"Yes."Debra saw no reason to hide it from Juan any longer. She took a deep breath and said calmly, "I hope we can proceed with the divorce as soon as possible."Juan felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest. It was so intense that he could hardly breathe."Does it have to be this way?"Debra paused mid-step, her back to him. Slowly, she revealed the harsh truth. "Juan, I don't love you anymore."Those simple words felt like a dagger twisting in his heart. He instinctively clutched his chest, the pain almost unbearable.As the head of the Nichols family, he had weathered many storms and losses, but he had nearly forgotten the raw, aching sensation of heartbreak. Until now.Debra went on to leave, her expression serene. Before uttering those words, she recalled the first time she met Juan and how he held her hand, guiding her forward.She had truly loved him, but that love belonged to a different lifetime. Given a second chance, she refused to repeat her mistakes.Her love for Ju
Freya's request made Debra laugh. "Debut?""I've worked so hard as a trainee. My talent is unparalleled. I could have debuted by now if it weren't for you. I'm coming back. I belong on stage," Freya declared, her eyes blazing with a mix of rage and desperation.But Debra could see right through her. "Tell me, Freya. Have you been working hard for your career or Oscar?""Of course, it's...""You saw me talking to Oscar and recklessly slandered me. Are you sure it's not Oscar who made you want to be a trainee?"Women like Freya, who appeared aloof and unwilling to open up, were often proud. Their actions were driven by a desire to attract attention, especially from those they admired.Debra continued, "Your so-called dream is to get Oscar to notice you and stand alongside you. But despite all your efforts, you can't even confess your love to him.""Enough!" Freya snapped. "What do you know?"Debra remained indifferent in the face of her anger. "Okay, you can debut.""Really?" Fr
Debra was surprised by Oscar's words.His ears were tinged with red, a sign of his nervousness. It was clear that he was not accustomed to showing concern for others."Are you concerned about me?""Looks like you're fine. I'll head off.""Wait.""Anything else?" Oscar stopped in his tracks."This is a good chance. Have all the trainees terminate their contracts," she said, holding out a bundle towards him.Oscar's eyes widened as he took the bundle and realized it contained twenty bank cards."What's wrong?""Is the money enough?""It's just right. Have them sign the termination papers, and I'll take care of the rest.""Alright."Oscar left, and Debra smiled.Oscar's behavior reminded her of the first time she met Michael. But unlike Michael, who was always full of schemes, Oscar was a clear-eyed college student, straightforward and honest.Meanwhile, Henry was in a state of panic. In front of him were the termination contracts from all the male trainees."Mr. Cameron, w
Debra's plan was well laid, but Andrew flashed a smile."If Edgar knew you played him like this, draining all his investment funds, he wouldn't let you off easily.""It's just a few billion. The president of the Odom Group shouldn't be holding a grudge over that, should he?"Debra shrugged, but deep down, she knew Edgar would eventually discover her scheme.Although the Potter Group and the McKinney Group had business dealings, Edgar remained oblivious to the fact that Debra was the one pulling the strings behind the McKinney Group.Naturally, he wouldn't have suspected her involvement in luring away the trainees and sabotaging the program.But secrets had a way of surfacing, and Debra knew her earlier boasting in front of Edgar would make him wary and suspicious. However, she was prepared to face the consequences and go head-to-head with him if necessary.Andrew leaned back in his chair. "Training those trainees cost me a lot of money."Debra sat down across from him. "Isn't a
Juan had withdrawn his investment, yet Debra seemed unfazed. This could only mean one thing. Someone else was secretly backing Debra.Edgar had underestimated her, but it was becoming increasingly clear that she was a force to be reckoned with.A soft knock at the door heralded the arrival of a maid. "Sir, Mr. Blair and Miss Miles are here."The mention of Declan brought him a sense of relief, but learning that Shelia had come too caused his lips to curl into a sneer.'Shelia has gone to plead with Melody behind the scenes, showing no signs of submission. It's high time I teach her a lesson.'"Tell them to wait for me in the front hall," Edgar instructed."Sure, sir," the maid acknowledged, swiftly retreating.Edgar stood, adjusting his sleeves with a sense of purpose. He needed to meet Shelia and have a serious conversation with her.Shelia sat down at the table, her eyes wandering nervously around the room. After a moment of hesitation, she turned to Declan. "Dad, can't we ju
First and foremost, Edgar would try to get rid of the child in Shelia's womb."Miss Miles, please follow me."A maid came up to lead her upstairs.Shelia hesitated, but with no viable alternative, she reluctantly complied.As they reached the room, she attempted to make a run for it, only to find that the maid had already locked the door behind them. The door was designed to be impenetrable from the inside, leaving her trapped."Open the door. Open the door!"Shelia pounded her fists against the solid wood, but the maid remained unmoved."Mr. Odom said you need to rest, Miss Blair. The doctor will come soon."Shelia's heart was gripped by fear as she listened to the distancing footsteps. She didn't know what Edgar was up to.She quickly retrieved her phone, dialing Juan's number. The call wouldn't connect. She tried Joe next, only to find that he had also blocked her.Panic set in as she understood the extent of her isolation. Edgar was a powerful man, so calling the police w
The trainee program at Potter Entertainment had been put on indefinite hold, which meant Debra no longer had any reason to go there.Meanwhile, a multitude of new programs at the McKinney Group had been approved and were being diligently followed up by Marion.Ben, having sorted out the recent programs, followed Debra into her office."Oscar and those trainees have already joined our entertainment company," Ben reported. "Michael is personally overseeing their integration."Debra nodded. "I trust Michael's abilities. Leave everything over there to him.""There's one more thing," Ben said, placing an invitation on the desk. "This is an invitation from the Nichols family.""Who sent it? Juan?""No, it's from Melody Nichols."Debra picked up the invitation, her eyes scanning the intricate design.Melody had made her disdain for Debra quite clear, so receiving an invitation from her now could only mean one thing. Trouble was brewing.She opened the invitation to see the content.
