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Caroline bought a classic–styled handbag from an Louis Vuitton store and had a staff member post
it to Macido.
Initially, Cheryl assumed that Caroline had bought the bag for Daphne. But then, she got word that
it was going to be sent out. She asked, “Caroline, aren’t you preparing this for Daphne?”
“Why would I prepare a gift for her?” Caroline asked.
Cheryl was about to say something but found that she didn’t know how to answer that question.
So she quietly followed Caroline and got in the car.
Soon, they arrived at the filming site. A staff member there wasted no time taking them to the
dressing room to meet Daphne.
“Ms. Daphne has a guest. Please wait here, and I’ll head inside to tell her about your arrival,” said
the staff member.
Caroline nodded. “Okay.”
Cheryl then whispered to Caroline, “It’s Layla for sure.”
Instead of replying, Caroline simply unlocked her phone to check if Andrea had sent her the
information about Sonia.
She was pleasantly surprised to find that Andrea was so efficient that she had obtained all the
information Caroline had requested so soon.
Caroline had even gotten her hands on some of Sonia’s unpublished works. To be frank, Caroline
was kind of touched by Andrea’s faith in her.
The staff member hadn’t come out of the dressing room yet, so Caroline found a spot to sit down
and go through the information.
In the dressing room, Daphne’s expression turned foul when she learned of Caroline’s arrival. She
and Layla locked gazes.
Layla asked, “Ms. Daphne, have you made your decision? Are you signing the contract with me or
Caroline?”
Hesitating, Daphne fell silent. She had learned from Layla that Caroline wasn’t Sean’s wife.
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Regardless, Caroline and Sean were friends, and if Daphne signed the contract with Layla, it would offend Caroline.
If that happened, Caroline might ask Gwen to talk badly about Daphne in front of Sean. Then, Sean might talk to Kirk about it too.
Daphne took a moment to consider these factors. After a while, she said, “Kindly ask someone else to become your ambassador. I won’t sign the contract with Caroline either.”
This was the best decision she could make since she could avoid offending either side. It was the most rational thing she could do, even though she would very much like to take her revenge on Caroline.
Layla smiled softly. “I understand why you’re refusing my offer. You’re afraid of offending Caroline and Sean,” she said.
“But think about it. Caroline is merely Sean’s girlfriend’s friend. There’s a huge gap between them. Besides, I heard that Sean and his girlfriend are going to break up.”
“Really?” Daphne’s eyes lit up at her words.
“The information I get is never wrong,” Layla persuaded her.
“If you don’t believe me, you can go ask around yourself. Some others know about it already. It happened just a couple of days ago.
“A young woman came to Gwen’s company and claimed that Gwen took her boyfriend away from her.”
“You aren’t lying to me, are you?” Daphne became more excited the longer they talked.
“We’re business partners. I don’t have a reason to lie to you,” Layla said.
“Besides, you’re Eddy’s second uncle’s wife. I’ll have to call you my aunt too in the future. Do you
think I’ll lie to a close relative?”
Daphne bought it right away. “Okay. I’ll sign the contract with you!”
“Thank you, aunt.” Layla finally smiled.
Daphne beamed at her too. Making Caroline’s life difficult lifted her spirits, and she told the staff
member, “Ask Caroline to go back.”
Chapter 382
The staff member left to bring Caroline in. Daphne asked Layla, “Do you want to stay out of her sight?”
“No. I want her to know that I’m here. I want to see her expression when she sees me here.”
This time, she would surely get the chance to see it for herself. Daphne had already made a promise to sign the contract with Layla, so she wouldn’t go back on her word.
Caroline was busy going through Sonia’s information when she heard the noise of a brawl coming from somewhere near her. She looked up to see a slender figure being lifted into the air with
suspension wires. Soon, a few others followed suit, and they all got into a fight.
All of them were agile, and the young woman who led them was especially nimble despite her
small stature.
Her fighting style was firm yet elegant, as though she were dancing away in a battle. It was
aesthetically pleasing and practical at the same time.
Watching her moves, Caroline couldn’t help but ask one of the staff members, “Who’s that body
double?”
The staff followed her gaze and laughed. “She’s not a double. She’s the female lead, Sonia.”
“Sonia?” Caroline raised her eyebrows, astonished.
“Yep. There are just too few actresses who can actually fight these days,” said the staff member.
