Noelle rushed to the hospital and found Samuel awake. The doctors had checked him over and said he was stable, so he was resting in a regular ward now.Samuel had been so angry that he had a stroke. When he finally woke up in the hospital, the only person he wanted to see was his granddaughter Noelle. The doctor remembered Noelle from the day of the surgery and agreed to Samuel's wish.Even the Shaw family could not visit Samuel without his permission. The doctors were worried about him suffering another stroke because he was old and had been so sick.Jade was really mad outside the hospital room, saying she would sue the hospital for what they were doing. Julian sat quietly, but inside, he was hurt. He was Samuel's son, yet his dad did not ask for him first.Winter was bundled up and wearing glasses, trying not to be seen. She was already in a lot of trouble, and she did not need more problems. She was worried she would lose everything. Jade's loud complaining was getting on her n
"Grandpa!" Noelle set her things aside and rushed over. Seeing how frail Samuel looked, tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I got here late.""Don't be silly, my dear," Samuel said, taking Noelle's hand in his. Noelle squeezed his hand. "Grandpa, are you feeling any better?""I'm doing quite well," Samuel replied, though it seemed hard for him to speak. He glanced outside. Noelle nodded. "Everyone's waiting outside. Grandpa, they found out you gave me the shares!" Noelle said. "Did Mom argue with you about it?""I saw it coming." Samuel shook his head. "I've been expecting it, but I'm not as strong as I used to be," he sighed. "Noelle, I gave you the shares, so I won't take them back. I know they'll give you a hard time, but I can't do much about it. I'm getting old, and one day I'll be gone. If I don't give them to you, they might end up with strangers, and then our City Ring Corp. won't belong to the Shaw family anymore. You understand, right?"Noelle stopped talking, her fi
Samuel sounded startled again as he asked, “Royal Star Entertainment?” Samuel was not in the entertainment industry, but he had heard of Charles’ name. Charles was involved in plenty of industries, so he was not unfamiliar with Royal Star Entertainment. However, he had never imagined Charles would go to this extent for Noelle. Finally, Samuel felt the stress that had been weighing him down recently lifting off his shoulders. He patted Noelle’s hand as he smiled in relief. “Alright, my dear child. I always knew you’d be able to find someone who treated you much better than that detestable man before.” “I did, Grandpa. He’s really good to me,” Noelle said as she smiled shyly. “Grandpa, once you’re all better, shall I arrange a meeting so you guys can get to know each other officially?” “Of course!” Samuel was delighted to hear his granddaughter willingly offering to introduce his grandson-in-law to him. He suddenly felt like there was nothing wrong with his health anymore, and he
Noelle continued talking to Samuel, but he soon fell asleep because of his frail health. She pulled a blanket over him and gazed at him for a while before taking her purse and leaving the room. Both Julian and Jade were still outside when she left the room. Upon seeing her, Jade hurried over and asked, “What did your grandfather tell you? Did you talk to him about the shares?” Jade grabbed Noelle by the arm and shook it violently. “Come on! Say something. Has he agreed to transfer ownership of the stocks to your sister?” “Let me go!” If Noelle had harbored any hope for Jade to eventually start treating her better, she could admit now that she had been a blind fool. Jade’s intentions were obvious. She could not care less about Noelle or about Grandpa’s health. All she wanted was the shares. “Grandpa is still unwell, yet all you care about are those shares and not his health.” Noelle gritted her teeth. “I’ve already told you that I won’t help you with that. It’s up to Grandpa h
Noelle began laughing all of a sudden. She gazed coldly at Jade as she said, “You guys should just give up. I’ll never let you guys have ownership over these shares!” “Does that mean you really do own them now?” Winter caught the point Noelle was trying to make, and a sinister look settled across her features as her hatred intensified. She had not expected that old geezer to actually give Noelle, that b*tch, ownership over those shares. How could that be allowed? If Noelle owned shares in City Ring Corp., it would mean she had a voice within the organization. If that were the case, Noelle would take away everything that rightfully belonged to her.Winter glanced at Xavier, who had remained silent all this while, as she gritted her teeth and curled her hands into fists. However, she soon drew in a deep breath and smiled as she turned to Noelle and said, “Noelle, I don’t think you have much use for those shares anyway, right? How about I buy them from you? What do you think?”
Noelle gritted her teeth and glanced at the arm Julian was gripping before she looked up. "What do you think, Dad?” “Did you really give them to Joshua? Have you gone mad? Your grandfather adopted him as a child, and he’s not even an actual Shaw! How could you transfer ownership of those shares to an outsider? Do you know just how many shares your grandfather owns? If you’ve really given them to Joshua, City Ring Corp. will have to undergo an entire structural change!” “I don’t think it’s that serious!” Noelle chuckled, placing a hand on Julian’s before shoving it away with great force. “Uncle Joshua has lived with Grandpa for many years, and Grandpa is genuinely fond of him. He’s long treated Uncle Joshua like a member of the Shaw family! Dad, are you denying that he’s part of the family when not even Grandpa is doing that?” “What do you know? At the end of the day, he’s not related to the family by blood. Your grandfather might be nice to him, but who knows what’s actually goin
“Noelle, wait!” Noelle was already at the hospital’s main entrance when Xavier’s voice rang out from behind her. She paused and watched as he made his way toward her. Xavier hurried over to stand before Noelle. He smiled at her. "Noelle, was everything you said true?” Noelle narrowed her eyes and gave Xavier a wary look. “What are you referring to?” Based on the look in Xavier’s eyes, she had already figured out what he was talking about. Sure enough, he asked, “Did Grandpa Shaw really give those shares to you? You were lying when you said you’d given ownership of them to someone else, weren’t you?” Noelle’s eyes remained narrowed as she burst into laughter. “Do you think I was lying or telling the truth?” She chose to answer his question with another question, and that visibly stunned Xavier. He frowned, seemingly displeased by her attitude. “I asked you first.” Noelle pursed her lips, a sudden wave of annoyance toward Xavier washing over her. She wondered how she had such
Noelle turned away without hesitating and drove off. She had never imagined Xavier would go this far and pull such disgusting moves. How dare he come buttering her up now that he knew she was a shareholder of City Ring Corp? Did he really think she was an idiot he could summon as he pleased?She had not reached the point where she had that little self-respect!Winter stood in a corner and watched the exchange between Xavier and Noelle. Her hands were gripping the wall tightly as she gritted her teeth and glared at Noelle until she finally left. For a moment, Winter wished to herself that the wall in her grasp was actually Noelle so that she could strangle her to death. Why? Why were both her paternal and maternal grandfathers so nice to that bitch? Her paternal grandfather had even transferred ownership of his shares to Noelle! As for Xavier… Well, she had always known he had only gotten together with her because he had his eyes set on the shares she owned. However, she did
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