05

Hadley made the decision to grab a few necessities before returning home.

With the intention of refreshing her clothing, she drove to a neighboring mall.

The majority of her clothing from two years ago was either too old or too small.

She needed to start shopping for maternity clothes now that she was pregnant.

She headed straight for her store as soon as she entered the mall.

The store manager, Ercell Cadce, was present and almost had a heart attack when he saw her.

"B… boss?" Ercell blinked in shock as she mumbled.

With a lazy smile, Hadley said, "Long time no see, El."

Ercell’ shocked eyes grew wide. "Holy crap! Four years have passed! I assumed you had permanently abandoned us."

With tears in her eyes, she put her arms around Hadley and hugged her.

Hadley gave her a back pat while laughing. "Avoid being depressed. Your boss took a brief leave of absence. But I'm back now."

Ercell smiled, tears sparkling in her eyes. "You're not going to leave again, correct? Are you truly returning to stay?”

Hadley nodded comfortingly at her. "I'm not leaving. In a few days, I will formally return to the organization."

"Fantastic!" Ercell exclaimed. "I'll pack up the new collections for you right away."

As Ercell worked diligently to prepare the products, her smile was brilliant. "Your return is long overdue. It was becoming much too little for me to display my skills here."

Hadley grinned as she observed Ercell  moving around, her mood lightened by the friendly greeting. Hadley had expected Ercell  to be thrilled. "Come get me in three days. Edwina and Kate will be my secret guardians, and you and Chuck will be by my side going forward."

Excited to finally have an opportunity to be truly helpful, Ercell nodded enthusiastically.

Hadley’s phone rang at that very time.

Unknown number? Hadley scowled and said already know this person, "Hello?” 

Why did he continue to call her?

"Hadley, I never thought you'd be this kind of person," Andrew said in a voice full of contempt. “Did you really steal private documents from the new product line of my company? Just because I fired you, is this how you're taking revenge? Really?”

A wave of rage swept through Hadley, narrowing her eyes. "What the hell are you talking about, Andrew? I wouldn't give your pitiful new product a second glance. I advise you to cease making unfounded charges.”

"Jemima has already acknowledged it, Haley. She said that the updated product information was included in the batch of documents you asked her to retrieve when you came. She even admitted that you gave her a million dollars. I'll give you an hour to send the data back, or else…”

She could feel Andrew’s rage.

But why would Jemima lie like this?

Anger reddened Hadley’s face. He abruptly hung up just as she was about to snap back.

Seeing Hadley’s angry look, Ercell nervously walked over to her. "Ms. Fern..."

Hadley got to her feet, her whole expression full of icy fury. "I have ten minutes to learn everything there is to know about Jemima Rexa from the Shaw Group."

Anger blazed in her eyes.

Ercell made the calls fast and resolved the issue.

"That bastard," she swore angrily. “The Shaw Group has no value at all. They are in danger of going bankrupt since they are only new money. They are accusing you of stealing their valuable product plans—how could they? What gall!"

Hadley had already received the documents from Ercell. Her eyes got chilly as she went over them, and she called Andrew again.

It was Andrew’s uncaring voice. "Yes?"

"I'm not going to enter your company," Hadley stated icily. “Tell your team to meet me at the outside.”

The tone of Andrew’s voice became mocking. "So you want to make this a public spectacle?"

"Is that a problem?" Hadley shot back. “You believe you can intimidate me, but I'm not scared to expose your attempts to do so."

Andrew was silent for a moment before hanging up.

Ercell and Hadley waited at the building's entrance of the Shaw Group later that day.

Shortly after, Andrew and Laura appeared in the midst of a crowd.

Andrew’s commanding appearance was enhanced by his massive frame and impeccable black suit.

His icy gaze deeply unnerved Hadley, so she avoided staring at him.

They had only been divorced for a month, and Laura was already traveling freely about the workplace, which made Hadley’s heart hurt.

Laura regarded Hadley with a mixture of regret and disapproval. "I know you're in pain, Had, but you can't do this. Do you realize how important Drew finds this new product? You've turned to thievery, and it's a game-changer for the Shaw Group. This is really abhorrent. You…”

"Thief?" Ercell chuckled despite her annoyance. "Miss, who specifically are you accusing of stealing? My boss wouldn't even look at your company's new product because it's so unimportant."

Laura gazed at Ercell, surprised that this woman appeared to be much more attractive than she was. "Who are you?"

Laura narrowed her eyes at Ercell’s bold smile and triumphant posture.

"My identity is unimportant. Would you dare blame my boss? If I want to, I can force you to beg for forgiveness."

Ercell’s directness surprised Laura.

In a few of years, Andrew had emerged as one of the most powerful person, ruling both the real world and the underworld.

The very mention of his name made many shudder.

Laura found it difficult to put up with such disrespect as his girlfriend.

"Had, are you really bringing in some petty crooks from the streets?" Laura sneered. “They sound like wild youngsters from the towns when they call you "bosses."

"You're truly clueless," Ercell shot back with a scornful look. 

"Enough." 

The tension was broken by Andrew’s voice.

His piercing gaze settled on Hadley. "Hadley, the security tape demonstrates that Jemima provided you with information on our new product. Would you like to continue denying it?”

"Not only has she deceived me, but she's now attempting to steal the company's new product," he thought.

How much does she despise me for having the audacity to play with me in this way?

Hadley was deeply affected by the charge. She could not handle the betrayal, especially from Andrew . "So, you really think I took it?"

His tone was emotionless and icy. "No I don’t think…I know.” 

His comments twisted Hadley’s heart like a knife. She questioned why, in spite of everything she had gone through, her heart was still hurting.