Yosef barked over the phone, "Edward and Macie's divorce isn't even final yet, and you were already rushing to arrange a marriage alliance with the Hart family. Did you seriously think that Edward would thank you for that? Don't give me that 'I did it for his own good' bullshit! You were clearly looking for your own gain!"After being chided by his own father, Bennett's face darkened. Clutching his phone tightly, he shot back, unwilling to back down, "Do you think your precious grandson will forever be grateful to you? You're doing the exact same thing you did to me—forcing him to marry someone he doesn't even like! The only difference is that, at least, my ex-wife came from a reputable family!"Yet, you made him marry an orphan with no notable background and no family to speak of. Careful, or one day he might realize the truth and hate you so much that he won't even show up at your funeral!""Y-You ungrateful little bastard!" Yosef was shaking. He was about to curse at Bennet when
The next day brought more clarity and another shocking revelation."Mr. Fowler has already held a meeting and laid out a plan to acquire the company Ms. Smith is currently working at, Mr. Fowler Senior," Nolan reported. "I reached out to the company's owner, and they confirmed it, saying they're currently trying to fight off the acquisition."After hearing that, Yosef's expression congealed. He hadn't expected Edward to take things this far. He couldn't believe that Edward was so hung up on Macie that he would buy out Julian's company."As for the incident with Ms. Hart, things are a bit more complicated," Nolan added. "Just as you suspected, Mr. Fowler wasn't just out for a drive last night. He was off doing something else."When Yosef learned that Edward had harassed Macie all the way to her apartment building and even forced his way in before the police dragged him off, he was so furious that he started coughing uncontrollably. "Go… to the company and… shut down the acquisitio
Macie pressed her lips together. Edward had mentioned two days ago that he'd hired an entire legal team. She didn't think he was serious, let alone that he'd move this fast.She removed Nathan from her blocked list and gave him a call. When he picked up, she said, "Thanks for the heads-up. I'll find a lawyer in the next couple of days."He responded, "No problem. Mr. Fowler is taking this seriously. He even threatened to ruin his lawyers' reputations if they lose."Macie's expression turned colder after hearing that. Nathan had clearly risked a lot to warn her. He was still Edward's assistant, so he asked her to keep it to herself. "Don't worry," she assured him. "I won't tell anyone. I won't even tell Mr. Fowler Senior until the case is officially filed."Then, she inquired, "Was this what you were trying to tell me when you called last night? Sorry I missed your call.""Oh, no, that wasn't it," he responded. "Mr. Fowler went to your apartment complex last night, and the securi
Meanwhile, Xavier Marlowe leaned back in his leather chair, with one leg casually crossed over the other, as he flipped through the freshly printed documents his assistant, Miles Thatcher, had just handed him in Marlowe Law Group. The pages still carried the faint warmth and scent of fresh ink."Mr. Marlowe, are you sure you want to take this case? You'd be going up against the Fowler family," Miles reminded him."Why wouldn't I be? It's a lawyer's job to stand up against injustice." Xavier set the documents down, his lips curving into an amused smile. "There's been a lot of buzz in the upper circles about Edward's divorce lately. I never thought I'd end up representing his wife. What a small world… This is going to be fun."Miles watched his boss with a knowing expression. He could already tell that Xavier wasn't interested in the case. He just wanted front-row seats to the drama.He had already asked around with a few other firms. Macie had reached out to them, too, but none of t
"Well, yeah. Weren't your families planning a marriage alliance? That would technically make Edward your fiancé… and your brother's future brother-in-law," Xavier said cheekily."I wouldn't marry that scumbag even if he were the last man on Earth!" Alice fumed."Alright, Xavier. That's enough," Sean butted in. "Our family has already called off the marriage alliance with the Fowlers."That actually caught both Xavier and Alice off guard. The latter turned to Sean and asked, "Wait… you only said you wouldn't force me before. But it's officially called off now?""How are we supposed to go through with the marriage alliance after the scene you made with Edward last night?" Sean inquired.A smile immediately broke across her face. She would've made a scene with Edward a long time ago if she'd known that it was all it took to break off the engagement."Hold on, I smell gossip. What happened last night? What did you and Edward do, Alice?" Xavier asked, clearly intrigued."Ask my broth
As the workday neared its end, Alice grabbed her purse and clocked out a good 30 minutes early. Why was she so bold? Well, the company was her family's, and she was the heiress. Work was just a way for her to pass the time. She'd much rather do this than sit through another boring high-society tea party.She drove straight to Macie's workplace and even picked up some mini cakes on the way to surprise her.Carrying her designer handbag, dressed in an expensive and gorgeous long dress, and strutting in her stiletto heels, Alice radiated elegance from head to toe. Tossing back her voluminous curls, she approached one of the employees near the door and casually asked where Macie's office was. The woman looked up, a little starstruck, then pointed her in the right direction. After the stunning woman left, the staff member couldn't help but glance back. The fragrance she wore was so enticing. It wasn't the cheap, artificial scent, but something natural and fresh.And her demeanor defini
Lily's voice had gotten so loud that it caught the attention of the entire office. Macie was about to fire back, but Alice pressed her shoulder down, getting her to sit back down. "If you've got a problem with me, go ahead and report me! Instead of squawking like a parrot here, get someone from your company to deal with me. Not even your thick, cheap foundation can hide those crow's feet.""How dare you!" Lily's anger boiled over, pissed off at the brutal insult. "Who do you think you are, coming in here acting all high and mighty like that?" she snapped, practically leaping to her feet. "I'm calling security right now. Let's see how long you last in here!"With that, she whipped out her phone, while others tried to calm her down, saying there was no need to make a big deal of it and that it'd be fine if Alice just left on her own."I was just giving them a friendly reminder. She's the one who started insulting me first! Why should I let her off the hook so easily?" Lily fumed."
