Powerhouse

"You... wait... I want to see Hazel..."

His hand on the doorknob suddenly froze. Turning around like a stiff robot, almost unable to believe his ears, he staggered toward the bed and stammered in inquiry:

"Did... did you remember something?"

"I don't know! I only know Hazel... I only know Ms. Vance... I don't know any of you!"

Seeing her avoid him so desperately, Theo's heart ached as if someone were deliberately crushing it, yet he nodded to himself in compromise. Perhaps she only recalled her childhood memories—a time when he wasn't present in her life. Right! That was it... that had to be it! His Ivy wasn't forgetting him on purpose; she just hadn't remembered him yet...

"Get some good rest, Ivy. As for Hazel, I'll help you call her over!"

When the door closed completely, the room fell eerily silent, and the man's lingering breath gradually faded away. Ivy Belle slowly opened her eyes and stepped out from under the blanket, her composure entirely elegant—a stark contrast to the helpless woman from moments before. She raised her hand to lightly touch her flushed cheek, her eyes suddenly turning dark, cold, and razor-sharp as a dagger as she looked down at the despicable pair arguing in the back garden. A mocking smirk curled on her lips.

When she first opened her eyes in that dazed state, Ivy Belle's mind was filled entirely with memories of her past life. She remembered—remembered what she had done under these exact circumstances before—and so she feigned amnesia to see if events would unfold just as they once had.

In her past life, upon waking after the accident and seeing so many people worrying over her, a fleeting sense of happiness had filled her heart, prompting her to play a lighthearted joke—only to end up being assaulted all the same. She let out a laugh—an eerie, seductive laughter without a trace of warmth in the corners of her eyes, her echoing voice brimming with vengeful delight.

Everything she wished to verify had been confirmed. Since Heaven had granted her a second chance at life, the return gift she prepared for them... would certainly be far from small!

"Good luck!"

...

"Mr. Cross, may I ask why you decided to establish Apex Holdings when IST is already performing so well?"

"That's right! Are you not worried that your workload will shift or suffer? IST alone has driven people to despair due to its overwhelming demand. Mr. Cross! Mr. Cross, do you think you can handle it?"

IST is the International Space Technology corporation he founded over ten years ago, standing as one of the top three global tech conglomerates with nearly seven subsidiaries spanning multiple industries. Within the Mainland, IST controls half the economy, contributing up to 60% of annual tax revenues. Apex Holdings was the first real estate enterprise Ethan Cross had ever dipped his hands into, widely regarded as a threat by long-standing moguls in the field, forcing them into a state of high alert.

The man standing on the podium concluded the announcement ceremony, the expression on his face completely unchanged—stern, resolute, and commanding instinctual awe and submission from everyone present. Ethan Cross glanced around, his sharp eyes pausing on the dimly glowing Apex Holdings logo ahead, a faint, imperceptible smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

He wore a tailored, crisp black suit, his tall and imposing stature naturally pressuring those around him, exuding a cold, austere, and impeccably clean aura. Ethan Cross's face was nothing short of absolute perfection, his sharp, defined features radiating a natural, practiced authority. His keen, perceptive eyes—resembling those of a wild leopard—narrowed slightly, giving off a chilling coldness, while his dark, sword-sharp brows carried enough menace to intimidate anyone daring to meet his gaze directly. His thin lips remained tightly set, virtually immutable except when he spoke.

Ethan Cross blinked, turning toward the source of the previous question as he answered casually, his voice raspy yet captivating, steady, grounded, and icy cold:

"I have never been worried. Our relationship is purely transactional. What they need is money, and I happen to be the one who can provide it. Whether they live or die has nothing to do with me; it is simply because they are too incompetent. IST would never retain such people even if we knew of them."

Ethan Cross's indifferent and cold attitude caught the journalists off guard. They knew well that this master of the Cross family was notoriously ruthless, but they never expected him to openly admit as much right in front of the newly established Apex Holdings. Isn't this... a bit too arrogant?

"Mr. Cross, please don't leave just yet! What was the reason behind your whirlwind marriage to the eldest young lady of the Sterling family?"

"How did you two meet? Who made the first move?"

"Is Mrs. Cross someone you are deeply in love with? With such a massive gap between your families' statuses, why did you accept her?"

"Mr. Cross! Mr. Cross! Why is Mrs. Cross absent from today's Apex Holdings launch? You've only been married a short while—could a dispute have already arisen?"

"Mr. Cross!"