Alyssa's booming voice delivered a great shock to the meeting attendees. Her confidence and imposing air reminded them of Winston Taylor.Dominic, whose legs were shaking uncontrollably, mustered his courage and slammed his hand on the table. He rose in anger to face off against Alyssa. "Alyssa Taylor, you have no right to sack me, even if you're the daughter of the chairman and the company president! "Are you treating the board of directors meeting as your personal playground? You're out of control. You'll need to start a vote to remove me from my roles!"He had taken a jab at Alyssa's previous remark of him treating the company as his private bank. Alyssa thought him petty and snorted. "Yeah, right. That's why I convened this meeting to discuss your matter."As Edward was Dominic's business partner—he had even been forced to invest in the two hotels—he could not possibly watch Dominic go down. Once again, he took Dominic's side. He began, "Alyssa…""She's Ms. Alyssa for you."
Panic gripped Dominic, who almost had a heart attack. He could tell that everyone present, including Edward, must have signed the NDAs, as no one told him about the agreement."You were the only one at the meeting who didn't sign an NDA. Besides, only an employee could access the security control room to steal the security footage," Sean explained, displaying the evidence he had gathered while glaring at Dominic.Dominic looked worried and frustrated. "KS Group employs a huge number of employees. There are thousands of employees working in just this building, and many have access to the control room. You're just attempting to pin all the blame on me!"Alyssa smiled in amusement and shook her head. "I wouldn't have easily traced it back to you if you had uploaded the footage through the public WiFi at a train station, airport, or café."Perhaps you're not too familiar with the technicalities of committing such an act because of your age. You decided to upload the footage with your p
The directors stared at each other hesitantly. Finally, one of the eldest directors spoke up with a cautious and polite smile. "We will vote for you, Ms. Alyssa. We shall follow your orders in the future."The rest of the directors immediately agreed with him.The rest of the meeting went on smoothly after Alyssa settled Dominic. After checking off her three items on the agenda, she gracefully sat up in her chair and beamed at the directors. "I appreciate you taking the time to attend the meeting. "Let's work well together for the future of KS Group. I won't take up more of your precious time. That's all for today."Then, she marched toward the door in great strides with Sean following closely behind. Once again, she came to a stop behind Dominic and turned to face him. Slowly bending over, she whispered to him with disdain, "Just look at you. You have nothing to defeat me with."Dominic shook in anger.She cautioned him, "Uncle Dominic, I won't hurt you if you find a nice place
Jasper gently held Alyssa's chin as he kissed her on the lips, smudging her lipstick. He traced her lips with his, as he relished in her loveliness.After reveling in a passionate kiss, they parted right before flames of desire further consumed them. Staring at her flushed cheeks and moist lips, he smiled in satisfaction. "Your lips are lovelier than the roses.""You're such a clingy man. Every time we meet, you will ask for a kiss or more. Can you give me a breather? Gosh!" She slid into his arms and poked him on the chest, her favorite move when she flirted with him.Every time she was in a low mood, she'd poke or caress his chest. The physical touch almost always cheered her up."Well, I want to kiss you and take you. Will you allow me to? Hm?" Jasper whispered affectionately, his lips brushing against her earlobe. Shuddering slightly, she offered an answer in the form of a deep blush on her cheeks.They cuddled on the couch and stared at the flaming roses, savoring each mome
Corey gasped in shock, "Word by word?"Victor barked at him, "Of course! Nonsense!""Uh, Mr. Josh said… marrying that bitch is the dumbest decision you made in your life.""Oh, fuck him!" Victor punched his bed and glowered in resentment. "The dumbest choice I made in life was putting unconditional trust in him, nurturing and promoting him to the role of company president. It was my error in judgment."At the end of the day, Victor acknowledged that he had made unwise decisions as he recalled the events that had happened at the cocktail party. Josh had schemed against him and Lily but kept it a secret for years, which led to his reputation loss and created a crisis for the Schmidt Group. He was suddenly gripped with the murderous urge to face off against Josh in the detention center."Mr. Josh also claimed that Mr. Jameson did not come home to Solana City from Kontina to help you out. Mr. Jameson has always been sharpening his knife and bidding his time to avenge his mother and
Jameson had openly displayed his ambitions. Victor finally saw his true colors.Had he not fallen for Jameson's perfect acting, and had he trusted Josh more, he wouldn't have met with the dilemma. He regretted not keeping Josh as the president, instead oppressing him and unknowingly offering Jameson an opportunity to take power.It didn't matter if Jameson helped the company out of the crisis. Victor knew that he would go against his own interest by negotiating with a sly opponent like Jameson, even if Jameson were his son.Trying to be rational, Victor calmed down and caved in. His tone softened. "Jimmy, I allow Lily to stay with us at the Schmidt Manor, but I can't transfer the stocks to you as you wish."Jameson adjusted his glasses. He quipped, "Well, but didn't Josh transfer his stocks to you as you wish?""Josh is serving concurrent sentences; I'm afraid he'll spend the rest of his life in prison. Since Clarissa has divorced him, I will be the one to inherit his company shar
