But gradually, Mia started noticing something was off.Susan always seemed to be around, whether intentionally or not. On top of that, she paid special attention to who Mia was in contact with. Every time Mia made a call, Susan would position herself no more than ten feet away.As a pregnant woman, Mia was naturally more sensitive than usual. After testing things a few times, she became—Susan was monitoring her.What was even more infuriating was that Susan blatantly started interfering in her daily life. From what she ate and wore to whether she could leave the house, Susan even outright told her that she should minimize going out and let others handle company affairs.It was absurd.Mia wasn't someone who could be easily controlled, but in the past few days, she had caught the flu. Because she was pregnant and couldn't take any medication, she had no choice but to endure it. This gave Susan complete leverage over her.If Mia hadn't secretly called Angela while in the bathroom t
"Angela, how could this happen? This is impossible… Zayn promised me that once our child is born, he will take us abroad to settle down and never return. How did things turn out like this?"Tears of despair welled up in Mia's eyes, and her whole body trembled.Angela gripped the steering wheel tightly, remaining silent. She didn't want to speak because the moment she did, she knew she'd start cursing.Mia wept in soft, scattered sobs, but they lasted only a short while before she wiped away her tears."Angela, thank you. Thank you for getting me out of there. Otherwise, I would still be an ignorant fool!"Gritting her teeth, Mia scoffed. "Since Zayn has chosen to betray me, he can't blame me for what happens next!"Angela turned to look at her in surprise, almost in disbelief. Hadn't Mia been crying and heartbroken just 20 minutes ago? Was she fine now?Mia had already dried her tears at that point. She even smiled at herself in the mirror.Noticing Angela's gaze, she turned an
Dexter wasn't defending Zayn; he was merely stating the facts calmly."But that doesn't make it okay. He might be fine with it, and sure, Mrs. Jewell would never harm her own son, but for them to team up and deceive Mia, who's an outsider, is utterly despicable!" Angela fumed, her hands on her hips.She was so fired up that she might as well start a revolution.Dexter remained silent, his shadow stretching long beside her under the setting sun, exuding an inexplicable sense of loneliness.Noticing the odd atmosphere, Angela turned to ask, "Is there something you want to say?" Dexter scratched his nose. "Uh… I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Mia might want to check her assets to ensure everything is in order."Angela's eyes widened instantly, staring at him in disbelief. She had a bad feeling about this."You… Do you mean…""Yes." Dexter nodded. "Mrs. Jewell might not come from a prestigious background herself, but she managed to marry into the Jewell family with her intell
"Mia! Mia, you have to pull yourself together." After a brief moment, Angela helped her up and sighed. "Think carefully—did you sign anything you shouldn't have? Did Leroy deceive you? That's your company, your livelihood. We can't just sit here and do nothing!"Mia looked pale. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to sit upright and think.A few days ago, Leroy had indeed come to see her. At that time, she hadn't seen anyone besides Susan for days, so she had been overjoyed to see him.Then, Leroy had handed her a pile of documents to review, with a few requiring her signature.As they had chatted, Leroy had mentioned he had his eye on several small clubs and planned to acquire them to expand their business.Mia had already handed over most of the company's operations to him by then. Before doing so, she had also been involved in discussions about acquisitions, so she trusted Leroy deeply.At first, she had carefully reviewed every document. However, Leroy had kept glancing a
Angela exchanged a glance with Lynn, who stepped forward respectfully to accept the invitation.Riley's expression darkened—she clearly hadn't expected Mia to be so composed and effortlessly deflect her provocation."This invitation is for you," Riley said, her tone sharpening as she clenched her teeth. "It's inappropriate for someone else to accept it on your behalf.""Angie, who's here?" Just then, Zack stumbled out of the guest room groggily, rubbing his eyes. But the moment he spotted Riley, his brows furrowed."It's you again, you wicked woman! What the hell are you doing in our house? You're not welcome here. Get lost!" Looking utterly disgusted, Zack launched straight into a full-on verbal attack.Riley paled and instinctively stepped back, recalling the last time Zack had humiliated her in public."Angela, control your brother!" she snapped coldly."Shut your mouth!" Zack sneered, snatching the invitation from Riley's hands. "What the hell is this? Ha! An invitation? Are
Riley's face went rigid, her eyes locking onto Angela as they slowly reddened.How could Zayn possibly love her? And how could he ever be willing to marry her?His heart had long been stolen by Mia, and he only had eyes for her. No matter what Riley did, she couldn't force herself into his heart. Yet, she refused to accept that.She and Zayn had grown up together. She had loved him so deeply, so desperately, for so long—there was no way she could just stand by and watch another woman take him away.As such, she had turned to Florence, offering her a deal. If Florence could make Zayn be with her, she was willing to give away at least half of the Zamora family's fortune to him.And Florence, greedy as she was, was instantly swayed by the offer."That is between me and him," Riley spat, unwilling to admit defeat. "Once we're married, we'll be bound to each other as husband and wife. No one will be able to take him from me ever again.""How foolish can you be? You're really willing
It was truly incomprehensible. "I know." Mia was also in tears as she gently helped Zayn up. "I know you're doing this for me. I understand."Angela was baffled. Was Mia even hearing herself? Had she gone mad?Angela was on the verge of losing it. If Mia let herself be trampled on again this time, Angela might just have to cut ties with her."Really?" Zayn's face lit up with joy, his eyes brimming with excitement. "That's great! I knew you'd—"Mia suddenly interrupted him, her tone shifting, "But… you need to explain to me why my assets are now under your mother's name."The smile on Zayn's face froze instantly. He stared at her in disbelief, speechless for a long moment. "What? How is that possible?""You can check for yourself." Mia sighed softly. "Zayn, you're the one I trust, not your mother. You have three days. I need my assets back in my name. Otherwise, I will take legal action."Zayn's expression turned grim. He had clearly never expected Florence to do something like
Listening to the nurse's shouts made Angela's mind buzz.She was frustrated and upset, but she knew this wasn't the time to question anything. She simply held Mia's hand tightly, trying to give her strength."It's okay. I'm here. Go at your own pace." Tears rolled down Angela's face before she even realized she was crying. "You're so strong, so brave. This is just childbirth—you've got this."At this moment, Mia was drenched in sweat, looking as if she had just been pulled out of a body of water.The sheets beneath her were soaked in blood. Even though Angela had mentally prepared herself for this, witnessing it firsthand pushed her tolerance to an unimaginable limit.Giving birth wasn't just walking through death's door—it was being torn apart and pieced back together again.Whether it was Mia's spirit or her body, at this moment, it no longer belonged to her. She had become nothing but a vessel for the child. Just the thought of it was heartbreaking.Unfortunately, all mothers
"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