After a monthlong cold war, Liesel Sharp is in the hospital when she receives word of her husband throwing a welcome-back party for his true love. When she returns home, Jacob Ford hands her a divorce agreement. "She's back, so let's divorce." "Alright." The past three years have been nothing but a farce. This time, Liesel is really out of hope for him. After the divorce, Jacob sees articles about Liesel everywhere. She's out and about with a new man; she's also a rising star in the business world. She's everywhere he looks. Finally, Jacob, who has always been arrogant and proud, gives in. "Have you had enough? It's time to come home with me. Please." Liesel acts like she doesn't hear him. Later, he resorts to hanging around outside her home day and night. This changes one day when the door opens, and a man looks at him with a mocking smile. "Lili's tired, Mr. Ford. She doesn't have time to enjoy your pitiful act."
View MoreNatalie was shocked.The man in her passenger seat finally opened his eyes. His gaze was calm yet piercing. His voice was composed."Ms. Sharp, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Edward Ford." He let out a tiny laugh. "I'm Jacob's younger brother."The words took her aback. Natalie didn't know much about Jacob, much less about a younger brother."I don't know you."Edward's smile deepened."I'm Matthew's adopted son, Edward. And Ophelia's brother."At the mention of Ophelia, Natalie's expression shifted. She vividly remembered the humiliation Ophelia had inflicted on her. The memory made her blood run cold."I don't know what you want from me. I don't know you, and I certainly have no connection to Ophelia. So, if you're here to amuse yourself at my expense, Mr. Ford, kindly leave my car.""Refusing me without even asking why I'm here? I expected more from you, Ms. Sharp," he said. His voice shifted lower as he leaned slightly closer."You're not the type to beg Jacob for love,
Natalie sat on the floor like a deranged woman. Her composure was long gone.She would get what she wanted no matter what.Jacob closed the browser on his computer. His cold gaze fell on her tear-streaked face. The icy disdain in his eyes was unmistakable."Natalie, I will not marry you." His words were direct and lacked any ounce of consideration.Tears streamed down Natalie's face. Her hands curled into fists as the hatred inside her reached its boiling point.She questioned why everyone loved Liesel. Even someone as cold and calculating as Charles held a begrudging admiration for her. But when they looked at Natalie, it was as if they were staring at a bug.She was done with it.Natalie bit her lip as her gaze locked on Jacob. Her loathing was unmistakable. It was so palpable that Jacob couldn't ignore it.He looked at the deranged woman on the couch. He wondered why he had given Liesel up for someone like her.If it weren't for Natalie, Liesel would still be his wife. They
"Can you afford to pay for this mistake?"...Natalie pushed open the door to Jacob's office.Her head was spinning as the harsh light inside stabbed at her eyes, bringing an involuntary shimmer of tears. She wiped the corners of her eyes, forcing herself to walk silently, toward the man seated at his desk.Jacob's computer screen was still on. The page in front of him was Liesel's Twitter post.It was a post of her blooming flowers on the balcony, a tray of delicate pastries, and a rainbow arching across the sky after a rainstorm.He was looking at Liesel.He was thinking about Liesel.He was in love with Liesel.His entire heart belonged to Liesel.Charles' venomous words echoed in Natalie's ears like a curse. He told her that Jacob didn't love her. He loved Liesel.Natalie finally felt Jacob's burning passion for Liesel.She wanted to call out to Jacob, but the word was trapped in her throat. She forced herself to hold back her tears.Her fists clenched tightly, and her
"You guys never gave me a choice," Drew said. His gaze locked onto Charles. His demeanor had long shed the gentle warmth he once carried when Liesel was at Ford Corporation."And if we had given you a choice?" Charles remained unshaken. His sharp eyes were fixed on Drew. "Would you have chosen loyalty to Ford Corporation and Mr. Ford? Would you have turned against Liesel?"Drew's eyes flickered. Charles got his answer from Drew's reaction alone."It wasn't that we didn't give you a chance. You let it slip through your fingers. The opportunity was there, you just didn't take it. Blame no one but yourself."Drew's closeness to Liesel had always been evident, but Drew's admiration for Liesel wasn't merely friendship. Jacob failed to notice it, but Charles did.Drew loved Liesel. There was no way he would do anything that would hurt her.When Liesel was hospitalized after Natalie's machinations led to her miscarriage, Drew, who rarely abandoned his work, dropped everything to rush to
"A bond?" Charles echoed with a mocking laugh. "You call extorting gratitude a bond?"Natalie had been using Jacob's favor to her advantage. Natalie's face turned ashen."You've got guts, Natalie," Charles continued. His taunts were relentless. "Back then, Dash's underhanded tricks couldn't drive a wedge between the Ford Corporation's Iron Triangle. But you managed to kick Liesel out, send the company's stock into a nosedive, and cause untold chaos."Really, your contributions can't be overstated."The sarcastic lilt in his voice deepened."People say beauty can bring ruin, but you? You're not even in the league of those so-called femme fatales. What a joke."Charles took a deliberate pause. He lowered his voice as he surveyed her with an expression that mingled disgust and disdain. "How long do you think it'll take Mr. Ford to grow tired of you? I'd wager not long. Soon enough, he'll see you for what you really are and leave you in the dust.""You don't understand us! Jake love
