"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
Debra glanced down at her hand, a wry smile playing on her lips.She had anticipated that Shelia might have some tricks up her sleeve, but she hadn't expected such a brazen and underhanded method.As Melody arrived on the scene, her eyes widened in horror at the sight of Shelia lying in a pool of blood. She clutched her chest, her face paling as she nearly collapsed. "My great-grandson... Debra, you murderer! How could you be so vicious, even towards a pregnant woman?"Debra stood her ground, her expression calm. Ben rushed to her side anxiously."Madam, are you okay?""I'm fine," Debra reassured him.She glanced at Shelia and then Edgar. Edgar was comforting Declan, and a realization dawned on her. Edgar was likely involved in this scheme.Leah and Jack arrived to witness the aftermath. Leah gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She couldn't believe Debra would resort to such violence.Melody called the police. When the ambulance arrived, a police car followed close behind.P
"Yes."Joe swiftly turned the car around.Meanwhile, the guests gathered around were abuzz with tonight's commotion. Melody took the opportunity to ignite public rage. "Everyone knows in Seamar City how Debra used to fawn over Juan. Now they're going through a divorce, and she doesn't want to lose her title. So, she pushed Shelia down the stairs. It's simply despicable."The crowd murmured in agreement."I heard before that Debra was pursuing Mr. Nichols. She could have pushed Shelia out of jealousy.""I think I also saw Debra push Shelia down. That was brutal!""Who would risk her child's life? I bet it was Debra who did it.""Debra is broke, and now she has killed Mr. Nichols' child. Both families won't let her get away with this. She is done for."...The murmurs continued, the atmosphere thick with tension and speculation.Suddenly, Edgar's phone rang. After a brief call, he hung up and spoke in a heavy tone. "The child is gone."Melody took a couple of steps back, her
The room fell into a hushed silence as the recording finished playing.Edgar's expression darkened. He was caught off guard by Debra's unexpected move.Debra met his gaze directly, her eyebrow raised in defiance. If he thought he could set her up, he was sorely mistaken.Declan and Melody exchanged confused glances, uncertain of what was going on.Edgar took a deep breath, attempting to regain control. "Ms. Frazier, a recording alone doesn't prove anything. Besides, everyone saw you push Jade down the stairs. That's an undeniable fact."Debra shrugged. "Mr. Odom, you misunderstand my intention. I don't plan to use this recording to prove I didn't push anyone. I merely want to show that Miss Blair tricked me into going upstairs by pretending to be Juan and said some rather bizarre things."Declan interjected, "Even if Jade said something strange, it doesn't prove you didn't push her."Melody chimed in, "Regardless, Debra killed my great-grandson. That's a fact."Pedro, feeling t
Declan paled in disbelief. "No, it can't be. This must be fabricated."Debra merely watched him coldly.Melody was equally shocked, her hand clutching her chest as she struggled to process the revelation. She had never imagined that Shelia was responsible for the child's death.Debra turned to Pedro. "Mr. Hardy, what's the charge for deliberately murdering one's own child?"Pedro was lost for words. They had never encountered such a situation before, and the implications were staggering.Declan, his face contorted with rage, shouted at Debra. "My daughter is still in the hospital. What do you want?"Debra sneered, "I don't want anything. Shelia used her child to frame me, and I need to seek justice for myself.""Jade has already lost her child. What more do you want? How can you be so vicious?""Vicious? Shelia killed her child. I can't compare with her.""You..."Declan's face turned a deep shade of red, and he looked ready to explode. But it was Melody who stepped forward,
Juan cast a glance at Joe, who immediately stepped forward to address the stunned Jack and Leah."I apologize for the disturbance. I'll arrange for someone to take you home shortly."Turning to the gathered crowd, he announced, "The dinner party is over. I'm sorry for the trouble. We'll be sending everyone a gift later. I hope you don't mind."With Joe handling the situation, Juan felt a sense of relief. He turned his attention to Pedro, gesturing for him to follow."Come with me.""Okay."Juan then addressed Edgar and Declan, his voice cold and dismissive. "See yourselves out."Declan flushed with embarrassment, his earlier bravado deflating under Juan's stern gaze. Though he had dared to make a scene in front of Melody, he wouldn't dream of doing so in front of Juan.Edgar, sensing the tension, quickly led Declan away."Mr. Odom."Debra's sudden call made Edgar pause. She looked at him meaningfully. "Take care."Edgar shot Debra a cold look. Declan sensed something odd bet
