"Mr. Zane, I completely agree with what you're saying," said Abigail. She thought to herself, 'Even my husband doesn't interfere this much, and you're just his friend. What right do you have to meddle to such an extent?'Xander did not say anything more. Then, the two of them arrived at FNING Club peacefully.FNING Club was located at the foot of Moochill Hill on the outskirts of Hayshiport. It was designed in an ancient garden style. It was a place where Lucas entertained his friends and was never open to the public.When Abigail and Xander arrived, Lucas was already waiting with his people. "Xander, I've brought the people for you. Handle this matter as you see fit without minding me. I have no relationship with the Langston family."Xander smiled. "Even if you had a relationship with them, so what?""Well, I'm just trying to make myself look good." Lucas made a gesture of invitation and led Abigail and Xander into a room. "Mr. Langston, I've brought the one you wanted to meet f
Abigail wondered, 'What sins did I commit in my past life to repeatedly be mistaken as Xander's wife in this life? It's one thing to be mistaken in normal circumstances, but this time it's a matter of life and death. How could misidentification happen in such a big matter?'"You're not his wife, yet he's so concerned about you. Are you messing—" Before Simon could finish his words, he suddenly felt a heavy blow to his back. He then lost consciousness instantly and fell to the ground.Even in his unconscious state, Simon's arm still tightly strangled Abigail's neck. Abigail could not break free and was pulled down by him. As they were about to fall to the ground, Abigail closed her eyes in resignation, but unexpectedly, she fell into a warm and strong embrace. Without opening her eyes, she already knew who was holding her. Xander's breath had been imprinted in deep."Abigail..." Xander's anxious voice resounded in her ears.Abigail opened her eyes and met his worried gaze. In his ey
Before Xander could ask, Abigail reported what happened in Pleasia. "There was a car bombing attack in Paridale. It affected our branch's artificial intelligence factory. There are casualties among the employees, but the exact number is still being determined. The PR department of the branch has been comforting the families of the employees, but the families are emotionally distraught and may cause trouble. Therefore, they need you to handle the aftermath personally.""Inform the team in Paridale that no matter the cost, we must provide immediate assistance to the injured and comfort the families of the deceased employees. We'll fly to Paridale now," Xander decided right away.Abigail hastily followed Xander to the airport and boarded the flight to Paridale that same day. Before the plane took off, Abigail planned to message Nathan and inform him that she would go to Paridale with Xander.Unexpectedly, Nathan took the initiative to message her first. [Abigail, I heard you're flying
Felix said, "I'm being serious with you. Don't just laugh it off."Abigail replied, "Okay, I promise both of you that I'll take good care of myself."They had many more things to say, but the plane was about to take off. Besides, the flight attendants repeatedly reminded everyone to turn off their phones or switch them to flight mode. So, Abigail ended her conversation with her friends.It took nearly thirteen hours to fly from Hayshiport to Paridale. After a long flight, everyone was exhausted. However, there was no time to rest upon arrival in Paridale. Abigail followed Xander and the others to handle the subsequent events.Nine employees had died, and seventeen were injured, including three in critical condition who were still in the ICU, fighting for their lives. The families of the deceased and the injured were distraught. Some of them even organized protests at the company.The Paridale police had announced that the incident was a terrorist attack orchestrated by an extremis
Abigail nodded respectfully and said, "Okay. After finishing this meal, I'll handle the handover."It had been a while since they last saw each other, and Xander wanted to talk more with Abigail. However, she would respond respectfully every time he spoke to her, making it difficult for him to find a way to start a conversation.Xander thought for a while and then said, "Your Francovan isn't good, so remember to let me know if you encounter any difficulties at work.""Okay," Abigail responded. Although she could not speak Francovan, her Sreildan was good. Besides, most of the people she worked with could communicate in Sreildan. So, her work here was going smoothly.Xander continued, "Easter is coming soon, and we may not be able to go back for the celebration. You have to be mentally prepared for that."Abigail said, "Mr. Zane, please don't worry about me. I was prepared for everything before choosing this job."Keith was watching and listening from the side when the two of them
"We're a team. You don't have to thank me." Keith then used the communal fork to take some food to put into Abigail's bowl as he said, "We've not seen each other for more than ten days. You look like you've lost some weight. You should eat more later to get more nutrients."Abigail stared at the pile of food in her bowl in front of her. She hurriedly stopped him. "Mr. Jackman, stop putting food into my bowl. I won't be able to finish them if you give me more food.""How is this too much?" Keith then got a bowl of soup for her again. "Abigail, you haven't been with us for the past ten days. Do you know how much we missed you?"Before Abigail could ask him, Keith spoke again. "I didn't realize how important you were when we worked together back then. But when you weren't with us this time, I realized how important you are every second."Everyone would feel happy to be recognized for their working abilities. Abigail was no different. She said, "Mr. Jackman, you're getting better at co
