stepped on the gas, and the car sped off.
After the three removed their shoes at the entrance, Nancy watched the two children bouncing into the living room where they sat down and turned on the TV.
They looked carefree, making Nancy feel somewhat envious.
She used to be like that too, but after going through so much, she was forced to grow stronger and couldn't afford to fall again.
A resolve filled Nancy's heart as she felt the need to protect her children, to become strong enough so no one could hurt them, never letting them fall into the kind of situation she once faced.
Mason noticed Nancy hadn't come into the living room yet and turned his head in puzzlement, tilting his young head.
"Mommy, why aren't you coming over?"
Nancy walked over, casually patting Mason's head, and asked for their opinion.
"What do you want to eat today?"
Bianca was the first to respond, answering eagerly.
"Pizza, I want pizza!"
The mention of pizza made Mason's eyes light up with excitement.
Knowing that Nancy rarely allowed them to eat such fast food, they felt it was a rare opportunity.
"I want pizza too, thin crust pizza!"
Seeing their expectant eyes, Nancy couldn't refuse them, so she agreed and took out her phone.
She opened the food delivery app and ordered two pizzas, one with durian flavor and one with Japanese teriyaki chicken flavor.
Feeling a bit out of place in her current outfit at home, Nancy quickly went into the bedroom to freshen up and change into her home clothes.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to remind the two kids.
"Remember to drink water after eating pizza, or you'll get a sore throat."
Mason and Bianca nodded in unison and continued to watch TV attentively.
At nine in the evening, the three of them just finished a hearty meal, and Bianca obediently took her pajamas and went to the bathroom to take a bath.
In the living room, only Nancy and Mason were left.
Mason looked at Nancy thoughtfully, hesitating, as if wanting to say something.
Nancy sighed deeply, looking at Mason, and directly spoke.
"If you have something to ask, just ask."
Nancy knew Mason was a bit more mature than Bianca; sometimes, his calm demeanor made him seem like a composed young adult.
With Nancy's permission, Mason asked.
"Mommy, was that Ms. Warren the one who used to bully you?"
Nancy froze; she hadn't expected Mason to be concerned about her, and her eyes seemed to drift away, lost in thought.
It seemed she thought of many past events.
"Yes, too many, very excessive."
Immediately, Mason felt indignant on behalf of his mother, quickly patted his little chest, and declared.
"I'll protect Mommy in the future, won't let anyone hurt you."
Just then, Bianca came out, catching Mason's declaration of protection, looking puzzled but chimed in.
"Me too, I'll protect Mommy."
Nancy looked at her two little darlings in amazement, her eyes smiling warmly, and turned her head, feeling unexpectedly choked up.
Pretending to cough a few times, she responded.
"Good, very sweet."
Still curious, Bianca wanted to ask what they were discussing without her presence but was diverted by Mason's words.
"Why don't you play Gobang with Mommy? If you win, you can watch TV tonight."
Hearing this suggestion, Bianca perked up, rushed to Nancy's side, and pulled out the Gobang set from the drawer.
Placed it in front of Nancy.
"Come on, Mommy, let's play. Go easy on me; I still want to watch TV."
Nancy shook her head helplessly, resigned to play the game.
The next morning, Nancy entrusted the two kids to her best friend, Sean Grant, before heading to the Sutton Group.
A potential confrontation was no place for kids.
Twenty minutes later, Nancy got out of the car, looked at the skyscraper in front of her, feeling as if it belonged to a different lifetime.
She hadn't come to the Sutton Group in a long time since that vicious mother and daughter kicked her out. She hadn't set foot here.
This time, she came back not as the weak person she was before.
After entering the Sutton Group, Nancy walked to the front desk, showed her appointment record, and was soon led to the parlor.
A middle-aged manager came in; he had seen Nancy a few times, knew her identity, and didn't dare to neglect her, quickly moving towards her.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Sutton?"
Nancy glanced at the manager and directly stated her purpose.
"I want to see the Sutton Group's financial statements."
The middle-aged manager paused, immediately called for the finance department, but unfortunately, the finance person was a young newcomer unaware of Nancy's identity and flatly refused.
"Sorry, but that's not possible. Once Mrs. Warren and Miss Joy Sutton arrive, you will have the authority to view these documents."
The middle-aged manager didn't expect the finance person to be so unaware, hastily stopping them, sweating apologetically as he looked at Nancy.
Nancy quietly sized up the finance person and let out a soft laugh, neither disdainful nor contemptuous, just finding it amusing.
Not wanting to waste more words with such a person, she pulled out her phone, opened a contact, and dialed.
"Mr Lee, can you come to the Sutton Group for a moment? There's something I need your help with."
Seeing Nancy like this, the finance person couldn't help but chuckle, thinking she was just some nobody causing trouble.
As he attempted to usher her out, the middle-aged manager stepped forward, blocking the finance person, silently mouthing words without making a sound.
The finance person followed the mouthing, silently repeating a phrase, and his face turned pale instantly, suddenly realizing Nancy's identity.