Sophia and Elliot sat in the front row at an underground auction venue, while the host on stage passionately delivered the opening remarks. Elliot said, “If you see something you like, I'll buy it for you.” Sophia, not particularly interested, replied, “No thanks. I don’t need anything. Are you here just to bid something for me?”“Yes, and also to get a painting for Grandpa.” As he spoke, Elliot flipped through the catalogue of items up for auction tonight, “Why isn't it here?” He called someone over to inquire, “Isn't the painting "Scenic Splendor of Ten Thousand Miles" up for auction tonight?” The attendant promptly replied, “It was scheduled, but the bidding for that painting was cancelled at the last minute.”Elliot was a bit disappointed and dismissed the attendant.Sophia asked, “What do we do now?”Elliot pondered for a while, “Let's bid on this set of jade chess pieces.” “Is this for Grandpa's birthday gift?” “Yes.”Sophia looked troubled, “Then, what should
Sophia frowned. “I'm not as bored as you think.”Jessica looked smug. “You're planning to give this chess set to Uncle Morgan, right? Too bad you don't have money like I do. Even though I ended up having to spend more because of your meddling, I'd consider it all done in good fun. After all, you're clearly just an amateur!”Sophia was perplexed. “Uncle Morgan? Could you speak in terms I can understand?”Thinking Sophia was pretending to be clueless, Jessica became even more arrogant. “Stop acting so naive. I'm sure that all you can afford to give are some worthless candies and snacks. You can dream on if you think you can raise yourself to the same heights as the Morgan family. Charles belongs to me, Sophia, and no one can take him away from me.”Sophia said nothing. What was this lunatic even saying?“You're delusional and you should get that checked. If you keep coming at me like this, I'll show you want I can do.”Elliot’s expression turned serious. “Who is she?”Sophia looke
Washington bowed so low he was almost kneeling. "Mr. Patton, please calm down. My daughter has been brash since she was young. Please don't take her words to heart."Seeing Elliot unmoved, he kicked his own daughter's knee. Jessica knelt, but Elliot grabbed her by the collar, making it hard for her to breathe.Washington, terrified, turned to Sophia. "I'm sorry, Miss, please help me, please! I've spoiled my daughter rotten since she was young. She speaks without thinking. Please save her. I don't want Mr. Patton to throttle her."He was about to kneel before Sophia.Sophia stopped him. "You shouldn't have to kneel to me. Still, you should take more responsibility for your daughter's actions."She then stepped forward, took out a handkerchief from her pocket, and pulled Elliot’s hand. "Did I say you could touch other women?" She had a touch of playful arrogance as she meticulously wiped his hand clean with the handkerchief.Elliot gazed at her with shining eyes, as if he held an
Sophia picked up her phone and called Xena. "Did those men you introduced me to leave already?" Xena replied playfully, "What's up? Had a change of mind? Want to hire a harem for an exotic little getaway?" "A getaway? You set me up and now there are photos of those men all over the internet, dancing provocatively. I'm in a real mess." Xena clicked her tongue. "And you let this get on the internet?" "I didn't know that you sent me a bunch of guys! I thought you sent me something normal. I should've made sure to close the door properly. Ugh! Anyway, it's out there now. I need to figure out how to salvage this. Give me their phone numbers." "What's there to salvage? Is your husband mad about it?" Xena asked. "He's fine, it's just that his archenemy is using this against him. I can't let him be caught in the crossfire." "What's so difficult about that? Just pressure him to separate from you. This is a chance for you to see how far he'll go for you. Stop worrying about others
Edward’s eyes nearly popped out in shock when he received the message, “Declined? Why? Don't you take tasks based on the size of the fee?”The other side replied, “Quince only takes tasks based on their mood.”Edward did not want to take no for an answer. “If you're not in a good mood today, what about tomorrow?”“Is there anyone more formidable than Quince in the Black Den?”“We're willing to offer a high price.”He continued to send messages incessantly, but the other party had already gone offline. Edward was so angry he almost cursed.The next day, looking disheartened, he went back to see Edmund. Edmund asked suspiciously, “What's wrong?”“They're not taking it. Quince refused the order.”Edmund was also surprised. It was said that Quince only cared about money and would take any order as long as the payment was sufficient. So why were they specifically refusing their order?“Maybe the payment offered wasn't up to their standards?”“I offered two million. That's no sma
The finals lasted for three days, and while Sophia had claimed that she was not nervous, the truth was that these finals would decide her future. So, how could she not be anxious? The entire villa felt a sense of tension that could not be expressed. Everyone spoke in hushed tones so as to not disturb her rest.Elliot has been monitoring Edmund and Edward on his own, trying not to make sure she would not be bothered by them.Fortunately, the three days passed quickly, and the finals were over. As she got into the car on the final day, she was still smiling."Feeling relieved?" Elliot asked."Yes, tomorrow I plan to sleep in with the alarm off.""How very ambitious of you.""I've been ambitious for a long time. I don't want to be ambitious for a while."Elliot chuckled and patted her head. "How did your finals go?""Easy as pie," Sophia proudly replied."Where do you want to go now?" Elliot asked."To the hospital, to see my grandmother.”As soon as she finished speaking, he
