"Sure!" Angeline nodded. "Jamie, you and Mr. Powell can have lunch at the restaurant. I'll have Lenny accompany me. Pick me up at the hotel later," Angeline instructed Taylor and Jamie. "O-Okay!" Taylor replied, his gaze still fixed on Sean. Sean held Taylor's gaze, a steely calm settling over his features. Angeline and Sean settled at the hotel's open-air café, with Lenny stationed nearby, his eyes trained on Sean.Angeline sipped her coffee and asked, "Are Dexter's people tailing you?""Our photos are likely already with Dexter." Sean slid a document folder across the table to Angeline. "Assuming everything goes according to plan, Dexter should be reaching out to Lawson Global any minute now. If he inquires, tell him I've proposed a partnership with you.""Understood," Angeline said. "Are you having your lunch in the hotel?" "How about we revisit the restaurant we went to during our first time in Dmont? I've already made a reservation. We should arrive just in time," Sea
According to reports from the media in Keman, as part of Melissa's wedding gifts, Shane had already secured the majority of Trustworth Group's shares.At Dexter's birthday banquet, following the legal and financial settlement, Shane smoothly secured the position of Kingston Empire's chairman and also took on the CEO role.However, Dexter had been managing Kingston Empire for many years, displaying considerable influence and a solid foundation. Instead of leaving Kingston Empire outright, he stayed on as a member of the board of directors.That explained why Shane sought to collaborate with Angeline.Because of Sean's death, Lawson Global was at odds with Dexter. The enemy's enemy was a friend. Both parties could work together against their common enemy. Given Lawson Global's considerable influence, it was understandable why Shane wanted to collaborate. "Microchips!" Taylor saw through the crux. "Shane probably approaches Ms. Lawson with microchips as the basis for negotiating ter
"It's okay. You don't have to worry," Sean reassured Melissa.There was a pause on the other end of the line before Melissa asked, "Does that adopted daughter of the Lawson family also know your true identity?""Melissa, since you're in Dmont, just enjoy yourself. Don't worry too much about other things. I have everything under control," Sean replied."Don't you see? The more people who know your identity, the more danger you're in. Shane... I'm really worried about you," Melissa said.Sean rubbed his forehead and signaled Sebastian to pull over to the side.After Sebastian got out of the car, Sean explained, "Lawson Global tagged Kingston Empire on their official Twitter account, so I had to come and discuss cooperation with them. It's the right thing to do! However, I can't approach Mr. Lawson Senior. First, Mr. Lawson Senior has already handed over Lawson Global to Angeline. Second, I was raised by Mr. Lawson Senior. He would see through my identity!"After a brief pause, he c
"You may leave first!" Melissa told the bodyguard.In the documents, Angeline was revealed to be a relative of the "Sean" replaced by Shane. Sean had been particularly attentive to Angeline ever since she was adopted by the chairman of Lawson Global. Back then, when Angeline was in a relationship with the son of Fletcher Corporation from Oceanford, Sean even supported the corporation.Following Angeline's marriage to the only son of the Fletcher family, she was involved in a car accident and was left in a vegetative state. Almost every week, Shane would pretend to be Sean and visit her. Melissa furrowed her brows. She felt an unexpected sense of unease. Let alone the fact that Angeline was merely a relative of the person Shane replaced; even if she was indeed Shane's relative, he treated her way too well.Melissa gripped the documents tightly. She then pulled out Angeline's photo from the file.As a woman herself, Melissa couldn't help but admit that Angeline was stunningly bea
Taylor felt horrible, too. When Jamie saw this, he clutched the folder tighter and said, "If you ask me, that Mr. Kingston is no match for Mr. Lawson! Mr. Lawson exudes dominance and level-headedness just standing there!"The mere sight of him is enough to tell me that he's capable of doing anything. Mr. Kingston gives me a somewhat flighty vibe; he's not as steady as Mr. Lawson.""Yeah," Taylor said. "I can barely find anything on Mr. Kingston, so I don't know what he's like. I did find some things on Dexter Kingston, though. When the secretariat sends the details on him to us, we can show them to Ms. Lawson so she can go through them."He had always been the type to consider even the smallest of details."Thanks for this," Angeline said.Just then, Jamie's phone rang. Taylor had informed him not to miss out on calls from unknown numbers, so he answered. "Hello, who is this?"The response took him aback. He turned to look at Angeline. "Trustworth Group? Alright… Yes, I'll pass t
Priceless masterpieces Bart had sourced from around the world lined the walls along the corridor. At the end of the corridor, two bodyguards stood guard outside a bulletproof door. Sean was only allowed to enter alone after being searched.Bart was only in his 30s or 40s but was already infamous in Southeast Aciana. He had a vendetta against Wayne—Bart's father used to be the kingpin of Southeast Aciana, but Wayne had killed him and destroyed everything.Bart had escaped under his father's subordinates' protection and returned after many years to take back what was his. Now, he was just about powerful enough to face off against Wayne.But no one who could succeed in this line of work was a pushover. It wouldn't be easy for Wayne to take Bart down, but it was equally tough for Bart to kill Wayne.It was under such circumstances that Sean had contacted Bart. His experiences in life were similar to Bart's, so naturally, Bart was more than willing to work with Sean. Of course, this was
