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
In the following days, Cortex Group successfully poached nearly ten people from K Group through headhunters. Although this posed no threat to K Group—after all, such incidents occurred every year or two, and the upper management had grown accustomed to it—Luca sensed something was off. “Look into it. Check if all the people who left really went to Cortex.” The assistant was momentarily stunned, asking in confusion, “President Kensington, what do you mean?” “Get me the investigation results as soon as possible, and arrange for me to meet with Cortex’s CEO.” He said this while looking out at the fiery clouds in the sky, a hint of warmth flickering in his eyes. He added, “Don’t mention my name.” “Understood. I’ll arrange it right away.” The study was dimly lit, a habit he had developed over the years, wanting to cherish each sunset, as if that was the only way to slightly melt the frost within his heart
The man’s eyes darted, his legs trembling as he stammered, “No... nobody. If you have the ability, take me to the police!”Not wanting to waste more time with this type of person, Luca knew it was quickest to send him to the police.“Call the police. Fulfill his request.” After saying that, he worried that Vanessa might be in danger, so he rushed to follow her, only to find that she had already vanished as soon as he stepped outside.In the underground parking lot.Beatriz suddenly appeared, blocking Vanessa’s path with an air of pride and arrogance. “You actually dare to come back?”Vanessa felt that Beatriz’s intelligence hadn’t changed at all in the five years since they last met. She kindly reminded her, “It’s only been a few days. Miss Langley, are you already missing me?”“Vanessa Saxon, what exactly are you back for?”“What for? Don’t you know?” She feigned an innocent smile, moving closer, and lightly whispered in her ear, “Of
The next morning, Vanessa had breakfast with Isla and felt happy seeing her appetite.“My dear Isla, make sure to listen to Sister Mariah today, okay?” Vanessa patted Isla’s little head.Isla turned to look at Mariah and playfully asked, “Sister Mariah, am I the most well-behaved little friend?”Hearing the little girl’s question, Mariah paused with her spoon and smiled, nodding. “That’s right, Isla is the best.”“Mom, did you hear that?” Isla confidently looked up at Vanessa.Vanessa kissed Isla and hugged her affectionately. “Mom will miss you, but I have to rush to work now.”Mariah took Isla’s little hand and walked her to kindergarten, only to unexpectedly run into Beatriz. Beatriz glanced at the two of them with disdain and continued walking past.Isla, who wanted to greet Ezra, instinctively retracted her hand.Beatriz was chatting and laughing with a teacher, and Mariah didn’t think much of it. She squatted down and sof
Beatriz planned to claim the design proposal as a product of Ness Corp to ace the upcoming second bidding competition.However, just as she opened the door, she saw Luca and his assistant had returned. The two were deep in conversation about work, oblivious to her presence. Beatriz clutched the documents and slipped out hurriedly.Once outside, she called her assistant. “Contact the media immediately and announce that Ness Corp has produced the design proposal. Let’s create some buzz!”Meanwhile, Vanessa was still working on the proposal, with Mariah offering suggestions beside her.“Technology needs intelligent services,” Vanessa explained confidently. “We should allow visitors to search for exhibitions through smart terminals and help them navigate to the relevant areas.”“That precision is essential,” Mariah agreed with a nod.Just then, a news report on the television grabbed their attention: “Ness Corp is the first to present its de
At K Group, Richard hurried to complete the new design draft, spending the entire day on it. When he reached the president’s office, ready to knock, the assistant stepped out.“The president has left. Just hand it over to me,” the assistant said.Richard shook his head, cautious. “No, I’ll deliver it personally tomorrow. I can’t risk the draft leaking again.”Back at his desk, after some thought, Richard decided to take the design home for safekeeping.Perhaps it was his designer’s instinct, but he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him—like he was being followed.However, every time he turned around, there was no one.The next morning, Richard received an unexpected message:"Let’s meet. I have information you need."The message contained the address of a restaurant, signed by none other than Vanessa!Distracted all morning, Richard finally gave in to curiosity and went to the
