A small whirlwind swept past Lesley as Theodore went ahead and dashed forward. A vein bulged on Harvey's temple upon seeing Theodore suddenly pull six and a half feet before them. Just as he wanted to yell at her, Lesley yelled, "Elara!"She raised her arm high and waved at Elara.Elara looked up at her, her bright eyes curving as she smiled. When Theodore noticed that Elara only had eyes for Lesley, his steps faltered.At that moment, Lesley overtook him, jogging toward Elara. She yelled, "Make way! Everyone make way!"Harvey suddenly appeared with a wheelchair. On it sat Beau. He used the wheelchair to block Theodore's path and even tried to ram into Lesley with it.Theodore stood in the aisle, blocking Harvey's way."This aisle is too small. How could you possibly push a wheelchair through? Take your son and sit at the side."Harvey's face darkened. "Sit at the side? My son won't be able to see the stage! I want to sit with him in the center!"With that, Harvey picked
Harvey knitted his brows together tightly. "Beau is your son. How can you be so cold-blooded that you won't even hold him?"Elara retorted, "Do you still remember how you responded when I told you that Beau didn't want to be close to me?"Harvey froze in place. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes.A cold, faint chuckle escaped Elara's throat. It seemed he had long forgotten. The ever-busy president of Fisher Corp had never truly regarded his own family as something that mattered."You said that a son shouldn't rely on his mother, especially since Beau is the heir of Fisher Corp. Instead, I should restrain my emotions and make myself his teacher, not his mother! "I once told you that Ethel always spoke ill of me in front of our son. You said it was the truth, so it wasn't bad-mouthing. You said your mother wasn't wrong, that I was just a country girl with knowledge. "You also said I was extremely lucky to have married into the Fisher family. Otherwise, even if your family
Beau was teary-eyed as he shrank back, showing a timid expression."The final performance of this year's gala is a tap dance piece, Spring Awakens, performed by a student from the preschool division's Class 1B—Merida Jones."Elara heard the announcer introduce Merida's performance. She and Xavier immediately sat up straight. The crimson curtain was drawn open, revealing Finnegan as the first to step into the audience's view. He was too eye-catching. Tall and broad-shouldered, he wore black trousers and a black vest, which was left unbuttoned, exposing his tanned chest. The stage lights spilled over his muscles, contouring them.The parents who had been sleepily sitting in the auditorium inadvertently glanced at the stage. Their gazes were fixed in place. They all gasped.Finnegan struck the drum. The audience's eyes were fixed on the lines of Finnegan's arms and pectoral muscles.Many audience members pulled out their phones to record the scene of Finnegan drumming."Wow! Whose
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Rosalie asked. She then shoved Harold's shoulder, displeased.She then added unhappily, "How can you side with outsiders instead of rooting for your daughter?"Harold pursed his lips and quickly changed his tune to appease Rosalie. "Paisley could probably win first place. Besides the judges' scores, there's also the audience votes. Paisley's performance had the most people present watching." Rosalie raised her chin proudly. "Paisley will definitely win first place!"She had already spoken to several parents in advance. From what she knew, more than half of the parents had already voted for Paisley.Elara looked down. She then took a pen and placed a check mark next to the title of Merida's performance. Xavier did the same and gave Elara a thumbs-up.Elara smiled in response.Seated behind them, Beau could clearly see the interaction between Elara and Xavier. His expression darkened with resentment.Harvey's voice could be heard. "Why a
The host was clearly more interested in Finnegan and asked, "So, Uncle Finn, have you considered finding a girlfriend?"Finnegan frowned slightly. He didn't want to remain the center of attention and gossip. His gaze swept past the audience and landed precisely on Elara. He saw her lips curve into a warm smile, as if she took pride in his popularity. "Yes, I have."Finnegan answered stiffly, his expression serious, as if delivering a formal report.The mothers in the audience immediately grew excited, many already mentally scanning through eligible unmarried women they knew, eager to introduce them to Finnegan.A flicker of surprise passed through Elara's eyes. Finnegan actually wanted a girlfriend? That was truly unexpected.The next second, Lesley tightly wrapped an arm around Elara's while her gaze toward Finnegan was full of wariness."What's wrong?" Elara asked, somewhat puzzled."I'm protecting our little moon!"Elara chuckled, assuming Lesley had noticed the eager in
Rosalie's face twisted with fury. "I did no such thing! What apology letter? There was never any such arrangement!"Merida Jones! You've gone too far!" She glared in Elara's direction, stepping forward as if to confront her.Just then, Xavier pulled out his phone, opened an app, and tapped a button.Suddenly, the control screen at the event console switched to a music player interface, and a rousing march blared through the speakers. The children in the audience instinctively began clapping along to the rhythm.The entire auditorium erupted in lively energy as an AI voice announced through the sound system, "Let's give a warm welcome to Rosalie Fisher! Ms. Fisher, please come up to the stage!"Elara burst into laughter and gently ruffled Xavier's hair."Xav, good job!"Now, with all eyes on her, Rosalie had no choice—if she refused to apologize, there would be no graceful way out.Praise from Elara made Xavier turn to her, his bright eyes shimmering like a sky full of stars. He
