"No!" Charles spoke with twinkling eyes, but his words were serious. "We all get the wrong impression of people sometimes." He smiled. "The important thing is that you see things clearer now!"Noelle bit her lip. Talking to Charles was like riding a roller coaster. The conversation could zoom off in any direction, and he had a way of making everything seem like just a game. She could not quite figure him out."Ever since I was little, I knew I couldn't be part of City Ring Corp., even though I didn't know why. But honestly, I didn't care much about it." Noelle paused. "Sometimes I wonder if all those things are really so important. My sister Winter and I never get along, and Xavier chose her over me because of all that stuff.""It's super important!" Charles said, tapping his fingers. "It's not that you don't care. You just think there's a limit to how much those things matter, especially when you compare them to family."Noelle looked up, surprised. "How did you know?"Charles gr
"Mr. Harris, Director Harris from Frotconn is waiting for you in your meeting room." Robert's secretary knocked on his door. "What should I tell him?""How long has he been waiting?" Robert put down his pen and glanced at his watch. "Tell him I'll be there in a moment.""Okay."Robert frowned as he looked over the report that had been brought up that morning, then at the document on his desk. He took a deep breath and headed to the meeting room.Robert was a very charming middle-aged man who still maintained the same sparkle he had as a youth. However, after years of being outmaneuvered by Charles at Collosus Group, he had aged quite a bit.When Robert opened the meeting room door, he saw Joseph quickly stand up, looking as if he was greeting someone very important. "Mr. Harris."Robert raised an eyebrow. "What brings you here?""I... I wanted to ask if there's been any trouble at Collosus Group lately."Robert quirked an eyebrow. "What prompted you to ask that?" He had not cau
With Joseph gone, Robert looked really upset. He picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. "Get to my office now. I want to know everything that happened yesterday, down to the last detail!"Joseph stepped out of the Colossus Group building with a sinking feeling. He suddenly remembered that Jenson Lowry from Colossus Group was the head of the Finance Department. A jolt of fear ran through him. What if Jenson was in trouble? That would mean Robert could be in hot water too. The issues cropping up at Frotconn now were certainly no accident. He quickly dialed Xavier's number. "Stop working on Robert's shipment right now. If you can, destroy it all, and don't leave any evidence in writing."However, Joseph did not realize that he was only barely scraping the surface.Robert's secretary recounted every detail of the previous day's events to him. Robert's face turned a shade of stormy gray. "What have you been doing? Why didn't you tell me yesterday? Where's Jenson now?""W-
"Hmm?" Charles rested his chin on his hand, his eyebrows lifting slightly with interest. "Keep talking.""A couple of years back, a gap in the funds was almost spotted. Luckily, Collosus Group had put money into Frotconn, so...""So Robert used Frotconn to move the money around?""That's right." Jenson wiped the sweat from his forehead. "That's all I know. Mr. Harris kept me out of the loop on the other stuff, but I kept track of everything I was involved in, so..."Charles gestured dismissively. "I've found the right help for your mother's heart condition.""Really?" Jenson's face lit up with hope. Even with his wealth, finding a heart for a transplant was nearly impossible without years of waiting. It would take a lot of power and connections, and he was just the head of the Finance Department, not a big shot with influence. Even his boss Robert would not bother to help with such a personal issue."Thank you, Mr. Hoffman. If you can save my mother, I'll give you all the evidenc
Charles cracked a chilly smile. "Robert, you know what I'm like." He set his water glass down, stood up tall, and looked down at Robert. "I don't want to be too harsh, but I expect to see your resignation letter by tomorrow morning. Don’t worry. You won’t lose any Collosus Group shares, and you'll still get your yearly share of the profits." That was as nice as he could spare to be. Robert was now fuming, puffing out his cheeks and glaring. He stood up so fast that his chair almost toppled over. "Charles, who do you think you are? Do you think I'm scared of you? This company isn't yours to boss around. Your dad still shows me some respect, but you're totally out of line." The more Robert thought about it, the angrier he got. He had been putting his heart and soul into Collosus Group for years. Charles was a new player in this industry, but he was acting like a big shot already."Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. Your fancy Hoffman family has always looked down on us, ri
Noelle walked up to Rowena and could not help but blurt out, "You're so slim and tan now!” She stared at Rowena's new super-short hair. The cute, fair-skinned girl she once knew now looked like a real tomboy. "Why'd you chop off all your hair?"Noelle gently touched Rowena's hair, a touch of sadness in her voice. "What a shame."Rowena just shrugged. "Who cares? Afron is hot as hell, and hair is just a hassle over there. I chopped it off to finally feel the breeze again, and I don’t regret anything!”Rowena gave Noelle a once-over. "Years have gone by, yet you haven't changed a bit!"Noelle bit her lip. "Changed? How would I change? Anyway, you just got back, right? How'd you end up in this situation?"Noelle was really sad when Rowena left years ago. Rowena had bravely decided to go to Afron against her family's wishes, saying she might never return. She was a journalist who had signed up as a volunteer there. She was fueled by the pain of a recent breakup to try for new beginnin
Rowena could not believe how much had changed since they last met. "What's Xavier trying to do? Getting engaged to your sister while being with you? What's his plan now?""What else can he do? They want me to go back to the Shaw family and practically beg Grandpa to give them his blessing," Noelle said, her eyes dimming. Even after all this time, it was still tough for Noelle to think about."I can't believe it. Xavier is such a jerk! How did I never see it before? And Winter, that sneaky girl, has always been doing things behind your back! But she’s gone too far now by stealing your boyfriend!"Rowena was fuming. "No way! Did you give them a piece of your mind? The more I think about it, the madder I get. Why do they get to be happy and carefree while you're dumped and depressed?"Rowena was about to storm off when Noelle caught her hand. "Hold on a second. I need to answer this call."Noelle looked down to see 'hubby’ on her caller ID. A surprised expression bloomed on her face.
