After having dinner at the Blair family's house, Juan left and got into his car.Joe said, "Marion has booked the place.""Then let's go," Juan replied, his eyes gleaming with a cold determination.He had been wanting to have a serious talk with Marion, and tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity.The car pulled up to the nightclub. Marion had rented out the entire place. The manager, recognizing Juan, immediately approached him with a fawning smile and led him to the most luxurious private room at the back.The hallway was lined with Marion's men, their presence a clear display of power.Joe muttered, "What does Marion want? Is he trying to show off?"Juan remained silent. For years, Seamar City had been his territory, but with Caleb's retirement and Marion's rise, the dynamics had shifted.The city was now a formidable three-way standoff between Juan, Marion, and the elusive Tracy, who never appeared in public.In the private room, Marion sat on the couch, a defiant sm
Marion smirked. "As I said, I have ways to deal with anyone trying to hurt Debra. How about you take a guess at what I've been up to these days, running around all over the place?"It took only a moment for Juan to realize the implication behind Marion's words. His eyes narrowed as he said, "You're the one who cut off our key funding chains?"Recently, major partners and overseas suppliers had suddenly come to a halt. Payments were delayed, and if it weren't for the Nichols family's reserve funds, their business would have ground to a standstill.Juan had initially thought this was due to the McKinney Group's impact, causing hesitation among partners and suppliers. He hadn't expected Marion to be involved.Marion's smile widened. "Every business has some dirty work to handle. You should remember what the Houston family used to do, and you shouldn't have forgotten what I used to do either."Juan clenched his fists. Few had dared to threaten him so openly. "Marion, have you thought
Debra woke up from a dream of her past life.In her dream, Seamar City had eventually become Marion's domain. She rubbed her temples, trying to shake off the lingering images. She dismissed it as just another ordinary dream.The morning sunlight streamed through her window, and she saw several missed calls on her phone.She called Ben back, and he said, "Madam, Mr. Cameron wants to see you.""Now?""Yes, he called you last night, but you didn't answer.""I see," Debra said. "Did he say why he wanted me there?""It seems to be about the trainee program."After leaving Potter Entertainment, Debra announced her new role as General Manager of McKinney Group.It was no surprise that Henry was anxious. Without Juan's sponsorship, most of the trainees had canceled their contracts, leaving him facing massive compensation fees to the production team. It was likely that Edgar's investment had already gone down the drain.At noon, Debra walked into the office building of Potter Entertai
Ashley strode towards Debra, enveloping her hand in a warm, affectionate grasp. "Ms. Frazier, we've both been in the trenches together as trainees. You know Eve, so please, don't take this the wrong way.Anyone with a pulse in the industry knew Debra wasn't someone to be underestimated. Though she held the title of general manager at the McKinney Group, whispers of her special relationship with Tracy, the group's real master, had long since spread like wildfire.The recent parade of luxury cars ferrying Debra around only served to fuel Ashley's suspicion that Debra and Tracy were entangled in a romantic liaison.Debra, however, swiftly extricated her hand from Ashley's grip, leaving the latter awkwardly suspended in mid-air.Henry stepped in, his voice dripping with sycophantic charm."Ms. Frazier, why don't we head upstairs and have a little chat? After you," he gestured, as if ushering royalty.Eve, witnessing her father's groveling display, felt a hot surge of anger and anxiet
Henry swiftly read between the lines of Debra's words. He gave a firm nod and said, "I get the picture, Ms. Frazier. Consider it done.""Excellent," Debra replied, rising from her seat. "Freya is chomping at the bit to debut, but the truth is, Potter Entertainment doesn't have the resources to make it happen. I trust you grasp the sensitivity of the matter."Henry met her gaze steadily. "Leave it to me. I'll keep the trainees in line."Debra nodded, satisfied. "I'll be heading back. Don't worry. Your position here is secure.""Understood, Ms. Frazier. Let me show you out," Henry said, gesturing towards the door.Outside the meeting room, Eve watched the exchange, her jaw clenched tight enough to crack walnuts.Ashley, never one to miss an opportunity to stir the pot, leaned in and whispered, "How does Debra still wield so much power? I heard Juan is about to get engaged to Miss Blair. Debra's not Mrs. Nichols anymore, so why is your father bending over backward for her?"Eve's e
"A gala?"When Debra strode back into the McKinney Group's headquarters, the buzz of internal chatter reached her ears almost instantly.She tossed the invitation onto her desk. "So, why didn't this invitation land on my desk yesterday?"Ben squirmed under her gaze. "This is a big deal. All the top celebrities and big-name stars will be there. I didn't think you needed to attend, so...""Cut to the chase, Ben. Who's hosting it?" Debra demanded.Ben tried to dance around the question, but Debra's steely gaze had him pinned. He finally came clean."It's the Nichols family."A smile spread across Debra's face. She knew Ben wouldn't hide the invitation without a reason. And now, she understood. He was worried about her crossing paths with Juan.Ben trod carefully. "They're going to announce Mr. Nichols' engagement to Miss Blair."Everyone in Seamar City knew about Debra's history with Juan. Now that Juan was getting engaged to Shelia, and if the invitation had landed in his still-
As twilight deepened into night, the gala was hosted at the Nichols family's old house.Melody was against Juan engaging Shelia, but Juan, being the decision-maker, had the event implemented.Outside, Debra sat in her car, watching as a parade of luxury vehicles rolled up, each more opulent than the last. She had once dealt a crushing blow to the Nichols family when she established the McKinney Group, yet their web of influence remained firmly in Juan's grasp.Her past leniency had allowed the Nichols Group to rise again within a few months."Madam, we've arrived," Ben prompted.Stepping out of the car, Debra was greeted by a familiar, albeit unwelcome, voice. "Well, if it isn't Debra."She turned to see Eve and Ashley emerging from their lavish ride. Eve was draped in a silver lace gown that clung to her curves, diamonds shimmering like stars against the night. She was a vision of extravagance, while Ashley, in a sweet pink sheath dress, seemed almost demure by comparison.Debr
Eve was delighted. "With your silver tongue, if I do manage to win Mr. McKinney's heart and marry him, I'll make sure you get your shot at stardom.Ashley's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really? Eve, you're an absolute doll!"Eve, accustomed to Ashley's honeyed words, barely registered the compliment. Her gaze sharpened as she spotted Debra entering the house."You, over there. Come here," she commanded.Joe, who had been searching for Debra at Juan's behest, paused mid-stride as Eve intercepted him. As Juan's secretary, only Juan and Melody held sway over him.Maintaining a diplomatic tone, he responded, "Good evening, Miss. Is there something I can assist you with?"Eve snorted, "Debra is just a lowly manager from the McKinney Group. What makes her worthy of being here? Have someone remove her. She's sullying the atmosphere."Eve's imperious tone made it clear she mistook Joe for a mere butler. Ashley, ever the opportunist, fanned the flames. "Exactly. This is the Nichols fa
"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