So, after several rounds, Rowena's face was covered with sticky notes while Teresa's and Sean's faces remained clean."Ugh, I don't want to play anymore! You're cheating!" Rowena threw her battered cards onto the table. "Why do I always lose? My cards were so good."Rowena glared at Sean, convinced he was cheating. Otherwise, how could she lose every round while Sean and Teresa never lost once? Teresa, who usually played just to make up the numbers in their dorm, was somehow playing better than her today.Rowena could not believe Teresa had suddenly become so skilled, so the only explanation was that Sean was using some trick to make her lose.Sean raised an eyebrow and smiled innocently at Rowena. "Ms. Rowena, that's an unfair accusation. I played fair and square. If your card skills aren't up to par, you can't blame me.""You..." Rowena gritted her teeth. "I'm done playing." She tore the sticky notes off her face. "I'm not playing anymore, okay?""Fine. A gentleman doesn't figh
Noelle took the phone with suspicion. After just one glance, her eyes widened in surprise. She read through it again, not quite believing it. "When did this happen?"It was no wonder Winter had not caused her any trouble today. She was dealing with her own mess."Just today," Rowena replied, shaking her head. "The entertainment industry is really wild. Scandals blow up in no time. Look, in just a few hours, Winter is plastered all over the front pages and is trending on Facebook and other platforms."Rowena sighed. "I didn't think Winter would get worse than we imagined.""Who leaked this?" Noelle asked, still shocked at the turn of events."I don't know. A lot of people on YouTube are talking about it. They say Winter offended a lot of people over roles and even sabotaged others. The entertainment world is so murky. Maybe it's one of those stars she wronged getting revenge," Rowena speculated, not really caring who was behind it as long as Winter got what was coming to her.Noel
With those online revelations, Winter found herself under a barrage of attacks from fans and keyboard warriors. Some expressed deep disappointment in her while others were furious because their own idols had been secretly sabotaged by her.Several producers and directors associated with Winter remained collectively silent. Reporters tried to reach them but were met with various excuses, pushing Winter further into the eye of the storm.The entertainment industry had always been a place where the ones at the top were praised and the ones at the bottom were trampled upon. In response to the scandal, Winter's management company launched an emergency public relations campaign, insisting that she had been framed and that the allegations were untrue.However, just a day after the PR statement was released, a small magazine leaked some risqué photos of Winter. In the photos, she appeared to be only 17 or 18. It was when she had just entered the entertainment industry.This release rendere
Winter threw herself into Jade's arms, feeling aggrieved. "I worked so hard to become a big star admired by everyone. I don't want my career to end here. Mom, please help me!"She clung to Jade's sleeve. "Mom, haven't you always been the best to me? You must have a way to help, right?"Jade frowned. What could she do? She had no power or influence. She only relied on the Shaw family. Yet now that this scandal had broken out, the other members of the Shaw family would definitely have their objections, making it difficult to resolve.Seeing Jade's hesitant expression, Winter felt even more disappointed. "Mom, do you not love me anymore? Are you just going to stand by and watch me be ruined like this?""Of course not! How could I not love you?" Jade hugged Winter, gently patting her shoulder. "You're my only daughter. Who else would I care for if not you? There's a way to solve this, but...""But what?" Winter urgently grasped Jade's hand while biting her lip. "Mom, you have a way,
Winter immediately perked up, but thinking about Charles' previous attitude toward her, she wilted again. "But that Charles guy is really annoying. He...""Do you want to make this right or not?" Jade said sternly. "If you still want to stay in the entertainment industry, you can't be so arrogant. Besides, if the Shaw family can get close to Charles, your father wouldn't need to rely on the York family."Jade thought about the last time when Noelle, that wretched woman, disappeared again for some reason. Although Simon did not say anything about pursuing it, the York family clearly stated they would not cooperate with the Shaw family anymore.With the York family saying that, who in Brookville would dare to take the initiative to work with the Shaw family?Recently, Julian was busy to the point of being overwhelmed, and Jade was extremely angry, blaming everything on Noelle. If it were not for Winter's sudden trouble, Jade would definitely have gone to find trouble with Noelle.Wi
