Luke finished reviewing the receipts and casually handed them to me.I took them, quickly skimmed through, and put them away.A bottle of wine for 23,000? Neil's audacity was astounding!By now, Neil had arrived at the company. Learning from staff that Luke was here, he rushed to the office. "Mr. Walker, why didn't you notify me of your visit?""If I had, would you have been late this morning?"Luke walked to the file cabinet and picked up a Fabergé egg displayed there.The Fabergé egg was in pristine condition and incredibly valuable.Luke held the egg delicately between two fingers, as if it might slip at any moment. Neil's heart leapt to his throat.He reached out to take it, but Luke looked up, and Neil awkwardly withdrew his hand. "I received an important call on my way to work, which delayed me a bit."Neil showed no remorse for being late, as if it were a trivial matter."What important call could demand so much of your attention, Mr. Thornton?""With our new product
Neil didn't believe Luke's claims. He looked at the financial director and tried to shift blame, saying, "Mr. Henderson made several errors in the last financial report. I reprimanded him severely. He must have forged these receipts to frame me out of revenge.""Mr. Thornton, lies can't become truth, and truth can't become lies. If you think I'm framing you, we can have the police come and investigate," Henderson replied calmly.Upon Luke's silent signal, I took out my phone, prepared to call the police.Witnessing Luke's determination to thoroughly investigate, Neil finally grasped the seriousness of the situation. He hurriedly said, "Mr. Walker, Felfast just launched a new car model, and their stock price is soaring. If negative news about Hanque comes out now, it will surely affect our company."While Felfast was being praised, Hanque, their competitor, was being ridiculed. Many online users were claiming that Hanque was on its last legs, lacking the capital to compete against F
"Thank you for your hard work these past six months," Luke said, expressing his satisfaction with William Henderson's performance."I've simply been following your instructions, Mr. Walker," William replied respectfully. "As you predicted, Mr. Thornton's appetite became insatiable once I loosened the reins a bit."Luke had intentionally given Neil Thornton the opportunity to make mistakes and expose his weaknesses. He took a sip of coffee from the cup on his desk. "He thought his ties with the Walkers meant I couldn't touch him.""He was wrong. You're the real decision-maker at Hanque, Mr. Walker!" William's insight far surpassed Neil's."I have no patience for disloyalty," Luke stated."Rest assured, Mr. Walker, my loyalty to you is unwavering.""I trust you. You may go now."William acknowledged and left.Only Luke and I remained in the office. I informed the company's PR department that Neil had been taken by the police and instructed them to prepare a response.After hangi
"Are they experts at turning the tables?" I asked.Many parents believe that younger generations must unquestioningly obey their elders, or risk being labeled as disrespectful and unfilial.This thought made me miss my own parents. To me, they were the best in the world, never forcing or pressuring me.Feeling a pang of sadness, I blinked rapidly to hold back the tears that threatened to form."They're skilled, and so am I. Would you like to test me?" Luke replied.I quickly shook my head. "Mr. Walker, you've always been logical and well-reasoned. I'm sure you could hold your own in any debate."I guessed this was how Luke had honed his sharp tongue.With this new understanding of Luke's parents, I felt even less inclined to interact with Mrs. Walker.Luke worked efficiently. He had the legal department send formal notices to the employees who were on the payroll but did no actual work. Those who showed up late, left early, and accomplished nothing were fired.Some protested,
"Now that you're Luke's assistant, do you think you're too important to pay attention to where you're walking?" Joey asked, clearly annoyed. She grabbed the design sketch from my hand and put it back in her folder."Your design is really unique," I commented."Your background has nothing to do with this type of design. As an amateur, you shouldn't pretend to be an expert and make random comments!" Joey snapped. She looked at the time, realizing she had an appointment to keep. She brushed off where I had bumped into her and turned to leave.While talking to Joey, I had been carefully studying her expressions. The design sketch was the same one IQ had sent to my work email – Luke's assistant's email. Joey knew I was Luke's assistant. If she were IQ, her reaction to me seeing the sketch should have been different.Hanque's new car model was progressing smoothly, and we couldn't afford any problems at this critical stage. The sketch in Joey's possession was essentially Hanque's lifelin
Wendy handed me a tissue and asked, "Jen, you've been working with Luke for a while now. How come you still get startled so easily?""Am I easily startled, or are your ideas just too wild?" I grabbed her arm and warned her seriously. "Wendy, don't degrade yourself like that!""I'm just teasing you! Look how worked up you got.""Wendy, some things shouldn't be attempted. No, they shouldn't even be considered!" I said gravely.Wendy gently pinched my cheek. "Alright, I understand!"The dishes Wendy ordered started arriving, filling the room with delicious aromas. I had a great appetite, as I had been busy with work lately and had burned a lot of energy.Wendy placed a freshly peeled shrimp on my plate. "Guess who I bumped into before coming to our room?""Joey?""You saw her too?""I ran into her at the entrance of the restaurant.""Ah, Luke's unrequited love! If we had known we'd run into her here, we should have invited Luke. At least he could have seen his dream girl.""If
