Elio approached Evelyn and calmly said, "This car is your birthday gift, and the roses too, all nine hundred and ninety-nine of them... Since you don't like me, I won't get in your way. Happy birthday. I'm off."His words shocked the onlookers, with one girl saying in disbelief, "Can you believe it? She's got such a great husband and doesn't even appreciate him. What is she thinking?"Another young woman sighed, "It's sad when you don't recognize the good things you have. If he were my husband, I'd pamper him daily, treating him like royalty!"Evelyn watched Elio walk away, Sunny and four big bodyguards trailing behind him. Her face was a mix of feelings she could not sort out. She almost called out to him, but the words would not come. Only silence filled the air.She did not know how to make him stay. She had been too harsh before, telling him more than once to leave and even talking about getting a divorce tomorrow.Everyone's eyes followed Elio as he left. Two fancy cars rolle
The night was fading, and the city lights were twinkling.Evelyn was riding in a white BMW X5 with the windows rolled down and the cool breeze gently touching her beautiful face. Her eyes were sparkling with tears, and her heart was too full of feelings to settle down.Then, a song with a raspy voice came from a store's speakers, singing "One Way North." The song was so unique and touching that it made her feel sad.Tired and feeling guiltyMy heart is heading northTo the one who loved me soPlease hold back your tearsLeaving behind only pieces and breaksMy heart keeps going northTo the one who cried for loveHave I really lost you forever…Hearing that song, Evelyn's tears just would not stop. Maybe she really had lost the one who loved her so much.It seemed like fate had its own plans, bringing people together but not letting them stay.Inside a black Benz, it was all quiet except for the soft hum of the engine.Elio leaned back in the comfy back seat, feeling worn
Sunny was totally shocked and could not make sense of it. To her, the chairman was the best man in the world—not for his money, but for his kind heart, his skills, and his loyalty. She could not understand how his wife could fail to see his value."Well, you should get some rest." Not sure what else to say, Sunny left quietly, closing the bedroom door behind her. She took one last look at her boss, who looked so sad and sighed to herself, feeling really sorry for him.For Elio, the only way to forget his troubles was to practice. He trained until after midnight, and then, worn out, he went to his bedroom and fell into a deep sleep.His usual routine had him up at just after five in the morning. After freshening up, he put on the black training clothes that his assistant had given him—a T-shirt and shorts—paired with his sneakers and headed to the gym. There, he was surprised to see a familiar face.Sunny was there, running on the treadmill. She was wearing a training outfit just
Rainbow Media Film and TV Company was tucked away in a quiet spot. Elio arrived on his electric bike a little after nine. He hit the brakes and peered inside.The office building sat in the courtyard with an electric sliding gate at the entrance. A sign stood by the gate, announcing, "Visitors must register their vehicles."A security guard in his fifties, dressed in a blue uniform, stepped out of his booth and asked, "Hey there, young man, need help?"Elio stepped off his bike and walked it over, "I'm here for a job interview."The guard looked him over. Elio's plain clothes and old scooter did not match the flashy style of others there. The guard guessed, "Came to apply as a security guard, didn't you?"Elio grinned, "You got it. Sharp eye!"The guard beamed with pride, "I've got a good eye for people. This company treats us well. Being a guard's a decent job—just do it with care and responsibility."Elio respected that. A security guard might not rank high, but dignity is not
"Enough nonsense, you dare to argue?" Natalee snapped.Elio could not just watch. He frowned and said, "Big star, think about your image. Why lower yourself to argue with a security guard?"Natalee turned and saw Elio, surprised. "Is that you?" she said, looking at him with his scooter with scorn. "What a surprise, it's Evelyn's live-in son-in-law.""Yes, we meet again. I'm telling you, don't make trouble for others, or it won't go well for you," Elio replied calmly."Go away, you look so poor. Where's your fancy car? Your entourage? Last night was just a show, wasn't it? You probably rented that BMW for Evelyn just to look good. And now, you're totally exposed on that old scooter," Natalee taunted, feeling a rush of joy at her cleverness.Elio huffed, "You don't need to worry about me. If you want to get into Rainbow Media, you've got to sign in first.""Who are you to boss me around?" Natalee glared at Yaffe and demanded, "Tell me, what's this guy doing here?"Looking a bit sc
Yaffe knew that deputy general manager Hill was tough, but he never thought he would get fired over this. He tried to explain quickly, "Ms. Hill, I wasn't trying to be difficult. It's just that we have a rule that all visitors have to sign in.""Be quiet!" Yessica said with a frown. "Enough with the excuses. What does the rule matter? It's different for different people. And Natalee isn't just my niece; she's a big star. You can't just stop her. What if you mess up the contract signing? Can you pay for the loss?"Yaffe did not know what to say. His face turned red, and he rubbed his hands, feeling helpless.The security manager came up quickly to try and help Yaffe. "Ms. Hill, please don't be mad. Mr. Lynch just got mixed up. Please let it go.""No way," Yessica said firmly, not showing any mercy. She was fuming as she spoke, "Just a security guard, and he dares to mess with my niece? He's challenging me, showing no respect. He's got to go..."However, before she could finish her
Gabriel arrived, out of breath. Seeing Elio, he greeted him with great respect. "Chairman, we've all been eagerly awaiting your visit. Welcome!"Elio nodded and turned to the two women who had been so full of themselves. Their faces went pale, their earlier boldness gone.Who would have guessed that this ordinary-looking guy was actually the chairman, the secret big boss of several companies, the captain steering the Evamor Group, and a super-rich tycoon worth 150 million?Yessica felt sick with regret. She silently blamed her niece for being bad luck, making her, who was usually so clever, commit a huge blunder. She was no longer worried about her pride. She bowed quickly, saying over and over, "Chairman, I was so blind and offended you. I'm so sorry, it's all my fault, please forgive me..."Gabriel was shocked and speechless. What was happening? This woman had actually offended the chairman. She was really too daring.Elio chuckled calmly and scolded her, "You being a deputy g
On the plush leather sofa, Elio sat tall and proud. In front of him stood Natalee, a singer with a bit of fame in Cloudsea. Gone was her usual confidence, replaced by a sorry figure apologizing profusely. The scene was odd, especially since Natalee was so pretty and had such a stunning figure. Yet, her apologies made her seem even more appealing.Elio couldn't shake off the lingering sting of the false accusations from the previous night. However, with her offering an apology now, he recognized the importance of forgiveness when possible. Moreover, he couldn't deny feeling a twinge of awkwardness with her standing there, exuding such grace. Eventually, he relented, saying, "We're even now."Natalee stepped closer, her eyes brimming with tears. "Chairman, please, don't fire my aunt. I'll do anything you ask if you just let her stay," she begged.She was so upset about dragging her aunt into her mess. She would do anything to keep her aunt's job, even if it meant playing by some unsav
"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