"Alright, then!" Noelle finally relented. She knew she could not continue rejecting Grant's offer and nodded in agreement.Seeing this, Grant signaled Kresten, who promptly came forward with documents from his briefcase. "I'll leave the rest to Mr. Cook."Since Kent was present and so were all the shareholders, Grant used this moment to finalize the transfer of shares, ensuring Noelle's future position in City Ring Corp. was unshakable. It also served to prevent any future disputes over ownership.Kent understood the importance of this, so he immediately got to work.Kent's efficiency was remarkable, and he quickly prepared the transfer agreement. Grant officially transferred his shares to Noelle in front of everyone, leaving no room for doubt about her ownership.Once the matter was settled, Noelle glanced at Ronald, who promptly gathered the documents. "That's done. I believe today's meeting can now be considered concluded!""Yes, yes, a successful conclusion. But when will the
"Mrs. Hoffman, well said!" Ronald could not help but applaud Noelle.Noelle merely curved her lips slightly. "Mr. Wells, please hand over all these pieces of evidence to the police. And remember to tell them that my grandfather's death wasn't an accident!""You wretched woman, Noelle! I'll fight you to the death!" Jade screamed."You're a curse! You won't stop until you destroy the Shaws completely, will you? You and your shameless mother are the same—both of you are nothing but disgraceful women!"Jade lunged at Noelle in an attempt to grab her, but Andrew stepped in and kicked her away. "Damn it! What's wrong with you, woman? How dare you lay a hand on Mrs. Hoffman!"Andrew was not like Ronald—he was a straightforward and rough man who was loyal to his boss. To him, Noelle, as Charles' wife, was his boss as well.Jade had repeatedly ignored their warnings and even dared to try and harm Noelle. Andrew was not going to tolerate it anymore.Jade was sent flying with the force of
Noelle's lips twitched slightly. "He's impressive!"She meant it. She did not think Sean would place surveillance cameras everywhere. Did Sean not realize how costly it was to install cameras even in places that were not necessary, like hospital wards?Was it not an issue to install cameras inside patient rooms? Surely, that infringed on privacy, did it not?Still, Noelle kept these thoughts to herself. After all, without Sean's video, she would not have had concrete evidence to defend herself.Besides, it was thanks to these recordings that she realized Winter and Jade were far more terrifying than she had ever imagined.Noelle sighed softly. Standing beside her, Grant noticed the subtle change in her mood. "The dead can't be brought back, Noelle."Turning to look at Grant, Noelle murmured, "I can't shake the feeling that I bear some responsibility for Grandpa's death."Although it was not directly her doing, Winter's jealousy toward her led to Samuel being dragged into this me
Ronald suddenly realized he had been staring at Noelle and quickly averted his gaze. "N-Nothing!" he stammered.He would not dare admit that he had been pondering the nature of Noelle and Grant's relationship. If Noelle found out, she might think he would report it to Charles—and truth be told, he had briefly considered it.Noelle gave Ronald a faint smile before redirecting her gaze. "Let's head back.""Mrs. Hoffman, do you want to return to the office or go home?""Home."After everything that had happened today, Noelle was not in the mood to go back to the office."In that case, I'll have Andrew take you home. I need to head over to the police station to deal with the follow-up matters."Noelle nodded, understanding that Ronald would handle the aftermath. "Andrew, take me home, please."...Inside City Ring Corp., after Noelle and Grant left, Julian's anger boiled over as he looked at Jade's despairing face.Between the issue of the company's shares and Samuel's death, J
"Fine, Julian, very well! You'll regret treating me like this today!" Jade screamed.Having been thrown out of the Shaw residence and left homeless, Jade had no choice but to seek out Winter. Winter, however, had been in hiding due to the recent events.No one knew her whereabouts, not even the police who were actively searching for her. At that moment, Winter was holed up in an abandoned warehouse in the southern part of the city.Across from her sat a man dressed in a black suit, which gave him an air of darkness, like a specter of the night. His face was hidden behind an intricately crafted silver mask.Winter could not see his face but could make out his sharp eyes and chiseled jawline, enough to imagine that he must be strikingly handsome.She had been in that warehouse for several days, with nowhere else to go. Someone delivered food to her daily, and while she was restless, she knew she could not leave yet. Normally, the visitors were minor lackeys, but today, a more signif
Jethro tossed an object to Winter, who stared at him in confusion. "What's this?""Take it. Find the right moment to meet Noelle. The instructions on how to use it are included. Remember, there's only one of these—don't lose it."After saying this, Jethro handed Winter a small communication device. "And don't use this casually, understand?"He grabbed Winter's chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Did you get that?"Winter was momentarily stunned, her wide eyes fixed on Jethro. His piercing gaze seemed to hold secrets, making it impossible for her to look away.She swallowed hard while nodding. "I understand."Jethro smiled in satisfaction and nodded. "Good. Right now, it's not safe for you to go out. And don't go looking for Xavier again, got it?"Though Jethro's tone was calm, his words carried an implicit warning. Winter's pupils contracted slightly, and her hands clenched into fists. "I understand."He knew she had gone out before and even knew she had met Xavier.Jethro a
