Camille was so excited she could hardly speak, nearly in tears as she held Dominic's hand tightly.“Our daughter is going places! Her future is bright, and Anna will definitely surpass Tatiana!”Dominic didn’t say much, but deep down, he shared that same hope.Since Tatiana returned, she had been like a wild horse that had broken free, surprising everyone and creating a sense of urgency around her."By the way, we definitely need to tell Tatiana about this good news. Let her see that we're not to be underestimated," .Camille thought to herself and quickly grabbed her phone to call the Konstantine family.However, when the call connected, it wasn't Tatiana or Maxim on the line. Camille’s enthusiasm waned, and she hung up without saying much."I bet Tatiana is too embarrassed to answer because she saw Anna get chosen by the people from U.S last time”. Anna chimed in, feeling more convinced than ever about her decision to pursue dance."Mom, I’m determined to make my mark in Licheng,"
Meanwhile, Anna arrived at the Dance Association, escorted by her aunt's family, ready to participate in today's apprenticeship meeting.The apprenticeship meeting spanned two days. The first day involved competitors showcasing their skills and receiving scores from the judges, while the second day was when the finalists would choose their mentors together.Anna's aunt had received news from the organizer that both Dylan and Fallon would be attending this year, especially since Dylan had taken a liking to her profile. So, as long as she could stand out in the first round, she would be halfway into the dance association."Aunt, you guys can head back. I’m confident," Anna said, her determination unwavering.However, all of Anna's confidence came crashing down the moment Tatiana stepped onto the judging panel."What is she doing here?!"This question echoed not just in Anna's mind but also among all the contestants and spectators in the audience.What was going on with the dance assoc
No one expected Tatiana to have such sharp insight and profound evaluations, leaving the room in stunned silence.Tatiana continued, "Perhaps my comments aren't what everyone expected, but since this was requested by the contestant herself, I merely fulfilled her wish."Everyone suddenly remembered that it was indeed Anna who had asked for this feedback in the first place. The judge was just being honest.Anna's eyes brimmed with tears; she had never experienced such humiliation in public before.How could she swallow this insult?"If you think my performance was so terrible, then why don't you come up here and show us what you've got?""And until now, you haven't proven that you are the real Tatiana. How can we believe you?"Fallon could no longer bear to watch from his elevated position.“Doesn’t what I say prove anything?” Dylan, who usually disliked him, was all too happy to oppose Fallon. With a grin, he chimed in, “Yes, President is absolutely right. Since she says it’s true, l
Jamie almost spoke without thinking, but a piercing gaze from behind him made him realize that saying the wrong thing could lead to unexpected consequences. He quickly regained his composure and rationality."I consider you a good brother too!""If you need anything, just call me. It's my responsibility!"As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Maxim's voice from behind him: "So if I need something, you’ll take responsibility too?"Jamie was momentarily taken aback.Looking into Tatiana's clear eyes, he felt too embarrassed to refuse."Alright, I’ll go back with you!”Maxim nodded, his expression serious. "Alright then, you go ahead."Samuel pointed at himself, "You want me to go back?""That's not fair!"Micheal had always thought Jamie sounded familiar but couldn't quite place why.After their laughter died down, Micheal suddenly remembered."Cornelius, this Jamie is the heir of Onatorio Group, the one who has been funding our dance association!""Really?"Fallon turned to look at
Do you think he would definitely accept me?”Hearing her daughter's tone soften, Camille felt a wave of happiness wash over her. It seemed Fallon was no longer a must-have. She quickly assured her daughter over the phone, "Of course!"Then, turning to Anna's aunt, she said, "Sister, I’m counting on you for this. No matter how much it costs, as long as we can persuade Dylan, we can afford it!""As long as Anna can successfully become his apprentice, I will definitely reward you handsomely when she returns."Anna's aunt was also someone who had a keen eye for money, and she perked up at the mention of the reward."Don't mention it! We're family. I'll contact Dylan right away and make sure to convince him. Tomorrow, Anna will proudly become his apprentice.”Camille felt relieved as she hung up the phone.However, Dominic frowned, seemingly displeased with the content of their conversation."Is it really worth spending so much money for Anna to become an apprentice?"Camille thought to
Maxim brought her a glass of milk. "What's not normal?""Don't be too nice to me, or I might get the wrong idea that this is all real, and that wouldn't be good."Tatiana gently placed the half-drunk milk on the table and watched for Maxim's reaction.To her surprise, Maxim picked up her own glass of milk and took a sip, following the curve of his lips."You— that's the milk I drank."Tatiana was at a loss for words.Maxim sat down beside her, locking eyes with her."What's wrong with it being real?""Or are you saying you don't want it to be real? That you have someone else you’d rather marry?”For some reason, Tatiana sensed a hint of intensity in his words. Although she wasn't afraid, facing Maxim's increasingly handsome face, she still shook her head."No."In the entire New York, which family could possibly be a better choice than the Konstantine family?Tatiana believed that no one could rival the Konstantine family, and similarly, no young talent could compare to Maxim.To est
