Lahat ng Kabanata ng Side Chick Era… Over: Kabanata 1401 - Kabanata 1410

In the end, it was Sharon who finally reminded them, "Dad, Rick, the most urgent matter right now isn't finding the culprit—it's figuring out how to contain the damage."If the rumors keep spreading, the company's image will suffer as well. From what I know, many of our partners chose to work with the Kalen Group because of Victoria. Once they hear these rumors, who's to say they won't pull out?"Just then, Rick's phone rang. On the other end, his secretary sounded visibly rattled."Sir, bad news. Another one of Miss Kalen's confirmed collaborations has been cancelled…"Over the past few weeks, several companies had withdrawn from their partnerships with the Kalen Group. Some that had shown strong interest during negotiations suddenly decided they "needed more time to think."Cancelled deals weren't unusual, so at first, no one paid much attention. But the frequency of these withdrawals recently had begun to feel wrong.Rick asked his secretary to look into recent news, yet nothi

Jamie smirked. "Trying to sow discord again."He had no intention of responding. But a thought flashed through his mind—was Thomas sending more videos to flaunt his happiness, showing off how well Sharon treated him?Almost against his own will, Jamie picked up the phone.The message was simple: a short video.The camera pointed toward the floor.Judging from the pattern of the wooden boards, it was filmed inside the Kalen residence.Within seconds, Silas's arrogant voice came through clearly."Regardless, Victoria is the one who suffered. Jamie must take responsibility. He should find a way to shut down the rumors. Whatever losses Victoria suffered, he must compensate for all of them."He may have been removed from his position, but he's still the largest shareholder of the Walton Group. As compensation, he should transfer one percent of his shares to Victoria as reparations for her damaged reputation. He can't walk away from this unscathed."Jamie's expression didn't change a

Sharon couldn't guess what Jamie was thinking, so she turned to Thomas beside her."Thomas, what do you think is going on in Jamie's mind?"Thomas watched Jamie strolling through the back garden with the butler, his eyes dark and unreadable."I'm not sure. But…"His voice trailed off—so long that Sharon had to prompt him."But what?"Thomas finally replied, "The Kalen family seems to underestimate Jamie far too much."Sharon asked, "Do you think Jamie will use this chance to marry Victoria?"Right now, Victoria's reputation was in ruins. This was the perfect opportunity for Jamie to take her home. He could easily use the scandal to negotiate terms with the Kalen family.Thomas's tone was calm. "He won't marry Victoria."Sharon looked at him in surprise. "Why? Because he doesn't want to make things harder for her?"Thomas shook his head. "Sharon, Jamie isn't as brainless as you think. Just because he let Victoria use him—and never asked for anything in return—doesn't mean he

Rick cleared his throat. "We already know what happened. Victoria only went because she agreed to Johanna's invitation. Those rumors may not have been your doing, but this matter is tied to you and your sister, whether you like it or not. Jamie, your sister caused the trouble—asking you to take responsibility isn't unreasonable."From Jamie's attitude toward Silas earlier, it was clear that pushing him harder wouldn't work. So Rick shifted tactics. Silas had simply been the first to test Jamie's bottom line.Seeing Rick take over, Silas fell silent and calmly sipped his tea.Jamie, however, lifted his gaze toward Thomas and Sharon, a faint, ambiguous smile playing at the edge of his expression."Johanna doesn't have the brains—nor the guts—to set up me and Victoria. Someone had to be pulling the strings behind."He was referring to Thomas and Sharon.Even if Johanna never said a word, it wouldn't be hard for Jamie to find out who pulled the strings. After all, Johanna had met T

What was going on?The three Kalen brothers were so stunned they couldn't speak.Victoria's face drained of color bit by bit. Jamie's words struck her like a hard slap—burning, humiliating, and impossible to ignore.Rick was the first to recover. "Jamie, aside from this condition, do you have any others?"Silas also snapped out of his shock and let out a cold laugh."Jamie, you've got some nerve. Trying to get something for nothing, is that it? Let me tell you—if you think you can marry Victoria without forking out a single cent, dream on!"Even now, Silas still believed Jamie was pulling a tactical retreat—pretending to cut ties with Victoria to force their hand. Acting as if he would abandon her unless they agreed to the marriage.Jamie ignored him completely. He looked only at Rick. "No. That's all."Rick, truthfully, was just as suspicious as Silas. His mind churned, searching for any hidden motives Jamie might have.He warned, "Jamie, if we sign this agreement, you won't