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
Xavier immediately tried to establish a familial connection with Charles, attempting to close the distance between them. Even if Charles was displeased, he would not outright reject someone with such a familial tie in front of him.Charles knew exactly what Xavier was aiming for. However, Xavier was a proud person. If he was not in need, he would not have called him 'Uncle' so willingly.Charles raised an eyebrow and gestured for Xavier to sit. "What would you like to drink?""Black coffee," Xavier replied, having already learned about Charles' preferences. He knew that Charles had a fondness for simple beverages, especially coffee. Charles raised an eyebrow in response. "Ms. Coleman, two cups of coffee, please."While it was true that Charles liked coffee, he was not particularly fond of drinking it early in the morning. Clearly, Xavier had not done his homework thoroughly enough.Charles tidied up his desk and then stood up, walking over to a nearby seat next to Xavier.He cr
Charles held the cup by its handle, his slender fingers tapping lightly on its surface. "Say what you need to say," he urged.Xavier felt a bit awkward but had no choice but to continue, "Winter has been working in the entertainment industry, which is filled with all sorts of people. This recent incident has blown up, and Winter is the biggest victim. She… She's being attacked online.""And how does that concern me? Get to the point," Charles said, setting down his cup and rubbing his temples.Xavier could tell that Charles was growing impatient. "I know you own a film company, Uncle. I was hoping you could help Winter. She's being targeted right now, and her career might be over."Charles raised an eyebrow. "So, you want me to help? You should've said so earlier." He stood up and pressed the intercom button. "Ronald, come in."Ronald quickly responded to the summon, knocking and entering the room. "Mr. Hoffman, you needed something?" he asked, glancing at Xavier and giving a slig
Ronald noticed Xavier's hesitation and offered a solution. "Here's what we'll do. I'll have my assistant give you the script. You can take it back and discuss it with Ms. Shaw. But Mr. Harris, you should also know that Ms. Shaw probably offended someone high up, which is why everyone is attacking her. "From what I understand, her endorsements and projects have been canceled, and her current agency is giving her the cold shoulder. The only way to resolve this is for her to bounce back by taking on a TV show. "By staying in the public eye and producing new work, the previous issues will eventually fade away."Xavier's expression darkened. He knew the impact of Winter's situation. Despite his reluctance, he had come to Charles as Joseph had suggested. He understood that only Charles could help."Alright. I'll take the script back and discuss it with Winter. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.""I look forward to hearing good news from you, Mr. Harris," Ronald said, closing th
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
Sean nodded. "It's all done."He glanced at Adalee, who was next to Liliana, and said, "Hi, I'm Liliana's brother."Adalee, seeing a man of such stature had arrived, did not bother to question if he was truly Liliana's brother. Her main concern was to get out of there, so she nodded. "I'm sorry to trouble you.""It’s no trouble at all. Looks like you really enjoyed your meal!" With that, Sean took over supporting Adalee from Liliana.He was a big guy, so he steadied Adalee with no trouble at all. He turned to Liliana and said, "Liliana, grab Ms. Cobb's bag. We're leaving."Sean acted as if he did not even notice the other people there. He just finished speaking and started to walk away with Liliana and Adalee.However, the other guys were not just going to stand there. Even though Sean looked pretty cool, they had not seen anyone like him around Cascade City before.They thought they had these two women in the bag, but then this guy had come along and messed it up. "Mister, sinc
The others did not buy Liliana's story for a second.Adalee and Liliana were both from Brookville, and they were strangers in Cascade City. The idea of her brother suddenly showing up seemed far-fetched, so they did not really pay much attention to Liliana's claim.However, they had made a mistake because the brother Liliana mentioned was real, and his name was Sean.As soon as she felt things were going south, she had already reached into her purse and dialed Sean's number.Liliana was not sure if Sean would arrive immediately, but she was certain he would not leave her hanging.Seeing how Liliana acted, one of them smirked. "Do you have family here in Cascade City?"Liliana shook her head. "No, not really. But my brother came with me a few days ago for an academic conference. He's actually here having dinner too, and we planned to head back together."Liliana pulled out her phone with a small, nervous smile and waved it at everyone. She tried to keep her cool, always smiling.
As Liliana walked by Sean, he gently grabbed her arm, making her pause. "What's up, Sean?" she asked, puzzled."Don't drink too much," he advised, handing her a pill to help with the alcohol. Liliana looked at it, surprised. "What's this for? Don't you need it?""Nope, it's all yours!" Sean replied, a hint of concern in his furrowed brow. "Just remember to take it easy on the drinks, and give me a call when you head home, alright?"Liliana felt warmth radiating from where Sean had held her arm, mirroring the heat rising in her cheeks. Sean's expression remained unchanged.She wrapped her fingers around the pill, holding it tight in her hand, and nodded. "Okay."Back in the private room, Liliana found Adalee had been drinking heavily. Her face was paler than before. She waved her over and whispered, "I'll pretend I'm not feeling well in a bit, and you can help me get out of here."Adalee's voice was faint, and though Liliana did not know what was going on, she could tell she looke
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