At Price Corp.
Damon stared at the trending topics, his temples throbbing with anger as the notifications kept coming in. With a loud crash, he smashed his tablet to pieces. His eyes were blazing with fury, his expression terrifying. “Get Hazel here, now!” How dare she spread rumors about him online? Who did she think she was? Hours later, a report came in: “Mr. Price, Miss Queen… she’s disappeared!” Meanwhile… In a flashy sports car, Hazel pulled off her sunglasses and mask, her body sinking into the leather seat with a deep sigh. “I’m free!” “Yeah! Congratulations, boss! You finally came to your senses and turned things around. And that humorless Damon Price—always walking around with that poker face, looking like everyone owes him money. Seriously, does anything about him even match up to you?” It was rare for Eddie to get the chance to roast Damon, and he wasted no time, his words coming out in rapid fire. “Now that you’ve split, you can start fresh, boss. Take us with you, we’re ready to roll! These years have been a real strain on me, but don’t let me down now!” As Eddie rambled on, Hazel leaned lazily against the car window, resting her hand on her temple. Her eyes, gazing out the window, were filled with complex emotions. Three years ago, her best friend Eddie nearly clung to her like a baby, begging her not to marry Damon. But she stubbornly refused to see reason. Now, having escaped that fire pit, she was a whole new person! “By the way, boss, the sooner the better. I’ve got a big deal lined up. Want to dive in?” Eddie couldn’t contain her excitement. Hazel rubbed her forehead, not too eager. “Let’s take it easy for a moment. I promised my parents I wouldn’t go back to the industry. Also, how’s that thing I asked you to look into?” Three years ago, her family had been consumed in a fire, with her parents perishing in the flames. Only she had miraculously survived. She’d concealed her identity and married into the Price family to investigate the truth behind that tragedy. Eddie snapped his fingers theatrically. “Tomorrow at 8 AM, Queen Corp’s board meeting will be held. I’ve sent the other details to your email!” Hazel’s lips curved into a sly smile as her fingers gently tapped the armrest. “Such an important event? I think we need to give them a little surprise…”...
Next day, At Queen Corp.
“Mr. Jonah, congratulations! We’ll all be looking to you for guidance at Queen Corp from now on!” Amid the flattery of other shareholders, Jonah Queen laughed with exaggerated enthusiasm, shaking hands with everyone. “Oh, please! The chairman’s position is still up for grabs. It’s too early to celebrate!” “Tsk! Who doesn’t know how much you’ve done for Queen Corp these years? If the chairmanship isn’t yours, who else could possibly take it?” The former chairman of Queen Corp, Jonah’s brother, Jacob Queen, had died in the fire three years ago, along with his wife. An emergency meeting had been held, and the shareholders had voted to make Jonah the acting chairman. After three years, if no suitable candidate was found, he would formally take over the chairman role. The voting went as expected, with the majority supporting Jonah. The crowd applauded. Then, the host of the meeting announced, “Based on everyone’s vote, the next chairman of Queen Corp will be Jonah. Are there any objections?” “Objection!” The door to the meeting room suddenly slammed open, and a pair of high-heeled shoes clicked across the floor. A woman entered, dressed in a sleek black suit and wide-leg pants, exuding both power and allure. Jonah’s mouth went dry, his body trembling as he stared. “H-Hazel Queen?” Hazel took off her sunglasses and flashed a bright smile. “It’s me, Uncle Jonah. Long time no see!” Jonah stammered, “W-weren’t you... didn’t you die in the fire?” “Oh, I’m just lucky, I guess,” Hazel said casually. “Maybe the heavens kept me alive to find the real killer. Uncle, have you… seen them in your dreams?” Her voice was eerily calm, but her words held a cold edge. Jonah froze, as if someone had just slit his throat. He quickly tried to regain control, feigning concern. “Hazel, I didn’t take good care of you. It’s my fault. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely look into what happened to your parents. But right now, we’re in an important meeting. Why don’t you head home, and after it’s over, I’ll come to find you?” He had waited for this day for so long—there was no way he was going to let this troublemaker ruin everything now. Hazel patted his shoulder nonchalantly. “But Uncle, I’m here to attend the shareholders’ meeting too!” “What?” Without missing a beat, Hazel brushed past Jonah, positioned herself at the front, and pressed her hands down on the edge of the table. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Hazel Queen, the only daughter of Jacob Queen, the former chairman of Queen Corp. From today on, I’ll be taking over as chairman.” At her words, chaos erupted in the room. Jonah’s face twisted with rage. “Hazel, get back here! This is not the place for your nonsense!” “But Uncle, you’ll know if I’m really making trouble after you see this!” Hazel flipped open a folder and held up a document for everyone to see. “This is my father’s will, and according to it, he left me 20% of Queen Corp’s shares. The CEO position is also mine to take. This document is official, signed by a lawyer. Anyone who has doubts can take it to the notary office for verification!” The appearance of a female CEO in Queen Corp had truly stunned everyone. With 20% of the shares, she was already in a strong position to claim the chairmanship. Jonah was left speechless, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came out. No wonder he couldn’t figure out where his older brother’s shares had gone these years. It turns out they had been hidden here. How outrageous. Not a single penny was left to him, the younger brother. Queen Corp was about to change hands, and it was a woman who would control it? All his hard work could go down the drain now? No way. He wasn’t going to let this girl have her way.***
