William stared at the computer screen, with his hands clenched to stop them from trembling. Ever since the first message he received from the hacking incident, he has been getting messages similar to that every week. And each time, the message gets even more detailed than the last. He let out a frustrated groan, unable to take his eyes off the picture on the screen. That picture sent him right back to that day.The supposed family dinner that triggered the beginning of his misery.It was a picture of Victoria's dying moment. The blood stains and the poison. All are vividly captured and turned into a painting on the canvas.At this point, it was no longer a guess about whether or not someone else knew about the incident. It is a confirmed fact that someone out there knows something.How much did they know was still up for debate? 'Was it necessary?' That was the note attached to the picture. And the question he had been asking himself as of late.Was it necessary? Was it worth it?
"Have you thought about it?" Bryan asked calmly, his eyes settling on Lily without any emotion.Lily let out a sigh, picked up the glass of wine, and took a sip. "I have thought about it. I mean, there is nothing much to think about anyway; hacking the vault is easy peasy. But I'm curious. Why do you want to break the Roux family vault?" She asked curiously."If I remember correctly, it is the most guarded part of the family. There's no way you'll be breaking in without causing a ruckus, which will lead to casualties. You've always been a careful one, so I'm curious as to why you'd risk your safety to break in there," she explained, and Bryan let out a groan."There's something in the vault that I need to get, and it's related to your mother. It was after she was sent away from the family that the vault became extra guarded, so I'm guessing there is something that belongs to her in there," he explained."Why would they keep her things in the vault after sending her out?" Lily asked w
Mark felt the weight of Frederick's gaze as he sat down beside him. The air around them grew heavy with tension, the clinking of silverware and glasses echoing through the silent dining room as the servants arranged the table for the family dinner. Frederick leaned closer, a triumphant smirk playing on his lips."I heard you got a partnership with a new company," Frederick taunted, his voice laced with contempt. "Aren't you insulting the Alpha Tech image too much? Of all the companies you could have chosen from, a new company.Michael, Mark's father, frowned, his eyes flicking between his son and Frederick. "It's a deal that would bring profit to the company. How is that insulting the image of the company?" He countered, making Frederick scoff as he turned away from Mark."Uncle might not be aware, but the company he's partnering with isn't exactly a startup. It's a company with a negative reputation among consumers. It's obvious they're just using him to sway public opinion." He poin
"They are getting impatient," Chairman Watson breathed out as the father-son duo walked out of the dining area."They'll start targeting you for real this time; do you have a way to deal with them?" He asked as he poured himself a freshly brewed tea. Mark smiled at his grandfather with a raised brow. "If people see you worrying about me, they'll think you are picking sides," he joked, and the old man glared at him playfully."What's there not to pick sides about? If I leave my hard work to those two, I'm afraid I won't be able to rest well in my grave." He replied with a scolding tone."They have been unable to do anything right! Instead, they are always scheming against others!" He continued, his brows creasing deeper the longer he spoke. "So do you have a way to deal with them?" He repeated and Mark nodded with a sigh."I do. However, it may affect the image of the group, so I'm still considering whether or not to use the means or the other one I planned," Mark replied calmly. "W
Alana heaved a breath of relief as she dropped the boxes of materials she had been carrying in the corner of the office. She flopped onto the soft couch and let out a groan."Tired?" Lily, who was standing by the mirror, checking out the dress she had on, asked with a raised brow. "Very," Alana replied. "I was able to get most of the items at our store, but the one for the mermaid costume was sold out, so I had to go somewhere else to get it," she explained, and Lily hummed."I thought Gary went with you?" "He got a call from one of his younger siblings halfway through. Something about the kid getting into a fight at school." Alana provided. She sat up and finally gave Lily a look.Raising her brow in question, she proved, "Going to an event?" "Yeah, a birthday party," Lily replied as she twirled to see the places that needed adjustments. "Oh, that sounds fun," Alana said, a small smile playing on her lips. "You look stunning, by the way. The dress suits you perfectly."Lily beam
