At Rivenesco First Hospital, Bella screamed. “You have to fix them! You have to fix them!” Bella’s face twisted in pain as she shouted. After Dustin left the hotel, she endured the pain and rushed to the hospital with her severed fingers. She couldn’t afford to lose those two fingers! “Don’t worry, Miss Bella. You will recover just fine!” the doctor said. Hearing this, Bella finally sighed in relief and fainted. When she woke up, it was already the next day. Her sisters had arrived and were gathered around her hospital bed. When they saw that Bella was awake, her sisters leaned in. “Bella, how are you? Does it still hurt?” “What in the world happened?” Her sisters bombarded her with questions and annoyed her. She motioned for them all to keep quiet. Soon, she jolted awake as if she was electrocuted. She quickly brought her hand in front of her face to inspect it. She screamed just as she had done yesterday. Her left hand was wrapped in bandages, but ther
Bella’s image was completely ruined. She was cast aside by those in the entertainment industry. In the past, Bella had a lot of diehard fans who defended her no matter what scandals popped up about her. They always fought against haters online. Yet, when this news broke out, many of Bella’s fans turned into her haters themselves and joined in with the others against her. This time, there was no way to clean up the mess. The Wyatt sisters were all quiet. None of them said anything for a long while. It was not just the media outlets fueling the flames. Many official accounts also called her out and accused her of things. “The public opinion is affecting the company, too. Our stock price has plummeted to a record low in the span of a day. We lost billions!” Clara said solemnly. When Clara said that, her other sisters failed to keep their composure. Their faces grew darker. The impact of this incident was more massive than they had ever imagined. “After getting the news,
At the Langley family villa, Camille slowly regained consciousness. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the worried Dustin and Simone’s worried faces. “Simone, Dustin, where am I? Why do I feel so dizzy?” Camille asked blearily. Memories from before she fainted slowly came back. She remembered that Bella had called her and urged her to drink some wine. After she drank the wine, she felt weak and drowsy. She recalled seeing a lecherous smile on the face of that rich man as he approached her…Camille’s eyes widened, and she immediately sprang upright and threw aside the covers. “Simone, I… How did I get home?” Her eyes welled up, and she trembled. She was only in her twenties and had never experienced such trauma. “Don’t worry. Nothing happened to you,” Simone said gently as she caressed Camille’s forehead. “Dustin brought you home from the hotel. He already dealt with the culprit.” Camille looked at Dustin when she heard that. Dustin nodded at her. Only t
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Camille was stunned and speechless at the attention she was getting. “Dustin, is Ruby the friend you mentioned? You’re amazing! I can’t believe you know Ruby!” Camille looked at Dustin in delight. Camille felt like this was a great honor. A famous agent wanted to sign her on even though she was a newbie. She had never even starred in anything before! “What? A friend?” Ruby looked shocked when she heard that. “Miss Camille, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not…” She wanted to explain, but she did not dare to say another word when Dustin shot her a look. The doorbell rang again. Simone went to the door. This time, the person who arrived was a plump, middle-aged man in glasses. “You’re the famous director, Horace Timm!” Simone said in surprise. Even as an outsider in the entertainment industry, Simone knew who Horace was. He was a respected and famous director with many notable productions to his name. He had won countless
In a ward of Rivenesco First Hospital, Bella used her uninjured hand to make a call. “Hello, Mr. Xander, didn’t you say you wanted to cast me as the female lead in that drama? Is the offer still up?” she asked with a bit of hope. She was going to go insane. The internet was filled with insults that nearly drove her to the brink of a mental breakdown. She felt a little better only after Amara stopped her from going online. But she still could not hold herself back, and she did not want to give up. “Bella, your reputation is ruined, and you still want a film? The Broadcasting Board has already imposed a ban. Nobody dares to even make you an offer. Just stay as a good commoner, and don’t dream of becoming an actress ever again!” said an impatient voice from the other end of the line. Bella’s face stiffened. “Mr. Xander, I don’t need to be paid! The ban from the Broadcasting Board only applies within the country. They cannot ban things abroad. After filming, we can release it
When Dustin heard that, his face darkened. He pulled Simone along and strode forward. At the set of The Legend of the Swordsman 4, a group of people surrounded Camille and a woman. The woman pointed viciously at Camille and yelled at her. Camille dared not speak. She just endured the woman’s shouting like a helpless victim. The people around were watching with interest. Some even looked slightly amused. “Camille Langley, look at yourself carefully. Do you really think you’re good enough for the lead role? Everyone here has more experience than you! Even a supporting actress is more qualified than you!” The woman pointed at Camille’s face, and her tone of voice was aggressive and arrogant.“Looking at your fake innocent face makes me sick! You have no talent and no skills. I heard that you just used to be an extra. How many people did you sleep with to get this lead role? Why don’t you just tell us?” Camille’s eyes welled up with tears. She felt helpless. It was the first d
The crew looked at each other in disbelief. Who was this guy? He had the audacity to call the director by his name and demand him to come out here… Horace was one of the most respected directors in Lovellia. It was said that he had an extraordinary background, and even the top figures would treat him with respect. How dare this brat order him about? Even Simone and Camille were startled. Horace Timm was no ordinary person. Was it not inappropriate to demand his presence in front of the whole crew? The woman sneered. “How arrogant! Do you even know who he is? How dare you demand that Mr. Timm appear here for you? Ha! You’ve clearly lost your mind if you don’t know your place!” she said with a sneer and a face full of mockery. “When Mr. Timm gets here, you’re done for!” “Who let this brat in? This is no place for you to mess around! Get lost!” shouted someone from the crew. “You hit Rachel Zahn! Do you know who her boyfriend is? You’re really asking for trouble!”
