A small world

The current Heaven enjoyed baking cookies with her mother when she was younger. It was their way of bonding. That was why, even when‌ she had bloomed into a beautiful yet poisonous flower, bread was her comfort food. Her stomach instantly rumbled as soon as the enticing scent wafted through her nose.

The bakeshop offered a variety of breads; some were something she was familiar with and others were new to her eyes. Since her meet-up with Paula Shen ended on a sour note, Heaven ordered a piece of two of each without realizing she had bought too much.

"Well, there's a lot of people in the house," Heaven said.

She was sitting at the corner table of the shop enjoying the bread that she had decided to eat. The corner of her lips stretched wide. She raised her hand, and a server walked to her, then she asked, "Excuse me. Can I have a cup of coffee, please?"

"For sure, ma'am."

Her smile grew broader when the server told her to wait for a bit for her coffee. Heaven took one big bite of the bread, almost moaning with the softness melting in her mouth.

"This is so good," she said with a mouthful of the pastry. Her cheek turned pinkish. "Why is this so good? How did they make this?" Eyeing at the food, she had just taken a bite. 

Heaven was in awe as if she hadn't eaten something so good in her life. Her coffee arrived after a few minutes. She thanked the server and continued to enjoy her afternoon snack. Her happy moments, though, were short-lived, because something was about to happen. 

The bakeshop was a popular store in the area. A lot of people come and go to buy their food. Some had stayed to dine just like Heaven. It was not long after when a group of women sat next to her table. Heaven didn't mind them while the ladies were chatting about just anything until…

"Gosh. It was so frustrating! How can such a kid be so violent?" One of the ladies huffed in frustration. "My son nearly had a nosebleed because of that child."

"That's so scary," another lady commented with worry. "How was little Yun now?"

"He's fine, but it still makes me angry. If that kid is a child of someone else, I will surely do everything I can to ruin his life."

"Just try to understand, dear," the other lady coaxed. "I heard the young master Zhu doesn't have a mother to take care of him. Knowing how busy CEO Zhu was, I'm certain he couldn't focus on the child."

Heaven paused in mid-chew when she heard Dominic's name. All her senses instinctively shifted on the table near her. She glanced over her shoulder, listening, while the ladies continued talking.

"This is what happens to a child without a mother," the other one added in anger. "Moreover, didn't you say they will compensate you? Isn't that a better trade? After all, little Yun only got a nosebleed."

"Just a nosebleed? Hah! I can't believe I am hearing such comments from another mother."

"But it was little Yun's fault." the other lady shrugged, unfazed by her friend's aggressive reaction. "If only little Yun didn't tease the young master Zhu about his mother, this wouldn't happen."

"Are you seriously victim-blaming my child right now?"

"I'm not. All I'm saying is you have a huge opportunity for this fight. We're talking about the LYON Group, after all. It's a children's fight, but the settlement equates to an adult dispute," the lady logically explained. "You should just let it go and don't make it hard for your husband."

"That's right — no offense. The LYON Group can settle this matter without shelling a cent, but CEO Zhu offered a lot already. If I were in that situation, I would gladly accept everything. Better yet, I'd coach my girl to befriend the young master Zhu."

The lady who was ranting about her situation deeply frowned. She darted her eyes between her two friends but didn't argue with them. After all, they were right. The one at fault was her son and the young master Zhu simply retaliated. Still, because of that, the Zhu family offered their family some help. Their company hadn't been in a good position recently, but because of Dominic's offer, they were certain their struggling time would finally end.

"This still doesn't make me happy," the woman grumpily remarked.

"We know, but isn't that why we are here?" the other friend chuckled. "Let's just eat and then shop to destress. Just don't forget us once your family becomes a part of the Lyon Group!"

"Gosh. Is this why you're nice to me again?"

"Haha! Of course not!" the other lady teasingly denied. "So? Did your family accept their offer? I heard they were buying out your company and putting it as part of the LYON Group subsidiary?"

The ladies happily chatted as the mood around them livened up. The woman who was initially grumpy because her son got a nosebleed seemed to have forgotten that fact as she bragged about the discussion between the two companies.

While they happily gossiped, Heaven's mood soured. And as she listened to their conversation, her mood went down straight to hell.

"Damn it…" she whispered, unable to swallow the bread in her mouth. "Just why the hell is this world so small? I can't enjoy this bread anymore."

Her eyes fell on the piece of bread that she had already taken a big bite of. She huffed, almost tossing it back on the plate. Even without trying, she could hear the ladies' conversation without a problem. They weren't being discreet. In fact, it seemed the ladies even wanted everyone to hear that they were now 'associates' in the Lyon Group.

'But more than my anger towards these opportunists, I am even angry at myself,' she thought. Her frown deepened even more because it was her fault. 'This is your fault — and that husband of mine. How can he let these people take advantage of him?! Ugh! This is irritating!'

Heaven shifted her irritation in chewing the piece of bread. Fortunately, this was the last one because the rest were already put in a box. She arched a brow, glancing at the few paper bags where the boxes of bread were.

'Heh.' The corner of her lips curled up. Heaven hurriedly took her purse, leaving a small bill on the table as a tip before picking up her purchases. She bought a lot, so both of her hands were occupied. 

Heaven sashayed, setting her eyes on the table where the ladies were happily chatting. She snapped her eyes ever so tenderly, looking ahead, but accurately bumped her paper bags into the lady's elbow as the latter was about to drink, causing it to spill on her clothes.