"If I leave, who else will stick around to help you?" Clara shot Angela a glare. "Stop talking and hurry up!"By the time they arrived at Division One, nearly half of the 50 employees were packing up their desks. Some others were just standing by, observing the situation.The ones who stayed put were mostly junior employees that Division Two hadn't bothered recruiting.As soon as Angela and Clara entered, Nora's eyes narrowed sharply."Well, isn't this our lucky Ms. Graham?" she sneered. "I was planning to work hard here in Division One, bring in more projects, and help everyone make money. Thanks to you, Ms. Graham, we'll all just have to survive on scraps now."Her words made it sound like they couldn't land projects because of Angela."Nora, stop talking nonsense. That incident was entirely your fault. Mr. Snowden was already generous enough to let you stay. You're being completely unreasonable!" Clara snapped.Angela was taken aback but felt a warm sense of gratitude. After
Clara was quick, and within minutes, she used shorthand software to record the names of over 20 people."Stephanie Jones, Kenny Hall, Irene Glover… Many of you graduated from prestigious art schools with advanced degrees and likely have experience in numerous competitions. "In addition to preparing for the contest, I'll need you to help boost morale and ease everyone's nerves," Angela said, assigning tasks based on the list Clara had provided and the team's résumés.Her pace was brisk, and in mere minutes, she had outlined what each person would be working on over the next two weeks.Nora was dumbfounded.This was way too fast. They hadn't even fully packed up to leave yet."Alright, get moving now! We're short on hands, so each of you is a vital asset. Let's make the most of our time. If we finish by 11:30 am, we can all go grab lunch," Angela announced, glancing at her watch and issuing another directive.The company cafeteria served excellent food that was better than most r
"Ms. Graham, we know we were wrong. We shouldn't have been swayed by others. From now on, we'll follow you honestly and won't stray again." George spoke up, willing to swallow his pride for the group."Everyone needs to submit a written reflection by the end of the day. That's all. You're dismissed," Angela replied coolly, then went back to her tasks.The others were left looking at each other in confusion.Callum happened to be in the executive office today.Angela paused outside the office to gather her thoughts. Just as she was about to knock, the door opened, and a familiar face appeared. It was Finn.Angela wondered why he was here."Angela, come in," Finn greeted her with a gentle smile. "Are you looking for my brother?"Angela was taken aback. She had thought Finn was an orphan.Noticing her confusion, Finn explained with a chuckle, "Callum sponsored me and raised me from a young age."With that, the realization dawned on Angela. Now she understood why Callum had mentio
The noise drew Angela's attention, and she looked around in confusion before noticing the source of the sound was coming from the third floor.Standing up, she saw a thug on the third-floor corridor holding a woman dressed in black hostage. The man waved a dagger wildly, forcing the crowd to retreat in fear.Angela thought the woman being held hostage looked somewhat familiar."What's wrong?" Callum glanced at the commotion and commented casually, "The food's getting cold."Angela turned her gaze back to the table and saw that Finn had filled her plate with her favourite chicken skewers.Suddenly, louder screams erupted from the third floor, as if someone was trying to put an end to the chaos. Angela suppressed her unease, but the rest of her meal felt tasteless.After the meal, Callum left, and Finn suggested they go to the mall. It had been a while since they'd gone out, and with the weekend coming up, they could take it easy the next day.Angela agreed. She needed to buy some
With the maids and outsiders around, Fiona didn't want to air any personal issues."Are you okay?" Angela asked stiffly."I'm fine." Dexter averted his gaze, his expression cold with a palpable air of rejection.If he was fine, that was all that mattered. Angela stood quietly, lost in her thoughts. She planned to leave once Fiona was gone.Her mind drifted to the upcoming design competition. She intended to carve out time tomorrow for a livestream to create a new painting. Her growing fan base held potential, and she was considering expanding into product promotions to boost her career.Right now, every bit of progress counted if she wanted to reclaim what was rightfully hers.In the past, she would have been frantic with worry over Dexter. However, things were different now, and so was she."What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear me calling you?" Fiona scolded as she shot Angela a glare.Startled, Angela turned and saw Fiona holding a bag. She was still on a video ca
Angela nodded in acknowledgment."May," Dexter called out coldly.A middle-aged woman with a slightly plump build quickly appeared from the kitchen. "Mr. Bamford, is there something you need?""Get her something to eat," Dexter said coldly.The maid, May Weasley, was quick. In about 20 minutes, she returned with a bowl of pasta. There were also two small plates of side dishes—one with meat and the other with vegetables.Angela's stomach growled at the delicious aroma. She thanked May and began eating slowly.Her eating style was somewhat unrefined, akin to a hamster nibbling on food. While she wasn't particularly graceful, it was still pleasant enough to watch her eat.Dexter observed her closely. Inexplicably, his irritation seemed to ease to some extent.After finishing her meal, Angela stood up and said, "I have some things to take care of tonight. It should be fine if I come back tomorrow morning, right?"She had only been dealing with Fiona earlier, so whether she stayed
Angela fell silent. She'd thought he said he wouldn't be angry, yet here he was, doing just that.She fought back the anger rising in her chest and said coldly, "If there's nothing else, I'll leave." She grabbed her laptop, ready to leave the space that still carried his presence."Change the bandages!" Dexter snapped.At that moment, the maid carefully approached, holding a tray with his medication."I have a strong grip. I'm afraid it'll hurt you," Angela said."Just hurry up," Dexter replied. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a plain white undershirt, his muscular arms, and a glimpse of his chest and abs.Angela's gaze lingered for a moment, and she found herself unable to look away.However, his injury was severe. This was the first time she had seen a wound so deep.As she removed the bandages, her hands trembled. Cleaning the blood around the wound was even harder with her shaking hands. Her hands wouldn't stop trembling as she applied the medicine, causing some of i
When Angela entered the CEO's office, Dexter was still tied up with work. He seemed to be in a meeting in the small conference room next door, and the atmosphere was so tense that she could feel it even through the door.Just as she was about to open the lunchbox she'd brought, she suddenly noticed a familiar figure—Elena."Hi, Ms. Graham, what a coincidence," Elena greeted with a bright smile."Are you here to deliver lunch too?" Angela asked.The large bags Elena was carrying seemed to hold a feast.Elena nodded. "I'm concerned about Dexter's health. If it weren't for him that day, I might have—""You can wait for him here. I'll leave," Angela said firmly, grabbing her bag to leave.After all, Dexter would still have his meal even without her.Just as she reached the underground parking garage, Dexter called her. His voice came through with irritation, as if he were angry. "What are you doing? Where's my food?"Angela sighed, took a moment to calm herself, and then pressed d
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