Liesel's beauty, though impressive, was the least remarkable thing about her. It was her intellect and grace that made others admire her.Students from Alden University's finance faculty even believed that Liesel possessed a near-divine quality. It was as though there was an unbridgeable distance between her and them. It was as if she were an angel. Her kindness was genuine, and not for show.The charity foundation she established was still thriving. The brand she created was not only self-sustaining but also capable of helping others. In recent years, her foundation had been making donations at various charity events, and it had become customary for major media outlets to mention both Alden University and its finance faculty when covering the foundation's work.The students, who were proud to be from Alden University, found that being associated with her brought them greater respect. Even during internships, their affiliation with the university often earned them higher regard fr
"We have to bring Liesel back! How can the Iron Triangle exist without Ms. Sharp?" The meeting room erupted in chaos. Some angrily accused Liesel of betraying Ford Corporation after all the kindness she had received, while others voiced concerns that the conditions they had offered wouldn't be enough to bring her back. When they realized their interests were on the line, they could no longer view Liesel as just a "pretty woman." They were finally forced to acknowledge her exceptional abilities.She had the power to influence the stock market all on her own. Even a prestigious company like Ford Corporation couldn’t escape the impact of her departure.Jacob sat silently at the head of the table. His eyes were fixed downward as he watched Ford Corporation’s stock price continue to plummet. His face remained impassive, and he subconsciously tightened his grip around his pen. His gaze wandered instinctively to his right.It was Charles.The person who had often sat there was Liesel.
"I hope everyone will avoid following the crowd. Hardin Group will continue to cooperate with Ford Corporation in the future. Thank you for your understanding and support."Liesel's post made everything clear. There was no conflict between her and Jacob, and though she had some ties to Ford Corporation, it wasn't out of bitterness as suggested by Solstice Inc.Her response quickly became a trending topic.With the person involved speaking out, Ford Corporation's stock price rose once again. It climbed steadily until it stabilized. The mention of potential future cooperation in Liesel's statement further boosted the stock price.Liesel's approach in the business world had always been honest and transparent. She had never been anything else.The meeting room suddenly grew quiet.Charles leaned casually against the wall. His expression was serene yet cold, with a subtle hint of mocking amusement in his eyes."Are you all satisfied with Ms. Sharp's response?" he asked.The board me
He was Elijah, yet somehow, he wasn't.She stood still while staring at the man in front of her who had transformed into someone else. He wore Jacob's mask, playing his role. He came closer to her.Why was he doing this? Why?"Is this what you like?""I can be like him.""I give you my heart. Will you accept it?"A few days ago, when Elijah had said those words to her, she had been in a daze. She barely understood what he meant, not realizing the depth of what he was trying to convey.Now, standing before him, Liesel suddenly felt her heart race with panic. She finally understood what Elijah had meant.He had asked, "You're upset. Is it because you like men like Jacob?"He had said, "If you love Jacob so much, then I'll become him."His eyes had been filled with longing and sincerity as he had earnestly said, "Liesel, if I give you my heart, will you accept it?"He hadn't asked, "Do you want it?" He had asked, "Will you accept it?" He had humbled himself, putting himself i
She had to choose between the man who had always just taken from her, and him—the one she could rely on and who would stand by her side.How cunning Elijah was, but she couldn't bring herself to call him a bastard.For the past few days, Elijah hadn't come to find her. He had been imitating Jacob.He had transformed so completely. His hairstyle, his clothing, his posture—everything had changed. He no longer resembled the man she knew. And in the process, he had paid the price for his own cleverness.Liesel stood from a distance as she watched him. His calm, indifferent expression felt so unfamiliar, almost like he was a stranger.She knew that this was another of Elijah's schemes. He wanted her to take the initiative to close the distance between them.After a brief moment of hesitation, she made her decision. With a steady resolve, she walked toward him step by step, just as he had planned.He was tall, and since she wasn't wearing high heels, she had to look up at him.Howeve
Elijah tightened his arms around Liesel's shoulders. A dim light flickered in his dark eyes."Does this mean that my scheme worked?" he asked. He talked about his scheme openly without a sliver of guilt.Their relationship consisted of them scheming against each other anyway. But finally, real feelings developed.Liesel's eyes were filled with a warm amusement. Then, she answered his question with a gentle kiss.The kiss was as light as the falling rain outside.Could there be a moment more exhilarating than this one?Elijah's pitch-black eyes glimmered with affection as he held Liesel tightly in his arms. All the walls around his sincere heart were down as it thumped away in his chest. Heat radiated off him.Her response was an answer to his question—his scheme had worked.The heat made Liesel's face flush. Her eyes grew wet.They returned to Viewpoint. As the summer rain fell outside, they sought each other out intimately in the bedroom. All they could feel was warmth.Lies
