“Linda?” Marvin read the girl’s name off the business card, casting her a cold glance.The girl quickly nodded and bowed, smiling. “Yes, it’s me, in the flesh!”Still talking slick when she’s in such deep trouble? Was she raised in a den of rogues?Marvin frowned but didn’t engage her further. Instead, he tucked her business card into his pocket.The elevator reached their floor.“Get out. Walk ahead,” Marvin ordered, pushing the girl out of the elevator, treating her like a criminal being escorted.When they arrived at his apartment door, Marvin scanned his fingerprint to unlock it and gave her a push. She stumbled inside.He shut the door and locked it.She didn’t scream. Instead, she stood still, turning around with a pitiful look on her face. Submissively, she said, “Young Master, I don’t have the looks or the figure. Since you’ve made your
"Business?" Marvin snorted coldly and looked up at her.His once handsome features were now shadowed by a layer of sadness, making him appear somewhat grim and sinister.The girl, however, showed no fear. She met his gaze with a glint of slyness in her eyes.Pouring herself a glass of wine, she swirled the drink, her lips curling into a smirk as she glanced sideways at Marvin."Your beloved woman became your sister-in-law. I bet you’re not happy about that, are you, Young Master?"Marvin tightened his grip on the glass, his expression growing darker and more terrifying."Spit it out. I don’t have time for your nonsense," he said, his tone ice-cold.He was skilled at reading people. Whether they were celebrities or street thugs, he’d encountered all kinds.This woman, Linda, was no exception. The look on her face now clearly indicated she was holding a trump card.She smiled, a slyness that didn’t quite match her age.
After Mary returned to Elfhedge, she worked in domestic services, and one of her employers was Lisa. Upon learning that Lisa knew Kendrick, she hoped Lisa could help her get in touch with him.However, Lisa told her that Kendrick had already married a young lady.Emilia was kind-hearted and gentle, unwilling to disturb him further, but Mary felt her daughter had been wronged. So, through Lisa, she proactively sought out Kendrick, hoping he would take responsibility for Emilia.But Kendrick was indecisive, delaying over and over again. He continued to be affectionate with Annabelle while still maintaining a complicated relationship with Emilia.Later, Mary discovered that Lisa also had feelings for Kendrick and even became mentally unstable because of him.So, Kendrick was juggling three women at once!Mary was about to expose him when she accidentally bumped into Linda at the psychiatric hospital, which led to this conversation.After
Marvin wrote a check for Linda, who reached out to take it. However, Marvin suddenly raised his hand, stopping her. "Don’t even think about running. I’ll have people keep an eye on you until you bring Emilia to me."Linda smirked. "Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid. Besides, who would turn down money?"Marvin snorted. "It’s best if that’s true."He reached for his glass again, but Linda grabbed it out of his hand."Mr.Gregory, you need to get a grip. Stop drinking. It’s a troublemaker, didn’t you learn your lesson the last time you got humiliated?" She glanced at his lower abdomen and winked.Teased again, Marvin grew angry and annoyed, reaching out to grab her chin. But the little woman quickly dodged and slipped away.Linda left the room, and the place fell quiet.Marvin took another sip of his drink.He couldn’t help but imagine the future.When Annabelle sees Emili
As Kendrick had expected, Seraphina indeed showed up.He glanced at Jax and signaled him with his eyes. Jax tore the tape off Seraphina’s mouth.Kendrick approached Seraphina. "Miss Seraphina, I apologize for treating you so roughly."Seraphina gave him a cold look."How did you know I would come?"Kendrick curled his lips slightly. "It was fairly easy to guess."The day Annabelle visited the calligraphy and painting market, she had an accidental encounter with Seraphina, and coincidentally, she lost the key to Lavender Villa that day.Kendrick didn’t believe it was a coincidence. He suspected that Seraphina had stolen Annabelle’s key.If Seraphina had stolen the key, what did she want to do with it?Kendrick had considered many possibilities—was she planning to infiltrate Lavender Villa and assassinate him? It was possible, after all, Seraphina was under Ryan, and she might be carrying out an ass
“This medicine really can help detoxify Miss Sanchez’s body. The one she’s taking now, however, is actually toxic,” Seraphina said.Kendrick lightly shifted the small bottle in his hand and gave Seraphina a sharp look.“But the results of Annabelle’s physical check-up are already out, and there’s no sign of any toxins in her body. She doesn’t need detoxifying,” Kendrick responded.Seraphina smirked. “The doctors don’t even know what kind of poison she’s been exposed to. There are hundreds of types of neurotoxins. If there’s no clear history of poisoning or obvious symptoms, they can only rule them out one by one. By the time they find out what it is, the person might already be gone. The screenings you’re doing now are far from thorough.”Kendrick tightened his lips.That was actually true. Dr. Jay, an immunology expert, had said the same to him.Based
