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Juan had withdrawn his investment, yet Debra seemed unfazed.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
Debra casually steered the conversation towards the topic of married couples, and as anticipated, Leah's expression turned somber."Now, somehow, the mistress becomes Miss Blair, and here I am, forced to meet them," Debra remarked, her voice laced with disdain as she referred to Shelia.Leah was aware of the tension between Debra and Shelia and had felt uncomfortable witnessing Shelia, with her prominent baby bump, appearing in front of Melody.Leah frowned, her voice dropping to a whisper. "The Nichols family, really! How could they allow a mistress to waltz into their home like this? They don't want a divorce, yet they openly parade her around. It's disgraceful."Knowing Leah's attitude, Debra said, "They sent me this invitation. If it weren't for the chance to see you again, I wouldn't have bothered to come."Leah patted her hand reassuringly. "Let's meet privately and avoid these commercial events."Debra agreed with a smile, "Good."A maid approached them, her voice polite
When Debra heard the valuable gift, everything clicked into place.She understood Melody's motivations perfectly. Given Melody's obsession with reputation and status, there was no way she would reject Declan's personal negotiation and generous offer, especially since Shelia was carrying the Nichols family's heir.Debra sneered, realizing that whether in her past life or this one, Melody was always driven by profit and self-interest.In her previous life, when Debra was the heiress of the Frazier family, Melody had treated her very well. But with Shelia's pregnancy and the potential benefits, Melody was eager to elevate her instead.It seemed that history was repeating itself, with Shelia taking on Jade's identity and carrying Juan's child.Once again, Debra and Juan were entangled in this web, but she was determined not to meet the same tragic end."This is strange. For such an important occasion, where is Juan?" Leah pointed out.She wasn't the only one curious about Juan's abs