Korbin looked puzzled as he held Xavier's photo, his mind swirling with questions.From the photo, there was no doubt that the person in it was Catherine, but what worried him more was the Winfreds' intentions.Did it make sense to sacrifice a portion of the mining and shipping businesses for an illegitimate child?If the Winfreds had no other heirs, Korbin could somewhat understand such a sacrifice.However, Xavier had two legitimate sons, and his wife's family had significant influence. Allowing Xavier to act recklessly couldn't be permitted.Korbin's greater concern was that Xavier might set a trap and harm the Swanns. After all, the Swanns were currently the weakest among the Four Noble Families. It's possible that Xavier planned to use them to gain more advantages in Casier.He gave the photo to his secretary and said, "Take a look!"After receiving the photo, the secretary took a picture of it and sent it to someone.A few minutes later, the photo analysis results came
When Audrey asked her questions, Catherine stayed quiet, as if she didn't hear anything.Korbin, noticing Catherine's attitude, couldn't resist but complain to Audrey, "You see it too, right? It's not me being too tough on her. It's her attitude."Audrey sat there feeling embarrassed, unsure of how to respond to her father.In her upbringing, Catherine's attitude was indeed inappropriate. After all, she was the daughter, and she shouldn't treat her father this way. However, Audrey also felt that Catherine had her reasons.Perhaps it was because Korbin didn't fully understand Catherine's personality, which had led to the current misunderstanding.Seeing her father turn away in frustration, Audrey had no choice but to try to persuade Catherine. After all, they were all family."Kathy, if you know anything about that Hacker Alliance, just let Dad know. We're all family, and there shouldn't be any secrets between us, right?"Catherine gave Audrey a cold look, but Audrey remained s
In a remote estate in Casier.Triston was in high spirits today. He had organized a wine tasting event and brought out his long-cherished wines for the occasion.What excited him even more was Branden's presence. He had initially thought that Branden wouldn't come, but to his surprise, he did."Branden, how's this wine? Pretty good, right?"This wine came from a vineyard in Veridonia and had been stored for thirty years.It was quite rare, and Triston had spared no expense to treat Branden.People outside saw Triston as a notorious playboy, always living it up and never getting down to serious business.He neglected the family's business and instead hung out with women, and purchased islands and vineyards. This was in stark contrast to Branden, who had been attending high-level meetings at the Duncan Corporation since he was eight.However, only Branden knew that Triston, in reality, was quite cunning.Despite his carefree image, every time he took action, he made a significan
Triston's estate served multiple purposes. The top floor was his private space for hosting guests. The first and second floors housed a bar and club, respectively. Triston had developed this entire estate to the fullest.Apart from "Charm Bar," this club was also very well-known in Casier. Many wealthy people frequented it for leisure.One had to pass through the first floor to leave the top floor. After concluding his discussion with Triston, Branden descended from the top floor.Branden glanced at an open private room as he walked through the first floor.He noticed someone he knew inside, which caught his attention.Paxton noticed that Branden had suddenly stopped, and following Branden's gaze, he saw Audrey standing in the private room.Audrey was with a few fat men, and one of them, the film producer Jeff Baker, was seen holding a glass and pouring Audrey a drink.Considering Audrey's relationship with Catherine, Paxton proactively asked, "Mr. Duncan, should I go over?"
