"Are there many regulations you have?" Aaron retorted with displeasure.The officials present trembled.Even though this wasn't his home turf, Aaron's commanding presence naturally intimidated them."There are hundreds of projects where Pamore and the Lewis Corporation collaborate. What do you think would happen to Pamore's GDP this year if I pull out the investments and sever these partnerships?"Aaron casually tossed his pen on the table.At that moment, someone knocked on the door, signaling to the head official. "A document has come down from above."Ten minutes later, the official returned, nodding respectfully to Aaron. "Tomorrow morning, you may visit Benjamin."Given the economic impact already caused by the troubles at Hawkins Group and Amirate, Pamore’s GDP would inevitably hit rock bottom if Aaron were to withdraw his investments.Having achieved his objective, Aaron got up and left while surrounded by a group of people.The official finally breathed a sigh of relie
All remaining traces of humor in Aaron's eyes vanished, and it was replaced with an eerie gaze."What would it take for you to take the money and release Grace?"Benjamin's adrenaline heightened. He responded firmly, "I won't take it."He wouldn't take it.At least for now, Aaron had to respect the man's boldness. He adjusted his cuffs calmly and gradually stood up. "So you want her to go to jail.""Aaron, the Lewis family had always been respectable people, with every generation more outstanding than the last. Tell me, what would happen if one of them happened to have been in jail?"Benjamin burst into laughter. He had probably pictured the Lewis family being criticized by the public. "Then, the Lewis family name wouldn't remain untarnished anymore. The Fulton family probably wouldn’t accept Grace either. Even Grace wouldn’t be able to accept this version of herself."Benjamin slowly analyzed the situation. It was as if he'd found the most amusing thing on earth. Leaning ag
"Are you talking about Joshua?" Xander leaned against the desk, passing over a document. "Why were Hawkins' tax issues only exposed now? Why weren't they discovered before? "Benjamin's amusement park project resulted in several deaths, yet the issue was quickly resolved without consequence. This was all because he had powerful support behind him."Aaron quickly skimmed through the document, understanding most of it. "You want to target the person behind him."He had powerful people supporting him. This was something Xander had realized during Jessica's incident. He had been biding his time, waiting for the opportunity to catch a bigger fish. Now with Benjamin walking into the trap, it was a good chance."The second-in-command in Pamore isn’t someone you can just go against." Aaron disagreed."Didn't you hear last night? I've already made my move."Xander, feeling restless, needed something to calm his nerves. He lit another cigarette.Aaron then recalled last night's meeting,
On the fourth day of her detention, Grace met with Luke.Compared to her anxiety the last few days, Grace was now much more composed. "How are things on the outside?""As soon as you were detained, Amirate lost all forms of leadership and fell into complete chaos. Fortunately, Mr. Lewis had arrived in Pamore to take charge and stabilize everything. Curious about your future, there have been all sorts of speculations amongst the public."That was all within her expectations. She tapped her finger lightly on the table and wanted a precise answer. "Has Xander been released?""That... I'm not sure. There are many speculations, but without an official statement, we can’t be certain," Luke responded carefully.Grace changed her approach. "What has Hazel been up to lately?""She has been making trips to the Securities and Exchange Commission for the past few days, but there's been no movement in the last two. Perhaps I haven't been watching closely enough."From his answer, Grace confi
Caleb, full of grievances, was about to speak when he heard noise from outside the door.It was Xander returning from outside, although he had only gone down to the lobby to retrieve a document. His steps were steady, his face expressionless, showing a change only upon seeing the Lewis brothers."Mr. Fulton." Hazel approached him first.Caleb immediately turned around, surprised upon seeing him, "Xander? When did you get out?"He had seen recent news and wondered when it happened.Hazel responded, "A couple of days ago, Mr. Caleb. It hasn’t been announced publicly yet."Caleb ignored her. "I was asking him. Are you Xander?"Hazel immediately fell silent.Xander signaled to Hazel and then approached. "It's just been a few days. I've only just been released.""You're okay now?""You could say that."This response triggered Caleb's defiance. He threw his cap aside. "Grace was detained at the airport while trying to retrieve evidence for you.""I know." Xander's expression was
Hestia arrived in Pamore and was stopped at the airport by a high-ranking official. He spoke respectfully, "Madam Fulton, it's late, and Mr. Jarvis said there aren’t many restaurants that suit your taste. He had a chef prepare some dishes and asked me to deliver them to you."Hestia glanced at the food box in his hand and managed a smile. "Tell him that if he considers me a friend, he needn't bother so much. He should pay more attention to his wife. That's only right. I'm not interested in entering a life of trivial domestic concerns. Please decline it for me."Once a person got married, no matter how wealthy they were, they were bound to deal with mundane household affairs—a truth Hestia had realized early on when she married Raymond.The man left shortly after, embarrassed.Hestia, on behalf of Xander, had returned to the ME Group headquarters to seek help from her contacts. This time, her secretary, Karina, had also come along. Now, Karina spoke up, "Mr. Fulton has escaped dan
