Chapter 9In the original timeline, Marion's identity was revealed three years after Caleb's death.Debra wondered if her rebirth had unintentionally changed things.Shelia's face turned pale at Caleb's words.'Marion is rumored to be an orphan. How could he be Caleb's grandson?'She wondered if Caleb had heard everything she just said.Offending Caleb meant no future in the financial world.Shelia looked at Juan, seeking his help."Mr. Houston, Shelia just spoke without thinking. Considering her young age, please don't judge her too harshly."Caleb merely snorted, "Heard there was a genius by Mr. Nichols's side. Well, I'm not impressed."Shelia's face turned ashen.It seemed she had lost all favor with Caleb.Debra witnessed it all.At this point, even if Juan spoke up, it wouldn't help. Caleb was already merciful enough not to kick her out.Juan fell silent.When Caleb's gaze fell on Debra, it softened. "You're from the Frazier family, right?"Debra came to her senses
Chapter 10Randy drove to a nearby, unfinished building."Damn it! I can't believe Aaron keeps her in this shitty place."Randy looked around. It was pitch dark, and the only sound was his voice echoing.Aaron was dragged out of the car by Marion, barely standing up.Randy kicked him. "Speak! Where is she?""They hid her. We planned to teach that... Ms. Frazier a lesson. We thought, after getting the money, we'd blow up this building. Not only would we get rid of Juan, but we'd also get a lot of money. It was supposed to be a chance for me to ask for credit. I didn't expect Ms. Frazier and Mr. Houston to know each other," Aaron confessed."Blow it up? Did you say you wanted to blow this up?" Randy's eyes widened. "A time bomb?"Aaron nodded fearfully.Marion's eyes glinted with coldness, and Aaron swallowed hard."Randy, tie him up. If the bomb detonates, I want him to die first."Despite his plea for mercy, Randy tied him up.This unfinished building was complicated. Mario
Chapter 11Shelia lowered her head and stood timidly by Juan's side.Juan's indifferent gaze reminded Debra of things in her last life, and her heart sank.She had intended to thank him, but it seemed Juan didn't care at all."I'm tired. Do as you please," Debra said, heading upstairs.Her thoughts were no longer on Juan and Shelia.If Aaron could easily make his move on her, others could too.She couldn't always rely on Juan without any ability to protect herself.The next day, Debra prepared to leave early, only to find Juan's grandmother sitting in the living room. Shelia stood nearby and looked aggrieved."Melody?" Debra frowned.Melody Nichols rarely visited. Debra wondered what brought her here."I heard from Juan that you spent ten billion dollars on a piece of land." Melody's tone held a hint of reproach.Debra sat down and poured tea for Melody. "That's true.""And were you kidnapped last night?"Debra lowered her gaze. "Yes.""We're not an ordinary family. Once
Chapter 12Only Juan would be deceived by Shelia.Juan liked Shelia, making it hard to see through her."Alright, it's not a big deal. Shelia still has class today. I'll take her to school."Juan gave Shelia a look, indicating she should leave.Shelia looked grateful."Debra and I are going shopping today. Since you're not busy, come along with us," Melody said."But Shelia...""Let Joe take her back. You're the CEO of Nichols Group. Don't do anything that tarnishes your status."Melody's words were final.Shelia bit her lip and said, "Mr. Nichols, it's fine if Joe takes me to school. Don't upset Mrs. Nichols."Shelia politely bowed to Melody.But Melody didn't appreciate it."I'll see you off," Juan said.Shelia nodded.As Juan escorted Shelia out, Melody turned to Debra. "Juan is young and easily deceived by these vixens. You should be more vigilant."Debra nodded outwardly but inwardly hoped these two would progress faster."I've noticed you've been putting less eff
Chapter 13Debra didn't expect Juan to believe her anyway.Quickly, Debra followed Juan into the car, and he pretended to be affectionate by holding her hand.Debra knew it was all an act in front of Melody.Juan's parents had passed away, and it was Melody who had raised him. He respected and obeyed her.Debra didn't expose the truth. Instead, she played along with Juan's act."What about that land? How do you plan to deal with it?" Melody suddenly asked.She was asking Juan.Juan, seated in the front, glanced at Debra through the rearview mirror and said, "That's bought by Debra, so she'll handle it herself."Melody looked at Debra and said, "Leave this matter to Juan. The most important thing for you is to be a good wife and mother.""Matters concerning the Nichols family are naturally handled by Juan, but this land was bought on behalf of the elders in my family. They will take care of the rest."Melody's tone softened. "In the future, stay out of such matters. Now that
Chapter 14Debra sensed Juan's stiffness and squeezed her way in.Inside, the lights were dim, and there was a candlelit dinner table in the living room.Debra was astounded.Obviously, it was Melody's idea. That explained why Melody insisted earlier that Juan take Debra home. This was her plan."Debra, you've got some nerve.""Not me."Debra wanted to explain, but Juan threw down the bags and left without looking back.But when he stepped, he found that the driver had driven away the car.Debra fully understood Melody's intention. If she and Juan didn't stay together tonight, Melody would not give up."Don't bother." Debra said, "You sleep in the living room, and I'll sleep in the bedroom."Juan gave Debra a cold look. "I warn you not to play tricks."With that, Juan walked into the house.Seeing the disgust in Juan's eyes, Debra could only laugh at herself.'This is what you get for liking Juan, Debra. Even if you once liked him so much, in Juan's mind, you're just a wo
Chapter 15Juan frowned, wondering why Debra was willing to give up the chance to be alone with him.In his impression, Debra would be angry if he went to see Shelia."Aren't you taking Shelia to the hospital?" she said.She hoped that Juan could leave as soon as possible.She was worried that Marion would go to bed and that Melody would play new tricks tomorrow."Enjoy your meal."Juan glanced at the neatly clean plates and felt a bit frustrated.She had gone to such great lengths to keep him at home, only to focus on eating.After Juan left, Debra took out her phone and dialed Marion's number."Hey, something's come up. I'm on my way.""No rush.""See you soon!"At the window of his office, Marion hung up his phone.On the sofa, Randy woke up and asked, "Where's Debra? It's late.""She's held up," Marion replied."For a whole day?" Randy stretched, suddenly realizing something. "Don't tell me you've been waiting here all this time."From this floor-to-ceiling window,
