Upon hearing the praises from the crowd, everyone agreed: “As expected of Young Master Hayes`, whose family has a long history in the fine wine business. His taste is impeccable; just one sip and he can identify a top-tier wine. He’s definitely a seasoned wine connoisseur.”
“We’re not worthy; we couldn’t possibly tell the difference. The more refined the wine, the more it showcases a person’s sophistication and status. Young Master Hayes must have tried all the top wines; we can’t compare to such experience.”
Cynthia, hearing all the influential figures acknowledging that they couldn’t match her boyfriend’s insight and taste, couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.
Just as everyone was busy complimenting Samuel, the hostess paused and then announced, “We also have to congratulate Mr. Lucius Knight, as you have won the challenge as well.”
The crowd was nearly stunned into silence.
Moments earlier, everyone had seen it. Lucius hadn’t even taken a si
Mr. Knight is either a scion of a prominent family or a top-tier world-class sommelier. However, among the few renowned international sommeliers, no one has ever heard of someone named Lucius Knight.Lucius instantly piqued the public's interest, leading everyone to speculate about his identity.Meanwhile, some people couldn’t hold back their gossip and started mocking Samuel.“Claiming to be the heir of a wine empire and boasting about his wine-tasting skills, yet he's not as impressive as an ordinary Lucius.”“He’s just a wine connoisseur with no real knowledge, flaunting his wealth just because his family is rich. Not everyone has tasted fine wine.”The rumors reached Samuel’s ears, and he was so enraged that his teeth were grinding. He had originally planned to use the wine-tasting event to humiliate Lucius and let everyone know he was just a provincial bumpkin, hoping to vent his frustration at Isabella’s change of heart.Now, however,
In an instant, Carlos seemed stunned by Lucius’s overwhelming aura, frozen in place.When this man was enraged, he seemed like a hellish demon, terrifying beyond belief.Lucius held Isabella protectively, his silence more menacing than words. His gaze was like a sharp, bloodthirsty blade, cutting into Carlos with an intensity that seemed to wish he could chop him into pieces.Dare to lay a hand on his Bella? Lucius would make Carlos suffer a thousand deaths.Lucius’s tall, imposing figure shielded Isabella, causing Carlos to hesitate, afraid to make a move.Struggling to recover from Lucius’s terrifying pressure, Carlos gathered his courage, his fingers trembling, his voice hoarse and stammering as he said, “I’m disciplining my own daughter. What... does it have to do with you? How dare you...”Lucius actually smiled, but it was a smile more frightening than Satan’s. “Bella is my wife. Who dares to touch her?”His eyes circled Carlos
Lucius staggered down the dimly lit corridor, leaning against the wall for support. The scream he had heard earlier seemed to come from the end of the corridor, and he was desperately searching for it.His mind was clearer now, but he was overwhelmed by an unfamiliar sensation that made him feel extremely uncomfortable.But he couldn’t care about that; he had to save Bella.He reached a white door, and a woman’s voice seemed to be coming from inside.“Bella!” Lucius’s heart leapt with joy. He flung open the door and rushed in.In his dazed state, he saw Isabella in a pure white dress, with her back to him.Overcome with joy, he grabbed her and said with a trembling voice, “Bella, I finally found you. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you earlier. Let’s get out of here quickly.”Cynthia was startled when someone suddenly embraced her from behind. Just as she was about to get angry, she turned around to find it was Lucius.His eyes we
Cade laughed heartily, “How could he not? With that much drug and a beautiful woman around, any man would be irresistible.”Isabella snapped back to her senses and ran forward like a madwoman, screaming frantically, “Cynthia, you shameless, despicable woman!”Cade, with a dark expression, waved his hand, and the bodyguards quickly stepped in to restrain her, gagging her, tying her hands and feet, and dragging her over to Leonard Reed.Cade, with a fawning expression, showed his concern to Leonard Reed, “Mr. Reed, I’m sorry. This girl is wild. I’ll take you to the hospital to get your wounds checked right away.”Leonard Reed glanced at Cade and shook his head, “No need. It’s just a scratch. I actually like Miss Rivera’s fiery spirit. Don’t ruin the mood.”With that, he grinned and picked up Isabella, carrying her into the room and happily instructing, “No one is to disturb us. Remember, beating and scolding is a sign of affection. I won’t be angry w
Regina chased after them, urgently trying to stop them. “Don’t leave!”The Riveras servants also rushed over and surrounded the car.Caleb glanced at the impenetrable human wall, narrowing his eyes. The people around could immediately sense a dangerous aura.His gaze suddenly fell on Leonard Reed, who was trailing behind.Leonard Reed, seeing who the newcomer was, froze in fear. It was his nephew, Caleb Reed, the head of the Reed Group.Why was this little terror suddenly here?Caleb’s gaze lingered on Leonard for a full ten seconds, making Leonard Reed’s skin crawl, almost causing him to soil himself.Leonard hurriedly shouted to Regina, “Mrs. Rivera, tell your servants to clear the way and let Mr. Knight pass.”Regina was startled, thinking she had misheard. She turned back, confused, and asked, “Mr. Reed?”What was Leonard Reed up to? He had gone to great lengths to obtain Isabella. Now that the prize was nearly in ha
