Because of Luca’s slip of the tongue, Isla, upset and frustrated, locked herself in her room. Refusing to listen to any explanations, she cried even harder, “Mommy and Uncle are both liars!”
Hearing this, Vanessa felt a sharp pang of guilt. Isla was right—she and Luca had both deceived her, and their words had lost all credibility in the little girl’s eyes.
Unsure how to make things right, Vanessa stood outside the door, thinking of a way to coax her daughter out.
“Sweetheart, I promise! Since Uncle Luca isn’t here today, Mommy will take you to the zoo, okay? If you come out, we can leave right away.”
For a moment, there was only silence. Then, a small, hesitant voice answered, “Really?”
“Yes, really! Mommy guarantees it!”
The door slowly cracked open, and the moment Isla spotted her mother standing there, she threw herself into Vanessa’s arms. Sobbing softly, she
With a ‘bang’, Daxton turned off the TV, tossing the remote onto the sofa. His gaze suddenly sharpened as he walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window to check the surroundings of the community, then dialed the phone number for the head of his company's legal department.“Did you see the news?”The head of the legal department, Mike, remained calm, even joking, “You should be talking to the PR department about this. What do you need me for?”“Mike, I’m not joking!”Mike, the youngest genius lawyer in France, was also Daxton’s childhood friend and a friend of Vanessa. He harbored feelings of admiration for Vanessa but knew his family wouldn’t approve of him dating someone like her. He kept those feelings hidden and treated her like a close friend instead.“Alright, alright, don’t worry. I care about Vanessa’s situation even more than you do; after all, she’s m
After leaving through the side door, the drive was smooth, but the radio in the car occasionally interrupted with gossip about Vanessa and Luca.[Today, rumors swirl around Luca Kensington, the heir of the K Group, regarding his involvement with Cortex's female president. The two reportedly returned to her home overnight after a night of drinking and have yet to be seen leaving. There are even whispers that they were married five years ago, but the woman vanished for five years, only to reappear to secure a K Group project at the bidding meeting. Old flames seem to have reignited, leaving much to the imagination... ]In the back seat, Vanessa remained expressionless, only concerned about Isla's emotions and condition.However, Daxton was feeling quite displeased as he listened, his expression serious and solemn, his furrowed brows tightly focused ahead.He angrily turned off the radio halfway through, sighing, “Who’s spreading these rumors? Ju
The reporters continued to swarm, and when they saw Vanessa finally responding, they became even more relentless.Noticing that she had stopped speaking after that, they attempted to provoke her with rude and inappropriate remarks.“Miss Saxon, you said the child's father is deceased, so why is it that the child's age coincides with the time you were rumored to be having an affair during your marriage?”She ignored them, continuing to be protected by Daxton as they swiped their cards to enter the elevator.“If you don’t respond, could it be because the child’s father is actually President Radcliffe?”At this, Vanessa turned her furious gaze toward the reporters, then coldly laughed and told the security guard beside her, “Get them out of here.”The security guard nodded and re
“Now that you and I have nothing to do with each other, your threats no longer hold any power over me. Mr. Kensington, perhaps you should avoid provoking women too much; consider it advice.” Vanessa showed no signs of jealousy or anger, sitting calmly with her legs crossed, maintaining eye contact with him. Her gaze held an air of needing an explanation, fearless and composed.Luca fell silent, not speaking for a long while. It was hard to tell whether he was hurt or simply at a loss for words in response to Vanessa’s pointed remark.“Since Mr. Kensington has nothing to say, let me go first,” she said, taking a document from her bag—likely an analysis report on the consequences and dangers of the current gossip—and handed it to him. “Please take a look, and then you can decide.”Luca didn’t move, merely glancing at it briefly before shifting hi
Ezra seemed to be on the verge of losing the whole world. He looked hollow, cowering and hiding behind Beatriz, constantly on alert, worried that one wrong move would lead to being abandoned by his dad and grandpa...Downstairs at the Kensington residence, Grandpa received numerous calls from his old friends, inquiring about the gossip and urging the Kensingtons to make a decision about who they wanted as their daughter-in-law.“Whether it’s Beatriz or Vanessa, Luca will decide for himself,” Grandpa replied helplessly. However, this remark was overheard by Beatriz, who had just come downstairs. She immediately clenched her fists. Grandpa's words were just to appease his old friends' gossip, but she took them to heart.“Alright, alright, we’ll gather again another day,” Grandpa said, hanging up the phone, looking weary as he leaned back on the sofa.
