Zachary didn't respond to the question.Instead, he said to Kent, "As you know, my grandpa was once a prominent figure in Eldeville. Those who dared to harm him wouldn't survive in Eldeville."Kent's face turned serious. "Is it because you offended Brook, thus indirectly offending some people on Imperia's side?""I'm not entirely sure. But one thing is certain—Brook once tried to sell me overseas."There might be a whole chain of interests involved behind the scenes. By going against him, I essentially disrupted that chain," Zachary said before proceeding up the stairs. Kent couldn't help but tremble. "Will it be safe for us to leave Ms. Linton here?""Kenneth is with her, right? What are you worried about?" Zachary's voice was tinged with sarcasm.Kent knew he was still dwelling on what had just happened. Joey ignoring him had infuriated him.…Meanwhile, Kenneth had been sulking for half an hour.Joey returned with a plate of desserts and placed it in front of him."Are y
In the end, Zachary kicked Kent out of the room.As Kent turned around, he spotted Joey and Kenneth.Kent felt quite awkward, but he still waved and greeted them, "Hey, you guys are back?""Yes." Joey nodded. Her expression was as cool and calm as ever.Feeling bored, Kent approached Joey and asked, "Want to have a chat?" "I have things to do. I don't have time to chat with you," Joey said.On her way back, she had already booked a flight. She only had three hours."Let's just chat for a while. Will you join us, Mr. Yates?" Kent smiled at Kenneth.Kenneth shook his head. "You two go ahead. I'll go back to my room."After he left, Kent whispered to Joey, "It's about Mr. Smith. Do you want to listen?"Joey looked at him and said, "I know Mr. Smith's influence is strong, but tonight's events have passed." "Do you really think so?" Kent's eyes suddenly gleamed. It was as if he could read Joey's thoughts."I came here merely to fulfill a task. You should know that not all coll
Joey arrived at the hospital in the evening with expensive gifts. Instead of hastily going to Harold's ward, she had a nurse notify Rose.Soon, Rose came out with Yvonne."What are you doing here?" Rose immediately questioned them.Yvonne whispered, "They're probably here to apologize."Rose glanced at the gifts Joey and Monica were holding and scoffed, "You're not trying to kill our whole family with some poison you put in there, are you?"I won't accept anything from you people, lest we end up dead without even knowing how!"Joey remained silent, while Monica held her hand tightly without saying a word.Rose sensed their guilt and raised her voice even more. "Let me tell you something—don't come here pretending!"Do you think you can keep sucking up to our family with these gifts and sucking money out of Zac like leeches? It's not happening!"Just as she finished speaking, Zachary's voice sounded beside them. "What's going on?" Upon seeing Zachary, Yvonne's face immediatel
Zachary clenched the water bottle tightly. After a long pause, he said, "You should feel that I like you, too. Why do you always remain so indifferent?"Joey replied, "I don't feel I should have any reaction to your superficial affection."Zachary believed that his kindness toward her might be what he considered as liking her. But Joey felt that his affection was more due to his reluctance to divorce when forced into it.Even if it wasn't for love that made him want to build a family, Zachary still wished to keep it going. While he excelled in orchestrating his career, he stumbled in his marriage.Unwilling to accept any flaws in his abilities, he sought to remedy the situation. Zachary was taken aback by Joey's unexpected answer. In fact, he hadn't even considered it would be this kind of answer."Zachary, our marriage has been a failure. It's failed to the extent that I can accept anyone but you."You ask why I'm not moved by your affection, but have you ever wondered why I'v
Later that evening, the details about the program team's scandal Joey provided to Kenneth were leaked by a marketing account and quickly went viral.The next morning, Joey received a call from Paul."What's all this fuss online?" he asked angrily as if he had already concluded that Joey was causing trouble."I just woke up. What's going on online?" Joey's voice carried innocence.Paul's voice contained a hint of amusement but with a serious threat underneath."Stop pretending. If you don't explain the situation on Twitter to the production team, it'll be difficult for us to continue our collaboration on good terms." "Mr. Smith, back up your words with evidence. Don't blame me for every little issue."If you don't want to collaborate, please announce it directly on Twitter. Whatever compensation I deserve, just compensate me."If you really don't want this collaboration, just say it. Don't casually throw accusations at me, okay?" Joey's voice expressed frustration."Check Twit
Joey's nonchalant demeanor thoroughly annoyed Paul.Kenneth couldn't help but smirk."Get ready!" Paul exclaimed with frustration as he walked aside.Joey repeated the process. This time, Paul remained silent.During the break in filming, Paul walked over to the side with his notebook and whispered to the crew. Kenneth and Joey sat on the chairs during the break. Kenneth opened a bottle of water for her, saying, "This variety show is really suffocating.""We've only just begun." Joey declined the water he offered her. She felt it was necessary to be somewhat cautious in front of the production team.Kenneth laughed and took a sip himself. He whispered, "Cinna was persuaded to quit halfway through by them. Who knows what their agenda is."Joey leaned back in the chair and answered softly, "There's always a solution to a problem."There weren't many scenes that required Joey to film. After two hours, Paul impatiently asked Joey, "How's the investigation going?""Let me check m
