The rumors about Leon Everhart and Seraphina Arden in the office were something Seraphina knew she had to address immediately. Such gossip would harm both her work and personal life.She sighed inwardly: Thank goodness for Ethan. Without him, clearing this up would have been impossible.Ethan’s advantages shone through at moments like this. Seraphina had a boyfriend—a very handsome one, too.The nine-photo collage she posted on social media, coupled with the public kiss before work, quickly smothered the scandalous rumors of an affair between the boss and his secretary.Mia pressed her with questions. “Seraphina, your boyfriend is so handsome! When are you two getting married?”Seraphina thought for a moment and replied, “After the New Year, we’ll start planning the wedding.”Seraphina rarely discussed personal matters with Leon Everhart. In the past, her boss had half-jokingly suggested she be with him. This time was no different. When he said he could give her anything except marria
Sebastian's Office.Despite Chloe's repeated reminders to remain calm, Elijah could not hide his emotions. He told Sebastian, “Director, I need to discuss something with you.”Sebastian smiled. “Elijah, what’s the matter? You don’t look well.”Elijah stood up and closed the door. He handed his phone to Sebastian, showing him the photos and videos.Elijah said, “Director, these were sent to Seraphina by a friend. They said someone’s setting up a trap targeting you and Ethan. We’re not sure who it is or how far it’s gone.”Sebastian looked at the photos and videos. His face darkened, his body trembling with rage. “Elijah, I failed to raise my son properly. I’ve let you and your daughter down!”Elijah sighed. “Director, you need to ask Ethan if there’s more dirt someone could use against him. Find out how far it’s gone and whether it can still be salvaged. If someone has leverage over him, it’ll only get worse later.”Sebastian closed his eyes briefly before speaking, “Elijah, I owe you
This year was undoubtedly the happiest year for Leon Everhart.The Everhart family’s mining operations had finally started mass production. Earlier this year, they successfully refined a batch of high-purity minerals. These minerals were crucial for manufacturing medications used to treat rare diseases, which had previously relied entirely on imports. At $20,000 per kilogram, the company had secured long-term supply contracts with several major pharmaceutical firms.This was precisely why so many people fought tooth and nail to enter the mining industry, often leaving behind a trail of broken dreams and shattered partnerships.Money blinds people. Once wealth is in sight, many forget their morals.Even the subsidiary mining company had once sought outside investment.From purchasing mining rights and discovering deposits to investing in mining production lines and establishing refining workshops, the journey from initial investment to eventual profit was a long one.Mining investments
In this region’s custom, families celebrate the birth of a baby boy with a "Lamp Lighting Banquet" in January of the following year, inviting family and close friends to a feast.At the beginning of January, Harper sat at the head of the table holding her son. Leon Everhart reached out to gently pinch the baby’s chubby cheeks, his eyes filled with rare tenderness as he gazed at his son.This was Leon Everhart’s firstborn son, whom he named Maple Everhart.The banquet was lively, with many guests in attendance. Leon Everhart, holding Harper and their son, toasted each guest in turn.Leon was on top of the world—he drank a lot that day, his joy evident. After ten years of investment, he had finally seen substantial returns. His beloved mother was still alive, allowing him to serve her with filial piety. And now, he had a beautiful wife and adorable son by his side—everything in his life seemed perfect.Only Olivia sat there, her head lowered, a cold sneer curling her lips.Leon Everhart
Returning to work after the New Year holiday, Seraphina Arden had no desire to visit others for red envelopes. Outwardly, she appeared the same as before, but deep down, her state of mind had undergone a complete transformation. She frequently felt inexplicably weary.After this holiday, an indescribable sense of desolation welled up inside her. Even when playing with her younger siblings during the New Year, the usual joy was absent.At lunch, when most of her colleagues had gone downstairs, Seraphina stayed behind, organizing and checking her office belongings. Leon Everhart appeared at her door and knocked lightly, "Seraphina, why aren’t you eating?"Startled, Seraphina immediately stood up, "Good afternoon, Mr. Everhart. I’ll go in just a moment."Leon Everhart smiled, "Let’s go together."Seraphina shut down her computer, locking the office door as she stepped out.Her careful, meticulous approach always set her apart from others.Seraphina’s sense of despondency didn’t last long
On the baby’s one-month celebration, Olivia gave Harper a special gift.Standing in Leon Everhart and Harper’s bedroom, Olivia smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, it’s my nephew’s one-month milestone, so I’ve brought you a present. I think you’ll be thrilled when you see it.”Leaning close to Harper’s ear, Olivia whispered, “I had a paternity test done for the baby and Lucas. Turns out, they’re the real father and son.”Harper already knew the truth, but hearing it from Olivia’s mouth struck her differently.The Henry family had pressured Harper to conceive Leon Everhart’s child as quickly as possible. Without a child, they were certain Leon would never marry her.Her brother had bluntly warned her, “You’ve already slept with Leon Everhart. If you can’t marry him, your worth will be even lower. Don’t blame me when I handpick someone else for you to marry.”Harper’s mother had confided in her that the Henry family had deceived Leon Everhart, which had enraged him and led the Everhart fami
