Angela patted Clara's hand, then turned to the group. "Do you guys like it here?"They all glanced around. Even those who didn't know the backstory sensed something was off, but they couldn't hide their excitement.In all honesty, the place was excellent. It was on the first floor, with easy access to restaurants and transportation. It was quiet and perfect for them to rest or go out to get inspiration."Then let's stay. Get settled in and rest. We'll go out for dinner together tonight," Angela said with a smile.Only a fool would pass up a good deal. Since Dexter was paying, she'd let him spend. It would be even better if it made him broke."Hooray!" They cheered in unison.Trent distributed everyone's room keys but held onto Angela's for a moment."Ms. Graham, please come with me," he said, still wearing his polite smile.Angela felt wary. "My room isn't here?"Trent kept smiling. "You need special security arrangements. Please follow me."Her room wasn't far from the other
"Besides, you remember what Stephen promised us. If we take Angela down, I'll become head of Division One. After that, we won't have to worry about a better future," Zion said in an icy voice. His demeanor now was worlds apart from his usual polite one. In the dark, his eyes gleamed with a cold light."Flora, you had a chance to deal with Alan earlier today, but you missed it. He's our biggest threat. We can't let him—""That's enough." Flora looked away.She wore a ring that had something hidden inside. If she pricked someone with it, the person would be poisoned in a way that caused dizziness and mental confusion for a few days. It wasn't lethal, but it would be enough to keep them from performing their best in the competition.Their mission was to sabotage the other eight designers so that none of them could compete properly.Yet earlier, when Alan tried to help her, Flora couldn't bring herself to go through with it. She was starting to question if it was worth sacrificing t
"Noah arranged it. I didn't expect you'd be asleep when I arrived. That bed was supposed to be mine, so if anyone should feel wronged, it's me." Dexter smirked, tilting his head. A hint of amusement danced around his lips.Angela seethed. She slipped into the walk-in closet and dressed in a hurry. Then, she hauled her suitcase to leave, but Dexter blocked her."If I come in and you go out, people might suspect we're on the rocks. It won't be good for either of our reputations," Dexter said. He held her wrist without much force, yet she couldn't shake free."I don't want to stay in the same suite as you. You annoy me!" She shot him a fierce look and wrenched her hand loose."Stay three days and I'll pay you 100 thousand," he said, flashing his money.Angela stopped in her tracks.The suite was big. There was even a smaller side room. In the worst case, she could sleep there."200 thousand," she countered coldly.Dexter arched an eyebrow. "Deal."…Since the competition was the
Dexter cleared his throat. "I'm hungry."Angela ignored him. She put on her headphones and slipped into the smaller room to study.He felt stifled, so he knocked on the door and called her out. "Come eat with me—I'll give you 100 thousand."That was easy money.Angela got into the MPV Trent had arranged while calculating how much she had made off Dexter in the past few days. It had to be at least 800 thousand by now.He really was loaded, like a walking money tree.The thought settled in her mind. She didn't bother guessing what was going on with him. As long as she got paid, she could handle pretending for a while.The restaurant was set up just for the two of them. There was a violinist and even a ballerina dancing gracefully. A small round table for four sat in a candlelit glow. The soft light made the vast dining hall feel like a dream, almost surreal."What on earth is this?" Angela muttered to herself. She couldn't figure out what Dexter was thinking.Once the servers pr
Zion frowned and was about to argue back. But seeing how pale Flora looked, he just swallowed his words. "Fine."Downstairs, everyone was gathered in the garden hall, where they were playing cards."Oh, everyone's here?" Zion said as he strolled over, trying to appear casual.Angela shot Alan a look.Alan raised an eyebrow, stood up, and walked up to Zion. "Hey, we're playing cards. Come join us." He was an outgoing guy who wore his heart on his sleeve, and everyone knew it.Thus, Zion didn't suspect anything. He naturally reached out to pat Alan on the shoulder.The tiny needle hidden in his ring was so discreet that a simple brush was all it took to get the job done.But when his hand was only a few inches away, Alan suddenly let out a yelp and fell flat on the floor.Seeing someone as tall as him drop so abruptly was quite a sight."What happened?" Angela asked.Alan stood up, grimacing. "I think something jabbed me."Zion's expression changed.A second later, Alan grabb
Zion let out a crazed laugh. With his face flushed from the toxin, he looked almost comical.He sneered in a mocking tone, "Angela? She slept her way up. She's got no real skills. You idiots fell for her sweet talk—ah!"Before he could finish, his face hit the muddy floor. The earthy smell filled his nose, nearly making him gag."How dare you insult her! I'll make you—""Enough." Angela raised a hand to stop Alan. "There's a security camera here. Lock him up in one of the rooms. I'll let Mr. Snowden know and have him decide what to do.""So are you going to compete in his place?" Alan asked.Everyone turned to Angela with hopeful looks, including Flora.Angela sighed. "Looks like I don't have a choice."Fortunately, she hadn't slacked off recently, so stepping in at the last minute didn't faze her.The next day, Angela calmly took Zion's spot in the competition. She drew seat number eight, which happened to be by the window.The theme for the first round of the competition ap
Dexter was speechless."Don't push your luck," he warned through clenched teeth.Angela ended up going downstairs, even if it was only because everyone else was there.The moment she showed up, they got to their feet. They were all smiling—they had clearly prepared beforehand."Angela, come on over. We have your favorite mango juice," Clara said, patting the seat next to her.Angela was about to join Clara, but Dexter pulled her down beside him instead.Clara smiled sheepishly, and the others pretended not to notice. They quickly started complimenting the food and drinks to lighten the mood.Angela soon relaxed as well, chatting and laughing with the others. She was in a great mood.Suddenly, Dexter placed a shrimp ball with wasabi sauce on her plate. It gleamed appetizingly, the kind she'd usually want to eat right away. But it was coming from him, which was a first.Angela's expression flickered, and she didn't pick it up.The others turned toward her."You don't like it?"
