Seeing Elio's troubled face, Sunny asked anxiously, "Chairman, what's the matter?"Elio managed a smile. "It's nothing. You don't have to do this anymore. I have hands; I can peel my own shrimp."Relieved, Sunny whispered, "However, it's my job to do this. Your hands are meant for big things, like leading our company to greater heights."Elio chuckled at the care he was receiving. "You don't need to treat me like a young master; you're not a maid.""No... I enjoy doing this. Taking care of you is part of being a good assistant," Sunny insisted, secretly wishing she could always be there to care for him."Okay, have it your way," Elio said with a resigned smile.Elio was having dinner at the company for the first time with a lovely assistant by his side. She was so kind and thoughtful that Elio felt happy and more human than ever!Once they finished eating, they went back to their offices. Elio sat back in his big chair, closed his eyes, and relaxed. Now that he had an assistant,
"Oh..." Yarely had an aha moment, "So you're the special guest our boss invited. You must be pretty important. You had us all fooled today, making us think you were just hanging around with nothing to do. Come on in."The three of them went inside, and Elio said modestly, "It's really no big deal. I just started my own company. Gotta pay the bills, you know.""You're quite the surprise, Elio!" Yarely chuckled. "And who's this lovely lady? Introduce me, please."Elio nodded towards Sunny. "Go ahead, introduce yourself."Sunny stepped forward with a bright smile. "Hello, Ms. Abbott, I'm Sunny, Mr. Rinz's assistant. I look forward to working with you."Yarely shot Elio a look of admiration. "Just as I thought, a strong leader like you would have great people around. Not only are you a chairman, but you also have such a stunning assistant. You're really living the dream, aren't you?"Elio rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit shy. "Oh, I'm just getting by. You're too kind, Yarel
Elio did not go home that night. Instead, he stayed at the company and trained until midnight before finally going to bed. Knowing that his assistant Sunny was in the room next door made his heart flutter a little.However, he did not let it go any further. He reminded himself he was married and needed to stay true to his love. He could not let himself think about anything else.The whole top floor of Evamor Tower was like his own little kingdom. It was huge and private, and Elio was the king of it all. Now, he even had Sunny, a pretty aide, to help with his day-to-day life. It was just the two of them in that big space.When it was just past five in the morning, Elio woke up. He splashed water on his face and headed to the gym, still in his shorts. There was no one else around, and he had not gotten his workout clothes ready, so he just started exercising in what he had on.The gym was big, with all kinds of equipment. Elio ran on the treadmill first, burning off his extra energy.
For the first time ever, a super fancy car rolled into their neighborhood, turning heads everywhere. Everyone crowded around, whispering and wondering which family had a rich relative showing off such a flashy ride.Soon, Lana strutted down the stairs like she owned the place, with Evelyn and a few others tagging along. They all headed to the shiny car.Lana could not hide her grin when she saw the crowd. She told Elio, "What are you waiting for? Open the car door for me, quick!"Elio hurried to unlock the car, and it beeped and blinked its lights. He opened the door for Lana, and just then, someone in the crowd, with a hint of jealousy, said, "Look at that. It's the Jones family's car. They must be loaded!""Well, yeah, the Joneses are big shots. Their oldest daughter's a big boss. It's just the son-in-law who's a bit of a dud, not much to his name.""That son-in-law sure stumbled into good luck. Riding the Joneses' coattails and now driving a Rolls-Royce. Talk about a stroke of
Brownsville was a city alive with energy. In the late afternoon, just after three, Cullinan pulled into the Sunshine Grand Hotel's parking lot. He found a spot, parked the car, and Elio and the others stepped out and headed into the hotel. They made their way to the biggest room on the third floor.The room was already buzzing with people, all relatives from the Faust family. Ruby had planned a special banquet for her side of the family on the eve of the wedding. Dressed to impress as the soon-to-be mother-in-law, she wore a dazzling purple-red dress, a string of pearls around her neck, and a shiny gold bracelet. She looked like a lady who lived a life of luxury.The Faust family's grandmother was there too, her hair a beautiful silver at the age of eighty. She had lost her partner five years ago. She had four children: her eldest son, Quentin Faust; her oldest daughter, Ruby; her second daughter, Lana; and her youngest son, Yash Faust. They were all there, surrounded by numerous gra
Ruby chimed in proudly for her daughter, "My future son-in-law's family is incredibly wealthy. They provided a dowry of $132,000, plus gold and silver jewelry worth a fortune. Yitty's going to live the good life marrying into that family."Howard and Lana felt super awkward. It was tough when they saw someone else's amazing son-in-law and then looked at their own, who had nothing. It was just sad!Lana held back her frustration and managed a fake smile, "That's really great. Your son-in-law is so impressive and successful."Hudson was full of himself and did not even pay her any mind. He reached out to Elio with a fake grin, "We're going to be family soon; let's shake on it."That guy was green with envy because Elio\ had snagged such an amazing woman. He was so annoyed that he wanted to embarrass Elio. He had been into martial arts since he was a kid and could crush a pair of pliers with his bare hands. He was itching to put that young man in his place.Elio saw right through him
