It turned out to be a group of paparazzi. Leading them was Blaise Hale, a scruffy young man with bleached hair, grinning widely. "Ms. Reed, you're best known for your pure image in the entertainment industry right now. Everyone's calling you the 'Nation's Darling.' Who would have thought you'd be here in a hotel room with another man? This is shocking news!"His words stirred up murmurs among the other paparazzi, all of them wearing smirks that suggested they had evil intentions up their sleeves."Ms. Reed, stop hiding under the covers. We've already taken the pictures. Let's discuss how to handle this. If these photos get out, I'd say your image in the entertainment industry is over."Kara's eyes reddened with anger. She sat up from under the covers, glaring at the group of paparazzi at the door. "You're despicable and shameless! Can't I have any privacy? Why do you always have to follow me?""You're a celebrity, and we're paparazzi. If we don't follow you, who should we follow,
"50 million dollars! Not a cent more, not a cent less! Pay up, and we'll leave right away!" Blaise demanded.Kara's vision went black. 50 million? Where was she supposed to come up with that kind of money? Maybe she could if she were still with the Reed family, but that wasn't an option anymore. She had just started her career a year ago and couldn't possibly come up with that amount."50 million dollars? Why don't you just rob a bank?" Timothy's temper flared. He had thought these were just a bunch of clueless young men who could be let off with a little warning. However, he soon realized they were essentially criminals.Blaise pointed at Timothy and shouted, "Shut up! You don't get a say in this. Look at you—dressed like you're going dumpster diving. How did you even get involved with the Nation's Darling? Did she order you like some kind of delivery?"The group burst into laughter. "So the Nation's Darling has a thing for this? You should've asked us earlier, and we'd have d
This was the first time Kara had seen someone stand up to paparazzi like that.Timothy scratched his head. "It's all taken care of. Don't thank me. I don't want those photos getting out either as it'd be hard to explain."Kara gave him a resentful look. "What is there to explain? You did sleep with me."Timothy didn't know how to respond. Suddenly, a charming smile appeared on Kara's innocent face, her cheeks flushing with a shy pink."Timothy, you were quite manly just now. If you weren't so broke, I bet a lot of girls would be interested in you and might even jump into bed with you. Unfortunately, you don't have the money."Timothy's mouth twitched. "Will no woman in this society like a man if he has no money? Is he worth nothing?"Kara pouted thoughtfully. "Not necessarily. There are some girls who don't care about material conditions.""What about you?"Kara bit her lip and said softly, "I don't care either. If a man can give me a sense of security, truly love me, and be my
Timothy had no intention of dealing with Isabelle and Serena. He simply pretended not to see them and headed toward the entrance of the Lormford Chamber of Commerce.Isabelle—her face turning purple with anger—blocked his path and snapped, "Are you deaf? Can't you hear me?"Timothy stopped and frowned at the two of them. Although he found them quite irritating, he reminded himself that Zack had requested the herbs from the Barton family, so he owed them a favor.Suppressing his irritation, Timothy said, "What does me being here have to do with you? Move aside!"Instead of moving, Isabelle stepped closer with an air of superiority. "Of course, it matters! This is the Lormford Chamber of Commerce, not some place anyone can just walk into. "You don't even have a delivery box, so you're clearly not here to make a delivery. Tell me, are you here to cause trouble or steal something?"Timothy was exasperated by her ridiculous logic. Serena chimed in with a huff, "I bet you have some
Losing her composure, Isabelle pointed at the security guard and demanded, "Hey! Open the door!"The guard glanced at her and replied, "Who are you looking for? You need to register, and I'll notify them."Irritated, Serena snapped, saying, "Why do we need to register? The person who went in just now didn't have to.""No comment," the guard said curtly.Isabelle and Serena were fuming, but their anger was mixed with shock and confusion. Why had Timothy been able to walk in without a word?A terrifying possibility crossed Isabelle's mind. Could Timothy be an employee of the Lormford Chamber of Commerce?Isabelle shook her head vehemently. Timothy was just a broke guy. How could he possibly be an employee there? She decided to find out more about him.She bit her lip and addressed the guards again, saying, "We're here to see Mr. Zack Larson to deliver herbs. You can call him to verify."One of the guards glanced at Isabelle and then went into the security booth to make a phone ca
Zack smiled and said, "Yes, Chief."He stepped out of the office, closing the door behind him with reverence. As the door shut, the elevator opened, and Isabelle and Serena stepped out. Seeing Zack, they immediately greeted him with practiced smiles."Mr. Larson!"Zack glanced at them and headed toward his office. "Let's discuss this in my office. The chairman is resting, so please keep your voices down."Isabelle nodded quickly and stole a glance. Her eyes widened in shock when she noticed the "Chairman's Office" sign on the door. When did the Lormford Chamber of Commerce have a chairman?She exchanged a look with Serena, who also appeared surprised.Zack turned back and frowned at them. "Ms. Barton?"Both women flinched and quickly followed Zack, reluctantly pulling their eyes away from the office.This was the office of the chairman of the Lormford Chamber of Commerce, a position of far greater prestige than Zack's. Even catching a glimpse of him would be a great honor, let
Zack took a sip of coffee, shook his head, and said, "Sorry, Ms. Barton, I'm not authorized to mention the chairman's name."Isabelle's face went pale, shocked by Zack's statement. Zack was a major figure, the richest man in Lormford City, and among the highest-ranking individuals. Yet, he spoke so humbly, saying he wasn't qualified to mention the chairman's name.Serena was also startled. She quickly grabbed Isabelle's sleeve and whispered urgently, "Don't ask further. The chairman's identity is not something we are allowed to know!"Isabelle bit her lip, finally managing a forced smile at Zack. "I understand, Mr. Larson. I apologize for my presumptuousness."Taking a deep breath, she stood up and said, "Mr. Larson, we don't have any other business here, so we'll take our leave."Zack waved his hand with a faint smile. "Goodbye, Ms. Barton."As Isabelle and Serena left the office, her heart was still racing. Zack's words had hit her like a sledgehammer. If even Zack was so hum
Isabelle bit her lip and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh right, isn't Harry an employee at Lormford Chamber of Commerce? Maybe he can find out for us!"That could work. I'll contact him right away."Isabelle pulled out her phone and called her cousin, Harry Wagner. Soon, the call connected. "Hello?"Isabelle quickly responded with a smile. "Hi, Harry, it's me, Isabelle!""Oh, Isabelle! What's up? Why are you calling me?"Isabelle replied, "I need a favor, Harry.""What is it?"With a gleam in her eyes, she asked, "Do you know anything about a new chairman at the Lormford Chamber of Commerce?"Harry was taken aback and sounded confused. "A chairman? I didn't know about that. What's going on?"A bit disappointed, Isabelle sighed and said, "Never mind if you don't know. Could you keep an eye out for who this chairman is? I visited the Lormford Chamber of Commerce today and saw an office labeled 'Chairman's Office.' I'm hoping to find a way to connect with this chairman."Harry chuckle