Aveline texted, “Selena, can you find out Brighton Enterprises' CEO's schedule?”Selena replied, “I'll try!”Aveline turned off her phone and waited quietly.In the CEO's office, Desmond explained the situation to Lucas and then asked, "Mr. Tudor, should we arrange a meeting with Brighton Enterprises?"Lucas replied, "No need."Desmond was taken aback. "But if this isn't handled well, Miss Young might lose her job."Since the incident happened under her watch, if she couldn't manage it and find the leaker, she would take the fall. Getting fired would be the least of her worries. If rumors spread that she leaked company secrets, she wouldn't be able to work in the industry anymore.Lucas looked at the documents on his desk, his expression calm and distant. "She can handle it."His tone was confident as if he knew her very well. And he did. With her personality, she wouldn't take the blame quietly.Desmond looked at him, feeling conflicted. They were about to divorce, yet Lucas still s
Russell looked at her in surprise., thinking she was completely different from how she acted at the bar that night, drinking like crazy and unstoppable."It's fine," Russell said, glancing at his clothes before adding, "Was this also an accident?"Aveline felt even more embarrassed. "This really was an accident. How about you give me your jacket, and I'll clean it for you?"Russell chuckled. "Here? Now?"Aveline frowned. "I'm Aveline Young from DK Group's Cloudflare City branch. You can send the jacket to my office, and I'll have it cleaned and returned to you."Her sense of boundaries and distance was well executed."Aveline..." Russell silently repeated her name, then said, "Alright, I'll remember you."With that, he turned and walked away.Aveline sighed in relief. Thankfully, he didn't pursue the matter. She really didn't want any more trouble.On the second floor, near the railing, Sophia watched below with a look of surprise. Aveline was here too? How did she get in? Seeing th
When the servers saw that Aveline still hadn't shown them an invitation, they stepped forward to drag her away. Just then, someone approached and pulled Aveline behind him."Mr. Skyler." the servers immediately became respectful upon seeing the newcomer.Russell looked at them coolly. "What were you planning to do to my guest, hmm?"The servers were horrified. "I'm sorry, Mr. Skyler. We didn't know this lady was with you."Russell's tone turned icy. "Get out of my sight, and don't let me see you on this yacht again!"The two servers hurried away, silently cursing whoever told them there was an uninvited guest. They had gotten scolded for nothing!Russell turned to see Aveline looking a bit dazed. He smiled. "What a coincidence, we meet again."Aveline thought to herself that on a yacht this size, it wasn't that surprising to run into someone again. But he had just helped her out, so she smiled slightly. "Thank you."Russell's charmingly mischievous face lit up with a teasing smile. Des
Lucas' dark eyes stared intently at their backs, a chilling aura growing around him, making others afraid to approach."Lucas."Sophia walked over, her face filled with concern as she looked at him. "Are you alright?"She frowned. "What does Miss Young mean by this? Although you’re about to divorce, she is still your wife. How could she show you no respect at all? Walking away with Mr. Skyler, it's outrageous."Lucas withdrew his gaze indifferently and said calmly, "I have something to attend to, I'll be leaving first."Without looking at Sophia's expression, he turned and walked away in another direction.Sophia's expression froze slightly.She felt a sense of crisis.Aveline clearly had a special place in Lucas's heart.How could this be?She had worked so hard to get where she was today, even losing a leg in the process. She absolutely couldn't let anyone take her place!……On the other side, Aveline looked at Russell. "Mr. Skyler, I'll treat you to a meal another day, but I have so
Aveline wasn’t concerned about when Lucas was there to give her the coat; she immediately ran towards Henry."Mr. Brighton, I'm sorry, just give me one minute. After that, you can decide if you want to hear more."Henry looked at the girl standing in front of him, feeling she seemed familiar. Seeing her face pale from the cold, he finally stopped."Alright, one minute."However, he wasn't overly kind, so he lifted his wristwatch and started timing.Aveline took a deep breath and began explaining her ideas and thoughts.Time passed slowly...At some point, Henry stopped checking his watch and watched Aveline with interest instead.When she finally stopped, she smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I got a bit carried away and went over time..."Ten minutes had passed. She had only covered the key points; explaining the entire plan and concept would take a whole morning.Henry nodded approvingly. "Your ideas are indeed impressive."Aveline bowed to him. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity
Everyone was stunned and turned to see Aveline walk in. Her face was pale, but her eyes were cold as she looked around the room. "It's one thing to badmouth me behind my back when I can't hear, but if I catch you, shouldn't you apologize?"She made a point of looking at the people who had just insulted her.Their eyes darted around nervously, and a male colleague stood up and said, "Why should we apologize to you? The project information you were responsible for leaked, and no one else touched your desk. We have every reason to suspect it was you!"Aveline looked at him coldly. "So, you admit it's just a suspicion, not concrete evidence, right?"The male colleague stammered, looking embarrassed.Aveline continued, "No apology? You’ve got no shame!”Her words provoked them immediately."Miss Young, you made a mistake. Why should we apologize?""Exactly, we didn't do anything wrong!""Since you said it wasn't you, then show us that you took care of the matter.""Smack!"Aveline slammed t
