Seeing Damon’s expression, Hazel quickly shifted the topic.
“But since Uncle Jamal personally went, the chances of it being fake are small. We can continue investigating along this line. We’ll need to ask some older people.”“Yes, I think there might be some secret matters from the past, or maybe we need to further investigate the age of the person in question.”The two discussed the matter briefly before heading downstairs. From the time they went upstairs to the study and then came back down, about half an hour had passed.Downstairs, the two old men were sitting on the living room sofa, the TV on, but playing an idol drama—a type of show neither of them would normally watch.When Hazel and Damon came downstairs, the two old men glanced at them strangely.When they noticed Hazel looking over, they quickly looked away.“Grandpa, what are you two doing? Why does it look like you’re up to somethiActually, after seeing Damon and Hazel talking upstairs for such a long time, Mark had already guessed what they were discussing. He didn’t believe that there was anything other than Hazel’s parents’ matters that could have kept Damon upstairs for so long. “Grandpa Mark, could you tell me about your younger years?” Hazel leaned in close to Mark, still playing the naive and innocent role. Mark couldn't help but think how this girl, who seemed so unaware, could possibly be the same person who had used so many tactics to secure her position as the CEO of Queen Corp. Grandpa Mark slowly took a sip of tea, then smiled as he looked at Hazel. “When I was young, a lot happened. What exactly do you want to know?” Hazel, understanding Mark’s demeanor, knew that he likely understood everything already. “I want to know everything, but if you could tell me about the overseas organization and those events, I think I’d be even more interested.” Mark chuckled at H
Sully gleefully watched Jonah’s pained expression, her heart secretly elated. However, there were too many people present, so she couldn’t express her satisfaction too openly. If they found out that this was all orchestrated by Hazel, it might cause more trouble for her. “President Queen, we came here together because of Jonah. You can’t just let him leave like this!” The shareholder said, his voice full of righteous indignation as he walked up to Hazel’s desk. “I’m sure you’ve heard about it. Not long ago, Jonah sold off shares of Queen Corp at a low price. Recently, several of the company’s pre-arranged partnerships fell through, and I had people investigate—it’s all because of this!” Behind him, several other shareholders who were usually on good terms with him followed. They seemed to be avoiding coming to the company alone, always arriving in groups for what seemed like small matters. Indeed, if the company’s decision-makers were all elderly, it would b
After instructing her assistant to escort everyone out and settle them down, Hazel finally approached Sully, gently massaging her shoulders. “Alright, I know you’re upset on my behalf, but trust me—I have a better way to deal with him.” “In the upcoming board meeting, the shareholders are bound to treat Jonah far worse than I ever could. After all, this mess impacts their profits directly.” Just as Hazel predicted, the board meeting turned into a scolding session for Jonah. Even those board members who had previously been on good terms with him sided with Hazel this time. Most of them didn’t care much about the company’s internal drama; they only knew their own interests had been jeopardized by Jonah’s actions. At first, Jonah tried to argue back, but the more he spoke, the weaker his responses became. By the end, he was left speechless and could only pin his hopes on Hazel. “Hazel, you know the situation our family is in. I’ve already stepped down
In the elevator, Sully shot Xander a frustrated look and smacked his shoulder hard.“I gave you such a golden opportunity back there! Why didn’t you confess? I’m telling you, if Damon swoops in and takes her back, you won’t even have a place to cry.”Sully’s disdain for Damon was no secret. She wished she could confess to Hazel on Xander’s behalf and pair them up already, leaving Damon no room to interfere.However, she hadn’t thought through what would happen if Hazel rejected Xander—how the two of them would manage afterward.“Feelings can’t be forced. I’m not even sure if Hazel has feelings for me. I think I’ll wait and observe a bit more,” Xander replied.The elevator doors opened just as he finished speaking. Xander stepped out with a stoic expression, and Sully followed behind, still nagging him nonstop....Meanwhile, Bailey’s new mini-drama had just been released. Thanks to the popularity she had built up earlier, its viewersh
