2025-10-27 17:37:59In the most luxurious top-floor office of the DeGrand Group, a woman of striking elegance rose swiftly to her feet, gesturing for several security personnel to follow her. She then strode into the elevator and stabbed the button for the first floor.
Her face was grave and deathly pale, her eyes fixed on the descending floor numbers as if willing the elevator to reach the ground floor instantly.
But at the 8th floor, the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. The secretary outside spotted Ivy and bowed her head with delight and deference. "Miss Harrington, I've successfully brought the VIP up. We're saved!"
Miss Harrington had repeatedly instructed her that once they secured this important guest, their current crisis would be resolved!
But the moment she finished speaking, the secretary felt an inexplicable chill wash over her. She looked up in confusion, only to be met with the horrifying sight of Miss Harrington glaring at her in fury.
"I just received a call from our VIP guest. He sounded extremely displeased and said he's still waiting on the first floor. Bianca, who the hell did you bring up?!"
What!
Bianca's mind went blank. She had brought up the wrong people! If this angered their VIP, then she, then she...
SLAP!
Ivy struck her secretary hard across the face, leaving a vivid handprint on her cheek!
"What are you standing there for? Get downstairs with me right now and apologize to our guest!"
The secretary finally snapped back to reality in terror. Ignoring the stinging pain on her face, she quickly lowered her head and hurried to stand behind Ivy, drenched in cold sweat, not daring to look up.
The elevator doors slammed shut. When they opened again, she saw the man she had barely glanced at earlier now calmly sweeping his gaze over her before fixing it directly on her boss, Ivy.
Ivy moved forward, her high heels clicking urgently across the marble floor. Bianca followed uneasily as Ivy strode straight up to the man, then watched in mounting dread as Ivy's body tensed and she bowed slightly in apology.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Ivy's cheek and dropped to the ground.
"Mr. Smith, I sincerely apologize for my tardiness. My secretary failed to receive you properly. Please forgive us!"
With that, Ivy shot Bianca a pointed look. Bianca immediately rushed forward and dropped to her knees before Mr. Smith with a thud, her heart pounding wildly.
"Mr. Smith! Please forgive me. I—I was blind and foolish. I didn't recognize your identity. It was all my fault. Please, don't hold this mistake against me..."
But to the secretary's despair, Donald glanced at her and said nothing.
The secretary felt her hope crumble.
Just then, Ivy suddenly stepped forward, her figure casting a shadow over her. Then Ivy pointed to the red, swollen handprint on her face.
"Mr. Smith, I've already disciplined this foolish subordinate of mine on your behalf. So perhaps..."
Ivy looked at Donald with a mixture of tension and anticipation.
For a moment, Donald simply maintained an impassive exterior while regarding Ivy with a hint of appreciation beneath the surface.
He had only used the secretary incident as a way to observe how Ivy treated those around her. Now he got it.
On the surface, she was being ruthlessly harsh with her secretary, but in reality, she was doing everything in her power to protect her.
Moreover, her beauty surpassed Jane's in every aspect—both in refinement and sharpness. No wonder the warden said there wasn't a man in Boston worthy of Ivy's attention.
The corner of Donald's mouth curved into a faint smile. His voice was calm yet cutting.
"It's nothing. I'm not so easily rattled. What I want to know…" His eyes locked onto hers. "…is what you want from me."
