*****“What’s going on?” Williams and Susan exchanged a perplexed gaze upon seeing Grace’s frantic demeanor.“Hope there is no problem?” Susan eventually inquired and just then, a relieved expression washed over Grace.“Yes, this is Grace,” she said composedly into the cell phone, acting as though she wasn’t the panicky one of a moment ago.Anyone hearing only her voice without seeing her right now might think she was composed and untroubled, but a single glance at her heaving chest would reveal it was merely a façade.The husband and wife duo who were intently studying her couldn’t help but exchange glances at this, after which they smiled wryly.‘Do we even ever truly know when our daughter is genuinely happy or upset?’ they thought in unison.Meanwhile, Grace, unaware of the thought going through her parents’ minds suddenly gasped, momentarily losing her composure to whatever the caller said.“You—you are available now?” She asked dumbly, truly surprised as she had just mad
*****Still in the VIP ward.Seated beside Laura on the bed, David who was still utterly confused glanced at his wife. “This jade beauty you wouldn’t stop talking about, how sure are you that something is really going on between her and our son though?” He asked seriously and Laura’s eyes lit up.“My womanly intuition,” she responded eagerly, throwing David off-guard.“You…”“You should know that my instincts are rarely ever wrong, right?” She inquired and David, who was on the verge of challenging her paused for a moment before finally nodding his head.“It would be a wonderful thing then,” he said after which he also became excited, his eyes brightening like those of his wife.“I thought I’d start searching for a wife for him after which I would give them the villa I was given today as their wedding present,” he mumbled with a sigh, his eyes filling with unshed tears, but just then, Laura, who heard what her husband just said stared blankly at him.“The Villa you were given?
*****Xavier’s eyes instantly rose upon hearing this remark while the inside of the huge, magnificent, and well-lit hall turned dead silent in an instant.Several things could cause discrimination in Riverton City and among them is being an ex-convict, a label akin to a blot on something already filthy to the citizens.Whether they were eating, conversing, walking, or drinking, everyone slowly turned their heads, glancing at the speaker—an averagely beautiful lady, who currently had her fingers interlaced with that of a short guy in an Armani suit as she stood, gaping in a particular direction with unmistakable disdain and loathing.“Bi—big sister, what—what did you just say?” A young boy of about four years old, who had just been boasting to his parents about how everyone in his class except himself was frightened when their teacher told them stories of how scary prisoners are, stammered in fear.Jennifer glanced at the boy before looking at everyone else and the instant she saw
*****The moment Xavier heard the pot-bellied manager’s order, his eyes lifted, and a faint, playful, cold grin spread across his lips.He initially wasn’t mad at all despite the crowd’s unreasonable hatred as he had already anticipated reactions like that before he left prison while for Jennifer, he was just more disappointed in himself for having been blind, but now…Watching the security guards approaching him to throw him out as ordered, he decided to act—when suddenly the elegant female manager, who hadn’t said much since her arrival stepped forward and blocked their path.Being the most beloved of all the restaurant workers, the security guards immediately stopped without hesitation. They even took a step back, and with that, Janet acknowledged them with a gentle nod before addressing the perplexed customers who were staring at her and murmuring.“Although I don’t know the reason behind your displeasure, I apologize,” she began, prompting the crowd to quiet down, after whic
*****“This…” Everyone gaped dumbly at Janet, acting as though they hadn’t heard what she just said right.Even Xavier was struck dumb.Although the Amodu family is the same as trash to the current him, he had thought the female manager would have been tempted to get its favor, given its authority as a third-ranked family, but yet…A look of interest abruptly appeared on his face while the pot-bellied manager shook, his stomach trembling from rage.Despite already knowing Janet’s uncaring attitude right from the onset, even he had never expected her to disregard such a free pie from heaven just like that.His breathing became labored as he glared ferociously at her. “What the heck do you think you are doing?” He growled beneath his voice, trembling all over.“You could have at least used this to give me a face if you don’t need any favor!” He added angrily, but Janet, acting as though she couldn’t feel he was about to burst from rage ignored him, her composed and elegant smile
*****For a moment, nobody could react, staring dazedly as though time and space had stopped for them.This stillness lingered for a moment before suddenly; “Hahahaha!”Jennifer, who had also been taken aback and thunderstruck by Xavier’s unexpected response erupted with laughter, giggling so hard as though she had just heard the most amusing joke in the universe.“I knew it!” She shrieked loudly, staring at Xavier as though he was one kind of an interesting thing, after which she cast a mockery glance at Janet.“Look who you were defending. Someone who only came to dine and dash. Hahaha!” She jeered.