She had just stepped onto the stage when applause erupted from the audience. Someone cheered, "Is Ms. Quilton going to talk to us about the company benefits?"Colin was notoriously stingy, always strict with his employees, with company policies tied directly to wages. Being one minute late meant a deduction. Leaving work a minute early meant a deduction. Eating at the desk meant a deduction. Not being at the workstation during working hours meant a deduction. He seemed to want to deduct every last penny from the employees' wages and hand it back to himself.These employees were truly suffering. If it weren't for the difficulty of finding work and the immense pressure of life in recent years due to the economic downturn in various industries, they would have resigned long ago. Finally, with the hope of a new leader taking over, they were eagerly looking forward to changing these unreasonable policies.A new generation reigned, and there was hope of a better promotion. Amy sto
"Jessie, why haven't you come yet? I can't stand it anymore. Please hurry up and get her off the stage," said Shane.Benji was even more anxious than Shane. He shouted, "Ms. Quilton, are you interested in cooperating with me? Let's personally discuss the contract!"As soon as these words were said, all eyes in the hall turned to look at him. Some recognized Benji and whispered, "Isn't that Mr. Moore?""Oh my god, isn't he the wealthy Mr. Moore, whose chain stores are even opened overseas? He even wants to cooperate with Ms. Quilton? Ms. Quilton is indeed so powerful. She's just taken office, and already a big company is actively seeking cooperation.""Ms. Quilton is amazing!""Yes, if Mr. Quilton had stepped down earlier, we would have received bonuses and bought houses in the capital by now."Shane gave Benji a disdainful look and asked impatiently, "Are you just showing off? Why would you want to cooperate with her?"Benji calmly replied, "I'm talking about doing business, not
Jessamine took out the relevant documents and showed them to everyone."Now I am the largest shareholder of this company. You can come forward and take a look."As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned, including Sasha and those who had come to join in the fun. They stopped chatting and focused on what was happening at the scene.Everyone stopped praising Amy and started looking at each other, none daring to speak.At the previous shareholders' meeting, when the two factions of the company were in a fierce dispute, Colin's daughter came forward to take charge. Just when the situation had finally stabilized, a young girl emerged claiming to be the largest shareholder of the company.They didn't believe it, but it was such a significant matter that even though they doubted it in their hearts, no one dared to speak out.At this moment, a major shareholder of the company stepped forward and took a look at the documents in Jessamine's hand. His expression froze
"It's not up to anyone to decide."Amy's face turned pale when she saw those words written in black and white."Did Grandma do this? How many shares did you and Grandma deceive from Dad?" As Amy asked this, both the executives and the lower-level employees fell silent. Didn't she just say she was Colin's only daughter? Why did her words sound like a conversation between sisters?Jessamine snorted. "Sorry, but Grandma only had a dozen shares. I bought the rest over the years. Disappointed?"Everyone was shocked. She bought the remaining shares. How much money did she have to spend, and how much time did it take to collect those shares to finally become the largest shareholder of the company?What a well-calculated plan this was.Jessamine could see the disbelief in Amy's eyes,"You're right. I spent almost all my savings over the years and even spent all the trust fund my mom gave me to buy these shares. I didn't do it for wealth, but for today."Amy's face couldn't be describ
Amy was momentarily dumbfounded. As she looked around, those who were clamoring the loudest for her to repay were the ones who had previously praised her the most. She still remembered their flattering expressions as they toasted her, but in the blink of an eye, they were pushing her to the brink.Such is the fickleness of human relationships.Seeing her losing ground, anyone could easily kick her while she's down."Pay back the money!""Pay back the money!""Pay back the money!"Everyone was shouting at her, each looking fierce and menacing, as if they wanted to devour her.For a moment, Amy felt somewhat at a loss. When she saw Jessamine's radiant face again, she felt disgust and resentment. Who gave her the right to dictate such important matters?"You're slandering! My dad has been law-abiding and upright all his life. He wouldn't do such despicable things. Don't believe her, everyone. This woman deliberately tarnished us Quiltons because she holds a grudge against us!"Up
Tears welled up in Amy's eyes, but soon she made a decision."As for this money issue, it's futile to pressure me. Call the police and stop bothering me. Every wrongdoing has its consequences."She felt a sense of despair now. She used to think she was a wealthy lady, albeit not able to mingle in the elite circles of Zenville. At least her dad was the CEO of a listed company and ensured a life of luxury.But her once proud father turned out to be a person with a tainted reputation, with assets in the negative millions.Her socialite dream seemed to shatter completely at this moment. The sound of it was deafening.Right now, she realized that she couldn't push Jessamine out and then enter the company. Those people in the company simply wouldn't buy her story. They were already showing mercy by not driving her to her death.She thought that calling the police would resolve the matter. But the people in the company didn't listen to anything she said and kept demanding that she repay
