"What?! How is that even possible…" Erin trailed off.She had expected the trending topic to be about Nyla's cheating scandal—not her own affair with a male model! And… revealing photos…She quickly turned her head and noticed that the other side of the bed was empty. Instantly, she scowled."Lucy, I have something to take care of. I'll talk to you later," Erin said, hanging up quickly.She immediately dialed the male model's number, but his phone went straight to voicemail.Damn it! He must have set her up! She wouldn't let him off the hook!Just as Erin frantically thought about how to resolve the mess, her phone began ringing incessantly.Seeing her father's name on the screen, she involuntarily trembled and threw the phone onto the floor, too afraid to answer.Her parents had surely found out by now. Answering the call would be like digging her own grave.Although she had indulged herself on the side, the Hulles' upbringing had been strict.Since her engagement to Damon,
Damon's gaze turned icy. "Why do you ask?""Because, no matter what, Ms. Hulle is still your fiancee, and the Hulles have many cooperative projects with Prospectus Technology. Publicly revealing her affair with a male model would be detrimental to both parties," Luca reasoned.After a moment of silence, Damon replied coldly, "You're overthinking it. What I'm doing has nothing to do with her."Luca lowered his gaze, not fully convinced. If it weren't for Nyla, there would be no reason to expose Erin's scandal."Is there anything else?" Damon's voice was sharp.It prompted Luca to quickly answer, "No, I'll head out now.""Mr. Hulle might come by in the afternoon. Just let him into my office," Damon said."Understood, Mr. Sumner," Luca replied.…Not long after lunch, Patrick stormed into Damon's office. "Mr. Sumner, is this how you treat Erin? Isn't it a bit excessive?"Damon set down his documents and looked up at Patrick.Patrick stomped into the office and slammed the door
Damon smiled. "There's no need for you to worry about that, Mr. Hulle."Patrick had come and left in a huff. As soon as he stepped out of Prospectus Technology, he immediately called Clark."Clark, I won't let you get away with this scheme against me!" he roared.He hung up without waiting for a response.Clark was left bewildered. When he tried calling back, it showed that Patrick was already on another call.Richard, who had been watching, frowned. "What's going on?"Clark put away his phone and shook his head. "I don't know. Mr. Hulle said I schemed against him... I have no idea what he means."After a moment of thought, Richard quickly pieced things together, especially after hearing about Erin that morning."It looks like your uncle has found out about your meetings with Patrick," Richard suggested."I'll find out what's going on," Clark said.Not long after, he returned with information about the situation.Richard sighed and said quietly, "Your uncle's termination of
Seeing that Cyrus wanted to say more, Richard sneered. "Don't forget that you were the one who found the doctor to hypnotize him. You knew exactly what you were thinking back then, so don't pretend to be the good guy now."Cyrus' face fell, and he took a deep breath, choosing to remain silent.Beside them, Clark's eyes flashed with a cold glint.Only if Damon became a fool would he lose the chance to compete for the company and Nyla. In that case, Clark might even be able to snatch Prospectus Technology away from Damon.In the living room, each person was lost in their own thoughts, and for a moment, no one spoke.…Shortly after Damon returned to the company, Luca knocked on the door and entered."Mr. Sumner, the Hulles have announced that your engagement to Ms. Hulle has been dissolved. They're doing this to salvage their reputation," he informed.Damon nodded. "Mm, there's no need to concern ourselves with this matter anymore.""Understood," Luca replied.At Damon's villa…
"Alright, it's time for your nap. When your dad gets home from work tonight, you can ask him about going to the amusement park," Nyla announced."Okay!" Mason agreed.Excited, he took over an hour to fall asleep.After covering him with a blanket, Nyla got up and sat on the sofa. She picked up her phone and sent a message to Damon.From Mason's eager expression earlier, she figured it would make him very sad if Damon refused his request. Thus, before Damon returned, she needed to convince him to take Mason to the amusement park.She received no reply after sending the message.By evening, Nyla could no longer hold back and dialed Damon's number. It rang a few times before he picked up."Mr. Sumner, I sent you a message this afternoon. I'm not sure if you saw it," Nyla stated.Damon's cold voice came through the line. "I saw it."Nyla wanted to ask why he hadn't replied, but she then realized their only connection now was Mason. It was normal for Damon not to want to respond.
