After the car engine was turned on, Christopher Lancelot slowly closed his eyes and began to rest.“Master Lancelot… Xyla Quest is surrounded by a group of bodyguards lately. Do our people still need to protect her secretly?” Tucker asked as he glanced at Christopher, who sat in the back, through the rearview mirror.Christopher slowly opened his eyes. He was tapping his thigh gently with one finger. “Yeah…”“Okay,” Tucker said.“Has anything bad happened to Xyla recently?” Christopher asked.“No,” Tucker said.Christopher didn’t say anything else. Instead, he silently closed his eyes again.“Master Lancelot… To be honest, you don’t have to be so nice to her. She will never be yours,” Tucker said.“You’re nosy,” Christopher said.Tucker immediately shut up and didn’t dare say another word.“Oh, right… Has Xyla faced any challenge in her business?” Christopher asked.“Not really…” Tucker said.“Hmm.” Christopher became completely quiet after that.There wasn’t a single soun
“That’s good,” Xyla Quest said.“What about you. Did you miss me?” Stanley Batton asked.“Yeah, I do…” Xyla answered honestly.“Be a good girl and wait for me. I’ll come back as soon as I’m done with work. Do you want any gifts?” Stanley said.“Can I ask for anything?” Xyla asked.“I’ll give you anything you want,” Stanley said.“Can you give me the stars in the sky if that’s what I wanted?” Xyla said jokingly.“That’s way too easy. Once they discover a new star in the galaxy, I’ll purchase it and name it after you…” Stanley said.Xyla immediately felt warmth spreading in her heart when she heard this. “I was just kidding. I don’t want anything but you…”When they finished talking, it was already eleven o’clock.Xyla went into the shower to wash her hair and to clean off the soap bubbles all over her body. After that, she wrapped herself in a white bathrobe and quickly stood in front of the dressing table.Once she dried her hair, she applied some skincare product on her fac
“I zoned out all of a sudden…” Sebastian Brenand said.Gradually, their car moved away from the scene of the accident. Through the rearview mirror, Xyla Quest could see that the traffic police had arrived.The crowd surrounding the car was getting larger.“You really are something… Don’t you know that you have to pay full attention while you’re driving?” Xyla said.“Alright, stop nagging at me, Xyla. I’m fine, anyway. Let me be quiet for a while…” Sebastian said.Xyla was speechless.She drove Sebastian to the nearest hotel, Palace Hotel.Once the car stopped, Sebastian let out a helpless sigh. “Thank you, Xyla. I’ll get going then…” he said.“Don’t you need me to help you sort things out?” Xyla asked.“It’s okay. The traffic police will come to me… Besides, I didn’t hurt anyone. There’s nothing much to deal with…” With that, Sebastian waved at Xyla and turned around to leave.“Sebastian…” Xyla couldn’t help but call out.“What is it?” Sebastian suddenly stopped walking and
Seeing Sebastian Brenand like this made Xyla Quest feel very sad.***After arriving at the office, Xyla took the elevator to her office.Since there wasn’t much work to be done in the morning, she took her unfinished blueprint from her drawer and continued to draw on it.She had a very serious expression on her face.Buzz buzz buzz...After drawing for a short while, Xyla’s phone started to vibrate again.There was a notification from Weibo News on the screen.“A luxury car worth tens of millions destroyed. The owner left without turning back…”As soon as Xyla saw this title, she could sense that they were talking about Sebastian. Hence, she quickly clicked on the link to carefully go through the entire post on Weibo.“Just an hour ago, for some unknown reason, a limited-edition Lamborghini crashed into a tree. Although the car was severely damaged, its owner didn’t seem to care. Instead, he looked down and made a call. After that, he got into the car of his good friend, Xyl
Gary Lakes’ name appeared on the screen.“What do you want?” Sebastian Brenand picked up the phone while kicking his slippers away. He then tucked himself under the white duvet and closed his eyes.“Are you back from Edgewater? When did you come back? How did you get into a car accident?” Gary was leaning against the railing on his balcony as he smoked. He was also looking down at the garden full of flowers in bloom.“I came back last night… Hmm. I’m fine, but the car isn’t…” Sebastian said.Gary took a deep breath. “Well… Did you see Rachel? Didn’t you two patch things up? Why do you look so terrible?” he asked carefully.“Stop talking about it. She’s already married. We’ll talk over drinks tonight. I’m hanging up…” Sebastian said before directly hanging up the phone.Gary frowned slightly. After looking at his phone screen for a while, he shifted his gaze back to the flowers in his garden. “Rachel Wood…” He murmured to himself.There was an indescribable sense of disappointmen
Under everyone’s gaze, Xyla Quest slowly walked up the stage. She went directly over to the standing microphone and stood in front of it, next to Emily Quest. Xyla then picked up the microphone on the computer table and looked at the crowd.“Welcome, everyone, to our blueprint design competition… I’m sure all of you know the rules. I shan’t explain further… Let the selection process begin…” Xyla said.“Sister… Where’s the designer you found? Isn’t she coming?” Emily asked.“That designer is me… Aren’t I here?” Xyla chuckled.Emily seemed horrified and shocked…The crowd went silent.Very soon, everyone began talking amongst themselves.“What’s going on? Does Chief Xyla know how to design blueprints?”“I don’t know… I’ve never heard about it before…”“If she even knows how to do this, she’s really impressive…”When May Conner heard this, she laughed sarcastically and walked over to Jeremy before sitting next to him.Xyla had never learned anything about architectural design.
