Just like what Elijah had told her that day. The rising sun symbolized her new beginning.Since it represented a fresh start, she shouldn't dwell on the past with Jacob. They were both set to embark on new lives."Mrs. Ford, why are you up so early?" Edgar, an early riser himself, had planned to take a stroll in the courtyard but found Liesel sitting on the swing, watching the sunrise."I couldn't sleep," Liesel replied with a smile.Edgar didn't pry further. Instead, he changed the topic. "What would you like for breakfast? I remember you love muffins. Should I have the kitchen prepare extra for you to take away?"Liesel shook her head. "It's quite a hassle to make muffins, and I have a lot to deal with. I don't really have the time to wait for them to be ready." She smiled again.Actually, she just didn't want to entangle herself further with the Ford family."Well, Mr. Ford was drunk last night and will probably sleep in today. By the time he leaves, the muffins should be rea
Liesel sat in her office chair. Her black-framed glasses conveniently hid the wound on her forehead.On someone else, they might have looked bookish or stiff.But perhaps it was her striking beauty that made even something as simple as black-framed glasses become a stylish accessory.She adjusted them slightly on her nose. She had cried the day before, so her eyes were still red and slightly puffy despite the cold compress she had applied. The coldness in her gaze seemed to have softened somewhat."I don't have time for these trivial guessing games. If you have something to say, say it. If not, you can leave whenever you want."She was so cold and distant, as she had raised her defenses once again.Even though Elijah had told her he was nothing like Jacob and urged her not to treat him the same, she hadn't taken his words to heart.She refused to be hurt again. As long as she didn't invest her emotions, she wouldn't be vulnerable to pain. That, she knew all too well.So, she di
Upon seeing this, Elijah leaned in to watch.Liesel's fingers flew across the keyboard as she quickly typed the latest code. She dismantled the existing foundation piece by piece and integrated more complex and profound coded data."The code your researchers have developed isn't entirely wrong. However, to create a fully functional holographic pod, you'll need to invest a significant amount of time deconstructing every single line of code. This data will eventually connect to our brains, so it's crucial to be careful and precise."As she spoke, she entered another long string of data. "Just like this. Here's another segment of more detailed coded data."Elijah didn't specialize in this area, but he had enough understanding to recognize the intricacies involved.He could clearly see the sparkle in Liesel's eyes when she discussed this research. It was entirely different from when she talked about finance and other collaborations.She seemed to be a researcher who truly understood
As the secretaries were gossiping, they fell silent upon seeing Elijah. They quickly greeted him. "Mr. Hardin."Elijah smiled. "Is Mr. Ford in his office?"The lead secretary replied, "Yes, he is. Do you need to speak with him?"Elijah smiled again. As he pushed open the office door, he immediately spotted Jacob sitting at his desk while rubbing his temples.Upon hearing the door open, Jacob looked up briefly. His gaze swept over Elijah before returning to his paperwork.His dismissive glance only widened the smile on Elijah's lips. "Mr. Ford, I've heard you're quite skilled. Care for a spar?"Jacob set down the file he was holding. His dark eyes glinted with a cold light.Elijah was quite interesting. Even before Jacob could reach out to him, Elijah came knocking first. Of course, Jacob wasn't going to turn him away.…Elijah entered unscathed but left with some bruising around his eyes and mouth.Yet he didn't seem to mind. Before he left, he flashed Jacob a grin that was a
Denzel never expected that the one injured would be Jacob's new lover.To be honest, he was generally friendly toward women.In Jacob and Liesel's relationship, he placed most of the blame on Jacob. However, he struggled to find a way to excuse Natalie's behavior.Those who interfered in others' relationships, regardless of gender, were just despicable.Denzel had intended to take a quick look and leave, but Jeffrey recognized him and greeted him with a sycophantic smile.Jeffrey claimed to be inquiring about Natalie's injuries, but he was actually more focused on ingratiating himself with Denzel.Denzel listened impassively as Jeffrey rambled on. When he saw Natalie making a pitiful call to Jacob, he merely raised an eyebrow and glanced at her without saying anything.However, Jeffrey tried to excuse her. "Nat is very dependent on Mr. Ford. She kept calling his name even during the surgery."Jeffrey spoke as if to highlight Natalie's deep affection.When Denzel heard the word
Regardless of whether Liesel was truly responsible, Natalie had already attributed all blame to her.She and Liesel weren't on good terms.How could Liesel, injured at Jeffrey's birthday party, not seek revenge?Lately, Natalie hadn't offended anyone else. The only person she had crossed was Liesel. If it wasn't Liesel, who could it be?Moreover, how could it be such a coincidence?Liesel had a cut on her forehead, and Natalie had one too. Liesel injured her hand, and Natalie had a similar injury as well.Wasn't it obvious that Liesel was deliberately hurting her to let her know that this was all her doing? How could she not report this to Jacob?She needed to tell Jacob and let him know how malicious Liesel truly was.Suddenly, Jacob's expression darkened. His voice was cold. "You think it was Liesel who did this?"Natalie shivered at his gaze. Her lips trembled as she asked, "Wasn't it her?"Even at this point, she still wanted to drag Liesel down."You can ask her." Jacob
