The Sanders family, too, found themselves caught in the storm. Scandalous headlines about the elder Sanders sister's betrayal of her younger sibling hit the newsstands. Reporters, not content with just circling The Gibson Group, had laid siege to The Sanders Group's building as well, a testament to the scandal's grip on the public's attention.Cilix was slow to react and ended up stuck at his own front door, unable to leave for work.Inside, Skylar was pacing the room, wringing her hands. "I can't reach Lydia at all. What on earth could be happening?"Lydia lived a solitary life in Trevon's Galloway Villa, a secret known to only a handful. Her phone had been ringing off the hook, and she was too scared to even power it up.Skylar was in the dark about Lydia's plight, fretting over what to do.Cilix's face was a mask of ice as he ordered in a low growl, "Sit down."Skylar's pacing was driving him mad. Feeling a mix of fear and frustration, Skylar reluctantly took a seat beside Cil
Skylar blurted out with fury, "I just knew she was trouble. She's always been jealous of Lydia. Cilix, you've got to get a handle on your daughter."Cilix ignored her outburst and turned to Lydia. "What's the word from Mr. Gibson?"Lydia replied, "The Gibson Group's taken a big hit. Trevon told me to stay put for now, didn't really go into details."Cilix's brow creased with worry, but Lydia seemed oddly pleased as she went on, "Madeline never thought her scheming would drag the Gibson Group into this mess. Just you wait, Trevon won't let her get away with it!"Listening to Lydia's almost giddy laugh, Cilix felt a heavy weight in his chest. One lost in a life of vice, the other too carefree to bother with strategy—how could he possibly leave the Sanders Group in their hands? It was a disaster.Pushing aside his inner turmoil, Cilix asked, "And what about you? What's your plan?"Lydia looked confused. Plan? What plan? Cilix did not really expect her to grasp the situation and said
"About all that buzz with me and Mr. Gibson online, I've got a piece of my mind to share. Trevon and I went way back, bumped into each other again freshman year of high school. We're pretty much childhood sweethearts, and made it official in college. We were the real deal, and our college buddies can back that up. Madeline (yep, the current Mrs. Gibson), she's my sis. However, let's just say we weren't exactly sharing clothes, so Trevon never got the intro. Then Trevon's accident happened, leaving him out cold. Out of love, I was ready to walk down the aisle with him, stand by his side. However, Madeline played her cards, sneaked her way into the Gibson family. When the deal was done and my heart was in pieces, I packed up for a fresh start overseas. Three years overseas, and Trevon still haunts my thoughts. Once back home, I reached out to him, needing to know he was okay. Our bond was undeniable, yet we kept things strictly platonic, nothing more than friends and colleagues. Madeline
Tiptoeing to the security monitor by the door, Madeline switched it on to find a sea of journalists crammed into her doorway.One of them caught sight of the camera and bellowed, "Mrs. Gibson? Miss Sanders? We need you to come out and talk!"The shout made Madeline jump, and she stumbled back a step. Her footsteps were soft but unmistakably echoed to the outside. Immediately, the pounding on the door grew fiercer."Mrs. Gibson's hiding inside, too scared to face us. Guilty conscience, maybe? Is Ms. Sanders telling the truth?"Yeneth, on the other end of the phone, picked up on the tension. "Madeline, what in the world is happening?" Madeline rubbed her chilled arms, trying to sound composed. "Nothing much, just a mob of reporters at my doorstep.""What! Madeline, don't you dare step outside. Those vultures will twist any story to make headlines.""Yeah, I'm aware. I'll call the building's management to handle it."Yeneth paused, then offered, "Should I come over and stay with
Trevon's eyes narrowed just a fraction, a silent challenge to the room. Most of the attendees today were small-time shareholders, and even with Qasim's stake, they barely scraped together a fifth of the Gibson Group's shares. Enough to call for a vote, but not enough to kick him out of the game. Their real play was to pin charges on him before the big meeting, to take him down a notch.Trevon smirked as he eyed Daniel trailing the group. "Get the hotel surveillance out there. And file a police report, claiming someone's trying to smear Mr. Gibson. Let's see who's eager to sling mud."Qasim's expression flickered before smoothing over. The online video was paparazzi gold, no way it could be flawed. He could not fathom the hotel footage showing anything else. But, to his astonishment, it did.The surveillance showed Lydia helping Trevon to his room, then leaving promptly. The following morning, she woke him, and they headed downstairs together.Qasim's face turned thunderous. Trevon
Edith, leaning on Ryan, stepped out of the prayer hall. They glanced back. The hall was shrouded in darkness, Trevon's silhouette barely visible, head bowed.They both sighed."Madam Gibson, are you being too harsh? The young master seemed to handle today's issue well enough, without much fallout for the Gibson Group," Ryan remarked.Edith shook her head. "Small issues can lead to big mistakes.""He knows that, yet he forgot."Ryan let out a soft sigh. "The young master has had his own tough times.""Who hasn't? However, you know what happens when you drop your guard. Remember the car crash three years ago? It was a close call..."Edith's voice trembled as she recounted the past. "To this day, we still don't know who was behind it all. We're just a family of women, and there are plenty of wolves out there, just waiting to tear us apart. Trevon's been careful, not slipping up once in three years, and that's the only reason he's managed to hold on to the CEO seat. However, it's li
Madeline lowered her gaze. "Go ahead, Mr. Gibson."Trevon watched Madeline's calm demeanor and felt a wave of annoyance wash over him. He yanked at his tie, his voice low and firm, "The divorce is off for tomorrow."Madeline remained still, her posture unchanged. She had sensed that after today's drama, the divorce would not be easy. Yet, when Trevon voiced his decision, it weighed heavily on her.She paused before speaking softly, "If you're not divorcing, what happens to Lydia?"He had figured it out in the hall and replied icily, "That's between her and me. Stay out of it."Madeline nearly burst out laughing from frustration. "So, Mr. Gibson, you expect to keep our marriage while rekindling things with Lydia? I'm sorry, but that's not happening.""Do you really see me that way?" Trevon asked."Aren't you that way, Mr. Gibson?" Her tone was gentle but laced with sarcasm."I..." Trevon's irritation showed as he loosened his collar, trying to contain the growing anger inside hi
Trevon was about to retort, "You're in no position to make demands," but something about the way she looked stopped him dead. He reluctantly backed down, "What is it?""I'll go along with this charade, but I'm not playing housewife—I'm getting a job," Madeline declared.A frown creased Trevon's forehead. "What job could you possibly do with your skills? Greet people at a desk, or wait tables? Don't make me laugh, you'll just make me look bad."Madeline bit back her frustration.What then? She was itching to give him a piece of her mind. She remained composed, "I have a degree from the Arts Academy. Do I look like someone who's just going to pour coffee?"It was then Trevon remembered her background. She was not just any graduate—she had talent, a piece of art that had made waves.He raised an eyebrow, "Fine, go work at Xystos Tech, in the art department.""No way!"Madeline rejected the idea outright.She was already incognito, working for Skylandia, she was not about to bec