Stephen successfully landed the collaboration opportunity once the convention was over.As he signed the contract with Professor McKinnon, camera flashes surrounded them. After that, the men shook hands with each other to seal the deal.The professor might look exhausted, but he was still delighted to be able to work with Stephen.Once the reporters left them, Professor McKinnon led Stephen to the side so that they could have a private conversation. "I'd like to make one thing clear to you; you'd still have been my first choice even if Ms. Miller hadn't helped me."Everyone had already witnessed Stephen's capabilities with their own eyes.However, Professor McKinnon valued personal integrity more than one's capabilities. He was in love with Mrs. McKinnon for many years, so it was easy for him to recognize the look one had when they were truly in love with their partner.When he'd observed Stephen with Noah, the old man had clearly been able to discern that the former was genuinel
The washroom wasn't an optimal place for private conversations. Simone led Yvonne to a secluded balcony. Both women leaned against the banister while enjoying the light breeze.Yvonne handed Simone a bottle of water. Then she asked, "When did you find out about your pregnancy?""Last week." Simone took a sip of water while recalling the moment she'd confirmed her pregnancy. While she'd been alarmed, there had also been a trace of joy that she hadn't noticed back then.She'd dreamt of having a baby with the man she loved, after all.Simone had envisioned countless ways to break the news to Noah in her mind. At the same time, she'd also considered ways to ensure that she could give birth to her baby.However, the interactions with Noah that had transpired over the past few days made her snap out of her fantasies. Noah would never allow her to bring the baby into this world. He'd never loved her from the start."I'm really unlucky, aren't I?" A bitter smile appeared on Simone's fa
"He told me that I should cherish you. He even said that he wouldn't hesitate to teach me a lesson if I were to harm a hair on your head. How did you and Caleb get to know each other, hmm? He sounded like he was very close to you."Stephen softened his tone on purpose when he reached the final sentence. The danger in his tone was evident.Yvonne felt chills run up her spine. She swallowed nervously before squeezing out a smile at Stephen. "Maybe you don't know this, but Caleb is Rachel's older brother."Stephen looked slightly surprised. Indeed, he hadn't known about that.Caleb had founded Turner Tech by making it through difficulties with pure passion and perseverance as soon as he'd graduated from his university. After that, he'd made a name for the company in Northerna City thanks to his outstanding capabilities.Some time after that, Anderson Group had issued its tender document for a business contract as they wanted to start expanding in the technological field. Caleb had wo
According to Stephen's schedule, he was to fly back to his home on the same day once the convention was over.However, Yvonne was still concerned about Mrs. McKinnon's health, so Stephen decided to extend his stay by another week.Once Mrs. McKinnon was discharged from the ICU, Yvonne finally flew back to Northerna City with Stephen.Before she left, she received her cut of the mission's reward from Gwen. It was a total of 15 million dollars.The pay used to be split in a ratio of seven to three between Yvonne and Emerald Group. Now, it was a ratio of five to five. She could only chuckle darkly in response. Not only did the organization force her to take on a mission, but it also deducted her cut of the payment.Had the Group never considered the fact that Yvonne might quit if it continued exploiting her? Did the higher-ups seriously think of her as a pushover?The journey home was arduously long. Luckily, Stephen had arranged for them to fly back home on his private plane.Than
Once Monica left the study, she quickly called Katie. Then she started cursing Yvonne out.It took a long time before Katie managed to convince her mother to end the call. By the time she put down the phone, her brows were already knitted into a deep frown.When Ariel returned, she noticed the frustrated look on Katie's face. "What's wrong?""It's nothing. Something happened at home." Katie let out a sigh. "My mom is super proud, so she can't stand it when her friends start talking about Yvo—"She quickly stopped talking.Ariel just smiled at her friend. "It's fine. I don't mind hearing Yvonne's name. What's wrong? Is she involved in the news again?""Well—"Even if Katie didn't tell Ariel anything, the latter would still find out about the news sooner or later. She hesitated for a moment before telling her friend all about the trending topic that had gone viral online.Ariel listened to Katie's explanation silently. She was still lost in thought long after Katie had finished t
In the end, Yvonne still managed to complete the third treatment without any problems. She spent half an hour longer than she expected.Instead of leaving right away, Yvonne invited Curtis to a nearby café for a cup of coffee.By the time Curtis arrived, Yvonne was already slumping over the table so she could rest.He treaded carefully toward her subconsciously, not wanting to make too much noise. Then he took a seat at the table.Noticing how soundly she was sleeping, Curtis took off his jacket and draped it over her. His actions were so gentle that not even an ant would be startled by them.Just like that, a burly guy stayed by Yvonne's side as she slept.Yvonne finally woke up and rubbed her eyes blearily when someone turned on the lights in the café. She looked up to find Curtis glaring threateningly at the employee.The poor employee looked very helpless. He needed to keep the café running, after all. The sky had already darkened at this point; how could the café attract mo
Stephen was the one driving the Maybach. An idea popped into his head as he drove past a flower shop, and he parked the car at the side of the road right away.Yvonne watched him get out of the car. Minutes later, he returned with a bouquet of champagne-yellow roses. He walked over to Yvonne's side of the car and passed the bouquet to her through the window "Think of this as my way of apologizing to you. I'd been too busy, and I couldn't spend much time with you."Yvonne accepted the bouquet graciously and hugged it to her chest. She decided to tease him on purpose. "Do you even know the name of these flowers? How could you buy me random flowers without knowing anything?""It means 'I love you, my precious lover,'" Stephen replied straight away.Yvonne was rendered speechless. She was stunned for a moment before finally finding her voice. "Did you pick them out on purpose?""Yup. I even asked the florist."After getting into the car, Stephen noticed the tinge of red coloring Yv
Meanwhile, Michael Grant was still waiting for Simone's return in the private room. The producer, who sat next to him, clinked glasses with him with a smile on his face."Simone's quite beautiful. It's just that she's a haughty woman, so you'll have to put her in her place, Mr. Grant.""It's normal for beautiful women to be temperamental, after all."Having downed a shot of vodka earlier, Michael narrowed his eyes slightly as lust started taking over his mind. "She'll settle down once I'm done with her in bed."The moment his words fell, the private room's door was kicked open. Yvonne took the lead as she walked into the room. Simone followed behind her meekly, whereas the men that Michael had dispatched earlier trailed behind the two.As for Stephen, he just stood at the doorway, leaning against the frame and gazing at the people inside the private room nonchalantly.He'd spent a chunk of his life strategizing and running a huge company. As a result, Stephen was, at his core, a