Debra remembered that in her past life, after she married into the Nichols family, Violet had always lived overseas. It wasn't until the fourth year of her marriage that Violet returned.And the reason for her return was simple. Her husband had developed a gambling addiction. Although Violet was still dressed well, her wealth had been exhausted. Her husband sent her back to ask the Nichols family for money.In this timeline, it was only the second year of her marriage. Her return was out of the timeline.It seemed that since Debra's rebirth, more than just a few things had deviated from the original course. And Violet was someone particularly difficult to deal with."You must be Debra," Violet sneered, sizing her up. "You're not bad-looking. No wonder Juan keeps revolving around you."Debra's head was throbbing with a dull ache. She wasn't in the mood to play verbal games with this woman. "Mrs. Sosa, what do you want?"Violet stiffened, suspicion flashing across her eyes. "How di
"I heard your family went bankrupt and you don't have any money. You know, if you begged, we might give you some for you to get by," Violet said, her voice dripping with condescension.Debra was unimpressed. "I don't understand what you're talking about."Violet was pissed off. "Debra, you're forcing my hand here."She shot a glance at her bodyguards. In an instant, they stormed upstairs, rifling through every corner of the house.Debra furrowed her brows, watching as Violet leisurely made herself comfortable on the sofa. The bodyguards overturned tables and rummaged through drawers like they were conducting a raid."How's it going?" Violet asked lazily."Ma'am, we didn't find Mr. Nichols anywhere," they replied.Violet's frown deepened. She turned to Debra with a look of suspicion."I didn't expect you to be so capable. Tell me now. Where are you hiding him?""Mrs. Sosa, I've already explained. He's not here. Your people have searched the place. Are you going to leave now?"
"You don't know who owns this place, and you're making a scene here? Gotta say I overestimated you," Debra sneered.Violet fidgeted, her haughty demeanor crumbling under the weight of Debra's words.Debra bent down, picking up a shard of broken glass. She sighed dramatically, "Oh dear, such a priceless vase was smashed just like that. If I were the owner, I'd be furious."She pulled out her phone, acting as if she was about to call someone."It's just a few million. We can afford it," Violet Sosa huffed, trying to save face.Debra smirked, not missing a beat. "Well, since you were the one who did this, it will be your family's liability. You wouldn't expect Melody to cover for you, right?""I...""I've heard you married a wealthy businessman overseas. A few million dollars? That's not even as valuable as the rock on your finger."Violet instinctively covered the ring, guilt flashing across her face. Debra had her. That diamond was likely fake.The Sosa family had been rotting
Juan stormed into the room, his anger palpable. The bodyguards quickly let go of Debra.Juan rushed to her side, checking her over. "Are you hurt?""I'm fine," Debra replied weakly.Juan glanced at those bodyguards, who quickly bowed their heads."We just followed Mrs. Sosa's orders.""Who pays your salary, the Sosa family or the Nichols family? How dare you disrespect my wife?""We were wrong, Mr. Nichols."Violet saw the cold glint in Juan's eyes and fidgeted. Trying to pacify his anger, she said, "Juan, it's been so long since we've seen each other. There's no need to get so upset. Debra's fine, isn't she?""If anything had happened to her, this wouldn't end so easily," Juan said coldly.Seeing that her attempts to smooth things over weren't working, Violet forced a smile. "You're right. Thank goodness she's okay. I'd feel terrible if anything happened.""I'm exhausted," Debra murmured."I'll help you sit down," Juan said gently, guiding her to the couch.Only then did h
The bodyguards wisely retreated, seeing Juan's cold expression.Debra finally relaxed. Juan stepped closer, his hand brushing lightly against her forehead."You're burning up. What happened?""Why don't you ask your dear aunt? She stirred up quite the storm here."The house was in disarray, and Debra felt helpless about the disturbance."I'll take care of it.""I know. I wasn't planning to get involved."She tried to stand up, but the moment she rose, a wave of dizziness hit her.In that haze, she thought she heard someone calling out to her. Juan rushed forward and caught her just before she collapsed, but the next second, she was lifted into another set of arms."No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Nichols. I've got a girlfriend."Marion's voice was steady as he cradled Debra close, not even sparing Juan a glance."Stop!"Juan blocked Marion's path. His gaze lingered on the unconscious Debra, now safely held by Marion.With a mocking smile, he said, "Your girlfriend? Is thi
"Chill, man. Here I am," said a blonde, trotting up with a medical kit in hand.He looked to be in his late twenties, his appearance sharp and professional. Yet when he spoke, a thick accent tumbled out, totally out of place with his handsome looks."Hurry up! If something happens to her, Marion will demolish your hospital," Randy urged."Then please, tell him to do it. I've had enough of this job. Demolish the hospital already," William Weaver quipped.Marion chimed in, "Be quick, or I'll break your head."William dared not joke around anymore. William shut up and got to work.After a quick examination, he shrugged. "She's running a high fever. Other than that, nothing serious."Randy rolled his eyes. "What, you were hoping for something more? Shouldn't you be happy she's not worse off? Do your job before Marion breaks something."William shot him a mournful look, and Randy urged, "What are you waiting for? Give her the fever reducer."William complied, taking the fever medic
Drake realized who he was facing."Sir, back when Ralph lost a fortune gambling at our place, it triggered the collapse of the Frazier family. I suspect that Debra is getting close to you for ulterior motives. Should we..." Peter said, slicing a finger across his throat."No. Leave her to me," Drake responded calmly.Peter blinked, surprised. "You're going to handle this yourself? Isn't that too much trouble?""You mentioned she's filming some reality show on our island?" Drake inquired."Yes, but due to some public backlash, the filming has been paused. However, their lease is still valid, so I doubt the crew or the guests will be leaving any time soon," Peter replied."Make preparations. I feel like switching up my vacation spot," Drake said."Sir, Debra isn't the only one on the island. Juan is there too. Should we..." Peter reasoned.Drake's eyes narrowed. "Are you telling me how to run my affairs?""N-no, sir," Peter stammered, bowing his head."Do as I say.""Yes, sir.
