With Team One now so united, they probably wouldn't apologize.Catching Priscilla's frown, Grace quickly soothed her concerns. "Don't fret, Prissy. Once Frederick's out of the picture, those sheep will cower back down. He's the one riling them up."Priscilla nodded in agreement. Frederick was clearly the instigator.With renewed purpose, they set off to find Ivy.…Meanwhile, Ivy was on the phone with Anya."Anya, weren't you supposed to check on the new guy today? What happened? And guess what? He already got into a fight with Grace on his first day! Talk about a troublemaker."Anya's brow furrowed at the news of a fight. But upon learning it was Grace who ended up on the receiving end, she suspected there was more to the story. As close friends, Ivy kept Anya looped in on all the company gossip, and Grace's bullying was no secret. However, Anya had become somewhat desensitized to it. Talented salespeople often got away with bullying their colleagues. After all, they brough
Grace had never treated Ivy with much respect.In her view, Ivy's position should belong to Priscilla, with Grace as a powerful second-in-command. Normally, Ivy would let Grace's arrogance slide.But after Anya's call, Ivy was determined to put a stop to it.Today, the line was crossed. Grace barged into the office without knocking.Ivy's stern voice cut through the tension. "Grace, don't you have hands to knock?"Furious and ready for a fight, Grace raised her cactus-decorated hand. "Can't you see? My hand is hurt."Priscilla quickly tried to smooth things over for Grace and said, "Ms. Mallin, her hand is indeed injured."Ivy knew Priscilla usually handled reports. Grace wouldn't be here unless something significant went down. Ivy settled back in her chair, a cool mask on her face, waiting for Grace to explain.Grace immediately said, "Ms. Mallin, there's this new guy, Frederick York. You know him?"A sly smile played on Ivy's lips. Grace's anger clearly stemmed from Frederic
"Responsible leadership means listening to the best ideas for the company's benefit. During Frederick's interview yesterday, his insights into fashion were impressive. He pinpointed some flaws in Priscilla's designs, and quite frankly, they were valid," said Ivy.Grace's response was a harsh, humorless laugh. "Unique fashion insights? From Frederick? This guy barely finished school, and now he's supposedly better than Prissy, a top fashion graduate?"Ivy was surprised at Grace's words. Apparently, Grace knew Frederick well.Regardless, Frederick's observations about the fashion line were undeniably insightful compared to Priscilla's. Ivy remained calm. "If dismissal over the fashion line is what you seek, let me be clear, I stand by Frederick's assessment. His points are accurate. As long as I'm the director, we don't fire people for being right."Her unwavering support for Frederick caught Priscilla and Grace completely off guard. Getting him fired today seemed like a lost cause
Fuming as they stormed out of the office, Grace said angrily, "See? I knew it! There's no way Frederick charmed everyone in Team One on his own. He clearly has Ivy in his back pocket."Having witnessed the exchange in Ivy's office, Priscilla was mostly convinced. After all, Frederick's history with Vivianne's scheme was unsettling."But how do they even know each other?" she pondered.Grace's sneer deepened. "Mooching, of course. Just like he mooched off Vivianne before. Remember the other woman on the cruise? Mistress of that Tyger? That's how he gets close to these bigwigs. Now he's using the same tactic on Ivy."Didn't you notice? He wears suits every day now. It's a stark contrast to how he dressed when he was living off you and putting in zero effort."Priscilla's face darkened. Hearing about Frederick's trail of women was a bitter pill to swallow.When they first met, he was the picture of a polished expat. But after marriage, he'd shed the facade, opting for cheap clothes
"By the way, how are we going to deal with Frederick and his people?"Stuck on how to handle Frederick and his newfound allies, Priscilla confessed her inexperience with such confrontations.Grace offered a sly smile with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It's not a big deal. One phone call to Marsh tomorrow, and Frederick's goose is cooked."Priscilla's eyes widened at her words. Marsh Benson, Team One's leader, and Frederick's direct supervisor, would naturally favor his own team—just as Priscilla always sided with Team Two."Grace, are you crazy? Why would Marsh help us?"Grace's smirk widened. "My dear, naive Prissy, you think I'd let you stagnate as a team leader forever? Your talent dwarfs Ivy's. You deserve the director's chair! I've been strategically planning for your rise all along."Priscilla stared at Grace and was stunned. "Planning for what, exactly?"Grace's smile grew. "Remember, half the branch staff here are employees from your old company, right?"Priscilla g
