Sure enough, as Emily's words fell, the expressions of the people at the dining table changed drastically. Four or five years ago, that massive fire burned down the entire DeRoss family fortune.They had lost carrying goods, worth billions of dollars, the DeRoss family took a full two years to recover from that incident. Everyone in the DeRoss family had been affected. It could be said that, although Haley was already ‘dead’ back then, whenever she was mentioned by the DeRoss family later on, they would grit their teeth in anger.Haley noticed the change in everyone's faces and smiled softly, "I've always wanted to ask, what did Mother give me to drink on my eighteenth birthday? Why did I faint after drinking it and wake up later on a hotel bed."After hearing this, Flora's face suddenly changed. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Haley, what nonsense are you talking about?""Grandmother, you know me, although I can be a bit willful, I have never been a reckless girl." Haley bit her lip
Haley curled her lips slightly. If she could take back half of the shares today, it wouldn't be a wasted trip. As for the other half, she believed she would be able to obtain it soon enough.She chuckled, "Emily and I are sisters, no thanks necessary."Madam DeRoss, with her fragile health, had difficulty attending the banquet. Finally seeing her granddaughter, who had been missing for four years, released the tension in her heartstrings, and her body instantly weakened."The butler, will prepare the share transfer agreement, and let's sign it now," Madam DeRoss commanded coldly, coughing once.Her health was frail, and she could leave this world at any moment. Before that happened, she must settle the mess that was the DeRoss family."Grandmother, there's no need to rush, right?" Emily suppressed her unwillingness deep within and spoke. "Signing the agreement tomorrow would be the same."Flora chimed in, "Yes, why be in a hurry? It's your birthday today, and we can handle the share t
Haley calmly explained the origin and destination of the fifty percent ownership of the DeRoss Group.After speaking, she said lightly, "In Mr. Winston's opinion, is it reasonable for me to take back the shares my mother left me?""Not reasonable." Ivan uttered these words indifferently.Emily's face showed a hint of ecstasy. This man truly considered things from her perspective! With Ivan's words, she had a reason to refuse to sign the share transfer agreement. Even her grandmother couldn't blame her for it.Haley's face turned cold. Sure enough, she shouldn't have trusted this man. She wasted her breath for nothing. She was about to speak again, when Ivan's voice rang out."Haley, if I were you, I would do whatever it takes to reclaim all the shares." His voice carried a coldness. "How can you leave half of the inheritance your own mother left you to someone else?"Haley was stunned for a moment. Did he mean that what he said earlier was unreasonable?Did she misunderstand him?"Iva
Haley opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat. Just as she was about to start the engine, the door on the passenger side was opened. Ivan bent over and sat in the car, his expression leisurely and carefree, as if it was his own car.Haley sarcastically raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Winston, what's the meaning of this?""My car broke down, and you're giving me a ride back," Ivan leaned back in the seat, nonchalantly saying, "You won't be wasting your time."Haley loosened her grip on the steering wheel and calmly said, "I believe someone from the DeRoss family would be happy to give Mr. Winston a ride. How about I call Emily?""You're afraid to be alone with me?" Ivan suddenly leaned forward, his cold face coming closer to Haley's.Their breaths intertwined, and the air inexplicably became ambiguous. Haley's heartbeat suddenly became erratic.She pretended to remain calm and turned her head, gripping the steering wheel, and said indifferently, "At the last Martínez family banquet, M
Haley looked at Owen seriously. "You're a brave young man, so don't cry so easily in the future." Angela, being a little girl, hadn't cried much since she was born. "Haley, I won't cry anymore... I just, haven't seen you in so long, so I missed you a little bit." He blushed as soon as he said that. Ivan's mouth twitched. When did Owen start speaking such cheesy words? How come he didn't know? And what kind of magic did this woman possess that made Owen, the little demon king, look so pitiful?Haley felt a bit embarrassed by the whole situation. Actually, she had a good impression of this child, but Owen was a Winston family member. If she showed too much care for him, it would raise suspicions of her trying to gain favor with the Winston family. She put Owen down and said softly, “I have something to do, so I’ll go back first. Goodbye.” "No!" Owen hugged her thigh tightly. His voice became choked up again. "You just arrived and want to leave already. I want to stay with you a lit
This bowl of plain noodles had no seasoning; the soup looked almost like water.When the soup splashed onto Haley's chest, her clothes immediately became soaked, clearly outlining the contours of her undergarments."I-I'm sorry!" Owen was scared to death. Haley had come to see him, and he had done such a stupid thing."Let me wipe it for you." He hurriedly grabbed tissues to wipe Haley's chest. Ivan’s eyebrows suddenly twitched. For some reason, he felt disgusted seeing Owen touch this woman's intimate area.He stood up coldly. "Mrs. DeRoss, you should go change your clothes."Haley covered her chest with tissues. Her shirt was completely wet, and it seemed like her underwear was damp too. Dressed like this, she couldn't possibly go out.She pursed her lips. "I'd like to take a shower and dry my clothes. Is Mr. Winston okay with that?"“Okay, of course!” Owen nodded eagerly, taking Haley’s hand and leading her upstairs.He opened the door to a room on the second floor. "This is my ro