Emily Quest’s blueprint design was hand-drawn in a 3D format.The arrangement of land around the beach was clearly outlined, and each area was labeled with texts.It was a cartoon-style design.Various cartoon drawings could be seen all over the design. The primary colors were blue and white, and the whole thing looked dreamy, almost as if it was from a fairytale.When Xyla Quest saw Emily’s design, she immediately started smiling coldly.Xyla didn’t think Emily would display the blueprint design Xyla felt least satisfied with.In fact, it was the original drawing…This was no longer plagiarism. Instead, it was direct piracy.Xyla had thrown this design away back then because she found it too ordinary.It didn’t stand out from other regular ocean theme parks.To Xyla’s greater surprise, the audience was actually moved by such a plain blueprint design.While everyone watched, Emily started explaining her design to them. They enjoyed listening to her more and more.Matt Leopo
Now that the crowd had fallen silent, Xyla Quest’s voice became unusually clear.Soon, the expression on everyone’s face changed from a condescending one to one of hope and admiration…With everyone watching, Xyla continued to introduce her design one page at a time confidently. She seemed calm the entire time.In fact, she looked like a fairy standing on a cloud, giving instructions to the rest of the world.Her perfect blueprint design, coupled with her seamless introduction, easily helped the audience to imagine how the palace-inspired ocean theme park would look like in their minds.After her presentation ended, Xyla slowly looked up and smiled at the audience. “I’m done presenting my blueprint design…”Suddenly, everyone in the crowd started clapping loudly…“D*mn… Isn’t our Chief Xyla too amazing?”“This looks way more high-class than the cartoon design!”“Did she really only study design for half a year? Is she a prodigy?”There was a sudden change in the employees’ at
Xyla quickly reached for Hannah’s hand. “Is that right? Hannah, you’re amazing…! You’re practically on par with Leon!”Hannah laughed, slightly embarrassed. “Not at all.”“Oh, cut it out. If you hadn’t helped me, how could I have improved so quickly?” Leon chuckled.“I guess I’ve lived up to my promise.” Hannah giggled along.Back then, she had promised Leon that she would become someone deserving of him.She claimed that she would grow with Leon.Without a doubt, she had done it.Now, Hannah had become a successful woman many would often speak of. She earned her rightful seat next to Leon as the CEO of Dragon Group.Stanley also turned to look at Hannah. “Yes, Hannah’s very capable. She’s our family pride.”Hannah laughed. “I was lucky to be accepted by your family.”In fact, Hannah genuinely felt grateful toward the Batton family over the years she had spent with them.They had helped her through all the hardship she encountered when she was poor and down on her luck.Aft
“Hannah, I’ve taken the first step for you. Are you willing to walk by my side for the rest of our lives?” Leon asked, serious.“Yes, I am…” Hannah answered without missing a beat.“I’ll protect you. From now on, you don’t have to worry about a single thing.” With that, Leon placed both hands on Hannah’s face and kissed her on the lips.The moment their lips touched, everything felt surreal…Hannah could feel pink, light bubbles floating all around her. It felt as if all the flowers in the world were blossoming at once.In Hannah’s dark, depressing life, Leon was her only salvation.He was a ray of hope that led her out of hell, so she could see light once more.Hannah thought she would never have anything to do with Leon after she quit school.Even until now, she still remembered how sorrowful she was on her last day of school.But now… Not only did she get the opportunity to interact with him once more, but they also became a couple.Their driver sighed to himself while
Over time, Leon’s feelings for Hannah grew deeper, stronger, and more intense.He had grown used to having her with him all the time.Thus, he hoped she would stay by his side for the rest of his life.Upon hearing his words, Hannah’s mind went blank.What did her dream guy just say?Was she dreaming?Hannah quickly pinched her palm at the thought in an attempt to discern between dream and reality.Her palm hurt. That meant this wasn’t a dream. It was real!Hannah felt even more dumbfounded…This meant Leon actually liked her! He was confessing to her, wasn’t he?Did her dream guy actually reciprocate her feelings?Never in her wildest dreams did Hannah imagine she would go through such an experience.Excitement jammed her mind, so much that she was rendered speechless. There were many things she wanted to say, and yet, she couldn’t utter a single word.Her heartbeat increased rapidly, and her entire body began to shake. Sensing her trembling body, Leon tightened his e
Immediately after, the men in black pulled out guns from their pockets, which they aimed at Raymond’s head.Raymond panicked instantly, going pale.He subconsciously retreated a step back. “Who are you? Don’t you know what you’re doing is illegal?”Leon sneered. “You don’t deserve to know my name. In this city, I am the law.”Leon’s domineering words made him seem even more imposing.At this moment, Hannah felt as if he was a guardian angel sent from Heaven to protect her.Something about him seemed oddly sacred and heavenly.“Mr. Batton, do I shoot him in the head?” One of the men dressed in black asked.“Mr. Batton? Are you Stanley Batton’s son?!” Fear was beginning to spread through Raymond. For one to have Batton as his surname and act this arrogantly in Atlantis, he could be none other than a member of the renowned Batton family.“How dare you address our president by name?!” Another man in black leveled Raymond with a chilling glare.Suffice to say, Raymond was terrif