"The specifics of that accountant aren't fully in my grasp yet, but she certainly is one of Joshua's people."Joshua and Benjamin conspired against her and Xander, framing her to this point. Grace couldn't help but feel disdainful. "He invested 400 million, and there's a contract. What would happen if he can't make up the funds?""He would be deported, and he would never be able to partner with any domestic company again.""Does he even have that much money?"Luke hesitated before responding, "No, but from what I understand, others are already working toward this.""Aaron?" Grace immediately asked.Luke looked around and wrote a message on a piece of paper, which Grace quickly readIt read, "Xander has most likely been released."Grace took a deep breath. Her thoughts were a mess. Then, she spoke, "Ensure that we keep track of that accountant's movements. I don’t just want Joshua deported. I want him to pay for those Samson lives."Although Luke agreed, he still expressed conc
"But it's all in the past, isn't it?" Samson smiled bitterly. "We still have to live our lives. How will you manage in Pamore if you refuse to make amends? What will you do in the future?"Shawn paused in his steps. Similar advice had been given to him before by Angus and Spencer more than once."Samson, you think I should let go too?" Shawn gestured to his face. "This disfigured face, a ruined future, wasted years—if it were you, could you let it go?"Hearing this, Samson felt a pang of sorrow and shook his head. "I know it's not easy. But it wasn't that the team didn't support you in time back then. We didn't receive the command. The person who gave you the wrong deployment time was dismissed, wasn't he?"He felt that Shawn was torturing himself."I can't get past it." Shawn turned away. "Besides, I am no longer Alexander. I am Shawn now."Samson didn’t know what kind of psychological burden Shawn had been carrying these years. He didn’t expect anyone to understand. As for lett
"Well, it's just that since Mrs. Jarvis introduced me to Ms. Lewis last time, I haven't had the chance to say thanks."The elevator doors opened then, and Dexter left after saying this.…After two hours of emergency treatment, Diana clung to a thread of life. Grace walked out, exhausted, and saw the angry figure of Dexter.Coincidentally, Dexter saw her as well. He turned and called out to her, "Ms. Lewis."Dexter, known for being stern and upright, suddenly smiled, which surprised Grace. "Mr. Hamilton.""You don't need to address me like that outside of work. Just call me by my name."As he had a higher seniority than her, Grace didn't dare be casual. "Are you here visiting a patient?"The weather was nice today. Standing in the sunlight, Grace's complexion was shining, seemingly hovering between youthfulness and freshness. She seemed even more beautiful than the flowers.Dexter suddenly recalled something Orson had said, and his expression darkened momentarily."I must ask
"Mr. Fulton, this.."The guard looked hesitantly at Benjamin lying on the ground and frowned."Isn't this a hospital? He won't die."As Xander said this, he coincidentally met the gaze of a nearby doctor. The doctor flinched and instinctively took a step back."Xander—" Benjamin's call suddenly came from behind as Xander took a step forward."Even if you deal with me, can you handle Alexander?"Benjamin's voice was filled with resentment and self-mockery. He lay flat on his back on the ground, staring at the ceiling. "My elder brother seems to avoid fighting, but if he does, you're no match for him."Xander paused momentarily, then continued to walk away without looking back or responding.Hazel followed closely. "Benjamin doesn't seem to be joking. Could there be a backup plan?""Someone needs to take over to completely deal with the Hawkins family. Let's see if the eldest son of the Hawkins family is willing to step up."As Xander entered the elevator, he coincidentally met
At the entrance, the police saw what was happening and moved to intervene but were stopped. A signal to hold back was given. "Don't worry. Mr. Fulton won't cause any fatalities.""Especially since you dared to make a move against Grace." Xander gave a cold laugh. "She spent a few days in prison, so I'll make sure you repay that a thousand times over.""Xander—"Grace brought this on herself. She even dared to investigate the Hawkins family, to dig into the past of the previous Mrs. Hawkins, to investigate Alexander!" Benjamin endured the pain he felt and was on the verge of a breakdown. "By the way, do you know who Alexander is? And the person he loves the most."Xander's face turned ashen, and he applied more force, causing Benjamin to scream in agony."If you were in my position, you would do the same." Benjamin struggled to speak. "Besides, don't you want Alexander to disappear? Don't you want Grace to be yours and only yours?"Xander remained silent, looking around disdainful
