Chapter 75
The loud slam of the file hitting the table made everyone in the room jump in their seats,
It felt like hell had descended upon the room, the tension unbearable.
What on earth is wrong with the boss today? They thought, terrified.
He had always been strict, but this was on another level.
Even the planning department had been chewed out for something as minor as using a few extra words in a proposal.
ave us!
They thought. Oh God, save
Samuel’s cold gaze swept across the room as he spoke in a deep, chilling voice, “Are these the so-called ‘experts’ I’m paying top dollar for?”
That one look, that one sentence, felt like a death sentence.
Panic and fear spread like wildfire through the room.
Samuel flung the documents onto the table with a furious swipe. “I’m giving you all three days. If you don’t come up with something satisfactory by then, you’re all out of the Howerton Group!”
With u
that, he stood abruptly and stormed out of the room.
The moment he left, the conference room erupted into a collective sigh of relief. Some even collapsed against the table, muttering, “God, what’s wrong with the CEO today? That was terrifying.”
They thought, A few more meetings like this, and we’ll all be losing a few years from our lives.
Talon, still trembling in his dark gray suit, wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I thought I was going to die in there. I’m soaked through with sweat.”
Even now, his legs felt like jelly.
The pressure coming off of Samuel was insane. He’s so young, but he has a sharpness that hardly any leader can match.
If someone didn’t know better, they’d never believe these sweaty, terrified people were the top executives of the Howerton Group
In a company this big, even the regular employees need nerves of steel. But these executives? Really?
One of the other executives patted Talon on the shoulder, sighing. “We’d better get to work. Otherwise, we’ll really be out of a job”
The others, still shaky, returned to their offices one by one, clutching their documents.
Talon stood up with a resigned sigh. “Ah…”
The entire Howerton Group had been plunged into a frenzy of work.
L
The variety show had ended. Jayden sat in the back of the van, his expression grim. The whole situation with Isabella weighed heavily on his mind.
He tugged at his tie, loosening it as his gaze drifted out the window.
Eric, sensing that something was off, handed him a bottle of water from the storage compartment. “With today’s
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Chapter 75
collaboration with Queenie, this variety show is going to be a hit. So why aren’t you happy?”
From the start of the recording. Jayden had been acting off. Eric couldn’t figure out what was bothering him.
He thought. Could it really be that he’s fallen for Queenie? But even if he had, why would he be this agitated?
Eric thought about it for a while, but he couldn’t make sense of it.
Just as Jayden took the water, his phone rang.
Shipping the bottle into the seat pocket in front of him, Jayden answered the call.
Ivana’s sweet, gentle voice came through the line: Jayden, are you done with work yet? Are you tired?”
She had been trying to get a hold of him for days, and finally, she’d caught him after his work ended.
“I’m fine.” Jayden replied, his tone clipped.
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Ivana faltered, her heart skipping a beat. She thought, ‘Why is he being so cold today? She continued in a soft, coquettish tone. “Let’s grab dinner together later, alright? You haven’t spent time with me in so long. I miss you, Jayden.”
Jayden’s frustration, already simmering, surged at the sound of her voice.
He thought. “What an idiot I was, falling for her lies!
His expression turned cold, and he forced his voice to remain steady. “I have plans tonight.”
He clenched his teeth, barely holding his temper in check.
Eric, who had noticed the change in Jayden’s demeanor, wisely remained silent and moved to the front to chat with the driver
On the other end of the line, Ivana’s face froze. Plans? But I heard he was going straight home. Is he… avoiding me?”
Panic started to rise in her chest. Is it because of Isabella? Ever since that night at the bar, Jayden’s been distant. No. No, that can’t happen!
Ivana sighed softly, her voice tinged with sadness as she said, “Jayden, I don’t know what’s going on with my sister lately. She came home the other day and even hit Dad. I wonder if something’s going on with her.
She was determined to show Jayden what a vicious woman Isabella really was.
But the moment she brought up Isabella.
