”If that’s the case, why are we even having this conversation?” He sneered, a rhetorical question as he clearly knew the answer.Arianna’s expression remained calm as she looked at his depressed appearance. She smiled ironically, “I can’t turn back time, but I can help you make a comeback! The company cannot be saved, but you can start over!”“What an easy thing to say. Start over!” He laughed.He shook his head and said, “Did you know how difficult it was for me to start the company? I started from nothing, and gradually, it became what it is today. Every table, every chair, and every bit of everything was my blood and sweat. Start over? I have nothing to start over now!”“That’s why I’m here to help you!” Arianna faced him with her hands on her back. She looked like a princess, devoid of any dust and dirt.“You’re here to help me?” He opened his eyes to look at her and smiled mockingly, “Forget it! Your life in the Tanner family is not as good as it seemed. What do you have that
“Whether we’re willing to admit it or not, we’re blood relatives." Arianna continued.Her mother thought she did not know. It was not just Arianna, either. Her father also knew her mother had another son out there. A son with her ex-husband.They kept quiet and pretended they did not know since they knew the Tanners needed a matriarch to run the household and deal with family issues. Of course, they did it to maintain the facade of the great Tanner family, so they would not be ridiculed.Since her mother handled it carefully and did not intend to bring her son back by her side, her father turned a blind eye.Nathaniel Hall disagreed with Arianna, "In that case, why don’t you go to your younger brother? At least he has the same father as you."Nathaniel was not convinced by Arianna, who tried to use the ‘family card’ on him. Even siblings harm each other all the time. It did not mean anything. "I know you don't trust me, and I’ll be honest with you. Yes, I come to you for this collabor
“Fine! I’ll do it!” Nathaniel suddenly thundered.Arianna stopped and turned around."I’ll do it. I’ll work with you,” Nathaniel repeated and struggled to get up from his bed as glass bottles around him fell to the floor. "What do you want me to do?"Arianna smiled. “Don’t worry. I have something good for you.” She turned and walked toward Nathaniel. “I have a group of henchmen who sort out matters for me. It’s sort of like an organization. However, some things are inappropriate or inconvenient for me to discuss now. I’ll need your help with those.”“To put it bluntly, you want me to do your dirty work,” Nathaniel said with a chuckle. He did not expect a soft and gentle girl like Arianna to handle things this way. If she had not said it herself, he would not believe it."Don't say that. Who’s to say what’s dirty and what’s not? As long as you can achieve your goals, nobody cares how you do it," Arianna said disapprovingly, "Look at how great the Russells’ empire is now. Do you thi
“Hahaha!” Arianna laughed loudly and disdainfully, "Are you kidding me? Do you know why I came to you?” She continued slowly, word by word, “Because you are not a Tanner! You’re not a Tanner. No matter how much you want the assets, and even if someone reveals your true identity, the family has nothing to do with you."That was why Arianna was willing to collaborate with Nathaniel but was afraid of her other half-brother. There was no conflict of interest between her and Nathaniel."I’ll see you again at an appropriate time, but I hope you won’t look like this by then." Arianna put on her sunglasses and quietly left.…The Southbank soap project had reached its final stages, and Lily had almost completed it. She handed over the last few steps to Olivia, and all that remained was to wait for the final data to record them. The product was almost ready to go into production.Meanwhile, Lily was working on the essential oil for her grandfather in her own free time at home. After all, s
As Benedict spoke, he realized Lily was only teasing him. He glared at her gloomily, removed his backpack, and handed it to Lily, "This is for you!"Lily was startled, "What is it?""It’s what you want!" Benedict said.Lily took the backpack with one hand and immediately noticed how heavy it was. The backpack almost fell from her hand as she did not hold it properly. She hurriedly picked it up with the other hand, weighed it, and looked at him again, "Can I open it?""I told you it’s for you. It’s up to you whether or not you want to open it." Benedict looked awkward.Lily smiled, slightly unzipped the backpack, looked inside, and found a large piece of wood packed in a bag. No wonder it was so heavy. There was also a faint, elegant, and memorable scent. It was what Lily had been looking for all this time, and she was surprised, “Didn’t you say you didn’t have anymore?”"It’s true." Benedict let go of his hands and put them in his trouser pockets. He raised his chin and did not l
Benedict was quiet. He was reluctant to let it go, and kind of hoped to take it back. However, he was adamant about giving it to Lily. "It's from me personally, not from the Tanner family." Benedict suddenly explained.Lily felt he was not in the right headspace, but it was difficult for her to ask. She could only say, "Thank you, I like it very much."Benedict smiled and started to leave, but he turned around after two steps, "Are you really going to marry someone from the Russell family?"Confused, Lily looked at him quietly. "I-It’s nothing." Shaking his head, his face was hesitant, "See you around."Looking at his departing figure with lots of questions, Lily felt that Benedict’s visit was strange, but she could not tell what was wrong with him.In any case, she liked this gift very much, and it simply won her heart.Alexander was surprised to see Lily come home with a big bag, "What’s that?""Good stuff!" Lily laughed and walked into the house with it in her arms. Alexander hur
