But gradually, Mia started noticing something was off.Susan always seemed to be around, whether intentionally or not. On top of that, she paid special attention to who Mia was in contact with. Every time Mia made a call, Susan would position herself no more than ten feet away.As a pregnant woman, Mia was naturally more sensitive than usual. After testing things a few times, she became—Susan was monitoring her.What was even more infuriating was that Susan blatantly started interfering in her daily life. From what she ate and wore to whether she could leave the house, Susan even outright told her that she should minimize going out and let others handle company affairs.It was absurd.Mia wasn't someone who could be easily controlled, but in the past few days, she had caught the flu. Because she was pregnant and couldn't take any medication, she had no choice but to endure it. This gave Susan complete leverage over her.If Mia hadn't secretly called Angela while in the bathroom t
"Angela, how could this happen? This is impossible… Zayn promised me that once our child is born, he will take us abroad to settle down and never return. How did things turn out like this?"Tears of despair welled up in Mia's eyes, and her whole body trembled.Angela gripped the steering wheel tightly, remaining silent. She didn't want to speak because the moment she did, she knew she'd start cursing.Mia wept in soft, scattered sobs, but they lasted only a short while before she wiped away her tears."Angela, thank you. Thank you for getting me out of there. Otherwise, I would still be an ignorant fool!"Gritting her teeth, Mia scoffed. "Since Zayn has chosen to betray me, he can't blame me for what happens next!"Angela turned to look at her in surprise, almost in disbelief. Hadn't Mia been crying and heartbroken just 20 minutes ago? Was she fine now?Mia had already dried her tears at that point. She even smiled at herself in the mirror.Noticing Angela's gaze, she turned an
Dexter wasn't defending Zayn; he was merely stating the facts calmly."But that doesn't make it okay. He might be fine with it, and sure, Mrs. Jewell would never harm her own son, but for them to team up and deceive Mia, who's an outsider, is utterly despicable!" Angela fumed, her hands on her hips.She was so fired up that she might as well start a revolution.Dexter remained silent, his shadow stretching long beside her under the setting sun, exuding an inexplicable sense of loneliness.Noticing the odd atmosphere, Angela turned to ask, "Is there something you want to say?" Dexter scratched his nose. "Uh… I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Mia might want to check her assets to ensure everything is in order."Angela's eyes widened instantly, staring at him in disbelief. She had a bad feeling about this."You… Do you mean…""Yes." Dexter nodded. "Mrs. Jewell might not come from a prestigious background herself, but she managed to marry into the Jewell family with her intell
"Mia! Mia, you have to pull yourself together." After a brief moment, Angela helped her up and sighed. "Think carefully—did you sign anything you shouldn't have? Did Leroy deceive you? That's your company, your livelihood. We can't just sit here and do nothing!"Mia looked pale. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to sit upright and think.A few days ago, Leroy had indeed come to see her. At that time, she hadn't seen anyone besides Susan for days, so she had been overjoyed to see him.Then, Leroy had handed her a pile of documents to review, with a few requiring her signature.As they had chatted, Leroy had mentioned he had his eye on several small clubs and planned to acquire them to expand their business.Mia had already handed over most of the company's operations to him by then. Before doing so, she had also been involved in discussions about acquisitions, so she trusted Leroy deeply.At first, she had carefully reviewed every document. However, Leroy had kept glancing a
Angela exchanged a glance with Lynn, who stepped forward respectfully to accept the invitation.Riley's expression darkened—she clearly hadn't expected Mia to be so composed and effortlessly deflect her provocation."This invitation is for you," Riley said, her tone sharpening as she clenched her teeth. "It's inappropriate for someone else to accept it on your behalf.""Angie, who's here?" Just then, Zack stumbled out of the guest room groggily, rubbing his eyes. But the moment he spotted Riley, his brows furrowed."It's you again, you wicked woman! What the hell are you doing in our house? You're not welcome here. Get lost!" Looking utterly disgusted, Zack launched straight into a full-on verbal attack.Riley paled and instinctively stepped back, recalling the last time Zack had humiliated her in public."Angela, control your brother!" she snapped coldly."Shut your mouth!" Zack sneered, snatching the invitation from Riley's hands. "What the hell is this? Ha! An invitation? Are
Riley's face went rigid, her eyes locking onto Angela as they slowly reddened.How could Zayn possibly love her? And how could he ever be willing to marry her?His heart had long been stolen by Mia, and he only had eyes for her. No matter what Riley did, she couldn't force herself into his heart. Yet, she refused to accept that.She and Zayn had grown up together. She had loved him so deeply, so desperately, for so long—there was no way she could just stand by and watch another woman take him away.As such, she had turned to Florence, offering her a deal. If Florence could make Zayn be with her, she was willing to give away at least half of the Zamora family's fortune to him.And Florence, greedy as she was, was instantly swayed by the offer."That is between me and him," Riley spat, unwilling to admit defeat. "Once we're married, we'll be bound to each other as husband and wife. No one will be able to take him from me ever again.""How foolish can you be? You're really willing
It was truly incomprehensible. "I know." Mia was also in tears as she gently helped Zayn up. "I know you're doing this for me. I understand."Angela was baffled. Was Mia even hearing herself? Had she gone mad?Angela was on the verge of losing it. If Mia let herself be trampled on again this time, Angela might just have to cut ties with her."Really?" Zayn's face lit up with joy, his eyes brimming with excitement. "That's great! I knew you'd—"Mia suddenly interrupted him, her tone shifting, "But… you need to explain to me why my assets are now under your mother's name."The smile on Zayn's face froze instantly. He stared at her in disbelief, speechless for a long moment. "What? How is that possible?""You can check for yourself." Mia sighed softly. "Zayn, you're the one I trust, not your mother. You have three days. I need my assets back in my name. Otherwise, I will take legal action."Zayn's expression turned grim. He had clearly never expected Florence to do something like
Listening to the nurse's shouts made Angela's mind buzz.She was frustrated and upset, but she knew this wasn't the time to question anything. She simply held Mia's hand tightly, trying to give her strength."It's okay. I'm here. Go at your own pace." Tears rolled down Angela's face before she even realized she was crying. "You're so strong, so brave. This is just childbirth—you've got this."At this moment, Mia was drenched in sweat, looking as if she had just been pulled out of a body of water.The sheets beneath her were soaked in blood. Even though Angela had mentally prepared herself for this, witnessing it firsthand pushed her tolerance to an unimaginable limit.Giving birth wasn't just walking through death's door—it was being torn apart and pieced back together again.Whether it was Mia's spirit or her body, at this moment, it no longer belonged to her. She had become nothing but a vessel for the child. Just the thought of it was heartbreaking.Unfortunately, all mothers
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