Tobias hadn't lost his temper in a long time. Today, he was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on—he went ballistic."Tobias, put her down!"Tobias didn't put Maya down; instead, he tightened his grip and said coldly, "Mom, it seems like you have too much free time on your hands these days. There's a project that needs your attention at one of our branch offices. Please handle it immediately.""Branch offices?"Joey was perplexed. Since she and Zayne had gotten divorced, the Ripleys had never allowed her to touch any of the Ripley family's assets. She was confused yet surprised by Tobias' words. "Which branch office?"Tobias saw the excitement in Joey's eyes. He said with a sneer, "Faldoria."The expectant look on Joey's face was immediately replaced by disappointment and rage at being played for a fool.However, she swallowed it and didn't lose her temper with Tobias. She chuckled dryly and declined the offer. "Tobias, I haven't managed a company for many years. I don't t
"Walter, say what's on your mind." The only people Tobias treated warmly in that house were Howard, Lucy, and Walter.As he thought about Joey's arrogance, Tobias felt a headache coming. Yet, he felt also disappointed and heartbroken.Walter said, "Two nights ago, Mrs. Ripley…"Just then, Tobias' phone rang."It's Finn. I need to take this first."Walter nodded in assent. Finn was a competent assistant who had worked for Tobias for many years. He had probably called about work."Hello.""Mr. Ripley, something happened at customs when we tried to deliver the order to Faldoria. Now, the client wants to sue us for a breach of contract."Tobias furrowed his brows. "Talk to our lawyers for a problem as small as this."Finn said anxiously, "Mr. Ripley, it's the billion-dollar contract we signed with the Queen of Faldoria. To our surprise, when we delivered the goods, some of it was damaged during the transportation process through customs. "The queen is suing us for a breach of co
The doorbell rang in Lucy's villa.Sienna opened the door and saw Axel and Lion standing at the door. When Lion saw the door open, it happily wagged its tail. It forcefully tugged off the leash and ran inside.Axel said helplessly, "I'm sorry, Ms. Lewis. Lion is causing trouble again.""It's okay. Lion truly loves Lucy."Axel chuckled. His laugh was like the warm sun in the cold winter; he appeared cheerful and pleasant.Sienna was mesmerized by his laugh. She thought of Lucy's confident and radiant smile. If Lucy and Axel were to stand together, they would be the brightest stars in the world, the subject of everyone's envy. On the other hand, Tobias carried himself maturely and authoritatively; he was someone who left another longing for him. Lucy was a frail and meek woman under his care. While the dynamic would make anyone envious of them, as Lucy's friend, Sienna thought Lucy could be herself with Axel, so she supported him.Hence, she did everything she could to get them
Axel noticed the caution in her eyes. A grim look flashed through his eyes, but it disappeared quickly and was replaced by a warm smile. "I've come to visit you, Ms. Everhart. Ms. Lewis made soup for you, so I brought it up. I hope you don't mind me coming in?"Lucy did indeed mind it; after all, they would be alone in the room. It would be troublesome if word got out and others gossiped about it.However, Axel had come to visit her. She didn't want to seem unfriendly by being so particular about this.So, she composed herself and said, "Sure. You can sit there."Lucy gestured with her eyes and looked at the stool not far away from the bedside table.Axel's eyes followed the direction of her gaze. The stool was at least seven feet away from the bed. He figured that Lucy was probably worried about others gossiping, so she had asked him to sit further away.A glint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.He said, "I'll help you up and feed you soup, Ms. Everhart. You've hurt yo
Walter? Lucy was shocked and hurriedly said, "Quick, let him in.""Okay, Ms. Everhart."Griselda went out and asked Walter to come up.Axel felt inappropriate for him to stay there. So, he got up and said, "Ms. Everhart, I'll help you lie down properly. If you need anything, ask for me. You don't need to feel bad, okay?Lucy answered lightly, "Okay."Axel helped Lucy lie down and took the tray of food. As he was about to leave, his leg suddenly slipped.The soup on the tray slipped. Some spilled on the floor, while the rest splashed on Lucy's body."Ah!" Lucy instinctively shrieked."Ms. Everhart!" Axel screamed in terror, unsure what to do. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Your clothes are wet."Axel hated how clumsy he had been. His face blushed from embarrassment. Upon seeing the tissue box on the bedside table, he instinctively took some and was about to wipe Lucy's dirty clothes."It's my fault, Ms. Everhart. Let me wipe the stains clean." Axel sincerely apologized.Lucy
Griselda wheeled Lucy's wheelchair as everyone went to the living room. Then, Sienna explained what happened.After hearing her explanation, Lucy lowered her gaze. Her eyes turned grim."Mrs. Ripley, listen to me. Don't get this wrong. Mr. Ripley has never gone behind your back or cheated on you.""But…" Lucy said, "I called him twice, and a woman answered both times. P-Plus, they were speaking to each other suggestively." As the conversation reached this point, Lucy bit her lip, suppressing the pain in her chest."Yes, Lucy heard it herself. How could she be wrong? The incident happened many days ago, and Mr. Ripley still hasn't apologized. Let's not talk about the apology. "Now, he's asking Lucy to travel so far when she's severely injured. Is this how he shows his love for Lucy? This is going to hurt her more!"Sienna became angrier as she spoke. She felt a sharp pain; she had agitated the baby. She covered her stomach, wincing in pain."Sienna!" Lucy anxiously looked at h
By the time Tobias reached Faldoria, it was the next night. He hadn't slept well on the plane, so when he disembarked, he looked tired and had dark circles under his eyes."Mr Ripley." Finn made his way over to Tobias. "I've booked a hotel for you. After you've gotten some rest, we'll talk to Her Majesty."At first, Tobias had wanted to get it over with as soon as he could. However, he hadn't been able to get used to the weather after he had landed in Faldoria. The cold gust of wind made him feel dizzy."Okay." As they talked, they walked over to the luxurious car."How is Her Majesty feeling?""Our team has spoken to her. She's furious and demands we pay for her losses!"When he heard the news, Tobias massaged his throbbing temple."Let's not rest anymore. Let's head to the palace to see her. I'll speak to her about this personally.""But it's so late now! Her Majesty must be resting."Tobias looked at his watch and said, "It's still early. I'll call Queen Anabella. Get the d
Anabella waved her hand and beckoned the masseuse to leave. When the masseuse passed Tobias by, he sneered in disdain.Tobias threw a glare at him. His glare was sharp enough to make someone evaporate into thin air.The masseuse, who'd had an arrogant and disdainful look, was so terrified by Tobias' glare that his feet turned cold. His legs shuddered as he left.After the masseuse left, he grabbed the maid standing by the door and asked, "Who is that man? What did he do to win Queen Anabella's favor?"The maid said, "I heard that he's the richest man in Clusia.""No wonder…"The masseuse was riddled with envy. He peered through the gap between the doors and noticed Tobias standing in Anabella's chambers. A devious look swirled in his eyes."Mr. Ripley, what are you doing there? Come here."Anabella sounded seductive, and her upper body was bare. The semi-transparent veil made the room's atmosphere even more suggestive.Tobias didn't close the door. He stood by the door and sai