When she was living at home, Jonah and Adele prioritized her in everything.Now that she’s started working, Jonah has mentioned more than once how expensive it’s been to support her entrance into the entertainment industry.Bailey knows full well that if it weren’t for Amber being Adele’s close friend, Jonah likely wouldn’t even listen to these suggestions.It’s obvious to anyone with a discerning eye: the choice between taking roles to earn money now or focusing on development before diving into work is clear.Online, a significant group of haters continues to target Bailey, opposing her entrance into the industry as a so-called capitalist move.If she had real talent, there might be a way to silence these critics. But Bailey’s acting skills are mediocre at best.After the short drama was released, Amber insisted that the company not interfere with online criticisms, resulting in a flood of comments bashing Bailey’s performance.Thou
As the voice rang out, a crowd of people quickly gathered, all armed with cameras, their flashes blindingly illuminating Bailey and Adele.They quickly stood up and moved toward the roadside, but anyone attempting to block their path was swiftly pushed aside by Adele.When they were still some distance from the car, Amber arrived.Without saying a word, she squeezed through the crowd and pulled them straight into the car.The paparazzi recognized Amber, the famous top agent, and the crowd buzzed with excitement.Thankfully, they knew Amber’s reputation, and when it came to dealing with overly aggressive paparazzi, she wasn’t one to hold back.So, once they reached the car, the crowd didn’t dare pursue them further.Inside the car, Amber was driving, while Adele and Bailey sat in the back seat, both feeling a little guilty.After the car entered the city, Amber finally spoke, “If anything like today happens again, we’ll terminat
Damon’s advice was clear, but the financial approach toward Jonah’s family was far from enough. No matter what, Jonah understood that he was part of the Queen family and naturally held onto some shares of the corporation. He was also more aware than the other shareholders of the ties between Hazel and the Price and Cohen families, knowing these families wouldn’t let things slide. Because of this, the shares in his hands would not be sold under any circumstances. But if Hazel followed Damon’s plan, it might prompt other shareholders to sell their shares as well. The problem was, she no longer had enough liquid funds to buy back those large shares. If those shares flooded the market, it wouldn’t be good for Queen Corp. It was better for the current shareholders to hold onto their shares for now. Sully walked over with some documents and handed them to Hazel. “Hazel, this needs your signature.” Noticing that Hazel wasn’t reacting, Sully waved the documents
Hazel thought carefully. It made sense. If, at this critical moment, she suddenly had a falling out with both the Cohen and Prices, that would indeed seem suspicious. After all, Jonah wasn't exactly a fool. "That’s true. You can have conflicts with Damon, since you two already have a special relationship. But the more critical this moment is, the less you should have any issues with Omar." Grandpa Mark also agreed and quickly suggested a practical solution. "How about this: You start with a public argument with Damon. He then makes a strong statement online, saying that he won't invest in your company. After that, arrange for a journalist to ask Grandpa Omar about the situation. Grandpa Omar should first express that he won't be investing in Queen Corp either, but then reassure everyone that he still really likes you, his granddaughter." This way, it wouldn't seem out of place at all. Hazel nodded, agreeing with the plan, and then contacted Damon to discuss
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
"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
This was the best solution Chrissy had come up with after spending an entire night binge-watching idol dramas. The situation between Damon and Hazel right now was simply because there was no opportunity to push their relationship forward.Chrissy decided to get involved herself and serve as the bait this time."When I went to find Hazel just now, she looked so shocked, like she hadn’t expected it at all. And after I left, probably she and her best friend are already talking about you," Chrissy said confidently.She analyzed the situation with such precision that if the security guards from Queen's company hadn’t arrived so quickly, she would have stayed longer and delivered a whole monologue.Thinking about this, Chrissy felt a little disappointed. She had prepared a whole speech for this, but barely got two lines out before being kicked out.Seeing Chrissy so sure of herself, Damon couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.The way
Hazel had also considered this possibility, but since Damon kept telling her that he had deceived Harold with his acting, she didn’t think too much about it. Now, after Omar’s reminder, she started to reconsider the matter. Before she could figure it out, Omar added, "Unless his real purpose was to tell you these things, but for some reason, he couldn’t tell you directly and had to do it this way instead." When Omar said this, it felt like a sudden revelation to Hazel. After all these years of planning, Harold couldn’t have trusted anyone so quickly, even someone with the same goal. So the only possibility seemed to be what Omar had just mentioned. "Then what’s his purpose in telling me this? Grandpa, do you think my parents' accident has anything to do with him?" Hazel was confused. She had thought she had everything figured out, but now she realized she hadn’t seen the whole picture. It felt like there was a huge net above her, trapping her in t
