"A paparazzo snapped a photo of you and Miss Claire, and nobody informed us about this beforehand. Whoever it was just posted the picture. I'm not sure if you've approved it, so..." Lucy explained cautiously.Sherman had no idea what photo she was referring to. How could he possibly approve of someone else posting his picture online, especially with Claire?"I'll handle it when I get back to the office," said Sherman before he then hung up. He then stepped on the gas pedal, increasing his speed.This unexpected incident pushed aside his irritation with Rita's constant rejection. He knew her past hardships had led her to develop such an independent character. She simply did not want to cause trouble for anyone.'But how can she lump me together with her stepmother? Why does she keep refusing my help?' he wondered.As soon as the company-president-exclusive elevator doors opened, Lucy pulled up the news and presented it to him. As they walked toward his office, she explained the ori
One commenter mused, [I never expected that it wasn't her dancing that made her famous first but her relationship with Sherman. I wonder if it's good or bad for her dance career.][Of course it's good. Without Sherman, who'd even know Claire? I wonder if it's her own publicity stunt. Sherman has never shown his face before, so why do it now?] another speculated.[I don't think we should speculate about Claire like that. After all, isn't it normal for such a talented couple's relationship to be exposed? Besides, Sherman hasn't said anything, yet you're already worrying for him!] a third commenter argued.[Don't give me that fan-club nonsense!]Sherman naturally attracted attention, and this news quickly climbed to the top of the trending list.Claire looked at the comments section, immensely satisfied. Despite many unfriendly remarks, at least she got the attention she wanted, did she not?She wanted everyone to know that Sherman was hers, especially Rita. Why should she compete w
"Yes, we didn't expect the paparazzo to be secretly photographing you two... How could it possibly be related to us? Claire is crying right now. Shouldn't you try to comfort her? Yeah, she came back after studying abroad, never expecting to be criticized so harshly in the comments section."Oh, I see. But wouldn't it be unwise to take it down now? Social media users might think it's a publicity stunt. It could affect her future audience's perception. Mister Sherman, why don't we keep the news online for a while? Social media users are known to have a short attention span anyway. They'll forget about the photo when there's a new scandal."Serena molded Claire into a victim over the phone, and she was quite satisfied with the effect."That could work. However, I hope you'll take Claire's future audience appeal into consideration. She just returned to the country, and her career is just beginning. We can't afford to ruin her reputation."Claire did not know what they were discussing o
"You've got the wrong person. I wasn't the one who took that photo. It was taken by someone passing by that day and then sent to me. This shouldn't be considered as me infringing upon Mister Sherman's personality rights, right? Moreover, Mister Sherman looks so handsome! Why hide it? Social media users are clamoring for more photos of him. After earning so much money, he should give back to the people, right?"Leo would have scoffed if he was not dealing with official business. It seemed like Cecil was not going to admit to his wrongdoing that easily."So, does that mean you're unwilling to take down the photo?"Cecil continued to beat around the bush. "It's not that I don't want to take it down; it's just that my current situation doesn't allow me to. It's not easy for anyone to make a living, you know? If I take it down, it's like working for nothing, no? You work for money too, so you should know I'm just doing my job."'Ha, so he's trying to squeeze money out of us, eh?' though
Although Claire gave him 140 thousand dollars to take the risk and post the photo on his page, it was still a shock for Cecil when Sherman got so angry and wiped out his years of hard work.Like that social media user said: this was considered lucky. After all, Cecil probably would not be able to handle it if the case truly went to court. After all, 140 thousand dollars would not even be enough to hire a lawyer.Sherman's lawyers were on a different level. He even had a whole team of them! What did Cecil have? The measly 140 thousand dollars was not even enough to clean up his mess!'That damn Claire! She told me I'd make big money if I posted the photo online, but look at the mess I'm in,' thought Cecil.He spat on the ground in frustration.Claire and her team were also closely monitoring the situation. She never expected Sherman to act so ruthlessly and leave her with no dignity at all.[I think it's a publicity stunt by Claire. Otherwise, how could they take down this photo f
"Why you! I—"Cecil hung up on Claire before she could finish her sentence. Serena looked at her with a worried expression."What are we going to do? I've warned you countless times not to work with such a sneaky guy, but you just wouldn't listen. Now you're caught in the middle. Mister Sherman thinks this has nothing to do with you and is going after Cecil directly, but Cecil is pinning it all on you. What are we going to do?"She paced anxiously, making Claire dizzy with her frantic energy."Can't you think of a solution instead of just creating anxiety? What use are you to me if you can't even handle this small matter?" She threw her phone down forcefully, making everyone in the room hold their breath."You need to come up with a solution fast! I'm doing this for the sake of the team. How can I pay all of your salaries if I don't have the publicity? We're all in the same boat, and we should be united, not against each other, right?"Suddenly, Claire smiled and took Serena's ha