Coming out of the hotel, Joey frowned and said, "Paul's attitude is too good. It doesn't quite fit his character.""I'll have a friend check your phone for you," Kenneth reassured Joey.Joey couldn't help but say, "Do you really believe he hasn't found out? If he hasn't, he would be furious instead of accepting it calmly like now."Kenneth nodded in agreement but didn't know the reason. Joey didn't dwell on the matter any further and returned to the hotel with Kenneth.After taking a shower, she slowly pondered about the TV station and Paul.Logically speaking, Emmen wasn't powerful enough to have such a renowned TV station personally seek cooperation.Moreover, Paul seemed to have displayed a very obvious disdain for her from the beginning. It suggested that he didn't have any liking for her. People like them had encountered countless beautiful women. They just couldn't let the opportunity pass when they encountered one, so they pulled off that stunt at the banquet.Paul go
Zachary shot back, "Do you seriously think that could happen?"Right now, his mind was solely on Joey. He hadn't considered shifting his feelings for her to another woman.Seeing Zachary's emotions laid bare, Kent chuckled. "Confronting your own mistakes with such openness takes courage, considering your personality."Just by beginning to understand her challenging past, you're on the right track. So, just do what you can to make things right without expecting anything in return."Zachary turned to him, asking, "What's my personality like?""You've been sticking to your guns for quite a while. I honestly thought you'd never admit to any mistakes," Kent said with a grin.Zachary pressed his lips together and remained silent. He never really noticed he came off this way in front of his friends.…Joey and Kenneth were discussing the situation. Kenneth suggested, "Since these videos benefit you, just keep it."Besides, since the sender deleted their account after sharing it with
Joey shot him a cold glance. "You and he are both the same, so neither of you should be laughing at the other."Zachary nodded. "You're right, but I've turned over a new leaf now.""Let's go. Enough about him," Joey said. She was annoyed whenever Henry was brought up.He had a great girl willing to be with him, yet he was still unhappy. Any other man would have been grinning from ear to ear.They arrived at the restaurant, and while Joey ordered the food, Zachary sent a message to Henry."You should think about this. Joey and Grandma just want you to have someone by your side in the future, which is why they're saying these things."Don't give up on her just because of what her parents said. Having someone who genuinely likes you is rare."From Zachary's perspective, Henry had a pretty good start. Tessa didn't mind his circumstances, so what was he dissatisfied with?Henry quickly replied, "I know. I'll think about it carefully."In truth, Henry found it all a bit troublesome.
Henry was immediately startled and started stammering, "O-Okay."As soon as Joey hung up the phone, she turned to see Tessa, who was crying pitifully, and handed her a tissue.Tessa took the tissue and sobbed without saying a word.Monica had prepared some desserts for her and looked at her with compassion. "Henry has never been in love before. Plus, he's straightforward and doesn't know how to talk properly. There's no need to cry."Joey thought that Henry just didn't love Tessa enough. Otherwise, how could he say such things?Tessa's eyes were swollen and red. Her tears continuously streamed down. "I know he doesn't like me. Maybe he just agreed to the relationship because I pursued him."Joey patted her shoulder. "In love, if one person is too proactive, the other will seem passive. The fact that you dared to love already makes you braver than many.""What's the point? He doesn't care about me at all." Tessa sniffled."Here, eat something," Monica said. "Feelings like love d
No one tried to persuade Henry further, but Zachary continued to say to him, "Come with me to choose a location for the security company. It's worth doing."Henry was a bit speechless. "I'm not even pursuing the relationship anymore. Why should I still think about the security company?"Zachary responded, "Do you plan to cling to Joey's coattails your whole life? Once the business is set up, you can have apprentices teach others, and you can become a hands-off boss in a year or two."With that, Zachary headed out.After they left, Monica sighed in disappointment. "And I here I thought Henry had found someone good for him.""I think it's quite normal. Finding a good woman isn't easy," Joey said.Henry was indeed a good person, but with one eye missing and his job as a bodyguard, it was inevitable that Tessa's parents would worry."How disappointing," Monica murmured repeatedly.Joey didn't know what else to say and could only comfort her. "There's still a chance. What if Tessa d