The news of the Everhart family's mining company's massive profits eventually reached the Henry family.The Henry family was deeply unsettled.The Everhart family had leveraged their connections to help the Henry family secure land certifications for their residential projects. In exchange, the Henry family had promised Leon Everhart 20% equity in their materials factory. They also sealed their alliance with a marriage and verbally agreed to include the Henry family in future mining ventures.But once Leon Everhart smoothed things over, the Henry family began to feel burdened by the heavy fines they had to pay—fines they claimed cost them nearly everything. After the issue was resolved, the Henry family reneged on their promises, refusing to acknowledge the Everhart family's goodwill. They diluted the equity and forced Leon Everhart to withdraw from the materials factory altogether.After Leon married Harper, Mr. Henry personally approached him, asking him to source construction mater
Leon Everhart’s concession gave the Henry family a renewed sense of Harper’s value. Harper’s mother began visiting the Everhart estate much more frequently.However, beyond this, the Henry family’s increasing demands were met with mere observation by Leon Everhart, who never intervened again.The collaboration between Seraphina Arden and Leon Everhart grew increasingly seamless. A glance or a gesture was all it took for one to understand the other’s meaning. In work, the two complemented each other perfectly.But when it came to feelings, there was no progress at all.Seraphina Arden’s stance remained clear: she would never be someone’s mistress or destroy another family. For marriage, she wanted someone who truly resonated with her. She had no intention of settling for less again. Her previous attempt at settling with someone she thought she knew well had left her wounded. To settle with a stranger for the sake of companionship could result in an even worse outcome. If, in this life,
It had been a while since Lucas last contacted Seraphina Arden, but today, he suddenly called her.“Hey, Sis, what are you up to?” Lucas asked.Seraphina lowered her voice and said, “The boss is yelling at someone downstairs. Looks like someone’s in big trouble, so I’m finding a place to hide before I get caught in the crossfire.”Lucas chuckled, “Got time to grab lunch with me?”Chloe had repeatedly warned Seraphina not to get too close to Lucas. But Seraphina and Lucas had grown up together like siblings—how could she truly cut ties with him? She also felt she should take the opportunity to remind Lucas to be careful.“Alright, I’m free on Sunday. You pick the place, and lunch is on me,” Seraphina replied.Lucas said, “How about 11:30 at Century Square? I’ll treat you to some Mexican barbecue.”On Sunday, Seraphina arrived as promised.Lucas had already ordered the barbecue and picked up drinks and side dishes. He was sitting at a table, waiting for her.When Seraphina saw him, she
Seraphina Arden and Leon Everhart returned to the office together.It was Saturday afternoon, with Sunday being a holiday. Generally, weekends were less busy, and the office atmosphere was more relaxed. However, seeing Leon Everhart walk in with a bright expression while Seraphina Arden followed behind with a sour look, everyone assumed that Seraphina had been scolded again.As Seraphina headed toward her own office, Leon called her from the front, “Seraphina, come to my office for a moment.”Her aunt had brought many gifts for her today, and the day’s schedule was light. During the banquet, Leon had already promised Seraphina she could leave early to head back with her parents.But Leon Everhart was a man who often went back on his word. This unexpected call felt like he was deliberately holding her back. Seraphina suspected Leon was doing it on purpose, and she couldn’t shake off the faint sense of ambiguity in his tone, which she found inappropriate and prone to misunderstanding.L
Leon Everhart never liked Olivia, and everything about her was something he preferred not to concern himself with. When Olivia expressed a desire to start her own business, Leon told her to prepare a proposal. She came back with less than two pages of nonsensical words, expecting to get $300,000 from him without lifting a finger.Olivia’s brazen and shameless attitude infuriated Leon. He handed her over to Liam and specifically instructed him not to indulge her sense of entitlement.Although Liam wasn’t fond of studying, he was sharp and quick-witted. Despite his dislike for Olivia, he still maintained an outward show of civility. Leon, however, didn’t even care to keep up appearances for her.Even the smartest people can be blindsided at times. Leon Everhart, despite his usual shrewdness, never imagined that someone like Olivia could successfully outmaneuver him.One time, when Leon went to visit Liam’s establishment with some guests, Liam casually mentioned that Olivia was seeing a