Branden and Audrey returned together, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, they happened to see Catherine coming out.The encounter of the three seemed somewhat awkward.Catherine had her hands in her pockets, standing there with a carefree attitude.Audrey, on the other hand, appeared somewhat awkward and had an inexplicable feeling of being caught off guard!Once she realized it, Audrey quickly distanced herself from Branden, who was initially quite far away."Kathy, please don't misunderstand. I just happened to run into Mr. Duncan, and he knew I was coming back, so he gave me a ride back!" Audrey explained anxiously.Catherine looked at Audrey calmly. Compared to Audrey's flustered state, Catherine seemed much more composed.To Catherine, it was usual for Branden to run into Audrey and give her a ride home. So, Catherine wondered why Audrey seemed so nervous."What's wrong?" Catherine asked.Audrey paused briefly, relieved that Catherine didn't suspect anything."N
Branden didn't seem hungry at all, as there was only a plate of pasta primavera on the table.While Catherine was eating, he sat quietly by her side.Occasionally, he picked up his phone to attend to messages, seemingly working.Even though he was wrapped up in work, Branden still watched Catherine closely, never taking his eyes off her.Unlike Catherine's dominating and cold demeanor, she was exceptionally graceful while eating, clearly indicating the strict training she had likely received since childhood.She ate quickly but with a touch of elegance in every bite.Catherine had a rhythmic way of eating, taking a bite of pasta followed by a sip of soup, almost like a well-rehearsed performance. Before long, Catherine had polished off her pasta primavera, leaving just a bit of soup.She gently pushed her empty plate forward as if showing off her accomplishment.Branden's hands, calloused from years of gun practice, gently brushed her cheek. Catherine was quite familiar
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the National Literary and Art League.Loyalty Academy had a total of three slots, and Class 8 managed to secure two of them.The principal specifically instructed their homeroom teacher, Myra, to keep a close eye on these two teams and do her best to bring glory to the school.Myra wasn't worried about Liana's team at all. Liana worked harder than anyone else.Even the school's music department teachers praised her as a promising talent, noting how diligently she practiced daily.On the other hand, Catherine's team was rarely seen rehearsing, which always left Myra sighing. There were three people on that team.Ronin was quite unruly, and Myra couldn't seem to get any chance to communicate with him.As for Bryan, his enthusiasm for participation was relatively low from the start.Myra had no choice but to approach Catherine, who appeared the most difficult to get close to, but still had some room for negotiation."Catherine, for the Na
On the day of the National Literary and Art League.To support the three teams they had sent out, Loyalty Academy allowed all the students to end school earlier so that the students could go and support their fellow schoolmates.Because this was the National Literary and Art League, all the participating teams were elites sent from the various prestigious high schools. Hence, although this was only the preliminary rounds, it garnered the entire nation's attention.As long as one had access to the internet, one would be able to witness this sensational competition.Some celebrity teams had a large fanbase online.Take the representative team from Belmont High School as an example. As the most esteemed art academy in the nation, students who graduated from there always entered the entertainment industry.Many students already drew public attention when they enrolled in Belmont High School.The students representing Belmont High School were determined to win. Their only goal was to
In the end, Branden couldn't stand it anymore. He took the initiative to snatch Catherine back, only then did the scene come under control.Now, no one dared to continue touching Catherine's belly.Once he snatched Catherine back, he held her tightly in his arms and prevented anyone from touching her. He thought in his mind, "Since these people like this brat so much, I'll just give the brat to them when Catherine gives birth. Saves one more person from sharing my wife with me."Triston smiled and watched the crowd as the birthday party began exactly as it should.The big screen began to show all the images of Audrey from her debut until now that were outstanding or worthy of recording. Some of the images weren't even in Audrey's possession, but Triston had found them and made a video of them.As the images flashed by, Audrey's tears couldn't help but fall from her face. She cried not only because she remembered the hardships she had endured in showbiz for many years, but also bec
Since Triston brought Audrey to meet his family, he had worked non-stop to put their marriage on the agenda.Audrey was a popular actress, and to not affect her career, Triston chose to propose in a low-key manner.Triston arranged a party on Audrey's birthday and invited many of Audrey's friends.Audrey originally thought Triston was too high-profile, but Triston insisted. "I didn't participate in so many of your past birthdays. I finally have a chance to participate this time."He persuaded Audrey repeatedly. Audrey couldn't resist him and could only agree to let him arrange the party.Luckily, he only invited Audrey's close friends and did not send out invitations widely, so she could take this opportunity to have a gathering of friends.Audrey was surprised to see Catherine when she arrived.Catherine was now eight months pregnant. Normally, she would be rejected by Branden if she wanted to visit Catherine.Branden was now very careful with Catherine every day, and Audrey w
Sure enough, only after Audrey said those words, Willa's face completely darkened.Seeing that Willa was about to explode, suddenly...Triston applauded happily, which instantly attracted the crowd's attention.Triston calmly met everyone's gaze and looked at Audrey gently. "Good. You're worthy of being the woman I love. I'm most annoyed with those women who stay at home day in and day out and like to gossip when they have nothing else to do. You have your own career and I'm very supportive of that."Triston said this with a proud look on his face and raised his eyebrows at Audrey, full of smugness.Willa's face instantly turned gloomy.Her son had demeaned her by calling her a gossipy woman just to please another woman, and it made her furious.Egbert kind of realized that his son was totally in love with Audrey. He thought it was good because Triston used to be a playboy and was always surrounded by messy women. At that time, he was really worried that Triston would marry an u