Vanessa stared resentfully at the intimate couple not far away, unconsciously crumpling the tablecloth in her hands.Beside her, her companion said, "Can you believe those two made up? Weren't they having a fight just the other day?"Vanessa did not expect the humiliation and could not understand how Elliot could endure it.She also did not understand what he saw in her. Even if it was not Christine standing by his side, it should have been her. They shared the same background, were childhood friends, and he had such a good relationship with her brother. It made perfect sense for them to be a couple. Why, then, did he end up with Sophia, a country bumpkin?Sophia and Elliot were oblivious to the envy directed at them. After greeting the Morgan family, they headed to Jeffrey's private room.Several people were in the room. Sophia was not familiar with the others except for Ethan and Ethel. However, she recognized most of them from the time when Jeffrey was being treated for his i
The banquet officially began at eight o'clock.The crowd assisted Jeffrey as he walked out of the room.Ethan had overseen the entire preparation of this banquet. Despite Jeffrey’s dislike for crowds, the banquet hall was packed. It was, after all, a Patton family event.The host invited Jeffrey onto the stage, first introducing him and then asking him a few questions."Jeffrey, are you happy on your 81st birthday?"He replied, "Yes, I'm happy."The host continued, "With such a large family, is there anything you'd like to say to them?"Jeffrey took the microphone, looking at the descendants below. "The rise and fall of a family is closely tied to its unity. A brick thrown on the street can easily be kicked away, but if it's part of a wall, no one can move it. Trying to shift a united front is like trying to move a mountain. Only with unity and mutual assistance can there be infinite strength! I hope all of your lives in the future will be smooth and prosperous. Unite for the
“Ah, no!” Sophia instinctively reached out to catch it, but the phone narrowly missed her fingers. So, she just watched as he tossed the telephone into the bushes.Sophia was infuriated. "Brother, you haven't sung for me yet?"Kyle looked at her. "Time's up.""Time's up for what? You big liar."As she spoke, she balled her fists and attacked him.Although she was no match for Kyle in martial arts, he couldn't fight her in such a confined space. So, Kyle found himself somewhat helpless in this narrow space.He grabbed both her hands with his big hands and pinned her legs with his, leaving Sophia unable to move her limbs.Frustrated, she aimed her head at Kyle and lunged forward. Kyle instinctively dodged. Sophia's little head directly hit his chest.Thud.It felt like a forty-pound hammer hitting his chest, causing Kyle to start coughing on the spot. He was truly at a loss. She was too much to handle, using every trick in the book.With one hand rubbing his sore chest and the
At that moment, it seemed like the world came to a standstill. The man and the woman at the door were so scared they hardly dared to breathe. How dare this woman. How could she slap Kyle?They sneakily glanced at Kyle's reddened face, wishing they could disappear. They were afraid they'd face his wrath, too.Kyle also couldn't believe what he was seeing. This little drunkard in front of him wasn't speaking gently or acting cute, and instead of calling him brother, she slapped him. He was furious. At that moment, he had already thought of where to bury this woman.However, Sophia didn't seem to realize the seriousness of hitting someone. She suddenly jerked her wrist and broke free from the man's grasp. Whether it was because she used too much force or because she was drunk and couldn't control her strength, she stumbled and fell on her rear.This fall was solid, and she couldn't help but cry in pain, "Ow!"Tears streamed down her face.Kyle was bewildered for a moment. The anger
Sophia felt helpless. This man's schemes ran too deep. He didn't reveal anything useful. The two drank one glass after another from seven in the evening until ten at night. Sophia's head was spinning.She had been trying to limit herself, taking small sips each time. Unfortunately, her tolerance for alcohol was quite poor. Her gaze was unfocused, and the man opposite her seemed to blur into duplicates. She knew deep down that she was drunk. It was frustrating. When would her tolerance improve?"Are you deliberately trying to get me drunk to see me embarrass myself?" Kyle lounged carelessly. "I didn't know your alcohol tolerance was so poor."Sophia snorted softly in her heart. Ignorance was truly unbelievable. She even suspected that this man had seen her drunk before. Otherwise, why insist on drinking with her? She needed to control herself now; otherwise, her stingy husband at home would be infuriated.So she just slumped onto the table, motionless.Kyle chuckled. "Are you dru
