Dexter took a deep breath and stared straight into Angela's eyes. "Do you think I need your damn money?"A rebellious thought suddenly popped into Angela's mind. "You might not need the money, but plenty of others do, like that tall, muscular male escort at Azure Club.""You have no sincerity at all! I went out of my way to help you with such a big favor," Dexter snapped before yanking the car door open and stepping out, slamming it shut with a loud bang.Angela was puzzled by the way he mistreated his cherished car. She hurried out as well. Hearing her footsteps, Dexter slowed down, adopting an effortlessly cool demeanor. He thought she was chasing after him. However, after a few moments of silence, he sensed something was off. He turned his head and was furious by what he saw. Angela had settled into the driver's seat and was following him at a relaxed pace, giving off the vibe of a commanding CEO. Dexter, already fuming, finally lost it. He strode toward her. "Get out!"
That kind of personality, combined with Austin's good looks and talent, made countless women flock to him. Yet, no one had ever seen him get particularly close to anyone. Even with Angela, he'd always been distant, rarely showing any warmth. Because of this, Angela had always felt a little intimidated around him and had never dared to get too close. But today, he'd taken the initiative to add her.She wondered if she should send him a message. Since he'd already made the first move, she figured she should at least show some sincerity in return.Suddenly, someone knocked on her door. Angela was shocked, then let out a sigh. The only person who'd come at this hour was Dexter. She wondered why he always appeared in the middle of the night instead of just going to bed like a normal person.Feeling helpless, she opened the door, ready to confront him. However, she found Dexter standing there with a thermometer in his mouth, looking sick and pitiful. "I'm having a fever," he said
Dexter frowned instinctively.Angela's phone wasn't locked, and a message from someone named "Drifting Cloud" appeared on the screen. "Let's meet tomorrow at 6:00 pm in Azure Club."After seeing the location, Dexter instantly became nervous. Without hesitation, he picked up the phone and tapped into the message. Sure enough, "Drifting Cloud" was none other than Austin. Of all places, why did he have to choose Azure Club? There was no way Dexter would allow Angela to go there.Angela had become quite fond of handsome men. Whenever she saw a good-looking guy on the street, she would keep glancing at him. A couple of times, her colleagues had taken her to Azure Club to see the escorts. Ever since, she'd been obsessed, always looking for an excuse to go back. If it weren't for the fact that Callum owned the place, Dexter would've already bought out that indecent establishment and shut it down.But the one asking her out was Austin, someone she'd been eager to see for a long time
Angela was taken aback when her thoughts escaped her lips. She froze and gave an awkward chuckle. "Well… um... no matter how handsome they are, they're nothing compared to you. You're way more attractive. You're..."Dexter was visibly upset and glared at her. "Shut up! Stop going to places like that in the future!"Angela pouted but had no choice. She could only agree for now to calm his anger. Afterward, the two of them headed to Azure Club together. They arrived half an hour earlier than scheduled. Yet, to their surprise, Austin was already there, casually sipping his drink in the booth.He wore a black shirt and radiated an understated allure. The gold-rimmed glasses lent a touch of intellect to his sophisticated presence, while his graceful and composed movements further enhanced his charm. Just by sitting there, he attracted countless glances from other patrons. Some bold women even walked up to ask for his number, only to be met with a cold, piercing gaze that sent the
Angela's eyes turned red, but her face became deathly pale. She stood there for a long time without saying a word. Austin said gently, "Calm down first. This is also the reason I came back this time."She asked emotionally, "Where is Ms. Lawson? I want to see her."She hadn't seen Genevieve for years. Back then, Genevieve and Austin had strongly advised her not to marry Dexter, but she had refused to listen. This led to a rift between them, and the two left in anger, never contacting her again.Austin looked at her intently. "You can see her, but… you have to agree to one condition."Angela was stunned. "What's it? Just say it."She had absolute trust in Austin. He would never force her into something unreasonable, let alone make her do anything against her morals. "Cut all ties with Dexter," he replied firmly.Angela almost nodded instinctively, but her mind suddenly went blank in chaos. She stared blankly at Austin, who was distant and cold. She frowned. "Austin, why?""Y
Angela told Mia about what had happened earlier, hoping to get her opinion.Mia, who already felt that her life was complicated enough, found herself caught in a dilemma at this moment. "Angela, your situation is really tough. Just when Mr. Bamford is being the best to you, Austin suddenly showed up. It's really tricky," Mia said, holding Leo in her arms and furrowing her brows in thought.Angela collapsed onto the couch, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. If she agreed to break up with Dexter, he would be utterly heartbroken. Their relationship would be irreparably damaged. In fact, it might be even worse. Dexter's pride would prevent them from ever crossing paths again.After all, he was the one being abandoned. To him, it was the greatest humiliation.Yet, if she didn't break up with him, she would miss her last chance to see Genevieve. When it came to life and death, everything else should be secondary. She was conflicted, but it felt like she was gradually leaning to
Austin was surprised by Angela's directness.After all, in the past, Bill and Judy had kicked her out of her home more than once. Despite being a wealthy socialite, she had ended up being a waitress and washing dishes in a restaurant just to make a living, even becoming the subject of ridicule. At that time, she had never even considered defying her family. She had accepted every word they said without hesitation. Her compliance had been so extreme.But at the very least, she'd still had a tiny spark of ambition. Otherwise, Genevieve wouldn't have chosen her as her last mentee.When they arrived at the top-floor office, Clara was already waiting outside. Seeing Angela approach, she quickly stepped forward and handed her an acquisition contract. Angela introduced Clara to Austin before taking the contract and leading both of them into the office. She asked Clara to take care of Austin while she focused intently on reviewing the document. Austin sat on the couch, quietly watc
"You're just getting back? Have you eaten yet? What's going on?" Fiona looked at Angela, surprised to see her return with such a heavy heart. Angela forced a faint smile and shook her head before heading upstairs. After shutting herself in her room, she didn't do anything. She didn't shower or change her clothes. She simply lay there, motionless, for two hours.A little past eleven, Angela heard a door open in the adjacent room. It must be Dexter coming back. She quickly got out of bed, kicking off her high heels and slipping into quieter slippers before stepping out. From the slightly ajar door, she could already smell the faint scent of alcohol. Dexter had been drinking. Without hesitation, she barged in. Before he could react, she switched off the lights and pushed him onto the bed.Dexter was startled. Instinctively, he tried to push her away. But the moment he realized it was her, he stopped moving. In the darkness, he looked at her intensely, feeling puzzled. He a
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