The room was empty except for Zion, who was engrossed in a video game on the large screen."You're here. Take a seat. My friends left earlier. They had something to do," Zion said without looking up, his focus completely on the game.Nora sneered at his carefree behavior. "All you ever do is play games. Don't you think it's time you got a job? You can't rely on others forever, can you?"To Nora, Zion was nothing more than a lapdog who made money for her to spend. Now that he couldn't even do that, he was of no use to her.But he was handsome. He was a true pretty boy and was easy on the eyes."Alright, I get it," Zion said, setting the controller down and turning off the game.He walked over and sat before Nora, wrapping his arms around her.Nora frowned, feeling irritated. "You stink, so don't touch me.""Come on, we haven't been close in days. Let me kiss you," Zion said, taking advantage of the moment. He pulled her into an embrace, his lips moving closer to hers. "I gave
Nora was caught off guard. She collapsed to the floor, her head slamming into the ground, and blood began oozing out.Zion was beyond furious. He was enraged not only at her betrayal but also at himself for failing to see her true nature sooner.Angela had told him to bring Nora out, saying they were going to watch a good show. At first, he dismissed it as one of Angela's schemes, but he never imagined it..."Stephen, Stephen, listen to me, I swear, I was just using him. From the beginning, the only person I've ever loved is you!" Nora, no longer concerned with defending herself, hurried after Stephen as he turned to leave."We have nothing to do with each other anymore," Stephen said coldly, his gaze full of disgust as he looked down at her.He left the private room, his heart heavy with disgust, and saw Angela and Dexter standing nearby."Are you satisfied after watching me make a fool of myself?" Stephen shot a cold glance at Angela, preparing to walk away."Mr. Turner, how c
"He'll definitely come to show how much he values this cooperation," Angela said, touching up her lipstick before stepping out of the car.They arrived at 6:50 pm, just ten minutes before the scheduled time, but the private room was already full, with 11 people seated. Bill was among them, and he'd even brought Zack—clearly showing how much he cared about this cooperation."Angie, you're finally here! We've been waiting for a while. What would you like to eat?" Zack greeted her as soon as he saw her."Zack, quickly show them to their seats," Bill spoke up.Angela greeted the people from Graham Group and then noticed Nora sitting among them. Her lips twitched slightly. Did Bill still not realize what kind of person his newly hired head of the design department was?"Ms. Graham, long time no see. I heard you were kidnapped by some criminals overseas. How are you? I hope you weren't hurt?" Nora stood up with a smile that was anything but warm.Her words were veiled in concern,
Moreover, Angela was the granddaughter of the one person Bill despised the most!"Angela, what do you think?" Bill asked with a forced smile, turning his gaze toward Angela.She was sipping from a bowl of mushroom soup, and she gave a faint smile at his question. "Dad, you can make your own decisions. Why ask me?"She gave him no regard at all.Bill's heart skipped a beat.This woman must have something else in mind."However, I'm doing quite well now. Mr. Snowden values me highly, and I'd like to continue working with him."While Bill pondered whether he should reject the collaboration, Angela spoke up with a smile, "Besides, I'm already married. My husband's family has plenty for me to take care of, so I'm not thinking of anything else."What's that supposed to mean?Bill was stirred."In the future, I'll be watching closely to see which of you two siblings is truly more capable. In our company, we've always prioritized skill," he said, laughing heartily.Angela smiled as
Angela read attentively, and before she knew it, the morning had passed by in a flash.Her presence hadn't caused any ripples in the design department. Clearly, no one was paying her much attention.Angela didn't mind at all. On the third morning, she began packing up as soon as she arrived at the company, looking ready to resign.Some people whispered behind her back, and others rushed to inform Nora, but none of it slowed her down as she packed.When Nora emerged and saw her eager-to-leave demeanor, she felt a certain satisfaction."Hm, what's going on here? You've only been here for two days and already can't stand it? I thought Ms. Graham was supposed to be capable and impressive. "How come you couldn't even last two quiet days?" Nora's voice wasn't loud but clear enough for everyone nearby to hear.Angela didn't even spare her a glance, calmly replying, "Your company lacks sincerity. If that's the case, there's no point in continuing this collaboration."As she spoke, she
Angela's voice was calm, but her words carried such weight that they stunned everyone present.The onlookers around them immediately began whispering and exchanging astonished glances.Could someone actually be standing up for them and fighting for their benefits? Could this person possibly be an angel?"You're talking nonsense. There's no such thing as compensation or overtime pay. I think you're just trying to stir up trouble." Nora shot Angela a cold glare. "Don't get too full of yourself. Don't think this is your territory."Bill quietly observed the exchange between the two women, not intervening. He looked troubled, as if he were deep in thought."Ah." Angela seemed to laugh in frustration. She looked at Nora with disbelief. "I didn't expect someone as lowly as you, a mere department head, to have taken over the duties of the HR and finance departments as well. Ms. Rutherford, you really are something.""Angela, stop slandering me," Nora snapped, her anger evident in her
Angela frowned and said, "Then go by yourself. I won't join you."It was absurd. She still had nightmares about the last incident and couldn't stomach the thought of dining with someone as abnormal as Trevor."Grandma's been unwell, and Grandpa wants everyone to show support. Just think of it as a casual meal," Dexter said, his tone softening.Angela sighed. "Nope.""A hundred-thousand-dollar reward," Dexter said, placing his hands on his hips and pacing the living room. He knew he had no choice but to dangle money in front of her again. Angela didn't refuse immediately. Instead, she replied, "Let me be clear—if Natalie or that fool steps out of line, I'm leaving. Immediately."Dexter's gaze was heavy with mixed emotions. After a pause, he nodded. The irony of their relationship wasn't lost on him—it felt like a business arrangement."By the way..." Angela hesitated, something clearly on her mind. "What?" Dexter prompted."Nothing.""You're holding back, and it's annoying.
