The next day, Natalie woke up early. When she came down, Stephen was already at the dining table. Seeing the tired look on her face, he frowned and asked, "Didn't sleep well?""Yeah." Of course, she couldn't sleep well. How could she after learning such earth-shattering news all of a sudden?! Even digesting it would take time.Stephen placed a glass of milk before her, saying, "This is what your aunt was worried about."Speaking of Heather, Natalie felt a wave of gratitude. It's a good thing she had her uncle, her aunt, her cousin... They wouldn't let her end up like she did in her previous life.Taking a sip of the milk, she asked Stephen, "How are you getting there later?"At her words, Stephen checked the time on his wristwatch. "My people will be here shortly. I'll take you with me.""Me?""Yeah." Stephen nodded.Natalie tightened her grip on her spoon. Verde City wasn't that big, and Stephen wouldn't stay here for too long. She didn't want to cause any unnecess
Natalie had caused Cedric to lose another project! Soon, she also faced retaliation from him.Apart from the cooperation with Premier Garden Corporation and Apex Global, everything other project she had was outside Verde City!She received countless calls terminating cooperation throughout the morning."It's okay, I understand!" Natalie shrugged it off.She was still polite to those people as she wanted them to know that she was still open to doing business with them in the future.If it didn't work out this time, there was always the next time, right?After she hung up the phone, she buried herself in the relevant matters with Apex Global. As for what Cedric was doing, she pretended not to know about it.Did he think he would defeat her this way?Dream on!She worked until it was almost noon before her assistant came in and asked what Natalie intended to do for lunch.That was when Stephen called her."Come to Sylvan Gems immediately!"Stephen's tone was somewhat serious
When Natalie arrived at Slyvan Gems, she gazed at the towering building. Even the modest appearance outside couldn't hide the artistic atmosphere within.Sylvan Gems had always been low-key in Verde City. As the company focused only on jewelry, its competitive strength was not particularly prominent. Cedric had never mentioned this place around her before.Natalie never expected it to be a branch under Stephen. Thinking about it now, she had no idea how many companies were under Stephen's name.Natalie entered the lobby, where a staff who had seen the day before approached and asked respectfully, "Are you Ms. Walker?""Yes.""Please follow me," the receptionist said in the same respectful tone as she led the way for Natalie.Natalie followed behind her and observed her surroundings. The working atmosphere here was somewhat different from Cedric's company. It was seemingly stringent, leaving no room for errors. Even the receptionist seemed professionally trained. Her gestures
"What did you say?" Cedric asked.His own voice felt like it was so far away."You can't believe it either, right? I was shocked when I heard this news! Just an hour ago, she became the new CEO of Sylvan Gems. You know that company, right?"Did he know? Of course, he did! Who in the aristocratic circles of Verde City didn't know this company? Their jewelry simply made everyone fall in love with them! People were already eyeing their products before they were even released as new collections each year.Cedric once gave Natalie a necklace for her birthday from this company. The designers employed by Sylvan Gems were all world-class, indicating a substantial and influential force behind it."Are you sure?" Cedric asked in disbelief."I knew you wouldn't believe me! I'll send you a photo!" Isaac replied.No matter who heard this news, it was hard to believe. Sylvan Gems was an international jewelry company. It held the trends from all over the world, and it had designers with a
This development surprised Natalie. Cedric had been unpredictable all day. First, he hadn't made a scene in the basement earlier, and now he didn't make a fuss seeing her with her uncle. Had he undergone a transformation?!"Why are you here?" Natalie approached and said as calmly as possible.Fortunately, the staff here displayed impeccable professionalism. The receptionist didn't spare a glance in their direction, and the area was devoid of any curious eyes.She had to admit that Stephen's approach to personnel management was worth learning. In such a large enterprise, from top to bottom, the management was strict and without a single loophole.Cedric towered above Natalie, and he looked down at her. He tried to reign in his temper, succeeding after a few minutes.He turned around and said, "Follow me."His calm demeanor left Natalie perplexed. Was it because of the incident at the hospital entrance? Was he now concerned about his public image? But when did he become afr
Cedric was furious. Natalie hadn't said anything about it during this period, which made him commit such a foolish act for the first time in his life!"You bastard!" Natalie cursed as she tried to resist his advances.However, it was futile. Cedric acted like a madman. Like a beast, he exuded a dangerous aura that was slowly engulfing her.After a long while, the storm subsided!Cedric looked up. He studied her rosy lips as he traced them with a slender finger.Natalie suddenly bit down!"Ow...!" Click! The sound of a camera shutter echoed through the air.Natalie was stunned, and she saw Cedric holding a phone in his other hand. She tensed!Instinctively, she released the man's finger, which now had obvious bite marks. Then, she reached out to grab his phone."What are you doing?""What do you think?" Cedric replied."Cedric!""You cunning little fox. You caused so much trouble for me. Since that's the case, I have to gain something back, right?" He grinned at
