Freya hurried after Angela, her voice shaky as she called out, "Ms. Graham, Ms. Graham... I've transferred the money back to you. Please, take it. I was wrong." Her face went pale. She regretted her actions and wished she could turn back time."You were a talented designer recruited by HR with a substantial salary. How is it that you've lost sight of your original goals and allowed yourself to become a puppet for that fool, Bryan?" Angela sneered.Freya's eyes turned red. "Ms. Graham, we have our own struggles as well. Bryan is merciless, far from human. He always targets vulnerable women like us. Anyone who dares to defy him will be..."Halfway through her words, Freya broke down in tears. Angela sighed and grabbed a tissue from her bag for Freya to dry her face. Her expression softened. "Don't cry. I'm not mad at you."In the workplace, women indeed endured greater pressure than men, and this was something Angela had long been accustomed to seeing. While Freya and the othe
Freya tactfully hid behind Angela and Zack, trying to minimize her presence as much as possible.Angela glanced at him, feeling that his thin face exuded a sense of righteousness. She couldn't help but develop a favorable impression of him. "Are you Maverick Newton?"Maverick frowned, staring intently at Angela, whose expression was layered with complexity. He said firmly, "Who are you then? No matter who you are, leave my house now.""He doesn't even recognize the CEO. What good can he be?" Zack thought, casting a doubtful glance at Maverick before shifting his gaze to Freya. Freya felt even more awkward and murmured, "Mr. Newton, this is Ms. Angela Graham, the CEO of Graham Group. You must have seen her picture online, right?" Maverick was nonchalant. "So what? I've already submitted my resignation. I'm no longer a part of Graham Group, and I have nothing to do with it. Stop bothering me." He seemed quite irritated."Mr. Newton, Bryan has already been dealt with by Ms. G
Maverick felt complicated. After a moment of silence, he let out a bitter laugh. "I was forced to resign by Bryan and his lackeys. Can I really go back?"The thought alone filled him with anger. He had dedicated years of hard work to the company, yet he had been sidelined and suppressed, reduced to a mere outcast. In the end, Bryan had even demoted him to the finance department, where he had been left to be humiliated. "Have faith. I believe in you," Angela replied coldly. The next morning, Maverick returned to Celestia Jewels. The moment he stepped into the meeting room, the deputy general manager, Taylor Monroe, let out a cold sneer. He was Bryan's right-hand man and Maverick's former rival."Maverick, your resignation has already been approved. Didn't HR inform you? You don't need to come back anymore. You already took your belongings when you left. So why are you here?" Taylor stood up from the main seat, smirking at Maverick.The two had once been evenly matched rivals,
Everyone was well aware that Celestia Jewels was merely hanging by a thread. All it would take was one final blow, and it would collapse.Maverick's gaze was icy. "As long as I'm here, the company will never fall."The news of Maverick becoming Celestia Jewels' new general manager sent shockwaves throughout the company. No one knew the reason behind it. He was just a low-level accountant, yet he had suddenly risen to become the company's leader. All they knew was that Maverick was resolute. As soon as he took charge, he dismissed many of the top executives in Celestia Jewels. Fear spread like wildfire. For a time, everyone became cautious, no longer daring to act recklessly.Just two days later, Angela unexpectedly arrived at the company, leaving employees stunned, especially those who had begun to question Maverick's leadership. Together, Angela and Maverick took clear actions to show their commitment to a fresh start, assuring everyone that Celestia Jewels was leaving its co
"I'm Maverick Newton, the person in charge of Celestia Jewels," he said, handing over his business card.Naomi frowned, accepting the business card with skepticism. But after a glance, she realized he was legitimate. Then, she took out the gold bracelet she had bought, along with the official testing report, and threw them in front of Maverick. "See for yourself."Maverick examined them seriously and confirmed that they were truly fake.At that moment, Angela spoke up. "Ms. Naomi, I want to express my heartfelt apologies. On behalf of our company, I extend a formal apology to you. We'd like to provide you with compensation. Please take a moment to review it."After that, she retrieved three plain gold bangles of equal weight from her bag and offered them with both hands."And you... Who are you to represent Celestia Jewels?" Naomi asked, staring at Angela in disbelief."She's Ms. Angela Graham, the CEO of Graham Group," Maverick remarked gently. Naomi was dumbfounded, and she
Fortunately, as the first batch of deceived customers received their compensation from Celestia Jewels, public interest surged, and the company's credibility slowly began to recover.For the past two days, Angela and Maverick had been working in perfect coordination—Maverick focused on handling the crisis, while Angela worked tirelessly to recruit new talent.The company lacked professionals in many areas, especially management. Although the two of them were doing their best to keep everything afloat, there was simply no way they could handle every little thing on their own.Angela decided to bring Clara over, hoping she could temporarily transfer some staff from the headquarters to Celestia Jewels until new employees were hired.Although Clara agreed, most employees were reluctant to go when they heard that the assignment required a long-term stay in Yedren. Even the promise of double the pay and better benefits couldn't tempt them away from home.When Angela didn't get a reply f
"What the…" Zack was stunned for a moment. "Dexter, can you teleport? This morning, you said you were still in a meeting."Dexter raised an arrogant eyebrow. "What's so difficult about teleporting?" He walked straight to the couch Angela was on and waved a hand in front of her. "Are you alright? You look pale."Angela still looked weak and lifeless as she sat there. Suddenly, something crossed her mind, and she got up abruptly, only to nearly collapse due to weakness in her legs.Luckily, she managed to grab the couch's backrest just in time."What's wrong? Why are you so worked up?" Dexter frowned."This flu is spreading fast. There's a high chance people in our company are already infected, but we desperately need manpower right now. I need to find a solution…""Just sit for now." Exasperated, Dexter pushed her back onto the couch. "I'll have someone find out."He sounded completely natural, as if there was no distance between them.Angela, however, felt uneasy about this. "N
Angela gave a nod. "Grandpa, I won't meddle unnecessarily."She had no habit of meddling in matters that didn't concern her, but she would step in when it came to the people she cared about.She stayed at Bamford Manor for two days, taking turns with Dexter to look after Joseph. On the third day, she finally got in touch with Mia.Mia sounded weak over the phone, as if she had also caught the flu. Her frail voice made Angela's heart ache.After discussing it with Dexter, Angela made up her mind to visit Mia in person.It had only been a short while since they had last met, but Mia's belly had grown considerably. Moving around had become a challenge for her."What happened to you? How did you end up like this?" Angela was startled the moment she walked in and saw Mia curled up on the couch, looking pale.As far as Angela could remember, Mia had always been a fashionable and strikingly beautiful woman. It was clear how gorgeous she was just from how obsessed Zayn had always been w
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