Horace was not interested in hearing her out. He walked up to Dustin. “Mr. Fox, I sincerely apologize. I was inside discussing production matters with a few of the producers and wasn’t aware of what was happening outside,” Horace said apologetically. “I assure you that this will never happen again!” When Horace said that, the place fell into a dead silence. Everyone looked shocked, the entire set fell silent. Was this really the rumored “Steely Director?” With his status and reputation, he did not even bother with the big shots of Central Harbor! But he was bowing and apologizing to an unknown brat! The whole crew was stunned. If the word got out, this would definitely make headlines tomorrow! Rachel’s eyes widened. Who exactly was this guy? Why was Mr. Timm so respectful toward him? Simone and Camille were also shocked. They thought that Horace accepted the offer of the film only because he somehow knew Dustin. It seemed he was somehow lower than Dustin.
Evan and Yvonne ran into the Yeager family villa’s main hall. They were panting. They looked panicked, especially Yvonne. She was weeping as she told the family elders about the governor’s orders regarding Patricia. “What?! Dustin actually had Nico arrested?” The elders of the Yeager family were livid when they heard the news. They did not care about Nico’s crimes and were only worried about the kind of impact this would have on their family. “Governor Ramos has always been fair and impartial. Nico will surely be sentenced to several years in prison. There’s no way the Zamora family will let this slide. The patriarch of the Zamora family has already made it clear that they want our family to pay. He even said that he’ll destroy our whole family!” At this point, every member of the Yeager family looked solemn. They were worried about what the Zamora family would do to them. At the same time, they despised Dustin even more. Ever since the destruction of the Four Great Clans
If the Yeager family tried to get Patricia to marry someone they chose, it would be going against the edict of the governor! That was not the kind of offense that any family in Hattan would dare to risk, much less the much inferior Yeager family. “Is Dustin the governor’s biological son or something? Why does Governor Ramos care so much?” Evan and Yvonne were confused as to what was going on. Dustin wanted to go to the Riverine’s seventh floor, and Zach sent along his gold token to turn the seventh floor into Dustin’s sole territory. With one word, Dustin had gotten Zach to use his influence to forbid anyone from manipulating Patricia’s marriage. What kind of relationship did Dustin have with Zach? Nico frowned. He was also feeling discomfited. He no longer dared to make any move on Patricia. “Dustin, did you ask Governor Ramos to do this?” Patricia asked softly and smiled. “You did great,” she praised him. With the governor’s order, no one would be able t
“M-Mr. Dustin, please proceed to the seventh floor. Every staff member of the Riverine will serve you to our utmost capabilities! Your patronage is a great honor to us!” The restaurant’s manager, Miles Visser, ducked his head as he bowed. He was very respectful as he requested for Dustin to head up to the seventh floor. “We hope that you will overlook our mistake from before. I guarantee that it will never happen again!” he apologized in a trembling voice. His tone was full of humility. Miles had no choice but to bow to authority. He had never imagined that Dustin might have been telling the truth. It seemed that he did have the ability to go up to the seventh floor. Even more unbelievable was how highly Zach regarded Dustin. After all, he had sent his assistant to hand over the special gold token and make this announcement. From then on, the entire Riverine Restaurant, which was a place countless people dreamed of stepping foot into, would be Dustin’s stomping ground alon
Miles could not believe Dustin dared to say that he wanted to go to the seventh floor. Was he joking? “Young man, the seventh floor isn’t somewhere you can just claim to go. I suggest you think about your position and status!” Miles said angrily. “Take him and send him to the Governor’s office to face punishment!” Evan and Yvonne shouted. “I’m waiting for something,” Dustin said calmly. “When it arrives, you’ll be begging me to go up.” Not long ago, he had sent a message. He expected a response soon. “Hahaha!” Miles laughed in disbelief. “I’ve been working at this restaurant for years. This is the first time I’ve seen someone this arrogant! “Fine, I’m curious to see what could be so important that we’d beg you to go to the seventh floor. “If there’s nothing, you’ll probably spend the rest of your life in jail!” The group waited. Everyone except Patricia, who was worried about Dustin, looked at him coldly. Just as they were getting impatient, there was a commo