"Apologize to Merida!""Ms. Fisher, you promised! You can't go back on your word!"The children surrounded Rosalie, their voices overlapping as they confronted her. Her stiff expression began to crack under the pressure. Nearby, even the parents raised their phones to record the scene."What did this Fisher woman do to make class 1B's kids block her like this?" someone murmured."You told Merida that if she won the grand prize, you'd let Paisley have snacks with us. Are you breaking that promise too?" one child asked.Paisley stared at Rosalie with red-rimmed eyes. This was an opportunity Elara and Merida had fought hard to secure for her—yet her mother refused to honor it."Daddy..."Clutching Harold's pant leg, Paisley called out softly, hoping for even a shred of his sympathy.Harold frowned in confusion. "What snacks?"Rosalie's face darkened with irritation."Elara made a bet with me—if Merida won first place, not only would I have to apologize publicly, but... They're f
The moment Harold spotted Harvey, he froze like a mouse cornered by a cat."Rosalie! Get over here now," he hissed under his breath.Rosalie had already reached the exit when she turned to call for Harold—only to find Harvey looming over him. Harold frantically widened his eyes at her, jerking his chin toward Harvey.Rosalie pressed her lips into a thin line but had no choice but to walk back.Meanwhile, Harvey stood like a walking freezer, his chilling aura radiating outward. "Go up there and apologize to Elara.""Harvey, how could you…" Rosalie's face twisted in disbelief.Harvey and Elara were already divorced—why was he still taking her side?"I'm your cousin!" she protested."Tch."Lesley, still seated with her arms crossed, raised an eyebrow and let out a derisive click of her tongue.She glanced at Theodore and nudged him. "The ex-husband's playing hero. Aren't you going to do something?"Theodore remained relaxed, his gaze never leaving Elara. "This is Elara's battle
Theodore's eyes gleamed like sunlight shimmering over a lake. He looked like a large dog trapped in a cage, gazing at Elara with unwavering intensity. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging wildly like a windmill spinning at full speed.Elara screamed internally. This had gone a little too far! Her eyes then dropped to the tip of her own shoe. The place she had kicked… had grown!"Oh!" She quickly jerked her foot back, only to feel her body tip backward uncontrollably.Just as she was about to fall, Theodore reached out and grabbed her ankle.The moment his fingers touched her skin, her heart skipped a beat. Theodore pulled her back toward the desk.Elara froze in place like a statue. Her entire body was tense, her eyes were wide, and her pupils were unfocused."Elara, what's wrong?"Harvey had seen her suddenly lose her balance and fall backward. It startled him so badly, he looked as if he wanted to jump through the screen.A wave of helplessness washed over him. Luckil
Elara looked under the desk. What on earth was going on?Meanwhile, Harvey observed Elara in her formal women's suit on the computer screen—an attire he'd never seen her wear before.Her hair was pulled back into a bun secured by a simple ebony hairpin. A few strands, gilded by sunlight, curled against her porcelain cheeks.Though she appeared to be looking down at something, Harvey's gaze and thoughts remained completely captivated by her face. Only months had passed since their divorce, yet seeing her now felt like encountering someone from another lifetime.Had time stretched endlessly during his days at Atkina Church?"El—" Harvey's throat tightened as if stuffed with paper.But he quickly regained his usual composed tone. "Elara—no, I should address you as Ms. Jones now. Had Sam not called me, I wouldn't have known you'd assumed Quantum Tech's CEO position."His voice carried that innate condescension of the privileged, laced with unmistakable mockery."Why are you hiding
Elara stood still as she gazed at the tall, distinguished man before her. Meanwhile, Theodore looked up and smiled at her against the light."Why are you so far away?"Elara stepped toward him, teasing lightly, "I wanted a good look at you.""Then you'll need to come closer." Theodore leaned forward, closing the distance between them.Though she stopped a step away, their faces nearly touched. Elara instinctively held her breath as her eyes locked on him."Can you see clearly now?" Theodore asked."Mm," Elara replied."And?""So handsome." Elara praised him sincerely. "You're one of the most attractive men I've ever seen!"She truly meant it. Theodore chuckled through his nose. She'd seen plenty of handsome men in her life—Finnegan, Harvey, and Leonard. Especially Leonard, whose looks even made Theodore feel somewhat threatened."My face is the least remarkable part of me." He declared confidently.Images of those shirtless photos Theodore had sent flashed through Elara's mi