Then it clicked for Elio. His mother-in-law Lana's preoccupation with wealth and disdain for the less fortunate stemmed from Madam Faust. This attitude pervaded the entire Faust family: if he were wealthy, he would be treated like royalty and universally liked; if not, he would be left to endure criticism at the whim of others.Hudson was grinning and looking at Elio like he was nothing. He said in a mean voice, "Did you hear that, you country boy? You won't listen to Grandma? Say sorry to me now."Yitty was being really bossy too. She said, "What are you waiting for? A guy who depends on his wife has no right to stand up to my man. Say you're sorry to my husband, or you'll be sorry!"Others started saying things like, "Come on, this is Brownsville, and Hudson is the boss here. If you make him mad, you're in big trouble.""You don't know how silly you look, acting all important when you're really not. You should be happy we're making you say sorry."That was what they called famil
Evelyn stopped, unable to move, and asked calmly, "Grandma, what else do you want to say?" Everyone knew Evelyn was strong-willed. If she left then, it would not look good. They had come a long way for the wedding, and it would not be nice if people talked. Quentin, the eldest Faust son, had to keep things under control. He smiled and said, "Mom, please calm down." Then he told Evelyn, "Don't be upset. Grandma means well. Let's forget about apologies. Everyone, please sit down. It's not often the Faust family gets together like this. No one is leaving."When her uncle spoke up, Evelyn's frown turned into a slight smile. "Okay, I'll do as you say."The tension at the table eased for a moment, and everyone found their seats.More than twenty people sat around the big table. Elio, sitting by his wife, felt a rush of warmth in his heart. When it really mattered, Evelyn had his back, even if it meant clashing with her own family. It looked like she really did care about him after all
"What?" Charlie's anger boiled over, his face turning bright red as he yelled, "This is too much! I want to see your chairman! He needs to apologize, or he'll regret it when I trash this place!"Laird gave a cold snort, grabbed the ready walkie-talkie, and called out, "Security, get in here, quick! We've got someone trying to wreck the place."In a flash, four security guards in black suits rushed into the room, grabbed Charlie, and marched him right out the door.The poor Jones family heir thought he could throw his weight around, but instead, he got a beating from the guards and ended up tossed outside, his suit torn and his face a mess of bruises.He tried to get up, wanting to shout insults, but the angry stares from the guards scared him silent. He scrambled into his Audi and sped away.Afterward, General Manager Howe filled in the chairman on what had happened. Elio could not help but feel a rush of glee. 'Charlie, you think you can take me on? Look where that got you!' Elio
That night, the news about the Aerin Group taking on the shanty town makeover project was all over the Cloudsea TV show. It shook up the whole business world in the city. Bosses from real estate and construction companies were all on the phone, trying to get the scoop.The Aerin Group was pretty new and not well-known in Cloudsea. Now, all of a sudden, it was the talk of the town. The big project that everyone wanted had somehow ended up with them, and it was really weird.The project to fix up the old town was massive, and lots of companies wanted to work on it. If they got even a piece of the job, they would be rolling in dough. So, they all rushed to make connections, hoping to meet with the big boss of Evamor Group to talk business.What surprised all the big shots was that nobody knew a thing about the boss of Evamor. It was like a big secret. Clearly, that person liked staying out of the spotlight, pulling strings from behind the curtain.Who would have guessed that this amaz
York nodded non-stop, apologizing. "Got it. Please forgive me. I'm really sorry."With the bill canceled, Elio felt they had done enough. "Let's call it even. Time to go."They walked out, heads high, leaving the staff and the hostesses in awe. York sat on the couch, face grim, and gulped down the fake Louis XIII. It was liquor from some other brand, cleverly resealed to look like the fancy stuff. It tasted pretty good, and hardly anyone could tell it was not the real deal. However, somehow, that kid figured it out. Who was he, anyway?York was fuming. Ever since his shop opened, he had sold bottle after bottle of this top-notch liquor to all sorts of important people, and no one had ever called him out. Now, some nobody had caught him."That little troublemaker, causing a scene in my shop," he grumbled. "Just you wait. I'll take care of you."As the boss was getting worked up and ready to get even, one of the girls spoke up, "That Mr. Rinz seems pretty impressive. I heard he even
