Nydia's death left Hiram sighing deeply. It was especially shocking that they were brought down by a young woman.
When Odgen arrived, Hiram welcomed him courteously. However, he seemed to anticipate their purpose and thus called Solomon back.
The transaction proceeded smoothly. The two families had always been on good terms, and Hiram was genuinely sorrowful over Nydia's death.
He instructed his grandson not to take undue advantage. However, the Arliss family wasn't running a charity; after negotiation, they accepted 6% of the shares, neither more nor less.
This way, the bond between the families remained intact, and new cooperation was established, making the arrangement beneficial for both sides.
After the deal was sealed, Thera returned and, seeing Lambert at her home, couldn't hide her displeasure. She hadn't forgotten that Lydia was still in the hospital.
Thera walked straight up to Lambert. "Can we talk?"
Before Lambert could re
"No!" Miles rebutted, "We're just tired of Odelia. I believe Newman will understand. Besides, we've been brothers for years. I don't believe he would abandon us for a woman."The youth tried to argue further, but Silvester pulled his sleeve, making him fall silent.The atmosphere grew tense. Miles sighed, "I know it's been tough lately, but our gang has just been formed. Any internal changes now could be detrimental.""If we don't make changes, the gang won't be ours anymore. What's the point? You guys might be okay with following a woman, but I'm not!"The youth with the arm injury, Baldwin, stubbornly persisted."Baldwin!" Miles gave him a warning look.Baldwin clenched his teeth, filled with resentment. After some brief first aid, they followed Miles back to their secret base.Their base was an underground bar, doubling as a casino, inaccessible to outsiders without an introduction.Odelia and Newman were there at the moment
“Yes, Newman, we are not convinced! This woman is clearly weakening our power!”“Newman, even if we did something wrong, it doesn't warrant a death sentence, does it?”Several people cried out indignantly, causing Newman a headache. He was most annoyed by these matters.To be honest, if it weren't for Odelia's help, he wouldn't have gotten to his current position at all.A lot of the gang's affairs were handled by Odelia.Thinking of this, Newman waved his hand decisively, "Odelia, since you started this, why don't you handle it? But I have one request: spare their lives. They were once my brothers in life and death."Odelia glanced at the group with a half-smile, "Don't worry, Newman. I'll take good care of them.""Alright, I'll leave this to you then. I'm going downstairs to have some fun!"As Newman spoke, he pushed the door open and left. Odelia's smile then turned cold."You really have some guts, huh? Daring to get Newman to throw me off in front of me? Now tell me, how should I
She wanted to see how much this so-called true love would be worth when Lydia was ruined and reviled by everyone. The thought of that scene excited Odelia immensely.Two days later, a well-known website posted several photos with a bold red headline followed by exclamation marks:“The Truth Behind Mrs. Halsey’s Murder Revealed! The Culprit Is Her!!!”In the photos, Lydia was holding a gun, pointing it at Nydia, who looked terrified and disheveled.The pictures only showed Lydia, while Odelia, who should have been standing behind her, was nowhere to be seen.The photos caused an uproar on the internet, with major websites quickly reposting this explosive news.Nydia's death had already become widely known among high society and the general public, especially after Ogden and his son solemnly left the hospital.However, the Halsey family had remained silent about the cause of Nydia's death.The Halsey family's unusual silence had already sparked much speculation.Given Mrs. Halsey's stat
Lydia was bewildered, though she noticed that those surrounding her seemed to be reporters."Miss Lydia, what is your opinion on Nydia's murder?""Lydia, is it true? Did you really kill your lover's mother? Is that why you didn't appear with your lover?""Lydia, what exactly happened with Nydia's death? Why did you shoot her?""Lydia..."Questions about Nydia's death bombarded Lydia's ears. Her face turned pale, and she had no idea how to respond.Seeing this, Andrew quickly pulled her behind him. "Sorry, everyone, but Lydia is recovering from a serious illness. Please save your questions for later.""Who are you, sir? What is your relationship with Lydia?""Could it be that you are Lydia's lover? Is Nydia's death related to you?" A reporter speculated.This question was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up wild thoughts. Yes, if Lydia truly loved Lambert, how could she kill his mother? Maybe she had an affair, and Nydia discovered it, so she silenced her.With this thoug
Lydia was so angry that her chest hurt.Thera and Andrew kept trying to comfort her.At the same time, some influencers began to smear Lydia's reputation, saying she was overly ambitious, aiming to marry into a wealthy family but was exposed by Nydia.Others accused her of having a chaotic personal life, alleging numerous secret relationships, and some even claimed her designer title was acquired through plagiarism and bribery.Suddenly, Lydia's name became a byword for scorn and hatred, with almost everyone despising her, creating a "kick someone when they're down" atmosphere.Lydia found the situation headache-inducing.She didn't care too much about the rumors themselves, as people would always talk, but the negative publicity was starting to seriously affect her life.Thera wanted to use the Arliss family's influence to help Lydia, but Lydia refused.Firstly, she felt that involving the Arliss family would only worsen the rumors.Secondly, she already felt indebted to them and did
Wythe nodded in agreement with his mother's advice.Allowing others to continue spreading rumors unchecked was too infuriating for him.That night, he decided to take matters into his own hands.Using his familiar methods, he launched attacks that crippled every website circulating negative videos about Lydia.Only when the screens were clear of any negative coverage did Wythe finally find some peace of mind."Wythe, dinner's ready!" Lydia called out, pulling him from his room. It was then that Wythe noticed someone else besides them—Andrew, arranging the table and chairs."Wythe, feeling better now? How about we go out for a bit after dinner?" Andrew asked warmly.Wythe hesitated, feeling a bit strange.But knowing Andrew had been caring for his mother during this time, he suppressed his reservations. "Okay, Uncle."During dinner, Andrew naturally sat next to Lydia, attentively helping her with food and showing equal concern for Wythe sitting across from them.Wythe felt uneasy, focu
Almost everyone seemed to be downcast, like wilting eggplants struck by frost."Prima, come with me!"Having not been around for several days, Lydia was somewhat unclear about the current situation.She immediately called her trusted assistant into the office to get a better understanding.Prima hesitated for a moment, then followed Lydia into the office. After closing the door, Lydia urgently asked, "What's going on, Prima? Did something happen while I was away?""Ma'am, actually, during this period, more designers have been preparing to leave, especially..."Prima paused, seeing Lydia's relatively calm expression, before continuing, "especially after the news about you was exposed online a few days ago."Lydia clenched her fists. "And? Apart from those wanting to leave, is everyone else just not working? They all seem very idle!""That's because there's no work to do now!" Prima muttered discontentedly."What do you mean?""The remaining designers are worried that because of your si
What Lydia didn't know was that after Steven left, he quickly dialed a number. "Chairman!""How did it go?""Rest assured, Chairman, everything is taken care of. The clients I assigned to Lydia are the most difficult ones; they shouldn't be easy to please.""Well done. I'll make sure your year-end bonus is doubled this year!""Thank you for your kindness, Chairman! This is all part of my job." Steven's eyes crinkled with delight as he smiled."And make sure Lambert doesn't find out about this.""Don't worry, Chairman. The boss has been preoccupied with the new development project and won't have time to deal with this."Odgen hung up the phone with satisfaction. Lydia, I've given you a chance. Whether you can seize it depends on your ability! How dare you hope for a successful career after harming Nydia? You're dreaming!At this moment, Lydia was unaware that she had fallen into a trap. No matter how hard she worked, it would all be in vain.Back in her office, Lydia dialed one of the