Kyle compromised, "Alright, I won't touch you."Sophia sternly commanded, "Get off."Kyle slowly got up from her.Sophia's piece of porcelain against his neck remained unmoved, her little face tense.Kyle sat up and waved to remove the hand threatening his neck, "Alright, if I bleed, you lose your life. Do you think I'm afraid of such a broken thing like you?"He knocked away the piece of porcelain in Sophia's hand, but she didn't pick it up. Instead, she said softly, "I know you're not afraid. As the top boss of the Netherworld Palace, what kind of woman can't you have? But it's not worth it to ruin the mood just to sleep with a woman, don't you think?"Kyle looked at her and smiled. Far from diminishing with Sophia's various rudeness, the interest in his eyes only intensified.He stretched out his long arm and grabbed Sophia's nape, pulling her closer. The two were close enough to hear each other breathe.There was a determined smile in his eyes. "I like smart girls."Sophia
Kylie smirked. "So, how else do you want me to repay you?"But Sophia couldn't shake the feeling that his smile seemed somewhat sinister.Kyle wasn't the kind of person to easily agree. Could it be true that she had saved him?After contemplating, she said, "For example, a substantial monetary reward, a direct increase in shares and equity, or at the very least, treating me to a meal would suffice.“But instead, you kidnapped me, restricted my movements, and now you're telling me it's repayment? Did I perhaps drown your son in a well in a past life, prompting you to repay me in such a unique way?"He was left bewildered by Sophia's rapid-fire words. What was this woman talking about?After a good while, he finally grasped the gist of her words. "Alright, let's go. I'll treat you to a meal."Sophia looked at him, surprised that he was so easy to persuade. She took advantage of the situation and added, "Then first, give back the phone to your lifesaving benefactor."Kyle replied,
Elliot searched the inside and out of the car. He indeed found a box of acupuncture needles tucked away in a corner. His wife always had a habit of carrying a box of acupuncture needles with her, not for self-defense, but for saving others.However, this box had yet to be opened, proving that the skills of the person they were dealing with surpassed hers. Otherwise, she wouldn't have missed the chance to use the needles.It seemed that this car was indeed the right one.He looked at the dirt road ahead, with tracks from two vehicles. One was a regular sedan, and the other looked like an off-road vehicle.But no more surveillance cameras were ahead, so they wondered if the cars had turned back or continued forward.He relayed the situation to Avery once again. Avery began to investigate, checking every detail of the vehicle information provided by Elliot. At this point, the police, Samuel, and his team arrived one after the other.Since there were no surveillance cameras in this a
Avalon said, "It perfectly matched the Meng family's expertise. They've been collaborating for several years, and my family even gave up some minor collaborations because they trusted in them.“But this time, under their instigation, my family paid an advance payment of 1.8 billion for goods, but the goods weren't delivered according to the contract date. They kept stalling, and when my family went to check, they found the company deserted.“After my elder brother had someone investigate, he found out the company was leased, and the company's CEO was nowhere to be found.“After reporting to the police, they kept investigating, but there was no result. That person disappeared. Helpless, my parents, elder brother, and second brother all went to find Patel.”“But Patel, apart from the initial matchmaking, wasn't involved in the subsequent cooperation. So, my brother and others didn't dare to do anything to him. But after struggling for a few months, the bank started demanding loan rep
"Mary," Paisley called out each word, but then her throat seemed to constrict, and she couldn't say anything more. Tears welled up in her eyes.Lucas also felt anguished. "We're sorry, Mary, but we haven't wronged you."Mary sneered, "If you haven't, how did I end up in this situation today? You both are incompetent parents. What's the point of arguing? You only have two daughters. Can't you treat us equally?"Paisley was truly enraged by her words. "How have I not treated you equally? Mary was just being clever. Perhaps I inadvertently praised her, but I never said you were bad, did I? Just because of this, you want to abandon Mary?“Are you even human? After you went missing, I couldn't eat or sleep peacefully. Every night was spent in tears. I knew you suffered a lot, and surviving wasn't easy, so when I found out it was Mary who made you disappear, I resented her deeply.“I did everything to make it up to you, even at the cost of hurting Mary. I sided with you unreasonably. Is
Xena viciously grabbed her by the collar, preparing to take her back for further interrogation. However, many policemen suddenly burst in through the door.The secretary followed closely behind, explaining, "Officers, hurry and arrest Xena. She forced her way in."Xena frowned. Assessing her situation, she forced Mary to sit in the boss's chair, a dagger held against her sister's neck. The room was marked with signs of struggle, with blood spattered across the floor.In this situation, she could hardly argue her innocence. But she instinctively explained, "She locked up my parents and wouldn't tell me where they were. I just wanted to question her."The police officers' expressions hardened, their tone brooking no refusal. "Take her away!"Two officers stepped forward and seized her. Xena complied, offering no resistance or excuses, obediently following the police.Another officer glanced at Mary. "Are you alright?"Mary seemed shaken, clutching her neck. After calming herself,