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.
Michael whispered, "Are you hiding something from me?"Debra tightened her belt one last notch, causing Michael a slight discomfort. He lowered his head and saw Debra had already withdrawn her hand. "I'll tell you when you become a movie star.""What's going on? Why is it taking so long?"The production assistant was pushing hard from the side. Approaching Debra, he frowned. "Can you do your job? If not, get lost!""If my actions are slow, does that mean I should leave too?"Michael's tone was indifferent, causing the production assistant to change his expression immediately. "I'm sorry, Mr. Austin, let's quickly take the photos," he said.Michael remained still, his gaze cold as he looked at the production assistant. "Shouldn't you apologize?"The production assistant didn't expect Michael to confront him for a mere staff member but couldn't afford to offend the currently popular male artist. He turned to Debra, saying, "I'm really sorry. I lost my temper.""It's okay. Just be
"Look, who is this woman?""I have no idea. Mr. Tyson personally welcomed her. It seems like she has quite a background.""Given her appearance, could she be some rich family's daughter here to experience life?"...People below started whispering again."Ms. Miles's abilities are evident to all of us. Whatever position you desire, you can choose freely here!"Liam carefully pleases Shelia.Shelia sat in the general manager's chair and glanced at the office area outside, expecting to see Debra but couldn't find her anywhere."I don't need a high position. After all, I'm here to learn. Is the team leader position still available?""Of course! But the team leader role might be beneath you. Ms. Miles is more than capable of being our vice president."Shelia smiled faintly, saying, "Vice president is unnecessary. I fear it might cause gossip.""Alright! No problem. Do I need to inform Mr. Nichols?"Upon hearing Liam's words, Shelia felt a sudden panic. She said, "Juan doesn't k
After introducing Shelia, Liam left. Carole, who looked down on everyone, unexpectedly stepped forward to praise Shelia."Graduates from prestigious schools are indeed different. I'll need to learn a lot from you!" Carole said.Shelia responded with a polite smile on her face, but a hint of pride flashed in her eyes.Debra, uninterested in the flattery around her, was about to leave when Shelia suddenly called out to her, "Debra, I didn't expect you to be interning at this company too. Can you join me for a coffee after work?"Carole glanced at Debra, then at Shelia, asking, "Do you two know each other?"As Shelia was about to speak, Debra quickly interjected, "Not really acquainted." After that, she left abruptly.Shelia briefly showed embarrassment on her face, but Carole dismissed it. "She relies solely on her looks and looks down on everyone. I can't stand such women!""Don't be so quick to judge. Maybe she has her reasons. I remember hearing about some incidents involving
Sheila sneered, thinking Debra was just trying to save face. She said, "We didn't use condoms that night. If I get pregnant, you won't have a choice but to divorce him! Why embarrass yourself like this?""Get your facts straight. I'm not the one unwilling to divorce now. You should talk to Juan about that."Debra glanced at her watch. She really shouldn't waste time with Sheila here.As Debra left, Sheila couldn't help but feel suspicious.Could it be that the one who had been unwilling to divorce all along wasn't Debra, but Juan?In the evening, as Debra hurriedly arrived at the McKinney Group's entrance, a figure suddenly lunged at her from behind.Startled, Debra looked up and saw Juan in front of her. She was momentarily stunned. "Juan?"With a scent of tobacco and alcohol on him, Juan's cheeks slightly flushed, appearing somewhat unclear-headed. "Debra, you finally come.""Are you out of your mind?"Glancing at the McKinney Group and then around to ensure no one was the
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