Bad news spread like wildfire. News of Dominic being kicked out of the board of directors and fired due to misappropriation of company funds spread through the company in no time. It was certainly a cathartic event.Dominic's abuse of power was a known secret within the company for many years. Therefore, everyone was glad to see Alyssa purging individuals like Dominic right after she was appointed the company president.Dominic went home in despair. Upon stepping into the house, he flung his coat at the maid in anger. Taken aback by his action, the maid failed to catch the coat in time. The coat fell onto the floor. However, such an insignificant event triggered Dominic, who went up and kicked the maid, causing her to wince in pain on the floor and struggle to get up.He growled, "Useless thing! Get lost!"At that moment, Renee rushed over with a worried look. "Dad, is it true that you're sacked?"Even Renee, who only cared about shopping and getting beauty enhancements, had heard
Jameson was caught off guard by Remy's direct question. Remy said to him, "Just send me that person's full name, address, and photo. Nothing more." Then, he returned to drinking.Jameson stared at Remy's face with a fake smile. "I don't need you to kill. All you need is to get hold of this person to make things easy for my men. That's it.""Got it. Send me the details." With that, Remy downed the last shot of vodka, rose from the seat with hands in pockets, and marched steadily out of the door.Amazingly, he managed to walk straight even after all the drinking.Jameson notified him, "I've arranged a premium suite for you. You may take a rest upstairs.""Sir has made lodging arrangements for me, and I shall only listen to him." Remy shut the door behind him, leaving Jameson standing alone in the dark.Jameson grabbed his phone and searched for a name. The search results returned a few news articles from many years ago, but the photos were clear.Amber happened to enter the lounge
Jasper strode out of the room and hurried down the stairs, his pace so brisk that Xavier had to jog to keep up. As Jasper reached the living room, he spotted Justin sitting upright in his wheelchair, alone. Their eyes locked when Jasper was just a few steps away.Hostility flickered between their gazes.Curling his lips upward into a slight smile, Justin asked, "Jasper, heading out at this hour?"Xavier gritted his teeth, loathing the self-righteous air Justin exuded, as if he always held the upper hand. The sight made him want to charge forward and knock Justin clean off his wheelchair."It's late. Why aren't you in bed?" Jasper asked coldly, his tone as sharp as his glare. "It seems that broken body of yours is still holding up.""Jasper, you seem to be in a rush. Did something happen? Do you need my help?" Justin maintained the smile on his face, disregarding Jasper's sarcastic remark. "It's none of your business."Without another word, Jasper swept past him. Justin's
Jasper lay restrained on the bed, his body writhing violently as waves of agony crashed over him. A towel clenched between his teeth muffled his cries, though it could not silence the torment. Every inch of his skin felt as if it were being devoured by thousands of invisible ants—a relentless, gnawing pain brought on by withdrawal.He knew he could no longer rely on the medication. Time and again, the temptation clawed at him, urging him to surrender and take the easy way out. Relief was just a pill away. But Jasper's willpower, though battered, refused to shatter. Anne's words echoed in his mind, a guiding light in the darkness. She had always taught him to be a righteous man—one with a clear conscience. Curling into himself, Jasper shut his bloodshot eyes. He couldn't disappoint Anne. He couldn't let down those who believed in him. He had to resist the dark side. Outside the room, Xavier glanced at his wristwatch. Judging the timing to be right, he pushed the door open and l
"How about now? Is Ms. Altman at home?" Alyssa asked urgently."She isn't," Clark replied. "She drove out the back gate alone around 11:00 pm. Our security personnel stopped her then, but she said she was just going out for some fresh air because she had trouble sleeping. She promised she wouldn't be long, but it's strange—she hasn't returned even now."Alyssa's ears began to ring, her heart sinking like a stone.When she ended the call, her nightgown clung to her skin, drenched in cold sweat. Her trembling hand gripped the phone tightly.She thought of calling Jonah, but he was still searching for Julien in Mosgravia. He wouldn't be able to return in time. Silas wasn't home tonight; he was likely with Rose. Besides, he was more of an academic than a fighter—not someone who could help in a crisis. Getting him out of bed in the middle of the night couldn't possibly solve any of their problems. Axel had returned to his organization, leaving Cyrus as the only one accessible who mi