“We warned you he was nothing but a common prisoner who doesn’t belong among normal human beings, but you insisted on defending him. What are you going to do now that you have realized his true nature?” she added further, asking a question that made Janet's face flush slightly with embarrassment.This was the most humiliating thing she had ever felt in her life, and it only grew w
*****The breathing of all the men quickened while the ladies were utterly amazed, seeing this lady, whose beauty was several times above even A-list actresses.“Who is she?” A guy finally whispered quietly, unable to keep his composure again and because the hall was silent at this moment, the question was heard clearly by all, making them gaze at the speaker as though he were an alien.“You—you don’t know Miss Grace, Miss Grace Sky?” A lady inquired with disbelief and upon hearing this name, the guy was stunned.“The same Miss Grace Sky that was just discussed?” He mumbled dazedly, wondering what sort of coincidence had just occurred, and just then, the Pot-bellied manager snapped back to his reality, and his face instantly adopted a fawning expression as he rushed toward the newcomer."I had no idea you’d be visiting today... Welcome, Miss Sky," he said with a deferential tone, his earlier arrogance disappearing completely.“This—” the guy, who was still pondering the level of
*****The one who shattered the silence was the pot-bellied manager, badly jolting everyone back to reality, but since the question he just asked was what was in their minds, they Instantly stared intently at Grace in utter bewilderment.Grace, seeing all these gazes frowned.She did not appreciate all the stares being directed at her as they made her uncomfortable, but still, knowing the owner was only curious about whom she was addressing, a reason she had no idea about, she subtly nodded her head after a moment before looking back at Xavier.“Let’s go,” she said emotionlessly, and Xavier, who had remained composed and unbothered by everything going on since the beginning nodded his head casually.He glanced at the crowd and finally decided to speak up when suddenly; “Nonsense!”An outcry echoed, breaking the silliness caused by Grace’s response and her subsequent action.Everyone was startled awake and quickly looked at the owner of the furious cry. Behold, it belonged to Je
*****The atmosphere in the conference room was so stifling at this moment, the tension so thick it was almost tangible, as every eye remained locked on Lucius. “He… he is really young master Lucius?” one of the representatives stuttered.“What’s he doing here?” Another murmured in a daze.“Wasn’t he the one who ordered our various companies to pressure Sky Group?”“Or… could he be here to finish them off?”Murmurs spread among the representatives, their confusion evident in their wary glances at Lucius, trying to decipher the reason behind Lucius’s presence.Grace, however, remained outwardly indifferent, though her heart churned with a mix of nervousness, confusion, and suspicion.‘What’s he doing here again?’ she wondered, her cold gaze on him. ‘Didn’t I already make it clear to him yesterday that I would never have anything to do with him again?’Finally, Mason.He still appeared utterly dumbfounded right now. His earlier fury completely vanished, replaced by an overwhe
*****The atmosphere in the conference room was so stifling at this moment, the tension so thick it was almost tangible, as every eye remained locked on Lucius. “He… he is really young master Lucius?” one of the representatives stuttered.“What’s he doing here?” Another murmured in a daze.“Wasn’t he the one who ordered our various companies to pressure Sky Group?”“Or… could he be here to finish them off?”Murmurs spread among the representatives, their confusion evident in their wary glances at Lucius, trying to decipher the reason behind Lucius’s presence.Grace, however, remained outwardly indifferent, though her heart churned with a mix of nervousness, confusion, and suspicion.‘What’s he doing here again?’ she wondered, her cold gaze on him. ‘Didn’t I already make it clear to him yesterday that I would never have anything to do with him again?’Finally, Mason.He still appeared utterly dumbfounded right now. His earlier fury completely vanished, replaced by an overwhe
*****The tension in the conference room was suffocating at this moment, a taut silence following Xavier's nonchalant words. “Again?” one of the representatives whispered, their astonishment breaking the stillness.Suppose the representatives had initially dismissed Xavier’s earlier remarks as a slip of the tongue or some misunderstanding, his repeated references to Grace as his wife left no room for doubt, the weight of this revelation, striking them like a tidal wave.Their eyes instinctively turned to Grace, knowing that if she had failed to hear Xavier before, she must have heard him clearly now. To their shock, however, her expression remained composed—eerily calm.This lack of denial instantly deepened the representatives’ confusion, and they exchanged dumbstruck glances, as though they’d just stumbled upon a secret capable of shaking the very foundations of the world.‘Grace is married?’ all thought in unison, their hearts pounding at this revelation.Mason, Honey, and
*****The conference room was still as death right now, the air heavy with tension.All eyes continued darting between Mason, who currently stood in stunned silence, acting as though he had just eaten a bunch of flies, and the handsome newcomer, who had just casually stridden in, exuding confidence, his easy demeanor somehow commanding attention.Different thoughts went through the representatives’ minds and their confusion cackled like static in the silence.This continued for what felt like an eternity until finally;“Hmph!” Honey broke the spell with a derisive snort.