Instead of the expected scene of chaos within Collosus Group and their plummeting stock prices, the screen was filled with a series of lines that looked like a steep mountain slope—all showing the stock prices of Fred’s overseas companies taking a nosedive.Fred could not believe his eyes and kept whispering to himself, "It can't be true."Yves was just as stunned, but when he saw how calm Charles was, he realized that Charles was much more capable than he had ever imagined.Charles was looking at Fred with a serene expression. "Maybe I should start calling you 'Uncle'?" he said, his voice warm and friendly.Fred's face twisted with anger. "Haha! Charles, you're really something. I never thought you'd dig up so much dirt in such a short time and even manage to wreck the empire I've spent decades building. But do you really think you've seen all my tricks? Do you think I only used Kelly just to draw Yves out?""Oh?" Charles raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "Then
The men were each armed with a gun, and Yves realized in an instant that they were the very people Fred had trained himself. When Fred died, they naturally fell under Yves's command.Even though they obeyed Yves's orders, they were Fred's men through and through. As long as Fred was alive, they would never truly be loyal to Yves.A frigid glint flickered in Yves's eyes as he clenched his fists and shot a quick glance at Charles. "These are the ones he left behind, the shadow guards trained by Elon." Yves's eyes shone with determination as he spoke.Charles met Yves's gaze, narrowing his eyes slightly, quickly catching on to what Yves meant.Yves cast another glance at Kelly, whom Fred was holding. "Remember: no matter what happens, keep her safe."At last, Charles's eyes showed a hint of change, but he took a long time to nod. "Okay.”Yves reached behind him, signaling to Charles, then faced Fred. "Let Kelly and Seth go. I'll do anything you ask!""Really? Then I want you to kil
Kelly's heart raced as she stood frozen in fear. Next to her, Fred, who had been keeping her captive, was losing his patience. He pulled out a gun and aimed it at Charles. However, Charles was too quick, dodging every time Fred tried to take a shot.Suddenly, Kelly realized something was terribly wrong. She turned and saw Fred pointing the gun at Charles and Yves."No... Please don't!"Her cry came too late. Without thinking, she shoved Fred, making him miss his shot.Fred glared at Kelly, furious. "You... You'll pay for this!"He turned the gun on Kelly."Don't..."Yves could not believe Fred would actually shoot Kelly. He was fast, but not faster than a bullet.In a split second, a surprise shot rang out. Fred's hand jerked, and the bullet hit Kelly's arm. "Ah!"Kelly's scream pierced the air. She felt a strong pull, and before she knew it, Yves had swept her into his arms. Meanwhile, Fred was down with a bullet in his head, and Yoan, who was right beside him, had been shot
In the operating room, Linda and Sean were working hard to save Kelly. The bullet had missed her vital organs and hit her arm, but she was still in a lot of pain.Kelly was out cold from the anesthesia. Linda was a great doctor, but surgery was not her strong suit unlike Sean. She was there to help out wherever she could.Linda realized she still had a lot to learn. She watched Sean carefully operate on Kelly, making a big cut in her arm to get the bullet out.The surgery was not too complicated, but they had to be extra careful because Kelly was so well-known. Any mistakes would be a big deal, which was why Sean was in charge.Normally, Sean would not fuss over a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening, especially if it was on a man. However, Kelly was different.The surgery was quick, and before long, Kelly was wheeled out of the room. She was still knocked out, probably from losing too much blood and the anesthesia.Outside the surgery room, Charles and Yves, along with th
Yves looked like he had remembered something important. "But that day, she gave Noelle the necklace. I thought she got Noelle mixed up with Kelly at first. I did talk to Grandma about Kelly when we were dating, and I even showed her a picture!"Charles squinted. "You really love and respect your grandma."Yves nodded. "She's always been so calm and stayed out of trouble. I didn't get it before, but now I do. When she gave that bracelet to Noelle, she was actually giving it back to the Hoffmans. She was also telling me it wasn't mine to want.""Aren't you part of the Hoffman family too?" Charles had to admit he had always looked up to Yves. When he first met him, back when Yves went by the name Jacob, he was someone with real guts.Yves just smiled. "To be honest, I've never cared about the Hoffman family's business. I grew up carrying a grudge, and it's always been what drove me. But now, when I think about it, what does any of that have to do with me? My grandpa passed away before
