The afternoon bidding was scheduled to take place soon. Previously, Frotconn had been severely weakened due to Collosus' sudden reduction in orders. If the bidding did not go well this time, Frotconn would be in serious trouble.Joseph urgently called a meeting, and Noelle became the target of everyone's criticism. She had just come out of the meeting and was feeling quite down. She had not recovered her mood yet when Charles' call came in.Her lips twitched helplessly. "What do you need?"For Charles to call at this hour, it was presumably because of something important. Nonetheless, Charles could tell something was off in Noelle's voice. "What happened?"Noelle explained the situation briefly. Charles scoffed, his long fingers tapping on the steering wheel. "If you're not happy there, why stay?"Noelle was taken aback, not expecting Charles to say that. She gave a wry smile. "I've been thinking about this for a while. If this hadn't happened, I probably would've already started
Noelle hesitated for a moment. When she glanced at Ronald, she noticed that he seemed to be startled as well. Unable to hold back her laughter, she smiled and nodded seriously. "Yes, you're very handsome!"Charles felt a warmth in his heart seeing Noelle's reaction. He took her hand and placed it on his knee. He then began to gently play with her fingers. "I'm taking you to Royal Star Entertainment for a visit."Noelle was surprised. "Why are we going to Royal Star Entertainment?" she asked. Then, she realized something. "Is Winter going to audition today?"Charles nodded. "Since you have nothing else to do, I thought you could come and see for yourself. Let's see how good your sister's acting really is."Noelle knew Charles' words were not meant as a compliment. She smiled slightly. "Well, I have nothing better to do."Although Noelle knew Winter was an actress, she rarely watched the shows Winter acted in. The only time she had seen Winter's acting was when she brought drama i
Charles raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "Is my wife trying to avoid suspicion?"Noelle rolled her eyes at him, feeling that his words carried a hint of mockery.Chuckling, Charles squeezed Noelle's hand. He sighed softly. "No one knows about our relationship."Noelle turned her head to meet his resigned gaze. It was as if he was complaining. She bit her lip and thought for a moment.Indeed, it was her decision not to disclose their relationship. However, he had agreed to the arrangement back then. She did not force him. She glanced at Ronald and then back at Charles, clearly indicating that some people did know about their relationship.Charles narrowed his eyes and cast a warning look at Ronald.Ronald straightened his back even more, feeling a bit aggrieved. It seemed he was frequently caught in the crossfire. He feigned a cough to boost his courage before saying, "Actually, you can pretend I don't exist, Madam. In most situations, I'm very discreet—almost invisible!"
"Enough. Do you think I wanted this? This is the higher-ups' decision. But as for how you treat her, that's up to you. Just make sure she gets the role," Ronald said nonchalantly."Alright!" Hearing that it was an order from above and gauging Ronald's attitude, Ruby understood. "I'll bring her over now. Mr. Wells, are you going to watch the show personally?"Watch the show?Ronald smiled, thinking about Charles and Noelle in the CEO's office. "Yes, we're about to watch a good show."Winter had been there for over an hour. Initially full of excitement, she was now on the brink of losing her temper. If not for her agent holding her back, she would have already thrown a fit.She felt that the people at Royal Star Entertainment were too lax. After all, she was someone introduced by Charles. Charles had already promised her the role, and today was just a formality. She thought she was doing Charles a favor by showing up, but it was clear that Charles' people did not take her seriousl
Winter's expression stiffened as she awkwardly glanced at Ronald. Ronald raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Let's begin, Ms. Shaw."With that, Winter's expression darkened completely. Yes, Xavier had indeed given her part of the script, saying it was from Ronald. However, she had only skimmed through it because she was already sure she had secured the role. She did not take the audition seriously at all, thinking it was just a formality and that her presence alone was a huge favor.Noticing Winter's demeanor, Ronald was slightly surprised. "Ms. Shaw, are you not prepared?""No, it's not that... Um...""Ms. Shaw, my time is also very valuable. I came from headquarters specifically for your audition. Mr. Hoffman instructed me to ensure everything went smoothly. You're making this quite difficult for me," Ronald said with a hint of annoyance.Winter's facial features grew even more rigid. "Mr. Hoffman? Mr. Hoffman personally intervened?""Of course, this drama has a significant invest
"You forgot to bring it?" Ronald's expression turned gloomy, but after a moment of contemplation, he waved his hand. "Ms. Clark, please give the script to Ms. Shaw." Ronald's tone sounded troubled as he continued to address Winter, "Ms. Shaw, Mr. Hoffman places great importance on this project and has invested a significant amount of money. If I don't handle this well, it'll be difficult to explain."Realizing the gravity of the situation, Winter felt even more embarrassed. She could not help but blame her agent for mishandling things. "Yes, this was our mistake. I promise it won't happen again. Please give me half an hour. I'll—""Alright," Ronald cut her off while massaging his temples. "Please hurry, Ms. Shaw. Mr. Hoffman has other matters that need my attention.""Okay!" Winter was now feeling increasingly flustered, finding it hard to concentrate and memorize her lines. Her mind was cluttered with anxious thoughts.She shot her agent an angry glare. Her agent was equally str