Claire wiped away a tear, looking as if she had returned to being the innocent girl from years ago.Serena still hesitated. "But even if it's for publicity, you shouldn't have involved Mister Sherman, don't you think? I know you two had some ups and downs over the years, but if you truly want a resolution... Claire, you shouldn't use such means. He doesn't seem like the type to be pressured like this."Claire nodded. "I know you're looking out for me, but only he and I know what's going on between us. Plus, you don't understand what kind of person he is. Serena, next time, don't mention Sherman to me again. I know what I'm doing. Oh, and get takeout for everyone later. I lost my temper just now, and it was my fault for not controlling myself."Serena nodded with concern. "Don't worry. Everyone knows your temper, and they know you weren't really angry at them."However, this behavior of criticizing and then rewarding would eventually cause dissatisfaction.After Serena left, Claire
Originally, Chelsea had been thinking of arranging blind dates for her grandson. She knew young people then were mostly focused on their careers and lacked opportunities to meet new people. She wanted Sherman to meet more people, deepen their impressions of each other, and perhaps find someone he liked.However, she quickly canceled the arrangement when she learned of the news. It would be humiliating for the other families if they let their daughter go to the Parr family's house. Her grandson already had a partner, so what was the point of arranging blind dates?Instead of walking around the sofa, Sherman flipped over it to sit next to his grandparents."Grandma, Grandpa, if you have anything to ask, go ahead. I promise to tell you everything."Hearing this, his grandmother immediately turned to him and asked, "Tell me, do you have a girlfriend?"Sherman shook his head seriously. "No, I don't. Claire is just a friend. The paparazzo accidentally took a photo of us, and everyone mi
Sherman could not help but feel fearful when he recalled the incident.Rita gently smoothed his furrowed brow. "I knew you'd come to rescue me, just like all the times you did. I love you, Sherman."Previously, Rita confessed her love to him when she was groggy. At this moment, however, she was clearly awake, even sporting a faint smile on her face as she confessed.Sherman immediately blushed. "I love you, too."Rita did not stay long in the hospital; she quickly returned to the Parr family's mansion. Just as Sherman's grandparents had said, Rita did not have any major injuries, so there was no need for her to stay in the hospital that long. In fact, she might even recover faster emotionally under the care at home.Not once did Sherman bring up Rita's job, but she surprisingly resigned from New Capital Times on her own accord. It would be difficult for her to investigate cases with her current condition; not to mention Sherman had handed over the evidence to the police. The polic
"Sherman, I like you. I love you," Rita finally confessed.Sherman, deeply pained, pulled Rita into his arms. "This is all my fault. I should've looked for you quicker. I've never blamed you. All I want is to see you smile. It's enough for me as long as you're willing to let me stay by your side."You don't have to confess to me. I know it's hard for you to do that because of your family. I've seen the way they've treated you, and…"The bodyguards who had barged in with Sherman felt a bit awkward to see their company president in tears. However, the priority was to get Rita to the hospital for a check-up. Being tied up for hours could cause circulation issues, and it could be dangerous if her limbs did not regain feelings soon.In the end, they got the bravest among them to convince Sherman to let them take Rita to the hospital. Instead of letting them do it, Sherman wiped away his tears and, with ease, lifted Rita as if she was as light as a feather.Fortunately, after the hospit
With that, Karen left without looking back. She was carrying Vince's baby in her womb, so how could she pin all her hopes on Sadie? Since Sadie was obviously unruly, she would have to rely on her son.'Sadie can spend the rest of her life with Esmond since she likes him so much. God knows it had been exhausting enough to raise her. Plus, it's only fair for Esmond to take care of her since I've done my part taking care of her until now,' thought Karen.Meanwhile, the only consolation for Sherman was that Esmond did not try to put up a fight. It seemed that he still cared about his daughter Sadie.Sherman led his men to a dilapidated house. Esmond had been cautious enough to choose a rundown house situated at the end of a village.When Sherman barged in, he found Rita lying on the floor while Esmond's men ignored her. Esmond's men had followed his orders, and since he did not instruct them to do anything to Rita, they left her well alone.Before the men could react, they were surrou