Elijah raised an eyebrow like something had clicked in his mind. "Are we going to roleplay as the rich woman and the unknown celebrity?"That wasn't the case either. Liesel simply didn't want to see the scars on his body.Whenever she saw them, her chest would spasm in pain."If you want to roleplay, we can do that anytime. But now, I want you to take some photos."Elijah immediately understood. Now that they'd gone public with their relationship, they had to release a few photos so that those people would know about their relationship.It… was also to let three specific people know that she'd chosen Hardin Group.Humoring her, he changed into the clothes she gave him. He even retrieved the guitar that Liesel kept on the balcony. He gave it a wipe and then strummed it.Liesel pointed her phone at him, and he chose that moment to turn to face her.He was wearing a white shirt and a pair of light blue jeans. The first few buttons were unfastened, revealing his defined collarbones
Thus, Chelsea had just opened the door without giving it much thought.When she saw the sight before her, she felt like her feet had been nailed to the floor. She was unable to move.The smile on her face now seemed a little embarrassed. "It seems like I came at the wrong time. You guys continue. Just ignore me."She sensibly decided to leave, but Elijah stopped her. "Wait, Ms. Walden."Chelsea didn't know what he wanted from her, but she still stopped for Liesel's sake."Could you help us take a few photos?" Elijah smiled slightly. "Take some photos of me and Lili together."Oh, this was clearly so that he could show off their love on Twitter and assert dominance.Chelsea didn't agree straight away. Instead, her gaze landed on Liesel. She was seeking her approval.Liesel nodded, and only then did Chelsea take the phone from Elijah. Before tapping on the camera button, she looked at their outfits. "Lili, why don't you change into a white shirt, or perhaps a white shirt dress? I
"Shut up!" Ophelia yelled in a rage.She immediately asked the food truck owner to give her another cup of coffee before pouring it all over Veronica's calf. She was paying her back an eye for an eye.Agonized, Veronica swayed on her feet. Then, she collapsed onto the ground while gnashing her teeth in pain.Ophelia had been raised by none other than the demon himself, Edward. Since she was little, he would always stand in front of her to protect her. Ophelia knew better than anyone how he liked to deal with matters.After Edward left, she had picked up a few things from him. Naturally, she would never let herself get bullied by others."Give me a serving of fries, a taco, some churros, and a hotdog." Ophelia pointed at the menu items on the food truck and rattled on about her order to the owner, who was gaping at her.Ignoring the probing gazes of the people around her, she minded her own business and brought some fries to her mouth. Only then did she feel herself come back to l
Ophelia was so angry that she wanted to cuss at Edward. However, before she could even get mad, she heard Edward's disappointed voice. "Are you regretting this already?"Ophelia was dumbfounded. However, Edward continued slowly, "After giving it a lot of thought, you decided to abandon me. Is that it? I know I'm not good enough… I don't blame you…"Ophelia felt a headache coming on, but the anger had vanished. "No, I'm not thinking of abandoning you."The kiss yesterday had left her so excited that she hadn't slept a wink the entire night.She thought to herself, "If I don't set the record straight, Edward's going to overthink and paint me as a playgirl."She took a deep breath. "After you kissed me… I was really happy, so I only went to bed very late."Edward was obviously also caught off-guard. He hadn't expected to hear that. With delight in his eyes, he said, "I was also really happy that you let me kiss you."Ophelia hummed, and her face flushed red. "I'm really tired," she
Brandon didn't respond right away. Fred continued, "No one taught your mother and sister how to act appropriately in society. Mr. Ford is spending his precious time teaching them what to do and what not to do. Thus, they will have to suffer a bit for this."Mr. Zima, if you really want to help them, then just give your parents the bare minimum financial aid from time to time. As for your sister… you have no obligation to provide for her. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"Brandon couldn't accept it. "My sister's reputation in the industry isn't great right now. If I don't help her, then she really won't be able to survive. Mr. Ford is also an older brother. He should understand what I'm going through."Jacob loved Ophelia, and Brandon also naturally loved Yvonne. It was because of this that he wanted to try getting forgiveness from Ophelia.Fred raised his voice. "Ms. Ford is very warm and never treats people haughtily. She has never used her family background to bully oth