Chapter 16Debra was very serious.But her words were partly true. The Frazier family wasn't what it used to be, which was why Juan grew colder toward her in her last life.For Juan, their marriage was all about business. Once she lost her value, she meant nothing to him.When the Frazier family went broke, Juan abandoned her."You're going to manage your family business? Is this a joke?" Randy started, but Marion's glare cut him off.Randy quickly corrected himself, "It's not that I look down on you, but finance isn't your field. You haven't learned how to run a company. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. It's hard for a young lady like you to convince those old guys.""I know that," Debra replied."Then why do you..."Marion's warning glance made him falter. "It's just unrealistic for you to run the Frazier Group.""It's my grandfather's legacy. I must preserve it. Although I haven't formally studied, I have a plan.""What plan?""I'll go to school.""School?"Randy w
Drake didn't hear any noise downstairs."Haven't Debra and Marion come in?""They should have.""Then why hasn't anyone come to report me?""Boss, you said you weren't going to welcome them."Lately, Kale found it hard to figure out what Drake was thinking. One moment he was against something, and the next he was going along with it.The wedding was an example. At first, he said he wasn't going, but later, he did. Then it was this recent event. He didn't mean to hurt Marion, but he claimed that it was intentional.Now, he was doing it again, inviting them over but refusing to welcome them."Yeah. I don't care if they stay or leave," Drake said, standing up. "I'm hungry. Tell someone to make dinner."He came downstairs, but Debra was nowhere to be seen.He glanced at Lara, who was still cleaning. "Have they gone to their rooms?""Yes," Lara faltered, "but they went to the same room."Drake frowned. "I told you to prepare two rooms. Why are they sharing?""Mrs. Houston said
"I think it's fine," Debra said. "I don't believe he'd do anything to Marion."It was better to have Drake pay the bills than stay in the hospital.She turned to the bodyguard and said, "Okay. Tell your boss to send a car to pick us up.""The car's already waiting outside," replied the man. "He had prepared it, knowing you'd agree.""How thoughtful he is!""Yeah."Drake had suffered too many losses when dealing with Debra. He had drawn lessons from those failures.Debra helped Marion out of bed. The moment they stepped out of the room, Drake's subordinates hurried over to assist.They smiled flatteringly at Debra and said, "We're here to help."But Marion shot them a cold look before they could come near him. They smiled awkwardly and quickly pulled their hands back.Debra sighed and continued helping Marion out of the room."Why refuse free labor?""I don't like others touching me.""Alright, you don't like others touching you. How about I touch you?""Only you can touch
Erica felt helpless. "As long as you're happy."She just hoped Randy would not regret it later."Erica, I have a question," Debra said. "It's the trick you used on Robert. Did you learn that a long time ago?""Yeah," Erica replied. "It's not just me. Randy learned it too. When we were kids, Caleb liked to train us. You know how it is. People like us get kidnapped all the time, especially when we are younger. We were often targets for rivals or kidnappers who wanted ransom. Caleb always said boys and girls both needed to learn to protect themselves, so he made sure we learned it all.""Backstabbing like that is simple. The hardest part is showing weakness first," Randy chimed in. "It's what Caleb taught us. If you get captured, always show weakness to slacken their vigilance. Then you counterstrike with techniques like joint locks or over-the-shoulder slams. We learned all that, though I'm not as good as Erica. She was always into it and even learned boxing. Robert is stupid, messin
Erica nearly choked on the food when she heard that. "Bro, your left hand is injured. What's that got to do with your right hand?""That hand hurts too," Marion lied without batting an eyelid."Is it injured too? Let me see," Debra said, quickly checking his right hand.Stunned, Randy dropped his fork. "Come on. Can't you see he's faking it?""Faking it?" Debra examined Marion's hand and saw no injuries.Debra dropped his hand and said, "Then feed yourself.""I want you to feed me," Marion whined.Erica got goosebumps all over, unwilling to believe the man in front of her was really Marion.She put down her fork and knife. "Should we give you guys the room?"She winked at Randy, who immediately took the hint. "Right, we've got stuff to do. There's a mess in Seamar City we need to sort out. We should go."While feeding Marion, Debra sighed, "Stop messing with me.""We shouldn't interrupt your quality time," Erica explained.Right now, Marion only had eyes for Debra. She didn
Debra sighed in relief, "The doctor said you need to stay here for observation. During that time, I'll take care of you."She paused and corrected herself, "I mean, we will take care of you.""Huh?" Marion was baffled.Before Debra could explain, a knock came from the door. A group of caregivers shuffled in, looking like they wanted to be anywhere else.The air was thick with awkwardness before one of them finally broke the silence. "Sir, we're caregivers assigned to look after you during your recovery.""Oh, caregivers?" Debra arched a brow. "Funny, though. You all look kind of familiar. Haven't we met before?""No, ma'am. We've never met. We're just ordinary workers here," they insisted.Debra stood up and walked toward them, narrowing her eyes. "You mean to tell me I don't recognize the men who are always hovering around Drake?"The men panicked, their façade crumbling. "Ma'am, we're just following orders. If we mess this up, we'll be punished. Please, don't blow our cover."
