Yvonne's guard immediately went up. "Grandpa, I was just trying to ask your opinion. After all, Well Spring is such a huge business. It's a rare opportunity for Hope.""I don't agree with it." Jim refused firmly. "Hope is going to expand its drug manufacturing, and you want to work with Well Spring too? You're putting too much work on me in such a short time! If you want me to work to my death, just tell me!"Yvonne immediately said, "Of course not. How would I dare to tire you out?""Exactly! Let me tell you, I'm old, and I won't work for long. If you really want to work with Well Springs, wait until I'm dead!" Jim hung up.Yvonne was in a daze. She didn't know why she had been reprimanded. Why was Jim so angry?…After that call, Jim seemed to have forgotten about the entire thing. Every time he contacted her, it was about the collaboration with Excel PharmaYvonne had tried to bring it up a few times, but she swallowed her words back down every time. She planned to unders
Outside the kindergarten gates, Stephen watched Elvin and Britney enter the building before he took his phone out and sent a message to Yvonne. "They have reached safely."It was a simple sentence without anything else.When Yvonne received the message, she replied, "Okay." The two said nothing else. However, Yvonne continued to clutch her phone in her hand in a daze. Her current situation did indeed feel like a normal life.All these years, she had been busy with her career. She rarely had time to think about her life. At that moment, when she thought back about it, every facet of her life had something to do with Stephen.She smiled helplessly, just thinking about it. When had Stephen silently invaded every corner of her life?Yvonne stopped herself from dreaming. She sent a message to Annie, asking her to meet at Galarinx Restaurant that night.…That night, Annie arrived at Galarinx Restaurant on time. She kept looking back from time to time to see if anyone was following
"The first day you asked to meet me, people from the Anderson Group came to talk to me about an investment. They said that they liked Excel Pharma's solid foundation and how we have the potential to develop further. They intend to invest money to help us expand."Annie looked at Yvonne. She found it strange. "I thought that you had privately discussed it with Mr. Anderson …"Judging by Yvonne's reaction, Stephen must have gone behind her back."Ms. Miller, I know I shouldn't ask about your private life, but …" Annie asked tentatively, "Now that you two are my collaborators, should I know what …"Sort of relationship they were in.Annie didn't finish her sentence. She carefully observed Yvonne's expression."It's fine. It's good that Anderson Group is investing in Excel Pharma. You don't have to worry about my relationship with Stephen."Although Yvonne sounded calm, she was a little pissed. How dare Stephen steal business intel from her?As soon as he had found out that she w
Late that night, Katie gently entered the mansion. She had just placed her high heels down when the lights in the living room switched on. Startled, she jumped."It's late. Where were you?" Noah questioned coldly.Katie secretly gulped. She pretended to be calm and replied, "I went to see a few clients today. We talked so much that I forgot about the time.""But I heard that you guys ended around 9:30 pm." Noah sounded even colder, as if he were on the cusp of exploding.Katie furrowed her brows. Which bastard had reported her to him?"Yes, we ended around that time, but my assistant had been drinking on my behalf the entire night. I couldn't just leave him alone, right?" Katie changed her shoes and walked over to Noah. She gave him just the right amount of a smile."I was the only sober one there, so I sent him home. He lives quite far away, which is why I'm only back now."Noah pulled Katie into his arms. He clutched her chin tightly. "Since when did you care so much about y
In her office, Katie had drunk half a cup of coffee when finally there was a knock on the door.Finlay timidly walked over to her desk. He didn't dare to look Katie in the eyes. "Ms. Jones, how can I help you?"Katie smiled. "There are only two of us in here. You don't have to be so formal with me. You can just call me Katie, like last night."Finlay was horrified. "Last night, did we …""Yes, we slept together." Katie seemed to be reminiscing about it. She licked her lips. "You did well last night. I'm very happy about it.""I …" Finlay was so shocked that he lost his balance. He had to support himself against the desk. He looked at Katie and pleaded, "I … I drank too much last night. Ms. Jones, you can punish me however you want, but don't fire me!""I'm praising you, right? Why should I be punishing you?" Katie got up and walked over to Finlay. "From today onward, you'll be mine. You can't betray me."Finlay was flustered. He slumped into the chair. "Ms. Jones, what do
"Yvonne, Mr. Jensen would like to meet you," Gwen said.Yvonne's heart sank, and her mood dipped. "Alright, give me the time and place." Chuck knew how to manipulate her. By having Gwen deliver the message over the phone, he was leaving Yvonne no way to refuse. Gwen knew exactly why Yvonne had agreed and felt a pang of discomfort. "I'll send the details to you." "Okay," Yvonne replied. Then, she asked, "Did Chuck pick on you?" "No. Don't worry about me." With that, Gwen hung up. As she put the phone away, a glass of red wine was pushed toward her. "Did Ms. Miller agree to meet?" Chuck asked. "Yes." Gwen took the glass. She didn't spare Chuck a glance as she raised it to her lips and downed it. Chuck chuckled. "As expected of Mark's assistant. You are quite useful.” Gwen tossed the glass into the trash can. The crisp sound of glass shattering echoed in the room. "I only deal with matters within the scope of my work. I suggest that you handle the rest yourself, M
Soon, the Long brothers reached the lakeside pavilion. They greeted Chuck and Yvonne enthusiastically. Smiling, Anson said, "Ms. Miller, we meet again. Fate seems to have its ways!" However, Yvonne ignored him. An awkward silence followed. The smile on Anson's face faded. He cursed inwardly. Who did Yvonne think she was? Chuck intervened, saying, "Please, have a seat and some tea." Anson smiled again. "Thank you, Mr. Jensen." As the Long brothers took their seats, the lakeside pavilion became a bit crowded. Chuck was about to pour tea for them, but Alvin was quick on his feet. He took the teapot from Chuck. "I have the lowest status here, so it's only right that I pour tea for you both. How could I let you do it, Mr. Jensen?" Yvonne frowned at Alvin's sycophantic behavior. These two brothers' personalities were worlds apart from Annie's. No wonder their father had entrusted Annie with Excel Pharma rather than his two sons. Anson took a sip of tea, barely registe
Yvonne tightly clenched her fists under the stone table before relaxing them. Her gaze was unwavering. "Mr. Jensen, I told you that this is a deal between us. Why bother getting Excel Pharma involved?"Chuck smiled. "I'm curious as to why a small business like Excel Pharma is a priority over Well Spring Pharma. Are you stalling, Ms. Miller, or …" He paused and lowered his voice. "Do you not want to work with Well Spring Pharma at all?"Yvonne gritted her teeth. It seemed like Chuck was determined to get an answer from her. "So this is how forceful you are when you do business, Mr. Jensen," Yvonne said. Instantly, tension rose in the air. The Long brothers became nervous as well. Were they on a battlefield? The standoff between these two titans in the pharmaceutical industry was too scary!Suddenly, someone called for help from a distance. "Somebody! Help! Call an ambulance!" The group turned around. They saw a man lying on the ground at the end of the corridor, while