“What?! You want to go to the seventh floor?” After they recovered from their shock, Nico, Evan, and Yvonne looked at Dustin like he was crazy. “That’s impossible. Who do you think you are?” “Do you even know what kind of status you need to get to the seventh floor?” “No one has been up there in almost ten years because no one that powerful had ever turned up. You’re spouting nonsense! This is unbelievable!” The three of them laughed at Dustin. They laughed at how clueless he was and how out of touch with reality he seemed! Patricia felt a bit uncertain and said softly, “Dustin, you’re talking out of your league. “The Riverine has always been a place for the rich and powerful. Only important people can come here. “Each floor shows a higher status. The Zabel family is one of the top families in Hattan, like the old Kennedy family, so Nico has the right to go to the fifth floor. “Only a few people can go to the sixth floor, and they’re the most important figures from
Nico was being very arrogant, but Dustin did not care. However, Patricia was really worried. She was not afraid of Nico, but she feared Dustin might be punished by the Zabel family. “Mr. Zabel, please calm down. Dustin didn’t mean to say that. I apologize on his behalf. Actually, Dustin and I were secretly promised to each other,” she said to make Nico back off. But Patricia’s apology only made Nico angrier. He felt insulted and mocked. “Are you making a fool out of me?!” he shouted angrily at Evan and Yvonne. “The Yeager family sure is bold! Are you trying to provoke the Zabel family? Can you handle the Zabel family’s anger?” Nico’s outburst frightened Evan and Yvonne. “Mr. Zabel, please calm down. There’s more to this!” they quickly said. “Dustin has almost nothing. He can’t give Patricia a good life and is not good enough for her. “If Patricia marries someone as noble as you, it would be a great blessing for us. She would be honored! “We did this for her happ
The Riverine had seven floors, each with a unique and elegant design. As you went higher, the view of the river became even more beautiful, and the rooms grew more luxurious. Anyone who could go to the Riverine was either rich or important. Just being there showed status and was a way to flaunt one’s position. However, Evan and Yvonne did not hold a high position in the Yeager family. They could only dine in the dining area on the first floor. Even Zack could only go up to the third floor. The important figures from the three newly rising noble families in Hattan could only go up to the fourth floor. Only someone like Nico, who came from a powerful family and held a key role, could go up to the fifth floor. “We actually have the chance to go up to the fifth floor of the Riverine! This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! What a great honor! We owe it all to Mr. Zabel.” Evan and Yvonne grinned from ear to ear. They kept complimenting Nico and tried to flatter him constantl
“Hello, Mr. Zabel,” Patricia said with a forced smile. Her voice sounded a bit awkward. Inside, she felt uncomfortable but did not want to upset someone from such a powerful family. “Sorry for keeping everyone waiting,” Nico said with a big smile. He was clearly happy with Patricia. “By the way, why are you all on the first floor? It’s so crowded and noisy here.” “Oh, don’t flatter us,” Yvonne said. “You know, the Riverine is the top restaurant in Hattan. It has seven floors, and the higher you go, the fancier it gets. But you need money and a certain status to go higher. “With our status, we can only eat on the first floor. We can’t go any higher.” “Is that so? I’ve heard a little about it,” Nico said. “On the second floor, only high-ranking people are allowed. The third, fourth, and fifth floors are for people from Hattan’s top families.” “I’ll ask someone to see how high I can go.” Nico called the manager over. “You’re the heir from the Zabel family of Hattan?
Faced with their aggressive questioning and yelling, Dustin stayed calm and did not seem bothered at all. “It doesn’t matter if you agree or not. What matters is whether Patricia is willing,” he said with a smile. “As long as she agrees, no one can stop us from being together!” The others all thought highly of themselves and believed their opinions were the truth. But Dustin did not feel the need to argue. If that was their mindset, he might as well go along with it. However, his calm response only made them angrier. Evan’s eyes widened in anger as he yelled, “You’re shameless!” Yvonne, dressed in expensive jewelry, agreed with Evan. She said disdainfully, “You should look at yourself in the mirror. You want to marry Patricia? Do you think you’re worthy? “A broke guy like you could never afford to come to the Riverine. How could you give her a good life? We’re just looking out for her happiness!” she added with an entitled look. “Don’t think just because you got picked