William had been losing at cards all night. From the other room, Debra could hear the occasional bickering between William and Randy.In her room, Debra turned on the TV. The late-night news was plastered with scandalous headlines about her and Juan's rumored divorce. In the corner of the screen, a blurred image of Marion appeared, alongside the caption 'Gigolo'.The situation was serious, but the moment she saw the caption, she burst out laughing.Marion raised an eyebrow at her. "What's so funny?""Gigolo?" Debra managed between giggles. "You're one of the most feared men in the city, right alongside Juan, and now they're calling you a gigolo."Marion lightly tapped her forehead. "Ungrateful little thing.""Ungrateful?" Debra shot back. "I should be asking you. Who told you to come to this island? And you were the one who stuffed crabs and lobsters into the nets, right?"She had thought it odd at the time but had brushed it off as a trick by the production team. Now, it was ob
Randy was amazed. "It hasn't even been a few days. Debra's plan works fast.""It's a mind game. They were nobodies, and in less than a month, they rose to stardom. Naturally, their egos are inflated. With all that pressure, it's no surprise they'd lose control of their emotions," Debra explained, hooking her arm around Marion's and leaning her head on his shoulder. "Marion taught me all this. Pretty impressive, right?"Both Erica and Randy were speechless.Garland came downstairs and greeted them. "What's the occasion today? You've prepared so much food."Erica replied, "We're celebrating our first victory. Buchan Group is going down.""Really?" Garland raised an eyebrow.Debra smiled, "It's just the start. There's more fun ahead."Far away at the Buchan Group Headquarters, Robert reported, "Today, the 17th advertiser has pulled out. Even the previous endorsers are terminating their contracts with Lester. We can afford the penalties, but it means all the money we made before is
Marion leaned down to kiss Debra. Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open, taking them aback.They turned to see Randy standing in the doorway.Realizing what he'd walked in on, Randy awkwardly cleared his throat and glanced upward. "Weird, huh? Where'd everyone go in the middle of the day? Guess I'll check downstairs."Before leaving, he added, "Oh, by the way, top trending news. Buchan Entertainment's A-lister Lester Ashford just assaulted a fan."Debra immediately grabbed her phone. Sure enough, the top trending topic was #LesterHitsFan, and the story had gone viral across the internet.She tapped into the headline and saw a video shot by a fan.In the video, fans greeted Lester at the airport as he got off the plane. A group of female fans held banners and chanted, "Lester, we love you."The airport wasn't overcrowded, and everything seemed orderly.But as soon as Lester heard the chant, he smashed his water bottle to the ground and yelled, "Idiots! Does no one want you at ho
Liza grinned cheekily, "My allowance has gone up every year, but don't lose heart. I'll tell Dad to raise your allowance too."She looked at Garland's sullen face and patted his shoulder. "Cheer up. I'm off shopping."She leisurely hummed a song and skipped away.Far away in Seamar City, Robert was reporting his duties to Theda."These past few days, most of the McKinney Group's clients have jumped ship and joined us. Now that their artists are on hiatus, we can grab their endorsement deals. Within a month, we'll swallow up all the resources they're holding onto," he said."Is Debra doing nothing about this?" Theda asked."She did," Robert replied. "Michael has been working around the clock. Debra's trying to use him to salvage the situation. But it's not working.""Michael may be their ace, and Debra's relying on him to secure only luxury brand endorsements. But if she doesn't care about the smaller deals, we'll take them," Theda said, tapping her chin. "Without clients or reso
On a beach overseas, Debra lay on a lounge chair.In front of her was the blue sky, white clouds, and the endless ocean. The golden sand glittered in the sunlight.She wore sunglasses and flashed a peace sign for a picture before posting it on social media.In the picture, she showed half her face, while the other half captured their artists building a sandcastle.The caption read, [Blue skies, white clouds, the ocean, playful employees, and a boss you'll never have.]The comments section quickly exploded.[I know team building, but I've never heard of a boss taking their employees abroad for it. I want such a boss.][Girl, you just took away all my idols.][The McKinney Group's artists have all gone on break. My happiness is gone.]...In floral trunks, Garland was grumbling while digging in the sand with a shovel, "Your wedding hasn't even happened, and you're already on a honeymoon? You can have your honeymoon. Why let me arrange everything and foot the bills?"Liza heard
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