The Parenting Truth

2

I steeled myself and pretended not to know him well.

"Um, Boss, could I borrow some money?"

I deliberately stressed the word "Boss," hoping Jensen Sterling would get the hint and play along!

But he must have been half-asleep, because he just blurted out, "Huh? Don't you have all the money?"

Me: "..."

My colleagues started giving me strange looks.

I cleared my throat loudly, about to smooth things over, when Jensen Sterling spoke again.

"I'm tired from watching the kid. How are you going to reward me?"

I decisively hung up the phone, determined not to let Jensen Sterling say another word!

'He was really something else! The more he tried to help, the worse he made it!'

The looks my colleagues were giving me were all wrong!

I gave a weak, guilty smile under their suspicious gazes.

Seeing their eyes practically glued to me, inspiration struck, and I quickly said, "What's with those looks? The boss is obviously drunk!"

"What, you think I could actually marry Mr. Sterling? If that were true, why would I be working myself to death every day? You're giving me way too much credit..."

I said it with heartfelt sincerity.

My colleagues exchanged stunned glances, then breathed a collective sigh of relief. "That's true."

"A man of Mr. Sterling's status would marry a lady from a wealthy family, if anyone."

"Exactly! If any of us could marry Mr. Sterling, who would still be here putting up with this crap every day? I'd go home and just rot. Who wouldn't love a life of just eating and waiting to die!"

As a few colleagues started bantering back and forth, the others finally bought my explanation.

I let out a huge sigh of relief inwardly. The colleague next to me immediately patted my shoulder with a look of grave sympathy.

"Stella, you're going to get chewed out tomorrow."

Me: "?"

I still hadn't processed what he meant, and I looked at him in confusion.

Another colleague immediately chimed in, "You just broadcasted Mr. Sterling's drunk PDA session... Tsk, good luck, Stella."

Me: "..."

I finally understood what they were talking about.

But Jensen Sterling...

My mouth twitched.

'Getting him to scold me would be harder than getting him to resign as CEO.'

We've been childhood sweethearts for years, and in all our time dating and being married, he's never once even gotten angry with me.

'I figured the odds of him actually scolding me were pretty low.'

But my colleague's words reminded me that if he *didn't* scold me, the whole thing would look too suspicious.

My feelings were suddenly a complicated mess.

The moment I got home, I stormed into the room, grabbed Jensen Sterling, and started shaking him violently.

"What the hell were you spouting on that video call! Do you have any idea how socially dead I am in front of my colleagues now?!"

Jensen Sterling was lying on the bed reading. Hearing this, he just grinned and said, "What's the big deal? This is the perfect chance for us to go public. Then I can show you off openly!"

'Looking at his excited expression, I started to wonder if getting a divorce right now would solve the problem.'

Jensen Sterling nonchalantly put his book down.

He tilted his head up, gave me a slight smile, and then, with a firm tug, pulled me into his arms.

Before I could even brace myself, he had me pinned on the bed.

The next morning, I slowly woke up in Jensen Sterling's arms.