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Chapter 356
Donald remained on the balcony long after Ivy’s footsteps faded back into the mansion.The night air was cooler now. The distant sounds from the celebration below had softened into background noise, as if the world was politely continuing without demanding his attention.But his mind was no longer in the present.It was moving backward.Every conversation he had dismissed.Every emotion he had assumed was obvious.Every decision he had made quickly because he thought the facts were already clear.Now none of it felt stable.Not even his certainty about Evelyn.A notification vibrated on his phone.He didn’t answer immediately.He just looked at it.Unknown number.He finally picked it up.“Hello?”A pause.Then a voice he didn’t recognize.Male.Calm.Measured.“You don’t know me,” the voice said.“But I think you should know something before you make any final conclusions.”Donald’s eyes narrowed slightly.“Who is this?”The man ignored the question.“I was the photographer.”That se
Chapter 355
The silence inside the lounge didn’t lift even after Donald left.It settled deeper instead, like something heavy had been poured into the room and left to spread.Evelyn was the first to move.She adjusted her grip on the baby almost mechanically, as though trying to anchor herself to something physical while everything else inside her began to drift.Margaret broke the silence in a voice barely above a whisper.“I didn’t raise you to become this.”Evelyn didn’t respond immediately.Her eyes were still fixed on the door Donald had walked through.Edmund finally spoke, his tone low and controlled.“This is no longer about upbringing.”A pause.“It is about decisions.”Margaret looked at him sharply.“Are you blaming her?”Edmund turned slightly toward his wife.“I am stating facts,” he replied.“And facts are that interference occurred.”Evelyn let out a short, strained breath.“I didn’t think it would destroy everything,” she said again.But this time, her voice sounded less like def
Chapter 354
The room remained frozen in a tense stillness after Evelyn’s confession.No one rushed to speak, and no one dared to interrupt the weight of what had just been admitted.Donald stayed seated, elbows resting on his knees, head slightly bowed as though trying to reorganize thoughts that no longer made clean sense.Ivy stood near the door, her expression no longer angry—only tired. As if a long-standing suspicion had finally been confirmed in words.Margaret looked devastated. Edmund looked controlled, but his jaw was tight enough to suggest restraint, not calm.And Evelyn stood at the center of it all, still holding the baby, but now no longer hiding behind composure.Donald finally lifted his head.His voice was quieter than before.“So all of it…” he said slowly, “was engineered.”Evelyn didn’t answer immediately.That hesitation said enough.Donald continued anyway.“The pictures. The timing. The call. The rumors.”He paused.“You positioned everything.”Evelyn swallowed.“I didn’t f
Chapter 353
The private lounge fell into a heavy silence.No one moved.No one spoke.The only sound in the room was the soft breathing of the baby resting in Evelyn's arms.Donald kept his eyes fixed on Evelyn."Is there anything else I should know?"The question lingered in the air.Evelyn's confidence, which had carried her through countless difficult situations, seemed to waver.For the first time since Ivy had entered the naming ceremony, she looked cornered.Margaret noticed it immediately.A mother always noticed."Evelyn," she said quietly.Evelyn avoided her mother's eyes.That simple action made Margaret's heart sink.Edmund's expression darkened.He had built businesses worth billions by reading people.At that moment, he saw something he did not like.Donald took another step forward."I asked you a question."Evelyn swallowed."What exactly do you want me to say?"Donald stared at her."The truth."Again, silence.Ivy remained near the door.Her hands were clasped together tightly.S
Chapter 352
The atmosphere inside the naming ceremony hall never fully recovered.Even after Edmund suggested that the discussion be taken somewhere private, the tension remained.Guests whispered among themselves.Some pretended not to listen.Others openly stared.After all, moments earlier they had been celebrating the arrival of a child. Now they were witnessing the unraveling of a mystery that appeared to involve Donald, Evelyn, and Ivy.Edmund cleared his throat."Donald, Ivy, Evelyn," he said calmly. "Let us continue this elsewhere."Donald nodded.That was probably the wisest course of action.The last thing he wanted was for hundreds of guests to become spectators in a deeply personal matter.Without another word, he followed Edmund.Evelyn carried the baby.Margaret walked beside her daughter.Ivy followed several steps behind.Soon, they entered a private lounge connected to the main hall.The moment the door closed behind them, the atmosphere changed.No more spectators.No more whisp
Chapter 351
Donald did not respond immediately.The word pictures hung in the air like a blade suspended just above skin.Around them, conversations had completely died. Even the distant music seemed muted now, as though the entire hall had been forced to listen.Ivy stood firm, her gaze locked on Donald.Not pleading.Not emotional.Focused.Donald finally spoke, his voice low.“What about them?”Ivy took a small step forward.“I didn’t send them.”A faint ripple moved through the crowd.Evelyn’s eyes narrowed immediately.Margaret shifted uncomfortably.Edmund watched carefully, saying nothing.Donald didn’t react outwardly, but his expression tightened.“You already said that before,” he replied.“I know,” Ivy said quickly.“But you didn’t let me finish.”A pause.Then she continued.“The man in those pictures is my ex,” she said.“Yes. That part is true.”Donald’s jaw clenched slightly.“But what you were shown,” she added, “was not what you think it was.”Evelyn scoffed softly from where she
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