Harold smiled as he explained, "Of course, they're talking about the most prominent figure in all of Capitol."Although Angie had lived in Melcina for years, she still kept up with the major gossip surrounding Capitol's elite families.And when it came to the most famous heir of the Snapp family, none other than Theodore came to mind. His reputation was practically legendary—everything he touched turned to gold. It was as if, with just a flick of his fingers, he could rise to the top of any industry."Does he have any business dealings with Quantum Tech?" she asked.Harold replied, "Ms. Price is interested in having Mr. Snapp's firm, Polaris Law Firm, take over Quantum Tech's legal affairs."The moment Harold said this, Angie understood that Priscilla clearly had an ulterior motive. She must be looking to shift her business focus back to Eucon, and using Quantum Tech to pull Theodore into her orbit was the first step."So, that means Mr. Snapp's visit is to discuss a legal partne
When Angie realized what she'd been saying, she quickly apologized, "Sorry, Leonard, for making you listen to my complaints all this time.""It's fine." Leonard's cool voice resonated like a struck bronze bell, sending subtle vibrations through her heart.This was the first time Angie had managed to keep Leonard on the phone for so long, though their entire conversation revolved around Elara.Leonard showing such rare patience made Angie's lips curve upward in delight."Can I call you again in the future?" She ventured the bold question, though anxiety churned inside."You may call if it's regarding Quantum Tech matters."He had glimpsed an Elara who was completely different from the respectful woman he knew through Angie's words. So, she had a temper too—how intriguing.Angie's smile stretched ear to ear as she continued, "Leonard, thank you for listening to my grievances.""Oh, right."Suddenly remembering something, Angie added, "Quantum Tech has a front-end project collabo
Angie visibly flushed with embarrassment, and the other employees fell silent. Some immediately lowered their heads to focus on their meals, while others held their breath, pressing their lips together to control their expressions."Angie's been abroad too long—she's not used to strict workplace hierarchies," Samuel defended her, raising his voice."Elara, now that you're CEO, you just can't wait for everyone to bow and scrape before you, huh? You might not realize this, but modern workplaces emphasize equality—we all address each other as colleagues now."His mocking tone was unmistakable. As the eldest son of the Quinn family, he clearly didn't take Elara seriously.Elara met his disdainful gaze. "Fine."She continued calmly, "Then let's abolish internal titles at Quantum Tech. All employees will be leveled equally, with salaries determined by performance. Anyone above L4 will be downgraded to L4, so there's true equality across the board. That's the only way to eliminate workpl
When Elara came to her senses, she noticed Leonard was already gone—and Angie had disappeared with him.The nature of Leonard and Angie's relationship was undeniably intriguing, but since Leonard chose not to share, Elara felt it would be improper to pry into her elder's private affairs.She then joined the other Quantum Tech employees in seeing off the city officials. Harold immediately seized the chance to cozy up to her. "Elara, I'm dying to know—how did you become Quantum Tech's leader?"He continued eagerly, "I've been helping out at Quantum Tech recently. Ohm Technologies and my lab are collaborating on a project with them."Elara merely nodded, showing no interest in further conversation.Undeterred, Harold pressed on. "Let me introduce you to everyone at Quantum Tech."His enthusiasm was purely for show—he wanted the company to know he had special connections with Elara."You know Mr. Quinn, right?" he asked, making introductions.Elara glanced at the sharp-featured man
"Elara, you're the developer of the Prism project? Why have I never heard you mention this before?" Harold blurted out in confusion.After processing this information, he suddenly remembered Priscilla's second statement. He blinked, wondering if he'd misheard.He immediately turned to Samuel beside him. "Did I hear that wrong? It's so noisy here—what did Ms. Price just say? Who's Quantum Tech's leader?"Samuel's expression stiffened visibly.Meanwhile, Angie stared at Elara with suspicion. "What kind of deal did you make with Ms. Price? How could you possibly be Quantum Tech's lead?"Her instincts told her there had to be some mistake. She'd investigated Elara earlier. She was just a woman who dropped out of her direct PhD program at Capitol University to get married and become a housewife, without any substantial work experience.Someone like Elara might qualify as a janitor at Quantum Tech at best."What qualifications does she have to lead Quantum Tech?" Samuel muttered under
"My apologies, Ms. Price, the alarms in the data center are too loud. Let's switch to a video call."As she spoke, Elara connected her phone to the projection system. Priscilla tapped her screen to enable video, and in the next second, her face appeared on the large display.Everyone looked up at the screen in surprise. Angie even gasped. "Ms. Price?" From Priscilla's perspective, her phone only showed Elara's face through the camera feed."Ms. Price, I'm already in the data center. Please give your instructions," Elara continued.Her tone remained perfectly neutral. Priscilla responded, "You're Quantum Tech's leader. What professional guidance could I possibly give you?"Elara turned on the speakerphone, amplifying Priscilla's voice through the room. Amidst the urgent wailing of alarms, Priscilla's words sounded almost surreal. The surrounding crowd struggled to process what was happening."Elara Jones, do you realize city officials are inspecting Quantum Tech today? With the