Haley glanced at her watch, on her wrist, and saw that it was already past 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Preschool was about to let out. She had unknowingly spent so much time at the Winston family's place.Originally, she had intended to visit the studio, but now it was getting late, so she had to go straight to the preschool to pick up the two children. Haley drove to the preschool and waited at the entrance for a while, then she saw the two children walking out, holding hands. Surrounding the two children were also a group of other kids.“Todd, you were amazing today. You must be the most talented kid at our preschool!”"Todd, you look so handsome. I want to be friends with you too. Can you sit with me tomorrow?"“I want to sit with my sister,” Todd replied calmly. “If you want to be friends with my sister, then I will be your friend too.”"Angela is so beautiful. If I play with her, I will surely become a beautiful princess too!""I want to be friends with Angela too!"So, the other
Haley carried the ingredients into the villa and said as she walked, "This is my grandmother's house.""Your grandmother sure treats you well," Thomas clicked his tongue twice, "But let's be clear, this house belongs to your grandmother, not your name. How about this, marry me, and I'll buy you a Bund waterfront villa with only your name on it."Haley kicked at him, "Thomas, if you keep talking nonsense, just get out!""Ouch, Haley, be gentle, that hurt!" Thomas dodged with Angela in his arms. "I was wrong, I won't tease you anymore."He sat on the floor in the living room, playing with building blocks with Angela. Todd glanced at his sister and habitually opened his laptop, logging into his personal account. Suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of coldness appeared in his gentle eyes. Someone was trying to crack the encrypted surveillance video he secured. Half of the one hundred and eight passwords had already been decoded. He quickly opened the program page and entered batt
After a thorough read, she folded the document and spoke up, her voice indifferent, "Kid, who drafted this contract?""Our young master did," replied Russell, “Ms. DeRoss, if everything looks fine to you, the contract will take effect once you sign it."Haley chuckled. She was striking, exuding a bewitching charm.And yet, within the depths of her clear eyes, there was a peculiar blend of innocence and mystery.Keith felt his defenses soften and his detachment give way when he saw her smile. It was as if a hole had been poked through his armor of indifference.Realizing too late that he had been staring at Haley for a while, frustration surged within him.This woman must have used that same smile to ensnare Dad and confuse Owen..."I see a problem," she said, her smile vanishing.She leaned forward, a sense of authority emanating from her.Looking Keith straight in the eye, her lips twisted into a disdainful curve, "You should be in school at your age, not out here trying to show off.
Transmedia Tech, an internet media company.Two years ago, there were rumors of its bankruptcy, and after being acquired, it suddenly came back to life and became a leading player in the internet industry.However, there is not much information about this company on the internet.Haley glanced at Transmedia Tech's profile and said lightly, "What time did they make an appointment?""Half past two, at Pennie Coffee."After finishing her work in the morning, Haley drove straight to Pennie Coffee.She arrived ten minutes early, ordered a cup of coffee, and began to read the information on the internet.She searched for the company again, but she still couldn't find much info, and even the investor info behind it had been removed.It can be seen that this company has a lot of connections.She just didn’t know why this company would take a fancy to her newly opened studio.Haley waited for about five minutes before she heard footsteps outside the private room.She straightened her collar an
Keith thought that Haley had also planned to gain the trust of the entire Winston family through Owen. This woman's quite a schemer. Keith knew he had to be cautious......Haley picked up the kids and went home. When she was cooking dinner, she received a video call from Owen."Haley, why didn't you come to see me?" Owen's voice was still weak, "I'm so bored here in the hospital all alone. Could you come keep me company? I want to hear stories..."Haley shook the ladle in her hand, "It's too late today; I'll come see you tomorrow and bring you some cookies I've baked.""You're the best, Haley!" Owen's enthusiasm was palpable.Haley’s lips curled into a smile, "Get some rest now, and don't stay up too late, okay?""How about a goodnight kiss, then?" Owen puckered his lips towards the phone screen, a bandage still wrapped around his head, looking both pitiful and comically adorable.Laughing, Haley pressed a kiss to her phone screen and then ended the call.Carrying the freshly stewed
