Actually, Liesel knew that she shouldn't accept this gift, but… this belonged to Howard. Howard must have something he wanted to tell her, and perhaps he'd hidden it in this drone. However, due to the security team following her around, he could only go for the second-best option and give her the drone so that she could investigate it in private.She pushed the joystick, and Howie flew around her while emitting a slight buzz. Then, she pressed a round button on the top left corner, and Howie let out a couple of beeps.Unable to control her facial expression, she broke into a grin.In truth, she liked these things, even since childhood.Smiling, she raised her gaze only to meet Jacob's dark eyes. She merely paused for a moment before her lips curved again. Then, she handed the remote control to Reuben. "Captain Buckner, please look after my gift. I want to bring this home."Reuben arched an eyebrow and nodded.Seeing that Liesel had accepted his gift, Howard let out a low chuckle.
Liesel was surrounded by people full of admiration for her. No matter how much they flattered and praised her, she still maintained her indifferent and proper demeanor.After those people wisely left her alone, Drew couldn't stop himself from approaching her. Only when he got up close to her did he realize how much weight Liesel had lost. Earlier, he'd thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him from far away.Not only was she skinnier, but her gaze had changed too. It was no longer gentle like water, but piercing. She was not bothering to hide the sharpness within.When Liesel saw that it was him, she hesitated for a moment before smiling. "Long time no see," she greeted Drew.Drew was caught off-guard for a second. For a moment, his eyes filled with tears. "Long time no see. I thought—"Before he could finish his sentence, Liesel had already picked up a cup of hot milk. Her eyes crinkled; this time, her smile looked genuine."I'm sorry."She was apologizing.Drew was stu
Charles always looked at problems with Ford Corporation's profits in mind. Just like Liesel said, he and Jacob shared a common interest.Because of Drew's good relationship with Liesel, his position became a conflict of interest after Liesel left Ford Corporation. He was excluded from a lot of the core information about Ford Corporation and even some of the partnerships.Was he still an executive secretary of Ford Corporation? He was, but his power was no longer like it used to be. It was as if he'd been stripped of his privileges."Do you want to join me? If you do, I would be delighted."Should he go to Hardin Group to be with Liesel, leaving behind Ford Corporation?Drew could understand the difficult place Liesel was in now. Before Elijah got hurt, he had been capable of controlling the entire Hardin Group. But now that he'd been crippled, everyone else wanted to drag Liesel and Elijah down and steal the throne for themselves.He had noticed everything that had gone down earl
"Congratulations on winning the opportunity with Howard."Charles said it as if he didn't feel like he'd lost to Liesel. Or perhaps, he was trying to act like he didn't care in front of her.Liesel stopped in her tracks. She looked at Charles, who was smiling gently.Charles always had this mask on, elegant and generous. Sometimes, he would seem cold and distant, but he would never let anyone see what he was truly thinking on the inside. He was powerful, yet terrifying.Even though she had worked at Ford Corporation for three years, she had never truly understood him.Or perhaps… she had never understood the dark side of him.She knew that Charles was a very thorough and meticulous person. She also knew that he put a lot of effort into his work. However, when she talked to him, she just never got that feeling from him."It's Howard who wants to work with me, not the other way round. You should know the interests or stakes in this," Liesel said lightly, not hiding the coolness in
The moment Drew spotted Charles, he tensed.Charles looked him up and down then abruptly broke out in quiet laughter. "It seems like you've come to a decision. That's good. Liesel does lack a trustworthy assistant right now, so going to her would be perfect. When do you plan to leave?"He spoke like he was only making small talk, but Drew felt himself shiver. "I haven't decided yet," he said in a dry voice."Once you've made up your mind, let me know," Charles said in a low voice. "I'll throw you a grand farewell."In the past, when Liesel was still a part of the Power Trio, Charles had trusted them completely. He had seen them as his own people, so he'd opened up his heart to them. However, Liesel's departure had taught him that no one could be trusted so easily. Thus, after that, many of Drew's privileges had been stripped away.He now treated Drew like how he treated other people—he secretly pressured them.He had never seen Liesel as a friend, and that wasn't going to cha
At that moment, Edward's phone suddenly rang. Matthew's name flashed on the screen. Frowning slightly, Edward answered. "Father," he said. His voice was stable and calm like always."Edward, are you back? There's an important banquet going on tonight. I hope you can attend," Matthew said over the phone. His voice sounded dangerous and obsessive."I see. I'll be there," Edward replied curtly then hung up.He turned toward Ophelia and Stanley helplessly. "It seems like I have to go and get ready. I have a banquet to attend later.""No worries. We'll drive you home," Ophelia suggested. At the same time, she turned to Stanley to seek approval.Stanley nodded in agreement.Stanley could clearly feel Edward's probing gaze sizing him up. However, he had a calm temperament. He also didn't think Edward was important enough to care about, and he didn't mind being the object of hatred for no reason.The three of them left the airport. The entire way home, the air felt a little tense. Altho
Stanley didn't come from a good background. Even though he was known as the Finance Genius of the finance faculty of Alden University, industry experts wouldn't actually regard him highly.Edward had only made that suggestion so that Stanley would clearly see the gap between him and Ophelia.He wasn't worthy of her.Ophelia was evidently caught off guard. She turned to look at Stanley to seek his opinion, and the latter merely smiled."Sure."Ophelia immediately agreed.When Matthew saw the three of them alight from the car, his eye twitched, but he said nothing. He just nodded with a smile and led them toward the banquet.Ophelia chatted away with Stanley, while Edward pushed Matthew's wheelchair with a stormy look in his eyes. "Who did this to you, Father?"Matthew wouldn't have gotten hurt unless someone had been out to get him."Liesel." Edward's gaze darkened. "I will make her pay the price."Matthew's eyes gleamed dangerously. "I don't need you to do anything for now.
Ophelia blushed shyly, while Matthew's face was expressionless. Edward then said with a slight smile, "Ophelia is still young. Father and I always worry that Ophelia isn't mature enough yet. When it comes to marriage… it's still too early."Matthew had never thought about letting Ophelia get married. His idea was to pull someone in for Ophelia. Once he'd robbed the Ford family assets, he'd give everything to her, making her the heir of the family.This was his true plan.…Back at the banquet, Liesel glimpsed someone who wasn't supposed to be here—Matthew, sitting in a wheelchair. He was severely injured. His head was still wrapped in bandages. Still, he wore an elegant smile on his face.Standing protectively next to him was a handsome and tall man. It was Edward, the adopted son that Matthew always talked about. Meanwhile, Ophelia and Stanley stood on the other side. It appeared that they weren't here for the banquet but just for formalities.Liesel's eyes darkened.It seemed
"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