Why was her heart pounding against her ribcage like this… She was a married woman, damn it!North gasped. It must be because Leon and Gerald were too similar. This was not her fault!Meanwhile, Gabriel was convinced that North had become obsessed with targeting Reina because the Jordans did not care about her. So, he refused to believe what Leon said.“The Jordans are the top family in Seatown! North… as famous as Star is, you’re just a designer. You’re not even in the same league as my family. How could you not care?”Why wouldn’t she care about the Jordans? She was a Jordan herself!Gabriel knew the Jordans had wronged her, but this was for the best. They would compensate North for this—“I’m telling you—you’re getting ahead of yourself.” Leon stood with a nonchalant smile. “Why would a family that’s about to lose half a billion be worth her attention?”Lose half a billion? He was joking!Bryan’s face fell. “Mr. Leon, please do not jest! Half a billion? Even if you’re talking
North had posted all the evidence she collected over the years on Twitter and exposed Reina. She was never a design genius; in fact, she did not even know how to design. Apart from stealing North’s work, there was one other person she had plagiarized—North’s biological mother, Estella Smithson.[You learn something new every day, I guess. Reina is a real bloodsucker. Poor North and Estella.][First, her mother and then, her daughter and accusing her of what she’s done on top of that? Are you sure Reina and Linda aren’t related?][Come to think of it, is Reina really the Jordan heiress? She doesn’t resemble Mr. Jordan at all.][I heard Jordan Corporation’s about to lose nearly 600 million. I’m laughing. Biological daughter? More like biological jinx!][How dare Reina still show her face in the entertainment industry? I suggest her fans shut up right now. Star’s not someone a minor celebrity like her can afford to offend!]That was true, Star’s status in the design industry was com
The female manager was a little offended. This was the famous Star they were talking about! If Eleanor could be here, why couldn’t she?However, North raised her hand to stop the manager from speaking. In fact, she smiled at Eleanor. “Why are you still concerned about whether I can be here when you’re already desperate?”“You—” Eleanor tried to suppress her anger, but she failed. “You jinx! You b*tch! Where are Leon and Gerald? I’m going to ask Gerald whether the Brackens have mistreated him to make him do this to us!”Without any changes in her expression, North said, “You did not answer my question. Does Gerald have something to do with the problematic products?”“He has from the start! Those things—”“But the Brackens have never allowed him to interfere with their businesses.” North paused before continuing nonchalantly, “Everyone knows Mike is the one your family favors the most. Gerald has neither a leadership role nor shares. How is he supposed to mess with your business?”
North’s heartbeat sped up. Gerald’s unique scent almost overwhelmed her.Gerald must have just showered because his hair was not dry yet. His damp locks brushed her cheek, setting her nerves aflame with every touch.“If you were so curious, why didn’t you ask me directly?”North’s mind had not recovered yet, so she replied, “Huh? What? Ask you about what?”“Eleanor must have tried to confront Leon by now,” Gerald said. His tone was so certain, it was obviously not a wild guess. Then, he asked with that same sureness, “You ran into her, didn’t you?”North finally recovered and nodded. “She said you and Leon were teaming up to sabotage her.”“Heh.” Gerald suddenly chuckled before lowering his voice. “Do you think she’s telling the truth then, Mrs. Howard?”North said nothing, her gaze darting here and there.Gerald’s smile grew, his light gray eyes shining slightly. He was not surprised at all that North would find out the truth. “Looks like you’ve guessed it.So, North stopped
He stared at North’s proof, remaining in a trance for quite a while.Estella Smithson… Estella Smithson. North’s mother was called Estella Smithson?Why did she share a name with Estella Rose? Why was she a good designer too? Could they be the same person?But if they were, then what did that make Reina?No. This was impossible. And yet…“Gabriel! Gabriel! You came just in time!” Bryan acted as if his savior had just arrived. “Come look at this. Tell me, do you think we… got it wrong?”“Dad…” When Gabriel saw what was on Bryan’s computer, his throat began to feel dry.He was terrified of the secret being discovered. If Bryan found out he knew all along but kept it from him, he would definitely be punished for it.Besides, Reina had been through so much that if they abandoned her at this point, it would be so heartless of them!So, Gabriel betrayed his conscience and said with mixed feelings, “Dad, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about… I was also shocked when I saw Estella
“I don’t get it. Why is she crying?” North pushed the door open and walked right in. When she saw Virgil Bracken, she smiled.“Grandfather! Gerald said you had summoned him for lunch. He thought you were missing him, so he had even brought gifts. He didn’t think you only called him to blame him.”Gerald raised an eyebrow. Gifts?He had never even considered doing that for the Brackens. Meanwhile, Eleanor was pissed. “North Myers! How could you enter without knocking? Were you raised in a barn? And what’s this about gifts? You’re clearly empty-handed. What gifts?”North blinked. “I’m here to provide Bracken Corporation with a perfect solution. Isn’t that a great gift?“Gerald and Leon are friends, and they’re quite close. He was going to negotiate with Leon and buy Bracken Corporation some time, but…” North sighed. “Ms. Eleanor assumed Gerald was sabotaging the family! Isn’t that ridiculous, Mr. Virgil? I’ve already looked at the handbags in question.”Virgil suddenly had the fe