Lily hadn't even finished her venomous remark when Macie grabbed a stack of documents and slammed them down onto the table, her voice cold and firm. "Watch your mouth! How dare you slander the heiress of the Hart family! If you don't know who the Harts are, go look them up."Keep running that mouth, and you'll be hearing from our lawyer. Don't think you'll still have a job in this industry when we're done."The moment Macie mentioned "the Hart family", the entire office fell silent. All eyes turned to the elegant woman before them who sat like a Persian cat. It was no wonder that she was that wealthy. She was the prized daughter of the Hart family.Now, Lily was in deep trouble. Everyone had tried to de-escalate the situation earlier. After all, Alice was just visiting Macie, and it was almost time to get off work. She wasn't causing any disruption. The papers were scattered on the floor across them. Lily had originally intended to storm over and slap Macie across the face, but
"Get out of my way! I'm going to a business meeting! If this causes a delay, can you afford to pay the penalty for breach of contract?" Edward snapped viciously.The bodyguards hesitated, doubt flickering on their faces. They wondered if Edward was really headed to a meeting. They questioned when a meeting had ever been that urgent without a heads-up from his assistant."Still not letting me through?" Edward barked again.The bodyguards exchanged looks and decided to follow him just in case."So this is why you've been behaving lately. You're being watched." Sean's mocking voice came through the phone."It's none of your damn business," Edward coldly retorted. "Is Macie hurt?" he asked.In the police station lobby, Sean looked at the woman now standing just outside the main doors and said, "Of course she's hurt. Think about it—your girlfriend sent three men to abduct her.""Sharon is not my girlfriend! Don't disgust me!" Edward snapped. "Is Macie seriously hurt? Where is she hur
Edward froze when he heard Sharon's name. He pressed his lips together and replied over the phone, "No. I have nothing to do with her."The finality of his words made Sharon break down completely, her sobs choking her voice."Yeah, sure. Who would believe that? Weren't you the one who made headlines with her in all those gossip scandals?" Sean sneered.Edward clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, replying weakly, "That was all a misunderstanding.""I don't care whether it was or not. Five million dollars. Transfer it now," Sean said."In your dreams! Whoever caused this incident should pay. Don't come to me like I'm some kind of lapdog!" Edward snapped. "I have nothing to do with Sharon anymore. We're done. Completely."He said it with complete determination, his tone cold and devoid of any emotion. And because the phone was on speaker, Sharon heard every word loud and clear. Her tears flowed even harder."Edward…"Her sobs hung in the air, but Edward's expression remained
Sharon's face turned pale under Sean's intense questioning. She trembled and stammered, "N-No, I didn't. I swear, I never meant for it to go that far. I just wanted to scare Macie into staying away from Edward. How could I do anything illegal? I'm a good person."Sean looked at her. He thought that if she truly were a good person, then everyone else in the world must be evil."Either resolve this with compensation or face it in court. Your choice," Sean said, throwing the decision to her.Sharon couldn't bring herself to say a single word about going to court. She didn't dare to. If Sean were to get involved, she would lose and probably have to pay even more. If he made this situation public, it would ruin her career. There was nothing to gain and everything to lose.After weighing all her options, Sharon clenched her teeth and asked the man, "Can I pay less? I can't come up with five million dollars."She turned on the charm, tears brimming in her eyes as she played the pity card
Sean thought that Edward was truly scum. Alice had said that the one who stirred up trouble that day was Edward's ex-girlfriend—the same woman he had flaunted publicly as his mistress while still married.Now, Macie and Edward were divorced, yet the mistress still showed up in front of the ex-wife, while Edward just stood by and did nothing. Sean really thought that Edward was a piece of trash.Not long after, the officer from the interrogation room emerged again, this time with a few others."Mr. Hart, Ms. Hart, Ms. Smith," he addressed them. "Surveillance footage confirms that the suspect was the first to lay hands on Ms. Smith and made a deliberate attempt to drag her into a car by the roadside. This establishes criminal intent."Also, our investigation confirms that the three men were not the suspect's bodyguards, but were hired by her. They've admitted to receiving payment from the suspect to abduct Ms. Smith."Alice immediately said, "I knew it! Sharon was still making excus
