"You're saying that Charles only came to me with a business deal because he's trying to get close to me?" Hazel stared at Xander, her gaze unblinking.
Xander wasn’t sure how to respond—he didn’t want to make things awkward, but it was hard to avoid the implication.
He could tell Hazel wasn’t quite seeing things the way he did. It wasn’t just business, he thought; there was something else behind it.
"Honestly, I used to think the same thing," she continued. "But then I realized, he never actually said anything like ‘if we work together, you have to marry me.’ So, why not agree to the deal? I’m just giving him the chance to be around me. Whether or not he can make something out of that, that’s not my concern."
Hazel had known all along that what Charles really wanted was a chance, not her hand in marriage.
Xander finally nodded. "I get it now. I was worried about you not seeing through him. Looks like I was wrong."
He had watched Hazel grow in
Although he didn’t want to admit it, Damon found himself once again intimidated by Chrissy’s confident demeanor. He raised his head slightly and looked at Chrissy, a trace of foolishness in his eyes. After a pause, he asked, "So, Hazel actually has feelings for me?" Chrissy nodded vigorously. "Of course! Didn’t you hear everything I just said?" "So, what should I do now? Hazel is out having dinner with Charles. Whether it’s for work or not, I can’t just do nothing, right?" Under Chrissy's influence, Damon had already begun to trust her unconditionally. He didn’t even realize it, but all his hopes were now riding on her. Chrissy stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, tapping her chin thoughtfully. After a while, when Damon wasn’t paying attention, she pulled out a small notebook from her bag and glanced through it. "Chase her! Go all in and pursue her passionately! That’s the most important thing you should be doing right now!" "How do I chase
Playing with drones in the city required reporting in advance, and she had heard the procedures were pretty troublesome.But since Damon was involved, those formalities were definitely handled beforehand. Hazel only said this to get rid of them.She slammed the phone down, and when she saw the drones outside again, she felt even more irritated.She immediately drew the curtains and turned on the lights, shutting herself in the office, pretending to read files—though she wasn’t really focused.Downstairs, Damon called her phone repeatedly, but it was still turned off. Just as he was about to head upstairs, a security guard approached him."Mr. Price, please bring down the drones. Ms. Queen said that if you don’t leave, she’ll call the police."The security guard did his best to keep his tone respectful, afraid of offending this powerful man in front of him.Although he worked for Queen's company, offending Damon could cost him his job.
"No way, I feel like there's a big difference between Damon now and when he was a kid. He actually talks to me now." Agatha scoffed. "It's because he's been dealing with people and business all these years. After interacting with so many people, if he were still the same as before, the Price Corp would've collapsed by now. Speaking of which, Demian's personality was always more lively. When he was young..." Before she could finish, Agatha stopped herself. She wasn’t sure when it started, but she found herself occasionally mentioning Demian's name. At first, after the incident, Demian's name was a taboo subject for her. Time truly was a strange thing—it could dull even the pain of losing a child. "Auntie, how about we go to the garden? The flowers you planted seem to have bloomed, and they look pretty good." Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Chrissy quickly changed the subject and helped Agatha walk outside. "By the way, my boyfriend said he’l
Hazel thought for a moment, then waved her hand dismissively. "Alright, I’m not mad at you. Just don't do it again. It’s so late already, you should go back now."With that, Hazel turned to leave, but Chrissy grabbed her wrist."Hazel, you really don't like Damon that way? But the girls in those idol dramas always like guys like that. Even though no one has ever treated me like that, I thought about it, and I think I’d like it too. After all, I really like those male leads."Chrissy didn't understand why, after all her studying of romance tactics, Hazel didn’t like them. She was completely swept up in those dramas herself.Hazel gently pulled away Chrissy's hand, not liking being touched by strangers."Because I'm not a child anymore, and I'm a selfish person. The person I love most in this world is definitely myself."After saying this, Hazel turned and left. Damon and Chrissy didn’t follow. It wasn’t until Hazel had
Realizing that she was comparing Damon and Charles in her mind, Hazel almost had a mental breakdown. Why was she thinking about Damon at a time like this? Didn’t she clearly dislike his actions from the previous period? Any normal person would feel that Charles’s approach was more comfortable, right? Shaking her head, Hazel quickly discarded those thoughts from her mind. "Thanking you is unnecessary, as long as I don’t offend you, Ms. Queen, I hope you can give me the opportunity to pursue you. I’m definitely more reliable than most men." This wasn’t untrue, but for someone like Charles, all his thoughts were inevitably focused on work. His attention on matters of the heart was minimal, but Hazel was different. Though she was a workaholic, she also valued her personal life and the importance of rituals. What was the point of earning so much money if she didn’t enjoy life? If it weren’t for Queen Corp being the only memory her parents left in