York asked with a friendly smile, "I don't think I've met this young man before. Can someone introduce him?"Yvonne replied with a grin, "This is Mr. Rinz, a dear friend of ours. He's the one who wanted to meet you."York did not know Elio's story, and he looked like an average guy. However, he had ordered three bottles of the fancy Louis XIII cognac and seemed to be friends with some pretty important people, including a famous TV beauty. York could not help but be impressed."Really? I'm super honored and happy to meet you, Mr. Rinz. Hope you'll come to hang out with us more," York said with a big smile. He's the kind of guy who knew just what to say and was ready to shake hands, showing lots of respect. However, Elio did not reach out his hand at all, which made York's smile disappear, and he felt really annoyed inside.Elio just frowned and said, "I think once is enough for this place." Yvonne and the others exchanged puzzled looks. They had no clue why Elio was upset and wh
"You think you can hit me and get away with it? I could ruin your family in an instant. Now, get out of here, do you hear me?" Tanner yelled at her."You..." Fear flickered in May's eyes. She was too scared to argue, worried about what he might do to her.Jenny let out a sigh, went over to help her friend up, and whispered, "Let's just go. We can't stand up to him. We've just got to deal with this bad luck."May knew the truth. She and Jenny might come from money, but they were nothing compared to Tanner's powerful family. What could she do? If she pushed him too far, she was afraid he might make her disappear for good.May had no choice but to follow her best friend, looking all messy and upset. She did not think she would end up like that, feeling so angry. She was mad at Tanner for messing with her feelings and even madder at Elio, thinking he had a big part in her troubles.The room was super quiet; no one wanted to talk. Tanner was in a bad mood—he got tricked by someone not
As Evelyn's figure vanished from view, May frowned deeply and sneered, "She's so hopeless. She can't even handle her husband. Being a woman like that is just embarrassing.""Come on, don't be so hard on her," Jenny said. "Evelyn's got guts. She was ready to divorce Elio to stand up for what's right. Friends like her are rare.""Hmph, what good does that do? She still didn't get the stuff back. I really thought she could handle that jerk, but it was a waste," May said, not hiding her scorn."May, just a heads-up," Jenny lowered her voice, "the divorce might be good for Evelyn, but it puts you at risk. I've noticed Tanner looking her way a lot. Be careful."May felt a chill, sensing trouble, but she pushed back, "No way. Tanner told me he only loves me. You're just worrying too much."Jenny could tell what her best friend was thinking but kept it to herself. "Okay, let's just say I didn't mention anything. Let's head back."In the private room, Tanner was eager to hear the news. Wh
Jenny and May were shocked, staring at each other and not knowing what to do.The couple was at a breaking point. May felt a rush of panic. Did that mean she would never get back the fancy watch and the big Benz? She quickly pulled on Evelyn's arm, trying to tell her friend not to say things she could not take back. However, it was too late."That's for the best," Evelyn snapped. "From now on, we're nothing to each other.""Let's just hope we're both happy from here on out," Elio said, trying to sound indifferent. However, inside, it felt like a thousand needles were poking his heart.Evelyn did not look back. She turned and walked away fast, a cold air swirling around her.Jenny and May ran after her, calling out, "Evelyn, wait up!""Don't leave, wait for us!"Evelyn felt a heavy sadness. They had been married for three years, together every day. To say she felt nothing would be a lie. Even though she never really respected Elio, going their separate ways was still hard to take
The Seven Fairies Team was a tough bunch, and except for Helen, each one had fought their way to success in the cutthroat world of business. They were not about to let anyone push them around.With a loud "smack," Jenny's cheek stung from a fierce slap. She let out a sharp cry and glared at Yvonne. "Ouch! How dare you hit me?""You insult us, and you think a slap is too much?" Yvonne spat back, her teeth clenched in anger.May was not lucky, either. She, too, got slapped, leaving a bright red mark on her face. Lydia, who did it, shouted at her, "Who are you calling names, huh?"Jenny and May were no pushovers, but now, with their cheeks burning from the slaps and surrounded by a group of fierce-looking girls, they were boiling with rage inside. Yet, they did not dare to strike back, appearing utterly defeated and powerless.It was not the super-tough opponents they needed to worry about. It was the teammates who messed everything up!Evelyn had been sure she could get back those
The women finally got it—the beautiful woman was Elio's wife. Yarely and the others stood up for a better look.A bunch of girls with eyes as wide as saucers were watching everything unfold, each one silently agreeing that Evelyn was the picture of perfection. It was no surprise that Master Rinz could keep his cool, even with all those stunning girls around him.Evelyn scanned the room, and it hit her—they were all gorgeous girls, and Elio was the only boy. It was just like the old saying: he was the lone rooster in the henhouse.When Yvonne tried to be friendly, Evelyn was not having any of it. She huffed, "Forget it. I just need to talk to Elio about something private. I'll be out of your hair in no time."That made Evelyn seem super stuck-up and hard to talk to. Yarely and the others felt put off, so they just sat back down on the couch.They were all tough cookies, top dogs in their own right. If she was going to act all high and mighty, why would they want to hang out with he