Upon receiving the response, Vanessa felt a bit disappointed, but at least the other party hadn’t outright rejected her, which made her feel there was still a chance to negotiate.
“Alright, I hope Mr. Aamon will reconsider. I’ll take my leave for now.”
After leaving Mr. Aamon's office, Vanessa met with several other executives, but received the same reply from each of them.
Back at Cortex, she sat down and closed her eyes for a moment to rest.
After a day of running around, she was utterly exhausted.
When Luca arrived, her assistant stopped him at the door. “Mr. Kensington, Miss Saxon is resting right now and isn’t available to meet. Would you like to wait in the reception area?”
Upon hearing this, Luca furrowed his brow and asked worriedly, “Is she unwell again?”
‘Ness Corp, a well-known company in the capital, is suspected of defrauding consumers, as the quality of their products has significantly declined, raising concerns among customers about the materials used in their products.’ Just a few days after the delivery, Ness Corp found itself in the news due to quality issues.The efficacy of the products was something only industry insiders could truly assess. Beatriz had hoped to weather this materials crisis by delivering on time, but she never expected that someone would seize the opportunity to expose their problems.As more and more customers reported obvious defects in the products they received, and some even conducted experiments to verify their suspicions, it became apparent that Ness Corp might be involved in consumer fraud. The company was thrown into chaos.All morning, Beatriz wore a gloomy e
After confirming that the person seated before her was Vanessa, whom she despised to the core, Beatriz exclaimed sharply, “Vanessa, how dare you be here? This is the board meeting of Ness Corp; who gave you the audacity to sit here as an outsider?!”Beatriz’s emotions were running high, her tone involuntarily rising, and her voice slightly trembling.“I am a shareholder of Ness Corp, so why shouldn't I be here for the board meeting?” Vanessa replied fearlessly, locking eyes with Beatriz.Compared to Beatriz, Vanessa appeared remarkably calm.Hearing this, Beatriz remained skeptical and turned to her assistant, whispering, “Is what she said true?”The assistant nodded but dared not meet Beatriz’s gaze.“Why are you only mentioning something so important now?” Beatriz’s voice carried an unmistakable edge of anger.The assistant lowered her head even further.The ot
“This is a list of some projects currently managed by our project department, along with their respective leaders. You can take a look.”Luca glanced over it, and finding it satisfactory, he replied, “Can I take this back to review? Of course, if possible, it would be great if I could also borrow the project materials to look at.”“Of course.” Beatriz handed over a stack of documents without hesitation.With the materials in hand, Luca felt he had achieved the purpose of his visit and didn’t want to linger a moment longer. “Then I’ll take my leave, President Langley.”“Wait a moment,” Beatriz called out hurriedly as she saw Luca about to leave. “Luca, don’t you have anything you want to say to me? Ezra has been missing you a lot these days.”Thinking of Ezra softened Luca’s heart momentarily, but he quickly reminded himself that this was just Beatriz&rsq
Hearing this, Luca’s face paled slightly, and his thoughts were pulled back to the past…“I actually didn’t hate you. I mean, back five years ago.” Luca hesitated, unsure how to convey his feelings to Vanessa so that she would believe him.Five years ago, when he learned that he was about to marry Vanessa, Luca felt a sense of resistance. He knew that Vanessa liked him, but at that time, he didn’t have any feelings for her.Luca disliked the feeling of being controlled by others. He initially didn’t want this arranged marriage and even transferred his frustration onto Vanessa.However, it seemed that Vanessa didn’t notice his aversion. She continued to revolve around him every day.Seeing the pampered young lady, who had never touched the kitchen before, learn to cook for him, burning her hands and hiding them behind her back in fear of him noticing, Luca had to admit that, from that moment on, his h
“Really?” Mariah’s interest was piqued. The actor Leonardo Blue was her perfect idol—talented and skilled, it was as if heaven had blessed him with a career.“I wouldn’t joke about this. Recently, at an event, I happened to be a guest alongside him. Since you mentioned before that he’s your idol, I casually asked him for an autographed photo for you. When are you free? I can give it to you,” Cassandra said.Hearing that she could get an autographed photo of her idol, Mariah felt her spirits lift, sweeping away the earlier gloom. She quickly replied, “I’m free tonight. How about we grab dinner?”“Great! It’s a deal. I’ll send you the location later.”The two quickly settled on a time and place to meet.Cassandra’s sudden call to Mariah wasn’t coincidental; it was actually a request from Luca.Luca had been keeping an eye on Vanessa&rsqu
