My words were sharp, and I knew it. But I intentionally chose to speak this way."I really want to transfer those shares to you, Ms. Chloe. After all, moving forward, I hope to have a long-term partnership with Tanum. I've carefully weighed the pros and cons, and Tanum is more than capable of meeting my requirements. So, I find that my previous blind investment was quite naive.""There's no need for me to correct your mistake," I said bluntly."I don't want you to do that. But I think you’ll have some ideas for Ardora." Melvern was trying to convince me.Who did he think he was? Did he think I was a fool he could manipulate at will? Even if I were interested in Ardora, this wouldn't be how I acquired it.Ridiculous! What was he thinking?"I don't know what you’re thinking, but I know myself! I believe you also know I've never been interested in anything that belongs to someone else, especially Ardora. I don’t intend to work with Liora.”I spoke candidly, "It seems as though ther
He walked in and said, “Chlo…”He paused, noticing the guest in my office, but then continued walking in.Melvern, who was seated on the sofa, glanced at him, smiling as he spoke, "So it's you, Mr. Arnold. Long time no see."Arnold looked at him and smiled back. "Mr. Melvern! It's been a while. You're still alive?"It was clear that they were very familiar with each other.Arnold, with his usual lack of formality, asked Melvern, "What are you doing here?""I came to talk to Ms. Chloe about something," Melvern replied, maintaining a polite demeanor and shifting in his seat.Arnold walked over confidently and took a seat on the sofa. He looked at Melvern and asked, "What business do you have with my sister? She's engaged in legitimate business, and you’re a person of questionable integrity. What legitimate business could you discuss? Stop messing around."I almost laughed when I heard what Arnold said. It looked like my younger brother was the true expert in straight talking."D
Melvern looked at me delightedly. "Yes, Ms. Chloe?”I stood up, picked up the document bag he had brought, and handed it to him. "You forgot this, Mr. Melvern.""I don’t need that. Those are copies. You can keep them. If you need anything, please let me know." Melvern smiled at me."It’s fine. I'll just contact you if I need something.”"Alright then." Melvern took the document bag helplessly. "I'll take my leave now."He then walked decisively toward the exit, and I saw him to the door, instructing Carol to escort him out.Carol nodded and followed Melvern while I returned to my office.Arnold looked at me and asked, "What did he come here to discuss?""Ardora’s equity. He wanted to transfer the shares to me, but I declined," I said casually. "I really don't like him. He left thanks to you."As I finished speaking, Carol knocked on the door and walked in holding a familiar document bag.“Mr. Melvern just gave this to me again, Chloe. He said you should keep it. He thinks you
When I heard what Arnold said, I was certain that he knew what happened. It seemed I had chosen the right person to ask about this."It’s a long story, and it’s complicated because it involves many people from prominent families and even led to loss of lives. That’s why those who involved coordinated their testimonies, swiftly suppressed the incident, and have maintained a unified stance to keep it under wraps."Arnold's explanation was starting to shed light on why this incident had been suppressed."The root cause and key figure of this incident was Melvern, so the wealthy families of Foswood joined forces to attack him. The Sunny family feared further investigation and was forced to move away from Foswood under joint pressure from those families. It was to appease public outrage."As I listened to Arnold's detailed account, the gravity of the situation became apparent."But the way you describe it, it sounds like Foswood's elite turned against him. What did he do to incur the c
I was shocked, and completely forgot any embarrassment. "That’s outrageous. No wonder no one wants to talk about it."Now that I understood the true nature of the incident, it was clear why no one wanted to speak about it. That was truly a dark chapter in Foswood's history.I looked at Arnold in disbelief, feeling awkward as I asked, "Were... were all the participants voluntary?""How could that be? There’s no way that all of them volunteered. Even if they had, it wouldn't change the fact that they were manipulated. If we hadn't left in time, we would have been victims too," Arnold said without confirming or denying anything."You mean... you mean they used some special methods?" I guessed, trying to understand the situation."Yes. They initially used those methods on girls with no status or family background. But the more they indulged, the bolder they became," Arnold elaborated.As I pieced together the incident with what Arnold was telling me, I thought about Melvern's demeano
"You might as well say that you're smart. That's the crux of the matter," Arnold teased. I wasn't affected at all. "Exactly. Wasn't it supposed to be super exclusive, as Melvern prepared it? How did they get caught?""At first, the parents involved in the event suspected us, the Beringer brothers, because only a few of us left the gathering. The leak could only be from us," Arnold explained. "All fingers pointed at us. That's a typical reaction.""Are you saying someone reported this?" I asked curiously. It seemed unbelievable, as the informant had to be one of the attendees.I glanced at Arnold, asking, "Was it someone from here?""Yes, it was someone with inside information." Arnold didn't deny it. "You don't think it was us, do you?"He looked at me, teasingly smiling. "At that time, all accusations were directed at us. Grandma warned us not to say anything. So, regardless of how the outside world criticized the Beringer family, we just ignored it.""Grandma Rose is indeed
Arnold was dismissive of my skepticism."The affair between that woman and Melvern isn't as big a feud as it seems. Just because he stole his wife? Nonsense. Melvern sees Liora as nothing more than a piece of clothing." Arnold seemed quite repulsed."Why is that? Atticus doesn't seem afraid of Melvern. But from what I see, there's a possibility that Atticus is right about Melvern coming back for revenge. Could it be because of this report from back then?" I questioned."This incident was the main factor that led the Sunny family to leave Foswood." I had to admit that fact. Arnold looked at me calmly, then continued, "Atticus's greatest resentment was Liora’s family forcing him into marrying her.""Forced?" I questioned this statement. "Why?" Arnold chuckled. "It's hard to believe that a distinguished CEO like Atticus was 'forced' to marry Liora, right?"I nodded. "Yeah!""That's now. At that time, Atticus was just a small contractor, barely making a name for himself."I no
"The girl was from out of town. She's from a humble background, and even if she wanted to make a scene, she didn't know how. Besides, her family was very poor," Arnold explained, and suddenly, I understood what would happen."After the incident, the Sunny family spent a considerable sum to settle the matter, giving the girl's family only 70 thousand dollars, and that was the end of it." Arnold sighed, shaking his head."70 thousand dollars?" I exclaimed, "This is outrageous! They just dismissed a precious life for 70 thousand dollars?"Even though I guessed the story's outcome, I didn't expect the Sunny family to be so heartless, treating human lives like they meant nothing.Arnold helplessly replied, "The girl's family was too impoverished. That's how it goes. They had never seen so much money. They even feared they couldn't get their hands on the 70 thousand."I felt speechless, and a sense of powerlessness overwhelmed me."Afterward, under heavy pressure, the Sunny family immi