Winter had a good treatment session and then called Xavier. Lately, Xavier had been overwhelmed with work, and Winter's recent scandal had negatively impacted the Harris family. Even though their family was small, the internal personnel were complicated. Xavier's father, Joseph, had managed to climb up with great difficulty. However, Winter's scandal had caused both him and his father to face criticism from the Hoffman family as well. Xavier felt embarrassed and could not easily counter the comparisons between himself and Charles, the head of the Hoffman family.Despite his exhaustion, Xavier followed his father's instructions to visit Winter. However, Winter had refused to see him. With his pride, Xavier decided to let it be.He had not expected Winter to call him today. Staring at the phone for a while, he finally answered. "Hello.""Xavier, are you busy?" Winter's voice sounded slightly cheerful. Xavier raised his eyebrows, feeling surprised. "Yes, I am busy. What's up?"Win
Winter nervously tugged at the corner of her mouth. "People can change, can't they? Don't you like the food I made?""I like it," Xavier replied, lowering his head to continue eating.Xavier knew exactly what kind of person Winter was. She was the type who never lifted a finger in the kitchen. The food tasted just like it was from a restaurant.He had eaten Noelle's cooking before. Although the food was simple, it had a homely taste, unlike these delicately prepared dishes. The moment Winter opened the lunch box, Xavier knew the truth. However, since Winter wanted to deceive him, he saw no need to expose her.Hearing Xavier's response, Winter let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "I'm glad you like it! You should eat more. You work so hard.""Okay." Xavier nodded. "Why did you have time to come over today? Feeling better?"Winter bit her lip, wringing her hands together. "Xavier, you love me, right?"Xavier's hand paused. His eyes darkened, but he still nodded. "Yes. What's with
Joseph made the final decision for them. "Are you feeling better now, Winter?""Yes, thank you, Mr. Harris!" Hearing Joseph's assurance, Winter felt completely at ease. "Mr. Harris, I'll head back now and not disturb your and Xavier's work."Winter carried her bag and walked out cheerfully. Xavier's expression, however, was dark. "Dad, what are you thinking? You want me to beg Charles? You know what he's like, he...""Do you have a better solution?" Joseph looked at Xavier with disappointment. "I'm doing this for you. If you had Charles' abilities, would I be letting you marry an idiot? Don't forget, she holds 15% of the Shaw family shares. Once you marry her, those will be yours."Xavier growled, "Dad, I don't need them!""How can you say that?" Joseph's voice turned cold. "This is settled. You'll go to Charles. We're also associated with the Hoffman family, so he won't ignore us."…In the CEO's office on the 27th floor of the Collosus Group building, Charles paused his writin
The kid shivered when he saw Peter's piercing eyes. "I don't know where he is!""You're lying!" Peter said, spinning a scalpel in his hand with a smile that did not reach his cold eyes. "If you don't take me, let's see if you can run faster than my knife can fly!"Peter pretended to throw the knife at the kid, who shook with fear and quickly gave in. "I'll take you!"Peter raised an eyebrow and put the knife away. "Move it!"The kid did not know who Peter was, but after seeing what he could do, he did not dare say no. "Not just anyone can meet Mr. Holt!""Oh, really?""Yes!""Where are you from, sir?" the kid asked Peter in Spanyric."Zyphonia!" Peter answered, then looked at the kid and said, "You've been hiding behind that mask for a long time. Isn't it time to take it off?"Surprised, the kid did not react fast enough, and Peter quickly pulled off the mask, revealing a young and innocent face underneath.She had a soft and detailed face, like that of a girl around fifteen
Peter covered his mouth with a handkerchief, crouched down, and with his trusty military knife, he flipped over a body to take a closer look. To his surprise, he found some strange marks on the body, like a secret code.He squinted his eyes and checked the other bodies. They all had the same mysterious marks.With a chill in his gaze, Peter stood up, cleaned off his knife, and hopped into his car. He followed the path the kid had taken just moments before.Bodies were everywhere, and only a few people were still alive. Most were in shock, and some were rescue workers.However, Peter's sharp eyes quickly spotted a group of people and zeroed in on the kid. Something told Peter that the kid was in trouble. He got out of the car fast and followed the kid's tracks.That kid was no regular Joe. He knew he was being followed after just a few hundred feet and started dodging through the town littered with bodies.Peter's smile grew. He was getting more and more curious about that little
"I know, but Noelle, I had no other way. He put a virus in you. Do you understand what that means?" Charles's piercing eyes softened a bit. "You know I couldn't just do nothing. I couldn't stand to see you in pain!""But my sister is innocent too!" Noelle inhaled deeply. "What if that man didn't care about my sister? Isn't doing this like throwing her into a fire?" Noelle could barely imagine what had become of Kelly then.Noelle had seen that man before, and she knew just how harsh and mean he could be. They had only talked for a little bit, and she did not really get to know him, but she could tell he was the type of person who would do anything to get what he wanted.He was the kind of guy who would put a virus in people like Tania and Bran, and even in women and kids like her. Noelle was scared to think about what he might do to her sister, Kelly."Noelle, you've got to believe me!" Charles pleaded.However, Noelle shook her head. "It's not that I don't believe you. It's just.
