Chris had banned food from the office, so he had one less way to get to know women. After Chris put down the juice, he shot Victor a serious look. "You need to call off your engagement with Tally Johnson."Victor was about to light a cigarette when he froze. Then, he looked at Chris confusedly. "What do you mean?"Chris had never been clear about Tally's matters in the first place, and now he'd called him over with such a serious look. Was there really something big going on?"She's currently working for Skyline Group," Chris said."So? She could work for me if she wanted." Victor still hadn't understood what Chris meant. She was just one woman, and he was rich enough to provide for her for her whole life if he wanted.When Chris noticed Victor still hadn't figured it out, he stated more directly, "Markus was the one who forced her to work there."Victor didn't know what to say. Markus? Forcing her? What on earth was going on? Why would he do that? "Wow, his recruitin
Victor had been so surprised that he'd rejected Tally without a second thought, but he didn't expect Tally to visit him for the second time."Markus probably wouldn't agree to that," Chris said. After all, the amount of interest Markus had shown in Tally wasn't exactly tiny. He was probably furious after that stunt Tally pulled.Victor scoffed. "It doesn't matter whether he agrees. Tally's already my fiancée."The way Victor saw it, women were so troublesome. So if he finally found one that wasn't, and she'd literally showed up on his doorstep, why would he let go of her?It was Markus' own fault for losing the girl. Finders keepers. In his world of criminals, this was how things worked."Then you can leave," Chris said."What?""Pretend we never met up today.""Hold on. Markus may be your former right-hand man, but there's no need to end a friendship over him, is there?" Victor didn't know what to say. Chris was not a coward, so why was he acting like this?"I'm staying out
"Thank you so much! How much are all these? I'll pay you back," Kathryn said. "No need. These are all considered business expenses.""Chris asked you to get these?" Kathryn finally remembered that when Tara had brought the fruits in, she already mentioned Chris had gotten her to buy them. That made Kathryn feel warm inside.Everyone knew that if Chris asked you to get something, it could be claimed as a business expense.After Tara left, Kathryn took the fruit bowl and sat near the balcony. She wasn't really picky. In fact, she got hungry so easily that anything was fine with her. But fruit juice was her favorite.When she thought about spending five dollars on the fruit juice and not being able to drink it, she died a little on the inside.Chris was handling documents when Tara came out and said, "I've given her the fruits, Mr. Albert. She seemed to like all of them.""Mm-hmm, good work. Take note of what she likes.""Alright, I will." Tara nodded. She had a feeling that Chri
Wasn't Tally supposed to be busy right now? Where did she get the time to go on a date with Victor? Markus' gaze turned sharp as he picked up the phone and called the sales manager, who picked up almost instantly. "Mr. Hunt?""Where's Tally?""W-What?" The sudden question confused the manager a little. After all, why would Markus call her just to ask about one worker? And why did he sound a little off?Markus gripped his phone a little tighter. "Did she sign the deals?""I don't think so. The two clients from this morning were major clients, and they'd asked specifically for her."Clients this big usually took up a lot of time during the negotiation stage, so they probably hadn't signed the contracts yet.The sales manager could already tell something was up with Markus and quickly left her office. When she saw that Lisa was the one dealing with the clients, she broke into a cold sweat."Tally must have left. A different employee is doing the signing.""Why did she leave he
Tally could even pull off a business suit. Just how good was her figure?"They're my friends. You probably know them," Victor answered."They're not the men I've seen on blind dates, right?" Tally remembered that the guys she met with were all Chris' close friends, so it would make sense if Victor was close to them, too.Victor nodded. "Travis is there. I don't think you've met the rest."Tally wished she could die. She'd only just realized how dumb she'd been acting for the past few days. But what was done was already done, so she at least needed to do what Victor asked while they were still married."Was that Markus?" Victor asked.Tally shook her head. "No, that was my manager."Her manager was speaking to her so politely? It seemed that the girl was a really successful worker.When they got to the resort, Victor stuck a hand out as Tally got out of the car. "Why don't we host our engagement ceremony here next week?"Tally had been to this resort before, and she liked it
Tally couldn't help but roll her eyes at Victor internally. She struggled to believe that a bad boy like him was discussing fate. Inwardly, she groaned at the thought.They had a barbecue for lunch, and when Markus called Tally halfway through, she didn't pick up. She was on her lunch break anyway, and she'd already made arrangements for her work.There was no way Tally would allow Markus to exploit her. What she didn't expect was that Markus came right after lunch when Victor and the others wanted to start playing cards. With a stormy expression, he glanced at Victor and Tally. That look confused Tally, so she turned to Victor and said, "I'm going back to work."She hadn't meant anything by that. She just thought that even though she was on a break, she wouldn't have fun if Markus was at the resort, too.Victor raised an eyebrow at Markus, who had just walked over. "Are you scared of him?" he asked."I'm scared I'd have nothing to talk about with him. That sucks." Tally actua