Kendrick's gratitude toward Seraphina was genuine. At the same time, he wanted her to understand that in the battle between him and Ryan, if Ryan ultimately lost, he would let her go and not make her do anything harmful to him or Annabelle out of desperation.Seraphina was momentarily stunned, then smiled faintly. "The likelihood of me needing your help is low, but I do appreciate your words.""There's no need to speak too soon, but this is my promise to you."After saying this, Kendrick gave a brief glance at Elio. "Elio, take Miss Seraphina away."Elio nodded in acknowledgment and shot a cold glare at Seraphina. "Go."Seraphina gave a sly smile to Elio. "The stone outside Lavender Villa's gate has a listening device. I installed it. You might want to take it down soon."Elio froze for a moment, his face turning red in both embarrassment and anger."Got it!" he muttered back.After Seraphina was sent away by Elio, Kendrick too
Annabelle remained unaware of everything that was happening around her.However, she overheard Kendrick talking on the phone with Dr. White and learned that the analysis of the medicine the Young Master had given her had been completed.Concerned that Annabelle might discover the ingredients, Kendrick decided to tell her the components of the non-toxic medicine.Annabelle sighed after hearing it, telling Kendrick that she had originally intended to learn how to make the medicine herself by analyzing its components, so she could continue managing her health in the future. But after hearing the names of the trace elements, she realized it would be impossible to do it herself.With modern medical techniques, the elements in traditional medicine can be analyzed, but without a prescription, it is impossible to recreate the medicine. This is one of the mysterious aspects of Traditional medicine.She could try asking the Young Master, but since he hadn't
Julissa wondered—could it be that Scott didn’t have a membership card and had used Heather’s instead?She temporarily stepped away from the front desk and sat in the lounge area, trying to figure out what to do next.Technically, she could just call Scott and ask him to bring her in.But she didn’t want to do that. She wanted to show up unannounced, catch them off guard, and completely disrupt their rhythm.And besides, if she were stopped outside and had to wait for Scott to come out and fetch her, it would feel like she had already lost to Heather in terms of presence and pride.So, that plan was a no-go.Should she just wait until they came out? But the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she felt.Why should she waste her time waiting around like this while they got to enjoy their date?Just as she was lost in frustration, a male voice called out to her.“Julissa?”Julissa closed her eyes. She didn’t even need to turn around—the voice alone was enough to know who it was.S
Julissa quickly grabbed Scott’s hand. “Don’t worry about it.”He curled his lips into a smile and obediently let go, then swept her up into his arms and carried her back to the bed…The next morning, Julissa sat up, rubbing her throbbing temples and aching body—only to find the bed empty.Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains onto her body. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Eleven a.m.Crap! She was late!No, this wasn’t just being late—she’d completely skipped work!“Mr. Nichols?” she called toward the bedroom door. No response. Clearly, the big boss had already gone to the office.She reached for her phone by the pillow—then suddenly remembered she’d used it to record video last night. Scott had gone to take a shower, and she’d been so exhausted she’d fallen asleep without even thinking about it.The phone had to still be on the windowsill.Barefoot, she got out of bed and pulled back the curtain. Sure enough, the phone was still there, screen down and nearly burnin
After dinner, they cleaned up the kitchen together. Then Scott went to take a shower, while Julissa headed to the bedroom.She placed her phone on the windowsill, hidden behind the curtain. Only a sheer layer covered it—just enough to keep things from being too explicit. As long as his voice was clearly captured, a blurry image would actually be even better.After all, the last thing she wanted was for every man at his future wedding to see her naked on the big screen.Yes—she was going to record her night with Mr. Nichols.Just like those classic evil ex-girlfriends in dramas, she planned to send the footage straight to his future wife. And better yet—broadcast it at their wedding.Sure, this move was one of those you hurt me, I’ll destroy us both kind of deals.But whatever. She, Julissa, was just a nobody, a little shrimp in the vast sea of high society. Once she left this circle, she could go back to her own little life.Even if she couldn't return to a peaceful life, she would do
Julissa was startled by his sudden move. She quickly turned around and smiled at Scott. “Maybe my period is coming. I’m just feeling a little low.”He paused for a second, as if just realizing what she meant by “period,” then gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.“You girls get emotional because of that?”Julissa forced a small smile. “Of course. We get moody, feel down for no reason, and crave all kinds of heavy flavors.”Scott raised an eyebrow. “Oh? So what’s Julissa craving today?”Julissa immediately sensed where this was going and shot him a glare. “Definitely not what you’re thinking.”“What am I thinking?” Scott’s gaze lingered on her lips, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.Truth be told, Julissa wasn’t in the mood to flirt, so she backed away slightly. “Mr. Nichols, behave yourself…”He didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her.Julissa wanted to push him away, but her hands were covered in marinade and seasoning from preparing the fish.