"Madam.""Have Randy and the others arrived?""Mr. Osborne and the others didn't get an invitation."Debra's lips curved into a smirk. "No invitation for Randy, Erica, Marion, but me."It was ironic since Melody had never attached so much importance to her."Let's go."She was a vision in a red gown that hugged her figure perfectly, her curls cascading down her back. Around her neck and wrists gleamed limited-edition jewelry from the Riley family. Her appearance immediately attracted attention."Mrs. Nichols Sr., Debra is here."In the center of the hall, Shelia, dressed in a white gown, stood arm-in-arm with Melody. Her pregnant belly was prominent, and standing beside Melody made her glow even more.Melody looked at Debra with a mocking smile. She clinked glasses with Leah Riley, a woman in her forties who exuded elegance and grace."Mrs. Riley, I hope you're enjoying yourself.""You too, Mrs. Nichols Sr."Leah and her husband, Jack Riley, were the epitome of a loving cou
"It's simple. The Nichols Group's shareholders aren't clean either. Drake has dirt on them, so they have to do what he says."Theda laughed, understanding the whole thing. That explained why the mention of Drake's name alone had influenced those shareholders' decisions during the last meeting. It was because Drake had their secrets."Alright, I lost fair and square. Actually, I hold no personal grudge against you. That's why I warned you that getting those shares wouldn't be good for you. The person behind this wouldn't let you go.""You know who's behind this, don't you?""Even if I do, we're destined to be enemies. I lost to you, but next time, someone even more formidable will come after you. You won't be so lucky then."Theda poured Debra a cup of tea and continued, "We're alike. We've both been through things others can't understand. You're lucky, with so many people around you, helping you, but the path ahead is harder for you. Not something enviable."Debra didn't get it.
In the afternoon, Debra showed up at the Buchan Mansion.Sitting across from Theda, she sipped on her tea. "The tea has been ready for a while. You knew I would come.""Let's just cut to the chase," Theda said. "It's your setup, isn't it? The termination of the partnership and the sale of Buchan Entertainment at a low price. Now everyone knows that the Buchan family and the Nichols family have severed ties. Since it's my mistake, people will force me to step down."She observed Debra's expression and continued, "You're even sharper than I expected. I mean, who would have thought a pampered lady like you could orchestrate such a complex scheme and predict the outcome so accurately?""You flatter me," Debra replied. "Your solitary nature must have been formed when you were sent to the countryside as a child, and your strained relations with your family were easy to deduce. People act out of self-interest. You cause them financial losses, and they demand paybacks. Now here we are, sit
Theda sneered in response.Everything she had done for the Buchan family had earned them enough money to last generations, but now, they were biting the hand that fed them.Robert stood up, and the sight of him made everyone visibly afraid.Theda noticed his stern expression and grabbed his arm. "Sit down."Robert frowned, unwilling to back down. These people had no right to treat Theda this way."I said, sit down," Theda repeated, stressing her tone.Robert finally withdrew his murderous gaze.Joanne scoffed, "Seriously, Theda, you should find a normal secretary. We don't know where you picked him up, but he's a time bomb. You don't want him to bring trouble to our family.""That's my business. Stay out of it," Theda countered. "As for the lost money, I will figure out a way to make it up. You don't need to worry. Now you can leave. My dogs don't like outsiders here."Joanne was annoyed, but since Theda promised to pay back the money, she relented a bit."If you're going to
Theda frowned at the news. "What's the panic? I'm busy here. Tell them I won't see them."But then, a voice came from the doorway."We came all the way from Wrastow City to see you. It's a bit disrespectful to dismiss us like this, don't you think?"The voice carried a tone of arrogance and provocation. Theda turned to see a well-dressed woman in her thirties, adorned with jewelry.Her expression remained calm as she said, "Oh, it's you, Joanne. But you're not even part of the Buchan family. What brings you here?""It's not her who wants to see you. It's us," said the major shareholder of the Buchan Group, emerging from behind Joanne Tarrant.Following him were other core family members, all wearing expressions of anger."You said you wanted to expand into Seamar City and have used a massive amount of our resources. But now, not only have you failed, you've lost the Nichols Group as a partner. How can we not be upset?""Exactly. We came all this way to demand an explanation."
