Seeing Valarie start to drink the smoothie, Phoebe smiled kindly. "How was today's auction? Did you find any jewelry you liked?"Valarie nodded. "I did! Oh, I even bought a set for you! I'll get it for you!"Phoebe stopped her. "No need to do that now. You can give it to me tomorrow. Just focus on drinking the smoothie first. I came over tonight because I wanted to talk to you about something.""What is it?" Valarie asked."About tomorrow's blind date. Remember to dress modestly. The Comstocks are quite traditional and don't like women who are too flashy," Phoebe reminded her.Valarie paused, frowning at her mother. "Mom, even if I can put on an act for tomorrow, I can't pretend forever. I think it's better to show my true self during a blind date."Besides, she wasn't a product that needed to be dressed up to meet someone else's expectations."Valarie, I know you don't want to go on this blind date... but our family isn't what it used to be. You're getting older, and it's no lo
Nathaniel was enraged, veins pulsing on his forehead. He clenched his fist and struck Rebecca hard.Despite the intense pain coursing through her body, Rebecca didn't scream or beg for mercy like before. Instead, she burst into laughter.She laughed at how she and Nathaniel were like two pitiful creatures, harming and despising each other yet unable to leave one another.At first, she planned to live this pathetic life, but that changed when she saw that Nyla was still alive. Even if she were to die, she wanted to drag those who had hurt her down to hell with her!…The next morning, after Nyla woke up and washed up, she began making breakfast for Mason.By 7:30 a.m., Mason was awake. Once he brushed his teeth and got dressed, he walked out of his bedroom.Seeing Nyla bringing breakfast to the table, he cheerfully called out, "Mommy, good morning! What's for breakfast? It smells so good!""I made bacon and eggs, as well as some pancakes and waffles," Nyla replied."I love panc
There was a brief silence on the other end before Damon's voice came through, sounding a bit heavy. "Since Buddy agrees, I have no objections."With that, he hung up.In the study, Damon set down his phone, his expression darkening.He was supposed to be taking Mason to the zoo with Nyla as a family of three, and he didn't understand why Oliver had to tag along.Frowning in thought for a moment, he called Spencer."Is the Raynor Group too idle lately? Find something for Oliver to do. Ideally, he should be back in Capitarnia these days and too busy to be in Saintornia," he instructed.Spencer was taken aback. "Mr. Sumner, did Mr. Raynor offend you?""Just do as I say! Why are you talking so much?" Damon snapped.Spencer replied, "Alright, I understand."After hearing the busy tone, Spencer set down his phone and looked at Luca, who was standing in front of him.He instructed, "Take this document to the Sumner Group and give it to Mr. Brandon."Luca happily took the document.
Valarie raised an eyebrow, about to speak when her gaze suddenly fell on someone not far ahead.A hint of surprise flickered in her eyes. She hadn't expected to run into Brandon at a blind date.Their eyes met briefly, but Brandon quickly averted his gaze and acted as if he hadn't seen her. He turned to leave.Valarie's expression remained unchanged as she redirected her focus to Benjamin across from her, who was still nitpicking everything."Mr. Comstock, I think we're not a good match. Let's end this here. Goodbye," Valarie said as she stood up to leave.Benjamin blocked her way, saying with a hint of condescension, "Ms. Weir, I believe that, aside from your spending habits, everything else about you is still tolerable."After all, Valarie was beautiful and fit his idea of innocence, so he felt generally satisfied with her. If she could just listen to him a bit more after they started dating, spending money on her wouldn't be an issue.Valarie smiled. "Mr. Comstock, I can't ch
That evening, Brandon and Damon sat together in a private room at a high-end bar in Saintornia. They silently poured drinks into their glasses, both wearing grim expressions that radiated an aura discouraging any approach.Eventually, Brandon couldn't hold back and looked at Damon."Uncle Damon, was your pursuit of Aunt Nyla this difficult?" he asked.The memory of Valarie's rejection, followed by her date with a loser, frustrated Brandon. Did she really think so little of him?Damon glanced at Brandon but didn't respond. He was too preoccupied with the upcoming Saturday trip to the zoo with Oliver to take on the role of emotional mentor for Brandon.It seemed that Brandon didn't expect an answer anyway. He took another gulp and angrily stated, "Whatever, it doesn't matter to me anymore. There are plenty of women in the world. I'm not going to be hung up on her!"I've pursued her for five years, and now she's missed out. She's the one who should regret it, not me!"I'm so angry!
"Shut up!" Damon snapped.He couldn't take it anymore and grabbed Brandon's phone to call Valarie.When the call connected, he reported the bar and private room before hanging up and leaving. He couldn't stay any longer—Brandon was driving him crazy.…On the other end, Valarie hadn't even had a chance to speak before the call ended. She tried calling back several times, but no one picked up.Biting her lip, she contemplated whether to go over.Finally, after five minutes, she changed her clothes and headed out.Just as she opened the door, she spotted Phoebe, who was about to knock while holding a glass of acai smoothie.Seeing that Valarie wasn't in her pajamas, Phoebe looked puzzled. "Valarie, it's so late. Are you going out?""Yeah," Valarie replied, her expression slightly unnatural. "Nyla said she needed to see me about something."Phoebe frowned and asked, "What's so urgent that you have to go out at this hour? Can't it wait until tomorrow?""I don't know, Mom. Stop a
Thanks to that little interruption, Valarie snapped back to reality. She pushed Brandon away and got to her feet, her cheeks flushed."Brandon, I'm warning you! If you pull something like that again, I won't care about you anymore!" she barked.Brandon stared at her in confusion, seemingly unable to recall what had just happened."Who are you?" he asked.Valarie was exasperated. He had just kissed her, and now he didn't recognize her?Nonetheless, this wasn't the time to dwell on that. She needed to find a way to get him home.After thinking for a moment, Valarie called a driver to help her get Brandon to the car.Fortunately, after what had happened, he seemed tired and fell asleep without a fuss.Once she helped him into the back seat and buckled him in, she told the driver the address."He has someone at home. Just ring the doorbell, and they'll come to get him," she instructed.The driver nodded. "Okay."As Valarie watched the driver pull away, she turned and headed back
"You said it was boring when the date was set at the restaurant yesterday. No matter how it's done, you'll find something to criticize. Do you just not want to go on a blind date?" Phoebe asked.Valarie pursed her lips. "I don't want to. If it weren't for you guys pushing me, I wouldn't even consider it."For her, not getting married wasn't a big deal. She'd rather stay single than wake up every day to a face she didn't like, pretending to be happy for the rest of her life."You're driving me crazy! You're in your 30s now, and if you don't get married soon, no one will want you by the time you're 40! Your dad and I are getting older, and after we're gone, how will you manage on your own?!" Phoebe exclaimed.Facing her mother's serious expression, Valarie shrugged. "I'll manage just fine. There are plenty of people who choose not to marry or have kids, and none of them seem to be struggling."Phoebe gritted her teeth. "I don't care! When you get to our age, you'll understand I'm on
"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