"Jen," Penelope's voice came through."Are you settled in safely?" I asked."I've been in Johnsonville all along," Penelope admitted. There was a hint of guilt in her tone for keeping this from me."The most dangerous place can be the safest. Uncle and Aunt won't expect you to still be here."In the past, Penelope used to move to a new city before her aunt and uncle could find her. However, this time, doing the opposite might save us a lot of trouble."Jen, I need to tell you something," Penelope said cautiously.Thinking that she might be in trouble again, I reassured her, "Penelope, I've told you before, if I can help with anything, I will. Don't hesitate to ask.""Jen, I'm sorry. I lied to you. Those design sketches... I sent them to your email using IQ's name.""Penelope, could you repeat that?"Penelope was IQ? I had seen her background - she studied journalism, with no connection to AI or smart technology. Was she some kind of self-taught prodigy?I thought I must have
Luke called, and I answered quickly. I urgently explained, "Mr. Walker, IQ is Joey's brother, Jon Parker. Joey gave his design sketch to Mr. Thomas at Felfast. Mr. Thomas accepted it and promised Joey an exclusive interview about the new car model for First Media."Luke was pleased with Hanque's new model and looked forward to the finished product. He remained calmer than me upon hearing this news.After a moment's thought, he said, "It's better we found out now than after mass production had started.""You're right, Mr. Walker. Felfast just received the sketch, so they'll need some time to develop a new model. If we act quickly, we can still get ahead and launch our model first.""You've already contacted Joey. To avoid trouble, she'll likely inform Mr. Thomas. Felfast has plenty of talent; it's not impossible for them to release a new model before us.""So... all our efforts have been in vain?" I couldn't hide the disappointment in my voice."Not at all," Luke said firmly. "I'l
Due to jet lag, I was already exhausted though it wasn't dark yet.Ian was drooping too, suddenly slumping against me.Worried he'd fall, I quickly steadied him.He glanced at me before contentedly closing his eyes again.He was completely worn out.Mr. Lloyd, who had been chatting with the director, noticed this and quickly wrapped up his conversation to join us.Still half-awake, Ian instinctively held onto my arm when his father reached for him."It's your Dad."At my words, Ian let go.Mr. Lloyd picked him up and strode toward the car, while I gathered Ian's things and followed.On the way back, I offered to drive.Mr. Lloyd was quiet. I turned on the car's music system, and soft music filled the space.Having debuted overseas as a trainee, Mr. Lloyd's fingers unconsciously tapped along to the rhythm on his leg.At a red light, I caught this movement in the rearview mirror.Mr. Lloyd had been an all rounder superstar - consistently among the top three highest-earning
Since Penelope was mid-flight and unreachable, I sent her a message and forwarded Sara's letter."Are you okay, Jen? You seem worried," Ian asked."Just blown away by your amazing performance. I'm still thinking about it."Ian was a natural - his acting could really move people."I might be cocky,” Ian grinned.He looked proud, and I ruffled his hair. "No chance of that."For a four-year-old, he'd shown remarkable composure during the preschool incident.Even after being cleared, he hadn't played the victim. That kind of emotional strength showed real character.A few compliments wouldn't change that.Ian's smile lit up his whole face, showing perfect baby teeth."When do you start filming your scenes?"The director was clearly impressed - Ian's role was locked in."Not sure yet."Ian looked up at his father."Soon," Mr. Lloyd said, clearly proud of Ian's performance. "I'll stay on set with Ian these next few days. Jen, feel free to explore the city. I'll call if we need
Just when they thought they'd found hope, the bad guys caught up with them.During their escape, his best friend fell off a cliff. When Bobby was finally rescued and led them back, they found his friend's body, mangled beyond recognition. He was devastated."I'll start now!"In an instant, Ian transformed. He walked heavily toward a chair, his expression gradually filling with pain.Kneeling beside the chair, he reached out as if to touch "him" but couldn't bring himself to do it. Tears silently rolled down his face.The director checked the script and signaled his assistant to remove the chair, simulating the scene where the friend's body would be placed in a body bag.At this, Ian broke into heart-wrenching sobs.His emotional outburst impressed everyone watching on set.Mr. Lloyd looked proud, and the director, as if discovering a treasure, praised Ian after his performance: "Your acting reminds me of your father in his prime.""If I'm as good as Dad was at my age, imagine
