She appeared carefree and audacious. Maria's demeanor was the perfect mix of frustratingly playful yet deeply disarming. As she lounged lazily in her chair, Sidney watched her in silence, contemplating his next move. Finally, he broke the silence. "I want forty percent.""No," Maria replied casually, but her tone left no room for negotiation. "Thirty percent."Sidney sighed deeply, feeling the weight of her unwavering decision. Maria, noticing his frustration, flashed a teasing smile. "Or, we can go back to my original offer—you marry me, and it all becomes our shared property. No need to split anything."Sidney's response was swift. "Let’s just sign the contract."Maria raised an eyebrow, amused. Clearly, marriage wasn’t on his agenda. “Tsk...”Was he a fool for passing up such a convenient offer? She called the legal team, quickly preparing the contract. Once everything was in place, both of them signed, making Sidney an official partner and operator of the studio.With the pa
Desmond immediately received Maria's message.All of them had a special distress program written by Maria on their phones—one press, and their location would be synced instantly.At that moment, Desmond was at the airport. He frowned as he read the distress message.Maria was in trouble!But he had to fly abroad right away—Lucas had just assigned him a task that needed to be completed as soon as possible!After a brief moment of thought, something came to him, and he dialed a number."Hello?" A clear, pleasant male voice answered.Desmond said, "Hello, Mr. Troy, I'm Mr. Tudor's assistant, Desmond Blake. We've met before."Sidney briefly recalled and quickly remembered him, then asked curiously, "Mr. Blake, what can I do for you?"Desmond responded, "I'm sending you a location. You need to go there and find Maria. Something has happened to her. I'm too far away to make it."Sidney frowned. "What happened to her?"Desmond replied, "I don't know. Just go quickly." After saying that, he
How disgusting!Maria's whole body recoiled in disgust, but she was utterly powerless to move.What could she do?Was this really how it would end for her today?She forced her eyes open, glaring at the man. Though her vision was blurred, her gaze was sharp and cold, like a blade dipped in poison, cutting through the air with chilling menace.The man froze for a moment.That look... it felt murderous.But so what?Once she was under him, she’d be begging for more soon enough.Unfazed by the warning in her eyes, the man reached out and began to undo her clothes."Ding-dong!"Suddenly, the doorbell rang.The man hesitated. Who would come at this time?"Who’s there?"He was visibly annoyed, just about to get what he wanted, and now interrupted.There was no response. He walked to the door and glanced through the peephole but saw nothing.What was going on?He turned to walk back, but the doorbell rang again.It had to be someone playing a prank.He decided he’d give them a warning, or th
The next morning.Sunlight peeked into the room as Maria groggily opened her eyes, only to realize she was clinging to Sidney like an octopus.The memories of last night came rushing back like a tide. A cold glint flickered in her eyes as she turned onto her back.Sidney stirred, glanced at her, and said, "Last night..."Maria cut him off, "Last night, someone deliberately set me up."Sidney nodded. "I’ll help you."Maria’s eyelashes fluttered slightly before she suddenly asked, "Why?""What?" Sidney looked momentarily taken aback.Maria fixed her gaze on him, her expression serious and clear. "Why did you stay last night? And now, why are you offering to help me?"Sidney’s face tightened. After a brief pause, he finally said, "You didn’t let me leave last night."Maria blinked, then unexpectedly laughed. She sat up swiftly, straddling his waist."Sidney, you’re lying."Her fingers traced lightly over his chest. "Last night, I told you to stop. So why didn’t you let me go?"At that m
Sidney glanced at his phone—it was Fawn.Since he’d turned her down last time, she hadn’t contacted him. Why was she suddenly calling now?“Hello, Miss Powell,” he answered, keeping his tone polite.Fawn’s voice was serious. “Where are you right now?”Sidney asked, “Is there something you need, Miss Powell?”“There is. It’s important!” Fawn’s voice grew sharper. “Your former boss, she’s not as innocent as she seems. I saw her last night checking into a hotel with an old man. Sidney, don’t let her fool you!”Sidney’s brow furrowed immediately.“Do you have proof, Miss Powell?”“I saw it with my own eyes! How about this—I’ll send you the location. Come see for yourself, and you’ll know I’m not lying.”Sidney responded, “Alright, send it over.”Last night, Maria had been with him the entire time.And before he showed up, there had been an old man in that room.Maria had clearly been set up.And now, this call from Fawn... It was hard not to suspect she was involved.Fawn continued, “I’ll
"Why did you do this?" Sidney's gaze remained fixed on Fawn, his confusion still gnawing at him.Tears welled up in Fawn’s eyes as she cried, "It’s her! She’s the one who ruined everything! If it weren’t for her, you would have agreed to marry me! I wouldn’t have to go through with this arranged marriage. I hate her!"Sidney’s frown deepened. "It wasn’t her. She never tried to stop anything. I was the one who didn’t want to marry you.""Why?" Fawn’s voice trembled with disbelief. "Why didn’t you want to marry me? When I proposed it, I saw you hesitate. You were considering it! Why would you change your mind?" She stared at him, convinced he was lying, that he was defending Maria.Sidney released her hand, his tone calm. "I have ambitions, but I’m not willing to sacrifice my marriage for them. It’s as simple as that."Fawn shook her head, her voice almost pleading. "I don’t understand. It would’ve been a fake marriage! Why wouldn’t you agree? How could you not?"Sidney replied firmly,
Ian Ford was the son of the real estate tycoon.Fawn tightened her grip around her glass. After a moment, determination flashed in her eyes. She raised the glass, downing the last of her drink, and said, "Fine, I’ll take the risk!"Marrying Ian was certainly better than ending up with that disgusting old man.Her friend’s gaze flickered slightly before handing Fawn an address.Without hesitation, Fawn went straight there.It was a private club. A bodyguard stood at the door of the suite. She walked up confidently, saying, "I’m Fawn Powell."The bodyguard, clearly aware of who she was, stepped aside and opened the door for her.Inside, the room was dimly lit, and Fawn couldn’t immediately see if anyone was there."Hello? Is anyone here?" she called out.There was no response. She took a few cautious steps forward when suddenly, someone lunged from behind, grabbing her tightly."Ah!" Fawn screamed, instinctively struggling, but her resistance was cut short by the sharp prick of a needle
Sidney's expression faltered slightly before he replied, “Just focus on getting better. I can handle everything else.”“Oh really?” Ruth frowned. “And what about a wife? Can you handle finding one? Are you going to solve that?”Sidney remained silent.Ruth sighed, her tone turning serious. “Sidney, you’re not getting any younger, you know. By the time I was your age, I already had you, and you were running errands for me. It’s time you started thinking about settling down and having a family."With little else to occupy her time in the hospital, Ruth spent her days chatting with other patients. Her roommate, Jackie Warren, already had two grandsons who visited her every evening, lifting her spirits so much that her health had been steadily improving. Right now, Jackie had just gone out for a walk with her grandsons, leaving Ruth feeling envious.Sidney listened quietly, peeling an orange. When he finished, he handed the slices to Ruth.She took the orange but didn’t let up on her co