Even though Chris had long noticed Kathryn's bias toward Tally, her current statement still surprised him."So when Tally does it, it's not considered despicable anymore?" he sighed, massaging his temples. Just moments ago, they were both agreeing on how terrible it was to burn down gates and desecrate graves.It dawned on Chris that Kathryn's support for Tally would never waver, no matter what.Kathryn reasoned, "Well, Markus practically forced her into it."Given Markus' relentless pressure tactics, Kathryn couldn't overlook the toll it had inflicted on Tally. She, too, had been pushed to the brink of madness by his coercion in the past. So, even if Tally did something wrong, Kathryn believed it was still Markus' fault.Chris, feeling frustrated with Kathryn's reasoning, decided to drop the argument altogether."Ugh, I need to give Tally a call," Kathryn muttered, turning on her heel. Clearly, she was off to seek confirmation.Kathryn's obvious bias toward Tally made Chris f
Tally said, "Oh, you bet! I'm so mad I could just strangle them!"Talking about it only fueled Tally's anger even more. She couldn't help but wonder what misdeeds she had done in her past life to deserve this kind of trouble in this one.To Tally, the Hunt family was unquestionably a huge nuisance. It was the kind that could drive someone insane.Kathryn wondered aloud, "And yet you're willing to go up against them, even if it might harm your dad?"This left Kathryn scratching her head, unsure of what to make of it.It appeared that her line of thought mirrored the typical initial reaction of most people, including Tally. However, everything took a different turn with Victor's involvement."I used to think the same way. But Kat, you've got to remember. If someone threatens you, you can't just back down. You have to stand your ground, even stronger than them."That was the lesson Tally learned today. She never imagined Victor's viewpoint would be so accurate.Now, not only did t
As Tally thought back on Kathryn, she couldn't help but wonder how things might have turned out if she hadn't been there for Kathryn.Seeing her disbelief, Victor smirked and asked, "Did you really raise Kathryn?""Of course, we've been together since middle school."Back then, it often felt like Tally was the one taking care of Kathryn.Even after they graduated, Tally continued to support her, ensuring she found employment and worrying she might struggle in the real world.To this day, Tally couldn't quite understand why she felt such a strong bond with Kathryn. Constantly worrying about her, ensuring she had enough to eat and was properly dressed, made Tally feel like a second mother to her.…When Tally returned to the company, Irina came over and said, "Mr. Markus is here. He's been waiting for you for a while."Tally's eyes twitched upon hearing Markus was there.Henry stood outside her office door and respectfully greeted her. "Ms. Johnson."Tally remained silent. Sh
Markus couldn't hide his frustration when he heard Tally say she couldn't handle it."You're telling me you can't handle it?"Tally replied, "That's right, I can't.""Tally Johnson!" Markus snarled. "Don't snarl at me like that. There was never anything between us, and I'm not to blame for how things have turned out," Tally shot back. The room fell silent. Markus' eyes bore into her with a sharpness akin to a hawk's.Back in their days at Albert Group, Tally used to feel a bit intimidated by Markus' intense gaze. But now, she wasn't afraid anymore.Looking into Markus' eyes, she snapped back. "And you've made it clear you didn't want anything to do with me.""I may not want anything to do with you, but today, you owe me an explanation for these two things." Markus' tone was unusually forceful.To him, Tally was willing to do things as extreme as burning down houses and desecrating graves, yet she thought she could just slip away without being held accountable.There was no
Tally left.With only Irina and Markus left in the office, Markus gave Irina a cold look and remarked, "You're turning out to be quite the loyal dog Victor's keeping around."Irina didn't respond. But inside, a surge of anger ignited."Are you biting at whoever you come across now?" she calmly shot back.To Irina, Markus now appeared to be nothing short of a bull in a china shop. It felt like anyone not on his side was automatically his enemy, and he wouldn't hesitate to confront them.And now, he was calling her a dog. Even if that was the case, she was one who knew how to bite back and wouldn't let him get away with it.Markus said, "She's not going to a meeting, is she?"Aware that Irina was firing back at him, he felt annoyed but chose not to engage further. He was getting fed up with anyone associated with Victor.Listening to his confident tone, Irina couldn't help but sneer. "You know, you're pretty clever. But it seems you're not putting it to good use."Markus was ren
Irina stood up, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "Mr. Markus, you're actually quite rational, aren't you?"Markus scoffed, "Are you trying to talk your way out of this?""No, I honestly think you're rational," Irina insisted.Offering validation at the right moment could help ease one's agitation.Markus did not reply. He glared at her fiercely, as if he could see right through her.Despite his intimidating gaze, Irina merely returned a faint smile, utterly unperturbed.Getting up, Markus shot her a cold look and remarked, "You're quite the loyal lapdog, aren't you?"Irina seethed in silence. His words stung.Markus didn't say another word. He just turned and walked away.Watching him leave, Irina felt the urge to explode, but she bit her tongue. In any case, ensuring he left without further confrontation was the best course of action.Otherwise, given the way things had escalated with Tally earlier, who knew how long the argument would have dragged on?Tally was in
When Irina looked at Tally, she said seriously, "You really need to get Mr. Hunt Senior to dislike you even more." Tally caught on as she met Irina's determined gaze.Elijah was really fond of his son Markus, so much so that he was willing to compromise anything for him.Irina kept going, saying, "It'd be great if you could somehow get Mr. Hunt Senior to set up a marriage for Mr. Markus right away. That would really seal the deal and take all your worries off your plate.""Set up a marriage?""Yes," Irina confirmed with a nod.Tally fell silent. Irina noticed her puzzled look and explained further, "Lately, the Hunt family has been caught up in quite a few scandals. They've almost become the talk of the entire Harborlean."If the Hunt family were to announce Mr. Markus' engagement now, considering Mr. Hunt Senior's prideful nature, everything would go smoothly with the engagement."Tally fell silent, mulling over Irina's words."He's prideful?" Tally questioned herself.Tr
Irina nodded, saying, "Yes!""Could you look into which wealthy young ladies enjoy spending time in those places?""Are you suggesting we find him a rich one?" Irina asked. "At the very least, let's find him someone who's, you know, normal," Tally suggested.Even though there was a lot of bad blood between Tally and Markus, she wasn't the kind of person to do something morally wrong. So, in that situation, her main goal was to completely cut ties with Markus rather than risk her life by getting involved."If I really got Markus into bed with a bar girl, Mr. Hunt Senior would surely kill me."Then, it hit Irina. So, morality wasn't really the issue there. It was more about Tally's own survival. When Tally mentioned it was "unethical", she was just trying to be nice. Deep down, she was fully aware of what was really going on. Irina gave a nod. "Got it."Tally suggested, "You should go find out. It would be even better if they had a bit of a crush on Markus."Irina stayed s