Preston's condition is worse than we thought. The doctor we just found said he was poisoned. It seems someone did this on purpose.""What?"Jamie, having spent too long in U.S, had become somewhat naive."Why would anyone do that? Is it just to sabotage our fundraising efforts?"Maxim didn't confirm or deny it. In a big world, anything was possible."Right now, we need to find the antidote. Otherwise, Preston won't be able to help us at all."Jamie nodded."Okay, I'll send more people to investigate."With a heavy heart, Jamie met Tatiana but couldn't muster much enthusiasm. He forced a smile as he greeted her."Hello, sister-in-law. I have to go now."After he left, Tatiana and Maxim exchanged glances."Was it John’s doing?"Maxim remained silent, which was confirmation enough."With the company currently preparing for fundraising, both Preston and Jamie hold significant shares. And—”Maxim paused for a moment, then locked eyes with Tatiana and said, "The collaboration project with
Five minutes later.Jamie stood in awe as he looked at the garden filled with flowers and plants, nearly frozen in disbelief.Why did it seem like this entire plot was filled with that rare detoxifying herb?Was something so legendary just not worth much in his sister-in-law's garden?Jamie was at a loss for words and could only give Tatiana a thumbs-up to express his respect.After they had dinner together and made some new discoveries, they didn’t rest long before each took a pot of flowers and left the house.Tatiana stood at the door when Riley appeared out of nowhere and draped a jacket over her shoulders."It's chilly outside."Tatiana adjusted her jacket and turned to Riley, saying, "I owe you one this time."Riley humbly replied, "Oh, I could never compare to you, Miss. If it weren't for your willingness to take on these tasks, I wouldn't have had the chance to learn from you."Tatiana patted her shoulder and walked back into the room.In the evening, Tatiana stepped out of he
Feeling the sting, Tatiana finally snapped back to reality. She rubbed her forehead and looked at Maxim, saying, “Why did you flick me?”“Who told you to zone out? Do you remember what I just said to you?” Maxim didn’t need to guess that she hadn’t been paying attention, so he reluctantly repeated himself.To his surprise, Tatiana replied, “I was talking to you, but you didn’t hear me. You were busy chopping vegetables, and I was worried you’d cut yourself, so I didn’t want to distract you. I just wanted to help, but I didn’t realize the water was hot and ended up burning myself.”After saying that, she felt like she had only added to Maxim’s troubles. With a pout, she said, “Fine, I’ll just leave you to it. Take your time.”With that, Tatum waved her little hand and walked away.Watching her retreating figure, Maxim couldn’t help but feel helpless. He lowered his head and continued chopping vegetables, but the love in his eyes and the smile at the corners of his mouth were almost o
While Tatiana was absorbed in the movie, she didn’t notice that Maxim, who had previously worn a serious expression, broke into a smile the moment he felt her lean closer.The film was a classic, and as it wrapped up, Tatiana finished the last of the fruit on the platter.The softness of the couch made Tatiana reluctant to move, so she just stayed seated."Are you not getting up? Do you plan to skip dinner tonight?" Maxim asked, looking at the person still lounging on the couch with irritation."Um..." Tatiana's originally cool tone took on a sweet, childlike quality due to her lazy demeanor, and Maxim found himself surrendering.With no other choice, Maxim said, "Alright, if you want to keep sitting, then go ahead. Do you need any fruit?""Yes, please." Handing the fruit platter to Maxim, Tatiana looked up and smiled at him.After Tatiana finished a small plate of fruit, Maxim insisted on taking her to the supermarket.The two of them pushed a shopping cart together. Looking at the
While Tatiana was absorbed in the movie, she didn’t notice that Maxim, who had previously worn a serious expression, broke into a smile the moment he felt her lean closer.The film was a classic, and as it wrapped up, Tatiana finished the last of the fruit on the platter.The softness of the couch made Tatiana reluctant to move, so she just stayed seated."Are you not getting up? Do you plan to skip dinner tonight?" Maxim asked, looking at the person still lounging on the couch with irritation."Um..." Tatiana's originally cool tone took on a sweet, childlike quality due to her lazy demeanor, and Maxim found himself surrendering.With no other choice, Maxim said, "Alright, if you want to keep sitting, then go ahead. Do you need any fruit?""Yes, please." Handing the fruit platter to Maxim, Tatiana looked up and smiled at him.After Tatiana finished a small plate of fruit, Maxim insisted on taking her to the supermarket.The two of them pushed a shopping cart together. Looking at the