I'd dug my own grave, hadn't I?I swallowed my food, took a sip of water, and kept my head down while eating.Luke pushed the mild seafood soup toward me. "This is less spicy."Stubborn as I was, I ignored him.Luke called the server over, trying to order milder versions of the fish and pork."Don't bother, I love extra spicy food."Even though I needed water after every bite, I was determined to finish what I'd ordered.Seeing my stubbornness, Luke apologized to the server and let her go."Jen...""Don't talk while eating."By now, my soul had practically left my body from the spice. I wasn't in the mood for conversation.My throat felt like it was on fire as I gulped down more water.Luke quietly refilled my empty glass. He'd barely touched his seafood soup, his elegant movements making me feel even more ungraceful.I was suffering from my own spite!I wanted to throw down my chopsticks and leave.No, stay calm!I tried to maintain my composure, fighting the urge to d
Just as I finished speaking, my stomach let out an embarrassing growl."There's an excellent Chinese place around the corner," Luke said."You've been here before?""No.""..." Then how did he know about a good restaurant?Did he research every place this thoroughly?He'd make a perfect travel companion.I later learned he'd researched local restaurants knowing my passion for food.I'd only had water since waking up. The film crew would have finished lunch by now, with no leftovers available. I needed to find something on the way.Being in a bad mood lately, I hadn't researched any local restaurants before coming here.Craving authentic Chinese food, I decided to take Luke's suggestion.It was an upscale Chinese restaurant specializing in spicy cuisine. As soon as we sat down, a cheerful server brought out place settings and started listing their specialties."Our portions are generous. For a couple, I'd recommend one appetizer and a soup to start.""We're not a couple," I
Luke came to search for his birth mother himself?As I looked at him, he noticed me too.I greeted him and was about to get a taxi to the set."If you have time, can you show me where you saw her yesterday?""I... okay."Mr. Lloyd and Ian would be fine - finding Luke's mother was more urgent.After weighing the pros and cons, I agreed.Luke hadn't brought an assistant. I waited outside while he took his luggage to his hotel room, then we walked to where I'd seen his mother yesterday.It wasn't far from the hotel, so we went on foot.Without thinking, I kept about three feet between us.Luke: "Do I look like some kind of monster?"With his model-like features that made you want to break rules just looking at him, how could he possibly look like a monster?I shook my head."Then why are you keeping such a distance?""..." So that's what he meant...Though I'd decided to stay just friends, my heart - already full of him - still skipped beats when we were together.He was t
"If you can't find her, Luke can! Now that he has a general area, he can track her down quickly.""I'll let him know."Mrs. Walker was also searching for her, planning to use her to manipulate Luke. We needed to contact her before Mrs. Walker did.After hanging up with Wendy, I looked at Luke’s number on my phone. Several times I almost called him, but kept backing out.After hesitating, I tried calling Emily, but hung up just before it connected.Although Emily had been open with me, I couldn't be sure if she was genuinely helping Luke.To be safe, I called Luke instead. He answered on the first ring.Luke stayed silent."Mr. Walker, this is Jen.""I wasn't planning to cut you out of my life completely. I kept your number."Me: ...There he went again with his sharp tongue. I almost hung up, but remembering how much he'd helped me, and that I could finally do something for him, I told him about possibly seeing his birth mother near the hotel.After a moment of silence, Luk
"Dad, he's a bad guy!" Ian pointed at the man who was already several yards away.The robber was huge - well over 6'2", wearing a denim vest that showed off his muscular arms. Mr. Lloyd probably couldn't take many punches from him, and we didn't know if he was armed. It wasn't worth the risk.I ruffled Ian's hair. "Let's go get something to eat.""Help! Stop the robber!"A woman was running after him, desperately grabbing passersby for help, out of breath.Following the 'better safe than sorry' principle, no one stepped forward to help.She reached us, and seeing we were Asian, her eyes lit up with hope. "Please help me, I have something very important in my bag."Mr. Lloyd looked down at his arm where she was clutching it. "I'm sorry, we're new here and unfamiliar with the area. We can't help."She let go, disappointed, staring dejectedly in the direction the robber had disappeared.Ian said in his sweet voice, "When you're in trouble, find a police officer."The woman was a
His stern look only made Penelope more nervous.When Director Nolan called "Cut!", she was already drenched in cold sweat.She quickly apologized to the director.Director Nolan watched the playback with a grave expression.As the makeup artist touched up Penelope's makeup, I went to her side and encouraged her: "It gets easier after the first try. You'll do better in the next take.""Jen..." Penelope glanced at the crew members around us. "This is my first time on such a major production.""You'll have many more opportunities like this."One Entertainment had been investing most of its resources in Penelope lately, and with her connection to Jethro, her popularity wasn't waning.One hit was all she needed to skyrocket to stardom."Jen..."Penelope's voice trembled with worry.George was particularly anxious too. "You've done well in other productions. We can't mess up at this crucial moment!"A good performance in Director Nolan's film could lead to future collaborations,