Not knowing if Cassandra had understood, Mariah adjusted her face and said earnestly, “Cassandra, don’t misunderstand. I was just trying to help you out. I really don’t like girls!”At that moment, Cassandra's intoxication caught up with her, and she could hardly hear what Mariah was saying before she drowsily fell asleep.Watching Cassandra sleep in her arms, Mariah found the situation both amusing and exasperating. She could only call a car to take her home.The next morning, Cassandra woke up with a terrible headache, groggily sitting up while holding her head, piecing together the fragmented memories of the night before.‘Did I really kiss Mariah last night? Oh no, she can’t seriously think I like girls, or that I have feelings for her, can she?’Realizing what she had done, Cassandra tightly wra
Luca was taken aback. “What’s so uncomfortable about that?”As soon as he finished speaking, Vanessa shot him an eye-roll, silencing him instantly.Luca replied awkwardly, “Well… I still have to attend the meeting. I’ll try my best not to look at you.”Vanessa wasn’t sure how much ‘trying’ that meant, as Luca continued to stare at her throughout the meeting.Vanessa could only do her best to ignore the intense gaze, focusing on the meeting materials instead. However, due to her nerves, she stumbled over her words a few times while speaking, leaving her feeling flustered, but there was nothing she could do about Luca.Meanwhile, Mariah and Cassandra arrived at the agreed location.In front of the elegant Japanese restaurant, a young man in a suit had been waiting f
Vanessa's private elevator had some issues, so she ended up sharing the same elevator with the staff. She didn’t expect to overhear such explosive content and perked up her ears to listen closely to the conversation between two employees in front of her.“Ah, come on, it’s hard to define something like this,” one said hesitantly.Hearing the doubt in the other’s voice, the first person got anxious. “How could I possibly be mistaken? It’s that actress who has been coming to our company often. I bumped into her at a restaurant once, and the way they interacted felt overly intimate.”“No wonder Mariah is cold toward every man. There were a few guys in our department who wanted to pursue her, but she outright rejected them,” the other employee replied.Finally grasping the situation, Vanessa felt a bit surprised.Recently, Cassandra had been coming here frequently. Coupled with what she
"Isla, guess what I brought for you?" Luca shook a cake box at her with a grin.Seeing the familiar box, Isla lit up, practically coming to life. Her eyes sparkled as she leaped forward to grab the cake from Luca's hands, flashing him a sweet smile. "Thank you, Uncle Luca!"Watching her bounce around so happily, Vanessa finally relaxed, relieved to see her in such high spirits.Isla skipped into the living room with her little cake, unwrapping it while shooting her mom a playful look. "Uncle Luca knows me best! Mom never lets me eat this stuff."Vanessa sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead. "Too many sweets aren’t good for you. You won’t grow tall."At that, Isla pouted, looking unconvinced. "Mom, you’re just trying to trick me again."Vanessa chuckled, tousling Isla's hair. "You little girl, always so clever."Mean
Vanessa was both anxious and helpless, so she dialed Luca’s number again. Once again, it was Grandpa Kensington who answered.Not caring about her confusion, Vanessa cried, “Grandpa, please, can you let Luca come back, just for a moment? Isla refuses to eat, and I really don’t know what to do. I’m afraid she’ll starve…”Before she could finish her sentence, Grandpa Kensington hung up the phone.Vanessa stared at her phone in disbelief.At that moment, Luca had just finished taking a shower and realized he had left his phone on the dining table. As he wiped his hair, he went downstairs to grab it.As soon as he unlocked the screen, he noticed that Vanessa had called him twice, but both calls showed as received.Luca looked at Grandpa Kensington in confusion. “Grandpa, did someone call just now?”&nb
“Isla, why aren’t you coming to eat?” Vanessa found it a bit strange; the little one had been unusually quiet today.“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Vanessa tentatively touched Isla’s forehead.Not sick…Vanessa muttered to herself while saying to Isla, “The dishes are going to get cold. Come and eat; tonight we have your favorite shrimp ceviche.”Isla glanced at the dining table but then lowered her head, quietly fiddling with her Lego. With a sullen tone, she said, “Mommy, I want to play with Lego…”Hearing this, Vanessa frowned. “You can play with Lego after dinner. Let’s eat first.”Seeing that Mommy seemed angry, Isla reluctantly put down her toy and walked toward the table.“Mommy, when is Uncle Luca coming back?”
