Liesel's gaze flicked toward Jacob, who was standing close by, and a sneer curled on her lips. "You said you're not okay with this? Well, now you understand. You don't even deserve to feel that way."Liesel turned on her heel. She was ready to leave. Her gaze swept across the room, landing on Denzel, Alex, and the others.Alex leaned lazily against the wall. He'd had a drink but hadn't overindulged. His suit jacket was slung casually over one shoulder, and his rolled-up shirt sleeves revealed his well-defined forearms.His messy bangs didn't quite hide the sharp gleam in his eyes. His lips curved in a faint smirk as his gaze flicked briefly over Liesel.They were far too familiar with each other for formalities. He merely raised a brow in acknowledgment before shifting his attention to Natalie. He let out a mocking chuckle as he did.Denzel was still dressed in his usual suit, though without the jacket. In just a simple shirt and tailored trousers, he exuded a clean and composed d
Charles was nothing if not calculating.Liesel hadn't outright said she didn't want to attend the dinner, but Charles' remark had been a dig at Elijah and his crew for stepping in and declining on her behalf.And, of course, there was a second layer to his comment. If Liesel did end up helping Jacob home—or if anything else happened—it would be entirely her decision. Nothing to do with them.It was a masterclass in veiled barbs.Everyone present was sharp enough to catch the subtext. In fact, the whole scene was dripping with tension.This wasn't just any random group of people. Each of them was a heavy hitter in their respective circles. If any one of them made headlines, the ripple effects would be felt throughout the financial world.On most days, even the grandest events couldn't gather this crowd. Yet tonight, they all happened to show up at Heritage Hotel.From afar, some had already noticed the two groups were halfway between a standoff and a casual chat. The only thing a
Drew and Tobey's assistant, Kellan Valencia, were both speechless.During the Woolhope negotiations, Drew had represented Ford Corporation, while Kellan was there for Lark Corporation.In the end, the two sides tore each other apart so badly that a small foreign startup swooped in and stole the deal. What should've been a promising collaboration ended in disaster, with a third party reaping all the benefits.This incident barely made waves domestically, and few knew about it.Drew and Kellan turned into sworn enemies because of that negotiation, each blaming the other entirely.How could they be a team? There was zero chemistry!"Charles, you and Brodie must share some kind of cosmic bond, don't you think? You two should reminisce about last year's bid for the Crullfeld land," Liesel continued."After all, you fought tooth and nail, prepared all those project proposals, only for the whole thing to get shut down because of a historic artifact discovery. I mean, how often does tha
"Elijah once splurged a fortune on a famous star, spending over a million on a single dress.""Yeah, and don't forget how he pursued twin sisters at the same time!"The crowd wasn't holding back, gleefully spilling every last detail of Elijah's past escapades. No one seemed interested in leaving him with a shred of dignity.Elijah's lips twitched involuntarily as he found himself at the center of everyone's roasting session.Liesel, however, maintained her bright, unbothered smile. She listened to the gossip about Elijah purely for amusement. She didn't take it to heart at all. She even clapped her hands cheerfully."See? Everyone's so in sync when it comes to Elijah. That's even more reason to have dinner together. You all clearly have plenty to talk about!"The crowd was at a loss for words.Who on earth would have anything to talk about with that lunatic?They didn't dare say it out loud, though. In the end, the whole group ended up crammed into the same private room.This
With a strained chuckle, Brodie responded, "Well then, I wish you the same kind of good luck as today."Meanwhile, Drew and Kellan were slightly better. Though they didn't meet each other's gaze, at least there wasn't any biting hostility. It was just a normal conversation between two people."Is Ms. Sharp really this terrifying when she goes off?" Kellan, who hadn't had any direct dealings with Liesel, genuinely didn't know her well, which was why he asked such a naive question.Drew pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation."The Iron Triangle of Ford Corporation is also known as LCD—Liesel, Charles, and me. Do you think the order is based on age or capability? Oh no, it's ranked by how insane we are."Drew's lips twitched with a dry smile."Lili outranks Charles. This is Charles we're talking about. That scheming, smirking fox with those sinister eyes. The man who could flood Ashthorne with his dark schemes. He's basically a schemer of the same level as Brodie. And Lili's
Elijah let out a chuckle as he tightened his grip on her hand. Their fingers intertwined. "I was worried my future lover might get jealous, so I made sure to get all the documents ready. I'll show them to you as soon as we get back. I promise. I won't hide anything from you.""So, why didn't you show me the documents from the start?" Liesel's voice was still soft, and she was smiling faintly.Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what's going through my head right now? You're asking me this because you care about me, right?"If this had been before, Liesel wouldn't have even bothered asking.Her brow twitched slightly. For a moment, she just didn't feel like dealing with him.…The dinner didn't wrap up early. Most of the people there didn't have much in common, and practically everyone seated together were sworn enemies. They were ready to throw jabs at each other the moment they opened their mouths.By the time the dinner finally ended, Jimmy sighed in relief. Sitting next to
