Lilith had prepared herself for rejection due to a lack of experience, but she couldn't accept being turned down for this reason. All her personal details were already listed on her resume—if the companies had an issue, why did they invite her for an interview at all?

“There are company policies when it comes to hiring,” the interviewer said bluntly. “You’re married but childless. What if you start planning for a family right after joining? We can’t afford the hassle of maternity leave. We don't hire people we can't rely on.”

With that, the interviewer stood, signaling the assistant to escort Lilith out.

She chalked it up to bad luck, assuming she was just called in to fill interview quotas. But at the second and third companies, the same thing happened—barely a few questions in, and she was rejected. By the time she reached the fourth and fifth companies, she didn’t even make it past the front desk. “Apologies, but we’ve already filled the position,” the receptionist told her dismissively.

Her enthusiasm evaporated in an instant.

By evening, Lilith returned to Yara’s place. As soon as she opened the door, the aroma of home-cooked food greeted her. Yara, holding a small chocolate cake, danced over cheerfully.

“Congrats, Lili, my baby! Here’s to you landing the job and becoming a famous designer, so Hendrix the Mutt can regret losing you~”

Lilith froze mid-step, her expression clouded with disappointment and awkwardness.

Yara immediately sensed something was off. She set the cake down on the console table and walked over. “What happened?”

Lilith forced a smile, shaking her head like it didn’t matter. “You bought that cake for nothing—I didn’t get any offers.”

“Impossible!” Yara exclaimed. “If you made it to the interview stage, the odds were already fifty-fifty. You graduated from a top university and even won awards! Those companies must be blind if they didn’t hire you.”

Lilith changed into slippers and pulled Yara over to sit at the dining table. “Maybe I was just unlucky. I still have two interviews on Monday. These things take time.”

Despite her reassuring words, her mind was weighed down. She couldn’t help but think about Xenia, who was around her age but already Vice President at CloudSync. Meanwhile, Lilith couldn’t even secure an entry-level job. The comparison stung more than she wanted to admit.

“So, which two companies are you interviewing with next week?” Yara asked as she got up to retrieve the cake.

“Tuanelis and Lanvera,” Lilith replied. Both companies were prestigious in Rivertown. While the ones she visited today were decent, they were nowhere near as reputable. After a string of rejections, her hopes were low, yet she clung to the sliver of a chance these interviews represented.

Caught up in her thoughts, Lilith missed the odd expression on Yara’s face.

Yara set the cake down in front of her, pretending everything was fine, keeping the conversation light to cheer her up. Lilith, trying to convince herself she was okay, went along with it, smiling and laughing.

Later that night, when they each retreated to their rooms, Yara wasted no time pulling out her phone. She quickly dialed a number.

“Hey, do you know the owners of Tuanelis or Lanvera?” she asked.

Those companies were far beyond her reach, so she had no choice but to call in a favor.

On the other end, a man's voice answered, warm and refined, though thick with sleep. “Yara, it’s three in the morning here.”

Yara pouted, “Well, whose fault is that? You ran off abroad for two years without coming back—of course, we’d end up with a time difference! Please, my dear brother, it’s an emergency. Lili has interviews with these two companies on Monday. Can you pull some strings for her?”

“Who?” Fitzgerald Stevenson’s voice sharpened, now fully awake. “Lilith Johnson? Does Hendrix know she’s looking for a job?”

“Don’t bring up Hendrix the Mutt!” Yara snapped. “Lili’s divorcing him. That’s why she needs a job.”

Fitzgerald paused. “Divorcing? For wh—”

“Stop asking questions!” Yara cut him off impatiently. “Just tell me if you can help or not.”

After a moment of silence, Fitzgerald replied, his tone heavy with thought. “I’ll handle it.”

And with that, he hung up.

Yara stared at her phone’s dark screen, bewildered.

“Handle what?” she muttered. “Does that mean he’ll do it?”

—

On Saturday morning, Lilith was still deep in sleep when a phone call jolted her awake. She pulled out her phone from under her pillow without looking and answered, “Who is it?”

“Lilith, I’m at your door. I made some soup for you and Hendrix. Come down to get it.”

The familiar voice on the other end belonged to Sullivan Foster, Hendrix's father. Lilith felt a sudden jolt of shock and opened her eyes wide.

“Dad, why did you come yourself? We could just drink it when we get back tonight.”

She scrambled out of bed, her hair a mess, feeling flustered and disoriented. Every Saturday was family dinner day, and she and Hendrix would return to the Foster Family Estate.

Sullivan chuckled gently, “Your mom and I are attending a party tonight, and Grandma isn’t here, so you two don’t need to come back. I made the soup in advance, and I wanted to bring it over myself.”

“Then... can you leave it at the door?” Lilith rushed to the closet, her voice trembling as she spoke the lie.

Unlike Hendrix, who was cold and distant, Sullivan was warm and approachable. He personally cooked for their family dinners every week. On the other hand, Hendrix's mother was stern and rarely smiled.

“That’s fine. Also, there’s a document you need to drop off at CloudSync Holdings. Remind Hendrix to take care of himself no matter how busy he gets. And you, thank you for looking after him...”

Sullivan’s voice was filled with concern as he meticulously gave her instructions. He often played the nurturing role within the Foster Family, showing interest in Hendrix's well-being. He treated Lilith kindly, too.

The Foster Family members had always been good to her, and the thought of getting a divorce made her feel hesitant and unsure about how to tell them.

When Sullivan mentioned the document for CloudSync Holdings, a knot tightened in Lilith's throat, and she hesitated to respond. The last time she saw Hendrix with Xenia, they looked so close. She didn’t want to witness that again.

But if she wanted to keep the Foster Family from sensing any issues between her and Hendrix, she couldn’t refuse.

“Lilith, are you there?” Sullivan’s voice broke into her thoughts when she didn’t answer right away.

Lilith quickly replied, “Dad, I understand. I’ll head back now and drop off the things at the company.”

After a brief silence, Sullivan continued, “What were you doing so early? Is something going on that Hendrix isn’t helping you with?”

“I... a friend needed some help. He’s busy with work, so I didn’t want to bother him.”

She hadn’t expected Sullivan to be so perceptive, and his question caught her off guard. What surprised her even more was when he asked, “How did you get out? Isn’t your car at home?”

Lilith swallowed hard before responding, “My friend came to pick me up.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. After what felt like an eternity, Sullivan said, “That’s good. Don’t be nervous; I was just asking. I worry you might have something you’re embarrassed to tell us.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Lilith sighed in relief and hung up.

After changing and washing up, she headed straight to the apartment she shared with Hendrix. She grabbed the thermos and the document and made her way to CloudSync Holdings.

She took a taxi, and the driver waited for her at the entrance of the villa before taking her to CloudSync Holdings.

Seeing her carry the thermos and the document, the driver asked, “Are you the housekeeper for this family?”

“Something like that,” Lilith replied, a touch of self-deprecation in her tone.

She glanced at her car parked in the yard, now covered in a layer of dust after just a few days. If it continued like this, it would just become worthless scrap metal. Hendrix would rather throw it away than give it to her.

Maybe she wasn’t even worth more than a housekeeper.

Before she knew it, they arrived at the base of CloudSync Holdings.