In the evening, Hazel was refining the company’s development plan for the next year when Damon’s call came in.
She didn’t even have to guess—it was probably about Delilah. Without hesitation, she turned off her phone. Out of sight, out of mind.
Less than half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. By this time, the office staff had all gone home, so Hazel assumed it was her assistant, Eddie, coming to see her. She instructed them to come in.
To her surprise, it wasn’t Eddie who entered, but Damon. Since she didn’t take his call, he decided to show up in person. How interesting.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Who else did you expect? Your boyfriend?”
Damon had intended to have a calm conversation with Hazel, but her sharp words immediately provoked him. His patience was quickly worn thin.
“I’m here to ask about the incident online. Don’t worry, I’m not here to make accusations, I just want to understand what happened. If
On the way home, Hazel watched the video Eddie had retrieved from the coffee shop. The footage clearly showed Delilah waiting by the window early in the morning, her every move visible even to the reporters outside.If anyone claimed this wasn’t premeditated, Hazel wouldn’t believe it. If she could get hold of the chat records between Delilah and those reporters, it would be perfect.But honestly, Delilah’s petty tricks weren’t worth such an effort. This video alone was enough to ruin her completely.As the online discussion about Hazel and Delilah reached its peak, the coffee shop video and chat records of Delilah inviting Hazel to meet were leaked.Along with that came audio recordings from their meeting, perfectly synchronized with the video.No one would have guessed that behind Delilah’s pitiful facade in the footage, her words could be so despicable.It wasn’t just about shattering people’s sense of morali
The next day, a little after 11 a.m., Eddie stood at the arrival gate holding a large, garish sign. Hazel, wearing sunglasses and a mask, stood beside him, her face completely concealed.After all, Eddie’s sign was the epitome of humiliation. It screamed, 'Welcome Home, Lord Xander and Lady Sully, Rulers of the Kingdom of Awesome!' in glittery neon pink, complete with a couple of misspelled words and stick figures holding hands under a lopsided rainbow. To top it off, Eddie had drawn a crown on Xander’s head and a tiara on Sully’s—with an unfortunate resemblance to a UFO.The sign was so colorful and childish it looked like something out of a kindergarten art project.Its visibility was unparalleled. Xander and Sully spotted it from afar as soon as they exited. They also saw Hazel, who was trying to act invisible beside it.Eddie spotted them too and excitedly dragged Hazel toward them.“Boss, hurry up! They’re here, but they’re wa
Protected behind Xander, Hazel remained untouchable. But with the media pressing in and the crowd growing larger, it became clear they couldn’t reach the banquet hall at this rate. Realizing this, Hazel pulled Xander’s hand down, stepping forward into full view of the reporters. They hesitated momentarily under her piercing gaze but continued pressing with questions. “Ms. Queen, did you attend Mr. Price and Miss Hasani’s wedding because Miss Hasani invited you personally?” Although the Price family had spent a fortune to suppress the earlier scandal, it had spread widely among the elite. The reporter’s question caught the attention of nearby guests, their curiosity piqued. Realizing their slip-up, the reporter quickly shut their mouth, retreating slightly. Mentioning such a scandal at Damon’s wedding was a sure way to court disaster. “Were you taught to ask these pointless questions, or are you just naturally curious about trivial matters? I’m a single woman
Damon hesitated, glancing between the retreating Hazel and Delilah, who looked frail and pitiful beside him. In the end, he relented and supported Delilah as they turned back toward the banquet hall. “Damon, was that Hazel at the door just now?” Mark’s eyesight no longer sharp, had caught a glimpse of Hazel from afar but wasn’t entirely certain. Upon seeing Damon nod in confirmation, the old man frowned deeply. “If Hazel was here, why didn’t you invite her in?” Delilah, seated beside the patriarch, kept her head down, clutching her belly as if shielding herself. She dared not look up, knowing full well that Grandpa’s fondness for Hazel far surpassed his regard for anyone else in the family. “There weren’t enough seats prepared since we didn’t know she’d bring someone with her.” In truth, seating arrangements had been handled by Agatha, but the suggestion to reserve a seat for Hazel had come from Delilah. No one had expected Hazel to show up at Damon’s w
"Hazel, is this the family that's been taking over your property and villa?" Sully looked at Bailey with disgust, as if seeing trash. Jonah, worried that his daughter might get hit again, quickly stepped in front of Bailey. "Hazel, who is this woman? Does the Queen Corp just let anyone waltz into public spaces like this?" Everyone knew that Jonah’s family had been occupying Hazel's property, but no one had ever dared to say it to their face like Sully just did. "You must be the biggest leech in the Queens, Jonah Queen, right? Sorry, but from today onwards, I'm going to be President Queen’s personal assistant. If you need anything, you can deal with me. President Queen is busy and doesn't have time to mess with small fry like you, but I’m not busy. I can entertain you all day." Sully spoke with a sweet smile, making threats that left Jonah and Bailey stunned, unable to respond for a while. After all, Sully wasn’t just dressing up today. Her sharp suit ma