Vanessa’s wrist was suddenly grabbed, and looking down, she sighed, wanting to break free from Luca's grip, but it only tightened.“Mr. Kensington, if you don’t let go, I’m going to call the police,” she said, already pulling her phone out of her bag with one hand, about to dial when the phone was snatched away.Frowning in anger, she was interrupted by Luca, who said, “Let’s collaborate.”The sudden proposal for collaboration caught Vanessa off guard, and she scoffed, “I don’t think your request for cooperation is sincere, Mr. Kensington. If you want to use me, then don’t even think about it; I won’t collaborate with you.”As she spoke, she stubbornly shook off Luca's hand. Finally free, she returned to the bedroom to collect her belongings, preparing to leave.Suddenly, Luca, who had been sitting on the sofa, spoke up, “I know what yo
Back in her office,Vanessa was so angry that she paced back and forth by the window, pulling out her phone to call Daxton directly.After a few rings, he answered.Daxton spoke as if nothing had happened, cheerfully asking, “Vanessa, have you arrived at the company?”“Yeah,” she replied coldly, immediately confronting him about the assistant change. “Why did you unilaterally decide to replace my assistant? What does our argument have to do with him? Who else do you want to swap out?”Despite her agitation, Daxton remained calm and gentle in his tone. “Ora is quite capable and won’t require your extra effort. Besides, your previous assistant didn’t take care of you at all. Ora was carefully chosen by me; she’s trustworthy. Trust me,” he added, hinting further, “the headquarters k
Upon hearing this, Beatriz's face turned pale, then flushed with anger.This was originally her trick. Worried that Luca might discover something, Beatriz cautiously glanced at him, relieved to see he wasn’t paying attention to her.Picking up on the sarcasm in Vanessa's words, Beatriz felt a bit unwilling to accept it and retorted, “President Saxon, what are you saying? Ezra is indeed feeling unwell, and as parents, it’s only natural for us to be cautious. Why does it become us slandering you here?”Vanessa found this amusing. “Miss Langley, your ability to twist facts is truly impressive. However, there’s no need for your little act in front of me; I’m not falling for it.”Seeing Vanessa’s disdainful expression, Beatriz became even more irritated. She tugged at Luca and said, “Luca, say something! Everyone in the mansion knows that Ezra is unwell. It’s not like we’re trying to sland
“What do you want to talk about?” Leonardo asked, watching William’s back.William abruptly turned around, grabbing Leonardo by the collar. “You’ve got some nerve asking that!” he growled.Before Leonardo could respond, a harsh slap landed across his face.Leonardo didn’t retaliate. He calmly touched his cheek where the slap had landed and said lightly, “My face is insured. If you want to hit me, aim somewhere else.”Seeing Leonardo’s nonchalant attitude, as if this had nothing to do with him, William became even angrier, throwing punch after punch, this time sparing Leonardo’s face and landing the blows on his body.Seething, William spat, “How dare you come here? What right do you have to see Mariah?”Originally standing there as if made of stone, Leonardo’s calm demeanor finally cracked. He responded with a sneer, “Oh? If I have no right, then what g
Seeing that it was getting dark, Vanessa glanced at William and suggested, “It’s getting late. Why don’t you go home and get some rest? I’ll stay here and take care of things.”William shook his head. “I’ll stay with Mariah. You both should go home and rest.”Vanessa hesitated, feeling the weight of the complex relationships between everyone involved, which only made her headache worse.Luca watched with a detached look and said to Vanessa, “Vanessa, maybe we should go. Isla’s still waiting at home, and with William here, I doubt there will be any problems.”Reluctantly, Vanessa nodded, especially after seeing Mariah’s silence, and decided to leave.Meanwhile, Leonardo was still filming a show and hadn’t checked his phone.When filming finally wrapped up, Leonardo grabbed his phone, only to have it immediately taken by his manager.“Leo, we have another gig lined up
After Mariah left, she didn’t go straight home. Feeling unsettled, she wandered the empty streets alone, letting the evening breeze cool her frustration.Looking at the desolate street, Mariah felt an even deeper emptiness inside her. She had thought that Leonardo at least had some feelings for her, but now it seemed that, despite their mutual attraction, it wouldn’t lead anywhere. There were too many barriers between them, and just the unspoken rule that celebrities couldn’t date was enough to crush any tender hopes she held.Lost in thought, she didn’t notice a drunken man stumble out of a nearby alley, heading straight toward her.Without warning, he bumped into her, sending her crashing to the ground.Seeing this, he lunged at her. Luckily, Mariah had learned a few self-defense moves and managed to dodge him. But the drunk man was relentless and con
