"Honey, trust me. I have nothing to do with this!"No matter how Rosalie tried to defend herself, this time Ralph showed no mercy. He raised his hand and slapped Rosalie hard across the face, causing her to fall to the ground. Her face turned pale."Y-You just hit me?"After so many years of marriage, Ralph had always been obedient to her. Even though they argued sometimes, Ralph had never laid a hand on her before!But for Debra, Ralph had argued with her several times and now resorted to violence!"You're engaged in such disgraceful behavior and caused harm and trouble. What do you expect from me? Rosalie, I've truly misjudged you! Debra's a member of our family. Your usual unkind behavior is one thing, and plotting against her is totally another thing!" Ralph pointed at Stanley beside him. "Look at what influence you've had on our child! It's an attempted murder! I shouldn't have married you!"Rosalie realized that this time Ralph was truly angry. Debra had always been a sore
"That's impossible!"Rosalie blurted it out. Debra raised an eyebrow and said, "Rosalie, when you joined us, was it for the Frazier family's money instead of my uncle, Ralph?""I..." Rosalie glanced discreetly at Ralph's suspicious look nearby and immediately fell silent."Of course, I genuinely love your uncle! It's not about the money!""If that's the case, signing an agreement to renounce inheritance rights shouldn't be a big deal," Debra said. "Later, I'll have a lawyer draft a contract for you. I can't really let you walk away with nothing."Debra smiled faintly, "Stanley can still work at the Frazier Group in the future. It's just relinquishing inheritance rights. If something happens to Uncle Ralph later on, although you and Stanley won't inherit his legacy, you'll still receive a substantial monthly pension. This way, your later years are secured."Upon hearing that, Rosalie became angry. "What good is a few thousand dollars? Debra, you clearly want to take the entire e
No matter how much Erick shouted, nobody paid any attention. Marion's people quickly took him away. Debra turned around to leave, and Ralph said, "Debra, I'll hand all the decision-making power in the company over to you. I'm getting old, so run it well. Those people in the company dare not disobey you." Debra turned back, furrowing her brows slightly. Regardless of how Rosalie treated her, Ralph always cherished her and never changed. "Uncle Ralph, thank you." After leaving the Frazier's, Debra walked briskly, avoiding contact with Marion. "Debra! Why are you walking so fast?" Erica caught up with Debra. Debra didn't even lift her head. "N-Nothing." "What's wrong?" Seeing Debra's face burning red, Erica put her hand on Debra's forehead, saying, "You're not sick, so why is your face so red?" Debra bit her lip. She really didn't want to think about what had happened today. Marion, walking behind Debra, smirked slightly. Randy honked twice to snap Marion out o
"Erica!"Debra quickly interrupted Erica, shaking her head at her."What happened?" Juan sensed something was wrong and said solemnly, "I have no idea today the Fraziers were having a family banquet. You should have called me...""You don't know? Debra called you, but you didn't pick up! Don't you have a mouth? Can't you ask questions?""A call? What call?"Juan looked bewildered. He had never received any calls today!Erica sneered, "How ridiculous! Now you're pretending to be clueless."Anxiously, Juan explained, "Debra, listen to me, I really didn't receive any call...""I just wanted to inform you, not necessarily have you accompany me. It's fine that you didn't pick up."Not wanting to argue with Juan there, Debra said, "If you want to apologize, I'm telling you I don't blame you anymore. Can we leave now?"Juan fell silent, unsure of what to say, and simply moved aside.Debra and Erica got into the car and soon drove into the neighborhood.Watching Debra leave, Juan t
Shelia frantically pulled out her phone to call Juan, while Joe stood by coldly watching. "Ms. Miles, no need to bother. Mr. Nichols won't take your call."Shelia didn't believe it and called Juan one after another, but there was no response.Completely devastated, Shelia knelt down as if seeking help, pulling at Joe's sleeve. "Joe, please, help me. I can't just leave like this. Can you call Mr. Nichols?"Joe had a frown. Shelia burst into tears. "I-I belong to Mr. Nichols already. If he doesn't want me, he can tell me directly! But he can't treat me like this!"Losing Juan's sponsorship meant she was nothing at school. She would face hunger, poverty, and the disdain of her classmates again.In the end, Joe relented, handing his phone to Shelia, saying coldly, "Even if Mr. Nichols answers, it won't change anything. What Mr. Nichols decides, no one can alter. And besides, you brought this upon yourself!"He had been a bystander by Mr. Nichols' side for so long.He saw through S
"Mrs. Nichols returned to the Frazier's today. It seems there was an accident at the family banquet, causing the Frazier family members to leave early. Later, someone saw Marion cause a scene and take away Ralph's wife's brother, Erick.""You mean Rosalie's brother?""Yes."Joe said, "Rosalie came to us for cooperation before. For the sake of the Frazier family, we gave her a project."Juan remained silent."Mr. Nichols..." Joe hesitated, then said, "I heard that Marion has caused trouble at the Frazier's before.""What do you mean by 'before'?"Juan frowned.Joe continued, "The last time Marion caused trouble with the Frazier family was over three months ago when Mrs. Nichols had a car accident.""Was't that an accident?""It's said it wasn't an accident. It was Ralph's son who made it happen. Marion probably went to seek justice for Mrs. Nichols, so he caused a scene at the Frazier's."Juan furrowed his brows.He never knew any of this, and Debra hadn't mentioned a word t
