As soon as Isla heard the word “safe,” she immediately hugged Luca like a little ornament.
With a charming smile, she sweetly asked, “Then, Uncle, can you come pick me up when Mommy is busy?”
Luca was taken aback because, apart from Ezra, almost all the other children would avoid him, intimidated by his cold, emotionless demeanor.
Sometimes, they would even cry in fear, making him hesitant to approach.
During their first meeting, he thought she was afraid of him; now, why had she become so clingy?
Vanessa looked surprised as well, trying to signal Isla several times, but she simply refused to get down from Luca's arms.
With no other choice, Vanessa could only apologize awkwardly, saying, “She’s just a child; please don’t be upset, Mr. Kensington.”
“Not at all.” His tone seemed to grow even colder.
Just when Vanessa thought he didn’t like clingy kids—
“Do you
After a few pleasantries, the renowned host was invited to manage the live program and proceedings. Following performances by several popular singers and idols, it was time for Luca to take the stage for his speech, after which the ball would commence.Vanessa felt a bit uncomfortable; ever since the misunderstandings arose, no one had cast her a friendly glance. The lecherous men around her looked at her with clear intentions.The ball began.Several gentlemen approached her to invite her to dance, but she turned them all down.The reason was simple: their gazes were somewhat frivolous, and if she agreed, it might be misinterpreted as consenting to some sort of deal or arrangement.She firmly declined and remained at ease.Cassandra, who had also rejected many invitations, approached Vanessa, looking rather tired.“None of
Cortex, Rooftop.Vanessa, along with the staff and Mariah, enjoyed beer and fried chicken on the rooftop, discussing dreams and watching the night sky.That night, they didn’t bring up work even once; it felt like they all had an unspoken understanding.They talked about life, ideals, grievances, and indulged in gossip.Eventually, the gossip turned to Vanessa herself, and the employees curiously asked if Luca and Cassandra were really a couple.She neither confirmed nor denied it, simply stating that their relationship seemed good, but they were just classmates in college. As for now… she didn’t know.While the others spoke with a tone of mere gossip, Mariah seemed to catch on to something deeper.As dawn broke, Vanessa called cars for everyone. After waiting for the drivers to arrive, they were sent home to rest.Just after finishing her shower and preparing to sleep before starting work again, Mariah stopped her.“Com
Everything had gone so smoothly, and it all surprised her, as if someone else were collaborating with her.From every aspect, she had benefited.Once back at the company, she immediately shared the good news with Mariah.Upon learning that all her efforts had not been in vain, Mariah finally relaxed and slumped onto the sofa in the president's office, looking utterly drained and lifeless.“President, my dear president, since the project has been approved, can you let me off for two days so I can rest?”Vanessa nodded with a smile, but before Mariah could celebrate, she added, “Just wait a moment. As long as the cooperation contract is signed, you can take three days off right away. How about that?”Mariah, feeling relieved and with no complaints, jumped up excitedly and extended her pinky to make a pact, saying, “No problem!”“How childish! Get back to work; slacking off will cost you a day off,” Vanessa teased.At her words, M
Mr. Pako's eyes grew hazy, and he gradually slipped into unconsciousness.Alden looked at the unconscious Mr. Pako, then at the dagger in his hand, and he regretted it...Yet he didn't want Beatriz to think of him as useless. He liked her so much that he would do anything just to see her smile.He glanced around, wanting to stage Mr. Pako's death as a suicide.This way, he could absolve himself and avoid being implicated.Suddenly, he noticed a classical dagger in a display case. It seemed to be quite valuable, showing signs of age and history.He quickly put away his own dagger and wiped down any surfaces he might have touched with white gloves, nervously gripping Mr. Pako's own dagger.After much hesitation, he finally closed his eyes and made the hard decision to end it…Following Beatriz’s instructions, Alden arranged the scene and then left through the back door, making sure to take all his belongings with him so nothing w
Vanessa was very alert; after all, the other party was Luca, and she wouldn’t let her guard down easily.“Go ahead, what do you want?”Luca suddenly let out a cold laugh, as if surprised. “Anything?”Hearing this, she frowned slightly and hesitated before saying, “Except for my daughter.”“Ha ha ha, what do I want with your daughter? Could it be...?”He deliberately left her in suspense.Vanessa fell for it, nervously asking, “Could it be what?”He shouldn’t know that Isla was her daughter...He shouldn’t know...“Is your daughter’s father me?” He had said this deliberately to probe her.The result nearly scared Vanessa into a trap; fortunately, she reacted quickly, warning him in anger, “If you joke like this again, then our cooperation can end here.”Luca hadn’t expected her to take his joke seriously.“It was just a joke, and you are actually a
At a high-end seaside restaurant, the waves danced like flowers, and the sea breeze was sweet. She arrived half an hour early, wanting some time alone to enjoy the scenery.Memories gradually washed over her, those brief yet beautiful moments with Luca, which momentarily clouded her mind like a dream.Hugging her knees, she sat on the beach, watching the waves and other couples frolicking in the sand, feeling a twinge of envy.“If five years ago you had believed me, maybe we would be a happy family of three by now…”Vanessa mumbled, surprised to find that she still harbored fantasies about Luca. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.“Vanessa…”The call from behind startled her, and she turned around in surprise.Seeing that it was indeed Luca, she concealed all her warmth and put on a look of disdain, frowning as she faced him.“Mr. Kensington, we aren’t close enough for first names yet.”She said coolly befo
Vanessa looked at the nearby roads; the closest place was Daxton's house. However, the car behind was tailing her too closely, and she had no chance to turn around. After some thought, she made a very simple decision!To the Kensington residence!...Luxury villa area, at the entrance.Vanessa was stopped by the guard, who requested her access card or the electronic code for entry.But she had neither. Glancing at the two cars hiding in the shadows, she awkwardly said, “Can you wait a moment? I’ll call someone to pick me up.”The guard nodded, standing beside her car.After observing for a while, he took out his walkie-talkie and called over several patrolling guards, seemingly having noticed that other vehicles were following her.Vanessa tried to call Grandpa, but his phone was turned off…Knock, knock, knock...The guard knocked on her car window. She nervously rolled down the window and said, “Grandpa isn’t an
Cortex.Vanessa arrived at the office, full of energy, and her assistant immediately followed her in, closing the door behind them.Vanessa understood the reason for his presence but still asked, “Did you find it?”The assistant nodded, saying, “We found it. There’s a file on the USB drive, and there’s also one in the email. I…”Vanessa shot him a warning look, signaling him not to continue.He immediately caught on and changed his phrasing, saying, “I’ve already cleared everything here; there are no backups left.”“Okay, I understand. You can leave now.”She initially intended to hand it over to the police but couldn't resist her curiosity.Vanessa opened the video. Although she couldn't see who was driving the vehicle, the dashcam confirmed that Alden's car had indeed gone to Pako Group that night!
At this moment, Luca finally sensed that something was off and asked, “What’s going on?”“Hmm, there’s been progress in the Mariah case. We’ve arrested someone who has implicated Beatriz as the mastermind. We plan to apprehend her next.”Upon hearing this, Luca’s emotions surged. “Really?”“Yes, but further proceedings will take some time; for now, we just need to speak with her to understand the situation.”After hanging up the phone, Luca couldn’t calm down for a long time. He never expected that after so much time, there would finally be a breakthrough in the case.Meanwhile, the police acted swiftly after receiving the confirmed information, immediately heading to Ness Corp. The employees were stunned, unsure of what had happened to prompt the police’s visit.The front desk couldn’t stop them, and Beatriz’s assistant stepped forward to inquire about the s
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