Kale shook his head, confused.Drake was even more convinced of his thoughts. 'Debra is biased because she loves Marion. She was just trying to whitewash his actions.'He thought over the whole event and huffed, "Why did she come to my place and cause a scene? It's not like I hurt Marion. She made it sound like I did it on purpose. It's infuriating.""Boss, they are newlyweds. She's bound to be protective," Kale explained. "This whole thing isn't really your fault. Robert is the one who used you to hurt Marion and drive a wedge between you two."Drake nodded but quickly caught himself. "Wait, what relationship do Marion and I have? Just shut up if you don't know what you're talking about.""Boss...""Go, get out of my sight.""Yes, boss.""Wait. Come back. Have someone keep an eye on the hospital. Let me know when Marion wakes up. I'm not taking the blame for something I didn't do.""Understood."Kale knew he was just putting on a tough act.All these years, Drake had talked
Drake shifted uncomfortably. "Are you interrogating me?""How could I?" Debra replied innocently. "But you know, the people I brought today were trained by Caleb. He hasn't left Orkgate yet, and knowing his temper, if he finds out Marion was hurt, he won't let you off.""Am I supposed to be afraid of him?" Drake snorted."That's why I'm trying to have a calm conversation with you," Debra said nonchalantly, resting her chin in her hand.Drake fidgeted, finally cracking. "Theda wants to work with me.""On what?""That's not important. I haven't agreed. I turned down Robert, and he said he wanted to meet Marion. You know, Marion threw him into the sea years ago. Robert wanted his revenge, and I just brought them together.""How did he even survive in the sea?""I've no idea. The world is full of surprises. Let's just say Robert had good luck.""Good luck?" Debra laughed. "That's an ocean. If you were thrown in, I doubt you'd survive. If Marion really wanted him dead, he would hav
"Oh, I don't have a habit of poisoning people," Debra said. "Those you just ate were poison-free. But I did add a bit of sleeping pills. You might sleep for eight or nine hours."She paused and added, "Oh, by then, you'll probably be shipped back to Seamar City in a container. I'll contact Ms. Buchan to pick you up. Hope everything goes well for you back there."She didn't mean a word of it. If Robert was sent back like this, Theda would be furious."You..." Robert tried to say something, but his eyelids grew heavy, and his vision blurred.The next second, he collapsed on the floor. Debra looked back at him and said, "Oh, I forgot to mention that besides the sleeping pill, I also added a bit of knockout drug. You'll sleep well and won't feel a thing on the way."Outside the hotel, a bodyguard opened the car door for her."Ma'am, are we going back to the hospital?""To the Lowe Mansion."...Drake was throwing darts in his study, feeling restless."Boss, Debra is here," Kale a
"Robert Fitchett," Robert confessed, swallowing his pride.Debra nodded. "Okay. Robert, were you working for Shawn, just like Marion and the others?""Wouldn't it be better if you asked him directly?""Why did you want to kill Marion?""You made it difficult for Theda.""Is that the reason?" Debra raised an eyebrow. "Well, you care about her so much."Robert looked away and said, "She is the best woman I've ever met.""I'm not interested in your love story. I need you to explain why you risked your life to try and kill Marion.""You don't know?" Robert sneered. "Marion has been thrashing the Buchan Group. He wanted to clear obstacles for you, and you're telling me you didn't know?"Debra frowned. "When did this happen?""Since the day you handed the share transfer papers to Theda," Robert explained. "The Buchan family has been getting crushed. Are you telling me you didn't know Marion was after the shares? If Theda didn't hand them over, he would've hit her family hard. Her s