Noelle's cheeks flushed bright red, especially when Rowena started teasing her. She felt her face burning and shot Rowena a joking look of annoyance. "You're the one to blame!""What are you talking about? Why blame me?” Rowena asked with a teasing smile. "Looks like you and your husband are getting along well!"Noelle bit her lip, a little embarrassed. She had called Charles her husband without realizing it until afterward. "Well, he's pretty nice," she admitted. She thought about how Charles had always been there for her, helping her constantly since they first met.Rowena grinned. "As long as he treats you well, that's all that matters. I was worried about Xavier and Winter getting you down, but you seem just fine. Don't be shy. You're married now! Live a happy life and bring him out sometime to meet us!""Sure!"It had been years since Noelle and Rowena last caught up, so they had plenty to talk about. However, Noelle was worried about Charles not having dinner at home. Since
The woman with Joanna gushed, "You're so lucky! Your boyfriend Sean is so handsome and rich, and your future mother-in-law adores you too!""Please, you're making me blush. Sean and I aren't even official yet." Joanna laughed off the compliment."It's only a matter of time. Everyone at the hospital knows you two are an item. And your future mother-in-law is so generous, showering you with gifts. You wouldn't believe how many people are green with envy!""You're making it sound too good to be true!"As Liliana overheard Joanna and the woman's conversation about Sean, she felt like a creep for eavesdropping.Yes, Sean had been with Joanna for a while. Where did that leave Liliana?She had been with Sean, which explained why he was so cold that day. He must have really disliked her, or else it would not have made sense.Liliana squeezed her hands together, trying hard not to eavesdrop on Joanna and the other woman's chat. However, their words floated to her ears, every single one c
Adalee had braced herself for tough negotiations, but to her surprise, they were ready to shake hands on the deal he moment she stepped into the other company's office. The previous unreasonable demands were gone. They were going to work together just like they had before.Even though Adalee thought it was odd, she was just glad there were no hiccups in the partnership. She signed the contract and decided to give Liliana some time off, hoping it would help her shake off the blues from that unhappy evening.Ever since Liliana came back from Cascade City, she had been quiet. Her life was work, work, and nothing but work. She did not go out, not even when Tania tried to coax her into hanging out.Tania could tell something was off with Liliana, but Liliana clammed up whenever she asked, saying she was swamped with work and had no spare time.Liliana had even forgotten about the date with Keith she had planned to arrange after her business trip.Her routine was simple: she would work
Adalee had just stepped out of her room when she ran into Sean. Sean's face was stormy as he walked past, not even noticing Adalee."Mister..." Adalee called, but Sean did not even look back.Adalee's brows knitted together in worry. She rushed to Liliana's door and called, "Liliana? Liliana?"Adalee did not hear Liliana answer, so she knocked again. "Liliana, are you in there?"After Sean left, Liliana could not stop the tears from coming. However, she did not let herself cry loudly. It was just a quiet, steady sob.When she heard the knock at the door, Liliana quickly stopped crying.She bit her lip, hurried to put on her clothes, and dried her eyes.Adalee waited outside, not leaving before she heard from Liliana. Liliana had no choice but to open the door.As soon as Adalee saw her, she noticed her red, puffy eyes and the marks on her face and neck. "Liliana, what's wrong?"Remembering the drink Liliana had taken for her sake the previous night, Adalee gasped and grabbed h
Disgust—that was it.She remembered a similar desperate moment from years ago. However, Sean had not given her a chance to explain back then.He was disappointed and disgusted with her."Sean, only you and I know about today. If we keep it to ourselves, no one else will find out. I know I was wrong… but I was set up. I'm truly sorry."I promise I won't bother you again. I'm not the same as I was before. I used to have feelings for you, but now I really just see you as a brother. I wouldn't fall for my own brother."And I have a boyfriend whom I really love… I wouldn't ever ruin your happiness, Sean. I promise you that."Liliana was trying to explain, but her words were all jumbled up. She did not even understand what she was saying herself. All she knew was that she did not want to see that look of disgust in Sean's eyes, so she kept explaining, hoping Sean would not hate her.Liliana was so busy trying to clarify things that she did not notice the icy look in Sean's eyes when s