Charles released Noelle, who quickly stood up and adjusted her appearance. She then heard Charles say, "Come in!"When Ronald entered and saw Noelle fidgeting with her clothes, he realized he must have interrupted something between his boss and Noelle. He awkwardly coughed twice. "Mr. Hoffman, this Winter is quite the character!"Smirking, Charles gestured for Noelle to come over. "Want to go out for a walk?"Noelle looked puzzled. "Where to?"Charles chuckled, glanced at Ronald, and said, "Since she likes to make trouble, go along with her antics. How you do it is up to you." Charles rarely liked dealing with trivial matters. This time around was solely because of the woman in front of him. After a pause, he added, "Give her a bit more of a shock.""Charles!" Noelle bit her lip. "Are you really going to do this?"Charles looked at Noelle seriously. "You don't want me to? If you don't want to, I won't do it," he said earnestly. It did not look like he was joking. "But you need
Noelle felt that Charles was being too high-profile. "If you do this, everyone will know about our relationship by tomorrow!""Does that bother you?" Charles turned to look at Noelle. His question caught her off guard, but she quickly shook her head. "It doesn't."Charles was pleased by her answer. He reached out and patted her head, which caused a group of onlookers to squeal in delight.Yet, Charles' entire focus was on Noelle. "If you don't mind it, then it's fine. Don't worry, they won't spread rumors," he said with a chuckle."How can you be so sure?" Noelle found it hard to believe. People loved gossiping, and something as significant as Charles holding hands with a woman would undoubtedly spread like wildfire. Everyone would be speculating about who she was and why she was with Charles.Previously, Noelle wanted to keep their relationship private because she did not want others to know about it. After all, back then, they did not have any genuine feelings for one another.
Liliana's arm throbbed where Sean had grabbed it, but she bit her lip, refusing to give in. "I didn't do it on purpose. I had no idea she invited you.""Oh, you didn't know? Isn't she supposed to be your best friend?" Sean's voice was edged with sarcasm. "Or maybe this was your plan all along?""I didn't!" Liliana felt a tightness in her chest at his accusation.She pulled her arm free from his grasp, her face twisted with both anger and shame. "I truly didn't know.""Who knows what the truth is?" Sean said with a light laugh, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tania doesn't know about us, and you think you're in the dark too? What if Tania found out who you really are? Would she...""Don't."Liliana's voice was loud and full of panic. "Please don't tell Tania." Deep down, she was being selfish. She did not want Tania to find out about her secrets.When she first became friends with Tania, all she wanted was a simple friendship. She did not want Tania to know about her embarrassi
The next few moments dragged on painfully for Liliana. She would have bolted if Tania, her best friend, had not been there.She felt that neither Sean nor Peter wanted to see her around.She did not want to be near them either.Peter was a mystery she did not dare to unravel, and as for Sean...Liliana snuck a peek at Sean when no one was looking. It had been over a month since she had last seen him, and despite herself, she was thrilled.She tried to bury her feelings in work every day, but she knew how hard it was to forget Sean completely.They had promised not to meet again, yet there they were. He could not possibly think she planned this encounter, could he?As Liliana watched Sean and lost herself in thought, she noticed him suddenly glance her way. She quickly turned away, dodging his gaze.Liliana felt like she was a thief caught red-handed when she unexpectedly ran into Sean.Upon laying eyes on Liliana, Sean could not quite figure out what he was feeling.They had
Tania's lips quivered, as if she wanted to say more, but seeing Liliana so determined, she held back.However, as Tania paid, she leaned in and whispered something to the cashier, then scribbled down an address. "Make sure it gets here, okay?"Tania settled the bill, grabbed the shopping bags, and linked arms with Liliana as they headed out. "Liliana, you're joining me for dinner tonight!"No backing out this time. You've canceled on me too many times already.""Okay, fine!"Liliana had no idea that Tania's dinner invitation also included Peter. If she had known, she would have stayed far away. When Liliana returned from the restroom, she found not just Tania and Peter, but also Sean sitting there. Her first instinct was to turn around and leave.She was about to do just that, her foot already inching backward, when Tania caught sight of her. "Liliana, where are you off to? We're right here!"Frozen in place, Liliana could not seem to move a muscle.Standing with her back to th
