We both immediately exclaimed in unison, "Of course, we're listening!"Grayson said, "Quick! Have Carol bring me another cup of coffee."I promptly rang the bell, summoning Carol to pour three cups of coffee for us.Carol quickly turned around to fetch the coffee for us.She hesitated and looked at Grayson. She couldn't hold back and asked casually, "Have you had breakfast? Are you just drinking coffee?"Grayson looked helpless. "When do I have time for breakfast? I need to report this. After the briefing, I'll grab a bite and sleep."Carol walked out. I knew she must be preparing something for him.Grayson took a big sip and continued, "Unexpectedly, life is full of twists and turns. One day, Keller's Dairy suddenly encountered trouble.""What?" I exclaimed.Lauren also seemed frozen, forgetting to sip her coffee. Grayson shrugged."Milk poisoning. It led to two deaths! It caused a sensation in Gerby then, and Helen's father was also arrested. Her mother, in a fit of anger,
As soon as we got to that point, I remembered what happened back then."When she left, she came to say goodbye to me in a rush, mentioning an urgent matter in her hometown. I remember asking her, 'What's the matter? Why the rush?' but she didn't give me a clear answer and left in a hurry."Thinking about it now, I regretted being so careless. But even if I had known something back then, what could I have done?I continued, "Then everyone went to their internships, and Beatrice never returned. We only had occasional phone calls. At that time, I was busy with starting a business, dealing with Matthew, and the daily hustle of the building materials business. I didn’t have time to contact her."As I spoke, the bitterness in my heart intensified. If I had known she was in trouble, I would have helped her, even if I wasn’t that important back then."I didn’t think anything would go wrong since she was back in her hometown with her parents, so I neglected her. I didn’t know about her fat
Grayson looked at us, leaning back in his chair. "Even the Keller's Dairy poisoning incident remains a mystery. We investigated everything, but couldn't find a clue. I think there's something fishy here. The official conclusion at that time was that improper production processes led to issues in dairy products, and Helen's father ended up taking the blame.""He was in prison until shortly before Helen fell ill, then he died in jail. After that, Helen got sick, had a cerebral hemorrhage, and remained unconscious until she passed away two years later. And in just a short time, Beatrice was admitted to the mental hospital."Everyone's statements aligned. Helen's father died in prison, and her grief was overwhelming, leading to a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Similarly, Beatrice was deeply affected and went insane." Grayson spread his hands helplessly.Lauren chimed in, "This doesn't add up. There must be a reason for all this. It can't be just a coincidence, right? If it really is relate
Honestly, I wasn’t sure."The original plan was to go after Matthew's case was over, but everything got mixed up. His case is done, but we still have to deal with the aftermath," I said with some concern."Do you really want to continue dealing with what comes after?" Lauren sounded impatient."No. You're right. I can't just keep being his crutch," I quickly reassured Lauren. "Don't worry. It's just Liora.""Haha! You spared her this time. She probably feels like she’s on top of the world now," Lauren said disdainfully."Let her enjoy her moment," I replied nonchalantly. I understood what Atlas was doing about this since I had talked to him and learned his plans."My father is waiting for some news too. Once there's an update on the Bermuda Alliance, there will be no delay. I’m afraid Navi might do something. If my father becomes useless to them, neither side will spare him. Unveiling the truth about the Pierce family will become impossible then... We can't take any of this light
I stepped back and pressed the elevator button for the basement.Lauren turned to look at me and asked, "What's wrong?"I quickly shrugged and said, "I saw a classmate I'd rather not meet."In response, Lauren immediately said, "Michelle?"I widened my eyes, looking at her with a smile. "You're a mind reader. Yes, it's her. She's in the lobby, probably waiting for me.""Oh, thank goodness you noticed in time. If she had stuck to you, it would have delayed us quite a bit," Lauren said."I wouldn’t have cared if she’d delayed us, but she's been bothering me for a long time, and it’s definitely not over anything good. My classmates can't stand her," I said, taking out my car keys from my bag. "Let's take my car! Thankfully, there's a back exit we can use. Otherwise, I'd have to deal with her every day."We found my car and got in, heading straight to the taco shop.Business here was always good. We had arrived early and it wasn’t lunchtime yet, but there were no empty seats.Al
Lauren continued, "That landlord saw Alejandra's business thriving and wanted to drive her away by raising the rent. Both parties didn’t want to back down. Alejandra certainly didn't want to pay such a high price for rent, and the landlord wanted to force her out.""That's downright unethical," I complained."Alejandra already had a steady stream of customers. If she moved, it would be a considerable loss. Alejandra was furious. When she rented the place, she paid two years worth of rent in advance. It would all be in vain if she left after building a loyal customer base."But the landlord didn't care about any of that. He doubled the rent and even threatened to take the place back if they couldn't reach an agreement quickly, claiming he couldn't delay his own leasing process."Alejandra was infuriated and argued with them. When she first rented the place, the rent was already higher than usual. The landlord took advantage of the situation for personal gain," Lauren expressed disda