That one sentence struck deep.Instinctively, Julissa glanced at the ring on her left middle finger, thinking of what Scott had said to her.That night, when he gave her the ring, he had told her it wasn’t an engagement ring—just something to wear for now, and that when the time came for a proposal, he would give her something even better.She believed his words.So even though what Mrs. Nichols just said shocked her, and even brought a momentary pang to her chest, she didn’t believe it.“How do you know he won’t marry me?”Honestly, Julissa even wanted to ask, How do you know I’d definitely agree to marry him? A girl’s got her pride too.But now wasn’t the time to nitpick. She just wanted to know where Mrs. Nichols got the confidence to say so definitively that Scott wouldn’t marry her.Mrs. Nichols didn’t seem like the type to lie, and that only made Julissa more determined to find out the truth.“Then I’ll be blunt,” Mrs. Nichols said. “Tomorrow at 7 p.m., he’s going to meet Miss H
Walking beside Mrs. Nichols was another senior executive from the Nichols Group, one of the company’s veterans. The two of them were chatting and laughing, clearly in good spirits.Why is Mrs. Nichols still here? Has she been at the company the whole day?But then again, she was the former president’s wife. It was only natural for her to be on familiar terms with the old guard.Julissa quickly lowered her head, pretending she hadn’t seen anything, hoping Mrs. Nichols hadn’t noticed her either.She scrolled aimlessly through her phone, clearly distracted. She knew she should go up and greet her, but kept telling herself there was no point in exchanging a few perfunctory words. Better to stay in ostrich mode.More importantly, she was feeling guilty—her first impression with her future mother-in-law had been far from ideal. Or maybe it was just that Mrs. Nichols had such an overwhelming presence that Julissa dreaded facing her alone.She couldn’t help but wonder again—what kind of man m
Julissa truly felt like she could never win against this man. Talking to him was like navigating a minefield—one careless step, and she’d fall right into his trap.But it was still working hours, after all. Julissa thought his sudden surge of interest was way too unexpected, leaving her flustered and completely unprepared.“Mr. Nichols, what do you take me for?” she asked, breathless.“What do I take you for?”As each button was slowly undone, Julissa felt like her face was about to combust.“I’m not the kind of woman who’d… who’d just let herself get harassed for a bonus!”“Then just pretend you’re harassing me,” Scott said casually.Julissa blinked. That’s allowed?But actually, if she flipped the roles in her mind—if she imagined herself as the one taking advantage of him—somehow, it felt a bit more tolerable.Scott’s hands didn’t stop moving. They were already at her waist. “Besides,” he murmured, “you went back on your word. There’s got to be a price for that.”Julissa was hot an
Kendrick resumed his earlier position, leaning against the headboard. “The Nichols family still has some unresolved issues—they’re definitely in no place to plan a wedding right now.”“I see…” Annabelle nodded thoughtfully. “But Julissa’s dad also said they had to be together for at least a year before they could get married, just to prevent them from being impulsive.”Kendrick didn’t respond further. He got out of bed and walked around to Annabelle’s side, scooping her up in his arms.“What are you doing now?” Annabelle asked in alarm.Kendrick chuckled helplessly. “Time to wash up, remember? You said your legs were too weak to walk.”…The Next Morning, Times GroupWhen Julissa went to the staff lounge to get water, she overheard her colleagues excitedly chatting about their quarterly bonuses.When they saw her, they couldn't help gossiping. They said that Miss Hickman had been working overtime again and had even completed another project, so her bonus would surely be substantial.J
That morning, after Agatha left the the Whitney Group, she died in a car accident that afternoon.The killer wasn’t Dereon, and it certainly wasn’t Ryan. Since he had promised to let her go, he wasn’t someone who would go back on his word.But Ryan knew exactly who did it—because right after Agatha’s death, he received a phone call.On the other end, the man said coldly, “Little Ryan, this is how you deal with traitors.”Ryan understood—this was a warning. A warning that if he dared to betray them, dared to spare Kendrick again, then whether it was Ryan himself, Anna, or anyone close to him, they’d all end up like Agatha.At this point, it was no longer a matter of wanting to kill Kendrick or not—it was something he had to do.Otherwise, the one who would die… would be him.Ryan downed his drink in one gulp.Dereon continued, “Young Master, I’m grateful you didn’t punish me and only assigned me overseas. But I still don’t think I did anything wrong. And that Sid—how could he possibly