"Why don't we wait until tomorrow morning to discuss it, Mr. Chase …"But Amos couldn't stop him. Henry kicked open Cliff's door, his stern expression making others step back. Amos stood silent, sweating nervously, too afraid to say a word. The loud noise startled Cliff, who was already asleep. He sat up in bed, looking at the door with an alarmed expression. The moment he saw Henry, his face darkened, and he angrily said, "Are you crazy? What are you doing at this late hour?" "Who's the one acting crazy here, you or me?" Henry walked in expressionless, emanating frustration. "Mr. Chase Senior, I couldn't stop Mr. Chase …" Amos stood there, head hanging low, visibly guilty. Cliff rubbed his temples and gestured for Amos to leave the room. Amos closed the door quietly. The room fell into silence, and the atmosphere felt oddly suffocating. "Henry, did I give you permission to barge into my room like this?" Cliff frowned at Henry. Henry was really challenging Cliff. He
Juliet opened her eyes and immediately felt a sudden nervousness in her heart. Henry's intense, unreadable stare made her uneasy. "Henry, why would you ask that?" "You texted that guy, saying you did something stupid because you were upset with me, right? It sounds like you're blaming me for what happened?" Henry looked at her with a half-smile.Juliet quickly shook her head and stammered, "No, Henry, I didn't! How could I blame you …" "Regardless, keep this money," Henry said, tossing her a check.Juliet paused with tears in her eyes. "What's this for?" "That incident at the restaurant, caused by my brother, might have affected you emotionally. So, the medical bills and future recovery expenses will be covered by the Chase family," Henry said in a businesslike manner. Juliet suddenly felt a chill rush down her spine. She stared at the numbers on the check, feeling a pang in her chest. "Henry, do you think I did all this for the money?""I don't have time for this. I don't
"Sorry for the inconvenience," Sheldon stood up, looking apologetic. Unsure how to respond, Natalie shook her head and said, "No need to apologize to me. The one who needs to apologize is the person scheming against me behind my back." Her eyes grew colder as she spoke. Sheldon nodded, "Right, time to execute our plan." Glancing at the wall clock, he remarked, "Let's go. Time for the meeting.""Sure." Natalie gathered the files she needed for the meeting and followed Sheldon out of the office. Half an hour later, everyone focused on the big screen in the meeting room.Sheldon scanned the room and began, "To ensure fairness in the music center project, I'm leaving the decision to you. We received designs from 18 designers, and I've selected three that impressed me."He continued, "After showcasing these designs, I'll ask for a show of hands to decide. The design with the most votes will be in charge of the music center's design. Any objections?"From the smiles around the room
"Are you a designer from the Winrazor Group?" Lana asked cautiously. The woman didn't answer but eyed her with increased wariness.Lana approached her and grinned slyly, "Natalie bought your design, didn't she?" The woman seemed surprised that Lana knew but quickly denied it. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."Seeing her reaction, Lana grew more certain. "Stop pretending. How much did she pay you? I'll offer double! Just publicly expose this at the Creative Visions Competition!"The woman hesitated. Lana persisted, "I'll add more money! Will you do it? It's easy money. Just publicly accuse Natalie! How about it?"Still doubtful, the woman said, "No ... I promised her to keep it confidential." Lana smirked maliciously, "So, you admit she bought the design, right?" The woman nervously denied, "I didn't say that!"Blocking her path, Lana pressed, "How much did she pay you for it? I'll make this simple. I'll offer five times the price!" She handed the woman
"The names of the first, second, and third-place winners are on this card. With over a thousand designers participating in the Creative Visions Competition, standing out from this pool speaks volumes about the winners' capabilities."The host smiled and continued, "Without further ado, I'll announce the third-place winner of this competition."Ten minutes later, the second and third-place winners stood together on stage, visibly thrilled. The anticipation lingered for the announcement of the champion.Natalie clenched her hands nervously, doubting any hope that her work would be recognized. Sensing her tension, Sheldon encouraged, "Stay confident. The yet-to-be-announced champion might just be you." Natalie managed a faint smile but lacked blind confidence."Finally, let's reveal the champion of this competition. Who could it be?" The host glanced at the card and smiled mysteriously. Natalie was breathless with anticipation."The champion in this competition used the code na
"If someone like you gets honored, wouldn't those of us who work hard at our jobs become a joke? I'm here to expose your shameless deeds!" The crowd erupted again."Can't draw so you buy others' work? Truly shameless!" "If she really did that, she doesn't deserve the championship!""Not only that, she should be blacklisted in this industry!" "Blacklisted? Is that possible? She's got connections!"Lana was highly satisfied with the reactions. She looked at Natalie with malice. "Natalie, get ready for your downfall!" she thought triumphantly.Natalie surveyed the reactions of the crowd and soon turned her gaze to Lana. "If you claim I did such a thing, then provide evidence! Words alone mean nothing!"Lana smirked, "You want to see evidence? Fine, I'll show you evidence!" She pulled out a recording pen from her pocket and held it high. "The evidence is right here!"Everyone focused on Lana's hand curiously. Meanwhile, Henry stood near the backstage entrance with Wade at his
"I'm Esme Henderson, the editor of a small magazine. Ms. Shepherd has provided me with design drafts for the past two years, and I've paid her for these services. This summarizes our transactions."Lana's smirk froze instantly. She stared at Esme in disbelief. What was Esme saying? Wasn't she there to accuse Natalie of buying designs? How had it turned out like this?"Shut up!" Lana yanked Esme's arm and cut her off mid-sentence. Lana couldn't accept her statement. She angrily questioned, "That's not how it happened! I heard your argument that day! You previously admitted she bought designs from you! "You even said everything would be revealed on the day of the award ceremony! Why change your stance now?"Esme didn't respond but opened a file and clicked play on an audio clip. Soon, a recording started to play. "I'll add more money! Will you do it? It's easy money. Just publicly accuse Natalie! How about it?"Lana's face turned pale upon hearing her own voice. She had rushed