“But she learned kickboxing in the past and gets the hang of it. She even learned ballet before
joining us back then.”
Caroline couldn’t help but take another glance at Sonia.
“Oh, right!” The staff member exclaimed as she remembered what she was here for.
“Ms. Evans, you can go in to meet Ms. Daphne now.”
“Okay,” said Caroline as she took one last glance at Sonia. Then, she followed the staff member
into Daphne’s dressing room.
For this production, Daphne merely played the role of the fifth female character, yet she had a
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Regardless, Caroline and Sean were friends, and if Daphne signed the contract with Layla, it would offend Caroline.
If that happened, Caroline might ask Gwen to talk badly about Daphne in front of Sean. Then, Sean might talk to Kirk about it too.
Daphne took a moment to consider these factors. After a while, she said, “Kindly ask someone else to become your ambassador. I won’t sign the contract with Caroline either.”
This was the best decision she could make since she could avoid offending either side. It was the most rational thing she could do, even though she would very much like to take her revenge on Caroline.
Layla smiled softly. “I understand why you’re refusing my offer. You’re afraid of offending Caroline and Sean,” she said.
“But think about it. Caroline is merely Sean’s girlfriend’s friend. There’s a huge gap between them. Besides, I heard that Sean and his girlfriend are going to break up.”
“Really?” Daphne’s eyes lit up at her words.
“The information I get is never wrong,” Layla persuaded her.
“If you don’t believe me, you can go ask around yourself. Some others know about it already. It
happened just a couple of days ago.
“A young woman came to Gwen’s company and claimed that Gwen took her boyfriend away from
her.”
“You aren’t lying to me, are you?” Daphne became more excited the longer they talked.
“We’re business partners. I don’t have a reason to lie to you,” Layla said.
“Besides, you’re Eddy’s second uncle’s wife. I’ll have to call you my aunt too in the future. Do you
think I’ll lie to a close relative?”
Daphne bought it right away. “Okay. I’ll sign the contract with you!”
“Thank you, aunt.” Layla finally smiled.
Daphne beamed at her too. Making Caroline’s life difficult lifted her spirits, and she told the staff
member, “Ask Caroline to go back.”
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The staff member turned to leave but was stopped by Layla “Aunt, you shouldn’t let her go back just like this.”
“What are you suggesting?” Daphne asked.
“Do you know what the most ruthless thing in this world is?”
Daphne had no clue. Smilingly, Layla told her, “It’s to give someone a sense of hope and tear it apart before them.”
Daphne understood the task immediately and told the staff member, “Let Caroline in ”
Chapter 383
“Who said so? I’ve even prepared the contract for you.” Caroline took out the contract from her bag and handed it over to Daphne.
“Take a look. It’s stated here–20 million dollars. I’m serious about it.”
Daphne forgot all about her hatred for Caroline the moment she saw the words “20 million dollars” on the paper.
Noticing how Daphne was on the verge of accepting the offer, Layla gripped her hand and added, Ms. Daphne, I can give you 25 million dollars a year.”
Now, Daphne’s gaze snapped at Layla.
“Layla,” Caroline called out.
Layla’s heart bled when the words left her mouth just now, but seeing Caroline’s anxious face made her think that it was all worth it
“Caroline, the higher bidder wins the prize. You can raise the price if you have the power to ”
“Don’t be too full of yourself” Caroline snarled, her brows knitted closely together.
She then turned to Daphne once more. “I’m willing to hand over 10% of profits to you as part of
your endorsement fees if you sign the contract with my company‘
It made Layla burst out laughing. “Caroline, all you do is lie to others. That broken company of
yours doesn’t even have the funds to operate well enough.
“How many sales do you think you can get? And now you’re telling me that you’re giving others
part of the profit. Are you living in a castle in the sky?”
That said, she turned to face Daphne. “Sign the contract with me. At the very least, the 25 million
dollars are guaranteed to be yours.”
Daphne pondered it and found that what Layla said was reasonable enough. “Okay. I choose you.
Worried that Daphne would change her mind, Layla immediately asked her company’s employees
to prepare a softcopy version of the contract for her to settle things once and for all.
When they finally left Daphne’s dressing room, the smile on Layla’s face was already as wide as it
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“Caroline, I wonder,” said Layla, “How will you rise from the gutter when I’m always a step ahead of you in terms of design, product promotion, and finding my brand an ambassador?”
