At 1 a.m., the two of them crossed paths at the stairwell.
Mariah casually waved the slip of paper in her hand, glancing around her surroundings. “So, you knew my place was bugged?”
Vanessa gave a slight nod.
“You went through all this trouble. What do you want to say?”
“There might be issues in the stock market,” Vanessa replied calmly.
Mariah remained silent, her sharp eyes studying her closely. “Evidence?”
Vanessa spread her hands. “None. I only pieced it together on my way back today. Your company announced two major projects at the press conference, but neither of them succeeded in development. Doesn’t that sound like a stock manipulation scheme? If you check the data, you’ll see VH’s stock has been surging and is likely to keep climbing.”
Mariah stood still, her gaze locked on her, as though trying to decipher her true intentions.
“This information,” she said coolly,
*Morning News*"...Reports have surfaced about a significant financial gap in VH Group. Just recently, the company was promoting a new project. But is VH Group truly thriving as it appears on the surface, or has it already become an empty shell?" "Now, let's connect with our reporter on the scene..." ‘Click.’Vanessa turned off the TV and stretched lazily before heading toward the bathroom to wash up.When breakfast was ready, Isla emerged from her room, rubbing her sleepy eyes. The little girl, wearing a white nightgown, whined softly, "Mommy... I’m hungry."Vanessa walked over, scooped her up, and smiled. “Come eat. Do you want to go somewhere fun afterward?”Since returning to the country, Vanessa had been busy with work and rarely found time to spend with Isla. Now, she wanted to make it up to her whi
“I am looking for you.” Luca glanced at her coldly, then accelerated the car, as if venting his emotions. In the backseat, Isla was frightened and tightly nestled in Vanessa’s arms. “Mr. Kensington, there’s a child in the car. Please drive safely,” she said, furrowing her brows and holding Isla close, her tone carrying a hint of anger. Only then did Luca glance back at Isla and gradually reduce his speed. “Let’s talk.” Seeing how scared Isla was, Vanessa didn’t want to spend another second with him. “We have nothing to discuss.” “Are you sure?” He teased her, adding, “Don’t you want to talk about Mariah or her?” Vanessa tightened her hold on Isla and exclaimed, “Isla is my child; she has nothing to do with you!” “Vanessa, you’re still the same as you were five years ago.” “What do you mean?” Vanessa tensed, her heart racing. Did she inadvertently reveal that Isla was his c
Beatriz was taken aback and quickly pushed her away, retreating as she said, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand!” Vanessa gave a slight cold smile. “Since you don’t understand, I won’t bother explaining further,” she said, preparing to roll up the window and drive away. Halfway through, she suddenly remembered something and added, “By the way, I believe you know that both our companies successfully entered the second round of the bidding. See you then.” With a casual smile and bright eyes, she rolled up the window and drove away. Left behind, Beatriz stomped her feet in anger. “This is what you’ve forced me into, Vanessa!” With hatred in her eyes, she had originally just wanted to keep Vanessa away from Luca, perhaps letting her off the hook, but now it seemed this woman couldn’t be spared! ...HM Group’s President Office.“Is the recent news about VH your doing?” The short, plump man gl
Vanessa walked over, carrying the prepared dishes and waved her hand, saying, “It’s good that you’re awake; come and eat!” “Mommy, is there the braised beans I love the most tonight?” Vanessa lifted her onto the child seat and smiled, “Yes, yes, yes, you little eater!” At the dinner table, Mariah appeared somewhat reserved, making the mother and daughter both notice her demeanor. “Sister, my mommy told me to call you auntie, but I think you’re so pretty you shouldn’t be called that,” Isla said sweetly, offering Mariah a piece of braised bean. “Can I call you sister?” Mariah was taken aback and blushed at the sight of the braised bean. “Um, sure.” “Yay! Then what is your name?” “Mariah.” “Hello, Sister Mariah!” “Hello,” Mariah replied, returning the gesture by giving her a piece of braised bean and asking, “What’s your name?” Isla looked at Vanes
The Next Day.*Morning News*“Late last night, a car accident occurred on X Road. According to witnesses, the accident was caused by brake failure, and the injured driver is identified as Vanessa Saxon, the president of Cortex Group. A bystander who provided video footage reported that the driver fell into a coma and is currently undergoing emergency treatment in the hospital...”Luca was shocked. After confirming that the injured party was indeed Vanessa, he postponed the morning meeting just to visit her at the hospital. His assistant looked helplessly at the pile of work left behind and muttered, “If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have acted like this.”At the hospital, Luca inquired and found himself in the corridor outside the emergency room. The area was filled with cries and the chaotic sounds of families and doctors discussing cases, making it uncomfortable for him.At the end of the corridor, he saw a familiar figure and a brigh
