Walter also reasoned, "That's right, Vicky. You should talk to us about something like this."After all, Titus was the gem of his family's younger generation and a prodigy even among all the rich kids in Morhen. Not only did he reach Birthright rank before thirty, but he had also already secured a strong position in Volsung Sect.Heiresses worshiped his good looks and tremendous potential and would go crazy for him.And yet, Walter's own daughter did not seem to care, even demanding to have their engagement annulled?!No matter how impressive Frank was, he would never measure up to Titus or any of the strength and influence he boasted.Even so, Vicky remained impassive as she retorted, "I alone will decide who I marry, not anyone else. And I'm not about to sacrifice myself for the sake of family."Before this, she would have been able to accept the engagement and arrangement for the sake of her family's gains and prosperity. After all, she stood to profit in every way if she marr
The South Sea Crow was so elusive the South Sea Four tried and failed for three years to take her down, even with all the Ascendant rank fighters at their disposal.How would Vicky ever stop that woman in just one month, and what could she do?-Meanwhile, at Skywater Bay, Helen had washed up and was preparing to go to work when Frank stopped her."How's the promotion for the farm resort going?" he asked.Helen rolled her eyes. "It's just been a week."Still, she soon flashed him a flirty wink, sending Frank's heart skipping a beat.Resisting the urge to hug her, he smiled instead. "Is there anything else you need my help with?""Nope. Just leave the promotion to me and Vicky—you just worry about preparing the farm.""Really?" Frank strode closer, narrowing his eyes."Yeah…" Helen trailed off and threw up her hands to yield—she was never a great liar. "Well, there's no problem with Flora Hall, since Dan Zimmer agreed to it without hesitation when I mentioned you… It's Noel
After driving Winter and Mona to school, Frank stayed in his car as he called the private number Helen gave him."Hello?" Noel's tired voice could soon be heard."Ms. York? It's me, Frank Lawrence," Frank said nonchalantly. "How have you been doing? Would you care to make time for a drink?"He naturally did not expect a star actress like her to say yes and was just making small talk.As such, he did not expect Noel to stay silent for seconds before asking shortly, "Where?""Huh…" A little stumped, Frank simply picked the first place that came to mind. "The Dynasty.""Got it," Noel replied and hung up without further ado.Frank scratched his head awkwardly—the invitation was just the lead, and he did not expect the star actress to take it.Was he really that charming?Frank chuckled as he rubbed his chin and turned his Maybach to rush for The Dynasty.-As usual, the bar in The Dynasty was dimly lit as the wall speakers boomed with thunderous music.The air swirled with the
Hearing the thug's yell, a burly bald man strode out from a nearby bar. "Who is it?"When he glanced behind the thug and saw who it was, he promptly picked up a tablecloth and flung it at the thug's face. "You piece of shit! You can't even recognize Mr. Lawrence just because you took a few sips?! I told you to quit drinking already, but you just won't listen! And don't think you're dragging me into your mess!""Mr. Lawrence… Who?" The thug on the floor obviously had not come to his senses.When he did, he promptly knelt in front of Frank. "I'm so, so sorry, Mr. Lawrence… I didn't recognize you! Bravo Lambert even told us that everything is on the house if you ever visit—""Just go," Frank snapped, not interested in taking it out with the thug since he was drunk and incoherent. "And don't try to hit on the ladies like you did, or you're dead if you caught me."The thug was completely sober at Frank's scary threat and scrambled to run away."Hmm… I'm surprised you're that well-resp
Frank continued, "I'm not an ingrate, so tell me about the trouble you're having and I'll help where I can. Naturally, the condition is for you to endorse my farm resort as agreed."Noel's skeptic gaze faded as she stared at Frank's smile, while her own smile turned to gloom."You can't help me, Mr. Lawrence." She sighed. "But I'm short on friends right now, so I'll just have you listen to me vent instead."She took another sip of her cocktail before telling Frank everything—naturally, she was the victim of workplace bullying instead of the perpetrator.Lycoris Entertainment, the agency representing her, used to be owned by a man named Dylan Hood. He was quite influential in the east coast and had been obsessed with Noel for a long time. In fact, the thug named Dustin who was harassing Noel when Frank first met her worked for Dylan too.Even so, Noel held her ground, rebuffing Dylan's advances with wit and determination… That is, until recently, when Lycoris Entertainment was bo
As Burt took a seat, he chugged a bottle of beer and caught his breath before turning to Frank."It's about Ms. Noel York here…" Frank began."Wait, Noel York? As in the actress?" Burt turned toward Noel in shock and confusion. "What, you two know each other?" Frank asked, puzzled."No, we haven't met yet." Noel shook her head."No, we haven't." Burt chuckled. "It's just a coincidence… But the man I was chasing earlier used to be an accountant at your agency, Lycoris Entertainment.""What's that about?" Frank asked, his interest peaked."Actually, it's no big deal." Burt smiled. "The accountant was conspiring with Dylan Hood, the previous CEO, in falsifying company finances leading to the recent company acquisition. Dylan's now on the run, and he left that accountant behind to be his scapegoat.""What?!" Noel sprang to her feet, staring at Frank in disbelief. "O-Officer, are you saying that the Soranos' acquisition is technically invalid? The falsified accounts must mean that
Noel was left stunned by Frank's suggestion, since she never thought that Frank had the confidence to square off against the Soranos.What was more, he was already an enemy of the Lionhearts!Frank, however, paid her stare no attention as he continued planning. "So, I'll be building a biological preserve in the outskirts of Riverton, which can double as a film set with a star actress like you endorsing it. I'll also put money into making a film with you, some of which you could film at my resort. You could be doing stuff like tending to the farm and the like—stuff to make you appear no different from the common man. It's a lot of work, but we'd be drawing in tour groups and tourists with more humble circumstances…"Frank's mind went into overdrive as he elaborated on all the ideas he had.Noel's eyes lit up in turn, and when Frank was done, she had to admit that he had business acumen.A humble farm resort, combined with Draconia's top star actress, somehow did not appear to be a
Although Noel was hopeful for something to happen, it turned out that Frank just wanted to send her home and nothing more.Noel could not help feeling disappointed at that.Then, blushing crimson as she realized why, she threw herself in bed, keeping her face buried in the sheets.-On the other hand, Frank was in a great mood after leaving Noel's mansion.With the Hale Marrow he acquired in Norsedam, he would fulfill the claims he made for the farm resort and then some.And with Noel joining the team, it would be surprising if their promotion efforts actually failed.Still, there were some ideas that he would need his peak form to actually commit.As such, once he left Noel's mansion, he called Helen to tell her that Noel's issue was resolved, hanging up before Helen could ask for the details.He then drove to Flora Hall, and not seeing the Maybach identical to his, he knew Janet was not at work.He headed inside, buying some herbs that would complement the Hale Marrow's med