LOGINSharon glanced at Samantha. "Winning some, losing some, isn't that just how bidding works? Was it really worth your waiting here in person just to gloat at the losers? Or have you never lost at anything in your whole life?"Sharon's words drew disapproving looks from the representatives of every other company that had lost the bid.Murmurs rippled through the crowd. "A Malcolm, competing against small companies like us for a project this size, and then gloating on top of it after winning? Is this really the kind of face the Malcolm family shows the world?""So this is what passes for class and manners in that family? Embarrassing.""I met Uriah once, and he struck me as someone with real character and wisdom. How did his descendants turn out like this?""Truly a disgrace to the Malcolm family name."The murmurs around her made Samantha's face flush red, then go pale.She despised Sharon's sharp tongue more than anything, the way Sharon could shift every ounce of blame back onto
Samantha locked eyes with Sharon and taunted her. "Whoever loses has to publicly apologize to the other. What do you say, Sharon? Or are you scared?"Even though Samantha's own standing wasn't inferior to Sharon's, she'd never dare propose something like kneeling and begging forgiveness, given who Sharon actually was. Win or lose, a bet like that would be an insult to the whole Kalen family, and if it ever blew up publicly, no one would take Samantha's side. A public apology, on the other hand, wouldn't tell outsiders exactly what had happened, but it would still mean Sharon had lost.Watching the confident look on Samantha's face, Sharon's brow furrowed slightly, an inexplicable sense of foreboding creeping over her. It wasn't that she was afraid of losing the bet. It was more that she felt, somehow, that something was about to happen.Behind her, Wendy murmured a quiet warning."Sharon, don't agree to it. She might just be trying to stall you, or set something up."Sharon nodd
Sharon's two bodyguards had stopped rotating shifts entirely. They both came to help out at her office every single day. She never left the building anyway, so there wasn't much need to actually protect her from anything.Around this time, Meredith made a suggestion to Wendy. "Why not bring Thomas in to help too? Sharon hasn't been going to the studio to practice lately, so he's just been sitting around playing video games all day. He could at least run documents and handle errands."Wendy thought that made sense and called Thomas to ask.He didn't refuse. His condition had improved somewhat lately, and with proper rest, his headaches had eased up. In fact, he thought it was perfect. That meant he'd finally be able to sit back and watch the show properly....In Damien's office.The moment Damien laid eyes on Sharon's project proposal and the bid figures, he froze for several seconds.Beside him, Samantha voiced her concern. "Damien, are you sure this bid sheet isn't fake? W
"Samantha's not actually that reckless," Sharon said. "I think she's just overconfident in Damien. He's been at the Malcolm Group for over a year now. Since I've only been at Kalen Group for a month, it makes sense that they'd assume I couldn't beat him.""You have to beat him, Sharon," Wendy said. "Wipe the floor with those two and knock some sense into them."Sharon smiled. "I will."Once Sharon got swamped with work, she barely had a spare moment left. Julliard had invited her to dinner a few times, and she'd turned him down every time.Standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, Julliard held his phone to his ear, staring down at the traffic below as he listened to the report coming through the line."So Sharon turned down my invitation, but still found time to play violin for Thomas?"A woman's voice answered from the other end."Yes. Other than that, they haven't had any other contact."Julliard's grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles cracked. His expression
Given how short a time Sharon had been with the company, the fact that Scott had put her on a project herself said a lot about how much confidence he had in her ability. The shareholders were surely watching her closely too, at least from a distance. She couldn't afford to embarrass her mother, and she couldn't afford to embarrass her brothers either. This project had to succeed.Once Wendy found out, she came by to help."I don't know anything about business," Wendy said, "but I can definitely print documents, make coffee, and run paperwork between departments for you.""Thank you, Wendy," Sharon said.Wendy laughed. "Don't mention it. I've lost count of how many meals I've mooched off you since we met. Least I can do is help out when you actually need it."Sharon, as a wealthy heiress, could drop a fortune on a meal without a second thought, but Wendy couldn't keep up with that. She could only take Sharon out for more modest fare in return. Fortunately, Sharon never looked dow
Sharon had been busy lately, having started learning the business side of things.As part of the Kalen family, she was free to pursue her dreams, but she couldn't afford to ignore everything else in the process. Her mother and brothers had all told her they'd always have her back financially, but she refused to become someone who leaned entirely on her family without contributing anything herself.So beyond her regular practice hours, Sharon spent her time studying at Kalen Group. Rick had even set up a dedicated office for her, and Silas and Scott had started bringing her along to project meetings so she could learn firsthand.She didn't have to work at the company if she didn't want to, but there were certain things she couldn't afford not to understand.That day, as she was reviewing documents, there was a knock at her office door.Scott walked in, grinning. "Sharon, your last few proposals have been excellent. Rick and Silas were both singing your praises after reading them. Y
Sharon paused for a moment, then told Julliard everything—just as it had happened, without leaving anything out.He listened in silence, considering her words. When she finished, he lifted his gaze to her."You're right," he said. "That's a possibility. But it's also possible your friend got herse
One of the receptionists immediately softened. "Miss, I'm sorry. I spoke out of line. Please, can you not post the video online?"The other one, clearly just as anxious to keep her job, rushed to add her apology."We're sorry. Our attitude was unprofessional… According to company policy, we can't l
Sharon glanced at Kelly, then quietly looked away."Sharon, are you here to see Theo and Carter?" Kelly's voice was soft and gentle. "They're not here at the moment. Would you like me to take you to them?""That's not necessary," Sharon replied, her tone flat.With that, she stepped around her an
Carter looked at Sharon, his eyes deep and still as a midnight pond."Sharon, that phone number doesn't belong to Kelly. And the person who sent those texts never claimed to be her. You can't prove they came from her."Sharon answered calmly, "But who else besides Kelly would know you were the one