Mason was thrilled, his cheeks flushed with excitement.After Damon left, he looked up at Nyla and cheered, "Mommy, Daddy said yes!"Mason was usually a reserved child, so seeing him so expressive made Nyla smile. "Yeah, I heard that."…In the following days, Mason eagerly counted down to Saturday, looking forward to it more with each passing day.Finally, Saturday arrived, and Mason woke up early.Nyla, who had light sleep, got up when he did.After they finished breakfast, Damon came downstairs. Seeing Nyla and Mason waiting on the couch, particularly Mason's eager expression, made Damon subconsciously speed up his breakfast.When they left, it was not even 8:00 a.m. yet.Nyla felt a bit worried. "Do you think the amusement park will be open this early?"Damon looked up from his documents, his expression nonchalant. "No worries;. I rented out the entire park."Nyla was taken aback.Damon noted her reaction and asked, "What's wrong?""Mr. Sumner, you know the whole point
As time passed, more and more people filled the amusement park.Nyla held Mason's hand tightly, preventing him from running around too much and avoiding collisions with others or the risk of getting knocked over.Suddenly, Mason pointed excitedly at a ride not far away. "Mommy! I want to ride that!"Following Mason's gaze, Nyla felt troubled. He wanted to go on the swinging pendulum ride, but she had never liked high-altitude attractions.She turned to Damon and said, "Mr. Sumner, I'm not really a fan of high-altitude rides. Why don't you take Buddy on that one? I think there's a version for kids."Damon stared at her, speechless.Before he could respond, Mason dashed in front of him, hugging his leg and shaking it. "Daddy! I want to ride it! Please! Jasper said his dad took him on it several times when they went to the amusement park!"Seeing the eager look in Mason's eyes, Damon had no choice but to nod. "Fine, but I can only go once with you.""Great! Thanks, Daddy!" Mason e
The familiar scent of pine momentarily caught Nyla off guard. It wasn't until the crowd cleared that Damon let go of her."Are you okay?" His cool, deep voice came from above her.Nyla pressed her lips together and replied softly, "I'm fine.""Good to hear," Damon said."Daddy, can you and Mommy ride the carousel with me?" Mason looked up at Damon, completely unbothered by what had just happened and unaware that Nyla had zoned out.Damon thought the carousel was childish, something only kids and women would enjoy. Just as he was about to decline, Mason grabbed his leg, looking up at him with eager eyes.Caught in Mason's hopeful gaze, Damon found himself relenting. "Alright, let's do it."They lined up at the carousel. Just as they were about to get on, Nyla's phone suddenly rang.When she saw it was Oliver, she looked up at Damon. "I need to take this call. If we get to the front of the line, just take Buddy on the ride."Damon, towering over Nyla, caught a glimpse of the nam
"Why are you here so early?" Damon asked.Upon seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Nyla's heart ached. "Spencer told me about your schedule this morning. Buddy and I missed you, so we came by."Damon walked over. "Yeah, I have to head to a meeting soon and won't have much time to spend with you two.""We understand," Nyla said softly.Damon gave her a brief hug before crouching to embrace Mason. "If all goes well, I might finish early tonight and be home for dinner.""Okay. I brought you breakfast. Eat something before your meeting," Nyla said with a gentle smile.As Damon ate, Mason and Nyla watched him."You've gotten thinner. Are you not eating properly?" Nyla asked, concern evident in her voice.Damon sipped his coffee and reassured her, "It's fine. Things will calm down soon."Just as they were finishing, Spencer entered to remind Damon about the meeting."Bring the materials to the conference room. I'll be right there," Damon instructed.Once Spencer left, he turne
After Gabriel stormed out, Tim couldn't hold back his laughter. "Haha, Gabriel's expression just now was priceless. I was going to leave him hanging, but he insisted on throwing money at me. He really set himself up for failure."Damon didn't comment.Tim finally stopped laughing and cleared his throat. "You've got an evening flight to catch, right? Let's handle the contract now."Damon walked over and sat across from him, pulling out the contract. "I've already marked the sections that need revisions."Tim took the document, reviewed the highlighted parts, and immediately called his assistant to revise them. Once corrected, the updated version was printed, signed, and stamped.By the time everything was finalized, over an hour had passed.Satisfied, Damon tucked one copy into his bag and stood up. "If any issues come up, let me know."Tim nodded. "Sure."As Damon reached the door, he paused and turned to Tim. "By the way, Gabriel doesn't let things slide. You outmaneuvered him
After a brief moment of anger, Gabriel regained his composure, his gaze turning cold. "Damon, Mr. Westcott assured me he wouldn't partner with Prospectus Technology. Otherwise, he wouldn't have signed this contract with me. Stop lying."Damon remained unfazed and spoke calmly. "Believe me or not, it makes no difference to me."With that, he turned and continued into Tim's office with Spencer following close behind.Gabriel stared at Damon's retreating back and instructed his secretary, "We're going back inside. I need to see for myself whether Damon or Tim is lying to me."Trailing Damon, Gabriel stormed into Tim's office.Seeing both men enter together, Tim raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Mr. Sumner, Mr. Hackett, what brings the two of you here together? Is there an issue with your contract as well, Mr. Hackett?"The subtle emphasis on "as well" struck Gabriel like a ton of bricks. His expression darkened."Mr. Westcott, you assured me at the restaurant that you wouldn't c
