Lahat ng Kabanata ng No Longer Theirs: The One They Can't Replace: Kabanata 441 - Kabanata 450

Matthew appeared dazed. He was completely captivated. He had forsaken all responsibility, professional integrity, and obligations of confidentiality. In that moment, none of it seemed as important as the enticing figure before him."As you suspected… Ms. Sutton is indeed Mr. Blake's… lover."Hazel's chest tightened with dread. A rush of fury shot straight to her head.There was never a shortage of women in Blake's life, but none had been his girlfriend for more than three months. Sasha, however, had stayed faithfully at his side for five years straight.After sleeping with the same woman for so long, the thrill ought to have faded by now. Still, Blake refused to part with that wretched woman. Even under Nancy's urging, he showed no sign of letting her go.Could it be that Blake had actually taken a liking to that little troublemaker? The thought sent a shiver crawling over Hazel's head."You mean… Blake has been keeping her around in secret?""Yes."Hazel's voice shook. "Where?

Blake was aware of all this as well. Life had continued peacefully and happily—until the day Hazel found Topaz.Hazel had always harbored a dislike for Sasha. Seizing the opportunity during Sasha's absence, she strutted into the guesthouse and mercilessly slaughtered Topaz.The security camera captured Hazel's alluring yet menacing expression. As she hoisted Topaz high and slammed her to the ground, Sasha's heart twisted in agony. A murderous impulse surged through her.Sasha rushed to the Thorne residence as fast as she could. She found Topaz motionless, the final warmth in her body gradually slipping away.Fury overtook Sasha, and she landed a sharp slap on Hazel. They struggled, but Hazel was no match for her. Had Blake not arrived at that moment, her rage and hatred might have driven her to actually strangle Hazel to death.Blake kept the incident quiet; neither Charlie nor Nancy knew about the deep enmity between the two.While Sasha headed back to the Thorne residence, Haze

At four in the morning, Blake sat slouched on the couch in a loose, dark green silk robe, the lapels hanging wide open.He drank in silence, one glass after another, smoking just as relentlessly.After a long while, he picked up his phone and called Vance.Vance rushed over in a haze of yawns. The moment he stepped into the study, he nearly choked on the thick smoke."M-Mr. Thorne… you haven't slept all night?" Vance coughed several times."Are you blind?" Blake gritted his teeth, grinding out his cigarette. Dark circles were obvious beneath his eyes.Vance fell silent.He had followed Blake for years and knew he usually fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Even on business trips, even when enemies came knocking, he could sleep like the dead.Insomnia was rare, and this was unusual.Vance also knew why Blake could be so at ease. It was because of Sasha.Sasha was highly skilled and fiercely responsible. Over the years, she had saved Blake from danger more than once

"But speaking of which, this CEO doesn't have a single person by her side. Compared to Mr. Everhart, this scene is… kind of pathetic.""I heard Ms. Everhart is actually Mr. Everhart's niece! But their relationship is cold. There was a pretty nasty argument at the board meeting before."Don't let her CEO title fool you—she's just a figurehead, working under Mr. Everhart's thumb. She probably doesn't even know how to make a real impact!""That explains a lot. Honestly, she might just be a pretty woman with little brains. If you hadn't told me she's his niece, I might've thought… she was his mistress."Snippets of this conversation drifted into Winter's ears.She had a beautiful face, so no matter whether she was at Stroud Group or Everlast Tech, she always drew attention and gossip.But she didn't care.Winter had come to Everlast to safeguard her mother's legacy, to restore the company's former glory—not to put on a public image, play office politics, or scheme with colleagues.

Everyone gawked, stunned by the barbed sass in Winter's words.No one expected that behind her calm, elegant facade lurked such a pointed tongue—her remarks were subtle, but their bite was lethal."Ms. Everhart…" Michelle's eyes filled with tears, deeply moved."W-What do you mean by that?" Yvonne, now ignoring Winter's CEO status, lunged forward, ready to throw fists."What's the matter? Did I hit a nerve, Ms. Sullivan?" Winter narrowed her icy eyes, her voice clear and cutting enough for everyone to hear. "Ms. Sullivan, there's a term for someone with your 'talent,' you know?"Yvonne scoffed, thinking Winter would say something obvious—like "lover" or "mistress". She wasn't Nigel's mistress, after all.Nigel may be an old man, but he'd been divorced for ages. She had only been with him to become his girlfriend—what could anyone possibly fault her for?Then Winter delivered three words that left everyone stunned."Old man's pleasure."Michelle couldn't hold it in—she burst in