As they approached the gate of the castle-like manor, the parking lot was already bustling with luxury cars. It was evident that there were many people inside.Finn said with a faint but charming smile, "Let's go."He embodied all the qualities of a charismatic young man. He had a gentle demeanor that naturally drew people toward him, making them like him even more.Angela linked her arm with his in a relaxed manner as they strolled into the venue side by side.The banquet hall was grand and opulently decorated. Angela's eyes were drawn to the welcome poster at the entrance, which stood about two meters tall.The poster displayed beautiful photographs of the happy couple on their wedding day. The groom had striking features with black hair, green eyes, and fair skin, hinting at his mixed heritage. Standing next to him, the bride exuded grace and elegance.Finn introduced, "This is Julian Lare, a close friend I made while studying here."Arm in arm, the two of them entered the ve
"Ms. Graham, is there any chance you and Mr. Bamford might get back together?""Ms. Graham, once your child is born, will you be raising them as a member of the Bamford family?"Good grief, what kind of questions were these?The press conference had completely flipped the script. Angela wasn't even supposed to be in the spotlight that day, so why was she the one getting bombarded with questions?She was close to showing her displeasure, but she held firm. She couldn't afford to lose composure now. One slip, and everything would fall apart.Taking a deep breath, she stood and addressed the crowd, mic in hand."Thank you for your interest in my personal life, but please allow me to maintain a touch of mystery. Horizon will continue to serve our customers. Thank you all for attending today's event. Goodbye."With that, she gave a polite smile and turned to leave.She was done. It was time to go.Several reporters tried to follow her, but Austin's people quickly stepped in to bloc
Good looks really did have their perks. Frederick's face, paired with a seemingly sincere attitude, managed to soften the tide of criticism in the live stream chat once he started speaking.Some viewers even began defending him, saying things like, "With a face like that, no wonder people go crazy for him and would even be willing to risk it all."While Frederick was still giving his public apology, Austin handed Angela his phone, showing her the live stream chat.Angela casually used her nameplate to shield the screen from view, then glanced down to scan the comments."What were those two rich women thinking? How did they fall for some baby-faced young man who probably hasn't even grown a single chest hair? Can he even satisfy anyone? I'm way better than him.""Why hasn't a classy sugar mama picked me up yet? I'm so good-looking that I'm charmed by my own reflection.""Frederick is definitely hot. These salty guys in the comments are just bitter. They always trash-talk women who
Meanwhile, in the live stream chatroom, someone commented, "Damn, she's got such presence now. She even looks different somehow.""You can question her personal life, but don't you dare question her looks. That face is a masterpiece—like God's magnum opus.""She's just exuding power now. No wonder she used to be with a big shot."At that moment, Dexter was sitting quietly in a conference room adjacent to the venue of the press conference, watching the live stream on his phone.Royce looked puzzled. "Mr. Bamford, you're literally next door. Why not just go over and watch it live?"Dexter had a faint, unreadable smile on his lips. He was completely focused on the live stream comments and didn't even hear Royce's question.It seemed as though people still liked him and Angela as a couple.That was great."Mr. Bamford? Mr. Bamford?" Royce waved his hand in front of Dexter. "Should we head inside to watch?""Where?" Dexter's smile dropped instantly, his face turning cold.The conf
To avoid any long-term repercussions from Frederick's scandal, Angela decided to put an end to it once and for all.She arranged for the PR department to hold a press conference, where she would personally represent the company and address the situation in public."Are you serious? You're actually going to do it yourself? Isn't that a little unnecessary?" Ingrid was surprised when she heard Angela's plan. "We can handle this ourselves. There's no need for you to make an appearance."Ingrid had a hunch about Angela's reasoning. Angela was currently the talk of the town, with discussions about her wherever she went.If she appeared in the public eye to bear the brunt of the criticism or insults, it would take much of the pressure off Horizon.It was a calculated risk."There's no need to dissuade me." Angela added indifferently while packing up her things, "I've already made up my mind. If I can't take responsibility for something like this, then what kind of CEO am I? What kind of