Alana heaved a breath of relief as she dropped the boxes of materials she had been carrying in the corner of the office. She flopped onto the soft couch and let out a groan."Tired?" Lily, who was standing by the mirror, checking out the dress she had on, asked with a raised brow. "Very," Alana replied. "I was able to get most of the items at our store, but the one for the mermaid costume was sold out, so I had to go somewhere else to get it," she explained, and Lily hummed."I thought Gary went with you?" "He got a call from one of his younger siblings halfway through. Something about the kid getting into a fight at school." Alana provided. She sat up and finally gave Lily a look.Raising her brow in question, she proved, "Going to an event?" "Yeah, a birthday party," Lily replied as she twirled to see the places that needed adjustments. "Oh, that sounds fun," Alana said, a small smile playing on her lips. "You look stunning, by the way. The dress suits you perfectly."Lily beam
As the banquet continued, Lily was left to mingle with others all by herself while Mark and Chairman Watson entertained the guests.Occasionally, Mark would stop by to make sure she was alright while using the opportunity to dispel any rumours about him not liking his date.Even while he was across the room, his eyes somehow always found their way to her, making all the gossipy young ladies around swoon with excitement.Lily, on the other hand, made sure to enjoy the banquet while making connections with the wealthy housewives in attendance. She promoted her fashion business shamelessly and even got business proposals from two of the attendees.The woman standing by the corner seethed, her anger barely contained, as she watched Lily charm everyone she spoke to. Unable to tolerate it any longer, she finally decided to approach Lily.Mustering a fake smile, she gracefully made her way through the crowd, her eyes never leaving Lily. Upon reaching her, Rose feigned surprise and delight.
"Ugh, I'm so tired!" Lily groaned as she flopped on the couch in Bryan's office the next day. She covered her face with her palm, trying to spit out the sun that was causing her headache."Well, that much is expected since you spent the whole night in an upper-class banquet; how was it?" Bryan replied without taking his eyes off the files he had been working on before she walked in."It was okay, not as lit as the one I used to host back then, but fair enough." She replied with a shrug. "I made some amazing connections and I met some annoying people, but overall the purpose of going as Mark's date was met, with a little more profit, might I add," she added with a small chuckle as Rose's annoyed face flashed through her mind."I take it you met a new opponent?" Bryan asked knowingly, and Lily chuckled."Do you take me for a troublesome person?" She asked with a raised brow, and Bryan scoffed."You and your mom have too much similarity for me not to know what that dreamy look on your fa
Lily's eyes sparkled as she boarded the private jet, Mark waiting with a warm smile. "Surprise time," he whispered, taking her hand. "You look beautiful as always." He complimented while kissing her gently on the cheek. "You don't look bad yourself," Lily replied with a blush as they stepped onto the jet. "Where are we headed?"Mark chuckled. "Patience, my love. You'll see. I'm sure you will like it." He assured her. "I personally made the arrangements." As they settled into their seats, Lily buckled up and turned to Mark, her smile widening as she realised his eyes were on her, gentle and full of love. "I'm so excited for this weekend! I needed this break." She breathed out. "Of course I was also looking forward to spending some time with you," she added with a wink, making Mark laugh. "Oh, of course. I'm feeling as if I got used by my girlfriend, who wants to get away from her work," he joked with his hand on his chest, feigning hurt. Lily laughed at his childishness. "I hope
"You are always all over the news recently," Mrs Turner breathed out in frustration. "It's either someone is suing you or you are releasing a new product; aren't you overworking yourself too much?""Look at you, you are all skin and bones! When was the last time you ate good food three times a day?" She complains while checking out Lily, going from one side to the other. "Mum, why are you here?" Lily asked in surprise as she allowed her mother to fuse about her wellbeing. She closed the door behind them and led the way to the living room.Mrs Turner's eyes widened as she took in the chaotic state of the living room. Papers, coffee cups, and takeaway boxes littered every surface, with Lily's laptop open on the couch, screen covered in codes."Good Lord, Lily! What's going on here?" Mrs Turner exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "You're not just overworking yourself; you're living in chaos! Do you even know what day it is? When was the last time you went out?"Lily chuckled sheepishly. "
"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 pictu
"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 w
"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