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
Liesel had taken a week of sick leave. She'd only learned about the transfer when returning to work.A colleague gossiped with her, sounding pointed as they said, "I bet you still don't know this, Ms. Sharp. We have a new secretary whose last name is also Sharp. It looks like there's something special about her."Liesel didn't expect to hear that. Had Jacob actually given Natalie a job by his side?Soon, Jacob summoned Liesel to the CEO's office. When she entered and stood before him, he looked at her indifferently. "Since you want to stay at the company, continuing to hold the position of my personal secretary isn't appropriate."The project department manager was transferred to a branch company, leaving a vacancy there. The timing is just right."Liesel knew very well that Jacob had always been clear-headed. He would never allow her to cause Natalie any discomfort or disappointment. Rather than saying the transfer was his recognition of Liesel's abilities, it would be more accur
Liesel's heart twinged slightly, but she said calmly, "I reminded Ms. Natalie about the stock handover. The office has surveillance cameras. You can check the footage if you don't believe me, Mr. Ford."Natalie paled. Tears welled in her eyes, and she said pitifully, "I-I probably didn't hear you because my mind wandered. That's why I made such a mistake."Liesel ignored her. "We can't let Hardin Group manipulate us for stocks worth millions of dollars. I'll handle this, but the company also has rules to uphold. Natalie will need to be reprimanded accordingly."She turned and left the office to check on the stocks. Now that they'd already been accepted, from a legal perspective, Ford Corporation had no choice but to swallow its woes and live with the situation.Still, there was hope for this. Uriah Hardin, the third son of the Hardin family, managed Hardin Group. However, his brother, Elijah Hardin, was the second son and favored by his family. He also wanted to usurp Uriah's posit
Liesel held the pregnancy test tightly. "I'm not sure yet."Her period had yet to come this month, and the retching from before… She suspected something was up."What are you going to do if you are?" Chelsea looked at her hesitantly. "Will Jacob accept it?"Liesel dropped her gaze. Jacob would never want a child she'd brought into the world. Besides, they were already divorced—it was bad for them both if she were to keep the child… even if it was one she'd longed for in the past.After a long silence, she said, "No, he won't. There's no point in keeping lingering attachments or forcing someone to do something against their will. If I'm pregnant, I'll get an abortion."She'd waited for a baby that hadn't come over the past three years. Now, it was long past the time for that.Liesel was in a bad mood, so she didn't do the pregnancy test on the spot. Instead, she and Chelsea had some drinks. Well, she only had a sip or two of a drink with the lowest possible alcohol content.She o
Liesel looked at Jacob. Her tone was calm as she said, "I don't owe Natalie anything, nor do I owe you. Work-wise, I'm only her senior. Regarding my personal life, my mother didn't owe her anything."Natalie came knocking on our door when her mother chose to marry another. No woman can accept her husband's illegitimate daughter. She might have had Natalie sent to the countryside, but Natalie was also given more than enough money to survive there."I don't owe her, whether professionally or personally. Why should I be more accommodating and tolerant of her? Why should I back down when facing off against her?"When she finished her speech, silence descended upon the car. Jacob looked at her. She wore a simple dress that clung to her curves, and her delicate features were arranged into her usual mask of aloofness.There was something cold and tenacious about her. She was so brilliant that one could almost neglect her beauty.His gaze flitted over her eyes. After a moment of silence,
"Mr. Ford, this is the latest document from Mr. Hardin."Liesel pushed open the door and entered. Her expression was calm and composed as her gaze swept past Natalie. She placed a printed document on Jacob's desk.It was a new contract.It was the new contract that Elijah had proposed.Elijah was someone who thought long and hard about things. Yet, he was now casually proposing a subsequent collaboration, as if he had set his sights on something and was certain that he would get it.Jacob frowned slightly, and his gaze slowly landed on Liesel.At work, she was always dressed in a pencil skirt. Her waist was slim and dainty, yet it gave off a feeling of tenacity.Her delicate and stunning features carried a hint of unapproachability, reminiscent of an edelweiss at the peak of a snowy mountain.She was cold and beautiful.The reason why Elijah had suggested they collaborate was most likely because he had his eyes on her."Elijah is trying to court you," Jacob said in a neutral
