Carl's blood ran cold at Jameson's words. He couldn't bring himself to speak. "I told you to keep Nicholas under close watch, and as I expected, he's been communicating with someone." A cruel, mocking laugh escaped Jameson's lips. "Didn't I tell you? In this world, only the dead can be truly trusted.""You're a genius, Mr. Schmidt!" Admiration and shock warred on Carl's face. "But, how did you realize something was off with Chief Novak?""He asked me about the drug development progress the other day, completely out of the blue. Never before has he bothered himself with such minor details."Jameson circled the table, picking up a photo from a stack. He studied it with chilling coldness. The picture captured Jasper placing a lighter in Nicholas' hand during their meeting at a café.A long moment passed before Jameson crumpled the photo into a tight ball, his eyes hardening with repressed fury."Are you planning to..." Carl ventured cautiously. "Forgive my bluntness, but Chief Nova
Mandy began, "Everyone, I'm sure you've all heard about what happened recently at the Lovelace Group. This is an emergency, so I will keep it brief." Mandy took the center seat at the meeting table, exuding power and fearlessness. "Effective immediately, I will be taking over from my brother, Joseph and assume the position of Lovelace Group's chairman." The room erupted in an uproar. "Ms. Lovelace… No, I mean, Mrs. Taylor. You've married into the Taylor family. You can't be making decisions for the Lovelaces now." Someone mocked, "Furthermore, you had a falling out with Mr. Edgar to be with Mr. Winston. Don't think we've forgotten how you cut ties with the Lovelace family. "For the past 20 years, you never cared about Lovelace Group. Now that it's in trouble, you're the first to step in and claim it. Don't you think trying to get a slice of the pie makes you look bad?"The others joined in criticizing Mandy."It has been half a month since Lovelace Group got into trouble.
"Julien…" Upon witnessing Julien's entrance, Mandy was moved to tears. Everyone else in the room was shocked to see Julien at first. Their shocked faces were subsequently replaced by looks of disdain shortly after. Everyone knew that Julien had been outcasted by the Lovelace family long ago. He wasn't allowed to participate in the corporation's operations. To them, he was simply a doctor who only studied CT scans in his doctor's office. They believed Julien knew nothing about the business world. Not just that, he was previously embroiled in a scandal. The photos of him being intimate with Jonah were exposed to the whole wide world, bringing humiliation to the Lovelace family. "This is a board meeting, Mr. Julien. It's not like those bars and nightclubs that you frequent. You're being a little too tactless!" The arrogant board member from before mocked Julien. His insult made everyone else chuckle. "The place you're occupying belongs to the Lovelace family. I am also part of
Once the board meeting ended, the announcement about Mandy's and Julien's appointment was released to all Lovelace Group employees. Julien exited the meeting room. The moment he entered the chairman's office, he plunged into Jonah's arms. He nuzzled his sweaty face against Jonah's shoulder. He could finally feel at ease, knowing that he was finally back in his lover's presence. He also let go of the confident persona he was putting up and melted into Jonah's embrace."Congratulations, Mr. Julien. You've succeeded in taking over." Jonah lifted his hand and stroked Julien's hair gently. In a gentle and raspy voice, he said, "You are someone with status and a title now. You are the second-in-command in the Lovelace family. I'll have to rely on your support in the future, Mr. Julien." Julien clicked his tongue. "Forget it." Julien let out a long sigh. He said in a coy voice, "If you hadn't bulk purchased Lovelace Group's shares in secret to stabilize our share price, our corpora
Landon was finally done preparing for his wedding with Lauren at Bernardia. He had made arrangements according to Lauren's preferences. Over the past month or so, Landon wished that he could split himself into multiples of himself. He had to look after Lauren, manage Harper Group, and manage the decorations at the wedding venue—from personnel assignments, their wedding photo shoot, and the positioning of even a small pot of flowers—everything had to be vetted by him. He made sure that he was all hands-on. His private plane flew between Bernardia and Solana City multiple times, so much so that he used up a considerable amount of fuel. Jordan was worried that it would all be too tiring for Landon. He offered to go to Bernardia on his behalf to keep watch over the preparations there, but Landon refused adamantly. He would rather see to it himself. He didn't care if he was jet-lagged or that he was losing sleep. He made sure that he went there in person to have a hand in the decora
"Thank you for caring for my wife over this period. I've prepared a gift for you. My secretary has brought it to your office." Landon poured a cup of tea for Robbie. He was no longer the prideful man that he used to be. His speech and mannerisms were much friendlier now. The changes in Landon were indeed drastic. In order to become a brilliant leader like Jasper and for Lauren's sake, he was willing to let go of the man he used to be. "No worries at all, Mr. Harper. It's my job to be responsible for my patients. A gift isn't necessary. I am just doing my job." Robbie paused before continuing in a low voice, "Mr. Harper, we have performed a thorough body check for Mrs. Harper this morning. We found that she has endometriosis." Landon, while carrying a teacup in his hand, froze. His chest tightened. "What's that?" "It's not a major condition or anything. There can be many reasons why one develops this disease. In Mrs. Harper's case, it's a little more serious. "She told me
As Lauren wrote, a soft and motherly glow came across her face. Landon, on the other hand, hid behind her. His face was downcast, and his pale lips trembled uncontrollably. He hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. He nuzzled against her longingly. His eyes filled with tears that were so close to streaming down his face. "Darling, didn't you say… that you didn't want to have children?" Landon's voice was unusually low and gravelly. With his lips right next to her ear, he asked, "Didn't you want to study art and be my only woman forever?" Lauren's lashes fluttered shyly. She focused her attention on writing, "That was in the past. That's not what's on my mind now." A lump rose in her throat. "Landon, I know that my physical condition isn't great. I have to take medications and get injections every day. I don't even know when I can be discharged. "It doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl. I want to have a child whom we can raise together. This way, eve
"Can you come and speak to Mr. Landon? He looks like he's having a breakdown. I'm quite terrified!" Jordan exclaimed. Jasper's chest tightened when he heard that. He turned around and walked toward the door. "Give me the address. I'll head over right now!" …When Jasper arrived, Landon was the only patron in the dimly lit pub. He was sitting by the bar and taking a glass of vodka from the bartender. Jasper asked Jordan to wait outside. Then, he walked over to Landon and sat down by his side. He placed his hand on Landon's shoulder."That's enough, Landon. These strong alcohols are not good for your health. You're about to have your wedding. You need to look after yourself." Landon lifted his head slowly. His drawn and pale face was covered in tears. His eyes were bloodshot. It made Jasper's heart wrench to see him like that. "Why are you crying?" Jasper was astonished. He looked at him intently. "What in the world happened? Don't be like this. Tell me what's wrong, and we