"I guess I'll go get busy then!" Ronald could not stand to look at Charles's face any longer.They had just survived a terrifying ordeal, yet Charles seemed calm, as if nothing had happened. How could he be so chill?Someone was still in the OR fighting for their life, and they had not even started to deal with what came next. There was Charles, acting all serious, saying he was busy. Busy with what? The ones running around like crazy were them, his underlings, right?Of course, Ronald kept those thoughts to himself in front of Charles.Once Ronald was gone, Charles relaxed his gaze. Shortly after, Sean and Linda emerged from the OR, pushing Kelly out too.Yves and Charles both stood up. "How did it go?" they asked.Sean removed his mask, glanced at Charles, then turned to Yves. "The patient is safe for now, but still under anesthesia. It'll be a few hours before they wake up. Let's get them to a room."With a pat on Charles's shoulder, Sean added, "You know, Charles, it wasn't
Charles really did not want Noelle to find out that Kelly was hurt, but Noelle ended up finding out anyway.Noelle, who was expecting, was set on seeing Kelly in the hospital. Charles had no choice but to go along with it. To be safe, he went with her and even brought a bunch of bodyguards. He was super careful, treating Noelle like she could not do anything on her own.Noelle thought Charles was going a bit overboard, but she did not say anything. She was just glad Charles was letting her see Kelly and did not want to push her luck by asking for more.However, Noelle was really curious about Yves. "So, you're saying Yves is actually Jacob, the guy my sister is into? Seth's real dad? Have you guys worked out all your stuff? Other than the virus we've got, is there nothing else to worry about?"Over the last few days, Noelle had started to figure things out. She had been asking around, getting little pieces of the story from Liliana and Tania. She found out that Kelly was hurt, whic
Charles let out a sigh. "What do you think?"He guessed that Noelle must have realized it already—they had known each other for quite some time.He used to be Sebastian's student, and Noelle would often hang out at Sebastian's place back then. There was no way she would not recognize himself.Noelle scrunched her brow. "I know, you've told me before!" Annoyed, she tapped her forehead. "Ugh, why can't I remember anything?" She definitely had met Charles before, and they must have been really close. Otherwise, Charles would not look at her in such a special way.Even when she thought they were meeting for the first time and before they were close, the way Charles looked at her was just different."Okay, okay!" Charles said, catching Noelle's hand as she tapped her head. "You don't want to knock yourself silly, do you?""You're the silly one!" Noelle snorted with a mix of pride and shyness. "And anyway, even if I were silly, I'd still be your wife. What's it to you? You wouldn't loo
Kelly might not have realized her voice was shaking. "Yves, if you can't do it, don't make promises so easily!" She was scared, really scared. Promises about a future that might not happen were the scariest kind.She had thought that with Fred's death, Yves's troubles with Charles and the Hoffman family would be over. However, Kelly did not really understand what this 'over' meant or what it implied.Kelly was scared that seeing him then might mean she would not see him again.Yves was taken aback by Kelly's words. He had been waiting for days, waiting for her to say something, but he had not expected her to say that.Kelly seemed to catch herself getting too emotional. She calmed down and looked away from Yves. "Where's Seth?""He's at Phoenix Tree Residence with Bran. They seem to really like each other!"When Yves talked about Seth, his eyes twinkled with a smile. Kelly glanced over and caught the happy look on Yves's face. She was a little surprised at first, but then it made
Kelly gazed up at Yves. "There are caregivers, doctors, and nurses here. Even the servants will come!" She had told Yves clearly that he was not needed there, that he had no role to play.Yves understood what Kelly meant, but he was not upset. He just smiled gently at her. "You're still sick, and I don't trust them to look after you!"Kelly was at a loss for words and turned her head away, too frustrated to look at Yves.A shadow of sadness passed through Yves' eyes, but he quickly shook it off. "Dear, once you're better, you can tell me to leave."Kelly faced him again. "Don't you have things to do? What about the Yorks? The Hoffmans? How will you explain to the Yorks? How will you deal with the Hoffmans?" She could not understand. Did Yves no longer care about the things he used to chase? "Fred was your real dad. He's gone. Don't you care at all? Haven't you ever wondered why he was so into Hoffman's wealth, and you're part of the Hoffmans too, you...""Are you worried about me?