Sasha, who had been listening quietly, couldn't bear to see her good friend being bullied by this group of people any longer. She ran to the front to scold them angrily, "You bunch of blind fools, do you even know who Amy is? She's my sister-in-law. "She's not even officially part of us Holts yet, and you're pushing her like this. Aren't you afraid my brother will come back and take revenge on you?"Sasha was usually high-profile, and everyone in their circle knew her. She was the young lady of the Holts. Who dared to offend such an influential figure?She said Amy was her future sister-in-law, which made everyone somewhat believe her.The group stopped attacking Amy and observed the situation.After all, Thaddeus, the "devil of Zenville", was not someone they could afford to offend. If they provoked him, they wouldn't be able to do business anymore.Even if only half of what she said was believable, it still stunned everyone present.Seeing that she had controlled the situatio
Jessamine smiled and said, "Yes, that's right. The gentleman beside me is indeed Mr. James. He will take on the role of CEO of Quilton Corporation in the future and lead us to greater success. I hope everyone can cooperate with him."Some of the more experienced shareholders immediately grinned."I must have been blind just now not to recognize Mr. James. It's an honor to work alongside Mr. James. I could brag about it for a lifetime!""Mr. James, please guide us more in the future!""Mr. James, I'm the head of the finance department. I'll send you the quarterly reports to your email tonight."With everyone exchanging words, they finally regained their motivation. With Oscar leading them, they believed the company could definitely achieve greater heights.Oscar was originally sent by Xander to support her, but it seemed unnecessary now. Jessamine, who appeared frail, had already taken control of the situation in front of these people."Everyone, that's too much. We're colleagues
Thaddeus was dumbfounded. Why hadn't he considered using blood types to eliminate the possibility first?"My dad has type O blood."Jessamine's stroked his Adam's apple softly and deliberately. "My mom has type B blood, and I have type AB blood. Do you think it's possible that we could be long-lost siblings?"Thaddeus thought for some time and couldn't help but burst out in hearty laughter. It was impossible for someone with type B blood and someone with type O blood to have a child with AB type blood. What was he worrying about?At that moment, he couldn't believe how foolish he'd been. Biology was his best subject in school, yet he didn't think about this until Jessamine reminded him. His biology teacher would be furious if they knew."Why didn't you say so earlier, Jessie?" He regretted not talking to her about it sooner and ended up suffering in prolonged silence by himself.After Jessamine got bored touching his Adam's apple, she started playing with his rough chin. "I just
Jessamine lay still for a long time, aware that Thaddeus was also awake, battling insomnia just like her.This visit to Zenville to solve one mystery ended up bringing her an even bigger one.The gathering took place years ago in the restaurant owned by Benji's family. She had even asked Benji about it. The surveillance footage from over 20 years ago wouldn't be around now, and even the staff had changed several times. The restaurant's manager from back then had left the job many years ago.It wasn't easy to uncover the truth from back then unless they found the people who were directly involved. The closer they got to the truth, the more pressure she felt.By investigating this matter now, she was essentially peeling back the layers that had been hiding a much deeper issue. As she confronted the dark side of human nature, the ultimate victim ended up being her beloved mother.If Jessamine didn't look into this matter, she felt like she would be letting Elizabeth down. She wanted
Thaddeus frowned immensely at his request. "Don't be ridiculous!""I'm serious. You could help me rent one too. You know, the kind that charges by the day. I'll fool my dad first. We'll deal with everything else once he gets better," Benji said.Thaddeus cursed inwardly, "Dude, don't drag me into this, especially with my wife watching. It sounds like you're implying I have ways to get or rent women."Thaddeus glanced back at Jessamine and said, "I don't know about this. You should ask someone else. If you're at your wits end, go ask one of the assistants in your company to help you out."Benji seemed to come to a realization. He said, "It's getting late. You all should go back and rest. There are doctors here. I'll stay and keep watch."Jessamine asked, "Can you handle this on your own, Mr. Moore?""Sure, thank you… all of you," Benji replied.After saying a few more words of comfort, Jessamine and Thaddeus went downstairs to the car. Thaddeus' phone started ringing again."Mr.