At that moment, there was a senior executive and two employees in the office, creating a very awkward atmosphere.Beatriz felt a bit flustered but could only force a smile and say, “Grandpa asked me to tell you not to be late for tonight’s dinner.”“I’ll speak to Grandpa myself,” he replied.Beatriz stood in place, clearly uncomfortable. Luca’s words and expression were already a clear dismissal, yet she continued to smile at him, showing no intention of leaving.“Does Grandpa have any other messages for you to convey?”Beatriz shook her head. “No, just that Grandpa invited me to tonight’s dinner as well. I was wondering if you had a partner—”“I won’t be going home tonight.”“But Grandpa—”‘Slap!’Luca slammed the documents shut in anger and then turned to scold the employees. “It’s just a few pages, and there are four typos! Did you not graduate from elementary school?”The employees and the senior executive kne
Richard rushed back through the emergency exit, looking flustered and gripping his phone tightly, as if he were hiding a secret. Seeing him, the supervisor immediately yelled at him, “Richard! What gives you the right to slack off during work hours? Look at those interns with higher submission rates; they’re all diligently revising their drafts! What are you doing?! Huh? Useless!” Richard had always been the type of top student who excelled in design but struggled with communication. After stammering for a long time, he finally managed to say something useful, “Um... I have a headhunter interested in me.” The supervisor rolled his eyes, full of sarcasm. “A headhunter is looking for you? Then hurry up and leave!” “But... but I still have drafts to finish...” “Then why aren’t you hurrying to finish? What are you dreaming about?!” Feeling a bit wronged, Richard softly retorted, “I’m not dreaming...” &nb
At Ness Corp.“You just said Vanessa met with whom?!”Beatriz was still fretting over the theme for the second bidding. Despite having recruited so many outstanding graduates from prestigious universities, she always felt they fell short. Now, hearing about Vanessa’s meeting with Luca only added to her distress.“It’s President Kensington from K Group.”Bang!Beatriz angrily slammed her coffee cup onto the floor, her eyes filled with jealousy as she yelled, “I already know, no need for you to tell me!”The secretary trembled in fear, not daring to respond, and could only crouch down to clean up the broken pieces, accidentally cutting her hand in the process.“Hiss—”Seeing this, Beatriz’s mind flashed with Vanessa’s seemingly pitiful expression, intensifying her fury!“Stop prete
Seeing Isla like this made Vanessa feel uneasy as well. “Alright, you can sleep for a while. If you get hungry, just call Mommy, and I’ll help you get something to eat.”Isla nodded and fell asleep wearily.A few hours later, Isla began to mumble in her sleep. Vanessa called her a few times but got no response, which made her feel something was wrong.Turning on the bedside lamp, she noticed that Isla's little face was abnormally flushed.Vanessa reached out to check Isla’s forehead, and it felt burning hot.Startled, Vanessa quickly called for the bodyguard outside.The bodyguard, seeing the situation wasn’t staged, immediately reported to his boss without hesitation.Harvey, though dissatisfied with Isla's behavior in recent days, had no issues with her as a person. Seeing her unwell made him feel bad, and he immediately called for his
William felt somewhat helpless. He had heard of the entertainment industry's troubles but didn’t know much about how typical agencies handled such situations. However, he remembered that he had friends working at top public relations firms in the country. Perhaps he could ask for their help to resolve this crisis.So he suggested this to the two of them, only to be met with their refusal.Cassandra felt it was entirely unnecessary.“These rumors don’t bother me at all, and this kind of speculation won’t harm me. They’ll eventually fade away on their own after a while, so there’s no need to pay attention to what people are saying.”Leonardo nodded in agreement. “I feel the same way. I don’t care what they say. Besides, I’m not looking to climb the career ladder anymore. I just want to resolve the matter regarding Mariah and clear her name. On
Harvey glanced at Vanessa, seemingly skeptical of her words. He called Melissa and asked, “Did you just call?”“Yes, Vanessa answered the phone. She said you had gone out and to call back later,” Melissa replied.Melissa and Vanessa hadn’t coordinated anything beforehand, but the moment she saw Harvey’s name on the phone, she understood his intention. She remained calm and collected as she explained.“Is there something going on?” Harvey asked, a hint of confusion in his voice, as well as a flicker of guilt, fearing his wife might sense something unusual.Melissa was a clever woman; even though she knew Harvey’s heart wasn’t with her, she had no intention of addressing the underlying issue. Businesspeople are usually shrewd about gains and losses, and Melissa knew when to play her cards for her benefit.So she redirected