"It's really Marion."For Debra, Marion had caused a scene at the Frazier's twice.There must be something going on between them, or Ralph wouldn't have stayed silent."Tell Debra I disagree with the divorce and she should stop thinking about it!"Juan turned and left the Frazier's.Ralph wiped his brow, then quickly contacted Debra.On the other end, as Debra answered the phone, her expression darkened. "Okay, I understand."Erica, still half-asleep, asked, "Who's calling at this late hour?"Debra hung up the phone, coldly saying, "Looks like the schedule needs to be moved up.""Huh?"The next afternoon, at the McKinney Group office.Debra stared at the badges collected from the masquerade ball night and said, "Have these been sorted out?"Ben replied, "Yes. We found out the identities of everyone who attended the masquerade ball that night.""Good, compile this information and indirectly leak it to Juan carefully.""Yes, Ms. Frazier."After Ben left, Erica asked in con
Debra put down her phone. Carole sat in the office waiting for Debra to come in. After seeing Debra, she didn't look friendly."Michael instructed me to have you assist with his shoot as a general assistant. There's nothing else for you to do at the moment," Carole said in a displeased tone, clearly suspecting Debra of some manipulation behind the scenes."Okay, I understand." Debra was about to leave when Carole suddenly added, "Some interns don't focus on learning anything else. They just like to set their sights on men. Young people these days really make the workplace chaotic!"Debra ignored her. She didn't want to waste time on someone like that."Did you hear? Michael specifically asked for this intern to be his assistant. I wonder what kind of relationship those two have.""What relationship could they have? She's simply relying on her looks to flirt around.""I even saw her sneakily meeting Michael in the hallway last time. She's so pretty. I never would have thought.
Debra chuckled, "Sometimes, you're really cheap."Marion said seriously, "But I'm always honest with you, dear.""Really?""Absolutely.""Then how do you explain the eight billion dollars you cost me at our first meeting?"Marion took a sip of his tea and grimaced. "This tea's gone cold. Let me get you a fresh cup.""Get back here." Debra grabbed Marion and yanked him down into his seat."I'll do whatever you say to make up.""Put that aside for now. Now tell me your plans for handling the banquet.""Guess we can't miss the show.""Cathryn's crush on you is public knowledge here. Are you planning to hand her fresh gossip on a silver platter?""I'm not attending it. You can go. I'll stay outside the hotel to keep guard. Won't glance at any other woman.""Wise choice."...Across town at the Eaton Mansion, Garland sat hunched over his computer.He typed and retyped search terms, only to come up empty each time."What happened to my trending topics? They're all gone?" he m
Marion set down his newspaper and walked over to examine the invitation in Debra's hand."Drake is in such a hurry. He must be desperate to secure resources.""He's eager to deal with you?""Not necessarily. It could also be trouble brewing in Orkgate.""Something happened there?"Debra tried to recall any signs of trouble from her last stay in Orkgate, but there hadn't been anything that would warrant such urgency.In truth, Drake could just stay there and rule.There was no need for him to venture overseas and stir up trouble, which ultimately led to his broken engagement with the Eaton family and his near-total loss of face.Anyone else in his position would have slunk away in shame, but Drake was too proud for that."I'm not sure," Marion admitted. "Orkgate is his territory. I promised not to interfere there."He then noticed her disappointment for not getting any juicy news. He smiled and ruffled her hair. "But I have my informants. If anything happens, they'll let me
Drake's logic was persuasive, almost hypnotic.Cathryn found herself wavering. "But Liza... ""She's your friend, right? She'll understand. Besides, this is just a business arrangement, not a real marriage. It's just to create some tension for Marion."Cathryn was convinced. "Alright, I'll prepare the gala. But you must explain everything to Liza afterward.""Okay," Drake replied.But his smile faded as soon as Cathryn left.Kale asked, "Boss, are you really going to explain this to Miss Eaton?""Explain my ass," Drake snorted. "Once I get engaged to her, I'll gain control of the Bernard family's resources. Then I'll have enough power to take on Marion. Who cares about her petty little scandals?"Kale mused, "So, you were fooling her?"Drake explained, "She's the only one left in her family. If it weren't for those resources, do you think I'd even consider an engagement with her? She's clueless. Once she hosts the gala and announces the news to the media, do you think she can