Jayden’s eyes went cold as ice. His voice was sharp and cutting. “How dare you mention her?!”
Ivana’s heart skipped a beat. “W-What’s happening? Why is he yelling at me?’
Tears welled up in her eyes as she whimpered in a small voice, “Jayden, L..” But before she could finish, her voice broke, and she began to sob.
In the past, her tears would always soften Jayden, and he’d patiently comfort her. But today, her tears only made his irritation flare even hotter.
His temper snapped. “Why did you lie and tell me that Isabella wasn’t Queenie?”
He thought, ‘If it weren’t for that lie, Isabella and I wouldn’t be in this mess now.
Ivana was stunned. She thought, What is he talking about?
Before she could respond, Jayden’s cold, disappointed voice cut through the phone again. “Ivana, you’ve let me down.”
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Chapter 75
He used to think Ivana had some value, but now it was clear: she was more trouble than she was worth
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Ivana immediately panicked, her voice trembling with anxiety, “Jayden, what are you saying? I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?”
Her sobbing grew louder. She thought, I can’t let Jayden hate me. He’s my only ticket into the Logue family:
She said. Jayden, if I’ve done anything wrong, just tell me, okay? I swear I’ll change. Please don’t be mad at me, scared…”
Ivana’s plea was a perfect blend of desperation and vulnerability, a sight to melt anyone’s heart.
I’m so
But Jayden, who once thought her delicate and kind, could now feel nothing but irritation and disgust. Clenching his teeth, he spat out. “Fine. Since you’re so persistent, let me tell you.”
Even thinking about it made Jayden feel an unbearable pressure in his chest, like a weight he couldn’t shake off. He forced himself to take a deep breath and continued, “I ran into Queenie today while filming. The real Queenie.”
The memories of Isabella’s mocking gaze and George’s insults flooded his mind, reigniting his fury.
Even
though they hadn’t said it outright, he could practically hear them sneering at him, “You’ve got some nerve, Jayden!”
Ivana was utterly confused. ‘What on earth was Jayden talking about?”
But she didn’t dare ask directly. Instead, she gripped her phone tightly and whispered, “Isn’t that a good thing? Jayden, you can get to know her, maybe ask her to help the Cox family…”
Before Ivana could finish. Jayden’s voice, sharp as a knife, cut her off, “You still have the audacity to speak? Why did you tell me Isabella wasn’t Queenie?”
He practically roared the last few words.
Ivana’s face paled. She said. “What… what does that mean?”
She thought she must have misheard or misunderstood. But in the next moment, Jayden’s furious voice rang out again, “Isabella is Queenie!”
Ivana’s eyes widened in shock, her voice trembling, “What?”
She thought, Isabella? The Queenie?’
The revelation reverberated in Ivana’s mind, knocking the breath out of her as she collapsed onto the sofa, gasping.
She thought, “How could this be?
Just recently, the servants at the Coy family estate had said that Xavier’s illness had relapsed.
She thought, ‘How could Isabella possibly be the legendary healer, Queenie?”
Shaking her head frantically, Ivana muttered, “No, Jayden, you’ve got it wrong… it can’t be…”
Jayden, done with the conversation, didn’t bother to continue. He hung up the phone abruptly,
Hang
He
slammed his fist into the seat in front of him, the impact resonating with a dull thud. He said, “Damn it!”
The sudden outburst startled both the driver and Eric, who had been sitting quietly in the front.
They had worked for Jayden long enough to know that it was rare to see him this angry.
Both men wisely kept silent as the car moved forward.
At the Stout residence. Inside Molly’s room, lavishly decorated in European elegance, a heavy black and red bed dominated. the space. The large vanity was overflowing with jewelry, each piece shimmering under the soft light of a dim table lamp
Thick green embroidered curtains kept the windows tightly shut, leaving only the lamp casting a faint glow in the room.
Molly sat at the vanity, admiring an emerald ring she had just slipped onto her finger.
She nodded approvingly. “Hmm, the color’s quite lovely.”
At that moment, a frantic knocking echoed through the room.
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