Everyone knew that they would have been through hell without Angela's self-sacrifice during this trip to Montivale."No, the disaster was my fault. I had to do what I did. I needed to shield you at the critical moment rather than let you all endure fear alongside me," Angela said.The group fell silent, tears welling in everyone's eyes."Alright. We should be glad that we're all fine, okay? Anyway, we won the championship. Those guys in Division Two must be so envious, no?" Angela remarked with a smile.Alan snorted. "Them? Even if they tried, they couldn't even be us. Angela, Mr. Snowden said he'd only present the rewards after you returned. It could be today or tomorrow."Not long after he said that, Callum personally arrived at the design department with two of his assistants.He gathered everyone for a brief meeting."Ms. Graham led her small team to brave the competition, and they lived up to expectations, bringing back excellent results. Let's give a round of applause for
Angela couldn't quite explain it, but whenever Callum was in front of her, she could feel his genuine care for her, as if he were an elder sibling of hers.This feeling was both grounding and reassuring."We'll first extend an olive branch to Graham Group and show Bill your worth. Then, I'll propose that if they want to keep working with DawnStar long-term, they'll need to reinstate you. He surely won't say no." Callum maintained his smile, his expression as warm as the sun.Angela gave a solemn nod. "Thank you, Mr. Snowden. Your immense kindness and support can only be repaid by more hard work from me."Originally, she had planned to build her reputation and gather strength here before daring to confront Bill as an equal.She hadn't expected Callum to offer her such an opportunity voluntarily. It was almost unbelievable."However…" Callum sighed lightly. "Even after you return to Graham Group, you'll still need to remain DawnStar's specially contracted designer."Angela froze a
Zack looked embarrassed. "It was those so-called friends of mine who ate everything. I only had two sodas, and now my stomach's completely empty. "They tricked me. They ordered all the most expensive stuff, and I didn't have enough money to pay. I... Anyway, I'm never treating them to a meal again.""And you still don't realize how foolish you were by counting their money after they sold you out," Angela said sternly.The three of them went to an Eastern cuisine restaurant, and all the dishes they ordered were Zack's favorites. As soon as the food arrived, he dug in with enthusiasm.His carefree, oblivious demeanor was frustrating to watch."By the way, I need to discuss something with you," Angela said. "I want to join the family business, and I need your help.""What kind of help?" Zack asked, his mouth full of seafood. "But if it's work-related, don't bother. I have no say with Dad. He doesn't think much of me."Angela lowered her head, thinking for a moment, then smiled sly
The visitor was none other than Angela's cold and unfeeling father, Bill.That morning, as soon as Bill stepped out of his house, a crowd of reporters bombarded him. They relentlessly pelted him with questions for nearly half an hour, giving him an extreme headache.Thinking he could escape the chaos by heading to the company, he arrived only to find another group of people waiting for him at the entrance.To make matters worse, every employee in the company had already received a video of him and Judy holding a funeral for Angela—all while she was still alive. Now, everyone knew he had hurriedly organized a funeral for his daughter when she was perfectly fine.Before long, Graham Group's stock price had plummeted to an all-time low.Bill had never faced such a crisis.His first thought was that Angela was deliberately seeking revenge.Angela spoke calmly, "And why would I do that? If I wanted to cause trouble, why didn't I release this right when it happened?"But Bill, st
A bold thought flashed through Bill's mind. It would be perfect If he could secure this contract.It would help dispel the rumors about his rift with Angela and bring enormous benefits to the company."Hello, Mr. Jameson. Good afternoon. Oh, you want me to visit tomorrow for an on-site evaluation, right? Let me think about it."Angela answered the phone, but before she could say anything more, Bill snatched the phone from her and hung up."What are you doing?" Angela snapped. "Give it back! I've been trying to get an appointment with Mr. Jameson for ages. I'm really interested in working with him!"Seeing her flustered expression, Bill was convinced she wasn't faking it. The idea he had grew stronger."Look," he said. "Since you're looking for a partner, why not just choose Graham Group? Why bother with outsiders? What's wrong with you?""No," Angela replied immediately, without hesitation. Mr. Jameson is the best fit. I can't choose you. People would think I'm using my position
Angela was in an excellent mood today. Even the breeze on her way to the office felt refreshing. However, upon arriving at the company, she noticed something was off. People looked at her with a mix of sympathy and strange expressions."What's going on?" Angela called Clara over.Clara appeared a bit uncomfortable, hesitating for some time before saying, "Ms. Graham, rumors are going around that you were kidnapped in Montivale by some thugs for days, and... And those men... You know..."Angela's mind went blank for a moment, the ringing in her ears growing louder. Who would be vile enough to spread such disgusting rumors? Didn't they have any shame for creating such trouble for her?"Go back to your work," Angela said coldly. "No, come with me to the PR department."The two of them made their way to the PR department head's office. As they reached the door, they could hear voices from inside."How should we handle this? Ms. Graham is one of our company's rising stars. She hel
Fiona raised an eyebrow and shot Callum a disdainful look."I've already had someone handle this. It won't be necessary...""No need," Fiona interrupted, walking over to Angela. "My daughter-in-law is involved in a public scandal, and as her mother-in-law, of course, I need to step in. You can leave this to me."With that, she pulled Angela away."Hey, what are you doing? He's my boss!" Angela tried to pull her hand back, turning to give Callum an apologetic smile.But Fiona's grip was unyielding, and no matter how much Angela struggled, she couldn't break free.She was forcibly dragged out and shoved into a car."Where are we going?" Angela was utterly confused."To have some fun." Fiona took a deep breath. "Just treat it as keeping me company. I haven't been out for a stroll in three years, six months, and twelve days."Angela was at a loss for words.Damn, she suddenly felt an unexpected twinge of sympathy for this miserable woman.After spending most of the day out, they
The room was empty except for Zion, who was engrossed in a video game on the large screen."You're here. Take a seat. My friends left earlier. They had something to do," Zion said without looking up, his focus completely on the game.Nora sneered at his carefree behavior. "All you ever do is play games. Don't you think it's time you got a job? You can't rely on others forever, can you?"To Nora, Zion was nothing more than a lapdog who made money for her to spend. Now that he couldn't even do that, he was of no use to her.But he was handsome. He was a true pretty boy and was easy on the eyes."Alright, I get it," Zion said, setting the controller down and turning off the game.He walked over and sat before Nora, wrapping his arms around her.Nora frowned, feeling irritated. "You stink, so don't touch me.""Come on, we haven't been close in days. Let me kiss you," Zion said, taking advantage of the moment. He pulled her into an embrace, his lips moving closer to hers. "I gave
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
Angela asked, "Who is your current partner? Do you know who spread this rumor?"Frederick scratched his head, looking completely at a loss. "Ms. Serrano and I are in a normal relationship. As for who dug up my past, I really have no idea. I swear I'm innocent."Kara Serrano was an A-list celebrity. Though she was already 40, she was known in the entertainment world for her youthful appearance. Her skin was flawless and radiant—the kind that countless people envied.Angela wondered if she could also date a fresh graduate when she turned 40. She could take good care of herself and make a lot of money. She would be more than willing to spend lavishly on a young boyfriend.Dexter cleared his throat again, giving her a resentful look tinged with anger. It was as if he could see right through her and knew what she was thinking. Angela suddenly felt guilty for no reason and quickly looked away.But to Austin, who caught that brief exchange of glances, it looked like a sign that the two