Howard chuckled leisurely and also started to clap. After a moment, he said, "It's almost time."As soon as he said that, a huge roar came from the speakers. On-screen, the off-road vehicle was going at full speed when it suddenly burst into a ball of flames. Black smoke rose into the air, blurring the footage.The venue was silent for a moment before piercing screams of shock rang out. Rayden Enterprises' newest renewable energy vehicle had just exploded!The driver quickly threw the door open and ran for his life.Several safety officers rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers, but they couldn't make their way up the slippery, muddy slopes."Stop filming! Stop filming! Cut the live stream!" Benedict yelled at the top of his lungs.The image on the screen froze before cutting to black. The live stream came to an abrupt end.The conference room was eerily silent. Everyone was shell-shocked.Austin gaped at the screen in disbelief. Confusion was swirling in his eyes.What…
"Mr. Durham had configured a countermeasure in the database. The hacker employed by Rayden Enterprises had only managed to get into the decoy system and stole a bunch of nonsense. "If a smart system is built according to the false information hosted in the decoy database, it can easily explode if the engine uses too much energy."Lucinda's hand trembled, and her handwriting became slanted as a result.The decoy system was a measure to prevent hackers from stealing top-secret documents. It involved building a fake database on top of the real one. Even after the hacker infiltrated the system, they wouldn't be able to distinguish the real and fake ones, thus falling into the trap.In the end, none of the company secrets had been exposed in the first place!No wonder Dash's vehicle had exploded!Damn! Had Liesel planned all of this all along?Amazing! She was simply amazing!"I got in touch with a few of the researchers that had been terminated by Rayden Enterprises. I'll give you
Looking back, the person who had uploaded the intimate video featuring Liesel and Thomas was most likely the hacker whom Dash had employed.The motive was to incite enmity between Hardin Group and Liesel.At this moment, Austin was completely dumbstruck.He stood there dazedly, listening to Liesel give out orders. He watched her come up with plan after plan to destroy Rayden Enterprises.It was at that moment that he finally realized why Liesel had applauded Dash's immense success.It was because Liesel knew that the fruits of his victory, as well as the massive entity that carried it, were prey that she could easily swallow in one bite.If a pig farmer saw how fat and big his pig had gotten, he would feel just as thrilled as Liesel.No wonder Liesel had been firm about using Silvermist Peak for the test drive. This was not just a provocation, but also bait to lure them into the trap. He knew that in order to take down Hardin Group, Dash would surely try to strike first.In ord
No matter how angry he was on the inside, Richard had to force himself to swallow his rage.Seeing how he was standing in the same spot, motionless, one of the major shareholders with white hair gave him a fierce look and let out a meaningful cough.Felix noticed this. He knew that Richard was unhappy with Liesel, but the person Liesel wanted to intimidate was Richard. Thus, he naturally wasn't going to get involved.Howard sat down beside Liesel and crossed his legs. A teasing smile hung on his lips.Richard stood there stiffly and gave no reaction.Lowering his head before Liesel was very difficult for him.Liesel smiled and said nothing. She turned to look at Howard and then picked up a document from the table. She said slowly, "Does anyone have a pen on them? There are some important notes that I have to take down."Anyone could tell that Liesel was purposely bringing this up right now. She wanted to give Richard a hard time and force him to lower his head.Stiffly, Richard
"Let me borrow it."Richard took the pen and walked toward Liesel.Liesel leaned back in her chair lazily. One hand lay on the edge of the table, while the other flipped through this document. When she looked up, her eyes twinkled.She was smiling, and her expression was teasing with a hint of mocking.Richard's ashen face slowly turned beet red.He had never felt more humiliated and enraged in his life than at this moment. Yet, he couldn't show his temper because he didn't have a stance on which to stand, nor did he have the tolerance of the people around him.Liesel had brought such great achievements to Hardin Group. So what if she asked him to get her a pen? In the eyes of these profit-hungry madmen, even if Liesel asked to rename Hardin Group today, they would applaud her suggestion.All of Hardin Group's senior management was present. The reason Liesel was humiliating Richard now was to make an example out of him. She wanted them to know that she wasn't someone to offend.
