The car fell into a heavy silence, as Liesel and Jacob were the only ones left inside.Liesel closed her eyes, seemingly not intending to say anything.After a moment, she settled into the driver's seat and started the car.This was Jacob's new vehicle, a sleek black Maybach. He had replaced the blue Cayenne she had gifted him.Throughout the ride, neither of them spoke. The car continued on until they arrived at Ford Manor."Liesel," Jacob called out just as she was about to step out of the car. "What's your relationship with Xavier?"Liesel paused for a moment, then a faint smile played at the corners of her lips. "My relationship with Xavier doesn't seem to concern you, Mr. Ford. You should focus only on your girlfriend."As Liesel got out, Jacob didn't press the matter about Xavier any further and merely suggested, "Since you're here, why don't you come inside?"Liesel found his remark somewhat amusing.She opened the car door, intending to call for a ride. Just then, she
Jacob watched Liesel hurry away, and his gaze darkened.Once she was gone, Vincent immediately set down his utensils. His voice was laced with clear disapproval."Lili doesn't like eggplant. Didn't you know that?"This was news to Jacob. He had only learned this right at that moment."Lili knows everything you like. Look at how she serves you food and peels shrimp for you. Everything she puts on your plate is something you enjoy. She even dipped the peeled shrimp in your favorite sauce."But you? You only served her that one dish, and it happened to be the eggplant she can't stand. Lili has always hated braised eggplant."This was completely unexpected for Jacob.His gaze flickered. After a moment, he stood up. His expression was decidedly grim.When he returned to the room, he found Liesel in the midst of retching.He sat silently on the couch. The moment she emerged from the bathroom, he noticed her pale complexion and red eyes.She was clearly feeling sick.Jacob's gaze w
Liesel continued, "Grandpa looks strong, but his heart's been weak for a long time. He's so smart. If he realized what was really going on between us, how would we handle it? Watch as he has a heart attack and lands in the hospital?"Grandpa cares about me so much. I can't let that happen. So when it comes to things like this, I'd rather put myself through a bit of discomfort."Suddenly, she smiled wryly. "Aren't you keeping Natalie in the shadows because of this?"Out of concern that Vincent might be upset, Jacob hadn't dared to tell him about their divorce.So here he was, bringing Liesel home to keep up appearances, leaving Natalie unacknowledged and without any real title.Jacob fell silent.The name Natalie rang sharply in his ears, more unsettling than ever."I'm sorry. A lot of this is on me," he murmured.He spoke gently, but his words barely registered with Liesel.There was no future between them, so Liesel wasn't looking for any feeble excuses to justify anything an
Elijah spoke bluntly. "Jacob, you're already divorced. Why are you still trying to get Liesel to go to Ford Manor with you? Just to please Mr. Ford Senior and put on a show?"You're really possessive. You don't want her, but you don't let anyone else pursue her! Don't go too far!"He straightforwardly let Jacob know he was pursuing Liesel.Elijah was serious about Liesel. He was showering her with flowers and diamonds. Since he was rich, he had the time in the world to spend with Liesel. He was plotting his way into her life step by step.Liesel's expression darkened. She hadn't anticipated things would escalate to this point.Before she could hang up, Jacob snatched the phone from her hand. "Elijah, Liesel hasn't hit rock bottom to the point where she needs to consider you as her next partner. You aren't worthy of being her suitor."Jacob's voice was cold. His words were clearly mocking Elijah's reckless past behavior.Elijah scoffed. "No matter what, I'm still a hundred times
The past would remain in the past. Liesel already knew that Jacob was just Jacob and not her husband anymore.In response to that, Elijah cocked an eyebrow. There was a smile on his lips. It was as if he was gloating at their misery.Jacob's gaze remained detached. It merely dimmed a little when he heard Liesel say that they were in the past. However, he knew that she wasn't wrong. Ever since the day they got divorced, they were indeed in the past.Liesel was destined to start a new life with a new person of her choice."Hearing you say that, I feel much more relieved," Elijah said with amusement evident in his voice."Mr. Ford, you also heard her. You and Liesel are completely in the past now, do you understand? I also hope you will stop getting in between us," he continued. It sounded like he was trying to intentionally provoke Jacob.Jacob's gaze didn't falter, but he gave Liesel a quick glance.Liesel looked down at the injury on her palm. "Elijah, there's nothing between
In other words, the news had to be about the Sharp family.As soon as the word got out, the public dug up most of the incidents related to the Sharp family. A few children of wealthy families who had too much time on their hands even spoke up, mostly talking about how fake Jeffrey could be.Liesel counted several minutes in her head, and sure enough, Jeffrey called. She silently declined the call, put on her jacket, and left the room.Coincidentally, as soon as she left the room, Jeffrey called her again. The first thing he did was scream at her. "Were you behind what happened today? After working at Ford Corporation for so long, you must have a wide network. I'm certain that you're purposely trying to tear the Sharp family down! You little bastard, you're just like your worthless mother. You want to suck the Sharp family dry!"Liesel knew very well that the Sharp family only managed to reach where they were today because they'd drained her mother, Heather. She merely grunted coo