Upon hearing this, Luca became anxious and hurriedly comforted Beatriz. “Don’t cry, I believe you.”Beatriz leaned into Luca’s chest, and he helplessly wrapped an arm around her.Seeing Luca’s action, Beatriz felt reassured that he hadn’t begun to doubt her. As long as he still trusted her, everything would be fine. This gave Beatriz a strange sense of confidence.However, Luca felt a hand circling on his chest and immediately stiffened.Having witnessed many situations, Luca understood what Beatriz meant by this gesture. Even if he hadn’t started dating Vanessa, Beatriz’s type was definitely not to his taste.Luca grabbed Beatriz’s wandering hand, his tone weary. “Beatriz, give me some more time. I’m not ready to start a new relationship yet.”Hearing the hurt in Luca’s voice, Beat
After Vanessa was put under house arrest by Harvey, her assistant, Ora, was initially very anxious. However, she gradually sensed something was off when she realized the boss had returned to the country.A few days later, Harvey summoned Ora to his place.As expected, Vanessa was indeed with Harvey, which relieved Ora, but she couldn’t tell what had happened between the two of them, as Harvey's expression was far from good.“I asked you to take good care of Vanessa, and this is how you do it?” Harvey’s face darkened as he questioned her.Ora felt guilty and conflicted, unsure how to respond.Harvey assumed Ora still had feelings for her former boss, Daxton, and his tone grew more displeased. “I know you used to work under Daxton, and it’s fine to care for old feelings, but he’s been arrested now. I hope you can see the situation clearly;
“What do you want with Luca?” Vanessa asked, puzzled.Harvey replied nonchalantly, “Just discussing a few matters with him. You don’t need to worry too much. I won’t do anything to him. Also, I mentioned before that I would help you sort things out here. Don’t worry; I will make sure those who harmed you pay the price.”“What do you mean by that?” Vanessa asked, confused.“Of course, I mean to help you kill Beatriz,” Harvey said with a tone that suggested he was quite pleased with himself.Vanessa’s expression changed rapidly as she looked at Harvey as if he were insane. “Why would you kill her? Are you out of your mind? Who asked you to help me kill her? I want the truth! I want her to face legal consequences.”Hearing this, Harvey, who had been confident in his views, began to waver.&nbs
Ezra wanted to follow them, but was stopped by Fred.“Sorry, but my boss only allowed me to take Isla with me,” Fred said politely to Ezra.Upon hearing this, Ezra understood that Fred meant he couldn’t go along, so he didn’t press the matter. Reluctantly, he glanced at Isla one last time before retreating back inside.As soon as Isla left, Ezra immediately called Luca.“What happened?” Luca, who was still searching for Vanessa, sounded somewhat exhausted.“Dad, I’m sorry, I didn’t take good care of Isla. She was taken away by someone,” Ezra said helplessly, feeling guilty.“What?!” Hearing this, Luca was shocked. “What exactly happened?”Ezra then recounted everything that had transpired.Upon hearing the details, Luca finally let out
Upon hearing this, Vanessa finally sensed something was off.Because her father and Harvey's grandfather were close friends, Vanessa had received Harvey's help, which had allowed her to become who she was today. She had always regarded him as an elder, but now it seemed that Harvey's feelings towards her were different from what she had imagined.Feeling a bit unhappy, Vanessa reminded him, "Mr. Mone, don’t forget your identity and your family."After saying this, Vanessa ordered the driver to stop and got out of the car.However, she hadn’t walked far when she felt a force from behind, and then Harvey tossed her back into the car.The car door was locked quickly, and Vanessa couldn’t open it no matter how hard she tried.“Harvey Mone, have you lost your mind? Let me go! What do you want?” Vanessa was truly angry now.&nbs
"Uh...," the maid hesitated and asked, "What about Mr. Kensington now?"Hearing this, Beatriz snorted with laughter. "What a loyal little dog you are, still worrying about your master at a time like this. But you might be disappointed—Grandpa Kensington is gone, and you shouldn't expect anything from him anymore."The maid froze at these words, seemingly unable to believe that a perfectly fine person could just disappear like that."Have you thought it over? Or should I give you more time?" Beatriz fixed her gaze on the maid without blinking.At this point, the maid realized that her and her brother's lives were completely in the hands of the woman in front of her, leaving her with no real options."I'll help you identify Vanessa," she pleaded, "but please keep your promise to let me and my brother go afterward. He’s my only family; I can’t let anything happen t