Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

Sure enough, Felix's expression darkened at the barrage of questions. "Natalie, curiosity can be a good thing, but you need to know when to stop. Got it?"Natalie had never seen him look at her so sternly. This time, she was genuinely frightened.Her face went pale, and she nodded quickly. "I'm sorry, Uncle Felix. I shouldn't have asked. I won't bring it up again."Realizing how badly he had frightened her, Felix softened his expression and lowered his voice."Just focus on yourself. I'll make sure you have everything you need. And stay out of things that don't concern you. Do you understand?"Natalie nodded obediently, her eyes red. "Yes, I understand.""Alright, don't cry. You'll ruin that pretty face of yours." Felix's attempt at comfort was awkward but sincere.Natalie wiped away her tears. With her reddened eyes and nose, she looked timid and fragile.Sensing that Felix's mood had softened, Natalie changed the subject at just the right moment. "Uncle Felix, why are you a

Philip's declaration that he didn't want Allison to be his mother anymore left the enormous living room silent for several seconds.Daniel gave him a stern look. "Don't talk about your mother like that."Philip's lower lip trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes. He had lost count of how many times Daniel had scolded him that day.The moment Elaine saw that her precious grandson was about to cry, she quickly pulled him into her arms to comfort him."Don't cry, darling. You didn't do anything wrong. She's a terrible mother. None of us want her around anymore.""Mom..." Daniel looked at her wearily. "Philip's too young to understand what he's saying. Why are you encouraging him?""How am I encouraging him? I'm defending my grandson. What's wrong with that?" Elaine rolled her eyes at Daniel, then turned back to Philip with a doting smile.Just then, Daniel's younger sister, Kimberly Hall, leaned over from Philip's other side and expertly scooped him out of Elaine's arms. "You

Daniel knew his father well. Henry was usually calm and composed, so if he was this upset, something serious must have happened."Dad, did something happen?"Elaine took Henry's coat and asked with concern, "You still haven't found that chess prodigy?""What chess prodigy?" Daniel asked curiously.It was strange enough to hear his normally refined mother use such an exaggerated phrase.More importantly, Henry was the vice president of the national chess association, the founder and head coach of the country's top chess academy, and a retired grandmaster.After decades at the highest levels of competitive chess, Henry had seen countless gifted players. Just how exceptional did someone have to be for him to search for them so urgently?Since Daniel had asked, Henry decided his son's connections might prove useful and explained, "There isn't much time left before this year's Grandmaster Cup, and unfortunately, both of our academy's top players are out of the running.""What happen

Julia looked awkward and conflicted. "Mrs. Hall... stop making such a big deal out of this. Mr. Hall is already exhausted from work every day. If you keep pushing him, this won't end well for you. I'm only saying this for your own good—""That's enough." Allison cut off yet another lecture about what was supposedly for her own good and said flatly, "I respect your decision."With that, she walked out, got into her car, and drove to the county clerk's office.Julia watched Allison's car disappear down the driveway and shook her head in exasperation.It was Monday morning, right in the middle of rush hour, and traffic was backed up everywhere.Even with the delays, Allison arrived at the county clerk's office five minutes early.The line to file for divorce was already extremely long, even longer than the line for marriage licenses.Allison took a number and waited for her turn, but the minutes passed with no sign of Daniel. She had even texted him the address and time again t

When Daniel's secretary showed Miles into the office, Daniel was seated behind his desk, completely absorbed in his work.Daniel and Miles founded the company together. Daniel oversaw technology and operations, while Miles handled financing and marketing.The two were classmates in high school. Unlike the Halls, who came from a long line of academics, the Parkers were the definition of new money.Years earlier, the Parkers made their fortune through the stock market, real estate speculation, and property development. They later invested in a wide range of businesses, gradually building a substantial financial empire.Now, the Parkers were one of the most prominent investment families in Fairfield.As the Parker family heir, Miles had been taught about investing and financial management from an early age. When Daniel first decided to start a technology company, he didn't have enough capital to build it on the scale he envisioned. The moment Miles heard about the idea, he invested