“What’s a nobody like you doing here?” Her voice dripped with disdain, fury, darkness, and coldness.“Huh…” The representatives blinked, stunned.‘Was he really not the powerful backer that brat had been arrogant about?’They thought, the realization hitting them like a punch.In the next instant, all their attention swung back to Mason, whose face was now a shade of crimson—embarrassment, anger, and disbeli
*****“So, President Mason, you said we only needed to wait a minute. It’s been almost three hours now since then. What exactly are we waiting for?” One of the representatives asked without standing up, now showing his complete disregard for Mason and the entire Sky group as a whole.While the question sounded as polite as possible, it was tinged with simmering frustration and unhappiness.They had thought that having been made to return to his senses, Mason would at least try to address them now, but contrary to their thoughts;Mason, slouched arrogantly in the president’s chair, shot the speaker a venomous glare, his irritation still lingering from his earlier defeat in the video game.“Then get the hell out of my company if you can’t wait again!” he snapped, his tone as sharp as broken glass.“This…” Everyone flinched, following which a stunned silence fell over the room, the representatives staring at Mason, their jaws slack with disbelief.“P-President Mason…” one of them
*****Back in Sky Group.“President Mason, what exactly are we waiting for?”The voice of Praise, one of the representatives suddenly cut through the heavy silence that had settled over the conference room like an oppressive fog, her question echoing what everyone in the room had been thinking for the past hour as their patience eroded like sand in an unforgiving tide.As soon as her voice sounded, all eyes immediately darted toward Mason, who had returned over an hour ago only to slump lazily in the president’s chair, hunched over his cell phone, completely absorbed in a video game.That’s right.One would have thought he would have addressed the room after his return, but no. As though he wasn’t the one they were waiting for, he had been frantically playing the video game since his return, his thumbs clicking rapidly across the screen of his cell phone, sweat glistening on his brow, as though he were locked in a life-or-death struggle in the virtual world.….“Die! Just die
*****”Young… young master,” a trembling voice abruptly broke the silence inside a lavish hotel room.The speaker was a flushed, naked woman who was currently sprawled across a king-sized bed, gazing up with watery eyes, her breath shallow and uneven.Perched on the edge of the bed, Lucius—equally unclothed—was just setting down his phone.His sharp, cold eyes immediately flicked toward the naked lady, and in the next instant, his expression darkened with unrestrained disgust.“Snap out of it already, you whore!” he barked, his voice cutting through the intimate atmosphere like a whip.“This…” The lady jolted as though slapped, the haze in her eyes dissipating like the wind.She stared at Mason in bewilderment, unsure how the man who had just shared a heated moment with her—whom they were just planning another round together could transform so quickly.She couldn’t react for a moment, but then recalling that this was how Lucius always turned cold and dismissive after getting wh
*****For a brief moment after Mason shattered the palpable tension in the room, silence reigned, everyone staring dazedly at him, frozen in disbelief.This stillness stretched on, only to be broken by the nervous shuffling of the representatives, who hastily wiped the beads of sweat from their brows, their gazes flitting nervously toward Grace, her earlier icy demeanor still fresh in their minds.‘As expected of the Ice Goddess,’ they thought uneasily, recalling the sheer weight of the presence she had released from a mere question alone.‘No wonder no one else from the company dared come, no matter what bonuses were promised,’ some of them thought, swallowing hard.Grace, meanwhile, sat motionless, her gaze fixated on Mason with a mixture of confusion and incredulity.She had been moments away from taking control of the situation, fully prepared to salvage what she could—even when she knew perfectly well that she’d ultimately lose the company to Mason.‘Why would he do that?’ th
***** At first, Grace had been deeply shaken by the coordinated actions of the partner companies, whose perfectly timed decisions to cut ties and demand repayment of debts seemed almost too calculated. The coincidence had been heavily weighing on her mind, and this was what she had been trying to process when Mason's sudden accusation hit her like a bolt of lightning. His words left her momentarily stunned. But as she regained her composure, her gaze fixed on Mason, her eyes narrowing, and her expression turning cold and resolute. “You… seriously believe I’d sabotage the company I’ve spent my life building?” she asked, her voice sharp and frosty, cutting through the charged silence like a blade. “What will a desperate witch not do?” A derisive snort responded, drawing everyone’s attention to the speaker, Honey, who was currently glaring venomously at Grace, her lips curling with spite. Grace’s brows immediately knitted with dissatisfaction. “What do you mean?” She ask