The secretary gave Serena a once-over and asked, "You're looking for Mister Lloyd? Do you have an appointment?"Serena grew slightly annoyed. "I'm Serena Lloyd! Do I need an appointment to see Etchen?"The secretary scowled in disdain. "No matter who you are, you need an appointment to see Mister Lloyd. Besides, Mister Lloyd is out for a meeting and hasn't returned yet."Serena was momentarily taken aback. "Out for a meeting and hasn't returned? What kind of meeting begins so early in the morning?"The secretary rolled her eyes even more exaggeratedly. "How would I know?"Serena's eyes flashed with a trace of anger. However, she knew it was not the time to argue with the secretary.Ignoring the secretary blocking the door, she turned around, took out her phone, and dialed Etchen's number.As soon as the call connected, Etchen's arrogant voice came through. "Serena! Calling me so early, what's wrong with you? Don't bother me if there's nothing important! I'm very busy!"Serena t
"Etchen isn’t here?"When he heard the receptionist's words, the leading man frowned deeply. Their agreed meeting time was ten past three in the afternoon. It was already three, and Etchen was still not there. Could he make it back in ten minutes? Regardless of whether Etchen could make it back or not, his attitude already showed a lack of seriousness toward the project.The pharmaceutical project covered a wide scope. It was no exaggeration that securing cooperation on the project would guarantee any company's future development. Numerous companies were vying for the opportunity to collaborate. The Lloyd Group was prioritized because of Serena's diligent efforts and meticulous preparation. However, Etchen's behavior filled the project leader with dissatisfaction."Let's wait a bit longer."The meeting time had not yet arrived, and the man could not say much. He turned to the other members of the project team, frowning as he spoke.Time passed quickly, and soon, it was alrea
Upon hearing Serena's words, the Lloyd family members suddenly widened their eyes."What did you say?"They did not take Serena's words seriously at first. Otherwise, they would have mentioned it at the dinner table. However, they did not expect that what Serena mentioned was actually that big project!The next moment, they all turned to look at Etchen with excitement written all over their faces."Etchen! Tell us quickly! How did the discussion about the project go?" "Has it been confirmed?" If they remembered correctly, when Serena introduced the relevant situation, she clearly said that the project was almost ready."I…"Etchen was suddenly at a loss. He opened his mouth, but could not say a word for a long time.Ronald immediately frowned. "What’s going on? Why aren't you speaking?" Etchen had no choice but to lower his head and whisper, "I… I didn't get to meet the project team members who came to the company to discuss the cooperation. I was too busy today. I almost
Etchen looked at Ronald, feeling very aggrieved. "Dad! Serena never explained the situation clearly! She didn't even tell me the name of the company we're supposed to cooperate with! I just found out right now! I think Serena did this on purpose!"As he spoke, Etchen turned to glare at Serena. "She just wants me to make a mistake on this project so she can go back to being the CEO of the Lloyd Group!""How could you..."Listening to Etchen's words, Serena's face turned red with anger. Her chest heaved up and down rapidly, but she was so angry that she could not even speak.Serena could not understand how Etchen could say such things.Back then, she wanted to explain the situation to the Lloyd family members in detail, but no one wanted to listen. When she tried to outline the details of the cooperating company, Etchen interrupted her.How could all of it be blamed on her?At that moment, Hailey's voice suddenly rang out as she looked at Serena suspiciously."I think so too! She
Hailey glared at Ronald. "Didn't he already say so? It wasn't intentional!"Sam could not say much, feeling extremely anxious. "No way, we can't give up on such a big project! Think of something quickly! If we can secure this project, the Lloyd Group can have new developments!"When Serena told them a while ago, no one in the Lloyd family cared. However, they all became worried then.Ronald felt utterly powerless, his face bitter. "The project party already said they wouldn't consider our Lloyd Group. What can we do?"Hailey's voice suddenly rang out sharply as she raised her eyebrows and looked at Serena. "How can there be no way? Didn't Serena say before that she had almost finalized the project? She must be familiar with the project party, so let her solve it! Besides, this failure is all because of Serena. She must take responsibility!"Serena's eyes widened. "How can I solve it?"She had worked so hard to secure the opportunity for the Lloyd Group, but Etchen did not seize t
Hailey glanced at Serena with disdain. "Ever since that worthless ex-convict got out of prison, just look at you. You don't take our family's matters seriously, and now such a big problem has arisen. Whenever I ask you to do something, you keep making excuses! My good mood is completely ruined now!"She threw cutlery in anger. "What's the point of eating? I don't feel like eating anymore!"With that, Hailey left the dining table.It was not just Hailey. Filled with disdain, other members of the Lloyd family also glanced at Serena before getting up."You'd better get this project back on track!"The Lloyd Group had just lost a billion-dollar project. They had no appetite to continue eating.Not a single person thought it was Etchen's fault. They blamed everything on Serena.The once lively dining table was left with only Serena in no time."How could this happen?"Serena's body trembled slightly. She could not understand how things had come to that.She had made every effort,
