The baby inside me shifted, very lightly.
I already knew my own answer.
After leaving the hospital, I headed to the office by myself.
I started going through the shares, sorting the projects, and splitting the groups and resources under my control.
Anything I could settle clearly, I handled right away; anything I couldn’t finish yet, I placed into lists, noted with risks, numbers, and plans for division, packed together, and sent to the lawyer that Grandma Ravenna contacted for me.
As for the Payne family assets, I could not take a single part of them.
But this company was something Zion, and I built it from nothing, and I had to take what belonged to me.
Not for my own sake, but for the child inside me.
Since I had already decided she would not be born into the Payne family, I needed to lay out every step for her myself.
Her name, assets, and future, I would arrange them one by one for her.
Even if she no longer stayed in the Payne family, she still had to grow up secure and free, never having to rely on anyone’s pity.
After I confirmed the last file, my trusted assistant lowered his voice and asked, “President Morrison, for the project ‘Knowing Me,’ do you want the payout or the project itself?”
I didn’t reply right away.
Instead, I logged into “Knowing Me” again.
When the familiar page showed up, my fingers stopped for a moment.
This ancient-style game, from the world-building to the character design to every story path, was almost completely built during the best years between Zion and me.
Many nights staying awake, many times tearing everything down to redo it, those busy, focused, working-together days had truly existed.
I thought I had already settled my feelings, but right then, I still felt a small bit of hesitation.
I naturally tapped into the couple space shared by Zion and me, only to be pushed out instantly.
The female owner in that space had already been switched, at some unknown time, to that player “Maeve Larson.”
Zion clearly saw that I logged in.
He didn’t give a single word of explanation.
The next moment, a pop-up asking for a two-million transfer showed up on my screen.
[One of the small online figures working under me is streaming “Knowing Me” and needs a nice background setup.]
[The couple area, let me borrow it for now.]
He really knew how to “borrow” things. He took over the secret place we spent more than half a year building in a single second.
I chose to log out right away.
Then I looked toward my assistant and said, “I want the ‘Knowing Me’ project itself.”
And I wanted full say over it. I didn’t want Zion and another woman ruining this game.
During the next two days, I fully moved my attention away from Zion.
But he showed up everywhere.
Inside the game, Zion and the streamer Maeve were always together.
Her room stayed open nearly all day, the headlines growing more suggestive each time, the viewer count rising fast.
I never clicked in, but people kept “accidentally” sending me screen captures.
The latest picture showed Zion setting off fireworks in Maeve’s stream.
He lit them for a whole hour and a half just to celebrate her getting first place in a PK match.
I curved my mouth slightly and blocked the person who sent it, lowering my head again to sort the plans for my mother’s death anniversary.
Everyone kept talking about how Maeve was the woman Zion kept beside him the longest.
I guess whether she might one day take my place.
But no one noticed that I no longer wished to fight anyone for this “Mrs. Payne” role.
On my mother’s death anniversary, I dressed in all black, a white flower fastened to my chest, standing in the middle of the living room.
The guests all wore serious looks, lowering their voices while speaking. After giving their sympathy, they nodded at me one after another.
Everything should have ended calmly and with respect.
Until just as I was telling the staff to guide the guests to their seats, a purposely softened but still pointed voice came from outside the doorway.
“Ya… why is everyone wearing black clothes?”
I lifted my head and saw Zion standing at the entrance.
Behind him stood a woman dressed in bright red with heavy makeup, curled hair hanging over her shoulders.
She carefully leaned half her body forward, her eyes moving across the room, finally stopping on the memorial photo of my mother in the center of the living room, as if she only just understood.
“Ah… today… Someone passed away?”
Then she seemed to realize she had spoken out of place, quickly pulling a red flower from her hair, holding it between her fingers as she walked toward my mother’s memorial stand.
“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t know… can I put this flower here?”
Seeing her reach toward my mother’s memorial, the blood in my body went cold. I almost acted on instinct and pushed her away.
“Leave! Who told you that you could come in!”
The woman stepped back in a rush, almost losing her balance, but Zion caught her with his hand.
I stared at Zion, my voice shaking from trying to hold myself together, “Zion, didn’t I tell you not to bring those cheap women from outside into this house, messing up the place!”
“And today is my mother’s death anniversary!”
All the guests went still, their eyes turning toward that woman.
Maeve clearly hadn’t expected me to actually push her. She stared at me for a few seconds, looking lost, then her eyes turned wet right away, tears dropping as if on command.
“I-I didn’t try to cause trouble, it’s my birthday today, so I wore red… just hoping for a bit of luck…”
“I really didn’t know today was your mother’s death anniversary, I just… I just came home with Brother Zion because he told me to…”
Her voice got weaker and weaker, and in the end, she leaned straight into Zion’s arms, acting like she’d been hurt badly.
Zion’s face had already darkened completely.
He lowered his head first, checking her carefully, then eased his voice. “Were you scared?”
Maeve shook her head, then nodded, tears falling even faster, but she still held onto him as she whispered, “I’m okay.”
Only then did Zion lift his head and stare at me, his eyes cold and empty.
“Natalie, I assumed you had finally matured and learned to think. I didn’t expect you to still act like this.”
“Your mom has been gone for so long. I only learned today that her death anniversary falls on the same date as Maeve’s birthday.”
“I brought her in because I thought adding a bit of cheer might make the day lighter for your mom’s death anniversary. It’s not like I did anything wrong. And even that bothers you?”
“So childish.”
