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
Having confirmed that the person who called her was Liesel, Quinn said, "You're right, it's difficult to discuss this over the phone. Do you have time tomorrow? Why don't we meet up to talk?""Since you proposed a meetup, I naturally won't refuse, Ms. Lambert." Liesel checked her schedule. "Shall we meet tomorrow at 3:00 pm at the Ford Corporation?"The reason Liesel suggested this location was to hint at her connections with the Ford Corporation. This was so that Quinn would think carefully when naming her price."I'm looking forward to meeting you, Ms. Sharp," Quinn replied.Someone who managed a huge company couldn't be an idiot, so of course Quinn knew the underlying meaning behind those words. Because of this, she also regarded Liesel with more importance. Liesel was one of the trump cards of the Ford Corporation; it would be foolish to look down on Liesel now.Since the beginning, Liesel had split the shares she'd received into two parts. Over the past few years, she'd kept
Elijah sneered. "I'm the actual head of the family now. Do you still need me to remind you of this? You already lost to me. "You didn't let me take over. I stole it from you. What makes you think that I would listen to you?" Elijah looked at Richard with a sinister gaze. He was threatening Richard.Richard inhaled sharply upon noticing Elijah's gaze. He forgot Elijah had matured a long time ago. He had ruthlessly kicked Richard aside and took the chance to become the CEO of Hardin Group. Elijah called all the shots at Hardin Group today. Why would he listen to Richard?"Elijah, you need to get this clear. If you've truly decided to reject Ms. Miller, there's no other way out. Liesel's family won't provide you with any protection. "If you marry Ms. Miller, you can get help from the Miller family. You figure out which is more important." In the end, Richard couldn't help but advise Elijah.Elijah's gaze remained malicious as he continued to sneer. "If I chose that shortcut, I wo
Elijah let out a sarcastic snort. He raised an eyebrow, clearly mocking Richard. "I've always been a fool. Did you just learn that today? Stupid people have stupid children. Isn't that what you deserve?" Richard didn't care much for Elijah. Not only because he didn't like Laura but also because Elijah's attitude was far too infuriating. That year, Richard forced Elijah to go overseas because he didn't want to see Elijah. Elijah's terrible temper was quite irritating. Most of what he said was rather sarcastic. As soon as he came back, he unplugged the air conditioner immediately. Was it worth going against Richard for a divorced woman? Richard was so angry that he kept patting his chest. He feared Elijah might trigger him into getting a heart attack."Since you're back, you better give me an explanation. Ms. Miller was once your junior. She understands you well and admires you very much. Not long ago, she expressed her interest in marrying you. What do you think?" Richard c
Charles took out a tiny box containing a chip as large as a soybean and handed it to Sam. "This is the latest listening device. We'll have to trouble you to find an opportunity to plant this in Elijah's car. After all, only those closest to Elijah can get this done."These words seemed to mock Sam. It was ridiculous to know that Elijah's closest family was planning to betray him.Sam didn't consider any further. He snatched the box from Charles, earning a few chuckles from him. "We'll meet again, Mr. Hardin." As soon as Charles turned away, his gentle smile faded into a mocking smirk. What a foolish man.Sam knew nothing about the financial world, yet he thought he was worthy of becoming heir to the Hardin family. He should look at himself in the mirror.Now that Liesel was running Hardin Group, the company was no longer like it once was. If Hardin Group ended up as the winner at the financial summit, they would even surpass Ford Corporation. It wasn't just Ford Corporation
"Elijah is indeed talented and smart. But where are you lacking, Mr. Hardin?" Charles patiently guided Sam. Charles crouched down to meet with Sam's gaze. He saw hatred hidden in the depths of Sam's gentle eyes. "Mr. Hardin, you're merely crippled. Why must that ruin your chances of being the heir?" Charles continued with a chuckle, "Mr. Hardin, you are the oldest in the main branch of the Hardin family. You are the true heir of the Hardin family, right?Sam gulped. His gaze turned confused. It was Charles who sought Sam out a few days ago. It wasn't Richard who gave Sam information on Liesel. Charles was responsible for that.Sam actually wasn't very outstanding, but he wanted more than he deserved. His crippled state was the reason why he often remained in the shadows.Sam also wanted to fight for his rights, but Richard favored Uriah. At that time, Uriah was the heir to the Hardin family, not Elijah. Since Sam believed he wasn't capable of fighting Uriah, he held back his sin