Even though she knew the outcome, Serena could not help but sigh after hearing Harvey's response. She could sense Harvey's anger over the phone. Serena had no idea what Etchen had done to infuriate him so much, but pondering about it was pointless.After hanging up the phone, Serena furrowed her brows in deep thought. She did not want to give up. Apart from her persistent efforts, the project collaboration team considered the Lloyd Group because they owned a medicinal herb field.Suddenly, a thought struck her, and her eyes lit up. If she remembered correctly, several companies had mortgaged their herb fields to the bank when the medicinal herb business was not doing well a few years ago. Due to the industry's downturn, the bank held several auctions but could not sell those fields. If she could buy those herb fields and expand production, it could give her a chance to renegotiate with the project team.Serena decisively left the Hill family and headed to the bank without hesita
When Serena stepped into the bank manager's office, she was greeted with an exaggerated smile by a portly man who immediately stood up."Miss Lloyd, it's been such a long time!"The man was Kris Chansey—the manager of the main branch of South City Bank. Despite his high position, he did not carry himself with the dignity of a bank manager. His beady eyes squinted as he looked at Serena, giving off a lecherous vibe.Kris scanned Serena's shapely figure as he licked his lips. "What brings you to our bank today?"Serena frowned slightly at his gaze. "Mister Chansey, I'm here to consult with you about the fields we mortgaged to the bank a while back."She had dealt with Kris numerous times due to her previous work, but she never liked the fat man. His gaze always made her uncomfortable.Kris paused for a moment. "You mean the medicinal fields mortgaged to our bank?"Serena nodded. "Yes, those fields. If possible, I would like to buy them all this time."Kris squinted his eyes. "Buy
Charles could not just stand by.However, Liam had not continued speaking yet.The moment Godfrey heard Charles’s words, his eyes widened abruptly, and an exaggerated grin appeared on his face."Liam?"Godfrey extended a finger, pointing straight at Liam, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he asked, "You wouldn’t happen to be that Liam, famed in South City, would you?"It was clear he had heard of Liam’s exploits."I don’t know anything about being famed in South City."Liam looked at Godfrey calmly and said, "I am Liam Burrey.""Hahaha!"Hearing Liam’s response, Godfrey burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching his stomach. His laughter was saturated with ridicule. "I can’t take it! You’re killing me!"I thought the Hensworth family found someone reliable to back them up, but it turns out it’s just a useless piece of trash!"And you dare spout nonsense about breaking my legs?"Shaking his head, his face was full of disdain. "Now it’s clear—you people have lost your mind
"Liam…"Seeing the scene before her, Valerie trembled.When she first heard Godfrey’s merciless words, her heart burned with grief and indignation. Yet, Valerie also understood that in the face of this situation, she did not have any viable solutions.The moment she realized Godfrey was from Union Finance, Valerie knew the Hensworth Group was nothing in comparison.What’s more, the Hensworth Group was currently on the brink of bankruptcy and had to rely on Godfrey for help!She never imagined Liam would step up at such a moment.After all, she had only asked Liam to pretend to be her boyfriend; there was no real relationship between them.And Union Finance wasn’t just powerful. Its background was incredibly mysterious.There were long-standing rumors that Union Finance in Qyn Province had connections to Juneau.Otherwise, the Nosh family could not have dominated the vast financial market and remained unshaken for so many years.Even if Liam might be capable of resolving this,
"I…"Hearing this, Charles was momentarily stunned.But in the end, he shook his head and said, "Mister Nosh, if Union Finance truly can't approve a loan for the Hensworth Group, then so be it."We'll figure out another way…"Charles's voice was low and heavy. At first, he genuinely believed Godfrey wanted to be with Valerie. But now it was clear Godfrey had no such intentions—he only wanted to toy with Valerie. How could Charles possibly agree to this?At the same time, his heart was filled with regret. He had almost become the one to push his daughter into a pit of fire!"You'll figure out another way?"Godfrey's expression darkened. He glared at Charles coldly and sneered. "Ten billion in loans, just to have Valerie play with me for a while! I really didn't know that any wh*re on the market could be this expensive!""If you don't agree, I'd like to see which other financial institution in Qyn Province would dare lend to you without Union Finance's approval!"The entire orde