Terrible pain ached at every part of Hannah’s body as she collided with the cold, hard ground.The pain was such that all her bones felt close to breaking. Everywhere hurt badly.At that moment, Hannah felt like a fragile doll made of clay that had been forcefully slammed hard against the ground until it broke into small pieces.Her mind went blank from the stinging agony.She braced herself and looked at the cold eyes staring back at her, filled with terror. Stammering, she asked, “Mr. Gray… What is the meaning of this?” “What’s the meaning of this? Ha! Don’t you know what’s good for you? You dumb b*tch… You’re lucky that I set my sights on you!”“How dare you refuse my feelings! Not just that, but you even made up a story to deceive me!”“Even when you saw me, you tried to trick me again!”“Do you think I’m stupid? That I can’t think? Do you honestly think I’d fall for your lies again and again?” Raymond went, his tone steadily rising into a furious roar.He then got on o
Although the sun had long sunk beneath the horizons and darkness had set in, the lively city wasn’t about to be silent anytime soon. Hannah felt deeply unsettled, so much that she didn’t leave right away.Instead, she waited in front of the bar, filled with hesitance and anxiety.Should she really leave?Would Rihanna truly be able to sort things out?The man was Raymond Gray… Neither Rihanna nor the bar could afford to upset him, lest they face terrible repercussions.Hannah remained standing on the same spot, uncertain. She really didn’t know what to do.Finally, she came to a decision. She took out her phone and tapped open a ride-hailing application on her phone.Yet just as she did that, she instantly closed it. Afterwards, she began pacing back and forth in worried circles, going to and fro aimlessly. Right as she was trapped in her worried musings, a group of people exited the bar. Raymond Gray, dressed in black, sporty attire, led all of them in a flamboyant manner.
A handsome waiter quickly walked in and looked at Rihanna. “Ms. Jensen, Mr. Gray out there insists that Hannah should get on stage to sing another song. I told him that Hannah would only sing three songs today…”“He lost his temper and claimed he’d destroy our bar if Hannah refuses to sing another song…” The waiter added. He was visibly trembling by the end of the sentence.Hannah figured Mr. Gray was probably the only son of the new mayor of Atlantis there weren’t many people with Gray as their surname in Atlantis. There were even less people who were arrogant like him. He was the only one.Hannah had heard about how terrible this person could be. He was known to be a womanizer too.Due to his powerful background, he looked down on everyone else. He didn’t respect women at all… Moreover, he had a relatively cruel personality. One could almost describe him as being a pervert.There was once when an owner of a bar offended a female internet celebrity he was dating. He directly hired
Hannah Roland smiled politely at Lina Cohen. “Nice to meet you… Thank you in advance!”“No problem… Do let me know if there’s anything you don’t like about your makeup too,” Lina said.Hannah nodded. “Okay, sure…”“By the way… Do all the signers here get such good treatment? I’m surprised we’re even assigned our own makeup artists,” Hannah asked carefully as she wasn’t aware about things like these..However, Lina smiled without answering Hannah’s question directly. She held Hannah’s hand casually the next second, “Come here. I’ll start doing your makeup now…”Hannah nodded…Lina was a very professional makeup artist. She took an hour to finish Hannah’s makeup.An hour later, Hannah’s appearance transformed completely.Lina permed Hannah’s long, black hair into natural-looking curls.Hannah had intricate peach-colored makeup on her face which made her appear lively and youthful.Once Lina was done with Hannah’s makeup, she happily retrieved a long, white dress from a clothes
Hannah Roland smiled without saying anything.***Hannah arrived at the bar where she worked at seven o’clock the next evening and walked into Rihanna Jensen’s office.Rihanna was going through paperwork in her office. When she saw Hannah, she immediately stood up and smiled at her. “Hannah, you’re here…”“Here’s the contract…” Rihanna said before pushing a thick stack of paper to the center of the table.Hannah quickly stepped forward and skimmed through the document. She then picked up a pen and signed it…Rihanna smiled upon seeing this. “Okay… I’ll transfer the money into your account tonight… I’ve told our big boss about your situation. He’s fine with my decision to pay your salary in advance. In fact, he even told me I did a good job…”“He said you can sing without worrying about a single thing… If you need any help in the future, do let us know…” Rihanna added.Hannah felt glad when she heard this, and became teary-eyed. “Thank you… Please thank our big boss for me too.