On the surface, these CEOs were respectful to Liesel and praised her. However, they merely made fun of her for being a woman behind her back.For someone as brilliant as Liesel, all her efforts were wiped away just because she was once married."Did you think I was the one who chose Lili during our time together? No. From the start until now, I've always been the one who was chosen. Lili's the one who calls the shots." Elijah chuckled lightly. "Lili's amazing. She's my lover." He sounded determined. "I think you've really gone mad," Sam muttered. His gentle expression was gone. "I'm quite lucid. You guys have always been crazy. All these years, I still never learned all your old-fashioned ways. "I've always liked to be different. To me, my ideas are correct. My lover can only be Lili." Every word Elijah said was to express his love for Liesel. Elijah didn't hide his feelings for her. He wanted Sam to know what his choice was. With how things were going, there was no need fo
Sam almost never spoke to Elijah in such a tone. Elijah almost wanted to laugh.Elijah used to act like a loser. None of the ladies from wealthy families were interested in him and would just flirt with him. Only families that weren't as well-off wanted to get close to him and rub shoulders with the Hardins.As for Liesel, although she didn't have the perfect background, everything else about her was enough to make up for it. Apart from that, Heather was Liesel's biological mother. That alone was enough for Liesel to stand out among everyone else."It's better for you to say I'm not good enough for Liesel. Someone as brilliant as her could have anyone she wants. Why do you think she chose me?" As soon as Elijah finished speaking, Sam interrupted him."Because she was once married and had Jacob's child. No matter how brilliant she is in the future, everyone else thinks she's no longer pure. "Do you actually think these sly old men in the elite circles are truly stupid? Why would
Richard was even more delighted. "While Elijah was studying at Alden University back then, his lecturers kept his grades down. At that time, he was considered their genius student."Ms. Miller also participated in several projects with Elijah, so she truly understands what he's capable of. In fact, she brought up the marriage first. "Since she suggested marriage, it would be far too rude of us to reject her. That's why we need you to step aside."Richard didn't actually mean for Liesel to simply step aside. He wanted her to get lost. Liesel's gaze remained calm. She looked downward while estimating the time in silence. A faint smile formed on her lips."It's no use talking about all this with me. Why don't you wait for a few more minutes? He'll talk this out with you personally."Liesel was clearly seated in the wheelchair but did not seem like a victim at all. She looked up at Richard while speaking sarcastically. "If Elijah agrees to the breakup, I definitely won't bother h
"Since Elijah is the heir of the Hardin family, the woman standing beside him must be pure enough. She should be of high status, elegant, pure, and outstanding. Not some woman who was once married and had a miscarriage."His blunt words pierced into Liesel's heart. She looked up at Richard with a darkened gaze before letting out a mocking laugh. "You truly did your homework, Mr. Hardin, but you don't represent Elijah's stance. If he cared about all this, he wouldn't have pursued me from the start."Of course, Liesel did not reveal who she truly was. She was rather sensitive and suspicious at the moment. She remembered very clearly that she and Elijah started off with him being interested in her. He only truly pursued her because she was the one leading Shifter Corporation. Her identity was also the reason why Elijah slowly got close to her and began to understand her. Indeed, she had agreed to Elijah's pursuit because he was heir to Hardin Group. Both of them had ulterior mot
Liesel had never called Elijah "Eli" before.However, she didn't mind purposely using an intimate nickname in front of Richard now. She wanted him to feel the closeness between her and Elijah.Richard's expression fell.That disobedient son!Of course, he had handpicked a woman that suited Elijah more. She came from a noble and spotless background, and she was also good-looking. Of course, she couldn't compare to Liesel when it came to beauty, but her background was enough to defeat Liesel completely.What did Liesel have?If Heather were still alive, then she would have been Liesel's biggest crutch! Everyone would have to worship the ground she walked on.But Heather was dead, so what was Liesel worth now?She was a rising star in the financial circle known for her intelligence, but she was still just a woman. Unless she stood at the very peak, she was bound to get dragged back down into the mud one day.The young lady he'd picked was better suited for Elijah. She could easil