Lauren shook her head and said, "No, how could I take advantage of Chelsea? Besides, I don't have the time or interest to manage those things.""But Chelsea doesn't have the money, right?" I asked, and suddenly, it became clear to me.Smiling, she said, "After we completed all the procedures, I told Chelsea to take over the house. However, Chelsea told me that she couldn't afford it. I suggested getting a loan because the bank had a support policy then. I secretly had her go to Oliver, and the loan was arranged."This turned out just as I expected."Chelsea has solved all her worries because it was a no-interest policy, and the principal could be repaid in five years. She doesn't have to deal with the landlord, and repaying the loan was easy! In the end, she got this house. Chelsea gained with no loss," Lauren said casually.I smiled and said, "No wonder Chelsea loves you so much! Why didn't I meet you earlier? When I was in the construction business, my funds occasionally ran dry
I did not particularly enjoy hearing her say that. I asked her, "Lauren, are you eighty years old? Why are you feeling so depressed when you are only in your thirties? Give him another chance, allow him to treat you well, and show him how much you are loved."I gave her a fierce look and said, "It's true that Oliver is regretful. He has been searching for you nonstop since you disappeared! He has gotten thin, and it shows his concern for you. Try to forget what happened! Isn't that better?Lauren shook her head slowly. "It is impossible."My heart ached to see her attitude.I asked as I gazed at her, "Since you claim it's impossible, why not start over by finding someone who loves you? Must you torment yourself?" I had wanted to discuss this with Lauren for a long time. Oliver would be best for her. Despite not being a businessman, he was a well-respected individual. They previously shared an understanding and made an excellent combination of their respective skills and looks.
Four months later, at a hospital in Foswood.After being wheeled out of the delivery room, I saw my entire family waiting for me outside.My grandmother, supported by Hana, walked up to me, trembling. "Chlo, my Chlo, you've been through so much!"Beside my grandmother was a girl who looked a lot like me, standing silently beside my grandmother. She was the one who had been crafted to be my counterfeit.What was even more dramatic was that the DNA test results had revealed that she was actually my parents' daughter. When we found out, we cried tears of joy. It was truly heaven-sent. From then on, I gained another sister, who was like a twin to me.Feeling a little weak, I looked at her kind smile and said, "Grandma! It's two boys!""We all saw them. They’re very handsome and healthy! I can finally rest assured. My daughter has a life partner now," Ivanna said as she eagerly squeezed by my side.Everyone burst into laughter. Jared reached out his long arm and pulled her back. "Com
I closed my eyes, trying hard to recall my dreams. Usually, this scenario always appeared in my dreams, but now I couldn't remember any details.Atlas looked at me indulgently. "Take your time, don't rush. Your mom will help us."I took a deep breath, clearing all the distractions from my mind. I seemed to see my mom holding my hand, eagerly walking into the woods, looking around and at the treetops. As we ventured deeper into the woods, I asked, "Where are you taking me, Mom? The woods are so dark. I'm scared! Don't go in, Mom. There might be wild animals!""Don't be afraid. I'm here with you. We need to find the tallest tree.""Why do we need to find the tallest tree?""So you can remember!""But I can't walk anymore. I'm scared!""Go sit on that rock for a while. I'll come to you.""A rock," I murmured as I suddenly opened my eyes.I quickly stood up, searching for a place with rocks."Search where there are rocks," Atlas instructed the others.Everyone dispersed quickly,
I gazed at Atlas's anxious face, his features wavering before my eyes. "Chlo... tell me what's wrong," he said, concern etched on his handsome face. I glanced around the room, noticing all our loved ones present, their faces filled with worry, both inside and outside the door.Closing my eyes, I nestled into Atlas's embrace. I felt exhausted like never before. With a soft murmur, I confessed, "I'm... I'm okay." My head throbbed fiercely with an unbearable sensation."I'm fine," I repeated before settling back into his arms, still as a statue. In my ears, the echoes of my dream lingered.A team of medical staff rushed in. Atlas patted me gently. "Let the doctors check you out, sweetheart. You've been out for 48 hours! Let them examine you, okay?"He eased me onto the bed. After the doctors finished their examination, they briefed Atlas on the results.I drifted back to sleep, this time for real, unaware of anything.When I woke up again, the room was bright. Blinking, I look
Ernest was truly shaken by the sight before him, visibly trembling in fear."Everyone in the car, get out! You have one minute." After Atlas's words, several red dots appeared on the foreheads of the people inside the car.The driver immediately wet himself in fear, raising his hands. "N-No... please!..."As his hand reached for the door handle to exit the car, Kenzie shot him dead. I screamed in terror, but at the same time, the man in the passenger seat slumped over, also dead.However, that shot came from a sniper outside.The others were dumbfounded. The two men beside me immediately grabbed their heads and crouched down."Get out of the car!" Kenzie shouted loudly.The two men beside me acted as if they had been granted clemency, reaching to open the car door and shouting, "Don't shoot!" Then, they rolled out of the car, clutching their heads."Kenzie... release Chloe... save me!" Ernest wailed, his appearance filled with disdain.Kenzie's voice trembled. "Ernest...""