If the Ford Corporation's secrets got leaked, the penalty fee had to be exorbitant.The security guard tensed. Returning to his senses, he tried to chase Natalie out of the room.However, Natalie was one step faster. She ran up to Liesel into the meeting room.She widened her round, doe eyes, which gave off an illusion of innocence and harmlessness."As my sister, you can't do this to me, Liesel," she said. She made it sound as if Liesel had just committed a grave mistake.Sister?That was ridiculous. In what way could she be considered Natalie's sister?It was all thanks to Natalie's ability to put on an innocent expression and her calling Liesel her sister in such a pitiful tone."Natalie, my mother only has one child. I'm not worthy of being called your sister," Liesel said indifferently. "The project department is having a meeting today. If there's nothing urgent, then please leave, Ms. Natalie. Don't disrupt our work.""Liesel, I'm not here to disrupt your work. I came he
In his other hand, the delivery man held an openwork jewelry box made of rosewood. There were carvings of doves on the outer surface. It looked very delicate and luxurious.Inside the wooden box was a red agate necklace. Its crimson color was bright and eye-catching. The moment one laid eyes on it, they could not look away.There was a sticky note inside the box. On it, there was a line of elegant writing. "May you be like the rising sun on a winter morning, shining radiantly with immense brilliance."It was signed "Elijah Hardin."Liesel was taken aback.Neither the jewelry nor the flowers captured her attention. Her gaze was fixed only on the accompanying sticky note, like this piece of paper was the actual surprise.Elijah hadn't made a mistake. Liesel wasn't a cold and icy person.She harbored a burning and sincere affection inside of her. She wasn't the snow that gathered on the peak of the towering snowy mountains, nor was she a precious and untouchable flower.She was pr
On the surface, these CEOs were respectful to Liesel and praised her. However, they merely made fun of her for being a woman behind her back.For someone as brilliant as Liesel, all her efforts were wiped away just because she was once married."Did you think I was the one who chose Lili during our time together? No. From the start until now, I've always been the one who was chosen. Lili's the one who calls the shots." Elijah chuckled lightly. "Lili's amazing. She's my lover." He sounded determined. "I think you've really gone mad," Sam muttered. His gentle expression was gone. "I'm quite lucid. You guys have always been crazy. All these years, I still never learned all your old-fashioned ways. "I've always liked to be different. To me, my ideas are correct. My lover can only be Lili." Every word Elijah said was to express his love for Liesel. Elijah didn't hide his feelings for her. He wanted Sam to know what his choice was. With how things were going, there was no need fo
Sam almost never spoke to Elijah in such a tone. Elijah almost wanted to laugh.Elijah used to act like a loser. None of the ladies from wealthy families were interested in him and would just flirt with him. Only families that weren't as well-off wanted to get close to him and rub shoulders with the Hardins.As for Liesel, although she didn't have the perfect background, everything else about her was enough to make up for it. Apart from that, Heather was Liesel's biological mother. That alone was enough for Liesel to stand out among everyone else."It's better for you to say I'm not good enough for Liesel. Someone as brilliant as her could have anyone she wants. Why do you think she chose me?" As soon as Elijah finished speaking, Sam interrupted him."Because she was once married and had Jacob's child. No matter how brilliant she is in the future, everyone else thinks she's no longer pure. "Do you actually think these sly old men in the elite circles are truly stupid? Why would
Richard was even more delighted. "While Elijah was studying at Alden University back then, his lecturers kept his grades down. At that time, he was considered their genius student."Ms. Miller also participated in several projects with Elijah, so she truly understands what he's capable of. In fact, she brought up the marriage first. "Since she suggested marriage, it would be far too rude of us to reject her. That's why we need you to step aside."Richard didn't actually mean for Liesel to simply step aside. He wanted her to get lost. Liesel's gaze remained calm. She looked downward while estimating the time in silence. A faint smile formed on her lips."It's no use talking about all this with me. Why don't you wait for a few more minutes? He'll talk this out with you personally."Liesel was clearly seated in the wheelchair but did not seem like a victim at all. She looked up at Richard while speaking sarcastically. "If Elijah agrees to the breakup, I definitely won't bother h
"Since Elijah is the heir of the Hardin family, the woman standing beside him must be pure enough. She should be of high status, elegant, pure, and outstanding. Not some woman who was once married and had a miscarriage."His blunt words pierced into Liesel's heart. She looked up at Richard with a darkened gaze before letting out a mocking laugh. "You truly did your homework, Mr. Hardin, but you don't represent Elijah's stance. If he cared about all this, he wouldn't have pursued me from the start."Of course, Liesel did not reveal who she truly was. She was rather sensitive and suspicious at the moment. She remembered very clearly that she and Elijah started off with him being interested in her. He only truly pursued her because she was the one leading Shifter Corporation. Her identity was also the reason why Elijah slowly got close to her and began to understand her. Indeed, she had agreed to Elijah's pursuit because he was heir to Hardin Group. Both of them had ulterior mot
