An Exchange

Nick led his mom back into the room, trying to keep her calm. He shot a quick glance at Harry, gesturing for him to get his mother's favorite tea, hoping it would soothe her.

"Didn't I tell you Amelia's behavior is disgraceful? Maia would never embarrass this family like that. If only your father wasn't so sick—" Mrs. Zhao's voice trembled with frustration.

"Mom," Nick interrupted sharply, not wanting to hear Amelia compared to Maia again. As a dutiful son, he gently rubbed his mother's back. "If you calm down, we can handle this situation better."

But Mrs. Zhao kept crying, her hands trembling with anger. "How can I stay calm, Nick? This morning, while I was changing your father's clothes, I got sent a video of Amelia acting shamefully. What do you expect me to do?" she spat, her voice filled with bitterness.

Nick's heart sank. He could feel his anger rising. "Please don't tell me you showed that video to Dad," he asked, already fearing the answer.

"It wasn't on purpose! I screamed when I saw it, and your father snatched the phone out of my hand," Mrs. Zhao defended herself, her voice shaky.

That was it. That's how his dad found out about the chaos from last night. His own mother had unintentionally fueled the fire.

Nick sighed, rubbing his temples, feeling a headache creeping in. "Mom, you gotta understand, showing Dad that video wasn't helping anyone, especially not him. His—"

Before they could continue the conversation, the door to Nick's office flew open with a bang. Rowena stormed in, her eyes wild and desperate. She threw herself at Nick's feet, clinging to his legs, her voice breaking as she pleaded, "Please, Nick! Don't fire me! I'm begging you! I didn't know who Amelia really was. I wouldn't have done what I did if I had known she was your wife!"

Harry rushed in behind her, looking flustered as he tried to pull Rowena off Nick. "I've already called security," he muttered under his breath, trying to keep things under control.

Rowena kept crying, her voice cracking with desperation. "I'm sorry, I swear! Please, give me another chance. I didn't mean to disrespect anyone. I'll never step out of line again."

Nick looked down at her, his expression unreadable. He wasn't heartless, but he couldn't just ignore what happened. "Rowena," he started, his voice steady but firm, "it's not just about what you did last night. This team needs to work together, no drama. I can't have someone here who disrespects my wife, especially when you've done it before. Your history with Amelia makes it hard for me to trust that this won't happen again."

Rowena shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Please, Nick! I swear I'll change! I'll be better!"

Nick shook his head. "It's not about second chances anymore. You broke the code, Rowena. There's a level of professionalism we have to uphold, and you crossed it. I've made up my mind."

As security finally arrived, Rowena was pulled away from Nick, still pleading as they dragged her out of the office. Nick felt a weight lift from his chest, but it was quickly replaced with the burden of the reality he still had to face.

Turning back to his mother, Nick met her eyes. "Mom, we need to talk about the consequences of what you did today. Dad's health is hanging by a thread, and showing him that video only made things worse. Do you realize he had a heart episode this morning? We can't afford to have him getting worked up over this. For his sake, you need to hold it together. You don't want Dad to die, right?"

Mrs. Zhao burst into tears again, her face crumpling as she absorbed Nick's words. "Of course I don't want him to die! But if it weren't for Amelia—if only she weren't around—none of this would be happening! And your father wouldn't be so obsessed with having her back in the family."

Nick sighed deeply, feeling the emotional weight pressing down on him. He knew his mom hated Amelia, but there was no way she could understand the full picture, not while she was so caught up in her own emotions.

"Mom, this isn't about blame anymore. It's about keeping Dad healthy. If we don't want to lose him, we need to keep the peace." His voice softened, trying to get through to her.

But Mrs. Zhao, feeling cornered and emotionally drained, just shook her head and stormed out of the office, her tears streaming down her face. Nick watched her go, knowing this wasn't over, but unsure how to stop the growing storm between his wife and his mother.

As Mrs. Zhao exited the building, her eyes landed on Rowena, who was now carrying her belongings in a small box, looking defeated as she walked out of the company doors. Something dark sparked in Mrs. Zhao's mind, and she quickly approached Rowena, her face no longer showing the vulnerability she had displayed in Nick's office.

"Rowena," Mrs. Zhao called out sharply, stopping the woman in her tracks.

Rowena turned, wiping her tear-streaked face, unsure of what Mrs. Zhao wanted. "Yes, ma'am?" she asked hesitantly.

Mrs. Zhao gave her a long, calculating look before speaking. "How would you like to keep your job? I can make sure you get it back, but there's something you'll need to do for me in return."

Rowena, desperate to regain her position, listened closely as Mrs. Zhao's offer unfolded, realizing that the older woman had something more sinister in mind—something that involved driving a wedge between Nick and Amelia. Mrs. Zhao, it seemed, wasn't done with her fight against Amelia, and Rowena was about to become a key player in her twisted plan.

Mrs. Zhao smirked slightly, sensing Rowena's desperation. "Help me separate Amelia from Nick," she said coldly, "and you can have your job back."

****

Note:

So, how many chapters do you guys wanna read in a day? I can't write too much, but I just wanna know what's a fair number of chapters to read in a day. Thanks!

****