Even though Charles held the shares of City Ring Corp., it was Noelle who really had to run the show.Today, Ronald came from City Ring Corp. with some numbers for Noelle. "Mrs. Hoffman," he said, "Mr. Hoffman thinks that City Ring Corp. has taken a big hit. It's not going to be easy to get out of this mess quickly. We've got to deal with the projects from last year right away. Collosus Group will just have to put up some cash to cover the holes for everything else."Ronald explained while keeping an eye on Noelle. She was so engrossed with the reports that she did not even notice Ronald standing there. He waited quietly until she looked up.Noelle flipped through a few pages, her forehead wrinkling a bit. She glanced up at Ronald. "Mr. Wells, this... Mr. Wells, please sit down!"You can sit, you know!" she added, realizing he had been on his feet the whole time."That's okay, Mrs. Hoffman. I'm fine with standing!" Ronald said with a light smile. "Is something wrong?""No, nothin
"Okay!" Noelle shut her folder. "You've been working so hard lately, Mr. Wells. You should be with Charles now!" Ronald had been so busy with tasks at both City Ring Corp. and Collosus Group recently."Mrs. Hoffman, you must be kidding. I work for Mr. Hoffman, so it's my job to do these things. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way!"Ronald quickly gathered his things and got up to leave.Noelle rubbed her forehead, feeling tired. Clarisse, who was coming down the stairs, noticed and said, "Feeling worn out? You're pregnant now, so you shouldn't worry about the company. Let Charles handle it."Over time, Clarisse and Noelle had grown to get along much better.Clarisse had come to see that Noelle, her daughter-in-law, was not as troublesome as she had thought. In fact, Noelle had been a big help with rekindling the emotional bond between her and her son, Charles.When Noelle saw Clarisse coming down, she stood up to straighten some scattered papers on the desk. Clarisse quick
After speaking, Liliana supported herself against the wall and headed to the restroom. Bob, still holding the bottle of hangover remedy, stood in place with a glimmer in his deep-set eyes.He smirked faintly, then chuckled and shook his head. Casually, he stuffed the remedy into his pants pocket and lingered there a while longer, lighting a cigarette before finally returning to the private room.Sean was inside drinking with a few others. They were all people brought in by Bob and were prominent figures in the pharmaceutical and medical industries.Truth be told, the entire dinner was simply Bob paving the way for Sean. Although these individuals were leaders in their fields, they still had to curry favor. The man they aimed to please was Bob—better known as Andy Jones, the second son of Jones Group.Though Bob was technically the second son, everyone in Cascade City knew he was the legitimate heir to the Jones family and, eventually, the Smiths as well. That made him a powerful fi
Liliana had not wanted to drink, but the other party insisted on making a toast. Under such circumstances, she could not exactly refuse. It was clear they would not even continue discussing the partnership unless she played along.She glanced at Adalee, whose expression was far from pleasant. However, given that they still had to maintain a working relationship with the client, Adalee subtly signaled Liliana to go along with it. Liliana understood—she could not say no.Hence, round after round, Liliana did her best to hold her own. She even tried to fake it occasionally, but she still ended up drinking quite a bit."Excuse me, I need to use the restroom," she said eventually, unable to take any more. Her head felt light, and her steps wobbled slightly as she walked.Though her alcohol tolerance was not exactly terrible, the combination of red and white wine tonight was rough. Even someone with a decent tolerance would struggle.She had not even reached the restroom when she stum
After finishing dinner, Liliana and Adalee went to pay the bill, only to be told it had already been paid for.Liliana instinctively suspected Sean, but Adalee, unaware, asked the cashier, "Who paid for it?""Are you Ms. Hoffman?" the cashier asked.Adalee shook her head and pointed at Liliana. "She is."The cashier smiled. "That's right. A Mr. Smith said to put the bill under his account."Liliana nodded. "Got it. Thank you."Adalee gave Liliana a curious glance. Judging by her reaction, she clearly knew the person. "Didn't you say you had never been to Cascade City before? How do you know someone here?"It was not until they got into the car that Liliana explained, "He's also from Brookville—a distant relative. I ran into him just now when I went to the restroom."Adalee nodded. Though she suspected things were not that simple, she did not press further.During their business trip in Cascade City, Adalee kept Liliana incredibly busy. Every day was packed to the brim, making