Liliana woke up feeling utterly spent, as if she had been run over.For a moment, her mind was totally blank. She could not remember a thing. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for what felt like forever. Slowly, her senses started to come back.The warm breath and steady breathing from beside her made her eyes pop open wide.The moment she saw Sean lying next to her and shirtless, she could not stay calm any longer. "Ahh!"Her scream woke Sean up.He cracked his eyes open, still groggy, but then suddenly, his eyes snapped wide open, and his piercing gaze landed on Liliana.Her mind was a whirlwind, the memories of last night rushing back. She remembered being drugged, Sean bringing her home, and then, despite trying so hard to hold back, she ended up crossing a line with Sean.The thought made her heart ache, almost drowning her as she met Sean's icy stare.She wrapped her arms around herself, clutching the blanket tightly. She was shaking all over, and her eyes wer
Liliana was crying so hard that she could not think of anything else. All she knew was that she felt awful, and Sean was the man she loved more than anyone else in her life. She hugged Sean tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Liliana, please stop," Sean said gently. He tried to move her hands away, but she held on even tighter. "Sean, I feel so sad… I really like you, Sean," she said through her tears. Sean pried Liliana's hands off him, but she clung to him again. "Sean, I feel awful… I… I like you, Sean."She bit his lips, her hands desperately roaming over his body.Sean was a man, after all. The moment Liliana started touching him so recklessly, his body responded.However, he had always been a man of strong self-control. He pushed her away countless times, but Liliana crawled back each time, whimpering as she restlessly clung to him.Sean's expression darkened. It was not because of Liliana—it was because of himself.He could not believe it. He was actually having
Liliana's mind was a whirlwind. She found her key card fast, but just as she was about to shut the door, a big hand stopped it.She was not strong enough to close the door against Sean, who pushed it open.Liliana took a shaky step back, looking at Sean with a bit of fear. "Sean, it's late. I need to sleep."Sean just kept looking at her. "Liliana, what... what's wrong with your mouth?" he asked as he reached out, his fingers lightly touching the corner of Liliana's mouth. Liliana felt a rush of heat through her body, making her shake all over.In a swift motion, she knocked Sean's hand away. "Leave me alone."With his inscrutable eyes, Sean noticed the blood on his thumb and Liliana's unusual red cheeks. A flicker of surprise showed in his eyes. "Liliana, did..."However, Liliana was already clenching her fists, all pretense gone. She was shaking and crouching on the ground, her tears filling her eyes. "Sean, please. I'm begging you, just go, okay?"Sean's brow furrowed. His
Liliana could not make out what Sean was saying anymore. She felt awful and shut her eyes tight, not wanting Sean to notice.Sean thought Liliana had dozed off from drinking too much and had a headache, so he stopped talking.The car pulled up to Liliana's hotel, and Sean gently shook her. "Liliana, time to wake up. We're here."Liliana slowly opened her eyes and saw Sean's face close to hers. Her heart, which was already fluttering, started racing.She turned her head away, swallowing hard. "Are we here already?"Once she saw they were outside the hotel, Liliana quickly got out of the car and opened the back door to help Adalee. "Ms. Cobb, can you walk?"Adalee nodded. "Yes, I can."With a sigh of relief, Liliana told Sean, "Sean, we've made it. Ms. Cobb and I will head up now."Liliana rushed off, scared that any delay might make her lose her composure. She could not let herself fall apart in front of Sean again—not after what happened years ago.Sean noticed Liliana rushing
The moment everyone in the private room saw Bob, they were scared out of their wits.It was Andy, the favorite son of the Jones family in Cascade City! Even though he was the second child, he was the one everyone knew would run the company one day.Everyone felt a wave of relief, glad they had not messed with Liliana earlier. They knew that if they had, they would not just be outcasts in Cascade City, but probably everywhere else too.Sean gently put Adalee in the back seat of the car and then helped Liliana into the front seat. Noticing Liliana's pale face, he asked, "Did you have too much to drink?"When Sean touched her forehead, Liliana felt a wave of heat rush through her, like she was on fire. Sean's hand was cool, and the moment it touched her, she could not help but sigh in relief."Maybe," she said.Sean shook his head. "Where's your hangover pill? Take it now. Where do you live?"After Liliana told him the address, she saw that Adalee was already fast asleep.Sean tur