LOGINRain let out a soft, deliberate sigh, feigning reluctance."I only came to know Ms. Kalen through a strange twist of fate, honestly. Someone with my standing simply can't offer a woman as sharp as her much room to grow. It's really only someone with your standing, Samantha, who could give her the kind of space she deserves."Samantha blinked. "Ms. Kalen? Your advisor's surname is Kalen?"Rain looked at her, something deep in her eyes."Samantha, haven't you considered that Sharon herself is a Kalen family heiress, someone of no small standing? If any of this ever comes to light, Ms. Kalen would be implicated too, possibly even lose her life over it. "She has no blood ties to you whatsoever, and yet she's still willing to take that risk. And, well, I'm sure you've wondered why I approached you so suddenly in the first place too."Samantha's eyes went still for a moment. She hadn't expected Rain to be this perceptive. No wonder she'd made it in the business world; she really was s
Though the plan had failed this time, Samantha found herself genuinely impressed by Rain. It had been Rain who'd come up with the strategy for Grant and arranged his escape route. If Samantha had handled it herself, there was no way she could have kept her own hands this clean; she'd surely have left plenty of openings."I really owe this to your help, Rain," Samantha said.Rain smiled faintly. "Your biggest mistake was teaming up with Kelly in the first place. She's a weak link. If Sharon's side applies pressure, Kelly might well give you up.""I've lost contact with Kelly," Samantha said. "My source tells me she's already been contained. She's Carter's ex, so she can't just be made to disappear easily. Rain, what do we do now?"Samantha had originally planned to pin the whole thing on Kelly. But only now did she realize she'd made this all sound far simpler in her head than it had actually turned out. Things hadn't gone anywhere near the way she'd hoped. The variables had bee
Thomas's whole air of quiet calculation left Julliard thoroughly irritated."How am I supposed to believe you didn't let Kelly off on purpose?"This time, before Thomas could answer, Sharon spoke up. "Julliard, Thomas is right. Moving against Kelly now would only drive whoever's really behind this deeper underground."Disbelief flooded Julliard's eyes. "Sharon, you're really taking his side on this?"She looked up. "Kelly's sticking to her story that she knows nothing, and we can't do anything about that right now. If we push too hard, we'll spook whoever's really pulling the strings, and it'll be that much harder to find them."Julliard's fists clenched tight. He knew she was right. But he couldn't accept it.His voice came out rough. "So you're just going to accept what happened to you and let it go?""I'm not letting it go." Sharon said. "I'll settle this score. Just not right now."Just then, Thomas's phone buzzed softly. He glanced down at the screen, his eyes darkening.
Julliard's tone was sharp. "Thomas, what are you doing here?"Thomas turned unhurriedly. "Why shouldn't I be here? Sharon is hospitalized. Isn't it only natural I'd come see her?"Julliard's gaze landed on the thermal container, his eyes practically burning."Cut the act, Thomas. Who knows what's in that porridge.""Julliard." Sharon cut in, brow furrowed, a note of displeasure in her voice.He looked at her, a mix of anger and hurt in his chest."Sharon, this is too much of a coincidence. He could very well be working with Grant..."She cut him off. "I trust Thomas wouldn't do something like that."At how firmly she said it, Julliard's face flushed through shades of pale and red.Not wanting to upset her further, he changed the subject, opening the food box in his hands."I had our family chef make some porridge and small dishes, all things you like. Want to try some?"Looking at the two sets of tableware now on the table, Sharon felt her head start to ache.That was when
"When Kelly came over to greet me last night, Thomas happened to arrive right then. I suspect Kelly was planning to move against me at that moment, but Thomas's sudden appearance interrupted her plan. Once she saw there was no opening left with me, she must have turned her attention to you instead."The room fell quiet for a moment.Wendy took a deep breath. "All right. I'll get someone on it right away."Just then, a soft knock sounded at the door. Thomas walked in carrying two breakfasts, his steps as steady as ever, his manner as composed as ever, as if the man who'd severed someone's hand without so much as a flicker of emotion just hours ago hadn't been him at all.His gaze passed over Wendy and settled on Sharon in the hospital bed.Their eyes met.The moment Sharon saw him, her heart skipped without her meaning it to.Wendy stood off to the side, glancing between the two of them. Taking the hint, she picked up her bag."I'll, um, go have someone look into last night. Sha
By the time Sharon woke, it was the next day. Her whole body ached, especially where Grant had struck her, the pain sharp enough to feel like her skin might split.She turned her head and found Wendy asleep, leaning against the side of the bed, her eyes red and swollen, clearly having gone the whole night without sleep.Sharon didn't wake her. Slowly, she started piecing together everything that had happened the night before. Thinking of Thomas, she glanced around the room.He wasn't there.Something in her chest felt strangely hollow.Just then, as if sensing something, Wendy stirred and opened her eyes slowly. At the sight of Sharon awake, her face lit up."Sharon?" She sat up abruptly. "You're awake?"Sharon nodded. "Yeah.""How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?" Wendy asked, worried."I'm fine," Sharon said.Wendy's eyes reddened. "There has to be something. You've got bruises all over from that belt... Sharon, does it hurt a lot?""I'm okay. Don't worry about it," Sh
Cole frowned from the side. "They're just a couple of scandalous photos. That can't be enough to ruin him, can it?"Lex's tone was cool, detached. "Of course the photos alone aren't enough. But think about it—from the moment that live stream went viral, the Walton Group's market value plummeted.
"As for Chuggs…" Toni's voice grew heavy when he said his son's name, as if the weight of it tired him. "He was unlucky he died at the hands of a lunatic."Toni had wired the place with explosives and clearly expected a mutual ruin. But if there was a way to avenge himself and survive, he wasn't ab
Thomas was a bad shape. He'd lost too much blood to bother with neat bandaging; the wounds had to wait. Even the most practiced hands grow slow when the lungs are full of poison, and the smoke had already stolen the sharp edge from him. The flames were eating the place faster than sense; he knew
Sharon's gaze lingered on Julliard for a moment.That look made his chest tighten, an invisible weight pressing down on him. She had never looked at him like this before—detached, cold, utterly indifferent. No trace of warmth, no flicker of feeling.The words he had wanted to speak lodged in his t