It would have been better if Cedric hadn't mentioned that woman.Now that he had, Natalie's mood had turned sour.Especially after learning about Isabella's background—that she sought revenge! Between the two of them, whose mother was the real victim? Between Isabella and Natalie, who was the one who suffered the most?!Isabella's intense retaliatory measures had destroyed Natalie's marriage!And now, the man Natalie had been with for ten years asked her to step forward and clarify that she was the one at fault?!As they locked eyes, Cedric's heart trembled violently upon seeing the sorrow and anger in Natalie's eyes!"Natalie, you shouldn't hate her!" The man's tone became stern.Natalie retorted, "You are more despicable than her!" Her tone was sharp, and Cedric stiffened.The car Stephen sent arrived at this time. While walking towards the vehicle, Natalie uttered, "Pass on a message to Isabella!"As Natalie paused here, the bodyguard respectfully stepped out of the
Rebecca had urgent matters to attend to and had to leave. Seeing that Christina was there, Rebecca decided to leave her there to accompany Isabella."Stay here with Bella for two hours, okay? I'll be back soon. Also, don't let her answer any calls!" Rebecca was a bit muddle-headed at this moment. She had forgotten that she had broken Isabella's phone a while ago.Christina's heart burned with jealousy, but she nodded obediently. "Don't worry and go; I'll be here.""Oh, you're such a darling girl." Rebecca was relieved to find Christina so reliable, then left without worry.When only Christina and Isabella were left, Christina looked at Isabella's pale face with a mocking smile."You're even more difficult to deal with than Natalie."The words carried a hint of sarcasm. Back in the Johnson family, aside from Cedric, no one liked Natalie. On the contrary, Isabella was formidable. Everyone, especially Rebecca, liked her a lot. Rebecca's approval meant so much.And Isabella
Bianca was still pondering how to reject Malcolm. Undoubtedly, even when she sought him out a week ago and proposed they get married, she hadn't truly wanted to marry him. As she contemplated things now, she even anticipated how crazed Malcolm might become when she presented her decision.Her phone buzzed with a call from Malcolm. In the past, Bianca would have ignored it outright, but now... she wasn't one to burn bridges."Hello?""I'll be there in ten minutes. Come down.""It's quite late."Just like before, whenever this man wanted to talk to her, especially about meeting up, she couldn't muster a pleasant expression.The man on the other end of the line simply stated, "I want to see you."Bianca’s heart clenched at those words. She was accustomed to Malcolm's cold, domineering demeanor. Even when he desired a woman, he maintained that haughty attitude. So, hearing such tender words from him was beyond her expectations."Hmph.""Come down, okay? I have a surprise for you."
As Zane reached halfway up the hill, he noticed a familiar car parked outside. Neil, the butler, was waiting outside, and upon seeing Zane return, he approached respectfully."Lord Zane.""Who's here?" Zane frowned, glancing at the brightly lit villa.What was going on? Usually, this place was dim in the evenings, but today, everything was unexpectedly bright."Ms. Stewart has returned," Neil replied.Zane's mind went blank for a moment. He stared stiffly at the butler, his pupils rapidly constricting."Ms. Stewart arrived this afternoon."Yvette!The familiar name flashed through Zane's mind like a gust of wind. How many times had he wanted to hold onto her? But in the end, for various reasons, he had to let her go bit by bit.And now, Yvette was back!Where had she been all this time?Since leaving Simeria, it was like she was a bird that had escaped its cage and soared into the sky, never to return. Zane had asked the Stewart family about her once, but even they didn't kn
"Maybe something happened," said Bianca.Natalie felt her eyelids twitch in response. What kind of terrifying situation was this?"When I say 'something happened,' I don't mean anything bad, but..."But what?In that moment, Bianca's gaze toward Natalie deepened, and she understood what her friend meant."You mean...?" asked Natalie.Bianca nodded silently.Natalie fell quiet as she pondered the situation.What if that was really the case?Natalie couldn't help but admit that if it truly was, it would naturally be a favorable outcome for her."Don't forget, if he can come, he can also leave. He can't change anything here, so it's better for him to return to the world he belongs to," Bianca explained.During this time, Natalie had transformed Simeria into a fortress. But even in such circumstances, Cedric had mysteriously vanished. Up until now, there hadn't been any clues. Even Kyle had been through so much, yet hadn't uttered any useful information.So, it had to be said t
