MasukLeo got into the car and pulled the door shut. Xena immediately started banging on the window.“Leo, let me finish. You’re not leaving until I do.”He started the engine and had just begun to turn the wheel when a sharp cry rang out from outside.“Ah!”Leo slammed on the brakes. He hadn’t seen the front of the car hit her, but he still had to get out and check.Sure enough, Xena was sitting on the ground, one hand pressed to her stomach.A few restaurant employees rushed over at once.“Miss, are you alright?”Leo frowned as he looked at her on the pavement. “Are you hurt?”Xena lifted tear-filled eyes to him. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”“Sir, it looks like she may have been hit. Do you want to take her to the hospital?” one of the waitresses asked.Leo opened the back door of the car and said, “Get in. I’ll take you.”Still biting her lip, Xena let one of the staff help her to her feet, then climbed into the back seat.Leo got back behind the wheel and pu
Fabian looked disappointed. He was just about to come up with an excuse to get close to Xena again when the door to a private dining room opened.A familiar figure stepped out. It was Leo.He seemed to have just finished a business dinner himself, with several associates following behind him. Xena’s heart skipped. Compared to Fabian, a soft-bodied man in his forties, Leo looked especially striking under the lights, tall, sharp, and effortlessly handsome.Leo saw her, stopped, and gave her a cool glance. Then his eyes shifted to Fabian beside her, and he seemed to understand the situation immediately.It was only one indifferent look, but Xena’s face burned with humiliation. She bit her lip and forced a smile.“Leo. What a coincidence.”Fabian quickly greeted him too. “Mr. Lincoln. Small world.”Then he looked at Xena in surprise. “You know Mr. Lincoln?”Xena smiled. “We’re friends. We also live in the same neighborhood.”Fabian froze for a second, then immediately understood
At the dinner that night, Xena sat through Roger’s business gathering.She hadn’t wanted to come, but for the sake of protecting one of Roger’s biggest clients, she had no choice except to play her part well.“Mr. York, you’re a lucky man,” one of the managers said with a grin. “I heard both your daughters are stunning, but now that I’ve met Ms. Spencer in person, I can see the rumors were not exaggerated.”At that, the middle-aged man seated beside Xena raised his glass. He looked to be in his early forties. “Mr. Long is right. Ms. Spencer isn’t only beautiful, she is also an internationally acclaimed pianist. Talented women like her are hard to come by. I have to say, I’m impressed.”Xena curved her lips into a smile and lightly clinked her glass against his. “You flatter me, Mr. Lawrence.”Roger also lifted his glass with a smile. “Mr. Lawrence, let me drink to you.”Fabian Lawrence was in his early forties. Years of business dinners and late nights had left him a little heavy
After a few seconds of silence, Roger’s tone softened. “Xena, I know you have your reasons. But you know what shape the company is in right now. I’m begging you. Please go ask Felix for help.”“Dad, we need to stop relying on other people,” Xena said. “We should figure this out ourselves.”“Alright, then listen,” Roger said suddenly. “I’ve got a dinner tonight. Come with me, and I’ll introduce you to the owner of Creaxis Corporation. He’s always admired your talent.”Xena frowned. “Dad, you know I hate these dinner meetings.”“Xena, be good and come,” Roger said, leaving no room for argument. “Think of it as doing me a favor. It’s just one meal. Besides, you’d be attending as one of the company’s shareholders.”Xena tightened her grip on her phone. If the company had nothing to do with her, she wouldn’t have bothered. But now that she held shares, she couldn’t just ignore it.“Fine. Send me the address. I’ll be there.”That evening, when Miranda got home, Felix and Mia were alre
“Isn’t there any way around it?” she asked unwillingly.“Only if you can prove Mr. Gibson committed fraud,” the lawyer said. “But I imagine that would be very difficult.”Xena dragged a hand through her hair, pain flashing across her face.Felix really was ruthless.Had he planned to keep her trapped for the rest of her life?Or was this his way of punishing her for everything she had done before? Did he hate her for destroying his marriage to Miranda?A surge of resentment rose in Xena’s eyes.So this was the price she had been running up all these years every time she pushed too far with Felix.Even now, when he already had other ways to save Susan, he still refused to let her go.She had to admit it. She really had gone too far before. She had been reckless and self-indulgent. She had kept testing his limits over and over again.She remembered the way she had flaunted things in front of Miranda. The way she had deliberately created situations that made her relationship wit
Felix’s hand trembled slightly where it braced against the door. He drew in a deep breath. “I know I have no right to ask, but...” He looked like he was summoning every bit of courage he had left. “I care about you.”Miranda looked at him quietly, her eyes calm and unreadable, without hatred or even a ripple of emotion. “If I ever get remarried, I’ll let you know.”Felix’s breath hitched hard. His chest rose and fell for a few seconds before he said hoarsely, “Are you two already talking about marriage?”Miranda had no idea why he was suddenly reacting so strongly. She frowned. “Felix, it’s over. It’s all in the past.”“It’s not in the past.” His voice came out almost like a shout. “I know I don’t deserve anything from you. I just... I just need to know if I’ve really lost you for good.”Miranda froze for a second, then instinctively took a step back. The man in front of her suddenly felt like a cornered wild animal, unpredictable and dangerous.Felix saw her retreat and realiz
Hayden reached out and gave Leo a light pat on the shoulder, asking curiously, “So what were you two just talking about?”“Nothing,” Leo said casually, lifting his gaze toward Felix. “Just chatting.”Felix raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Just chatting.”Hayden looked back and forth between the two of t
After Gavin left, Felix picked up his phone and dialed Sienna’s number.On the other end, Sienna’s voice was clearly guarded. “Felix, what do you want?”“Cancel the purchase at Cloudcrest immediately,” Felix said, his tone leaving no room for discussion.“Why should I?” Sienna snapped back at onc
Xena truly loved diamonds. Even if she acted like she only liked them a little, she actually loved them ten times more than she let on.The moment she saw the necklace, she knew it was a rare, limited-edition piece. She was certain that at Mrs. Lloyd’s charity gala this Saturday, this necklace woul
Soon, the first performance took the stage, and the hall gradually fell silent.By the third act, the host stepped forward again.“Next, please welcome the renowned pianist Ms. Xena Spencer, who will perform her signature piece, Walking in the Rain.”Amidst warm applause, Xena walked gracefully o