Debra took the medicine and band-aids, but the atmosphere in the living room suddenly felt awkward."I'm going upstairs.""Can you put it on by yourself?""Yes.""Let me see you do it."Debra cleared her throat, determined to prove she could do it. She sat down on the sofa, opened the medicine, and sprinkled it on her wound. But since her right hand was injured, using her left hand was tricky, and some of the powder spilled.With the medicine on her wound, she couldn't move her right hand at all. The band-aid lay untouched on the table. Opening a band-aid one-handed was harder than she thought."I rushed it," Debra said, trying to save face. "If I had opened the band-aid first..."Before she could finish, Andrew had already opened the band-aid and carefully applied it to her finger. His movements were gentle and precise."Do you know where Marion went?""Probably went to find someone who knows the identity of the mastermind.""Robert?" Debra was surprised.She wondered if h
Robert didn't dodge, but the bullet didn't hit him.It grazed past his ear, drawing blood.But through that action, Robert figured out something. "You didn't tell her, did you? You're such a coward. If Debra found out that your love for her isn't what she imagines, would she still love you?"With every word Robert uttered, Marion's gaze grew colder.Unfazed, Robert pressed on, "I heard Mrs. Houston is picky when it comes to relationships. If she knew that the love between you two over the past year was nothing but a joke, do you think she'd kick you out of her world and hate you for the rest of her life?""You really have a death wish." Marion's face lost every trace of humor.One of the men nearby quickly stepped forward, grabbing Marion's arm. "Sir, don't fall for it. He's trying to provoke you. If he dies, we'll never find out who's behind all this."Marion's face was icy. Robert knew that was his true nature. He was born without emotions, sympathy, and empathy.Medically sp
There were fewer people than Marion had expected.In the courtyard, a man backed away in fear, but Marion's knife was already flying towards him. The knife hit the wall before the man could escape, making him break out in a cold sweat.Marion darted over and kicked the man to the ground."I'll count to three," Marion said, pressing his foot on the man's chest. "Call Robert out.""One...""Two...""No need to bother him."A deep voice came over.Marion looked up and saw Robert standing there.Robert liked solitude and had many enemies, so Marion had spread the word that Robert was in Seamar City, drawing them over.Then it was easy to find Robert's hideout by looking for areas suddenly crowded with outsiders.Marion sat on the sofa, his voice low. "I helped you take care of your enemies. Won't you return the favor?""Favor? You spread the news in the first place," Robert scoffed. "If you want Theda to hand over that 10% stake, I can't help you.""I never said I wanted share
Liza darted off like a rocket."You little brat, I didn't let you go with him," Bert shouted.The butler advised him, "Sir, it may not be a bad thing for Miss Eaton to see more of the world.""She brings nothing but trouble to me," Bert sighed. "Seamar City is dangerous. What if something happens to her?"He banged his cane on the floor and ordered, "Send more people to keep an eye on her. Ensure her safety at all costs.""Yes, sir," the butler replied.But before he could leave to carry out the orders, Bert called him back."Wait.""Anything else, sir?""Pull back everyone watching them.""But that would put them in danger.""They can't grow without trials."Bert felt he had spoiled the two children too much.In contrast, Juan was raised with an elite education. He had endured unimaginable hardships to forge the determination and success he had today.Then there was Marion, who had wandered overseas since childhood and built his empire with bare hands, becoming a living
Verna felt a pang of guilt.Garland continued to play the emotional card. "If you don't let me out, I'll spill about when you wet the bed at 12. And when you were 13, you wrote a farewell letter during your first period. I still remember every word. I...""Stop." Verna's face darkened. "Be a gentleman, okay? If you dare say these things, you're dead.""Verna, please, I really need to get out. I'm not Fermin. I want to live for myself. Debra and the others treat me like a friend. I can't just hide here knowing they're in danger. You understand me and will agree, right?""I..." Verna hesitated.Just then, Bert stepped out of the room. Seeing his stern face, Garland tensed up."I was bored in my room. Just chatting with Verna.""You think I don't know what you're planning? You want to go out? Not a chance."Before Garland could argue, he added, "But I do have a task for you."Garland scoffed, "You won't let me out, and now you want me to work for you? Dream on."Bert's face dark