"Think whatever you want," Alex said as he returned to the bathtub to help Ava with the final treatment.The nurse assisted Ava in drying her body and dressing in clean clothes before she lay down on the bed to rest.After the nurse left, only Ava, Eva, and Alex remained in the room."The poison is already gone," Alex said, sitting by her side. "Can you tell me what you ate or touched last time before you got sick?""I just drank water from the tap, I think," Ava replied, thinking hard. "Why?""The poison in your body is the same as your father's. It's a slow-acting poison that accumulates over time. There must be something your family consumes regularly without knowing it's contaminated."Alex started to piece things together. It was possible their drinking water was poisoned. He remembered the past when, during the war, some people went as far as poisoning wells and rivers."Ava, which company handles the clean water processing in Los Angeles?" Alex asked."It's our company, Clean W
The Sharp family mansion was in chaos and panic.The anxiously workers, staffs, gardeners, and security guards were all gathered in the grand hall. Even Eva Sharp was there, standing with about fifty others, all filled with fear.The military team leader, wearing a mask and fully armed, announced, "Don't worry. We've received information that Ava Sharp has contracted a new disease, and we're afraid it might be infectious. So, we will take blood samples from all of you. If it turns out there's no disease, then we will let you go. It's just a precaution since Ava's father had the same new disease."Everyone complied, participating in the blood drawing process. The hall was heavily guarded, ensuring no one could leave."Everyone's blood has been taken. We need about an hour to complete the checks. In the meantime, you can sit here. We will release all of you if you don’t contract with the disease," the leader explained.Behind the scenes, the blood analysis took only three minutes.From
"What do you mean?" Victor questioned."Last time, our family was supposed to have a project with the Sharp family, but Alex, in his jealousy towards Ethan, asked the Sharp family to cancel it,” Rosemary's voice dripped with venom."Thank God, Ethan managed to get us a new project with the Gavin family. This will be truly awesome, don’t you think so?""But I heard the Gavin family only does business with their own family," Victor asked, concerned.The Gavin family was the biggest business family before the federation was taken over by the Empire. Everyone having business with Gavin Group would be filled with pride."Grandfather," Ethan attempted to respond, "Gavin was the leading business in the Drakonia Federation, and now we are aiming for expansion.”Lily's father hastily called out, "Ethan, it's not correct to still use the Drakonia Federation name. It is already the West Empire; don’t make yourself be called a traitor.""No worries, Alex is not in the military anymore, he cannot
Victor slammed the table, his face flushed with anger. "Rosemary, what are you doing to Alex?""Father-in-law, I cannot tolerate his stupidity any longer. The Gavin family has been profitable even before I was born. How can he display his stupidity to Ethan Gavin? He will only bring shame to our family.""Are you choosing to humiliate your son-in-law in front of outsiders?" Victor's voice quivered with rage."Father-in-law, Alex is the outsider here. Ethan Gavin is my future son-in-law," Rosemary replied coldly."What do you mean by that?" Victor's voice trembled, and the entire table fell into silence.An awkward hush enveloped the dining room."I am sorry, I should not have come here," Alex stood up, feeling like a complete stranger in the White family."Alex, please sit. Can someone explain what is happening?" Victor asked again, his voice desperate for answers."Grandfather," Jasmine replied, "I think it's best to understand that Alex is no longer a military man. He has no money a
At the Gavin mansion, Peter Gavin was on a video call with some associates.“How is the Cleaning Water Company?” he asked.“There is no problem with Cleaning Water management, but if Gavin can get 51% of the company, we can change some insiders to make it easier for us to pour the poison into the water,” one of the men replied.“I will try to find a way to buy the company this week,” Peter promised, determined to secure the majority stake.Peter's first plan was to kill Lucas Sharp, hoping their stock would plummet, allowing him to buy the Cleaning Water Company cheaply.However, Lucas hadn’t died as planned.For his second plan, he tried to engage his daughter to the Gray family to get more money and raise his company’s stock.But it backfired. Nicholas Gray ended up in jail, and Ava Sharp received a penalty settlement, boosting Sharp Company’s stock and causing Gavin’s stock to plummet along with the Gray family’s.Now, the Sharp family was the top company. The price of Clean Water
At 10:00 am, Alex entered Sharp’s Mansion.The maid led him to Ava’s room, where she was still pretending to be sick.“Over here, Alex,” Ava called and waved from the balcony.“You look so happy,” Alex remarked as he walked over to her.She was sipping coffee at a table on the balcony, enjoying the serenity. As far as Alex could see, there was a vast garden.The Sharps had one of the largest gardens, with maybe a thousand trees surrounding their mansion.“Yes, it's rare for me to rest. By faking my sickness, I can offload all the work onto my CEO.”Alex sat across from her. Ava Sharp was wearing a white nightgown. Her brown hair was tied in a bun, and the pale skin of her shoulders and neck made Alex breathe heavily.Especially since her top was tightly wrapped around her chest without a bra, Alex could see her nipple and quickly shifted his gaze to another tree.“It is rare for you to call me first,” Ava said, her beauty accentuated by the sunlight, her face looking so peaceful.“I w
The next day."Have you heard that Lucas Sharp and Ava are sick and they're starting to sell their company?""I heard Lucas is already dead, but they're hiding the fact.""I'm so worried. Is Sharp's business still good to invest in?"Outside the Premier Orchid building, where the banquet was held, a big crowd had gathered, buzzing with questions about Ava selling the Clean Water company.Some speculated that the Sharp family was heading towards bankruptcy due to the leader's health crisis.Peter Gavin stood nearby, smiling as he listened to the crowd speculate about Sharp's downfall.All of this was his doing; he had paid gossip reporters to spread the information.He enjoyed seeing the Sharp business decline, knowing that it would raise Gavin Group stock. It always worked this way.Many business owners in Los Angeles were invited to the occasion.Alex had just arrived with Ava, but she had an insider meeting before the banquet, so Alex had some free time to enjoy the banquet food.As
Ethan Gavin suddenly got a headache from the new gossip spreading like wildfire in the summer heat."How terrible is Ethan Gavin, asking for a threesome from the White mother and daughter.""Is it true?""If it’s not true, how can Rosemary throw wine in Ethan Gavin’s face?""But she said it was unintentional."The woman laughed. "They must feel ashamed of the gossip and are trying to feign it."The beauty of gossip is that even if it’s not true, the image of the people involved is tarnished.Jasmine and Rosemary tried hard to find Alex’s location so they could kill him for humiliating them. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't track him down.Meanwhile, Alex was called to Ava’s meeting room. Everyone else had left, leaving only Ava.“Is there a problem?” Alex asked, noticing she looked tired.“I am losing the investors' belief in me,” Ava said.“There is a rumor about Sharp Group going bankrupt. I think it’s Gavin's doing.”“Why they think like that?” Alex asked in confuse