Carver was so shocked that he stuttered. His mouth opened, but not a single word came out. His voice seemed to be choked with shock.
"Miss Hazel, what do you mean?" asked Secretary Iram finally.
He stepped forward and looked at her with seriousness. "We came here with good intentions filled with hope. Our company may still be subordinate to Zenith Corp, but we don't have the slightest bad image. You must know Mr. Carver's true identity. The Grant family and the Celeste family are both families with clean businesses."
"It's fine if this cooperation is rejected, but can you explain logically?"
To people who were just observers, they were indeed good families who had clean businesses. Nothing Secretary Iram said was wrong either. However, things were different for the people who knew everything.
Hazel remained flat-faced, not giving Secretary Iram a face at all. "As I was saying. Mr. Carver's name is already in the black book, so there's no reason for us to accept his cooperation proposal anymore."
"Isn't this so ridiculous? People who are on the blacklist are people with problems. Our master, on the other hand, has never had any problems. This makes no sense," Secretary Iram said.
"Wait." Carver, who had gotten a grip on himself, spread one hand in front of Secretary Iram, asking him to stop talking.
Then he stepped closer, looking Hazel right in the eye, trying to figure out what was really going on. "Was all this on the CEO's orders?"
Hazel nodded honestly. "Yes. So I call his attention to it and leave this place immediately, Mr. Carver. In the future, you can no longer set foot here for any purpose."
"But why?" cried Carver suddenly, leaving everyone shocked. Even the few employees who passed by immediately looked at him with questioning eyes. "I don't think I've done anything wrong, but why was my name in the black book?"
"Now, where's your CEO? I want to meet him. Hurry up and get him here!" The man became uncontrollable and grabbed Hazel by the arm, shaking her violently. "I need an explanation from him! Hurry up and meet me with him!"
"Mr. Carver!" snapped Hazel, losing her temper. But even so, she didn't take any action.
"Don't yell at me, bitch! You're just a secretary, not my equal, but why do you have so much guts? Oh, I know, you must be his bed warmer, right? You must be his plaything, right? Hurry up and call that dark lover of yours and ask him to meet me right now!" Carver shouted in front of Hazel's beautiful face. His bulging eyes and drooling saliva made the girl spontaneously throw her head back with a frown on her forehead.
Secretary Iram moved forward and tried to pull Carver's body, but the angry man's strength was so great that it was difficult to control.
In the end, there was even more commotion.
Hazel, who couldn't stand it anymore, shouted. "Security guards! Hurry up and drag these two away!"
Not just two security guards arrived, but five at once. They immediately grabbed Carver and Secretary Iram, dragging them away by force. Of course, it wasn't easy as Carver continued to rebel while swearing.
"Bitch, just watch, I'm going to ruin your life. You'll all get your comeuppance! I'll make sure you regret treating me like this. Mark that!" Carver shouted, pointing at Hazel and everyone else in the room. His attitude made him look like a man who had lost his sanity. "I will destroy you. The Grant and Celeste families will not stand idly by! Get ready for a life of misery! You will feel like you are living in hell!"
"Argh! Let go of me, you bastard!" When they got to the front of the building, Carver went berserk and pulled his hand away.
The security guard holding him released his grip and pushed the man away. "Go away! Don't make any more noise!"
Carver gave them a hostile look after managing to balance his body that was about to fall over.
"Sir, let's go!" Not wanting to become more of a spectacle, Secretary Iram forcefully carried Carver to the car.
"Damn it!" Carver flung himself on the back seat and smacked his thigh in annoyance. His sharp gaze returned to the Zenith Corp building. His hatred for the people inside was fierce. "I'm really going to destroy you guys!"
"Iram, find out about them!" he commanded absolutely.
Secretary Iram could only nod approvingly. There was no reason for him to refuse his superior's orders, especially after the past few moments.
At the GrantBranch company, Carver's father, Neuman Grant, who was struggling with important documents, was surprised by the presence of his secretary, who looked panicked.
He put down his pen and looked up. "What's wrong?"
"Sir, something has happened," said Aland, the secretary, who placed the iPad in front of Mr. Neuman.
