Vivian's expression darkened. "What do you mean by that?"Aveline let out a light scoff. "You can't figure it out? I'm mocking you. All you can do is sit in an office and throw out sarcastic remarks. If you were braver, you'd be an internet troll. Is that all you're capable of?"Vivian abruptly stood up, her face twisted with anger. "Aveline, do you think I'm afraid of you? You have no one backing you up now!""Oh? So what?" Aveline's expression remained calm. "Are you planning to kill me?"Vivian gritted her teeth, feeling incredibly frustrated. This woman used to stay quiet, but lately, whenever Vivian mocked her, Aveline would retaliate!And she couldn't even match her!Aveline looked away. "Instead of wasting time being jealous, why don't you focus on improving your performance? Jealousy won't make you better; it'll only make you uglier.""You—!"Vivian tried to rush at her, but two people quickly held her back.The atmosphere in the office grew tense as if a fight could break out
Selena ruffled her hair in frustration. Just then, her phone rang again. It was her boss calling.Taking a deep breath, Selena answered, "Hello?""Selena, Mr. Fletcher has an issue with the blueprint and says you're not answering his calls. Are you trying to ruin our entire studio? Call Mr. Fletcher back immediately...""I'm quitting," Selena replied calmly.There was a pause on the other end. "What did you say? You're quitting? Are you joking? You know the consequences of resigning, right?"Selena responded, "Yes, I know. I'll bear all the consequences myself."The person on the other end was completely stunned. "Are you crazy? If you finish this project, you'll earn a substantial income."Selena tugged at the corner of her lips. "But what if it never gets done? Aaron keeps giving me a hard time. I'm tired. I don't want to play his games anymore.""You..." The person hesitated, unable to find the words.Selena said calmly, "That's it. Goodbye." With that, she hung up the phone.It wa
The tide started to rise.The distant shipping containers loomed like monsters in the darkness, slowly swallowing anyone trapped inside. Aveline stared calmly at the scene, though the encroaching darkness made it hard for her to clearly see the tide's advance.Her mind drifted to the time when she was trapped inside a container, her hands and feet bound, filled with despair and helplessness.She watched as death approached, powerless to stop it.“Sophia, is this how you feel now?” Aveline thought and lowered her gaze slightly, choosing not to look any longer.Just then, a phone appeared in front of her."Hmm?" Aveline looked at Russell in confusion.A faint smile appeared on Russell's strikingly handsome yet cold face. "I installed a camera on top of that container. You can watch Sophia's entire descent into despair."He gazed into her eyes. "Do you want to see it?"Aveline was taken aback, not expecting him to have gone to such lengths.Russell added, "No need to be shocked. I just be
Brian's eyes lit up instantly. He rushed toward the container and shouted, "Miss Winter, is that you? Miss Winter?""Bang! Bang!"The sound came from inside the container again, confirming someone was there.Overjoyed, Brian began inspecting the lock. Since these were abandoned containers, the locks weren’t particularly strong. He found a rock and, after about a dozen strikes, managed to break the lock.He swung the door open to find Sophia lying inside, her hands and feet bound. The rising seawater had already seeped in, reaching her ears.Seeing Brian, Sophia burst into tears.Brian hurried over to help her up, untying the ropes around her and ripping the tape off her mouth."Ah…" Sophia gasped, then sobbed with tears streaming down her face. "It was Aveline! It had to be that bitch Aveline who did this to me! She sent someone to have me tied up here!"Brian hesitated, saying, "But I’ve been with Miss Young all this time; she didn’t do this."Sophia clung to his arm. "Brian, I saved
Brian became flustered. "Miss Winter, please don’t cry. No one’s going to let you die, so please don’t cry..."Sophia looked at him through her tear-filled eyes. "But you came to save me. What if you hadn’t? I really would have died!"Brian stammered, "Uh… well, I…"Sophia tightened her grip on his arm. "Will you help me? I really don’t want to die..."Brian remained silent for a long moment before asking, "Miss Winter, what do you want to do?"A faint glint of triumph flashed in Sophia's eyes before she quickly replied, "Will you protect me?"Brian frowned. "No, I only take orders from Mr. Tudor."Sophia's face fell as she lowered her head. "But if you don’t protect me, I’ll end up dead. She’s going to kill me because I took Lucas away..."Brian furrowed his brows, sensing something wasn’t right. After another long pause, he said, "Let me… think about it, okay? Besides, Miss Winter, this place isn’t safe. Let me take you home first."Sophia nodded. "Okay."The car drove away.Meanwhil
How ridiculous.All the plans she had carefully crafted, all the strategies she’d designed to punish others, had ended up being futile—like punching into thin air.Weak and ineffective.Even her anger felt useless because she was up against Lucas.She couldn’t possibly fight against him!If he wanted, he could block every path she tried to take.It had been that way with Bobby before, and now it was the same with Sophia.What kind of person had she been entangled with for so long?Aveline’s gaze grew distant as she stared blankly into the darkness ahead, which seemed like an endless abyss slowly engulfing her.Russell grasped her hand. "Aveline, are you okay?""I... I'm fine," Aveline murmured, her lips trembling slightly.She was fine—of course, she was fine. It was just another failure, nothing more. It didn’t matter.Silent tears slipped down her cheeks, leaving a cold trail in their wake. She reached up to touch her face, and when she looked down, her fingers were wet with glisteni
