Lily Lohan stood frozen at the hotel entrance, her face draining of color. The invitation was gone.She was certain she'd placed it in her handbag. She'd checked before they left. And yet now, no matter how frantically she searched through the bag's contents, it was nowhere to be found. Mia Bennett noticed her stricken expression and immediately crouched down beside her, helping to dig through the bag's compartments. It wasn't a large purse to begin with. Together they went through every pocket, every fold, turning out lipstick tubes and receipts and loose change, but the result was painfully obvious: the invitation simply wasn't there.Panic set in. This wasn't some disposable ticket to a minor networking event. This invitation represented weeks of effort, late nights, carefully worded emails, and favors called in. The team had worked so hard to secure it. And Robert Depp took work seriously. He always had. Lily had no idea how she was going to explain this to him. Her mi

By nine o'clock in the evening, every invited guest had arrived. The banquet hall glittered with elegantly dressed figures, their perfumes mingling in the air as conversations gradually hushed. The atmosphere grew expectant, almost reverent. Everyone was waiting for the mysterious Mr. Zero to make his appearance."Well, well. If it isn't my dear cousin."The mocking voice cut through Lily Lohan's thoughts. She turned to find Adrian Lohan standing beside her table, his smile sharp and unpleasant. He was the eldest son of the Third Elder of the Lohan family, and currently served as CEO of Mooncrest Group. Under the family's support, Mooncrest Group had flourished in recent years, specializing in the research and development of cosmetic products under the Lohan umbrella. Success had made Adrian insufferably arrogant.Lily's expression soured the moment she recognized him. Without a word, she turned her head away, unwilling to engage. The two had never gotten along. Their

The gift box was opened in front of everyone. A single lipstick slid out from inside and landed in Grant Cole's hand. His lips twitched slightly, and his gaze instinctively shifted toward Lily Lohan. He had assumed Frankie Muniz was exaggerating for effect, but it turned out the gift she had brought really was just a lipstick.A moment later, his eyes drifted to Robert Depp, who sat beside Lily. Understanding began to dawn. The lipstick had been given by Lily, and Lily was clearly someone Mr. Zero cared about. Whatever the woman he cherished chose to give, Mr. Zero would naturally appreciate it, regardless of its monetary value."Ha ha ha ha! It really is just a lipstick!"Adrian Lohan stretched out his finger, pointing at the cosmetic in Grant's hand, laughing so hard tears nearly streamed down his face. To him, this was the most absurd joke of the entire evening. Many others around him felt the same way. They could no longer hold back, and laughter rippled through t

Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward Grant Cole, waiting for him to lay out the next requirement.Everyone understood perfectly well that the first round of screening had already taken place. That step had been whether or not they'd even receive an invitation to this banquet. The power in that stage hadn't rested with the companies themselves, but with Mr. Zero, who'd made his selections from behind the scenes. What came next was different. The real competition was about to begin, and this time, control would fall into their own hands.Grant Cole spoke, his tone measured and deliberate. "Foster Group has been developing cosmetics for over a century. We've come to Liverton to select a partner company, and we're bringing unprecedented commitment to the table. This project carries an investment of eighty million dollars. But Mr. Zero also wants to see your commitment in return."The expressions around the room grew serious, shoulders straightening as the weight o

A ten thousand word self-criticism. The moment Robert Depp asked the question, Lily Lohan's face flushed crimson. After returning from the banquet last night, she'd picked up Jenna and brought her home. Exhausted from being on edge all day, she had collapsed into bed and slept straight through until morning. The self-criticism had completely slipped her mind."The banquet went so smoothly yesterday. Can't we just... skip the self-criticism?" Her voice came out small and tentative. She really didn't want to write ten thousand words. That many words felt insurmountable. She wouldn't even know where to begin.Robert didn't explode into anger, but his voice took on a dark, menacing quality. "Do my words mean nothing to you? Do they just go in one ear and out the other?""No, no, I wouldn't dare." Lily kept her head down like a child who'd been caught misbehaving, barely daring to breathe. She was genuinely starting to fear Robert. This man held her to such impossible stan