Joey snorted. "You looked down on me and thought I had no opinions back then."Zachary pulled her into his arms. "Joey, do you like the person you are now or the person you were before?""What about you?" Joey asked him."I liked you from the beginning. Do you think I would have pursued you for so long if I didn't? I never thought you were serious about the divorce. At first, I was angry, but now I just think I was too slow to react."Joey was genuinely angry back then, but he had thought she was playing hard to get.The two of them sat close and watched the movie together.Selena hadn't returned yet, so Joey guessed that she wouldn't be coming back."Selena probably won't return. Hanson is cunning by taking her away with just a movie," Joey said.Zachary turned off the projector and was still savoring the moment as Joey left his arms."They're in love. Otherwise, Selena wouldn't go with him so easily," Zachary remarked.Selena must really like Hanson. Otherwise, she wouldn't
Zachary squeezed her hand tightly. "You're just like an exquisite and beautiful flower."Joey couldn't help but laugh. She pulled her hand back with a little force. "Even though we just had a heartfelt conversation, I haven't thought about being your girlfriend.""I get it. You're Chloe, and countless people are lining up to pursue you," Zachary said in a voice tinged with jealousy.If she wasn't so focused on her work, she probably would have found a new boyfriend by now. For example, Kenneth was an excellent person. If Joey had accepted him back then, Zachary thought he wouldn't stand a chance now.When they got back to Emmen, Joey freshened up and got back to work.Zachary couldn't help but say, "Can't you take a break?""I've gotten used to this over the past year. When I can't sleep at night, I'll work. I find it hard to relax now," Joey said while reading a document intently.Without her dedication and hard work, Emmen wouldn't have grown so quickly.Zachary beckoned her
Zachary felt a heavy weight on his chest as he looked at Joey.She continued, "Even if I accept you again, and we try to rebuild a family, I know things can never go back to the way they were. I gave you my best years, and I don't feel like I owe you anything."During those three years, you ignored my true feelings and neglected me. Do you think it's possible to go back to the past now?"Zachary said, "I'm truly sorry.""I want to fully accept you, but I can't. You all think that the many hurts inflicted on me are something I can just get over, let go of, and move forward from. But I can't."I realize now that people are complicated and hold grudges. I constantly revisit every wrong done to me. If I didn't care, it would mean I don't care about any of you at all."Joey rarely opened up to Zachary like this, but she felt it necessary to make this clear.Zachary watched her silently and felt as though it was his first time knowing what she actually thought."It's like how I don't
Selena readily agreed, "Alright. It's not fair for you to handle everything alone."Her relationship with Hanson was intense and passionate at the beginning, but now that the initial fire had burned out, Selena felt less attached to Hanson. But after dinner, she was still dragged by Hanson to watch a new movie.Joey was exhausted from work and didn't want to move, so she sat at the dining table with Zachary to enjoy the peace."Shall we head back soon?" Zachary asked after a long while.Joey hummed, exhausted. "Let's sit a bit longer.""If you don't want to walk, I can carry you," Zachary said with a smile.Joey snorted. "Do you want Grandma to scold me? Have you even recovered?""Probably not. These wounds don't heal so easily," Zachary admitted honestly. He wanted to please Joey but had forgotten that his health was no longer as robust as before."Let's sit for another half an hour," Joey said as she leaned back in her chair and replied to messages on her phone."You're work
Selena felt that what Joey said made sense and immediately nodded in agreement. "Then I won't consider marriage."Zachary glanced at them and thought that Selena was a bad influence on Joey. Even if they were married, couldn't they still have fun? What was the difference?Around noon, Hanson and Tessa arrived at Emmen together.As soon as Tessa saw Henry, she ran to him and grabbed his arm. "I got out of class early to see you. You're not mad, are you?"Henry was taken aback, but seeing Tessa clinging to him so sweetly filled his heart with joy."Not at all. Why didn't you tell me? I could have picked you up," Henry said.Tessa held his hand. "Why do you have to pick me up? I know where you work, so I can come to find you."Henry nodded dumbly."Tessa, have you eaten?" Monica stepped forward with a gentle smile."No, but my parents want to invite him to dinner tonight. I've already arranged it with them," Tessa said with a smile.Joey thought this wasn't just a regular dinner
Henry had a smile on his face, looking quite pleased with himself. "Of course, she fell in love with me at first sight."Selena laughed. "Impressive! But your cosplay style probably appeals to most young girls, right?"Henry may have only one eye, but he was still very handsome. He was like a cosplayer you'd see on the street.He simply smiled and picked up his phone to check in with Tessa.After chatting, Henry grinned like a fool. "She asked me out to lunch. She said she doesn't have classes this afternoon and wants to take me to her place."Joey felt a bit envious. "You're incredibly lucky. You need to cherish this."Henry nodded as Monica looked at Henry with a smile."What is your girlfriend studying in grad school?" Selena asked curiously."Something related to Eldelish language studies I think," Henry replied, unsure.Joey nodded. "That sounds good."After finishing his meal, Henry sat nearby, playing on his phone.Selena couldn't help but tell Joey, "Is he just going