Shelia was still waiting in the living room when Juan returned with a gloomy face. She probed, "Didn't Debra come back with you?"Juan snorted, "If she doesn't want to come back, she never has to."Shelia rejoiced at this statement. 'Debra is so foolish. She had the chance to win Juan's heart but chose to waste it.'That was good news for Shelia. As long as Debra wasn't around, she would have opportunities to get close to Juan and win his favor.She looked at Juan's face, feeling confident about her prospects with him.She could sense that Juan had feelings for her. He had always treated her differently from others.The next morning, Debra woke up groggy. She opened her eyes to see the white ceiling and unfamiliar surroundings.She rubbed her temples, remembering that last night she and Erica had gone to a nightclub and requested male models to join them for drinks. Later, Randy and Marion found them, and she seemed to fall asleep in the car. She couldn't remember anything after
With those words, all three people looked at Debra.She snapped out of her thoughts, touched her flushed cheeks, and said, "Maybe.""A cold shouldn't be taken lightly. I'll have Marion take you to the hospital later."Erica was eager to create opportunities for Debra and Marion to spend time together.Debra shook her head. "It's nothing serious. I'll be fine."Erica led her to sit down. Marion's meal was simple, while the others had more substantial, nutritious food.To relieve a hangover, they needed something rich and spicy. The soup with pepper was quite appetizing.Marion had just a couple of bites before he got up to clear his dishes. Seeing him grab his coat, Randy asked, "Where are you off to this early?""Out for a bit," Marion said, closing the door behind him.Randy mumbled, "Out to the supermarket?"Erica was frustrated. "What a blockhead!"Debra quietly ate her breakfast. About half an hour after Marion left, he returned with a large shopping bag.Randy stared a
Debra said, "You did pick some great fruit. You've done a better job than my housekeeper."Marion smiled. He wouldn't reveal that he had taste-tested each fruit, which was why it took him so long.A faint buzzing sound could be heard coming from the bedroom.Erica said, "Someone's phone is vibrating."Everyone exchanged glances, and Randy said, "I never keep my phone on vibrate."Marion stayed silent, and Erica pulled out her phone. "Mine's here."Debra suddenly remembered that she had set her phone to vibrate after hanging up on Joe yesterday.She quickly pushed back her chair and ran to the bedroom.There, her phone was vibrating on the bedside table. It was Joe calling.Debra answered, "Hello?"Relieved, Joe said, "Madam, you've finally answered."What's up?""Mr. Nichols was looking for you all night. He found out you left with Marion and got so mad that he hung up on me. He didn't go to the office today. Could you please call him and tell him about it? There are import
"Madam! You're finally back!"Debra rarely saw Sophie so emotional. Clearly, she had suffered a lot in the past few days."Sophie, is Juan home?""Yes, Mr. Nichols is home." Sophie hesitated and added, "But that vixen is here too."Mentioning Shelia made Sophie grit her teeth in hatred.Debra was surprised that Shelia could still stay there after Melody stepped in.Juan must really like Shelia, since he even went against his grandmother's wishes for her.Debra tried to use the fingerprint scanner at the front door, but it didn't work."Mr. Nichols changed the lock codes last night," Sophie explained.She entered the new code, allowing Debra to enter the house.Juan was with Shelia in the living room. Shelia was reading under Juan's patient guidance. They were acting like a couple in love.Sophie cleared her throat and announced in a stressed tone, "Sir, Mrs. Nichols is back."Juan glanced at Debra indifferently, as if she were a stranger."Who allowed you to enter my house
Debra walked away without looking back. Shelia tugged on Juan's sleeve and said, "Those were just her angry words. Don't be upset."Juan quietly pulled his hand away.Shelia looked at her empty hand, stunned.Juan said flatly, "There are things for me to do at the company. You stay at home and study. Tell Sophie if you need anything.""Juan..." Shelia tried to stop Juan, but he had already left.Sophie, who was cleaning the floor, snorted at Shelia's actions. 'The couple has just had a spat, yet Shelia fancies herself the hostess of this house.'Shelia's pride was injured by Sophie's expression.Debra returned to the apartment opposite the school, where she and Erica had gone that morning. Erica was excited. "You proposed a divorce to Juan? Did he agree?"Debra recalled it and said, "He didn't say anything.""Silence is acquiescence. I'll have my lawyer draft the divorce papers right away. We'll take a chunk of his fortune and kick that scumbag to the curb," Erica said enthu
Seamar City's sanitation workers quickly mobilized, and the sewage area Debra had bought started its cleanup and renovation. In a few months, it would be completely transformed. To save time, Debra had already begun other projects.Following the municipal statement, many entrepreneurs started investing in her project, ensuring ample funds and even a surplus.In the evening, Debra hosted a dinner at home. Randy placed a folder on the table and whistled, "In half a month, you've secured billions in funding. This is incredible!"Marion chimed in, "With extra money, we can start other businesses before this project finishes."Debra nodded. "I know. That's why I diverted some funds for a small investment.""Small investment?" Marion raised an eyebrow. "You spent hundreds of millions. That's not small."Debra didn't expect Marion to find out so quickly.But she hadn't intended to hide it from him. Recently, with her busy dealing with Juan, Marion had been handling many matters, making
As soon as Debra got into the car, Joe pleaded, "Madam, please go easy on Mr. Nichols. He won't divorce you."Debra closed her eyes. "When did the old lady arrive?""This afternoon," Joe replied.It was just as she had guessed.Melody must have caused a scene. Once things calmed down, they called her back.Melody was always domineering and wouldn't tolerate any disobedience.By now, Shelia should have been sent away.The car stopped outside the Nichols family's house, and the gate was open. Debra walked in, seeing Sophie standing by respectfully. Melody was sitting on the sofa.Juan was kneeling on the floor, while Shelia was nowhere to be seen.Melody asked, "Is everything packed?""Yes, Mrs. Nichols Sr." Sophie pushed out a suitcase. "These are all Miss Miles's belongings."Melody turned to Joe and asked, "How much of this was bought with Juan's money?"Joe nervously stepped forward. "Miss Miles's living expenses have always been covered by Mr. Nichols, so..."Melody sne
The Nichols family had always upheld strict discipline, and Juan was raised by Melody. He didn't even dare to dodge now. Melody's strikes were fierce, and Juan's body was soon covered in bruises.Debra watched impassively as Juan gritted his teeth and silently endured it.Melody didn't stop until the cane broke. "Will you apologize now?"Juan remained silent.Debra knew his stubborn nature. If he was still holding out after being beaten this badly, it meant he had no intention of apologizing.She intervened, saying, "Grandma, please take it easy. I don't blame Juan. Let's call a doctor to check on him."Debra put on a gracious act, which cooled Melody's temper somewhat.Melody knew Juan's personality too well.Getting him to apologize was mission impossible.Melody had just put on a show to make Debra feel better.She patted Debra's hand and said, "Don't worry. I'll keep him in check, and I promise you, that woman will never set foot in our house again. You're the only host
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
"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