"What’s wrong with you?"Hearing this, Godfrey furrowed his brows and said in a dissatisfied tone, "How long has it been? How could you not handle such a simple matter?""You still want that loan from the Hensworth Group approved, don’t you?"He immediately reprimanded Charles."Whether or not I’m with you is my business, it has nothing to do with my father!"Upon hearing this, Valerie immediately understood the implication behind Godfrey's words. Although she had just been angry with Charles, she could not allow Godfrey to speak to her father like that."Then what exactly are you thinking now?"Hearing Valerie's words, Godfrey turned his head, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable light as he looked at her. "The other day, I asked you to go out for drinks. Why didn’t you go?"The reason Godfrey had come in and started pressuring Charles was that he sensed that Valerie seemed uninterested in him.However, he had not expected Valerie to suddenly speak up at this moment."I did
"Dad, Liam really does have the ability to help our Hensworth Group…"However, hearing Liam’s words, a hint of urgency flashed across Valerie’s face. She quickly spoke, as though she wanted to persuade him of something.Even though, up until now, Valerie did not know the full extent of Liam’s influence, after the last class reunion, she was very certain—Liam helping the Hensworth Group would definitely not be a problem!"Valerie! You and Liam, both of you get out of here!"Before Valerie could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Charles. His face darkened as he pointed toward the nearby door and barked harshly."Come back when you’ve thought things through!"The Hensworth Group was already on the brink of a crisis. Yet Valerie was still stirring up trouble. Right now, Charles did not even want to see her!"Dad…"Seeing this, Valerie opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say more.And just then—Bang!A loud noise rang out. The villa door of Valerie’s home was violently k
"I…"Hearing Charles’s words, Sebastian froze. His once-straight back slowly hunched over.Charles was not wrong.If the Lloyd Group were dealing with some minor trouble, maybe he could help. But if the crisis was so severe that marrying off Valerie was the only solution, there was nothing Sebastian could do.After all, he had stepped away from the Lloyd Group’s management and handed it over to Charles many years ago.Sebastian had long since lost much of his influence.Now, he was just an old man who spent his days watering flowers and pulling weeds.At that moment, a wave of frustration washed over him.As for the truth behind Charles’s words, he did not ask much. Sebastian knew his son well. If the situation were not dire, Charles wouldn’t be saying such things.Just then, Liam’s voice rang out, slow and steady."How serious could the Lloyd Group’s crisis be for you to be in such a rush to marry off Valerie?"He narrowed his eyes slightly, fixing his gaze on Charles."Yo
The young man standing before them, tall and handsome, could he really be the person described in those rumors?"Dad! Mom! You just don’t understand!"Valerie's delicate face was filled with urgency as she looked at the scene before her. "Liam really isn’t like the rumors say.""I honestly think that being with him is an honor for our Hensworth family. Please, you have to trust me!" she pleaded desperately."Grandpa just had a chat with Liam earlier. Why don’t you ask him? Doesn’t he also think Liam is great? He’s truly amazing. Everything I know about him barely scratches the surface!"As she spoke, Valerie turned her gaze to Sebastian, seeking his support.What she wanted to convey to Charles and Janell was not just about seeking their approval for her to be with Liam.At this point, Valerie only wanted to clear Liam’s name!"Sigh..."Hearing her words, Sebastian let out a deep sigh.He raised his head to look at Charles, his tone softening slightly. "It really hasn’t been
Hearing Valerie's voice, Liam could not help but turn his head, looking at Valerie with surprise in his eyes. Although he knew that her current actions were merely an excuse to avoid marrying that Mister Nosh, her performance truly startled him. If it were not for the prior agreement between him and Valerie, he would have almost believed what she was saying was true. Valerie's acting skills were indeed exceptional.As for the Hensworth family's prejudices, Liam did not care. He was well aware that, thanks to the propaganda from the Lloyd family, his reputation in South City was hardly good. However, none of this could affect him. A dragon soaring high in the sky would never be concerned about the buzzing of flies. But it seemed that the rumors from the Lloyd family were causing some trouble for Valerie. Liam had actually thought about this initially. However, when he first agreed to meet Valerie's parents, he genuinely believed that he just needed to show up and everything w
He immediately turned his head to look at Sebastian and said, "At your age, you usually have the best perspective. What happened this time? Why do you trust someone you just met so much?"That's because you didn't see the performance of this kid just now!"Sebastian was very dissatisfied with Charles's words. He patted his waist and said, "If it weren't for this kid just now, I wouldn't be able to stand up until now! He wants to teach me a set of boxing techniques that can heal my old man's back injury. Can you do that?""This…"Hearing Sebastian's words, Charles was taken aback. He really did not know that so much had happened just now. Charles was not a foolish person stuck in his ways. Seeing Sebastian's attitude, he could still determine that the young man in front of him had some ability.However, even so, Charles's thoughts did not change."What's your name?" Charles turned his head to look at Liam and asked. This was the first time he had inquired about Liam's name since e