All Chapters of Old Dreams Fade: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

His grip was hard, and panic finally showed in his eyes.Of course I knew why he was panicking.Shaw capital was the key every family in Harbor City was fighting for.Whoever I backed would take the chair of the Chamber of Commerce.Just then, the doors to the banquet hall burst open.Evan’s face went completely rigid.The moment I saw who had come in, the rage from my previous life swept through me again like wildfire.I looked at Evan and gave a cold laugh.“Mr. Pierce, I don’t joke.“And there’s one more thing I may as well tell you now.“As of today, I, Clara, am officially ending my engagement to Evan.”Evan glanced at me in surprise, his brows drawing together.But soon, his attention shifted back to Bianca, who had just walked into the hall.“Clara, stop throwing a tantrum.”His eyes stayed fixed on Bianca. He did not even turn his head.“Bianca is just someone I trained with. She only came to the party tonight to clear her head.”Looking at how justified he seemed, I almost lau

He immediately straightened, his eyes lighting up.“Tell me. I’ll do anything.”That fearless look on his face actually made me pause for a moment.“...Do you have final say over Langford Group’s fuel trades?”The office fell quiet for a few seconds.Miles blinked, as if he had not understood, or as if he had understood but could not believe it.Then he nodded hard.“I do. I do!” he added quickly. “Victor controls a lot of things, but this part is mine!”There was a cautious hint of pride in his voice.I had him sit down. As I applied medicine to his elbow, I listened to him stumble through Langford Group’s industrial layout.He got stuck now and then when he spoke, but once he talked about the part he was responsible for, he was unexpectedly clear and organized.After a long moment of thought, I set down the cotton swab.“Call Victor. Tell him I want to talk.”Miles had been under Langford Group’s surveillance for a long time. He just did not know it yet.Instead of cooperating in sec

When my phone screen lit up, I was going over the last details of the contract with Miles.“Hello?“Clara, it’s me.”Evan’s voice came through as if nothing had happened.“What is it?”“I received that document. What is this supposed to mean?”“Exactly what it says. We’re ending the partnership. You go your way, I’ll go mine.”There was a moment of silence on the other end.“Clara,” Evan said, his voice softening.“I was wrong tonight. I shouldn’t have embarrassed you in front of so many people.“But you don’t need to drag business into this. You know how important that project is to us...”“I’m not dragging anything into this.”I cut him off, my tone calm.“Evan, do you think I’m throwing a tantrum? That I’ll regret it tomorrow? That I can’t live without you?”He froze.A sharp breath came through the line.A few seconds later, he spoke again, now with a trace of urgency.“That project really is important. If you terminate the partnership at the last minute, what will people say? Do y

I nearly choked on my tea.“What did you say?”“I’m pursuing you,” he said seriously.“That way, Victor won’t suspect anything. He’d love for me to get close to the Shaws so he can find a way to reach your family’s resources.”I looked at his earnest expression and suddenly had no idea what to say.He smiled first.“Am I smart?”“...Pretty smart.”He smiled, his eyes curving like crescent moons.At that moment, I suddenly realized that when he smiled, there was something clean and boyish in his face.He was already in his twenties, yet he still looked like a kid who had never quite grown up.I looked away and handed him a document.“Sign these.”“What are they?”“Equity agreements.”Miles took them and was about to sign without even reading.“Aren’t you going to look at the terms?”“No need.” He shook his head and was already looking for a pen. “You wouldn’t hurt me.”I watched him write his name crookedly across the agreement, and something in my chest softened.This dummy.The day we