Peter Lennon squinted, picking up on the nervous tone in Ronald's voice, and asked, "What's up? Did Charles throw another curveball your way?"Ronald let out a forced chuckle. "Isn't your assistant some kind of computer whiz?""Just call him yourself." Peter's voice was curt, and the line went dead. Ronald stewed in silence, thinking about how Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Lennon must be cut from the same cloth. Both of them were cold businessmen with no patience or sympathy. Shaking it off, Ronald dialed up Lareal, Peter's assistant. "You've got thirty minutes to dig up info on a lady, someone Mr. Hoffman's looking for."Exactly thirty minutes later, Ronald had the scoop on Winter. He was practically gushing with gratitude. "Man, you're a lifesaver!"On the other end, Lareal gave a cool snort. "Does Mr. Hoffman have his eye on this chick?" Winter did not seem like much, but she played a tough game. Lareal could not see how she would be Charles’ type, so he pried a little."No way! I’ve got
Noelle managed to get rid of Larisse and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She had been putting on a brave face all week, but seeing Xavier and Joseph in the meeting room today hit her hard.Joseph had shared a meal with her in secret just a year ago, hinting that he hoped she would end up marrying Xavier. Noelle could never have guessed that things would spiral into the mess they were in now."Ms. Shaw, Mr. Harris would like to see you," Joseph's secretary said through the phone, catching Noelle off guard. She quickly recovered. "Sure, I'll head over now."After tidying up her papers, Noelle made her way to the president's office.She rapped lightly on the door and heard Joseph's voice from inside. "Come in." Pushing the door open, Noelle found Joseph lounging on the couch, flipping through a financial magazine. He looked up and gestured for her to come closer. "Ah, Noelle, you've arrived!""Mr. Harris!" Noelle's tone was polite but distant, a clear sign she was n
An odd look appeared on Joseph’s face upon hearing what Noelle said. He directed his stern gaze onto her. It only made her sit up straighter, seemingly not at all afraid of his gaze. No matter how angry he felt, he could not berate her directly. He merely gave an awkward chuckle as he said, “It’s been so long since you’ve last seen your grandfather, child. Don’t you miss him?” Noelle raised an eyebrow. If there was anyone left in the Shaw family she still cared for, that person would definitely be her grandfather. Joseph was urgently trying to make her go home because he wanted her to sing praises about him before the old man so he would relent and give his blessings to Xavier and Winter’s marriage. What an intricate plan they had laid out. They were the ones in the wrong, but they had somehow managed to back her into a corner. He noticed she had not said anything, so he added, “It’ll be his birthday in a couple of days, Noelle. No matter what Xavier and Winter have done, you’r
Noelle headed to Curio Corner. Sir Shaw did not have many hobbies, but he did enjoy collecting antiques, and the house was filled with various antique pieces of artwork. Rumor had it that he was an appraiser when he was younger but had given up that passion to inherit the family business. When Noelle entered Curio Corner, an employee immediately approached her and asked, “What are you looking for, Miss?”Noelle was not particularly well-versed in this area. She merely wanted to butter up Sir Shaw. After all, he was the only person in the Shaw family who was still civil to her, and she did not want him to be upset because of her. “I’ll just browse for a bit,” Noelle told the employee before looking around her. However, nothing stood out to her. “Hello, Mr. Hoffman. We just received a shipment of items from the Renaissance a couple of days ago and have kept everything you requested reserved for you as per instructions.”Noelle was still browsing when a trio of men entered the sho
Noelle nodded. “I’m not well-versed in antiques, and can’t tell the difference between most things. I was wondering if I could ask for your help, since you seem quite knowledgeable about these antiques.” “I’d be honored to!” Charles said as he narrowed his mind. “What were you thinking of gifting Mr. Shaw?”“Hmm, probably a calligraphy piece, but anything else would work too. My grandfather has beautiful handwriting. Oh, he also shares similar interests to my maternal grandfather.” Noelle felt that Charles would probably have a better idea of what to suggest if she told him that.Sure enough, Charles nodded when he finished listening to her. “Ronald.” Ronald soon appeared. He gazed at Charles attentively, doing his best not to have his gaze stray toward Noelle. “What can I do for you, sir?” “Have Mr. Quinn bring out the newest shipment of antiques.” “Well…” Ronald gave Charles a startled look, and he could not stop himself from glancing at Noelle. Noelle did not know what t
A glint flashed in Charles’ eyes as his gaze landed on Noelle’s face. He had noticed how much she liked it, but what she said sounded like the completely opposite of what she felt!His gaze traveled across her face as he said, “Alright, then. What about something from Edgar Degas? Or perhaps this fountain pen?”Charles recommended several items to Noelle, and she decided to purchase the pen. Samuel enjoyed calligraphy, and he was good at it too. Gifting him a pen seemed like a smart move, and it was probably the least expensive of all the antiques she had looked at today. Noelle might be working as a departmental director now, but she was still young and had spent plenty of her savings when she moved out. Moreover, her current situation with Xavier had further convinced her there was no one she could depend on other than herself. She had to save up to pay for a house and a car. Even if she did not have a man, she still had herself!Charles could guess the thoughts running throug
Noelle only realized she had walked right into a trap as she left the shop. She was here to buy a present, so how had she ended up buying Charles dinner? Besides, the present was not even in her possession yet!“What are you thinking about?” Charles, who was walking in front of her, paused in his tracks when he realized the woman behind him seemed distracted. His abrupt stop caught Noelle by surprise, and she nearly walked right into him. Still reeling from her shock, she shook her head and asked, “Where would you like to have dinner, Mr. Hoffman?” Charles narrowed his eyes, a hint of a smile tugging on his lips as he gazed at Noelle. “Since you’ll be buying me dinner, you get to decide where we eat, Ms. Shaw.”Noelle hesitated, “Alright, as long as you’re okay with it.” She and Charles Hoffman came from different worlds. He had been born into a rich and noble family, so he must always have had access to high-quality food and clothing. However, she was different. Although she
Noelle felt her heart start pounding rapidly. She did not like feeling lost for words. She forced herself to suppress those unfamiliar emotions and drew a long breath before forcibly changing the subject. “Did you ever visit the snack bars right outside the university when you were a student, Mr. Hoffman? I used to enjoy having supper there with my classmates.”Charles’ eyebrows raised slightly as he glanced at Noelle and asked, “You guys scaled the walls?” Noelle blushed, feeling like Charles had seen right through her. However, there was no way she would admit that, and her face turned even redder as she retorted, “No, of course not. We exited through the main gate!” She had answered so urgently that it made her seem even more like she was trying to cover something up, but Charles merely smiled without saying anything else. She also fell silent, thinking to herself that this man was a little different from the image she had formed of him previously. The shop Noelle was talking
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