"Mr. Westcott, I'll return the money to him right away," Crystal said quickly.Tim waved dismissively. "No need. Tomorrow, go to the finance department and collect 8,000,000 dollars. After that, you don't need to come to the company."Crystal's face turned pale. She knew all too well that this sum of money was a breakup fee."Mr. Westcott, I truly realize my mistake. Please, give me another chance..." she pleaded, reaching out to grab his sleeve.The moment she saw the cold look in his eyes, her hand froze mid-air, and she dared not move any closer.Tim stood tall, looking down at her with an icy expression. He spoke slowly. "You should be grateful to Mr. Hackett. If he'd only given you a few hundred thousand, that's all you'd be getting from me as well. But 15,000,000 dollars in total for three years? I'd say that's more than enough."He added, his tone final, "I don't want to make this uglier than it has to be. Let's part on good terms."Crystal's face went ashen. She wanted t
"Would you happen to have a moment later? I'd love to discuss something," Gabriel asked.Tim smiled. "What a coincidence. I suppose I can spare a few minutes for a chat.""Excellent," Gabriel replied.Standing, Crystal smoothed her dress. "I'll freshen up."She knew better than to linger during Tim's business discussions."Your lipstick needs touching up. Take your time," Tim said mildly."Of course," Crystal answered.She found a quiet spot and sat for over half an hour, waiting until she received a bank notification confirming a deposit of 7,000,000 dollars.Satisfied, she returned to the table, only to find Tim dining alone."Tim, when did Mr. Hackett leave?" she asked, quickening her pace to sit across from him.Tim continued cutting his steak with deliberate precision. "No talking while eating."Although his tone was calm, Crystal had been with him long enough to sense his simmering anger.She pressed her lips together, instinctively explaining, "Tim, I'm sorry. Mr. Ha
By midday, Tim still refused to see Gabriel.Gabriel, considering taking a break and returning later, received a call from his secretary."Mr. Hackett, I found out Mr. Westcott has a girlfriend. Perhaps she could help arrange a meeting," his secretary said.A spark lit in Gabriel's eyes. "Send me her details right away."The secretary quickly forwarded the information.Tim's girlfriend, Crystal Glasco, came from an average family and worked as his assistant.Her background was straightforward—a bachelor's degree and a job at the Westcott Group right after graduation, where she became Tim's assistant.Their relationship, however, was more about Tim keeping her than about them being equals. That said, their three years together suggested Tim held some level of affection for her.After reviewing the details, Gabriel immediately called his secretary back. "Find a way to contact Crystal. I need to meet her today."…At around 8:00 p.m., Crystal entered an upscale restaurant in Cap
Under Tim's leadership, the Westcott Group maintained its position as one of the top four families in Capitarnia, leaving the other three far behind.After reading the file, Gabriel closed it and asked coldly, "I asked you to arrange a meeting with Mr. Westcott. What's their response?"The secretary hesitated. "Mr. Hackett, Mr. Westcott's secretary hasn't responded. It seems they aren't interested in meeting with you."Gabriel wasn't fazed. The document made it clear that Tim was proud and highly selective in his dealings. Such a person wasn't easily approached.For Damon to even gain the Westcott Group's consideration, he must have put in significant effort.Still, there was an opportunity as long as the contract wasn't signed."No need to wait for a reply. I'll go to the Westcott Group myself tomorrow morning," Gabriel said."Understood, Mr. Hackett," the secretary replied.…At 7:00 a.m. the next day, Gabriel was already standing outside the Westcott Group. The sun hadn't f
Damon nodded. "Got it. Have the PR department continue contacting major media outlets to remove any negative commentary about Prospectus Technology. We can't let this situation escalate further."In the business world, public opinion could be lethal. Most people were naturally inclined to follow the crowd. Without knowing the full picture, they could easily be misled.If the narrative that Prospectus Technology's chips were faulty spread too far, restoring their reputation later would require monumental resources. It was critical to stop this from snowballing now."Understood, Mr. Sumner. By the way, how's the deal in Capitarnia coming along?" someone asked.Upon hearing that, Damon's previously tense expression relaxed slightly. "Progress is decent. Barring any unforeseen issues, we should be able to sign the contract in a couple of days."The group on the call let out a collective sigh of relief.Once the deal was signed, Prospectus Technology would recover some of its losses
"We can sign an agreement if you're still worried. I promise never to challenge your custody of Wilhelm in my lifetime," Jane assured.Seeing her determination, Gabriel remained silent.Noticing his hesitation, Jane gripped the armrests of her wheelchair tightly. "Gabriel, you're already hesitating, even though you haven't remarried yet. How can I believe you'll treat Wilhelm fairly in the future?"Gabriel's gaze turned cold. "No matter what, Wilhelm will be better off with me than with you. When and how much of the shares I give him is my decision, not yours."With that, he turned to leave.As he reached the doorway, Jane's voice echoed behind him. "If you don't transfer half your shares to Wilhelm, I won't leave the country!"Gabriel paused, then glanced back at her mockingly. "Whether you leave or stay means nothing to me. And why would you think your refusal to leave is a threat to me?""Gabriel, you're a bastard!" Jane shouted.Gabriel smirked and left without another word