On his first day at work, Frederick was surrounded by his female colleagues.Leaving work in high spirits, he whistled a happy tune.…Meanwhile, Wynne was in the hospital. Both his legs were in casts, and he was in immense pain.His phone rang, and a glimmer of joy flickered across his face when he saw the caller ID."Any news?" he eagerly asked.Wynne wanted information on Frederick and Anya, the two people he believed had caused his fall. He had given his thugs only their names and the fact that Frederick worked at Timbergale Corporation.The thug replied, "There's definitely a Frederick at Timbergale, and the Anya you're looking for is the company's president."Wynne furiously punched the headboard of his hospital bed. "That bitch! It explains why she wasn't interested in my money. She prefers to give herself to a pretty boy! What a slut!"Seething with rage and feeling a strong urge to kill them both, Wynne barely noticed the impatient tone of the voice on the other end o
Frederick ignored Fiona and went back to his room to rest.It wasn't until evening that the sound of unsteady footsteps alerted him to Anya's return.He rushed out to find Anya stumbling in, clearly intoxicated."Sweetheart, you've had too much to drink," Frederick said, offering his support. Unused to his touch, Anya quickly pulled away. "I'm not drunk! Don't touch me!"Frederick eyed her doubtfully. Her vehement denial only highlighted the way she wobbled, threatening to lose her balance entirely.Fearful that his beloved bride-to-be might fall and injure herself, Frederick had a sudden idea. Since Anya refused his help, he decided to lie down on the ground, hoping to cushion her fall and avoid her wrath.Anya screamed as she fell to the ground, fear draining the color from her face.The fall undoubtedly would be a face-first meeting with the ground, a classic "face-plant" that could leave her fractured.Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut.However, the anticipated p
Anya's voice was clipped as she answered the phone, her impatience barely veiled beneath forced politeness."Hello, Mr. Ben. I'm afraid I've reached my limit… Huh? What's the issue about the corporation? Do we really need another round? I..."Anya's frustration was evident. She'd already sacrificed her afternoon, forgoing a visit to see the new branch office hires in favor of this drawn-out drinking session with Mr. Ben.To have him backtrack now was beyond aggravating.Yet, the potential value of this deal couldn't be ignored. Anya gritted her teeth and agreed to another meeting.The moment she hung up, Frederick appeared with a steaming bowl of soup in his hands. "Sweetheart, here's some hangover soup. Have some of this to help you sober up."Anya gently took the soup from Frederick, who was wearing an apron. "Hangover soup? Did you make this for me?"Frederick nodded slightly. "Yes, sweetheart. It's not good for you to sleep after drinking so much. This will help you sober up
Mary's case was the most severe, while Ivan's symptoms were the mildest, and Frederick could roughly deduce the sequence of transmissions among them. It was clear that Mary infected Nigel, who then passed it to Kimberly, then finally passed it to Ivan. Frederick also saw that Ivan was actually a decent person who unfortunately ended up being betrayed and infected. However, Nigel was primarily worried that Ivan might start trusting Frederick, as he wanted Ivan to believe in his capabilities to carry out his plan.Originally, he intended for Mary to insult Frederick for being poor and unskilled, but she ended up attacking him for having an unpleasant odor, which backfired when Frederick exposed her for contracting syphilis. Now, Nigel had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, he then said to Frederick, "Hehe, Frederick. We all know Ivy is a director, what exactly do you do to be worthy of her?"Nigel assumed that Frederick was just a low-level salesperson, something
Hearing Frederick's words, Kimberly jumped with joy and stopped crying. While wiping her tears, she pointed at Mary, laughing and said, "You're covered in syphilis, yet you're making fun of me.""Slut, I wonder how many people you've slept with!" After being pointed and insulted, Mary was furious and she was ready to fight Kimberly. "You bitch! I am going to teach you a lesson!" At this moment, Nigel felt terrible. If Mary was diseased, he'd be the first victim. He grabbed Mary and shouted, "Bitch, let me teach you a lesson first. Now I know why you always wanted the lights off! I thought you were shy, but you just didn't want me to find out."In a fit of anger, Nigel slapped Mary hard across the face. Just as Mary was about to explain, she was interrupted by another slap. Holding her face, she yelled angrily, "Nigel, how dare you hit me?! Do you want me to expose all your little schemes and tricks?"Nigel froze in horror; if Mary exposed him, it would have been disastrous.