Natalie immediately retorted, "How can you say that about me, Liesel? I'm Jake's secretary now and a member of Ford Corporation."As soon as she said that, Liesel replied coolly, "So, are you calling to discuss the recent business contracts? Do you want to talk about the new energy initiatives or Ford Corporation's recent market expansions? Or perhaps the electronics sector?"Liesel's words left Natalie momentarily speechless. As an art student, she had no knowledge of these topics.The only reason she could enter Ford Corporation was because of Jacob. Mentioning any collaboration proposal made her feel completely lost."I'm not calling about that, Liesel. I just wanted to ask if this car accident has anything to do with you." Natalie spoke cautiously, as though she were being bullied.Liesel paused for a moment. "You had a car accident?"Natalie responded with a whimper, "Yeah, when I was on my way to the office this morning. I happened to hurt my hand and forehead."This was a
Aside from Elijah, Liesel couldn't think of anyone else who would do this.Neal hadn't returned to the country yet. And even if he had, he wouldn't resort to such childish methods of revenge.As for Jordan, he wouldn't concern himself with someone as insignificant as Natalie. But that made him overlook how much of an impact someone like her had on Liesel.Despite Natalie's humble origins and low character, she had inflicted deep emotional and physical wounds on Liesel.Jordan and Neal weren't in the country and were unaware of what Natalie had done.The only ones who knew the truth were Jacob, Elijah, and Natalie herself.With Jacob defending Natalie so fiercely, how could he possibly harm her? Since she hadn't done it, the only person who could take action against Natalie was Elijah.He was pretty decisive, perhaps with no intention of sparing Natalie.Compared to what Natalie had done to her, Elijah's retaliation was considered quite ruthless.Elijah had returned to the head
"That's because they couldn't find any proof. You'd best be careful from now on. Who knows, you might end up going down the wrong path and go missing!"Austin took out his phone and swiped the screen a few times. Then, he smiled and said, "Mr. Hardin, I'd recorded what you said on my phone and just uploaded the clip to the cloud. If something ever happened to me, my friend would help me call the police, and you'd be the prime suspect.""You're fucking asking for it!" Richard raised his fist while snarling."Enough!" Felix said coldly. "Let's watch the live stream!"Richard pointed his finger at Austin's nose threateningly. Then, turning to Liesel, he said, "Liesel, I believe that you were the one who recruited Austin into the company."Liesel ignored him and just looked up at the big screen.Richard added, "The tweet you posted gave Dash the inspiration to do this. Now, they're holding the test drive event three days earlier than us. Are you happy now? Have you realized that ever
"What can I help you with, Austin?""Ms. Sharp, I wanted to clarify that I really didn't steal any company secrets. Alisha and I are just dating," Austin said, and his cheeks turned slightly red. He continued shyly, "Those emails I sent her were love letters, not Trojan viruses. The police have also investigated and found nothing wrong. Please believe us, Ms. Sharp."It was a good act. Those who weren't in the know might really think that Austin was just an innocent young man in love.Liesel narrowed her eyes but said nothing.Howard chuckled quietly, and his gaze was icy.A strange atmosphere fell over the trio.Liesel knew that Austin was putting on a show, and Austin himself knew that Liesel knew.But so what? In Austin's view, the winner could put on a show, fabricate lies, and do whatever to destroy the other party. Meanwhile, the party getting destroyed would just be forced to accept it.Hardin Group was powerless to make a comeback, so there was no way that Liesel coul
The reason Blair had reached out to Liesel was to tell her that Rayden Enterprises was going to hold a test drive event at Silvermist Peak this afternoon. The entire event would be broadcast live, and the news had already spread far and wide.Howard's new smart technology could free mankind from the shackles of conventional energy and help them move toward a new era.Draskians were paying close attention to this, and Rayden Enterprises was rejoicing. The whole world was watching this small test drive event.Liesel wasn't the least bit surprised.When she had the PR department share the promotion plan, she had already guessed that Rayden Enterprises would try to take control of the situation first.Until they managed to squash Hardin Group, they were not going to stop.This technology could only be completely owned by one company, just like how two tigers couldn't coexist in the same mountain. After this, Rayden's Enterprises would definitely try their hardest to bankrupt Hardin G