Caroling slowly let out her breath. It didn’t take long for her to notice Sonia’s figure in the crowd.
Sonia was occupied with memorizing her lines. As the female lead, her set and props were way better compared to Daphne’s.
Caroline then turned to give Layla a smile. “You’ve never even checked the company’s ledger,
right?”
“What do you mean?” Layla asked, puzzled.
“What is your target? Are you aiming for high–end consumers or mid and low–tiered ones?”
Layla gritted her teeth. “Whatever you’re aiming for, just know that I’ll be there to intercept you.”
“Really?” This made Caroline’s smile widen.
“Why do I feel like your target is the high–end consumers then? After all, you paid a lot for both your designer and your ambassador. Are you sure that you can profit from the other consumers
then?”
Layla’s expression shifted instantly, and she found herself swaying slightly. It took her a moment for the impact of Caroline’s words to hit her.
“Y–you never wanted to sign the contract with Daphne!” She stammered.
Caroline merely smiled in response as Cheryl watched their interaction from behind, her mouth
gaping wide.
“Caroline, what’s going on?” she asked quietly, curious.
Layla didn’t waste time explaining the entire situation by thinking aloud to herself.
“You purposely told PR that you wanted to sign a contract with Daphne so that I would meet her
here to sign a contract with her.”
Layla recalled how she had asked Emery to tell Caroline about this, and she seethed in anger when she realized just how foolish she seemed to Caroline at that time.
Snatching away the contract in Caroline’s hand, she flipped it to the last page in disbelief. The last
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Caroline had never planned to sign a contract with Daphne! It was all a trap!
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If Caroline hadn’t said anything about signing a contract with Daphne, Layla wouldn’t have spent
25 million on her.
She could’ve simply taken advantage of her relationship with Kirk to bind Daphne for just five
million a year.
“Caroline!” Layla roared and rushed forth to grab at Caroline’s neck.
Cheryl ran forward in an attempt to save Caroline, but the latter stopped her and glanced around at
the surveillance cameras around them.
“There are so many cameras around,” Caroline said smilingly.
“The paparazzi would be very pleased to see you beat me up, don’t you think?”
Only then did Layla realize that they were on a filming set. If she got on the news for beating
Caroline up, she would drag her new company down.
It would also affect her relationship with Eddy, which she had so painstakingly managed to mend
not long ago.
Slowly and begrudgingly, she let go of Caroline. “It’s just 25 million dollars,” she said through.
gritted teeth.
“Don’t you dare think that you can defeat Evanson just like this. Heed my words–as long as Eddy’s
with me, I can spend as much as I want.
“You’re the one who should worry about how much longer your company will last.”
“Besides,” Layla added. “No one wants to invest in your company. Evans Group will go bankrupt
one day.”
“Really?” Caroline had a smile on her face.
“We’ll see.” Then, she turned and asked Cheryl to follow her out of the filming site.
Cheryl finally managed to understand what had happened when they got in the car. Ignoring
Jack’s presence, she laughed without restraint.
“So you were tricking Layla all along! You were so cool just now! You’ve managed to make her lose
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It made Jack curious. Cheryl continued by telling him all about how Caroline managed to make Layla fall into her trap.
After listening to the entire story, Jack couldn’t stop himself from complimenting Caroline too. t
“Ms. Evans, this idea of yours is simply remarkable! Not only did you manage to make Layla suffer a loss of 25 million dollars, but she’ll probably stop asking anyone in Evans Group for information in the future too!”
Caroline’s effort this time would prevent future trouble, for sure.
Now, Caroline was in a much better mood than before. “What do you guys want to eat? I’ll treat you to a meal.”
Jack and Cheryl glanced at each other for a moment.
Cheryl then asked, “Aren’t you going back home?” She remembered that Caroline would always return home right after work.
However, the smile on Caroline’s face faltered this time. When she had worked at Thorne Corp, she
had always looked forward to going home to enjoy the dinner that Kirk made for them.
Now, though, the villa that housed countless fond memories of them both had turned into a cage.
Whenever she thought of the time they spent together there, something would gnaw at her heart,
and she would feel upset all of a sudden.
“I want to eat out today,” she explained.
