All Chapters of Once a Doormat, Now Untouchable: Chapter 851 - Chapter 860

Leon had barely settled into his chair when Liam pushed open his office door and stepped inside."Mr. Kingston," Liam began hesitantly. "Nina sent a message."Leon remained perfectly composed. "What did she say?""She's asking when it would be convenient for you and your wife to finalize the divorce." Liam relayed the rest of the message word for word. "She says... Ms. Hutton has a tight schedule these days, so you'll need to arrange a time in advance."The words were polite, but the meaning was obvious. They were certain Leon would go through with the divorce. When it came to Diana, he had long since lost any room to bargain.Leon smiled faintly, as if he had heard an amusing joke. "Tell her I'm not free lately."Liam froze. "Mr. Kingston, but—""What?" Leon's tone remained casual. "She asked when I'm free, and I told her I'm not. Is that so hard to understand?"Liam opened his mouth, then thought better of it. He had served Leon for many years and watched his boss go from a h

Leon did not answer directly. "You know very well.""I don't." Diana gave a cold laugh. "If you've guessed that Sydney is my sister, then you should also be able to guess what my family will do to you if you're the one who lets this secret out."On the other end, Leon had clearly thrown caution to the wind, but his tone was far from harsh. "If Julian backs off, I guarantee I'll keep my mouth shut. Diana, all I want is to hold on to what I have. I never intended for us to destroy each other."Diana knew exactly what Leon was betting on. He was counting on her not daring to put Sydney at risk.Sydney was pregnant and already so far along. If she suddenly learned the truth about her origins and discovered that Florence had lost the use of her legs while chasing after her all those years ago, she would blame herself beyond measure. That was simply the kind of person she was.Last time, Sydney had merely suspected that the Hutton family might have been involved in her adoptive parents'

Julian said nothing more and hung up. However, he did not return to the study right away.The submissive, cautious tone Leon had used on the phone earlier was nothing like the reckless confidence Raymond had just described. It was almost as if they were talking about two different people.A man did not go from groveling like a lackey to strutting around as if he owned the place without good reason.Julian narrowed his eyes as a suspicion began to take shape.After a moment, he returned to the study and gently pushed open the door.Sydney was still curled up on the sofa, just as he had left her. Her cup of milk was empty, and she was absorbed in something on her phone.She looked up at the sound of his arrival. "Back already?""Mm." Julian walked over and sat beside her. He picked up her empty cup and set it aside."Come on. Let's go to bed."He slipped an arm around her shoulders and drew her close, allowing her to rest her head against his chest. He could feel the faint warmt

The next day, Liam pushed open the door to find Leon standing before the floor-to-ceiling window.Outside, Jouleston's skyline lay beneath a gray haze. Skyscrapers crowded together, and cars crawled like ants through the streets below. The entire city looked oppressive from every angle."Mr. Kingston, good news!" Liam sounded more cheerful than usual. "We've just received word that the Sterling Group has agreed to resume several projects they previously suspended. Everything will proceed according to schedule."Leon continued to stare out the window for a long moment before slowly turning around. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "How many projects?"Liam consulted his tablet. "Three, so far. The logistics project in the southern part of the city, the new energy project up for bidding on the eastern outskirts, and the supporting infrastructure project in the north, for which we'd already signed a termination agreement."We've received emails confirming that, after a

The day of the family dinner dawned clear, a rare break in the weather.Leon left the office half an hour early. As the black sedan pulled out of the underground garage, Liam, who sat in the passenger seat, held out a document, but Leon waved it away. "No more work talk."He leaned back in the rear seat and closed his eyes to rest, but his fingers curled and uncurled against his knee without his noticing.The car had barely merged onto the main road when his phone rang. The caller ID displayed a string of numbers that resembled a jumble of random characters.Leon's first instinct was to hang up, but something compelled him to answer instead.He waited for the caller to speak first.A hoarse, unhurried voice came through, rough and aged like old wood steeped in strong tea. "Mr. Kingston. The past couple of days have gone smoothly for you, haven't they?"Leon recognized the voice. It was Jeremiah.He made no attempt to deny it. A faint smile touched his lips. "Thanks to you, Juli