After Damon nudged Carlos with his elbow, Carlos snapped back to reality. "Sorry, I zoned out for a second. Hello, I'm Carlos." "Hello, I'm Gavin." The two exchanged a friendly handshake, and then Chrissy led Gavin off to chat with the elders. Damon noticed that Carlos' gaze was still fixed on Gavin, his brows furrowed deeply. Without a word, he stood up and yanked Carlos to his feet. "Mom, Dad, I need to handle some work-related matters with Carlos. It’s urgent. You continue entertaining the guests. We'll head upstairs to the study." Carlos, still processing, was pulled upstairs by Damon. Once inside the room, Damon swiftly closed the door behind them, turned around, and looked at Carlos with a questioning expression. "Do you know Gavin? Why were you looking at him like that? Is there something wrong with him?" Although Chrissy could be a bit unreliable, Damon had known her for years. If there was anything truly off about Gavin,
In the corner of the garden, Chrissy pushed Gavin away one last time. When Gavin saw the angry expression on her face, he finally stopped moving closer and instead looked at her with a pitiful gaze. "Chrissy, I didn’t mean it. I just missed you so much and wanted to hug you. If you don’t want to be close to me anymore, I won’t hug you again. Don’t be mad." Seeing Gavin like this, Chrissy’s heart softened immediately. The rigid expression on her face softened as well. "Alright, I’m not angry. Just go inside. We’re staying at Uncle’s house for a few more days anyway. We can go out and buy some gifts later." Since Gavin had come all the way from abroad and went straight to the Price family after arriving in Vernon, it was fine to buy the gifts later—she could make do with it. Gavin’s face lit up with a smile. "I knew you’d be the best. Let’s go shopping tomorrow, and we’ll buy some gifts for Uncle and Aunt." They entered the room together. Chrissy’s
"I know Chrissy's personality; she's too soft-hearted. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have probably been convinced by Gavin in the end," Damon said, casually playing with his phone. He hadn’t figured out the next steps yet, but one thing was clear: he needed to create a scandalous scene for Chrissy to witness herself. Only then would the evidence be truly convincing. "I still want someone to keep an eye on Gavin. I’ll find a way to contact his girlfriends overseas. Give me two days at most, they’ll all be in Country A by then." As long as he could get Gavin’s girlfriends from abroad to come over, exposing him wouldn’t be a problem. Getting them here was easy enough, after all, the Price family had plenty of money. Once the interests were in place, everything else would fall into place. "Actually, I have another idea. You want me to help you pursue Hazel, right? This is a good opportunity." Carlos grinned wickedly as he looked a
Damon and Chrissy had grown up together. Although Damon had never been particularly kind to Chrissy, he had never done anything to hurt her, either.Spending so much time with him, Chrissy knew Damon well. He was the type who acted tough but had a soft heart.Every time she had a problem, Damon would help her like an older brother, always solving things for her.Unlike the brothers at home, who only lectured her—she’d heard enough of that to last a lifetime."Yeah, after she learned about your identity, she really admired you. If you go and comfort her, try to be friends, she’d be so happy."After hearing this from both the old man and Damon, Hazel didn’t think much of it. She followed Damon upstairs to find Chrissy’s room.Damon knocked on the door first. "Chrissy, Hazel’s here to see you. She wants to take you shopping. Are you going?"There was a brief silence in the air, then some sounds came from inside. Less than half a minute l
Next to her, Sheila couldn’t stop marveling at the exquisite design sketches, her eyes glowing with admiration.When the last sketch came out, Hazel finally widened her eyes. On the video displayed on stage, it was the original design sketch for her mother’s villa.And the notes written on it were also in her mother’s handwriting.Just moments ago, Mr. Sullivan had said that these sketches were all approved by the designer themselves, but how did he manage to get her mother’s permission to expose the sketches to so many people?After the lecture, Hazel and Sheila squeezed their way backstage, pushing past the bodyguards to barge in.Seeing that Mr. Sullivan was about to leave with the bodyguards escorting him, Hazel quickly shouted.“Mr. Sullivan, I’m Novaria’s daughter. I came today to ask you how you got my mother’s permission to release her design!”Not only had everyone attending the lecture seen Novaria’s sketch, but everyone fol
At first, Chrissy hadn’t noticed, but now she realized just how skilled Gavin was at coming up with excuses.Even after all this, he was still trying to make excuses for himself. Did he really think she was a fool? That she would believe anything he said?"Or is it that you can’t even take it out? You’ve been with me just for my money and body, haven’t you? Now that you’ve had your fun, why are you still struggling? During our relationship, you haven’t lost out."She was right—if Chrissy didn’t reclaim the money from their relationship, Gavin had already made a fortune.If he hadn’t squandered the money and wasn’t so vain, those funds could have sustained him for the rest of his life.“Damon, let those ladies in.”Gavin's mind tightened, an ominous premonition rushing to his head. He wanted to stop it, but he could only stand there and watch the door, hoping the people coming in weren’t the ones he dreaded seeing.But as expected, he
Parents who dote on their children will always support them as long as they don't make a major mistake. Chrissy had been blinded by Gavin, and now she couldn’t even see such a simple truth. “I brought them back to confront Gavin face to face, but I was worried you couldn’t handle it, so I thought we’d talk first. Since you’re so strong, let’s go upstairs and confront Gavin together.” Chrissy looked up at Damon, a hint of resistance in her eyes. She wasn’t strong at all, and she wasn’t ready to accept this so easily. It was all forced. She nodded and followed Damon upstairs with the three women. Chrissy was a relatively traditional girl, so in the Price family, her room was far away from Gavin’s. One was at the far end of the second floor corridor, and the other was at the opposite end. Gavin’s room was close to the stairs, and as soon as Damon reached the second floor, he could faintly hear some sounds coming from inside Gavin’s room.