Erica chimed in, "Right now, with half the entertainment industry's resources in their hands, their artists are already strained. If they take our deals too, those artists will be run into the ground. Even if they worked 24/7, they wouldn't be able to handle that kind of workload.""To capitalists, artists are just tools to make money. They couldn't care less about how the tools feel. And since those artists are mostly rookies, their rates are relatively low. After layers of exploitation, the pay they take home won't match the work they're doing," Debra replied. "Meanwhile, our artists are enjoying paid vacations for two months, traveling and relaxing. Do you think the Buchan Group's artists will feel okay with that? These are skilled professionals, but they're stuck doing assembly-line work. With such intense workloads, their performance will inevitably suffer, and the quality of their work will drop. For artists, no good work means no staying power. Their popularity will fade, and a
"She's probably trying to catch us off guard with this move," Debra said, calming down. "She's pushing her artists to work nonstop, taking on every gig they can get. By marketing them so aggressively, she's maintaining a temporary buzz. Advertisers will shift their partnerships from our artists to hers. If we lose most of our clients all at once, it'll throw our company into chaos. That's when she will swoop in."Andrew muttered, "So, it's a mind game? Theda knows how to play dirty."But Erica still looked troubled. "Now we know what she's doing. What can we do? Just sit by when she steals our clients?"If they lost their clients, their artists' commercial value would plummet. That would be a heavy blow to their business. Their revenue would dive, and they would lose their standing in Seamar City.Debra smiled mysteriously, "If Theda wants to disrupt us, we'll meet changes with constancy.""What do you mean?" Erica was puzzled."Didn't Michael just say that artists aren't machine
Compared to those mass-produced artists, these people under Theda's management had been trained for years.They were different from those who debuted just because of their looks. These people were versatile and unique in their own ways.Randy mumbled, "I've tried my best, but every time we fight back, they come up with something new. The advertisers we worked with before saw the momentum behind their publicity. Plus, their new talents were cheaper, so they all switched sides. Our ad revenue has dropped significantly. Even our commercial street has to feature ads for those Buchan artists. It's like quenching a thirst with poison."Erica chimed in, "This is the least we can do. Their artists are riding the tide. It makes sense that advertisers would go for them. We can't just tell people not to run ads for them."Debra nodded. "Advertisers choose who's trending. And those newcomers are popular and affordable. Michael is better but beyond the average advertisers' reach."Erica got an
Soon, the interrogators came out of the room. It seemed they wouldn't get any answers today.Kale had been waiting outside the station.When Drake and Debra walked out, he quickly went up."Boss, the plane tickets are ready.""Good."Before getting into the car, Drake said, "I'll give you an answer within three days. Don't forget our bet."Debra shook her head, surprised that he took that lopsided deal so seriously.Her phone rang with a call from Erica. "Check the news!"Debra, sensing her urgency, opened the news app.The top headline was about Buchan Entertainment. The article showcased a lineup of attractive artists and members of popular bands.Randy's words resurfaced in her mind. When she had just returned to Seamar City, he mentioned that a surge of artists had become wildly popular, rivaling the fame of Michael back in the day.Since Oscar left the entertainment industry to take over the Odom Group, these artists had been gaining even more momentum, almost as if the
