After saying that, Nyla quickly hailed a cab and left, leaving the two men staring at each other.Oliver smirked. "Mr. Sumner, I'll be on my way. See you next time."Damon's expression turned cold. "Mr. Raynor, I guess there aren't enough issues at the Raynor Group for you to be this idle.""Go ahead and try to bankrupt the Raynor Group. But if you do, Nyla will only feel sorry for me and hate you even more," Oliver countered.As Damon's expression darkened, Oliver's smile deepened, and he turned to walk toward his car.In a relatively private restaurant in the north of Saintornia…Rebecca glared coldly at the man across from her. "Weren't you supposed to deal with Nyla for me? How come she's still perfectly fine?"The man opposite her, Sullivan, calmly sipped his tea. "Rebecca, don't be so impatient. I need some time."Rebecca gritted her teeth. "Heseltine, don't forget that your dad was on the brink of death in the hospital. If I hadn't kindly lent you money, he wouldn't be a
Ruby bit her lip and recounted what had happened that morning.When she finished, she said angrily, "Leon definitely gave the data to Brody on Friday night, but Brody is completely denying it now."Brody sneered from the side, speaking sarcastically. "I didn't receive anything. How do I know you two aren't colluding to frame me for losing the data?"Leon was furious. He rushed over to grab Brody by the collar. "I handed it to you in person on Friday! Are you going to say again that you didn't receive it?!"In contrast to Leon's flushed face, Brody seemed unconcerned.""What? You want to hit me? Go ahead, but think it through. If you do, I'll definitely call the police," he provokedWorried that Leon might act impulsively, Nyla quickly stepped in to hold him back. "Leon, calm down."Ruby hurriedly joined in to stop Leon as well. Just as Leon began to cool down, Brody spoke up again. "What? Scared to make a move? Coward!"This completely infuriated Leon. He lost control and swu
Once Nyla finished treating her wound at the hospital, she checked her phone and found several messages from Ruby.Ruby: [Nyla, what's going on between you and Mr. Sumner? Did you know each other before?]Ruby: [After you left with Mr. Sumner, everyone started gossiping about your relationship. You're not actually getting together with him, right?]Ruby: [By the way, when Mr. Sumner saw your bleeding hand in the lab, his face darkened. It's obvious he really cares about you!]Ruby: [Ahhh! What exactly is your relationship?]Nyla frowned as she read the messages.Typing with one hand was difficult, so she responded with a voice message instead: "I do know him, but we're just friends. Besides, I have a boyfriend."She didn't feel the need to mention to Ruby that Damon was Mason's biological father. It wasn't something she wanted widely known.After playing the voice message, Ruby quickly followed up, asking if it was Oliver.Nyla confirmed. After responding to Ruby, she hesitate
"Nyla, I'm sorry. I acted impulsively earlier, and I even ran away after you got hurt. I wasn't being responsible. If you're angry, go ahead and hit me… No, kick me, too," Leon apologized."If kicking you would fix the data issue, I would have done it already," Nyla quipped.Leon scratched his head, looking at her apologetically. "I swear I gave the experiment data to Brody on Friday. That jerk must have lost it and is now blaming me."Seeing Leon's guilty and anxious expression, Nyla felt helpless and thought he was still too young."When exactly did you hand him the data on Friday?" she asked."Right after you all got off work. I finished filling in the last few sets of data and gave it to him," Leon answered."So, no one else was there to confirm you handed the data to him in person," Nyla said.Leon frowned. "But no one can prove I didn't give it to him either!"Nyla nodded. "That's true, but the problem is that he's insisting you didn't give it to him, and now you're stuck
Since Nyla planned to be serious about being with Oliver, she needed to genuinely try to see if she could accept him. If she truly couldn't, it would be better to part ways sooner rather than later—for both their sakes.…The next afternoon, Damon received a call from Lydia. "Mr. Sumner, Ms. Kinsey sent Buddy over today."Damon replied calmly, "Got it."There was a brief silence on the other end before Lydia's voice came through, tinged with helplessness. "Mr. Sumner, aren't you going to ask what Ms. Kinsey has to do today?""What is it?" Damon asked."I heard from Buddy that she's going to the movies with Mr. Raynor tonight, which is why she dropped Buddy off," Lydia answered.Damon narrowed his eyes and replied in a low voice, "Alright."After hanging up, he thought for a moment and called in Spencer."Look into where Nyla and Oliver are going to see a movie and buy a ticket for a seat behind them," he instructed.Spencer paused momentarily before replying, "Understood, Mr.
When Oliver leaned in earlier, Nyla's instinct was to pull away. Her body couldn't lie—she didn't feel anything for him.Realizing this, she was flooded with guilt.Oliver had been good to her and had helped her a lot, but she couldn't develop romantic feelings for him.Gratitude was just that—gratitude. It couldn't evolve into love.After the movie, she planned to clarify things with Oliver. Since she had confirmed she didn't have feelings for him, there was no point in dragging it out. The longer it continued, the more it would hurt Oliver.After making up her mind, Nyla's heart gradually settled. She felt less anxious, though the guilt still weighed heavily.As they left the theater, Oliver turned to Damon with irritation. "Mr. Sumner, how much longer are you going to follow us?"He had never seen anyone as shameless as Damon. Why was he crashing their date?Damon didn't seem the least bit embarrassed and raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Raynor, I have to go this way too to get my ca
Since Nyla couldn't truly develop feelings for him, leaving gracefully was the best option.A silence fell between them.Guilt washed over Nyla like a tide, nearly drowning her. She had hurt someone who had been so good to her."Nyla, you don't have to feel guilty. Even if we're not together, we can still be good friends. Those five years were real and meaningful," Oliver said.To him, being by her and Mason's side for those five years was already a blessing.Nyla lowered her gaze, her eyes reddening. She choked out, "Oliver, stop."The kinder he was, the guiltier she felt. If only she could have loved him back…Oliver paused for a moment before standing up with a smile. "Let's go. I'll drive you home."The ride back was filled with silence.Oliver drove slowly, but eventually, the road came to an end.When they reached the building where Nyla lived, he turned to her and said softly, "Let me give you one last hug.""Okay," Nyla whispered.She unbuckled her seatbelt and reac
Now, it hadn't even been long, and they had already broken up?!Oliver didn't want to dwell on it. After acknowledging her, he hung up.His mother didn't call back. After a moment's thought, she reached out to a friend to start preparing for Oliver's blind dates.She had never approved of Nyla, who had already been married and had a child. If Oliver married someone like that, he'd be the laughingstock of their social circle.Now that they had broken up, it was the perfect opportunity. She could finally introduce her son to someone more suitable.…After watching Oliver's car drive away, Nyla turned and headed upstairs.As she reached the door, her phone rang. It was Damon."Nyla, it's almost 11:30 p.m. Why haven't you come to pick up Buddy?" he asked, his tone sharp.Nyla suddenly remembered that she had promised Damon earlier that she'd pick up Mason. She quickly replied, "I'm on my way."She then took a taxi.…Soon, Nyla entered the villa's living room, but only Damon wa
"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