LOGINWinona continued, "Besides, we already know each other. Neither of us would have to pretend to get along with some stranger. Sounds pretty convenient to me."Jasper looked at her, the amusement in his eyes slowly deepening.He knew she was probably joking, but he had to admit the idea was tempting.At the very least, it would get his family off his back and give him something else to focus on besides Amelia. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad arrangement."Are you serious?"He studied her, trying to tell whether she meant it.Winona's heart started beating faster. She looked away and kept her tone deliberately casual. "Of course, I'm joking. Like I'd actually marry you."Even so, the strange feeling in her chest didn't go away.Jasper didn't press her. He picked up the glass on his desk and took a sip. "You don't have to force yourself into anything. If you really don't want an arranged marriage, maybe you could try talking to your family.""Talking?" Winona shook her head. "
Winona paused, surprised to see Jasper there.She walked over and knocked lightly on the office door.Jasper looked up. Surprise flashed across his face when he saw her, followed by a faint smile. "Ms. Reid. What brings you here this late? Are you checking up on us?"Winona walked over to his desk and pulled out a chair. She glanced at the data running across his screen. "What are you doing here this late? Bad mood?"She asked without bothering to dance around it.Jasper paused, then quickly recovered and closed the program he was running. He looked at her with a hint of amusement. "Do I really look that fragile?"He lost a relationship that never really stood much of a chance. It hurt, but not enough to send him hiding at the office nursing a broken heart.Winona shrugged. "Who knows?"Jasper leaned back slightly. "You catch me working late once, and suddenly you think you've got me all figured out?"Jasper let out a helpless laugh, though there wasn't much humor in it. "
After Winona sent the "okay" sticker, her expression turned serious.As soon as the screen went dark, she let out a slow breath.She had always seen this situation more clearly than anyone.She watched Amelia struggle to build a life with Evelyn. She watched Jasper quietly stay by their side. And then she watched Christopher come back, little by little, until the three of them slowly found their way back to each other.Winona knew Amelia cared deeply about Jasper and relied on him, but what she felt had never been romantic love.That was exactly why Amelia's request put her in such an awkward position.[Talk to him for me.]It sounded simple, but Winona knew it wasn't.What was she supposed to tell Jasper? That Amelia's heart had always belonged to Christopher? That no matter how long he waited, he never really had a chance?Those words felt too cruel. Winona couldn't bring herself to say them.Jasper wasn't a fragile man. He was steady and perceptive, decisive at work, gentl
After Christopher finished cleaning up, he came back into the living room and looked at Amelia."I need to stop by the office and take care of a few things with the project."Amelia nodded without asking anything else. She knew Fighter 07 had reached a critical stage, and there was still Samantha's mess to deal with. He couldn't exactly stay away.Still, she couldn't help thinking about how late he worked the night before, and how he still spent the whole day with Evelyn.They stood a few feet apart in the middle of the living room, neither of them quite ready to move."If you need anything, call me." Christopher looked at her. "Anytime."Amelia lifted her eyes to meet his. A faint smile touched her lips. "Next time you see your doctor, take me with you."Christopher froze, clearly caught off guard.After a few seconds, he said, "It's not that serious. You don't need to come with me."He never wanted Amelia worrying about his condition.The pain of depression, the late-night
From the moment Christopher saw Samantha's message, he had no intention of letting Amelia get involved.Samantha played dirty, and once things turned openly hostile, there was no telling how far she might go.He had already sent people to trace the fake evidence and was close to figuring out how Samantha bribed the witnesses. Give him three days, and he could tear the whole setup apart.Amelia shrugged. "If you think you have that much time on your hands, go ahead. I'm not stopping you."Christopher looked at her steadily.Then she smiled. "But do you really have that much time?"Before he could answer, she continued, "You want to bring Elijah down, but he's spent years building influence across the industry. His connections run deep. A couple of attacks aren't going to be enough."Christopher stayed quiet. She was right.Elijah had held onto his position for so long because of the complicated network of people and interests behind him. A few isolated blows wouldn't shake his f
Amelia set down her fork, her fingers tightening until her knuckles turned white. "Elijah's already under house arrest, and Samantha still wants to make things worse for him now?"Samantha clearly thought this would be enough to destroy Amelia, but she had badly underestimated Amelia.Amelia had nothing to hide when it came to that competition. Every technical parameter and every line of code came from countless sleepless nights and her own hard work.Nicole lost because her project had serious flaws that couldn't be fixed. Amelia had nothing to do with that.Samantha was digging up the past because she was desperate. She wanted Amelia out of the way so Lincoln could move forward, and she also wanted revenge for Amelia getting in the way of the Bloom family's plans.Christopher watched her calm expression, something shifting inside him."Aren't you scared?" he asked.Even if Amelia eventually cleared her name, Samantha could still do real damage by releasing the accusations pu
Amelia certainly didn't look like someone capable of slapping another.Tania, whose cheek was still swollen, immediately pointed at her face."No one has ever slapped me this hard! We didn't pursue the matter because we wanted to be on time for this seminar. Since we're here, let's talk about comp
No, impossible!Nicole quickly rejected that possibility.Amelia's brows furrowed when she saw them barge in.She had just hung up when they rushed into the room. What were they…?"What are you doing here?" Nicole asked darkly. "This isn't a place you should be in."Amelia looked at them rushin
And yet, Christopher ended up bringing his darling here for a date.Amelia twisted the bottle cap back on and shook her head. "He doesn't remember my birthday."Even if he did, he would just pretend he didn't know, or that he forgot.Winona's brows furrowed. "God, what a bastard!"Amelia chuckle
Amelia stood up and pulled Evelyn behind her. "How much did it cost? I'll pay you back.""You?" Stephanie looked at Amelia in disdain. "Isn't your money from the Zephyrs? You'll pay me back and then go to Christopher for money after that."Amelia's eyes darkened. "What do you want, then?"Stephan