Mr. Neuman was relaxed at first, but after seeing what was on the iPad screen, he became wide-eyed. He quickly grabbed the object and examined it closely. "What's going on? Why are the stocks going down?"
"I don't know for sure, but I just got a call from one of our potential investors. He canceled his investment because he didn't want to be associated with a blacklisted company," Secretary Aland explained.
"Blacklisted? Since when did our company experience something scary like this? Who? Which company did that?" asked Mr. Neuman furiously. This was not a simple matter. He had worked hard to make the company grow, but now he was getting blacklisted. If this continued, it was possible that all potential investors and investors would withdraw their funds, and the company would go into crisis.
All of Grant and Celeste's families would mock him to no end. At that point, his life would be over. He would no longer have a face to meet people with.
"I think we should ask Young Master Carver for a detailed explanation. Since this is related to Zenith Corp, sir," Secretary Aland replied.
"What? Damn it! What is that stupid kid doing? He said with confidence that he would get the cooperation. But now? Argh! It's a waste that I trusted him! Hurry up and call Carver and get him to see me!" Mr. Neuman pounded the table and stood up. His anger was so unstoppable that the veins on his neck were visible.
"What have you done, brat?" snapped Mr. Neuman after managing to slap Carver as the man casually entered his office, not looking guilty at all. "I trusted you to conquer that company, not throw a tantrum to anger them! Tell me, why did you mention it? What are you doing, huh?""Father!""Shut up! I didn't ask you to speak!" shouted Mr. Neuman, getting even angrier.The next second, he delivered a punch to Carver's stomach, making the man bend over with a spontaneous cry of pain in the air. "Because of you, the company's stock has gone down. Stupid! You're a complete idiot, Carver! Not only did you not get to work with them, you brought misery to the company. If the others find out about this, you will be beaten up, and I won't interfere. You have to take responsibility for what you've done!"Suddenly, Carver looked up. "Father."But Mr. Neuman turned the other way and exhaled harshly, not wanting to speak anymore."Father, you must believe me. I'm innocent. They-""Innocent?" Unfortun
Mrs. Bernita was silent for a moment. She was considering whether or not to tell her husband what had happened at Pasaraya. But when she thought that something like this could not be hidden for long, she ventured to answer, "The Velvet Vault has a new manager, and all the employees there have been fired. I don't know who organized this, but the new manager showed me a new contract. The choice is very difficult.""Was it your father?" guessed Mr. Celeste."I don't know. When I wanted to ask him about it, he wasn't there. I was kicked out for the umpteenth time," Mrs. Bernita said irritably. "That old man still likes to hide and refuses to meet his family.""What does the contract say?""80% of the profits belong to Pasaraya." Mrs. Bernita's frustration grew as she remembered this."What?" Mr. Celeste involuntarily shouted in surprise. "Seriously, Bernita, that's a huge loss for us.""If I don't agree to this new contract, I'll have to withdraw all the products from the Velvet Vault. An
Not wanting to get stuck in traffic that could hamper the trip for his first meeting, Ethan asked Hazel to prepare the car immediately.The location of Senja Restaurant wasn't far. If the road was smooth, it could be reached in 10 minutes. But if it was blocked by traffic, it could take more than 20 minutes. As expected, today's roads were so congested that Ethan had to be patient as the vehicle he was riding in only moved little by little.Hazel, who was sitting in the front, took the situation seriously. She occasionally opened her cell phone to look for information about the road she was currently traveling on. "Sir, there seems to have been an accident. The cars in front aren't even moving at all."Then she turned to Ethan and asked worriedly. "What should we do, sir? If it continues like this, we'll be late. It's already been 15 minutes.""Is there no other way?" asked Ethan.He, who had been pensive, suddenly took notice of the surroundings, and only then did he realize that the