Hazel focused her gaze on Sully, pausing for a moment before speaking. "Maybe. I feel like I don’t dislike him as much now." "To be more precise, after he told me the truth about everything, I stopped disliking him. He has his reasons, and everything he did was for his late brother. If I were in his shoes, I’m not sure I could have done much better." At first, Hazel had felt uneasy, thinking that if everything had been clarified from the beginning, many misunderstandings could have been avoided. But now, after experiencing the aftermath of her parents' accident, she understood some of Damon's helplessness. Until she had clarified some matters, she didn’t want to share them with too many people, not even Sully or Xander. To Hazel, these two were some of the most important people in her life right now. "I still think there shouldn't be too many secrets in a relationship," Sully pressed. "Can you accept that, after you're with him, he’ll hide things
Hazel was almost ready to directly reject him, but after thinking it over, she decided to be more tactful. Maybe Damon had been so busy with work and studies his whole life that he didn’t know how to like someone properly. Perhaps he had seen someone confess like this before and just copied it. Maybe it was something he’d learned from an idol drama from a few years ago—those kinds of scenes really existed in those shows. "I’ll have the security take care of all this. You should head back to the office. I heard Price Corp is expecting a big client today. Aren’t you going to meet them?" she said, offering him an out. The idea of a big client was just a way for Hazel to give Damon an excuse to leave. How would she know if Price Corp had a big client coming today? But Damon seemed completely confused by her words. He asked, "I’ve pushed all my work to tomorrow. And our company isn’t expecting any big clients today. Did you hear wrong from someone?" He
Once Hazel returned, she immediately buried herself in company matters, dealing with the clothing brand. After this ‘hunger marketing’ campaign, imitation products had started flooding the market. But this was all within Hazel's expectations. At first, some people might buy these counterfeit products, but once time passes and they can master the quality, those imitations will start to look fake. Then, people will flock to the genuine products with real quality. Sully walked into Hazel's office, holding a document that Agent Amber had sent over. It contained some dirt on Bailey, but it wasn't enough to bring her down from her current position. "Hazel, look, these are all from Agent Amber, you know, Bailey's agent." Hazel and Agent Amber hadn't had much interaction, and what she knew best was Agent Amber's work capabilities and her relationship with Bailey. Hazel skimmed through the documents and when she saw the first part, she thought she’d read it wron
Compared to Bailey, whom she managed, Agent Amber naturally admired Ariana more, as she was someone who genuinely pursued her craft. Ariana lacked the calculated ambition that many others had, making her more pleasant and relatable, with a better connection to the audience. As Agent Amber continued talking, her gaze shifted back to Bailey, and she sighed, "If only Bailey had half of Ariana’s dedication, she wouldn't have ended up as the second female lead." The artists Amber had previously managed might not have started with leading roles, but after transitioning through a few supporting roles, they had consistently remained at the forefront of the screen. Even if they weren’t the female lead, they were often standout supporting characters, sometimes even outshining the female lead. Unlike Bailey, who had participated in numerous variety shows and even self-funded her own micro-drama where she played the female lead, it was only thanks to Agent Amber's personal e
“Mom, I’ve already told you, I’m only marrying Hazel in this life. If you really care about me and don’t want me to live out my days alone, then you’d better treat Hazel well,”After saying this, Damon turned and went straight back to his room.Agatha’s face darkened, her eyes following Damon’s retreating figure, her expression turning malicious.Not only did she not want to see Damon live a lonely life, but she also wanted to hold her grandson as soon as possible. The thought of Delilah’s child saddened her deeply.Since her son and Hazel’s relationship was developing so quickly, it seemed like it was time to check if Hazel could have children.If she truly couldn’t bear children, then Agatha would never allow her to enter the family, no matter what.The recent events involving Hazel hadn’t escaped the notice of Jonah’s family, either....Adele had been k