LOGINThere was no denying it—Xavier's words gave Chloe Bishop a tremendous sense of security.She laughed. "Aren't you afraid I might do something even you can't fix?"On the other end, Xavier's voice softened, warm and steady. "That won't happen. I've got your back."Chloe Bishop smiled—a smile as gentle as a spring breeze, like a girl lost in first love, like a child who'd just stolen a piece of candy.Sweet. Reassuring.She hung up and held the phone for a long while, unmoving.The next morning, Chloe Bishop's Whatsapp exploded. Her clarification post from the day before had her caught in a crossfire of accusations and defenses all day long.Nora bit her nail as she scrolled up and down, frowning in displeasure. "These people—they catch a shadow and call it a ghost. Do they even bother reading the facts?"Gwen Grayson thought for a moment, then said slowly, "To be fair, there's not much truth to begin with, is there? Because all those things really did happen."Chloe Bishop let out a he
Gwen Grayson asked, "Then let's clear things up right away. I can't stand looking at this."Chloe Bishop nodded immediately, picked up her phone, and opened Whatsapp to start drafting a post. Nora, Gwen Grayson, and Adam also began writing their own clarifications.But just as Chloe Bishop finished editing and published her post, she refreshed the trending page—and found that all the headlines about her had vanished without a trace.Just then, a message from Xavier Grayson came in: "My fault for not catching it sooner. Are you okay?"Her heart warmed again, beating a few extra beats faster with emotion.He always showed up when she was at her most vulnerable—like a hero."I'm fine. I've already posted a clarification. As for Nadia, I'll deal with her personally once I'm back in New York City."After a moment, Xavier Grayson replied: "In a bit, Caesor will fill Nora in. I'll handle things on your end too. Don't worry."Chloe Bishop: "Okay."Nora hit publish on her retweet, then frowned
Chloe Bishop covered her face with a wry smile. "She really does know me well. That wall-climbing photo—it's from when I ran into Nicholas Taylor and Nadia that time."Nora's eyebrows shot up, her expression full of contempt. "I can't believe it was from that.""Whatever. But since they managed to dig up the wall-climbing incident, my first thought was Nadia. I don't think she's completely unrelated to this."Nora let out a disgusted hum and hit the Enter key. As the screen lit up, she muttered, "Found it. Multiple IP addresses."Chloe Bishop asked, "Why multiple?"Adam said, "That means someone bought bots and spread the net wide."Gwen Grayson leaned against the nearby table. "Coward."Chloe Bishop frowned, sat cross-legged on the bed, then winced at a tug in her stomach and quickly shifted positions."Since the other side hired bots, Nora, can you help me get in touch with one of them?"Nora nodded and got to work immediately. Soon, the information came back.She placed the laptop
After a few more polite exchanges, they hung up.Chloe Bishop held the phone in her hand, a faint, inscrutable smile playing on her lips.Still, she truly felt proud of Xavier Grayson.She hadn't expected his reputation to have spread so far overseas and earned him such admiration from so many people.It was what he deserved—the pride he'd earned through his own efforts.A surge of emotion welled up in her heart as she turned and went back inside.She saw Zara pressing a hand to her temple with a headache, and her grandfather made a quiet shushing gesture at her.Chloe Bishop understood immediately. She set the phone aside and slipped out.It seemed her grandmother had already learned about what happened to her in Brookfield. That meant she'd better keep a low profile.Survival first. Survival first.She knew that much.Back in her room, she opened her phone and saw that the group chat had exploded.Nora, Gwen Grayson, and Adam were all chatting up a storm, spamming messages with her
Shawn folded the newspaper, nodded, and stepped out onto the balcony with his phone.Inside the room, Chloe Bishop's hands were cold as she gently dried her grandmother's silver hair.Zara gazed at the beautiful, poised young woman in the mirror and gave a faint smile. "Did something happen in Brookfield?"Chloe Bishop met her grandmother's eyes and nodded. She didn't intend to lie, but some things were better left unsaid."Yes. Something did happen. Xavier went there to look into it for me."Zara took her hand and guided her to sit down. "Because of what? If it's not too hard to talk about."Chloe Bishop shook her head.She didn't want to worry her grandmother.Seeing that she wouldn't speak, Zara didn't push. She simply watched Shawn's figure through the window.Before long, Shawn returned from the balcony and handed his phone to Chloe Bishop. "This is your Uncle Elwin. Go have a chat."A look of relief crossed Chloe Bishop's face. She took the phone with both hands and stepped out
Xavier Grayson looked at the item set aside and said, "There's definitely more—and a lot of it. That's the only reason Brookfield got dragged into this mess, with no one daring to step in."Charlie furrowed his brow. "What do we do about this? Should we hand the evidence over to the courts?"Xavier Grayson raised a hand to stop him. "No. Hold on. I suspect this crude oil comes from an unclaimed source—it's probably ownerless right now. If we can get our hands on it, then go through the proper channels to secure the permits and licenses, it could bring us endless resources. That's far more legitimate than whatever scramble they're caught up in."Caesor immediately nodded. "I agree. This batch is like the ore in South Africa—practically a bottomless treasure."Charlie capped the bottle and said coldly, "I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but think about how many people are eyeing this stuff. How exactly do you plan to get it?"Xavier Grayson and Caesor exchanged a glance. Neither sp
Looking into Chloe’s bloodshot eyes, Liam withdrew his probing gaze. He lowered his eyelids, remaining silent and detached, his long lashes veiling whatever emotions stirred beneath.Chloe had always adored Liam’s physical perfection. Even now, standing there in the dim light, he looked like a flaw
Outside the Operating Room.Chloe sat on a plastic chair, still wearing her million-dollar designer wedding dress. She was trembling, sitting as still as a lifeless mannequin. The dress, once pure and white, was now stained with dark, wet patches of blood. Against the crimson stains, her skin looke
Chloe pinched the tiny scrap of black lace between her fingers, her expression filled with pure skepticism. "Are you serious? Is this even wearable?"Wouldn't just pinning him down be faster and more efficient? she thought.Bella rolled her eyes at Chloe’s lack of romantic vision. "What do you know
“Have you found out who did this yet?”Liam Martin’s usually handsome, refined face was currently shrouded in a dark, suffocating shadow. He looked cold and lethal—the literal personification of the calm before a devastating storm.At twenty-four, Liam had spent the last six years clawing his way t