While they were talking, Tally was already on the way back. Halfway through, Lisa called her to say that both clients ran into issues during the contract signing phase and refused to sign."What? What do you mean they refused to sign?" Tally asked. She found the news hard to believe. That deal was already in the bag, so how did it slip from their grasp? She was stunned.Lisa wasn't happy about it, either. "I just wanted a part of the commission, but Chelsea yelled at me before I could get a single cent."Lisa had every right to be unhappy. After all, Tally had made all the arrangements, only for Lisa to mess it up during the last part. Tally's face became ashen when she thought about the two big clients. Now, they were both getting punished, not just Lisa. Tally could forget about leaving work on time now."Alright, got it," Tally said, then quickly hung up with her mind going blank. The clients weren't just random people but folks who had ties with Markus. That meant he had
Over at Albert Group, Chris didn't provide a definitive response when he learned about Kathryn's pregnancy. However, he seemed to be more comfortable with taking care of her.In the afternoon, Savanna called Kathryn and asked her to meet her downstairs. Kathryn really didn't want to see her, but Krista was Savanna's daughter. The two probably had similar tempers. If Kathryn didn't meet her, Savanna would probably come up to start trouble.When she was leaving, she saw Chris coming out of the meeting room. So, Kathryn stepped forward. "Savanna wants to see me," she said directly without hiding anything from him.Chris' brows furrowed in response. "Tell her no." Right now, Chris was convinced that Savanna was targeting Kathryn. Krista was clinging on to Baydem Group at all costs, and she was stalling even with Franco pressuring her to hand it over. "Then I won't go. Don't blame me if she comes up here and makes a scene," Kathryn huffed. She didn't want to see her, anyway.Meanw
After leaving the Hunt residence, Tally made her way directly to Victor's company.Worried she might lose her way, Drew had been waiting downstairs in anticipation of her arrival.When Tally saw Victor, her face lit up with joy."You should've seen Mr. Hunt Senior's expression earlier. He looked like he wanted to eat me alive." Tally couldn't help but laugh.Victor reached for her hand as they sat down on the couch together. "Were you scared?" he asked.As Tally sat down, she casually looked back and noticed a framed photograph on Victor's desk.Out of curiosity, she picked it up and examined it. But with just one glance, she froze in surprise."When... when was this taken?" she asked. Her shock was evident as she turned to Victor.The picture was taken back when they were at Beverly Peak, during his hospital stay after being bitten by a wolf.She remembered looking after him until she herself fell asleep.In the picture, her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful.Victor
What made it even more absurd was that Elijah bought into it, too.Tally couldn't believe Elijah couldn't see through Markus' façade. He actually bought into Markus' excuse that his behavior was all because of her.And now he was acting like he'd rather die than leave her."Fucking hell," Tally muttered inwardly. She wondered who came up with this messed-up plan for Markus.Clearly, Tally couldn't quite grasp how Markus' mental state could deteriorate like this. However, given his history of going insane, this outrageous plan didn't seem entirely implausible.He was perfectly fine when he was with Albert Group, so how did he end up like this back at Skyline Group?Tally just couldn't figure it out.Elijah shot her a sharp look, gritting his teeth as he said, "You, leave!"Zane hesitated, saying, "Sir, but…""Just let her leave!" Elijah insisted.Elijah's words were punctuated by short, hurried breaths.Tally nodded, saying, "Mr. Hunt Senior, you're indeed the more rational o
Elijah and Zane glanced at each other. Then, their stares turned sharper as they both fixed their eyes on Tally.Tally swallowed nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?""You're not even married to Victor, so why are you calling yourself a married woman?" Elijah snapped, his anger evident.Tally remained silent.Observing Elijah's furious expression, she nonchalantly rummaged through her bag, retrieving the marriage certificate and wedding invitation.Then, she handed them over to Zane.Zane took the documents and swiftly flipped them open. His eyes widened in disbelief as he read through them.He promptly handed both documents over to Elijah.As Elijah took them and examined them, his expression darkened significantly upon seeing Tally and Victor's marriage certificate.He was shocked when he saw that their wedding date was today, along with the printed timestamp.In that instant, Elijah's breathing grew heavier.He glared at Tally with an
