Chapter 214

"Did I just hear you talking? Who were you chatting with?"

Christina knelt down beside Harper, her voice soft and curious.

Harper pointed to the phone on the couch. "Some guy called you. I asked what he wanted, but he didn't say anything and just hung up."

Christina felt a wave of confusion wash over her.

Still, she picked up the phone to check, just in case it was something important.

When she saw it was an unfamiliar number, she had a hunch.

After all, she had seen William today. Though neither of them had said much, his eyes had spoken volumes.

The thought made Christina chuckle.

He already had a child to keep him company, yet he was still thinking about her.

Was it the allure of the unattainable, thinking she should always revolve around him?

But Christina wasn't sure if it was William. So, she played an old recording of William's voice for Harper.

"Was it this man who called?"

Harper listened for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah, Mom."

Christina's smile turned cold. She lifted Harper onto the dining table, blocked the number, and then joined Harper for dinner.

"Mom, dinner smells so good. I want more."

Watching Harper eat made Christina happy too.

"Alright, if Harper likes it, Mom will make it often."

Christina felt her current life was perfect.

She didn't have to think about all the messy things. She could be with her child and make up for past regrets.

As long as she stayed away from William, everything would be fine.

"Thank you, Mom."

Since starting kindergarten, Harper had become very polite and well-behaved, a change Christina hadn't seen in her previous life. Maybe it was because of all the changes since her rebirth, but Harper's personality was now impeccable.

In Christina's eyes, even if Harper were a bit spoiled or had a temper, she could handle it. After all, Harper was her precious child, lost and found again.

After dinner, Christina spent some time exercising with Harper.

Then she read a picture book to Harper.

"Mom, why does Cinderella have to be with the prince?"

Harper's logic was still developing, and her speech was unclear, but she felt it didn't make sense.

"Maybe that's just how the story goes. Cinderella has her own choices; she doesn't have to be with the prince."

To Christina, mismatched couples often ended badly, like her and William in her past life.

That situation had already caused enough pain. Christina didn't want to repeat it.

Thinking of William, Christina couldn't help but recall his expression.

Every time she saw him, he looked sorrowful, guilty, and cautious, as if he were trying to make amends.

But in reality, he was the one who had hurt her.

"Alright, let's go to sleep now. Mom will read you another book tomorrow, okay?"

After putting Harper to bed, Christina got to work.

"Send me the previous design draft," she messaged a colleague.

The colleague's response was hesitant.

"What's wrong?" Christina typed, adding two question marks.

"Well, we might not be able to use it. There's already something similar online."

Christina was puzzled and started searching for the related content online.

She found that their competitor had already released a similar plan, and it had garnered a lot of support.

"How is this possible? We just decided on this plan this morning. How did they release it tonight? What went wrong?"

"At first, I thought it was our fault, but they also changed some details. Technically, it's not plagiarism."

If that were the case, the situation was more complicated.

"Got it."

Christina rubbed her temples, lifting her head from the computer.

Starting the studio hadn't been easy. She had wanted to create a brand centered on maternal love.

Though the initial response was good, many had seen the potential for profit and started copying their ideas.

As a result, the original work lost its momentum, while the imitators thrived.

After some thought, Christina posted in the work group, "Since that's the case, we'll have to go with Plan B."

If she could secure that collaboration, they wouldn't have to worry about the competitor, and they could forge their own path.

"Got it, boss," her team replied.

Christina finished her work and went to bed, holding Harper close.

The next day, after dropping Harper off at school, she headed to the studio.

She found everyone already there, looking worried.

"That Plan B you mentioned yesterday has also been preempted by the same company," her assistant informed her as she entered the office.

Christina smiled at the team.

"This studio isn't that big. It shouldn't be hard to find out who leaked the information. If someone steps forward now, I might be lenient. But if you push me, I'll have to involve the authorities."

With that, Christina went into her office.

"Ask everyone. I trust you. Don't let me down," she told her assistant before they left.

The assistant looked uncomfortable but nodded.

After questioning everyone, the assistant had no results.

"Fine. If no one confesses, we'll have to halt everything. If we can't present new products at the launch, we'll just have to take the loss."

In the meeting, Christina was firm. She didn't know who was responsible, but she was sure it was an insider. Outsiders wouldn't know so many details.

The competitor seemed to have a precise understanding of their plans.

"Boss, we can't be so extreme. We still have to work."

"If these two plans don't work, we'll come up with others."

"Yeah, it might not be as effective, but we can't delay the launch."

The team discussed their ideas.

"I agree. We can't let this affect our progress."

They meant that while finding the mole was important, it shouldn't hinder the company's progress.

Christina's smile turned icy as she slammed the plans on the table.

"What? You don't think this is serious?"

"If we can't find the mole, we'll have to suffer in silence. Or do you think these two plans weren't enough of a lesson, and you want to give away more ideas?"

Her words silenced the room.