"Mr. Ethan, thank you for your time. It was a pleasure meeting and talking with you. I look forward to our next meeting." Mr. Oscar stood up and shook hands with Ethan and Hazel after spending almost an hour talking about their project."I should be the one to thank you. You trusted our company and were willing to accept my request to keep my identity a secret. I feel very honored. Thank you," Ethan replied sincerely."No, that's not necessary. You're too reluctant. This is what I should have done. I know, you must have your reasons." Mr. Oscar waved his hand quickly, looking panicked as if he had made a mistake.But Ethan meant what he said. "I'll do my best for this project and take you to dinner in return.""Alright then." In an instant, the look on Mr. Oscar's face turned cheerful again. "I'll wait for the invitation."Ethan nodded and smiled."I'm off. See you later." With a familiar gesture, Mr. Oscar patted Ethan's arm briefly and stepped away, followed by Margaret, who bowed p
"Cuih!" Despite being in pain, Aiden still had the energy to spit on Ethan's shiny shoes. "Don't talk like you're a victim! Loser, do you think you can play with my family as you please? Don't dream! No matter what, I won't let your rotten plan succeed!"But Ethan did not respond. His gaze was fixed on the liquid on his shoe. Unbidden, he winced in disgust. "Your behavior is like that of a stray dog that litters.""Ah, I feel sick." Next, Ethan took off his shoe with his foot and replaced it with Aiden's. Of course, the man rebelled, but Ethan's strength was so strong that he succeeded with his plan."Although I'm actually uncomfortable having to wear your rotten footprints, at least it's better than your disgusting saliva," Ethan said with a smug face.Aiden gritted his teeth in anger and shouted, "Damn you, Ethan!""You're more disgusting than dog shit! You're a despicable man who doesn't know himself! You loser!"Only then did Ethan lift his gaze, looking at Aiden, trying to stand
"Aiden!" shouted Mrs. Bernita, opening the door to Aiden's hospital room in a hurry.Ellie, sitting in a chair next to the gurney holding Aiden's hand, turned around in surprise. "Mom?"But Mrs. Bernita's gaze was fixed on her son, who lay with several bruises on his face. Her tears instantly broke as she tried to bring her steps closer. Her trembling hands rose, wanting to touch the wounds but unable to, she could only hysterically call out his name.Ellie was stunned and approached hesitantly. "Mom.""Aiden is fine," she continued after a moment.Mrs. Bernita's tears instantly subsided. She turned around quickly and snapped, "What's okay? He's hurt and unconscious!""Oh, my son!" Mrs. Bernita's body almost swayed if Ellie didn't grab her immediately. "My poor child. What happened to you, dear?""Mom, calm down. Aiden is fine. The doctor already told me that. He only has external injuries. There's nothing to worry about. Come on, you'd better sit down to calm down." Carefully, Ellie
In a luxurious mansion, at a long dining table, several people were sitting elegantly. The shiny gold-colored table was filled with various dishes with wine and mineral water. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.Tonight was the night of the Celeste family's regular once-a-month gathering.The clothes they wore looked branded. Even the women wore a lot of dazzling jewelry with different hairstyles. Their laughter sounded cheerful as conversation after conversation was exchanged, making the atmosphere even more lively.However, among them, there was one man who just kept his head down, enjoying his food quietly. He was Ethan Aldebaron, the husband of Ariana Julia, the first child and grandchild in Celeste's family.His figure, sitting at the end, made him look even smaller. Especially because his clothes were very different from the others. The look was more simple and cheap. However, his facial features could not hide his good looks and refinement."Grandmother, I just won a big
The look on Grand Master Celeste's face was displeased that their departure had disrupted this routine meeting. But when thinking about Ariana's future, he could only nod and say, "Yes, it should be like that. There's nothing to hold on to anymore. We older generations should be guiding them toward happiness, not destruction. It's also for the sake of Celeste's family's survival.""Why does it sound like I've made a mess?" Ethan replied, still with his calm face."Ethan!" snapped Ariana.Her almond eyes blazed with dislike. "You're usually so quiet, like a mute, why are you being so rude now?"Instantly, Ethan's gaze fell on Ariana. He stared fixedly at his wife's beautiful face, then shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm starting to feel fed up?""Sassy!" Great Mistress Celeste pounded on the table, to everyone's surprise. Her old face trembled as her teeth chattered with anger. "Fed up? Are you saying you are fed up? You poor loser! How dare you