Liesel hated having Sharp family blood. Jeffrey and Natalie were shameless, despicable people, but ultimately, it was still the Sharp family blood that flowed through her veins.If she could survive despite having all her blood drained, she was willing to pay any price to replace all the blood in her body. That was better than gagging every time she thought about the dirty, lowly blood in her system.She didn't think there was anything wrong with her. It was the Sharp family that was problematic, so what did it have to do with her? Still, she felt that the Sharps were truly disgusting. If she wanted to sever their ties, then she'd really have to be ruthless about it. However, she wasn't an idiot. She wouldn't actually hurt herself just to cut ties with them. To her, the Sharp family was not worth her hurting herself just to break off this already weak relationship.It was the first time Jeffrey had ever heard Liesel scream at him hysterically. It left him stunned for a moment, b
Liesel lowered her voice. "If I continue to attack Sharp Group, do you think the company's stocks will continue to plummet? How many people do you think will sell their shares? The other families would also take this chance to attack Sharp Group or even acquire the company by force. "If that happened, would the company still belong to you? Perhaps, to be even more cruel, they could bankrupt Sharp Group outright."Naturally, Jeffrey believed her. She was indeed capable of destroying the entirety of Sharp Group. If this matter continued to fester, Sharp Group would really be destroyed in his hands.Still, 80 million dollars was not a small sum. Sharp Group wasn't that large of an enterprise, so how could he have that much money on hand?With a red face, he said with embarrassment, "I really don't have cash on hand. Why don't you give me some more time? I will definitely give you the money in two years."Liesel laughed coolly. "In two years? Would Sharp Group even be around in two y
Felix nodded at Liesel, who was standing on stage. Just as he was about to speak, his phone began buzzing loudly.Every phone call was crucial during such a critical moment. Felix waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to wait for a moment. He checked his phone and saw that he had received more than ten of the same videos over and over again. On the video thumbnail was a silhouette of Liesel embracing Thomas.Felix's fingers twitched as he looked up at Liesel, who was still waiting for his response. At the same time, all the other executives' phones vibrated. Everyone had received the same videos. The crowd stared in shock at the sight of Liesel and Thomas in those videos. She had cheated on Elijah by hooking up with Thomas. Didn't that imply it was actually possible for her to betray Hardin Group? That was the crucial moment Richard had been waiting for. He couldn't help but give some sarcastic remarks. "How exciting for you, Ms. Sharp. You've used my son to take everything aw
Howard paused, but he wasn't surprised that Richard was trying to cast the blame on Liesel at that moment. Felix also instantly looked up with a fiery gaze. He really didn't understand why they weren't coming up with a solution at that moment. Instead, Richard wanted to continue the internal conflict and fight for some power that outsiders would consider insignificant.Dakota hurriedly placed a hand on Felix's shoulder and hinted for him to calm down. Dakota continued, "Mr. Donner, the same technology with the exact specifications happened to be released before we could even launch it."Things can't be that coincidental. We must get to the bottom of this, but we shouldn't panic and lose our composure either."The turbulent emotions within Felix faded away instantly as he ordered, "As long as the matter isn't clear yet, no one is allowed to make any statements that would negatively impact the company or their colleagues!" The first order of business was to keep everyone's mouths
"No. Ms. Sharp wants to achieve a global market share of 35%.""Wow! That target is insane! If Ms. Sharp succeeds, won't our company be making a fortune? Those two are our most profitable projects!""We can't be sure how much our company will earn since those amounts are way beyond our imagination. We might as well think about how much bonuses we'll receive this year.""I think I can use my bonuses this time to pay a down payment for a house in Ashthorne. I might even be able to get a nice car."Everyone's excited voices drifted across the spacious office. Their eyes lit up with excitement and hope. Austin tossed the files aside before reaching for his phone to send a text. "It's time." After sending the message, he deleted it instantly, and the chat vanished as well.A moment later, an overseas car manufacturer suddenly announced some earth-shattering news, causing a stir across the automotive industry.At the same time, Augustine's family also revealed their cancer treatment