Mariah also felt the oppressive atmosphere in the car and shifted restlessly, moving closer to Leonardo to create some distance from the manager. The manager immediately frowned and sneered, “I didn’t expect Miss Hutchson to be this kind of person. Last time at the hospital, you promised me you would keep your distance from Leonardo. How is it that just a few days later, you can’t help yourself? Let me tell you, don’t think these tricks can fool everyone; I’ve seen many seduction tactics like yours.” Mariah's expression instantly turned cold, and she was clearly displeased. However, due to the manager’s status, she suppressed her anger and tried to explain patiently, “You’ve really misunderstood; I absolutely don’t mean that.” The manager curled his lip, not believing Mariah’s words. Leonardo also became a bit unhappy; he had initiated this meeting, so why wa
“Grandpa, I know everything. But haven’t I already been dismissed?” Luca’s calm voice came through the receiver, and the old man could detect a hint of grievance in his tone. Clearing his throat, the old man replied solemnly, “Luca, this situation has come up unexpectedly. I plan to personally go to the company, and I’d like you to come with me.” After a moment of silence, Luca refused, “Grandpa, I think I’ll pass. It’s rare for me to have a break, and I’d like to rest a bit more.” Hearing this, the old man sighed. “Alright then, I won’t force you.” He understood that Luca’s reluctance to return to the company was likely due to Vanessa. It was a rare opportunity for Luca to spend time with her, and he didn’t want anyone to interfere. Besides, going to the company now might not be very useful anyway. Beatriz was no
Vanessa posed as a wealthy investor and contacted the founder of the public account through its backend, claiming she was interested in investing in the platform and requesting a meeting.The public account was still in its early stages. Although it had gained a modest following, it wasn’t influential enough yet. Being approached by a potential investor left the founder both surprised and excited, and he immediately agreed to the proposal.Seeing the red dot notification pop up on her chat box, Vanessa smiled—her prey had taken the bait. After adding him as a friend, she wasted no time and called him directly. The man answered within seconds: “Hello? Is this Ms. Saxon?”“Yes, it is,” Vanessa replied calmly.“I heard… uh, that you’re interested in investing in our account?” The man’s excitement was clear in his voice.Vanessa remained silent for a moment.
Ever since William met Cassandra, he feared rumors would surface that could harm her reputation, so he didn’t stay at her house that night.Even though he left, William couldn’t stop worrying about her. Despite repeatedly reminding Cassandra not to open the entertainment news sections or care about the hateful comments, the barrage of insults still infuriated him. He couldn’t bear the thought of Cassandra reading those words and feeling hurt.William knew that he was already deeply involved, but he accepted it willingly.Determined to help her get through the storm, William devised a plan—to confess his feelings as soon as possible. He believed that if they were together, it would give her the strength to leave the scandal behind.A confession was something a man had to take the lead on, and William had made up his mind. But uncertainty gnawed at him—what if Cassandra didn’t feel the same? This thought
A day had passed, but the overnight scandal involving Cassandra and Luca showed no signs of dying down. Instead, the uproar online grew louder.An anonymous user even dug up old photos of Cassandra and Luca together, claiming the two had known each other for a long time. Some netizens fixated on Cassandra’s expressions in the pictures, saying that she had admired Luca back then, with her eyes full of affection for him. This, they argued, only proved the accusations of her having ulterior motives.Under these posts, the comments were filled with sarcasm and insults directed at Cassandra.Some users even went to the social media pages of brands still working with Cassandra, threatening to boycott their products unless they canceled her endorsement deals, putting enormous pressure on the companies.At this point, Cassandra was practically trapped at home. Her agent, Nicole, ordered her to stay off the internet and avoid reading the posts and comments.
Seeing this, Vanessa elaborated, "Mariah wanted to protect Leonardo, so she asked William to pretend to be her boyfriend. William might have liked Mariah before, but now he has someone else he likes."Before Cassandra could feel happy about the first part of that statement, her mood plummeted at the latter half.Vanessa didn’t notice the change and continued, "However, they’ve changed their minds again. After your incident, William and Mariah don’t plan to pretend to be a couple anymore."The thought that her situation had influenced William’s decision made Cassandra feel a flutter of excitement, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he cared about her.But if they weren’t pretending to be a couple, what would happen to Leonardo?Cassandra voiced her concerns, and Vanessa reassured her, "You’re barely holding it together; why worry about others? Don’t worry, everything is fine with Leonardo. He’ll