Liesel had never called Elijah "Eli" before.However, she didn't mind purposely using an intimate nickname in front of Richard now. She wanted him to feel the closeness between her and Elijah.Richard's expression fell.That disobedient son!Of course, he had handpicked a woman that suited Elijah more. She came from a noble and spotless background, and she was also good-looking. Of course, she couldn't compare to Liesel when it came to beauty, but her background was enough to defeat Liesel completely.What did Liesel have?If Heather were still alive, then she would have been Liesel's biggest crutch! Everyone would have to worship the ground she walked on.But Heather was dead, so what was Liesel worth now?She was a rising star in the financial circle known for her intelligence, but she was still just a woman. Unless she stood at the very peak, she was bound to get dragged back down into the mud one day.The young lady he'd picked was better suited for Elijah. She could easil
Richard had met Heather before.At the time, when Heather's reputation was at its peak, Richard had been a renowned playboy in their circle. He'd had many paramours and lovers, but the only one he wasn't able to forget was Heather.Heather's beauty wasn't just surface-level. Her beauty was capable of making people aware of her strength. Her elegance was akin to a highly valuable brocade. Whether one was seeing it from afar or up close, one would still get lost in the intricacy of its beauty.However, only when one held up a magnifying glass or an even more precise tool would they be able to see past the ornate patterns on the brocade. Only then would they be able to see the tiny encoded numbers below.Her stunning beauty coupled with her astounding intelligence could crush anyone around her.Liesel only resembled her by 70 percent or so, but both of them radiated the same aura.Heather had been more gentle, but there was a hidden danger lurking beneath the gentleness. A small smi
Denzel fell silent.He was clever enough to guess that Liesel must have lied to Jacob to provoke him.Liesel must not want Jacob to know that it was their baby. She must not want Jacob to continue to bother her, and she must not want anything else binding them together. Therefore, she'd made the decision to bluff Jacob that it was Elijah's child.Since it was Liesel's choice, he had no right to get involved.Denzel sighed heavily. "If you let her go, you would also be letting yourself go."Jacob's gaze darkened, and a snide laugh escaped his throat.Denzel knew that it would be futile to try to talk sense into Jacob, so he didn't bother.Before he left, he saw the danger lurking in Jacob's dark eyes. He couldn't help but feel worried for Liesel.He felt like Jacob had changed too much. He didn't know what kind of crazy things Jacob would be capable of.All he could do was pray that Jacob still held onto a shred of his rational side.…Elijah was in the middle of discussing t
Jacob had never been more aware that Liesel hated him and loved Elijah.His woman had ultimately become Elijah's lover, and he'd been the one who sent her straight to him.He was the one at fault.Jacob's gaze grew darker. He stood up, and his gaze fell on the surveillance system. He saw that Liesel was already awake and reading some documents. Her side profile was still so delicate and pretty. Her sickness couldn't stifle her charm.He couldn't stop himself from reaching out to touch her face, but his fingers only came into contact with the cold digital screen. He couldn't feel her soft and warm skin.Elijah walked into the room, and Jacob saw a smile bloom on Liesel's originally calm face. She grinned cheerfully at Elijah, waving the proposal in her hand.The past Liesel had never treated him so intimately before.Jacob's gaze was ice cold. As he watched Elijah lean down to kiss her forehead, he slowly clenched his fists.They had betrayed him. They had conceived that child
A dangerous look flashed in Elijah's eyes. Amidst the danger, there was blatant ridicule."Yes, the baby was mine." He sneered. Then, catching Jacob off-guard, he smashed his fist into Jacob's face.He moved swiftly and ruthlessly, showing no mercy. He only stopped when he saw purple and green bruises bloom on Jacob's face."Jacob, you're not wrong. The baby belonged to me and Liesel. By hurting them, you've chosen to antagonize Hardin Group." Retracting his fists, Elijah stood up. He stared down at Jacob, a bone-chilling iceness radiating from his gaze. "After this partnership ends, Hardin Group will never work with Ford Corporation again." This time, he still chose Liesel over profits.This wasn't a decision that he had to ruminate over. It was really because Liesel had been hurt by Jacob that he wanted to cut the alliance between Hardin Group and Ford Corporation.At that moment, he wasn't thinking about how Shifter Corporation was backing Liesel. He wasn't thinking about p