"The timing is too perfect, isn't it?" Keith said slowly, "Owen got in a car accident, and Haley just happened to be there and then saved him by donating her blood to him. What a coincidence!"His voice was deep and raspy, unlike a four-year-old boy.Ivan's eyes narrowed, "You think Haley staged the accident?""She had a motive," Keith pressed his lips together firmly and continued, "Surely you're aware of the bad blood between Mom and Haley...""It wasn't her," Ivan stated flatly.He had already been briefed on the accident. It was indeed premeditated. Someone had the audacity to target his son. But that someone couldn't possibly be Haley."Dad, are you so certain it isn't this woman when the investigation is still ongoing?" Keith's voice chilled, "What if it turns out to actually be Haley?""She wouldn't hurt Owen," Ivan looked at him with conviction. "She saved your brother; you shouldn't suspect her."Darkness crept into Keith's eyes.His moth
Taking a deep breath, he said, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll have someone look into it. I won't let anyone hurt Owen."After she voluntarily donated blood to save Owen, it's unlikely she'd attempt anything against him again anytime soon..." Emily's voice was husky and choked with emotion. "Now that she's gained your dad's trust, I’m sure she'll make her move... Keith, I’m really scared she’ll hurt you or Owen. I’d rather she came after me...""It won't happen."Keith ended the phone call.He turned to his assistant, Russell, and said coolly, “Check out that car accident near the DeRoss Group building. See what that was all about.”Russell nodded, “Will do, Mr. Winston.”He pulled out his phone and started making calls...Keith instructed his driver, "To the hospital."As the car glided smoothly down the road, they hadn't even reached the hospital when Russell received a call from the traffic police.The majority of the time, Maple Street is congested, w
Keith had been involved in the family business since the age of three.The company under his operation, Transmedia Tech, was a subsidiary that the Winston Group had planned to divest from two years ago.He took over the day before its planned bankruptcy.Now, after a year of shrewd management, Transmedia had become one of the top three most profitable subsidiaries of Winston Group.Keith, having just finished a meeting, felt a nagging unrest.He was usually a calm person, but his current anxiety exposed a vulnerability reflective of a four-year-old child."Young Master, you've pretty much wrapped up all your work for today. Perhaps you should head back and rest?" suggested his young assistant, Russell, with due respect.Keith shook his head.He sensed discomfort.Had something happened to Owen?He was about to reach for his phone to call Alfred when his phone began to vibrate.He glanced at it. The incoming call was from his mother.Ti
It seemed he didn't really mind the idea of marrying this woman...Haley, with her acute senses, caught Ivan's stare and quickly changed the subject.Her eyes shifted to Owen and she spoke with authoritative firmness, “It might not hurt now, but once the anesthesia wears off, you’re going to be in tears from the pain. You’ll understand then just how terrifying a car accident can be! Owen, if you ever want to see me again, just give me a call. I'll come pick you up myself. If you dare sneak out like you did today, I won't come to see you ever again!”Her face stern, she emphasized each word, her tone leaving no room for protest.Tears pooled in Owen's eyes as he looked at Haley with a plaintive expression, “I won’t ever do it again, Haley... I just missed you too much, I couldn't help myself. I just wanted you to hug and kiss me...”His big eyes were brimming with sorrow, making him look like a forlorn puppy.Haley's heart softened, and she bent down to plant
Chapter 181Ivan took a seat on the other side of the bed.He stated calmly, "Alfred, get some sports drinks, please."Alfred promptly went to carry out the request.In the hospital room, aside from the slumbering Owen, only the two of them remained, surrounded by the sterile scent of disinfectant.With a muted voice, Ivan said, "Thank you for this. Whatever you need, just tell me.""I have a soft spot for Owen. I was more than willing to save him, and…" Haley's voice faltered, a slight bitterness on her tongue, "he must have snuck out to find me. That's how he got into an accident..."Her voice trailed off, her gaze lowered, shielding all emotions.Ivan paused before saying, "He's really fond of you."A gentle smile curled on Haley's lips.Looking at Owen resting in the hospital bed, she couldn't help but reach out and gently touch his face. She felt an immediate warmth towards him when she first saw him at the airport. Owen kept coming back
His opened his mouth, about to speak, but his phone began to vibrate in his palm, displaying Alfred's name.The sight of Alfred's name sent a sharp pain through Ivan's heart.Whenever Alfred reached out, it was always a matter of urgency.With Owen in surgery and Alfred calling, could it mean…The typically composed man's fingers trembled, requiring two attempts to tap the answer button."Sir, Owen's going to be alright!" Alfred exclaimed, choked with joy, "The surgery's nearly finished and doctors say he should wake up by tonight if all goes well!"Ivan felt a great relief.He walked briskly towards the hospital, concurrently asking, "How was the blood resolved?"He'd made calls, but a resolution couldn't have come this fast."Sir, you might not know yet, but Miss DeRoss, Owen's aunt Haley — she's got the negative blood type!" Alfred rushed out his words, "When Owen had his accident, Haley was there, she brought him to the hospital, and she volun