Amber's eyes reddened as she darted toward the trapdoor in The Millennium, tears streaming down her face.Remy had let her go. He actually spared her! Didn't this prove that he was Damien? That his true nature lingered, even if his memories of the past had been lost?Hope and excitement bubbled within her as she ran. She had to reach Alyssa immediately and share this evidence—this incredible news!Emerging from the trapdoor, Amber navigated the tangled paths among the weeds on the mountain behind The Millennium.Suddenly, she froze. Her breath hitched. Beams of white light shone from all directions, focusing on her. The cold, unyielding spotlights told her everything—she was surrounded, the target of an ambush. Amber's heart pounded in her chest. Cold sweat slicked her palms as her fingers clenched tightly around her dagger. The veins on the back of her hand throbbed with adrenaline.Six assassins in black emerged from the shadows, their flashlights cutting through the gl
Amber glared at Remy through her bloodshot eyes, thrusting her gleaming blade toward his chest. In her early days of being Jameson's follower, the first lesson drilled into her was how to kill quickly and efficiently. Refinement wasn't necessary—only results mattered. Yet, despite mastering the techniques, she had never put them into practice. Deep down, Amber feared the sight of blood and loathed the idea of taking a life.And now, of all people, it was Remy forcing her to cross that line.The blade's tip hovered mere inches from Remy's heart when hesitation gripped her. Axel's voice echoed in her mind, raw with emotion. "Amber, I keep feeling that Remy is my fifth brother, Damien. We miss him… We want him to come home!"Her pupils dilated. The blade wavered, its deadly intent dissipating.That single moment of doubt was all Remy needed. With a calm, calculated motion, he seized her wrist and twisted it sharply.Amber gasped in pain, her grip faltering as the blade clattered
The password to Jameson's room was Alyssa's birthday. Jameson had always believed himself to be a devoted man, taking pride in that notion. Yet, in Amber's eyes, his devotion was nothing more than a pathetic joke—a sentiment she couldn't help but detest.Taking a steadying breath, Amber began rummaging through the drawers and shelves with swift precision.Years of observation had taught her that Jameson had hidden several secret compartments in this room, places meant to conceal vital information. Unless Jameson or Carl disclosed their existence, even the police might not have uncovered them.After what felt like an eternity, sweat beading on her forehead, Amber discovered a hidden compartment beneath a floor sculpture.As she pried the brick loose, her breath hitched. Inside the compartment lay a waterproof plastic bag containing a document and a USB drive.Amber retrieved the document. Her heart raced as she realized its contents—a research report from Mosgravia's RC Biotech
Ever since getting together with Axel, Amber had lived each day in bliss. Yet, when Winston assured her that he truly accepted her and approved of her marriage to Axel, that bliss reached its peak. For so long, Amber had struggled with feelings of inferiority, never truly believing she deserved Axel's love. Deep down, she had resolved to step away if Winston disapproved or insisted Axel marry a woman from a reputable family—a match more fitting of his status.She wouldn't have hesitated to leave if it meant sparing Winston and Axel any conflict. Amber loved Axel wholeheartedly and was willing to sacrifice everything for him.But instead of rejection, she found warmth. The Taylor family embraced her as one of their own, showing her kindness and understanding rather than disdain for her past.She could never repay such compassion. "Winston… Thank you. Thank you…" Amber's tear-filled eyes glistened, their brightness undimmed despite all the darkness she had endured. Winston s
Amber stifled a laugh and teased, "Stop talking, Mr. Whitaker. You're going to sound like a broken record if you keep going." …After breakfast and a quick packing session, Axel departed from Heightsnew Villa. Amber spent her day helping the Taylors with various tasks. She assisted Mandy in organizing documents for Lovelace Group's projects, helped Lyla with cooking, and even joined Colene in feeding her horse. With Tatiana's due date approaching, Amber also pitched in for her shower preparations.Amber had always been a diligent person, but today, she seemed particularly intent on keeping herself busy. She was counting down the hours until nightfall. After dinner, the Taylors sat in the living room and chatted casually as they always did. The warm, familial atmosphere filled the space, and Amber joined in, her perceptive nature making her a seamless part of the group.When everyone retired to their rooms, Amber rose to help the helpers clear the table. "Amber." Startled
Axel and Amber had only spent half a month together before the former was called back to report for work. The night before his departure, they spent hours lost in each other, their passion unrelenting. Again and again, they exchanged kisses, their love pouring forth in an endless tide."Amber, three months… Just give me three more months." When their fervor finally waned, Axel held Amber close in his arms. They rested against the headboard, leaning into one another, too exhausted to move yet unwilling to let sleep claim them."Once I finish all the missions I've taken on, I'll hand in my resignation. After that, I'll spend all my time with you," Axel murmured, his voice steady with resolve. "We'll go wherever you want. If you want fun, I'll have fun with you. If you want chaos, I'll spend my life going crazy with you."Axel wasn't one for flowery words. He simply spoke from the heart. Right now, his heart only wanted Amber—forever.Amber nestled closer, her soft smile masking t