"Ha, how surprising." Aveline scoffed, her gaze fixed on William’s face.Everyone turned to look at William, their faces full of disbelief."How could it be you?""Why did you do this?""This project is so important to us. Why did you leak the information?"William was speechless.First, there was disbelief, then an uncontrollable anger. The crowd surrounded William, demanding an explanation.William hadn't expected what he did to be exposed so easily. At that moment, he was speechless.Indeed, with the evidence right there, what else could he say?Outside.Lucas stood tall by the glass, his eyes fixed on Aveline. Seeing her pale face, his brows furrowed.Desmond, standing nearby, said, "I didn't expect her to have a camera at her workstation."Lucas's lips pressed into a line as he turned to leave.Suddenly, Desmond exclaimed, "Miss Young has fainted!"Aveline, having resolved a major issue, felt the tension in her body suddenly release. As she relaxed, waves of coldness swept over he
Lucas sat behind her, watching her obediently drink water. A gentle look flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly.After drinking the water, Aveline didn’t lie down again. She leaned against the headboard and checked her phone. Many people had sent her messages, mostly colleagues asking about her condition and a few from Selena.She called Selena."Ave, did everything work out?" Selena answered quickly, her sweet voice coming through.Aveline replied, "Yes, it did. You were a big help. Have you decided what you want to eat?"Selena responded, "In that case, I'll make my request."Aveline said, "No problem."Selena chuckled. "I haven't had your cooking in a long time. Can you make me something? I'll eat whatever you cook.""Sure," Aveline agreed. Selena had helped her so much; she deserved anything she wanted.Selena continued, "Hey, your voice sounds a bit off. Are you okay?"Aveline replied, "I caught a cold, and I—"Before she could finish, someone snatched her phone away, end
As expected.Jolie lowered her gaze slightly. Her pale face carried a fragile determination as she sat at the edge of the dining table. Her slender frame looked too weak to resist, yet the defiance in her eyes told another story.She couldn’t escape. But she wasn’t willing to give in. “I won’t break up with him,” she said, raising her eyes with a clear and unwavering resolve. Terence let out a cold laugh. “Well, you’ve got guts. You really are my daughter. Let’s see how long your resolve lasts!” With that, he abruptly stood and stormed out of the dining room. Daisy frowned at Jolie. “Jolie, why are you so stubborn? Ian Wheeler isn’t the right person for you. Why won’t you listen to us? Do you really think we’d harm you?” Jolie replied calmly, “Is what’s ‘right’ always the best?” “Of course,” Daisy said firmly. “If someone fits in every way, that’s what’s best.” “I don’t agree,” Jolie said softly, her gaze dropping as she rejected her mother’s words. “You’re being too
Daisy’s stance was unyielding, leaving Jolie no room to argue. She took her straight back to the Quin family home and even confiscated her phone.Meanwhile, just half an hour after they left, Selena arrived at the hospital. Noticing the empty room, she froze for a moment before grabbing a nearby nurse.“Excuse me, where is the patient from this room?” Selena asked.The nurse replied, “She’s been discharged.”“Discharged?” Selena was stunned. “So soon?”It wasn’t surprising that Jolie was ready to be discharged, but Selena couldn’t believe she’d leave without saying a word. She pressed on, “Did she leave on her own?”The nurse shook her head. “No, her mother came to take her.”Selena nodded slowly, her expression darkening. So that was it. Anger flickered in Selena’s chest. Jolie had been severely injured, and Daisy hadn’t bothered to visit her in an entire month. Yet, the moment it was time for her to leave, Daisy suddenly showed up. For the longest time, Selena had assumed Jolie w
Jolie instinctively glanced at Selena after hearing that, noticing the awkward expression on her face. After a brief pause, she suddenly called out, “Sister.”Selena shot up from her seat as if startled. “I think I’ll skip the oranges. I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll head out first,” she said quickly. Without waiting for Jolie to respond, she hurried out of the hospital room, looking like she was running from a pack of wild animals.Jackie blinked in surprise. “What was that about?”Jolie replied casually, “Maybe… she felt embarrassed.”Jackie chuckled warmly. “That’s normal, perfectly normal. When there’s tension and one side tries to make peace, the other usually feels awkward. Your relationship with Selena always seems a bit like this, doesn’t it?”Jolie lowered her gaze slightly and said softly, “She left home a long time ago.”Jackie raised her eyebrows. “Sounds like there’s been some serious conflict.”Jolie didn’t elaborate. The fact that Selena was willing to v