With a serious expression, Brandon rattled on about the various compensations for Ophelia. Fred nearly couldn't keep his facial expression under control.It seemed like everyone already knew that Ophelia was a huge fan of Chelsea's. It couldn't have been easy to think of such a compensation.The elevator arrived on the top floor, but Jacob still hadn't given his response. Therefore, Brandon hurried into his office behind Jacob and Fred. Finally, Jacob looked at him. "There is some sincerity to it."Firstly, a public apology to Ophelia on his company's Twitter account would clear her name. Secondly, the shares would be considered as financial compensation for the mental distress caused.The third form of compensation was the key point that convinced Jacob to look up. He thought that it was too difficult for Ophelia to fight for concert tickets and produce fan merchandise herself. Now that there was someone readily available to do it, Ophelia wouldn't have to work so hard.This pers
Jacob could really be heinous.Who wanted to listen to Veronica's blabbering?Most people thought that Tobey was sly, cold, and heartless. However, they didn't know that Jacob was the one who was truly wicked.In his youth, he had once been kidnapped because one of the medicines that the Ford family manufactured had threatened to undermine the profits of others. During that time, he'd suffered through endless torment.When he was rescued, his personality had turned ruthless.Although he could be monstrous, he placed great importance on his family and friends. And, Ophelia was his beloved little sister.How could he let Yvonne off the hook for scheming against Ophelia? He had to teach Yvonne that the world could be a harsh place.Not only was Yvonne stupid, but she was also very unfortunate.At first, Jacob could still tolerate how Yvonne had used Ophelia. He had just planned to give her a small taste of her medicine and stop there. However, Veronica had decided on her own accor
Vincent's expression turned cold. He wanted to kick her out of the house, but suddenly, Jacob's cold voice sounded from afar."Since our family is powerful and influential, why should we swallow our anger and surfer in silence?"Jacob had left a document at home, but because his assistant, Fred Foreman, didn't know where it was kept, he had to come home himself to get it. Unexpectedly, he overheard Veronica's haughty words when he returned.Well, a woman who was only pretending to be wealthy in a remote place was now acting superior in his home. Who would allow that to happen?All these years, Veronica had never been defied by someone younger than her before. Because she was much older, she considered herself superior. She didn't care if one was the heir to the family or the eldest son of the main family. At that moment, Jacob's words had made her rage boil over."Look! Look at the children that the Ford family has produced!"Jacob raised an eyebrow. He massaged the spot betwee
Edward chuckled quietly in her ear. "Where do you want to go tomorrow, Ophelia? Should I take you on an overseas getaway? Or perhaps, we could take a stroll nearby and watch a movie.""I can't go overseas; I'm not on break yet. Let's go watch a movie," Ophelia replied. "I've only watched a movie with you as my brother. This time, I want to try watching a movie with you as my boyfriend."Although Edward was still the same person, his identity had changed.She could now touch Edward openly. She could hold his hand, hug him, and kiss him.It was… really great."Alright, get some rest today. I'll come pick you up tomorrow," Edward said.Ophelia nodded and walked him to the door. As soon as she shut the door, she pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart thudding rapidly from the kiss earlier.She hopped into bed and rolled from side to side.After Edward got into his car, he finally let out a loud laugh. He pressed his fingers to his lips, reminiscing about the aftertaste sh
As their tongues intertwined, Edward could taste a sweet and sour flavor on Ophelia's tongue. It tasted like she just had a piece of strawberry candy that made her entire mouth taste sweet.Even her breath smelled like this refreshing and saccharine fruity scent. It was as if she was enticing him to take a bite of her and swallow her.The more they kissed, the more forceful Edward got. The air around them felt syrupy and intimate."Are you sure you really have never dated before? Am I really your first? If I am… then why are you so good at kissing?" she asked like it was an interrogation.She didn't know how to kiss and was very inexperienced. However, Edward had practically conquered her. He kissed her until her knees went weak.At the thought of Edward doing this to another woman, her chest began to ache terribly.Edward played with her hair, which had become messy from the kissing. "Like I said, you're all I dream about. I don't even know how many times I've kissed you in my d
"How would you know that I also didn't have the same kind of thoughts when you secretly kissed me all those years ago?"You said that I was born in a tall tower, but I didn't get to choose my background. Meanwhile, you have climbed your way up to where I am to be with me."In ancient times, we would have been innocent and carefree childhood sweethearts. We would've been considered a match made in heaven."Edward, what I'm saying is the truth." Ophelia said each word solemnly. She stared unblinkingly at Edward as she spoke. "While you were struggling with these emotions, who said I was not struggling too?"However, I just couldn't forget you. I couldn't accept a future without you. What I wanted was to have you by my side. I wish you were my lover, and I want to be with you, Edward Ford."Her response was firm and resolute. It echoed with conviction.At the same time, she seemed to be giving her answer to the Edward who had been hiding his feelings in fear and panic for many y