Seeing him finally sport a smile, Loraine sighed in relief. She then turned to Carl and advised, “Don’t


    easily relinquish the 15% of shares that Marco holds. That old man is quite wealthy. If he refuses,


    remind him there are others ready to offer a higher price.”


    Unsurprised by her knowledge of Marco’s 15% stake, Carl disyed no regret over losing his job. He


    responded affirmatively and immediately set off to work.


    Once they were alone, Loraine nced at Marco again and noticed him tightly clutching a photograph.


    This made her pause.


    Was this photograph the cause of his rage?


    Loraine gently took his hand, flipped the photo over without resistance, and finally saw the full image.


    Much to her surprise, the person in the photograph was herself!


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    She recognized it instantly. It was a photo of the first time that she took off the mask, when she


    appeared on the stage as the singer Alice.


    Under the focused spotlight, her smile had been radiant, and she could feel the abundance of love


    emanating from the photographer. The only imperfection was that the photo had been marred by


    scratches, leaving several noticeable marks.


    Loraine was rendered speechless, while Marco held her hand, his head bowed in self-reproach. “I


    failed to protect this photo. Marina ruined it…”


    Pausing for a second, he vowed to her, “But I won’t let her get away with it! I have severed all


    connections with the Bryant family now, and


    I won’t allow past sentiments to cloud my judgment anymore. From this point forward, my sole focus is


    to protect you.”


    Marco had resolved himself.


    ninjanovel


    His decision to sell his shares in Bryant Group was not driven by financial necessity. He had already


    founded the Sr Company overseas, a venture that significantly outstripped Bryant Group and left


    him well-endowed with assets. His motivation was a desire to sever all ties with Bryant Group,


    intending to sell his entire shareholding.


    He was also weary of dealing with the Bryant family.


    But Marina’s recent actions had stirred regret within him.


    In dealing with a family as cold-hearted and unscrupulous as the


    Bryants, he ought to have been more ruthless. Even after he had left, he would exact revenge.


    “Well, it’s just a photo. Don’t get upset.”


    Loraine’s soothing voice snapped Marco out of his ruminations.


    Hearing his words, she couldn’t suppress a smile. His deep regard for her photograph filled her with


    joy, but she didn’t want him to brood over it.


    However, when had he taken this photo? It didn’t appear to be a random image downloaded from the


    inte. And to think he had secretly stored her photograph in his office…


    The more Loraine pondered over it, the more her heart melted. She gripped Marco’s hand firmly and


    said, “I’m right here before you. Do you still need a photo?”


    Marco pursed his lips and retorted coolly, “It’s not the same. No one can harm you, not even your


    photo!”