LOGINThe moment Maria stepped into Richard's office, Hector's disappointed face flashed before her eyes. She took a deep breath and walked into the office without looking back.An expensive, dark-colored Persian carpet covered the floor. A solid rosewood desk sat in the center. Richard sat in a wide leather chair and lifted his gaze toward her.Maria's heart pounded in anxiety in the quiet room, more than she thought it would. She swallowed and walked forward. "Mr. Shaw."Richard smiled. His eyes were deep and dark, as if he was sizing up his prey. He looked at Maria without any surprise, like he had already seen through everything.It was as if he had always known she would come at this time."Hector shouldn't have done that and upset you. Can you let him go this time? I promise he won't do something like this again. Do we have a deal?" Maria's tone stayed as steady as she could manage.Richard leaned forward. He felt something bitter well up inside of him as he watched her beg
Things unfolded exactly the way Maria had predicted. Problems surfaced just as she had expected.A staff member came over holding a report, his expression mixed. "After looking into it, we found out that the newly relocated Shaw Group is behind this. Every one of our project partners has asked to suspend cooperation, saying our projects don't meet their standards."Hector's fist tightened. He turned around, ready to rush out and confront Richard, but Maria grabbed his arm.Her voice was low and steady. "Don't be so rash! Even if you charge over there now, he won't back down at this time. It's obvious he did this because of me.""Because of you? What do you mean?" Hector turned around, worried in his eyes.Maria pursed her lips and handed him her phone. "Call Richard. He'll name his terms. Listen to what he says and see if he asks for me."Hector, still unsettled, dialed.Richard's deep voice came through at once. "What's this? You finally called? Before you go after my compa
While Trent was still deep in thought, Richard urged him in a low voice, "What are you standing there for? Make a move already.""Alright, I'm going." Trent gave Richard a long, speechless look before steadying himself and hurried out.Once he left, Richard withdrew his looks and sat down slowly. Then, he stared outside the window at the view.After a long while, he murmured under his breath, "Maria, you're always meant to be mine."-On Hector's side, he couldn't wait to share the good news with Maria. "Good news! Our move against Richard has already made real progress."Maria looked at him, puzzled. "What did you do?"Hector let out a proud little laugh. "You'd never guess! While he was too distracted to manage his company, I poached all his projects and partnerships."Maria's expression changed."As soon as word spreads that all his partners backed out on him, no business in this city will work with him again," Hector said.Every business owner cares about the stability
Richard listened to Trent's report without any visible reaction. He simply gave Trent a brief look, then glanced away. "Alright. I understand.""You understand…?" Trent stared at him with wide eyes, startled by how calm he was.Surprised, he blurted out his thoughts without thinking."Are you alright, Richard? This is a huge problem, and you can't just ignore it! Even if you're not in the mood to deal with it now, think! "Even if you manage to win Maria back later, how are you going to give her a better life when your company has taken heavy losses and lost its sources of revenue? If your company is weaker than her brother's, you can forget about giving her happiness, alright?"After so many years as Richard's best friend, Trent knew exactly how to grab Richard's attention.Sure enough, Richard paused for a moment. Then, he picked up the documents and read them carefully. When he finished, he tossed the file back to Trent. "This is Hector's work.""Hector? Hector Black? Mar
Richard's eyes were filled with hurt when he heard Maria say that out loud, but he forced himself to keep his expression steady. "No. You two can't kiss."Maria let out a short, cold laugh. "What right do you have to say that? Who are you to decide for me?"It was a question that Richard had no answer to. After a moment, he forced the words out anyway. "Regardless, I forbid it."Maria didn't bother answering. She gave Hector a look, and Hector immediately led her away.Just before Marina left, he paused and gave Richard a sharp warning. "My relationship with Marina has nothing to do with you. No matter how much you try to be with her, you're just a fool. You have no place in her heart at all."He didn't pay attention to Richard's darkening expression. He helped Maria into his car and drove away.Richard's hands slowly tightened into fists as he watched their car disappear, his eyes full of bitterness. After seeing Maria sitting in someone else's passenger seat, he finally
The staff quickly finished checking Richard's information, then explained to Hector, "This gentleman is a special guest of the organizers. Even if he doesn't meet the requirement of being an heir, he's still allowed to attend."Hector's face darkened at once.Maria slowly frowned.She knew it.Richard had been watching her from the shadows. There was no way he didn't know she would be here tonight.Thankfully, she didn't act on impulse and took off her mask.She shot Richard a cold glance and said, "Since you're here for the fashion show, then focus on the show. Don't bother us."Richard's lips curved, forming a faint smile. "I'm not trying to bother you. I just want to ask why you two are still attending a fashion show together if you already broke up."Both Maria and Hector paused.Hector reacted first."Even if we broke up, there's no rule that says we can't hang out. Besides, even if Marina doesn't like me anymore, I still like her. I'm trying to win her back. Is there so