"You think I'm scared of being caught?" Drake tried to pull his arm away, but Debra held on tightly.In the end, Drake snapped, "Fine! I won't go."The police were already closing in. Running now would only make things worse. Being dragged back in cuffs wasn't exactly appealing.Debra let go of him and smiled cheerfully, "Thank you for your cooperation."Pedro personally led the operation. Within minutes, the officers subdued the six thugs and loaded them into the vans.Pedro glanced at Debra and pointed at Drake. "About Mr. Lowe..."Debra explained, "Mr. Lowe is a witness. He's cooperating with us to clear his name and assist in solving this case. Isn't that touching, Mr. Hardy?""Thank you, Mr. Lowe. Much appreciated," Pedro said gratefully.But then he scratched his head and added, "Well, since Mr. Lowe is a witness, he'll need to come to the station for a statement. I know it's inconvenient, but I'm sure a generous and upright person like Mr. Lowe won't mind, right?"Befor
"I'll talk. It was Matthew Ledger. Please, spare me, Mr. Lowe," Silas said, terrified.He was just a small-time worker running errands for the bigshots.Drake narrowed his eyes, not expecting Matthew to be so bold."Boss, what should we do with these people?" Kale asked."Bind them all up." Drake glanced at the boat. "Stuff them in there, along with the machines, and send them to the West Factory. We'll go meet Matthew.""Yes, boss." Kale gave orders to cram those men into boxes.Among the group, six men suddenly pulled out their guns. "Don't move!"Debra saw it and opened the car door.Looking nothing special, these people had blended into the crowd and acted only at the critical moment.Debra knew that the shipment of so many machines couldn't go unsupervised. She hadn't noticed anyone hidden earlier, but it turned out they'd been embedded within the group.Clearly, whoever was behind this had infiltrated Drake's company."Stand back!" The six men grouped, scanning their s
Presumably, Silas had smuggled out countless machines and made a fortune over the years.Drake pulled out a bank card and said, "There's not much in here, but it's got 300-500 thousand dollars. I'd appreciate it if you guys could help carry all the machines down. Consider this a tip."Everyone was excited to hear that. It was easy money to make.The leader quickly ordered his men to unload the cargo. Drake handed the card over and glanced at his watch.Then he looked over at the car parked 100 meters away from the dock.Inside, Debra rolled down the window but had no intention of stepping in. She was simply enjoying the show.The men brought down the boxes, emptying the cargo ship.Drake nodded and said, "Thanks, everyone."The leader laughed, "No worries. You've already paid us."Drake smirked, "It's for carrying the evidence down."Before those men could react, Kale and his team sprang from their hiding spots.Realizing it was a trap, the men tried to flee, but Kale's peop
Debra pulled up to the East Dock.To avoid being recognized, she stayed in the car and motioned for Drake to go ahead.Drake glanced at the row of thugs standing on the dock. His expression darkened. "Why didn't you tell me there'd be so many people?"Debra shrugged. "Relax. Most of them are your people. You show up, and they'll fall in line."Drake was speechless but got a picture of the situation. Many of the thugs bore distinctive tattoos of the Lowe Group. They were undoubtedly traitors who had infiltrated his ranks.Selling his machines without his permission was a serious offense.He got out of the car and made a quick call before heading toward the group.The leader of the thugs was a burly man in his forties. Both of his arms were tattooed. He frowned at the sight of Drake. "What is your boss thinking? Sending one guy to pick up the goods?"The shipment was an entire boatload of machines. The unloading work alone would need at least 20 workers.Drake had pulled a cap
"Yeah." Debra nodded."Huh? Aren't you a spoiled rich lady? I thought you were like my sister, never lifting a finger for anything," said Garland.Liza grumbled, "Says who? I can make chocolate.""Right, if melting chocolate and putting it into a mold counts," Garland scoffed.Andrew suddenly lost his appetite. He put down his fork and knife. "Barton, pack the food and send it upstairs. It's too crowded down here. I can't eat like this."Randy protested, "Wait. If you take the food away, what are we going to eat?""Didn't you and Erica already eat at the hotel? You probably don't have room for a second dinner," Andrew replied blandly.Randy blushed when their date was exposed. He jumped up and rushed up the stairs.Erica casually whistled as she strolled upstairs.Liza and Garland were puzzled.Debra watched Andrew leave and sighed. 'Sure enough, it's not easy to pacify him.'Marion saw her frustrated expression. "Did you upset him?"Debra explained what had happened during