Bianca’s calmness and composure, despite her young age, spoke volumes about how her experiences and wisdom had shaped her thoughts.Curtis, initially worried about her, felt somewhat relieved seeing the tranquility and maturity in his daughter’s eyes.He nodded slowly. "Hmm."In the end, he agreed.After all, she was his daughter. Despite not being raised by him since childhood, Curtis could see it clearly. Like her mother, Bianca would stick to her decisions, impervious to outside interference.Seeing Curtis finally eating, Bianca felt a sense of relief. After lunch, she considerately accompanied her father for a stroll before allowing him to rest.When Carol emerged from Curtis' room, she saw Bianca waiting nearby and hurried over respectfully."Miss.""How is he?" Bianca inquired."Sir is still worried about you, miss," Carol replied sincerely.Having been by Curtis' side for many years, Carol naturally understood Bianca's significance in his heart.Bianca sighed. "It wil
As she spoke, Seraphine felt the already dangerous aura around the man grow even darker, sending her heart racing. She tried to speak, but found herself speechless."Hmph, you useless thing!" Zane cursed menacingly.Cold sweat soaked Seraphine's back completely."There must be a way," she choked out, her tone tense.At that moment, Seraphine recalled what Zane had said to her before she came back to Simeria.He had told her that he never kept useless individuals around him. To gain his protection, one had to be useful. And now, Seraphine's only use—her engagement to Malcolm—had been effortlessly annulled."Heh," Zane sneered disdainfully.For Seraphine, this disdain was not only humiliating, but also starkly different from her experiences with Eleanor. In Eleanor's presence, she had never faced such disrespect. But now, it seemed like anyone could trample on her.In the past, even members of the Entes family wouldn't openly show contempt towards her, but now… Those past comfort
Seraphine had always harbored resentment towards Bianca. But Bianca had always been a rather composed individual, rarely resorting to such actions.So, what was she doing now?"You..." Seraphine's initial fury had been turned to speechlessness by Bianca's aggression.When Seraphine glanced at Bianca, she caught a glimpse of malice in the other woman's eyes.Before Seraphine could utter a word, Bianca bluntly asked, "You know, don't you?"Seraphine stayed silent.Know what?"You knew that Lord Malcolm and Lord Zane are half brothers You also knew why Lord Zane sought you out and took your side, right?" Bianca continued.Seraphine's face drained of color in an instant. And every subtle change in her expression was noticed by Bianca, whose eyes were filled with icy mockery.Stepping forward, Bianca gripped Seraphine's delicate chin. Seraphine instinctively tried to evade, but Bianca's hold was firm."You still dare claim this is your home?" Bianca scoffed."This has always been
When would the cycle of revenge end?While Bianca hadn't decided what to do about Eleanor's actions, Zane had already shown his claws.When would it end?If someone kept chasing after a person, what could they do?"Bia…"Curtis wanted to say something to his daughter, but was met with her unwavering gaze. Clearly, she wouldn't back down this time, just like her mother never did when faced with such situations. Both women faced things head-on, without flinching."Don't worry, okay?" Bianca reassured Curtis.There was another reason she was insisting on staying in Simeria—Bianca knew Curtis wouldn't leave with her. So, she wouldn't leave either.-Bianca and Curtis talked for a long time.Curtis still wanted to send her abroad, but her resolute attitude left him powerless. Moreover, from various pieces of information gathered earlier, it was clear that Bianca was a strong-willed child.No matter what problems she faced, she had her own opinions. So, asking her to leave was s
When Bianca returned to the Holly family’s residence, she found Curtis staring gravely at some documents. When he started coughing violently, his face turning as pale as a sheet, Carol hurried over to check on him."Sir, let Ms. Bianca handle these documents. Please don't strain yourself," Carol said, her tone full of concern."I see now," Curtis muttered heavily, as if he had just realized something crucial.Not understanding what he meant, Carol simply urged, "Your health can't handle this strain. Don't tire yourself out. You must trust Ms. Bianca."Curtis fell silent.Trust?He had always trusted Bianca, but now he regretted bringing her back. If he had never found her, would things be different now?"Where did she go?" Curtis asked."Ms. Bianca went out, but she'll be back soon," Carol reassured him, gently taking the documents from his hands.Ever since Bianca told the older woman about Curtis' health problems, Carol had been extra vigilant, making sure he avoided anythin
Bianca stared at the dangerous man, memories of their harmonious past flashing through her mind. Those moments had once seemed so genuine, yet now felt laughably absurd."Haha, how ridiculous!" Bianca scoffed, her laughter bitter."Bianca!" Zane's voice was sharp, cutting through her mirth."Zane, what if I reveal your true intentions to everyone? What will they think then?""Who would believe you?" Zane interrupted coldly, not letting her finish.Bianca's smile froze on her lips. He was right.Who would believe her? Curtis might, and so would Natalie. But was their trust enough?Clearly, it wasn't.But did it matter?"It's not your concern who believes me. I have never needed anyone's belief to stand strong," said Bianca.Many had doubted her before, but none had ever managed to break her spirit. The dangers she faced now might be greater, but for Bianca, they were just another set of challenges.She had overcome every hardship she encountered. This time would be no differe