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
"What? The second female lead?" Winter's mood plummeted. "Why can’t I be the leading lady?"Winter was an ambitious woman and had been eagerly waiting for Xavier to bring her good news. However, the second female lead? That was not what she had in mind. "Didn't you tell me you were related to Charles? Why can't he help out just this once?"Upset, Winter spoke without thinking, almost ready to toss her script away in frustration.Xavier grabbed the script from her, annoyance written all over his face. "Be grateful! I don't have to prove my connection to Charles to you. Look at where you stand right now. You should be thankful they're even considering you for a role, and you're practically guaranteed to be the second female lead. What more could you want?"Xavier remembered Ronald's words about the complexities of showbiz and how rumors often had some truth to them. Charles had helped him even though he was not obliged to, which was a big favor to Xavier.Xavier did not understand t
Ronald knew Charles to be decisive and unforgiving, just like Steven. He never held back against his foes, which made his current actions all the more puzzling.Charles just smirked. "Seems like using Mr. Fischer's tricks once in a while isn't a bad idea!"Steven?Ronald's brow creased as he remembered a story about Steven. He had wanted to turn a woman into a top-notch agent. He supposedly threw her into a den of snakes and wolves, making her fight for survival among the beasts every single day.He kept the woman close, finding joy in breaking her spirit every day. Eventually, she turned into his most powerful ally. She served the heartless man as a tool for others and for herself.Ronald never understood why Steven liked to be so cruel, but Steven sure seemed to love it. Charles and Peter usually did not agree with Steven, but Charles was acting just like him now. Ronald felt sorry for Winter. She had made an enemy of the wrong guy."Just killing her would be too easy," Charles
"Really? What did you write in that note?" Charles asked with a light laugh, teasing her because he was in a good mood. "Tell me!""Uh, do I have to say it?" Noelle's cheeks turned pink as she thought about the name she had written down. It was one thing for her to look at it, but the idea of Charles seeing it made her squirm."If you won't say it, then you didn't write anything!" Charles said, sounding let down. "You don't even want to lie to me now?""I..." Noelle felt like crying, but no tears came. She had not expected Charles to be so difficult. "I really did write something down. Oh, please, can we drop this? Don't you have work to do? And... just because you're the boss, it doesn't mean you can slack off! How are you supposed to be a good role model for your employees like this?"Charles laughed. He could almost picture Noelle's flustered face, but he knew she got embarrassed easily, so he decided to let it go. "Okay, we won't talk about that anymore."Noelle let out a reli
Noelle had mentioned craving certain dishes, but she did not really intend to eat all those rich and heavy foods at once. They decided to shop for ingredients together at the supermarket. When they got back, Charles had some work to do, so Noelle volunteered to cook. Charles was happy with the arrangement and said just one or two dishes would be plenty.When Noelle finished cooking, she went to find Charles. However, he was not in his study. She was surprised to see some papers on his desk. She picked them up and looked at them, puzzled.Charles walked in just then and saw Noelle's concerned expression. He smiled and, seeing the papers in her hand, said, "Go ahead and ask me anything!""You're planning to sign Winter? I mean, did you invest in a movie company or something?" Noelle felt a bit confused. She thought she knew Charles pretty well after all this time.Charles took the papers from her and gently squeezed her wrist. "Did you come to tell me dinner's ready?"Noelle nodded
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