Jack and Cheryl stared at each other again. A moment later, Jack prodded, “Ms. Evans, did you and
Mr. Morrison get into a fight?”
“No.” Caroline denied it reflexively.
Cheryl said, “But you weren’t like this in the past.”
It made Caroline frown. “Have I … changed?”
“Yes. You were always so energetic back then,” Cheryl replied.
“But ever since you came back from Macovo, I only get to see this side of you when you’re
working. Sometimes, you’re in a daze, even at work. What’s wrong?”
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Now, even Jack turned to look at Caroline His and Cheryl’s gaze bore into her, giving her the urge to flee Tm fine. Let’s go and have dinner
That said, she opened the door and got out of the car.
Cheryl wanted to go after her but was stopped by Jack, who said, ‘Let me go after her.”
He rushed after Caroline. “Miss, I don’t know what’s happened between you and Mr. Morrison, but
there’s something I have to tell you,” he hollered.
“He really loves your
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Caroline shuddered. The confusion and bitterness she felt were like countless blades stabbing at
her heart. She didn’t know what to do at all.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
A moment later, she muttered, “Jack, a person can have many sides. What makes you so sure of
that?”
Despite her question, determination shone in Jack’s eyes. “Indeed. People have many sides and
can hide their true faces,” he replied.
“But in this world, there are two things that cannot be hidden. You can’t hide love, just like you
can’t hide a cough.”
“I don’t know what happened between you two. But please remember that Mr. Morrison truly loves
you.”
Although Jack found it rather amusing when he saw how Kirk suffered ment*lly from being in
love, he earnestly hoped that Caroline and Kirk would be together until the end.
He had been by Kirk’s side for so many years and knew that his boss had only ever given in when
Caroline was around.
The fact that a proud person like him would lower his status for someone else meant that Caroline
was very special to him.
“So, even if he lied to me, I should continue believing that he loves me, eh?” Caroline mumbled to
herself, and Jack fell silent.
Just when she thought he had nothing else to say, Jack suddenly spoke.
“I don’t know what he lied to you about, but trust me, if he really lied to you, he must have his
reasons.”
Kirk had tried everything he could to make sure that Caroline wouldn’t find out about his identity.
He didn’t want her to find out that he was one of the Morrisons and had spent all his effort doing
- so. This alone was enough to prove how much he would sacrifice for her.
Caroline frowned now. She didn’t agree with Jack, yet she couldn’t refute it.
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“Let me send you home,” Jack said.
Caroline finally raised her eyes to meet his. She was still in a blur when she looked at him.
A moment later, she followed him in the car, still in a daze. To be frank, she didn’t know for sure if
she wanted to go back.
The warm rays of the sun flooded the land when they stopped before the gates of the villa, and suddenly, she seemed to have found her answer.
She stepped out of the car and walked into the villa. Jack watched her enter the house before
getting back in the car.
Cheryl propped an elbow on the window and stared curiously at the villa for a moment. Then, she
asked, “Jack, is this Caroline’s house?”
Jack revved the engine and said, “Yes.”
“It surely looks like it costs a fortune,” she commented.
“Oh right! Have you seen her husband before? What does he look like? Can you describe him to
me?”
Jack’s heart leaped into his mouth when he heard her questions. He laughed it off and said, ”
Cheryl, I haven’t had the muffins you make for quite some time already. Are you free tonight?”
“Are you coming over to my place?” Cheryl beamed. The topic of Caroline’s husband was now gone
with the wind.
Jack glanced in the rear–view mirror at a smiling Cheryl and felt his spirits lift. “Yep. Let’s go and
buy the ingredients for the muffins then.”
Compared to the joyful ambiance in the car, the villa was shrouded in the usual gloomy
atmosphere as before.
Caroline hung her bag on the coat rack and stood still. She could hear the sound of the kitchen
hood working and see a familiar figure busying himself in the kitchen.
The sumptuous fragrance of dinner wafted in the air, reminding her of what Jack had just told her
not long ago.
“If he really lied to you, he must have his reasons.”
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Caroline wasn’t as gullible as she was before. She was no longer the person who had once cared
about nothing but Eddy,
Now, she knew there were lies that were born of ill intent, and there were white lies too.
Still Marrying two women at a time was by no means a white lie. Unless….
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Caroline took a deep breath and told herself that it was all a lie. The person who had accused Kirk
of marrying other women had lied to her.