The next day, Daisy came to visit Jolie. Noticing Jackie in the room, she frowned and asked, “Who are you?”Jackie replied with a friendly tone, “I’m Miss Quin’s caregiver. And you are?”Daisy’s expression shifted briefly before she responded, “You can leave now. There’s nothing for you to do here.”Jackie grew wary and glanced at Jolie for guidance. Jolie said calmly, “Jackie, I’d like some fruit.”Jackie immediately understood that Jolie was subtly asking her to step out. “Alright,” she nodded and left the room.As soon as the door closed, Daisy turned to Jolie. “Jolie, did you look into that caregiver? What’s her background? Is she reliable?”Jolie met her mother’s gaze, her tone flat. “Sure. I’ll investigate later.”Daisy hesitated for a moment as if she suddenly remembered something. “I’m sorry, Jolie. Yesterday I forgot about you. There was an issue at the company, and your father and I were tied up until late. Were you alright? You didn’t go hungry, did you?”Jolie found it la
Upon hearing this, Jolie looked at him. "Can I refuse you?""Of course you can," Gavin replied without hesitation.Jolie eyed him skeptically, finding it hard to believe he would give in so easily.Gavin figured that even if she refused, there were still six obligations left to fulfill. Once those were over, their ties would be completely severed. He was confident that by then, she wouldn’t occupy any more of his thoughts.In his life, emotions had never been a priority. Career and power were always paramount. He had set his goals clearly from a young age. So even though he now realized he liked Jolie, he wouldn’t do anything irrational for the sake of feelings. That wasn’t who he was.Jolie’s eyes gradually brightened. She had assumed he was the kind of person who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, resorting to forceful tactics if she disagreed. His rationality made things much simpler!"Mr. Cooper, I’m sorry," Jolie said after deliberating for a moment. "We’re not very com
Gavin pulled out a document and handed it to her.Jolie glanced at it, her eyes widening in shock as she realized it was a detailed dossier on Ian. Staring at Gavin in disbelief, she asked, "What… what is this supposed to mean?"She didn’t even look at the contents again, her mind swirling with chaos. "To show you the kind of person you’re so adamantly defending," Gavin said coolly, his expression steady.Jolie’s grip on the bedsheet tightened as her thoughts spun out of control. She struggled to process what was happening. "Why are you doing this?" Their relationship was supposed to be simple—a transactional repayment of a favor. So why was he meddling in her life? Why investigate Ian? Why did he care so much about her relationship with Ian?A flood of questions filled her mind, and though the answer seemed obvious, she couldn’t bring herself to believe it.Gavin looked into her dark, clear eyes, finding something there he couldn’t quite decipher. It was rare for him to not unders
Jolie closed her eyes and said weakly, "I won’t break up.""You…" Daisy was taken aback by her stubbornness. Jolie had always been the most obedient child, the one who listened without question. Yet now, she was completely unyielding.Sighing heavily, Daisy sat down beside her. At this point, there was little she could do. Terence had already lashed out, but even that didn’t make Jolie relent. If she refused to break up, what more could they do?For now, Daisy decided to leave the matter alone. If talking to Jolie wouldn’t work, perhaps convincing Ian would be the way forward."Are you hungry?" Daisy asked after a pause."No," Jolie replied faintly. The only sensation she could focus on was the pain radiating from her back. She lay on her stomach, too afraid to move.Daisy let out a soft sigh. "If you get hungry, let me know. I’ll make you whatever you want.""Mm." Jolie barely responded, closing her eyes as exhaustion pulled her into a restless sleep.…Night fell, and Jolie stirred
Aveline said, "It’s absolutely true. I should’ve recorded it. Then you wouldn’t doubt me.""No, no, I’m not doubting you," Gernard replied quickly. "I just didn’t expect it. Brother actually said something like that? He’s always been distant from women. Growing up, there were girls who liked him, but he never paid them any attention. During school, he focused on studying, and after that, on work. Honestly, I thought he might never learn how to date. And now… he’s finally thawed!"He sounded amazed, but soon his brows furrowed. "This Jolie—she’s Selena’s younger sister, isn’t she?"Aveline nodded. "That’s right."Gernard’s frown deepened. "I think I’ve seen her before. She does resemble Selena a bit. Baby sister, you know Gavin had feelings for Selena before, but he came into the picture too late. She was already married. Do you think… is it possible he sees Jolie as a stand-in for Selena?"Aveline’s expression immediately grew tense. If that were true, it would indeed be unsettling.W
"I… I haven’t decided yet," Selena said hesitantly.Aveline replied, "Take your time. There’s no rush. You’re in Larbor City now, and so is she. When you’re ready, you can always go see her.""Mm." Selena gave a soft hum of acknowledgment and ended the call.When she looked up, she met Aaron’s gaze. He was staring at her intently.Selena’s breath caught slightly. "What’s wrong?"Aaron reached out and gently brushed her cheek with his fingertips. "If something’s troubling you, you can always tell me."Without a word, Selena leaned into his chest, seeking comfort in his silent presence. Aaron wrapped his arms around her, holding her close without pressing for answers.He had long since resolved to be with her and had quietly investigated her background. He knew her family life had been far from happy, though she had never spoken of it. He hadn’t brought it up either, respecting her silence.His earlier question had simply been a gentle nudge, hoping she might open up and feel better by s