Elijah chuckled and cleared his throat. "Yeah, it really does look like that."Even now, Liesel couldn't resist throwing a little jab at Charles and Brodie. Her sense of revenge was really strong.The last few curious onlookers had already left. Liesel stood there, and her gaze never once fell on Jacob. She completely ignored him from the beginning.However, Jacob's eyes stayed fixed on her. As he watched her trying her best to keep her distance, his eyes burned. He clenched his fists.If he really wanted to, he could step forward in front of everyone and reach out to grab her hand again.But he didn't. His eyes were full of pain as he silently watched her walk farther and farther away from him.His throat ached, but his eyes never left her.When Liesel and Elijah finally left, Jacob looked down. His dark eyes glinted with coldness.Denzel wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.Who was to blame for how things had turned out between Liesel and Jacob?Denze
Elijah had appeared in numerous news reports before, usually alongside other women.But in this photo, he looked softer and almost gentle. The once arrogant and handsome face now seemed entirely calm. It had shed all its sharp edges for a more tender expression.The moment Liesel posted the picture, Twitter blew up.Before, many had doubted the compatibility between Liesel and Elijah, but now they were all being blown away by their chemistry."Who was it? Who said they weren't right for each other? Come on, step up! Who dares to say that now? These two are literally the perfect match!""Seriously, this is the classic 'bad boy turns sweet just for you' storyline. This is the dream couple! Stop holding me back from shipping them!""They're so cute! I'm totally here for this strong pair! I'm a loyal fan now!""My goodness! When Elijah was with other women, he was always cocky and cool, acting like the king of the world. He looked at people like they were nothing. He was the definit
"I remember you saying that you thought of Ophelia as your sister, then you got together with her. Are you trying to commit incest?" Jacob said mockingly. He was cutting straight to the chase.Before Edward could respond, Jacob asked Ophelia, "Since you like CEO and brother-sister literature so much, can you swear on your life that you were imagining Edward and not me?"Of course, he had to throw snide remarks at both of them.His mouth was truly venomous.He didn't even give Edward a chance to explain before sending another blade through his heart. "Didn't you say that you would take care of Ophelia for the rest of your life? "The Ford family sent you abroad to study, but you came back only to commit incest. It seems like you didn't learn much while you were overseas. If anything, the only thing you picked up overseas was loose morals toward love."Edward's smile stiffened. "Jacob, Ophelia and I have already talked about it. We aren't related by blood, and this is between us."
When Ophelia didn't ask further, Edward rubbed her back and asked, "Are you hungry? If you want to grab a bite, shall we head to Heritage Hotel?""I want to check out the food market at Alden University, and I want you to carry me." She paused to think for a moment. "Piggybacking is also fine."It seemed like Veronica's tantrum hadn't reduced her enthusiasm for the food market. Edward was relieved that it hadn't ruined her mood."Is the food there clean? I thought Jacob said no street food." The reason he brought up Jacob's name was because he knew that he would be defenseless against Ophelia's cuteness.Jacob also happened to be the only person that Ophelia was truly afraid of.Still, Ophelia didn't take it seriously. "He's not even here. He won't know if I secretly have some."As soon as she said that, a cold voice sounded from not far away."What is it that I won't know?"The person slowly emerging from the shadows was none other than Jacob.Videos of the incident between O
Edward narrowed his eyes, sensing that something wasn't right.What could make Denzel so cautious?"Will you tell me when we get home?" Edward patted Ophelia's head. The latter leaned into his touch guiltily.Denzel massaged his forehead.Whatever. The sooner they went away, the better. He didn't want to watch them be all lovey-dovey in front of him.After they left, the janitor sanitized the office. Denzel had no more work for the night except for the discussion that he had with Jacob tonight.Just as he thought about Jacob, he called."What does your text mean? What do you mean, 'Sorry for my beloved'?"Denzel was quiet for a moment. "Have you not seen the trends on Twitter in the past two days?"Jacob was even more puzzled after he checked. Besides the news about Ophelia getting bullied by Yvonne, there was nothing else. Wasn't he already handling this matter? Or could there be something else that he didn't know about?"Are you not aware that Edward and Ophelia were trendi