Even though she had reached this conclusion, it somehow made her shudder in fear of the
unknown.
She couldn’t understand why someone would do something like that.
Kirk was just an ordinary guy, after all. At most, he had a small company of his own.
Even then, his father had founded the company, and Kirk was merely in charge of taking care of it.
Kirk told her before that it was just a small company, and she believed it. If it had been a huge
business, he could have simply taken over the company and wouldn’t have needed to go out to
work.
Therefore, she was certain that Kirk was only an ordinary, white–collar worker.
He was like a tiny fish in the ocean here in Easton. If that person had indeed lied, why had they
made Kirk their target? The thought made Caroline waver.
“You’re back.” Kirk’s voice sounded from the kitchen. There was a hint of a smile in his voice.
When she saw him walking out of the kitchen in his suit, she felt her heart skip a beat.
It didn’t matter how many times she had seen him like this before. She still couldn’t get used to
seeing him all suave and handsome in all his suits. (1)
“What is it?” Kirk smiled adoringly at her.
As she sniffed the air, Caroline found that the fragrance of the dishes he had prepared this time
was different. It was more intense than before.
“What are you making?” She asked, trying to get rid of all the jumbled thoughts in her mind.
Kirk’s lips tilted upward into a smile, and he said, “Ratatouille.”
Caroline fell silent for a moment. “It sounds familiar.”
Before she could react, Kirk leaned in and pecked her on the lips. She reached out to push him
away but was a tad late because he had already taken a step back.
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“It’s also the name of a movie. Do you remember it now?” He said.
Caroline was both pissed and shocked.
She was pissed at herself for not hating his touch, even though he might be married to another
woman in secret. She was shocked because he knew how to make ratatouille.
When she had been training herself to become a good housewife for Eddy, she had forced herself
to memorize all kinds of recipes.
Ratatouille was no simple dish, and only rich people with lots of time on their hands would make
the dish.
When she finally snapped out of her daze, Kirk had already placed the food on the dining table.
“I modified it a little.” He picked up his spoon, blew on the spoonful of ratatouille, and held it in
front of Caroline’s mouth.
“Have a taste and tell me if it’s nice.”
Caroline stared at the spoon and told him, “I can take it myself.”
As she reached for the spoon, their hands touched. Sparks seemed to fly, and her hand shot back
away from him.
She felt herself yearning for him deep down, yet the logical side of her told her not to give in to
her desire. It was like she was trying to balance herself in the middle of a seesaw.
Feeling awkward, she wished that a hole would appear in the ground so that she could bury
herself in it. “I–I’ll—”
Before she could say more, Kirk’s hand had already slithered around her waist and pulled her
close to him.
The scent of his cologne invaded her senses, and she felt the wall that she had built to defend
herself against him crumble into oblivion.
“Let me feed you.” Kirk’s raspy voice came from beside her.
It was intoxicating, and it made her feel as though she was in Eden, and he was the enticing apple
that she was inclined to pick and consume.
Eventually, she would succumb to this temptation and fall into his embrace once more.
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Suddenly, the picture that the woman had sent Caroline back then popped up in her mind.
A young girl in a gown had been beside Kirk, and a certain light had shone in her eyes. Caroline
felt as if a blade had stabbed right through her heart.
It snapped her back into reality, and she hastily pushed Kirk away from her.
Her shove made his heart break a little, but he quickly recomposed himself. “Darling, what’s
wrong?”
Caroline realized what she had done, and she placed one hand on the table for support. Her
thoughts were all jumbled up, and she didn’t know how to explain herself.
Still, she told herself before that she had to stay calm and composed and that she would find proof
before doing anything reckless. She couldn’t act rashly now!
After taking a few deep breaths, she finally managed to make up an excuse. “I’m fine. I’m a bit
tired, that’s all. I’ll head upstairs to get some rest first.”
Kirk pursed his lips and said, “Okay.”
Caroline then darted upstairs as if she had been pardoned for an unpardonable sin.
After shutting the door, she sat on the ground helplessly. Anxiety filled her heart when she
recalled how she had almost fallen into his trap just now.
She took out her phone and opened her chat with Marina. She could wait no longer, and she was
determined to get to the end of it. However, there was no news from Marina. 1
Perhaps it was because the Louis Vuitton bag that she had ordered for Marina was still on its way.