Drake sneezed in his study.Kale came in and reported, "Miss Bernard is here."Drake waved his hand. "Let her in."Kale opened the door to reveal Cathryn standing hesitantly outside. She had come upon learning that Marion had taken Debra away.Drake glanced at her and read her mind. "She was rescued. Helping you cost me a lot."Cathryn stammered, "Don't make it sound so noble. You did it for yourself.""What now? We're in this together. Marion has learned you collaborated with me to kidnap Debra." Drake rested his cheek on his hand. "But it's not a bad thing. At least, Marion can't ignore you anymore."Cathryn bit her lip, stepping forward. "I know you have other plans. We can't let her stay with Marion. You gotta help me for my father's sake."But the mention of the past only served to annoy Drake.Cathryn quickly added, "If it weren't for my father, you wouldn't have made it to Orkgate or become the Lowe family's adopted son. You owe me."Drake snorted, "You're right. I owe
She had known for a while that Melody was coming after her. That wasn't a well-kept secret. But seeing it plastered online and climbing the trending charts? That was a whole new level of absurdity."Let me see." Marion emerged from the bathroom, drying his hair.He leaned over, glanced at the phone, and nodded approvingly. "That's catchy.""I'm going to find out which genius published this." Debra's fingers flew over her phone, tracing the story back to its source. When the name of New Age popped up on her screen, she froze."New Age?" she murmured, remembering that it was Garland's news agency."Something wrong?" Marion asked.Debra blinked. "I spent 50 million dollars to buy that newspaper. So..." Her own company had just broken a report on her. That was the next level....In the study room, Garland was livid, yelling into his phone, "What were you thinking? Are you people brain-dead? Who let you publish that story? And then you dumped ad money into it too? Did you want t
"Those things aside, you need to explain something to me. What's going on with your post?" Juan placed his phone in front of Garland.He had only just seen it while walking from the study to the hallway. Garland had managed to edit and post it in that short period. The post read: [Shocking: Ex-husband's Grandmother Travels Thousands of Miles to Kill Me.]Garland was lost for words. He had forgotten to set it private.Juan demanded, "Are you going to delete it, or should I?""I'll do it." Garland grabbed his phone and logged into his alternative account.He clicked open the post, only to find that it had garnered over 99 likes.He hesitated. "How about we don't delete it?"With so many likes, the news must have spread like wildfire among his gossip-hungry peers.He added, "No one knows who I'm talking about anyway."But as soon as his voice died away, several comments popped up under the post.Love2Fly: [Bro, are you referring to Melody Nichols as the grandmother?]JusticeS
Suppressing the swirl of emotions brewing inside, he asked, "You mean, Juan's ex-wife?""Yes, it's her. She has brought nothing but misfortune to my family, and I won't allow her to keep deceiving Juan and ruining everything," she said, her voice rising with agitation.Seeing her get so worked up, Garland advised her, "Take it easy, Mrs. Nichols Sr. This matter is tricky, and we need to think carefully.""I know," Melody sighed. "Marion has been a thorn in your side. He even sent Liza back by force. The grudges run deep between you and him. If you were to get rid of Debra, it would be justice for all the grief they've caused us."Garland nearly rolled his eyes. 'Justice? Easy for you to say.'He didn't know where she got the idea of a feud between Marion and them.He believed some brainless reporters had spun the story. Now he was more convinced that the media needed an overhaul.With that thought, he replied, "That will take time and careful planning. But if it's Juan you want
Juan replied, "Just don't go too far."Garland straightened up. "Alright, let me handle this old..."Juan glanced at him, and he corrected himself. "I mean, Mrs. Nichols Sr."Turning to the mirror, he started to adjust his clothes.He put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, ensuring he looked perfect before smoothing his hair.Dropping his usual playful smile, he said, "Verna, to the study.""Yes, sir." Verna led Garland out.In the study, Garland sat behind the desk, trying out several poses before settling on a more relaxed one. Verna announced, "Sir, Mrs. Nichols Sr. is here.""Alright," Garland acknowledged. "Show her in."Verna opened the door, and Melody entered in a white dress. She carried herself with the grace of a noblewoman from a bygone era.Garland looked her over, impressed that she had maintained her appearance so well at her age.'Bert has good taste, though she doesn't look like my mother at all,' he thought. 'But why did rumors have it that my mother was her
The maid hesitated. "Mr. Fermin Eaton is often busy with company matters, so he's rarely home.""Is he home today?""Uh...""What? Don't tell me no one is at home."The maid stammered, "Mr. Fermin Eaton is home, but he's busy with work. He might not be able to see you right now."Melody insisted, "Is this how you treat your guests? Go tell Mr. Fermin Eaton that if he doesn't come to see me, I'll pack my things and leave immediately."Her tone left no room for negotiation. The maid could only nod and leave to deliver the message.In the bedroom, Garland was upside-down, reciting lines from economic textbooks.The maid opened the door and froze at the sight. "Mr. Fermin Eaton, you're doing this again."Garland's pained voice broke through. "Verna, perfect timing. A little help here."But not far off, Juan cut him off. "Ten more minutes. Hold it.""I can't. I'm about to collapse.""If you collapse, get back up and keep going.""This is brutal."Verna interjected, "Mr. Nichol