Kelly was gone. The day after she vanished, little Seth cried his heart out because he could not see her. Tania and Nancy tried everything to calm him down, but nothing worked. They had no choice but to tell Charles about the situation.Noelle and Kelly could have been twins. They were so alike. That was why everyone thought it would be a good idea for Seth to meet Noelle. However, Charles was dead set against it, and nobody had ever seen him so stubborn.Nancy and Clarisse were in the dark about the whole thing, but Tania knew the score. There had not been a peep from Peter lately, and Tania was getting worried that something bad had happened.That day, Tania and Bran headed to the hospital. Charles had moved all his work there, and Ronald was dealing with everything, big and small, right in the hospital.Charles kept Noelle out of the loop, though. She figured she was just there because they had not gotten her sickness under control yet. She knew she had a virus, so she went alon
"What's the matter? Is looking at me enough to fill you up?"Yves turned to Kelly, pulling out a chair and sitting beside her. His long fingers picked up the silverware and served her the meal. "Eat up. Isn't this your favorite?"Her favorite?Kelly stared back at Yves, her gaze frosty. "Do you even know what I like?"Yves put his hands down and gazed at Kelly. "What's wrong? Don't you like the food?" Without waiting for her answer, he quickly summoned the two servants from earlier. "Madam doesn't like the food. You know I don't keep anything around that isn't useful.""Please, madam, have mercy! Sir, have mercy!" The servants' faces turned ghostly white as they stood stiffly on the marble floor, apologizing repeatedly. Kelly's heart raced with fear. "Stop, please. I'll eat, okay? Isn't that enough?"She bowed her head and started gobbling up the food, scared that Yves, who she thought was crazy, might do something unpredictable if he got upset.Kelly could not see the slight
Kelly felt a chill run through her. "Yves, you're just too scary."Kelly did not know much about the Lennon family, but she remembered how Peter had single-handedly brought down Lennon Group six months ago. What if they had not fallen? What about Peter's uncle..."Scary? What I've done is nothing compared to the Hoffman family. They're the real filth. Once you get involved with them, you're tainted too. Don't you think so?" Yves's eyes burned with undisguised hatred as he mentioned the Hoffman family."It's getting late, and you must be hungry by now!"Yves ignored Kelly's protests, bent down, and scooped her up in his arms.Kelly tried to wriggle free, but Yves held her tight. "Unless you fancy going hungry!"Realizing she was getting nowhere, Kelly stopped struggling. She had used up a lot of energy arguing and messing around with Yves, and then she felt drained.Once Kelly was calm, Yves carried her down to the restaurant on the ground floor.Several people stood guard in th
"What did you say?"Just a second ago, Yves might have looked totally calm and unbothered, but then he was like a scary fighter from the darkest night. He grabbed Kelly's hand, his frosty stare locking onto her. When he squeezed just a little, Kelly was trapped, unable to move at all.It hurt so much, like her heart was being drilled into.Kelly's face went white as she looked at Yves, whose face was hidden behind a mask.Somehow, even though she could not see his face, she could tell from his icy, sharp eyes that he was surprised, shocked, and hurting.He held onto Kelly's wrist so tight. His eyes looked like they could eat her up. "Say that again!" he said through clenched teeth, like he was so mad he could gobble her up.Kelly had never seen Yves look so ruthless and fierce, like a messenger from the underworld. She shivered, totally scared, but Yves kept his gaze right on her. "How could you, how dare you!"Was this woman out of her mind? She actually dared to inject herself
Yves just laughed when he heard her. "You've lost respect for me?" He towered over Kelly, who was sitting on the bed. He reached out and gently lifted her chin with his finger, gazing intently into her eyes. "There's no such thing as an innocent person in this world, right?""Let me go!" Kelly jerked her head away. "That's just your dark heart talking. Noelle never hurt you, and neither did Tania or Bran. I can't figure out why you're after them. Sure, you have issues with Charles and the Hoffmans, but go after them, not innocent people!"Yves squinted, then let go of her chin and looked at his finger. "Going after the Hoffmans, huh? Just wait and see what happens.""Yves, are you out of your mind? What did the Hoffmans ever do to you? Aren't you a Hoffman too?"Kelly was confused about Yves's motives, so she tried to get him to spill the beans. However, Yves took her words the wrong way, thinking she meant something else."Do you feel bad for Charles?" "I don't know what you're
Kelly trembled from head to toe when she heard Yves's words. She tried to push him away, but Yves was too strong, and she could not get free. "Let me go, Yves! You're crazy, a creep, let me go!" Kelly kept struggling. She tried to slap him, but Yves caught her other hand.Yves pulled Kelly close, and his chilly breath wrapped around her. She shivered, but Yves just hugged her tighter. "After all these years, you haven't changed a bit!"Kelly felt a chill all over her body. She wanted to push him away, but she could not muster the strength.Yves held Kelly in his arms. His firm chin was visible outside his mask, and his cool lips brushed against Kelly's cheek as he softly laughed. "Kelly, I've missed you too!"Kelly suddenly looked up, her surprised eyes meeting Yves's deep ones.His eyes were different from Charles's. Charles's gaze was icy and emotionless, like chunks of ice.However, Yves's eyes were different. They were just as deep but had a touch of warmth. His eyes were lik