ВойтиEllena chuckled lightly, the corners of her lips curling up with a cool grace. “Previously, Madeline had been frantically looking for Naomi. I guess they’ve finally found her.”“Sure enough, I knew you’d guess it!” Chloe’s eyes lit up as she clapped her hands in excitement. “I had the same feeling too. I mean, who else would make the Smiths go in and out of a hospital so often? It's not like they’re known for compassion.”“I know the Smith family well enough,” she continued. “They don’t care about people without a reason. The only ones they’d be so cautious about are either deeply tied to them… or Naomi herself.”Ellena’s expression darkened slightly as memories she would rather forget came rushing back. She had long seen through the veneer the Smiths used to disguise their hypocrisy. Their affection was always transactional, calculated.“The
Ellena's refusal didn’t end the reporter’s line of questioning. Instead, the man pressed forward boldly, as if emboldened by the silence that followed.“I think this is still related to the Arnoult Group, Miss Smith,” he insisted, voice rising slightly. “Now that the group is under your control, we just want to understand the reasons behind the transfer. Don’t the public and shareholders deserve to know?”A few gasps and murmurs followed among the crowd of reporters.Ellena’s expression didn’t waver. Her tone remained composed, but colder this time. “That is a personal matter,” she replied crisply. “Forgive me for not answering you.”The reporter opened his mouth again, but before he could utter another word, Paul stepped forward. With a subtle nod, he signaled to the staff on standby. Within moments, two security personnel made their way over and led the persistent reporter out of the room.This wasn’t an ordinary company. It was the Arnoult Group. Even with Edward’s disappearance, t
Paul took the neatly folded newspaper from his side and handed it to Ellena with a solemn expression. The headline was bold and striking, unmistakably referring to the Arnoult Group and Edward’s disappearance.Ellena accepted it calmly, her eyes sweeping across the front page only for a brief second before she folded it again and placed it aside on the coffee table. “I’ve already read it online,” she said with detached poise.In truth, she hadn’t read every word. She didn’t need to. All the headlines said the same thing, about the accident, the disappearance, the missing CEO. She didn’t need words to feel the chaos boiling just under the surface of her carefully constructed calm. She was already living it.Paul remained quiet for a moment, perhaps surprised by her nonchalance. But Ellena had always been strong in her own way. After a moment, he said, “We might hold a press conference next.”Ellena nodd
However, the problem was that they had no news of Edward yet, and there had been no trace of Sampson either.Judging from the current situation, they had no news of Edward.It was hard to say whether Edward would take the initiative to contact them.However, the most pressing issue right now was that the the Arnoult Group. If Edward disappeared for one more days, the employees of the Arnoult Group would be even more panicked.After the two of them finished speaking, they became silent.After a while, Paul said, "Miss Smith, please consider it."What he meant was to let Ellena consider taking over the Arnoult Group.Ellena's expression became more indifferent. "I don't know how to do business."A hint of joy flashed across Paul's eyes. "That's okay. I will help you."In terms of affection, Paul had been through more experience than Edward had.He and Carolina had been in love when they were in college. In the end,
Ellena reached out to the nanny Paul had introduced. The woman was a native of Herton City, living in the quiet outskirts.There was nothing ostentatious about her—no airs or pretense. Just a calm, homely simplicity in the way she spoke and carried herself.Despite everything she had been through lately, Ellena still trusted Paul’s judgment when it came to people. After a short conversation with the nanny over a cup of warm tea, she sensed a kind of grounded warmth in the woman. Perhaps it was the steady gaze or the gentle tone of her voice. Ellena made her decision.The housekeeper moved into Ellena’s home the very next day.Elaine, to Ellena's relief, did not reject the nanny. In fact, she seemed curious—watchful but not hostile. Ellena had braced herself for tears, tantrums, or stubborn silence from her daughter. But there were none. Elaine's quiet acceptance surprised her and, in a strange way, made her feel both hopeful and he
Martin was momentarily speechless after hearing what Ellena said.Her words struck with quiet finality.After a long pause, he finally replied, "But if Edward doesn't show up, someone has to take charge of the Arnoult Group."Ellena's eyes narrowed slightly, a determined glint flashing through her gaze. "Then find him."Her voice was calm, but firm and unyielding. The softness she once reserved for Edward was gone, replaced with resolution. There was no panic in her tone, no hesitation.Martin didn’t argue further. He understood. When Ellena made up her mind, there was no turning back.When they arrived at the entrance of the residential area, they decided to head together to Chloe’s apartment.Chloe, still recovering from her leg injury, had been resting at home for days. Bored and mostly confined indoors, she’d taken to spending time with Elaine. That day, she was trying to cook butterfly noodles for her.Chloe was far from a great cook. In fact, butterfly noodles might’ve been the
It wasn't until six o'clock in the evening that Spencer finished his work.As he collected the things, he asked Ellena, "We're not going home to cook today. What do you want to eat?""It doesn’t matter. I can eat anything." Ellena was in no mood to think about it. Instead, she was fully occupied with
Ellena could vaguely guess that something wrong had happened, when she saw Edward's serious expression.She did not say anything and only raised her head to look at Chloe.Edward gave off an extremely strong pressure and Chloe could only bite the bullet and say, “Ellena is Elaine's biological mother.
Ellena looked at Naomi's back and did not speak for a long time.Seeing Naomi being dragged away, Chloe let out a sigh of relief, "She finally left."She then turned around and saw Ellena still staring in the direction where Naomi had disappeared. She could not help but ask worriedly, "Ellena, are you
Chloe picked up Ellena and drove to the Sea Horizon Club. When they got into the car, Ellena asked Chloe, "What's wrong? Why do you look so bad?" Ellena did not interact much with Chloe, but she could tell that Chloe was a lively person. But at this moment, Chloe's expression was tense, looking a li