"Who cares about Liesel's love life? I just want to know if Liesel really stole company secrets.""Didn't you see that she was determined to be not guilty and thus released? I wonder if there really was an investigation, or perhaps those in power were charmed by her."There were countless people watching the drama and throwing around snide remarks.Thomas wasn't stupid enough to make a statement right now. He knew that if he did, those people would only attack her even more.However, at that moment, Elijah logged onto his Twitter account and posted a tweet. "She's mine now."He also uploaded a photo of the two of them interlocking fingers. In the photo, pink kiss marks could be seen inside the wrist of the feminine hand, and that hand was even wearing a diamond ring.In the midst of public outcry, Elijah was just calmly and serenely showing off their love.Those who didn't understand thought that Elijah was just standing up for Liesel, but those who understood knew that he was a
To Elijah, it sounded like Liesel was saying, "Tonight, I'll become yours."She pushed his wheelchair to the master bedroom. Right now, his inability to walk made things easier for her instead. Sitting on his lap, she hooked her arms around his neck, whimpering. In the end, any movement coming from them turned into a quiet moan from the back of her throat. He listened to her syrupy voice. She was the one forcing him, but in the end, she was the one who cursed him with a sob, "Jerk."Well, he was a jerk, wasn't he? She had to practically force him into doing this.What a jerk, Elijah.However… he was really pleased to be able to so clearly feel someone love him so deeply. She knew that he was pulling away, so she tried to pull him out of his shell."Thank you," he said. His voice was husky and listless with pleasure.She propped her chin on his shoulder, gasping for breath. Her body collapsed into a heap, and her mind was spinning. However, in the next moment, Elijah wrapped his
Become Liesel's? Did she mean that she wanted to do it with him?Elijah felt a little helpless. Before he could say anything, Liesel crossed her arms and looked at him. "Are you going to say that I'm messing around again?"Elijah, I'm not. I really just want to be with you. You know I'm a carnivore. If you keep me on a vegetarian diet, I'll get upset."She was already blatantly spouting nonsense.The reason they had never gone all the way in the past was out of concern for her health.Moreover, although Elijah looked like the epitome of a playboy who wasn't serious about relationships, it couldn't be further from the truth. In actuality, he was a purist when it came to love.He felt that since he hadn't properly proposed to Liesel and taken her to be his wife yet, he couldn't go all the way with her. It was out of respect for her.However, it was clear that Liesel wanted to completely ruin his plan.Elijah had a vague idea as to why Liesel was doing this.She understood him
"I have a guess as to who was behind this. Charles wouldn't do something crazy now, so it must either be Dash or Augustine. They must want to drag me down."Let me guess how those people are cursing at me right now. Has Thomas' real identity been found out? I bet that they think I'm trying to suck up to him in order to use the Keller family's power to help Hardin Group out of tough times. "Or perhaps, they think that I've betrayed you and chosen the Keller family over you."It had to be between those possibilities. Liesel could guess as much even with her eyes closed.She couldn't help but laugh quietly. "I bet people are already feeling bad for Mr. Hardin for getting kicked to the curb by an unfaithful woman like me."Mr. Hardin, have I dumped you?" She leaned closer to him. Her seductively warm breath wafted over his face. Elijah's face was reflected in her dark, glimmering eyes. "I haven't. We were kissing, right?"With that, she pressed her lips against his again. She kissed
The door to the private room opened.Liesel wasn't surprised to see Elijah. She merely raised an eyebrow, and her gaze brushed over Thomas. She gave him a small nod and said, "Head home early."Then, she walked toward Elijah. As soon as she approached, his assistant instinctively stepped aside. Liesel took hold of Elijah's wheelchair and began pushing him out of the room. The two of them chatted and laughed as they left.Thomas remained seated on the cold, hard floor with his back pressed against the icy wall. A deep ache spread through his chest.Both of them were so comfortable with each other. The way Liesel looked at Elijah was warm and filled with joy—completely different from how she looked at him.When Liesel looked at him, her eyes held a hint of appreciation, but nothing more. Just as she had said, she admired him, but her gaze had never carried the emotions of a woman in love.To her, he was nothing more than a fleeting presence in her life. But when she looked at Elija
Thomas trembled slightly at the thought and smirked at himself mockingly.As he studied Elijah, Elijah was quietly observing him in return.This wasn't Elijah's first time meeting Thomas.On the day of the interview, Elijah had caught a glimpse of him in passing. Back then, Thomas had radiated confidence and defiance, like a proud lion ruling the prairie. But now, he looked like a rabbit with tear-streaked, bloodshot eyes.Although calling him a rabbit wasn't entirely accurate, the redness in his eyes was undeniable.Had he confessed again? It seemed he had been rejected yet another time.Elijah's hand rested on the armrest of his wheelchair as he gazed at Thomas calmly. He didn't question Thomas' relationship with Liesel because he trusted her completely. If anything, at this moment, Elijah found Thomas pitiful.Thomas didn't know what Elijah was thinking. Seeing Elijah's frail state filled him with shame. Pursuing Liesel behind Elijah's back now felt utterly disgraceful.He c