The scene was extremely romantic. Keith finally realized something.At that moment, Keith felt like he should be under the dining table instead of sitting at the table.Keith glanced at Abigail before looking at Xander. When he looked at Xander, Xander was coincidentally looking at him too.Xander's gaze seemed to carry a warning, warning him not to be overly attentive to Abigail. It seemed like Xander was asserting his dominance in front of him.Keith had been in this circle for many years. He knew many bosses had inappropriate relationships with their female secretaries. He always thought this kind of thing would not happen to Xander.Keith thought, 'It seems like I was too naive. It's said that we shouldn't engage in romantic relationships with colleagues. It's rumored that Xander kept himself away from women. All these were used to trick honest people like me.'Xander's private life was clean back then probably because his assistants were people like me and Cleona. Abigail is
Keith fearfully asked, "Mr. Zane, did I do something wrong?"Xander answered coldly, "Don't be overly attentive to Abigail when there's nothing wrong. She isn't even interested in the way I look, let alone you."Xander indirectly said Keith was ugly.Keith felt very wronged as he asked, "Mr. Zane, when was I overly attentive to Abigail? Moreover, both of us are your assistants. We spend more time together than with our families. Our working efficiency will improve if our relationship is good. Isn't that a good thing? Why are you blaming me?"Xander responded, "She's married. You can treat her well. But don't go overboard."Without thinking, Keith blurted out, "But you clearly treat her a lot better than I do. She's married. And you're married too. If you can treat her well, why can't I?"Xander said, "It's perfectly justified for me to treat my wife well!"Keith foolishly said, "I didn't say you shouldn't treat your wife well."Xander scolded, "Get lost!"Keith was speechless.
Emma turned and dashed into the bathroom. She cranked the faucet on and splashed water on her face, aiming to soothe her nerves.Although they were engaged, they were still too young, with countless uncertainties looming over their future. The possibility of actually walking down the aisle was up in the air.Decisions made in a rush of happiness could eventually become sources of regret. And Emma knew all too well that she couldn't afford any regrets.She thought that fortunately, Ron hadn't pushed things further, which gave her time to cool off.After freshening up, Emma stepped out to find Ron on the balcony, a cigarette in hand.She couldn't resist chiding him, "I've told you to cut down on smoking. Why can't you seem to remember?"This time, Ron complied, snuffing out the cigarette. "We should get some sleep. We've got to put our best foot forward when we meet your family tomorrow.""Okay, I'll sleep on the couch. You take the bed," Emma responded.Ron simply replied, "As y
Ron looked at her dawdling pace with disdain. "If you, a lady, can handle it, why can't I, a grown man, stay?"His words sounded noble, but Ron regretted them the moment they arrived at the hotel.Despite now earning a decent income, Emma was still reluctant to spend money.This place was hardly a hotel; it was clearly a budget inn charging only a few dozen bucks a night. The hygiene was questionable at best, and safety seemed like a gamble.Ron turned on his heel, dragging her suitcase behind him. "We're leaving, now.""It's too late, and we can't get a refund for the room.""Are you trying to get us killed?"Emma fell silent, her thoughts a whirlwind of frustration. 'I told him he wouldn't be used to cheap places. He insisted on coming with me, and now he won't even let me stay here alone. Why is he so annoying?'However, considering Ron had rushed over in the middle of the night to help her, Emma decided not to hold it against him.Ron picked the best hotel in the area—the
Rebekah glanced over at Ron; she exchanged a knowing look with him before saying, "I'll have someone tidy up the rooms. Why don't you two stay here tonight and keep me company?"Ron replied simply, "Sure."Emma had purchased a midnight flight back to South Florivera, necessitating a rush to the airport, which made staying over after dinner impossible.Yet, she found herself at a loss for words, struggling to decline Rebekah's kind offer.As she hesitated, Ron stepped in to clear the air. "Mom, I've got something on tonight. After dinner, I'll drive Emma back to her dorm."Rebekah raised an eyebrow. "What's so important?" she wondered aloud, thinking, 'Wasn't he the one insisting Emma stay over? What's he up to now?'Ron kept it mysterious. "Life stuff."Rebekah could not help but chide him lightly, "You, always the joker."Right after dinner, Ron insisted on leaving to take Emma back to her dormitory. But as soon as they were out of the gated community, he asked, "So, you reall
