The woman, Anita Salvatore who’s Lucas' elder sister, shifted her gaze to where Karina's car had disappeared, sporting a sly grin."She's classy," Anita commended."And beautiful too, Momma," her daughter, Lilly, chimed in, earning a chuckle from Lucas. "Uncle Lucas, were you on a date with the beauty?"Lucas hesitated, a hint of disappointment in his tone as he replied, "Um, not really, my dear.""But that woman, how do you know her?" Anita interjected before Lucas could respond, her head tilting in thought. "She looks familiar.""Yeah, Mom. I think she's the famous actress, K. Everhardt," Lilly answered.Anita's eyes widened slightly. "An Everhardt?"Lucas nodded, a sense of apprehension creeping in. "She's an Everhardt, Anita."Anita's expression soured. "What?""She's the granddaughter of Sir Lawson," Lucas clarified, observing his sister's jaw stiffen. "I understand why you're reacting this way..."Leaning closer, Anita whispered through gritted teeth, "Then why are you sociali

Karina gracefully entered the conference room a few minutes later, finding the board of directors gathered and Aidan positioned before them, poised to present his proposal. She exchanged a disapproving glance with Gina, who offered her a sympathetic smile before nudging Aidan to begin. She took the seat at the head of the table, reserved for her as the CEO. Settling into it, she observed Aidan deliver his pitch flawlessly, while stealing longing gazes in her direction. As he wrapped up, she could see the approving nods and expressions of most of the board members. After he finished, they all applauded, except for Karina who discreetly concealed her annoyance. "What are your thoughts on his proposal, Karina?" Gina inquired, cautiously. Karina stood up with a composed expression. "I will reserve my comments for now and..." she purposefully paused as her phone rang. Excusing herself, she left the room, feeling Aidan's eyes following her. After taking her call and stepping out into the

After a moment of contemplation, Karina set down her utensils and gazed at Martha, seated across from her at the dining table. "I will do it." "We have faith in you, dear," Zora reassured Karina with a warm smile. The atmosphere at the breakfast table grew tense as the family grappled with Martha's bold stance, leaving the fate of Karina's ascension uncertain. After breakfast, Riley burst into her parents' room, her mind buzzing with questions and disbelief. "Mom, why suggest such a challenge? Karina's going to take it and prove she's the rightful heir to the Algernon business empire. Ugh!" She clenched her fist in frustration. Martha, wearing a mischievous smile, rose from her seat. "Don't worry, darling. Do you know who Mike Henshaw is?" Riley furrowed her brows in confusion. "He's a notorious misogynist. That's why he'll reject whatever proposal Karina brings," Martha explained confidently. Riley's eyes widened in realization. "Wow," she chuckled. "She's bound to fail," M

The man before her was antiquated in appearance. Karina spun around, giving a disapproving glare as he surveyed the restroom before finally fixing his gaze upon her."Excuse me? This is designated as the women's restroom.""Is that so?""You're obviously not visually impaired, so you must have noticed the sign above the door."He chuckled and shrugged nonchalantly.With a stern expression, she commanded, “Do leave now." Turning to face the mirror, she observed as he took a step closer and clicked his tongue in a distasteful manner."Feisty, huh? Oh, I love getting lost in the women's restroom and stumbling upon beauties like you."She sneered, rolling her eyes with annoyance."Oh, baby, you look exhausted. You know I can give you a quick and pleasurable time right here. Just promise you won't scream."She gulped as she realized he was a foreigner. He began to unbuckle his belt playfully as he took another step towards her.She stood her ground but glanced down at him through the mi

Karina found herself greeted with both genuine well-wishes and artificial ones from her family the next morning before hastily departing from the house. She had an appointment with Mike Henshaw at 10 am but decided to check into a nearby hotel an hour beforehand to properly prepare herself.Equipped with the crucial details Georgia had given her and her presentation conveniently saved on a flash drive, she settled into her hotel room to go over it once more. Despite her determination to go through with it, she couldn't help but feel an unsettling pit in her stomach and a diminishing sense of confidence with each passing moment.For the past six years, she has dedicated all her efforts towards building a successful career in Hollywood and the commercial media industry, aspiring to become a renowned and rated R superstar actress and model. It had always been her dream to captivate audiences on the big screen.Her return had solely been prompted by her daughter's persistence and her ow