Maya also knelt by the bed and started crying."Dad, don't speak for now. Please be okay."Benji zoned out. Seeing Carmen and Maya crying, his mind was in a mess. He realized that he couldn't continue to live aimlessly—his family needed him now."A girlfriend, a girlfriend..." he mumbled, not even sure of what he was saying.The doctor hurried to the room upon hearing the call, checked on Jonathan again, and then sent the family away."The patient needs rest and should avoid additional emotional stress. You all can wait outside for now. There's no need for everyone to be here, one would be enough. The room can be stuffy if there's too many people here, too."They then left the room. Benji was holding the X-ray images of Jonathan's brain, but he couldn't make any sense of it. He felt completely lost.Shane quietly slipped away from the crowd after watching from afar. He went to an empty hallway and called his father. "Dad, are you free to analyze some X-ray images? It's for a fri
Benji had always lived a smooth and pleasant life. It hit him hard after hearing what the doctor said, leaving him in a state of shock and bewilderment."Mom, hasn't Dad always been in good health? How did he suddenly..."Carmen's eyes were red and swollen from crying."He mentioned feeling dizzy a few times recently and said he'd go for a check-up but actually never did. Plus, he's been swamped with work lately and hasn't got any time. Today, he suddenly fainted at the office. His assistant called an ambulance right away and brought him to the hospital. By the time I got the call, he was already being examined inside."Benji's face turned pale. With Jonathan down, the burden of supporting his family fell on him. He had been free from responsibility for the past 20 years, and now, suddenly having to shoulder this heavy load, he felt completely lost.His father had been asking him to get familiar with the company's operations a long time ago. However, he was too lazy to bother abou
Benji never had any grand ambitions. From the day he was born, people always told him that he didn't need to worry about anything since most problems in this world could be solved with money, and his family had plenty of it. He just wanted to drift through life."I don't need to surpass him. As long as I can cover my daily expenses and not have to ask him for money, that's enough," Benji replied.As they were talking, Shane had prepared a table full of dishes. He set out four sets of plates and cutleries before calling everyone over to eat. "It's time to eat."The four of them hadn't seen each other in a long time, so they had to have a drink.Jessamine looked at the beautifully prepared dishes on the table and couldn't help but offer a compliment. "Shane, your cooking skills have gotten so good."Shane opened a bottle of red wine and poured some for everyone. "What can I do? There's a glutton at home."Benji was not happy with Shane's comment. What did he mean by saying there wa
"It's great that you came by today, Jessie. I'll pay you back the money. Friends who are willing to lend money these days are rare, so I want to thank you again," Benji said.He hadn't repaid the money he borrowed last time yet. Coincidentally, he received some money today, so he decided to settle the debt in person. With that, he picked up his phone to make the transfer.Jessamine's phone chimed, indicating that a payment had been received. The amount was a bit more than what she had lent out."Mr. Moore, I'm not here to ask you to settle your debt. You can keep it for now. I won't need the money for the time being," Jessamine said."If one borrows and returns promptly, borrowing again won't be difficult. You're much easier to talk to than Thaddeus. Despite knowing him for so many years, borrowing money from him is such a hassle. You saw it last time yourself. That scoundrel's attitude was terrible!" Benji complained.At this point in the conversation, Thaddeus happened to arrive
Thaddeus tightened his grip on Jessamine's slender waist. "What am I going to do with you, Jessie?"He thought to himself that if things really were just that coincidental, he would rather play the fool and pretend to know nothing at all. He just couldn't leave her.Jessamine asked softly, "How about you ask your dad?"Thaddeus paused for a moment and took out his phone to call Corey. He couldn't calm his mind at all.After a few seconds of hearing the dial tone, the call was answered."Dad," Thaddeus said.On the other end of the phone, Corey was about to go to sleep. He had been adjusting his routine lately, aiming to go to bed early and wake up early."What’s up?" Corey asked."Do you remember the gathering over 20 years ago with Mr. Hardy, Jacob Langston, Leon Lincoln, Paxton Loomis, and a few others?"After that, Thaddeus added, "That night, a beautiful woman came over. She drank some alcohol and was drugged."There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the ph
On the other side, Jessamine and Thaddeus got into the car.Jessamine and Beatrice were quite familiar with each other. However, it was Jessamine's first time meeting Sabastian. Surprisingly, she had a pretty good impression of him."Do the Hardy and Holt families have business dealings with each other?"Thaddeus drove as he answered her question, "We don't have much interaction. We would occasionally invest in small projects and conduct some charity work in Zenville together."Mr. Hardy is an upright and trustworthy person. He has a good relationship with Grandpa. Hayden would often come to my house with him when I was young."Jessamine paused for a moment and asked, "Does he have a wife?""Hayden's mother passed away from an amniotic fluid embolism during childbirth. Since then, Mr. Hardy has remained single and never remarried."Jessamine was deeply moved. In this era, who would remain loyal for a lifetime to their deceased wives? Most men like Sabastian, who had both power a