"I understand," Liliana said quietly, though deep down she wanted to retort, "You're not my real brother, so why do you care so much?"She truly did not want Sean meddling in her business. It would only make her overthink things. Especially when he reached out and ruffled her hair again, it only made her heart more chaotic.Sean looked at her expression and seemed to realize he might have overstepped. "Your brother isn't here, and you're out here alone. I'm his best friend. Of course, I should look after you."Liliana gave a faint, bitter smile. She knew it. Sean was only kind to her because she was a Hoffman and because she was Charles' sister."It's getting late. Have you finished eating?" Sean asked, rubbing his temples. His head throbbed a little—probably from the alcohol he'd had during the earlier dinner.He ran his long fingers through his thick hair, massaging his temples for a while before easing up. When he noticed Liliana staring at him, he looked up. "What is it?"Lil
By the time Liliana and Adalee left the factory, it was already evening. Adalee noticed that Liliana had been unusually quiet, so she tapped the notebook in her hand and asked, "Any thoughts?"Liliana blinked and replied, "Not really… Ms. Cobb, do you always handle everything personally like this?"Adalee found the question amusing. "Do you think getting to this position just means sitting comfortably behind a desk?""I didn't mean it like that!" Liliana's cheeks flushed slightly. "I actually admire you a lot."Adalee did not seem very old, yet she held a managerial position, which proved just how capable she was.Adalee waved a hand casually. "I was just lucky, and I worked hard for it. With time, you'll get there too.""I hope so."Liliana did not say more, and Adalee, thinking she might be hungry, brought her to a well-known seafood restaurant in Cascade City. "This place is pretty decent. I used to come here often when I traveled for work. Try it."Perhaps Adalee saw a bit
The first thing Liliana did after returning to the hotel was take a shower. When she came out, she noticed a missed call from Keith.She immediately called him back. "Keith? Sorry, I was in the shower when you called.""It's fine. I just wanted to check if you arrived safely."Keith sounded busy on the other end. He majored in computer science, and after graduating, he naturally found work in a related field. Liliana never asked much about his job, though Tania had mentioned that the company Keith worked for was quite decent."Have you finished work?""Almost. Just a bit more code to finish," Keith chuckled. "What about you? Tired?""Not really. I just had dinner with my supervisor. Now I'm back and planning to rest," Liliana said, rolling over on the bed.Remembering what Tania had told her the night before, she hesitated a moment and added, "Um, Keith… When I get back, let's go on a dinner date."There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Then came the sound of s
"That's right!" Liliana nodded.Tania suddenly let out a squeal. "Didn't Keith come looking for you? Or at least ask you out for a farewell dinner or something?""What are you talking about? It's not like I'm never coming back," Liliana said as she reached out and tapped Tania on the forehead."I still need to pack and check on the flight. You think I'm just sitting around with nothing to do?""No, no, that's not what I meant. You're going away for a whole week! Are you telling me you two can stand being apart for that long?" Tania looked at her in disbelief. "Don't tell me you're in some fake relationship!"Liliana paused slightly while packing, clearly affected by Tania's comment.She had not thought much of it at first, but now that Tania mentioned it... Even though she and Keith were "trying things out", it felt like he was the only one putting in the effort. Had she done anything at all?"Normal couples would probably go out for a meal before a trip, right?" Liliana reflect
Joanna's expression turned utterly sour. She had not expected Liliana to react that way. There was no admiration or envy, just a sharp, sarcastic jab that left her embarrassed.It was obvious Liliana meant to mock her, implying she had no authority to make decisions because she was not actually Sean's girlfriend.Joanna was furious with Liliana's attitude. She had thought that even if Liliana did not say much, she would at least show a bit of jealousy. Maybe she would act like her classmates earlier at the restaurant, casting admiring and envious looks her way.Liliana had no idea what Joanna was thinking at the moment, but if she had, she would probably think Joanna was out of her mind."Joanna, I've got something to do. I'll head off first."Liliana spotted a cab pulling up, waved it down, and got in before Joanna could even react.Joanna stood where she was, watching the car drive off with her fists clenched tightly. "Liliana, what are you so smug about? Even if Sean treats yo
"Ms. Cobb?""Mhm, Adalee was my student. If I didn't know her well, I wouldn't have recommended you to her." Sofia looked at Liliana's serious and focused expression."You're capable, but some personal matters affected your work recently. You'll be graduating soon. It's important to plan things out. Figure out what you want and how to get there.""Thank you, Ms. Chapman!"Liliana genuinely felt Sofia's concern. "I'll definitely keep your advice in mind.""Good, very good." Sofia nodded in approval, clearly pleased with Liliana's mindset. "By the way, that young woman who's often with you… Her name is Tania, right? How's she doing?""Thanks to you, she's doing well."Dinner went smoothly. Perhaps it was because Liliana realized she would soon graduate and that she would not have many chances to see the professor who had taught her for four years.After walking Sofia out, Liliana lingered by the roadside for a bit.Suddenly, a shadow loomed in front of her. Liliana turned her he