"It's no trouble at all." Pressing his lips together, Phil extended his hand. "Thank you both for your cooperation. We'll send him back as soon as possible."Angela hurriedly reached out with both hands to shake his. "That would be much appreciated."News of Zack being taken away by the police quickly spread online. Public opinion was divided, but most people criticized Angela for failing to guide him properly, blaming her for allowing such a terrible situation to happen.Angela sat on the couch in silence, staring at her tablet. She felt as if she were suffocating and a heavy cloud had settled over her."Have some tea." Dexter, looking almost like a devoted housewife, walked over with an apron tied around his waist and handed her a cup of peppermint tea. He had brewed it himself."I don't feel like drinking anything." Closing her eyes, Angela leaned back against the couch. Recalling everything that had happened recently only made her feel utterly exhausted.Dexter didn't insist
"Do we really need to beat around the bush with each other? Just give it to me straight—I can handle it." Angela propped her chin up with one hand as she felt a dull ache at the back of her head. She had no idea what was causing it."The message board on our company's official website is flooded with demands for an apology, saying we owe consumers an explanation. So… this…" Clara trailed off. She looked troubled as she glanced at her tablet, hesitating whether to hand it over.Angela took it from her and skimmed through the comments. Clara had actually downplayed the situation.The messages were overwhelmingly unified—everyone was calling Angela out, demanding a public statement. Some even threatened to boycott all products under Graham Group unless she provided a proper explanation. They even said they would drive Angela to bankruptcy if she didn't."Ms. Graham, we don't actually need to take these comments too seriously. Those commenters are just venting." Clara tried to reassure
On the way there, Angela remained lost in thought, not saying a single word.Both she and Dexter had never been inside a place like this before. Even just standing outside, they could feel the cold, heavy atmosphere surrounding the building.A staff member led them to a visiting room where Zack was already waiting. The moment he saw Angela, his expression darkened. Clearly, he was still mad."Why are you here? I don't want to see someone as heartless as you." Zack huffed, his eyes instantly turning red and filled with grievance.Angela felt her heart clench as a sharp sting spread through her nose."How are you feeling? They're not as scary as you imagined, right?" Dexter asked gently, which was rare coming from him.Zack pouted but nodded begrudgingly. "You must've pulled some strings for me. They gave me a private space, so I haven't had to deal with anyone else. The doctors have been nice too, but seriously, acupuncture as treatment? That's too much!"By the time he finished,
Dexter walked out of the visiting room, his expression looking fairly good."Well? What did he tell you?" Angela stepped forward eagerly, her eyes filled with anticipation."There's a new lead. You don't need to worry about it, though." Dexter patted her shoulder, only then noticing that her complexion wasn't great. She looked a little pale.She had been running around constantly these past few days, barely getting any rest."Go home and rest. By the time you wake up, I'll have found the person responsible. All you need to do is decide how to deal with them," Dexter said.Angela looked surprised. "Zack gave you a lead? What could he possibly know from inside this place?""Someone came to see him today, trying to turn him against you. That's why he called us," Dexter explained briefly.Angela's eyes grew wide. She was able to understand a few important things from just those short sentences.First, the mastermind behind all this was growing impatient. Soon, they would reveal the
"That's right. I simply wanted to get back at you, but with how thick-skinned you are, ordinary tricks don't work on you. So I had to target your weakness instead. And as it turned out, it worked well—just look at you now, Angela. You're finally losing your composure, aren't you?" Elena rambled on.This woman was absolutely insane!"And how much better off are you? Who was it that dragged you out of your hiding place? Who brought you here? Isn't it the very man you've spent years trying to impress?" Angela sneered, gritting her teeth.Elena's expression darkened instantly.Right then, she felt a suffocating weight settling on her chest. An inexplicable bitterness gnawed at her insides, making her feel unbearably miserable."As expected, you really are a shameless bitch. You claim to have no interest in Dexter, yet you're constantly using him. You truly have no shame!"Elena's gaze was so sharp it seemed like a cold blade ready to slice Angela's heart out."You want to know why I
Clenching her teeth, Elena glared at Dexter. There was not a trace of warmth in her eyes. All that remained was overwhelming hatred that was ready to explode at any moment."I shouldn't have loved you—is that it? But then why did you give me hope in the first place?" she asked coldly.The current Elena was like a venomous snake slithering through the dark depths of hell. She looked gorgeous and dazzling on the outside, but on the inside, there was nothing but poison."Stop coming up with excuses to justify your sins. I never said I liked you." Dexter scoffed, his eyes filled with disgust.As his gaze fell on Elena, she was stunned at first, and then tears began to fall slowly.She had never imagined that one day, she would have the courage to confront the person she once loved the most. Unfortunately for her, she had lost—completely and utterly.How ridiculous! This was laughable."At the very least, tell me—why her?" After holding back her bitterness for so long, Elena bit her
Angela needed to have her own career, hobbies, and source of spiritual support. She would never give up on herself. That was probably the biggest difference between her and Elena.No, that wasn't exactly true. Elena used to have those things too, but she lost them.Elena's eyes were wide open as she fixed her stunned gaze on Angela, utterly taken aback. "That isn't love—that's selfishness."She had never thought of it that way, but more importantly, she never believed she was in the wrong. She loved Dexter with all her heart and had given him everything she had when she adored him.And when she hated him, she wished for nothing more than to destroy everything and make him regret it for a lifetime.But why… Why was Angela different? No—Angela had changed."I'm not selfish." Angela sighed, feeling a bit helpless. "I'm just self-aware. I've fallen before, so no matter who I end up with in the future, I will never lose myself again.""Why? Why would you think that way? You're nothin
The company's anniversary celebration was approaching, and Clara had called to report on the progress of the venue decorations.Angela held her phone slightly further away to see the screen better. "Tell them to use less flowers and plants. We're celebrating an anniversary, not opening a flower shop. And can we change the balloon colors? There's too much red—it's too harsh and will look tacky in photos."Clara listened carefully, giving instructions to the staff as she went. The call lasted over 20 minutes before she finally asked about the guest list.She wanted to know who Angela wanted to invite from her side.By then, the seafood pasta had arrived, topped with two plump, orange shrimp that looked incredibly tantalizing.Angela took a bite before answering, "Let me think… Then, Mr. Callum Snowden, for sure. Also, Finn, Mia, Madam Fiona, and Mr. Bamford Sr. That's all."Across from her, Dexter let out two pointed coughs.Only then did Angela realize her oversight. With a sigh
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