Aveline paused for a moment, her grip on the phone tightening slightly as she responded in a dry voice, "I don't think I ever said he loved me."Sasha seemed to sigh on the other end. "Aveline, we've lost."Aveline closed her eyes briefly before saying, "I'm sorry, Miss Winter, for dragging you into this. If you’ve suffered any losses because of me, please don’t hesitate to let me know."Sasha let out a bitter laugh. "No, there’s no loss. I chose to work with you willingly, so I’ll bear whatever consequences come."Aveline fell silent for a moment. Neither of them had expected things to turn out this way.She could never have imagined that Lucas would step in to help Sophia.Why?That question had been nagging at her all along.Why would he help Sophia?Right now, Aveline felt an overwhelming urge to confront Lucas, to ask him what he really meant by all of this.Sasha's voice broke through her thoughts. "Aveline, I need to take care of things on my end. Let's stay in touch if there ar
Lucas turned his cold gaze to Desmond. "What's wrong with her?"Desmond looked bewildered. "I-I don't know."The last time he had seen Aveline at the hospital, she hadn’t been like this. But now, she seemed completely distant, cold, and unapproachable.What had happened during this time?Lucas’ voice was sharp as he ordered, "Find out.""Yes." Desmond nodded.Instead of leaving, Lucas headed to the basement level. As if something had crossed his mind, he said, "Have Brian meet me.""Understood."At DK Group.As soon as Lucas entered the CEO's office, there was a knock on the door."Come in."Brian pushed the door open and stepped inside, looking slightly uneasy. "Mr. Tudor."Seated in his chair, Lucas asked coldly, "You’ve been keeping an eye on Aveline. Did you notice anything unusual about her?"Brian’s eyes flickered for a moment. He hadn’t followed Aveline last night, but he could still report what had happened earlier."Russell went to pick up Miss Young, and they went to the seas
Lucas responded in a calm, low voice, “You won’t get that chance in this lifetime.”Selena huffed. “You better hope so!”She lifted her chin defiantly and then playfully winked at Aveline. Aveline smiled softly, a hint of exasperation in her eyes. When would these two ever stop bickering?Once they arrived at the mall, Selena dragged Aveline into a whirlwind shopping spree. Whatever caught their eye, they bought—no hesitation, no restraint. It felt exhilarating to indulge so freely!Lucas followed quietly behind them, occasionally making a few phone calls and handling work without missing a beat.After shopping all morning, the group started to feel tired. Selena led Aveline into a restaurant across the street.“I read reviews on this place, and they say the food is amazing. They’ve got some dishes from Cloudflare City too. It’s been a while since you’ve been back—want a taste of home?” Selena asked, grinning while flipping through the menu.Aveline nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been craving it
Daisy’s expression darkened slightly at Jolie’s words, but she held back from lashing out. “That’s all in the past. What’s the point of bringing it up now? You and Selena are sisters, after all. You should reach out to her more. Convince her to come back. She’s still part of the Quin family.”In recent years, both her parents, especially her father, had become fixated on reconnecting with Selena. Despite multiple attempts, Selena had kept her distance, and even after finally making contact, she barely exchanged a few words with them before cutting off all communication again. The more they tried, the further she drifted away.Jolie remained quiet, observing Daisy. She had no right to criticize her mother—after all, it was she who had always been favored growing up. The Quin family had never done anything wrong by her.“I understand. I’ll try,” Jolie finally relented, though the thought of facing Selena’s distant and prickly demeanor again made her uneasy. Perhaps, deep down, her sist
“Got something on your mind, Dad?” Gavin asked, noticing Wilfried’s serious expression as he entered the room. His own demeanor softened a bit.Wilfried didn’t waste time, sitting down heavily on the sofa with a stern look. "What are you planning to do about what happened today?"Gavin froze for a moment, realizing that the whole situation had become an open secret within the family. His response was calm, though. "I don’t have any specific plans."At this, Wilfried’s expression darkened even further. "That won’t do. You’ve taken advantage of someone, so you need to take responsibility. I’ll have someone look into that girl’s background tomorrow, prepare the bride price, and we’ll go make the proposal immediately."Gavin blinked, his typically composed expression faltering slightly. After a brief silence, he replied, "Dad, I’m willing to take responsibility, but what if she doesn’t want to marry me?"Wilfried paused, momentarily caught off guard by this possibility. His gaze swept over
