Aurora leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as if to shield herself from the emotional sting she felt. "I'll just act like I never knew him," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Better to forget... just like he seems to have forgotten me." She tried to focus on the stack of papers on her desk, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Ambrose, her mind replaying their last moments together.She drew in a deep breath, straightening her posture. "Alright," she told herself firmly. "Time to move on. There’s work to be done." And with that, she picked up the nearest file and forced herself to focus. At the same time, Malcolm Wei got down from his car, his expression still clouded with anger as he walked toward the entrance of the Wei mansion. His mind was still reeling from the tense meeting with Anna at Gemstar. The audacity of their demands, asking for a 30 percent cut instead of the agreed 10 percent, had infuriated him. He pushed open the heavy front door and strode inside.
Malcolm touched his reddened cheek, his voice trembling. “I didn’t do anything, Dad. I just didn’t agree with Anna’s terms and left.”Elder Wei's anger was far from abated. He slapped Malcolm again, harder this time. “You fool!” he thundered. “Instead of negotiating or at least telling her you needed time to consider, you stormed out in anger? Are you out of your mind? They demanded 30 percent, and now look—we’ve lost 40 percent in mere minutes! You’ve destroyed years of my hard work, Malcolm!”Malcolm stood there, shaken and speechless. Elder Wei's face twisted with rage as he looked at Malcolm. "You idiot! You’ve ruined everything! Do you have any idea what this means for our family? You’ve made a complete mess of things. If you ever dare to defy me or act so recklessly again, I’ll make sure you pay for this—both professionally and personally. You’ve betrayed our family’s legacy, Malcolm!”Malcolm, still reeling from the slaps and the curses, tried to regain his composure, but the
Chen, catching his breath from the earlier chaos, began to recount the events. “We received news that Gemstar demanded a 30 percent stake from us instead of the 10 percent we were paying. Master Malcolm refused to agree to their terms and left the negotiation angrily. As a result, Gemstar retaliated by causing a massive downturn in our market value. Investors pulled out, our stock prices plummeted, and we’re facing severe legal and financial consequences.”Jin’s eyes widened as he absorbed the gravity of the situation. “So, the entire collapse is because of this negotiation?”Chen nodded solemnly. “Yes. The sudden market crash has put us in a dire financial position, and we’re now heavily indebted. It’s a complete disaster.”Jin’s face grew pale as he processed the information, realizing the full extent of the crisis his family was facing.Later that night, Ava and Dera arrived back at the manor. Ava parked the car and they walked inside, where they found her parents, Elizabeth and he
“It’s the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra,” Ambrose responded, glancing at the phone in his hand.Elizabeth’s curiosity deepened. “How much did that cost?”“I got this for $1400,” Ambrose replied casually.“What?” Jacob’s voice rang out sharply, his shock apparent. “$1400? Where did you get that kind of money? Over 9000 yuan just for a phone?”Ambrose began to respond, “It’s—”“Shut up,” Jacob cut him off, his voice dripping with accusation. “You’re manipulating my daughter, aren’t you? Using her money to buy this phone. This is Ava’s money, isn’t it?”Ambrose frowned, meeting his father-in-law’s angry gaze. “I don’t understand why you’d assume that. Does Ava buy my phones for me? Do I need permission to spend money on myself?”Jacob, taken aback by Ambrose’s defiant tone, turned to Elizabeth, pointing an accusatory finger. “Do you see how he’s speaking to me? Disrespecting me in my own home!”Just then, the sound of light footsteps descending the stairs caught everyone’s attention. A
As the hot dog vendor began preparing their order, Ambrose suddenly said, “We’ll be back in a bit. Let’s check out some other things first.”The vendor, a cheerful man, nodded and smiled. “Alright, sir. I’ll have them ready when you return.”Ambrose turned to Ava with a grin. “I want to make this night a nice one for us. We’ll try a lot of different things, okay?”Ava, feeling a bit more relaxed now, nodded. “Alright.”They continued down the lively street until they came across a kebab stand. The rich smell of marinated meat grilling over an open flame wafted through the air. Ambrose immediately approached the vendor, his eyes on the sizzling kebabs.“Could you grill a couple for us quickly? With pepper powder and onions on it?” Ambrose asked, flashing a friendly smile.The vendor nodded and got to work, sprinkling a generous amount of pepper and seasoning over the kebabs before placing them on the grill. Soon, the meat was charred perfectly, releasing an irresistible aroma. Ambrose
Ava looked over the selection of ice cream and then glanced at Ambrose. “We’ll have two vanilla cones,” she said confidently, then added, “And can you sprinkle some crushed almonds on both?” The vendor nodded with a smile, “Coming right up!” As the vendor prepared their cones, Ambrose watched Ava, a small smile playing on his lips. “You’ve got good taste,” he said softly. Ava shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, but her eyes flickered with a hint of satisfaction. "Vanilla's a classic. Can't go wrong.” The vendor handed them their ice creams, and they both started licking quietly, enjoying the sweetness. Ambrose broke the silence, a playful glint in his eye. “Can I lick your ice cream?” he teased, turning to Ava. Ava shot him a weird look, not amused by the suggestion. “No,” she replied flatly. Ambrose grinned. “Alright, do you want to lick mine?” She didn’t respond this time, just kept her focus on her ice cream, avoiding his gaze. Ambrose, still smiling, leaned closer and sa
Elder Wei sat at his desk, his eyes fixated on the stock chart displayed on the screen. The numbers were steadily dropping, and the red lines slashed through his hopes with each passing second. His face was tense, jaw clenched, and his fingers gripped the edge of his chair. Malcolm, standing beside him, nervously shuffled, watching the same ominous decline unfold.“This... this is a disaster,” Elder Wei muttered, shaking his head. His frustration bubbled beneath the surface as the chart dipped further.“I didn't mean for this to happen,” Malcolm said quietly, trying to defend himself. “Anna... she overreacted.”“Overreacted?” Elder Wei’s voice was a dangerous growl. He slowly turned his head, glaring at his son. “You insulted the one person who could help us stabilize this crisis! And now, look at what she’s doing—she’s destroying everything we built!”Malcolm’s eyes dropped to the floor. He knew his father was right, but the damage was done.“She was angry,” Malcolm tried, his voice
Ambrose whispered under his breath, "Oh God, she'll kill me if she finds out about this. How the hell did the pillows go off?" His gaze fell on Ava’s disheveled clothes, and he felt a twinge of guilt mixed with an undeniable sense of attraction. He moved closer, taking in the sight of her soft features. "Fuck, she's so pretty," he mumbled, unable to stop himself from inhaling her scent. It relaxed him in a strange way.His heart raced as he carefully reached out to adjust her nightgown, hoping she wouldn’t notice anything when she woke up. Just as his fingers touched the fabric, Ava’s eyes fluttered open, locking with his. Instantly, a cold shiver ran through both of them.Ava sat up quickly, her eyes drifting to his hand on her gown. She acted startled, her voice laced with mock accusation. “What were you trying to do?”Ambrose's face turned pale. "Ava, it's not—"“You were trying to pull my gown off, Ambrose?” she asked, her tone sharpening.“No, come on, why would I—" Ambrose stamm