Charles opened the car door and stepped out first. Andrew, who had been driving, just shook his head. He finally understood why Ronald was always grumbling about not wanting to hang out with Charles, who was notorious for making single guys feel left out with his over-the-top romantic gestures. Andrew, a straightforward guy, had not really grasped what Ronald meant until then.Charles was really laying it on thick, showing off so much that Andrew felt like the underdog being teased.Charles reached out a hand to Noelle. "Come on out!"Taking her time, Noelle reached back. Charles gently took her hand and helped her out of the car, telling her to watch her step as if she were the most precious thing in the world.Andrew thought that the strong and respected image Charles had in front of everyone had crumbled. He could never look at Charles's serious face the same way again. Charles, who was always so serious and never joked, and even seemed a bit scary and super strict, could not
Charles’ heart was pounding in a wild rhythm he could not control. He had always been the cool, collected type, way more grown-up than other kids his age. He was the guy who always kept his cool.However, when he saw Noelle, all that cool just fell apart.Then, whoops! She slipped and came tumbling down, right into his arms.Nobody knew that from that moment, Noelle had a special place in Charles's heart.Watching Noelle, nearly asleep, Charles chuckled to himself but did not say a word. He just hugged her a little tighter.He had thought his crush would fade away when he left, but she kept popping up in his dreams. Every "first" in his life seemed to circle back to her. Sometimes, he wondered if his crush had turned into something more.Coming back, he learned she had a boyfriend and did not even remember him.He figured that love story was over.However, there he was, hiding in the shadows, watching her, trying to stop thinking about her. However, no matter how hard he tried,
Charles let out a sigh. "What do you think?"He guessed that Noelle must have realized it already—they had known each other for quite some time.He used to be Sebastian's student, and Noelle would often hang out at Sebastian's place back then. There was no way she would not recognize himself.Noelle scrunched her brow. "I know, you've told me before!" Annoyed, she tapped her forehead. "Ugh, why can't I remember anything?" She definitely had met Charles before, and they must have been really close. Otherwise, Charles would not look at her in such a special way.Even when she thought they were meeting for the first time and before they were close, the way Charles looked at her was just different."Okay, okay!" Charles said, catching Noelle's hand as she tapped her head. "You don't want to knock yourself silly, do you?""You're the silly one!" Noelle snorted with a mix of pride and shyness. "And anyway, even if I were silly, I'd still be your wife. What's it to you? You wouldn't loo
Charles really did not want Noelle to find out that Kelly was hurt, but Noelle ended up finding out anyway.Noelle, who was expecting, was set on seeing Kelly in the hospital. Charles had no choice but to go along with it. To be safe, he went with her and even brought a bunch of bodyguards. He was super careful, treating Noelle like she could not do anything on her own.Noelle thought Charles was going a bit overboard, but she did not say anything. She was just glad Charles was letting her see Kelly and did not want to push her luck by asking for more.However, Noelle was really curious about Yves. "So, you're saying Yves is actually Jacob, the guy my sister is into? Seth's real dad? Have you guys worked out all your stuff? Other than the virus we've got, is there nothing else to worry about?"Over the last few days, Noelle had started to figure things out. She had been asking around, getting little pieces of the story from Liliana and Tania. She found out that Kelly was hurt, whic
"I guess I'll go get busy then!" Ronald could not stand to look at Charles's face any longer.They had just survived a terrifying ordeal, yet Charles seemed calm, as if nothing had happened. How could he be so chill?Someone was still in the OR fighting for their life, and they had not even started to deal with what came next. There was Charles, acting all serious, saying he was busy. Busy with what? The ones running around like crazy were them, his underlings, right?Of course, Ronald kept those thoughts to himself in front of Charles.Once Ronald was gone, Charles relaxed his gaze. Shortly after, Sean and Linda emerged from the OR, pushing Kelly out too.Yves and Charles both stood up. "How did it go?" they asked.Sean removed his mask, glanced at Charles, then turned to Yves. "The patient is safe for now, but still under anesthesia. It'll be a few hours before they wake up. Let's get them to a room."With a pat on Charles's shoulder, Sean added, "You know, Charles, it wasn't
Yves looked like he had remembered something important. "But that day, she gave Noelle the necklace. I thought she got Noelle mixed up with Kelly at first. I did talk to Grandma about Kelly when we were dating, and I even showed her a picture!"Charles squinted. "You really love and respect your grandma."Yves nodded. "She's always been so calm and stayed out of trouble. I didn't get it before, but now I do. When she gave that bracelet to Noelle, she was actually giving it back to the Hoffmans. She was also telling me it wasn't mine to want.""Aren't you part of the Hoffman family too?" Charles had to admit he had always looked up to Yves. When he first met him, back when Yves went by the name Jacob, he was someone with real guts.Yves just smiled. "To be honest, I've never cared about the Hoffman family's business. I grew up carrying a grudge, and it's always been what drove me. But now, when I think about it, what does any of that have to do with me? My grandpa passed away before
In the operating room, Linda and Sean were working hard to save Kelly. The bullet had missed her vital organs and hit her arm, but she was still in a lot of pain.Kelly was out cold from the anesthesia. Linda was a great doctor, but surgery was not her strong suit unlike Sean. She was there to help out wherever she could.Linda realized she still had a lot to learn. She watched Sean carefully operate on Kelly, making a big cut in her arm to get the bullet out.The surgery was not too complicated, but they had to be extra careful because Kelly was so well-known. Any mistakes would be a big deal, which was why Sean was in charge.Normally, Sean would not fuss over a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening, especially if it was on a man. However, Kelly was different.The surgery was quick, and before long, Kelly was wheeled out of the room. She was still knocked out, probably from losing too much blood and the anesthesia.Outside the surgery room, Charles and Yves, along with th