Six Month LaterIn a quiet dressing room just off the hall, Hazel stood before a full-length mirror, her gown catching the morning sunlight, draped in a breathtaking wedding gown crafted by a renowned designer. The fitted bodice, intricately embroidered with delicate silver threads, highlighted her figure, while the flowing train shimmered like a moonlit lake.Sully fluffed Hazel's veil, her smile brimming with excitement.“You look stunning,” Sully whispered. “Damon’s going to lose his mind.”Hazel laughed softly, her hands clutching the bouquet of white anemones. “He’s already lost his mind to show up uninvited to my birthday,” she teased, but the warmth in her eyes betrayed her deep affection.Four years ago, they had a grand wedding too—but it was devoid of love, a mere arrangement that left both of them indifferent and unfazed. This time, everything was different. For the first time, she felt a flutter of nervous excitement in her chest.Jacob appeared at the door, his expression
It was laughable. Such big news, and these reporters weren’t about to let it slip away. Among the reporters, there were those who had previously been snubbed by Bailey, and now, it was their time for revenge. Had it not been for Amber buying up many of Bailey’s scandals from them earlier, these videos might never have been released now. Bailey couldn’t leave, and the screen kept playing more of her scandals, all new ones, none repeated. The staff backstage were flustered, not knowing how to stop the video. Eddie sat on a toilet in the backstage bathroom, controlling the big screen live. After over ten minutes, the staff finally remembered they could just unplug the power. But of course, Eddie wasn’t about to let the show end so soon. He sent the remaining videos to everyone’s phones, including the journalists, ensuring no one missed out. Having played his part, Eddie slipped away from the chaos. Bailey’s reputation plummeted, and
If it weren’t for Hazel showing Jacob some videos, he probably would’ve believed everything Jonah said. At the very least, he’d need to go ask Marco for confirmation.“So, in the end, you wanted to take photos of Hazel… because Marco instructed you to?”Just thinking about his daughter encountering something like this at his uncle’s house made Jacob feel as if a thousand needles were stabbing into his heart.It was all his fault. He hadn’t properly raised his brother.After he left, even if Jonah tried to take the family fortune for himself, Jacob could have excused it, thinking that people were selfish by nature.But what he had done to Hazel, Jacob couldn’t accept that at all.“Take photos? What photos? Bro, is it possible that Hazel misunderstood something? I wouldn’t admit to something I didn’t do.”Jonah spoke with righteous indignation, but Jacob didn’t understand. His brother, whom he had raised, was suddenly so good at lying w
After leaving this warning, Hazel didn’t look back as she entered the villa and casually shut the door behind her.Naturally, the reporters weren’t willing to give up such a big scoop. Their microphones were practically shoved into Bailey and Adele’s faces."What exactly did you do to Hazel that made her whole family so hostile towards you? Can you reveal some details?""Jacob and his wife have always been known for their good temper. Just now, I saw Mr. Jacob Queen sneer at you. Did you do something so universally detestable to Hazel Queen?""Was the reason Hazel kicked you out of Queen’s family related to something you did?"One question after another made Bailey and Adele’s faces grow increasingly worse.If this had happened before, Bailey could have easily cleared her name with just a couple of words.But now, she couldn’t ignore Hazel’s warning from earlier. Hazel really had the ability to follow through on her threats.Ha
Hearing the discussion ahead, Jonah didn’t think much of it at first, but when he heard the comment later, his face immediately changed.However, before coming, Bailey had already given him a mental prep. No matter what these reporters said, he couldn’t get into a conflict with them. Otherwise, the consequences would be severe.The public opinion on the internet was already in the hands of these reporters. If Jonah dared to show them a bad attitude, the next moment, his family's bad reputation would spread everywhere.Previously, when Bailey had Agent Amber by her side, they had to show some respect toAmber whenever these reporters came around.Later, Agent Amber always took leave, and it was unclear where these people had heard the rumors, but they began to say that Agent Amber no longer wanted to be her manager.So now, there wasn’t as much warmth towards her, and any issue could come to her directly.Bailey was also quit
As soon as those words were said, a nanny car drove up.All the paparazzi rushed over, fearing they might be too late to get an interview with the people inside.They didn’t consider that Bailey deliberately let this news leak so they would come, intending to make a spectacle of today’s event in front of them.How could she possibly let them leave without getting an interview?"Miss Bailey Queen, hello. We heard that Hazel’s parents have returned alive. Is that true?""Did you come today to attend the welcome ceremony for Hazel's parents?""If Jacob Queen has returned, is there a chance your family might return to the Queen Corp?"The reporters kept throwing their questions at her. In the car with Bailey were Jonah and Adele, both of whom had come today.Recently, Amber had frequently taken leave due to not feeling well. Adele could tell it wasn’t really because of illness—she simply