About half an hour later, they arrived at the entrance of the banquet hall.Daxton stepped out first, offering Vanessa his hand. She took it gracefully, linking her arm with his. The two of them made quite the striking pair.It wasn’t every day that people saw such a good-looking couple, and the guests near the entrance began whispering among themselves.“Isn’t that the president of RC Group? Who’s the woman with him? I’ve never seen him with anyone before.”“That’s Vanessa Saxon, the president from the last Cortex bid. I didn’t know they were close.”As they entered the hall, a server approached with two glasses of wine. They raised their glasses in an elegant toast.“Still as charming as ever—you had those young men absolutely mesmerized,” Vanessa teased.Daxton grinned, not missing a beat. “Don’t flatter me—it wasn’t just me. You had their eyes glued to you, too.”Vanessa gave a playful scoff but turned her attention elsewhe
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
Luca felt an overwhelming sense of unease as he drove along the route he remembered. To ensure his safety, he activated real-time location sharing and sent it to his assistant.His instincts were correct. The people who had kidnapped Vanessa were no ordinary criminals; they had a certain level of counter-surveillance skills. The moment he arrived at the location where Vanessa was last seen, he was surrounded.Facing a group of men holding various weapons, Luca understood their intentions and calmly got out of the car. He looked directly at the leader and asked, “Where is Vanessa?”“Heh, who the hell do you think you are?” the leader sneered, spitting out his cigarette. “You want to see her? I’ll gladly take you to her right now.”Before Luca could react, the men moved in to search him.As the sole heir of The Kensingtons and president of
Bang!The door swung open as Grandpa Kensington stormed in, visibly furious. "Luca, what did you just say? Who were you talking to on the phone?"Seeing his grandfather had overheard, Luca decided to be straightforward."Grandpa, please calm down and let me explain.""What’s left to explain? Ezra is your son! How could you be so heartless as a father?!" Grandpa's anger shook his voice, and he coughed in frustration.Luca quickly helped him sit down and poured him a cup of water. Once Grandpa settled, Luca began to explain, "Grandpa, I’ve located Ezra. He’s safe; this kidnapper is just trying to extort us.""What?" Grandpa's eyes widened in surprise.It was a relief to know Ezra was unharmed, but the idea that someone dared to toy with The Kensingtons sent his temper flaring again."Do you know who&rs
Upon hearing this, Luca nodded, but he still had his doubts. After Beatriz left, he instructed his assistant to investigate the matter thoroughly.Meanwhile, Vanessa was starting to regain her senses as the effects of the drug wore off. She woke up to find everything around her pitch black.The sounds around her were chaotic. Vanessa strained to identify where she was and realized she was in a moving vehicle, swaying back and forth."Ahem," Vanessa cleared her throat and tentatively tried to communicate with the driver. "Mr. Land, I don’t know who sent you or what promises were made to you, but if you let me go, I can give you what she can—no, I’ll give you double.""Shut up! If you keep yelling, I’ll gag you," one of the men beside him said, clearly irritated.Undeterred, Vanessa pressed on, "Or just tell me what you want.""Shut up,
"Alright, I understand. Let’s not make this public for now."After hanging up the phone, Luca rubbed his temples.Isla, rubbing her eyes, came out of her room and saw Luca standing alone. She asked curiously, "Where’s Mommy? Why is she still in bed?"Luca wasn’t sure how to explain to Isla, so he vaguely said, "Isla, Mommy has something to take care of. Uncle will take you to kindergarten later, okay?"Isla pouted, a little unhappy, but didn’t refuse.After finishing breakfast, Luca first dropped Isla off at kindergarten before heading to the police station.Since it hadn’t been 24 hours yet, they couldn’t file a report. Luca could only describe Vanessa’s appearance to the police and ask them to keep an eye out for her.One of the officers on duty paused as he overheard their convers
Watching the little girl dance with excitement, Luca breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had guessed correctly this time; the gift was a hit. But…"The gift can't be taken for free, okay? Can you help me with a little task?" Luca squatted down to look at the little one.Immediately, Isla became alert. "What do you want me to help with? I need to think about it.""Hehe," Luca couldn't help but chuckle. "Don’t worry; it won’t be too difficult. You just need to keep an eye on your mommy. If any other man tries to approach her, tell me right away, okay?"Isla hesitated at this. Wouldn’t that be a betrayal to Mommy?Seeing her uncertainty, Luca shook the toy Gundam in her hands. "If you agree to help me with this, I promise I’ll buy you the latest model when it comes out. How about that?"In the end, Isla couldn't resist the temp