These old-fashioned, narrow-minded fossils! When would they finally evolve some new brain cells?Angela kept that thought to herself, forcing down a sigh. Just as another board member was about to voice their doubts again, Ingrid stood up."I support Ms. Graham's proposal." With a voice full of resolve, she made her point and made sure it stuck."Ms. Graham's capabilities are evident to all of us. I trust she can balance her health and responsibilities, and I have full confidence in her sharp insight and sound judgment."She has a keener sense of market trends and consumer demand than most people here. And if this policy is implemented, it will undoubtedly elevate our company's image and increase public goodwill—a form of hidden capital that's hard to quantify."Without using grand words or fanfare, she expressed herself calmly, but her energy and passion were impossible to miss.Angela was honestly taken aback. She hadn't expected Ingrid to speak up for her at such a crucial m
With Angela already feeling incredibly unwell, this naturally was the last straw for her."Yes, I am pregnant, and I'm indeed experiencing morning sickness, but I haven't let it interfere with my work. So why should I be criticized for it?"She was pretty composed as she calmly yet firmly directed her powerful question at the board member who had expressed his displeasure.The man scratched his bald head awkwardly."Ms. Graham, since you're unwell, you should hand over your responsibilities to the COO for the time being and go home to rest. It's only natural for women to take time off during pregnancy. As such, someone else should temporarily fill your position."Oh, heck no. This was a disguised attempt at a coup if she had ever heard one.If she showed weakness now—if she gave in to this veiled attempt to push her out—then what hope would any other pregnant employee in the company have?"Tell me, has my existence inconvenienced you personally in any way?" Her brow raised, she
"Currently, people online are speculating that you'll get back together with Mr. Bamford and that he still has feelings for you and is trying to win you back," Joanne added bluntly, conveying her thoughts just as she had been asked to.Angela was so speechless that she nearly choked on her water.She grabbed her phone to check out the trending topics herself. She'd been so busy lately—rushing around nonstop, working through even her worst morning sickness—that she hadn't had time to keep up with the gossip.A comment read, "Gotta hand it to her—she's seriously badass. We watched her go from a discarded wife to a business mogul, and now she's involved with a hot young guy.""Right? I think she made the right call by getting a divorce. Sure, Dexter's rich and handsome, but Angela's not hurting for cash. Staring at the same face every day? Anyone would get tired of that.""But does Dexter still have feelings for her or what? Why is he always showing up wherever she is? The paparazzi
With a sorrowful gaze, Frederick looked at Angela, clearly trying to tug at her heartstrings."Ms. Graham, I had no choice… If I hadn't done that, I would've been tormented to death…" While begging for mercy, he tried to inch closer to Angela and reach for her hand."Get lost." Before Angela could speak, Dexter snapped coldly, swatting Frederick's hand away.Frederick was then escorted out.The gossip at the company only grew more outrageous after that. Some even claimed Angela had gone too far, so much so that even her ex-husband, Dexter, couldn't bear to watch any longer and personally stepped in to handle the problem.Ingrid came to see Angela. "Ms. Graham, how would you like to handle this?"Unexpectedly, she wasn't as emotional as usual, and her eyes no longer held their usual hostility as she faced Angela.Raising an eyebrow, Angela asked instead of answering, "What can you do?" "Fire Frederick, release a formal apology, appease public opinion with some customer incentiv
Angela instinctively wanted to avoid it, but she told herself she couldn't back down. After a brief pause, she nodded firmly. "Austin, this baby is mine. I'll do everything I can to protect the baby."Austin was momentarily stunned. After a long silence, he finally said, "If you've already made up your mind..."But halfway through, he suddenly stood up. He placed his hands on his hips and paced around the office.It was clear he couldn't bring himself to accept the reality. He was visibly upset. "You could have another baby anytime. Why are you so hung up on this one? You still can't let go of him, can you?""That's right," Angela answered without hesitation, speaking her mind bluntly.Both of them froze for a moment.Austin frowned deeply. He stared at her for a long time, a trace of self-mockery flashing in his eyes. He already knew the answer. Why had he even bothered to ask? "Austin, stop pushing me. This baby is my bottom line. As long as I have the baby, I can keep myse