Since that fateful dinner party where Liesel had reappeared, Charles had silently worked to strip Drew of his influence at Ford Corporation. It was a calculated act of professional sabotage, one Drew recognized all too well. Drew was sure that Jacob knew about what Charles had done.Jacob's silence was approval.Liesel was right. Ford Corporation has changed. Jacob has changed. He no longer belonged there. Every extra day he stayed was its own kind of torment.Drew's grip tightened on the documents in his hands until the pages creased under the strain.Natalie, who had been watching Drew's silent turmoil, allowed herself a smug smile. But it didn't last. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Charles.He was leaning casually against the wall, idly toying with a bracelet someone had given him. Despite the glasses perched on his nose, his eyes gave him an unmistakably dangerous aura.His lips carried a faint smile that never showed in his eyes."There's something you sh
A cluster of secretaries from the secretarial department noticed Natalie passing by and immediately burst into mocking laughter.It was no secret they despised her. After all, Natalie had ousted Liesel.The secretarial pool in Ford Corporation could see through Natalie's cunning maneuvers. They were all from the same department, and Liesel had occasionally thrown smaller contracts their way, the ones she didn't deem worth her time. Yet those small contracts came with hefty bonuses and commissions.When Natalie pushed Liesel out, she directly disrupted their gravy train. That made them seethe with resentment every time they saw her.They used to talk behind Natalie's back, but now they did it in front of her. In the past, Natalie would've exploded in anger, but she held her tongue. She couldn't afford to prove that she was nothing more than the "walking disaster" they all called her.Clenching her fists and swallowing her frustration, she marched toward the CEO's office. But as s
Natalie bit down hard on her lower lip and entered crazy mode. She grabbed a pillow and hurled it at Jeffrey, quickly followed by the shattered remains of the bedside lamp."Heather doesn't love you! She was never your wife, never your soulmate! Can't you wake up already? How long are you going to keep lying to yourself?"Jeffrey stood still as the lamp's wooden fragments struck his forehead. Blood trickled down, but he didn't seem to notice. He looked drained.Without a word, Jeffrey stumbled out of her room with unsteady footsteps. He cupped his hands over his ears as if trying to block out her voice to erase the painful truth Natalie hurled at him.Natalie collapsed onto the bed and curled into a ball. The reporters outside her villa were still shouting for her to come out. Natalie couldn't calm herself down under the chaos. Her hands shook as she gripped her phone to call the police.She couldn't take it anymore. She was about to lose her mind if they kept yelling at her.Twe
"Don't come looking for me again. From now on, I don't have a daughter. Go ahead and destroy yourself if you want, but don't drag me into it!" Angeline spat the words before slamming the phone down.Natalie felt as if her heart was being ripped apart. The pain was so intense she could barely breathe.She didn't know why everyone was blaming her. She wondered what she had done to deserve it.She had no idea about the truth behind Heather and Jeffrey's relationship. She truly believed Xavier was illegitimate. She genuinely thought Heather had betrayed Jeffrey. She admitted she wanted to ruin Xavier and Liesel, but how could she be blamed for acting on lies she didn't know were false?It wasn't her fault she was an illegitimate child. She couldn't understand why everyone acted as if the world's misfortunes were her fault.Her father blamed her. Her mother blamed her. The patients blamed her. It was as if her existence alone had dragged them all into misery.It was ridiculous to her.
Liesel Sharp had just unlocked her phone while waiting for her IV drip to be done when she received a message from her best friend, Chelsea Walden. "Jacob's back."She faltered. She and Jacob Ford had barely spoken throughout their month-long cold war, so she had no idea he was back.Soon, she received another message. "He's brought a young woman back with him."A photo had been sent with the message. The young woman in the photo resembled Liesel a little—she was Natalie Sharp, Liesel's younger half-sister. She'd been raised in the countryside.Chelsea continued, "The Sharp family is throwing them a welcome-back party. Do you want to crash it, Lili?"She knew what Liesel was like. Liesel would give Jacob a taste of his own medicine if he dared to do anything to her. There was even a chance she would set the Sharp residence on fire.Liesel checked her IV bag. She'd had a high fever for three days now, and the back of her hand was swollen from the constant IV drips she'd been on. S...
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