Seraphina Arden felt cold all over. With her sharp intuition, she was certain that something was off about Lucas and Olivia’s engagement. The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. She couldn’t believe that Lucas would dare to take such a risk.The next day at work, Seraphina found herself looking at Leon Everhart’s face with a sense of disorientation.After a meeting, she should have returned to her own office, but with her mind preoccupied, she absentmindedly followed Leon Everhart into his office.Leon noticed her dazed and clumsy behavior, and his heart softened.He stopped, but Seraphina kept walking forward. Leon reached out and locked the door from the inside.When Seraphina turned around to look at him, her eyes were clouded with confusion, a stark contrast to her usual cheerful demeanor.Leon’s heart ached slightly. He gently cupped her face and asked, “What’s wrong, Seraphina Arden?”Seraphina stared at his face, her usual quick wit nowhere to be seen. In
Leon Everhart’s concession gave the Henry family a renewed sense of Harper’s value. Harper’s mother began visiting the Everhart estate much more frequently.However, beyond this, the Henry family’s increasing demands were met with mere observation by Leon Everhart, who never intervened again.The collaboration between Seraphina Arden and Leon Everhart grew increasingly seamless. A glance or a gesture was all it took for one to understand the other’s meaning. In work, the two complemented each other perfectly.But when it came to feelings, there was no progress at all.Seraphina Arden’s stance remained clear: she would never be someone’s mistress or destroy another family. For marriage, she wanted someone who truly resonated with her. She had no intention of settling for less again. Her previous attempt at settling with someone she thought she knew well had left her wounded. To settle with a stranger for the sake of companionship could result in an even worse outcome. If, in this life,
The news of the Everhart family's mining company's massive profits eventually reached the Henry family.The Henry family was deeply unsettled.The Everhart family had leveraged their connections to help the Henry family secure land certifications for their residential projects. In exchange, the Henry family had promised Leon Everhart 20% equity in their materials factory. They also sealed their alliance with a marriage and verbally agreed to include the Henry family in future mining ventures.But once Leon Everhart smoothed things over, the Henry family began to feel burdened by the heavy fines they had to pay—fines they claimed cost them nearly everything. After the issue was resolved, the Henry family reneged on their promises, refusing to acknowledge the Everhart family's goodwill. They diluted the equity and forced Leon Everhart to withdraw from the materials factory altogether.After Leon married Harper, Mr. Henry personally approached him, asking him to source construction mater
On the baby’s one-month celebration, Olivia gave Harper a special gift.Standing in Leon Everhart and Harper’s bedroom, Olivia smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, it’s my nephew’s one-month milestone, so I’ve brought you a present. I think you’ll be thrilled when you see it.”Leaning close to Harper’s ear, Olivia whispered, “I had a paternity test done for the baby and Lucas. Turns out, they’re the real father and son.”Harper already knew the truth, but hearing it from Olivia’s mouth struck her differently.The Henry family had pressured Harper to conceive Leon Everhart’s child as quickly as possible. Without a child, they were certain Leon would never marry her.Her brother had bluntly warned her, “You’ve already slept with Leon Everhart. If you can’t marry him, your worth will be even lower. Don’t blame me when I handpick someone else for you to marry.”Harper’s mother had confided in her that the Henry family had deceived Leon Everhart, which had enraged him and led the Everhart fami
Returning to work after the New Year holiday, Seraphina Arden had no desire to visit others for red envelopes. Outwardly, she appeared the same as before, but deep down, her state of mind had undergone a complete transformation. She frequently felt inexplicably weary.After this holiday, an indescribable sense of desolation welled up inside her. Even when playing with her younger siblings during the New Year, the usual joy was absent.At lunch, when most of her colleagues had gone downstairs, Seraphina stayed behind, organizing and checking her office belongings. Leon Everhart appeared at her door and knocked lightly, "Seraphina, why aren’t you eating?"Startled, Seraphina immediately stood up, "Good afternoon, Mr. Everhart. I’ll go in just a moment."Leon Everhart smiled, "Let’s go together."Seraphina shut down her computer, locking the office door as she stepped out.Her careful, meticulous approach always set her apart from others.Seraphina’s sense of despondency didn’t last long
In this region’s custom, families celebrate the birth of a baby boy with a "Lamp Lighting Banquet" in January of the following year, inviting family and close friends to a feast.At the beginning of January, Harper sat at the head of the table holding her son. Leon Everhart reached out to gently pinch the baby’s chubby cheeks, his eyes filled with rare tenderness as he gazed at his son.This was Leon Everhart’s firstborn son, whom he named Maple Everhart.The banquet was lively, with many guests in attendance. Leon Everhart, holding Harper and their son, toasted each guest in turn.Leon was on top of the world—he drank a lot that day, his joy evident. After ten years of investment, he had finally seen substantial returns. His beloved mother was still alive, allowing him to serve her with filial piety. And now, he had a beautiful wife and adorable son by his side—everything in his life seemed perfect.Only Olivia sat there, her head lowered, a cold sneer curling her lips.Leon Everhart