Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Tristan wasn't truly afraid, though he had originally felt a jolt of panic upon seeing Alistair. After all, the collaboration with the Bolton family was crucial to the Connor Group—and more importantly, to Sara, who considered it a lifeline. Would Alistair really dare to ruin this deal between the Connor Group and the Bolton family? Impossible! He wouldn't dare.Tristan was certain that Alistair wouldn't embarrass Sara in public.That was exactly why he had quietly nudged Sara into suggesting that he—Tristan—appear as the ‘developer’ of the beauty cream in Alistair's place. With that in mind, Tristan straightened up with renewed confidence and even shot Alistair a mocking smile. What can you do? As long as Sara is here, you can only watch me take your place! He thought inwardly. Meanwhile, Sara, with a deep frown etched on her face, stepped down from the stage and quickly walked up to Alistair to confront him.“What are you doing here?” She aske

Alistair's words sent shockwaves throughout the entire venue.But Alistair didn't care what anyone thought. Instead, after speaking, he turned to Caleb and Donald. “The Bolton Group's testing team is here today, right?” The Bolton father and son—already drowning in regret—quickly nodded.Alistair then snatched the beauty cream from Tristan's hand and handed it to Donald. “Give this to your testing team. Let them verify what I just said.”Donald immediately complied, summoning the head of the testing team and sending the cream for analysis exactly as Alistair instructed.At a time like this, it was imperative not to make another mistake that could offend Alistair. In any case, once the cream was taken away for testing, Alistair looked back at Tristan, sneering coldly. “Surprised? This beauty cream was flawed from the very beginning.”Tristan stayed silent as he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.His whole body trembled uncontrollably as he glared at Alist

Unable to see the mockery in Alistair's eyes, Sara remarked. “Tristan studied biopharmaceuticals in college and is currently the acting deputy director of the Connor Group R&D department. You know how desperate I've been to secure the contract with the Bolton family and… I tried to reach you but I couldn't, so I felt you never really cared about the patent rights anyway. That's why I suggested Tristan stand in for you.” She sounded quite self-righteous, making it seem like she acted in Alistair's best interest. Naturally, no one was falling for that, especially not after everything she'd said before now. “I did this so we could secure the partnership with the Bolton family smoothly and Tristan could make a name for himself and help his future career,” Sara remarked. “I honestly had no ill intent.”Then, before anyone could say anything, she questioned. “So I don't understand why you have to keep clinging to this issue. You are even refusing to let Tristan go… Come on, Alistair, don

Gritting her teeth, Sara remarked. “Fine, what exactly do you want? Do you really not understand that if the court stepped in, based on the market value of the beauty cream, Tristan would almost certainly be sentenced to several years in prison?” “And so?”“How can you even ask that?” Sara said. “Fine, if you don't care about what happens to Tristan, then at least think about Connor Group. Our reputation would collapse instantly, we might even go bankrupt on the spot?”“Again I ask, and so?” Sara was left speechless at Alistair's plain refusal to back down even an inch. “Listen, you are making this more complicated than it should be,” Alistair remarked. “If Tristan Cole isn't deaf, he should know what to do to resolve this matter. All I want is for him to publicly admit what he did and apologize. That's it. I mean, what's so hard to understand there?” At this point, Sara was nearly in tears.If Tristan confessed everything publicly, his entire future would be ruined.All those yea

As far as Cecilia was concerned, no one in Arcadia, not even the reigning emperor, had the right to slap Alistair in public when he hadn't done anything wrong! Yet, Sara Connor, this woman who can't seem to tell right from wrong, actually dared to raise her hand.Insolent! Of course, she could only scream this in her mind, not daring to say this out loud. A part of her was itching to teach Sara a lesson at that moment, but she ultimately restrained herself, though she remained primed to strike again the moment Sara forgot her place. Meanwhile, Sara was completely stunned by Cecilia's slap.At that moment, she couldn't help but ask inwardly. When did Alistair get a sister? And even more importantly, why did she dare to hit her?She actually dared to hit her!?And Alistair… he just stood there and watched her get slapped without stopping it? Gritting her teeth, she lashed out. “Alistair… you're watching me get hit? You'd better hit back!”Her anger flared, her eyes glistening wit