A loud thud resonated in the hallway, startling Persis and Lora. They both snapped their heads toward the source of the noise, and Persis' eyes widened in shock. Standing in the hallway were Tedmond and Isabella.Tedmond was holding Isabella by the waist from behind, stopping her from falling, while a tablet lay on the floor—the apparent source of the noise. Their position was awkward for everyone present.Ten minutes prior:“You’re all stitched up,” Tedmond said, peering at the woman sitting in the chair in the infirmary.The nurse, still in the room, had just finished tending to Isabella’s injury. She wore a curious expression, wondering why the president himself had brought Isabella to the infirmary.“I heard he has a lover. I don’t think Isabella is the one,” the nurse thought.“Thanks for bringing me here, Mr. Washington,” Isabella muttered. “I thought I might bleed for a long time before getting here.”“It was nothing,” Tedmond replied.After she had fallen, he had gone back to

"I don’t listen to gossip," the receptionist cut Maxine off, her tone cool and dismissive.Hearing the receptionist talk to her like she didn’t matter, Maxine finally lost it. She glared at the woman, realizing her lies didn’t seem to have any effect."Even if you don’t listen to the rumors about me and your boss, you should at least acknowledge them while I’m standing here," Maxine snapped, her glare intensifying. "What made you think you can treat your president’s lover like this?"The receptionist raised an eyebrow, confusion flickering across her face. Then she shook her head. "Do you have an appointment to meet with the president? Or did the vice president stop you and think I could help you?"Maxine flinched at the remark, and the receptionist smirked."What do you mean?" Maxine demanded, awkwardly. "Why would the president stop me? Hmph. Never mind. It’s not like you could do anything."With that, Maxine turned to leave but paused and returned to the receptionist’s desk. "What’

He had wanted to find other evidence apart from what Mr. Washington had given him. There was no way he could rely on him forever. He still had to do his own work.The assistant nodded and handed Duncan a file. “The tech team tracked the source of the rumors to an anonymous online account. But it wasn’t completely anonymous—there were traces leading back to the Griffin family.”Duncan clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. “I knew it. Just like Mr. Washington said. Those Griffins can’t leave well enough alone.”At that moment, his elder brother, Bryan, walked into the office. Dressed in a tailored suit and radiating authority, Bryan studied Duncan with a raised brow.“You look like you’ve been through a war,” Bryan said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “Is running GNN really that stressful? I thought you’d enjoy having the power.”Bryan wore a wide grin. The company had initially been his, but he had handed it over to Duncan. It was supposed to be an entertainment company, but Dunc

Max frowned at Bryan as he regained his composure. “Why does him not running the company have anything to do with us?” he demanded. “Didn’t you see the news about him? You should be at the station comforting him.”Bryan glared at him as soon as the words left his lips. “Did you just say it has nothing to do with you? You’re the ones who ruined his reputation and got him arrested.”Lisa flinched, no longer having the strength to lie. She moved to the side, ready to leave if things got out of hand.“Ugh. I have no idea why someone like you is here,” Max said, running his hand through his hair in frustration. “Just leave.”“That’s right. You’ve come here to accuse us of something we never did,” Evelyn said, frowning at Bryan. “Isn’t this the same thing that happened to your brother? I understand that you’re mad and can’t think straight, but you should at least find the real culprit and not try to pin it on someone else as they did to him. Actually, it might not even be a lie, considering

“Where the hell is Max?” Harold demanded, stomping his feet on the ground.He and Maxine had just returned home and heard about what had happened. He had expected Max to come up with a solution, but to his disappointment, Max was nowhere to be found. No one had any idea where he had gone.Seeing her husband so angry, Evelyn reached out to grab Harold’s arm, trying to calm him down. “Max must have gone to find a solution to our problems. He mentioned he had something on his mind and a plan.”Harold turned to look at his wife. “Are you sure he has a plan? He left with only 59 minutes to go.”Maxine glanced at her wristwatch and shook her head. “There are only 20 minutes left now. Max isn’t answering his phone, and he isn’t coming back. We can’t wait for him, or our reputation will be ruined for nothing. We have to do what they’re asking us to.”Harold glanced at Maxine, pressing his lips together as he tried to think of something. If only Maxine had been able to charm the president, he