Nelly smiled gently. “Hi again, Gerald, North.”Gerald did not look at her, and North did not reply. However, Nelly did not seem to take it to heart and continued to stand demurely beside Madam Bracken.Madam Bracken already knew what was going on, so she scoffed, “Looks like your b*stard son’s not as good as you think, Virgil. Bracken Corporation’s been suffering losses every year, and now there’s plagiarism too? As if that wasn’t bad enough, you’re demanding that Gerald help clean up this mess.”Virgil could not take the insult. “What are you so happy about?! The business was supposed to go to Patricia, but how am I supposed to give it to her in this state? If Gerald has a solution, what’s wrong with asking him to help?”Madam Bracken mocked him in response. “You’re always so attentive when it comes to Patricia’s things.”“Patricia’s your daughter too,” Virgil said as if it was the most natural thing on Earth. “You should be helping out to as her mother—”“Shut up!” Madam Brack
Giselle nodded in gratification. “That’s very kind of you, Nelly.” North’s eyes flickered. Something felt wrong. Why would Nelly be so kind as to remind her to be careful of Cynthia? “Ah, I see. However, your reminder came a little bit too late. I’ve already met Cynthia.” Nelly said in resignation, “She… These women are still trying their luck even though they clearly know that Gerald is married. North, it must be difficult to be his wife, right?” North came to a realization. There it was: the trap.Nelly was trying to insult other people to make herself appear morally superior by talking badly about another woman who was flirting with Gerald. Did she think that this would make everyone think that she had no feelings toward Gerald? North smiled. “It’s not difficult at all. I’m just doing what I should be doing. Besides, you’re reading into this too much. Even though Cynthia has some feelings for Gerald, she didn’t cause any trouble for me.” Nelly bit her lower lip. “No
He moved his wrists and frowned.Did North sleep for the entire day? Was she disoriented?North sat by the bed with nothing to do. She watched as time passed. Strange, why wasn’t she awake yet? Was she that sleepy? Could it be that the advanced exam questions were too difficult and she did not want to wake up?North could not help but think about the questions. Hmm… they did not seem very difficult. She had thought of a solution!Indeed, people had endless potential when they were dreaming. They could even come up with answers to such difficult questions!North was afraid that she would forget and wanted to wake up quickly, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not wake up. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but she was still in the room.North frowned and muttered to herself, “What’s going on…?”Gerald looked at her silently.He also wanted to ask what was going on.“North, do you need my help?”North hesitated. Even though it was a dream, she was still a littl
North exclaimed in surprise.It turned out that Gerald could be sarcastic too!Gerald did not give Patricia any time to react. He was just short of chasing the entire Bracken family out.While the Bracken family was leaving, Gerald heard Mike grumble, “Mom… If you knew this was going to happen, why didn’t you adjust your act earlier!”Patricia was furious. “I did all of this for you. How could you fall for Gerald’s tricks?!”“But Gerald was right. They suspect that I’m not Paige’s son because of you!”…Giselle’s smile became more and more sarcastic. When the Bracken family disappeared, he said, “Accompany me pay respects to Paige. Also, get someone to clean Glass Manor inside and out.”He wanted to get rid of the bad vibes the Bracken family had brought in.…A few days later, when they returned to Royal Sights Residences, the Bracken family actually stopped causing trouble.North was about to graduate, and she had one final exam. She saw the class group chat exchanging adva
“Why? Do you think that I’ve forgotten how Paige died?”Giselle never expected that this shameless family would have the audacity to make an issue out of Paige’s death.“You make it sound so simple. Even if Patricia dies today, you would never disregard her last wishes. Is everything you do for the good of the Bracken family?“Still, the only person the Bracken family has ever had to sacrifice was Paige!”Virgil snapped, “Nonsense! I’m Paige’s biological father, how could I…”Giselle sneered. “Stop putting on an act. You didn’t look for your daughter when she was missing. You didn’t feel sorry for your daughter when she returned. You kept asking her to tolerate the adopted daughter. When she was sick, you even stopped her treatment so that she would die and let your adopted daughter marry her husband.“Virgil, I’m sick. I’m not dead yet, and I haven’t lost my memory. If this happens again, I’ll destroy the entire Bracken family!”Giselle looked at the bodyguards she had brought