Henry took a peek at the stage with mixed feelings.He fixed his eyes on the figure on the stage and said, "If everyone finds out that I'm the grand jury of this competition, they might doubt that Natalie has won the award fair and square. Especially after what has just happened."It wouldn't be a surprise if most of them thought that he had intentionally crowned his wife the champion.But the truth was, he really had no idea that that was her work. He wasn't aware that Natalie was so talented in architectural design before this."So you're trying to protect Ms. Shepherd!" Wade finally realized what Henry was doing.Henry gave him a stern glare.Wade thought that Henry was warning him that he had talked too much, so he shut his mouth immediately. However, Henry was glaring for a different reason."Stop calling her Ms. Shepherd." Somehow, that title got on Henry's nerves"Huh?" Wade was confused."You hear me. Have I made myself clear?" Henry stared at him scornfully."Loud an
Once Henry and Natalie arrived at the competition venue, Henry made a beeline for the participants' entrance. Meanwhile, family members like Natalie headed straight to the lobby.Natalie had already spotted a few prominent figures in the architectural design field. Some were competing, others were judging.After seeing Henry disappear into the exclusive lane, Natalie strolled toward the lobby.When all the competitors and judges took their places, the host took to the stage to kick off the competition.Due to the language barrier, Natalie could only catch the gist of what the host was saying.Eventually, a sentence flashed on the big screen. After translating it, it read, "A theatre."It seemed that the challenge would be to design a theatre.After the theme was announced, the screen switched to a live feed of the competition area. Competitors had their own designated space.Within the competition area sat dozens of top-tier architects, who all had produced significant works be
Henry cleared his throat and smiled at Mercy. He tried to keep his smile gentle and even spoke softly.But it only took a few seconds of him singing to cause Mercy to burst into tears, her face filled with resistance.The corners of Henry's mouth twitched. Was he that scary?Natalie was stunned by this. What was going on? It seemed that Mercy was a difficult child!Henry and Natalie had arrived in the city a few days before the competition. It was Henry's idea. He said he still owed Natalie a honeymoon trip, so he decided to make it up to her during this overseas trip.They visited many places and took many photos during their free time.Looking at the photos on her phone and then at Henry sleeping beside her, a satisfied smile appeared on Natalie's face.She tiptoed over and pecked Henry on the forehead. "Henry, I never felt more happy."But as soon as she leaned back, she saw Henry with his eyes opened. Under the dim light, his eyes shone brightly with a hint of danger."Ste
Why was Harry here?Time sure flew by. In the blink of an eye, it had been almost three months since Shirley divorced Harry."Shirl, I'll excuse myself since the guest is here. Take your time!" her boss said and retreated to the nearby restroom.All of a sudden, the entire coffee shop fell quiet, and the atmosphere became tense.Shirley and Harry stared at each other, feeling as if time had come to a standstill. In the end, it was Harry who broke the silence. "Let's start.""Why are you…" Shirley still found it hard to believe."It's your birthday today. How could I miss it?" Harry offered a faint smile.Shirley wasn't sure how genuine Harry's feelings for her were at the beginning of their marriage. But she had to admit, Harry never missed any of their anniversaries, or her birthday during the time they were together.But she never thought Harry would still show up and celebrate her birthday with her after the divorce."It's my birthday, yet you're still making me draw
"I see. Then I'll visit Cece after you return," Shane said as he cast a loving gaze at Natalie.As he watched Natalie leave, he couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude and relief.Thankfully, he had realized life's true meaning before it was too late. And fortunately, he still had the opportunity to make different choices and correct his past mistakes. …When Natalie walked out of the Yoder residence, she headed straight to the car parked at the gate.She reached out to open the door, but she realized that she couldn't even grip the handle.But this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.Whenever she tried to pick up a bowl, it would slip from her fingers and shatter on the floor.Whenever she attempted to hold a pen to sign documents, she could barely steady it, resulting in a signature that looked like gibberish.She found herself unable to perform even the simplest of tasks, and much less when it came to lifting heavy objects.Although Henry had been reassur
Natalie didn't know how to respond to such a subject.Though she didn't harbor any resentment toward Celine, it was quite impossible for her to see Celine as importantly as she did Yvonne. Celine might be her biological mother, but she was still like a stranger to her—especially after years of separation.…With Natalie's intervention, the shareholders of the Yoder Group finally calmed down.However, it wasn't because they weren't wary of her identity as Shane Yoder's daughter, but rather, it was because of her identity as Henry Chase's wife.Offending her would also mean offending Henry Chase, and they certainly wanted to avoid that at all costs. Shortly after the chaos at the Yoder Group subsided, Shane finally regained consciousness.The moment he woke up, all he saw was Jonah busy taking care of him.Just then, Jonah was walking toward Shane with a wet towel in hand. He was startled to see that Shane was awake."Dad… " Overwhelmed with joy, Jonah called out to Shane.