Lucius waved his hand and pushed her away, keeping her at a distance. Isabella was so frustrated that she wanted to drag him over and give him a good beating. She couldn’t believe this man—no matter how much she urged him, he refused to go to the hospital, and now he wouldn’t even let her bandage his wounds. Even though the wounds had scabbed over, they still needed to be disinfected to prevent infection. Lucius flopped onto the bed, pulling the covers over himself, ignoring her completely. Holding the medical supplies, Isabella approached again, but Lucius muffled a shout through the covers, “Go away!” Isabella was furious. This stubborn man—she was worried about his injuries and trying to take care of him. She had no idea why he was acting so irrationally, refusing to let her near. Puffing up her cheeks like a little pufferfish, she angrily declared, “This is my house! I can go wherev
Lucius asked with a straight face, “Liar! Did you undress me?”“N-no, I didn’t!” Isabella stammered, her face turning as red as a tomato as she recalled helping him out of his wet clothes last night. Even though she had kept her eyes shut, she accidentally caught a glimpse... But there was no way she could admit to something so embarrassing.She quickly waved her hands, trying to clear her name. “You changed your clothes by yourself, not me.”Lucius was laughing on the inside but kept his tone stern. “I don’t believe you. First, you pulled off my blanket, then you took away my towel, and now you’re saying you didn’t undress me? I’ve already lost my dignity because of you, so you have to take full responsibility.”Isabella finally realized he was messing with her again.She let out a couple of dry laughs before suddenly grabbing a pillow and hurling it at him, shouting angrily, “I went through all that trouble to drag you out of the cold water, chan
This blockbuster film produced with a massive budget by the Paquito brothers, had countless stars vying for even the smallest roles, but none could secure a part. Yet, Cynthia, relying solely on her family connections with the Rivera and Hayes families, effortlessly landed the lead female role before she even graduated.Cynthia's flaunting didn’t stop there. She smiled and said to Isabella, “Sister, you see, success isn’t just about how capable you are. With the help of money and power, success can be just as easily within reach. Take me, for example—I wanted to be a star, and the resources just came to me.”Director Martez, upon hearing that Isabella was Cynthia’s sister, immediately became polite. “Oh, so you’re Miss Cynthia’s elder sister. Please, have a seat in the lounge. Miss Cynthia is about to start her first scene.”Cynthia turned to Isabella with a deliberately mocking smile and said, “Sister, why don’t you take a seat? If you want to watch me act, you
As if reading her thoughts, Lucius embraced her and held her face, looking into her eyes. “I love you,” he admitted, his gaze unwavering. “I always have. Ever since the first time we met, I admired your strength and your passion. I wanted to be someone you could rely on, someone who would stand by you, even if it meant hiding who I was.”Isabella searched his eyes for any sign of deception, but all she found was raw honesty. The realization settled within her like a weight being lifted. The anger that had flared between them now seemed trivial compared to the bond they had forged through adversity. “No more secrets, okay?”“Agreed,” he said, relief flooding his features. “I promise to be honest with you from here on out. And please don’t worry about the Rivera Corporation. I’ll help you resolve everything.”“You know?” Isabella blinked, startled once again.“I said I was on a business trip because I’m helping you solve the problems at the Rivera Corporation. Your father is critically i
When Isabella finally finished her work and could take a moment to rest, she remembered that someone was waiting for her at home. She quickly took out her phone to send a message.She had expected to find numerous missed calls and messages from Lucius, given his personality, but to her surprise, there was only one message.“Bella, I’ll be busy traveling with my boss for the next few days, so don’t worry about me.”Of course, Lucius had his own life and couldn’t revolve entirely around her. Yet, for some reason, Isabella felt uneasy upon reading that message.As fatigue set in, she had no choice but to rest in the office for a while.She slept soundly until night fell and was awakened by Nate shaking her.“Miss, there’s a banquet tonight where you need to attend as the representative of the Rivera Corporation. We can't let others see us in a bad light; it’s best if you can bring in some investment for the company,” Nate said, immediately arranging for a stylist and a wardrobe for Isabe
"Are you sure it’s not needed?"“Miss, what do you mean?” Nate, perceptive and sharp, immediately understood after hearing Isabella’s words—Regina was involved.Isabella nodded and said to Nate, “Before, when I was slandered, I had a huge argument with my father because I discovered that Regina was behind the losses of the Rivera Corporation. But I only heard fragments of her conversation; I had no evidence.”“I’ll go retrieve the accounts! As long as there are financial transactions, we should be able to uncover the truth,” Nate said, quickly heading towards the company.After all, with Carlos in his current state, only the doctors and nurses could help him now.Once Nate left, no one else appeared outside the hospital room.Isabella dialed Regina’s number.
