Mag-log inXena let just the right amount of grievance show on her face. “But there are clauses about that in the contract. Peter, what if I do get pregnant and Felix still tries to force me to keep donating blood? That wouldn’t be good for the baby. I don’t want to lose our child.”Peter had chosen Xena to have his child for a reason. In his eyes, her intelligence and talent made her worthy of it. To a man like him, a woman with ambition wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.After weighing it for a few seconds, Peter wrapped an arm around her and said, “Don’t be afraid. Leave this to me. No matter how powerful Felix is, he’s not above the law. I’ll get the best legal team to review that contract. One way or another, I’ll get you out of it.”A flicker of panic flashed through Xena’s eyes as she thought of the extra clauses buried in the contract. But then again, Peter probably already assumed she had slept with Felix, which meant he likely wouldn’t care about her past anyway.In that case, she woul
Peter had been widowed three years earlier. He had one son living overseas, but he had never remarried, and the women around him had changed one after another ever since.To him, Xena was like a newly acquired prize. She was beautiful enough to show off and skilled enough to make him feel good about himself, and Xena knew exactly how to play that role.At this point, the one thing she wanted from Peter was help finding a lawyer who could get her out of her contract with Felix.The Gibson family’s situation had always been kept private, so Peter had no clear idea what was really going on with Felix’s mother. But he had heard enough to know that she was still relying on Xena to stay alive. And when he thought about how Felix had taken the chamber chairmanship from him, the resentment was still hard to swallow.That night at the dinner, Xena wore a champagne-colored gown with thin straps. Her makeup was flawless, and her manner was polished without losing any of its charm. She outshon
This meeting also included members of Star Tech’s brain-computer team, so it was essentially an academic exchange between the two groups.When Miranda pushed open the conference room door, eight of the lab’s core members were already seated inside. Felix was there too, seated beside the chair at the head of the table.He was dressed in a dark gray suit, composed as ever, flipping through the documents in his hands. Under the lights, his silver hair looked especially cool and striking.As if he had heard her come in, he looked up.Miranda simply greeted the Star Tech engineers as if nothing had happened and did not meet his eyes.Felix blinked once, then lowered his gaze back to the papers in front of him, whatever was on his mind unreadable.Miranda’s seat was near the head of the table. She connected her laptop to the projector, and the meeting began almost immediately.She led the discussion, walking everyone through the latest key developments in their brain-computer interfac
What Felix wanted was simple. Men like Roger had no place staying in the business world and continuing to get away with whatever they wanted. York Corporation’s collapse was an end result, but it was also a warning to everyone watching.“All right, Mr. Gibson. Then we’ll handle the rest through the usual business channels.”“Okay.” Felix’s voice was calm and even.Gavin understood. Felix had already gotten the result he wanted. What was left of the York family was too insignificant to be worth any more attention. The storm surrounding York Corporation could end here.The next morning, the top headline in the financial news was York Corporation’s bankruptcy and liquidation.The report laid out the company’s situation in careful detail, and the wording was noticeably cautious.But anyone with real standing in the business world understood exactly whose hand had been behind it.For a time, tension moved quietly beneath the surface of the business world.And without question, it al
As Fiona drove, she kept glancing at Roger through the rearview mirror. The hatred and anger she felt toward Xena burned even hotter now. Xena had lied to their entire family, and in the end, York Corporation had gone under because of it. The more Fiona thought about it, the more unforgivable it seemed.If Xena had just told them earlier that Felix couldn’t be trusted, Roger might never have ended up here. Even before the company went public, he had still been comfortably well-off.Thinking back on the way Xena had always flaunted it in front of her made Fiona feel sick. Xena had acted as if Felix were really her boyfriend and her future husband.When the truth was that Felix had only been using her blood to save his family.And somehow, she had still managed to turn that into a fantasy.So why had Felix divorced Miranda in the end?After going over it again and again in her mind, Fiona started to understand. Xena had loved Felix so obsessively. How could she not have interfere
Roger could only stare at Xena, completely speechless. Beside him, Fiona looked stunned too.“I’m telling you, I did nothing wrong. I, Xena Spencer, got where I am because of my own ability. If you couldn’t hold on to the company, that’s your failure. Don’t try to pin everything on me. I lost thirteen percent of the shares too.”For the first time, Fiona found Xena almost laughable.“Then why did you put on that whole show in our house? Why act like Mr. Gibson doted on you? Why make all of us believe you were going to become Mrs. Gibson?”There was no denying it. Fiona’s questions struck straight at the most fake and humiliating part of Xena’s life.Xena whipped her head around and glared at Fiona. A few seconds later, she let out a cold laugh.“Why? Because I liked it. Because I wanted to. What’s it to you?”“Oh, so everything between you and Mr. Gibson was just an act you staged yourself.” Fiona’s voice dripped with ridicule. “You acted so well you had everyone fooled. Even Mi
“I support investing in the brain–computer program. It’s easily the most promising project we have,” one of the senior shareholders suddenly said, his voice full of excitement.Several others nodded immediately. Their expressions made it clear they agreed.Felix smiled and gave a short nod. “Good.
Miranda frowned slightly. Ben’s explanation only half-convinced her. She decided she would take a closer look at the robot herself before forming an opinion.She hung up the phone and returned to the living room just in time to see Mia happily playing with the robot. Mia tilted her head and asked i
“Watch out!”A figure lunged in from the side and shoved her out of the way. Miranda stumbled forward and dropped to her knees on the pavement. A heavy thud sounded directly behind her.Terrified, she whipped around. Three yards from where she had been standing, Leo was lying on his side on the gr
Miranda woke from her nap, and the first thing she noticed was a suit jacket draped over her. She frowned as she sat up, wondering if it might belong to James. But the fabric was clearly hand-tailored, and when her eyes landed on the sapphire cufflinks on the sleeve, she tossed it aside in irritat