Bart gave Sean an OK. "Just so you know, I have this thing where I only trust my instinct. That's why I have to see all my business partners at least once. I'll work with them if my instinct tells me they're worth it. And if my instinct says it's a bad idea…"He licked his lips and bared his teeth. "I'll send whoever it is to hell."Sean raised an eyebrow at that."Now, my instinct is telling me that when it comes to Wayne Pennington…" Bart sat on the coffee table and leaned back with one hand propping himself up. He lifted his wine glass in Sean's direction with the other. "We'll work together perfectly!"He downed his wine.Sean turned to open the door. Just then, Bart continued, "It's just like how Brayden and I worked together perfectly."He opened another bottle of wine and poured some into his wine glass."I want you to remember something." Sean turned to give him a warning look. "Brayden doesn't do drugs."Bart held his hands up in surrender. "Of course. I'm not referrin
"Don't move!" Lenny stopped Taylor. He saw that the man leaning against the car had a gun behind his waist.The tattooed man, Ivan, knocked on Lenny's window. He lowered it a little. Ivan said, "Our car broke down; we're still waiting for a tow truck. The road's too narrow for your car to pass, so you should turn back and take another road."There are barely any cars that go this way, so you won't have to worry about someone being in your way."Lenny nodded. "Alright, then."Angeline also caught sight of the gun behind Bart's waist. She didn't know whether it was real, but it was better to be safe than sorry. They weren't in Lonla, after all. Things weren't as safe here."Hold it!" Bart threw his cigarette onto the ground, stubbing it out before approaching them. Despite the window only being lowered a crack, he still saw Angeline's bright eyes staring at him from behind the driver's seat. Her face was so beautiful it was unforgettable.Lenny tensed. He immediately put the car in
As soon as the words were out of Angeline's mouth, the sound of lounge slippers padding across the floor rang out. Yasmine ignored the shock on Ned's face and turned to reach for Sean. "Hold me, Daddy!"Sean smiled and lifted her into his arms. Then, he stood beside Angeline and looked at Ned imperiously. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Fletcher. I'm Shane Kingston. Thank you for pushing Angie away in the past—it led to my relationship with her."Ned knew precisely who "Shane" was. Just a few days ago, he'd seen the news about Melissa's press conference explaining her relationship with "Shane".His mind buzzed. He knew Sean and Shane looked similar enough for Dexter's men to have gotten the wrong person. However, he hadn't expected "Shane" to have anything to do with Angeline!"You… Are you the kids' father?" Ned's voice was incredibly shaky."Yes, and again, thank you for that!" Sean smiled. "We've never told anyone about this because I didn't want to endanger Angie and the kids.
Sean didn't give Angeline the chance to finish. "You were right to bring this up to me!"He wrapped his arms around her from behind and continued, "You and the kids will always be my main priority. I know I said I want Melissa to remain safe and happy under my watch, but my feelings for her are purely familial love."She's family to me, and I must care for her. But you and the kids mean more to me than anything else in the world, including her."His honesty made Angeline feel slightly more at ease. She said, "Those are your words, not mine…""I swear on my life that I mean every word." He pressed a kiss to her head. "Can I stay here tonight? I want to sleep with you and the kids. Also, I came from Brayden's place upstairs, so no one will know I'm here.""Granddad made it clear that if anyone finds out about this, he won't allow the kids to see you anymore.""Got it. Don't worry about a thing. Mr. Lawson Senior raised me, and I owe him for that. I won't put him in a tough
Angeline nodded without saying anything. Once Nathaniel was gone, she received a call from Sean."Now that everything has been taken care of, I want to give you a gift," he said, the smile in his tone evident. "Can you have the kids spend Friday night at Grand Court Residences? I want to show all three of you my gift on Saturday."He missed Yasmine and Xavier terribly. Before resolving the issue with Melissa, he hadn't dared to say he wanted to see them. Even if Angeline were okay with it, Robert probably would've objected to his wishes. Now that the dust had settled, he couldn't wait to see them."I don't call the shots regarding the kids now. I'll have to ask Granddad," Angeline said."I'll talk to him about it." Sean was worried Robert would take his anger out on her. "This all started because I insisted on being with you, so I'll handle it. I'll visit Mr. Lawson Senior later today."Angeline didn't know how Sean's conversation with Robert went, but Robert had Asher drop