As Isabella listened to their conversation, a realization struck her. She stepped forward, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Is this the woman you saw?”Barely able to contain her excitement, she pulled out a photo of her mother and handed it to the person who had been speaking.“Yes, yes, that’s her!” The person, startled by Isabella’s sudden appearance, nodded in recognition. After all, such a beautiful woman was unforgettable after just one meeting.“I clearly remember that she was kidnapped by a man living in this building, and Regina was being chased by debt collectors. She even tried to confront that man, provoking him and putting herself at risk with those pursuing her for money.”“Oh, isn’t that just typical of her? Deep in debt and not even trying to earn her way out,” one person scoffed.“I can’t believe it!” Isabella clenched her fists in anger, her eyes wide with disbelief.Her mother had only mentioned her benefactor once,
“You don’t even share the Knight last name, and you dare to argue with me in front of my parents, and my own nephew? You really have some nerve!” Giselle coldly shot a glance at Lydia, not holding back her disdain for her. When it came to matters of interest, she didn’t even want to pretend anymore.“What do you mean I don’t share the last name? I’ve carried a Knight family member in my belly! My poor Lily is still in the hospital, all alone, receiving treatment while her mother is being bullied like this. It’s really inhumane!” Lydia put on her usual act, crying and making a scene, appealing to everyone’s sympathy for her sick daughter.Lydia was merely the daughter of a subordinate of Lucius’ father—Jay. At a banquet, she climbed the social ladder and successfully became Jay’s mistress, even getting pregnant.She gave birth to a daughter, Lily Knight, but the child was born frail and weak.
“Did they send you as a negotiator?” Hearing Lysander mention the Knight family, Lucius couldn't help but sneer, dismissively saying, “They’re all useless leeches clinging to me. None of them genuinely care about my well-being.”The reason Lucius had been gravely injured in front of Isabella was recently revealed to be the work of a business competitorBut at that time, some members of the Knight family weren’t in a hurry to find him; they even tried to take advantage of his absence to seize control of the Knight Group.The ‘useless’ people Lucius referred to included his stepmother—Lydia, his aunt—Giselle, and Lydia's brother, Hans.They all had their eyes on the Knight Group, clearly incompetent and unable to do anything, yet they harbored grand ambitions of taking it for themselves.Over the years, Lucius had cleaned up many of their messes.Fo
Seeing that the crowd was about to be won over by Isabella, Samuel couldn’t hold back his frustration any longer. He turned and walked away, almost fleeing, and his back looked utterly defeated.“I do not regret choosing Aetheron Film Academy; it has always been my dream school because it is open-minded and inclusive, a place where all aspiring performers wish to be. So today, I will not shy away from being broad-minded and accommodating of everyone’s opinions. Now that I stand on this stage, I am not just myself; I am embodying a character whose image is open to any judgment. Thus, I welcome all your doubts.”“However, I also hope everyone can think critically and analyze dialectically. It’s best to bring strong evidence before questioning me. When you defame me, don’t just follow the crowd; have your own insights. If you have grievances against me, feel free to confront me directly; I am never afraid.”“Lastly, I
Clearly, Isabella's powerful presence had intimidated them.In the audience, surrounded by so many people, it was easy for them to hurl defamatory remarks and throw a few paper balls without fear of being immediately identified by Isabella. They felt shielded by their large numbers.But when Isabella asked who among them could replace her, no one dared to speak up. Many of them bowed their heads, afraid to meet her gaze, fearing that if they made eye contact with her, they might be called up to the stage.However, not everyone present was without courage. Some were accustomed to bullying Isabella under the cover of numbers, while others genuinely disliked her due to the rumors circulating about her. One of these was Molly.Glancing around, Molly noticed that those who had thrown things the hardest were silent, not daring to contradict Isabella. Without fear, she stood up, becoming the center
After wrapping up the matter, Isabella went to Aetheron Film Academy for classes.Today was her opening ceremony, and due to her excellent grades, she had been chosen to represent the freshmen and give a speech.Such things had always been routine for Isabella.Having excelled academically throughout her life, Isabella was not intimidated at all; she delivered her speech as the representative of the new students with great fluency. “I’m very happy to enter Aetheron Film Academy and become a diligent student of Aetheron. In the near future, we will surely be the creators of this glorious era.”However, just as she was concluding her speech, someone in the audience threw a rotten egg at her, hitting her squarely.Wearing a pure white dress that day, the foul-smelling egg not only covered her in a terrible odor but also instantly stained her dress, causing the crowd to eru