These new projects were worth hundreds of millions in the market, and Liesel was the reason everyone could enjoy the profits. Before the announcement was even over, rounds of applause echoed across the meeting room several times.The optimized cancer treatment medication was enough to surpass the related treatments that foreign countries had always dominated. The medication had outperformed those of the Bergs' family company, which led to Hardin Group capturing their market share.Everyone in the meeting room beamed at Liesel on stage. Even Richard was amazed by how profitable these projects were.Howard held a remote as he leisurely controlled a colorful drone. Despite being present at such a crucial meeting, he remained carefree and indifferent. However, no one dared to criticize him. He was the only one who could develop the blueprint Liesel had drafted. Hardin Group could only go as far as Howard's strong capabilities.The executives' faces had gone red from excitement, and s
Of course, Thomas heard of Elijah before and became indignant instantly. "I can definitely achieve whatever Elijah has! He always spends his time flirting with women. How could I not be better than him?" Thomas was disdainful. To him, Elijah was a spoiled heir just like himself. "You've not kept up with Elijah for so long." Cameron seemed to have aged a lot in a moment. "He's been pretending all this while. Have a look for yourself."Cameron had ordered someone to organize all information related to Elijah last night so Thomas could have a look once he was awake. Thomas looked through every page. The more he read, the more despondent he grew.Elijah pretended to be useless, but Thomas was truly incompetent. If Thomas had to make a point, the Kellers were far wealthier than the Hardins. In terms of looks, Elijah was known for being attractive. Thomas was even once worried that Liesel might find him too muscular.Thomas' eyes lit up as he read the last part of the files. It deta
"I want rewards as I did last time." Howard really wanted to meet Heather, so he began asking for more rewards this time. "I'll give you the latest codes." Liesel forwarded the codes to Howard's computer with a glint in her eyes. "I've rewarded you, Mr. Durham. Time for you to work. You might have to work overtime tonight since there's plenty to do." Liesel rested her chin on her hand with a lazy smile.Howard already started typing to work on the series of codes. After some time, he fastened his white coat with stiff fingers. "I only need to work overtime for one night? I don't mind working overtime for another ten more nights." Howard simply wanted more codes. He looked at Liesel with a darkened gaze before adding, "As long as you reward me."Liesel couldn't help but laugh. "One night will do. If it's not enough, I'll reward you accordingly."Her words caused Howard's eyes to light up. She then stood up and walked around to the back of the chair before placing her hands on h
"Let me explain things properly. The other person might forgive your deceit or even give you another chance."Even if the other person refused, Cameron would still pay for her to give Thomas another chance. Cameron had everything planned out.Thomas gazed at Cameron for a long time before finally saying, "It's Liesel Sharp.""Liesel Sharp. Ms. Sharp, right? Let me get ready before visiting her... Hold up! Who did you say you're in love with? Did you just say that you like Liesel?"I asked you to work at Hardin Group so she can mentor you. I never thought you'd actually fall for her! Have you lost your mind?"If Thomas had fallen for any other woman, Cameron might have been confident enough to use his own money or other methods to convince her to be with Thomas. But things were tricky if the woman Thomas had fallen for was Liesel.Cameron was wealthy, and so was Liesel. The Kellers were indeed the wealthiest family in Bloomfield and also somewhat influential. However, their influe
"Elijah.""Yes, I'm here," Elijah answered."Elijah," Liesel yelled again. "Yes, I'm listening," Elijah replied again. He stroked her soft, long hair with a warm gaze. "I assume you've thought things through," Liesel said. She assumed that he had considered everything and gave up on the idea of leaving her so someone else would take care of her. Instead, he would always be with her.Elijah understood what Liesel meant. He gazed at her gently before leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. "Yes, I've thought things through."Elijah would not hold Liesel back. He would propose to her if she could heal him and give her everything. If she fell for someone else during that time, he also would not forbid her from leaving him.Elijah loved Liesel, but she would always have her freedom. He knew very well that he loved her, but he always wanted her to be free forever.He wanted her to stay by his side because she loved him, not because she pitied him. It was the only way he could
Liesel's gaze flickered as she waited for Elijah's response. Struggle was written all over his gaze as he looked past her. He was lost in a daze. Her words seemed to pull him into the future.Elijah watched Liesel slowly drifting away from him. He could only sit in his wheelchair as if he were a spectator and watch her run toward another man's arms from a distance.He saw how affectionate she was with the other man, doing things only lovers would do. The way she cast a charming smile at the other man…No. Absolutely not.Elijah was still unable to let Liesel go so easily. She was his lover, so he refused to let her leave. He drew her into his embrace with one arm and held her tightly. "Lili, I was wrong." The hoarseness in his voice was quite evident. "I can't accept the idea of you leaving me. I don't even want to imagine it. Please don't be with Thomas." To Liesel, the current Elijah seemed extremely fragile. A slight push could cause him to break down. She could feel his swe