Seeing Joanna in a new light, her friend still tried to be supportive. "Joanna, don't listen to that lady's wild stories. You and Mr. Smith are the perfect pair. You’re both so smart and good-looking. Everyone at the hospital is jealous of you guys! I bet she doesn't even know Mr. Smith, and she probably doesn't have a rich boyfriend either!"As she spoke, Joanna's friend watched her closely. She saw Joanna's worry fade away after her words. Joanna replied with a hint of frustration, "I don't know why she said that. I wasn’t even in the same faculty as her, but we were involved in a school event together once. We were in a competition together back then. I never thought she cared about it that much!"Joanna mentioned the school beauty contest she and Tania were in, suggesting there might be some old rivalry between them.Joanna's friend knew exactly what was happening. She was getting to see all the drama for free but did not want to call Joanna out. After all, they were coworkers a
"Look, you’re my junior.” Joanna had not expected Tania to say something like that in front of her friend. It was impossible for her to maintain her dignity at this point.What would her friend think if she owned up to it? If she denied it, what was Tania going to do?Tania watched Joanna's face turn beet red, a smile playing on her lips the whole time.Truth be told, Tania did not have beef with Joanna. However, she was Peter's girlfriend, and she knew Sean, so she could not stand watching Joanna strut around, lying and using Sean's good name."Look, Joanna, I'm not trying to be mean or anything. I just think your friend isn’t really thinking about how you feel, you know? You say you're single, yet she's out here telling everyone you're taken. How's that going to help you find a real boyfriend, right?"Joanna's nails were digging into her skin, but she did not even notice. She was drowning in embarrassment, and it was all Tania's fault."I don't know what I did to make you mad,
Joanna looked a bit upset. She was used to being the star everywhere she went, with everyone always fussing over her.However, Tania and Liliana did not seem to notice her at all.Tania slipped out of her dress and had it neatly packaged. She strolled over to a quiet corner and began flipping through a magazine.Meanwhile, Joanna and her friend were browsing through racks of clothes, chatting about which ones were the prettiest. Joanna's friend could not stop mentioning Sean, insisting that Joanna would look stunning in certain outfits and that Sean would surely be impressed.Tania watched Joanna with a smirk and called out, "Hey, Joanna!"Joanna and her friend paused and turned to Tania. "What's going on?" Joanna asked."Oh, nothing, really. I’m just curious—Joanna, are you and Mr. Smith together now?" Tania asked with feigned innocence. "I thought Sean turned you down before!""You...""Turned her down? Don't make things up. Our Joanna and Mr. Smith are very much an item!" Jo
The woman with Joanna gushed, "You're so lucky! Your boyfriend Sean is so handsome and rich, and your future mother-in-law adores you too!""Please, you're making me blush. Sean and I aren't even official yet." Joanna laughed off the compliment."It's only a matter of time. Everyone at the hospital knows you two are an item. And your future mother-in-law is so generous, showering you with gifts. You wouldn't believe how many people are green with envy!""You're making it sound too good to be true!"As Liliana overheard Joanna and the woman's conversation about Sean, she felt like a creep for eavesdropping.Yes, Sean had been with Joanna for a while. Where did that leave Liliana?She had been with Sean, which explained why he was so cold that day. He must have really disliked her, or else it would not have made sense.Liliana squeezed her hands together, trying hard not to eavesdrop on Joanna and the other woman's chat. However, their words floated to her ears, every single one c
Adalee had braced herself for tough negotiations, but to her surprise, they were ready to shake hands on the deal he moment she stepped into the other company's office. The previous unreasonable demands were gone. They were going to work together just like they had before.Even though Adalee thought it was odd, she was just glad there were no hiccups in the partnership. She signed the contract and decided to give Liliana some time off, hoping it would help her shake off the blues from that unhappy evening.Ever since Liliana came back from Cascade City, she had been quiet. Her life was work, work, and nothing but work. She did not go out, not even when Tania tried to coax her into hanging out.Tania could tell something was off with Liliana, but Liliana clammed up whenever she asked, saying she was swamped with work and had no spare time.Liliana had even forgotten about the date with Keith she had planned to arrange after her business trip.Her routine was simple: she would work
Adalee had just stepped out of her room when she ran into Sean. Sean's face was stormy as he walked past, not even noticing Adalee."Mister..." Adalee called, but Sean did not even look back.Adalee's brows knitted together in worry. She rushed to Liliana's door and called, "Liliana? Liliana?"Adalee did not hear Liliana answer, so she knocked again. "Liliana, are you in there?"After Sean left, Liliana could not stop the tears from coming. However, she did not let herself cry loudly. It was just a quiet, steady sob.When she heard the knock at the door, Liliana quickly stopped crying.She bit her lip, hurried to put on her clothes, and dried her eyes.Adalee waited outside, not leaving before she heard from Liliana. Liliana had no choice but to open the door.As soon as Adalee saw her, she noticed her red, puffy eyes and the marks on her face and neck. "Liliana, what's wrong?"Remembering the drink Liliana had taken for her sake the previous night, Adalee gasped and grabbed h