That night, Melissa called Sean. "Shane, let's publicly announce our divorce. We can tell everyone that we only got married on paper so the Lane family could offer you its protection."Tell them that Dexter repeatedly tried to harm you so he could take the Kingston family fortune, and tell them how he tried to snatch you from the Lane family so he could secretly deal with you."She paused, then continued, "Now that Dexter's in prison, we can get a divorce, and Lori can adopt me as her daughter. We'll become cousins, and we'll still be a family.""Melissa…"Sean was surprised. He didn't expect her to see the light in such a short time."Since you don't have any feelings for me and won't ever make me your wife, I'll settle to be Lori's daughter. That way, you'll always be my family!" Tears streamed down Melissa's face as she spoke. "I adore Lori and want to be her daughter.""Alright," Sean said."Can you head to Keman with me, then? We can visit Dad together before getting
Melissa stared at Lori, who chuckled gently. "It's alright. There's no need to rush into anything. Take your time to think about it. Get good rest for a few days, then go shopping with me. We can buy some clothes to keep up with the changing seasons."I heard from Brayden and Sean that you're the expert in fashion and dressing up. I've always wanted a daughter who could shop, exercise, travel, café hop, and go on spa days with me."She paused and continued, "I didn't get to do any of this with you because you weren't in the best state before this. Now, though, you're all better. You're back to normal, and you've regained your memories!""I'd love that!" Melissa said without hesitation. She'd only done these things with her mother and Emelia in her dreams, but that was all they were—dreams. She was delighted now that Lori was back and willing to make her dreams come true.Sean sat on the couch and sipped his coffee. He knew Lori was doing everything she could to make his life ea
Melissa nodded. Sean said, "I know you have no company management experience. Mr. Lane might have entrusted Trustworth Group to me, but it's still yours. Before you find someone to take over, my plan for the company is still to move its focus back to Lonla."The global situation isn't the best now, and Lonla is the safest place for expansion. That's why the company's focus has to return to Lonla—""You can hand the company over to Brayden," Melissa interrupted. "The only people in this world I trust are you, Dad, and Brayden. Now that Dad's in prison and you don't want me anymore, Brayden is all I have left.""I'm still your kin, Melissa. I won't kick you to the curb and leave you to die. Nevertheless, Trustworth Group is yours. You can have whoever you want to manage it. Brayden is capable of that." Sean looked at Brayden. "What do you think? Are you willing to take over Trustworth Group?""I'll do it as long as Melissa is okay with it!" Brayden nodded. He turned to look
"That's not it! I've always been willing to care for you, and I'm more than willing to care for you in the future! It's not something that I'm forced to do…" Brayden feared his words would inadvertently hurt Melissa, so he decided not to continue in that vein.He said, "C'mon, you should head downstairs to eat something. You've already slept the day away.""I don't want to eat!" Melissa lay down again and pulled the sheets around herself. She said dully, "I want to sleep for a bit longer. Shut the door on your way out."Seeing that she'd already shut her eyes and started weeping, Brayden said softly, "I'll have the kitchen keep the food warm for you. Remember to call me when you wake up, okay? I'll be right downstairs!""Okay." Brayden left the room after hearing Melissa's muffled reply. He shut the door behind him.Melissa remained upstairs. She didn't head downstairs, even when Sean returned. Sean had already spoken to Angeline on the phone and told her he wouldn't meet
Melissa slept in her room and only woke up at night. She removed her headphones and opened her red, swollen eyes. She stared dazedly at the night sky, only returning to her senses when her headphones fell out of her hands.Brayden, who'd been waiting outside this whole time, heard them fall to the floor and hurried into the room. He saw Melissa sitting cross-legged on the bed. She propped herself on one arm while leaning down to pick up the headphones.He hurried forward and picked them up for her, then remained on one knee by the bed. He looked up at her and said, "You slept for ages, Melissa. Do you want to have anything to eat? I got all your favorites, and there are different cuisines. I also got your favorite fruits and snacks!"He'd already had the maids throw out the food he'd bought at noon. Then, he'd had his subordinate buy a fresh batch.Melissa turned to look at him dazedly. She said hoarsely, "Brayden…""I'm here," he said. "C'mon, should we get something to eat
Melissa knew Sean well. So, it was impossible for her not to know if he was being serious. Sean was indeed threatening her, and he was using his life to do it. That way, she wouldn't dare to harm Angeline for fear of hurting him.She loved Sean so much that she could give up her life for him. She wondered why he was treating her that way. He knew she wouldn't allow even the slightest possibility of her threatening his safety.Just then, Sean received a call from Brayden. He said, "...Yeah, I've already picked Melissa up. We're heading to Southstream Manor now… Yeah, you can head over there. Buy some food on your way—Melissa probably hasn't eaten anything yet. She should be hungry."At his words, Melissa couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She covered her face and started sobbing. She'd spent her whole life dreaming of becoming Sean's wife, but he was now in love with someone else and no longer wanted her.Yet, she couldn't do anything about the situation, or she'd be hurting