Meanwhile, in the long term, Dash would be a concern. Dash had a lot of nasty tricks up his sleeve. While he might not dare to piss Liesel off now, he most likely wouldn't let Ford Corporation off the hook.Of course, Edward knew all of this.It was because he knew this that he spent such a long time abroad, hiding from Ophelia. Still, he hadn't been able to control his feelings for her. He couldn't bring himself to let go of her.He didn't have any greater aspirations in this lifetime. He only wished that he could help Ophelia reach the stars. Then, he'd stay by her side and protect her. Anything else was outside his consideration."I know the consequences." Edward gazed down at Ophelia with a gentle smile."If Ophelia didn't like me or have feelings for me, I would be willing to just stay by her side and never cross that line. However, I'm fortunate that the person I love also loves me back. "Thus, no matter what the future brings, I can handle it."I think about how brightly
Denzel sent Jacob a text that said, "Sorry about your beloved."Jacob, who was already headed to the hospital to have a discussion with Denzel, was taken aback when he read the message.What did that mean?Before Denzel could explain, the door opened. Inside, Edward was hugging Ophelia.Denzel had a strange look in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something but was holding back. However, Edward didn't overthink it. He merely thanked Denzel and prepared to leave the hospital with Ophelia.Upon hearing that, Denzel's smile froze. "You're welcome."For some reason, it sounded like he was seething. It even sounded a little like "fuck off".Nevertheless, Edward didn't think too much of it. However, he overheard Denzel instructing the janitor to sanitize the entire office, especially the bed and the couch.Edward was speechless. So that was why Denzel had been so hostile earlier.Despite his typically calm and refined demeanor, Edward was furious and embarrassed. "I didn't
Edward had the foresight to turn Ophelia's face toward him so that Denzel's smile was no longer directed at her.Denzel was speechless.All of Denzel's elderly patients wanted to make him their son-in-law, while the young women would secretly fall for his good looks and dream of marrying him. And that wasn't all. There had even been young men who had been so charmed by his smile that they kept asking if he was also into guys.Therefore, Edward didn't want his future fiance to even look at Denzel for a second too long. In his eyes, Denzel was a seductive devil, which was why he had the nickname "Denzel Medusa".Thus, Edward said shamelessly, "If you're done with the wound dressing, then you may leave. I want to discuss some things with Ophelia and also get some rest."Denzel wished he could cut ties with Edward and have the hospital blacklist him.He massaged the spot between his eyebrows. "This is my office."Without any hesitation, Edward asked, "Aren't you single?"In this
"It's my fault. I'll definitely pay attention next time." Edward felt very guilty and sorry."So you want me to get hurt again?" Ophelia tugged on the silver chain around Edward's neck. Her eyes twinkled.She had bought this necklace for him when she was younger. She remembered that it had come with an oval locket, inside which she had inserted a photo of her getting hugged by him on her own accord.She couldn't really remember what the photo looked like anymore, but she had a rough idea. She had picked the photo that she thought she looked the best in.At the time, she had still been really young, but she had been inspired by a television show. She thought that by giving a family member or a lover a gift, they would always think of her whenever they looked at it.Kids were always naive like that. She thought that since he would think of her when he saw her gift anyway, she might as well put a picture of herself inside.Thus, the young Ophelia had picked out a silver necklace and
As if she could sense something, Ophelia looked up. Her indifferent gaze suddenly lit up, and her eyes curved as she smiled.Edward's throat tightened. At this moment, he didn't know whether to feel frustration or heartache.He had been a little late, and Ophelia had ended up getting bullied by a crazy old woman.Edward walked to her side and squeezed her hand gently. Ophelia had no intention of wasting her breath on Veronica. She was waiting for Edward to come and handle her.She pointed at Veronica and said straightforwardly, "She's bullying me."Without a second thought, she continued, "She accused me of bullying her daughter, Yvonne, which is why she came to stir up trouble."Edward frowned. The Ford family didn't have much of a partnership with the Zima family, and Edward had spent a few years studying abroad. The older generation never got to see him much, so Veronica naturally didn't recognize Edward as Matthew's adopted son.Thus, she just assumed that he was another For
"I'm not interested in getting revenge on a celebrity I used to be a fan of. If your daughter received any retribution, it's only because even God couldn't let it continue."If you have so much free time, it would benefit you more to come to church with me instead."Ophelia was about to walk off when Veronica leaped forward. She held onto Ophelia's leg again and refused to allow her to leave. "No, you can't walk away! Yvonne said that she doesn't have a future in the industry anymore after making you angry."You have to forgive her! Aren't you a fan? You can't just stop supporting her. You have to keep liking her. As the daughter of the Ford family, you can give her more opportunities, and she will definitely be able to rise again!" Veronica roared maniacally.Ophelia let out an exasperated chuckle. All of a sudden, she felt like the entire Zima family was full of lunatics.Unable to hold back anymore, she said angrily, "Yvonne has committed a crime. Do you think I'm moronic enoug