Marsh's words stunned everyone. Their team leader was choosing Grace over his own team. A chorus of complaints erupted."Grace called us bitches too, but no one from their team got their pay docked!"Marsh smiled faintly and replied righteously, "Lax management is Team Two's problem, not mine. My team has strict rules. It doesn't matter who insulted whom, you will all face consequences."You're letting a newcomer lead you astray. He doesn't get paid this month, so he has nothing to lose. But what about you? You're all rallying behind Frederick, so let him cover your 300-dollar deduction each."Marsh's words clearly planned to shift the blame onto Frederick.Wasn't Frederick supposed to be capable? He would see how capable he was.Indeed, many began to resent Frederick. After all, it was due to his influence that they had insulted others yesterday.If Frederick didn't step up now, it wouldn't sit well with them.Frederick understood Marsh's intentions. Money wasn't an issue fo
Marsh broke out in a cold sweat at the indignant team.He wasn't foolish; he knew Ivy wouldn't fire the entire team just to appease him.He turned to Melissa and coldly questioned, "What's your relationship with Frederick that you're so quick to defend him?"Melissa proudly linked arms with Frederick and said, "Why don't you guess?"Marsh's face darkened. Melissa was one of the prettiest and youngest members of the team.She might not have been as stunning as Ivy or Priscilla, but she was easily on par with Grace. And unlike Grace, whose acne-prone skin and faint wrinkles dampened any desire, Melissa radiated an innocent charm.Marsh had tried to make a move on her before, but she'd never responded, leaving him to settle for the more amenable Grace.Seeing that Frederick had won Melissa over on his second day only fueled Marsh's anger. But he couldn't risk alienating the entire team. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind."Fine, kid, you want to play the hero? I'll give you a
Marsh clapped his hands and said, "Frederick, I knew you were the bravest among us. Go on, I'll have the champagne on ice to celebrate your return."Inwardly, his thoughts were far darker. "Go play hero, kid. You'll learn your lesson soon enough. If you're lucky, it'll just be broken legs. If not, you might end up paralyzed. And Melissa, you seem quite fond of him. You'll be nursing him back to health for the rest of your life."As Frederick prepared to leave, regret filled the room. He was so handsome and kind. But he was so naive to accept such a perilous task!Everyone could already envision him being brutally beaten.Olivia, who had been quiet up until now, read the danger in everyone's faces. The thought of Frederick getting hurt twisted her stomach. He had been nothing but kind to her, helping her from the moment they met.She couldn't let him face this alone. With a sense of reckless determination, she decided to accompany him.After all, what did she have to lose?With a
Meanwhile, Frederick was unaware of the concern he'd caused back at the office.He arrived at the address Marsh had given him.It was a sprawling Euphorian-style villa. He gently pressed the doorbell.Soon, a burly, stern-faced man answered. "Hey, kid, what do you want?"Frederick glanced at the information in his hand. "I'm an employee of Timbergale Corporation. I'd like to see Ms. Nicole Stevenson."The man's eyes widened. "You picked a hell of a day to show up, kid. Get lost before you get yourself killed over this company's mess."Frederick detected no deception in the man's tone. The people living in this villa were indeed dangerous.He offered a slight smile. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Just let me in."The man smirked. He wasn't known for his soft heart; the warning was already more than Frederick deserved.If the kid wanted to risk his life, so be it."Fine, if you're not afraid to die, come on in."The man opened the door, and Frederick nodded, stepping int
Had Tigris, a figure as renowned as Tyger in Jenaire City, really been poisoned?And by a woman, no less?Zephyr smiled faintly with a brief glint of cunning satisfaction crossing his face. He spoke calmly, "So, Ursara, it turns out you're the one who caused this mess and got our boss killed!"Ursara, caught off guard and not known for his eloquence, responded with a growl. "Was I supposed to just let someone stake a claim on our turf and do nothing?"Zephyr's smile widened. "Don't try to justify it. Just admit it, your actions led us to this. Is the boss' life worth less than a petty turf war? Why didn't you come back and discuss it with us before acting rashly?"Ursara was momentarily silenced. For years, he had operated on the same principle—if anyone dared challenge Tigris' territory, he would retaliate with force. He couldn't see what he had done wrong."Someone claimed our turf, so I trashed her place. Someone killed the boss, so I'll kill her. That's all there is to it."
At that moment, Zephyr addressed the disfigured Nicole. "Mrs. Duskfang, what are your thoughts?"Nicole was still consumed by grief and had yet to recover from the shock. Her face had been disfigured for over a week, and now her husband was dead.As a woman, how could she possibly manage a gang? All she wanted was for someone to avenge her husband and provide for her in the future."Alright, I agree."With his position as the new leader solidified, Zephyr couldn't help but allow a smirk to play on his lips, barely suppressing his laughter.Suddenly, Ursara burst into a hearty guffaw.Zephyr was puzzled and asked, "Ursara, what's so funny?"Ursara clenched his fists, a sinister glint in his eyes. "What else would I be laughing about? I'm laughing because I get to avenge our boss."Zephyr felt a deep contempt for Ursara's simplemindedness. He was a blunt instrument—a hammer in a world that required finesse and cruelty.Ursara waved his hand, commanding his subordinates, "Alright
Ursara possessed strength comparable to Scarlett's with a touch more brute force.He couldn't land a single blow on Frederick.A dozen futile strikes later, Ursara panted. "Are you a man or a slippery eel? If you're a man, stand still and fight me. I'll even use just one hand. Stop being a coward!"Frederick sighed inwardly. It wasn't cowardice; he feared his single blow would cause serious injuries, making negotiations about the cosmetics incident impossible.Meanwhile, Zephyr was astounded by Frederick's prowess. He recognized that even with his own skill, joining hands with Ursara wouldn't be enough to defeat Frederick.The upcoming leadership change made having such a powerful figure around a double-edged sword. He couldn't afford errors now."Are you going to stand idly while someone disrespects the boss's coffin? Help Ursara!" he barked.The men snapped out of their shock. Ursara was practically a god to them, and this was the first time they'd seen him so outmatched.The
The sight of her husband's body in Frederick's grasp drained the color from Nicole's face.She pleaded through tears, "My husband is already dead, please don't harm his body. I'll drop the matter and won't ask for compensation. I'll even pay for your colleague's broken leg."Frederick's heart ached at the sight of Nicole's grief. He hadn't anticipated such deep affection between the middle-aged couple. With a heavy sigh, he landed a solid punch to Tigris' chest. The sound echoed through the room—a dull thud that sent a chill down everyone's spine.Ursara burst into tears. "Damn it, I'll kill you!"Suddenly, Tigris coughed up a mouthful of black blood. His previously ashen face flushed red as he opened his eyes in fury. "Who said I was dead?"It seemed Tigris had merely fainted during his martial arts practice. His subordinates had jumped to the worst possible conclusion. They'd not only prepared a coffin but had even begun discussing cremation arrangements.Tigris, a mixture
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