The night breeze drifted lazily through the air, carrying the delicate, heady scent of blooming flowers. Trevor chose not to turn on the lights, letting the soft glow from the window bathe the room in a muted luminescence. Pulling out his phone, he began to watch the surveillance footage. The video showed the brief moments of his clash with Angela before Dexter's men subdued him and took her. He had kept this recording for days, the thought of erasing it never crossing his mind. Trevor had known of Dexter's existence since childhood. Dexter had always been exceptional, a benchmark his mother never failed to remind him of—stay driven and work hard to keep up with Dexter. Driven by this, Trevor had spent years observing Dexter in secret. He studied his every move, mimicked his actions, and analyzed his successes—all in the hope of one day surpassing him. Dexter was undeniably remarkable, a fact Trevor begrudgingly accepted.Recently, Trevor's observations had uncovered something
Angela trembled violently as she stood frozen in place. Her already pale face instantly lost all color.Sure enough, what was meant to come would come, no matter how hard she tried to avoid it."Grandma, this has nothing to do with you." Dexter suddenly stepped forward in three quick strides, planting himself firmly in front of Angela. Every word he spoke was powerful and resolute.Angela was slightly stunned. His back was like an unbreakable wall—solid and unyielding.Natalie, however, was utterly shocked. She stared at Dexter in disbelief. "What do you mean by that? Isn't the child she's carrying yours? You two have only been divorced for a while. Don't tell me she already has someone else's—""Grandma!" Dexter cut her off sharply before she could say anything more offensive. "I said this has nothing to do with you."With that, he turned around, grabbed Angela's arm, and led her out the door. "Where do you want to go? I'll take you.""Home," Angela replied hoarsely. She looked
Dexter stood motionless outside the room for what felt like forever until Natalie approached with the help of Ursula."Dexter, is it true that that woman is pregnant? Is it your child? Is it a child of the Bamford family?" Natalie was unusually excited. There was even a hopeful glow in her once lifeless eyes.Dexter's mind was in chaos. He nodded vaguely, not wanting to say anything more.Alas, Natalie wouldn't stop asking questions, like whether Angela's previously poor health would make the pregnancy risky or who would get custody of the child now that the two of them were divorced."Grandma, you should go get some rest. We haven't even discussed all of this yet." Dexter finally couldn't take it anymore and gently persuaded her to leave.But just then, someone from Joseph's side came to call him. Dexter had no choice but to get Fiona to stay with Angela while he hurried off.Joseph had also heard about the pregnancy. In fact, the moment the result was confirmed, the news spread
"Why are you stammering like this? Are you even a man?" Fiona gave Dexter a disapproving smack on the back before bluntly revealing the truth. "Angela, you're pregnant."Angela was speechless. What did Fiona just say?She genuinely thought something was wrong with her ears. How could she have heard something so absurd? How could she possibly be pregnant? Hadn't she become infertile after her body had been exposed to something harmful?Even though Dexter had forced her to undergo treatment for a while, it shouldn't have worked that well.Angela's face shifted between pale and flushed a few times. After a minute or two, she finally came back to her senses. "Madam Fiona, are you joking?"She gave an incredulous laugh, suspecting that Fiona didn't want her to be just a friend anymore and wanted her to be her daughter-in-law instead.With a heavy sigh, Fiona pulled out a blood test report. Angela stiffly accepted the undeniable proof and gave it a quick scan, only to be instantly dumb
Joseph's eyes were filled with worry, as if he feared Angela would be left without support in the future.She was about to speak when she suddenly felt a wave of nausea rise in her stomach, causing her to nearly gag. She quickly got up and poured herself a glass of water, barely managing to suppress the discomfort.It seemed like her body hadn't fully recovered yet, as even a little fatigue made her feel unwell."Grandpa, I've been swamped with work recently. I have no energy to focus on anything else," Angela said with a bitter smile before letting out a long sigh.The weight on her shoulders was just too heavy, so heavy that she could barely catch her breath.Joseph looked at her meaningfully, a trace of regret and helplessness crossing his eyes.…It was past 11:00 pm when Angela finally went to the guest room after her conversation with Joseph.By then, she was already physically and mentally exhausted. She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the