Caroline pondered for a moment before deciding to do something against her will. She called one
of the staff members from the store for the shipping details and sent it to Marina.
“I went shopping today and saw a bag that would fit you perfectly. I’m giving it to you, so don’t forget to accept the parcel when it arrives. -Caroline”
Caroline’s face was emotionless when she typed those words. She seldom went out of her way to
please someone.
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Now, though, she had to do this to find out if Kirk was involved in polygamy. This was also to ensure that she could get out of her misery soon.
Not long after the message was sent, she got a reply from Marina.
“Thank you! You didn’t have to! -Marina”
After that, Marina started explaining that something came up at home, and she hadn’t had the time to contact Caroline for a while.
Caroline couldn’t care less what excuses Marina gave, so she simply scrolled to the bottom and asked, “Any news?”
“Yes” Marina’s reply came a moment later, and Caroline could finally heave a sigh of relief.
“But the information I’ve gathered is in my office. I’m on holiday, and I’ll only go back to work on Tuesday.”
Caroline instantly knew what this meant. Marina hadn’t even started looking into it.
Despite that, Caroline was asking her for help, so she shouldn’t rush Marina into it. The Louis
Vuitton bag was on the way to Marina too, so there was nothing to worry about now.
“Okay. You have to send it to me on Tuesday, then.”
Marina simply sent her an emoji of a smiling face as a reply. Just like this, her attitude changed
immediately. Caroline didn’t feel like continuing their conversation anymore.
She switched off her phone as she kept on telling herself that she only had to wait for two more
days for all of this to end.
She leaned against the door, and it dawned on her that this was what it felt like for time to pass
excruciatingly slowly.
In the past, she had loved staying at home. Now, she preferred going to work.
She woke up early the next morning and hurriedly freshened herself up to go to work. She tried
her best to move quietly so as not to wake Kirk up.
Chapter 388
After getting ready, Caroline walked out of the bathroom to see Kirk still asleep. Sighing in relief,
she went downstairs, started her car, and drove to work
Oblivious to her, Kirk was standing by the window and behind the blinds on the second floor when she entered the garage. He silently watched her leave.
Exhausted, he massaged his temples and went back to sit on the edge of the bed.
Helplessness washed over him, and it weighed on his heart and mind. He wanted to do something
to change this but found that he couldn’t do anything at all.
In the end, he picked up his phone and called Charles.
“Sir,” Charles chirped.
He knew fairly well that Kirk had been in a foul mood for the past few days, so he had been
preparing himself to receive his next orders. Hence, he had been able to wake up right away when
he heard his phone ring.
“Did you manage to find out anything?” Kirk’s voice was dangerously low, to the point that Charles
forcefully stopped himself from yawning.
“There were no CCTVs in the hotel in Macovo, so I could only start by searching through the guest
list. I haven’t found anything suspicious.”
“How many days has it been?” Kirk’s voice was laced with sarcasm now.
Charles straightened his back and fell silent.
“I’ll give you three more days. If you can’t discover anything, consider yourself fired!”
“Three-” Charles didn’t even manage to finish his sentence when the call ended.
He could only grip his phone and smile wryly at what was to come as the employees around him
turned to stare at him in dismay with their sunken eyes.
There was nothing Charles could do except give out orders. “He asked us to give him an answer in
three days. Otherwise, we’ll all be fired.”
Groans and howls of despair ensued following his sentence.
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The leader of the group took out a cigarette and raised a hand in the air for silence He then rushed over to Charles
“Charles, how are we supposed to find out about anything in just three days?” he said, exasperated
“More than 300 people came to stay at the hotel. We’d need at least half a month to look into each of their backgrounds. We won’t even have time to sleep if that’s even possible.”
“I know it’s been hard on you people, but this is what he wants,” Charles told him
The leader frowned and stared at him briefly before saying, “Charles, save us, please. I’ve heard that you once made him laugh with just a single sentence when he was mad. I’m sure you have a way!*
Dumbfounded, Charles thought to himself that it wasn’t he who performed that feat, but Caroline
herself!
The leader continued, “Charles, you can’t just leave us be!”
Charles‘ head pounded in his skull. He knew very well that it was highly impossible for them to obtain the results that Kirk wanted in just three days‘ time. So he said, “I’ll try.”