Leonard looked up in surprise and saw that Rachel was angrily storming toward him.Apparently, she was the one who had thrown the book at him."Ra-Rachel, what's the matter?" Leonard's mind was racing, but he couldn't figure out what he had done to anger her.Nevertheless, he was ready to admit his mistakes and correct them accordingly."See for yourself!" Rachel picked up the book she'd thrown at him and tossed it to him.Leonard calmly took the book and noticed a striking headline on the book cover."Shocking! Former CEO of Velvet Star Entertainment Is the Boss Behind Sky Entertainment?"Well, the cat was out of the bag.Leonard cleared his throat and pondered on how to explain this to Rachel. But before he could say anything, Rachel spoke up instead, saying, "How could you lie to me? Do you know that I couldn't sleep for nights, worrying that you couldn't find a job?"I felt so guilty that you were kicked out by your father and even lost your job because of me! Every day, I
However, Celine wasn't aware that when she'd quickly run off, Henry had shown up at the other end of the hallway.Although Celine was quite far away, Henry could still tell that it was her.When Henry saw her, he briefly paused at wheeling himself. It was only when Celine's figure completely vanished at the elevator that he wheeled himself into Natalie's ward.He had just finished speaking with the doctor in his office regarding Natalie's condition. The doctor informed him that Natalie might not be able to hold pens for some time. And even if Natalie was able to take care of herself in the later stages of recovery, her hands might not be as agile as before. This news would undoubtedly be devastating to a designer who relied on her hands to draw sketches.On his way back to the ward, Henry had pondered how he should break the news to Natalie. However, he couldn't find an answer.As he entered the ward and wheeled himself to the side of Natalie's bed, he gazed at her with a
When Natalie was pushed off from the seventh floor, her phone had fallen out of her pocket and had subsequently gotten smashed.And so, her phone had been turned off since, rendering Lavender unable to reach her.Lavender frowned, feeling uneasy.When Celine noticed Lavender's strange expression, she quickly asked, "Did you get through?"Lavender shook her head and said, "I'll try Henry's number again." Celine's heart leaped into her throat as she waited.Luckily, Henry quickly picked up the phone this time."Mr. Chase, may I know where Natalie is right now? She missed my wedding today," Lavender anxiously said."She's in the hospital," Henry honestly told her.Lavender furrowed her brows. "Which hospital?""Community Care Hospital.""Got it. Thank you." Lavender hung up the phone. "What did he say?" Celine immediately asked as her heart pounded.Meanwhile, Jonah stared at Celine in confusion and wondered why she was so concerned about Natalie.Such excessive concern di
Lavender's gaze lifted to Jonah's well-defined jawline.Jonah's eyes were notably luminous too, just like they were in their past.Lavender had always been captivated by Jonah's eyes. They shone so brightly and clearly, like stars that were her guiding light.With the microphone in hand, Jonah surveyed the audience before commencing his address, "As you've all witnessed through those images… The past three years have been exceedingly difficult for me. "Throughout that period, I was unaware of the extent of the disgraceful actions I'd committed, nor can I fully comprehend the turmoil those close to me have endured on my behalf. "Yet, if there's one aspect of which I'm absolutely certain…"Jonah's gaze tenderly met Lavender's as he continued, "The woman standing beside me has truly done so much for me. The mere thought of what she endured, and the resilience she displayed during those challenging times, fills me with both awe and fear. "And the commitments I made to her have be