Karen cried and silently knelt by Sadie's side without trying to defend herself. Sadie, on the other hand, feebly tried to explain herself. Alas. Vince refused to listen.There had been many occasions before when he had chosen to believe Karen and Sadie, but at this moment, he realized he had been terribly wrong to do that.Rita used to be so kind, understanding, and well-behaved. However, ever since Karen and Sadie moved in, Vince felt like his daughter had become manipulative, always trying to compete for attention, and stirring up jealousy in front of him.Unfortunately, it took Rita's disappearance to make Vince realize that Rita was not trying to compete for attention. All Rita wanted from him was to treat her the same as Sadie.Vince used to think that Rita should give in to Sadie more since Sadie was younger, too."Why don't you go live with your biological father since you prefer him so much? I never want to see you show your face around here anymore! As for your mother, s
Sadie was so anxious that she wanted to jump out. "Mom, don't tell me you fell for it! Why did you call Esmond? Now they all know where Rita is. You've ruined everything, again! What were you thinking?"Karen could not care less. She cried and slapped Sadie. "You nearly scared me to death! What would I do if something happened to you? I didn't raise you just to watch you die. I told you not to meet up with Esmond, so why did you secretly meet up with him? How can you ask him to get rid of Rita?"Are you out of your mind? All I want is for us to live out the rest of our lives peacefully, so why didn't you listen to me?!"Sadie was furious. Karen had stopped trying to get rid of Rita ever since she got pregnant, so how could Sadie not be angry? Rita was like a thorn in her side, and Sadie would never be happy unless Rita was dead."Don't you know I like Sherman? How could you ask me to do nothing when Rita has stolen him from me?! I was the one who liked him first. It's either Rita g
Karen wanted so badly to slap Esmond through the phone.'What good are his pompous words now? We wouldn't be in this mess now if he hadn't hit me back then! What's more, he's saying he's doing this for Sadie. But has he ever thought of what would happen to me and Sadie if he got rid of Rita? Rita's the heiress of the Russell family. Not to mention, she's married to Sherman, so that makes her owner of Parr Group too! What makes Esmond think he can get rid of Rita so easily?'Karen's breath was ragged as she said, "If you don't believe me, just listen to your daughter's screams. I can't save her now; you will literally decide her fate! Plus, I'm pregnant with Vince's baby, so even if I lose Sadie, I still have a kid—which is more than what I can say about you!"Sherman could not help but be impressed by Karen a little. Even in this dire situation, she did not forget to express her heartfelt feelings to Vince, letting him know that she was always on his side. It was certainly not an ea
"Sherman raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a minor injury, maybe just a finger. There shouldn't be any major issues. A sprained joint takes only a hundred days to heal, and it might take her even less time to heal if you take very good care of her while she's recuperating."Karen's heart ached upon hearing that. She lunged toward Sherman, wanting to hit him, but the bodyguards stopped her before she could get close.Vince, still worried, held Karen tightly beside him. "Calm down. I'm sure Sadie will come out unharmed if Rita's kidnapping has nothing to do with her. But if it does, then you should know very well that…"Vince's voice dropped an octave. He could not believe his daughter's disappearance had anything to do with his stepdaughter. However, he was not utterly naive.He continued, "How could a girl like her take Rita away? Even the car window was smashed. Others must've been involved. Does her biological father have anything to do with it?"Sherman nodded
"Yes, it's true I met up with my biological father, but it was just a one-time thing. I don't want to go back to him at all! Otherwise, I would've done it ages ago. Dad, I'm really grateful to you for taking me in and looking after me all these years. That's why I feel like you're my real father, even more real than those who share the same blood."How could you unjustly accuse me and Mom like that? Sherman is the one spouting nonsense here. He's trying to push all the blame onto us. Dad, you have to wake up and see the truth!"Karen nodded along, but her heart was racing. 'When did Sadie meet Esmond? How did Sherman know when I don't even know? Seems like Sadie does have something to do with Rita's kidnapping. I have to settle things and get Sherman out of here.'Karen never had the thought of rekindling her relationship with Esmond. The only thing she wanted then was to peacefully give birth to her son. Everything in the Russell family would eventually go to her son, and she would
Sherman detested people pointing their fingers at him when they spoke. He stood up slowly, towering over Vince instantly."You claim to be Rita's father, yet if I were you, I'd choose to shut up and stand aside. I can't believe you're scolding me for threatening Sadie when she's not even your real daughter!"Look at her guilty expression; it's clear she's involved. If you don't believe me, use your brain a little. No wonder Russell Group is declining under your leadership. It's only a matter of time before the company goes completely bankrupt!"Sherman showed no mercy, causing Vince to retreat with every word. Vince clutched his chest, struggling for breath.Karen, despite her weakness, stepped forward to support him. "How could you speak to your father-in-law like this? What has Sadie done to offend you? She has nothing but admiration for you. Plus, she's just a child. How could you treat her like this?"She went on and on, but Sherman stood his ground. Meanwhile, the burly bodyg