Nina thought the clinic needed a nice name. After a moment of thought, she suggested, âMommy, why donât you call the clinic Ninaâs Clinic! That has a nice ring to it!â
Maya blinked before sticking out her tongue at her sister. âMommy, you should call it Mayaâs Clinic! That sounds way better than Ninaâs Clinic!â
Juan mulled over both names before commenting seriously, âTheyâre both not nice nor suitable.â
Feeling annoyed, Nina rolled her eyes at her siblings. She was quiet for several seconds before suddenly snorting. Then, she giggled.
âWhatâs wrong with you? Youâre acting so weird. Just say what you have in mind.â
âWhat do you guys think about Evanâs Clinic?â
âIf thatâs the only name you can come up with then I might as well not open the clinic!â
Nicole eyed her daughter coldly before rising up to head for the kitchen.
Juan berated, âWhy did you have to bring Daddy up? This isnât the right time for that!â
Nina pouted and muttered sullenly, âI was only joking. I didnât expect Mommy to get angry.â
âMommyâs not angry. Sheâs just sad. We should probably avoid mentioning Daddy at all these few days.â
âMommy is definitely not going to forgive Daddy for this.â Maya sighed loudly.
âI donât think Daddy is going to leave that bad woman either.â Juanâs face was filled with disappointment at his father.
âAdults are so complicated! How do we even help them?â
This time, all four of them sighed simultaneously. Their heads drooped sadly as they went back to their own rooms.
At Hillside Villa.
The moment Evan returned from work, Susan rushed forward to welcome him home warmly. Affection was writ large upon her face as she stared at the man. When she parted her pink lips to speak, her voice was gentle and sweet, âEvan, dinner will be ready shortly. Is there anything in particular that you want to eat? I can have the kitchen staff prepare it for you.â
âAnything is fine!â
Tossing those words over his shoulder, he did not even glance at her as he walked upstairs to his study.
Susan watched him go silently before informing the kitchen staff to whip up several of Evanâs favorite dishes.
When they were seated at the dining table, she asked in a careful tone, âEvan, itâs been a year since we had our wedding ceremony. Donât you think itâs about time we get our marriage certificates? Are you free tomorrow? We could go to the Civil Affairs Bureauâ¦â
âI donât have the time. I have an important meeting tomorrow.â
Susanâs expression fell and she was quiet for a few seconds. Tears welled up in her eyes as she persisted, âEvan, every time I bring up the topic of getting our marriage certificates, you either say we should wait a while longer or that youâre not free. Itâs only getting our marriage certificates at the Civil Affairs Bureau! At most, itâll take an hour. Canât you even set aside one hour for me?â
âSusan, Iâm really busy with work. Iâm sorry.â
Evan had a grim look on his face as he barely flicked a glance in her direction. Standing up, he left for his study again.
Uneasiness swirled inside Susan. They had not gotten their marriage certificate nor had he touched her so far. In other words, she was technically only Mrs. Seet in name.
How am I supposed to be his wife in all the ways that matter? How do I ensure I wonât be dethroned?
Her brows furrowed deeply in thought.
Evan turned on his laptop and saw the news about Nicoleâs clinic reopening for business. His eyes narrowed while he stared at his screen intently.
He still remembered how he had helped her with her failing business back then. Nowâ¦
Pulling out his phone, he made a call.
âJohn, have someone keep an eye on Nicoleâs clinic.â
âMr. Seet, may I ask why?â
âI want to know how well her clinic doesâwhether she profits or loses money.â
âGot it, Mr. Seet!â
After hanging up, John sighed. He could already guess the other manâs intentions. Evan was doing this so he would be able to help out again if Nicoleâs business were not good.
Oh, Mr. Seet. Youâre already married to another woman. I seriously doubt Ms. Lane will appreciate you doing this for her.
For a week straight, John sent some men to keep an eye on Nicoleâs clinic.
On the very first day of the clinicâs opening, Nicole prayed fervently that her business would only continue to grow and flourish.
In the blink of an eye, it was the weekend again. Maya was craving some desserts but was too shy to speak up. Hence, Kyle brought the idea up for her.