Although Audrey was born into a wealthy family, Triston's mother, Willa Lambert, had always been prejudiced against showbiz and therefore did not approve of Triston's pursuit of Audrey.In Willa's opinion, female celebrities in the showbiz industry had always appeared in public, which was not like the demeanor of a lady from a wealthy family.It was only after learning that Audrey and Triston might be together that she eagerly introduced Triston to girls in the first place. She didn't realize that after all this time, her son still hadn't given up on Audrey, and this was the first time she'd seen her son so attached to a girl.If it weren't for that, she wouldn't agree to appear at today's dinner party now.Triston led Audrey into the door, and everyone from the Lamberts had already arrived.The scene of everyone sitting in the private room made Audrey feel a bit guilty. She looked guiltily at the crowd and whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm late."Triston's father, Egbert Lambert, had a
Audrey never expected to be so suddenly arranged to meet Triston's family.She couldn't react when Triston talked to her about it. Looking at Triston with disbelief in her eyes, she said, "Pardon me?"Triston's handsome face carried a gentle smile. "I've inquired with Kim. You don't have any work arrangements since this afternoon, and you can also take a day off tomorrow. It's just right for us to have dinner together in the evening."Audrey frowned and asked inwardly, "Is that what I care about?"What she cared about was who Triston had just said she would have dinner with tonight. "Why are you suddenly asking your family to have dinner with me?"The Swanns and the Lamberts were both in Casier and they were also considered to be friends. For Triston's family, although Audrey was not familiar with them, she had seen them at major parties.But in the past, they used to meet as ordinary friends.Now that she and Triston were in a relationship, his sudden proposal to take her to di
Audrey hesitated for a moment but still answered the phone with a nervous heart.She believed that Catherine definitely had a way to get her to answer the phone, but things would be troublesome if she made Catherine take her actions.She put her phone to her ear and inquired in a low voice, "Morning, Kathy. What's the matter?"Catherine's voice remained as cold as ever, without any emotion. "Tell me, what is it that you haven't told me?"Audrey had already figured out a strategy to deal with it and how to excuse herself, but as soon as she answered the phone, Catherine asked her so directly, which made her suddenly unable to react.Audrey had no choice but to tell Catherine the truth.After listening to her trembling narration, Catherine only asked coldly, "Are you sure you want him to be your boyfriend?"Audrey was a bit hesitant. Everyone blessed her and Triston after they found out they were together again, but Catherine was the only one who asked her to calm down and think i
Faced with Triston's questioning, Ronin looked arrogant. "Catherine and Audrey are sisters, so Audrey is my sister. You can bully anyone, but you can't bully her. Or else, we can't even be friends."Ronin's words sounded childish, but there was seriousness inside his eyes when he said those words. He grew up with Catherine and regarded Catherine as his most important family member. To him, Catherine's sister was his sister.After listening to Ronin's words, Triston faintly laughed out. "I see."Ronin thought that Triston didn't take his words to heart, and immediately felt a burning anger. "What do you mean? You don't understand my warning, do you?""Easy!" Triston gestured for him to calm down, then said calmly, "Even death row inmates have a chance to explain, right? You should at least hear me out.""Hmph!" Ronin snorted disdainfully. He secretly thought in his heart, "If Triston says any more asshole words, I'll definitely not show him any respect."Triston put away that cyni
They had an appointment at a recreational manor, a new property Zobber had just bought. Zobber had invited them to come along for the experience.Since Catherine's pregnancy, the entire Hacker Alliance had had much leisure time. Even though there was less to do, they had earned no less money and were basically in a dominant position.Zobber enjoyed the current situation too much becasue there was still money to be made easily. They might only have one business per year, but the profit from this business was already enough for them to spend for a year.After wandering around with her friends, Zobber excitedly looked at everyone. "How about this place? It's not bad, right? I bought it at a high price!"This was Casier, and Triston was aware of any changes in the real estate industry.He had indeed received the news when Zobber auctioned off the manor, and he also knew that Zobber had given an above-market price to take the land. But he knew that Zobber had plenty of money. It was fi
Since that dinner, Audrey had been in a special kind of relationship with Triston.Although they didn't make it clear, Triston could feel that Audrey had slowly accepted him.The number of times they met increased, and most of Audrey's work this year was in Casier.Whenever Triston had free time, he would stay alongside Audrey.Whether on set or during recording sessions, one could always catch a glimpse of Triston.Everyone kind of knew deep down that Triston was the man behind Audrey.But nobody ever exposed this whole thing, mainly because of Triston's identity.Neither he nor Audrey wanted too much attention paid to their relationship right now. If he didn't spill the beans, who else would dare to report on it?Besides, the reason Audrey and Triston's dating didn't cause much jealousy was they were a good match.Among the Four Noble Families in Casier, the Lamberts and the Swanns each held a seat, and the Swanns' power was not weaker than the Lamberts.Plus, now that Cath