Kimberly heard her laughter, and body odor had always been a sensitive issue for her; a wound she'd tried to cover up over the years. For Frederick to bring it up in front of everyone felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. Yet what hurt even more was Mary's laughter; as a fellow woman, it felt like salt to the wound, then roasting it. Kimberly was furious, pointed at Mary and said, "What are you laughing at? Do you want me to come over there and shut you up?"Mary felt wronged, she had only let out a reflexive laugh, but now Kimberly's anger was directed at her. "Did I laugh at you? What proof do you have that I laughed at you?""You're the one with body odor, yet you're taking it out on others. You're such an unreasonable woman!"Kimberly grew even angrier after hearing Mary's retort. "You're the one with body odor, your whole family has it!" "Look at what you're wearing, it's like you just threw on two pillowcases. You're a shameless woman, just trying to show off t
When everyone heard Ivy's words, they laughed even more. Her words effectively confirmed that Frederick did indeed have an unpleasant odor. It wasn't entirely her fault as Kimberly's words had been a bit of a trap. "Haha, if you smell, just take a shower and don't embarrass yourself here.""With all that cheap stuff on, no wonder he has a smell."Hearing this, Frederick simply gave a slight smile and then asked Mary and Kimberly, "Are two really that fragrant?"Mary and Kimberly lifted their heads proudly after hearing Frederick's words. "Why don't you ask everyone here, ask them if we smell good or not?""Exactly, go ahead and ask."Both of them considered themselves beautiful, and of course, they would smell pleasant. The men around them quickly chimed in, especially those eager to admire Mary, who was dressed in a way that gave them a bit of eye candy. "Of course, they smell good. How could these two beautiful ladies not smell good?""Hehe, Frederick with his cheap, th
In a hidden corner, Nigel said to Mary, "Damn it, that bumpkin Frederick keeps stealing my spotlight. I am worried that our plan won't go well later.""You should help me humiliate him properly, and Ivan's girlfriend will back you up."Mary pursed her lips and said to Nigel, "Every time something comes up, you just ask me to handle it. My bag hasn't been bought yet, and you've lost 300 thousand dollars"Although Nigel was annoyed by Mary hitting a sore spot, he kept his tone calm and replied, "Help me humiliate Frederick and talk him down in front of Ivan. After that, leave the rest to me. Once it's done, I'll get you more than one bag, I could get you ten bags and it wouldn't be a problem. I don't care about that small amount of money. You saw that Porsche just now, right? I wouldn't mind burning it if I had to." Hearing this, Mary was delighted and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, babe." She hadn't realized that Nigel was so wealthy and even had a Porsche. Up until th
Knowing Martin as someone who knew a lot about wood, everyone immediately looked as though they were ready for a good show. They were convinced that the Saint George statue couldn’t possibly be made of anything valuable.Martin let out a strange exclamation. "What the hell!"Kimberly, thinking that Martin was angry, quickly said, "Mr. Lawson, tell us what’s so disastrous about this wood. Are you saying it’s just a piece of junk?"Contrary to expectations, Martin replied angrily, "I’m saying that whoever preserved this Saint George statue was a jerk. This is genuine sandalwood, and yet it’s completely neglected, covered in dust."Most of the group had no idea what sandalwood was worth, but judging by the name alone, it sounded impressive.Kimberly asked curiously, "Mr. Lawson, are you saying this is really antique wood?"Martin examined the statue carefully, scrutinizing every detail. "Judging by the texture, this carving must have been made at least 150 years ago."Everyone was
"The Saint George statue was indeed a fitting choice for a karaoke." Nigel chuckled, turning to Ivy.“Why didn’t you just go on Amazon and buy a new one for a few dozen bucks? This one is obviously second-hand. Or was it picked up from some junk stall?”Frederick heard Nigel’s mockery and nodded in agreement, a faint smile on his lips. “You’re not wrong. This statue actually was picked up from a street stall.”“At the Treasure Hall in the antique trade market, no less. And yes, it’s an antique.”The truth was, the statue was from the Victorian era. Even the owner of Treasure Hall, Dominic, had recognized its age but dismissed it as worthless, tossing it onto a stall outside.Frederick had picked it up casually, thinking it would come in handy one day, and now it was the perfect gift for Ivan.Hearing this, Nigel burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “An antique? Treasure Hall? You’re really trying to fool us.”Kimberly chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she glance
The group’s attention was fully captured by Frederick’s words, their eyes all on him. Nigel, knowing that Kimberly had informed Ivy at the last minute and that she likely didn’t have a gift, sneered at Frederick."Well, if you’ve got a gift, go ahead and show it.""Considering Ivy and Kimberly’s relationship, the gift should be pretty decent, right?"Everyone was now staring at Frederick with anticipation, curious to see what kind of gift he could produce.Ivy, on the other hand, was completely flustered. She hadn’t handed any gift to Frederick, though she understood he was trying to help her out of a tough spot. But wasn’t this making things even more awkward?Nigel continued to press him, "Where’s the gift? Come on, take it out already.""After all this time, you still can’t take it out. Don’t tell me you don’t even have one."Frederick glanced at Nigel with a calm smile. "Oh? Are you planning to bet 300 grand with me again?"Nigel froze. There was no way he had another 300 t
Ivan was deeply moved, feeling as though all the unpleasantness from their school days had been swept away. A sense of childhood nostalgia, unique to old classmates, welled up within him.The crowd continued to shower Nigel with praise, giving him thumbs up one after another."A gift worth 10 grand is no small amount. Nigel is truly generous.""That’s right. These days, even classmates hesitate to prepare gifts, but Nigel has shown such generosity.."Most of the attendees had come because of their connection with Kimberly. Each had prepared gifts with costs ranging from a few hundred dollars. Compared to Nigel’s grandiose gift worth 10 thousand, their contributions paled in comparison.Hearing the compliments, Nigel waved his hand dismissively, feigning modesty. "It’s nothing, really. After all, Ivan and I are good friends from way back."Then, Nigel’s expression shifted slightly as he added, "Speaking of good friends, I’m sure it’s not just me and Ivan here who share a special b