“Hmm, you’re right. I’ll talk to your brother and see what he thinks,” Wilfried said thoughtfully.Aveline nodded and went on her way....In the study, Gernard sat on the sofa, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. “Brother, why didn’t you let me finish? I was about to spill the best part.”Gavin ignored him and pulled out a document, handing it over. “Take a look at this. If everything’s in order, you’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow.”“What’s this?” Gernard blinked, taking the file and flipping it open. His eyes widened as he scanned the pages.He shot up from his seat, staring at Gavin in disbelief. “Wait, you’re serious? You’re actually sending me to South Africa? Do people live there? When did we even expand into that region?”Gavin, seated in his leather chair, remained cold and composed. “Recently.”Gernard’s face twisted in disbelief. After a long pause, he finally blurted out, “No way. I’m not going.”Gavin’s gaze flickered over to him, calm but stern. “You don’t hav
“What gossip?” Aveline's interest was instantly piqued, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Gernard.Gernard leaned in conspiratorially, about to spill the juicy details. “It’s about Brother. You won’t believe what happened today…”“Ahem!”Before he could finish, Gavin appeared, clearing his throat just loud enough to interrupt. He grabbed Gernard’s arm, pulling him away. “Let’s talk about the company,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.Gernard protested, “Brother, wait, I wasn’t finished!”Aveline, her curiosity fully ignited, took a couple of steps forward. “Hey bros, don’t leave me hanging! Finish the story first!”Without slowing down, Gavin replied, “He’s headed to South Africa soon. Work comes first.”“South Africa?” Gernard’s jaw dropped. “Wait, since when am I going to South Africa? I didn’t hear about this! What’s going on?”Aveline stopped in her tracks, equally puzzled. “South Africa? Does the Cooper family even have projects there?”Just then, Wilfried walked
"Got too much free time on your hands?" Gavin’s cold gaze fixed on Gernard.Unbothered, Gernard strolled over and patted his brother's shoulder, grinning. "So, what’s your plan now? I got a little bored and did some digging on the Quin family. Guess what? Turns out they’re Selena’s birth family. She left them ages ago to make it on her own, but the girl you were with? That’s Jolie Quin, the pampered princess of the family."With a knowing smirk, Gernard added, "Brother, I couldn’t help but notice—Jolie and Selena do look a bit alike. Could that be why you…?""Get lost," Gavin cut him off, not in the mood for Gernard’s teasing. He brushed past him, heading downstairs.Of course, that only fueled Gernard’s enthusiasm. "Hey, don’t walk away! I haven’t finished my gossip yet!" he called after him, but the conversation came to an abrupt end as they reached the main floor, where the guests were still gathered for the celebration....Aveline noticed Selena seemed a bit distracted and asked,
One of Jolie’s long, slender legs was exposed to the cool air, and Gavin’s fingers instinctively tightened, as if they could still feel the smoothness of her thigh under his grip. His gaze darkened, though his expression only grew colder. His sharp, chiseled features gave him a distant, unapproachable aura—a man who seldom smiled and whose demeanor warned others to stay away.He was cold, almost like an ice block."Debt’s owed," he said flatly, tossing out the two words before sitting on the sofa and picking up the phone to make a call.Jolie blinked in surprise, processing what he said. Debt owed?Was that something you could even keep on hold?But thinking about it, he probably didn’t need anything right now. So, if he wanted to leave the debt hanging, so be it.Stretching lazily, Jolie sat up and said, "Have someone bring me a change of clothes."With that, she pulled the blanket aside, slowly rising from the bed despite the discomfort between her legs and headed toward the bathro
As the effects of the drug finally began to fade, Jolie lay exhausted on the bed, her body drenched in sweat. Her skin, especially across her delicate shoulder blades, bore faint marks from their encounter and her breath ragged as it brushed against her own back. Her vision was hazy, and she barely had the strength to speak."I... I’m fine now... you can stop," she murmured, her voice weak and broken from the strain of what had just happened.The madness of moments before still pulsed through her, the aftershocks of it lingering in her body. She never expected that grabbing a random man for help would lead to this, nor did she expect him to have such relentless stamina.Yet, the man behind her didn’t stop. He didn’t respond either. His large hands remained firmly gripped around her slender waist as if he were trying to squeeze the very breath from her."Stop... I told you to stop, didn’t you hear me?" Jolie’s anxiety spiked as he continued. What was wrong with him? They’d agreed he was
Gavin said nothing and simply hung up the phone, his expression darkening by the second.Behind him, Jolie’s soft, pained whimpers filled the air. She was writhing on the bed, her delicate skin flushed a faint pink.Gavin clenched his jaw, tugging at his tie. It had already loosened from when she’d pulled on it earlier, and with a rough yank, it came completely undone. Frustration simmered beneath his calm exterior.Where was Selena? She was supposed to be finding help, but she still hadn’t returned.His frown deepened as he reached for the door, ready to leave."Please… help me…"Her desperate voice, laced with a hint of a sob, echoed from behind him. The softness of it hit him like a lit match to his chest, sparking a heat he wasn’t used to feeling. "Please… I’ll pay you… I won’t take it for free…" Jolie’s voice broke as tears streamed down her face. She was sobbing now, her words dripping with helplessness and shame, as if offering him money would somehow make her request more bear