Everly was envious. "I wish I had a younger sibling too. Being an only child comes with a lot of pressure."
"That's understandable, but it is what it is. It can't be changed, so all we can do is face it head-on."
After a pause, Everly nodded. "That's true."
That was why she had not objected when her grandfather told her that she should have two children in the future.
She knew how exhausting it was to carry an entire family on her shoulders, and how much pressure it came with.
The company she was in charge of was not just for herself or the Flemming family. There were tens of thousands of employees at Flemming Group, along with all the families who depended on those employees.
If Flemming Group could not stay afloat, countless employees would lose their jobs, and their families would be thrown into financial hardship. With the current economic climate, finding another job would be extremely difficult.
For many people who lost their jobs and eventually found new ones, their new salaries were usually lower than what they had earned before.
Over the past two years, far fewer employees had resigned from the company than in previous years. Everyone was doing their best to hold on and would not casually hand in their resignation.
Of course, a company as large as Flemming Group offered plenty of opportunities for advancement, along with good salary packages. As long as the company was not laying them off, most people had little reason to leave.
"In the future, when I have children, I'll have at least two. I don't want my children to have to bear the same pressure I've had to carry. If they have each other, they'll be able to discuss things and support each other when they're in trouble."
At least they would not be like Everly, who had to shoulder everything on her own.
Kaden was still around and could share some of the burden with her, but once he was gone, her mother would not be able to help much. Then, she would truly be fighting the battle alone.
Sonny teased her. "You can afford to raise them, so you could have several if you wanted, but you have to make sure you raise them well. You need to teach them to value their bond as siblings. If every child grows up capable and accomplished, that's a blessing.
"If they're not raised well and don't have any affection for each other, they'll end up fighting over the family fortune. That would turn a blessing into a disaster."
Everly laughed. "Two is enough. I
don't want too many. And of course, education is important. If the
children grow up together and their parents treat them fairly, their relationship shouldn't be too bad.
"Does your aunt's family run any schools? They're so good at raising children. If
they have a school, I'll send my children there in the future."
Sonny said, "Her family has invested in some education-related projects, but they don't actually run a school of their own.
"You can think about your children's
education after you become a mother If you have children within the next couple of years, given old Mr. Flemming's health, he should still be around to help you raise and teach them.
"You were raised by Old Mr. Flemming after all, so it goes without saying how capable he is. With him helping you raise your children, they'll turn out just fine."
Everly smiled. "Neither of us is in a relationship, yet we're discussing how we'd educate our children. That's pretty funny. We're getting way ahead of ourselves. "Give me a moment, Mr. Brown. I'm going to change."
Everly took the gown and jewelry set and turned to her private lounge.
Her office was large enough to have a separate lounge where she could rest at lunchtime or stay overnight when work ran too late for her to go home.
The room was simply furnished. There was a queen-sized bed with two nightstands,
a wardrobe, and a vanity. There was also an ensuite bathroom.
Everly rarely wore dresses, so the moment she put on the gown, she felt
uncomfortable from head to toe.
She sat down at the vanity and applied a light layer of makeup.
Most of the time, she was used to going without makeup. She only bothered with it when attending banquets.
In Everly's opinion, her looks were fairly ordinary, so makeup would not make much difference anyway. Furthermore, applying makeup took time. For a busy CEO like her time was precious. She would rather skip the makeup and save herself the time so she could sleep fonger and have more energy for the day.