Back when Angela and Dexter were still together, Joseph had clearly been biased toward them. Now that they were divorced, Joseph was still unable to let go of Angela. How could anyone tolerate that?"Grandma, Aunt Ursula, Grandpa treated Angela very well before. It's only right that she comes to visit him." Dexter's face showed no expression, but his tone was firm.Since he had spoken, Ursula stopped talking. She could sense something was off, but seeing the awkwardness between Dexter and Angela, it didn't really seem like anything was going on. Thinking it over, she decided to stay quiet.Natalie, however, wasn't so easy to deal with.Seeing that Dexter wasn't taking her side, she became annoyed and went straight inside, saying to Angela, "Alright, since you've already seen Joseph, you should go. He needs rest."Upon hearing this, Joseph immediately started coughing, his face turning pale.The exasperated Angela didn't respond to that. Instead, she immediately tried to calm Jose
Jennifer was rather frustrated. In theory, a man like Dexter, who was so charming and outstanding, should have easily won Angela over with all the effort he had put in to make her change her mind.Yet, the stubborn Angela acted like someone who had kicked a drug addiction. She merely observed from the sidelines, refusing to take the bait.Jennifer also believed that Dexter was being too laid-back about this. He was making her create minor issues for Angela, but he hadn't made any big moves himself. How could that work?"Mr. Bamford, if you ask me, you should get your family to help," Jennifer suggested. "I heard Ms. Graham is very close to your grandfather. If you involve him, she will definitely…"She didn't voice the rest of her thoughts.Dexter stared silently into space, as if lost in thought. He didn't say anything for a long time.Jennifer became anxious. "Mr. Bamford, you two have feelings for each other. You can't cut off contact. You need to show up in front of her occas
"You're out of luck. The elevator's to the right—please leave." Angela showed no courtesy as she outright told Jennifer to go. She couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on this drama queen."You…"Jennifer stood up abruptly, furious. "Angela, do you even hear yourself? I'm representing Bamford Co. Since you dare refuse me, does that mean you're not worried that this will anger Mr. Bamford?""Oh, I'm so scared!" Angela made an exaggerated face before smirking, making it clear she wasn't taking Jennifer seriously at all. "If you don't leave now, I'll have to call security.""Then I'll just have Mr. Bamford personally come here to talk to you." Jennifer sneered, waving her phone that had diamond studs on the back."Ms. Graham, you and Mr. Bamford have already gone your separate ways. I'm sure you don't want to have anything to do with him anymore, right? If he comes here to talk to you, your decision will change, won't it?"Angela remained indifferent, looking at Jennifer with
As a woman, Angela might not be the most perceptive in some areas, but when it came to matters of the heart, she knew what she was talking about.She could tell that Ingrid, despite her cold and distant demeanor, truly liked Austin. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come here and swallowed her pride for him.Angela wasn't petty. As long as things could be cleared up over time, she wouldn't hold onto grudges.…In the afternoon, she and Austin held a management meeting to analyze and summarize the recent live commerce project.At the end, they conducted a vote, and more than half of the people fully supported Angela's decision. The rest had no choice but to go along with the majority. With this, Angela had managed to establish herself in the company for the time being.The live commerce gradually fell into a rhythm, boosting sales several times over and bringing Horizon back into the spotlight with consumers.To maintain this momentum, Angela had the HR department hire a group of youn
It was just that Ingrid hadn't quite shifted her perspective yet.At the moment, Angela was wondering whether things could be resolved peacefully. If tensions could be eased, wouldn't that mean she would gain a highly capable ally? Why would she go out of her way to maximize animosity?"What a shame; I absolutely hate cream puffs." Unfortunately, Ingrid wasn't having any of it. She shot a disdainful glance at Angela and the cream puffs.Angela froze for a second. Then, shrugging it off, she simply opened the plastic bag and took a bite of a cream puff."Well, if you've got something to say, go ahead. I've got no time to waste on someone who doesn't appreciate cream puffs." She spoke righteously, as if anyone who disliked cream puffs didn't deserve her respect.Ingrid wore a look of complete bewilderment. She stared at Angela, wondering if she had changed overnight. What was going on today? Had everyone eaten some weird mushroom or something, making them act all weird?"My dad w