"And don't try to threaten me with my time at Arcane Academy. Worst case, we get a divorce and both lose," Debra said, not worried Juan would tell Melody.On the contrary, he would keep this secret, at least until he'd extracted enough benefits from the Frazier family.Juan took a deep breath. "What do you want?""A deal. I'll speak well of you in front of Grandma, but you have to play along with my act.""Play along with your act?" Juan looked at her skeptically. "Is it that simple?""In front of others, you must act like the perfect husband. Accommodate me, back me up in front of my family, and stand up for me when needed. This is a small effort for you, and you won't lose anything," Debra said, cutting to the chase.She still needed Juan's help to deal with Ralph. However, since the recent scene caused by Melody, Juan had been giving her the cold shoulder.After a moment of thought, Juan agreed, "Alright, you have the deal.""Good." Debra set down her tablet, dusted off her
"He is very crafty. At first, I thought it was our competitors, but these past few days, many investors have withdrawn their investments. No matter how many social events I attend, I can't keep them. Finally, I caught someone and confronted him. He revealed that Juan had warned everyone against investing in my company," Erica spluttered.Debra was shocked by the news.She was aware of Juan's capabilities, but she hadn't expected him to go this far for Shelia.Although Erica was from the Mathis family, she was also Caleb's granddaughter.Going against the Mathis family was equivalent to offending Caleb. Juan couldn't be so foolish as to target Erica."Don't worry. I'll handle this," Debra said before hanging up the phone. She hadn't intended to do anything drastic to Juan and Shelia. But now, seeing how Juan had no plans to spare Erica, she felt she had been too lenient.If Juan showed no mercy, she wouldn't either.Moments later, she stood up and walked out of the restaurant.
"Debra, can you stop this?" Juan said coldly, standing protectively in front of Shelia.Debra didn't want to waste time arguing with him. She warned him straight up, "If you don't want Grandma to see these photos, you better do as I say."Juan narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?""I want you to leave the Mathis family alone and compensate them."She knew getting an apology from Juan was impossible. Besides, apologies were cheap and wouldn't cost him anything. The compensation, on the other hand, was much better.Juan replied icily, "Fat chance!""Fine! I'll just let Grandma see these photos and learn you've deceived her. She'll know you came out with me today just to meet Shelia," Debra said. "I have nothing to lose here. But as for Shelia, Grandma has already cut off all her scholarships and allowances. I can't imagine what'll happen to her if these photos end up in Grandma's hands."Shelia turned pale with fright."Are you threatening me?""Hell yeah!" Debra had no intenti
When Debra arrived at Erica's company, Erica was ecstatically jumping around, looking at the newly deposited sum."Debra! You're amazing! That jerk must be feeling miserable now, huh?"Erica hadn't expected Juan to compensate for such a large amount, but she would not reject it. Despite the minor uproar, this was a win for her."The compensation came through?" Debra asked.It had only been an hour, sooner than Erica had expected."I bet he used his personal account to transfer the money to us. There's no way it could arrive this fast otherwise. Juan must be worried about losing face," Erica replied.Seeing neither Marion nor Randy in the office, Debra couldn't help but ask, "Where are they? With something this big happening in the company, why aren't they here?""You know Marion. As soon as he heard about the trouble, he left and told me not to tell you. He probably knew early on that it was Juan's doing and went off to plan his revenge," Erica replied.Debra nodded thoughtfull
Juan had gone home early. Upon seeing Debra, Sophie greeted her eagerly, "Madam, how was the gathering today?"Puzzled, Debra glanced at Juan, who was lounging on the sofa in the living room, reading a newspaper.'So, Juan has made up a story.'Debra smiled, replying, "It was good.""You should have asked Mr. Nichols to pick you up. It's not safe at this hour," Sophie said."It's fine. He left his car to me," Debra replied.When she left the mall earlier, Debra had taken the car Juan had driven. Thinking of how Juan, who had a dedicated driver for outings, had to take a taxi back, she felt a sense of satisfaction."Sophie, there's nothing else for you. You can go home. Debra and I have some other matters tonight," Juan said.His words were meaningful.Sophie happily agreed, "Alright, I'll tidy up and go. Mrs. Nichols Sr. is waiting for me to clean up."With that, she started packing her things.After Sophie left, Debra scoffed, "You're quite good at lying. Doesn't your consc
Debra got out of the car, not having told Erica about the event and not expecting Juan to be so eager to have Shelia move in.Joe heard the sound, looking over in surprise. "Madam?"He wondered if Juan had done this just to upset Debra."Don't mind me. You can go on with your work," Debra said casually.But Joe was visibly nervous.The situation now felt like a battlefield."Debra, you're not upset, are you? We're going to be neighbors. I'll be counting on you for help," Shelia said with feigned politeness.Debra turned back and snorted, "Neighbors? What kind of neighbors?"Shelia said confidently, "I will be living here too, so..."Debra sneered and pointed to the building where Shelia would move in, then to the one where she and Erica were living."Did Juan not tell you about the price difference between these two buildings?"Shelia was surprised. "What?"Erica put her hand on Debra's shoulder and teasingly said, "Looks like Juan doesn't value you much. Your building is t
"Something's up?" Debra asked, taking her seat."Yeah.""Is it about me?""Well," Jordan faltered, "this morning, my brother mentioned some trouble with the Nichols family. It's insider info, and you probably don't know yet.""So, you came all the way to school just to gossip about this?"Jordan blushed a little, turning his head away. "Don't get me wrong. I just wanted to get some info from you.""I probably know less than you do," Debra said, dropping the teasing. "What exactly happened?""It's internal news. Some shady financial records leaked from the Nichols family, causing several funding chains to break. All cooperation with overseas institutions has been halted. Soon, they will face inquiries. That's a lot of money they're going to lose," Jordan revealed.The mention of overseas institutions made Debra think of Marion.He was the only person capable of doing such a thing."Do you know who did it?" Jordan tried to read Debra's expression.Raising an eyebrow, Debra rep
"See, you guys are my best friends. I messed up last time, so I invited you here to eat, hoping you can forgive me. It was a slip of the tongue. I'm sorry," Shelia said, oblivious to Debra's presence.Debra sat in the corner, quietly listening to Shelia's apology."My boyfriend bought me a house just across from the campus. It's boring to live alone. Why don't you move in with me? You guys are my best friends after all," Shelia said earnestly, holding their hands.Debra almost laughed out loud.'So, Juan was the boyfriend Shelia was talking about.'She understood now. If Shelia really wanted to apologize, she could have done it ages ago. In reality, she was just trying to show off the house Juan had bought for her. That was why she said these things at the most expensive restaurant in Arcane Academy."What are you staring at? Order something," Jordan said.Debra snapped out of her thoughts. "Get me a cup of tea. I suddenly crave it.""Huh?" Jordan was bewildered.Just then,