All team four members sat in the girl's room, fully packed and ready to go, as they huddled together watching the press conference organised for Evie and her team to apologise and clarify the scandal on the internet."I can't believe Merissa would throw them under the bus like that; she should have also been left accountable for her crimes," Celina voiced in dissatisfaction as she heard Evie's apology to Merissa."I'm surprised Evie agreed to be her scapegoat in the first place; no matter how far the scandal has affected her, she's not supposed to just succumb that way. The Thompson family is much more famous than the Smiths, so it should be the other way around," Light joined in."Merissa is cunning," Lily voiced calmly, "I'm sure she has something on Evie or someone on their team, and she blackmailed them with it. Having her reputation sullied before she goes to the nationals is more like a death trap for her," she explained as she put away her phone, having had enough of the insinc
"With what you've explained, we will have to make a proposal to the real estate company to revise their designs," Mr. Wallace said. "It's not compatible with the software we have developed," he added."I don't think so," Director Alvin countered. "This project is just a support project for the villa project; why would they need to change the main project just to accommodate the support project?" He asked with a deep crease in his brows and an accusing glare directed at Mr. Wallace.Being one of Frederick's men, there was no way he could readily agree to have them change the villa design just to accommodate Mark's tech project. If that happened, Mark and his team would take credit for the whole project, and the people—both the higher-ups and their consumers—wouldn't acknowledge the design of the villa; instead, they'd all be focused on the security project."Is there a reason why you are so against it, Director Alvin?" Mr. Wallace asked knowingly, and Director Alvin gritted his teeth.
{Now that you are done with that impromptu fashion show, it's time you get back to the main task at hand, no more breaks until it's completed,} the system voiced as Lily flopped on her dorm bed, exhausted from the long flight back home just after touring the whole city."Aren't you going to let me rest, at least?" She grumbled on the pillow. {You'll have enough time to rest in the future, but for now, you can't. The clothing businesses you started need a lot of boosting, and then there is the Hamilton family that is silently making their move to expand.}Hearing the name of her ex-family mentioned, all forms of tiredness drained from her eyes as she hurriedly sat up.Although she had been away on the fashion trip to Paris and had been busy trying to keep up with the show, she had also been planning her life and how she'd make her comeback and sweep her ex-family off the market in a grand way, leaving them no room to stand again.It was inevitable that she would need strong allies as
Once everything online has been settled, Lily goes to sleep only to be woken up by the constant buzzing of her phone.She groaned heavily with her eyes still closed as she picked it up."It's better be something important for waking me up," she threatened subtly, and Alana chuckled."Of course it is important! The online store is buzzing with orders, and now we have a lot of work to do," Alana reported excitedly. "In just a few hours since you made the post, we already have ten orders for dresses and summer wear," she reported as Lily got up with a yawn."That's bad. I wasn't expecting such a huge turn-up for the first day. I guess we will have to employ some other people soon. I'll be there in a few hours. Did you get everything I asked you to get?""I got all the materials ready; we just need to go into production," Alana replied, and Lily nodded, forgetting the other person could not see her."Get as much rest as you can before I get there; it's going to be a busy week."Upon arri
Sinful: What do you think about my last proposal? Do you think we can work on it?Lily's hands hovered over her keyboard as she typed the words out. Deliberating between sending the message or not, she paused for several minutes before hitting the delete button, afraid that it would come out as pushy.Just as she was about to close the site and get back to sewing, Alpha's profile turned green, showing he was online. And immediately after, it showed he was typing.Alpha: It's good that you are online today. If I may ask, how are you?Without hesitation, Lily typed out her reply.Sinful: I'm alright, just a little bored these days. There's nothing much to work on. The jobs posted on the site are a little too easy, and they don't fetch as much money. I don't want to have to dig around for other people's dirty laundry. What about you? Is everything alright on your side?Mark paused as he read her reply; his eyes flickered at the opened chat on his phone. He had been on the phone with his
William walked into the large, exquisite suite, one that had previously been used by the late Victoria and George team when they had an important meeting to hold.The room service attendants dropped off his bags and bowed as they left him to his device. With an expressionless face, he walked to the centre of the room, where a glass bottle was placed in an ice bucket alongside two glass cups.He poured himself a glass of wine as he removed his tie before standing behind the window, looking out into the city.It's been a month of constant hope and failure. One month of tracking through Victoria records to find a way to unlock the software she had left behind proved to be futile as he was unable to find any clue.Even the gadget she used while she was alive had been erased, cleaned, and left behind like a brand new one.This was the last place for him to check before he began using an underhanded method to deal with her teammates. It was a method he never wished to use again, not after V