Since the shareholders and senior management weren't in Liesel's position, they had no right to meddle. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't. They had no clue at all about Liesel's next scheme.When Richard had nearly gotten Liesel kicked out, it would have destroyed the company. The shareholders now looked at him with hatred and contempt.There was no way that Richard could snatch the position from Liesel anymore. In fact, whether he could continue to stay in the leadership team was anyone's guess.The people on Richard's side now looked ashen. It was like their souls had already left their bodies.Sirens sounded at the venue of the live stream. The firemen had finally arrived.The conference room was filled with the sounds of chips crunching. Everyone was in a lighthearted mood; from time to time, they'd let out hearty laughs.Some of the staff were huddled together, discussing this year's year-end bonus. Some were even planning to buy new houses or cars. The room became extre
It could be said that Julian now saw the light. Liesel was capable, had tricks up her sleeve, and had good connections. Only fools would oppose her.So long as someone got into the same boat as Liesel, they would rake in money even if they did nothing. Not to mention, he was also getting older. If his son was getting acknowledged by Liesel and even got promoted, then that was a good thing. He wasn't going to stupidly continue going against Liesel like Richard.After Liesel and Alisha left the room, the air in the conference room suddenly felt strange.Felix stood up and wanted to see what was going on outside. However, Howard stopped him. "Liesel doesn't need your help. She knows better than anyone what she's doing."After thinking about it, Felix realized that it was true.Howard released him and went back to eating chips. He said casually, "Let's watch the live stream. Today is team building day.""That works too."Listening to this casual conversation, Austin nearly ground
"I want to see Mr. Durham! I want to see Howard! You don't have the right to fire me; only Howard has the power to make me leave!"Alisha was unwilling to accept this. She had worked incredibly hard just to build a better future for herself, not so that she could be kicked down into the mud when her amazing life was just about to start."It wasn't easy, was it? You finally remembered how you'd slowly crawled your way up here step by step."Liesel looked at her with a bone-chilling coldness."As a woman, of course, I know how difficult your journey has been. However, when your lovesickness made you fall for his trickery, why didn't you think of this? When you became a victim of Austin's scheme, why didn't you think of this? Your mind was fully occupied by men. When have you ever thought about yourself?"No matter how much I love someone, I would never completely throw away my career or self-respect for them. I love him, but I also love my career. If you can only pick one of the two
"I heard a conflict happening in the operations department, so I came here to see what's going on," Liesel replied calmly.The operations department was located on the first floor of Ford Corporation. Natalie and Charmaine were yelling loudly with the door open, so all the neighboring departments had heard the commotion. They came to watch.Liesel had heard someone say that Natalie and Charmaine were arguing, which was why she decided to go and take a look."I never thought that Ford Corporation would be so lively even after I left. There are no more standards in recruitment, either. Practically anyone can get in now."Liesel was obviously talking about Natalie, but Natalie could only swallow her anger. She didn't want to humiliate herself in front of Jacob.Jacob remained silent. Liesel already knew that he would protect Natalie, so she no longer got upset the way she used to in the past. Now, she was numb to it.She didn't bother sticking around any longer and turned around to
Charmaine's eyes widened."Even though Jacob loves Liesel so much, he was even willing to cross her because of me. What about you? Are you worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as Liesel?"Natalie was a lunatic. She wanted people to compare her to Liesel because it made her feel satisfied.Liesel was so impressive and admired by many. But in Natalie's mind, Liesel was just a woman who had been abandoned by Jacob and suffered from a failed marriage.No matter how happy she was now, it couldn't change the past. And the culprit behind everything was none other than Natalie."You're the reason that Liesel left Ford Corporation. How could you say such despicable words so shamelessly?"Charmaine was nearly screaming with anger.Natalie chuckled coldly. However, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.Turning around, she met Liesel's cool yet emotionless eyes.Startled, she staggered backwards.Bragging aside, when she actually came face to face with Liesel, she would
Edward was befuddled.They were both in Ashthorne, so why did they have to do a long-distance relationship?However, Jacob seemed to think that it was a great idea. "What do you think about seeing each other once a month?"Edward choked on his next words. He thought to himself, "You don't even live with us. When I move to the apartment opposite Ophelia's, we'll be seeing each other every day."However, to his surprise, what Jacob said next ruined his plan."I remember that Ophelia is renting an empty guest room in that condo. It's not safe for you to live alone, so I'll move into the apartment with you."Both Ophelia and Edward gaped in shock.This was unreasonable. Even Ophelia's biological father wouldn't do something like this.Their relationship had just begun, but they had gotten caught on their first date. Now, rather than go on dates with Jacob supervising them, he was forcing them into a "long-distance relationship".Not just Edward, but Ophelia also thought this was t
Since Denzel didn't have any more surgeries scheduled for the day, he agreed. Since getting off work, he hadn't gotten any rest. If he drove now, he would be driving while drowsy. Fortunately, his assistant had come with him and could drive instead.Edward's assistant had taken Veronica away, so Edward could only drive himself. As he stopped his car in front of Heritage Hotel, the name card that Denzel had stuffed into his shirt pocket fell out.It was decorated with embossed flowers. At first sight, it looked luxurious… Of course, if it wasn't a name card for a urologist, he wouldn't be upset at all.The corner of Edward's lip twitched violently. All of a sudden, he understood why Jacob had been staring at him that way.Both Denzel and Jacob thought he was impotent. Why couldn't they believe that he hadn't slept with Ophelia because he cherished her?Was it a problem that he wanted to wait for Ophelia to be extra sure? He just wanted to give her the perfect first honeymoon night
"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