The words sent shockwaves through the hall. Guests whispered among themselves, their eyes darting between Sophia and Victoria.Victoria’s face had gone from pale to red to ashen. “There must be some mistake,” she said, her voice rising with panic. “That’s not what yesterday’s press conference said! I haven’t received any notice about my company’s listing being terminated!”Her phone buzzed in her hand.She looked down at the screen, and whatever color remained in her face drained completely. Her fingers trembled as she read the message once, twice, then three times.Her company’s IPO had been suspended due to suspected regulatory violations. She was ordered to submit relevant evidence within three days or face a formal investigation.“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no…”She grabbed Vincent’s arm desperately. “Fix this! You promised everything was handled! You said the approval was ironclad! Fix this right now!”Vincent’s face was pale, his eyes darting around the room like a trapped ani

Twenty minutes later, in the station’s service hall, Mrs. Stone sat with an ice pack pressed to her swollen face. The scratch on her cheek had been cleaned and bandaged, but her eye was turning a spectacular shade of purple.Victoria stood over her, arms crossed, her voice tight with barely controlled rage. “You’re always causing trouble! Do you have any idea how busy I am? My IPO just got suspended, and now I have to waste time cleaning up your mess!”Mrs. Stone lowered the ice pack, her voice defensive. “It wasn’t my fault! The security guards insisted I was trespassing! How was I supposed to know they’d call the police?”“Are you insane?” Victoria’s voice rose. “You broke into someone’s house! What if the owner had been there? What if they’d had a gun? Do you have a death wish?”“I didn’t break in!” Mrs. Stone protested. She hesitated, glancing at Vincent, who was standing several feet away pretending to be very interested in a bulletin board.She remembered Vincent had specificall

Derek Laurent stood near the restaurant entrance, his expensive suit tailored perfectly but somehow still managing to look cheap on him…perhaps because of the way he carried himself, with that particular arrogance that came from never having earned anything in his life.His eyes swept over Adrian with naked contempt, taking in the simple black shirt, the unremarkable slacks, the complete absence of designer labels or flashy accessories."My God, Sophia," Derek said, his voice dripping with mock concern. "This is who you're with now?" He circled them slowly, like a predator who'd already decided his prey wasn't worth the effort. "I mean, I knew you'd fallen on hard times after Stellar Dynamics collapsed, but I didn't think you'd fallen this far."Adrian's expression remained perfectly calm, but Sophia felt her face flush with humiliation and rage.Derek was her father's brother's son…a man who'd spent his entire thirty-five years perfecting the art of doing absolutely nothing productiv

Derek's eyes lit up like he'd just discovered gold. He rushed forward, practically shoving the woman in red out of the way to position himself next to Alexander."Mr. Chen, you're absolutely right!" Derek gushed, his voice dripping with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Someone of your stature, your accomplishments…it's truly inspiring! And honestly, when I look at you and Sophia together, I can't help but think how perfectly matched you are. Both successful, both driven, both from good families..."Alexander preened under the attention, his earlier humiliation from Adrian's grip already fading as his ego inflated. "Well, I wouldn't say perfectly matched yet. Sophia still needs to work on her judgment." He shot a pointed look at Adrian. "But with the right guidance, I'm sure she'll come around.""Oh, absolutely!" Derek nodded so vigorously his head looked like it might fall off. "Sophia's always been stubborn, but she's a smart girl deep down. She'll realize soon enough that aligning herself w

Adrian leaned against his car and pulled out a cigarette. He didn't smoke often…only when he needed to think, or when his carefully maintained control had been tested in ways he hadn't anticipated.Like having Sophia Laurent in his lap, her lips on his neck, her body warm and soft and willing against his.He lit the cigarette and took a long drag, watching the smoke curl up toward the streetlights. His body was still humming with tension, with want he'd ruthlessly suppressed. A low, mocking whistle cut through his thoughts.Adrian turned to see Vincent leaning against a nearby lamppost, his suit jacket slung over one shoulder, his expression dripping with mockery."Well, well," Vincent drawled, his voice sharp with disdain. "Adrian Cole. Really stealing the spotlight today, aren't you?" He pushed off the lamppost and sauntered closer, gesturing at the luxury high-rise behind them. "What are you even doing here? This clearly isn't a place someone like you could afford to live in."Adr