"You better actually have something important." Charles clicked his tongue. He didn't stop Natalie but gave her a look that clearly told her to scram.Natalie hurriedly entered Jacob's office.The theft of Hardin Group's data has led to the emergence of new smart systems and anticancer drugs everywhere. This made headlines both domestically and internationally. Hardin Group was caught in the midst of it all.Jacob felt that Liesel would need comfort. His expression darkened as he prepared to seek her out. But before he could even put his pen down, the office door was pushed open by Natalie.Her gaze flickered when she saw him."Jake, let me come back to Ford Corporation, please." Her voice was soft. It was almost pleading.She appeared so vulnerable that it was hard not to feel sympathy for her. But Jacob had already lost patience after her countless requests.Just as he was about to turn her down, Natalie stepped forward and said, "Let's make a deal. I'll trade you Liesel's jou
"I want Charles to do it," Natalie said.She wasn't sure where her courage came from, but she was still bargaining even at this point.It was a well-known fact within Ford Corporation that Drew had been ousted from the executive ranks.Natalie knew all too well that if Drew took her to her desk, it would make everyone believe that Jacob no longer cared about her.In fact, Jacob hadn't purposely targeted her. It was just his default habit to let Drew handle the job arrangements. But hearing her words now, Jacob realized the situation had changed.Indeed, Ford Corporation was no longer what it once was.Drew was about to submit his resignation and leave Ford Corporation. The so-called Iron Triangle in Ford Corporation would no longer exist.Jacob looked at Natalie deeply. "I'll have Charles make the arrangements."Natalie finally let out a sigh of relief.Jacob, who was eager to get his hands on Liesel's journal, quickly gave the orders. When Charles received the news, he couldn
Between the pages, there was a photo—a snapshot of Jacob during a speech. Liesel's admiration for him was so blatant that it radiated from the image itself.A soft, ethereal glow seemed to envelop him in the picture. It lent him an air of aloof detachment, yet it was impossible to look away. Every gaze seemed drawn to him.Liesel had written, "He's glowing. I think I've fallen in love with him."At that time, she was still a young girl, while he was already a valedictorian returning to Alden University at Helena's invitation to deliver a speech.He had stood on the stage, and she had stood below, looking up at him.What had Liesel felt when she took that photo? What had moved her to write those words? Had she loved him that much from that moment? She had actually loved him for so many years.But how could someone who loved him so deeply suddenly discard that love and turn to Elijah?The conflicting emotions overwhelmed Jacob. It felt as though his heart was being torn apart and
Liesel had written, "I'm going to marry him, but he doesn't love me."The back of the photo held her disheveled notes."I didn't do anything wrong… I didn't drug you, Jacob. Please don't hate me. Please. You don't have to love me; just please don't hate me."The next entry was from their wedding day."Happy wedding, Mr. Ford."A photo from their wedding was pasted in the journal. It was one Vincent had insisted Jacob take. Liesel held onto Jacob's arm. Her face was radiant with a soft smile. It was filled with hope for the future.Even though he had told her he didn't love her, she still had hope.She loved him so much.But what had he done? What had he said to her?He had said, "I don't love you, Liesel, and I never will."I can give you everything you want, except love."Take the pill. You're not worthy of having my baby."Don't forget how you got this position, Liesel. You'll never be Mrs. Ford."Stop with those little tricks. I won't love you."Jacob stared at the pho
Reuben stood expressionless behind Liesel. He watched the scene unfold without taking any action. It was as if he were observing a farce.A police officer from the White-Collar Crime Division was sitting at Liesel's desk and typing quickly on the keyboard.Charlie Harper, the lead officer, stood beside Liesel and explained the situation. "This computer was clearly hacked. It seems that an email containing a Trojan virus was accidentally opened."At this point, we can't tell which email it was exactly. This hacker is highly skilled—far beyond the level of our technicians."Charlie sighed and shook his head.All the executives glared at Liesel. Their eyes were filled with condemnation.Richard, especially, shouted furiously, "Do you not realize your computer contains sensitive company secrets? I never open emails from unknown senders! You, a tech expert, actually opened one so casually? The company is facing a huge loss because of you, Liesel. You must take full responsibility!"T
Liesel remained unmoved. A lazy smile tugged at her lips as she slowly toyed with the pen in her hand with her slender fingers.All the reprimands were like whispers in the wind to her. Standing before her was Howard, a shield protecting her from the wind."How are you going to release a condemnation statement without evidence? Aren't you afraid Dash and Augustine will countersue Hardin Group for defamation? If we do as you said, Hardin Group and the other national enterprises will only fall deeper into crisis!"Reuben had seen enough. He couldn't stand watching Liesel being cornered, especially since she was Heather's daughter. After a brief pause, his voice turned cold as he questioned the room.His status demanded respect. As soon as he spoke, the entire room fell silent.Richard, who was stunned, lowered his head.He realized he had acted too agitated. Once public opinion was stirred up and Hardin Group failed to produce solid evidence, the police wouldn't cooperate in issuin
"Sure." Felix didn't hesitate."Shall we continue this conversation on the rooftop?" one of the senior shareholders asked as he pulled open the office door.Felix turned to look at Liesel as he silently sought her opinion.Liesel gave him a small nod. It was a subtle signal that she had things under control. Felix's tension eased instantly.With a calm and composed expression, he patted Liesel on the shoulder. "Be careful." Then, he strode toward the door.Liesel's gaze followed him, but she remained rooted to the spot.A whole crowd had stormed in moments ago, and now they left just as grandly.Meanwhile, officers from the White-Collar Crime Division dismantled every computer in sight in preparation to take them in for further examination.A thick stack of organized documents lay on the desk with dozens of names listed in black and white. They were all from the research department. Lying discreetly among them was Alisha's name.Austin's, however, had been completely cleared o
Charles' pupils dilated. For the first time in a long while, the ever-composed man felt a flicker of panic.But it lasted only a second. By the next moment, his expression was back to its usual calm indifference. "If you're talking about Drew, then yes—it hurt."Liesel's smile faded. The chill in her voice was unmistakable. "This has nothing to do with Drew, and you know it. So don't play dumb."It's about a dog you spent years training and grooming. But he turned around and bit you at the last moment. I imagine that must've been a deep wound."Her words were laced with venom. "You should be grateful Ford Corporation never got its hands on that intel. Otherwise, Ford Corporation would be regretting it. You all would be regretting it."Charles stared blankly at Liesel, but beneath the surface was a raging storm.He was no fool, and neither was Liesel. She could see right through him. It was the unspoken understanding they had built over three years of working together.She had kn
"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