As Light walked out of the room, Lily's eyes found Gary's cold ones. Seeing the accusations in his eyes, she lifted her hands in surrender."I was not aware he was coming. I swear I was not in the know," she hurriedly explained, and Gary let out a frustrated sigh."I know. He has our family traits in him; he's determined and stubborn, he would not have stopped until he met me, it's something I had done when I found out about him also." Gary scoffed as he relaxed into the chair."It runs in the family, and seeing the bruise on his lips, I can tell he fought with his father before he came to see me," he added."I thought you were the one that hit him," Alana chimed, earning a glare from Gary."And why would I hit him? On the face, no less? You think I want to ruin his pretty boy appearance?" He asked, and Alana shrugged.Lily sighed as she examined Gary. Although he was putting on a strong front, she could tell he was affected by the sudden meeting between him and his twin brother. She
Anon 1: 'Oh...My...God! I'm screaming in excitement right now!' I got my orders from Lily's Fashion today, and let me tell you: I'll be going back!Dolls: I was about to post a review also! Their dresses are so well made! I only placed the order to test things out; who would have thought I'd become a loyal fan after one trial? I have already placed a new order!Anon 67: No way! I missed the first batch. Are their products any good? How long did it take? Come on, post pictures and videos of the things you ordered!Anon12: @Anon67 (picture attached) I got this idea from a childhood movie I saw, and I've been trying to recreate it forever! I didn't have much hope for it, but look at it! I look so much like the evil princess!Willows: My daughter has been crying after our neighbours got their orders today. Where will I get the dresses please? And does this company only sell dresses?Alana grinned in excitement and happiness as she read the reviews online about their first batch of product
"We are getting sued for plagiarism?" Mr. Wallace asked in bewilderment as he read the contents of the letter the lawyer had brought to him. "Why would we get sued for plagiarism? We didn't steal anything from your company.""Mr. Wallace, what you are getting sued for is right in there," the lawyer replied with a stoic expression. "Your latest software, 'Dream,' is a copy of our latest product, and it was released just a few days after our. The action is suspicious, and your company will need to prove you created your version." Sighing, Mr. Wallace frowned deeply, trying to make sense of the situation. There was no way they could have plagiarised their product when they were supposed to release the software a few weeks before their company released theirs.It was due to the delay from the team and Lily's absence that the release date was delayed. Besides, StarLite's product is way better than theirs; who should be the one suing for plagiarism?Massaging his temple, Mr. Wallace met t
"We meet again," Lily chuckled as Roseline walked into her office. "I was surprised when my assistant said you are here to see me."Roseline smiled wryly, her eyes locked onto Lily's. "I'm sure you were. Even I was surprised that I'm seeking you out first. Be happy you are the first to make me bend like this." She snarled and sat down opposite Lily without being invited too.Lily's expression remained amused, but a hint of curiosity crept into her voice. "What brings you here, Roseline? I thought we settled our... differences last time."Roseline's smile faltered, and for a moment, Lily glimpsed a flicker of rage. "I would not call that settling differences," she replied. "However, I'm here to offer you a proposal."Raising a brow, Lily relaxed into her chair, eyes full of curiosity. "Proposal?" She echoed, and Roseline hummed while fishing out a small white envelope with the Anderson logo on it. "That's a fifty million dollar check and some sure investment links. I'm offering it
Lily pursed her lips as she narrowed her eyes towards the document placed in front of her. She sighed, looking from the papers towards a solemn-looking Bryan on the other side of the table. "Say something," Bryan urged, feeling uncomfortable by her silence. "I'm not sure what exactly I'm supposed to say," Lily replied. "I've gone through all sorts of possibilities. Every possible scenario I could ever think of has played continuously in my mind while awaiting the result of the investigation. And now you are providing me with this?" She breathed out."I swear it would be more believable if you said one of Henry's people betrayed him. Hell, it would have been more believable if you said it was his wife that decided to make his life miserable by threatening him with that information." She continued, her brows furrowing deeper as she continued to glare at the papers laid in front of her. "Honestly, I would have believed anything but the fact that all those threat notes and pictures wer