At the Price family’s old residence, Delilah sat at the dining table, staring bitterly at the bitter medicine in front of her."You can’t drink the medicine in small sips like that. It won’t go down. Just hold your breath and swallow it all at once. Afterward, eat a dried fruit, and it’ll be much easier."The medicine was a tonic prescribed by the Herbalist to improve her health. Agatha only cared about getting Delilah’s body back to full health so that she could give the Price family a healthy baby.It had been three or four months, and Delilah’s stomach was starting to show. Fortunately, this pregnancy seemed to be stable, and Agatha could finally relax.Delilah took a deep breath, furrowing her brow as she swallowed the rest of the medicine in one go, then quickly stuffed a dried fruit in her mouth, finally relaxing her expression."Enough with all these tonics. In my opinion, it’s better to eat more nutritious food instead." Jamal grumbled as h
Delilah was stunned by the scene before her. She wanted to urge Damon not to go, but the words were stuck in her throat, unable to come out. Just as the others were about to leave, Delilah suddenly collapsed onto the floor, holding her stomach. "My stomach! Damon, it hurts so much!" Everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to her. Damon rushed to her side in a single stride, helping her sit on the sofa, while Jamal quickly called for the family doctor. The check-up took half an hour, but the family doctor’s expression didn’t ease; it grew more solemn instead. “I don’t see any immediate problems, and her condition is actually better than a few days ago. However, if Miss Hasani’s stomach is still in severe pain, we should take her to the hospital for a thorough examination.” As the doctor spoke, Damon caught Delilah glancing at him. He immediately realized what was going on. He was no longer as anxious as before, instead, he calmly looked at his father
"Actually, if you're busy, you don't have to come over. I’m fine here, you can just ask Sully to bring the gift over for me." Hazel's tone was half-joking, and it instantly lightened the mood. However, Damon, who had been left standing aside, didn’t look too happy. Sully tugged at Hazel’s sleeve, struggling to hold back a laugh. "Mr. Price, you’re so busy at home, with a pregnant wife too. There’s really no need for you to come all the way here so late." The same words were said to Xander with one tone, but when directed at Damon, the tone was completely different. Damon’s face, which had already been unpleasant, grew darker. Even his fingers, which were holding the envelope, turned white with tension. He had come here to congratulate her with good intentions, and yet she was so ungrateful! And what was the relationship between her and Xander? Damon felt like he was about to lose control. Ever since his divorce from Hazel, his emotions had been more volatile
"What are they talking about so happily? Hazel is even smiling at that Charles?" Damon gritted his teeth, almost wanting to march over and pull Hazel away, but he couldn’t do that. If he showed up in front of Hazel again, she would definitely think he was spying on her. From her reaction last time, it was clear that she really didn’t like being watched. No, nobody likes being watched. "How about you pretend to bump into them and say hi? You guys aren't strangers, it’s normal to greet each other if you run into each other. It’s just like how I bumped into them." Carlos didn’t know about the incident between Damon and Hazel last time, but his suggestion made Damon realize that there was now someone else present, besides himself. When he turned back to look at Carlos, a glint of understanding flashed in his eyes. Before he could speak, Carlos already understood his meaning. Initially intending to refuse, he thought about it and decided against it. Damon’s
No matter what, Queen Corp's future path will only get smoother. At this point, when Queen Corp is still not at its peak, collaborating well with them will only benefit the Whitmans, with no drawbacks. Not only that, but Charles also had some personal motives toward Hazel. At first, he just wanted to oppose Damon, which is why he wanted to get close to Hazel. But for some reason, the more he got to know her, the more he found himself drawn to her, unable to pull away. When he thought about it, if he could marry Hazel, it would be great. Both of them were workaholics, and their two companies could have even deeper cooperation. Once the Whitman and Queen families merged, they could become the most powerful group in Vernon, and even the Price family would be nothing compared to them. But these were just thoughts for now. No matter what, Charles could at least try. Whether it worked out or not didn’t matter—what mattered was that he had tried. "For suc
In the Price Corp building, Kin was reporting to Damon about Delilah’s situation. Since she was already in prison, it was only natural for Kin to make some arrangements. Moreover, Kin had recently uncovered some of Delilah’s past secrets, which made dealing with her even easier. "I’ve taken care of things at the prison, but Delilah keeps shouting, insisting that she wants to see you once. Should we let her?" They already knew most of what needed to be known, and now Delilah wanted to see Damon. It seemed that she regretted telling him everything earlier. If she still had anything Damon didn’t know about, she wouldn’t just be asking to see him. She would have tried to use her secrets to lure him in. Deep down, she must know that Damon would never just visit her for no reason. "Is that all she said, just wanting to see me?" Kin shook his head. "She didn’t say anything else. She was almost out of her mind when she mentioned seeing you. Her mental state doe