"Cut!" The director shouted and then turned his head to look at the actor, his face a little helpless.After a brief discussion, he walked over quickly and said in the nicest, calmest tone he could, "Brittany, that was not quite right. When your crush confesses to you, you should be joyful, happy, and like a dream come true, am I right? You did it as if you were unhappy.""There's nothing to be happy about. It's all a dream! How could there be so many dreams come true!" She snorted and said unhappily.The director was speechless. Her assistant, standing by her side, hurriedly smoothed things out, "Director, Brittany might be tired. Let's take a break first, and we’ll rest and adjust, okay?""Okay, but we’ve already done eight takes of this scene, so I can't take much more time. Hurry up and find out what it feels like." The director was a little impatient."Sure!" Nodding repeatedly, the assistant took Brittany aside and handed her water while giving her hand warmers diligently. Care
"Okay, let's not talk about it. When will you finish filming today?" Arianna asked, changing the subject."It's going to take a while!" Brittany had wasted a lot of time, and her mood affected her shooting. Who knew how long it would take? She asked, "Why?"Arianna looked around, stood up, and patted her hands. "It's nothing. I'll wait for your shoot to end, then let's go shopping."Shop? Brittany shook her head. "I'm not in the mood to shop!"They say that the best way to treat a woman's pain was to shop, but her beloved was getting married, and she was not the bride. No amount of retail therapy could make her feel better."Whether or not you’re in the mood, you still have to pick a gift, right?""Gift?" Blinking, Brittany did not understand what she meant.Looking at her blank face, Arianna shook her head. "Don't tell me you forget about shopping for the New Year. Even if you don't want to visit relatives and friends, you've decided not to visit the Russell family this year?""..."
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, “There’s something I find strange.”“What is it?” Mike asked after comforting his son.“Instead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldn’t we reach him?”After some thought, Mike answered, “There are two possibilities. It’s probably due to poor signals, or he doesn’t want us to contact him.”The two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.‘Why can’t we contact Ross? Is he planning something?’…Three days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queen’s leg and looked up at her, saying, “You should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, it’ll take some time before you can stand.”Suddenly, Lily chuckled.“Why are you laughing?” Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, “Of course, you wouldn’t.”“That’s… quite a pity,” the queen murmured thoughtfully.“Well, there’s a price to pay for everything. That’s how the world balances itself,” Lily continued, “I can’t stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I won’t witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isn’t something you’ll regret.”Lily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasmin’s legs. “Your Majesty, those needles—”The queen waved dismissively. “It’s okay. Lily will remove them later.”Even so, Rick was wary. “You’re being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that woman—”“She wouldn’t,” Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.“Tell me. What do you want?” The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lily’s request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you don’t punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasn’t sure if you’d blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didn’t you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.“That’s it?!” Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.‘I haven’t felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldn’t mind waiting for three more days.’“Are you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?” Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you haven’t used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, you’ll recover slowly.”Yasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
“Because only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""I… don't trust anyone." Yasmin’s expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? You’ve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Aren’t you tired of living a lonely life?”Lily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasmin’s back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, “Sightsee, huh? I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”Yasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lily’s suggestion.Lily asked, “What if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldn’t bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father who’s willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against you— Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.“However, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""You…" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, “Bring Lily over. I’d like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.”"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must you—"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, “Her Majesty wants to see you.”Lily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. “You stay.”"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesn’t wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queen’s attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, “If any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They won’t do that to me. It’s natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. I’m the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.”After a short silence, Lily said, “You’re right.” She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, “Me too.”Dominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, “Thanks, you guys!”"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and don’t be rash like you promised," Aust