Ron chuckled. "I didn't know you were aware that even a cornered rat will fight."Emma shot him a glare. "Are we going or not?"Ron quickly said, "Of course. When Miss Blue commands, how can I dare not obey?"Fearing another of his notorious driving escapades, Emma hastily buckled her seatbelt as she settled into the car.Thankfully, this time Ron kept it smooth, driving steadily.As they neared their destination, Ron finally spoke up, "You know, that Tucker guy is a married man. Don't let his kindness fool you into being the other woman."Emma's gaze on Ron was fiery, seething with anger. "Do you even hear yourself? Is that what you think of me? For the last time: Tucker and I share nothing more than a mentor-mentee relationship. There's nothing else between us.""I'm just looking out for you, worried you might get deceived," Ron said, witnessing Emma's fury for the first time. Yet, he could not help but find her anger not at all intimidating, but rather endearingly foolish.R
The two sisters had a pact: no cell phones at home to keep their secrets from the prying eyes of the Blue family. Thus, Emma could call only at prearranged times, the sole window for Rihanna to catch up.Rihanna's voice bubbled with excitement over the phone, as she chattered away about her life's minutiae.Knowing Rihanna was doing well eased Emma's mind.Just as Emma was about to end the call, she heard Rihanna's voice, soft and wistful. "You're really not coming home for the holidays? If you don't, I'll be all alone."Emma's heart clenched at those words, and she made up her mind in an instant. "I'll come back the day before New Year's Eve."The Blue family had their hands full with festivities that day, too busy to notice Rihanna's absence. Emma figured slipping back unnoticed then would be her best shot.After hanging up, Emma immediately booked a flight from Valtara to South Florivera. With her ticket secured and her last bit of work finished, Emma prepared to leave her off
Emma had no interest in romance, let alone the audacity to dream that Ron might fancy her.This time, she did not pick up the thread of conversation.After dinner, Ron, as usual, drove Emma back to the university.Before parting, Ron said, "Winter break is almost upon us, and the dorms might be off-limits. Are you sure you don't want to stay at my place for a couple of months?"Emma offered a smile in response. "Thanks for the offer. I've spoken with the dorm supervisor and submitted an application in advance. I'll be able to stay over the holiday period."Ron paused before saying, "Well, if you need anything, just let me know. I'll text you my number in a bit; make sure you save it."Emma nodded. "Sure."Without further ado, Ron drove off.Upon returning to her dorm, Emma saw Evelyn and Cassie, busy packing their bags, surrounded by gifts for their parents bought from Valtara.Evelyn asked Emma, "Are you really not going home for the winter break?"Emma replied, "No, I won't
Emma did not have the guts to risk failure because she did not have a safe haven to fall back on.Lucas kicked Ron in the shin. "Come on, if you fancy her, out with it. No Hagrid heir dithers like this."Ron glared at him. "Mind your own business." In his head, Emma was already his. The thought of losing her was unimaginable.Lucas said, "Without my meddling, she'd never be yours."Ron changed the subject. "I called you here for a serious discussion."Lucas replied, "No matter how serious, it can't outweigh the matter of your lifetime happiness."Ron was exasperated. "Lucas!"Lucas relented. "Alright, alright, you talk, I'm all ears."Ron spelled out Emma's music venture with Tucker. After hearing it all, Lucas could not help but see Emma in a new light."Never pegged Emma as such a dark horse," Lucas said.Silently listening to their conversation, Emma was thrilled to have her work recognized.Lucas said, "But, getting back to it, whether a song makes money, and how much, d
Ron barked, "Lucas!"With a chuckle, Lucas responded, "Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing Emma. I'm starving. Let's grab some food and talk business while we eat."Ron snapped, "Get lost!"Lucas could not help but revel in Ron's frustration. "Ron, have you fallen so quickly? Who was it that told me they would never accept an arranged marriage?"Emma was increasingly confused by their banter. "If it's inconvenient for me to be here, I can just take a cab and leave."Ron said, "Call you dumb and you won't admit it!"Emma thought to herself, 'I didn't want to be a third wheel, cramping their style. Was that really so wrong? No good deed goes unpunished, apparently.'Suddenly, Ron grabbed Emma's hand and led her inside. "It's cold out; let's go inside."Emma had to quicken her pace, practically being dragged along.Seeing them together, Lucas laughed heartily from behind. "Ron, oh Ron, never thought I'd see the day.""Don't laugh too soon. Your day is coming," Ron shot back.Th
Emma said, "Okay."Ron asked, "Have you won over your crush?"Lucas responded, "Secret."Ron replied, "Looks like you haven't won her over."Lucas said, "As long as I make a move, there's no girl I can't win over. But I haven't made a move yet because the timing isn't right."Ron asked, "Is it because of the Sandow family?"Lucas answered, "The Sandow family wants to marry their daughter to me, and my family wants me to marry her too. But I've told them long ago that I'm not willing to do that. Nobody can make me marry a girl I don't like."Emma remained silent. 'I didn't expect that Lucas would also have the same problem as me and Ron.'It seems like the wealthier the family, the more they'll arrange marriages based on social status without considering personal preferences.'Lucas seemed to sense Emma's thoughts. "Emma, my situation with the Sandow girl is different from yours and Ron's. Don't lump us together."Ron looked at Emma and suddenly said, "There isn't any other gi