Alice knew that her own injury wasn't even worth mentioning, so she walked over to Macie and tugged up the sleeve of her shirt. She stated, "Look at this. May's arm is going to be all bruised by tomorrow."Sean looked at the woman Alice had pulled over. Her fair, slender arm was covered in several glaring marks. It was evidently caused by someone grabbing her forcefully. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.Macie felt uneasy under his stare and quickly pulled her sleeve back down. But the moment she did, Alice yanked it up again and turned toward the officers."Look at this. Does that woman look like she came just to talk things out? If she only wanted to talk, why did she get physical?"The officers glanced at Macie's arm. Just then, Sean's voice cut in, cold and sharp. "My sister and her friend were attacked. I hope your station handles this seriously and doesn't let the perpetrators walk away unpunished."The officers turned to Sean. The man had an overwhelming presence. Eve
"Who could possibly beat you?" Sean asked.Alice snapped, "I'm not joking! Edward's ex-girlfriend ambushed me and May, and she brought three thugs with her! May and I both got hurt! And they ruined my favorite handbag!"Sean furrowed his brow when he heard this. Alice kept going on, full of grievance and rage, until he cut in, saying, "Send me the location of the police station."Alice hung up and saw that the police had already arrived. They had come just in time.Sharon and the three men were all caught. Not a single one got away.The three of them headed to the nearby police station. It was the same one as before. Macie and Julian were already familiar with the place.In the lobby, Alice sent Sean the location. The three gave their statements while Sharon and the men were taken into an interrogation room.When they finished, one of the officers came out to mediate. "Ms. Emerson said that those men are her bodyguards. She claims that she wasn't trying to abduct anyone. It seem
When Macie heard that Edward had driven Sharon away, she was a little surprised. Alice was even more shocked, but Macie quickly said coldly, "I really did get divorced. He's the one who keeps pestering me. We're going to court next week." She glanced at Sharon. "Once that's over, Edward and I will have nothing to do with each other. Don't believe me? Come to the court yourself."Sharon frowned when she heard that, clearly unconvinced.What if they went to court and the divorce didn't go through? Then she would just end up being played yet again."May's right. She and that scumbag Edward are definitely getting divorced," Alice said mockingly. "You're the only one who still treats him like he's some kind of prize. No one else gives a damn. "You two had better lock it down. When you get married, I'll show up with a gift and wish you all the happiness in the world."Sharon shot Alice a glare. Wasn't this the same woman who had bragged last time that Edward was about to marry her?
Sean couldn't help but think to himself that he'd really gone too far. He wondered how he was any different from the bullies who had tormented Macie.He remembered how Macie had looked that morning with her anger held back, forced to endure his teasing with a fake smile. Meanwhile, he found it amusing, as if it were some kind of game to him.He couldn't believe what a monster he had been.Macie's quiet demeanor was the result of years of enduring suffering, with her anger only surfacing when she was pushed too far.Macie was a young woman with a vintage landscape as her profile picture—someone who had already seen the world's harshness and matured well beyond her years. And all of this was the result of childhood trauma and constant bullying. At this moment, Sean could no longer dismiss what Alice had told him. He fully believed her now. …After returning to her private office downstairs, Alice didn't dare admit to Macie how spineless she had felt. All she could do was firmly
"Stop it right now. Don't bully my friend anymore, or I swear I won't let you off easy," Alice warned. However, Sean didn't even flinch, arrogantly ignoring her threat.Alice was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She wouldn't win if she argued or fought with Sean. He could easily slap her down to the ground, and she wouldn't even be able to get back up. If anyone else had bullied Macie, she would have gone all in, but this person was Sean—her brother, the one who had always pushed her around since they were kids.Alice sighed, moving from anger to helplessness, feeling stuck and useless. She couldn't protect Macie and felt she wasn't a good friend. "Macie has already been through enough. Can't you show a little compassion? Stop bullying an innocent, vulnerable lady!" Alice tried softening her tone. "You don't know how much Macie has suffered. Do you even have an ounce of human decency?" She switched tactics, telling him everything she knew about Macie's past and th