“Yeah, William explained everything to me. I should apologize to you for the misunderstanding,” Cassandra said. Being someone who doesn’t sweat the small stuff, she had realized her mistake the moment William explained things to her. She had felt guilty ever since, especially since her relationship with Mariah had become a bit distant because of William.Now that the words were finally out, Cassandra felt a weight lift off her chest.“Are you here alone? Where’s the detective?” Cassandra asked curiously upon seeing Mariah by herself.“Um…” Mariah hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed. How could she admit that she had been fooled?“It was a scam, but it's all sorted out now,” William interjected, answering for Mariah.“Wow…” Cassandra was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to think of something
“Ha ha, I thought Miss Hutchson was a smart person, but it seems I was mistaken…”The private investigator said this as he tossed the photos he had taken onto the table.Mariah was a bit perplexed as she picked up the photos and flipped through them. They were pictures of her alone with Leonardo, and judging by the background, they were taken during her last visit to the hospital…“What do you mean by this?” Mariah frowned, her tone displeased. “I hired you to find out who spread the rumors, not to investigate my relationship with Leonardo!”“I know, but it seems we have some unexpected surprises here. If you really had a clear conscience, why react so strongly…” The private investigator looked at Mariah’s expression, smiling as if everything was going according to his plan.“Just tell me, what&rsquo
Hearing the sound of keys jingling outside the door, Luca and Isla instantly switched from their playful banter to a more serious demeanor.The two had already agreed that to avoid raising Vanessa's suspicions, they needed to maintain their act once she returned.“Uncle Luca, you should take your medicine. Even if you don’t eat, you can’t skip your meds,” Isla urged, pushing the glass of water and the pills toward Luca.“I won’t take it. I’m not eating until your mommy comes back,” Luca stubbornly turned his head away, his tone defiant.When Vanessa walked in, she was met with this scene.“Why aren’t you taking your medicine?” Vanessa frowned, glancing at the table where the medicine lay.“Oh, you’re back!” Luca exclaimed, standing up with surprise upon seeing her.&nbs
When Mariah returned from her business trip, she was informed that Leonardo had been abroad the entire time and hadn’t returned.For some reason, she felt a pang of disappointment upon hearing this news. Before leaving, she had resolved not to let Leonardo’s actions affect her, but now… she hadn’t even seen him.Determined not to dwell in this uncertain emotional state, Mariah shifted her focus to work, immersing herself in tasks to keep her mind occupied.Meanwhile, under Vanessa’s care, Luca’s health gradually improved.His relationship with Isla grew closer, too.Sometimes, Vanessa would watch the two of them whispering to each other and couldn’t help but marvel at the bond of blood. Despite years of separation, they seemed to become familiar with each other almost instantly, even sharing little secrets behind her back.
However, mentioning Leonardo seemed to have become a taboo for Mariah. As long as no one brought him up, everything was fine; but as soon as his name was mentioned, Mariah would revert to her silent, withdrawn state.Vanessa wasn’t sure if Leonardo had reached out to Mariah afterward, nor did she ask about their situation, especially since Luca still needed her care.In truth, Mariah didn’t want to hear Leonardo’s name anymore; whenever she did, it always brought back unpleasant memories.But then, something strange happened.For several days in a row, Mariah received mysterious gifts.Almost every day, the receptionist would look at her with a teasing smile. “Miss Hutchson, your boyfriend is so thoughtful. Even though you’re just on a business trip, he keeps sending you gifts.”Seeing the receptionist’s envious expre
When Luca opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on a hospital bed. Vanessa was dozing off at his bedside, while a little one sat nearby, engrossed in her mechanical toy.Isla? Vanessa even brought Isla here?*Seeing them there, a faint smile tugged at his lips, his heart inexplicably at ease. He reached out to gently stroke Vanessa’s face, and as the sunlight from the window brushed her features, the fine hairs on her skin seemed to glisten.It had been a long time since he'd seen her so peaceful, and he couldn’t look away.That was until a sharp-eyed little observer broke the silence, her voice piping up, “Uncle Luca, you’re awake!”“Shhh…” Luca quickly gestured for Isla to keep quiet, worried that she’d wake up Vanessa. But it was too late. Vanessa stirred, blinking blearily before her eyes widened in surprise at se