"I have a high tolerance for you, but I also hope you won't keep showcasing your limited intelligence in front of me. It only makes me look down on you more, and it’s utterly pointless."With that, Tatiana turned on her heel and walked away, not bothering to glance back at Delany. There was really nothing more to say to someone like her.As Tatiana walked down the street, she initially planned to head home. However, she remembered Tara and realized she hadn’t seen her in the hospital earlier. She took out her phone and sent Tara a message. It didn’t take long for Tara to reply, confirming that she was back at school and not in class. Tatiana decided she would go visit her. Tara was happy to hear that.Putting her phone away, Tatiana hailed a taxi and headed over.Meanwhile, Tara had just finished her meal and put down her empty plate. She left the cafeteria, planning to wait in a small garden behind the school for the hot pot delivery to arrive.Just before Tatiana arrived, Tara s
Vance was taken aback by Tatiana's words. The Tatiana he knew always seemed aloof, quiet, and regal, but hearing her comfort Emily made him realize she wasn't the person he had imagined.Tatiana, however, was too focused on the girl in front of her to notice Vance's daze. As Emily began to lower her guard, Tatiana smiled warmly."What's your name?" she asked kindly.Emily looked at Tatiana's face, shyly smiled,and replied, "I'm Emily, just an ordinary sophomore here. I know the girl who saved me; her name is Tara. She just came to our school not long ago. Funny enough, we're from the same city. I went to high school there too, but I ended up here for college after the entrance exams."Emily had initially thought Tara had always studied in that city, not realizing she had moved there for college. But she felt there was no need to explain that. Instead, she asked, "So, your parents don’t know about what happened? I haven’t seen them come to check on you."When the topic of parents cam
As Tatiana read about his background, she learned that he had a very reclusive and troubled adolescence, suffering from various illnesses and often being abused by his mother. Even after marrying and having children, he was plagued by depression, which eventually led him to commit his first murder.From there, the list of victims continued to grow. As Tatiana read through the details of how the killer had murdered these individuals, she looked down at the case file in her hands. She was now certain that this murderer was mimicking Luca's methods—specifically, the pattern of rape andmurder.However, Luca had truly developed a mental illness due to his sickness. As Tatiana looked at the photos related to the case, she couldn't determine if this murderer was indeed him. It seemed like a highly skilled impersonator; so far, there had been no details discovered about the actual person involved—everything pointed to Andre. At this rate, it felt utterly useless.Putting down the case in
As she pondered this, Tatiana thought about what it would mean if she chose to help them. She would be working alongside Vance. However, it was clear that the higher-ups wanted Delany to stick with Mason too. Tatiana didn’t like the idea of having someone she didn’t get along with hovering around her. With that thought in mind, she decided to call someone on her phone, hoping to have Delany reassigned to another location for a while. It wouldn’t hurt to make that change.Once she settled her thoughts, Tatiana finally focused on the heavy case file in her hands.The next day, Tatiana called Vance to let him know she would be stopping by in the afternoon. The reason for the afternoon visit was simple: she had a meeting with Maxim in the morning to sign contracts with a company. It seemed everything was progressing smoothly.However, when she saw John walk in, her brows furrowed in confusion. She couldn't understand why he was here at this time.Maxim was clearly a bit surprised,
Tatiana listened to him while glancing at the well-dressed Delany beside her. She smiled and shook her head. "It's fine. Just show me the case files, all of them, including the information on the previous victims. I need everything, but I don't have much time to go through it here. I’ll need to take the files with me to reviewat my own pace. Is that okay? Please let the higher-ups know about this.""They mentioned from the start that they were aware of your preferences, so they just asked me to cooperate with you. If there are any other issues or needs, just let me know directly. You don’t have to worry about anything else," Vance replied.After saying this, he observed Tatiana's expression, unsure why she had agreed this time. The higher-ups were anxious that she might suddenly withdraw her help, which would make the case much harder to crack.Rebecca was well aware of the internal dynamics but felt it was unnecessary. She had always been someone who kept her word. Mason's behavio
"Developing games? I remember someone from our company was quite interested in that area. As for the film side, isn’t Jayden the only one under your wing? If you want to avoid losses, you’ll need to bring in more people later on."Maxim looked a bit confused by Tatiana's comment. He didn’t quite understand why she suddenly mentioned her company alongside his.Seeing his puzzled expression, Tatiana smiled and clarified, "I mean, we shouldcollaborate again on our projects.”"We're collaborating again. By signing the contract with the company you need now, it's like signing with two companies at once, right? This way, the money we make will surpass what John can offer all at once. It’s a win-win for us, while John will only end up losing both money and resources."After hearing Tatiana's words, Maxim finally understood. This approach was something he hadn't encountered before, so whether it would work was uncertain. However, given the current situation, it seemed like the only option. If