Given the need for silence, Abigail leaned in close enough for Xander to catch a faint scent of her. In the darkness, unbeknownst to her, he lifted a stray lock of her hair to his nose, taking in the intoxicating smell. As she explained the story behind the painting, he was too caught up in her scent to actually listen to her.Suddenly, he asked, "Abigail, what shampoo do you use?"Abigail blinked in surprise. "Mr. Zane, is something wrong?"Xander shrugged it off. "Nothing.""Someone just bid $100 million for the painting. Should we bid for it too?" she asked."Not interested." Xander dismissed it."Understood."Several more items went up for auction, but Xander showed no signs of wanting to bid. The auction was nearing its end, and it was time for the mysterious final item that the TOP Auction Gala had not announced in advance. All eyes in the room followed the item as it was rolled onto the stage.The auctioneer began. "The final item of tonight's auction has a starting bid
Abigail craned her neck to spot the bidder, but a quick scan of the crowd revealed no one. It was not until Xander settled next to her that she realized that he had been the one raising the paddle."Mr. Zane, you're interested in the manuscript too?"Before Xander could reply, the auctioneer announced, "Going once at $1,001,000..."Without hesitation, Xander raised his paddle again, bidding $10 million. The auctioneer was taken aback by the staggering sum. "$10 million going once. Do we have any higher bids?"Abigail was fully aware that money was something that Xander did not lack, but even so, seeing him push the price up to $10 million with one single gesture was nothing short of breathtaking. Swallowing hard, she repeated her previous question. "Mr. Zane, you really want this comic manuscript?""I'm not interested in it," Xander said, and his gaze did not leave her. The sight of her torn expression and her clear desire for the manuscript clashing with the harsh reality of her
Simon shrugged it off. "And, who have I messed with?"James pressed on and asked, "What the hell did you do to piss off Xander?"The mere mention of Xander sent a chill up Simon's spine. "Even if you give me a million chances, I wouldn't dare to mess with that living devil, Xander."James demanded, "If you haven't ticked him off, why did Zane Corporation issue a statement saying that they refuse to work with us, the Langston Group? You better get your ass back here and fix this."The Zane Corporation and Langston Group had not directly collaborated before, but the corporate world's intricate network of relationships meant indirect benefits were entwined. With Zane Corporation's sudden announcement, they effectively told all businesses working or intending to work with them to steer clear of Langston Group.While Simon was tearing his hair out on one side, Xander and the company he was with made their way to a restaurant.As the host, Lucas had taken care of the dinner arrangement
Xander's warm breath ghosted over her cheek. His intoxicated, sultry voice murmured in her ear. "Darling..."Abigail's tipsy daze instantly sobered significantly, but her attempt to push him away was futile. The height difference between them was too great. Pinned against the door by him, she could not budge. "Mr. Zane, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not your wife.""Abigail..." he said her name with such tenderness that it made her blush and her heart race. He raised his hand to pinch her slightly chubby cheek and said, "You're Abigail. You're my wife."Abigail was nearly reduced to tears from fear. "Mr. Zane, I'm your assistant Abigail, not your wife Abigail. We just share the same name. We are not the same person.""Don't I know my own wife? You are my wife." He looked at her, and his crimson eyes beneath his silver-framed glasses made him look as if he was a predatory beast that was ready to devour her."I'm not. You really have the wrong person." As Xander leaned cl
Abigail waited for a long time until she fell asleep, and she still had not gotten a reply from Nathan.That night, Abigail did not sleep well and kept having weird dreams.She dreamed of playing with Felix and her other friends when they were younger. Then, she dreamed of the time she was in college, and she also dreamed of Xander.In the dream, Xander looked really scary. He tore off his usual disguise and turned into a monster. Then, he opened his mouth, moved closer to her, and wanted to devour her."Ah!" Abigail shouted and jolted awake from her dream. For a moment, she could not tell where she was.She recomposed herself and looked around before she remembered that she was in a hotel.It was already completely bright outside, and sunlight streamed into the room through the curtains.Abigail then reached for her phone. It was already nine in the morning."Her phone notified her of an unread notification. She opened it and saw that it was a message Nathan had sent around si
Even an idiot could tell that there was something wrong when they saw Abigail's furious expression. However, she was really stubborn.Xander continued, "If there's something wrong, just say it out. Don't bottle it up.""Don't you know what you did?" Abigail wanted to ask him. However, the doorbell suddenly rang before she could speak.Abigail thought that Esther had come home, so she jumped to her feet and ran to open the door. When she opened the door, she saw Dr. Sander standing at the door.Dr. Sander greeted her and hurriedly walked to Xander. "Where do you feel pain, Xander?""It's no big deal. It's just that I felt my leg hurting when I woke up this morning."Xander pulled up his pant leg, revealing his firm calve. Then, two bruises the sizes of fists appeared in front of Dr. Sander.Abigail saw them too.'If I'm not mistaken, I gave him the two bruises after I had kicked him last night,' she thought.She gritted her teeth and thought to herself quietly, 'Serves you righ
'I won't accept corrupt money even if I'm in desperate need of money. I can keep my head up a little more if I spend the money that I earn myself,' thought Abigail.She smiled and said, "Mr. Zane, this gift is too expensive, so I can't accept it. Thank you for your kindness!"Xander replied, "This manuscript is a bunch of scrap paper to me. If you don't want it, I'll throw it away like trash.""Mr. Zane, it's yours, so you're free to handle it however you want. As your assistant, I have no right to interfere.""Then, throw it away for me." Xander thought that Abigail did not have the heart to throw it away. But, to his surprise, she took the box, turned around, and threw it into the trash can without any hesitation."Mr. Zane, I'll return to my room to prepare the documents."Xander was speechless.'What's up with this girl today? She's so ballsy that she's even giving me attitude!' he thought.Xander bent down and picked up the box Abigail had thrown into the trash can.'She
"That's because you're rich and not short of the additional five million dollars," he said. Then, he switched to Francovian again. "Your wife is really pretty. I really like how pretty she is.""You do?" Xander also switched to Francovian. He said in an incredibly unfriendly tone, "She won't like your type of looks, so put your impure thoughts away.""I'm just admiring your wife's beauty. Why are you calling my words impure thoughts?" Nimone reached out and placed his hand on Xander's shoulder. Then, he gently patted Xander. "Back when you were in Francovia, there were so many girls after you, but you didn't like any of them. I didn't expect you to have quietly gotten married."Xander did not want to bring up other women, "Don't change the topic. Let's talk about the painting first."Nimone smiled. "You know I only sell my paintings to those who like them. You've never liked my paintings, so I don't intend to sell this painting to you..."Xander cut him off. "Unless I pay twice th