Immediately, leader beamed at him. “I have full faith in you, Charles. You’ve saved us!”
Charles said to himself that this man couldn’t be more mistaken. If they needed a savior, they had
to pray to God for Caroline to be on their side.
He frowned when he thought of her. What had Kirk done to piss her off so badly?
At the same time, Caroline was surrounded by the higher–ups, who started bombarding her with
questions the moment she entered the office.
“Ms. Evans, is it true that Evanson Corp signed a contract with Daphne?”
“Does this mean that we can’t compete with them in terms of design and publicity now?”
“Should we stop production? We could stop our orders to minimize the loss.”
Caroline rested a hand against her forehead. She was lethargic enough since she couldn’t sleep
well last night.
Now, these people’s voices sounded like flies buzzing all around her, and this only served to irk
her further.
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After taking a few deep breaths to compose herself, she said, ‘Do you even know what you’re
talking about? If we went to battle like this, we’d be dead before we knew it,” she told them.
The best thing we can do is settle our tasks Sales department, have you discussed things with
the stores?”
It was her turn to question them. “PR, have you figured out how to increase publicity? Design department, have you come out with the drafts?”
As she spoke, she glanced around at those around her. Her eyes were stern, and her face was grim.
The others finally shut up.
Chapter 389
“Is there a problem?” Caroline asked, keeping her calm.
The people around her lost the courage to say anything else. They mumbled amongst themselves
and left soon after.
However, they started complaining again right after leaving her office.
“What’s wrong with her? Why is she so angry?”
“Of course, she’s pissed! If I were her, I would have lost my mind to lose the chance at signing a
contract with Daphne!”
“This is exactly how people behave when they are powerless. Back then, I told my friends that I
wanted to work at Evans Group, but they told me that this company wouldn’t last long.
“I didn’t believe them and joined the team. Seeing how things are now, we’ll become jobless before
the next product is introduced to the market.”
“It isn’t that bad,” said Caroline.
She was more or less an idol to quite a number of people, and the head of the design department
had a pretty good impression of her too. “I think we stand a chance against the opposite party.”
The employees turned to stare at her as though she were a fool.
Gavin sat in the office. The cop had left not long ago. Gavin’s secretary knocked and opened the
door, then said, “Mr. Gavin, Mr. Luke is here to meet you.” 1
Gavin was about to refuse when Luke barged into the room on his own accord. In the end, Gavin
could only go with the flow. “Why are you here?” he asked.
Instead of replying, Luke glanced at the door and said, “Was the cop here because of Dan Evans?”
Gavin had sued Dan for embezzling the company’s funds, yet Luke only learned of this a few days
ago. He hadn’t expected Gavin to be able to get his hands on any evidence.
“Yep,” Gavin told him curtly.
It made Luke curious, and he asked, “How did you get the evidence then?”
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*Caroline gave it to me.”
Dubious, Luke waved his hand to dismiss the idea. “That’s impossible. There’s no way she managed to obtain the ledger.”
“She gave it to me. Luke, we were partners in the past, so I feel obliged to tell you this. Don’t underestimate Caroline.”
Luke sneered. “Since you said that, I’ll assume that you’re outdated. It seems to me that you know nothing about what happened recently in Evans Group.”
Gavin quirked an eyebrow. Indeed, he had not asked for any news regarding Evans Group for quite some time. After all, he was busy settling Dan’s embezzlement case.
“Layla started a company on the floor above Evans Group’s. Her company took up the entire 24th floor and is launching a horoscope–themed line of clothes,” Luke briefed him about everything.
“Oh, right! We have the support of Morrison Corp. Caroline wanted to sign a contract with Daphne, but we managed to intercept her so that Daphne took our side.”
“So Caroline’s lost the battle before it even started,” Luke concluded.
“Since we worked together in the past, Layla asked me to tell you that if you take back your funds, we can let you join Morrison Corp.”
Gavin’s brows were knitted closely together. He was about to say something when the door creaked open and George walked inside.
George was here to pass him some documents. He had accidentally heard their conversation and
quickly pushed through the door to get into the room. “Gavin!” he exclaimed.
Gavin glanced over and could tell that George was overflowing with enthusiasm already. He
straightened his face and glanced at Luke. “If I do that, it’s akin to backstabbing her. Caroline
helped us with Dan and the ledger. We must be grateful to her.”