A commotion broke out again outside the hospital room. At the same moment, the medical equipment started beeping urgently. Reina's face turned pale with fright as she threw herself onto Diana. "Di Di! Doctor! Someone come quickly!"In a panic, Grace rushed out and pounded on Cael's office door. "Bed 24, Dr. Simpson! Di Di is not doing well!"Cael immediately hurried over with the nurses.Grace was pushed into a corner by the crowd. She leaned against the wall, her face filled with melancholy. This scene did not escape the eyes of someone hidden in a corner, who also felt a sense of wistfulness.She didn't notice the figure cast long shadows in the light, with her being the sole focus in their view.…Meanwhile, in another building, police stood guard at the hospital room door where Benjamin was confined. His face was haggard and unshaven, and he no longer looked like the well-dressed Benjamin Hawkins.Instead, he resembled a prisoner.Before entering, Xander asked, "What's the
"If it were as usual, working for these wealthy families would keep money in my hands. But after Di Di's incident, our whole family got crushed. Her father wanted to give up, but I couldn't, so we divorced.""When I worked at the Hawkins family, both Mr. Hawkins and Mrs. Hawkins treated me well. Mrs. Hawkins knew about Di Di's situation and kept giving me money, but it was never enough. One day, I accidentally stumbled upon Mr. Hawkins having an affair with Susan…"Reina recalled the past with a look of melancholy on her face. "Susan gave me hush money and promised another payment if I did something for her."Grace had a hunch after hearing this. "She wanted you to frame Mrs. Hawkins, who was pregnant at the time.""I didn't want to." Reina shook her head, clearly pained. "But I have a daughter. I couldn't lose Di Di. I needed that money."Even as a mother herself, she could actually harm Felicia Wilson, Alexander's mother."The Hawkins family is wealthy. If you had told Mrs. Haw
Grace thought about it. So that's what happened."So you had someone beat him up?""I forgot to ask. Which hand did he touch you with?" Xander asked seriously.She thought for a moment. "The left hand? I can't remember exactly.""No problem. Both hands were hit," Xander said casually as if discussing the weather. Grace remembered the content of that video. Orson was clearly heavily injured and beaten mercilessly.Luckily, he got what he deserved. Xander had fiercely avenged her.The coat slipped off, revealing her outfit for the day. Xander glanced at it and said, "You're going out."Grace didn't deny it. She thought of today's matter with Celia. "Benjamin was released for medical treatment. I want to see him."Since it had come to this point, a meeting with him was reasonable.Xander leaned back on the couch, not speaking for a moment, his jaw clenched tight. He seemed to be contemplating something, or perhaps he was angry.Grace couldn't be sure, but she was resolute. "I
An hour later, Xander concluded the negotiations, with the partnership successfully sealed and the contract signed that day.He personally escorted the clients to the elevator and then returned to his office. Hazel approached cautiously with a cup of coffee. "Mr. Fulton.""Speak." Xander didn't look up from his documents."Ms. Lewis came by."He looked up at Hazel, his expression shifting. "Where is she?""She wanted to see you directly, but since the contract wasn't finalized, I didn't dare let her in to disturb you, so I…""I asked where she is."His gaze was icy, cutting her off mid-sentence.Hazel immediately lowered her head. "She's in the lounge."He stood up abruptly and headed straight for the lounge, leaving a stern warning, "If you take matters into your own hands again, resign."Hazel was left stunned.Grace hadn't left. Exhausted from the sleepless night, she lay on Futurelink's large couch, lost in thought.When Xander entered, he saw her fragile figure, as if
"What is it?""Ms. Lewis, I just received news that Orson from the municipal bureau is in trouble…"Grace's expression changed. She had just seen him last night. How could something have happened so suddenly? Her first thought was of Xander.Luke sent her a video.It was night time In the video, the street outside a bar was brightly lit, and neon signs flashed from the tall buildings. The place was bustling with people. The videographer had been capturing the night scene when suddenly, the sound of roaring engines was heard—Orson stepped out of a car, dressed formally, and entered a club discreetly. But within minutes, he was kicked out, landing heavily on the ground.Approaching him were five or six masked men in black, clearly part of an organized group of thugs. Orson screamed in fear, "Who are you?"Two men grabbed him, while the others began beating him badly. His screams echoed through the street, and it was clear they were showing no mercy.Blood pooled on the ground.
With nothing better to do, Grace nodded. "Let's watch."Caleb led her out the door.The leading actress of the film they were heading to was a friend of Caleb's in the industry, which allowed him to visit the set under the guise of catching up. As their car parked at the entrance, they saw a throng of reporters pushing their way inside.Celia wore a hat and mask. She was dragging a suitcase, and she looked disheveled and desperate. "You can't fire me! I'm the second female lead! The film is almost finished! You're breaching the contract!""You caused a scandal. That's the real breach of contract. It's a good thing we're not asking you for damage compensation! Get out, get out!"The staff were shoving her out.Reporters swarmed her. "Celia, how do you respond to the video online?""Is it true you have a sugar daddy?""Celia, Celia!""Shut up!" Celia screamed, her hair a mess. "It's fake, all fake! I'm an actress, how could I do such things?""But the video…"Celia lashed out,