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.Virgil found it hard to breathe. “Let go! Are you crazy?!”“I’m asking you a question. Where is Paige buried? Tell me!”Virgil’s brain was deprived of oxygen. Without thinking, he roared, “How would I know? Let go, you crazy woman!”Patricia screamed, “Madam Giselle, what are you doing? Let go of him. Do you want Dad to die?”Gerald’s second uncle also shouted, “Madam Giselle, why are you doing this to us? Don’t treat your husband like this!”“You don’t know? You don’t know at all, do you?” Giselle ignored everyone. She looked unremorseful. She scoffed.“You claim to be severely depressed about your daughter’s death,” Giselle retorted. “Despite that, you actually don’t know where your daughter’s grave is!”As soon as she finished speaking, the entire place fell silent.When Virgil realized what he had just said, his face turned pale and he stopped screaming. He trembled as he spoke to Giselle hatefully. “You did this on purpose…”That wa
Mike said weakly, “North, we paid our respects to my mother before we went out today. We didn’t say anything because we were afraid that Grandpa wouldn’t be able to accept it.”As expected, Virgil clutched his chest and looked like he was about to faint.Patricia cried out, “Gerald, are you satisfied now that your grandfather is trembling in anger? We’ve kept it a secret for so many years. Despite that…”Everyone sighed. So, that was how it was.It was indeed Ms. Paige’s death anniversary today. However, the old man had fallen into a state of depression from the intense guilt. He then mistakenly thought that his daughter had passed away in May.As his family, Patricia and Mike could not bear to make the old man feel more guilty. Thus, they maintained the facade.In fact, they would pay their respects to Paige every year.This made sense. After all, Virgil was old and could not stand such harsh emotions.The people from the Bracken family jumped on this chance to scold Gerald. “
Everyone was dumbfounded. North was really bold!North blinked. “What’s wrong, Mr. Virgil? Why are you so angry? Did I say something wrong?”“What nonsense! Paige is my daughter! How could I intentionally let her die?!”North widened her eyes. “I didn’t say that you intentionally let her die! It’s just that the Bracken family didn’t like her and looked down on her. The medical staff didn’t care about her either. In the end, they didn’t even treat her and let her die.“I know. It’s not your fault. After all, you were so busy. How could you have the time to take care of a daughter you don’t love?”Virgil clutched his chest. “What nonsense…! Shut up!”“North!” Patricia screamed. “Gerald, are you just going to watch her anger your grandfather? Your grandfather’s health isn’t good…”“What did I say wrong?”North sighed. “Look at what Mr. Virgil said. Ms. Paige passed away at the end of May, so why didn’t he treat her for two whole months from the end of March to the end of May?“Th
Mike knew that he had fallen into North’s trap and was speechless!He was so anxious that his expression changed. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and huge beads of sweat dripped down. “Um… I…”“Mike!” Patricia saw that the situation was not good, so she hurriedly interrupted Mike and pulled him behind her.Then, she took a deep breath and pretended to be helpless and upset.“Gerald, what nonsense are you talking about?! We’re family. If you have anything you’re upset about, just tell me. There’s no need to cause trouble at the banquet and make an issue out of Paige’s death anniversary!“We’re all Paige’s family, and Dad is also Paige’s biological father. How can we not know when her death anniversary is?“Paige’s death anniversary is at the end of May. It’s not today at all. You… You’re too much!”Virgil looked aggrieved. He nodded and said, “That’s right. Paige’s death anniversary is in May. Gerald, I know you don’t want to give up her inheritance. Moreover, I didn’t fo
Everyone’s eyes fell on Gerald.Gerald looked up slowly and said calmly, “Ms. Patricia, why did you choose today to hold a banquet for Mike?”“It doesn’t matter what day I chose!” Patricia roared.“So, you did choose the date.”Gerald looked down at Patricia from above. His cold gaze made Patricia suddenly feel suffocated.Her “son” had a murderous look in his eyes. “Any other day would have been fine, but not today.”Patricia hated the look in Gerald’s eyes the most. Why was he so arrogant? Why was he looking down on her? Why was he like that b*tch?She screamed, “Gerald, I’m your mother! Mike is your brother! It’s fine if you don’t love me, but you keep finding fault with me. What right do you have—”“Today is the anniversary of Paige’s death.”Gerald interrupted her.Patricia’s face turned pale, and the words that she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. The scene instantly fell silent.What did Gerald say? What day was it today?Today was the anniversary of Paige’s d
Patricia felt a lump in her throat. “You…”“Connor, come out.” North interrupted her.Then, a group of people dressed in black walked out of nowhere and played mournful music. Connor walked in the middle and placed a memorial tablet on the table.Everyone looked at the memorial tablet curiously, wanting to know whose memorial tablet it was. When everyone saw the name “Paige”, they instantly fell silent.North and Gerald paid their respects. Then, they placed the bouquets beside the memorial tablet.Their actions stunned everyone.Had they come to pay respects to Paige?Patricia was trembling. She stared fixedly at Paige’s name on the memorial tablet. She clenched her fists.Paige!Gerald had paid his respects to Paige at a banquet for Mike. Was he crazy?! She was so unlucky! Paige was already dead, but she was still the center of attention at Mike’s banquet!After paying her respects, North turned around. “What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to pay your respects?”