After Lucy finished speaking, she fell silent, her gaze fixed quietly on me.I had a rough idea of what was going on. In a family as large and powerful as hers, even with her mother's support, it would take more than just luck to rise above the other competitors.It wasn't hard to imagine that the family had placed certain demands on Lucy.Trying to keep my voice steady, I asked, "So, what did your mother say to you? What price do you have to pay?"Lucy hesitated, her expression conflicted.Taking a chance, I guessed boldly, "Is it an arranged marriage?"Her eyes widened for a moment, surprise flickering across her face, but then she let out a bitter smile and nodded. "You guessed it. Grandpa said that even though he wants to support my mom, there are still plenty of powerful forces in the family that can't be ignored. I'm an illegitimate daughter, and if I want to win, I'll have to marry the son of another influential family."I drew in a deep bre

I was momentarily taken aback. For a few seconds, I didn't know how to respond to Donna. But deep down, I knew the essence of everything I wanted to say could be summed up in one sentence. "I want to grow quickly!"Donna's eyes stayed on me, and she shook her head almost instinctively. "That's not the truth."There was no anger in her gaze, only concern—an unspoken worry that I might be pushing myself too hard, too fast.She continued, her tone calm but pointed. "The pace you're moving at now is right—steady and deliberate. If you keep it up, the Moore family won't be able to stand against you in three years. But today, you're being reckless. You're clearly losing your composure, and I don't believe it's without reason."Donna was sharp—sharper than most people I knew, even Lucy when it came to strategy. Her words struck a chord, and I realized I had been holding back, not fully honest with her.Taking a breath, I dropped the pretense. "You

Lucy was in an unusually good mood today, chatting away as I set my work aside to listen."Can you believe it?" she said, her voice animated. "Bill, who's always doted on Karen, actually diluted her shares! He took most of them back, leaving her with just 5% and stripping her of any real power. He's taken over the Moore Group himself."I nodded. "Bill made the right call."It was a fair assessment. Bill knew Karen's limits. If she continued to lead the Moore Group, its collapse was only a matter of time.Lucy leaned in closer, her face lighting up with intrigue. "But there's something you'll never guess!"I raised an eyebrow, playing along. "What is it?""Paul proposed to Karen, and she said yes! Not only that, but she used her position to inject capital into the Cook family and handed them several key projects. The Cook family is back on its feet now..."I nodded again, unimpressed. "Sounds exactly like something Karen would do."Lucy smirked

I sidestepped Karen's lunge, and she stumbled, nearly losing her balance, looking utterly discomposed.She was still living in her fantasy world, convinced that every man revolved around her. Some things never changed."Ms. Moore," I said, my voice flat, "stop deluding yourself. I worked hard for the Moore family because I had a sense of professional obligation and I wanted to prove myself and grow quickly. It had nothing to do with you."Karen froze, stunned into silence. She stared at me blankly for a moment, then her lips tightened, her gaze hardening. "You're lying!" she shrieked. "You're just punishing me! I don't believe you! Tell me, what's wrong with me? I'll change!"'What's wrong with her?' I thought, a sneer playing on my lips. 'Where to even begin?' "Ms. Moore," I said, weary of this charade, "you're an adult. Go home and deal with your drama. I don't have time for this."I turned to leave again, but she stubbornly blocked my way. "No! You can't

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Jeff stayed silent.Finally, he spoke, his tone laced with doubt. "Andy, you're not messing with me, right? You really think there's still a chance? The project's not even under my control anymore, and I won't be able to give you a single cent of the startup funds you'll need. How do you expect to pull this off?"His skepticism was understandable, but I remained calm. "Jeff, trust me. I'll figure something out. Not only will we secure this project, but I'll also help you take care of Wilfred once and for all."In truth, I already had a plan forming in my mind—it just needed some fine-tuning before I could act on it.Jeff's tone shifted, a flicker of excitement breaking through his doubt. "If you can really pull this off, Andy, don't worry—when the dust settles, I'll fully support you. Whatever you need, I'll back you."He paused for a moment, and then, curiosity got the better of him. "So, what