“Gavin!” George hissed anxiously.
Luke noticed this and stood up. “Very well, you’ve shown your loyalty. But don’t be jealous when
you see us earning a lot more than you ever can.”
With that said, he left, looking all content with himself.
Chapter 390
George fretted over it so much that he tossed away the documents in his hands and rushed out to go after Luke. However, Gavin called out, “Stop right there!”
“Gavin, this is our final chance! If we don’t withdraw our funds, we’ll surely lose everything we have!”
“We can’t backstab her at a moment like this!
“Business and morality are two different things. You can’t just give up on our business just because you want to show how loyal you are to someone!” George exclaimed.
The scowl on Gavin’s face deepened. He waved his hand. His mind was made up. “I’ve decided. Listen up; if you dare to withdraw the funds, I’ll cut ties with you!”
His tone made it clear that he wasn’t going to relent.
Seeing how determined Gavin was, George stormed out of the office, clearly pissed. Gavin spun in his chair so that his back faced the door. He then shook his head helplessly at George’s antics.
He wouldn’t betray Caroline now, even if it meant losing money.
In a restaurant, Caroline sat down and waited for Andrea. She was unaware of what Gavin was
facing now.
She scanned through the contract once more to make sure that there was nothing wrong with it.
Then, she went through the information about Sonia.
Sonia had majored in performing arts and was talented in acting, singing, dancing, and martial
arts.
Alas, the agency she had worked for wasn’t reliable enough. They merely gave her the role of a
double or an insignificant character all the time.
Despite having worked in the entertainment industry for seven years by now, Sonia wasn’t that
famous compared to other actresses of her age.
Caroline was still focused on the documents when a shadow fell across the sheets. She heard
someone’s voice beside her.
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“Caroline? The voice had a slight tremble to it, as if the person who was speaking was in disbelie
Caroline raised her head to see a disheveled–looking man. She hesitated for a bit before
recognizing who he was “Adrian?”
Adrian looked entirely different. He looked especially forlorn and listless. His bangs were so long
that they almost covered his eyebrows. He wore a maroon shirt with long sleeves and a pair of
sneakers
He seemed like he had been through a lot. Still, she noticed that his eyes gleamed as though he
had just discovered a priceless treasure.
Seeing her here, Adrian wished so badly that he could travel back in time. Earlier in the morning,
Andrea called him and asked him to make a trip here to help her get a contract signed.
She had even mentioned that the woman she was supposed to meet was a beautiful lady.
This alarmed him, and he thought that Andrea was trying to matchmake for him. So he had come
here without even washing his face.
Who knew that he would meet the person he wanted to see the least in this state?
“1
Why don’t you order some food first? I’ll come back in a while,” he said before rushing off in
search of the manager.
Caroline blinked, confused. She ordered a few dishes, as Adrian had told her to. Soon, he returned
She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from tilting upward when she saw him this time.
Now, he looked like a different person after making his hair. He was dressed in gray sportswear,
which made him look much more energetic.
He looked the total opposite of what he had looked like just a moment ago.
She had no idea why he reminded her of a male peacock spreading its tail for display right now.
No longer able to hold in her laughter, she burst out laughing.
Adrian scratched his head as he sat in front of her, embarrassed. “Do I look… funny?”
“No. You’re handsome.” Caroline laughed and told him.
Her response made his heart race. It reminded him of the time in Macovo when countless
thoughts passed through his mind, yet he failed to voice them out.
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Now, he had the sudden urge to tell her all about them.
He stared into her eyes as though he were intoxicated by her gaze. “Caroline, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Betrayed by her fiancé, Caroline Evans decides on a whim to marry someone else. Everyone mocks her for the decision of giving up on the heir to the Morrison family and choosing some poor punk instead. However, that poor punk is actually secretly the top wealthiest person around, newly back in the country to invest in its development. He’s also her ex’s uncle! Lamenting about being tricked, Caroline Evans insists on a divorce. But her husband corners her and says unblinkingly, “That billionaire is not me. That guy had cosmetic surgery to look like me.” Looking at his handsome face, Caroline believes it. “What a curse to have the same face as someone of the Morrison family!” The next day, the world is surprised to find that the heir of the Morrison family has been kicked out and now has nothing. As for the newly crowned top billionaire, he starts wearing a mask to hide his attractive features.