Tally was completely baffled by what was happening."I've been straightforward about my feelings for him," Tally complained under her breath.From her perspective, if something were to happen to Markus now, she shouldn't be blamed solely for her decision to get married. Victor nodded, saying, "Yeah, I know."Victor had always been aware of this. By now, Markus had become such a puzzle that Victor couldn't quite figure him out.Considering how clear Tally had always been about her feelings toward Markus, it was puzzling how he got himself involved in this mess.This time, Victor didn't accompany Tally to the Hunt Residence. He believed she could handle the Hunt family on her own.The atmosphere at the Hunt residence was incredibly tense at the moment.The moment Tally stepped inside, she could practically feel the frost coming off Elijah. His gaze seemed to pierce right through her.Zane's tone was far from pleasant as he said, "Um, take a look at this."With that, he passed
Tally was pretty happy a moment ago. But now, she was all worked up talking about the Hunts.Earlier on the road, Tally filled Victor in on the phone call she received from the Hunt residence.Victor's lips twitched as he heard the news. "So Markus left a suicide note and vanished?""Exactly. Can you believe the trouble he's stirring up now?" Tally shook her head incredulously.Tally was utterly exasperated with Markus by now. It had been a while since this whole thing started.She had to admit, these days had been incredibly "fulfilling" for her. It was so fulfilling that it almost left her reeling.And it wasn't just Tally struggling to keep up. Even Victor had been taken aback by how things were unfolding.He shot Tally a look of disbelief. "So you're going to the Hunt residence now?""Yeah, I'm going. I want those Hunts to know that I'm officially yours. Let's see if they have more shameless tricks up their sleeves."When it came to describing the Hunts, Tally summed it up
Tally was beginning to see where Markus got his persistent nature from. It ran in the family. It was as the saying went—like father, like son.No sooner had she ended the call, the phone rang again.Tally took a deep breath, reminding herself that today was supposed to be a happy day, not one filled with annoyance.But dealing with these people…After giving it some thought, she hesitantly answered, "Zane!""Ms. Johnson, you might want to come over to the Hunt residence."Tally asked, "What's going on now?"She was almost out of patience with these people.Zane explained, "Mr. Markus left behind a suicide note."Tally's expression froze in disbelief.A suicide note? Tally couldn't comprehend what was happening. She wondered if Markus was pulling another one of his stunts.It had only been less than an hour since Elijah arranged his marriage, and now he went ahead and left a suicide note."Where is he?" Tally raised an eyebrow.With everything happening so quickly, it all f
Looking at her identification papers, Tally let out a sigh of relief.Fortunately, Tally had some knowledge of her father's habits. Otherwise, guessing the password for the safe, which belonged to her comatose father, would have been a daunting task.When Irina called, Tally answered, "Hey, Irina.""Guess what? Markus is engaged!""What?" Tally was shocked.Irina shared her surprise."This time, it seems Mr. Hunt Senior might genuinely have it out for you. We haven't even made a move, and suddenly they're announcing Markus and Sarah's engagement.""Sarah?" Tally was even more surprised.It was only today that they found out who had been secretly admiring Markus. Before they could even step in, Elijah had taken the initiative.It seemed like all these years, Elijah appeared unconcerned, but he actually knew everything.But if he was dead set on hating her, then so be it. Tally couldn't care less.On the other hand, if Elijah truly desired for her and Markus to be together all
Elijah said, "Very well, then."Thinking about his troublesome son, Elijah wondered how he hadn't noticed Markus' extremity in his romantic pursuits before.Elijah was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath.Giving Markus a fierce look, he tried to hold back. Despite that, he couldn't resist putting in one final word, "No matter how much you want to be with Tally, I won't allow it."This time, there was no room for negotiation.At Elijah's words, Markus' eyes turned cold. "I'm afraid you have no say in this.""You..." Elijah's breath hitched as he heard Markus' retort. In a fit of rage, he grabbed a teacup and hurled it toward him.At that moment, Elijah felt an overwhelming urge to lash out at Markus.Elijah insisted, "Regardless of your decision, you and Sarah are officially engaged starting today."His tone was unusually firm.At this point, Elijah wasn't asking for Markus' opinion. He was simply informing him.Regarding Tally becoming Elijah's daughter-in-law, Elijah
Kathryn was confused when Jessica suddenly shoved her into the car and promptly closed the door. With her hand still gripping the door handle, Kathryn looked up at Jessica and suggested, "Uh, how about dinner tonight?"Upon hearing Kathryn's dinner suggestion, Jessica paused before nodding and responding, "Let's talk about it later. I'll give you a call."Jessica seemed really busy, and Kathryn could tell from the way she talked that she was in a rush.Kathryn couldn't help but feel for Jessica as she watched her close the car door and hurried off toward the nearby office building, waving goodbye as she went.Kathryn found herself wondering who Jessica was in such a rush to meet.Kathryn couldn't resist stealing a glance back as the car pulled away. In that brief moment, Kathryn's heart skipped a beat as she saw Jessica walking alongside Lloyd. They were heading toward the glass doors of the building.Before Kathryn could double-check what she saw, the car had already turned.