"I really haven't seen anything. What are you talking about? My dad never told me about this!" I gritted my teeth, holding onto this secret, but it was clear they already knew about the existence of the survey maps."If you want your children to live, you better tell me the truth. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to show you no mercy. Let me tell you the truth, I didn't plan on leaving alive!" Kenzie's admission was chilling."Then if I die, bitch, I'll take you down with me. Oh... no, scratch that. It'll be you and your children. Haha… So, tell me!" She hit me with the back of the gun."Kenzie, you know how Atlas feels about me. He wouldn't let me be harmed. Do you really think he'd tell me too much? About those maps you mentioned, not only do I not know, but I haven't even seen them. “Even if they exist, my father would only tell him..." I appealed to Atlas's protective feelings toward me, a reasonable plea since most men would be protective of their loved ones, especially Atlas.Ju
I adjusted my breathing and asked, "What do you want to know?"Although I asked this, my mind raced. "He's been back for some time now and has said too much... You've got to tell me, what exactly do you want to know?""Louis and Rory had a secret between them. What was it?" Kenzie said, her voice dripping with malice."They…" I deliberately gasped loudly, buying myself some time. I knew Atlas would come to rescue me. My priority was to protect my children."They... two of them had a... sizable sum of money..." Since that money was already in our hands, I thought it would be futile even if they knew.Kenzie completely released her grip and then shoved my head forward abruptly. My body plunged forward, but quick reflexes saved me as I grabbed onto the front seat, steadying myself."What money? How much?" Kenzie seemed very interested."The amount is significant, but I don't know exactly." I played coy with her. After all, everyone was interested in money matters.Of course, Kenzi
The screech of brakes pierced the air, and a gray car halted right in front of me. Instinctively, I stepped back, unable to discern the make of the car before two individuals leaped out and swiftly pulled me into the vehicle. Simultaneously, a panicked cry sounded from behind me, "Chlo…"Before I could even assess the situation inside the car, it bolted forward."What do you want? Who are you people?" I struggled and shouted.Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind, gripping my neck tightly, and a chilling voice whispered, "Enough."With just those words, I instantly recognized the person. The voice was all too familiar.I steadied my nerves and spoke with feigned calmness, "Kenzie, you've got some nerve, attacking me in broad daylight. It seems like you're really desperate. What? Your plan failed, didn't it?"My neck was forcefully pulled backward. The sudden suffocation drove me to claw at the arm, choking me instinctively."Don't move! If you don't want to die so soon, beh
Atlas's face darkened as he uttered a curt "Hmm" and hung up the phone.Turning to Tristan, he said, "Escort Mrs. Chloe back to the office."He looked at me and softened his tone, "You go back to the office first, I'll come to pick you up later." Atlas expressed a hint of apology."Okay." I nodded.Tristan escorted me to my office and gave me some instructions before leaving.Then, my phone rang. It was a call from Trinity. I quickly answered, "Chlo, I'm about to head to the airport, I’m going to Yare. Do you have any messages for the old lady?"Her sudden question caught me off guard. I really didn't know what message to convey. After all, the old lady of the Avila family to me was just an impression from a photo."No. Let's talk after everything's settled. I'll arrange a time to visit her," I said lightly.Although the travel ban for me had been lifted with the situation becoming clearer, Yare was in turmoil, and I was pregnant. I didn't want to make any promises to the old l
Atticus carefully watched the agitated Mia as he sat in the wheelchair. He pulled out a document and held it out for the media to see."ATL Empire invested 10 billion in Echelon Group a month ago, intending to work together to build a new real estate development and construction field in Zydan. I regret to inform you that you’re no longer a significant shareholder in Echelon, Miss Mia."Even I was shocked by that investment certificate. I looked at Atlas, who seemed confident."To be more accurate, Echelon Group had already signed this agreement before I went to Celestis Island. The real largest shareholder of Echelon Group is ATL Empire. I’m just a partner."As you planned, the shares had long been diluted, but unfortunately, not by you, but by ATL Empire. But I still want to thank you for helping me remove the scum from Echelon Group and purifying Echelon’s ranks."Mia suddenly stood up and banged her fist on the table. She shouted, "Impossible! Atticus, are you playing me?""Y