Damon had already discussed this matter with Grandpa Mark, so Grandpa Mark was not surprised by his actions now. However, the thought that he had just resolved one issue with Agatha and now had to deal with Gavin left him feeling uneasy."Chrissy, you and Damon go to the tea room downstairs. He has something to tell you. Whatever he says, you’re an adult now, so you must stay calm."Damon, who wasn’t sure how to begin, was relieved that Grandpa Mark had taken care of the arrangement for him.Chrissy’s bad feeling only grew stronger, but she still did as Grandpa Mark had said.Damon instructed the housekeeper to take the three women to a more secluded spot before leading Chrissy to Grandpa Mark's tea room."Damon, what’s going on? Why is it so mysterious? Just tell me, otherwise, I’ll never feel at ease," Chrissy started questioning as soon as they entered the tea room. Damon took a deep breath before finally speaking."Chri
The private room wasn’t small, but the table was relatively small, likely a special arrangement by the restaurant. After all, since the restaurant prioritized confidentiality, it needed to ensure that guests felt safe while dining there. The small table set up this way was designed so that guests wouldn’t feel like their private conversations could be overheard. "Hazel, I’ve already ordered the dishes in advance, all of them are your and Grandpa Omar’s favorites, and I’ve included some snacks that’s suitable for breakfast. I’ll have the server bring it in right away." After saying that, Damon pressed the button in front of him. Within a few seconds, the door opened, and a server entered, respectfully looking at Damon. "Mr. Price, may I serve the dishes?" Damon nodded slightly, and the server bowed and left the room. Soon, a series of dishes were brought into the room by a line of servers. The dishes were abundant, and they looked as good as th
No matter how you look at it, Hazel was the one who suffered the most from this incident, both mentally and physically.By the time Damon arrived at Hazel’s house, it was already past eight in the evening. Hazel had taken her medicine and was ready to rest, but when she heard that Damon had come to visit, she still went downstairs to greet him."Hazel, thank you. I know it must have been you who called Grandpa Omar and changed his mind. I need to sincerely apologize to you for the things my mother did.""Since it’s already so late, I’ve rescheduled the dinner to tomorrow morning. After my mom apologizes to you, she’ll head straight to the airport for a flight at 2 p.m."The press conference that was supposed to take place tomorrow morning had been canceled, saving them a lot of trouble."You don’t need to thank me. I just didn’t want my private matters to be exposed to the public. It has nothing to do with your family. Also, if your mother’s apolog
"Mark, I need to make it clear. If her attitude improves, she can return after ten years. But if she remains the same, she’ll stay abroad indefinitely."Before coming to the Price family, Omar had first gone to the company to have an agreement drafted, detailing how this matter would be handled.He took out two identical copies of the agreement and handed one to Mark."Look, we’re not getting any younger. Who knows when we’ll be gone?"“To ensure Hazel doesn’t get into trouble, I’ve drafted this agreement in advance. Both of us will sign it on behalf of the Price Corp and Omar Corp.”Even if Omar didn’t bring it up, Mark was already preparing this agreement.Agatha living abroad with Jamal might not be a bad thing for the Price family.Seeing Jamal’s attitude toward Agatha, it was impossible to expel her from the Price family. For the sake of the family’s future, it was necessary for Agatha to reform.During her time abroad, it
When the organizers announced the postponement, there was nothing anyone could do but return to their work.Fortunately, the tickets were still valid. The organizers assured them that the same tickets would be honored for the rescheduled event.Calculating the time, it seemed like the lecture would be in two days.Hazel answered the phone, and Sheila’s loud voice immediately came through.“Hazel, are you okay?! I just heard you were injured! I was going to visit you at the hospital, but I found out you’ve been discharged. Where are you? I’ll come right over!”Hazel paused for a moment. “I’m at the villa. You don’t have to—”Before she could finish, the call was abruptly disconnected. Hazel looked at her phone, already knowing that Sheila was definitely on her way.She had wanted to tell Sheila not to come today since they would meet in two days anyway, and Sheila was so busy with work. There was no need for her to make an extra trip.