"I heard there is a new board member joining the company." Henry asked with a frown as he scanned through the company document Williams had brought. "Yes," Williams replied, preparing himself for the earful that he knew was coming. "How did it happen? Did I not tell you no more selling of shares? And definitely not to outsiders?!" Henry asked as his frown deepened in dissatisfaction. Williams pursed his lips, making no attempt to give excuses for his incompetence. How was he supposed to explain to his already angered father that he wasn't aware of the shares circulating underground until it was sold out?That would only expose him to more of his father's rage, and seeing the sore mood the man was already in, there is no way he would risk it.Henry's face reddened with anger, his voice rising. "Who is this person? What's their stake in our company?"Williams hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "The new board member's name is Lily Turner. She's a wealthy investor with… consider
"What brings you here?" Frederick asked as Mark casually walked into his office. "What do you think?" Mark replied with a smirk. "I don't believe we are close enough for me to just stop by for a greeting, are we?" He added and took a seat opposite Frederick. Frederick glared at Mark, hating how the latter was talking to him so casually. Swallowing his anger, he relaxed into his seat and raised a brow. "I don't remember having an appointment with you. So it will save us both some time if you go straight to the point; we are both busy men after all." Mark hummed and brought out a flash drive from his inner pocket. "We did have an appointment, but I guess your subordinates are incompetent; they couldn't even inform you about such things. Anyways, I'm here to talk about the collaboration for the government project." He announced."As much as I would like to handle both the construction and security system installation, I do not have the time to do it now that I have another branch to
"Marry me, and we can use your family's influence to pressure him out," he offered. "In the end, you'll get what you want while I also get mine." Roseline paused, her eyes narrowing the longer she heard Frederick talk. By the end of his speech, she burst out laughing uncontrollably, making Frederick's eye twitch in annoyance. "What's so funny?" He gritted out as she forced herself to sober up from her hysterical laughter."Oh, it's not funny," she replied coldly. "I'm just laughing at the absurdity of the proposal you just made. "I may not want to get married to those old fools, but I'm not desperate enough to settle for you, Frederick." She announced.Frederick balled his hands against the table, his eyes twitching uncontrollably while his lips curled into a sneer at the insult thrown his way. "You are saying I'm comparable to those men with one leg in the grave; how remarkable, Miss Anderson," he snarled, and Roseline shrugged."You are free to interpret my words anyhow you want,
"What's wrong with you?" Frederick asked with a frown as Roseline stormed into his office with a flushed face, slamming the door behind her without a care.Roseline, not saying a thing in reply to his question, dropped her bag and walked towards his wine shelf to serve herself a drink. "I'm glad you are comfortable enough to waltz around here like you own the place," Frederick hissed, his tone full of sarcasm and annoyance."They spent last night together," Roseline gritted out after downing the whole glass of wine. Reaching to serve herself another glass, she decided against it and took the whole bottle with her as she sat on the couch opposite Frederick's working area."You are talking about Mark and Lily, right?" Frederick asked with raised brows as he relaxed into his chair, and Roseline nodded in reply before taking a big gulp of wine. She scowled as the pictures she had received resurfaced in her mind. "Mark hasn't slept outside his home, not even at his parent's since he move
"Hey," Lily waved shyly as Mark's car came to a stop in front of her studio. Mark smiled and got down from the car, dressed in a casual black dress shirt and pants.He reached into the back seat of his car and brought out a bouquet and a box of sweets. Mark approached Lily with a bright smile, his eyes warm and inviting as he took in the sight of her."Hey there," he greeted her, his voice smooth and comforting. "You look lovely tonight."Lily blushed, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink as she accepted the bouquet and the box of sweets. "Thank you," she replied, her voice tinged with a hint of nervousness as she took a sniff of the flower. "These are beautiful." She compliments."Not as beautiful as you," Mark replied, his tone sincere. "I thought we could start the evening with a little sweetness."Lily smiled, her eyes bright with excitement as she opened the box of sweets, the tantalising aroma wafting between them. "This is perfect," she murmured, selecting a delicate choco
Lily let out a groan as she read the reminder from Dark Star about his last work. Somehow, she had pushed the work out of her mind almost immediately after she had gotten it.However, having been reminded of it, she read through their chat again to refresh her memories of the job description."Investigate a hacker… ok?" She muttered to herself as she continued to read. "I still don't understand why I'm the one who wants to do such a simple job but anything for the money... and the opportunity to screw them over, I guess?"Without wasting time, she logs into the Hamilton's company security system, navigating through the angles and corners, trying to find the traces of the hacker and what they had done or undone."It's pretty easy to break in though," she commented with a frown. "How long ago have they updated the security system around their database?"Lily's fingers danced across the keyboard as she delved deeper into Hamilton's security system. The ease with which she navigated the n