LOGINThe police took Mason away, and Ayla became frantic. Her eyes were still trying to meet mine.“Chris.”She was about to say more, but no words came out.I did not spare her another glance. I turned to Robert and said, “Handle the rest.”With that, I walked straight toward the exit. Watching my retreating figure, Ayla realized she had lost me for good. She collapsed onto the floor and wept bitterly with regret.No one in the crowd offered sympathy. They looked at her with nothing but contempt and mockery.“She brought this on herself. She had a bright future and a good relationship. Instead, she chose to stoop to such sleazy behavior.”“Well, look at her now. Reputation in the gutter. Career over. She got exactly what she deserved.”After a long day, I returned home.The moment I pushed open the door, a sound came from the entryway.Ayla abruptly stood up from the corner. She looked at me with pure desperation in her eyes.I gazed down at her and laughed. “How does it feel to
Ayla’s last flicker of hope vanished instantly. She stared at Mason in disbelief.“No. No way. You would have never dared to do something like this. Someone must be framing you.”“He wouldn’t dare?” I let out a cold laugh when I heard her words. “He had the nerve because you gave it to him.” I pulled out a stack of documents and tossed them in front of her.“Ayla, you embezzled company funds to buy Mason gifts just so he could climb the ladder. You even went as far as leaking company secrets! Because you enabled him so much, he got bold enough to steal my proposal draft and lie to everyone’s faces. And now? He dragged you both straight off a cliff. Did you really believe that no one would ever find out?”The documents were scattered across the floor. The evidence was conclusive. Ayla stared at the familiar signatures and account records. She could no longer hold herself together.She turned to Mason and screamed at him. “Mason! Look at me! Is this real? Did you really steal Mr.
Mason covered his face awkwardly and tried to dodge the cameras.Alas, having finally landed such a huge story, there was no way the reporters would let him go. With nowhere left to hide, Mason redirected his anger toward me.“Chris! Fine, I admit what I did. But you can’t just terminate the deal! We already negotiated everything. The contract is drafted! If you’re the head of such a big company, then you can’t go back on your word so easily!”He forced himself to meet my gaze. He was trying to salvage something from this wreckage. Upon hearing this, Ayla’s eyes lit up, and she quickly chimed in.“Both of our companies have already finalized every detail of the collaboration. We’re only missing the signatures. Terminating the deal would be a breach of good faith negotiation!”A glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes. She seemed to think that I would care about the Marriott Group’s reputation. She assumed I would just swallow my pride and let this slide. The two of them suddenly breat
I paused for a moment before continuing, “The contract was clear. As Marriott Group’s partner, I have the right to evaluate the professional conduct of any company we work with, and based on what I’ve seen, your company clearly doesn’t meet our standards.”Ayla stared at me in disbelief before shouting angrily, “How could you do this to me after all the years we spent together?! Our anniversary is right around the corner, yet you’re going to stab me in the back like this in front of everyone?!”John chose that moment to speak up. His voice was icy cold.“Ms. Jewell, watch your mouth. Mr. Gage is already engaged to Hazel Lang, the daughter of Lang Group. Why would he have anything to do with a married woman like you?”When the crowd heard this, they burst into an uproar.“Wait, is Mr. Gage engaged to the daughter of Lang Group? That’s quite the power couple. Both companies are about to reach new heights!”“How embarrassing for Ayla Jewell! How could she try to drag Mr. Gage’s name
When the people in the audience spotted me, they began whispering among themselves.“Who’s that? Mr. Gage? Which Mr. Gage? Why is Mr. Wright being so polite to him?”“I’ve never seen him before. He looks young, though. He’s probably nobody important.”“No way! Look at him and the way he carries himself. He doesn’t look like some random guy.”Robert ushered me to the stage while people continued to murmur, trying to guess who I was. I kept a humble face as I climbed the stairs.Just then, a sudden gasp came from the crowd.“Wait, isn’t that Mr. Gage from the Marriott Group? I saw him in a finance magazine!”“What? The Mr. Gage from Marriott Group?!”“Yeah, he’s Arthur Gage’s son. He’s the sole heir to Marriott. He was studying overseas and only came back a few years ago. Of course you wouldn’t recognize him!”The room’s ambiance changed instantly. Gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd while Ayla and Mason’s faces turned deathly pale.Robert leaned in close and spoke resp
The following day, I arrived early at the signing ceremony.Not long after, Ayla made a grand entrance with Mason clinging to her arm. She guided him around the room, introducing him to business elites as she went. Then, her gaze swept across the front hall and the smile on her face froze the very moment she saw me.She hurried toward me and said angrily, “Who said you could come, Chris? Didn’t I make it clear at the office that no unauthorized personnel were allowed here?”I did not answer right away. My eyes first moved toward Mason, who stood behind her. “Oh? Is that what I am to you, now? Then what makes this boytoy qualified to be here?”Mason’s face stiffened. He shot back, “Watch your mouth. I got here on my own merit! I secured a partnership with the Marriott Group. I’ve earned my spot. You’re the one who shouldn’t be here.”Feeding on the tension, Ayla lashed out at me. “I’m here with an employee to sign a contract. Don’t start trouble!”“With an employee?” I stared at h







