เข้าสู่ระบบEven though Fiona wanted Victor dead, the moment he brought up her father going to prison and her own reputation being ruined, panic finally set in. She couldn’t let him destroy the last thing the York family had left.There was madness in Victor’s eyes, but there was fear there too. He wasn’t a naturally vicious man. He was educated. He had once been young, capable, and full of ambition. But life had driven him to this point. And with the evidence he held over Roger, whatever love he once felt for Fiona had long since twisted into something ugly.More than anything, he wanted Fiona to give in and agree to be his girlfriend. He had wanted her for six years, and some foolish part of him still believed the two of them could end up together.Fiona bit down hard on her lip. The situation in front of her forced her past anger and into cold, hard clarity. She knew she couldn’t provoke Victor, not now.To keep him calm, and to buy time for both herself and Roger, Fiona took a deep breath
Fiona froze in the middle of taking a sip. Avoiding his eyes, she answered more quietly than before, “That was so long ago. Why even bring it up now?”“Long ago?” Victor gave a short laugh and leaned back against the couch. “Do you know what I lost because of you? I had a real future ahead of me. I could have gone into research. But for you, I gave all of that up. I got expelled, and there’s a permanent stain on my record because of it. And you, Miss Fiona York, never seemed to feel even the slightest guilt. If anything, afterward you just wanted me as far away from you as possible, like I was some nuisance.”Fiona’s face flushed bright red. She took another sip of water and forced herself to stay calm. “Victor, I was grateful. Didn’t I get you a job at my father’s company afterward? You even made it to vice president...”“Do you know how I got that vice president title?” Victor’s voice suddenly rose, filled with resentment that had clearly been building for years. “I drank until
Felix’s voice turned cold and sharp. “From now on, don’t put her calls through.”“Yes, sir.” Gavin ended the call and went on with his report.Xena stared at the disconnected line, her heart sinking all the way to the bottom. Was Felix really done with her now? Humiliated tears filled her eyes, but there was still defiance all over her face. She took a deep breath and called Peter.He was her last hope.“Peter, are you busy?” Xena asked, her voice thick with tears.“What’s wrong, Xena? Did someone upset you?” Peter sounded concerned, almost affectionate.“No one upset me. It’s just that my father’s company is in trouble. Could you help him?”“York Corporation?” Peter clearly already knew what was going on.“Yes. My father’s stock is in trouble. Could you...”Peter cut her off before she could finish. “Xena, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but York Corporation is a mess right now. Anyone who touches it is going to get dragged down with it.”“Peter, if you’d just be willing
Looking back now, Xena realized Felix had started laying the groundwork back then. On the surface, he had helped York Corporation go public. But underneath it all, he had already planted the seeds of its collapse.“Xena, are you listening to me?” Roger’s frantic voice came through the phone. “Get over here now. We have to see Mr. Gibson today. He’s the only one who can save us.”Xena’s heart sank all the way to the bottom.How could Felix, the very man bringing the knife down on them, possibly still help the York family?And what she had never expected even more was that one choice she made back then would one day bring York Corporation down for good.“Dad, listen to me,” Xena said, taking a deep breath. “Felix isn’t going to help us again. Begging him is useless.”“How is that possible?” Roger sounded completely confused. “Hasn’t he always looked after us?” After all, he had benefited from Gibson Corporation in very real ways. Felix had helped with bank loans, approvals, and a
Dr. Smith’s side of the treatment had already been successfully wrapped up, so it was no surprise that Felix had finally made his move.He had dug a trap for Xena and laid out the whole game in advance. The thirteen percent of York Corporation shares she had gotten from him was the reward for cooperating with the experiment.Dr. Smith’s side of the treatment had already been successfully wrapped up, so it was no surprise that Felix had finally made his move.He had laid a trap for Xena from the very beginning. The thirteen percent of York Corporation shares she had taken from him was the reward for cooperating with the experiment.Xena’s greed had always been enormous. Shares in York Corporation worth six hundred million were more than enough to feed her ambition. Back when Felix helped push York Corporation onto the market, he had already been planning for this day.Now that the experiment was over, the result of the ten years Xena had spent holding Felix in check was this. York
Miranda took off her lab coat. Adrian was staying behind to log the data, so he told her to head out first. Miranda reminded him not to stay too late.She grabbed her bag and stepped out of the office. In the hallway, a familiar figure was walking toward her with a smile.“Ms. Stone, done for the night?”“Gavin? What are you doing here?” Miranda asked in surprise.“I’m here to drive you home. Mr. Gibson figured you’d be exhausted after working late, so he sent me to be your driver,” Gavin said.Miranda really was tired. For the sake of safety, she didn’t turn him down.On the drive home, Gavin drove steadily, and Miranda felt a quiet wave of gratitude.When they reached the parking garage, she thanked him. “Gavin, thank you. You should head home and get some rest too.”“If you’re thanking anyone, thank Mr. Gibson,” Gavin said at once. There was no way he was taking credit for this. He was just following orders.The thoughtfulness had come from Felix.Miranda nodded, then head
Miranda looked at him, hoping he would be a little more serious.They held each other’s gaze for several seconds. Then Mike’s Adam’s apple moved, and he quietly made a request that felt a bit bold.“Can I get a goodbye hug?” He paused, then added, “A friendly one. Just a polite hug between friends
“Looks like Felix is in trouble.”Miranda paused for a moment before opening the link. The headline read: “Gibson Corporation Backing York Corporation’s IPO, Allegedly Involved in Secret Bribery of Regulators.”Miranda frowned. She could only think that Felix deserved it.Sophie sent another mess
Both Miranda and Felix froze. Had they really been arguing that loudly?Felix quickly softened his voice. “No, honey. Mommy and I were just talking.”“Then can we go to the beach together tomorrow?” Mia asked, lifting her tear-streaked face and looking up at them with hopeful eyes.Miranda said n
At eight o’clock, Mia woke up. Mrs. Young had already finished preparing breakfast, and they planned to head out around nine.A little after eight thirty, Gigi, who had been dozing on the living room floor, suddenly lifted its head. Gigi sniffed the air with sharp focus, stood up, and trotted towar







