Chapter 445


    After Zoe returned to the studio, she divided the food among the girls and took the rest to Leanna''s


    office. As soon as she sat down, she sprawled on the table before letting out another long sigh.


    Seeing this, Leanna asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "I met Anthony." Zoe immediately blew her top when she brought this up.


    This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    Leanna also let out a frown when she heard that. "How did you bump into him?" she asked quickly.


    "I don''t know," Zoe grumbled. "Probably because I forgot to check the almanac before I went out. That


    was why I stepped on sh*t."


    "What did he do to you?"


    "He didn''t do anything other than beg for my forgiveness. I chewed him out, but…"


    When Leanna heard the pause, she tilted her head and waited for her friend to finish her sentence.


    Zoe suddenly pulled and tugged her hair as she muttered, "Forget it! Just thinking about it annoys me!"


    As she spoke, she tore open a bag of snacks but just as she was about to stuff her face, she suddenly


    realized this was the snack that Daniel chose.


    She looked at the bag again and felt she needed to be rescued for a moment there. What amazingly


    sh*t fate is this? she fumed. Why is everything I kept chosen by Daniel?


    Dejected, she grumbled, "I''m not eating anymore."


    Leanna couldn''t help butugh as she looked at Zoe''s antics. "What do you want to eat?" She then


    picked up her phone. "I''ll get something delivered."


    "Pizza! Let''s go after work."


    "Sure."


    …


    The Crossley Group''s anniversary ceremony finally came after a few peaceful days went by.


    When Leanna went outte in the morning, Lloyd informed her, "The event is at 6.00PM. You can go


    there straight from work."


    "Okay." Leanna smiled.


    After she left, Lloyd turned his head to Georgina and asked, "Is everything prepared?"


    Georgina nodded in response. "It''s done," she replied, to which Lloyd added, "We will leave after


    everything has been put in the car."


    He then stood up after he spoke, but Georgina quickly called out to him again. "Dad, are we really not


    "Yes." That was all he uttered before he entered the study.


    Now that she was left alone, Georgina pursed her lips and trudged out of the living room.


    The subordinate, who was waiting off to one side, saw her and immediately went over to greet her.


    "Miss Crossley."


    "Do as I say."


    As soon as her subordinate heard that, he nodded and shuffled away.


    Georgina continued to look into the distance when augh suddenly slipped. Let''s see who else can


    save Leanna this time.


    Lloyd, who was in the study, took out a few documents from the table and he sneered when he looked


    at the contract he had signed with Leanna.


    He was going to give her everything including the Crossley Group if that was what she wanted.


    Before leaving, he turned his head and nced at the books in the room, his gaze growing sinister.


    The things here were all arranged ording to his preferences so that people wouldn''t find anything


    odd and yet, he didn''t need any of this anymore.


    After today, he could finally tear off this disgusting mask and be himself again.


    He went to the warehouse after leaving the Crossley Residence. "Bring him here," he ordered while


    sitting in the car.


    His subordinates gave a short reply of acknowledgment before Jethro was promptly dragged out of the


    warehouse, yelling, "Where are you taking me? What about the money you promised me?!"


    Lloyd swiftly lowered the car window and threw a check out, in which Jethro pulled away from the


    people that held him. He then picked up the check from the floor as though it was a treasure. "This is


    the first time I''ve ever seen so much money!" he said in a singsong voice.


    As he spoke, he counted the profusion of zeroes on it.


    "Are you done confirming the amount?" Lloyd threw out. "Come in if you''re done."


    At that, Jethro held the check and approached Lloyd. He still wasn''t at ease as he stood right outside


    the car window. "This isn''t a nk check, is it? What if I don''t get the money?"


    "It''s under the Crossley Group," Lloyd said unhurriedly. "Do you think such a bigpany can''t afford


    to pay the sum?"


    "Fine, I''ll believe y—no. I''ll believe the Crossley Group one more time."


    The Crossley Group''s headquarters alone were dozens of stories tall. Furthermore, they couldn''t lie


    their way around it since Lloyd''s name was written on the check.


    Before leaving, Lloyd reminded Jethro, "Remember what you should and shouldn''t say. Say anything


    wrong and I will have the check burned."


    "Hehe, don''t worry. I got it. I told you I’ll make sure you’re satisfied."


    …


    Leanna was still on the road when she received a call from Aidan saying that he woulde to pick


    her up in the afternoon.


    Right when she arrived at the studio, Daniel also came over to talk to her about the anniversary


    ceremony tonight as he always did.


    Everyone knew that Lloyd would make a big move, but they didn''t know what he would do, not to


    mention that Jethro was still in his hands.


    "But don''t worry," Daniel reassured her. "We have a n as well. Regardless of what he does, his true


    colors will be exposed—"


    Leanna nced at him when she heard that.


    Daniel almost bit his tongue when he remembered the lessonst time, and he quickly added, "We as


    in, me and… President Pearson."


    "I didn''t know you guys are close," she countered.


    He could only let out an awkwardugh. "We''re not particrly close. It''s just that we… have the same


    goal."


    Leanna fell silent for a second, but she suddenly stated, "After the issue has been resolved tonight, can


    you tell me who exactly ''we'' are? And also the reason why you''re going after Lloyd."


    "Um…"


    "No rush. We still have the whole day before tonight. You can take your time to think about it.


    Something tells me that ''we'' are the people rted to the explosion twenty years ago, but I don''t know


    who they are. I don''t remember a lot of things after the explosion. I might have forgotten about


    someone important." She then chuckled, "Still, my intuition is wrong most of the time. I might also have


    looked too deep into it."


    Not knowing what to say, Daniel, who happened to hear Zoe''s voice, used that as his excuse to leave.


    Just as Leanna started eating breakfast, the phone on the desk rang—she had received a message


    from an unfamiliar number. ''I got it.''


    She only took a brief look at the message before she set the phone down to take a sip of her soy milk.


    When Aidan came to the studio at 3.00PM, Leanna couldn''t help eximing, "You''re here early."


    "Early?" He looked back at her.


    She knew that she had to change, but it wouldn''t take long. Still, she told him, "Have a seat. I''ll be done


    in a bit."


    Aidan''s eyes fell on the draft she was working on and he seemed to be in deep thought as his slender


    fingers tapped on the table lightly.


    After a while, she raised her head at him. "And I''m done. You—"


    "Don''t you think you owe me something?" He gazed at her with his dark eyes when he abruptly asked


    that question.


    "What?"


    His fingersnded on the draft. "If you need a model, I can take a day off and help you with it."


    Leanna fell quiet when she heard that, but she soon rejected him. "Thanks, but I don''t need that."


    However, Aidan''s tone was firm, leaving no room for her to say no. "Yes, you do."