After sending the materials to Bailey, Amber quickly left Bailey’s apartment in a rush.Bailey casually glanced at the script before tossing it aside and continuing with her skincare routine, ready to rest...Sully, who often kept an eye on Bailey, was the first to find out about this. Thinking it was time to strike a blow to Bailey, Sully immediately told Hazel."I know you want to overshadow Bailey, but it really irks me to see her rise so easily. Plus, there’s already a rift between Mr. Moore and Jonah. We don’t have to make a direct move, though."Seeing Hazel hesitate, Sully changed her approach.Hazel could tell that if she didn’t let Sully deal with Bailey, it would certainly bother her. Moreover, what Sully said made sense. Mr. Moore was a great opportunity to add pressure to Jonah. They couldn’t just let that go easily."Mr. Moore definitely can’t stand to see Jonah doing well, but aside from making life difficult for him, he doesn’
Of course, Jonah could tell what was going on. After all, Mr. Moore had always looked down on him, and that wasn’t a secret; many of the company’s employees knew it. Whenever Jonah gave orders, the employees had to check with Mr. Moore first before deciding whether to carry them out. It was clear that they had sidelined him. If it weren’t for Adam confirming Jonah’s position as the CEO, those employees would probably be giving him the cold shoulder. "Mr. Moore, I know you look down on me, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. No matter how much you despise me, this position will never be yours." "Since Adam Fleur trusts you so much, you should know what kind of deal I made with him. Even if he hands over all the power to you, so what? I still get paid as the CEO. I don’t have to do anything, but I still get a nice paycheck. That works just fine for me." Back when he was at the Queen family, Jonah had dealt with many such people, and he understood well: for those
Bailey's recent development in the entertainment industry was nothing short of stellar.Since honing her acting skills on the show, Bailey’s path had been smooth sailing.It was also thanks to Amber’s good arrangements. After the show Star To Be ended, Bailey's fame skyrocketed.At first, she was criticized by the entire internet, but later, her strong will and growing maturity earned her a group of loyal fans.These fans began using the excuse that she was the daughter of a noble family to ‘whitewash’ her, and the effect was quite significant.Most importantly, Bailey’s personality had undergone a big change. During her time in the entertainment industry, she transformed from a young lady who only knew how to order people around into a considerate friend who always comforted others.No one could resist such a contrast. Moreover, Bailey had been pampered and raised with that mentality, so it wasn’t entirely her fault that she used t
Damon immediately came to find Hazel as soon as he learned about the situation because he had gotten an idea of where she had gone yesterday from Kin. He had always had people keep an eye on Hazel, something she was aware of, though she didn’t realize just how thoroughly he was watching her. It felt like surveillance, which made her feel very uncomfortable. “How did you know to tell me about this immediately? Even though my parents’ situation might be related to the organization, that’s only a possibility.” It was easy to guess that Damon must have known what happened to her last night. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to notify her about it so quickly. Damon froze for a moment, not knowing how to explain to Hazel that he had been keeping tabs on her. And, it wasn’t just ‘keeping tabs’ anymore—it felt more like surveillance, to make sure she wasn’t getting too close to any other men. But he had no other choice. He had been circling around Delilah f
Hazel knew deep down that this man wasn’t going to reveal everything from the past so easily. Still, it was good to know that there was a channel to investigate further. She could take her time to look into it.“No, no, no, you’ve got it wrong.” The man smiled and waved his hand, as though casually talking about daily matters with Hazel.“Now, I’m the one asking the questions. You don’t have the right to ask me anything right now.”The familiarity he had shown earlier when trying to approach Hazel was completely gone, replaced by an overwhelming sense of suppression.A suppression so strong that Hazel couldn’t help but feel a sense of inferiority.“If I don’t have the right to ask you anything, then how can you be so sure that you have the right to ask me? Or do you think Hazel Queen is someone who can be bullied at will?”When Hazel said this, the man froze for a moment. When he looked at her again, there was a trace of admiration in his ey
An uneasy feeling flashed through Hazel’s mind, and she quickly reached for the car door handle, but the driver had already locked it. “Miss Queen, don’t rush to leave. Haven’t you always wanted to know who I am? Well, today’s your chance. Let’s have a good chat.” Hazel’s hand reached into her bag, grasping the hairpin her mother used to always carry. Ever since she found the hairpin, Hazel had kept it with her. Originally, it was a memento, but now it served another purpose—self-defense. Luckily, there was only the driver in the car. Judging by his words, he clearly had something he wanted to say to her. Since she had already come this far, she might as well find out what he was after. “Who are you? What do you want? How do you know my parents? Are you involved in their deaths?!” Hazel fired off several questions in a row. The driver didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he started the car. Once they were on the main road, the driver finally looked